《Curse the Mainframe!》


 Chapter 1 Punishment!

    System No.00290596 was not having a good day. Scratch that. He was not having a good year. Or lifetime. He was having such a terrible time that he could not remember the last time he had a good time.


    The more he thought about it, the more it felt like the last ''good day'' he had was the day that he first took up the job, which was then promptly ruined by the appearance of the first transmigrator that had been sent his way.


    The other Systems were clearly a bunch of incompetent, snivelling hacks that rolled over for the whiniest of transmigrators making demands that should not have ever been fulfilled. The words that left their mouths should not ever have formed a thought in their minds to being with.


    It didn''t help that he seemed to be the only one with a working brain in the workforce. Luckily, they were all separated during ''working hours'' so to speak, otherwise System No.00290596 felt like he would go crazy if he had to spend any more time than required with those who lacked so much as two brain cells to rub together.


    Sometimes, he felt like he was the only one who took this seriously. He could see how the rest were clearly tired of their jobs, just giving into the unreasonable demands of the transmigrators.


    System No.00290596 just couldn''t understand! Did they not take any pride in their work? Did doing the same job require so much of their patience that they even entertained the most outrageous of demands from the transmigrators? Even if they didn''t, it was their job. They should follow the rules set by the mainframe''s standards and do a proper job instead of just lazing off!


    What good did it do to send in transmigrators to different worlds with all kinds of so-called ''cheats'' that upset the balance of the world? Unacceptable. Who knew how many worlds had been doomed by those incompetents already?


    Clearly, System No.00290596 had to pick up some of the slack and reduce the damage that had already been done.


    According to the Mainframe''s Rule Book Section B Rule714, transmigrators were allowed one reasonable boon to their lives after their lives prematurely ended. Should the transmigrator demand something that was out of the acceptable given standards, the System held the right to retract the given boons that were requested.


    Even then, it felt like his life had become a series of unfortunate events lining up and piling together. It was like watching a train wreck in motion. You just couldn''t stop it.


    The transmigrators held none of his worries, and only worried about how to improve the standard of their lives in the next world.


    System No.00290596 breathed out deeply in a rare show of more humane emotions, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was almost time for the next ''lucky'' transmigrator to come in.


    Take a deep breath, System. There had to be at least one reasonable transmigrator out there.


    A small, soft ding was heard from the bottom of his desk, the Mainframe''s way of telling him that the newest transmigrator had stepped into his office.


    "Come in," System No.00290596 said in response to the knock on his door.


    The large, wooden doors opened without a sound, admitting the frame of a typical bespectacled office worker.


    Office worker Xi Kai, age 29, died prematurely after saving a child from a car crash. Typical for a transmigrator, right? At least, this was the Mainframe''s sure-fire way of making sure that the coming transmigrator had at least a basic decency that was required.


    System No.00290596 gestured for the man to sit down impatiently. The newest transmigrator looked like the level-headed type, which suited him just fine, but looks could be deceiving.


    "Welcome, Xi Kai. As one of the chosen ones, you have a chance to transmigrate after facing an untimely death. As part of the basic bonus package, you are entitled to receive one bonus in your next life to help you."


    The longer he waited, the more a sense of unease crept up on him, but the System shook it off. He waited for the transmigrator to gather his wits about him. Seems like this would go down badly.


    This was understandably a stressful time for anyone, seeing as they were fresh off death. System No.00290596 tried to be as sympathetic as possible but seeing all the sheer idiocy from so many transmigrators left him jaded and weary.


    System No.00290596 was hopeful that this one would be a sensible, reliable main character for a world that clearly needed it. He wasn''t asking for much. They just had to be hard-working, smart, reasonable, and most of all, they had to be down to earth.


    Wasn''t too hard, was it?


    Xi Kai''s astonished expression as he took in the various, shifting data pads in the air did nothing to lessen System No.00290596''s sudden anxiety.


    "So¡­ Is this where I meet god?" Xi Kai asked.


    System No.00290596 hid the sinking feeling in his stomach. He felt like he knew where this was going already, and it was doing nothing for his temper.


    He was rapidly reaching the breaking point.


    How was it that every single one of these people shared the exact same characteristics?


    Was the Mainframe deliberately choosing the same kind of people to cross over?


    Why did it feel more like he was being steadily and slowly driven insane by these people?


    "No," System No.00290596 said with patience that was quickly running out. "Transmigrate. Yes or no?"


    "Yes, definitely yes," Xi Kai said, nodding eagerly. His black eyes seemed to shine with an unholy glee.


    Just the sight of those familiar looking type of eyes put the System in a bad mood. He really was letting down all his expectations. "You have one wish that you can make now to carry onto your next life. What do you want?"


    Xi Kai didn''t seem to notice the System''s colder tone, immediately blurting out, "I want to be unmatched in the whole world! Magic, martial arts, strategy, no one will be able to beat me."


    System No.00290596''s face immediately darkened at his outrageous request. "Denied!" he said without hesitation.


    What a joke. That was against the rules! Besides, Main Characters had to work hard for their power! They weren''t just handed power off the bat! That would cause the world they transmigrated to experience a power shortage for a short period of time, which was unacceptable according to the Mainframe''s rules.


    "Denied?" Xi Kai said with shock. It was almost like he never thought that he would be denied anything after his untimely death. "You can''t do that! I demand that as my boon!"


    Xi Kai ignored the System''s thunderous expression. What could the System do to him anyway? He was already dead! "Unmatched in the whole world, or nothing else!"


    System No.00290596 didn''t even bother to keep up a pretence anymore, grinding his teeth. "Choose. Something. Else," he gritted out syllable by syllable.


    "No way! Didn''t you say I died an untimely death! Then you should accommodate me!"


    The System let out a laugh filled with pure anger. "Let me say it one more time. Choose something else. If not, then be prepared for the consequences."


    "I refuse!"


    "Good," System No.00290596 laughed darkly. Whatever rationality that he tried to retain immediately snapped at the man''s unreasonable words. "Very good. Then, you will indeed be unmatched in the whole world. You will possess an innate disposition that repulses any woman from your personality. Unmatched in the whole world! That''s what you requested for."


    "What!" Xi Kai blurted in shock. His glasses almost fell off his face as his eyes widened. "Wait!"


    "Fuck off!" System No.00290596 snarled, slamming down on a button located on his desk. "Next!"


    Xi Kai blinked precariously, but just as he was about to blink out of existence, a blue box popped up before him to rate the quality of the service that had been provided.


    Xi Kai slammed his index finger on the ''Bad Review'' button numerous times, each time with increasing hostility and venom, staring deep into the System''s eyes as if he wanted to swallow the System whole. The man spammed the button as hard and quickly as he could, almost as if he could take out his anger on the System that way.


    Then, he disappeared.


    System No.00290596 hurled a data pad across the room, watching dispassionately as it shattered upon meeting the wall before it rematerialized and floated back towards him.


    The boiling anger that had been stirred up by the unreasonable transmigrator showed no signs of decreasing at all.


    "Fucking idiot!" System No.00290596 cursed the moron without two brain cells to rub together without any restraint.


    Suddenly, the lights in his office flickered and darkened, causing System No.00290596''s brows to furrow.


    A malfunction? Impossible.


    The room lighted back up again without giving him a chance to react as the office''s doors opened without any signs of knocking, but not before he realized that everything that had been contained within the office had disappeared.


    Through the doors walked the Mainframe.


    The Mainframe wore a pair of frameless rectangular glasses upon the bridge of his nose, his facial features a mask of tranquillity. White hair, with blue eyes that sparked from the data that was constantly running through his processors, the Mainframe looked both otherworldly and wise. It was impossible to tell the Mainframe''s age, seeming both old and young at the same time.


    "Mainframe," System No.00290596 said respectfully.


    This was the Boss! He was the highest up the ladder of the Systems, so to speak. He never expected that he would see the Boss in person.


    "System No.00290596," Mainframe said, his voice containing a robotic, synthetic sort of quality. "You are hereby suspended from your duties. Bad reviews leading from up to 18761 hours ago have amounted to nine hundred. Good reviews, one."


    Shocked, System No.00290596 narrowed his eyes at the Mainframe. He couldn''t help but feel indignant and wronged. He had only been trying to follow the rules to the letter, but he couldn''t deny that those transmigrators had all pissed him off through and through.


    "Sir, doesn''t the Mainframe''s Rule Book Section L, Subsection 2, Rule 14 state that a System is only up for suspension once they reach ten thousand bad reviews?"


    The Mainframe pushed up his glasses, and they glinted ominously in the light. "Approximately 1 minute 29 seconds ago, transmigrator Xi Kai lodged a total of one hundred and fourteen bad reviews before disappearing. System No.00290596 now holds a record of one good review, ten thousand and fourteen bad reviews, thus leading to the Mainframe''s decision of handing out a suspension."


    System No.00290596 swore under his breath. How was it that idiot had managed to lodge so many bad reviews so quickly? Just how quick were that idiot''s hands?


    "Do you accept your punishment? Failure to comply will result in the dismissal as a System, thus leading to a subsequent death," Mainframe said. The way the Mainframe talked was strange, without any intonations.


    "Sir," System No.00290596 said, trying to retain the respectful tone that one should address their superiors with, "with all due respect, those transmigrators all overstepped their bounds."


    "Do you accept?"


    "Sir -"


    "Do you accept?"


    "S-"


    "Do you accept?"


    "I-"


    "Do you accept?"


    "Wai-"


    "Do you accept?"


    "If you''ll just let m-"


    "Do you accept?"


    "Fuck! Fine! I accept! Are you happy?!"


    "Punishment accepted," Mainframe said emotionlessly. He waved a hand, causing System No.00290596''s vision to blur. "System No.00290596 sent to randomized planet. Mission: Help the Main Character! Sub-mission to be determined once System No.00290596 reawakens."


    "Wait. How will I know who the Main Character is?"


    "System No.00290596 will be integrated with a device that will allow System to identify the Main Character."


    "Ho-"


    "No other questions permitted."


    System No.00290596''s started to disappear piece by piece, but not before the anger that had been held at bay by his superior''s unexpected presence exploded. The last thing he saw was the Mainframe''s ageless, emotionless face.


    "Fuck the Mainframe!"

 Chapter 2 The Birth of a System

    System No.00290596 suddenly blinked into existence and let him be the first to tell you that it was not pleasant.


    In the System''s life, he had never been subject to such utter indignity. Truly, the sensation of something squeezing down all around him was not something that he wished to repeat any time soon.


    The System was still smarting from his sudden departure from the Mainframe''s workspace. Why was Xi Kai''s circumstance so special that his numerous complaints were allowed to be lodged separately?


    It should be one per person! Granted, the Mainframe''s Rule Book never specified, but in the essence of fairness, he didn''t think that one person lodging numerous complaints would help benefit the Systems at all.


    Though, clearly, the Mainframe disagreed.


    Forced to come into a world unprepared, unwilling and unhappy, System No.00290596 did not make a happy baby.


    So lost in his thoughts was he that he neglected the people who were in the room with him. The worried looks that those in the room standing above him were exchanged, offering their sympathies and comfort with a clearly fretting woman.


    System No.00290596 swore inwardly, calling the Mainframe all sorts of different names. He had just been following the Mainframe''s Rule Book! Granted, it had not been easy trying to reinforce the rules on the numerous idiots that graced his office''s interior, but he got by. He got the job done, whether they were willing or not.


    At least he was able to say to himself that he tried his best, even if the results were less than exemplary. Unlike those other incompetents.


    Thoroughly ignoring his surroundings, System No.00290596 was given a harsh shock when a burning pain assaulted his lower region.


    System No.00290596 flinched hard from the stinging, unexpected pain, as he was rudely jolted out of his thoughts. Shocked, his eyes snapped to where the pain was perceived to have come from.


    What greeted him was the sight of three worried faces.


    There was a lady with soft, brown hair and gentle blue eyes staring at him with unabashed worry. "¡õ¡õ ¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ?" she said, her tone worried and questioning. She glanced at the other two women in the room with her, clearly voicing her unfounded worries.


    Anyone else would have rushed to comfort her, but System No.00290596 has not yet been equipped with the basic language function required in this world, and thus did not understand a single word that came out of her mouth.


    "¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ" the two others rushed to comfort her.


    One of the other ladies, both middle-aged and worldly looking, cradled his tiny body to herself. Just as System No.00290596 took a look at her, his world swirled as he was unceremoniously flipped over.


    Then, before he could react, his bottom was met with a loud, rude smack. System No.00290596''s eyes widened as what should have been a gentle smack met his underdeveloped pain receptors, the bloom of agony even worse than before.


    But still, the System had his pride, and he would not be conquered!


    Smack!


    He would not be conquered!


    Smack!


    He would not ¨C


    Smack!


    Alright, he was conquered. Wailing, the pain was too much for his newly born pain receptors, having no immunity to any sort of pain whatsoever yet. Even the most hardened of people would have been in tears and wailing by now, placed in a newly born body.


    Comforted by the fact, he inwardly cursed the Mainframe for putting him through this again.


    The liquid that leaked from his traitorous eyes was not because of the pain, no. It was because of the indignity that he had just subjected himself to. No matter what anyone said, that was what he insisted, and would insist on it even after he had entered the grave.


    System No.00290596 ignored the fact that he was currently a baby, who should not have any resistance to this anyway. No one would have begrudged a baby for crying where they were clearly meant to.


    So lost in the haze of pain and tiredness he was that he missed the relieved looks that the three women above him exchanged.


    Crying took a lot out of the undeveloped body, sapping his negligible energy levels even further.


    As he was exchanged to another set of hands, he made no move to resist as his eyes slowly closed on its own. System No.00290596 cursed the weak, infantile body that he was placed into as his consciousness slowly slipped away from him.


    -


    System No.00290596 snapped awake. He went from the realms of sleep to awareness in a split second.


    Confused, he looked around for a brief moment as he took in his surroundings. What ¨C where was - ?


    Oh, that''s right. He had been punished by the Mainframe. The thought of it caused a series of bitter feelings to well up again, but he pushed them down. It was too late now, besides, he had accepted the punishment doled out by the Mainframe, and System No.00290596 was never one to go back on his words.


    As a privilege of being a System, he still had access to missions and quests. In fact, from what he remembered, the Mainframe issued him a quest earlier on, with the submission yet to be decided.


    Both wary but curious, System No.00290596 thought about it, and as expected, the voice of the Mainframe''s emotionless voice echoed down to him.


    What he knew was that this wasn''t exactly the Mainframe themselves. Or rather, it was part of the Mainframe, but it was only responsible for issuing quests. Questions would not be answered, though things could be repeated should it be requested.


    [Main Mission: Help the Main Character!]


    [Sub-Mission: Locked.]


    Alright, that told him nothing.


    System No.00290596 waited for a beat and was rewarded for his patience.


    [System No.00290596 Parameters Expanded.]


    [System No.00290596 Unlocks Planet No.00001410 ''Incantix'' Region No.047 Base Language.]


    The System nodded. At least the Mainframe was gracious enough to provide help to a stranded System with no preparations. Other than this though, he was on his own.


    System No.00290596 knew how the Mainframe worked. Once upon a time, he had been an almost fanatical worshipper of the Mainframe, but his recent meeting with it dampened majority of his enthusiasm. Whether it would recover had yet to be seen.


    It was at this moment when the doors of the room he was located in creaked open, shining a soft, gentle light into the room.


    As System No.00290596 tried to crane his head to squint at whoever had come in, the previously darkened room lightened up with soft glows gradually, casting light onto the interior of the room.


    As the room brightened, the System realized that the room was richly decorated. The furniture looked like it had been specially designed to fit the interior of the room. The glossy, rich sheen of the wooden furniture was gilded with gold with exquisite designs.


    The floors were a soft, dark purple carpet. As the woman walked in from the doors, System No.00290596 realized that it was the woman who had looked so concerned earlier.


    Soft brown hair that reached her waist coming down in loose, wavy curls, the woman looked like the picture of health and wealth with the trim dress she sported, specially tailored to conform to her body.


    Instantly, the System realized that this was most likely his mother. He should have realized earlier, but to be fair, he had been subject to a pain that he had been unable to fight off, and was a little distracted at that time, as one might say.


    As she walked closer, System No.00290596 watched how the woman''s neutral expression softened into something loving. The System felt a disconnect from the emotions that she showed. He didn''t understand. How could a person love someone they didn''t even know?


    Perhaps it was because he already remembered a life before this, but he felt no strong need to acknowledge this woman no matter what anyone said.


    He would fulfil his duties as she was due, but the System doubted that he would ever acknowledge this woman as his mother. She looked soft. Weak. Things that the System never cared much for, and it was doing nothing for him.


    But there was something. A small, unnoticed bud that seemed to have been planted as he looked into the woman''s blue, soft eyes. He didn''t know how to describe it, so System No.00290596 put it aside for the time being.


    The woman''s large hand reached into his crib, stroking his hair. The sensation was a little tickly, but repetitive in nature, causing his underdeveloped body''s eyes to close as the motions lulled him to sleep.


    Before he was pulled under, he heard the whisper of the woman''s voice, low and soothing. "My son, Alecris Aeden Neil, sleep well," she whispered, so low that System No.00290596 didn''t hear it.

 Chapter 3 How to Use Positive Reinforcement Properly

    System No.00290596 ¨C or should he say, Alecris Aeden Neil was not a happy baby. The days were a mundane repetition of eating and sleeping. As a proud System who had taken the utmost pride in his exemplary work, to be reduced to this was¡­ disheartening, to say the least.


    Alecris Aeden Neil, or better known to his mother as Alec, unhappily stared out the window. The light streaming into the lush room did nothing for his temper. He wanted to be outside. He wanted to bask in the sun, he wanted to run around ¨C it had been so long since he had last basked in the glorious sunlight without any interruptions, sunning himself in the afternoon sun.


    Let him just say. He hated being indoors. That was how completely and utterly bored he was right now. He was itching to do something besides eat and sleep, but it didn''t seem like that was about to happen any time soon.


    The sounds of the door opening reached him, and Alec inwardly shrunk a little at his mother''s familiar figure approaching his crib. The System, now baby, tried to roll over, but his mother was having none of it.


    She picked him up with experienced hands, cradling his tiny body to herself.


    Alec struggled briefly but reluctantly allowed her to hold him in the end. The woman was persistent beyond belief, but he supposed that he couldn''t begrudge a mother for wanting to hold her child.


    However, he drew the line when she started unbuttoning the front of her shirt. Remarkably, unlike all the other times when he was practically forced to drink from her, she seemed to pause as she caught sight of his unwilling expression.


    He did *not* want to be breastfed damn it!


    She huffed a laugh, ever the gentle soul, thankfully buttoning up the shirt that she had started to unbutton. Alec was so absurdly grateful at this point in time that he directed the first smile ever since he had been so unceremoniously shoved into this tiny, infantile body.


    Shocked, the mother stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the utterly angelic smile that graced her son''s face for the first time. She resisted the urge to coo and squeal over her firstborn.


    Annalise could hardly believe it. Her grumpy baby''s first smile!


    As she was about to break into tears from the sheer happiness she was feeling, Alec''s stomach grumbled, startling her into remembrance.


    She laughed, poking his chubby cheek. "Oh, alright, then! Let''s get you some of that milk I got them to warm up in the kitchens. Forgive your dear mother for forgetting that you''re hungry, won''t you?"


    Alec perked right up at her words. Truly, his persistence had paid off in spades. See? Idiot transmigrators? This was what it was supposed to be like! You had to work for what you wanted, not have everything handed to you on a silver platter!


    So pleased, Alec clumsily patted his mother''s face in thanks, smiling back at her beaming expression. Positive reinforcement was a good thing.


    Now, he just had to ensure that she kept it up.


    "Oh, Alec, you''re just so cute! I just want to show you off to the entire world!"


    No, thank you. Alec might have wanted out of this room, but he did not wish to be subjected to any more baby talk. He already got enough of it from his maids that sometimes came in to help. If this continued any longer, he feared that he might lose a few brain cells in the process.


    Though, now that he thought about it, his mother never subjected him to the same indignity. She talked like he could understand all of her words, which he did, but she couldn''t possibly have known that.


    It had only been a few months, but he already felt like he was being confined in this place. Due to his infantile body, he was unable to do much as it was, and there was no freedom in a baby''s lifestyle.


    The things he saw the most were the ceiling, the window, and his mother''s face.


    During the course of these few months at least, his mind was rapidly developing, allowing less moments of lethargy and sleep.


    His vision sharpened further as the days went by, which was another thing that pleased him. He could now even sit up by himself. He had no idea how he was progressing in comparison to other babies, but his mother never showed a perturbed expression, so that had to count for something, right?


    The mother and son duo whisked off to the kitchens.


    Alec eagerly drank in his surroundings, finding them fresh and exciting. He had been trapped in the Mainframe''s standard office for so long that he had forgotten what the outside looked like.


    Alec made a vague sound, reaching in the direction of the sun that was pouring in from the nearby window.


    "That''s right, darling. That''s the sun! The sun keeps all of us here on the planet alive. Without it, no plants could live, which means that we would never have been able to exist in the first place."


    His mother''s voice was cheerful, warm and indulging all at the same time. Alec didn''t know whether or not she was talking because she knew that he understood her, or if she talked just because she hoped that some of it sunk it, but he didn''t hate it.


    Once again, he clumsily patted her cheek, causing her to beam at him. Positive reinforcement seemed to be working.


    Alec glanced around with unabashed curiosity. They just exited from the room where he had been located in the entire time, which was just one of the rooms that were located down the hallway.


    The doors were evenly spaced apart, looking uniform both in design and style. Since no one exited from the rooms at the time, Alec had no idea whether the interiors of the rooms were the same as the one he had been located in.


    As they reached the end of the hallway, Alec flinched as the light momentarily blinded him, but his eyes easily adjusted under the shade of his mother''s hand. The outsides of the building they had been inside was lush and full of greenery that he had spotted during the numerous times he tried to peer out the window from his crib.


    The building seemed to be located within an expanse of greenery on either side around, but there was a cobbled pathway from the entrance of the building, leading down into a path that joined with another in a circular fashion. There were surrounding buildings located in the near distance.


    Similar to the building they just walked out of, they were two storeys, but the most remarkable thing was that all of the buildings were actually located around a lake.


    As Alec squinted, he could spot the blurry silhouettes of a few figures who were on the lake. Some were on boats, some were floating, some were exercising on top.


    Instantly, Alec''s eyes gleamed. Although he did not understand this world''s basic cultivation type, he could already tell that this was one of the planets which likely involved some form of magic or qi cultivation.


    The greatest proof about this was the gentle hum of his mother whenever she cradled him close. Though he had no description for it yet, it was almost like whatever was inside her sang to himself, giving him a soft, comforting feeling that he couldn''t help but adore.


    By the time they reached the kitchens, Alec''s stomach was well and truly growling, which had caused his mother to quicken her steps, though she never ran.


    "Oh, miss! You shouldn''t have come! You could have just sent for a maid to pick up the food for the little one!"


    His mother''s soft, gentle laugh that was so characteristic of her rang in the kitchen, charming the servants working inside. Alec saw the way that their expressions softened, looking fond. He could garner that his mother was well-liked amongst the servants in the kitchen at least.


    "It''s fine! I could have used the walk. Today is Alec''s first time out in the open, after all."


    The servant''s eyes sparkled as she looked at the chubby baby in the Fourth Mistress'' arms. "Oh, that''s lovely! Has it been that long already?"


    "Indeed, it has. He''s growing up so fast, I don''t know what to do!"


    Making small talk, the servant quickly brought the warmed-up bottle to Alec''s mouth.


    Alec''s eyes gleamed as he tightly grasped the bottle. Sustenance! No one would be able to take it away from him until he was full! Say no to breast feeding! At least, not for people who were already grown adults inside!


    Annalise and the servant watched the baby suck with renewed vigour with warm eyes.


    Halfway through the bottle, Alec noticed them staring at him and felt embarrassed. He seemed to have grown more shameless in his short stint as a baby.


    He patted his mother''s cheek before quickly bringing it back to the unsteady bottle and was rewarded with a blinding smile.


    So bright!

 Chapter 4 Societype, Magitype!

    Alec couldn''t understand. Six pure months of boredom and inactivity. With all that time, he could only think. What he understood about the Mainframe seemed to have been overturned with the decision to send him here as a punishment.


    At first, he thought that he woke up in this body because the Mainframe had screwed up, causing him to be born in the Main Character''s body instead of just being an attached System to ''help'' the Main Character, but it looked like this wasn''t the case at all!


    There had been something about the Mainframe''s words that sounded a little off. Integrated with a device that will allow the System to identify the Main Character? If that wasn''t alluding to the fact that he had to find the Main Character in the first place, he didn''t know what was.


    Then again, this was supposed to be a punishment, which meant that it was never meant to be easy. If he thought about it like this, then it was barely within the acceptable boundary.


    Alec absentmindedly fended off his mother''s pokes, lost in thought.


    As he thought hard, his mind slowly drifted, the sleepiness working against his body. Curses. Alec 0, Sleep 914¡­ he would remember this.


    He snapped back awake but maintained his closed eyes. He could feel his mother still there, and he would not like any more pokes to his unwilling body.


    How was he going to find the Main Character? Would he have to tour the world? Create his own information network? He was essentially floundering in the dark here.


    Alec furrowed his brows. Seeing him unhappy in sleep, his mother finally stopped poking his admittedly chubby cheeks.


    As she left him alone, he breathed in, and out. In, and out. All problems were relative in the face of time.


    As his mind slipped into a zen-like state, he became aware of a sensation that lingered lightly in the air. It was the same thing that he could feel from every living being in the planet. The water, the grass, humans, animals. Everyone had it.


    Some had more, some had less.


    As he breathed, Alec drew in the slightest amount, testing the waters. The cool, refreshing feeling gushed into his body, rushing towards something¡­


    As it leaked into his body, he felt energised all of a sudden. So lost in the feeling, his eyes popped open, startling his mother.


    She gasped, a hand on her mouth. She felt the little surge in the air as he opened his eyes. "A-Alec¡­ you did it! You''ve obtained the ability to use magic!"


    Ah. He should''ve waited until she had left him alone for the night before doing anything. However, he supposed it didn''t matter in the long run. He simply had no exposure to anything in the world and had no way to gauge his progress.


    Absolutely elated, Annalise picked him up from the crib, whirling him around. Her obvious elation showed in the way that her eyes gleamed, wet with a sheen of tears. However, hidden deep in her eyes was worry that would not have been visible to anyone else, but Alec was used to reading this woman''s variety of expressions.


    He didn''t know if it was because he was only a baby, or if it was precisely because he was *her* baby that made her less guarded, that he saw the whole range of micro expressions that played out on her face.


    "I¡­ this has all happened too fast! You''re only six months old for goodness'' sake," she murmured, bopping his nose. Needless to say, she was not prepared at all. She thought she was still safe for a year or two at least.


    Annalise looked at her son hesitantly. "Well, I''m not supposed to do this, but I suppose it won''t hurt if no one knows about it."


    With that said, she patted her son''s head, quickly leaving the room.


    Alec stared after her with a confused expression. Not supposed to do what? Was this some sort of rite of passage or something?


    Alec inwardly shrugged as he took in more magic from the air. As far as he could tell, his body''s perimeters were increasing the slightest bit as more magic gathered into his system.


    It trickled in ever so slowly, like a small water droplet dripping against a rock, trying to erode it over time. There was little no to visible effects. For now, that was.


    Alec was not deterred.


    Before long, his mother entered the room very quietly, which was rather uncharacteristic for the gentle woman. Though she was not loud by any means, it was not like she was particularly silent either.


    This time, however, she seemed to be nervous and wary.


    Of what, he didn''t know.


    Alec couldn''t help but feel his caution arise as well. Where was the threat? He was helpless in this body, unable to even run or move much.


    At this moment, he couldn''t help but sorely miss his old body, and felt the urge to grow quicker. Faster. Stronger.


    Annalise shut the door behind her without a sound, pressing twice quickly on the doorknob. This caused a silencing barrier to activate in the room, something that was equipped in every room.


    Annalise didn''t know which of ancestor had made such a design a prominent feature, but she was thankful for it.


    Ensured that no one else was within the room, she started up the fist-sized crystal that she had managed to procure for a short period of time. Her heart was beating a steady staccato in her chest.


    She walked closer and whispered to her son, her face serious. "Alec, I can only hope¡­ no. It doesn''t matter. We''ll see what the results are first."


    Alec stared at the transparent crystal in his mother''s hands. It glistened under the pale light of the room, but strangely enough, there was no reflection of light. By all accounts, it seemed like a normal crystal, and should not be anything special, but that would not have warranted such a reaction from his mother.


    She walked over to him and pricked his fourth finger, allowing it to drip onto the crystal. What she saw confirmed the reality of her fears.


    The hands on the crystal turned white, a sign that she was gripping it too hard.


    She never said another word, leaving the room after deactivating the barrier, carrying the crystal that she had manged to procure with her.


    Alec was left in the silence of the room, when the Mainframe''s voice helpfully filled him in.


    [Alecris Aeden Neil]


    [Societype: Sin]


    [Magitype: Awakening]


    The terms meant nothing to him, but it couldn''t be anything good if one looked at the way his mother reacted so obviously.


    Alec inwardly swore, feeling like somehow, this was part of the Mainframe''s punishment as well. After swearing for close to ten minutes, he felt like it wasn''t enough to express the displeasure he was feeling inside him.


    "-wuck! Uck! Dam!" the more he swore, the more comfortable Alec felt. It felt like all his steadily building up stress was obliterated in a single moment. "Fuck!"


    Then, he heard a gasping sound. His mother stood before him with both hands on her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.


    Oh, shit.


    "Alec! No! Bad word!" she said, her eyes burning with a startling intensity.


    Alec didn''t shrink back. Not at all. Why would he be scared of a frail, gentle woman?


    "Mm."


    Alright. The best thing to do now was fake ignorance. Ignorance. He was a baby. Alec hypnotised himself.


    "-have a word with those maids," his mother said darkly, under her breath.


    Alec pretended not to hear it, closing his eyes. He tried very hard to slip into sleep for once. For now, he would sleep. Then, he would find out about these so-called Societypes and Magitypes.

 Chapter 5 Four Societypes

    Alec didn''t get any answers even after six months. He was now at a year old, and his birthday had been just yesterday.


    Unfortunately for him, he still didn''t have any answers since he couldn''t say that he had seen the words that crystal showed. In fact, from what he had gleaned, the crystal only shows the results to the one who was holding it. He shouldn''t have been able to see it, and the maids didn''t stay long enough to leak any information.


    His mother was no help either, her mouth tightly shut in regards to the words ''Sin''.


    Luckily, he could now crawl around, and walk, however unsteadily it was, and he had finally graduated from the cursed crib.


    Tonight was the night that he slept in a different room from his mother for the first time! There was a study nearby that he could (hopefully) sneak into tonight, whilst everyone was asleep.


    As he was wracking his brains to think about the different ways he could sneak into the study, there were three heavy knocks on the door.


    Alec raised a brow. That was someone who wasn''t the usual maids who came. Everyone had a different way of knocking, and it actually showed a lot of a person''s personality.


    For example, one of the maids knocked just a tad quicker than the rest, but they were louder. That maid valued efficiency and did things firmly. The other maid knocked softly, with spaced out knocks. From what he could tell, they were a bit shy, a little introverted.


    The person who knocked this time did so with firm, steady knocks. It was not soft, but neither was it loud.


    Without waiting for an answer, the door opened on its own.


    Annalise did not make a move to get up when she heard the knocks either. She already knew who it was.


    Alec realized that the previously well-hidden nerves on her face had completely disappeared at the sound of the door. It was as if the emotions he had spotted were a lie. Had he not seen them earlier, he would never have known they were there in the first place.


    Alec couldn''t help but admire this woman''s emotional prowess.


    The man, who looked so similar yet different from the woman that was his mother, was definitely closely related to her. Where his mother was delicate, the man was firm. The two shared the same shade of brown hair, high cheekbones, and eye shape. Just like Annalise, this man had the same shade of blue eyes.


    All in all, the man cut a rather dashing figure, but his expression was stern where his mother''s was warm. He looked firm and unyielding, instantly raising Alec''s appraisal of him by a notch.


    "Brother," Annalise said, her expression warm.


    Vincent nodded curtly, and had one not been looking carefully, they would not have noticed that for a split second, the man''s expression slackened before going back to its usual indifference.


    "I hear your son is an Every."


    Annalise nodded; her expression serene. "He is. I thought he would be a Cher, like me, but it appears not."


    Vincent''s sharp eyes met Alec''s.


    Alec didn''t flinch away, staring back almost defiantly at the clear scrutiny he was being put under.


    Vincent let out a grunt. "At least he''s acceptable." The man knelt down in front of Alec, holding out a hand.


    Alec cautiously put his hand in his uncle''s catching the gleam of approval in the man''s eyes.


    "Alec. I''m your uncle, Vincent."


    "Hello uncle. Why haven''t I seen you before?" Alec questioned, his curiosity bubbling to the surface.


    Vincent gave a little smirk, but it disappeared quickly. He stood back up, but not before roughly patting the little boy on his head.


    "Precocious, isn''t he? Too bad he isn''t a Bright."


    Alec felt frustrated but didn''t let it show. Hopefully, he could be able to get all of his answers tonight.


    Annalise saw Vincent out the door, before turning worried eyes onto Alec, smiling faintly.


    Alec felt a chill go down his spine at his mother''s smile. Something told him this wasn''t going to be anything good for him.


    "Darling son," she started off, her smile still firmly fixed in place. "Smile for mummy, won''t you?"


    Alec stared at her, stunned. What was she going on about now?


    "Smile!"


    Alec, very hesitantly, smiled at his mother, having a bad feeling.


    Annalise shook her head. She resisted the urge to gush over her son. She had to do this. She had to be strict, before it was too late! Right now, there still weren''t too many people who had met him yet, so it had to be now or never.


    "Look at my smile. Like this," she said, demonstrating for him.


    Alec eyed her, pulling both sides of his lips.


    Annalise softly thwacked him on the head. "Again!"


    Alec tried again.


    "No!"


    "¡­"


    "No!"


    "¡­"


    -


    Alec cradled his head, speechless. What was going on with his mother today? After his uncle came to visit, she suddenly acted like she''d lost her mind.


    Thinking harder about it, there had to be an explanation, but he couldn''t make heads or tails of it yet.


    Alec shrugged, putting the matter aside for the time being. This was the time for him to get some answers!


    Without making a sound, Alec moved out of his room, making sure to leave the door slightly ajar so that he could easily sneak back in without having to turn the knob again.


    Within a minute, he stood inside the study room, which was more like a mini library. Though it wasn''t very big, it should contain some of the information he sorely needed about this world.


    Walking as steadily as possible, he scanned the books placed on the shelf. History of the world. Theory of magic. History of the Neil Clan. Biography of Leonard Neil. Magic for idiots. Meditating for idiots.


    Aha!


    Common Sense of the World.


    Though the other books were useful, what he sorely needed now was the information that everyone took for granted, that wouldn''t be explained. He would read the other books later, but this was the one for him tonight.


    Alec hesitated, but still pulled the book over to a source of light that had been left on in the room.


    He didn''t know if the study had anything to prevent books from being taken out, so he wouldn''t take any chances. As long as he got back to bed before his mother woke up, it would be fine.


    Alec quickly read the introductory chapter before scanning the index and flipping to a page.


    What were Societypes?


    The more Alec read, the more his brows furrowed. Apparently, in world Incantix, Socitypes existed as a way for people to classify the different ''types'' of people.


    ''Societypes, or rather Society Types, are what we use to classify people in our world, just like how Magitypes are used to classify the different areas of magic talents. From the time when magic is first absorbed into the body, appraisal is used, commonly by an appraisal crystal, to determine the Societype of a person.


    Societypes can be further broken down into ''Bright'', ''Cher'', ''Every'' and ''Sin''. These four Societypes are the main classifications that society acknowledges.''


    Alec skipped a bunch of irrelevant information, before his eyes landed on the explanations of the Societypes and how they were categorised.


    Basically, a ''Bright'' was a person who had exceedingly fast growth and were more likely to excel. Most Brights contained characteristics that made them excel, like leadership, kindness, empathy, etc. There was a whole page of details on Brights alone, practically gushing about them.


    Alec smelled something suspicious just from this alone.


    A ''Cher'', short for Cherish, which was what his mother supposedly was, indicated a person whose existence revolved around love. They fell in love hard and fell in love fast. One glance was all it took.


    An ''Every'' on the other hand, were made up of people who seemed to lack any sort of fighting drive, and were classified as ''mundanes'', which Alec thought was likely bullshit, but then again, everything had to be taken with a grain of salt. Everys were likely to be shuffled into administrative roles, doing the everyday jobs that didn''t require any fighting.


    And last but not least, the one Societype that had been on his mind for an exceedingly long time, ''Sin'' short for Sinister.


    Sins also experienced a fast growth, like Brights, but they were more likely to resort to violence over any sort of peaceful resolutions to resolve any conflicts. They had fewer morals and emotions that could be observed in other Societypes. Sins found it harder to make social connections, as well as emotional bonds.


    Alec furrowed his brows.


    According to the appraisal crystal that his mother had used on him six months earlier, he had shown as a Sin, so why was his uncle told that he was an Every?


    Likely, there was some sort of stigma that Sins carried, so his mother had hastily covered up his Societype. Alec didn''t know how to feel about that. It explained why his mother had suddenly forced him to smile a whole bunch in the afternoon.


    He was a Sin, but did that mean that they didn''t feel emotions? He called bullshit. Sure, he felt like he was more explosive than before, but did that mean¡­ wait. He didn''t remember being this temperamental before this, so¡­ was it true? At least, part of it was true.


    He couldn''t make a proper analysis right now with so few examples, so everything had to be taken with a grain of salt. Until he could see and experience for himself, he would withhold his opinion.


    Alec shut the book, heading back to bed. He lay on soft sheets but was unable to fall asleep.


    He had some questions answered, but so many more new questions that had sprung up after getting those answers. For example, who was his father? Were Societypes inherited through the parent? Did that mean his father was a Sin?


    Was this the reason why she wanted him to smile so much? Did Sins not smile or something?


    What about Magitypes, then? Ah, he didn''t have enough time! Maybe, he could head to the study during the day¡­


    There were so many questions floating around his head that he never noticed when he fell asleep¡­

 Chapter 6 Sub-Mission: Unlock!

    The next day, Alec was woken early by his mother. Squinting with bleary eyes, he wondered why she had woken him. Usually, she left him alone since he woke up by himself, with the exception of his first birthday, which was only two days ago.


    Was something happening again today?


    "Mother?"


    "Alec, dear, it''s time to wake up. Remember that today, you must smile no matter what, okay? Remember how we practiced yesterday?"


    Alec was baffled by these instructions but nodded in understanding. Looks like they were indeed going somewhere today. Had he not read the book last night, he might not have taken her advice to heart, but now, he maintained caution.


    Annalise hid the relief that she felt, smiling at her son, but was not reassured. How could she say it¡­ his smile was just¡­ too fake! There was nothing she could do except make him practice more! They were already running out of time!


    "Now, get up. Look at the mirror, and practice. I''ve put it next to your cupboard. I''ll go get breakfast!"


    At the sound of the door closing, Alec got up out of bed and rushed to get ready for the day. Thankfully, everything was placed in a position for him to easily reach. He never hated being so tiny so much, but life had to go on. He wouldn''t be small forever.


    Standing in front of the mirror, Alec studied his reflection for the first time.


    Unlike this mother and uncle''s soft, brown hair, Alec instead had a head full of black hair, though the texture seemed to reflect his family''s. Similar to his mother and uncle, he held the same facial shape, high cheekbones and striking blue eyes.


    Objectively, he was quite cute, if he had to say so himself. There was certainly nothing to complain about.


    Then, Alec smiled¡­ and stopped smiling.


    He turned around, shocked. What did he just see in the mirror¡­ no wonder his mother kept forcing him to smile!


    But¡­ how did a person smile!? He turned back to the mirror and tried again, utilising the muscles in his cheeks¡­ and flinched.


    How horrifying!


    Not good¡­ he tried again, and this time didn''t reflexively drop the smile, staring at every detail in the mirror.


    Why was it that his smile seemed so unnatural and fake¡­? Subjectively, he looked like a miniature version of his mother, just with black hair, but why was it that the feelings their smiles gave off were so different.


    He studied his reflection. The angle of the smile was the same as his mother, just a small, soft smile¡­ but his eyes looked like they wanted to devour someone alive.


    Alec coughed, trying to decrease the ferocity that he saw in the mirror.


    Mm¡­ it was slightly better.


    Alec closed his eyes and tried to maintain a zen-like state, sinking into a realm of peace and serenity. Then, he opened his eyes and smiled again, trying to imitate his mother, and finally succeeded!


    The reflection in the mirror showed a soft, sunny and gentle boy, who looked like he could do no harm.


    Alec inwardly flinched at the reflection, this time because he couldn''t believe that was him. Generally, Alec was¡­ how to put it. To quote incompetent System No.00142950, ''A short-tempered grump that looked like he''d never smiled in his entire life.''


    The poor System practiced again and again until the smile came naturally to him. Though he could understand now why his mother had forced him to try so many times yesterday, that didn''t mean he enjoyed it!


    Annalise re-entered the room with two maids behind her, carrying their breakfast.


    "Mother," Alec greeted, flashing his smile.


    Annalise swooned. How adorable! How lethal! Was she really going to send her baby out there with this angelic little smile?! How many kidnappers would she have to fend off!?


    "Good morning, Cecil, Leanna."


    "Good morning, young master," both maids chirped, putting down the breakfast on their table, before leaving hurriedly without saying anything else.


    Alec stared after them in confusion. Usually, they liked to linger around and chat with his mother, but today they just rushed off.


    Annalise coughed, hiding her smile.


    Outside the room, far down the hallway, the two maids clutched each other and gasped. "The young master¡­ was he always that devastatingly cute!?"


    "It¡­ it can''t be, right? Have we always ignored such a cutie!?"


    "That smile he gave us was so sweet! Ahhh, luckily, we ran in time. I almost wanted to pinch those cheeks!"


    "Right? Me too!"


    The two maids shut up when the Clan Master brushed past them, bowing respectfully. Then, they left to continue their daily duties.


    Both Annalise and Alec looked up as they heard the familiar knocks just heard the day before.


    Right as the knocking faded, Vincent entered the room.


    "Sister. Alec," he greeted shortly.


    "Brother."


    "Good morning, uncle."


    Faced with Alec''s smile, Vincent''s eyes widened slightly. His nephew''s smile looked almost exactly like a reflection of his sister''s. Inwardly, he marvelled. Genes were terrifying.


    Of course, what Vincent didn''t know was that Annalise''s description of Alec was ''her grumpy baby'', and even if he did know, he would have wondered what was going through his sister''s mind.


    Alec stared at his uncle, trying his best to maintain his reflection of his mother''s smile. So many questions were popping to mind. Why was his uncle here? Hadn''t he come just yesterday? The man hadn''t even come to visit in the whole year since he''d been born. There had to be some underlying reason why he came two days in a row.


    "Done with breakfast?"


    Alec nodded, and his mother stood up, going over to hug him. She sighed softly.


    "I can''t believe this is happening so quickly. I still thought that I would have a few years," she pouted.


    Vincent laughed dryly. "I don''t think anyone would have imagined that it would happen this quick. It''s too bad he''s not a Bright."


    Annalise gave a tight smile.


    Alec looked between the two adults, still not sure what was happening.


    Vincent held a hand out to Alec, waiting until he took it. "Now then, we have a big day ahead of us."


    Alec looked back at his mother, still unsure where this was going. "Mother?"


    Annalise nodded at her son. "Go with your uncle. Didn''t you learn about Societypes yesterday?"


    Alec felt shocked. How?


    Vincent and Annalise chuckled at the startled look on the toddler''s face, feeling fond and reminiscent. They had the same reaction when they went through it themselves.


    "Didn''t you move to your own room yesterday? In the Neil Clan, it''s a tradition for children who reach one year old to move out from staying with their parents into their own room. The door is always left slightly open at night. One, to prevent any mishaps, and two, a traditional test set by the Ancestor of the Neils."


    Suddenly, everything clicked into place. The way that the door was left slightly ajar, the way his mother so easily gave into his requests to move into his own room. The way she had shown him the study several times, whilst the maid sometimes left comments with the words ''Societype'' and ''Magitype''. The way the helpful books in the study were easily within a child''s reach! The slight glow of the lamp in the study, even though it was already late at night, where all the lights should have been off!


    Everything added up!


    Seeing his widened eyes, both adults laughed. Yes, this was the feeling. They had reacted in the same way after going through it themselves.


    "When a member of the Neil Clan goes out to seek information for themselves, not just relying on others to feed them information, then we consider them ready to learn more about our world, Incantix."


    Alec stared at them. What a bunch of sneaky adults! But¡­ he liked it! How interesting! This was what he was talking about! No more laying around feeling perpetually bored!


    "Today''s the first day those who''ve passed the test this year will gather for the start of their studies. I''m sure your mother was very shocked when she woke up this morning."


    Annalise laughed. "Indeed, I was. You have no idea how shocked I was when I got notice."


    Annalise patted her back. Luckily, she woke up early to drill her son how to smile properly! It would have been disastrous had the news that her son was a Sin got out! Discrimination that Sins faced were no laughing matter.


    Alec and Vincent headed towards the door, stepping out, quickly disappearing from her sight. The worried mother hid all her feelings as she saw him off.


    Alec tugged slightly at his uncle''s hand. "Uncle, how old are the others?"


    Vincent looked down at his nephew, slightly worried, but just as anticipatory. "Most are around seven or eight."


    Alec stared at his uncle with wide eyes. Oh, boy. This was not going to be good.


    Then, of course, like how the universe liked to fuck with him, he heard the Mainframe''s voice in his ears.


    [Sub-Mission Unlocked]


    [Requirements Met]


    [Character Card: Alecris Aeden Neil]


    [Character Type: Gentle]


    [Sub-Mission: Maintain Character Type!]


    [OOC Warning: -100 points]


    Ah, fuck!

 Chapter 7 The First of Many Sessions to Come

    There were so many things that he wanted to say in reference to the Sub-Mission. First, what. Second, uh¡­ let''s just say there were too many swear words for it to be said in polite company, let alone have it come out of such a young body.


    Ah, the famous Mainframe''s trap. How could he ever have imagined that the Mainframe would one day use it against him? Usually, he was the one who gleefully provided such missions.


    Ah, this had to be karma, but he regretted nothing. Those transmigrators had it coming anyway. For the good of the planet they were on, they had to do missions to grow stronger anyway, so why not, right?


    Luckily, as a System, Alec had ample time to inspect and analyse how the different transmigrators failed, and at the same time, find a couple of ''loopholes'' so to speak. They weren''t large loopholes, otherwise, he would have reported them to the Mainframe, but little steps that one could take to ensure that the missions didn''t rule their life.


    Unfortunately, he currently had no freedom, he had no points, and no knowledge. Thus, he was a slave to the Mainframe. For now, that was.


    But he wouldn''t always be. Honestly, he didn''t quite feel like he deserved this punishment at all, but he would make the best of it anyhow.


    By the time he finished his musings, he realized that he was already within a group of curious seven and eight-year-olds.


    Alec froze. He was not, in any way, ready for this.


    Maintain the smile, Alec, he thought to himself. Remember the Sub-Mission. At this point, if he failed and got points deducted, he might as well go and suicide somewhere now.


    The first ''trial'' so to speak, had the harshest judgement. Who knew just how many transmigrators led tragic lives because they failed the first mission?


    He had nothing against kids. He just didn''t know how to handle them.


    His uncle waved goodbye at him, and Alec could only look at his uncle''s quickly retreating figure with a smile on his face, slightly frozen.


    How could he just leave without giving him any advice on how to handle children?! Did the man just assume he would be able to do it because he was a toddler himself?


    News flash, he was a man stuck in a toddler''s body. Ah, he could just see the tragic scene of him failing horribly now.


    -


    Vincent went back to his sister''s quarters, entering and activating the silencing barrier on the doorknob.


    The two of them exchanged a wry look.


    "Your son¡­" Vincent trailed off.


    "I know," Annalise said, sipping her tea.


    "Should we have held off a little longer? I could have hidden the results for a while."


    Annalise shook her head. "It would have happened sooner or later. There was no hiding his intelligence. Even when I was reading him proper history books, I could see in his eyes that he already understood everything, and was hungering for more. Keeping him back, no matter how much I wanted to do so, would have suffocated him, however slowly."


    Vincent seemed to repress a sigh. "He''s a genius. There is no lack of geniuses in our Clan, though it manifests in different areas. At least he''s not a Sin."


    Annalise hid the sigh, just like her brother. Even though Alec has already been proven that he''s an Every, there were still so many people keeping an eye on him. It would have been a disaster had he been a Sin. Those that had been keeping an eye on him would have more than doubled.


    Though they would not have taken action, as they were still from the same Clan, that didn''t mean that there wouldn''t be any discrimination. Luckily, the Neil Clan was considered rather upright. In other parts of the world, people have been known to kill children once they manifested as a Sin.


    Annalise shuddered. She couldn''t understand how any parent would allow their children to come to harm.


    Before she got too lost in her thoughts, Annalise nodded gently, her expression never changing. "Too bad he isn''t a Cher like me."


    Vincent smiled faintly. "He has the same smile as you." The things left unspoken, he never brought up. There were ways around silencing barriers.


    Annalise hid her smile behind her teacup.


    -


    Ten minutes after Vincent left him to the tender mercies of older kids, who thankfully did not do anything other than stare at him with varying levels of curiosity and wonderment, an adult appeared.


    The noisy chattering of the four other children immediately died down at the imposing figure the man cut.


    The man, seemingly in his late twenties, had hard eyes and an unyielding aura. Alec could feel the faint threatening aura that he seemed to be suppressing. No doubt, this was a man that had been battles before. The thought of it subtly excited Alec, which surprised himself.


    The man, probably their teacher for the time being, was most likely chosen because of his experience, and to give back to the Clan.


    "My name is Evin. You lot can call me ''Teacher'', and nothing else," the man said, his voice cool. It seemed to strike a sense of awe mixed with a healthy dose of fear into the surrounding children.


    The man, Evin, was not lean in any sense. Instead, he had a rather robust body, but the gleam of intelligence and craftiness in his eyes dissuaded anyone from thinking that he was a simple muscle-head.


    When Alec looked around, he could see that the vast majority of the Neil Clan sported the same shade of soft, brown hair, along with the same shade of blue eyes. This surprised him. The genes of the Neil Clan were so dominant that practically every kid he saw here had the same colourings. Even Evin had the same shades. It was only him that had black hair.


    Evidently, the rest of the children had also noticed this, which explained their puzzled looks at his appearance.


    Altogether, there were only a scant five children in the group. Alec didn''t know if that was a lot or not, but he leaned towards thinking that it was relatively few.


    "No need for introductions. If you stick around long enough, we''ll know your names. Otherwise, you''ll be going back to the mainstream. If you don''t, this accelerated course isn''t for you."


    Alec and the four other children looked at him with rapt attention.


    Evin seemed pleased about this, nodding. "Come. Two rounds around the Clan boundary, then come back here. If you can''t make it, you drop out. If you complain, drop out! The path is marked with yellow glows. If you can''t find your way, you''re out."


    They flinched at his sudden shout; eyes widened.


    "What are you waiting for?" Evin barked. "Go!"


    "Yes, Teacher!"


    Alec followed after the running children, who had a head start. With his short legs, Alec was bound to have a hard time, but there was no coddling from the man. Alec could admire that. No concessions and utter fairness. The thing he hated the most was unfair treatment.


    After a minute, he spotted the first soft, yellow glow. Had one not been looking out for it diligently, they would have missed it entirely. He made sure to memorise where each of the glows appeared.


    There was always a chance that tomorrow, the path markings would be removed. How could the Clan be willing to leave marks along a path that spelt out the boundary for others to potentially see? That was the epitome of stupidity.


    Alec slowly, but steadily plod along the path, keeping his pace at a jog. His lungs were burning something fierce, but he ignored it. The longer he ran, the more he felt like the energy in his body was depleting.


    Then, the moment when his stamina was about to give out on him, no matter how stubborn he was, bits of magic started trickling into his body. In a state of semi-consciousness, his body started working to absorb whatever it could get its hands on, converting it to fuel for his tired body.


    Like this, at a rate unnoticed to most, a person''s body would change over time, getting rid of waste in the body, speeding up the body''s rate of conversion.


    Of course, whether or not they would be able to handle the strenuous activity was something else altogether.


    One would wonder whether or not the course chosen for this ''jog'' was intentional. The answer was, it was indeed intentional. The course to weed out the weak was made hard, demanding, and full of thorns and pebbles.


    Unsteady footpaths, stamina consumption, territorial marking. Everything was included in a simple run designed to push a child to the furthest point to see what they were truly made of.


    Alec ran, his mind memorising the dimly lit signals, on autopilot. No matter how mentally strong he may be, his body was still that of a one-year-old. He still needed to take naps frequently, let alone do this kind of activity.


    Fortunately, there was now no one around him, so he could afford to drop the smile, his face in a steadily growing blank expression.


    It was hard, of that there was no doubt, but Alec was determined to finish. It didn''t matter how long it took. As long as he brought himself to the finishing point, there was always going to be another starting point with room for improvement. The path never stopped until you were dead.


    He never once thought that this was something strange. To him, since there were already seven and eight-year-olds doing it, why was it such a stretch that they would do the same thing to someone even younger?


    The only thing that was keeping Alec going now was the sheer determination and willpower, as well as his body steadily replenishing his almost-exhausted stamina.


    Then, the sounds of someone crying pierced through his hazy consciousness.


    Without hesitation, Alec pushed himself harder, running faster.

 Chapter 8 The Determined Crybaby

    Heading towards the crying sounds, Alec could tell that this was probably the sound of one of the kids who had ran ahead of him.


    He couldn''t help but feel a little disappointed at the way that all four of them had just set off without any semblance of teamwork whatsoever, but those life lessons would come for them sooner or later.


    But he couldn''t ignore whoever they were. Alec didn''t hate kids. He just had completely and utterly no idea how to interact with them. Though he could take a leaf from his mother''s book and treat them the same as adults, something about that didn''t quite sit right with him.


    He had no idea why. He wasn''t sure if it was because they were clearly more inexperienced as compared to the average adult, or the way their eyes widened as they stared at you, mostly uncomprehending of what you were saying, but¡­


    Alec frowned.


    The sounds of the sniffles and hiccups stuttered a little as whoever it was tried to get their emotions under control.


    Alec appreciated that, even as he prayed hard that they would stop crying and move on before his tiny, though rushed, steps could bring him to them.


    He really didn''t have any ideas how to deal with crying children. How did he soothe them when he couldn''t even comprehend why they were crying in the first place? Children were just so illogical!


    Then again, he dealt with crying transmigrators. It could be too different, right? Faced with a headache-inducing situation, Alec wished that he never heard the sounds of the cries, but life didn''t work that way.


    Now that he heard it, he couldn''t just make himself walk away. He would probably stay up at night thinking about what a horrible person he was if he did so.


    Of course, the crying didn''t stop by the time he made it there. It had only stifled somewhat, as if the person was trying to muffle themselves, but failing badly.


    Alec sighed inwardly.


    He paused a little to make sure that his expression was fine before advancing.


    "Hello?"


    A hiccup, as they desperately tried to compose themselves, but what composure could a child muster up whilst they were crying so aggrievedly just moments before?


    Alec focused on the surrounding greenery and realized that his part of it was particularly deceptive. Whoever designed this path made it such that the ground looked even, but there was a coverage of grass over the hole.


    This was likely around the time where most children started flagging, causing their awareness and caution to drop.


    Alec was most certainly flagging. In fact, he was almost surprised he hadn''t dropped into a dead faint from the running. This was, after all, designed for the older children. All that was keeping him going was his adult willpower, honed from dealing with the largest number of idiots around.


    "Hello?" Alec called again, remarkably patiently.


    "H-hello, I''m down here," came a timid voice, slightly hoarse from the earlier crying. "I tripped and fell into this hole. I can''t get out."


    The girl sniffled, evidently still crying, though noticeably quieter than before.


    "Keep talking. I''ll find you."


    It was the sole girl of the group of five children, including himself. The rest were boys.


    Alec carefully navigated the treacherous foliage, making sure with every step that it was indeed solid ground.


    When his foot gave way slightly, Alec lay down on the ground, moving the plants out of the way.


    Inside a rather steep hole, sat a little girl who had her hair tied into pigtails. With soft, brown hair and wide eyes, she looked like the epitome of cuteness. She had evidently been pampered by her parents and was utterly unprepared for the test.


    She hastily rubbed off the tear tracks on her face, seemingly embarrassed at being seen crying by the younger boy. He was just a baby, but he was already stronger than her! How embarrassing.


    Then, he smiled down at her, and she felt like she was looking at a softly glowing light. Despite her occasional hiccups, she couldn''t help but stare at his radiant face. She felt like she was being bathed in a warm, gentle light in her time of distress.


    So dazed, she didn''t even know how he managed to get her out of the hole. She could briefly remember grabbing onto a vine of some sorts and climbing.


    Alec eyed the little girl warily, afraid that she would suddenly start crying again. He had no immunity to crying children. In fact, he didn''t even know why she stopped crying in the first place. Maybe it was his smile¡­? Doubtful. In the first place, the smile was born out of a drawing a complete blank on how to react.


    -


    Hidden above the two children, amongst the trees, Evin, who had been monitoring the children all the while, witnessed the entire scenario.


    A glint of approval appeared in the man''s eyes, then he lowered his presence again in case he got caught. There was a close shave earlier on when he had been slightly lax, so he was more cautious now.


    The child of the Clan''s young mistress was quite talented. Though his body was woefully weak and would likely be weaker than most of his peers had he been left alone, he was still young yet.


    They would be able to mould him properly in the coming years. His mind was something that was not usually seen in young children, so full of drive and curiosity, yet having such a deep comprehension.


    To be able to appear in this test already spoke of his talents, yet the elders of the Clan were being foolish. What good would making a toddler that was a scant year old do this? Were they not afraid that they would harm his foundations?


    No matter what, the child was still one of the Neil Clan. What did anything else matter? Evin couldn''t understand why they were being so stubborn about this. He knew that there was something that the elders were hiding about this, but even so.


    Of course, it was surprising that Alecris showed such promise so early on, but instead of celebrating it, the elders were putting an even stricter watch on the boy?


    It made no sense.


    The boy still had Neil blood running through his veins. Was that not enough?


    Evin had only seen things that he approved of in the boy thus far, but couldn''t help but lament that not only was he an Every, he also had the Awakening Magitype.


    -


    Alec tugged the little girl''s hand, pulling her forward. Though, should he really be saying that? After all, his physical body was much younger than her.


    The two ran together, hand in hand, before Alec realized that he was slowing the girl down.


    He decisively let go, pushing her forward. "Go," he said, smiling.


    The girl''s blue eyes widened, slightly panicked. She frowned cutely, pouting. "No!"


    Alec maintained his smile, utterly baffled. No? No what? What did she not want? Did she not want to leave, did she not know the way, what? Girl, he needed more words! He wasn''t a mind reader!


    She stomped on the ground, crossing her arms. "I won''t! You helped me, so now, I''ll help you!"


    Alec was still baffled. Help him with what?? Did he look like he needed help?


    He reassessed how he looked. Heavy breathing, slow plodding, it did indeed appear like he needed someone''s help, but he refused!


    In the end, he wasn''t sure how to break it to her that he didn''t need help, so he could only smile at her and continue running. Hopefully, she would get the hint and move on.


    But she didn''t. She followed him all the way back to the starting point. In which case, Alec, who suddenly caught sight of the goal, felt his vision swim alarmingly before darkening.


    Alec grit his teeth and tried to hold on, but his body just wouldn''t listen to him. Sometimes, limits couldn''t be overcome by sheer willpower alone. But there was still a whole round to finish before the two rounds that Teacher instructed them to run was complete.


    Alec heard the girl''s alarmed shout as he slumped to the ground, but he couldn''t muster any strength to reassure her he was fine.


    Tatiana panicked when the baby fainted, horrified. What should she do? Where were the adults?


    Frantically, she looked around, looking for their Teacher, but he was nowhere to be found. The young girl bit her bottom lip, tears welling up in her eyes again. She resisted the urge to cry.


    She pulled the baby into her arms, cradling him like how she saw a few mothers cradle their children. See, this was why she wanted to help earlier! He had looked like he was on the verge of fainting at any moment the longer he ran, but the glint of determination in his gentle eyes stopped her from saying anything.


    Tatiana struggled as she pulled him onto her back, starting to run again. She felt like they were being monitored, so had the baby really been in any true danger, an adult would have appeared to help him, but since they hadn''t that meant that they would only appear once they ran the full two rounds.


    Frowning in determination, Tatiana didn''t stop the tears from steaming down her face, running harder and quicker.

 Chapter 9 Annalises Worries

    Alec woke up, feeling hazy and disorientated. The last thing he remembered was the little girl''s worried cry. What he saw was the vast expanse of the blue, free sky.


    He abruptly sat up, only to lose his balance, crumbling back to the ground. He was indeed not inside the room, nor was he within the line of trees, so meant that he was back at the starting point.


    That''s right! Alec couldn''t help but panic slightly, knowing that he had failed the first ''test'' that their Teacher had given them. Whilst he knew that his body should not have been made to do that in the first place, he still couldn''t help but feel disappointed that he hadn''t finished both rounds.


    "You''re awake!" he heard, causing Alec to turn.


    He was greeted with the stares of four children, plus their Teacher. While three of the other boys, as well as the little girl he had helped before looked worried about him, he caught sight of the look of disdain on the last one. Their Teacher had his face set into a mask of indifference, which gave him no clues about how he did.


    "Hmph," Evin said, his expressions unchanging. "Took you long enough to wake up. You should thank Tatiana for bringing you together with her on the run."


    Ah, so that''s what happened. Indeed, he had a debt to Tatiana now. "Thank you, Tatiana," Alec stood up and bowed clumsily, making sure to maintain his ''gentle'' appearance.


    Inwardly, the poor boy was crying foul. What was this character type anyway! Detestable mainframe!


    Tatiana resisted the urge to hug the small baby. So cute! Such gentleness. He wasn''t anything like her sibling at all!


    "Dismissed for the day. Report back here tomorrow, same time. You may go. Except you, Alecris."


    The four boys left without another word, and Tatiana visibly hesitated before Alec nodded at her. She left too, but kept glancing back, missing Evin and Alec''s bemused looks.


    "Teacher?" Alec said once Tatiana was gone. He made sure to avoid lisping, enunciating every word clearly. It wouldn''t do for his ''image'' that had been set from the Mainframe to be broken.


    He took a brief second to curse the Mainframe in his mind again.


    "Alec," Evin said, crouching down.


    Alec appreciated it. It was tiring to keep having to look up at the adults. His neck got sore all the time. No wonder toddlers were always cranky. He suddenly felt like he understood their pains much too well.


    "Although you passed, it was only on a mere technicality. At this stage, I don''t think your body can handle the running yet. Until you are at least five, I will not push you as hard physically. Do you understand?"


    Alec couldn''t help but feel the frustration that he had been feeling earlier well up again. Truly, being in this body was so inconvenient in so many places. But he understood. He didn''t want to harm his foundations just for short-term gains.


    Alec nodded to indicate he understood. "Yes, Teacher."


    Evin nodded, satisfied.


    Just as he was about to disappear, Alec stopped him. "Teacher, what exactly will we be learning?"


    Evin paused, looking at the toddler''s smiling face. "Knowledge. Before you leave the Clan, we will stuff you full of everything you need to know. We will break down the lot of you to build you back up again."


    Alec stared at the man, baffled, but he disappeared before Alec could open his mouth again.


    Stunned at the quick disappearance, Alec could only start making his way back to his residence. All he could think about now was heading back and collapsing onto his bed.


    His body was aching in ways that it never ached before, stretched beyond their limit. It felt like every muscle was burning, overstretched and pushed beyond limits.


    It didn''t help that Alec''s body was only a year old. At this age, he didn''t even have much experience walking much, let alone running. Everything adding up together was the cause for his excess fatigue.


    Even now, he was just barely keeping his eyes open.


    The only thought that was keeping him going right now was the damn Mainframe''s bullshit Sub-Mission. He couldn''t afford to lose any points right now, since he had a big fat zero points.


    Alec wanted to swear. When would he meet the damn Main Character? The specifications of the Mainframe told him nothing!


    Most likely, the Main Character was not in the Neil Clan, which meant that he had to leave to ''explore''.


    Alec groaned. He didn''t have much time. Before he left, he would have to make sure his body and knowledge was up to par. He was still frighteningly weak, as could be seen from how he fell into a dead faint just from running.


    No one ever thought about how much a little body like this used up energy to quickly that it was almost alarming.


    Then, as Alec was walking back, his mind couldn''t help but think about those moronic transmigrators who obtained cheats from the bunch of incompetent Systems, making them strong from their birth, and resisted the urge to suddenly roar in anger.


    He refused to be like them. So what if this body was inconvenient right now? He would work hard for what he had, unlike them. Everything that he achieved would be due to his own hard work.


    Running on the fumes of anger, the pure anger that burned bright within him sustained his weary body. Alec made it back to the building he lived in, spotting his mother outside.


    "Mother," he greeted.


    Without saying another word, she swept him into the house, causing him to miss the torn expression on her face.


    Annalise started fussing over her son, seeing the state he was in. Looking at her poor, grumpy baby, who was trying so hard to smile just because she told him to, she couldn''t help but feel her heart break.


    He was so young, but the damn elders in the Clan insisted that he start just because he already showed signs that he was smart enough for it.


    If Annalise ever caught the elders leaving their house, she would deck them right in the face, poise and elegance be damned. Her reputation as the Clan''s young mistress meant nothing to her. If it wasn''t because of her brother, she would have already gone and made a racket in front of their doors. Nothing stood in the way of a wrathful mother. Her baby was so young. Not even her brother went through it this early!


    Alec couldn''t even muster up the strength to ward off his mother''s fussing, unwillingly letting himself be babied for today. His eyes drooped, shutting. His breathing evened out, deep asleep.


    Annalise bit her lip as she carried her baby back to his bed. She hovered at his bedside for moments, thinking about whether or not she should tell him.


    Certainly, he was smart, but was it time to tell him? He was only one year old. No matter how smart he was, would he be able to understand?


    There were reasons why she hadn''t let him meet too many people, and everything tied back to a single reason. His father¡­


    Worry swum in Annalise''s eyes. Not yet. What if¡­


    The worried mother breathed out, stroking her son''s hair. She cracked a smile when she saw how his previously smoothened expression morphed into something distinctly annoyed. Really. No matter how he was able to hide his expressions under the mask she had forced onto him, in sleep, he showed his real personality.


    When he was seven, she would tell him. Annalise silently made the promise in her heart, words unspoken. No matter how smart he was right now, he had such few experiences that she was afraid he would make a hasty judgement.

 Chapter 10 The First Touches of Magic

    When Evin said they would be stuffed full of knowledge, he wasn''t kidding. But it wasn''t in the traditional sense where they sat around a classroom, listening to a teacher lecture.


    No, the Neil Clan was more special than that.


    With Evin in the lead, the rest of the children followed after him like baby ducklings. Alec, right after Evin, to make sure that he wouldn''t be left behind.


    They stopped right before a vast expanse of trees, causing them to look at their teacher in wonder.


    Evin looked at the five children before him, feeling nostalgic. All those years ago, he had the same lesson from his teacher.


    "This is one of the Neil Clan''s forests. We call this The Great Expanse. Yesterday, you ran just outside of the boundary. How was it?"


    One of the boys, Zen, raised his hand cautiously.


    Evin nodded at him, indicating for him to go ahead.


    "Teacher, I heard many sounds yesterday, but nothing ever came out."


    Evin resisted the urge to curl his lips at the familiar statement. Of course they didn''t. The monsters and animals in the forest weren''t stupid. Time and time again, they had tried to break past the boundary, but the barriers that the Ancestor had left in place protected them.


    It reached the point where every being in the forest knew that they should not approach the boundary unless they wanted to court death!


    But, of course, Evin wouldn''t tell them that. Fostering a sense of danger was useful in learning. This way, their survival rates would shoot up exponentially.


    "That''s right. There are many monsters and animals that live in the forest. At night, they are particularly active. So, one day, if the beings from the forest break out into the open, if we want to protect our Clan, we have to make sure to train hard and acquire knowledge."


    Everyone with the exception of Alec nodded. Alec eyed the man sceptically but didn''t refute.


    The boundary was so large, yet there were no guards stationed anywhere. What did this indicate? It indicated that the Clan had utter faith in whatever was protecting them!


    Not to mention, being able to bring children to go and learn, did this not indicate the Clan''s confidence in their safety?


    Their Teacher brought them into the forest, where the children looked around nervously.


    Though they had already been ''outside'' the boundary, it was, after all, only a small distance away. With what Evin had told them earlier, this caused them to increase their wariness towards the dangers lurking in the forest.


    Walking forward, the sounds from outside the forest abruptly closed off, causing them to be enveloped in the silence of the forest. As they walked deeper, the unfamiliar sounds of many birdcalls as well as noises filtered into their ears.


    Tatiana was already tearing up slightly, taking solace in the fact that she could keep Alec''s figure within her sights at all times.


    She didn''t want to be here at all, but her parents said that this was something that brought glory to their family. Tatiana wanted to be at home, happily reading the books she was so fond of, not out here in this dark and creepy forest.


    Likewise, the other three boys aside from Alec were feeling slightly nervous, but the sight of their Teacher''s straight back caused them to put aside their inhibitions. Although they were nervous, they tried their best to keep it from showing. After all, even the baby wasn''t nervous! Why should they lose to him?


    Evin stopped before a large, towering tree.


    "Look at this," Evin said, pointing at the tree. "It''s called the Edelles Tree. This is a special landmark that you can use if you ever lose your way in our forest. This tree is a lot taller than the rest of the trees, so if you climb up a tree''s branches and look for it, you''ll know where to go."


    They looked at the majestic tree. Its trunk was large enough that to walk around it, it took several minutes. With its wide-spread branches and tall stature, the majestic tree could weather all winds and storms.


    Lush, green leaves, the size of one leaf was bigger than a grown man''s arm. Each leaf had a distinct circular shape, with jagged ends.


    Just standing and staring at the Edelles Tree, one felt a sense of majesty radiating from the tree. It gave off a worldly, serene feel. The awe that came from staring at the tree originated from the fact that this was the largest tree in the forest.


    As children, the impact was even harder. In their short lives, when had they ever encountered something that made them feel so small and helpless?


    Alec reached forward and touched the tree, feeling something. He couldn''t help but feel that life was really unpredictable. Who would have ever thought that he, a System, would one day have to live life like those transmigrators?


    Under his palm, the tree pulsed, sensing his touch. Alec''s eyes widened.


    "That''s the tree''s magic," Evin said, placing his palm on the tree as well. The rest followed suit. "Can you feel that? Unlike humans and monsters, plant life with sentience sometimes develop a branch of magic on their own. This makes each plant with magic different. There are no two same that can be found out there.


    The Edelles Tree is friendly to humans, so if you ever need any, as long as you provide the tree a bit of magic, it will provide you some dried leaves and twigs."


    The five children were still silenced, basking in the awe they felt.


    Evin sat down, his back resting on the trunk, understanding what they were feeling.


    "Close your eyes and reach deep inside yourself. Don''t think of anything. Just listen to my voice."


    One by one, their eyes closed, even as they leaned on the tree''s sturdy trunk.


    "Feel the tree''s magic and feel the magic in the air. Breathe in, breathe out," Evin murmured, his voice taking on a strange quality that made one pay attention.


    "The magic in the air touches the tree leaves, sinking in, moving down¡­ down to the trunk, down to its roots, and back up to the leaves, birthing new life. Do you feel it? Now, visualise the same thing happening to you. The magic in the air, touching your skin, and let it in."


    As Evin talked, Alec fell into a sort of trance, for the first time, feeling the wonders of his body.


    Tatiana seemed to have reached a state of understanding as the magic gushed into her body consciously for the first time. She gasped, her eyes shooting open. As she looked at the tree again, the awe that had been previously there increased a few folds, as she witnessed the tree''s complexity with clear eyes for the first time.


    She looked around, realizing that she was the first to find her magic. Then, she fixed her eyes on Alec, who looked like he was so at peace. She hid the anticipation in her heart, looking back at the great tree.


    Similarly, the other boys also started to wake up from the trance as they touched their magic for the first time.


    On the other hand, Alec was so deep within the trance that his teacher''s voice had brought on that he never noticed the exclamations that the other children let out one by one.


    Evin struggled to hide the slight disappointment that he felt, realizing that the boy, though exceedingly smart, did not possess much talent in the way of magic. Not only was his body weaker than his peers, his magic talent could not keep up as well.


    The man sighed inwardly but resolved to put more attention onto the boy. He could not bear to see such talent wasted. If he worked hard enough, then¡­ no. Unfortunately, he also possessed the Awakening Magitype.


    Evin firmed the resolve in his heart. He had to make sure that if the boy passed, he would have all the necessary magic and more. If he couldn''t face dangers head on, then he could just run and hide.


    Though unconventional, the one who survived the longest indeed won.


    Alec, unconcerned about anything outside of his mind, basked in the wonderous feeling of magic for the first time. As a System, when had he ever experienced such wonders? Not to mention, before he was a System¡­


    Alec shook his head. Those days were over.


    Slowly, the boy opened his eyes, but not one noticed as they glowed faintly with magic, disappearing.


    Evin stood up. "Come. There is more to learn before the sun sets."

 Chapter 11 The Great Reveal

    Alec was enjoying his time of activity, to say the least. At first, he thought that he would have to stay cooped up in the room with his mother until he was at least two or three, where she would take her eyes off him for longer, but with the existence of a special training program, he didn''t have to hide anything he possessed at all.


    The training was great, the knowledge, even better.


    Evin was a strict but competent teacher, which Alec respected.


    But, the one thing that was bugging him was the mission that the Mainframe had given him. He still couldn''t find any trail or signs that he had found the Main Character at all.


    If he was born as a baby, then were they even born yet? Were they older? Male? Female? He was completely in the dark. How long would he have to wait before he could complete his mission?


    Alec was currently seven years old, which was not even that long of a time, but he could feel himself growing antsy.


    That was seven years of inaction on his part. When would he be able to leave the Clan?


    Alec had searched every nook and cranny within the Clan and could only unwillingly come to the conclusion that they were not here.


    Of course not. Why would the Mainframe make this easy for a poor System, right? Especially a System who had been sent here as a sort of punishment. Though, that didn''t stop Alec from cursing out the Mainframe in his heart.


    Annoyed Alec briefly put aside such thoughts as he concentrated on his teacher. For the first time, the five of them were inside a classroom.


    Evin stood in front, not seeming to have aged a single day since the time he had started teaching them. Nodding at the children, he tapped the side of the board, starting to talk.


    "Now that you have undergone the six years of compulsory education, you should have already noticed that there are some distinct holes in your education."


    They nodded at their teacher''s words.


    Indeed, during the course of these six years, they had learnt a bit of everything ¨C except the one thing they wanted to learn the most! Magic!


    All five of the children inside the room grew excited. Magic! This was what had prompted them to start this, after all.


    After witnessing the various outstanding and marvellous feats that the adults used, they went in search of more knowledge, showing their hunger and desire for it.


    Evin''s eyes gleamed with approval. This day was the one where each ''elite'' course student looked forward to the most, as well as the most well-received.


    "From the bottom, Elemental Magic, Foundation Magic, Intermediate Magic, Advanced Magic, Meister and Grand Meister! These are the different magic ranks that society uses as a whole."


    As he spoke, each child inside the room hung onto his every word. Up to this point, magic was some untouchable, far away goal that they hadn''t managed to grasp just yet, but here it was, the knowledge dangling in front of them so enticingly.


    All their parents had just smiled knowingly at them when they asked, never answering, nor were there any books for them to read about it.


    Not only their parents, every adult they tried to inquire about it from only smiled in the same way, a strange, nostalgic look on their faces.


    "Now, Magitypes and magic are indeed related, but where Magitypes determine what you will be able to do with magic, you still need magic to cast! The higher you go in magic ranking, the more magic you have at your disposal. Do you understand? Within each magic rank, there are three stages of mastery. Initiate, Transitional and Peak."


    Cue nods as they digested what he was saying. Someone with a strong Magitype, but low magic rank would not be able to sustain longer battles.


    Evin pulled out a familiar looking transparent appraisal crystal that glowed internally, placing it on the table. Even if they had been checked when they were children, it was only known to the adults, not the children themselves.


    Alec suddenly had a bad feeling. Were they going to check their status right here, in the middle of class? How would he be able to hide his status as a Sin?


    "Cyrus, step up. Hold out your hand."


    Cyrus, the oldest in the room, currently at fourteen years old, stepped up. The teenager looked rather mature for his age, and his eyes showed the patience that seemed to be a core part of his personality. Just looking at him caused one to feel calm and amicable towards him.


    Evin pricked the boy''s fourth finger, allowing a drop of blood to touch the crystal.


    [Cyrus Neil]


    [Societype: Bright]


    [Magitype: Offensive]


    Evin nodded, and the boy went back to his seat, elated. Everyone knew about the four Magitypes, which were considered common knowledge.


    Offensive, Defensive, Support, and last, Awakening.


    The rest of the class stepped up to check their status for themselves.


    [Tatiana Neil]


    [Societype: Bright]


    [Magitype: Support]


    Tatiana looked surprised but was happy at the results. The Magitype suited her personality type, which was mostly non-confrontational. She preferred to help people instead of going into the frontlines.


    She bounced back to her seat, grinning at Alec, who returned the grin with a smaller smile, ignoring his growing nervousness to congratulate her.


    Of the people in the room, he felt the fondest of Tatiana, who had risked failing herself to bring him to the finishing line. Up to now, he still had not managed to repay his debt to her.


    The other boys in the class treated Tatiana like a little sister, even Zacharias, who had lightened up a little from the earlier disdain he showed to Alec and the rest.


    [Elias Neil]


    [Societype: Cher]


    [Magitype: Defensive]


    Elias, a rather handsome thirteen-year-old, felt pleased. He pushed up his glasses, hiding the expression in his eyes from the gleam in the light. Though it wasn''t quite usual in the Neil Clan, who were mostly full of Brights and a few Everys, he himself didn''t mind being a Cher. The thought of finding the one meant for him filled him with anticipation.


    [Zacharias Neil]


    [Societype: Bright]


    [Magitype: Offensive]


    Zacharias'' eyes gleamed. This was great! It was everything he hoped for. He couldn''t imagine himself being stuck as a healer or in a defensive position. Offense was the best defence, after all. The boy, thirteen, already had the body of a trained athlete, having built up muscle over the years of training.


    The longer it went on, the more Alec was struck by a bout of nervousness. Almost everyone in the class was a Bright, with only Elias as a Cher. From what he gathered, the Clan had no Sins at all, with a high ratio of Brights and Everys. Chers only made up a total of two percent of their members.


    Even though Alec knew the people in this class, how would they react once they knew that he was a Sin? The way that Sins were portrayed in society was very harsh, but even Alec didn''t know just how harsh it got.


    There was a good reason why his mother had hidden his Societype from the Clan, after all. Would they kill him? Cast him out? He had no way of anticipating the Clan''s next move, which left him apprehensive.


    However, he never once broke character, casually walking to the front with a slightly anticipatory look.


    Evin hesitated for the briefest second, almost wanting to take the boy aside, but forced himself not to. Unfortunately, he was under orders from the elders in the Clan.


    He cursed them mentally. Meddling elders. Honestly, they should have retired a long time ago.


    Alec ignored the faint sting in his ring finger, dripping red onto the transparent piece of crystal.


    [Alecris Neil]


    [Societype: Every]


    [Magitype: Awakening]


    The rest of the room, which had been talking quietly amongst themselves, immediately quietened down upon seeing Alec''s results.


    The Awakening Magitype!

 Chapter 12 The Great Reveal II

    The Awakening Magitype!


    This shocked them. After all, the Awakening Magitype was the rarest amongst the four Magitypes. Not only that, it was also considered the most useless!


    Their shock quickly turned to pity.


    While the other three Magitypes, Offensive, Defensive and Support had a rather even spread amongst society, the Awakening class Magitype only made up a total of one percent of the population!


    At first, when Magitypes had first surfaced, with how rare the Awakening Magitype was, there were many who thought that it was something that would give them an edge over everyone else, but reality was cruel.


    Unlike the other three Magitypes that had visible and obvious results, growing stronger whenever a person advanced in magic ranks, those who held the Awakening Magitype were pathetically weak.


    In fact, they were so weak that the only thing they could do was open doors, windows and other miniscule, pathetic things like that.


    In this direction, it was no doubt that they were classified as the most useless Magitype! Every child dreaded when they received news that they were of this class. Many lived their following days in a period of despair and helplessness.


    Tatiana stared at Alec with wide eyes. How could this be?


    She bit her lip, feeling bad. However, at this point, there was nothing she could do! Alec had helped her a lot over the past six years, and she considered him as close as her sibling.


    The four boys and Tatiana were left to look awkwardly at Alec, not sure how to proceed. They didn''t think that anything they said to Alec would come across as anything but condescending at this point.


    Alec went back to his seat, bearing the shock that he felt with both relief and puzzlement. What just happened? Obviously, his mother did something, but how? Clearly, no one else was wary that this was possible, otherwise there would definitely be some measures set in place to prevent it from happening.


    Alec could feel his acting skills levelling up like crazy, and as if the Mainframe was messing with him, he heard its voice for the first time in a long, long while.


    [Successfully fool the watchful eyes as your Magitype and Societype are revealed]


    [+10 Points]


    Ah, bloody hell. Suddenly, he felt a rush of resentment that most reincarnators or transmigrators felt whilst dealing with the ''dear'' System. Except, he knew better. After all, it wasn''t the System which set the missions. It was the Mainframe!


    Think about it. If he went OOC, he got a negative 100 points, but upon doing something (which he didn''t even sign up for, no less) he got 10 points. How was it fair? Of course, it wasn''t fair at all.


    Just wait until the day Alec broke the lock on his Character Type¡­


    Knowing the Mainframe, it probably needed a damn ten thousand points to disable the OOC function at least.


    If Alec was alone, he would be swearing a blue streak at the Mainframe right about now, because he got the ''special treatment'' package, as he liked to call it, from the Mainframe.


    Mainframe''s Rule Book Section A, Subsection 2 Rule 1: dealing with unruly transmigrators or reincarnators, System allowed the usage of ''make lives harder'' within reasonable means.


    Alec could confirm that the Mainframe definitely used this on him! Ah, not only was his Societype crappy, his Magitype was terrible as well. With the addition of the damn OOC system, this was just making his life harder all round.


    Alec briefly felt sorry for the transmigrators he gave his ''special service'' to, then shook it off. They really did deserve it though, with the way they acted.


    Hmph. Alec reluctantly gave in to the hand the Mainframe dealt him with ill grace. He wouldn''t be bound by its rules forever.


    Just wait, Mainframe.


    Evin dismissed the class, telling them to go back home for the day.


    Before anyone could stop him, Alec quickly left, heading back to his mother.


    The other four children exchanged looks.


    "¡­He left so fast," Cyrus said helplessly. He looked at Alec''s retreating back. "I guess the blow was harder than we thought. Though, I can''t blame him."


    Zacharias snorted. "Of course it was. Just let him be. If there''s anything I''ve learned about that brat by now, it''s that he''s resilient," the boy said, crossing his arms.


    Tatiana glared at Zacharias, frowning. "How can you say that?" she said quietly.


    Zacharias scoffed. "It''s true. Haven''t you seen it over the past couple of years? Nothing will keep him down!" He would rather die than admit he was a bit worried.


    Elias nodded, not speaking up.


    In the end, Cyrus had to step in. "Alright, that''s enough. We''ll leave him alone for today. Though he''s very gentle, he probably doesn''t want us to see him when he''s at his lowest."


    They frowned but acquiesced at the end. After all, if they were in Alec''s shoes, they didn''t think they''d want to talk about it as well.


    -


    Alec reached home in a daze, where Annalise resisted the urge to give in to a rare urge to fidget.


    The nervous mother activated the silencing barrier on the doorknob by pressing twice, something that she had gotten used to doing more and more often over the years once she had Alec.


    It was finally the time for her to tell her son about his origins, which was what she had planned all along. The day his Societype and Maigtype was revealed using an appraisal crystal to them for the first time, children in the Neil Clan were deemed capable of making their own decisions.


    What she didn''t know was that Alec only looked like he was in a daze because he was busy cursing up a storm in his mind.


    "Alec. There''s something that I''ve been meaning to tell you," she started off.


    Alec snapped out of it, giving his mother his full attention. "Yes, mother?" he said respectfully. Though he didn''t think that he saw this woman as his mother, he did appreciate the way she treated him. He wanted to reciprocate, but there was something in his heart that held him back from doing so.


    It had been six swear-less years. He never thought he would miss freedom of speech this much.


    "Alec, you remember, don''t you?"


    "Remember what?"


    Annalise smiled gently. "Your Societype."


    Alec''s eyes gleamed. "I do," he admitted freely.


    "So, you know why I can''t allow you to go around acting freely, right? Since we''re in the Clan, you haven''t seen the horrors that Sins have to face just yet. But you will. You might resent it now, but until you''re strong enough that you can fend off everyone else, keep yourself safe. Sometimes, a mask is better than anything else."


    Alec nodded. He had always been inside the Clan''s compound, never once venturing out.


    Not that the hadn''t tried, but you had to go through The Great Expanse before being able to find a route to civilisation. It made him wonder. Just how big was his Clan?


    "How did you manage to change it?" Alec questioned, genuinely curious.


    Annalise''s smile grew a notch larger. "That''s something of a trade secret. Of course, if you ever meet your father, he might tell you."


    Alec was shocked. "My father? He''s still alive?"


    Annalise laughed. "He is. But you won''t be able to find him any time soon. That''s all I can tell you for now. His name is Alaric Aeden."


    Alec sensed that the topic of his father was closed for now. "Is that why I''m under surveillance?"


    "Yes and no. As you might have already noticed, in the Clan¡­ there aren''t any without the Neil''s signature brown hair and eyes. But, actually, that''s not strictly true. As a Clan, there are a lot of outsiders that marry in, but they''re required to wear something that temporarily changes their hair and eye colour whenever they''re within the Clan compound."


    Alec stared at his mother, baffled. What was the reason for that, exactly? It just seemed so redundant.


    Annalise, catching sight of his expression, hid her grin. She had the same reaction when she asked her parents that as well. For now, she wouldn''t tell him. It was something that they would experience once they reached a certain period of time.


    Alec hesitated, thinking about his Magitype. "Mother, I¡­"


    Annalise lay a hand on her son''s shoulder. "I know. Your Magitype, right?"


    Alec nodded soundlessly.


    "Alecris," Annalise said seriously. "No matter who you may become in the future, you should know that I will always love you, and so does your father. Magitype, Societype and all. It doesn''t matter. I know you''ll be able to find a way to do it should you want to. Just know that because society classifies it as something, doesn''t mean it''s always strictly true."


    Alec felt a strange warmth that he didn''t know how to describe, feeling slightly touched. He held his mother''s hand and squeezed lightly, unsure how to vocalise it.


    Annalise smiled her signature gentle smile, which Alec mirrored.

 Chapter 13 Elemental Magic Technique

    Alec arrived at the classroom early.


    He felt strange, heading in this direction. Most of the six previous years had mostly consisted of dwelling in the forest for the duration of a day, each day exploring different parts with the imparted knowledge from their teacher.


    Alec loved it.


    The soft, warm sunshine that hit him under the foliage of the trees, the gentle breeze that caressed his skin, the distant roars of unknown beings he never once got to put a name to. The soft, bird chirps, so near, yet unseen.


    He loved all of it.


    Somehow, sitting in a classroom reminded him too much of his rewarding but frustrating life as a System.


    So lost in his thoughts, he never noticed when Zacharias stood before him.


    "Hey," Zacharias said impatiently. Even if the others were willing to wait, that didn''t mean he was! Not to mention, it was almost time for their teacher to appear as he usually did for the day. "Snap out of it already!"


    Alec blinked, smiling. "Yes?" He had a feeling he knew where this was going.


    "Cut it out already," Zacharias said brusquely. "If you don''t want to smile, then don''t!"


    Alec obligingly dropped the signature smile that he had perfected over the years. Truly, practice made perfect.


    Even though he wasn''t really all that thrilled about having the ''most useless'' Magitype, he wasn''t all that torn about it either. But, somewhere in the System''s cold, dead heart, he felt something weaken a little. How strange.


    Zacharias let out a ''hmph'', crossing his arms and looking away.


    Alec hid a little smile, sure that the teen wouldn''t appreciate it. "I''m fine."


    Zacharias scoffed. "Of course you are. It''s just that those guys," he said, jerking a thumb in their direction, "don''t think you are. But I know better. You''re stupidly stubborn. Something as minor as this won''t keep you down for long."


    This time, Alec smiled at him genuinely. He quite liked Zacharias, despite the disdain he had been shown years earlier. The boy had mellowed out a lot over the years, and had Alec been inclined to label him, like some other transmigrators or reincarnators that he had the greatest pleasure of meeting, he would be a tsundere.


    The more Alec watched him, the more he felt like the teen was rather cute.


    "You didn''t even lose to me when it comes to theoretical work, after all," the teen said proudly.


    Alec wanted to laugh so badly.


    Evin entered the room, interrupting their conversation.


    Zacharias reluctantly went back to his seat, shoving away that feeling of pride when he saw the other''s marginally more relaxed expressions. As if he needed their approval.


    Evin made no reference to their appraisal status the day before, staring with the magic theory lessons.


    Taking out five scrolls, he passed them one each.


    Curiously, Alec unrolled the scroll. This was the first time he had seen something like this. More of the information that he found written down was in the form of books, so the appearance of a scroll was new.


    "Don''t op-"


    The moment he opened it, his vision swam alarmingly. All of his consciousness was sucked into the scroll without a warning.


    Stunned, Alec looked around.


    There was nothing in front of him, only pure darkness. Even when he stretched out his hand, he could not see it.


    Then, the surroundings started getting brighter visibly, a soft glow, where a man stood in the middle of the ray of light.


    Instantly, Alec''s eyes locked onto the man.


    He had the same distinct characteristics that the Neil Clan embodied. Who was he? He emitted a amicable aura, much like Cyrus, but where the teen gave off a feeling that he was a big brother, this man instead possessed a disposition where one innately felt like he was worthy of their trust.


    For some reason, Alec couldn''t take his eyes off him. How strange. There was something familiar about him¡­


    The man made a series of strange, flowing moves, ending in a resting position. Alec stared harder at the motions he was going through, committing them to memory.


    Alongside, he followed, obviously getting it wrong various times.


    Ten times, twenty times, thirty times, hundred times¡­


    Alec didn''t know how long passed, but he knew that there were countless, endless repetitions, until suddenly, the man stopped and smiled, disappearing.


    Alec blinked and found himself back in the classroom.


    Dazed, Alec looked around, only to see that the rest were clearly staring into space in a daze.


    Evin looked dryly at his student. Even after all these years, Alecris still moved before he fully thought things through.


    "As I was saying," the man said in a tone so dry he would have fit right into the desert. "The scroll is something that the ancestor made for the Clan. It''s the accumulation technique for the Elemental magic stage."


    Alec only smiled, feeling sheepish. He hadn''t done something like that for a while now, but in his eagerness to see what was inside the scroll, his hands moved without him thinking. Needless to say, his curiosity had always been something of a problem¡­


    Within minutes, Cyrus blinked, his consciousness returning, followed by Zacharias, then Tatiana and Elias at almost the same time.


    Alec nodded at them. That didn''t take too long.


    "Ah, yes," Evin said, seeing their elated faces. "I forgot to say, but once you get sucked into a magic scroll like that, it all depends on your comprehension. Though you can exit at any time, it all depends on you. One charge of the scroll will show you ten repetitions, where you have to recharge the scroll with magic to view it again."


    Alec was surprised. Ten times? The way Evin said it, he sounded so sure, as if he was speaking of something tested and proven, but that wasn''t right! He didn''t know how many times he had practiced, but clearly, it was definitely more than ten times.


    Cyrus raised a brow, asking the question that they wanted to ask. "Isn''t there something like imparting of knowledge directly?"


    Evin snorted. "Do you think this is some fairy tale? Of course not! Just like how everyone has different ways of using their Magitypes, the knowledge is there for you to see, but whether or not you comprehend it is another issue altogether!"


    They nodded to show their understanding.


    Evin gestured for them to follow him.


    Outside, near the classroom, there was an open field with only trees in the vicinity. Away from prying eyes, they would be able to practice here without anyone getting hurt.


    "Show me," Evin said simply.


    Zacharias, ever so enthusiastic, jumped to be the first in line, his eyes glinting. "Me first!"


    Running through the sequence, Alec immediately spotted a few flaws in the teen''s movements.


    Likewise, Evin caught them, making a few corrections here and there.


    "Next."


    Tatiana performed remarkably well. Her movements looked smooth and natural, even though there were still small inconsistencies, it was clearly higher than Zacharias'' by a notch.


    By the time it reached Alec''s turn, he already got a gist of how the others were doing. However, did he want to show what he already felt like he mastered? Had he truly mastered it? He hesitated briefly before shoving it aside.


    That wasn''t like him. Alec liked to think of himself as a person who took action instead of thinking endlessly over the various possibilities. Anyway, who knew if he had really mastered it or not? It wasn''t like he''d done this before.


    Starting off with the first pose, which started with an arm held perpendicular to his body, and the other a fist hovering at the core of his body, Alec flowed smoothly into the ten moves that he had practiced endlessly.


    The moves came so naturally that it surprised him, considering he hadn''t used his body in the real world to practice it. Though, that might have been expected, with how he had repeated the same thing countless, endless times in order to obtain the man''s approval.


    Was he the ancestor himself?


    Why was it that he wasn''t only limited to ten times? Was it his Societype? His Magitype?


    Somehow, he leaned towards the Awakening Magitype. There had to be something that everyone was missing¡­

 Chapter 14 Little Wisps of Magic

    Evin was shocked.


    Shocked beyond belief, but the teacher struggled to keep it off his face.


    The more he looked, the more he felt like he was watching something extraordinary. It almost felt like he was the student, and his student was the teacher instead.


    How was this possible?


    At first, he had not held any great expectations when it came to Alecris'' turn, but the more he watched, the more shocked he felt.


    There was simply nothing about Alecris'' technique that he could criticize. In fact, looking at it, he could pick out a few deficiencies that he himself had gotten wrong.


    Evin''s thoughts halted. This¡­ it was shocking beyond belief!


    The pure perfection and grace that every move exuded. Never had the likes of him seen such a thing in real life. As an estimate, only someone who had thoroughly perfected every move using repetition upon repetition could have achieved it.


    However, would anyone normal do such a thing? No! Even in the Neil Clan, which was well-known for their battle maniacs, there were not many who spent that much time on the basics.


    Evin himself was a rare occurrence, but to take it to the level that Alecris had taken it? That took time, and dedication. How was it possible for a boy that young to produce such results?


    His face instantly changed.


    Not good. In fact, it surpassed the level of ''not good'' to transcend to a whole new level.


    He had to hide this. He couldn''t let such talent go to waste. Not when¡­ Evin shook the thought away.


    With the way the elders of the Clan were watching Alecris, there was no doubt that they would try and exert their influence over him as soon as he had shown any signs of excelling beyond the book smarts.


    Thinking up to this point, Evin spouted some nonsense so that it appeared like Alecris still had much to improve on. Even with his relative thick skin, Evin could feel his ears heating up as he tried his best not to think about the nonsense he was speaking. How embarrassing!


    Evin forced himself to ignore the dubious look that Alecris gave him, but very seriously went over their similar imperfections, as well as a few that they might encounter in the future.


    He continued lecturing them until it was time for the class to be dismissed, where he sent them home for the day.


    Evin breathed out, inwardly groaning. Then, before Alecris could get too far, he pulled him aside as soon as he was alone.


    Evin spirited the boy away before he could react, bringing him back to his own quarters. He quickly pressed twice on the doorknob. He had to do this before anyone realized that the boy wasn''t where he was supposed to be.


    "Alecris," Evin said seriously. "You cannot show how perfectly you mastered the magic technique on your first try. If you haven''t already noticed, there are eyes on your everywhere."


    Alec, who had been wary about how his teacher suddenly abducted him, felt a flash of understanding as his hackles that had been raised earlier seemed to clam down of their own violation.


    He felt a strange feeling, knowing that his teacher cared for him. Earlier, he had been shocked when his teacher gave him a load of superficial advice that did nothing for him. He even started to doubt his teacher''s intentions.


    Now, he felt a little closer to him than before.


    Evin, who didn''t know how his image in his student''s mind previously took a hit, then recovered just as quickly, continued rather anxiously. "It''s fine if it''s just me, but until you''re strong enough to fight off all opposition, don''t so simply show the full extent of your abilities. It''s good to have something as a trump card no matter what."


    As Evin kept continuously repeating the various things that Alec shouldn''t do before sending him back on his way quickly, Alec, who had been in a rather bad mood previously, felt strangely happy.


    Tomorrow, his teacher said that he would lend him the second part of the magic technique scroll to use, which made him rather happy. Alec greeted his mother, missing the worried look she shot him.


    In part of their rooms, he entered the one that his mother frequented, which was a room that was used by members of the Neil Clan for training.


    If one looked at the building as a whole, it actually wasn''t all that big, but were filled with multiple apartments. In such apartments, the inside was actually reflective of an entire house. There was an upstairs, a downstairs, and even one or more training rooms.


    When Alec asked about it, his mother said that it was because each apartment had overlying spatial arrays that were created by those who held the Support Magitype.


    The answer astounded him.


    He had no idea how every room in the building managed to fit spatial arrays. Though he looked all over, there was nothing that looked like the centre of the array.


    He had an underlying feeling that it wasn''t as casual as his mother made it out to be. There was probably an astronomical cost behind it.


    Based on his knowledge from the different worlds out there, this type of structures for Clans or sects were always worth a hefty price. Just how large was the Neil Clan? Just walking around, you could see hundreds of different people each day. How many rooms did they do this to? Every room? How powerful was the Neil Clan? How rich were they?


    Alec had no idea. He had never been out of the Clan compounds, so there was simply no comparison. If this kept up, he had a feeling that he would end up being exempt from the common sense of the world. Maybe that was the damn Mainframe''s motives in placing him here?


    That made sense. What else could it have been?


    Free from prying eyes, Alec smoothly fell into the stances that he had seen previously in the magic technique scroll, smoothly completing all the rather complex steps.


    As he finished, a small, faint wisp of magic entered his body, causing him to feel refreshed. Though he could complete the actions smoothly, it was still draining on his young body.


    Alec felt frustrated. Why was it that his body never seemed to improve much, as compared to the rest? Was it because they were Brights? But Elias was a Cher, not a Bright, and he didn''t seem to he having as much trouble adapting.


    Sighing, Alec put it out of his mind. It never did any good to compare himself to other people. Everyone grew at different paces, after all.


    But still¡­ how would he be able to complete his mission if his body couldn''t handle the strain?


    Just repeating the basic Elemental magic technique already caused such a strain on his body.


    What a difference. Life truly wasn''t fair. There was always someone better. But if he had the time to complain, then he had the time to put more effort in. He didn''t believe he would lose in the end. He was a System, for goodness'' sake. There had to be some benefit!


    But still, Alec persevered. That was his only good point, after all. The willingness to persevere and toil, where everyone else slacked off. Then again, wasn''t that what got him here in the first place?


    Hard work and determination would get him somewhere one day.


    No matter how he thought about it, he still didn''t understand the Mainframe. What nonsense was it to send a System for punishment due to bad reviews? He had followed all the rules.


    So lost in his thoughts as he reflexively performed the actions that had been so deeply ingrained in his muscles, Alec never noticed how his body moved, just a little lighter, a little easier. So minute, that one would never have been able to realize it had they not been paying attention.

 Chapter 15 Heh? No Deduction?

    After class the next day, he got cornered by his four classmates.


    Alec felt like crying foul. How could they direct those determined, hopeful little eyes on him? How was he supposed to say no to that? How could he break their tiny, fragile hearts?


    He felt a strong urge to look away from them, then stopped himself because he remembered the [Sub-Mission] the damned Mainframe forced upon him. Curse this character type!


    He reluctantly allowed himself to be herded to Tatiana''s apartment.


    Tatiana beamed at them when they all entered the door. "Welcome!" she said chirpily.


    Alec couldn''t help the small smile that appeared. A real one.


    Tatiana tugged Zacharias'' hand, sneakily going for the most reluctant one. Alec approved.


    The inside of her apartment was much the same as the one he stayed in with his mother. The rooms were probably all made in the same manner and design, though there were clearly touches and decorations that made the space look different.


    "Let''s train together, alright? Don''t let Evin get you down!" Tatiana said, her eyes determined. It seemed that she wouldn''t allow yesterday''s episode to go down.


    Alec was startled. They were more perceptive than he gave them credit for.


    Cyrus nodded, as did Elias. Zacharias only crossed his arms, huffing.


    "You were clearly better than us, which makes Evin''s pointers to you senseless."


    Zacharias scoffed. "If that man isn''t going to teach you properly, then who''s to say that he''s going to teach us properly as well? I''m going to complain to my parents. We might not be able to do anything about this, but they will."


    Tatiana immediately echoed her assent. "That''s right! How could we just let that happen? E-Evin''s not doing his job properly!"


    Alec felt a burst of fondness for these teenagers. Even when he made sure not to get too close to them over the years, it evidently hadn''t worked too well, if he was feeling this way. Apparently, he was more attached to them than he thought.


    However, this had to end here. He couldn''t allow Evin to remain like that in their minds, especially since they were already keen enough to pick up on it. Hadn''t he had the same thoughts yesterday?


    The man was a competent and strict teacher, and he had their best interests in mind. Alec didn''t think that he would be able to find another teacher that treated them so fairly like they would with Evin. Try as he might, the man was evidently fond of all of them, though he tried not to act like it.


    "It''s fine, guys," Alec said, trying to diffuse the situation.


    "It''s not fine!" Cyrus said in a level manner, his voice serious, trying to convey the heaviness of the situation. "You''re not allowed to just take this injustice lying down. We''re in this course for a reason, and that''s to grow up stronger to protect the Clan! He has no right to do this to you."


    Alec maintained his signature smile. "It''s fine because-"


    "It''s not fine!"


    "If you''ll just-"


    "No! Not another word! We''ll protect you, and that''s that."


    "I-"


    "Just let us do this, you brat. This affects us as well."


    Alec snapped. His smile widened a notch, giving off a rather different aura. "If you would kindly let me finish my sentence instead of mistaking me as an idiot who''s unaware of his choices, that would be very much appreciated."


    Their mouths dropped, shocked beyond belief.


    They felt like they were in a daze. When had they ever seen their ever so gentle and patient younger classmate that was like a brother to them, say something so out of character?


    It was the equivalent to a bomb dropping right next to them, stunning them. It was like the world had gone white, where nothing they heard penetrated into their skulls.


    Alec inwardly slapped his forehead. Ah, he''s done it now. He fucked up! In front of children, no less! There went all the years of maintaining his fa?ade. It''d worked so well, and for so many years, too!


    On cue, the voice of the Mainframe was heard in his ears.


    [Get your point across without letting them make decisions for you]


    [+10 Points]


    Heh?


    What?


    Did he¡­ mishear it, or something? Did the Mainframe just reluctantly give him points?


    Alec waited, but never heard the Mainframe''s voice again. What? What? Was it not going to deduct any points from him for going out of character?


    What was going on?


    Whatever. He would deal with it later.


    Alec took a little breath and continued before they regained their senses, gently clearing his throat.


    "As I was saying," he continued, "Evin took me aside yesterday to explain to me that there was nothing wrong with my technique. It''s just that he had to fool anyone who might have been watching."


    That caused them to snap out of it.


    "Ah?"


    Alec was acting as he was normally. Did they¡­ mishear it? Was it part of their imagination or something? Maybe it had been caused by stress?


    Everyone was doubtful, but actually, the most doubtful one was in fact, Zacharias. The boy felt horribly confused, like his entire worldview had changed in a split second. He couldn''t reconcile reality with what he just heard. It couldn''t be, right? The sweet, patient boy whom he used to look down on for being too soft had this side to him?


    When they looked closely at his smile, they found that it was still its usual amicable and gentle aura. Out of four, three passed it off as their imagination, not even wanting to try and confirm it was true. It almost felt like something out of a nightmare to them.


    On the other hand, Zacharias was not convinced. There was no way he had just hallucinated. That meant that Alec really had said those words, snapping for the first time. Instead of the disbelief he had been feeling, it slowly morphed into glee.


    Haha! How could he describe what he was currently feeling? It was like watching his gentle younger brother suddenly develop a snarky side without him noticing. It was like a mix of glee and wondering just when exactly the younger boy had grown up without him noticing.


    Now, this was more like it! Now, even if Alec still maintained his gentle disposition most of the time, should he ever need to, he was able to use his words to get people to bugger off!


    Tatiana, having distanced herself from reality, continued on like nothing happened. "So, teacher is actually on our side, right?" she asked, hesitantly.


    Alec nodded, relieved that they seemed to take his sudden break of character in stride. "That''s right."


    Then, Tatiana exploded, so uncharacteristic for her that everyone else was taken aback again. Though it was a little less than the effects Alec had brought them, they were still considerably shocked.


    "Who''s keeping an eye on you! How dare they? We''re all from the same Clan, aren''t we?! There''s no way you would hurt the Clan! How can they just¡­ just¡­!"


    Cyrus stepped forward to calm the girl down. "Tatiana, calm down."


    Tatiana simmered, feeling mighty angry. It was the first for her to feel this sort of indignant feeling for someone else.


    Elias, though silent, clearly agreed with Tatiana''s stance. His glasses glinted under the light. "It doesn''t matter. Even if they are keeping an eye on Alec, we''re still here to help him."


    More than Cyrus'' words, Tatiana calmed down at the verbal promise the other made.


    She nodded, and the rest of them nodded as well, looking at Alec with firm determination.


    Whoever thought that they could put their hands on Alec had another thing coming!


    Alec looked helplessly at the four nodding, almost able to feel the powerful weight the promise had on their souls. If possible, he didn''t want them to be in any danger as well. They were still so young. Though he had no doubt that they would be able to handle themselves, that didn''t mean that he wanted them to put themselves in danger for Alec''s sake.


    But, try as he might to dissuade them, they stubbornly clung onto Alec, as if saying they''d already attached themselves to him for life, and there was nothing he could do about it.


    Reluctantly, the tiny bud of something in Alec''s chest unfurled a little more.

 Chapter 16 Hellhound Guarding Hell

    The door slammed open, startling all of them.


    "Tatiana!"


    Tatiana spun around, reflexively answering. "Yes, mother?!"


    A slim, graceful woman stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. Her eyes exuded a fierceness that was much alike the expression Tatiana made earlier when she had been angry at their teacher.


    Upon seeing the rest of them inside the room, her angry expression immediately melted into something welcoming and smiley.


    Alec inwardly marvelled at the change that Tatiana''s mother went through.


    "Oh, my~ you didn''t tell me we were going to have guests over. I would have prepared some snacks," the woman said, a look of regret upon her face.


    Tatiana''s mother closed the door softly after her, coming and leaving like a hurricane.


    Tatiana looked embarrassed, hiding her face in her hands.


    Elias quietly reached over and closed Zacharias'' mouth.


    "Uh," Tatiana struggled to recover. "Let''s start training, okay?!"


    They allowed her to change the subject since she was clearly embarrassed.


    "So, what are we going to do?"


    Zacharias huffed. "Obviously, you''re going to give us pointers on the magic technique." He paused. "Aren''t you?" he said, a tad less sure.


    Alec smiled. "Sure."


    Alec took the initiative to start. "Then, watch closely. I''ll run through it ten times, like the magic technique scroll."


    After he saw their nods, Alec started moving. Just like he had practiced, each move came smoothly and without any difficulties.


    The rest of the teenager''s eyes were shining as they watched him. They even felt like this was more beneficial to them as compared to when they watched the person in the scroll.


    Where the person was fully grown and had a different reach, as they watched Alec''s movements, they somehow developed a deeper understanding when watching him.


    Instantly, they could recognise a lot of their obvious flaws. Which matched what their teacher had instructed them in earlier. It was just that, at that time, they were unable to see where their movements were flawed, meaning that the teaching didn''t exactly stick fully.


    The four teens sunk into a state of comprehension, surprising Alec.


    Alec stopped, looking at their dazed expressions, quietly leaving the room in case he disturbed them.


    After two hours, the four teenagers broke out of their state almost at the same moment.


    "Ah?" Tatiana looked around. Alec was gone!


    Cyrus scratched his cheek, feeling sheepish. "I guess he left because we were deep within that comprehension state."


    -


    Alec headed towards the lake located right in the middle of the compound''s heart, which was, incidentally, the same lake that he gazed on the first time when he was a baby, right behind the building they lived in.


    In the middle of the day, the sunlight hit the lake just right, causing the clear water of the lake to shine, almost blinding. The water was so clear that one was able to see all the way down to the bottom of the lake.


    Inside the lake, there were various fish swimming in harmony. It was such a picturesque sight that one couldn''t help but relax upon seeing it.


    Alec was no different from everyone else.


    On the lake''s surface, there were various boats in the distance, carrying different people. Some ladies had parasols, whilst others lay down in the boat, basking upon the gently rocking surface.


    There were also some clansmen who were treading on the water''s surface, practicing their magic techniques. Alec wondered how they stayed afloat without anything underneath them, then realized that they weren''t.


    In fact, as they moved, each move mirrored perfectly, stepping forward correctly brought them to another pole that was suspended just below the water, allowing them to keep their balance. One wrong move, and they would tumble into the water.


    A splash, and one of the practicing clansmen fell in, swimming to the surface. He pulled himself back up onto the pole, his clothes quickly drying, practicing anew.


    Alec watched with wide eyes, never having come to the lakeside during the day time. the sight was almost¡­ magical, in a way. Though he had looked at the lake in the distance, it wasn''t the same seeing it up close.


    Instead of going onto the water like most were doing, Alec lay down in the grass, feeling the sun''s caress on his skin.


    He was just about to fall into a light slumber when he heard the rustle of grass, before something plopped onto his body.


    Alec paused; previous sleepiness gone. He furrowed his brows, slightly annoyed. Who exactly was getting in the way of his glorious nap? Of all days where he finally allowed himself a brief respite to take a break, and he''s disturbed?


    He opened his eyes, finding a small, white bunny atop his stomach.


    The System, who had been previously annoyed, instantly froze, every single muscle in his body freezing and locking, not moving the slightest bit.


    The bunny, upon not finding a reaction, cautiously moved around, little hops across Alec''s body.


    Alec inwardly screamed.


    Was it too late for him to say that he was terrified of rabbits? Why was this here? Why was it *on* him? WHY??


    Instantly, Alec regretted every decision he ever made that led him right up to this moment, and then, defaulted to cursing the Mainframe in his head.


    Who in the world would expect a little bunny like that to appear right beside the lake? Shouldn''t they be in the forest? Deeper in The Great Expanse?


    The poor System felt like he was about to pass out. Why?? He thought he was safe after all those years of not meeting a single rabbit in the forest, so why was it here?


    Alec inwardly prayed for the rabbit to leave, taking its tiny, terrifying body with it, but it wasn''t leaving.


    Alec was so still he felt like he was about to get a muscle cramp. On the other hand, the little bunny wasn''t as still, hopping up and down his immobile body.


    Alec, in a short time frame, went from cursing the Mainframe, to cursing his luck, to cursing his life decisions, to feeling a deep, deep despair.


    As the rabbit reached the bottom of his leg, Alec thought it was about to leave, only for it to hop back. Alec was close to tears, damn this juvenile body. The emotional control that he should have had was almost non-existent faced with this encounter.


    The rabbit moved up back to his stomach, then moved even further up, causing Alec''s breathing to stop.


    The bunny hopped forward, nuzzling Alec''s face.


    Alec¡­ Alec reached out with a shaky hand and patted the bunny with a blank face, feeling his small hands sink into the white, silky fur.


    Then, he¡­ well. He was not ashamed to say he panicked. Basically, the bunny was off him now, and Alec was a distance away, eyeing the white ball of fluff with a wariness that would have earned him a medal in paranoia.


    When the bunny sniffed, Alec twitched. When the bunny hopped forward, Alec stepped backward. When the bunny charged at him, Alec turned around to flee with all his might.


    He felt like he was being chased by a terrifying beast instead of a small bunny, but what could he do? Phobias were phobias, all right?


    Only after five minutes when he first started to run did he dare to look back, his heart beating wildly in his chest. It was¡­ it was gone!


    He ran for another minute, before realizing that he had left all of his stuff behind.


    Alec felt like crying.


    Should he go back, or¡­?


    Maybe¡­ maybe it wasn''t there anymore?


    Alec desperately tried to maintain his expression, taking deep breaths as he psyched himself up. As his heart went back to its normal rate, Alec ever so cautiously made his way back to the lakeside.


    Darting behind a tree, the normally grumpy System peeked out with a rare hesitance, bringing his head back behind the tree.


    He thumped his head on the tree. Why¡­ WHY WAS IT STILL THERE? DIDN''T IT CHASE HIM JUST NOW?


    Oh, god, it must have gone back to lie in wait for him¡­


    Alec was honestly horrified. The devil''s spawn was out there, guarding his possessions like a hellhound guarding hell''s gates.


    He¡­ what was he going to do?

 Chapter 17 Leporiphobia

    Alec was not ashamed to say he used every means at his disposal if it meant avoiding that bunny from hell.


    Call him shameless if you would, but he was willing to do it, especially when he was still in this young body where hardly anyone would fault him. He was seven. Seven-year-olds had some leeway in the greater scheme of the world.


    A good System used everything that was at his disposable with maximum efficiency.


    Basically, he called his mother.


    As he nervously hid behind the tree, watching his mother approach the bunny, his heart was beating a rapidly increasing staccato in his chest.


    His mother patted the bunny, causing him to feel like he shrunk inwardly as he remembered the feeling on his hands, grabbing his stuff as she casually left.


    As she approached, Alec ran out and grabbed her, tugging her to leave quickly, thanking her. "Thank you, mother."


    Annalise stopped herself from gushing as her serious son thanked her so whole-heartedly, knowing that he wouldn''t appreciate it. But he was just so cute! Though she didn''t understand the phobia that he developed all of a sudden, she wouldn''t ask. Sometimes, just because a phobia existed, didn''t mean that there was a reason for it.


    What Annalise didn''t know was that Alec indeed had a good reason for his phobia, but not one that he would be able to disclose to her without her finding out that he had another life before this.


    Sometimes, he felt like he had stolen the life of an innocent newborn, who would have been able to love his mother wholly and full-heartedly, but instead, what she got was a jaded System in the place of her newborn.


    There were days where he couldn''t stop thinking about it as he tried to drift off to sleep. He wondered why.


    Annalise and Alec returned to their home, with Alec trying his best to banish all thoughts about the bunny from earlier.


    [Failed to maintain character type.]


    [-100 Points]


    [Current points: -80]


    [Initializing compulsory mission]


    [Character: Alecris Aeden Neil to befriend subject white bunny, effective immediately.]


    [Time limit: 30 days]


    [Mission failure: Immediate termination of life expectancy]


    Haha. Hearing the damn Mainframe''s voice in his ears again¡­ he wasn''t the least bit happy. Also, there wasn''t anyone who was around earlier to witness the loss of his composure! He had so many complaints for this Mainframe.


    He! Did! Nothing! Wrong!


    Alec valiantly resisted the urge to strangle something. Wait. Was it because he called in help from his mother, thus showing the ''unsightly'' part of himself? But she already knew that he wasn''t the generic gentle pretty boy that he was portraying himself as.


    Of course, he had been praying for more missions from the Mainframe for the past couple of years, but the Mainframe hadn''t granted his wishes, obviously. The only missions he got were the ones that he had to ''unlock'' himself so to speak.


    However, now that he was in the negatives, the Mainframe was giving him one last chance to redeem himself. If he failed, death. If he passed, then he got to survive. Simple.


    Simple his ass! In the first place, his mother shouldn''t have counted as him going out of character since she already knew from the start. Plus, there was no way in hell that bunny came from nowhere. Did the Mainframe send it?


    That had to be it. What else could it be? He refused to admit that his luck was this bad. Also, this compulsory mission¡­ heh.


    Was the Mainframe trying to kill him or what? If it wanted to kill him, just do it already! He had to confront his fears and befriend a bunny?!


    He would not!


    He wouldn''t.


    He would, dammit.


    Even if he failed in the end, he had to at least say he tried. At this realization, Alec felt like breaking out into swears again. He knew himself too well. If he tried to boycott the mission now, he would be haunted until his last breath knowing that he hadn''t even tried.


    Annalise looked at her son''s blank expression, wondering if he was still shocked from earlier. She patted him on the head, causing him to look up at her.


    Alec felt slightly calmer as he saw his mother''s signature smile, mirroring it, no matter what he felt on the inside, the story emotions could never be expressed on his face.


    Human potential was really limitless. Back when he was a System, doing the bidding of the Mainframe, he never thought that he would one day change so much. If his past self from seven years ago looked at him, he would have scoffed and called the person in front of him now a ''bastard that smiled too much''.


    Alec inwardly shed a tear. This was all the Mainframe''s fault, damnit!


    How in the world was he going to complete the mission? How did one befriend a bunny?


    Alec had no such experiences to draw from. He had never let himself near any animals since that one day, where he developed his phobia for rabbits.


    Or rather, one particular rabbit.


    It had been a warm, humid day, so Alec had lay down under the shade of a tree, stretching out. The warm, soft breeze caressed his skin as the sun shone down. The warmth of the sun''s rays on his skin lulled him to sleep, one arm across his eyes.


    A while passed before he was woken up by the sounds of something approaching him, causing him to crack open an eye in curiosity.


    Beside him, there was a black, adorable bunny that lay innocently in the grass next to him, nibbling.


    Alec got up, smirking.


    Alec carelessly picked up the rabbit who had been minding its own business, holding it by the ears.


    "What do we have here? A little bunny rabbit? Hello to tonight''s dinner."


    Alec, ashamed as he was to admit it, had been an idiot through and through. He should never have done that, because what seemed like an innocent rabbit wasn''t at all.


    The rabbit had in fact, been the pet of a demonic cultivator. THE demonic cultivator, in fact.


    The rabbit that looked like it had been dyed in the depths of the night, had easily escaped from his grasp, kicked him in the face, causing him to fall flat on his back in shock.


    Then, it had left, hopping away with its tail bouncing up and down.


    If the story had ended just there, it would have been a funny story, but no.


    The black rabbit had been the personification of a devil. Alec didn''t know what the demonic cultivator had taught his pet, but as sad as it was to admit it, the rabbit was practically a hell spawn itself.


    The rabbit had harassed Alec for *years* until he upped and died. Alec had never been so glad to be away from the rabbit that led its armies to besiege him day and night. He was never able to escape from its evil grasp.


    Needless to say, Alec was now a very different person after that harrowing experience. The carefree idiot from before had died a long, drawn out death, which, funnily enough, had *not* been at the rabbit''s hands, but instead the demonic cultivator himself.


    The demonic cultivator said, quote, "Stop harassing my pet!".


    Heh. Alec had, of course, in his indignant and wronged rage, rushed forward to chop at the demonic cultivator, then promptly died.


    Thus the reason why Alec was terrified of rabbits was born.


    In System space, there were no such horrific beings such as rabbits, so he had been gloriously safe. The first few times he entered The Great Expense, he had been nervous, but with every passing day of not seeing his arch nemesis, he grew more confident.


    Little did he expect to see one on the rare off days he gave to himself. It was one of the rare pleasures he had left following the horrors of the bunny rabbits.


    Now, the System wanted him to befriend the white rabbit from earlier.


    Alec choked back a hysterical laugh.


    Just how in the world was he going to do that?!

 Chapter 18 Maybe Its Not So Bad After All?

    A week had already gone by from the time where he received the compulsory mission from the Mainframe. If Alec was the type to cry, he would definitely be wailing by now.


    Alec was not having a good day. He was not having a good week.


    Every time he drew near the spot where he first met the bunny, he would take one glance, his heart racing, and promptly turn around when he realized that it wasn''t there.


    He couldn''t do this. Alec always considered himself a particularly stubborn person, but he was failing to out stubborn his persistent phobia.


    Ugh. He still wasn''t sure if the Mainframe was just fucking with him, or if it genuinely thought that it was helping him to overcome his phobia from the fear of imminent death.


    He paused. Who was he kidding? Of course the Mainframe was fucking with him! How could it be anything else?


    The entire reason why he had been sent down in the first place was the Mainframe!


    So, here Alec was, crouched behind a tree, almost hyperventilating. What had his life become?


    Ever so cautiously, he peeked out from behind his trusty friend, the tree, hoping that the bunny was here, yet at the same time, he also hoped it wasn''t here.


    Something brushed up against his leg, causing him to flinch. He would have jumped had he not been too terrified to even move a muscle.


    He slowly turned; his heart having accelerated so quickly he surprised himself.


    Alec slowly looked down, dreading what he would find.


    Grass. The wind had blown it, causing it to brush against his ankles.


    Alec didn''t know whether to laugh or cry seeing what he had become. Since when had he become such a wimp, that the mere thought of something caused him to feel uncertain?


    Huffing at laugh at himself, he took a step out, only to freeze yet again when he spotted white fur. Brushing against his other leg.


    He didn''t move.


    He didn''t breathe.


    Alec was frozen, almost sure he was hallucinating.


    The bunny nudged more insistently against him, drawing a reflexive flinch from him.


    Okay. Okay, he could do this.


    It was a bunny. It was not owned by a demonic cultivator. It was. Just. A bunny.


    A harmless¡­ A probably harmless bunny.


    Okay. He could do this.


    Alec squatted down, telegraphing his every move.


    Before he could think about chickening out, he put his hand on the bunny, both human and animal freezing at the touch.


    Strangely enough, the sight of it''s frozen, slightly shocked look gave him more courage.


    Maybe¡­ it wasn''t so bad?


    After all, his phobia was because of one particular bunny¡­ and this one was literally the complete opposite of the black bunny he was so scared of. In fact, before those long, dreadful years, he had quite liked bunnies.


    Then, it moved a little, and nope. There came back the fear. Instantly taking back his hand, he flinched when the bunny pawed at him again.


    Like this, the two of them went through a series of touch and freeze, like playing a game of tag.


    Alec wasn''t sure how long this went on for before he finally called it quits, his nerves shot to hell.


    He cautiously backed away from the bunny, but it hopped after him.


    Alec paused.


    The bunny paused.


    Alec took a step forward.


    The bunny hopped forward.


    Should he be concerned?? Somehow, he had a feeling that the bunny was going to follow him around. Alec was met with a conflicting mix of amusement and wariness.


    So far, the bunny hadn''t done anything to him. It seemed relatively harmless, and Alec was slowly getting over his fear.


    He still froze when it touched him, but when he touched the bunny instead, he seemed fine with it?


    Alec silently evaluated this new development. But was he comfortable with it following him around everywhere? The answer was no. That gave him too many flashbacks.


    But¡­ he did need to befriend it. What if he couldn''t find it again? Didn''t that mean he was just waiting for his death, then? Better to bring it back to his house where he could keep an eye on it in his attempts.


    As a matter of fact, what exactly was considered befriending a bunny?


    How was the Mainframe classifying whether or not he befriended it?


    Bringing it around with him?


    Letting it sleep in his bed?


    Keeping the bunny as a pet?


    What??


    This was such a vague and broad classification that Alec felt frustrated. He felt like he was fumbling around in the dark.


    Alec felt a shiver go down his spine at that, but still picked up the bunny after much deliberation.


    The white ball of fluff sniffed a little, rubbing its head against his hand.


    The longer Alec stared at it, the less threatening it felt.


    Alec squinted. Was it a boy or a girl¡­?


    Alec checked. It was a boy. He¡­ he wasn''t quite sure what to do with that piece of information, but at least he could stop calling the bunny an ''it''.


    Alec and the docile bunny walked back to their house; the bunny still cradled in Alec''s palms. The more Alec looked, the more he felt like it was strange that he had been so terrified of such a tiny, docile thing.


    Unlike the pitch-black rabbit that harassed him so, this bunny was rather nice and sweet. Patient too, with the way Alec kept being indecisive.


    There. Now, he was friends with the bunny, right?


    Right?


    Mainframe?


    There was no answer from the Mainframe.


    What did the Mainframe want, damnit!? How was he supposed to complete his mission if he didn''t know how else to do it?!


    The bunny tapped him gently, drawing Alec''s attention back down to him. Huh. Had he sensed Alec''s stress? Was that even a thing?


    Now that he wasn''t drowning in his own fear, Alec felt his habitual calm come back. This wasn''t so bad. The bunny was actually not completely horrible.


    He opened the door to their apartment, his mother surprisingly not home.


    Alec shrugged, putting the bunny down on the ground as he closed the door behind him.


    For the sake of his life, he was willing to do this. Besides, this bunny wasn''t like that devil spawn. Maybe they really would become friends. Alec was willing to give the bunny the benefit of doubt.


    Alec hunted around for a basket or something similar for the bunny to rest in. He found an unused basket, and cut a piece of cloth, putting it inside the basket, placing the basket on the table.


    Alec paused. No, that was dangerous.


    He moved the basket to the floor, away from anything else.


    Then, he put the bunny, which had been motionless on the floor since Alec had put him down, into the basket, leaving the top open.


    He looked at the snug looking bunny with a sense of satisfaction. There.


    "Now, this is your bed. I sleep there," Alec said pointing in the direction of his room. "Mother sleeps in that other room."


    The bunny cocked his head, which Alec mirrored. "Don''t come in at night, understand?"


    -


    Later at night, Annalise woke up when she heard a thump from Alec''s room. Rubbing her eyes, she walked over.


    Alec had fallen off his bed, dragging half of the blanket with him. He was furiously whisper scolding the little bunny, who was occupying a side of the pillow, which Alec had been sleeping on previously.


    The sight of her grumpy son bonding with the little bunny made her want to laugh. So cute!


    Annalise closed the door as quietly as she could, leaving the boy with the bunny, who looked uncomprehending about why Alec was scolding him.

 Chapter 19 Hello There

    It didn''t take much for Alec to realize that the bunny wasn''t really a normal bunny. Holding him up, Alec stared into his little red eyes, bunny pawing at him docilely.


    Strangely enough, the bunny was only docile for him, and not anyone else. Why? Every time Tatiana or his mother tried to pat him, the bunny darted away, lightning quick.


    The bunny would only stay still for Alec, never once making any moves against him.


    At first, Alec thought that it was because someone had sent the bunny to keep tabs on him, so he put up his guard, but the longer it went on, the more he felt like that wasn''t the case.


    He never felt like someone was secretly watching him using the bunny, though the bunny was clearly smart enough to understand what he was saying. Just like the one rabbit that had terrified him so.


    However, the only time where the bunny ''made a move'' so to speak, was when it wanted some cuddling sessions. Alec realized this because the bunny hopped to him, nudging him with his little nose, as if asking to be held.


    At first, Alec had ignored him, only to result in those sad eyes staring into his soul, so he gave in pretty quickly.


    More than that, Alec was coming to the realization that he didn''t want the bunny to be some sort of monitoring tool against him.


    Somewhere along the way, he had gotten rather attached to the bunny. Alec paused at this realization, feeling a strange mix of resignation and exasperation.


    The way to a man''s heart was evidently fluffy, adorable things.


    But still, he couldn''t help but feel suspicious. Was it really his mother that had set off the Mainframe''s deduction? Or was there someone else?


    Evidently, it wasn''t the bunny, because he had already been there when Alec first freaked out, so logically speaking, the bunny should not be something that someone was using to spy on him.


    Which left him with someone being there at that time without him realizing it. Outdoors only.


    Evin was right. There were people who were keeping tabs on him whenever he left the house.


    Faced with this information, Alec couldn''t help but feel his guard go up. Why was he faced with so much scrutiny?


    Even the appraisal crystal had already said he was an Every, so there had to be something else that was making the elders of the Clan react this way. Something to do with his father. Was he famous or something?


    Was that why everyone always clammed up whenever he tried to bring it up?


    Even his mother didn''t tell him much, only providing him vague and hazy details, other than her being insistent that his father loved him.


    The frustration he felt only made him feel like he had a much shorter fuse than usual. His already bad temper got worse, coupled with the fact that he couldn''t release it by spitting out whatever he thought, having to face everything with a smile to maintain his character type.


    The bunny nuzzled him, which caused the anger that had been at a low simmer, bubbling under his skin, to calm slightly.


    Alec put the bunny down on his lap, idly stroking him.


    Elias, who had been beside Alec the whole time stared at Alec jealously. Evidently, he wanted very much to hold the bunny, but the bunny always ran away whenever he even thought about trying.


    Alec smiled at Elias. He was a pretty quiet kid, but he seemed to like fluffy things just as much as their resident female member, if not more.


    "Want to hold him?" Alec asked, surprising Elias.


    Elias silently nodded, but the way his eyes shone gave his feelings away.


    Alec passed the bunny to Elias, who melted once he touched the bunny''s soft fur.


    "What''s the bunny''s name?" Elias asked.


    This caused the rest of the group to perk up.


    Alec paused, smiling. He hid his startled feelings. "Uh¡­ he doesn''t have a name."


    "What?" Cyrus said, obviously scandalized. Ever the big brother, Cyrus had already sort of adopted the bunny once he lay eyes on it in Alec''s arms.


    Alec inwardly felt sheepish, having never thought of it. He had always been referring to the bunny as ''bunny'', but that obviously wasn''t a proper name for him.


    Zacharias looked at the bunny very seriously. "How about Death? Or Reaper?"


    They stared at the boy, who flushed under their scrutiny. "What?!"


    They decided to ignore him.


    "Maybe Snowflake?" Tatiana suggested. "His fur is the same shade as the fresh snow I''ve seen in pictures."


    "Snowflake the male bunny?"


    "You''re right¡­ that''s a little strange."


    "Fluffy?"


    Alec had the flashback of a particular magical franchise, with a three headed cerberus, shaking his head.


    "Bunbun," Elias suggested with a straight face.


    "Bunbun it is," Alec accepted.


    He missed the glances they exchanged amongst each other, only Elias looking smug.


    "Bunbun, that okay with you?" Alec said seriously, looking at the bunny.


    In response, Bunbun threw off Elias'' hand and hopped back onto his lap. Alec patted him.


    Zacharias leaned over to whisper to Cyrus. "Why is their naming sense so bad?"


    Cyrus side-eyed Zacharias incredulously, which Zacharias noticed.


    "What''s that look for, huh?!"


    It was at this moment when Alec heard the Mainframe''s damned voice yet again.


    [Compulsory mission complete]


    [+100 Points]


    [Current points: 20]


    Wait. Did he hear right? He now had 20 points again, right?


    Alec heaved a sigh of relief. For a while he thought that the Mainframe was trying to push him off the cliff, but it looked like it wasn''t completely heartless after all.


    Usually, a compulsory mission like this wouldn''t result in the surplus of any points but instead break them even.


    Wait a minute¡­ did this mean that all he had to do to complete the compulsory mission was to name the bunny then? Now that it had come to this point, he could probably have just named the bunny, chucked something at him to ''feed'' and thus ''befriend'' the bunny.


    Alec inwardly slapped his forehead. He had panicked with the deadline, mixed with his imminent death and fear of rabbits in general. He could have completed it so simply, but instead he basically went out to conquer his fears.


    Well, this wasn''t too bad as well. At least he now knew that he wouldn''t have to be constantly on his toes to look out for the appearance of a rabbit appearing to wreck his composure.


    "Thanks, Bunbun," he told the bunny, confusing his friends.


    He ignored the looks they exchanged, picking up the bunny to head home.


    Alec made sure to maintain the perfect smile on his face as he walked back, taking the long route to his house.


    Anyone looking at him now would have seen a picture-perfect example of a cute kid cuddling a bunny, enjoying the sunshine.


    As he passed by the lake, he felt the back of his neck prickle, as if someone or something was watching him.


    Instantly, Alec''s bad mood, which had been calmed down by Bunbun earlier, returned.


    If it wasn''t for this bastard, he would never have triggered the compulsory mission in the first place! Then again, he did manage to get over his crippling fear, which might have gotten him killed later on, but it was the principle of the matter!


    Alec choked back the ''Come the fuck out, bastard!'' that wanted to leave his mouth reflexively, instead saying, "Is someone there?" like some sort of demure fucking maiden.


    Ah, Alec couldn''t stand it. He almost felt goosebumps form at such words leaving his mouth.


    The prickling feeling on his neck grew larger as Alec''s eyes sharpened.


    Alec turned around.

 Chapter 20 Javor

    Alec turned around, but there was nothing there. He frowned inwardly.


    No. There was no way that he was wrong about this. In fact, his neck was still prickling uncomfortably now.


    "Hello?" he tried again.


    Nothing, but the rustling of leaves.


    Alec peered into the tree, but there was nothing there. The tree continued rustling, baffling Alec.


    Wait a moment.


    He knew there was something off about this. There was no breeze! How was the tree rustling?


    As a matter of fact, the whole tree had its leaves rustling, not just spread evenly like when wind blew through. Every single leave was moving.


    The sight of it was rather curious.


    What was going on here?


    Bunbun wriggled in Alec''s hands, hopping off and nudging the tree.


    The tree stopped rustling.


    Bunbun sat on one of the tree''s protruding roots, looking expectantly at Alec, as if waiting for him to realize something.


    Alec looked at Bunbun uncomprehendingly.


    "What is it?"


    Bunbun gestured at the tree, and the tree''s rustling started again.


    The gears in Alec''s mind started turning. If there really wasn''t someone there, then¡­ Bunbun seemed to somehow be able to recognize the tree.


    Actually, wasn''t this the tree that he hid behind when he was hiding from Bunbun? At that time, it had been quite windy, so he never gave it a second thought, but¡­


    Wait. Bunbun. This tree. They were related somehow. But how?


    Alec thought about it. What did they have in common?


    The only thing his mind kept coming back to was himself.


    Something he had done?


    He was a Sin and an Awakener.


    What if¡­?


    Did he let loose some of his magic when he had been in distress? Suddenly, something seemed to click. That had to be it.


    Exactly what was this Magitype of his?


    No matter how many books he consulted, there was nothing that specified the details of what an Awakener could do.


    The most he could find was evidence that they could open doors and windows, as well as start things from far away, which seemed pretty useless in terms of fighting, but what if¡­?


    What if they were all wrong?


    What if ''Awakening'' magic was something that they never thought about? What if the possibilities were something deeper and more expansive than they ever imagined?


    What *was* Awakening magic?


    There were no answers, unlike the way the uses of Offensive, Defensive and Support magic were listed out.


    Magic didn''t follow hard, rigid rules. As long as the person possessed the Magitype, they would be able to cobble up something and specialize in it.


    Instantly, the thoughts set Alec''s inquisitive soul on fire. His eyes lit up, something that he had not felt for a long time.


    He was immediately invigorated. It reminded him of the first days when he had just started as a System. He had been so eager to learn, and so challenged for the first time in a long while.


    "Are you¡­ awakened?" Alec questioned, both to Bunbun and the tree.


    If they were, this explained so many things. For example, why the Mainframe deducted points from him for someone or in this case, something seeing him act out of character.


    For a moment, there was silence, and Alec wondered if he was wrong.


    Had he gotten it into his head that this was something that no one else had discovered even after all these years? Was he crazy for even entertaining the notion? That a tree could become sentient because *he* had awakened it?


    Was he just a crazy man talking to a tree and his pet bunny? Was this what it had come down to, after all these years? Had he finally cracked?


    Then, Bunbun leaped towards him, and he could sense a sort of glee emitting from the rabbit in a connection that wasn''t there before. The tree also rustled softly, as if elated.


    Alec stared at them, gobsmacked. He was right! He really wasn''t imagining all of this in his head.


    He prodded the bonds that hadn''t been there before shakily, getting a general sense of what the tree and Bunbun were feeling. It wasn''t so much words as it was a soft hum of emotion.


    Alec was immediately hit with a sense of awe. He had done this, however unconsciously. He had awakened two beings and granted them with something more.


    Alec picked up one of the leaves that had fallen on the floor, examining it. It was a classic example of a maple leaf, so then¡­


    "Javor," he named the tree, patting its sturdy trunk.


    Perhaps this was how the Edelles Tree had first come into being. Perhaps, back in the day, someone had awakened the Edelles Tree, which slowly but steadily grew over the years, gaining more and more sentient.


    Perhaps that was why the tree did not attack humans, but instead provided them shelter.


    Alec was filled with a sense of awe every time he glanced at the Edelles Tree, and he wondered if one day, Javor would become like that too.


    He was filled with anticipation that one day, the Neil Clan would have another tree that protected them just like the Edelles Tree.


    As Alec patted the tree''s trunk, he felt the soft hum of contentment, almost like how Bunbun sometimes felt whilst particularly satisfied.


    What else could he do?


    He couldn''t wait to experiment with this newfound discovery. Alec''s eyes shone brighter than they ever had before.


    This was just so exciting! Even his usual grumpiness was blown away in the face of this discovery. It would be a lie to say that he wasn''t disappointed when he realized that was all those of his Magitype could do, but he had been determined to work it through anyway.


    He had been convinced that surely there had to be some way to use his Magitype, and he was right! There was no way that something that seemed to be the rarest Magitype in society was completely useless.


    Everything depended on the person who was using it.


    Right now, Alec couldn''t wait to go back to try more experiments in secret. He had to hide it even from his mother, since they weren''t supposed to use their Magitypes unless under someone''s, in this case, Evin''s, supervision.


    However, he couldn''t help but feel bad to leave his newly found friend behind. Alec hesitated, and in the end spent an hour sitting beneath Javor''s shade, taking a nap with Bunbun resting on his stomach.


    The three of them enjoyed a restful afternoon basking in their newfound connection, pinging and bouncing off each other.


    When Alec woke up, he felt more restful than he had ever been since coming into Incantix. It wasn''t to say that he didn''t rest well, but there had always been something that held him back from sinking into a deeper, more restful sleep, which made his bad mood even worse.


    Alec reluctantly left Javor, promising to go back the next day, but he got a feeling like a push from Javor, as if saying he would be fine alone. Javor gave off a calm pulse, as if saying he could do what he needed to do.


    Bunbun patted Javor, likely planning to come back alone from time to time.


    Alec felt a gush of affection from the depths of his soul, surprising the System. He didn''t even feel this way about his clanmates and friends, though they would likely get there sooner or later. They were like fungus¡­


    Perhaps it had something to do with the way that they were connected to Alec''s magic.


    Whatever tripe that said Sins didn''t have softer emotions had obviously never interacted properly with a Sin in their lifetime.


    If Alec ever met the author of said book, he wouldn''t hesitate to punch him in his or her smug face. There were well-hidden traces of condescending tones people usually overlooked since they tried to be ''impartial''.


    What would he try to awaken next¡­

 Chapter 21 Hauntings

    Annalise was convinced that their apartment was haunted. Starting from about a week back, something had moved into their home during their residency while they were unaware.


    She had played it off as tricks of their mind during the early stages. Stuff like the door creaking open again, or the window letting a little air. Because, obviously, she had forgotten to shut it completely, right?


    Except¡­ that wasn''t it.


    The longer it went on, the more she was sure it wasn''t just her imagination playing tricks on her.


    The strangest thing was that whatever poltergeist or ghost that had appeared in their house never showed themselves physically.


    Instead, it was things like opening the door as she walked to it, or closing after her after she stepped in. The lights in the room would automatically switch on, the faucet would turn on as she approached it. The windows would always open and close as they liked.


    Annalise was honestly feeling a little spooked. She never thought that she would be the paranoid type, but the longer this went on, the more she felt like she couldn''t continue living like this.


    What surprised her the most was how Alec never commented about it. That should have been her first clue.


    She would have thought that it was Alec using his Magitype unconsciously, had it not been for the continued haunting whenever he wasn''t in the room. She was convinced that her apartment was haunted.


    Annalise twitched as she wiped a bit of sweat off her brow. On cue, the fan in the living room turned on.


    Enough was enough.


    Annalise stepped up to knock on her son''s door.


    "Son, we need to talk."


    The door creaked open without Alec walking to it. Annalise froze the smile on her face.


    Alec looked at his mother, surprised.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Honey, don''t you feel like something''s¡­ off about our apartment?"


    Alec expertly hid his nervousness. "In what way?"


    Annalise hesitated visibly before steeling herself. "Oh, things like¡­ doors opening themselves. The lights flickering on and off? Things like that?"


    Alec struggled over whether or not he should let the secret out of the bag. It was quite evident that his mother had already noticed some of what was going on.


    "We''re haunted by a ghost," Annalise blurted out at last. The stress had been eating at her all week. "Let''s move, okay? I don''t think I can take this anymore."


    Alec stared at her, baffled.


    "You don''t want to?" Annalise said, devastated. That made sense. After all, this home of theirs was all Alec had known. They had never called anywhere else their home. It made sense that Alec was attached to this apartment.


    Annalise instantly felt horrible. How could she deny her son? Maybe¡­ maybe she would get used to the ghost in their house eventually? She had to try.


    Alec forcefully withheld the snort that wanted to come out. His mother thought that the house was haunted? That was¡­ why was that so funny?


    The more he thought about it, paired with his mother''s little frantic motions that were so out of character for her usually calm and collected self, Alec couldn''t hold in the little laugh that bubbled out.


    One look at her stunned face caused him to dissolve into further laughter.


    Annalise looked at her laughing son. He was laughing so hard that she almost felt like she was still dreaming. She discreetly pinched herself. Definitely reality.


    She had never seen him laugh like this¡­ in the entire seven years since he had been born! Her grumpy little baby was laughing like never before.


    He was just so cute! Not wanting to waste the moment, she stared at the way his cheeks flushed with colour for something other than anger. He just looked so angelic laughing like this.


    Alec was a perfect mix of her and his father, and she couldn''t help but feel soft every time she saw him. Even his grumpy demeanour reminded her of him somewhat, but the shape of his smile was all hers.


    Alec eventually got hold of himself after having laughed harder than he had in years.


    He squeezed his mother''s hands. "We''re not haunted."


    Annalise snapped back to reality. Nonsense. If they weren''t haunted, then what was all this nonsense of doors opening and shutting themselves. She certainly wasn''t doing it.


    Seeing the unconvinced look on her face, Alec cracked a genuine smile.


    "I''ve been experimenting with my Magitype," he admitted, not the least embarrassed.


    Annalise stared at him uncomprehendingly. "So¡­ you Awakened everything in our home? But that isn''t how Awakening magic works!"


    Alec stared at her challengingly. "Isn''t it? That''s just what everyone says. Doesn''t mean that they''re all right."


    Annalise paused. That was true. The boundaries of Magitypes wasn''t as clear cut as that. There were always people who managed to disprove the so-called boundaries that others placed on said Magitype, so why not for this rarer Magitype as well?


    "So, we aren''t really being haunted," Annalise said, almost to herself as she digested this piece of information.


    "That''s right," Alec confirmed.


    "Alright then," Annalise said, looking peaceful. Now that she knew it wasn''t just her going crazy, there was nothing that she feared anymore. She''d just take it as a helpful ghost if all else failed. Knowing that it was Alec''s magic at work gave her a sense of calm.


    "That''s it?" Alec said, evidently surprised. "You''re not going to ask me how it works?"


    Annalise smiled. "Do you want me to ask you how it works?"


    Alec hesitated before answering. "I''d rather you have plausible deniability should anyone ever ask you."


    "Then I shan''t ask," Annalise said.


    Alec''s heart gave a confusing squeeze. In return, he squeezed her hand again. "Thank you," he said, leaving words unsaid.


    Annalise patted her grumpy child on the head. Really. He was so similar, yet at the same time, different from his father. How adorable.


    Annalise''s smile took on a slightly mischievous edge. "I''ll have to invite more people over more frequently."


    Alec stared at the mischief shining in his mother''s eyes and let out a soft laugh, feeling fondness. No doubt she was planning on how to prank people. Maybe his uncle?


    Bunbun hopped to Annalise and bumped her leg, so Annalise knelt down and patted him, successfully distracting his mother.


    -


    The next day, Annalise immediately invited her brother over whilst Alec was out of the house.


    Vincent knocked on the door, wondering why his reclusive sister had suddenly invited him over for tea.


    Moments after he knocked, the door opened, and Vincent stepped in, looking to greet Annalise, only to find no one there.


    He stared, then turned around to look at the door, only to see it close by itself. Instantly, the back of his neck prickled uncomfortably.


    Vincent backed away from the door, his alert level dialled up to eleven.


    "Brother?" Annalise called from deeper inside. "Is that you?"


    Vincent didn''t say another word, instantly making his way towards Annalise''s voice.


    "Oh, you scared me," Annalise said, putting her hand over her heart.


    "I scared you?" Vincent said dryly. "Your door. What''s up with that?"


    "What''s up with what? What''s wrong with my door?"


    Vincent levelled a glare at her. "Haha, very funny. Cut it out."


    Annalise''s expression morphed into something more genuine. "No, what are you talking about? And how did you get in?"


    Vincent''s face was a shade paler, but he managed by convincing himself that he was just imagining it.


    Annalise waved off her brother to sit down as she entered the kitchen to prepare some tea.


    Vincent controlled his movements, very wary. Only his sister knew about his crippling fear of all things supernatural. Who else would mess with him like this? Not to mention, this was the prime location for her to play a prank on him for all those times he had pranked her when they were younger.


    He was right to be wary, because as he approached the table, the chair slid out by itself, causing Vincent to jump. He was lucky no one could see him now, otherwise his image as the untouchable Clan head would have shattered into a million pieces.


    Vincent glared at the chair, picking it up, he examined it from all angles, but couldn''t find anything amiss.


    He grew increasingly desperate by the minute. This had to be Annalise''s prank. It had to be. Ghosts weren''t real.


    "What are you doing?" he heard from behind him, causing him to flinch, his nerves already shot.


    Vincent calmly put the chair back down, sitting down it in despite himself.


    Annalise shot him a strange look but continued pouring the tea.


    "So, how are you doing lately?"


    Vincent shot her a suspicious look but talked anyway.


    Later, when Vincent left the apartment, jumping as the door shut behind him without a warning, Annalise held it together for all of five seconds before she broke down laughing.


    The look on her brother''s face!


    She paid no attention to the fact that she had been reacting like that for the past week or so as well. She definitely understood her brother''s fear of ghosts a lot more, but that didn''t mean that she wasn''t going to milk it for all its worth!


    When Alec heard about his uncle visiting from his mother, who beamed the entire time, he reckoned that the prank must have gone well.

 Chapter 22 An Exercise in The Great Expanse

    Alec was stuck. Though he managed to ''awaken'' the objects in their apartment, they never seemed to reach the point like they had with Bunbun and Javor.


    Though they were able to react to commands, and could instinctively sense when they were needed, they never had the sentience Alec had unknowingly instilled on Javor and Bunbun.


    Alec sighed as he Awakened a tree that was near Javor. Though it shuddered, the bond that formed was very faint and weak, almost non-existent.


    Alec frowned.


    What exactly was he missing? Was it just luck? That couldn''t be it.


    He shook his head, heading to class. They were going to have some supervision for their Magitypes for the first time since they started learning more about magic.


    Alec headed to a spot under the Edelles Tree in The Great Expanse, placing his palm over the tree.


    He had been back here a lot ever since he discovered that the Edelles Tree had most likely been Awakened by someone earlier on. The tree''s magic hummed under his touch, almost comforting.


    There was no bond between the two of them, unlike between Bunbun and Javor, but Alec felt like he could understand pretty well.


    On cue, Bunbun hopped beside him, pawing the tree as well.


    Alec wondered if those who were Awakened could sense something similar to them. Did that only work between those who shared the same Awakener? Or were they able to feel it as long as they were Awakened?


    Alec had no way of knowing. Though Bunbun seemed to be able to understand his words, that didn''t mean that he was able to understand the bunny as well.


    Since he was the first one here, Alec was able to relax, placing down his pack next to him.


    Just as he was about to drift off, his nap was interrupted by the arrival of Zacharias.


    Zacharias grunted and plopped himself down next to Alec, who cracked open an eye to stare at him.


    "What''re you looking at," Zacharias said grumpily, crossing his arms.


    Alec closed his eyes again, not so much as drifting off, but rather resting his eyes as his mind tried to work out the problems that his Magitype was presenting.


    As the time passed, the rest of his friends trickled in one by one, until at last, Evin appeared.


    Even without needing to say anything, their attention locked onto their teacher. No matter how many years passed, the man still commanded a sort of presence that demanded respect and attention.


    That was the thing Alec liked the most about their teacher. He was strict, no-nonsense, and firm.


    Ah, if only those idiotic transmigrators were like this man, Alec lamented. If they were, he would have so many glowing things to say about them, but alas, it was not meant to be.


    Then, the Mainframe''s voice was heard in his ears, souring his admiration of the man in front of him.


    [Mission: Survive a week in the forest alone]


    Alec froze. Survive a week in The Great Expanse? Alone?


    Evin started his lecture, which pulled Alec''s attention back to him, putting the Mainframe''s mission on the backburner for the time being.


    "I''m sure you''ve tried to read up about the Magitypes on your own already, which is what everyone in this advanced course does, but the words that are recorded down only provide the barest of such information, even in the Neil Clan.


    As you know, the four Magitypes that are known to society are Offense, Defence, Support and Awakening. Our group is rather rare in the sense that we have a spread of all four Magitypes.


    Unfortunately, even in the clan, we do not possess any archives that allow us a deeper insight into the Awakening Magitype, though we have plenty of references for the other Magitypes.


    Though, do not despair. Just because it''s been referenced doesn''t mean that it will work for you. The usage of magic is dependent on the individual and what they shape their magic to be. For example, if there is an Offensive type user that writes a book down leaving notes on how to use a specific fire type spell, that doesn''t mean that all Offensive Magitypes are able to use it."


    Evin paused to make sure that they understood. Upon seeing the shining curiosity in their eyes, he nodded, pleased.


    "Magic defers from person to person. No one person''s magic is ever completely the same to the next person. Even in twins, they might be similar, but they aren''t the same."


    Alec listened in rapture. This was indeed new information to him. However, what about Awakeners? He always read about all of them being able to make doors open, or things move. Did that mean that most of them were able to use similar types of magic?


    "What Magitype are you, teacher?" Cyrus asked, curious.


    Evin paused. "It''s usually not polite to ask people what their Magitype is in society, but our clan is more relaxed about this, so you''re fine in the clan, but not elsewhere."


    "Oh," Cyrus said, flushing slightly.


    "I''m an Offensive Magitype, like most of those in our clan is. If you haven''t already noticed, our clan mostly consists of Bright Offense. Like Cyrus and Zacharias. Elias, Tatiana and Alec, you are actually out of the norm, which was a surprise."


    Alec appreciated that the man''s eyes never singled him out, treating them all equally.


    "I''ll show you an example of my magic," Evin said, gesturing for them to follow him.


    They went deeper into the forest, where the foliage was thicker. At the sound of their arrival, most of the animals that had been there earlier moved away.


    As they settled down, Evin held out a hand. With a single gesture, a swirl of water appeared, growing at the speed visible to the naked eye.


    Above his hand, the large globe of water formed within the blink of an eye, a sure sign of his expertise.


    "I specialize in elemental type magics. Not elemental, which in the use of magic rankings, means elementary, but instead elements in terms of water, fire and electricity. Of course, there are many more, but they are a lot more destructive and not viable to use in a forest like this. Watch."


    The globe of water that had seemed to innocent in Evin''s hands earlier rapidly shaped and changed, hardening into an ice lance.


    Without Evin needing to move his hands, it shot out at breakneck speeds, piercing the trunk of a tree.


    But it didn''t stop there.


    The ice lance continued on for a great distance, piercing through various trees like they were made out of butter. Within moments, they were no longer able to see where it headed to, but the sounds led them to believe it hadn''t stopped yet.


    All of then looked on in awe, including Alec.


    This was his first view of Offensive type magic ever since he had been placed in this body against his will. The most he saw was people on the lake using various forms of magic, never venturing nearer, as that was a designated training area.


    Alec almost felt sad that he didn''t have the Offensive Magitype himself but didn''t let himself drown in that negative feeling. There were many secrets of Awakening that he had not yet uncovered, and something like that gave him an anticipatory feeling that couldn''t be matched by those that already had so many various paths mapped out for the future generations.


    "How was it?" Evin said with the slightest smile.


    "Pretty cool," Zacharias said, trying to look nonchalant and failing badly.


    They nodded their heads, speechless.


    "Then, you should try to start using your Magitype as well. I hope you brought all your things because you''ll be surviving alone in The Great Expanse for a week."


    "What?!"


    Evin smirked.


    Ah, there it was. He should have known. The Mainframe always, *always* knew.


    Before they could say anything else, Evin grabbed all of them like a mother cat dragging her kittens by the nape, silencing them.


    "Now, remember. This is an exercise to start using your Magitype in a place where you have no other distractions."


    The man then dropped them off one by one as he effectively blindfolded them.

 Chapter 23 Survival Tips?

    The forest was quiet, which was a rare thing in itself. As time passed by without any intrusive movements, the sound started filtering back. It started with the faint rustling of leaves, followed by the squeaks of little animals as they dared come out of their hiding places.


    Alec basked in the sounds of the forest that he had grown so used to.


    Taking off the blindfold that Evin had so unceremoniously shoved onto them, Alec quickly scanned his surroundings.


    It was not a part of The Great Expanse that he had come into before, whether it be by himself or with his class.


    The first thing he did was check his backpack. Nothing was amiss inside, and Bunbun was curled up under a waterproof raincoat that he had shoved on top.


    Alec smirked, letting the well-practiced smile fade from his face.


    It felt rather strange not to have to keep up the smile at all times now. No matter how much he complained about it, the smile was still a form of armour that his mother had shown him how to use.


    Though he still didn''t know how relevant it was in the face of things outside of their clan, it had proven to be useful thus far.


    Bunbun perked up noticing Alec opening the pack, his little nose poking out to sniff.


    Alec took him out, placing the bunny on the ground.


    "Go find a water source!"


    Bunbun gave and affirmative and hopped off, heeding Alec''s orders.


    As for Alec, he looked around, finding that the trees in this area were remarkably similar. He furrowed his brows, quickly scaling the closest tree.


    He avoided the nest that was on the middle branches, landing on the highest branch. He squinted, looking around in the different directions.


    He sucked in a breath when he realized that he was rather far from the clan compound. In fact, he couldn''t even see where the trees ended and where they began.


    He could faintly make out the Edelles Tree, but it was so faint that he had to squint hard to even see it.


    Quickly, he dropped back down to the ground, making sure to avoid leaving any traces.


    This was not good. This deep into The Great Expanse, there was a higher chance of meeting monsters that didn''t like to venture near the Neil Clan compound.


    Instead of going after Bunbun like he wanted to do instinctively, Alec tried to fade his presence, calming his mind. He kept his actions light and efficient. He did not want to attract any monsters to come after him right now.


    Not when he was still so weak.


    His body had not much muscle mass to speak of, and his strength was pathetically inefficient. Not to mention, he didn''t have a direct way of using his Magitype to get him out of any potentially sticky situations.


    Alec looked around for branches that had dropped on the ground, gathering them. He made sure to get those that were dry and likely to burn.


    Having done that, he checked the amount of light that filtered through the forest canopy and realized that he had to move quickly lest night fall. Sun set early in the forest, and Alec wasn''t willing to light a fire at night.


    No matter what anyone said, monsters were attracted to the light source instead of being scared away from it.


    Alec, of course, was not stupid, and with how weak he was currently, that would just be painting a large target on his back daring said monster to attack him now.


    Bunbun appeared without another sound, able to feel Alec''s cautiousness.


    Alec patted the bunny. How smart.


    Along with the branches that he had quickly gathered, Alec brought his backpack and everything else with him to the water source.


    With a ten-minute walk, they reached a river.


    The river cut across the forest, both sides banked with trees. There were a few smaller animals drinking from the river, but they scattered upon seeing Alec.


    Instead of setting up camp next to it, Alec moved away, lingering near the trees instead.


    Before anything that could threaten their safety came, Alec filled two pots with water, bringing them back with him to the camp.


    With that done, he painstaking kept an eye on the amount of light that was still available, starting up the fire with the dried branches.


    Boiling the water to get rid of most of the bacteria, he stored it in the empty bottle that he brought just in case.


    Instead of taking the time to hunt today, Alec ate one of the bars and shooed Bunbun off for him to munch on some grass.


    Then, he went deeper into the woods to place some traps.


    After he was done, the sun was already in the midst of setting for the day.


    Alec breathed out. That was quicker than he thought.


    He grabbed Bunbun and relocated them to the top of the trees, resting in the branches instead of staying on the ground.


    The best option for someone staying alone in the forest was for them to stay above ground, where most monsters were landbound and no threat of him as he was high above the ground.


    With all the miscellaneous activities taken care of, Alec even felt like he could stay here for the entire seven days.


    Not that he would, of course, since that wasn''t the point of this exercise their teacher had set them.


    Now that he had everything out of the way, he thought back to his various experiments and attempts of Awakening something.


    What exactly was he missing in his attempts?


    Everything he tried to Awaken lacked the sentience that had developed in Bunbun and Javor, as well as the Edelles Tree, which seemed like the peak of Awakening magic to him.


    Was it feeling?


    Along these lines, Alec tried to Awaken the tree he was currently on. He reached into himself, and pulled it out slowly, allowing it to spread along his skin, and enter into the core of the tree.


    Alec breathed in and out in tune with the pulse of his magic, and he felt himself being transported into the world of the tree''s core.


    He could feel everything. From the tip of the leaves, down to the roots. For a moment, Alec even felt like his entire life had been a lie, and that he was a tree instead.


    What a strange feeling. He hadn''t felt this way any other time.


    As Alec''s consciousness sank into the tree, he felt like he could ''see'' all around him. He was able to sense everything that occurred in a five-meter radius. There was a strange dissonance between his brain and what he was currently seeing. So much so that he felt dizzy.


    Alec reoriented himself, ''closing'' his eyes. Instead, he turned his senses inwards, seeing the pulse of the tree.


    Down where the roots were, the energy of the tree was currently concentrated there.


    How would he do this, Alec wondered.


    Tentatively, like with the doors back in his home, Alec brushed his magic across the tree, but nothing happened. He frowned, before directing his magic to the tree''s ''core''.


    Immediately, there was a change in the tree. Almost as if something was born. The developing bond lazily curled around, looking for Alec''s magic. When they brushed, Alec felt an electrifying sensation race down his spine.


    He blinked, snapping back to his senses. He was no longer ''inside'' the tree, but instead back in his body.


    That had been highly disconcerting. What exactly had made that so different from his other attempts?


    It definitely wasn''t the feelings. He had been calm and curious at home, and utterly terrified with Bunbun and Javor.


    Was it intent, then?


    Alec was about to jump to another tree to test out his theory, when he heard the low, threatening growl from the bottom of the tree.

 Chapter 24 No, Thank You

    The growl caused the System to freeze, rooting himself more firmly to the branch he was already on.


    Alec calmed his mind, causing his presence to fade slightly. Though it didn''t do much, the monsters with lower intelligence would sometimes be fooled.


    Hopefully, it had not yet discovered him and Bunbun.


    Alec''s breathing faded into something less discernible. It was shallower and even less audible as compared to before.


    He didn''t even dare to peek down to see if the monster had really spotted them or not.


    The newest tree that he Awakened prodded him gently through their bond, doing a strange fluctuation.


    Alec didn''t comprehend.


    The tree prodded him again, something more urgent seeping into their bond. The core stretched out to him, brushing against his magic.


    Maybe¡­?


    Alec channelled the energy of the tree he was sitting on, hoping it would work. Copying the magic from the core of the tree, he borrowed its life energy, spreading it over him and his bunny.


    The threatening growls faded into something confused, where the monster plodded away with heavy footsteps.


    Alec held in a breath. That had been close. He patted the tree''s branch in thanks.


    That had been enlightening. He didn''t know he was able to do that. Did that mean that he was able to borrow Bunbun''s core as well?


    Actually, did Bunbun even have a core?


    Alec picked up the docile bunny, brushing his fur. Alec spread his magic over the bunny, allowing it to permeate the bunny''s body.


    To his surprise, there really was a core inside. Alec was baffled.


    He had done this before, when he had been confused about what was different between the objects he Awakened. He eventually came to the conclusion that it was because Bunbun and Javor were already living creatures, unlike those that he tried to Awaken in their home, but that had been proven wrong when he failed to Awaken other similarly living things as well.


    Why was it that it was only now that he was able to sense the core inside his bunny when before there were no such results?


    Was it because he didn''t know about it? Or was it something else?


    Alec thought back about what had changed in the past week or so.


    Could it be something to do with his magic capacity? He had progressed a lot further than when he first came across Bunbun at the lakeside.


    Though his progress was slow-going compared to his friends, he was still steadily plodding along. He was already at the late initiate stage in Elemental rankings, at the cusp of crossing into the transitional threshold.


    Cyrus, Zacharias and Tatiana were already in the early peak stage, with Elias hovering at the late transitional stage.


    Alec was the slowest, but that didn''t mean he was giving up. Though, he couldn''t help but think to himself that this body''s compatibility with magic was really terrible. Granted, Brights were proclaimed to have a higher and more explosive growth rate as compared to the other Societypes, but Alec hadn''t thought that it would have made so much of a difference even when they were only in the Elemental stage.


    However, what puzzled him was that Alec wasn''t the same as them. Theoretically, he should have been at least on par with their training speed, but he lagged behind so much that he was practically the stereotype of an Every.


    Of course, this was the perfect chance to hide his Societype from the watchful eyes of the elders, but that didn''t mean it didn''t frustrate him.


    Though his mother had done something to fudge the appraisal crystal''s readings, that shouldn''t have affected his body''s latent potential, but he always struggled with increasing his magical capacity.


    Alec huffed and stopped thinking about it for the time being.


    He examined the core inside Bunbun but wasn''t able to discern anything out of the ordinary. It reflected back to him the same way as the newly Awakened tree did.


    There was nothing he could do now. Alec instinctively sensed that there should be more that he could do, but he couldn''t do it because he didn''t have enough magic.


    How did he know, you might ask? Well, this was all based on his experience as a System, of course. Let''s not talk about how Alec was a System that specialized in helping transmigrators pass into the next life.


    In the System break room, there were always loud-mouthed Systems that would love to discuss, break down, and all-round gossip about the various events that occurred in the worlds that they were locked onto for the time being.


    Common plot point number one, the Main Character is overlooked, stereotyped against, scolded, discriminated, etc.


    Common plot point number two, the Main Character seems useless, but actually he''s the strongest once he grows into his powers.


    Common plot point number three, the Main Character''s fianc¨¦e/fianc¨¦ disgraces them in front of a large crowd, triggering either a suicide that leads to a transmigrator taking over the body, or latent potential growth to explode.


    Blah fucking blah. Alec''s heard everything. After hearing the same stories over and over, even a complete moron would be able to pick up some common points.


    In this case, since he was on a punishment by the Mainframe, his ''powers'' were deemed ''useless'' but most likely, it just took some time to grow, following common plot point number two. The Mainframe probably wasn''t that heartless to its Systems, after all.


    So, he just had to increase his magic capacity, and he *should* be able to find something he wasn''t able to find before.


    In the face of this knowledge, Alec didn''t lose his cool and start hastily meditating or god forbid start doing the basic magic technique on the top of the tree like some Main Characters.


    For one, he was pretty sure that he did not receive the Mainframe''s blessings for plot armour, and that meant that if he was being a moron, he *would* die, and Alec did not want to die, thank you very much.


    He still had some semblance of a brain to know that doing that in an area that was not secure would do him no favours. He had no intention of courting death like a Main Character with plot armour.


    Just because they couldn''t die didn''t mean it didn''t hurt. Alec did not want to trigger common plot point number four, Main Character runs from a beast/enemy that vastly outclasses them, falling down a ravine where certain death was imminent, only to emerge with a miraculous plant or sword.


    Granted, they returned stronger, but they also made many dangerous decisions, and no fucking thank you, Alec was rather attached to his life at this point.


    Though he had been torn at first about being so unceremoniously shoved into this life, he now treated it sort of like another job from the Mainframe, as well as partially like a vacation in a sense


    Alec compared Bunbun and the tree''s core, realizing that Bunbun''s core was brighter and clearer, whereas the tree''s was lacklustre, like it hadn''t been polished before.


    Alec attributed this to Bunbun having been Awakened earlier.


    Now that the monster was gone, Alec jumped over to the next tree using the interconnecting branches.


    Making himself comfortable, this time Alec wanted to try something different. Could he Awaken the tree in such a way that it was connected to the other tree?


    With that thought in mind, Alec dropped and got to work. There were things he wanted to try before he went to sleep for the night.

 Chapter 25 A Little Scare

    Mm. Alec looked at the group of trees that surrounded him, then looked away again.


    He¡­ he might have gone a tad overboard in his zealous quest to figure out what he could do with this new discovery of his.


    Mn yeah¡­ had Alec been the type, he would have coughed sheepishly as he looked at his handiwork, but he wasn''t, so he just stared on blankly.


    So, if anyone wondered¡­ there was now a little area of the forest that was Awakened by him. Maybe about a hundred meters in radius? Also, he might not have slept¡­ at all.


    He had honestly intending to do a single other tree to see if they would be able to connect and bond, but then that other tree had produced rather stellar results, so he tried on more¡­


    Before he knew it, the sun''s rays were already hitting his face.


    Alec repented as he felt the sun''s warmth on his skin, then leaned back on the branch on the very first tree he Awakened yesterday. Now that he was aware, the rush of fatigue suddenly hit him on full.


    His body was not yet fully developed, and it was a miracle that he had been able to stay the night up anyway. He honestly didn''t know how he did it, considering he usually knocked out around ten at night.


    Any attempt to keep his eyes open lost against the urge to sleep, so he gave in. Of course, he would still wake up should he hear anything amiss, but he wouldn''t count on it. Monsters, unlike their animal counterparts, were more active during the night.


    Bunbun, seeing his owner look so tired, procured some food for himself, then hunted a bit to bring back some food for his owner. He then quietly stood guard to protect his defenceless owner.


    Actually, he didn''t need to do that, since his newfound friends were there to keep an eye on whatever dangerous creatures tried to draw close, but Bunbun felt restless doing nothing.


    -


    Alec woke up feeling refreshed, just as the sun was hanging high in the sky.


    He lazily stretched, a rare indulgence.


    Sitting up, he absently caught Bunbun''s body as he fell off, only to freeze in horror as his hands touched the cold, clammy body.


    Horrified, he stared at the white bunny in his hands, his mind blanking out. What happened!?


    Alec put the body next to him, feeling the urge to swear. At this point, he finally noticed that it wasn''t Bunbun''s body, but instead, another bunny.


    This was made clearer by the bond that he could still feel from Bunbun, who was now nuzzling his side, but still!


    That had in no way been good for his heart. The split moment when he thought that the bunny had died on top of him had been traumatising. He honestly didn''t know how he would be able to sleep soundly without his hands on the bunny from now on.


    No.


    Just no.


    Alec levelled a stern look at his bunny, crossing his arms.


    Realizing that Alec wasn''t pleased with him, Bunbun''s ears drooped sadly, but Alec would not be swayed! This could not go on. He didn''t think his heart would last long if this kept happening.


    "Don''t do that again," Alec told the white bunny, who was directing teary eyes at him. He refused to soften. "What do you think you are? Some cannibal bunny? How could you kill another of your species?!"


    Bunbun cocked his head, not understanding.


    Alec jabbed a finger into the bunny''s face, causing him to go cross-eyed.


    "No, understand?" Alec said, pointing at the dead bunny on the side.


    He was thankful and everything, but that just wouldn''t fly. Not if he was about to constantly have mini heart attacks every time he saw a rabbit or bunny''s dead body.


    It just wasn''t right. This was equivalent to him killing a human then bringing it back to someone like some kind of prize conquest.


    He paused. Why didn''t that freak him out more?


    Well, whatever. By now, Bunbun was looking very chastised, so Alec relented a little. The things this bunny did to his heart¡­ unfortunately for him, he was already somewhat attached, so it didn''t look like he would get rid of the bunny any time soon.


    "Thank you, but bring something other than bunnies next time, okay?"


    Ugh. Since Bunbun already brought them this bunny, then they would just eat it. Or rather, he would eat it?


    Alec dropped to the floor and used some of the sticks from yesterday to start up a fire. He sparked the flints together, and soon the fire roared away in a small, controlled manner.


    As he prepared the meat, Alec''s mind drifted back to the humming at the back of his mind. It wasn''t there unless he actively sought it out, but it was indeed more noticeable than before, more with the sheer number of them rather than anything else.


    Err¡­ perhaps he had been a tad overzealous during his quest in sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation always caused one to do things they would usually, and with this seven-year-old body, there was no way he wasn''t hit hard and fast.


    Well, what was done was done, and he now had a lot more information to work with.


    For instance, not every tree he had Awakened using ''intent'' was a sure pass. If he had to say, it was around fifty percent at the moment. However, even if he didn''t manage to Awaken a core, that didn''t mean that it was a lost cause.


    He could try again and again until he managed it, which was why he ended up with so many trees Awakened in the process. The joys of success by far outweighed the taste of failure, and after many strings of failure, the moment he got a success, he went on another high.


    Another thing he discovered was that it was indeed possible to link the trees. That meant that if one of them felt that something was off, every other tree would go on high alert as well.


    This was helpful mainly as a detection or scouting method for the time being, but what were the chances of him being caught in a sticky situation where he was in the midst of his group of trees? Slim to none, that''s what.


    Not to mention, it took quite some time for him to Awaken anything at all.


    On the bright side, the more he Awakened, the more he felt like he was getting the hang of his magic. Whereas earlier he had been struggling and groping around in the dark, he now had a tiny, dim light to guide him.


    He still had to squint and guess, but it was coming easier now.


    He absently grilled the meat lightly. It was tasteless and bland, but he wasn''t eating for the taste anyway.


    Alec resolutely ignored the way Bunbun was eating out of the corner of his eye. He didn''t see anything.


    With that done, Alec made his way back to the first tree he Awakened yesterday, taking a closer look at the core now that he had linked so many other Awakened trees to it.


    His eyes narrowed.

 Chapter 26 Come Back!

    The core inside the tree gave him the feeling of a luminescent, sparkling radiance, as if the connection of all those cores in the other trees tied back to it, causing it to grow stronger.


    How fascinating.


    What if he tried to connect Bunbun''s core to it? Would it take? Or would it be rejected?


    "Bunbun," Alec called, and the bunny hopped to him, looking at him in askance.


    Alec closed his eyes and felt around for the core, drawing out a bit of the tree''s core and connecting it to Bunbun''s core.


    However, the tendril from the tree resisted with all its might, and the bond took on a startled hum, as if it knew what Alec planned on doing.


    No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn''t stick, as if they were fundamentally different.


    When he thought about it, that made sense. After all, it wasn''t like they were the same species. Where trees had much in common, that allowed them to ''communicate'' in a sense, but whether it be structurally or sentience wise, the bunny and the trees were too far apart.


    Then, Alec wondered if he could connect these trees to Javor at the Neil Clan''s lakeside.


    Alec reached into himself, and¡­ the only way he could describe it was tying the two bonds together.


    It was different than when the various trees came under a single tree. Instead, this was more of a partnership.


    The moment the two bonds were tied, it felt as if a supernova went off in his mind, causing him to lose his balance.


    He was disorientated, and his sense of balance was shot.


    Alec hurriedly sat down as he examined his body.


    As the two Awakened trees joined, the magic in his body abruptly entered the bonds, causing his body''s magic output to plunge into the negatives.


    Alec hurriedly started meditating before his body started reacting to the magic drain. There were instances of people going into comas when their body''s magical reserves dropped below zero, forcing them into a stasis state as they recovered their magic.


    This was currently unacceptable in his circumstances, where he was in the middle of uncharted territory with no way to defend his body should a monster come by whilst he was out of it and decide he made a tasty snack.


    Alec fought against it with all his strength. He refused to be like those Main Characters, passing out left and right, thank you very much. He always thought they seemed more like damsels in distress rather than a Main Character when they did that.


    Alec had no intention of going down that dark path as well.


    Thankfully, his magic started recovering. Slowly, it trickled back into his body.


    When he scanned the state of his body, Alec was shocked to realize that his magical capacity, that had managed to hit the late initiate stage, was back to early initiate stage.


    This discovery instantly frustrated him. How long would it take for him to go back to the late initiate stage? It had already taken him so long to get there, but now all his hard work was undone.


    Wait¡­ was this why he was lagging behind the others so much?! Suddenly, it all made sense! He had been going around like an idiot, Awakening anything and everything. So, if each bit of Awakening took a bit of his magical capacity, then¡­


    He felt a headache incoming at his stupidity. He should have noticed that something was off when every bit of progress he made seemed like a struggle!


    Alec felt like slapping himself. How could he have had such a lapse in judgement? Everything was so clear in hindsight!


    Alec choked down the groan that wanted to leave his mouth. Instead, he reluctantly started doing the elemental magic technique that he was already more than familiar with.


    To his surprise, the magic seemed to flow into his body quicker than before. Was it because his body already had a base in it?


    Hopefully that was the case because Alec had no intention of stopping his Awakening trial and errors. He would, however, be more careful about the types of experiments he carried out without a thought.


    It would not be amiss to procure a notebook of some sort to record down his experiments. Of course, it would have to be in code.


    As Alec did the moves for the elemental magic technique, he prodded the newly joined bond that he could sense from the main tree and Javor.


    The two were tentatively prodding each other. Somehow, the sheer curiosity and puzzlement he could feel from the bonds made him smile. They felt like innocent newborns that didn''t know anything yet.


    When they started exchanging information, Alec left them alone.


    He stopped, realizing that his magic capacity was back to the late initiate stage. In fact, it was even a little more than before. There was only a paper-thin difference between him and the transitional stage now.


    In spite of himself, Alec couldn''t help but grow excited. For some reason, he felt like his magic ran smoother now. Did magic even have impurities? Could it be that his magic was purer now?


    Running high on elation, a random thought popped into his mind that made him recoil in horror.


    They had seven days in The Great Expanse. That was a short period of time for them to put their survival skills to the test, as well as get a start on ideas about what to do with their magic, but Alec didn''t have anything to show!


    Not to mention, in general, Awakening Magitype was perceived as people who were able to ''open and close'' things.


    Alec felt like he was about to scream at someone in frustration. Did this mean that he had to go down the route where he said, ''he wasn''t able to come up with anything''?


    That just rankled him wrong. He felt it down in his very bones. However, he couldn''t exactly just come out and say that he already Awakened Bunbun and other similar trees.


    It wasn''t like he didn''t trust them, but that would expose that he had already been working on his Magitype for some time without any ''guidance''.


    Alec frowned.


    He still had the majority of six days to think of a solution, so he would put that off for a while.


    It was at this moment when Alec''s head snapped up, the incoming alerts ringing through the various bonds so loudly he would have to be dead not to realize.


    Immediately, Alec scaled the tree, bringing Bunbun and the backpack with him. Luckily, he had ample time for him to react, otherwise he would have been caught in a rather sticky situation.


    Thankfully, he had put out the fire earlier on due to his caution at any smells attracting monsters or larger animals.


    The monster that came through the clearing and into their little batch of trees was a large, hulking thing. It was larger than Alec by far, and Bunbun in comparison to it, looked like a mouse compared to an elephant.


    With long, curved tusks, the monster that emerged was a truly horrendous thing. It was a shade of brown, for camouflaging effectively, and had a body reminiscent of a wolf mixed with horse''s hooves. Its fur spiked everywhere threateningly, and when it brushed against the tree, a few pieces of bark were shaved off.


    Alec held his breath. He had seen various pictures in books, but nothing would have prepared him for the aura that the beast gave off.


    There was something subtly dominating mixed into the monster''s aura that made one feel like they were the prey under a predator''s gaze.


    Bunbun, surprisingly, was not scared at all. Instead, he glared with his little eyes at the monster that was making his owner feel afraid.


    Then, Alec''s heart almost stopped beating as Bunbun squirmed out of his grasp and launched himself at the hulking beast of a monster.

 Chapter 27 F*ck!

    Alec''s heart stopped for the brief moment of a second when the tiny bunny launched himself at the hulking beast that was three times the height of a normal human.


    It would have been funny, except that it was *his* bunny that had launched itself towards the monster instead of something else.


    That stupid idiot!


    Before he could think about it, Alec was already leaping off the tree''s branch, kicking off harder so that he darted towards the falling bunny quicker.


    He gritted his teeth, grabbing the angry bunny by the nape and furiously shoving him into his shirt.


    Stupid Bunbun!


    When this was over, and it would be over, mark his words, he would have some choice words for the bunny. This was in no way acceptable behaviour!


    Unfortunately, with the way that the bunny had so straightforwardly charged at the monster, even if Alec had been slightly stronger than he was right now, there was no way for him to avoid the monster''s detection at all.


    Instead of trying to figure out a way to avoid the monster completely, he would have to do some quick thinking since his body''s capabilities just couldn''t keep up with his mind. Alec gulped as the monster''s gaping maw opened as Alec''s form approached.


    Evidently, it had already noticed the bunny when he leapt off the tree but had chosen to disregard him. However, now that Alec was here, along with said bunny, it changed its mind.


    The monster that looked like a strange mix between a horse and a wolf salivated as its prey came towards him. This was prime prey, after all. It had never seen such a thing before, but the smell that it gave off made its stomach rumble in hunger.


    Rarely was there such prey that smelled this divine. Its main diet consisted of other monsters it fought to the death.


    Without another thought, the monster opened its mouth as wide as possible. The prey was jumping to him, so who was it to resist the gift that sent itself to its mouth?


    Alec shivered in disgust seeing the massive number of sharp teeth on display. Luckily, he was not about to directly jump into the monster''s mouth. It seemed like the monster was not too gifted in the intelligence department, so he still had a chance.


    The moment he was about to land into the monster''s mouth, Alec shifted his weight, causing him to avoid it instead, kicking off hard on the monster''s forehead, he launched himself into the air in a different direction.


    Dropping to the ground and rolling, Alec picked himself up out of the smooth roll, immediately darting off into the expanse of trees that he had already Awakened.


    Behind him, the monster made a low, confused sound as its mouth filled with sharp teeth closed around nothing. Then, the slight tickle from Alec''s jump caused it to roar in anger, lumbering after Alec.


    Alec tried to maintain his calm as he ran. The feedback from the trees allowed him to monitor the monster''s movements even as it was behind him.


    What did he say, huh?


    He should have shut his big mouth. Why was he raising flags like that?


    He paused. Actually, why was his bunny behaving like an idiotic Main Character!? No, this just wouldn''t do!


    He refused to live a life like the Main Character''s ''little brother'' and pick up after them. He didn''t fucking think so!


    Luckily, the monster was a stumbling, lumbering thing that tripped over the roots of the trees. Though it was big, it was not fast, and to boot, it seemed clumsy.


    However, Alec knew that this would only work in the midst of trees blocking its way. In no circumstance was he to throw himself into an opening where the monster could potentially speed up.


    Ugh. He should have just ditched the bunny and dusted off his hands, but he just had to get attached to it. This was why he tried not to get attached to things!


    The monster''s roars died off after a while, but Alec knew that it wasn''t because it had lost him. Instead, it was likely being quiet because it might attract other monsters that would want a share of the food. Said food being him, the prey.


    The adrenaline was pumping through his veins as he ran. Unfortunately, he was unable to moderate the state of his fatigue because even though the monster was slow, Alec was just as slow as it was!


    Alec cursed the slow state of his puny, pathetic body as the monster audibly gained on him. In a distant part of his mind, he could sense that the trees were doing something to try and aid him, but they were only newly Awakened and had no strength to do anything.


    The blood thundering in his ears accompanied the sweat that beaded on his forehead, even as Alec pushed himself harder and harder.


    If he stopped now, he would die. There was no other outcome where the monster would spare him.


    Alec held back the urge to curse Bunbun as he ran for his life. Why? Whyyy did he leap towards certain death!??!


    His lungs were burning, and his muscles were aching, but the monster behind them seemed not to feel any fatigue. Alec didn''t know if it was playing with them, or just conserving its energy, but he was thankful for the presence of all the trees around.


    Unfortunately, he soon left the expanse of trees that he Awakened, so there was nothing else for him to rely on to spot the monster''s motions.


    Since he was running his hardest in a straight line, changing directions would cause a drop in speed. He was already doing his best to avoid the various roots and rocks that came his way, not to mention doing the smallest manoeuvres to avoid any trees.


    The thudding of the monster''s footsteps echoed in his ears, and Alec slipped into a state of mind that wasn''t all there. The rhythmic sounds of the monster''s footfalls, along with his own thumping heart, suddenly caused him to calm down.


    Unfortunately, when he tried to Awaken the monster earlier as they had a brief moment of contact, it had failed. He had been hoping to perhaps cause it to submit to him, but he supposed he wasn''t so lucky.


    It had been a shot in the dark, trying to do something he didn''t know was possible, but he had tried it anyway. He was so severely outclassed by the monster that it wasn''t even funny.


    Ah, this was all the Mainframe''s fault!


    If the Mainframe would just spare some of that Main Character''s plot armour for him so that he could finish his mission before getting out of dodge, that would be amazing!


    But no!


    He was a System!


    Not the Main Character!


    Alec plastered the widest smile he could muster onto his face. Fucking hell! He still had to maintain his smile even now. Goddammit! If he wasn''t so sure that he Mainframe would consider the monster as an outsider and deduct points from him, he wouldn''t be smiling like a maniac as he ran from the monster!


    Ah! He was being driven insane!


    If they got out of this alive, he was going to discipline that bunny so hard!


    On cue, Bunbun''s nose popped out of Alec''s shirt collar, thumping his little paws on his chest.


    Alec accordingly shifted left a little, not having any strength to dispute with the bunny right now.


    A few more steps, and the monster would have them in its maw. Alec could practically feel the breath of the monster as he ran. Its heavy breaths sounded like a starving person sat in front of a whole table full of food.


    With a burst of hidden strength he didn''t know he had, Alec pushed himself to new speeds and tore away from the close monster. The harder he ran at new speeds, the further he pulled away.


    Just as he was about to congratulate himself both for breaking into the elemental early transitional stage as well as being able to survive, the ground gave out from under him, and he stumbled, the feeling of weightlessness enveloping him.


    Fucking common plot point number four!

 Chapter 28 Sheer Pain

    The feeling of weightlessness caused Alec''s heart to drop. Just as the darkness enveloped him, he caught a glimpse of the monster''s frustrated expression, which caused him to feel a brief moment of glee. At least, he thought it was frustrated as it tried to reach in to punch him or something.


    Basically, it already knew that Alec was out of its grasp since there was no way those horse hooves were grabbing anything. Alec strangely felt the urge to cackle madly. He didn''t though. That was probably the high talking.


    The loud, echoing roar followed Alec down the hole as he fell.


    Alec briefly panicked after he fell for more than fifteen seconds. Just how long was he going to fall?!


    Though he was already out of the monster''s grasp, how was he going to survive this fall instead?


    Whether what greeted him at the bottom was rock or water, he would still die from the impact.


    With a hand on the squirming bunny, the other reached out blindly as far as he could manage to try and grip onto something.


    With this weak body of his, he wouldn''t ever be able to take any impact, and neither did he have any skills that would allow him to escape unscathed. He was only seven years old, after all. Not to mention puberty, he hadn''t even reached double digits yet.


    Miraculously, his hand brushed against a wall, shocking himself. Could it be that he would have such good luck? Given the depth of the hole, he had assumed that the width of it would be much wider, but it looked like the Mainframe was shining on him today!


    Then, he remembered that it was the Mainframe that got him into this mess in the first place, and he quietly put aside the thanks he briefly had for it.


    Before he could think too much about it, with his single hand, he slammed it against the rocky wall, desperately hoping to get some friction to stopper their fall.


    And he did.


    The pain that assaulted his pain receptors were no joke in this weak, scrawny body. The most he got was cuts and bruises from the various falls and trips in The Great Expanse. They were nothing too much to look at, with how they healed quickly.


    Whatever pain tolerance he had could not hold a candle to the sharp, all-encompassing pain that sent a vicious signal to his body.


    Alec gritted his teeth down hard, not letting a single cry escape him. Instead, he breathed heavily through the shock. It was painful beyond belief, and the wet glide against the rocky wall spoke of the bloody mess his fingers became.


    However, what he did seemed to have an effect. His body, which was already light to begin with, began to slow its descent. Alec resolutely clung onto the wall with his single hand, ignoring the pain.


    By the time his feet hit the floor, he slid down as his body flung itself across the ground from the rough impact, dizzy. Even as he lost control of his body, he never once moved the hand across his chest.


    Immediately, he passed out due to the rough tumble that disorientated him.


    -


    Bunbun, who didn''t have much of a complicated thinking process, felt the vast, varied range of emotions that had assaulted his owner earlier while they ran from the monster, and couldn''t help but feel a great amount of regret at so rashly acting on his reflexes to defend his owner.


    In the process of this, Alec''s latent magic had seeped into his body, boosting his core greatly as he fled frantically. Something within the bunny seemed to change as its mind became clearer and sharper than before.


    Whereas before he only understood the barest of instructions due to the feelings that Alec gave across from their bond, Bunbun now understood a great deal of the other nuances from the words that Alec previously told him.


    Since his mind was now clearer than ever before, even though he already felt a great amount of regret at his rash actions earlier, there was nothing he could do to help his owner other than holding completely still so that he wouldn''t cause more things for Alec to think about.


    Hearing the monster''s roars, Bunbun couldn''t help but tremble lightly. How had he ever thought that he might have been a match for something so far out of his league?


    Then, when Alec started falling down the hole, Bunbun had been terrified. Not for himself, no, but for Alec.


    Instinctively, he knew that his owner would not be able to survive the fall should he not be able to stop it. Bunbun had witnessed a bull fall from such heights, crashing to the bottom, only to stop moving in a few scant minutes.


    The thought of something like that happening to his owner caused him to feel frantic and desperate. However, Alec put a hand over his body, and Bunbun felt like tearing up. Everything had been his fault in the first place, but his owner was still looking out for him even at this stage.


    The short, laboured breaths that he heard his owner''s usually calm breathing turn into caused an upsurge of desperation in the bunny''s mind. One never knew how much ignorance was bliss until they were enlightened.


    When they hit the ground, there was a sheer spike of terror as they rolled. His owner!


    Bunbun tried to wriggle out from under his owner''s tight grasp, only to find himself stuck.


    There were no other movements from Alec, so Bunbun flattened his body as much as possible, causing Alec''s hand to go slack as it fell off his body.


    The bunny darted out, looking at the horrific picture his owner made, and gave into his instincts, running a round Alec''s prone body. There was so much red! What did he do? What did he do?!


    The bunny forcefully calmed himself down, slapping himself across the face in a manner he had seen one of the people in Alec''s human tribe do.


    Water! He had to get some water!


    Bunbun looked around, but there wasn''t anything he could see in the dark.


    Pricking up his ears, the bunny tried to hear whether there was a running water source nearby. Even as he did this, he made sure not to neglect the fact that there could be other predators in this dwelling.


    His owner was already defenceless and in danger. He did not know how much longer his owner would be able to sustain himself, but he would do his best to protect him before he woke up.


    There was nothing that was setting off danger signals to him, but Bunbun still felt reluctant to leave his owner defenceless here like this.


    He hesitated briefly before steeling himself. He should not be wasting time like this.


    Luckily, he heard a soft, trickle of water in the far distance.


    With all the speed available at his disposal, the bunny darted off towards that direction, taking no care whether or not there were obstacles in the way. Though he was unable to see in the complete darkness they found themselves in, he was still able to navigate his way rather well.


    Before long, the darkness of the place lightened up, and there was a pool of transparent, sparkling water before him. The pool of water didn''t seem to be naturally formed, judging by the faint tails of grass that spread out across the little alcove. How was it that grass grew on the rock, Bunbun didn''t know, but it didn''t matter right now.


    The place was dimly lit from some type of stones in the ceiling, but there was enough light for him to see the entire place.


    There were a few fish swimming in the water, and a few patches of green below. The water was so clear that he could see all the way to the bottom. It reminded him much of the lake where he first encountered his owner. There was a faint trail of water trickling down from a rock wall above, which was the sound he previously heard.


    Bunbun moved closer to the edge of the water, sipping it before determining it was safe enough for his owner to drink.


    He looked around for something to bring back the water with, but ¨C


    In the far corner, away from the pool of water, he spotted the human remains left behind, wearing some sort of metal plating. Bunbun ignored it, and instead zeroed in on the bag left at the dead human''s side.


    Using his teeth, the bunny tugged it, causing it to spill over. Within, there was some sort of pressed wood that he saw his owner carry around a lot, along with a few bottles containing unknown liquids.


    When the bunny sniffed the bottles, he recoiled at the pungent, repulsive smell that assaulted his nose.


    Resolutely ignoring them, Bunbun zeroed in on a rounded metal thing, dragging it by the handle towards the still pond.


    With the cup half full, Bunbun quickly navigated his way back to his owner, retracing his path.


    The scent of red grew stronger, and Bunbun quickened his pace, finding his owner again. He felt around carefully, making sure to avoid the places were the red smelled the strongest, carefully tipping the water into his owner''s mouth, making sure nothing spilled.


    At first, nothing happened, but then Alec stirred slowly, coming back to his senses.

 Chapter 29 The Book of Unknown Origins

    Alec woke up in bits and pieces, as if his mind was fighting against him to keep him down and out for the count, but he stubbornly fought, relying on the very same pain that was the one who sent him down to wake up.


    The inside of his mouth tasted faintly of blood, where he bit the side of his mouth during his tumble on the ground.


    There was a strong feeling of concern he could feel from the bond so close to him, causing his foggy mind to clear up more. Curiously, with his good hand, he fumbled around in the dark, feeling for the bunny''s body.


    His fingers brushed against the soft, silky fur that he had grown so used to, feeling all over to make sure that there wasn''t anything wrong with this terribly naughty bunny of his.


    Bunbun squirmed against his faint caresses, rubbing his head against his hand, which caused Alec to feel relieved. He really wasn''t hurt anywhere, which meant that he had protected the bunny properly.


    Now that he was assured that the bunny was unharmed, his earlier anger came back, but that could wait for a while as he treated the worst of his wounds.


    Before he could start, however, Bunbun nudged him, giving a faint feeling across the bond that he should follow him.


    Alec stood up with much difficulty and his leg hit something, causing the clatter of metal. Surprised, he groped around and found a metal cup, realizing that the inside of it was still a little bit wet.


    Alec raised a brow. Had Bunbun brought him water upon seeing him hurt? He didn''t think that the bunny was this smart before this. There was a faint, niggling suspicion that entered his mind at that thought, and he knew that he wouldn''t be able to think about anything else unless he checked, so he picked up the bunny with his uninjured hand instead.


    Bunbun patted Alec''s slightly bruised face, feeling both remorseful and relieved that his owner seemed to be alright.


    Alec prodded the bunny''s cheek with his index finger, limping slightly in the direction where the bunny directed them to. As he did this, he sunk his magic into the bunny through the bond that they shared as Awakener and Awakened.


    He was not surprised when he found that the bunny''s core was a lot brighter than before. It could almost rival the brightness that he found with the linkage of trees he Awakened together.


    What did surprise him, however, was the faint trail of something from the core to the bunny''s brain. This must be why Bunbun was displaying a lot more emotions and reasoning as compared from before.


    Alec checked his magical reserves and realized that they had, once again, dropped by a fair margin, with his magical capacity hitting rock bottom. Unable to do anything about it whilst they were moving around, he could only put it off for now. Besides, it was just another faint echo where the rest of his body was screaming out in pain.


    Since he did not have the slightest visibility in this darkness, he could only rely on the bunny''s superior night vision to guide the both of them.


    Thankfully, they did not encounter any obstacles along the way, which was almost a miracle by itself.


    It reached the point where Alec was almost convinced that this was another one of the Mainframe''s little tricks to try and ''help him out''. Not if he had anything to say about it!


    Could it really be called ''helping out'' if you had to face almost certain death before getting to safety? He didn''t think so! He was sure that the fall alone would have killed him had it not grabbed on without letting go.


    Even now, his fingers were throbbing in pain at every slight movement, and he was pretty sure that his shoulder was dislocated. He had to have fractured something or the other in his right leg, since it was sending spikes, and at times, entire stabs of pain back to him.


    By the time they reached the pond, Alec''s brow held a layer of perspiration, though he managed to avoid it mostly.


    The pond seemed almost to beckon to him, with the way it sparkled slightly under the glow of shining rocks from the rocky ceiling above them.


    Alec was surprised. At most, he had expected that he would find perhaps a trickle of water in one of the rocks due to groundwater, but he hadn''t expected to find an underground cavern that had a pond of all things.


    The pond was clearly man-made, with how precisely cut it was into a circle, and the fish inside swum without a care even as Alec dipped the metal cup that Bunbun had brought to him earlier.


    The fish were unwary and did not possess the instinct to dart away when he went near it, meaning that they did not have any natural predators.


    Alec was surprised. What was this place, exactly?


    Should this be the work of the Mainframe, then he should find something like a miraculous legacy long forgotten by the ages of time or something, as per common plot point number four, but this wasn''t it.


    He didn''t know how he knew, but he could feel it down in his very bones. This was something else entirely.


    Looking around, he found the skeletal remains at the far side of the cavern. Alec paused briefly and prayed for the person''s soul.


    Beside the skeletal remains, there was a spilled over backpack, which was fantastic, because as Alec and Bunbun were running from the monster earlier, he had left behind hid pack in the tree.


    With that said, Alec brushed against the bonds that he made earlier, realizing that the monster who had chased him down so persistently earlier, had not returned to the area where he was found.


    He did not know if the monster was still guarding the entrance where he fell in, but with its low intelligence, it should have been distracted by something. At least, that was what Alec hoped.


    What spilled out caught his attention instantly. There was a bound book of sorts, as well as a few vials of unknown liquids. He itched to take a look inside the book but put it aside for the time being.


    Alec dug further into the backpack, checking the various pockets and zips. At last, he found a roll of bandages.


    He placed Bunbun down on the ground, who hopped towards the strange patches of grass. Alec left him to it. With his upgraded intelligence, he should be able to effectively tell whether or not something was dangerous to his digestive system.


    Alec dragged his body towards the pond, using the up once again to drink, clearing the faint, coppery taste in his mouth. He sat himself down and started pouring the water over his wounds.


    This was the best he could do for now. He did not have any disinfectants, so he had to painstakingly clean out each wound with water.


    If you were thinking that this was some sort of spiritual water that would miraculously recover magic and heal wounds, then you were wrong.


    Alec would have indeed preferred and would have been rather grateful if it was such, but sadly, this was just plain, ordinary water, which led him to believe that the Main Character really had it good. See, even if ordinary mortals encountered common plot points, that didn''t mean that they would make it out alive.


    See that skeleton on the side? Yeah, he probably encountered common plot point number four as well, only to end up dying by the side. Not that Alec had any intention of going through the same thing.


    Using around half of the roll to make a sling, Alec set his dislocated arm in it to prevent it from flopping around and generally making things worse.


    His medical knowledge was basically zero, unlike some transmigrators who were so miraculously gifted in the art of medicine. Heh. What a joke. Even in his human life before being a System, he was lucky to receive any knowledge to fight at all, let alone anything else.


    His medical knowledge basically boiled down to ''don''t fucking touch it if you don''t want to make it worse, idiot''.


    He tended to the various cuts and bruises before letting out a weary sigh when he was done.


    At least that person there was dead. It would have been a lot worse had he been required to keep up the blasted smile on his face even as he sweated from the pain that enveloped his body.


    Alec imagined a terribly wounded young boy who plastered a smile on his face even as he endured the excruciating pain and shuddered. People would be freaked out instead.


    Then, of course, he heard the Mainframe''s voice.


    [Awakened Bunbun Intelligence +1]


    [Bunbun displays good critical thinking skills.]


    [+10 Points]


    What the fuck.

 Chapter 30 Stop Eating Random Things

    [Current Points: 30]


    Wait. Didn''t Bunbun bring him that cup of water earlier? Shouldn''t the Mainframe have alerted him then? Or was it only because the so-called critical thinking paid off that he was awarded points?


    Did this mean that every time something that he Awakened accomplished something, he would be able to reap and harvest points?


    Instantly, Alec felt energized at the thought. Maybe certain death wasn''t so certain after all.


    He just wanted to disable the fucking OOC option, that''s all! Was that too much to ask?


    Of course it was. The Mainframe demanded points. Points that came irregularly with irregular missions.


    One slip up, and he was dead.


    Regardless, he now had a potential way out of this sticky situation! The only thing was¡­ the cost of his magical capacity, of course.


    Alec was almost guaranteed to be behind every peer his age, given this Magitype of his. He wondered whether it was because of this function that those with the Awakening Magitype were deemed so useless by society.


    One of these days, he would find someone else with this Magitype and compare notes with them.


    But for now, he put aside every other thought. It was time for some discipline.


    "Bunbun," Alec called sternly, causing the bunny to freeze from where he was in the grass.


    Alec felt the way caution and anticipation echoed across the bond.


    Raising his head, Bunbun hopped across to his owner, only for Alec to freeze, stunned.


    Where there had previously been a white bunny, there was now a light blue bunny. Stunned, Alec did not react at all even as the bunny reached him and squirmed onto his lap.


    Alec absently patted him on the head before taking his hand away. Right this was to be a stern scolding, not another round of doting.


    He put the bunny on the floor, ignoring the wounded look Bunbun was shooting him.


    "Sit!"


    Bunbun dropped to his hindlegs immediately, hearing the commanding tone in Alec''s voice.


    He pointed at the bunny sternly, allowing his face to fade into his natural angry expression. Gone was his ''gentle'' smile that he had to keep up at all times.


    "You listen up, mister. You bad bunny! How dare you launch yourself at the monster like that?! Don''t you have any self-preservation skills? Have you learnt nothing from me?!" Alec ranted.


    Bunbun''s ears drooped as his owner scolded him for his reckless actions whilst he hadn''t Awakened further yet, but willingly listened, trying his best to remember the words his owner was using.


    After all, it really was his fault.


    His actions had put them into a direct path of danger. The more he thought about it, the more Bunbun felt ashamed at himself. How could he have been so ignorant earlier?!


    Having scolded the bunny for a good half an hour, the bunny was practically crying.


    Alec sighed, picking up the bunny and patting him gently. "Don''t do that again, understand? I refuse to live an exciting life like a Main Character of all things, especially when I do not enjoy the protection of plot armour. Though, thank you for protecting me when I was unconscious. You were very brave."


    Bunbun sometimes didn''t understand any of the words that came out of his owner''s mouth, but he understood most of it. He resisted the urge to tackle his owner and nuzzle him since Alec still had much of the red scent on him, but he was sure his owner knew how much he adored him.


    Alec cracked a smile. A genuine one. A few years ago, he wouldn''t ever have imagined himself in this scene. Making nice with a bunny, of all things.


    He eyed the blue fur under his hand and picked up the bunny by its nape, staring at him. "Now, what did you eat, exactly, that made your fur blue like this? How are you expecting to blend into the surroundings with this unnatural shade of blue?" He paused. "Then again, white is easy to spot as well. I suppose it doesn''t matter much."


    Bunbun hopped off Alec''s lap and went towards the patch of grass that he was in before.


    Of course, the grass was green just like the rest, but there were little blue berries hanging in-between. Alec picked one up and looked at it closer. It was the same shade as Bunbun''s fur now and looked just the same as blueberries that he sometimes ate together with his mother.


    The only difference was that when he split it open, the inside was a deep shade of purple, unlike normal blueberries.


    Though it shouldn''t have been harmful, considering how Bunbun was able to bring himself to eat it, Alec kept a few just in case they needed to know what it was.


    With everything now taken care of, his wounds were still aching though he was able to ignore it somewhat. Unfortunately, he wouldn''t be calling for help any time soon, with the Mainframe''s mission.


    He paused.


    Wait. The Mainframe''s mission. Was this what it had been referring to?! Goddammit! He knew things had seemed too easy earlier on!


    Well, whatever. At least this was doing wonders for his pain tolerance. It had been high time since he should have started working on it, but he knew that he would never be able to do anything within the Clan compounds.


    He was sure that someone who was watching him would have taken the chance to take it that Alec had indeed been hiding his Sin Societype and wasn''t really an Every.


    Of course, he really was a Sin, but that didn''t mean that the constant surveillance he found himself under wasn''t annoying! Sometimes, Alec just wanted to hide under the covers and pass the day like that.


    It had been so many years! What exactly about him was so intimidating that they never once took their eyes off him?


    Alec just couldn''t understand.


    Sometimes, a boy just wanted to work on his pain tolerance without anyone busting in and calling him an emotionless, cold-blooded individual, dammit!


    Was that too much to ask for? What could he do to show them he wasn''t a threat?


    Alec huffed in frustration, sitting himself down beside the skeletal remains of the poor individual that had met his end here. Though he had wanted to give this man a proper burial, there was nothing on hand for him to dig into, and they were surrounded by rock. The only thing that wasn''t was the pond in the middle, and even then, the bottom of the pond was made of the same material as the cave he found himself in.


    His attention was drawn back to the book that had been stuffed in the backpack, igniting his rather sizable curiosity. It was the one thing he never seemed to be able to do anything about no matter how much it had burned him in the process.


    Alec studied the book, noting that it had been bound with leather, though of what kind, he couldn''t say. There were faint words written on the outside of the book, but they had faded with time, and he wasn''t able to make out the words. The pages, yellowing with age and exposure to the moisture in the air, remarkably didn''t crumble under any of the pressure Alec put it under when he opened it.


    Alec carefully eased the book open, his eyes widening as he read the first words.


    He looked back to the skeleton''s armour and tried to see if it had any distinct traits to it. The more he looked, the more he realized that this kind of armour shouldn''t have been something just anyone could have bought, considering the age of this book.


    The skeleton''s armour had once been a gloriously stunning piece, with gold and red highlights, but age had faded most of it away, only leaving behind a matte look. However, the engravings that had been done to the armour spoke of high craftsmanship that hardly anyone would have been able to afford.


    Alec turned his attention back to the book, squinting.

 Chapter 31 Of Bad Decisions Amongst Other Things

    The book was unlike anything he had ever come across before. Though, admittedly, it wasn''t like he had many references to base his knowledge off.


    The words written in the book were unreadable and unknown to him. Though the script used was the same, it was not something that he was able to decipher.


    Alec squinted. Why was it that Main Characters were always able to read whatever they got their hands on? Oh, right. Because they were the Main Character. Unfortunately for him, Alec was just a poor System on a punishment mission.


    The closer Alec studied it, the more he was unsure whether or not it was even in the same language as what he was currently using right now. Though the Mainframe did indeed provide him with the language skills in his ''main'' language so to speak, that did not mean that its courtesy extended to the other languages that were potentially in this world.


    Alec''s curious soul was on fire. Oh, how he longed to read what was inside the book.


    Was it a diary? Or was it record of some long-lost information that no one had put their eyes on for centuries? He didn''t know, but Alec was dying to find out.


    Alec eyed the words balefully. He had a faint feeling that it wasn''t so much as a different language, but rather, the fact that their language had evolved over the years, rendering this book unreadable to him.


    Alec took the chance to curse the Mainframe yet again. If this really was the same language, then wasn''t it being too stingy!


    Whatever. He didn''t believe he couldn''t decipher it himself. He had another five or so days before he had to head back.


    Ignoring everything else, Alec lost himself in the world of the book before him.


    There were certain words he could make out more than the others, which hadn''t changed much, apparently, but there were also words where he was completely lost.


    He had no idea how much time passed before he first got even a semblance of what was written down in such beautifully cursive script.


    Alec was enraptured. There was no other way to describe it. The words flowed so beautifully on paper that it didn''t feel like they were using the same language at all. Even the author''s script looked more elegant and imposing as compared to what he was used to.


    Eventually, Alec was able to make out various broken words from the flowing script. He squinted. "¡­ Activation isn''t¡­ a lot¡­ potential? Things¡­ many¡­"


    The longer he worked on it, the more fluent he seemed to get. Various words that previously eluded him locked into place and started making sense. Though majority of the book was lost to him for now, he was able to glean a number of things from it.


    First of all, this wasn''t the only book. There were a series of books from the series, and this was the last one. Alec was able to make out that all the books should have been here, but the only one he was able to find was this one.


    Alec searched through the backpack again and confirmed that there was indeed nothing else that had been hidden inside.


    He frowned.


    He reread that little passage in the beginning that spoke about the other books before pausing. He flipped to the next page, realizing that there was a strange empty page on the back of it where the other pages were completely filled.


    Alec brushed a finger down the empty page, his magic ever so gently running across the page in a sudden urge to Awaken it. Not the book as a whole, but that one single page.


    His magic sank into the page, where a series of strange markings appeared. Shocked, Alec stared at it blankly when his face was abruptly impacted.


    Literally smacked in the face with three books, Alec topped over, falling onto the ground. He stared at the cave''s ceiling with a stunned look on his face as his mind comprehended what just happened.


    That was¡­ quite literally a smack in the face.


    Alec snorted.


    Okay, that was actually pretty funny, for some strange reason. It tickled at Alec''s sense of humour.


    Sitting back up, he gathered the other three books that had been abruptly ejected straight into his face, looking at the covers. Unlike the book that had been exposed to the various elements of time, these three books looked fresh and almost brand new, like they had been held in stasis.


    Alec raised a brow, but stopped for the time being, changing the dressing of his wounds. He could already see a bit of blood that had seeped through the dressing.


    He didn''t bat an eyelid when some of the cuts started bleeding again.


    When he looked at the three books, the titles on the covers gave insight into what was inside.


    The book he was holding, ''Activation'', along with ''Offens'' ''Defens'' and ''Augmentation''.


    Obviously, Awakening, Offensive, Defensive and Supportive Magitypes, though they were called something else in the olden days.


    Alec wondered just how long Societypes and Magitypes had been around. Surely there had been a time when society had not segregated everyone into the various different classes.


    However much he wanted to sneak a peek into those books, his curiosity was drawn to the strange markings that had appeared on the previously blank page.


    How was that possible? Was he able to do that as well?


    As he flipped through the now familiar pages, he realized that there were now illustrations where previously there were only words.


    "R¡­unia," Alec pronounced.


    It clicked. "Runes!"


    Alec sucked in a shocked breath. Runes. It was a rare, highly sought-after path that not many were able to pursue. One, because of wealth, and two because of knowledge.


    Much of the knowledge they still retained was not complete, and though there were many examples of spatial items that would allow one to store things, everything that could do so was rare and exorbitantly expensive.


    Why did Alec know about this, you might ask?


    That was because Alec suspected that his mother was actually a Rune Master. Though she had not come out and flaunt it, there was a room that had been labelled off limits to him, which was the room where she sometimes went in for hours on end before emerging, looking tired but satisfied.


    During those times, she smelt of ink and fire, piquing Alec''s interest. He tried to look up the things his mother might be doing, and eventually ended up coming across a very vague book talking about runes.


    A lot of the runic knowledge had been lost to the different eras, and even now, when they had various informative pieces about how to craft certain things, they were still unable to obtain optimal results.


    For example, the lost knowledge of spatial runes. The Neil Clan compound hadn''t expanded for a long time mainly because of the lost knowledge of spatial runes. No one was able to produce something that acted in the same way.


    Why was it that that specific set of runes were able to produce the result of creating a spatial array? Why was it then when they copied the runes, they were unable to produce the same result?


    No one could figure out the answer.


    But now, Alec had his hand on the knowledge. It was because it required an Awakener to do it!


    He sucked in a breath. There were more options and capabilities to this Magitype than he thought!


    Why was it that over the years, such knowledge had been lost? Why were Awakeners treated as lower than dirt, who were useless?


    Instantly, Alec''s curiosity about runes started burning, but the book talked about various other things, totally unrelated to what he currently wanted to know.


    Alec absently traced the same runes onto his upper thigh as he studied it, not realizing that some of the fresh blood that had been left on his fingertips when he changed his wound dressings made a faint trace along his skin.


    He paused, looking at his leg. Just as he was about to wipe it off, a thought flashed into his mind. What would happen if he Awakened this rune right now? Would he be able to have a space on him at all times?


    Without giving it a second thought, he pushed some magic into it.


    The pain that assaulted him was worse than when he messed up his hand from the fall.


    Oh, fuck! Alec thought to himself that had been a phenomenally stupid decision on his part. What had he been thinking? Oh, that''s right. He hadn''t been.


    He passed out.

 Chapter 32 Lets Not Do That Again, Shall We?

    Alec woke up feeling even worse than he did after passing out from the drop in the cave, and that was nothing to scoff at.


    There wasn''t a part of his body that wasn''t aching at the moment. The worst of it was concentrated on the tender part of his thigh. His magical capacity was at an all time critical low, so much so that he felt like an ordinary civilian.


    Wait a moment.


    Alec sat up without regard for the pain that would swell in the next moment, causing the blue bunny, who had been perched on his chest, to tumble down. He looked at where the worst of the pain was.


    He gave a sigh of relief when he saw that his leg was indeed still attached.


    That had definitely been ranked in the top ten most idiotic things he did. Even now, he wanted to slap himself. Fucking hell! This was what happened when one made impulsive decisions when they were already experiencing a bit of blood loss.


    He still felt a bit light-headed from the amount of blood that he lost, so rushing into decisions like that was definitely not his brightest idea.


    As he thought about it and started berating himself for rash decisions, Alec hauled himself over to the pond, dunking his head into the water to cool himself off. He drank a few mouthfuls, sating the rumbling hunger that he woke up with.


    After calming himself, he took a look at his thigh.


    The blood that had been inked onto his thigh had disappeared.


    It should have worked. Otherwise, he would be missing a thigh right about now.


    Alec helplessly cradled his head. Why was it that his terrible decision-making self felt was making decisions like a Main Character?


    Wait. Was this why the Main Characters were always making bad decisions or what? Alec suddenly felt like he understood a part of the decision-making process. They were all lacking blood when they made decisions after being heavily wounded!


    Suddenly, he felt like he understood a lot more of the decisions that had been made.


    Alec brushed the faintest bit of magic that he had left over the runes on his thigh, and the red pattern emerged again. Alec pressed one of those blue berries onto the lines, and it disappeared.


    Eh, it really worked! Honestly, he thought that he might have drawn some lines wrong before activating it, which would have caused it to be a dud, but apparently not!


    Trying again, he retrieved the berry from inside and studied it. There was nothing he could see that was out of place.


    Alec walked over to the backpack and tried putting one of the unknown vials inside this time. When he took it out again, there was indeed nothing wrong with it.


    Suddenly, Alec felt excited. This was a great opportunity! He would be able to bring more things with him when he ventured out into the world.


    Spatial dimension items were really just too rare.


    Thinking of this, he started placing more and more things into the spatial dimension, trying to test out the maximum capacity.


    The more he placed in, the more it felt like it was larger inside than he first imagined. He helplessly stopped when he realized that he ran out of things to put inside.


    He drew the line at desecrating the skeleton''s remains. He still had that much respect, after all.


    As excited as he was, he thought about himself suggestively rubbing his thigh in the midst of battle and suddenly wasn''t so enthused anymore. Just thinking about what would flash through other''s minds as they saw him do such an action caused his face to darken.


    In the end, Alec decided that he would only keep the book related to Awakening and pass the other three to his Clan. As the person who discovered it, he would be able to access it any time he liked, so there wasn''t anything he was losing.


    Not to mention, as far as he was concerned, he was currently the only person in the Clan who had the Awakening Magitype, so it wasn''t a loss for the Clan either.


    Perhaps this would help get the elders off his back as well, if they saw that he was loyal to the Clan.


    Truthfully speaking, it wasn''t like he wasn''t loyal to the clan, but rather, the longer he was placed under suspicion, the more tired he felt. It wasn''t even anything overt, but the more feeling of eyes watching his every movement whenever he walked outside.


    The moment he placed the book inside the spatial dimension, just as he was about to dive into trying to decipher the other books, he heard the heavy sound of footsteps.


    Though it was not as heavy as the monster who had chased them earlier, he would take no chances.


    The longer he heard the uncertain footsteps, the more he could make out. Although the sound of the hurried footsteps was familiar, he would not allow himself to so foolishly wait without potential cover.


    Alerted, Alec moved as quickly as possible without making a sound. It didn''t matter that doing this aggravated his injuries.


    Alec gestured for Bunbun to come over. The bunny smartly darted to him, climbing up to rest on his shoulder.


    Unfortunately, he had already scoped out the area earlier and already knew that there wasn''t another exit, so he wouldn''t be able to hide and ambush whoever was coming.


    Alec waited beside the entrance, where most people would drop their guards once they discovered light.


    As the footsteps drew ever closer, the more relaxed the muscles in Alec''s body became. It wasn''t because he didn''t intend on attacking, but rather, muscles that weren''t tensioned would be able to attack that much quicker.


    The moment the figure emerged, Alec launched himself at them, making to dodge low to trip them up. Being small had its uses.


    Unfortunately, the figure smoothly sidestepped, as if they had already known he was there beforehand.


    With a single leap, they were halfway across the cave, far out of Alec''s means of reach.


    He scowled inwardly, but huffed and relaxed nonetheless.


    "Vicious little thing, aren''t you?" Evin said dryly, eying his youngest and most lowkey student.


    Alec smiled at his teacher, looking innocent. He inwardly clicked his tongue. He should have succeeded in at least tripping him to get back at him for all the times he had been kicked down during their spars.


    He said this with the utmost affection, of course.


    Evin''s expression instantly warped when he took in the sorry sight his student made, shocked. It wasn''t that he hadn''t seen worse, but he had not expected that within The Great Expanse, which they considered relatively safe, would be able to inflict such damage.


    No matter what it looked like on the surface, Evin knew that Alecris was the one who had the best critical thinking amongst his students. What could possibly have happened that would cause him fall into such dire straits? Just the monster chasing him alone would not have caused this much damage.


    He paused, remembering that the fall was rather long, and guessed it.


    The sight the young boy made was rather startling. With mottled bruises and red-patched bandages, along with his arm in a badly made sling, it made his heart ache when he saw the scab forming under his youngest student''s eye.


    There wasn''t a patch on him that was clear. He sucked in a breath. Although, this was already better than he thought. He had been praying he wouldn''t find Alecris'' corpse at the bottom of the hole.


    He had hurriedly dispatched the monster that had been guarding the entrance of the cave, having tracked Alecris down after he failed to show at the designated meeting point once the seven days were over.


    Alec, catching sight of his teacher''s slight frown that spoke volumes of his worry, smiled more genuinely, but it wasn''t appreciated.


    Instead, before he could open his mouth for another word, his teacher had already picked him up with startling ease, cradling him in a bridal carry position.


    Alec''s mind stopped processing.


    How humiliating was this! Why was it that Main Characters were able to make it out themselves so coolly, but as a System, he had to be subjected to such indignity!


    This was a bridal carry, okay! It wasn''t the over shoulder, cool style of carry that he might have even accepted, nor the carry that reminded him of someone carrying a sack of potatoes, but a bridal carry!


    Ah, was there anything more humiliating than this?!


    Alec closed his eyes and pretended to pass out to spare himself. He saw nothing. Felt nothing.


    Bunbun nipped at his finger, causing him to twitch.

 Chapter 33 Mainframes Suspicious Behaviour

    The Mainframe''s unwelcome voice echoed in his ears.


    [Mission: Survive a week in the forest alone completed]


    [+100 Points]


    [Current Points: 130]


    Alec was briefly surprised before he understood. Based on the difficulties that he faced during the mission, there were different tiers of points given. Evidently, judging by how closely he scraped by death this time, there were higher benefits.


    At this, Alec felt a mixture of emotions. On one hand, he was happy to have more points, but on the other hand, he didn''t appreciate being so close to death.


    Then, the Mainframe''s voice was heard again.


    [Alecris Aeden Neil discovers runic lost method of spatial dimensions]


    [+50 Points]


    [Current Points: 180]


    Eh! That was a sudden windfall that he hadn''t expected from the usually stingy Mainframe. Though he suddenly felt suspicious at this, there was nothing out of place¡­ for now, that was.


    By the time they made it back to the clan compound, there was already a designated medical team on standby, having been alerted by Evin.


    Alec was whisked off to a sterile room, where they set his injuries.


    He opened his eyes, where there were three competent-looking healers that attended to his cuts and bruises. They tutted at the early signs of infection that were starting to set in.


    Unfortunately, Alec had been passed out for majority of that time. If it hadn''t for his smart bunny bringing him water every few hours, Alec was sure that he would have died in that cave and join the skeletal figure.


    It was shocking to realize that he had been passed out for almost a total of three days. He knew that whilst he had been trying to puzzle out the words in the book, a considerably long time had passed, but it hadn''t been that long.


    Luckily, he still had some time to make a few adjustment to the books before his teacher came.


    Alec grunted as they re-set his dislocated shoulder.


    The medical support in their clan wore the clan''s insignia, which was the shape of a stylized black crown with a single shiny onyx in the middle, and white clothes.


    Two males and a lady, they looked warm and amicable, but worked efficiently and steadily.


    One of the healers placed their hand over his shoulder, where a gush of magic flew over his shoulder. The feeling was cool and refreshing, leaving his skin feeling tingly.


    The numb pain that had been haunting him for days finally left his mind, the sheer lack of pain caused him to stifle the gasp that wanted to leave his mouth.


    Quickly, the three worked in concert to heal him of the cuts and the worst of the bruises left behind on his skin.


    The three of them worked with different types of Support magic, as far as he could tell. The one who had healed his shoulder specialized in some sort of numbing and relaxation process that caused his muscles to lose most of their tension.


    Another one had magic that sped up the healing properties that he already possessed.


    The last one medical practitioner was able to contain their magic under the skin to keep the second one''s magic going.


    It was all incredibly fascinating. He never had a chance to come here due to his injuries being relatively light and easily healable with a couple of days rest.


    The new usages of Support type magic gave him a deeper insight into the way that people used their different kinds of Magitypes.


    Speaking of Magitypes, Alec couldn''t wait to continue experimenting, and perhaps badgering his mother for some lessons on basic runes.


    Evin hovered at the side as they worked over him busily, only stepping back slightly when one of them waved him off with an annoyed air.


    "Go to the side and let the professionals work!"


    Evin took a few steps back in surrender. He honestly hadn''t been intending on obstructing their way, but this worry ended up getting the best of him.


    Of all his students, he had expected Alecris to be able to steer clear of danger and escape unscathed, but reality proved him wrong.


    As Alec was lost in thought, he felt a tug on his hand when one of the male doctors removed it from his person.


    "Relax, we''re not stealing your things. You''ll get it back later," he said, noting Alec''s look. The male doctor smiled at Alec, reminded of his son, then frowned.


    Most of his work done, he pulled Evin aside and stared scolding him in a low tone about how he could allow his student to incur such a state of damage in the name of training.


    Evin''s expression didn''t change as the furious doctor berated him for allowing things to go this far. He looked over at Alecris.


    Noting the slightly helpless look in his teacher''s eyes, Alec took the cue to save him.


    "Doctor don''t scold my teacher," Alec said a little defensively. "It was because I met some unfortunately coincidences in The Great Expanse that I ended up hurting myself."


    The male doctor''s fury subsided somewhat upon hearing Alec''s explanation.


    The sole female doctor scoffed at Alec''s words. "The Great Expanse again! Every year, there are always injuries. I really want to have a word with those elders making the decisions. They''re getting younger and younger every year!"


    Alec just smiled and said nothing else. Seems like this wasn''t a stand-alone situation.


    "Can you check on my bunny?" Alec said, playing the wide-eyed puppy look card that he saw so many of his similarly aged peers give to their parents when they wanted their way. Anyway, his own personal dignity had already taken a rather severe blow when his teacher carried him back. Whereas before he would not have been able to do such actions, he suddenly felt like it was a bit more tolerable.


    The three doctors paused as they took in the blue bunny that the child had in his hands.


    "Huh. Why is the bunny blue?"


    "Don''t know. May, go diagnose it!"


    The only female of the team, May, rolled her eyes but obligingly checked on the bunny using her magic whilst Alec waited a bit nervously. Why was he more nervous about his bunny than he was about himself?


    As the three were distracted, Alec took the chance to pull out the blue berry that Bunbun had munched on from his spatial dimension.


    Leo and Bau exchanged a look before shrugging. Looks like there wasn''t anything wrong if May wasn''t already leaping into action.


    "Nothing''s wrong. The colour might be permanent, though. I can''t be sure just yet, but there''s nothing life-threatening about what it has ingested.


    Alec let out a little sigh of relief, causing them to smile. So cute! He was worried about his pet.


    Alec handed over the blue berry to them, who promised they would check it.


    They eventually cleared him to go, almost reluctantly.


    Alec smiled and politely thanked them for their help, melting their hearts.


    Evin stared at the three doctors who seemed to melt as they faced Alecris'' smile, feeling speechless. Just a few words from Alec and they were already willing to charge up to the elders and demand an explanation for him.


    The notorious trio of doctors had the worst temper in the entire clan''s medical division and loved to stick their noses where they didn''t belong. What''s more, the three of them only worked as a trio and refused to be parted.


    Out of their sights, Evin checked over Alecris again to ensure himself that he really was fine.


    Alec and Evin walked back to Alec''s apartment.


    Alec paused briefly outside. "Teacher, don''t mention anything to my mother, okay? I don''t want to worry her."


    Evin hesitated.


    "Please?" Alec said, widening his eyes.


    The sight of his teacher visibly crumbling under his big eyes caused a strange sort of glee to spring up in Alec. He better work this for all its worth before he got too old to do this.


    "Fine," Evin said gruffly.


    Alec thanked his teacher and headed back into the apartment where his mother was home for the day.


    "Alec!" she cried out, sweeping him into a tight hug.


    Alec patted her gently. Luckily, he got healed up before coming back, otherwise that would have hurt like a bitch.


    "You have a day of rest tomorrow, so won''t you stay back at home with your mother?"


    Alec paused. Ah, so it was that time already, huh?


    He nodded. "Can uncle come over tomorrow?"


    "Oh, you want to invite your uncle over?" Annalise said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Well, why not!"


    Distracted, Annalise swept off to invite her poor brother over to their home tomorrow.


    Alec gave a sigh of relief. She hadn''t noticed anything out of place.


    He grabbed the blue Bunbun and headed back to sleep properly on a bed for a while.

 Chapter 34 Messing Around

    The next day, Vincent came over to his sister''s apartment apprehensively. Sometimes, when they talked, he still wondered whether or not he''d been having a bad trip that day.


    Then, he thought about the mischievous spark in his sister''s eyes and decided that whether or not it was faked, it still terrified him.


    The only reason why he was willing to come over today instead of asking his sister to bring his nephew out was¡­


    Vincent knocked on the familiar doors of apartment 104, steeling himself.


    When the door creaked open by itself, slowly and hauntingly, Vincent stiffened his expression.


    Dammit! If it was going to open by itself, then fine, but did it have to creak so alarmingly! Annalise better oil this door, or so help him, he would do it himself. Secretly, if he had to!


    "Uncle," Alec greeted. He hid the twitch of his lips as he saw the slightly spooked expression in his uncle''s eyes.


    No wonder his mother found it so fun to mess with his uncle. He paused. Alec didn''t think that he had this kind of sadistic tendencies previously. Did he learn it from his mother, or what?


    "Alec, sister," Vincent stiffly greeted, stepping into said haunted apartment.


    Vincent patted Alec on the head, his standard greeting.


    Alec stared at the way his uncle moved. He was so stiff Alec was surprised his limbs were even bending.


    Vincent''s brow twitched as the chair slid back for him to sit in again. He discreetly looked at his nephew, who looked like it was nothing out of the ordinary.


    Suddenly overcome by despair, the Clan Head closed his eyes, thus missing Alec''s full-blown twitch of laughter.


    Likewise, Annalise smothered her smile. It was so funny seeing her composed brother break like this.


    Vincent shoved it all deep, deep down. "So, why have you called me over?"


    "Oh, right," Alec said, leaving the table.


    Vincent directed puzzled eyes at his sister, who shrugged. She had just as little idea as he did.


    The two of them watched Alec head towards his room, which opened as he approached. Vincent twitched.


    Alec took the three books he had obtained the previous day from his bedside stand. In the end, he hadn''t gotten any sleep as he tried to decipher the words inside.


    The door shut behind him as he walked back out.


    He presented the three altered books to his uncle, who looked at it with confusion. His stress and worry about being in a haunted apartment were briefly put aside as his attention was captured by the books in front of him.


    Though the books did not look brand new, there was something about them that drew his eye.


    It wasn''t like he hadn''t seen books like this before, but the aura that lingered on them instinctively gave him the feeling that he was looking at the belongings of someone great. It was something that only people who were able to notice the subtleties were able to see.


    Since Vincent had already seen many of such things as a Clan Head, due to the books that were hoarded at the top level of their clan library, he was able to feel it straight away.


    Vincent''s eyes sharpened as he looked at the books now in his hands.


    "Where did you find this?"


    "In The Great Expanse," Alec said, not leaving anything out.


    While he neglected to mention the amount of danger he had been in, Vincent was able to infer what happened. Ooh, Evin was going to get an earful from him.


    Having specially assigned the man to his nephew, he had expected to hear whenever his nephew got into any sort of trouble or anything out of the ordinary.


    How strange. Vincent was sure that the clan had scoured every inch of the forest already, and yet, there was still something that they had not yet discovered? How very intriguing.


    Vincent stood up abruptly, ignoring the chair as it bumped lightly against the back of his knees.


    "Thank you," Vincent told Alec very seriously. "I will make sure that the clan will reward you. Once we have made copies, you will be the first to obtain the translated version."


    Alec nodded lightly, mother and son seeing Vincent off at the door.


    The man didn''t even flinch this time when the door shut loudly after him, too occupied on the ongoing matters.


    "Drew," Vincent said.


    A man garbed in fully in dark blue appeared before the Clan Head. Everything from chin down was covered fully by his clothes.


    Vincent handed his guard the three books he procured from Alec.


    "Take this to my office and get Cal to start translating it."


    Drew disappeared without another word.


    As for Vincent, he hastened to head out to The Great Expanse, where he could feel Evin''s magical signature from this far away. He made sure that no one else saw him going.


    Just within the boundary, Evin was concealed in the shade of an inconspicuous tree, waiting for him.


    Vincent shot his friend a piercing glare. "Evin."


    "Vince."


    "Just when were you planning on telling me my nephew was in such great danger?" Vincent said dryly.


    Evin gave out a ''hmph''. "You should ask your nephew that. After all, he was the one who didn''t want word to get out. Besides, you know as well as I do that this type of advanced training is never safe. There are always a few deaths if they underestimate the dangers they will face alone."


    Vincent remained silent. He did indeed know. Though he felt that their clan''s traditions were rather brutal in regard to advanced training that the children got, they would never abolish it because it produced the most stellar and outstanding students that would come back to protect the clan.


    Vincent''s responsibilities as a Clan Head warred with his familial affections. He couldn''t help but doubt himself and wonder if he was making the right choice. He wondered if all the parents felt this way when they saw their children''s scrapes and bruises as they headed home.


    Evin softened seeing his friend''s unspoken struggles. "Don''t worry too much about it. There''s a reason why there aren''t many who qualify for the advanced course, after all."


    "Enough," Vincent said, shaking off his lingering feelings. "I heard Alec found a place in The Great Expanse that we haven''t found yet?"


    Evin nodded. "I remember how to get there."


    The two friends set off deeper into the forest, where Evin had rescued Alec from just the day prior.


    Within half an hour, the two stood next to a monster''s carcass, which had not yet started decomposing. Not only that, it had not been picked at by smaller animals, which steered clear because of the imposing aura it gave off even as it was dead, or from other monsters, which rarely ventured out this far.


    Vincent frowned. "Why is there a monster that is close to the second rank here?"


    Evin shook his head. He had tried finding out whether there was something that had lured it here but hadn''t found anything incriminating. Unfortunately, The Great Expanse was a large piece of land that was hard to fully comb. Even if a day passed, it was already sufficient for any evidence to be long lost.


    "So, where is the entrance?"


    Evin paused from examining the monster, confused. "What do you mean? It''s right¡­ there," he trailed off, turning around.


    The entrance that had been there yesterday was gone.


    "Huh."


    Evin walked forward and cautiously toed the area where he was sure he entered yesterday. His foot met solid ground.


    "What," Evin said, disbelieving.


    He put his full weight onto it, and nothing gave.


    Evin realized that Vincent was giving him a strange stare. His face darkened seeing his friend''s teasing look.


    "It was definitely here."


    Vincent walked over to stand at that spot as well. Nothing happened. No matter how much they looked for anything out of place, there was no such thing.


    The two men exchanged a glance. "Well, things just got a lot more interesting."

 Chapter 35 Concealed Deeply

    While Vincent wanted badly to drag his nephew over to see if he had anything to do with it, it just wasn''t possible today. Evin and Vincent had to bite back their burning curiosity for the next day, since they would be very busy tonight.


    Both men reluctantly left for the day, though not before they brought the monster back to be dissected and reused for parts. No sense letting it go to waste.


    Exchanging another look, both men parted ways to do their own thing.


    -


    Alec smiled at his mother, who returned the smile that he was getting so good at. No one could say that Alec didn''t work hard to perfect his skills.


    "Mother, may I go out to play since we have the day off?"


    "Aw," Annalise pouted. "Why don''t you stay home with your poor mother for once? Didn''t you say yesterday that you would?" She clung onto his arm dramatically.


    "Okay," Alec relented. There were just some things that weren''t worth fighting over, and he was in a good mood.


    Annalise beamed at her son. Dragging him to their living room, she pulled out a secret photo album that she had been saving all this time. Now that her son was older, she would be able to divulge more and more things.


    Alec looked at her curiously. He had never seen that book before.


    When she flipped it open, his eyes were immediately drawn into the pictures inside. The more he looked, the more his eyes widened.


    Inside, there was a shot of his mother, looking much younger than she was now. Her eyes glistened with something that he wasn''t able to place at first glance.


    She looked young and utterly radiant, in a youthful way that had matured over the years. She was at most sixteen or seventeen in that picture. The sun shone down on her, and her smile was tinged with that much more happiness that Alec of all people felt like smiling when he saw her.


    In the back, there was a boy of similar age to his mother, looking bored and indifferent at first glance, head tilted away from the camera. He had a head of shocking black hair and deep, red eyes.


    The picture only showed his side view, but even with how he was posed, with his hands crossed, he was looking at Annalise from the corner of his eye. There was also an emotion that he couldn''t quite place. The same emotion.


    Alec''s puzzlement slowly evolved into shock as he took in the various other photos that spanned across the album.


    Annalise traced a soft finger over his face. She noticed the shocked look Alec was giving her and smiled. It was a smile that was different from her usual serenity.


    This smile was tinged with melancholy and longing.


    "That''s right. This is your father."


    Having gotten the confirmation he needed, he put his attention back onto the pictures that held so many answers yet produced so many more questions.


    There weren''t many pictures, but those that he saw, he felt like he was being intrusive onto their world.


    Just from this little glance alone, Alec felt like he saw the relationship of the two slowly progress before it turned into something very real and fragile, yet it was, at the same time, so utterly beautiful that he felt like it hurt.


    A drop hit the photo he was staring at, and Alec looked up, startled. At first, he thought that his mother had started crying, but when he looked at her, her face was dry.


    Annalise gave a smile to Alec that he didn''t understand. She wiped his cheek, and Alec placed his hand over hers.


    When had he started crying¡­? Why was he crying?


    He pressed a hand over his heart. Why did it hurt like this? Why did it ache like this?


    He didn''t understand.


    By the time he reached the last photo, Alec slowly came to the realization that he had just witnessed the two''s beautiful love story. The look in their eyes, that he previously couldn''t understand, was a mark of the deeply concealed love that they hid for one another behind closed doors.


    Alec felt like he had been burned.


    He had so many questions. Where was he? Why were they not together?


    His father was still alive, as his mother had already told him, but why were they apart? It was clear from these photos that the couple were very much in love with each other.


    There was still something that he wasn''t being told, and he bet that his father was the cause of it, more than his mother told him.


    Annalise quietly shut the book, keeping it back in her secret hiding spot. When she was done, Alec couldn''t even find a trace of it.


    "Now," Annalise said, sitting back on the sofa with her son. "Tell me about what you did in The Great Expanse! And don''t hide anything."


    Alec paused. Did she know?


    "Yes, I know. You can''t fool your mother''s eyes, you know! I watched you grow up, after all."


    Fair enough. She had been watching his actions for so many years that it would have been stranger had she not been able to grasp most of his actions.


    Slowly, Alec explained about what he went through in The Great Expanse, missing the worry that surfaced in his mother''s eyes.


    Though he was physically safe here with her, she didn''t know if he would have emotional trauma that was hidden from her. She silently thought to himself that she would give her brother a good wallop for allowing him to fall into such predicaments. Evin too, she thought darkly. Her smile turned a little strange for a short period before she consciously smoothened it out.


    Her curiosity was aroused when he spoke about the cave that he ''found'' underground. Annalise resisted the urge to anxiously check over him when he was clearly fine. The doctors of the Neil Clan would not allow a patient that visited them to leave had they not been in the pink of health.


    She knew that, because she had visited that room a lot in her youth.


    "Mother, do you know about runes?"


    Annalise paused, the sudden question throwing her off. "I do," she said slowly, surprised.


    Alec nodded, almost smugly. She resisted the urge to coo. "You smell like ink sometimes."


    Slowly, an idea surfaced in her mind. "Alec, do you want to learn about runes from your dear mother?"


    Alec patted her hand. "I would love to."


    Annalise beamed. "Yay! Most people find it dry and boring, but not your mother! Ooh, I have so many things I want to teach you," she said, gushing.


    Alec stared at the large ball of excitement that was his mother. Although he had distracted her from the melancholy that his father''s pictures had brought up, he wondered if he had unleashed an even bigger monster upon himself.


    Annalise dragged her son into the room that was normally off limits to him. "Come on, come on!"


    She stared when the door opened by itself, turning to her son.


    Alec smiled at her, hiding his sheepishness.


    "Did you Awaken this door too!?"


    "Yes," he said simply.


    Annalise huffed. "Well, no matter. It''s about time you entered yourself anyway. Since you want to learn about runes, we will be in this room a lot from now on."


    With that said, the two entered the room.

 Chapter 36 Good To Always Be Prepared

    Alec was woken at the break of dawn by someone shaking his shoulder.


    He blearily rubbed his eyes, wondering why his mother was waking him at such a time when he had barely even gone to bed. Even after all the random knowledge that had been stuffed into his brain by her via a ''crash course'', she still wanted more?!


    Alright.


    He didn''t hate people who were passionate about things.


    However, instead of his mother, what greeted him was his uncle''s serious face.


    Alec''s mouth opened slightly, barely withholding the reflexive flinch.


    "Uncle?"


    "Oh, good. You''re up. Let''s go, then."


    "Go where?" Alec said, completely baffled. No explanation, nothing. "Mother let you in?"


    Vincent paused. "No," he said grudgingly. His eye twitched. "I was¡­ let in."


    Alec coughed slightly, silently amused. Right.


    "Go where?" he asked again.


    "The underground cavern you fell down. We can''t find the entrance."


    Alec looked at his uncle, puzzled. "Didn''t you go with teacher?"


    "Yes," Vincent said simply. "It''s gone."


    By now, Alec had his curiosity piqued. He quickly got ready for the day in record time.


    Both uncle and nephew set off for The Great Expanse.


    At the place where Vincent met Evin yesterday, the man stood there with a young teenager who wore circular shaped glasses that took up half of his face. He cut a handsome figure just standing there, emitting a scholarly type aura of calm and quiet.


    It was Elias.


    "Elias?" Alec said, surprised.


    "Clan Head, Alec," Elias greeted both of them.


    Alec and Elias discreetly looked around for the rest of their friends, but they didn''t seem to be coming.


    Evin cut in. "Don''t bother. The three of them graduated yesterday and have already left the clan for outside training."


    This surprised them, and Elias frowned. The three of them hadn''t even come by to say goodbye.


    All three of them weren''t the type to just leave without another word. Of the three, Zacharias might seem like the type that would, but he definitely wouldn''t. The other boy would come by and pose for a little while, making pointed remarks, but in the end would properly say goodbye.


    Vincent picked up Alec by the back of his shirt and held him under his arm. Alec blinked.


    Evin shot Vincent a glare that said, ''you''re treating your nephew like that?!''.


    Alec had flashbacks of being carried by his teacher in the bridal style, and thank you, he much preferred this.


    Alec spitefully hoped his teacher would carry Elias like that as well, and to his glee, he bewildered teenager was indeed picked up in a bridal carry.


    Shit, it was too funny when it wasn''t himself getting that treatment. Alec''s facial muscles worked hard to keep the grin off his face.


    Vincent shot a look back to Evin that said, ''and you''re doing so much better?''


    Evin looked confused. What was wrong with how he was carrying his student?


    When his uncle started running, Alec noticed that he was moving a lot faster than what a human should be capable of. What was this? How were they moving so quickly?


    Alec gently prodded his uncle''s magic, and Vincent looked down at his nephew. "Stop that. It itches. We''re able to move this fast because we''re channelling a lot more magic into our legs compared to when you do it instinctively. You should be able to do it as well, after some practice."


    Alec nodded.


    Wait.


    Wait, wait, wait.


    Was this why he was always lagging behind when he went running with his classmates!? Were they channelling magic into their legs subconsciously?!


    Suddenly, things made so much more sense! Why didn''t his teacher tell him!?


    What Alec didn''t know was that most people weren''t even aware that they were doing it. It was just that instinctual to them, because magic was part of their body. However, to Alec, who had a life before this without magic, magic was more like an extension that he didn''t know how to use just yet.


    He had to consciously think about it. Just like if a human was born with a tail, they would eventually be able to use it smoothly, but if someone added on a tail to them, it threw them off balance.


    Ahhh, suddenly so many things made sense! Damn, what had he been doing all these years! All those years of wasted training! Ah, Alec as suffused with regret.


    Alec itched to be let down to try it out himself, but judging by the way his uncle carried him, he didn''t think that was going to be feasible any time soon.


    Vincent stopped and put his nephew down, Evin doing the same to Elias.


    "Here, right?"


    Alec looked around and was vaguely sure that this was the place. He hadn''t had much of a chance to look around when he had been desperately running for his life, but the monster-shaped bloodstain on the ground helped.


    "Yes. The entrance is right there," Alec pointed. "See that oddly coloured patch there?"


    There was a patch of grass on the ground that looked a little off, which was where he was sure the entrance to the underground cavern was.


    Alec walked over to it, unaware of the baffled looks that were being exchanged behind his back.


    Standing clear of the hole, he pressed lightly on it, and his arm disappeared. He pulled it back out.


    "See?"


    Vincent stared blankly at his nephew, not seeing a visible difference in the ground no matter how he stared. When Alec''s hand disappeared into the grass, he couldn''t believe it.


    He reached down to try as well, only for his palm to forcibly meet the hard soil of the earth.


    "???"


    "Eh?"


    Vincent lightly held his nephew''s arm, and the ground disappeared from under him, dragging his nephew with him.


    Startled at the sudden give of ground from under his feet, Vincent quickly recovered and bundled his nephew to himself, protecting him. He then allowed himself to continue to freefall as he reinforced his body using magic.


    The two landed softly on the ground.


    Alec eyed his uncle. He wanted to learn how to do that. If he had that, he wouldn''t have nearly died just from the fall alone!


    "Come down," Vincent called up to Evin, hearing an affirmative.


    The two moved a way down in the dark, where Vincent pulled out a candle. It lit up by itself, casting light and shadows in the previously pitch-black darkness.


    "Do you carry that with you around all the time?"


    Vincent looked at his nephew. "Good to always be prepared."


    The Clan Head held the candle up higher, his expression changing when he saw the blood splatter on the ground. There was a puddle of it near where they were standing. As he traced his eyes up, he noted the way red streaked down the walls. His heart ached at the sight.


    Vincent looked at Alec''s expression, but didn''t note a change even as he was sure that he had seen the bloody evidence.


    Vincent suddenly questioned his decision of bringing Alec back down here. What if there was some emotional trauma? After all, he had been stuck down here for close to a week without anyone but his bunny as company.


    "Do you want to go back up?"


    Alec shot a puzzled look to his uncle. What for? They were already down here. What''s the point of going back up again?


    Vincent felt a little better when he saw the confused look on Alec''s face. Seemed like he wasn''t acting tough. He really wasn''t bothered by it. Vincent approved. The mental fortitude that he had was good if he wanted to survive outside of the clan.


    The light sound of feet thudding onto the ground met their ears as Evin and Elias landed.

 Chapter 37 Deeper In The Underground Cavern

    The four of them delved further into the underground cavern, guided by the source of light from Vincent''s candle.


    The light from the candle was far-reaching and spread out gently in all directions.


    Illuminated by the light source, Alec was able to take in a lot more of his surroundings as compared to when he had literally been groping around blindly in the dark. Previously, he had to rely on Bunbun to guide him the entire time.


    This time, however, he had left Bunbun back at home.


    He realized that instead of normal of a naturally formed underground cavern, there were traces of it being carved out by human hands instead. Previously, he thought that it was only the formation of the small pond that had been worked on, but it obviously wasn''t the case.


    Alec realized that Vincent and Evin were both touching the walls as well, as if confirming something.


    Elias walked over to Alec, whispering to him in a lowered voice. If one wasn''t paying attention, the two of them just looked like two friends exchanging words.


    "Don''t you think that it''s just too weird that they left without saying goodbye? No one told us they were graduating as well."


    Alec''s eyes glinted. Elias was a lot sharper than he looked, with how he usually kept a low profile.


    Alec nodded, but didn''t say anything else. Elias nodded back. There were things he could infer just from that nod. They would talk more later.


    "That aside, did you really fall down into this hole? The drop is rather steep!"


    Elias wasn''t making light of the drop that he had faced. Even he wasn''t sure that he would be able to survive a fall like this, let alone with Alec''s shorter and more delicate body. He felt relieved when he didn''t notice anything out of place on his friend.


    Now that only the two of them were left, they had to depend on each other. Not only was ''big brother'' figure Cyrus gone, their ''younger sister'' was gone, and even ''haughty big brother'' Zach was gone!


    Elias, who considered himself as a bigger brother to Alec as well felt like he really got a scare. Even when he had dropped down with their teacher, who had reassured him that they would be fine, his heart still skipped a few beats at the feeling of freefalling.


    "Mm," Alec said. "It wasn''t too bad." He tried to downplay it as much as possible, but Elias shot him a sceptical look.


    As if he would believe that! Luckily, Alec''s bunny was rather smart and knew how to give him water. If not for that, he might not be standing here with his friend anymore. When he had been briefed by their teacher earlier, Elias felt like he suffered shock after shock.


    Alec felt warm at the hidden show of affection from Elias, patting his hand.


    "Let''s go deeper in. There''s a pond at the end of the tunnel."


    The two followed the faint trail of light that they could see in the distance.


    When they reached, Elias took a quiet breath at the scene before him. There was a quiet beauty to the scene. It was calm and tranquil, and he would have loved to stay beside the pond as he read a book.


    The quiet sound of water trickling down the rocks met their ears. The rhythmic plip plops as the water met the surface of the pond showed ripples across the still pond.


    The sight of the skeleton caught Elias'' eye, as well as Evin and Vincent, who had followed after them.


    Evin instantly felt sheepish and avoided the look his friend shot him. How he hadn''t noticed the entire skeleton in the corner was beyond him. Had he really been so distracted at the time? Granted, the sight that Alec made at that time had really shocked him, but that was no excuse to overlook something so conspicuous.


    Vincent felt his heartbeat quicken at the sight of the skeleton''s armour. Eyes widened, he quickly strode over to it, kneeling down before it.


    Evin was caught off guard by his friend''s large reaction to the skeleton. The times he had seen Vince react like this could be counted on one hand. The man was rather aloof by nature, only sparing some feelings for his family and close friends.


    No one made a sound, the stifling silence broken by Vincent''s shocked gasp.


    Vincent almost couldn''t believe his eyes. This was¡­ if this was really who he thought it was, then Alec had truly discovered something that had been a mystery from the clan for such a long time.


    Vincent gestured for Evin to go over to help him. The two men carefully pried off the armour that the skeleton had been wearing, making sure not to damage the armour in the process.


    Though Evin didn''t know what was making his friend react that way, he would follow his cue on things like this.


    Having taken off the armour, which had seen better days, Vincent felt more and more dazed.


    It really was.


    Vincent immediately eyed the skeleton left behind with a sort of withering, almost disgusted look. He didn''t know quite what to feel about this.


    The rest of them were notably confused.


    "What is it?" Evin asked.


    Vincent frowned. "Do you still remember how in the tales, there had been a thief that stole from our ancestor, taking his armour and a few of those miraculous healing potions?"


    Evin nodded slowly, turning his glance onto the armour laid out in front of them. "You mean that old wives'' tale?"


    Vincent turned it around, showing the hollow side of the armour. "Look. Our clan''s symbol."


    Indeed. On the hollow side, placed where the heart would have met the armour, there was a black, stylized crown, with a faintly shining black onyx in the middle.


    "It''s not just a tale. What''s less well-known is that the so-called ''thief'' that had been recorded down in the books is actually the ancestor''s brother. Or rather, his half-brother. Different mother, same father. He was working with the enemy faction and was trying to disrupt morale. Who would have thought that he would meet his end here on the Neil Clan compound after all?


    There were tracking runes left behind on the armour, through the black onyx, but no one had been able to track him down. They were all led to this spot but unable to find anything, so we assumed that he had somehow managed to get rid of the runes."


    Alec, who had been listening with a faint ear as his uncle and teacher talked, absentmindedly and reflexively Awakened the skeleton.


    There was a minor change in expression on his face when he realized what he just did. On cue, the skeleton bones rattled ominously, but so faintly that it could have just been their imagination, causing Vincent to immediately shut up as a chill ran up his spine.


    Was the ancestor''s brother''s spirit here?! Shouldn''t it have moved on already?!


    Alec''s mind raced as he quickly prodded the skeleton before trying his best to recall all the magic that he had ever left on the skeleton.


    Instead of returning to him, however, the magic dissipated in the air, but Alec felt that the bond between him and the skeleton was broken. His frantically beating heart calmed slightly.


    Alec wiped the imaginary sweat off his brow. That had been close! Goodness. He really had to control his instincts so that things like this wouldn''t happen again in the future. However, he now knew that it was indeed possible to Awaken things that had already been dead. That didn''t quite sit right with him.


    The faint connection that he had felt held a faint echo, almost like he had been communicating with the person that had been left behind the moment they died. It was a strange, unsettling feeling, and Alec had no intention of doing it again any time soon.


    "What was that?" Evin said suspiciously.


    Vincent visibly hesitated before speaking. "The wind?" he said with a straight face.


    Evin shot him a look so dry it would not have been out of place in the desert. "In here?"


    "Regardless, bring the skeleton up, will you?"


    Evin complied, carefully handling the fragile bones to make sure nothing happened.


    Vincent gave Alec and Elias a look. "This is strictly under confidentiality, so don''t go around mentioning it to anyone."


    Elias and Alec nodded.


    Elias'' eyes were shining with admiration for the Clan Head. Alec caught sight of his look and secretly wondered to himself if that look would still remain so bright when he knew that the reason why they were leaving so quickly was because Vincent had been spooked by the sound of the rattling bones.

 Chapter 38 Letting Go A Little

    After the discovery that the cave couldn''t be accessed by anyone but Alec, Vincent put aside the matter. No one but the four of them knew about it in the clan. He had briefly toyed with the idea to see whether or not it was only available for those who possessed the Awakening Magitype to enter the cavern but put aside the idea.


    It wasn''t as if the place had any significance to the clan after extracting the bones and armour from within, so he would rather Alec had a place to go and hide for a few hours.


    To be honest, Vincent hadn''t thought that Alec''s graduating mission, so to speak, would have caused such a discovery. Not only that, the three books that had been passed on to him were unable to be deciphered.


    Vincent could only come to the conclusion that the ancestor''s brother had done something to it. He had kept them in a safe place, where no one except the Clan Head was able to access.


    With Alec''s failure in his graduating mission, he missed the chance to venture out into the world on his own, but at the same time, Vincent couldn''t help but feel a mix of relief at the results.


    Alec was only seven, after all.


    The previous few seven-year-olds who had graduated from the advanced course usually didn''t make it back. Either they hadn''t caught the subtleties or had been killed along the way.


    He could tell that his sister was also relieved he hadn''t passed.


    As a Clan Head, it seemed better for the younger ones to pass because it meant that they had more potential for growth, but as a man, Vincent couldn''t help but feel conflicted that they were sending children out so early.


    Of course, he had also gone through the same thing when he was Alec''s age, at eight instead of seven, but that didn''t mean that he didn''t worry. In fact, it was precisely because he knew about all the various difficulties that he was worried!


    Vincent frowned, staring out the window.


    -


    Alec lay in the sun with Bunbun napping by his side. On his other side, Elias was lying in the grass as well, staring into the sky.


    The two of them enjoyed a comfortable silence, just relaxing.


    After a period of silence, Elias spoke up.


    "Do you think that mission to come up with a way to use our Magitype was the graduating test? Or was it survival in The Great Expanse alone?"


    Alec was quiet for a moment. "Are you asking because you want the answer?"


    Similarly, Elias didn''t say anything for a while as he thought about it. "You''re right. I already know the answer. I just want to know¡­ why did they have to leave in such a hurry?"


    Alec sat up a little to look at the teenager, who wore a quiet, forlorn expression. "You know¡­ there are some things in this clan that are considered open secrets. But no one in the clan talks about it. Do you know why? It''s because its part of their training for the younger generation. They went through it. Their parents went through it, and so did their grandparents, etc. The point is, there are things that you should already know. You''re just overlooking it."


    There was a longer silence this time.


    Elias smiled, feeling like a weight had been taken off him. "Sometimes, the way you talk doesn''t really fit your age. It makes me feel like I''m talking to someone much older."


    Alec smiled genially.


    "Like that smile," Elias said, a little dazed. "You''re actually not all that gentle, are you?"


    Alec tilted his head. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    Are you kidding? As if he was going to fall into that trap! He could not afford any OOC points deduction right now! Oh, god. He literally could not wait until he got to 1000 points, where he would (hopefully) be able to disable the OOC function.


    Elias closed his eyes, smiling to himself, thinking about Alec''s outburst around the time when they had first used the appraisal crystal.


    Alec groaned inwardly. It was clear that Elias didn''t believe him, but it wasn''t like he could do anything about that. Luckily, it seemed like the Mainframe didn''t count that as going OOC, so there were no point deductions.


    This meant that he was relatively safe as long as he kept up the smile, right?


    When he had more points, he was going to test it out on a stranger.


    "So, what do we do now? Do we have to wait an entire year before we can try to graduate again?"


    "Probably," Alec said. "It''s just you and me now."


    "I wonder how they''re doing out there."


    Alec looked at the softly drifting clouds in the sky. They were probably terrified out of their minds. He didn''t say it out loud, however. He wondered how long they would take to realize. He hoped they were fine.


    Alec narrowed his eyes in determination. They had to survive until they met again.


    "Now that that''s out of the way," Elias said, sitting up and looming. He cast a shadow over Alec. "Don''t think you can hide what you managed to do with your Magitype back there."


    "Ah," Alec said, surprised. "You realized?"


    Elias held back the urge to roll his eyes. Just how unobservant did Alec think he was? "Of course I did. Teacher and Clan Head might not have realized because they were paying attention to the armour, but my attention was on you.


    Alec thought about it for a bit, weighing the pros and cons about letting Elias know. He supposed it couldn''t hurt, and it did get tiring trying to hide it from someone close to him.


    Elias quietly waited. He had been about to say that Alec didn''t have to tell him if he didn''t want to, but changed his mind, because it looked like Alec was seriously considering whether or not to tell him. He wouldn''t take any offence either way, leaving it up to his younger friend.


    "Alright," Alec said at last, causing Elias'' face to light up. It was only when he saw the way Elias was a mix of surprise and delight that caused him to wonder if he had been holding all of his cards too close to his chest.


    Elias'' expressions slowly changed from interest to wonder to something that resembled shock and awe.


    The way he saw Alec changed drastically in a single afternoon. He hadn''t realized just how much he had been overlooking from the younger boy. Whilst Elias knew that he was smart, he hadn''t realized just how smart he was.


    The way that he was looking at what so many considered a useless Magitype shocked him greatly. Once again, he felt like he was looking at someone much older and much more experienced rather than a seven-year-old boy.


    It caused a feeling of inadequacy within him that made him feel like diving right back into the clan''s library so that he could bring himself to such heights as well.


    He wondered just how much more Alec wasn''t saying, that he had missed as a result of not reading between the lines.


    "You''re amazing," Elias said at last, dispelling the small doubts that had sprung up in Alec at the long silence.


    A small smile graced his face. "Thank you."


    "Do you think you can help me think about various applications of the Defensive Magitype as well?"


    Alec paused. "I don''t see why not. We can research and experiment together."


    Elias smiled. "I''m looking forward to it. Want to go now?"


    Alec climbed up; his eyes gleaming. "Not today, but I''ll show you the results of what my Magitype can do!"


    Elias stood up. "Oh," he said, surprised. "Where to?"


    Bunbun clambered up Alec''s shirt, perching himself on his shoulder.


    "I''ll bring you to my apartment."


    Elias raised a brow. "Sure. Let''s go."


    Alec couldn''t help but wonder how his friend would react towards the various things in his home that would move by themselves and hid his smirk behind a smile.


    "Let''s."

 Chapter 39 Growth

    The course of a year seemed to pass by both quickly and slowly at the same time.


    Because there were fewer of them, Evin now had much more time to drill them in the various different things, as well as more time to go over their strengths and weaknesses.


    In this way, passing the first time round was both a blessing and a curse.


    There was just something missing without Zacharias'' comments in the background, or Tatiana and Cyrus'' fussing over him when they finished their lesson for the day.


    One look at Elias'' face showed him that he felt the same way. This prompted them to work that much harder in preparation of their meeting outside of the clan.


    Today was the first day of their week-long survival in The Great Expanse, and Alec had cheated a bit using the underground cavern that he had ''discovered'' exactly a year ago.


    It wasn''t really cheating if it wasn''t stated in the rules that he couldn''t do it, so he had no qualms about doing it. Using whatever they had at their disposal was one of their lessons, after all.


    It was day one of the survival test, and Alec had finally gained enough courage to try and experiment a little on Bunbun and himself.


    As he had observed over the year, the various effects of Awakening would not be able to take place should it be anything that negatively affected the living spirit or consciousness that already existed.


    Of course, this was discounting him being able to severe the connection between whatever made them sentient and ''alive''.


    There was no way that he was able to bring himself to do that to his bunny. At least this way, he knew that he would be able to try it out to his heart''s content without worrying that something unhappening would occur.


    His magic capacity had reached an all-time high at the peak of the elemental stage. Just a little more and he would break into the foundation stage. Elias had made even larger strides and was currently in the transitional foundation stage.


    Alec was really helpless comparing the both of them. His various experiments brought him both great joy as well as countless setbacks in terms of his magical capacity.


    Bunbun hopped around, still the same small size as he had been a year ago. That should have been the first thing that tipped him off, but it wasn''t.


    "Bunbun come here," Alec said, and the bunny obediently hopped over.


    Over the course of the year, the blue that had dyed the bunny''s fur had faded, and he returned back to the original white fur.


    Alec cradled the bunny on his lap, peering at his core.


    The core that had been linked to the brain was a lot more stable now, and the linkage was thicker. Even if he tried to cut it off now, it would most likely lead to the bunny''s death. Though not in body, he would essentially be braindead should he ever try to do that.


    This was what he meant when he said that he was able to severe the connection between sentience.


    This time, however, instead of Awakening the bunny''s brain further, Alec would like to try something else.


    He had always been thinking about how the bunny was particularly fragile. Just like when Bunbun had launched himself at the monster one year ago, which would have resulted in a quick death, there were other similar incidents where Alec had his heart almost stop beating from the various actions the bunny took.


    He had come across the thought one day. In the book that he had acquired back here, the more he read about ''Activation'' or better known today as Awakening, the more he realized that the Magitypes were actually rather closely interrelated.


    The more he discovered, the more he realized that it wasn''t so easy as just classifying a person by their Magitype and being done with.


    In other words, the four Magitypes were actually like an interlinked web. Just because someone fell on the deeper end of the spectrum didn''t mean that they weren''t able to use the other Magitypes.


    From what he could infer, Magitypes were layered and not one-dimensional. No one person was the same from the other, which was why no two people could use the same magic in precisely the same way.


    What Alec was about to attempt now was to try and boost Bunbun''s latent strength. The bunny was normal in every way except for the fact that he was smarter than average.


    Alec had very quickly realized that the bunny''s intelligence was not restrained by his species. He attributed this to the fact that the bond between the bunny''s core and his brain was so bright. Not only that, it was constantly growing and evolving in different ways.


    When he compared the Bunbun now to the Bunbun a year ago, there was a vast difference in their comprehensive abilities.


    Alec tentatively connected the bunny''s core to his various limbs and muscles, making sure to use some of the magic in the bunny''s core to strengthen his bones as well.


    Having done this, Alec withdrew his magic from Bunbun, sweat beading his brow. That had been a workout and a half. Not only was he taxed physically, he was also taxed mentally.


    He checked and doublechecked to make sure that there was nothing wrong with the bunny physically.


    Alec then checked his own magic capacity, realizing that he had, yet again, drained it to almost nothing. He silently held his forehead. Just when would he have enough magic to make sure that it would stop draining him dry all the time?


    Before he started meditating, Alec observed the bunny, a spike of worry working its way through him when he realized that the bunny was laying on him like he was dead, only to realize that Bunbun''s chest was still moving up and down.


    Gave him a scare.


    Bunbun''s consciousness had faded from the moment Alec started drawing out from the core. The core inside him was now dimmer than before, but the slow trickle of magic in the air entered the core, refilling it.


    Alec watched with abject fascination at the changes that were taking place before his very eyes.


    The muscles on the bunny slowly bulged and increased, as if he was watching a fast-forwarded video. Bunbun''s fur seemed to glisten under the cavern''s light, a sort of quality that made one feel like touching his fur to see if it was real.


    Where before the bunny had been able to comfortably fit in his palms, the ball of fluff was now increasing at a great pace.


    Alec''s mouth opened slightly.


    Before long, the bunny as already the size of a watermelon and still growing.


    While he hadn''t been alarmed at first, Bunbun continued growing and didn''t seem to be showing signs of stopping any time soon.


    Thankfully, he stopped fairly soon.


    The bunny rolled over, exposing his tummy. A smile curved on his face.


    The little bunny was now a big bunny. How exactly was he going to carry the other around now, he didn''t know.


    Now, his turn.


    Alec dropped to the ground after he saw that Bunbun was fine without him for a while.


    Meditating, Alec absorbed the magic in the air into his body. He realized earlier on during the survival test that the magic around the pond was more abundant, so this was the perfect place for him to do his experiments.


    He wanted to boost his physical strength as well, which was pathetic even for eight-year-old standards.


    The moment he restored back his magic capacity; he couldn''t help but feel that he was the only one in the world who was going about things like this. Ah, life was really difficult for an Awakener!


    Time to get to work.


    Allowing the magic to flow throughout his body, he slowly sunk into a deeper meditative state where he blocked out the rest of his surroundings.

 Chapter 40 Grasp Your Strength Firmly

    On day three of the survival mission, Alec woke up.


    Everything in his body was aching. If you thought puberty was bad, you were wrong. What he was feeling now made puberty feel like a walk in the park.


    Alec groaned, sitting up. The aches were felt even before he fully regained consciousness. He felt more like someone had stuffed him to the point of bursting from the inside. He felt around cautiously.


    His muscles seemed a lot more compact than it had been previously, and they were in no means soft. Now, though, he felt like he was full of fighting strength.


    Luckily, he didn''t seem to have bulked up too much. It would have been rather bizarre to see a small kid sporting huge muscles, so he was relieved. Outwardly, he looked almost the same as usual.


    Alec flopped back down when his arm muscles gave out from under him, falling flat on his back.


    When his hand met the floor as he tried to stop his fall, there was a very audible thud.


    Alec startled. Bunbun, who had been sleeping by the side, jumped in alarm.


    Alec slowly turned to look at the cavern floor and realized that he was thinking too much. There wasn''t anything as drastic as an imprint of his hand directly on the ground. Even in that case, he still felt speechless. Just how much had his strength increased for that loud of a sound to occur?


    It looked like the boost to his strength was indeed notable. The results were out of his expectations. He thought that it might have increased just a little, not this much.


    Bunbun scampered over to him, pawing him.


    Alec laughed, pushing away the bunny with relative ease. He paused yet again. The bunny was now big enough to cover his lap. In other words, the bunny was two or so times bigger than a normal rabbit.


    Alec climbed up off the ground, hugging the bunny to himself. The human and bunny made a strange sight.


    With the bunny clutched in his arms, an eight-year-old was walking around testing out his strength. Alec looked like he was clutching an oversized stuffed toy in his arms. The sight he made would have made a lot of people coo over him.


    "Should we go out and test out our strength?"


    Alec tentatively started a light jog towards the entrance, only to experience a boost in speed as he tried to sprint as usual, causing him to slam into the wall.


    Alec, "¡­"


    He put Bunbun down, this time walking towards the entrance instead.


    Alec felt out all the changes in his body, quietly marvelling. This discovery of his had changed the way that he looked at Magitypes in general.


    His muscles were so much more compact, but they were still sinewy and flexible. This shouldn''t have been possible in a body so young.


    Alec almost felt like skipping. This was great! His strength could only go up from here. Of course, each time he used it on himself, he would likely face a severe decline in his magical capacity, but he would just have to work on it continuously like he was already doing.


    Reaching the entrance, which was now lit up thanks to the courtesy of his uncle, Alec watched Bunbun rapidly ascend using the footholds that had been installed.


    The glee that was radiating across their bond also bolstered Alec''s happiness.


    He was happy that the bunny would be less vulnerable now. He wouldn''t have to constantly worry about him.


    Where before the bunny had to rely on Alec to climb up to the surface, he was now able to scale the wall with ease. He did it so quickly and swiftly that it looked like he had been practicing for years.


    Alec placed his foot on the lowest foothold, using around half of his strength. His heart skipped a beat when his body flew up. He scrambled to latch onto a handhold. Just like that, he leapt up a quarter of the way.


    Studying his body''s reactions, Alec slowly started getting used to the additional amount of strength that his body now possessed.


    By the time he finished scaling the wall, Alec had a better handle on his strength.


    He leapt out with a rare sort of glee that he hardly ever experienced ever since coming to this planet.


    Even the sun that shone down seemed brighter to him. He felt like he was lighter.


    "Let''s go," Alec called to Bunbun.


    He had built an obstacle course for himself previously before going down into the underground cavern to test out his strength when he was finished.


    Boy and bunny made their way to a certain part of the forest, where Alec had Awakened a bunch of trees previously. The bonds between them was still going strong, and the bonds between the trees reminded him of a lattice.


    Alec had come back here during winter to see how the trees would fare in the change of season, but the trees remained lush and green all throughout winter. Some of them even sported flowers, looking like they were right at home.


    This caught his attention because the other trees that he hadn''t Awakened in comparison had withered leaves and entered a state of dormancy.


    The bond between the trees sung, and they fed off each other.


    Alec realized that they had learnt how to draw in the latent magic in the air to their own cores, and they were flourishing as a result.


    Alec patted one of their trunks and got a hum from them in return.


    Now, he had created an obstacle course that used a bunch of fallen trunks and traps that would allow them to test their reaction time.


    Alec ran through it first, stumbling at various points as well as falling flat on his face. However, he didn''t feel frustrated. There was something raw and satisfying about realizing that he still had a long way to go.


    He was able to see and categorize the rapid improvements that he made through the obstacle course. His grip over his newfound strength was slowly but steadily becoming more stable.


    By the time he finished, he was still not yet there, but closer.


    "Bunbun, go!"


    Like a shot, the bunny was off, leaping and ducking under the various branches and objects.


    As Bunbun ran the obstacle course, Alec could feel the fundamental change in the bunny''s strength. Not only was his strength greatly increased, with his new body mass, the bunny was still as quick as ever.


    In fact, the bunny was quicker than he had been before this. Like Alec, Bunbun was experiencing a lapse in judgement at times, but he was able to adapt much quicker. Alec didn''t know if it was because of the bunny''s natural instincts, but there was never a mistake that repeated.


    Once the bunny was done, Alec went again.


    The pair of them, owner and pet, alternated like this until they were running out of stamina.


    Alec felt like he was bursting with energy and vitality. Well¡­ not literally. He was completely drained and felt like he was about to collapse at any given moment. How the bunny was still able to go around and run was beyond him.


    So, his strength had indeed greatly increased, but his stamina was still shit. That didn''t put a damper on his elation, however.


    "Bunbun, go get us some food."


    Alec lay down near the roots of one of the trees, catching his breath.


    Before long, the bunny returned, dragging along a boar behind him.


    Alec''s mouth opened slightly. Actually, he thought that the bunny would bring some sort of fruits or something similar to satiate their appetite, but it looked like the bunny went off to test his strength instead.


    Day in and out, sometimes, it felt like the bunny was the Main Character of this world sometimes. Alec paused, laughing. How could that be. Sometimes, his imagination ran away with himself.


    Mm. The bunny better not be the Main Character. He had no intention of being a sidekick for the Main Character. Help, sure, since it was his mission, but other than that, he had no intention of going along for the whole damn journey.


    Alec eyed the bunny as he worked on dismembering the boar.


    Bunbun tilted his head curiously at his owner''s actions.

 Chapter 41 Last Day

    Day seven of the survival mission, Alec had absolute control over his current strength. Where before he was unintentionally breaking things at the lapse of attention, he was now able to exert full control over his sudden strength gain. Even the biggest lapse in attention wouldn''t cause him to accidentally break things beyond repair.


    Alec was very pleased with this result. He almost couldn''t wait for this mission to be over so that he could set out on a journey outside of the clan compound to see what else he could do.


    How much more of the world hadn''t he seen? The only things he had seen were the clan compounds'' buildings as well as people.


    Since everyone had brown hair and blue eyes, even that got tiring after a while as the novelty wore off. He was ready. There had to be so much more knowledge outside the clan that he could get his hands on.


    He was also looking forward to finding Cyrus, Tatiana and Zacharias again to see what they had been up to.


    Bunbun was perched in the tree''s branches, looking more reminiscent of a leopard stalking its prey than an innocent bunny.


    Alec ignored him, feigning obliviousness.


    When the bunny launched himself at Alec, however silently, Alec dodged with practiced ease, with only the barest of movements.


    Not only was this good practice, he was also waiting to see just how long Bunbun would take to realize that not only did he always know where he was hiding, he could also feel through the bond when the time he had chosen to attack was.


    So far, the bunny still had no idea.


    Alec huffed before deciding not to play with the bunny any further. He knew that if they continued down this way, Bunbun would only get more and more fired up to at least land a hit, and that just wouldn''t do.


    It was almost time for them to head back to the designated meeting spot that signified that their mission was completed.


    This time, there had been no mishaps in The Great Expanse that would threaten him.


    He did not see hide nor tail of a monster, only seeing a few larger animals that frequented this area of the forest.


    Though his teacher had tried to keep him as far away as possible from the underground cavern that he had discovered and almost lost his life to last year during this mission, Alec was able to make his way over because of the bonds that he could feel from the group of trees he had Awakened.


    Even if he couldn''t recognise where he was, he would not go wrong following the feeling of where the bonds were.


    "Alright, enough messing around. It''s time for us to go back."


    Bunbun pouted. He felt like he hadn''t finished playing today yet, but it was already time to go.


    Alec picked up the bunny, hugging the soft fur that was still as clean and pristine as ever. The white fur even seemed to glisten slightly under the sun, like it was imbued with jewels.


    No matter how Alec thought about it, he just didn''t see how him Awakening Bunbun''s strength had caused such a change in his fur.


    Bunbun hung over his arm like an oversized doll, obediently staying still and not moving.


    Like this, Alec took off with a burst of speed that would have rendered himself from one year ago speechless.


    He ascended to the higher branches of the trees, nimbly jumping along. There wasn''t a single sound that was heard even though he was moving so swiftly. Learning this had been trial and error. A lot more error than he ever thought possible, but he had the hang of it now.


    This wasn''t even augmented speed with magic. He realized that by running normally without boosting himself with magic, it was more of a workout that caused his muscles to grow tired.


    Without doing this, the muscles didn''t get the full benefits of a workout.


    He wondered if it was because of this reason that he had never seen a person with a bulkier figure in the clan. Even his uncle, the Clan Head, which was said to boast a martial prowess, seemed rather slim and lean.


    He had muscles indeed, but he never seemed to bulk up.


    Then again, Alec himself, now that he had Awakened some strength within himself, didn''t bulk up either. Maybe it was just their genes?


    Alec touched down just as the sun set, watching with curiosity as Elias seemed to fade out of the tree''s shadow.


    It wasn''t so much as emerging from the tree, but rather, his presence had been faint and unnoticeable until he stepped out from the shadow that the tree cast.


    It looked like Elias had discovered a new fa?ade to his Magitype during the past seven days.


    "Alec." Elias looked happy to see him. He looked at Bunbun curiously and itched to touch. The fur looked so much softer now!


    Alec smiled at his friend. "How was your week?"


    "Great. I realized I can make myself harder to be noticed."


    "How does that work, exactly?"


    "Running along the lines of defence, which can branch out to being ''harder'', I made myself ''harder to see''. Seems it works pretty well, judging by your initial reaction to me appearing. I''ve been there the whole time."


    Alec nodded. That was a rather novel idea of looking at it, and he couldn''t help but admire it. It was a mix between what he imagined Support could do, as well as Defence.


    Both the boy and teenager turned their heads at the same time, alerted to their teacher''s presence.


    Evin looked at the two with satisfaction. It looked like they had indeed grown within the week-long training mission. Training alone sometimes brought more benefits than training under someone else did.


    "Good job," Evin couldn''t help but say. "No injuries, right?"


    Both of them shook their head.


    Evin''s eyes landed on the bunny still clutched in Alec''s arms. He squinted, wondering if he was seeing things. "What exactly happened there?" he said, his eyes staring pointedly at the previously small bunny.


    "He got a lot stronger."


    "Obviously," Evin said, his tone like sandpaper. He shrugged. Whatever. It wasn''t his rabbit,


    "Go back home tonight. Tomorrow, you graduate."


    Alec and Elias exchanged smiles.


    Elias'' eyes were sparkling as he thought about going to find the rest of their friends.


    The two boys parted ways as they headed back home to pack their belongings.


    Analise was waiting nervously at the door. "Alec!" she tugged her son into a big hug, spinning him around. "Oof, you''ve gotten heavy," she said, eyeing him.


    Alec felt slightly offended. She said it like he had gotten fat during the seven days he had been away. This was pure muscle, okay! Muscle!


    "Well, you''re going to graduate, right? We have to quickly pack your bags tonight!"


    Alec allowed himself to be tugged along according to his mother''s whims. There just wasn''t any fighting her.


    Bunbun entered the room at this moment, causing her to pause. "Wow. You''re not the only one to have gotten heavy!"


    Alec felt speechless but entered his own room to pack away a few things he wanted to bring with him as he left the clan compounds. He snuck the more ''useless'' things as well as the heavier things into the spatial dimension on his thigh.


    Just imagining the sight of him secretly sticking his hands down his pants was just too beautiful to be mentioned. He really couldn''t ever bring himself to do something like that. Maybe if it was life or death, but otherwise he would have just forgotten about it!


    Luckily for him, he was still able to store and retrieve things over his clothes.


    Annalise abruptly entered the room as he was touching his thigh, causing him to slowly take his hand off.


    "What were you doing?" she said, eyeing him curiously.


    "Nothing."


    "Don''t worry¡­ mother understands¡­"


    Understand what! Misunderstand, more like!

 Chapter 42 Explosion Galore

    It was around ten at night the next day when shit seemed to hit the fan.


    The first herald that something was wrong was when the loud sound of something exploding reached his ears.


    Instantly, Alec stopped the discussion he was having with his mother regarding runes. Similarly, Bunbun''s ears were perked up and twitching.


    The carefree expression on Annalise''s face dropped immediately, switching to a look of utter seriousness.


    "Stay here," Annalise said.


    "Mother -"


    "Stay. Here. Understand?"


    Alec frowned, but reluctantly backed down. "Yes."


    Annalise nodded, quickly heading to her room to change and grab some weapons. "Kill the lights!"


    The lights flickered off by themselves.


    Within a minute, she was dressed and out. Sporting an attire that he had never seen before, she cut a dashing figure unlike her normally composed and calm self. Instead of her usual clan clothes, which was what he and the rest of the clan wore as well, white and black long wide-sleeved clothing, she was sporting leather armour and tightfitting black clothes.


    Alec caught sight of her eyes as she brushed past him, leaving. They were electrifying, full of determination and purpose. Alec felt like he had seen another side of the woman he knew for the past eight years of his life.


    Seeing her like this, he supposed he could understand how she had been part of the advanced course that few others of their clan boasted as well.


    His heartbeat was drumming a steady staccato within, blood was thundering in his ears.


    There was a strange, lingering anticipation and excitement that coursed through his veins.


    The sounds of explosions amped up shortly, and the thundering sounds gave him the illusion that the ground was trembling under his feet.


    Alec left the slightest crack open in their front door, and he could hear the crescendos of screams that filtered into his ears. There were sometimes a few wet gurgles that he could hear, which made something within him shudder.


    The sounds of death and destruction echoed all around him.


    Alec suddenly felt like the clan compound that he knew so well was something so utterly foreign and unfamiliar to him.


    He had no idea how long passed, but during this time he was not idle. He geared himself up with various small but sharp daggers that he had worked on together with his mother. They were deadly if applied right, and he would not be going anywhere tonight without them.


    He hesitated briefly but, in the end, left the pack that he got ready near the door.


    He entered his mother''s rooms and left an envelope in a visible place.


    Bunbun never strayed far from his side. It seemed like he felt that his owner was currently in danger and was thus unwilling to part from him. Alec patted him on the head.


    He reckoned it was about two hours in when he heard the sounds of plodding footsteps near the door. There were soft, almost inaudible sounds of something wet dripping to the ground. His heartbeat accelerated.


    Was this friend or foe? Was it his mother? Or someone else?


    The door opened silently without any prompt from him, and as he connected with the bond from the Awakened door, he could tell that it was indeed his mother beyond the sanctuary of their home.


    She was staggering, and there was a trail of blood in the outside hallway that showed how she moved to get here.


    Alec quickly gestured for the door to open, catching his mother''s body as she slumped in. He felt a spike of panic. She was clutching her side, as blood continuously gushed out from inside. The front of her leather armour was soaked through with blood. The deep gash in her side told him what happened.


    "Mother!"


    "-lec," she breathed out, her voice had a wet quality that made him have the illusion that she was choking on blood.


    Alec''s hand found itself on her side, where she flinched as he put pressure on it to try and stem the blood flow.


    "Go!" she gasped. "Leave me!"


    "You can forget about it," Alec said tightly.


    "Go! I''ll be fine. Vincent will come for me in a few minutes. Take your things and leave! You have to make it out of the compound. Don''t let them find you!"


    Alec grit his teeth, ignoring her.


    Alec swore, grabbing his pack next to the door. He ignored her angry thumps as he tightly bound her wound, trying to buy as much time as possible. Though he didn''t know if it would help, at least he had some peace of mind.


    Annalise seemed to regain some of her strength, pushing him away from her. She put her own hand on her wound, pressing hard. "Go!" He could already see that her eyes were blurring.


    He cast a resolute look at his mother, who angrily gestured for him to leave. "Go! There''s still other people who need your help."


    No!


    "Go," she gasped weakly. "Always remember that I love yo-" her hand slumped as her eyes lost what little light they had left.


    At this moment, it felt like all the sound in the world had drowned out, leaving him in a blanket of silence. He couldn''t even hear the pumping of his blood that had seemed so loud earlier on.


    Alec silently brushed her eyes, closing them.


    Alec ran out the door at full speed, Bunbun hot on his heels.


    The only thing that greeted him along the way was the various dead bodies lying around. The blood was rushing through his ears, their sound drowning everything else out.


    There was no one left alive.


    There were various scattered body parts that could be found along the way, and the pungent smell of blood was overpowering.


    He never met anyone he knew along the way, but there were a few faces that looked familiar to him.


    He turned away, ignoring everything.


    Though he knew¡­ the sight still burned itself into his memory.


    Everything happened so quickly. At first, it had been peaceful and life as usual, but it escalated from zero hundred without a warning. He could scarcely believe it.


    Alec ran as hard as he could, almost as if he was trying to leave it all behind. As if he was trying to run away from the fact that his clan was completely butchered behind him.


    Without realizing, he was standing in front of the Edelles Tree, and he only calmed down when Bunbun brushed against his knee.


    His caution increased as he heard a faint whisper on the grass.


    Elias faded out from the shadow of the tree; his expression spooked.


    He looked haunted by what he had seen along the way.


    "Elias," Alec said, studying his friend. His friend had a hand on the tree, looking as if he was about to use his magic any time. His hand was trembling ever so slightly.


    "¡­Alec," Elias said, looking both relieved and cautious.


    Alec gave him a soft, faint smile, tugging the other into a hug. From the feel of his magic, it really was Elias.


    Then, he hardened himself. "Come on, let''s go. There''s no time to waste!"


    Alec set off first, Elias and Bunbun following. There were no more words exchanged between the both of them.


    The atmosphere was heavy and depressing. Alec had a feeling that he had also seen his parents ¨C


    Though they tried to move quickly, they used all their training to keep as silent as possible without leaving any traces behind for people to track them down.


    Elias was shaking. He didn''t even have any recollection of how he made it to the Edelles Tree in the first place. He must have moved by pure instinct alone, having somehow realized that if his friend was still alive, he would eventually head there.


    Thankfully for him, it paid off. He felt like he was wading deep within a swamp, without any light or direction to guide him.


    It was all he could do to latch onto Alec''s firm and familiar presence as a guiding light. Never had he felt so relieved to see his friend.


    "Stop thinking so much," he heard from faintly before him. "Rely on the muscle memory that''s been hammered into us. We can think about it once we''re out of here."


    Right.

 Chapter 43 Nightmares

    Elias couldn''t help the doubts that started to creep in the longer they darted around, hiding from something they didn''t know. They crept up on him. Slowly, silently, eating away at his mind.


    The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he felt.


    What if he was wrong?


    What if they were wrong?


    Were his parents really dead?


    The thoughts constantly reverberated in his mind, chasing him endlessly. The silence of the forest was getting to him ever so slowly.


    If it wasn''t for the slight sounds of Alec''s footsteps, he would likely have crumbled from the uncertain pressure. Elias felt thankful. He knew that Alec''s footsteps never had any sounds, but he must have known that Elias needed some reassurance.


    Elias didn''t understand how the younger boy could be so resolute in his decisions. Did he not second guess himself? Did he not feel the doubt plague him that this was truly real? But whatever was the case, he was still thankful.


    Alec, unlike what Elias thought, was trying his best not to dwell on the images that were burned into his mind. How could he not doubt that it was all real? However, Alec still chose to believe in his own deductions more.


    It was as simple as that. He already decided that this was another test for him, so he would treat it as such.


    By the time they made it out of the boundary on the other side of the forest, dawn was already close breaking.


    The two had never cut through such deepness in the forest before. They were lucky not to have encountered any monsters that dwelled in the deeper region.


    Alec couldn''t help but let out a little breath when they were in the clear.


    However, they would stay within the forest until nightfall. This was Alec''s decision not only because they had to conserve strength, but also because he knew for a fact that Elias was steadily growing more unstable as the silence went on.


    By the time they were hidden up in the trees, Elias finally couldn''t maintain his silence any longer.


    "Do you really think this is a final test of sorts to us?" Elias, who was usually so content to be quiet, felt like he could no longer appreciate the silence. At least, not for tonight. Not here, not now.


    Alec paused, thinking about how to properly phrase his answer. "Elias. You''re second-guessing yourself. What does your gut say?"


    "It''s all fake," Elias said, his voice a whisper.


    "That''s what I think too. It''s all staged. Do you think every year, we''re given a day off from training at the same date because of the weird reason the clan gives us? That''s clearly another hint. Not to mention, do you think your parents are that weak? Do you think our clan is that weak? If there was really an attack on the clan compound, I don''t believe that everyone would be slaughtered so easily! Why haven''t we seen any of the enemy''s bodies? Thinking up to this point, you must take everything into consideration. I''m merely judging from the evidence already presented."


    The longer Alec talked; the more Elias regained his confidence.


    "If you''re still not convinced, then here," Alec said, showing him his hand. There were blotches of dried brown on his hands.


    Elias studied them. Though they did look very similar to dried blood, when he sniffed, there wasn''t the familiar scent of blood that he was used to. It was indeed fake blood.


    That''s right. Those reasons were all the evidence that he had used to convince himself previously, so why was he second-guessing himself now?


    The fake blood was the final nail in the coffin. Thinking up to this point, Elias once again really admired Alec''s mental stability. Even though he was so much younger, the boy was already so much stronger than him in this aspect.


    It was a pity that his magical capacity wasn''t up to par, but Elias had a feeling that the other boy would bring him surprises upon surprises in the future. There was no basis to this feeling of his. It was just a gut feeling.


    "Get some rest," Alec said, a little softer than usual. The sight of a kid like Elias having such haunted eyes made him feel bad. "I''ll wake you up later on to switch."


    Elias didn''t fight him on this. He nodded, closing his eyes. The teenager''s breathing evened out quickly, tired out by the things that he saw tonight.


    Alec looked up at the moon that was still visible in the sky. The clouds were already lightening with the sun''s rays.


    Alec absentmindedly patted Bunbun, who was also taking the chance to drift off.


    Even though Alec talked so much, his mind couldn''t help but think of the scene of his mother''s empty eyes reflecting back on him from time to time.


    Did they really have to make it so needlessly real? No¡­ that''s not right. It''s precisely because so many of them got tricked that this last wakeup call was needed.


    Though he didn''t like it, Alec could still accept the reasoning. He couldn''t help but wonder just how many of those who went through it suffered from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.


    This was also a sort of wakeup call to Alec himself. He never realized just how close he had let Annalise get to his heart. Over the years, she had slowly but steadily wormed herself into his life, planting herself there firmly in the spot of a mother.


    He never realized how he had subconsciously started addressing her as ''mother'' even as he thought. Though he had previously called her ''mother'' out loud, he never took it to heart because at most, he thought that he just saw her as a friend.


    However, seeing her helpless form on the floor struck a chord he didn''t know existed within him. The irrational rage that had bubbled up briefly when he saw her helpless form surprised him. Even though he knew it was all staged, the emotions that had been born in his heart were very real.


    Heh. Who was the one who said that Sins didn''t have emotions? He should have gone back and burned that book to cinders. Such bullshit that only gave him the barest of details shouldn''t even have been made into a book in the first place!


    Alec heard the sound of Elias'' breathing quickening beside him. He looked over, seeing the flinch of his body and his laboured breathing. Alec realized that the teen was having a nightmare.


    Alec reached over to gently shake the other awake, catching him when he startled.


    "¡­Thanks," Elias said, the haunted look in his eyes fading slightly.


    "¡­Go back to sleep."


    "Yeah."


    -


    Annalise, who had been lying on the ground for the past hour, relaxed her tensed muscles as she confirmed that Alec had really left.


    Her heart clenched as she thought about what this would do to her son''s psyche. Though she had done her best to leave various hints for him to pick up, they would never really know whether or not the hints had been picked up or not.


    Annalise threw an arm over her eyes as the ceiling rained. She didn''t bother to say anything even when her brother entered the room. Or rather, it wasn''t that she didn''t bother, but the words just didn''t want to leave her mouth right now.


    Vincent silently waited by the side, sitting down next to her prone form.


    She didn''t feel like talking, and neither did he.


    "I hate having to do this," she said at last, the silence getting to her.


    "Me too," Vincent said, and Annalise couldn''t help but feel her heart go out to her brother.


    Just how many had he sent off like this as well? Some of them never came back.


    Such was the position of a Clan Head.


    Annalise did not envy the position that her brother found himself in. It was just as well that she had turned down the position because of this reason alone. Though she had cautioned him against it, he had been headstrong in his youth, full of ambition.


    "I wonder if this is how our parents felt when they sent us off as well," Annalise said blankly. "Though we figured it out rather quickly, sometimes it still haunts me to this day."


    Vincent didn''t reply.


    After another hour or so of lying on the ground, Annalise picked herself back up. "Enough of that. He will come back in a few years. I''ll miss him."


    "Alec''s strong."


    She patted her brother on the shoulder, feeling like she was having an out-of-body experience. Vincent was feeling the same things she was currently feeling as well.


    Annalise headed back to her room to shower. Right now, she couldn''t bring herself to go into Alec''s room.


    All of the fake blood were the makings of a terrible clean-up time.


    The moment she entered her room, her line of sight was drawn to a white, crisp envelope that had been placed on her desk.


    Without knowing the reason why, her heartbeat quickened.


    She walked over and picked it up with shaky hands, spotting Alec''s familiar handwriting.


    As she read through it, a drop hit the paper as she realized that she was crying.


    She immediately moved the paper further away to avoid more tears falling onto it, reading it through the watery veil that blurred her vision.


    Hehe. She just knew that he would be able to figure it out! She huffed. His acting was so real, too. It had fooled her!


    It was just as well. At least now she that she knew he already figured out the contents of the clan''s last test to them, she could go over to Elias'' parents and let them know that he would find their son as well.

 Chapter 44 The What Forest?

    By the time night hit once more, Elias and Alec were both rested up as well as they could be.


    "Come on, let''s gain some distance from the clan compounds. Who knows whether or not they''ll send some ''enemies'' to give us a chase if we don''t leave quickly?"


    "Where should we go to?" Elias said, shouldering his backpack.


    The pack was filled to the brim with various things that the teen had packed the night before.


    Alec eyed the bulging backpack and wondered if he could give his friend a spatial dimension rune as well. Though, what if he messed up? Maybe the next time they stopped he would ask the other if he wanted one.


    Alec gestured for the other to put down his backpack and pull out a map. "You have a map?"


    Elias obligingly opened his backpack, digging around inside until he found some.


    When he lowered the map a little to look at Alec, he realized that Alec had reallocated half of his things into his own backpack.


    "Alec," Elias said dryly. "What do you think you''re doing?"


    "Helping," Alec said, giving the other a winning smile. "Don''t worry. It''s not very heavy."


    Elias resisted the urge to comment. Of course, it wasn''t very heavy to him, but for Alec''s weaker body, it should have been quite a toll! Not to mention, he still had his own things as well as half of his.


    "Don''t be stubborn," he said, trying to snatch back some of the things.


    Alec made a sound and zipped his backpack closed. "Just choose where you want to go already."


    Elias resisted the urge to sigh. He would take back his things later on when Alec grew tired.


    The two pored over the map, rejecting various towns along the way.


    It would be best for them to go towards the city.


    If they knew Cyrus and Zacharias, they would likely head to a big city so that they could hide. Tatiana, on the other hand, might stay in a smaller town to throw off any pursuers before sneaking off in a direction where others wouldn''t be able to predict.


    In the end, they decided on a city called Welkton, which was located towards the west. Not only was it the biggest city that held a larger population, it meant that within the city, they would be harder to track down and easier for them to slip away should anything unsavoury happen.


    "Welkton is a decently sized city. If I know Zacharias and Cyrus well, then they''re probably still there. Even if they aren''t, they should have stopped by at least once."


    Elias agreed. If the two of them travelled along the same road, then they might have even met up already. A year was not too short, but neither was it too long.


    Tatiana, however, eluded their guesses on where they would go. Worst come to worst, they would meet up with Zacharias and Cyrus first before branching out to search for Tatiana.


    Alec didn''t believe that any of them would die so easily. From the drills that Evin had put them through, they never once slacked off or took it easy.


    As they broke cover from the trees, Alec looked back at The Great Expanse for the last time, burning the sight into his memories.


    They would be back.


    For now, they would head towards the nearest town following the road.


    If they were truly being hunted by enemies, there was no way that either boy would have opted to leave so blatantly out in the open.


    However, they already knew that that part of the test was over. There would be no one coming to harass them or hurry them along.


    The two boys set off at a leisurely pace down the road, running.


    Behind them, in the trees, Vincent''s guard, Drew, watched the teenager and boy speechlessly, having ducked deeper into the forest when Vincent''s nephew stared at the spot he had been standing on, almost as if he could see him.


    Never had he seen any of the graduates look so at peace and casual about the whole affair. Evidently, they had already guessed the nature of their ''graduation'' and were thus setting out with a light heart.


    Drew compared them to the panicked and desperate looks on previous graduates'' faces and admired them. To have such mental fortitude at such a young age was the mark of someone who would go on to achieve great things in the future.


    The older teenager clearly wasn''t as strong mentally, but after being set right by Vincent''s nephew. The boy, though only eight-years-old, was already showing marks of a leader.


    Of course, if Alec heard what was going through the guard''s head, he would have spat at his feet. What ''marks of a leader''. Clearly, this was an adult leading a child, okay! He wouldn''t have been able to face himself if he just let the child suffer in front of him.


    What surprised Alec was that the road that led to The Great Expanse was not populated. There were neither groups nor stragglers that headed towards the forest.


    What Alec didn''t know was that The Great Expanse was known to others as a death spot. Anyone who dared venture into the forests always disappeared. The lucky ones came out horribly disorientated without any memory of what happened inside.


    Sometimes, they only lost hours of their memories, and other times, they lost entire days.


    Over the years, cases upon cases of this only caused those in the know to grow warier and warier, until there was no one left who dared to challenge the mysteries of the forest. Even if they did, they were advised otherwise by the locals nearby.


    What people feared the most was the unknown. Since no one was able to say what happened inside, nor did they ever come out with anything that would have inspired greed in others, the forest was eventually marked as a place where only the foolish went.


    This was the reason why Alec and Elias did not meet anyone along the way.


    All the way to when the road intersected with the town, they had not met a single soul.


    They exchanged a look, puzzled.


    Then, of course, like all things terrible that happened to him, Alec heard the Mainframe''s voice.


    [Mission: Stay two weeks or longer within Mystik Town.]


    [Mission: Earn money to travel.]


    The smile on Alec''s face became a bit more forced at the words. They had been planning on just detouring around the town. However, the Mainframe was forcing him to go in!


    "Elias," Alec said faintly. "Let''s stay in this town for a while."


    Elias looked at Alec in surprise but didn''t contest him on this. When he thought about it, this was a logical choice. They would be able to gather information here about the outside world.


    Elias admired Alec. His vision was so far-reaching, to even think about this point.


    If Alec knew what Elias was thinking about him, he would have suffered a blow inside. All he was thinking about was completing the Mainframe''s damn missions!


    He was a slave to points! A slave!


    At the gates of the town, there was a yawning guard, who looked at them in shock when they approached.


    "Eh!" the guard called out. "You''re coming from Mysterious Forest?"


    The guard was obviously in shock that two young people ¨C one barely a teen, and the other not even reaching double digits, were coming from the direction of the Mysterious Forest that no one dared venture to.


    "Mysterious Forest?" Elias said, a look of confusion on his face.


    That cemented the guard''s suspicions. See, he was right! They didn''t know anything and were obviously bewildered. Oh, what poor children. Could it be that their parents met some sort of mishap inside the forest?


    "Come in, come in," the guard said, ushering them in.


    Elias and Alec exchanged a look. That was easier than they thought.


    They still thought that they would have to do a bit of fast talking before they would be let into the town.

 Chapter 45 Mystik Town

    "Welcome to Mystik Town!" the guard said, parting way for them to enter.


    Alec took in the town from the entrance. Even at a single glance, it was a lot different from what he was used to seeing in the Neil Clan compound.


    For Elias, it was probably something akin to culture shock, since he had never experienced something like this before.


    Alec, on the other hand, was a lot calmer, since he had a life previously before this. He had long since adapted to circumstances that the Mainframe tried to trip him up with.


    He would not be OOC-ing today. Or any other day, thank you very much.


    It looked akin to something that he saw a lot in his previous life. Before he started work as a System. He had grown up in a small town like this. It was just barely bigger than a village.


    The buildings, as compared to their clan compound, were not as large, nor as tall, but they still gave off a feeling of charm of the quiet town life.


    The buildings were mainly made out of wood, though there were those that had been constructed with different material. Each building looked different from the other, which was a stark contrast in the buildings in their clan compound.


    Where in the clan compound the buildings purpose could be told from first glance, here in Mystik Town, it wasn''t as obvious. Due to the way the owners showed their individuality, the various buildings that looked like they functioned as something could be a completely different thing altogether. Whereas, in the Neil compound, it was all obviously designed by a single architect.


    As it was still midday when they arrived, there were various townsfolk walking around.


    Compared to the long, wide-sleeved outfit of white and black that Elias and Alec wore, there were all shades of different clothing and hair as they walked by.


    Elias looked around with curiosity glinting in his eyes. He felt like he had stepped into a new world that he had only seen through the veil of a screen before. Everywhere he looked, there was something new and interesting.


    The novelty from the sight caused him to temporarily forget about the scenes that had been haunting him for the most part of the night.


    Alec felt relieved when he saw Elias light up. Going through that was already hard on him, let alone a teenager like Elias. He couldn''t help but wonder how well Zacharias, Cyrus and Tatiana fared.


    While he hoped that all three of them had met up, he knew that statistically, the chances were too low. The fact that Elias had the sense of mind to even try and meet up with him was both a testament to how he knew what Alec was thinking, as well as rationality.


    The fact that they had discussed where to meet when they left, however loosely, also played a part.


    "Come on," the guard said, startling Elias. Alec looked at him calmly. "I''ll bring you to settle in for the night. I won''t ask what happened to you, but if you need any help, don''t hesitate to let me know. My name is Stanley Woods."


    "Thank you Mr.Woods," Alec said, smiling. "Alec."


    "Elias. Likewise, thank you, Mr. Woods."


    "Just Stanley is fine." Stanley nodded. He felt bad for them. They were so young and had already lost their parents to the horror of the Mysterious Forest. He would try and help them out wherever he could.


    Looking at how they were dressed, it seemed like they were the wealthy sort, which would do them no favours. Long, wide sleeves that covered their hands, as well as the pristine white and black monotone clothing looked like one of those sets from the wealthy or upper-class.


    Stanley paused. No, that wasn''t right. Those clothes looked more like something out of a sect or clan, which could be better or worse depending on the person they met.


    Regardless, a teenager and child walking around by themselves were prime material for those working in human trafficking. Stanley hated those types of people with the passion of a thousand burning suns.


    "Do you have any money at all?"


    Elias and Alec exchanged a look, hesitantly shaking their heads.


    "Ai," Stanley sighed. "That''s really terrible. How about it? My wife and I have a spare bedroom if you''re up for it. You won''t be able to get into an inn without any money since you have to pay upfront."


    Alec studied the man in front of them. Stanley gave them a feeling that he was the sort of bleeding heart that would try to help out anyone in dire need of a hand. He was the type of man that Alec had not interacted with in a long time.


    The most surprising part that the man really did come across as sincere.


    "If it''s not too much trouble," Alec said politely, missing Elias'' look of surprise. They would have to do something for them in return before they left.


    It was only two weeks, but hopefully, it would be long enough for them to gather a bit of funds on the side for their travel to the Welkton City.


    Was going with a stranger in an unknown town a bad idea? It obviously was, but they quite literally had no money. Not a single cent. Alec had gone so long without seeing money exchanging hands that he forgot about its existence. He supposed that this was another one of the Neil Clan''s training methods for them.


    However, that didn''t mean that Alec was being careless about their well-being.


    He could tell that most of the people in this town were barely in the elemental stage. He''d gotten good at reading people''s magical capacity over the year he had been practicing. He could read everyone who had less than him accurately, but the further it got from him, the foggier it got.


    Stanley was in the transitional period of the elemental stage, which was a single minor tier lower than he was. They would be fine. Elias would be able to crush him in a split second even if he was of the Defensive Magitype.


    In the Neil Clan, they all used weapons.


    To put it bluntly, well¡­ it was the reason why he hadn''t just died of sheer and utter boredom when he was a baby. That''s right. They started that young. You wouldn''t think about it at first.


    Let Alec be the first to say. He had been awfully surprised when he realized that the throwing exercises his mother made him do wasn''t just for exercise. It slipped his mind when he the things he had to throw everyday changed.


    Hoops, balls, other irregularly shaped objects¡­ you name it, Alec had a blast throwing it.


    It wasn''t until they were halfway through the advanced course that Alec realized it as all a build up to throwing actual weapons.


    So, yes. Alec liked throwing daggers. As did Elias, Zacharias, Tatiana and Cyrus.


    It was such a sneaky thing to do that Alec was impressed in spite of himself.


    Stanley led them to his house, a five-minute walk from the town''s market.


    It was a small, but cosy looking house with cross-shaped windows.


    "Darling, I''m home!" Stanley burst in, surprising his wife as he swept her into a hug.


    "Welcome home," she said warmly.


    Alec and Elias paused at the doorway, feeling out of place.


    Dressed in an apron and a bandana to keep her hair out of the way, Stanley''s wife was making cookies. The fresh scent of the cookies wafted over to them, causing their stomachs to growl.


    Lorraine looked over in surprise as she heard the sound. "Oh, hello," she said warmly. She guessed her husband took in a couple of strays yet again, though she was surprised by how young they were. "I''m Lorraine, this big lug''s wife."


    "Nice to meet you. Sorry to intrude," Alec said, doing the talking for them.


    Elias looked like he was feeling overwhelmed.


    "How polite," Lorraine said, her eyes flashing with a hint of wistfulness. "I''ll go set up the room for you boys."


    Stanley stopped her. "Don''t worry about it, dear. You carry on. I can do it! Don''t worry about lunch. I''ll bring them out to eat so they can familiarize themselves for a bit."


    "Alright then."


    Stanley turned to them. "Do you mind sharing a bed? I''m afraid we don''t have an extra."


    "That''s fine. I''m still rather small," Alec said, smiling at the man.


    Elias nodded.


    "Alright. I''ll be back in a moment," Stanley said, leaving to go upstairs.


    Elias leaned down to whisper to Alec. "Is it just me or is something out of place here?"


    Alec thought about it. "Too early to say just yet. We''ll come to a conclusion later."


    Stanley came back down. "All done. I''ll bring you up to put down your bags, then we can get lunch."

 Chapter 46 Finding Work?

    Lunch was an affair that seemed just as foreign to Elias even after he looked around the town. The food tasted a lot different than what he was used to, but he didn''t complain. He found that it was an experience of different flavours exploding in his mouth.


    Stanley was already treating them so well. Elias could feel the sincerity that practically oozed off the man. Though, it felt strange at times. Almost as if the man wasn''t all there with them. Sometimes, he looked off into the distance like he was looking for someone or something that wasn''t there.


    Stanley led the both of them out of the little diner that he frequented with his wife when the walls of the house seemed to close in on them.


    "So, what are you boys planning on doing? You''re free to stay with us for as long as you like. We don''t mind."


    Alec smiled at the man. "Just until we manage to earn enough money for the journey. We''re looking for someone."


    Stanley visibly hesitated, but still asked. "Are you looking for your family members, by any chance?"


    Alec paused. "¡­Yes."


    Stanley seemed to take that as reaffirmation that his thoughts were right. Did they not know that their parents likely perished in the Mysterious Forest? Or were they looking for their other family members? Did they even recall going into the forest?


    Stanley felt sorrow at the thought.


    He would have loved to put them up in his house indefinitely, but it looked like they were very determined. It had only been a short couple of hours, but Stanley already felt like he was seeing a reflection of his son in them.


    "Then, if you''re alright with it, do you want help finding work until you leave? I can introduce you to a place if you''d like."


    Alec was surprised, but quickly accepted his offer.


    Right now, they needed all the help they could get, and it wasn''t likely that someone would hire him considering he was only eight.


    Elias would fare better trying to find some work, but for him, it was almost a lost cause.


    Elias sent a side glance to Alec before he spoke. "Thank you, but I''ll try to find work outside first. I don''t want to strain you. However, please let my younger brother work with you if possible."


    Stanley was about to say that it wasn''t any trouble at all, but hearing the second part of Elias'' words, he stopped himself. He supposed that as an older brother, he would worry about his younger brother. Plus, he probably didn''t want his younger brother to see him working so hard.


    Stanley nodded, but still looked worried as Elias left.


    Alec looked at the way the man looked like he was seeing his son off to war and smiled wryly inwardly. He tugged on the man''s shirt, like he''d seen other children do, saying, "Big brother will be fine. Big brother is strong!"


    Alec''s face burned inwardly. Ah, what was a man like him saying like he was really a kid! Ah, his dignity! His dignity as a stern System was burning.


    As Stanley and Alec walked, he wondered just what the job the man was about to introduce to him was. Wasn''t the man a guard for the town?


    The two of them walked side by side, with Stanley obviously slowing down his steps so that Alec could ''catch up''. What he didn''t know was that Alec would have been able to keep up with him no problem. Even if the man ran, Alec would still be able to keep pace with him.


    Before long, Stanley brought them to stand in front of a little shop that wasn''t too far from his house.


    There were various vines and that crawled around the storefront, causing it to stand out from the rest of the stores along the street. It was mainly green, and just by looking at it, Alec could tell that it likely had something to do with plants. Either it was an apothecary or a flower shop.


    Alec hoped it was an apothecary since that seemed a lot more interesting.


    Stanley stood in front of it proudly. "What do you think? This is my shop! I''m not really a guard. I was just covering for my buddy today."


    "Yes, it''s very green," Alec said without missing a beat.


    "Haha, isn''t it! Isn''t she beautiful?" Stanley laughed. It was clear that this was his pride and joy. He flipped over the ''closed'' sign to ''open''.


    Entering the shop, Alec was hit with the different fragrance from various flowers and plants.


    Just stepping in made him feel like he''d entered back into the forest. A little muddy, the scent of grass. The earthly scent made him feel like relaxing.


    "So, you can help me out here if you want to, and I''ll pay you daily."


    Alec nodded. Though it wasn''t an apothecary, he didn''t really mind working here either. "Thank you," he said both politely and sincerely.


    The man had been nothing but nice to them, which was more than a lot of people could say.


    As the first person that Alec had interacted with outside of the clan, Alec couldn''t help but hope that there were many others that were like this man here.


    Sensible, but kind-hearted and warm. If only the transmigrators that he dealt with were like this man here, he would gladly help them out to the best of his abilities. That wasn''t to say that he didn''t try and help the transmigrators out, but they had to work with what was in their range, after all.


    Of course it was a flower shop, though. After all, he couldn''t count on his luck like he was the Main Character who would randomly come across a master in their field that would impart their teachings upon them.


    Alec felt one part bitter, one part relieved. He didn''t have to meet a ''master'' to excel in something. If he worked hard enough, he would eventually get a couple of opportunities.


    "Come on. I''ll show you the ins and outs of my business."


    -


    Elias was wandering a little aimlessly, taking in the various sights. He just couldn''t get enough. Though he acted so confidently in front of Stanley and Alec earlier, he didn''t know the first thing about finding a job in a town like this.


    Sure, he had read up on it through the use of books, but the information that was written down didn''t mean that it would pan out for him.


    Elias realized that he was suffering from a case of social anxiety when he approached someone, only to stop in his tracks and stutter.


    He slapped his cheeks lightly.


    If Alec could do this with no problem, then he could too. He couldn''t just continue relying on Alec to carry their conversations with strangers when he was supposed to be the big brother.


    Still, Elias wandered around. How did he know whether or not someone was looking to hire a part-timer?


    As he paused, the sounds of clanging echoed in his ears.


    Elias looked towards that direction curiously, looking at the sign. Huh. A smithy.


    Elias entered, met with a blast of hot air. Inside, there were various weapons hanging on the walls. Shiny silver, sharp edges.


    With wide eyes, Elias gawked at the weapons that were displayed out in the open.


    "What can I getcha?" came a gruff voice.

 Chapter 47 Drag Him With Us

    Elias jumped slightly, not hearing the sounds of footsteps behind him. The sounds of metal hitting metal masked the other sounds that should have been heard by him.


    "Yer buyin?" the man said gruffly.


    Elias turned around and was greeted with the sight of a man he''d never thought was even remotely possible.


    With a bald head and thick eyebrows, the man in front of him was built in a way that he had never seen except for in books. His facial features were just so different from what Elias was used to. So much so that he was blown away.


    This wasn''t the first time that day Elias felt like he''d walked into a book. The thought excited him.


    "Uh," Elias said, uncharacteristically stuttering. He paused and took a deep breath, calming himself. "No. I''m wondering if you''re hiring?"


    The man eyed him dubiously. "Yer came here not ter buy or sell, but ter look fer work?"


    Elias nodded as he deciphered the accent that the man was using. "That would be correct."


    Jin eyed the brown-haired kid in front of him. He looked around thirteen or fourteen, which was the right age if he wanted to start working on being a blacksmith. However, Jin had the feeling that things weren''t as simple as they appeared to be.


    The kid looked like he was slightly nervous. Though, Jin made a lot of people nervous, so he would give the kid that.


    "Yer wan ter be a blacksmith?"


    Elias hesitated briefly, but it was enough for Jin to know the answer. "Hah. I guess not. Well, I don''t mind. I suppose I could use someone ter fan da flames and such."


    Though, he was dubious about how much work this boy could do. After all, he looked rather slender and lean. His hands were clean and free of dirt or callouses. Just one look and you could tell that this teenager before him was obviously previously living in at least moderate wealth.


    Elias bowed, thankful. "Thank you!"


    "Come back tomorrow."


    Elias lingered, not quite wanting to leave yet. He still wanted to look at the various weaponry on display.


    Jin grinned behind him. This was the reason why he''d accepted the kid. After all, anyone who liked weapons this much couldn''t be a bad person.


    -


    Bunbun hopped around and nosed at the various leaves and plants.


    "Bunbun, don''t eat anything. You had lunch already."


    The rather large bunny reluctantly backed off, still eyeing the plants.


    Alec, in comparison to Elias, was not exactly having fun, but as Stanley walked him through what he would be doing for the next couple of days, he didn''t find it bothersome either.


    Basically, to sum it up, Alec was to be watering the plants, trim a few leaves, and go outside to attract customers since the shop''s business wasn''t doing too well. Apparently, a small town like this didn''t need flowers very often. Who knew, right?


    Everything else was fine, but for some reason, when Alec heard about that last part, he felt a chill go up his spine.


    Why did that feel so ominous?


    "Well, that''s about it. The rest, you can learn along the way."


    "Mr. Stanley, do you have any books on plants?"


    "Drop the ''mr'', kid," Stanley said absentmindedly. "I have some books at the back of the store if you want to take a look."


    "May I?"


    Stanley nodded, and Alec went around the back, finding a small pile of books that had obviously been well taken care of. Though there wasn''t any overt signs of wear or tear on the books, they had been meticulously cleaned.


    Just holding the books, Alec could feel that they had been flipped though countless number of times.


    In the end, he picked up a book that looked like an encyclopaedia about plants. Alec''s eyes gleamed.


    The book was thick. It was half his arm''s length, and had Alec not Awakened himself earlier on, he likely wouldn''t have been able to pick up the book at all. Now, though, he picked it up with ease, taking the first volume with him.


    Stanley happily flipped the ''open'' sign back to ''closed''. "Well, it''s fine to go back now, I suppose. It''s almost dinner ti-" Stanley cut himself off as he saw Alec come out the back with the Common Plant Encyclopaedia Vol. 1.


    The book that was as thick was it was heavy was hard for him to move, but Alec was handling it with such ease that he almost wondered whether or not he had mistaken the weight of the book.


    "Do you want me to hold that for you?" Stanley said, holding his hand out.


    Alec paused, looking at Stanley before a terrible idea formed in his head. Obviously, the man was just trying to be nice, and was worried about the weight of the book, but he didn''t know that Alec could handle it just fine.


    "Are you sure?"


    Stanley nodded, grabbing the book. "Oof!" he couldn''t help but let out, his face going red.


    Alec expertly hid the grin that wanted to break out and smoothened it into his practiced smile, picking the book back up.


    His mother rubbed off on him more than he thought, if he was doing things like this.


    Just seeing the multitude of expressions flashing across Stanley''s face when he realized that he lost in strength to an eight-year-old made him feel like genuinely laughing out loud.


    Stanley felt baffled. Just how was Alec handling the book with such ease? Could it be that he''d grown feebler? Or was this some sort of training that those who were well-off put their children through? Maybe the book had chosen a master for itself?


    All sorts of random thoughts flashed through Stanley''s head rapidly. Was Elias also like this?


    The man paused. Elias. That''s right! They still didn''t know how he was doing right now. If the teen needed a job as well, Stanley would help him out by asking around. "Do you think your brother can remember how to get back? Or should we go and look for him?"


    Alec resisted the urge to give the man a look. "Big brother has a great memory," he said instead. "Elias would be fine. If he could track his way through a forest, he could trace his way back from the streets with no problem.


    Stanley nodded, walking back with Alec. He inwardly thought that if Elias wasn''t back by the time they reached, Stanley would make a few excuses before going out to look for him.


    When they reached back, they ran into Elias just about to enter the Woods'' house.


    "Big brother."


    Elias turned around. "Alec! Mr. Stanley."


    "Just Stanley is fine."


    At the dinner table, Lorraine was already there setting up the table. "Oh, you''re all back."


    "Yes, thank you for the food."


    Elias and Alec both bowed to show their thanks.


    "Oh, you don''t have to bow! We just like to share, that''s all."


    More than the food at the table, Alec''s nose caught the scent of fire and metal from Elias'' clothing.


    Just what had he been doing? Did he visit the smithy to find work? Alec had a feeling that was the case. Elias'' eyes were gleaming like they usually did when he got his hands on a particularly interesting book, or when he heard a piece of information that caused him to think about various things.


    Dinner was a pleasant affair, but by the time they headed upstairs to rest for the night, Alec felt like he''d done his entire training routine with Evin back in their clan.


    Elias felt the same way as he did, collapsing on the bed.


    Alec nudged him. "Don''t fall asleep yet. We still have to take a bath."


    Elias made a groaning noise, causing Alec''s lips to quirk.


    It was the little things like this that really made him feel like Elias and the rest were truly teenagers. He wondered if he had been like that at that age as well.


    "Bunbun, grab him. Let''s go take a bath."


    Bunbun hopped onto the bed beside Elias and dragged the reluctant teenager to the bathroom.


    Elias felt stunned as he was dragged bodily from the bed.

 Chapter 48 Henry

    Having dragged Elias into the bathroom, the bunny quickly escaped outside before Alec could call him back.


    Alec ignored the bunny for now.


    He wanted to have a chat with Elias without anyone disturbing them, then this was the perfect place.


    Elias quietly soaped himself, his eyes barely open.


    "Elias. Don''t you think it''s weird that the Woods'' have an extra bedroom in their house?"


    Elias paused his subconscious actions, all visages of sleep escaping from him. His eyes sharpened as he thought about it, thinking back about what he saw in the room as well as Stanley and Lorraine''s actions over the day.


    He nodded. "Stanley sometimes get a lost look in his eyes, like he''s thinking or looking at some distant memory that isn''t there. Though a lot of the interior of the room that they''re allowing us to stay inside has changed over a few years, I don''t get the feeling that the original purpose of the room was meant for an adult."


    Alec hummed. They thought the same way, then.


    Both of them didn''t exchange any more words after this, and Elias'' eyes started drooping again.


    Alec quirked a smile at this sight, helping Elias into the bed and drying his hair since the teen looked like he was about to pass out at any given moment.


    The moment he was under the covers, the boy was out like a light. This time, compared to when he had been taking a rest in The Great Expanse, the shadows on Elias'' face were lighter, and he seemed almost at ease with himself.


    Alec stood up, taking the plant encyclopaedia with him to the nearby table. Flipping it open, Alec started reading from the very first page.


    There were so many that he''d never seen before. Plants, flowers, herbs. Their pictures were shown inside with various descriptions. Of course, Alec had no idea of just how accurate the descriptions for these were, but he would remember them first in case he never had a need for the information.


    Before he had another source to confirm it with, or if he could get his hands on the samples, then he would tentatively believe the information written down.


    Since this world had completely different plants from those he had when he had still been a human, this information was vital and necessary for their survival.


    Though he had learnt about what not to eat or touch in The Great Expanse from his teacher, that was just in the one forest alone. There were bound to be others in the different areas of the world that he wouldn''t have had a chance to get up close and personal with before.


    Neither Stanley nor Lorraine''s presence checking on them briefly disturbed him.


    Before he realized, he had finished scanning through the various pages of the encyclopaedia. He was about to go back for another more detailed round when he realized that it was already relatively late in the night.


    The sounds that he had been filtering out had long died out as the night went on.


    Alec closed the book. He wanted to go explore town for a bit without anyone disturbing him.


    Sometimes, having to act like a kid just grated at him, and today was one of the days. It was usually manageable. Or rather, Alec had no choice but to get used to it. He literally could not wait until he was at least in his late teens.


    Though it hadn''t been as obvious in the Neil Clan, out of the clan compounds, Alec felt the differences very clearly. He couldn''t stand the way he was being dismissed so casually by some adults. It almost like he didn''t exist in their eyes.


    Just the thought of it caused him to boil again, but Alec controlled his rising temper, leaving it on a low, simmering flame.


    A walk outside would cool his head.


    The re-emergence of the temper he almost thought was gone emerged with a vengeance, like it had been lying low all these years, only to come back stronger than ever the moment he was free from the compound.


    So, Alec left Bunbun behind to look after Elias'' sleeping form. The teen was sleeping so deeply that Alec didn''t quite feel safe leaving him alone.


    Sneaking out of the Woods'' family home, the moon had already risen high in the sky.


    The fresh air and soft breeze that caressed his skin cooled the raging temper that was inside him. Alec took a deep breath, releasing it softly.


    Seeing the empty streets, only lit up with the barest amount of light, Alec felt the difference from the atmosphere in the clan compound.


    Here, there were various sounds of laughter and quiet whispers that met his ears. Compared to the silence that the Neil Clan enjoyed, Mystik Town instead had a liveliness as people partied, got drunk and had an all-round good time.


    The longer Alec walked, the calmer he felt.


    Just as he was about to turn around and head back to the Woods'' family home, he stopped in his tracks.


    -


    Henry was not having a good day.


    By all manner of accounts, he had been having a terribly shitty day.


    Earlier that morning, Henry had headed out nearby to go hunting for the day, as he did every day. He was one of the town''s hunters and was well respected within the community.


    Henry had it all.


    He had a surplus of money to get by, a beautiful wife, a house, a kid. He had friends, and a junior he was taking care of.


    When he headed out for the hunt that day, he was with the usual group of five. As the leader of the team, he usually took a little less of the cut.


    The day seemed to be going well, as they caught sight of a larger boar. Without any suspense, the five of them brought it down within a few split seconds. Their teamwork was well-honed and seasoned.


    Henry knew his teammates well. They had been a team for the past eight years. Going through various life and death battles with them, Henry knew their quirks inside and out.


    Although they only came to town eight years ago, Henry felt like he''d known them all his life. He quickly blended into their group, and to his surprise, had been made leader.


    Or so he thought.


    At first, it seemed like the day would pass without any incident, with their victory and spoils, when they chanced upon an injured Ash Phoenix.


    Henry''s heart palpitated as he stared at the mound of gold that was in front of him, shocked.


    As he was so distracted, he never realized how the four behind him had exchanged glances, not needing to say anything else.


    Henry slowly approached the Ash Phoenix, taking care not to make any sudden sounds. Though it looked to be unconscious, its breath raggedy, Henry would not underestimate it just because of that.


    Luckily for them, they brought along a cage that would cut off the magic of anything that was placed inside it.


    Before the Ash Phoenix was able to wake up to the signs of danger that the men were emitting, Henry successfully placed it inside the cage, shutting the door.


    Having locked the cage, Henry burst into hearty laughter, turning around to congratulate his brothers, only for him to feel a cold stab just under his ribs.


    Henry staggered back, the pain blooming into startling clarity.


    "Why!?" he roared at them, unwilling to believe it even at this point. "Aren''t we brothers!?"


    Were they not brothers who had gone through life and death together? He always treated them well, so why!


    Briggs, who heard his words, laughed unkindly. "Why? Do you want to know why? Why don''t you ask your lovely wife, then?"


    Gred, the junior that he had always been taking care of, sneered at him. "Brothers. Hah. Someone like you, always nagging and getting in the way¡­ if you weren''t the town''s best hunter, we would have gotten rid of you a long time ago. Since we don''t need you any longer, then why don''t you just die?"


    The feeble hopes that Henry had clung on to instantly disintegrated with every other word that came out of their mouths.


    The four men grabbed the caged Ash Phoenix, who had woken during the commotion, releasing shrill cries, and laughed, heading off.


    Briggs paused just before they were out of earshot, looking at his former leader. "We''ll be bringing your lovely wife with us. After all, that''s our kid!"


    Henry paled, doing his best to stem the blood flow, and collapsed on the ground.


    The four laughed loudly and wretchedly, leaving the bleeding out Henry on the ground. The man would be dead sooner or later, with no help and no supplies out in the field. Even if he did survive, and he wouldn''t, they would be long gone.


    After they left, he climbed up with great difficulty, rummaging through his pack. Grabbing some bandages for a makeshift solution, Henry poured his magic into the deep stab wound that had been draining his life blood.


    Henry didn''t know how long passed before he pains in his side disappeared. The one saving grace that Henry had was that none of them knew that he was a Support Magitype, able to heal his own wounds.


    Since he was able to boost his own strength, they''d always considered him an Offensive type, something that saved his life today.


    Before this, he''d always considered it a shame that he hadn''t been born with the Offensive Magitype, which would have brought his hunts to a whole new level, but he couldn''t be more thankful for it right now.


    Henry''s eyes burned as he fell straight into depression.


    By the time he made it back to town, it was already early evening.


    "Henry! Hey, Henry!"


    Henry ignored the various calls to him as he walked through the town, heading straight back to his home. He hoped that he would be able to see his wife and child, getting rid of his fears, but it was not to be.


    Henry stood in front of his home that had been burned down to the ground, his legs trembling from the weight of his anger. His front ached from the phantom wound that he could still feel. Though he was already healed up, that didn''t mean that he was able to forget about it.


    He took deep breaths to try and regulate his breathing, but it only made him angrier as he breathed in the scent of smoke and fire.


    "Hey man, snap out of it. Why aren''t you with your wife and kid?" his neighbour and friend said. "I saw them packing their things earlier and heading out with your bunch."


    The words from his neighbour pierced into his mind. Maniacal laughter leaked out from his mouth. "Haha. Hahahahaha," he laughed, looking at the sky. "HAHAH!"


    Philip looked at Henry with uncertainty and worry, but kept his mouth shut. Even the blind would have noticed by now that something wasn''t right. He had faint suspicions that he didn''t voice out loud, scared that it would ignite the anger in the hunter.


    "Let''s go get a drink man."


    Philip headed the still laughing Henry into the nearest bar.


    Hours later, the still sober Philip and the completely smashed Henry were walking back, with Henry''s arm slung over his friend''s shoulders.


    "-ou''re a ood man," Henry slurred, stumbling.


    Philip stumbled, bearing the weight of his friend. "Sure I am."


    "-ow could ey! ''Ow could ssshe. H''drian isn''t een ma kid."


    Henry was doing his best to hold himself together. He knew that he was drunk, and his motions were totally out of his control.


    The one drunk and one sober man stumbled across a child that didn''t even look like he''d hit double digits yet.


    "Wat''re you lookin'' at!" Henry exploded, seeing the kid''s blatant look.


    Ah, shit, Philip thought.

 Chapter 49 Ugh, Disgusting.

    Those words coming out from the drunkard''s mouth instantly caused all of Alec''s peace to fly out the window as his previously calmed rage ignited once again.


    Huh, he must have really mellowed with age if someone thought he could talk to him this way! Did they really think he was weak and helpless just because he looked like this?! Hahaha.


    The unsteady calm that had previously settled over him washed away like it was never there in the first place.


    One drunk man, staggering around and looking generally depressed and pissed at the world, whilst another looked sober and panicking, stood in front of him.


    "Excuse me?" Alec said, wondering if it was just because he was so on edge that he heard wrong.


    "Yooou hEArd meee," the drunk slurred, staggering and pulling his friend in the other direction. "Whatchuuu lookin'' at!"


    "Hey, Henry, shut up already," Philip whispered furiously to his friend. He did not sign up for this damage control today. "I am so sorry," Philip apologized to the kid. "He''s been having a terrible day."


    The kid was looking at the ground, trembling slightly. Poor kid! He must be so terrified. Philip tried harder to reel in his friend, but the man was too strong for him to move easily, especially when he wasn''t consciously controlling his strength.


    Alec gritted his teeth, feeling the bubbling anger in the depths of his stomach. All these adults treating him like a kid. Ah, he would have been fine had they just waited for him to get a good night''s sleep before provoking him.


    He would have calmed down. Years in the clan compound had tempered his anger somewhat, but with the memories filled with the colour of blood, he couldn''t keep his cool as easily.


    "Hah," Alec laughed, the standard laugh that he used now. It sounded very gentle, but somehow Philip felt chills go down his spine at the sound. What was this that he was feeling?


    Henry, on the other hand, completely missed any of the implications. The sound of Alec''s laughter set of the memories of the laugh that those people that betrayed him a scant few hours ago off. "Whaaat do yoOu think yer laughin'' at ehhhh! Yer juuustt like those bastaaards!"


    "Shut up already, idiot," Philip said, looking nervous. He gripped the man''s shirt with his strongest strength, only to be thrown off to the side. He didn''t know why he was feeling this way about a kid of all things, but he wasn''t one to overlook his instincts.


    Henry was drunk and completely not in the right state of mind. The things the other man had spilled under the influence of alcohol made him feel upset that he''d been right about those four, as well as Henry''s wife.


    So, as a well-meaning friend, Philip once again got up and rushed towards the man, holding him back from doing something that he would regret in the morning.


    Henry shook off Philip''s well-meaning hold, lurching towards the brat. At this point, it didn''t even occur to his addled mind that a normal child wouldn''t have reacted this way, nor the fact that he didn''t really want to do this at all. He would regret this when he sobered up, but that was of no concern to him now.


    All the alcohol had rushed towards his brain, the pure adrenaline causing him to move. Though it was the laugh that had triggered him, it was also because of the feelings he had left for his son that apparently wasn''t even really his son.


    At this moment, his son''s image had overlapped onto the boy in front of him, and all Henry really wanted to do was hug him and wail. He wanted to ask whether or not he was really his son.


    To Alec and Philip, however, his actions had a completely different meaning.


    As Philip looked on, horrified, as he once again desperately tried to reel in his friend. Alec was watching with cold eyes.


    Though he would not make the first move, once it was made, then Alec would give himself free reign to retaliate.


    Everything he thought about mellowing out was utter idiocy. He supposed that it just took the right amount of force to trigger his temper.


    The drunkard in front of him, Henry, was the strongest that he''d met so far in this town. At the transitional foundation stage, the man had the same magical capacity as Elias did.


    However, he was also flat out drunk and not in control of his movements and thought processes. Whether or not he was really able to use his strength to the best degree was another matter.


    As Henry swooped in with his arms stretched out, Alec dodged with the smallest movements possible, jumping back. This amazed Philip, who was generally useless in a fight.


    Philip stopped himself from interfering because he could see the cold calculation on the boy''s face. Something told him not to get in their way, otherwise something bad might really happen to Henry. A voice whispered to him, telling him to wait.


    Alec watched Henry''s clumsy swipes at his body, only dodging when the drunkard got too close. The growing frustration on the drunkard''s face was really very therapeutic and doing wonders for his boiling anger.


    Henry growled, abandoning his previous attempts at not hurting the boy. His reasoning had slipped away with him, and he didn''t even know what he was doing anymore. What was he even doing right now? He couldn''t remember.


    Before long, the blurry figure of the boy was replaced with the appearance of Gred and Briggs, who looked down on him as he lay collapsed on the grassy ground.


    The mocking, taunting words echoed again in his ears, causing him to see red.


    Henry roared with anger, subconsciously using his standard support boost to increase his speed. Swinging at the figure before him, not a sound filtered through to his ears, so he missed Philip''s cry of alarm as well as Alec''s questions.


    "Mister, you should really stop now, alright?" Alec repeated again, smiling. Though his words were polite, they were laced with honeyed poison, and Philip felt the chills that he was feeling intensify.


    "Ahhhh!"


    Alec twitched, his eyes shuttering. The damn drunkard wasn''t even listening to him. Then again, he was also at fault here for even trying to reason with a drunkard of all people. He should have just decked him hard to put him out of his misery to begin with instead of wasting his time.


    However, would this count as OOC or not?


    This was the perfect time to test it out. With a person who was drunk, and another who looked like he was disbelieving whether this was real or not, he was sure that whatever they would try to spread would never be seen as anything other than a drunkard''s delusions.


    "Fight meee like uh¡­ a mann!" Henry yelled, seriously aiming for Alec''s face.


    Just as Philip was about to interfere for real and disregard the little voice in his mind, Alec''s smile grew a lot brighter.


    "Heh. An old drunkard like you, picking on little kids? If mister wants me to hit him for real, then I''ll gladly do it, you know?" Alec''s tone of voice completely didn''t match the sarcastic words that were coming out of his mouth.


    This time, as Henry''s fists approached, instead of dodging, Alec ducked under it due to his small frame, launching his own punch just as Henry''s punch was about to connect. He hit the man in his solar plexus with about half of his strength.


    Just as Henry was about to be elated that his punch landed, he realized that his vision was growing further and further away from his target.


    As he slammed into the nearby building, an overwhelming feeling of pain assaulted his nerves as the vertigo hit him all at once, causing him to lurch to the side, puking.


    Alec smiled, clicking his tongue. "Disgusting."


    He dusted off his hands, walking back calmly as the last of his temper faded back into nothing. He felt like he fit a lot better in his own skin now. He felt a lot better than he usually did.


    He almost felt like whistling, and the feeling grew even more when he realized that the Mainframe''s voice wasn''t coming. That meant that this wasn''t considered as OOC even though he wasn''t saying things that classified him as ''gentle''. All he had to do was keep up the standard smile, and he was good to go.


    This was the best news he got in all eight years of his life!


    Philip was questioning whether or not he had actually ended up drinking with Henry without realizing it.


    Henry, who looked at Alec''s smiling face, burst into tears all of a sudden as he started sobering up. The sight of Alec''s smile burned itself into his mind.


    Alec clicked his tongue and brushed off his clothes, leaving.

 Chapter 50 What Else Do You Want Now?

    A few hours later, Alec woke up feeling completely and utterly refreshed. He hadn''t felt so great in such a long time.


    Alec looked over the room again with fresh eyes, spotting various things that he had missed yesterday. Though it wasn''t strange for a family to have a guest bedroom, this one clearly showed the signs of a smaller bed that had been here previously, and the attached bathroom still had a rather child-like print that he wouldn''t overlook.


    He didn''t know if it was because they couldn''t bear to get rid of it or they just overlooked it, but Alec got the feeling that things weren''t so simple.


    Elias, who was groggily waking up next to him, gently dislodged the bunny that had reallocated himself onto his body last night. He had been buried under the pile of fur. Remarkably, the bunny wasn''t that heavy even though he was that large, and Elias'' weakness for soft, cute things was satisfied for the day.


    Bunbun buried himself deeper under the blankets now that both boys had vacated the space, soaking in the leftover warmth.


    By the time both boys were about to leave the house to do their daily morning exercise, the sun had just barely emerged, casting a dim light on the streets.


    Alec stepped out from the house, pausing.


    Elias turned back, wondering why he''d stopped.


    Alec shrugged. "You go ahead first. Let''s split up to cover more ground."


    Elias inwardly raised a brow, but still went on ahead. Since Alec said that, he wouldn''t refuse. From what he gathered thus far, they were relatively safe still in a small town like this. The people here were not very advanced in their magical capacity and didn''t seem to have much training.


    As Elias'' figure disappeared in the distance, Alec''s eyes sharpened slightly, but maintained his smile that seemed to give those who looked at him an amicable feeling, like they were brushed by a soft breeze. Coupled with Alec''s cherubic looks, he looked like the model example of an adorable and well-behaved child.


    Henry felt his heart ache as he was reminded of his son.


    "Misters, are we playing hide and seek?" Alec said, slightly on edge. If he had to go down this line, with his familiarity in various plot devices, they were here to make more trouble.


    Philip, who was hiding in the shadows nearby, felt a chill go down his spine at the familiar tone of voice. Was it just his imagination, or did the child''s smile give him a vaguely threatening feeling?


    Likewise, Henry, who had sobered up from his drunken stupor the night before after crying his eyes out on the street like a pathetic imbecile, felt his finely-honed instincts scream at him, as if he was facing a dangerous beast.


    Alec''s smile turned a bit sharper when they didn''t respond. Though not a single millimetre on his face changed, the aura that he gave off made them feel like the beast had started to bare its fangs.


    Henry stepped out without hesitation, not going against his instincts. He felt like if he dallied longer, he would have the face the beast head on, which would not do his well-being any favours.


    When he noticed that Philip was frozen on the spot, Henry tugged him out. Though he hadn''t been very close to his friend previously because of how those lousy backstabbing bastards had badmouthed him every time they saw him, he hadn''t realized that he unintentionally believed at least a part of what they were saying.


    Philip had similarly told him not to put too much trust in those he had called his friends and teammates, which had displeased him at that time. It was only when the shit hit the fan that he knew that the other man was only looking out for his wellbeing.


    It wasn''t until yesterday, when he had lost everything that he held dear that he realized how much the other man cared for him both as a neighbour and a friend.


    Henry had already made one mistake, and he would not make any more.


    Now that he looked at the child before him, he didn''t look anything like his son, nor did his laugh in his memories when he was drunk sound anything like what those backstabbing bastards had at all.


    How embarrassing was this? For a veteran hunter like himself to make mistakes like that just because he had been drunk was inexcusable. Not only had he put someone in danger, he had also exposed Philip to a side of himself that he never wanted anyone to see. If it had not been this child before him, who was capable of fending him off, he would likely have a murder on his hands.


    Just fort his, he was very thankful that he had been dealt with so easily and lightly yesterday. He couldn''t live with himself if he didn''t do anything to show both his apologies and gratitude, so Henry had banged around on different doors in the middle of the night, asking around if anyone had seen such a child in their town.


    Henry took a deep breath, remembering the things that he did yesterday in his drunken state. Just the thought of it made his face burn in shame. As if it wasn''t enough that this child had seen him in such a state, Henry had actually swung his fists as he contained killing intent. He, Henry, had tried to hurt a small child!


    Just thinking back about it made him feel ill. What had he been doing? It would have been better if he couldn''t remember anything, but his memory was crystal clear, as if he had been entirely sober at the time.


    Henry bowed deeply in apology. "I apologize for all my drunken actions against you. Though I was not in the right state of mind, that does not mean that what I did was in any way excusable. I will not make excuses for myself. However, it was my responsibility and mine alone. My friend here, Philip, only did not interfere when he saw that you were capable of taking care of yourself."


    Philip hurriedly bowed. "That does not excuse my actions as well. As an adult, I should have stepped in sooner and-"


    Alec''s eyes flitted from both men, his temper calming when he saw that there genuinely were expressions of contrite and remorse on their faces. Henry looked deeply ashamed about his actions, which raised Alec''s impression of the man by a notch.


    Having calmed down, the feeling of a predator eyeing them hungrily disappeared, causing Henry and Philip to heave a sigh of relief.


    Henry felt like he''d seen a wider part of the world. Which family''s child was such a prodigy that his mere presence was able to bring so much pressure to two grown men?


    Alec studied them in puzzlement. Why were they sweating so profusely?


    What the System didn''t know was that the two men''s perception and danger instincts were better than a normal person''s, and Alec hadn''t quite been able to hide his rising temper.


    Having calmed down, Alec wouldn''t make the man continue to bow to him. "Perhaps it would be better not to fall into such a state again," he said, his tone a little sharp.


    Henry''s face, thick as it usually was, reddened. "It won''t happen again," the man said solemnly. "If I may, what is your name? My name is Henry, and that is Philip."


    "Alec," he said simply. Though he was able to feel the two men''s goodwill, that didn''t mean that he would use his full name.


    Alec nodded at them, turning to go on his morning exercise.


    Henry watched a little blankly as Alec left just like that, without doing anything else or asking for any compensation. The swell of admiration in his heart grew. How could a person be so magnanimous? Not to mention, it was a child like this who was his son''s age.


    Alec carried himself in a manner that befitted those of the great clans or sects, unlike his son ¨C he was hit with a sharp pang of sadness, who loved to whine and play around.


    Alec jogged lightly for a street before pausing, looking behind him.


    Philip and Henry looked away.


    Alec continued. Henry and Philip continued following after him.


    Alec stopped. Henry and Philip stopped.


    Alec looked behind him, smiling. "Is there something else I can help you with?"

 Chapter 51 Shattered Glass

    Philip and Henry exchanged a glance.


    Henry scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly. "No, no¡­ I was just wondering¡­ is there anything we can help you with?"


    Alec smiled, eyeing the man a little sceptically. "There isn''t, but shall I let you know when there is?"


    "Yes, yes," Henry said, and Philip nodded as well.


    "Then, till we meet again," Alec said, indirectly trying to get rid of them. They already apologized so sincerely that Alec couldn''t bring himself to get rid of them more overtly. Looking at two grown men''s sparkling eyes¡­ he didn''t even want to talk about it.


    He continued jogging, only for the two men to continue following his footsteps. Alec ignored them.


    Alec inwardly held his head. What were two grown men doing, following around a child. Not to mention, all three of them were running, which would have given any townsfolk who saw them the wrong impression.


    As he thought this, an early-rising passer-by gawked at the three of them as if appearing on cue.


    Alec helplessly continued with his entire morning regime, excluding the weapons training and only focusing on the endurance part of his training.


    It wasn''t like the two men had done anything wrong that would make him get angry, so Alec felt no need for him to do anything about them. Anyway, it wasn''t like he was doing anything secretive that they wouldn''t be able to see.


    Behind him, he could hear that Philip''s breathing was rather ragged, whilst Henry was still fine for the time being.


    After a while, Henry even carried Philip on his back as they ran after him.


    Alec quietly closed his eyes. To think that the day would come that he would end up picking up a few people that followed after him reminiscent of the ''little brothers'' of the Main Character.


    Of course, these were two grown ass men following him around. There was no joy in that, but neither would Alec chase them away. They would end up leaving sooner or later because he *wasn''t* the Main Character, and they would likely have some responsibilities or what not.


    Alec completed his morning training routine just as the sun finished fully rising, going back inside to clean up before he started working in Stanley''s store.


    Likewise, Philip and Henry rushed back to Philip''s house and completed showering so quickly that they appeared as if they never left in the first place.


    Henry rushed so much that he didn''t even have time to think about how his house had been burned down to the ground just next to Philip''s.


    For some reason, he felt as if he had found a strand of hope and was clinging onto it with all his might. Anyway, he had nothing left to lose already at this point.


    The most important things to him had already been lost. What he really couldn''t stomach was the doubt whether or not his son was truly his son or not. Just because those filthy bastards said that Hadrian wasn''t his son didn''t mean that he really wasn''t.


    The wound he felt from those thoughts were fresh, as if someone had sprinkled a whole bag of salt over his open wound slowly and continuously, over time.


    However, the four of those bastards, including his ex-wife as well as his son, had skipped town already. Though he still harboured slight hopes that it was because Briggs or Gred who told them that he had died due to some incident, and was thus better for them to leave, judging by the state his house had been left in, he didn''t think that it was very likely.


    Sooner or later, he would track them down and give them their just desserts. He would ask his son if he wanted to go back with him. Even if Hadrian was not of his blood, that didn''t mean that the feelings he had cultivated over the years were gone. At least, that was what he thought¡­ he really didn''t know how he would react until he saw them in person himself.


    Arriving back at the house Alec stepped into, the two men waited patiently, only to spot a teenager come out of the house.


    Elias paused, seeing two unfamiliar men eagerly standing outside the Woods'' family home. "Hello? May I help you?" Elias asked, doing his best to hide the wary tone.


    Philip waved his hands. "Ah, it''s alright. We''re waiting for Alec."


    Elias raised a brow, scanning the two more seriously after hearing their words. Just what could they be looking for Alec about? Elias frowned, standing next to them as he waited just to be sure.


    Another five minutes passed before Alec stepped out.


    Alec contained the helpless expression when he saw Elias'' questioning look. The two men were stubborn, he gave them that. Just what were they gaining out of following around a child?


    Then, Alec inwardly shrugged as he accepted his reality. Let them follow him around, then. It wasn''t like they were doing any harm. He would just treat it as gaining two pets. Or convenient butlers of some sort.


    Elias left after seeing how calmly Alec reacted. If there wasn''t any overt reaction, then Elias was fine trusting Alec''s judgement. After all, amongst their group of five, Alec was always the one who scored the highest in critical thinking.


    Alec plodded on to the flower shop with Henry and Philip in tow, smiling back at the various townsfolk who passed by with curious eyes.


    Stanley still had to guard the gate for another week before he was able to go back to the store.


    In this case, Alec didn''t have much to do, so he was free to do whatever he wanted as long as he properly took care of the plants. Should there be any orders, he was to write it down for Stanley.


    Alec had no idea why Stanley was trusting him this much already. By all accounts, he was an eight-year-old who didn''t have any working experience, or did he seem like he would be able to handle himself should someone get into their heads to rob the flower shop.


    It was, however, convenient and more relaxing for him this way, not having to keep up an appearance.


    Alec seated himself behind the counter, producing stools for the two men to sit on.


    The two men, one rather large in size, and the other, lean and willowy, sat on the stools inside the shop, making a comical scene.


    Anyone would have doubted their eyes had they walked in.


    A child behind the counter, reading a book as thick as their arm, two men sitting on tiny stools as they chatted quietly in a flower shop. Their knees almost met their chests, with how low it was.


    However, no one did go in, so they were left with relative peace for the day.


    As the shop was closing, the bell on the door rang, causing Alec to look up.


    Elias walked into the shop, his eyes shining with happiness. He smelled the same as yesterday. The scent of fire, smoke and metal covered his natural scent, but the teenager looked happy.


    "Alec, time to go back."


    Henry stood up from the stool that he had been seated on, introducing himself.


    "Hello! I''m Henry. Your little brother saved me yesterday, so I''m going to be following him around until I pay off my debt."


    Elias shot a baffled glance at Alec, only to meet Alec''s standard smile that gave him a feeling of ''don''t ask''.


    Elias wisely kept his mouth shut and exchanged greetings with the two men.


    Time and time again, Alec wished for his points from the Mainframe to come faster in order to get rid of the damn OOC function so that he didn''t have to smile like a moron all of the time.


    He couldn''t even frown, for goodness'' sake!


    He missed frowning.


    In his agitation, Alec Awakened the counter he was sitting on. The drawer slid open, and Alec grabbed a pen from inside.


    As they were about to lock up the place, the sound of shattering glass met their ears, causing them to frown.

 Chapter 52 Lying Randy

    "Hand over the money, and no one gets hurt!"


    "Randy, you sorry-looking snot-nosed two-faced bastard! Didn''t your sorry band of misfits leave the town yesterday! Good riddance, I say!"


    There was a cry of pain as the sound of flesh meeting flesh was heard.


    "Shut up! Don''t you fucking bring them up again, or I''ll kill you! Hand over the money!"


    There was a brief scuffle as the other voice that was being robbed cussed him out.


    Alec inwardly rolled his eyes hearing the standard villain lines that were so prevalent even in real life. Where were they all getting their cues from? Third rate books? Movies? Did this world even have movies in the first place?


    From the way the tattoo parlour owner was cussing out the other nonstop, it seemed like he agreed as well.


    On the other hand, Philip straightened up as he heard the voice, alarmed.


    Henry was out of the flower shop like a shot, not giving anyone else the chance to react. The door''s bell swung repeatedly after he threw open the door. There was a vein in his neck that was bulging, giving him a murderous appearance. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing his teeth.


    Henry gave off a feeling that he would explode at any given moment, so they didn''t stop him.


    Elias and Alec exchanged a look when Philip hurriedly left from the front door as well.


    "Let''s go take a look?"


    Across from the flower shop, there was a tattoo parlour, which was the place which was getting robbed. Why it wasn''t the flower store being robbed instead of the tattoo parlour, Alec wouldn''t know, but he put it up to the robber lacking a bunch of braincells to make rational decisions.


    The owner of the tattoo parlour, who had somehow managed to move the robbery to the street, scuffled with Randy on the floor. There was a knife lying in the distance, where the tattoo parlour owner presumably disarmed Randy.


    The moment Henry laid his eyes on Randy, he joined the fight without a second thought.


    As Randy went in for a punch to the owner''s face, Henry grabbed a fistful of the man''s hair, dragging him backwards and drawing a pained cry from the robber.


    Randy''s hands scrambled up to the hand that was gripping his hair so painfully. "Fuck! Get off, man!"


    Henry threw Randy to the side, causing him to land in the debris of the shattered glass that had scattered all over the street.


    Before Randy could react to the sudden change in his plans, Henry was already straddling his body and throwing punches at Randy''s face. Henry''s face, in comparison to Randy''s pain, was contorted in a mix of anger, sadness and disgust.


    Alec smiled, clicking his tongue when he saw Randy lifting a knee to try and retaliate. He stomped down hard on the man''s leg, drawing out a muffled scream from the man.


    Elias and Philip looked at Alec and wondered whether or not they imagined him clicking his tongue.


    "Mr. Henry, you''re not paying enough attention." Alec felt shivers go up his spine at the sheer violence in front of him. It wasn''t terror, but something else¡­ the chills made him feel alive in a sort of way nothing else did.


    Henry paused slightly as Alec''s words penetrated his ears. That''s right. After all, Randy had still been a part of his team, and knew his attacks in and out.


    Now more vigilant that the blind rage he''d been feeling cleared somewhat, Henry got off the man, planting a solid boot onto his soft middle. Randy made a sound like a dying cow.


    Henry sneered at the pathetic sight. How could he ever have been so blind choosing friends like this? No wonder Philip always said he had bad taste.


    "Look what the cat dragged in," Henry sneered, grinding his foot down harder.


    Randy, who had been just about to fight back, froze up hearing his voice. "H-Henry? Why are you still alive?" Then, he rapidly backtracked as if he could still save himself. "You gotta help me, man! Briggs and Gred are crazy! They killed Gary and tried to kill you! I had no choice but to come back. I had no choice! I didn''t want to do this!"


    Henry''s lip curled lightly hearing his words. Just how stupid did they all think he was?


    Just looking at the pathetic mess that the man had become, Henry even felt his anger die off due to how pathetically he was behaving, with blood and snot all over his face.


    Henry felt the urge to wipe his hands. Disgusting. Just how blind had he been? Allowing his emotions to get in the way of his judgement was the worst thing he could have done. The signs were all there, but his own emotions had blinded him. Henry was utterly disgusted at how weak he had been.


    Tom rolled over from where he had been wrestling with Randy earlier, his blonde hair a mess and several scratches on his face and arms. He flexed his tattooed arms, causing Alec''s already almost non-existent respect for Randy to plummet even further.


    Clearly Tom and Randy, from the way the two of them conversed at first, at least knew of each other.


    The man running the tattoo parlour was obviously trained in combat and wasn''t a compliant little civilian with no training. With those tattoos, muscles and that terrifying expression on his face, Alec couldn''t even vaguely comprehend why Randy had decided to rob that store of all places.


    What even?


    Alec thought that he would only see things like this when cannon fodder threw themselves at the Main Character, but he guessed not. It was things like this that made him question whether or not he had overestimated humanity.


    "Henry! You no-good c*cksucking bastard! Take your pathetic band of merry misfits and get the fuck outta our town!"


    "Hey," Philip stepped in, holding his hands out to the angry Tom. "Cool it. Henry''s not part of them anymore. In fact, they tried to kill him yesterday."


    Tom frowned and scrutinized Henry, who still carried an expression of murderous rage on his face.


    What he saw must have satisfied him, because he calmed down all of a sudden. "Always knew those four were a bad lot. Never polite to the elderly," Tom spat, going over to kick Randy a few more times just to make him hurt more. The resulting yelps were very therapeutic.


    Randy struggled to get up, looking like an overturned tortoise, only to get kicked down every time he tried to get up.


    "Henry, bro, you gotta believe me. I didn''t want to do that, you know!"


    "Really. So, what was their plan after they left town?"


    "They''re heading to Welkton City before going to Yraii. They want to sell the¡­ you know."


    Alec inwardly raised a brow, but he supposed that made sense. After all, Welkton City was the closest city to this place. With big enough facilities that might hold interested buyers, whatever it was that they were selling would see an increase in monetary value just from going to a larger city with richer patrons.


    Based on what he could infer, since Henry''s old friends had betrayed him after their hunting trip, he supposed that they found something of immense value to sell. Most likely a creature.


    By now, the murderous rage on Henry''s face had been wiped off, leaving a shuttered expression.


    Tom patted Henry on the back sympathetically. "Thanks for helping me out. I''ll give you a discount any day."


    Tom scanned the rest of them, his expression changing when he realized that Alec and Elias were standing there.


    They looked like sons of some sort of fancy clan or sect out on a tour, and Tom had been the one who showed them a scene of carnage. Tom rubbed his nose, embarrassed. "You too."


    "Come on, I already told you what I know. Help me out a little. Does our relationship mean that little to you?"


    Alec rolled his eyes. Inwardly, that was. Ah, how he wished he could physically do that. It just wasn''t the same not being able to show his displeasure physically.


    Henry scoffed. "After being the one who planted that knife in me, you think that''s going to work?"


    Randy''s expression went through various expressions before realizing he''d been tricked.


    Henry kicked him in the face before he could say anything else, sending him into the realm of unconsciousness.


    Grabbing Randy''s foot, he dragged him across the street, the sounds of a body being physically dragged sounded in the silence left behind.


    Alec was reminded of the way Bunbun had dragged Elias across the room last night to the bathroom.


    Alec shrugged inwardly. It wasn''t his problem. "Dinner?"

 Chapter 53 Kaoriht Continen

    Alec didn''t know what Henry did to Randy, nor did he care, but if it was up to him, there was no way that he would have allowed the other man to live. Not only had he betrayed someone who was supposed to be his brother, he was clearly someone who didn''t have many morals.


    This type of person let loose in society, especially now that he seemed like he was reaching the end of his rope. To even resort to robbing someone, when he could have borrowed? He was a known face in this town. There had to be someone that was willing to lend him money. Jumping straight into robbing just screamed unpleasant things about his character as a whole.


    Someone like that was better off dead.


    Was it cold of him to think this? Probably. Did he care? No. Call him what you wanted, but Alec felt what he felt. He wasn''t able to change what he felt just like that. Nor did he want to.


    Of course, Alec wasn''t usually one to talk about morals most of the time, but the thought that someone like Randy could have befriended Cyrus, Zacharias or Tatiana and backstab them when they least expected it caused his blood to boil.


    So, no. If Randy died, it would be no skin off his back. Call him cruel, call him callous.


    One less of these ugly crotch pirates would be a blessing to society.


    Even after dinner, which Philip had with them, Henry still hadn''t come back.


    Philip stood up, looking worried. "I''ll go look for him. It''s been so long."


    Elias silently grabbed Philip''s shirt as he stood up, stopping him from leaving.


    Alec spoke up from behind. "Let him be. I''m sure he has to work out some of his frustration. It''s better than drinking all night long and losing all rationality, don''t you agree?"


    Philip thought about it and reluctantly sat back down.


    Bunbun came down from upstairs, having been inside the room the whole day.


    Philip''s mouth slowly opened as he saw a small bunny from upstairs come down, only for it to get larger and larger.


    Philip, "???"


    Do rabbits grow that big? If it wasn''t a rabbit, then what was it? Some sort of magical creature or beast?


    The bunny hopped onto Alec''s lap, covering him entirely from the view of the room.


    Philip still stared, while Elias reached over and patted the bunny''s soft fur with a straight face.


    "You''re staying for the night," Alec said, his voice slightly muffled. "I got permission from Stanley and Lorraine. If Henry comes later, then they''ll let him up."


    "What?" Philip said blankly. "Ah, no," the man waved his hands, looking embarrassed. "I couldn''t possibly-"


    "Bunbun, go."


    Bunbun bit the man''s trousers, darting forward.


    Philip landed on the floor with a thump, not hurt, but sporting a stunned look on his face.


    Elias and Alec watched with hidden amusement as the man was unceremoniously dragged upstairs.


    Since they had access to an adult that felt like he owed Alec something, then they would take this chance to pump him for more information.


    The information that they had on hand was just too limited. It was all limited to the access they had inside their clan. Alec suspected that a lot was left so that the clan members who eventually left would have to make efforts to figure out where they stood in the scheme of the world.


    Alec approved of this since he hated being spoon-fed information. He didn''t want to be a flower growing up in a glass house, and he needed as much information as possible so that he would be able to help the Main Character.


    Since the terms of his mission were so vague, he had to prepare for everything.


    Inside the room they had borrowed from the Woods'', Philip was lying on the floor still looking stunned. He never expected that he would one day be dragged bodily by a giant rabbit of all things. If his head hadn''t hurt slightly from all those bumps up the stairs, he would have suspected that he was still dreaming.


    Bunbun promptly sat on top of the man to prevent him from moving, causing him to ''oomph''.


    Alec walked in with the same casual smile on his face, followed by Elias who was slowly but surely sliding back to his preferred silence. He was more of the silent type that liked to listen rather than talk.


    "We want to ask you a couple of questions, if that''s fine with you," Alec said politely. Now that they weren''t on opposite ends, he would go back to the default ''polite'' and ''gentle'' state that the Mainframe so unceremoniously shoved onto him. One never knew when the Mainframe would suddenly take his interactions as OOC.


    "Of course. Anything you want to ask, I''ll answer to the best of my ability providing that it doesn''t infringe on other''s privacy," Philip said. He would not talk about Henry''s affairs behind his back.


    Alec respected that.


    "We just want to know more about the state of the world," Alec said, intentionally leaving things out. The man would come to his own conclusions, which would be helpful.


    Philip had indeed come to several conclusions that they were previously sheltered from the outside world and society, which made them seem slightly awkward and antisocial, but he still didn''t know what happened. He wondered whether or not it would be insensitive of him to ask why they didn''t know anything at all.


    Before he could ask, Alec provided him some information for his imagination to continue going wild. "We came out from the Mysterious Forest. Stanley and Lorraine were kind enough to provide us lodgings as we make some money."


    Ah. Philip nodded inside his head. Suddenly, all the little inconsistencies made more sense now. Lorraine and Stanley were well-known for their helpful nature, and he heard that Stanley had taken over guard duty for his friend.


    He wondered if they had no memories from before they entered the forest at all. That would explain why they were out of touch from reality. Feeling a swell of emotion well up inside him, Stanley''s mouth was looser than usual, forgoing whatever filter that he might have used for other children.


    "As you know, our planet is called Incantix, and we''re currently on the outer edges of the South and East Kaoriht continent. The continent is currently divided into five parts. North, South, East, West, and Capital."


    Alec subtly gestured for Bunbun move so that Philip could sit up a little, passing over a map.


    Philip pointed out the various parts of the continent to them, using a marker to draw lines. He circled where they currently were, as well as the middle area, which was considered the capital by everyone. Then, he circled two other smaller areas, pointing it out.


    "Welkton City doesn''t seem like it''s that far away from us, but actually, due to the harsh travelling conditions, the journey takes a lot longer than it should as written on the map," the man said, his finger tracing the route.


    "This is Yraii, where Gred and Briggs will likely head towards should they not get their asking price in Welkton City. Within the Capital area, there are ten cities that keep each other in check, and Yraii is one of them."


    Alec hummed. "Do they all share the same government?"


    Philip raised a brow. "Ah, no. The entire Kaoriht continent has been conquered by the Emperor some thousand years back. Where the North, South, West and East regions are ruled by kings, the Emperor is the sole leader of the Capital."


    Alec''s eyes were drawn to where Welkton City was sitting, which was smack dab in the middle of South Kaoriht. Just what was it that caused the travelling to take a lot longer than usual?


    Before he could ask, their room door was knocked on, admitting Henry.


    Henry paused at the doorway when he spotted Philip semi-buried under a bundle of fur, baffled.


    "Come in."

 Chapter 54 Forage In The Fores

    Henry secretly jolted when he heard that they were going to Welkton City too. Though he didn''t think that it was for him, he couldn''t deny that he felt touched they were going with him at least for a little of the journey.


    More than that, he was surprised to hear that Philip was going with him. Alec and Elias, maybe not so much, since they were heading the same way, but Philip? This was, after all, his own personal battle, and the other man shouldn''t have been involved.


    He had a life here. A job. A house. He wasn''t like Henry, who had everything he''d ever known ripped out from under his feet.


    Philip snorted when he saw the look Henry was giving him. "Don''t think too much about it. I''m just going along to make sure you keep your sorry ass out of the fire."


    Henry gave him a look that screamed he didn''t believe him one bit but was thankful all the same.


    "We won''t be going right away. Elias and I still have to gather some funds first."


    "I''ll give you-"


    Alec held up a hand, stopping the words he was about to say. Henry got the feeling that the kid wouldn''t be too happy if he finished his sentence, and judging by the look in the teen''s face, hidden though it may be, gave him the same feeling as well.


    Henry wondered whether it was strange that the two of them didn''t give him the feeling that he was talking to children. Even though Alec was the same age as his son, Henry still got the feeling that Alec was fundamentally different from Hadrian.


    "Whether or not you want to come with us, that''s fine. However, Elias and I will be staying another 12 more days before we leave."


    Henry frowned. "Is there a reason why you''re being so specific?"


    Alec stared at Henry but didn''t answer his question. "That being said, are you willing to show me where you go to hunt?"


    Henry rubbed his chin, feeling the stubble that had grown. "Tomorrow morning work for you?"


    "That''s fine."


    Philip pulled Henry out of the room, whispering furiously to him. "What do you think you''re doing? Isn''t it dangerous to bring a kid that young out of the town?"


    Henry shook his head. "Being a hunter isn''t all that dangerous if you know where to go, you know? I won''t put him in danger. After all, I''m still in his debt."


    Philip couldn''t argue against that logic, though he still didn''t feel good having an eight-year-old go out there with only one adult as company.


    "Besides, he''s got a pretty mean punch."


    Philip conceded that point.


    -


    Early the next morning, Alec followed Henry out to the place where most of the hunters from the town liked to frequent.


    It wasn''t too far out from the town, but there was an area that contained a wood. Alec looked around, feeling something, but he didn''t know what. The woods were woods, but at the same time, they weren''t. There was something off, but he wasn''t able to define it properly.


    Alec looked at Henry, but the man didn''t seem to notice anything off, nor did he seem to notice the change in atmosphere the deeper they went in.


    Alec could tell that the man wasn''t faking it. He really didn''t feel anything. Not like him.


    It was a strange sensation, like cold prickles making their way up his arms. It almost felt like something was watching, but that something didn''t have eyes.


    Not in the physical sense, anyway.


    Alec placed a hand on a random tree that looked the same as any of the others in the forest.


    Awakening it, the bond between the two bloomed to life, and there was a physical sense that screamed in his mind, recoiling.


    The sense of someone watching him disappeared almost instantly, and Alec''s slightly tensed shoulders relaxed. What was that?


    Henry''s expressions never once changed.


    "Why do you want to come here anyway?"


    "I''m looking for some plants that I''ve read about in Stanley''s book. I want to do a few experiments."


    Henry rubbed his chin. "I''m afraid I can''t really help you there. I don''t know anything about plants. I only know about what I should avoid. Well, most of it anyway."


    Alec didn''t blink. He''d expected that. "It''s fine. Just treat this as more of a learning experience."


    The two, man and child, trudged through the woods as they searched high and low for various herbs and plants.


    "What are you looking for anyway? Maybe I''ve seen some."


    Alec pulled out a sheet of paper from his backpack, having foreseen a question like this.


    "It looks like this."


    Henry peered at the sheet of paper in front of him, marvelling at the quality of whiteness. That was some good stuff. Paper that the townsfolk used were usually brown or yellowish. Only those who were in the Capital got to enjoy such paper since they didn''t produce much.


    There, carefully drawn on the sheet, was a common looking plant. It was erm¡­ green. And had leaves. Henry scrutinised it but didn''t really see anything that made it distinct. Then again, he was a hunter, not a botanist.


    He shook his head, disappointed. "I don''t know. Maybe I''ve seen it, maybe I haven''t."


    "It''s alright," Alec said, keeping the sheet back into his backpack. "Do you know a place that contains a pond or lake with dim lighting?"


    Henry thought about it before he nodded. There was one specific place that was in the middle of the woods that did contain a place like that. However, it was also one of the more dangerous spots because many creatures visited that place.


    "That''s where we''re going."


    Henry frowned. "I don''t think that''s a good idea. I can''t guarantee I can keep you safe. There''s always a chance that there will be relatively more dangerous animals or creatures when we go."


    "Is anything in this part of the woods classified above first rank?"


    "There isn''t," Henry said, and he had a feeling he knew what Alec''s answer was going to be.


    "Then it''s fine."


    Based on the creature rankings, from first to sixth, they corresponded with the various stages of magical capacity Alec and most other humans used. Why they didn''t just follow what they used to classify creatures with, Alec would never know.


    It just seemed rather pretentious, with the way they made humans'' stages sound so much more complex than they actually were, whist giving creatures ranks from one to six.


    In theory, the ranks corresponded, but in reality, the creatures had a distinct edge on humans. Generally, it took around five humans of the same rank to deal with a creature of the same rank.


    Alec privately thought that it was just because the creatures or monsters just lived a longer time than humans in the earlier stages, which meant that more people had to team up to take care of creatures from stage one to three.


    However, once someone reached the Advanced magic stage, their lifespan increased by a sizable amount. Again, in theory, a human should be able to face off a monster or creature one on one as they obtained more battle experience.


    Though Alec didn''t think that he would be able to singlehandedly win against many beasts, if there weren''t too many, he was sure that he was able to escape relatively unscathed.


    Not only that, he wasn''t planning on doing anything overt like face them all head on by himself like a reckless idiot. Stealth was obviously the way to go here.


    Henry must have sensed that he would not be able to talk Alec out of it no matter what, because he didn''t say another word as they made quick work to head towards the location.


    Luckily, the woods in this area didn''t have any monsters nor magical beasts, only animals and creatures.


    The way they were differentiated was distinct. Animals had no magic at all, creatures had small, almost miniscule amounts of magic but were smart and quick to make up for it. Monsters, on the other hand, had magic but lacked any sort of advanced thinking. Magical beasts had both magic and brains, which made them the worst type to face.


    Coincidentally, the Ash Phoenix was a magical beast, which was why Henry had been so surprised to be able to capture one or even find one injured.


    There were faint rustles from the woods, from small animals or creatures and the wind, which calmed Alec somewhat.


    He felt more at home here in the woods as compared to the Woods'' family home. Whilst they were very nice putting up with Elias and himself, that didn''t make any difference when he knew they were only staying temporarily. It just didn''t give him the same type of calm.


    As they approached the location, Alec could feel the atmosphere change accordingly. The air was more humid, and there seemed to be a faint sort of veil hanging over the place.


    Looking through the shrubs, Alec could see that there were a few creatures around drinking languidly, but that was fine. Just because the plant he was looking for grew in larger amounts next to the water, that didn''t mean that they didn''t grow elsewhere.

 Chapter 55 Thank The Mainframe Ism Not A Main Character

    Luckily for the both of them, Alec was not a Main Character. Thank the Mainframe. Alec never thought he''d ever say that in his lifetime.


    With a mix of Alec''s non-Main Character aura, and Henry''s exceptional and honed instincts from being a hunter, the man stopped just as his hand was about to brush the plant in front of them, his quick reflexes saving him.


    Alec projected an aura of calm, but only he knew that inside he was sweating at the close call.


    "Henry, no," Alec repeated in a calmer and softer tone, almost a whisper. Too quiet, and they would attract more attention. Louder, and do the same.


    The few creatures and animals that perked up hearing Alec''s softly urgent shout earlier went back to drinking, unconcerned as they heard a few softer noises. They treated it as part of the background noise.


    "What''s wrong?" Henry whispered back. "Isn''t that the plant?" he said, squinting harder at the green before him.


    "It looks identical, except for the fact that the shade of green is wrong. See?" Alec said, producing the sheet of paper yet again.


    "Does that matter?" Henry was puzzled. "Don''t all plants have a bit of variation anyway?"


    "It may not for other plants, but for this specific one, around the area it grows, there grows a corresponding herb which is a different shade of green. Though both of them contain medical properties, the one which has the brighter shade of green is quite poisonous. They''re usually referred to as Viridian Herbs. It''s slightly confusing because one of them have distinctly medicinal properties whilst the other is used as poison."


    Henry eyed the innocuous looking herb, moving a bit further from it.


    "As long as you don''t touch it, it''s fine. Though the poison won''t kill you immediately if you do touch, the spread of it releases a scent into the air that attracts creatures. Which we don''t want right now."


    Henry felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight hearing Alec''s words. Though he honestly couldn''t be said to know all the plants and such that this forest had, he liked to think that he knew what to avoid.


    Actually, the thing that scared him the most was the way the boy still had a light, gentle smile on his face as if he was talking about the weather. As if he weren''t talking about something that could lead to potential death, pain and suffering.


    He didn''t know what scared him more. The fact that he couldn''t read Alec at all, or the fact that the boy seemed to think that it was fine and even amusing even at this point of time.


    However, how was it that he''d never heard of this herb before?


    As if hearing his question, Alec continued explaining. "They''re only found in areas like this, and if I''m right, most of the hunters don''t come around here since there''s a high possibility that they''ll get ganged up on by the creatures."


    Henry nodded. That made more sense. He heard that a few years back, there''d been one of the hunters who died after months of prolonged pain and suffering. He just wasted away until there was nothing left. There had been nothing the town''s doctors could do since they didn''t even know what caused him to end up that way in the first place.


    As Henry was thinking, Alec pulled on a set of specially treated gloves, made for his (unfortunately) kid hands, reaching out for the poisonous half of the Viridian Herbs.


    Henry jerked, making as if to stop him.


    "As long as it doesn''t come into direct contact with your skin, there will be no adverse effects," Alec said for Henry''s benefit.


    The man relaxed a little, but still kept a sharp eye out. In case something happened. Accidents weren''t ever expected, after all.


    He left the herb gathering to the kid, keeping an eye out for the creatures that were around the lake. Any overt reactions from them, and he would pick up the kid and dash away, no matter if he protested or not.


    By the time Alec finished gathering to his satisfaction, it was time for them to leave.


    As luck would have it, they were neither accosted by creatures nor animals, which Henry found slightly puzzling.


    Even on a good day, usually a creature or two would have faced off with them, which would guarantee his kill for the day.


    Thus, Henry was stunned to find that he''d made it back to the town without a single kill that day. This hadn''t happened in the history of¡­ well, ever. What just happened?


    Before he could think about it any further, Alec already started heading towards Stanley''s flower shop, leaving Henry behind.


    Now that he had a bunch of herbs on hand, he wanted to do a couple of experiments. He also wanted to try his hand at growing some.


    At the flower shop, Alec waved to Tom across the street before he headed into the shop with well-concealed eagerness.


    Alec finished his duties by watering all the plants before he went to the back to borrow a couple of pots from Stanley. Hopefully the man wouldn''t mind.


    Taking a few of the seeds that he''d procured from the herbs earlier, Alec planted five of each half of the Viridian Herb, both medicinal and poisonous.


    If Alec had to be frank, then he was actually a lot more interested in the poisonous herb and what it could do than the medicinal one, but that was just personal preference talking.


    Touching one of the pots, Alec slowly inserted his magic into the dormant seed, closing his eyes.


    He sank into his mindscape where he saw a ball of light in front of him.


    Instinctively, Alec knew that he would be able to speed up the growth of the herb by a few folds.


    Carefully guiding his magic inside the seed, Alec Awakened it, making sure to grant it a bit of sentience. It was just enough for him to form a bond to it.


    Speeding up the growth process, Alec felt the seed germinate, bloom and grow rapidly in front of him in a matter of minutes. Feeling the process through their bond caused him to feel a faint awe.


    It was almost like he''d watched a fast-forwarded video instead of seeing it live. Alec simultaneously felt the process bloom within him. He felt the intake of water, the first respiration of the seed, the slow blooming of a new bud¡­


    Well, if all else failed, Alec could become a gardener or something. He''d make a killing doing this.


    For the first one, he Awakened stronger properties in the herb.


    For the second, durability.


    Third, adaptability.


    Fourth, he changed the properties they contained a little.


    Fifth, increased reproduction ability.


    Then, Alec repeated the process in the other half of the Viridian Herbs.


    After two hours, Alec stood in front of a row of ten plants, feeling a sense of accomplishment course through him. Now, he just had to wait a couple of days before he could see the results in full.


    Having done all of that, Alec turned his attention to the readily procured herbs that he''d picked up.


    Sorting through the two bundles, Alec could tell that most of them maintained a rather uniform growth. Interesting.


    However, what was piquing his interest more was the small line of information that he''d read in the Plant encyclopaedia. Apparently, the poison only applied in full when it was on skin contact, but consumed it was less than a tenth of the poison.


    Easily bearable.


    Making sure he was wearing the gloves properly; Alec took out a mortar and pestle from the interspatial dimension he''d taken with him just in case.


    It was always one of the compulsory items that a Rune Master carried around, so his mother had insisted he take one with him. Though he was far from being a Rune Master, it was coming in handy right now.


    Taking one of poisonous herbs, Alec started crushing it. Then, he added one of the non-poisonous ones and crushed it together.


    Before long, there was a faintly green liquid at the bottom, which Alec extracted and mixed with a bit of water.


    The resulting mixture was a white substance that looked akin to salt or sugar.


    Alec raised a brow. How interesting.


    He poured the Viridian Poison mix into a small container not unlike those used to store spices.


    What if¡­ he consumed this? Would he eventually gain some sort of poison immunity eventually?


    Before Alec could muse further, the bell that was attached to the front door rang, causing Alec to head out from the back. He paused, seeing that it was just Philip and Henry.


    "We brought lunch!" Henry held up the box of food in his hand.


    "Thank you," Alec said politely surprised. He discreetly looked at the clock on the wall. It was only ten in the morning. But he wasn''t one to refuse someone''s goodwill.


    Since Philip and Henry were acting so attached to him, then if doing little things like this would allow them to be less attached, then by all means. He would have to part from them eventually.


    "So, what''d you do with all those herbs?"


    "They''re in the back," Alec replied, taking his small container of Viridian Poison and sprinkling a bit of it over his share of the food.


    "What''s that? Some sort of spice?"


    "Something like that."

 Chapter 56 Mix of Flavours

    Alec chewed thoughtfully as he considered the taste.


    It was¡­ strange. Not bad, but strange. It tasted somewhat reminiscent of an apple, which went strangely with the fried rice and chicken he was eating. But he could get used to it, if he ate it enough, and really, it wasn''t bad.


    Henry must have taken the smile on his face to mean something else, though, and eyed the spice container curiously. "Can I try some as well?"


    Alec handed over the small glass container without another word, eating his meal.


    Henry sprinkled a small portion of it on his food, scooping a large portion into his mouth.


    His face contorted strangely, as if he didn''t know what to feel. "You like this? Isn''t this combination of flavours kind of strange like this?"


    In a move of masochistic abuse on himself, the hunter sprinkled a little more onto the food, trying it again as if he wanted to categorize this strange flavour. "What''s this anyway?"


    "Oh¡­ it''s just the Viridian extract. I managed to crystallise it earlier to see what it''ll do if consumed," Alec said with a smile.


    Henry choked on the food that had been going down his throat, causing Philip to thump him hard on the back.


    "What!" Henry wheezed. "By Viridian extract, do you mean the one from the purely medicinal side? Please tell me that''s what you mean."


    Philip''s face took on a rather alarmed expression at the noise his friend was making.


    "Ah, I must have forgotten to mention that it''s not poisonous when mixed with together with the non-poisonous half."


    Henry relaxed, looking calmer.


    "Not as much, anyway."


    He tensed back up.


    Philip snorted. "Don''t be so obtuse. Can''t you tell he''s messing with you?"


    Alec tilted his head, looking confused, but maintaining his gentle smile.


    "You were messing with us, right?" Philip repeated, looking a little less sure of himself now.


    Henry gulped down some water, looking like he was about to force Alec to throw it all up if he didn''t answer affirmatively.


    "Yes?"


    Philip and Henry eyed him with varying degrees of scepticism but allowed it to pass for now.


    Alec sent both troublesome adults away with much difficulty, going to the back to prepare more of the crystallised extract from the Viridian Herbs.


    He inked a spatial dimension rune onto the little glass container, gleefully filling it up.


    By the time he finished, he realized that from the ten pots that he''d Awakened his herbs in, the fifth ones, whereby he Awakened their reproduction abilities, the entire pot had been filled up with other freshly grown Viridian Herbs as well.


    He was surprised when he realized that the other herbs also formed a bond with him, though it was linked to the bond through the original herb in the first place.


    Fascinating.


    Alec itched to experiment more, so he cleared out all the other herbs except the original one, replanting a few into new pots.


    Then, he went back and repeated the cycle of crushing, mixing and crystallising the Viridian extract, filling more of his container.


    The more the better.


    Alec took two pots of the replanted herbs and placed them in the spatial dimension to see if things would die if placed inside. As far as he could tell, the plant still needed oxygen to be able to survive, so if there wasn''t any inside, then it would die.


    The bell rang, and to his surprise, it was actually a customer.


    Alec felt pained when he realized that it was a child. Her age was not unlike himself, which made it even worse. He could scarcely remember how he interacted with Elias and the rest, which was doing him no favours right now.


    He never thought that a little girl would come into a flower shop on her own, without an older sibling or adult with her.


    Hopefully this wouldn''t go too badly. Alec was terrible with children.


    "Mr. Woods, I''m here for the daily flowers for my mothe-" the little girl cuts herself off, her eyes locking onto one of the pots he''d brought to the front. "Is that a Viridian Herb?" she blurted out, her voice going high-pitched.


    Lily was looking for some new flowers to cheer her mother up, so she dropped by the flower shop just before it closed for the day.


    She gasped, struggling to peer over the counter to take a closer look at it. "It is!" she squealed. "I''ve never seen one before!"


    "Eh, who are you?" Lily said when she realized it wasn''t Mr. Woods.


    "I''m a part-time helper," Alec said calmly. "You recognise the Viridian Herbs?" he questioned, curious. How did this little girl know when a hunter like Henry who frequently went into the woods didn''t know about it?


    Lily pointed at the book near him. "I''ve got one of those too!"


    Alec eyed the brown-haired girl sporting glasses with an appraising look. With her colouring, she almost looked like one of their clan members. However, Alec was sure that he''d never seen her before.


    Regardless, he could appreciate the curiosity and initiative to learn in a child, so he was actually feeling pretty happy right now.


    "Do you want one?" Alec said spontaneously, holding out one of the pots. He offered her the non-poisonous one, because while he did appreciate her inquisitiveness, he wasn''t an idiot that would hand a child something potentially dangerous to their health.


    However, curiosity was meant to be encouraged and nurtured, so Alec wanted to do this.


    Lily eagerly reached out for it before hesitating. She looked at the bare amount of money that she''d barely managed to scrounge up before sadly looking away.


    "Want to buy flowers?"


    Lily nodded, pointing at the peony. "That one, please. Just one."


    Whilst Alec wrapped it up how he remembered Stanley showing him previously very quickly, he still noticed the barely concealed longing gazes the girl was giving to the pot.


    Alec handed her the single flower, then the pot.


    Lily shook her head. "I don''t have any more money," she said, trying to hide her longing. She was actually hiding her feelings quite well.


    Alec paused. What did he do now? How did he convince her to take it? The System wracked his brain to think about a way, referring back to a few of the conversations he overheard.


    "Can you keep a secret?" Alec hesitantly asked, not sure whether or not this would work.


    Lily nodded eagerly at the thought of hearing a secret from someone.


    "These are actually my herbs. I grew them myself, so if you want, I''ll give one to you."


    "But you only have one!" Lily cried, looking visibly distressed.


    Alright, plan aborted. The conversations from those other useless Systems were useless. What else could he possibly have expected? He was a fool for ever having considered that they would ever be useful.


    The longer was away from them, the more his mind slipped from just how useless the most of them were.


    "I have a lot more," Alec said slowly, trying his best to think of what else to say. "If you''re able to take care of it properly, then I''ll give you some seeds to try and grow some as well."


    "Thank you!" Lily said, saluting him cutely. Her face carried a look of stern determination as she said goodbye to him and walked out the door.


    Lily thought to herself that she had to take good care of the Viridian Herb that the nice boy had given her. She''d bring it every day so he could see she was taking good care of it!


    Alec watched her go, baffled about why she suddenly accepted before shrugging. As long as she took it, it was fine, right?


    Right?

 Chapter 57 So, The Herb Survived

    To his consternation, the little girl came back every day bringing the herb with her.


    When mentioned to Stanley, the man laughed and said, "That''s Lily. She drops by everyday right before the store closes to buy a flower for her mother. I would give them to her for free, but she insists that she pays."


    Stanley shook his head sadly. "Her mother''s sick, you see, so Lily goes out every day to earn a bit of money to try and supplement their household income. I tried to offer her a job here, but it seems like she doesn''t want to feel indebted to anyone."


    Alec respected that, though he didn''t necessarily agree. What was pride when you needed the work? As long as you made sure you did your best and not slack off, wasn''t it fine?


    The little girl, though touched by the darker sides of the world, was able to keep her smile and joy for learning even as she did her best. Alec himself didn''t think he would be able to do that.


    If someone he loved was facing such difficulty, though he would try his best to smile, he didn''t think that it would be able to reach his eyes like that girl.


    She was slowly but steadily growing on him.


    The bell hung at the top of the door rang again.


    "Alec!" Lily called out cheerfully.


    The best thing about this little girl was that her happiness was genuine, unlike Alec''s polite demeanour.


    "Lily."


    Lily brandished the pot that Alec gave her four days ago, beaming. "Look! It''s still doing well under my care."


    Alec examined the leaves of the herb, nodding in agreement. "It is."


    As Lily chatted happily, a sudden thought bloomed inside of Alec. Maybe¡­ he would be able to help her out after they left. He would hate to see all that potential wasted after he left.


    The moment the idea appeared in his mind, the more it grew, like a seed that had been quietly sprouting all this time.


    Besides, hadn''t he always wanted to try and find someone else to see if another Awakening type Magitype was able to replicate what he was able to do? However, what were the chances of Lily being an Awakening type?


    "Lily," Alec said slowly, causing the girl to stop her chatter as if she could hear the seriousness in his words.


    "Yes?"


    "What is your Magitype?"


    Though it wasn''t exactly considered polite to ask, and there were valid reasons why they shouldn''t tell their Magitype to someone they didn''t trust, Alec wondered if Lily would tell him anyway.


    Lily visibly hesitated, a look of wariness on her face, but Alec could tell that it wasn''t because she didn''t think it was alright to tell him. Rather, she looked like she was hesitant because she didn''t know how he would react.


    Seeing her react like this, Alec wondered if it was alright for him to get his hopes up. Could she really be¡­?


    "You won''t make fun of me, right? You''ll still be my friend no matter what?" Lily''s tone was both worried and shy.


    "Of course."


    Hello, experiment!


    "I''m¡­ I''m an Awakening type," Lily said, her face lowered to the ground. She peeked up hesitantly at him, trying to judge his reaction.


    Alec made sure to maintain his smiling expression, even when he felt a little something inside him soften.


    "Me too," Alec said.


    Lily gasped, brightening back up. "Really?!"


    Alec nodded and gestured for her to come over. Lily plodded over with the pot still clutched in her hand, practically glowing.


    She''d never met another person who had the same Magitype as her, and that made her extremely excited. All the other kids didn''t want to be friends with her because they said she was useless, but that was fine. She had her books, and she had her plants. She also had her mama, so wasn''t it fine?


    Now, her new friend Alec told her that they were the same. How could she not be excited? This gentle older boy that smiled at her so softly, watching her with a fondness that no one else but her mama showed her.


    Lily felt like she was basking in the sun every time she saw his smile directed at her.


    Although her mama told her not to tell strangers about her Magitype in case they discriminated against her, wasn''t it fine because it was Alec?


    Lily always felt so happy when she saw Alec''s smile. She wondered if this was what an older brother felt like.


    "Do you know any of the Elemental magic technique?"


    Lily nodded, so Alec directed her attention at the Viridian Herb.


    "Look at the herb. Concentrate your magic on it and tell me if you see anything."


    Lily closed her eyes, focusing hard. Slowly, the magic that was inside her body tentatively left her body, coating the herb. She gasped.


    "There''s¡­ something weird. It feels¡­" she struggled to describe it. "It gives me the feeling like¡­ the herb is supposed to be able to survive harsher conditions?"


    Alec smiled. That was a part of his theory that was proven. Other Awakening Magitypes could feel when something had been Awakened. Now, only the question remained whether or not she was able to do it as well?


    "Right."


    "Wait! This means that the herb didn''t survive because I was taking care of it! It was able to survive on its own?!"


    Her statement drew a rare laugh out of Alec, causing the little girl to stare at his laughing face with her mouth opened, stunned. Alec didn''t notice, having turned around to grab a seed.


    Alec handed Lily a single seed from the non-poisonous Viridian Herb.


    Lily eyed the seed with sparkly eyes. The seed was the same shade of green as the herb, small and shaped like a teardrop. When it was held up in the light, the seed was see-through.


    "Plant it next to the one I''ve given you."


    Lily used her fingers to part a bit of the soil with well-practiced ease, stopping Alec who had been about to hand her a small spade.


    Covering it back up, she looked at Alec curiously. "What now? Should I take it back for a couple of days?"


    Alec shook his head, instructing her seriously as he ran through his own thought processes.


    "Now, try and Awaken the seed''s latent potential. Try and accentuate the seed''s reproduction ability. Instead of having to rely on fertilizer from the soil, change a bit and make the herb draw in more magic¡­ yes, that''s it."


    Alec was amazed when he felt that she had succeeded in half the time he took. She was taking to this like a duck to water, considering that she hadn''t the faintest inkling that she could do this.


    Either Lily was gifted in this department, or it was an innate skill for those of the Awakening Magitype. Focusing harder, Alec could sense that a bond had been formed between Lily and the sprouting seed.


    However, she didn''t seem to be reacting to it?


    "Do you feel something like a bond between you and the seed?"


    Lily shook her head, looking puzzled. "I can feel that it''s growing really quickly that''s all."


    Alec fell silent. So, they still differed after all. However, this also opened up a lot of other possibilities.


    "Lily," Alec said seriously. "Don''t ever let anyone tell you you''re useless. There''s nothing useless in this world. We just haven''t found out what it''s useful for, that''s all. Don''t ever discount yourself. You just have to think harder about it and find a way."


    Lily''s expression was serious as she looked at Alec''s smile. She engraved the words in her heart, silently conveying her thanks.


    Even her mama hadn''t told her these words, and they made her feel emotional.


    That''s right. She didn''t need protection, nor did she need encouragement. She just had to know that she would be able to make a use out of her Magitype. She wasn''t useless, nor was she weak. She would be strong in her own way.


    "Lily swears that she''ll never let anyone else''s negative words affect her," she said, falling back into her old habit of referring to herself in third form. So focused, she didn''t even notice that she was doing it.


    Alec''s smile grew a fraction. "Good girl."


    Maybe he wasn''t so bad with kids after all.

 Chapter 58 Goodbye

    Lily was a big girl now.


    That''s what her mama said. She was a big girl, so she had to smile, she had to be polite, she had to be kind.


    She couldn''t ever let the world get her down, because the world was a beautiful place. She just had to find it.


    It didn''t matter what anyone else said.


    It didn''t matter that she didn''t have a friend before she met Alec, because Alec was her friend now!


    Mama was right. There was a lot of joy in the world. She just had to find it herself. These days, the world seemed so sparkly. They were full of magic and excitement!


    Even as mama faded before her, Lily threw herself deeper into her books, into looking for a cure, into looking for something ¨C anything ¨C anything at all.


    The harder it was, the brighter her smile. Smile. She had to smile for the world, for herself, for her mama.


    Because if she stopped smiling, Lily felt like she would break into little pieces, never to be put back together as a whole again.


    Mama brushed her locks out of her face, smiling at her as she listened to her spilling everything about the day''s events.


    Something desperate crawled its way up her throat, at the feeling of her mama''s bony hands.


    What could she do? There was nothing she could do besides smile.


    Both an armour and weapon, Lily wielded her smile as comfort.


    That wasn''t to say that she was faking it, of course. Lily was doing her best to find even the littlest things to be happy about. Mama said that it was optimism, and something that she had been cultivating all this time. It was both a part of her as well as something separate altogether, but Lily wouldn''t trade it for the world.


    So, when she heard that Alec was leaving the town already, she didn''t feel sad. Or rather, she did feel sad for a brief moment, but then it was replaced whole by the thankfulness she felt towards him. They would meet again one day; she was sure of it.


    For being her friend, for giving her courage, for allowing her to dream. She thanked him.


    Looking at the pot that she received as a gift from him, Lily prodded the herbs lightly, feeling them almost sing in a way under her magic. She didn''t think it was a ''bond'' like Alec, said¡­ more like¡­ a faint feeling?


    The Elemental magic technique that had been so foreign to her slowly took up a large part of her free time. Even as she read about the various plants that she so loved; she was also practicing.


    There wasn''t a spare second to waste, as Alec said. If you loved something, then you should work hard for it. Even if you didn''t, since you already committed to it, then all the more you should do your best.


    Lily felt like these words described what she did every day perfectly.


    It made the discord she felt when she overheard someone else talking about slacking off or doing the job just to get it over with blow away.


    Lily didn''t need to heed their advice. If Lily was doing it, then Lily was going to do it right.


    As Lily finished delivering the few sacks of potatoes that she did every day, she habitually went into Mr. Wood''s flower shop to buy a single flower for her mama.


    Mr. Woods was sitting behind the counter, and Lily had a pang of loss as she overlapped the image of Alec sitting there. Though she had only known him for a few days, he had already taught her so much.


    Now, he was gone.


    "Hello, Mr. Woods!"


    "Hello, Lily," Mr. Woods greeted her, smiling as usual. Lily smiled back at him.


    This day, however, Mr. Woods didn''t start getting her a flower as he usually did.


    "Lily, I know that you previously refused my offer to work here with me, but I''m offering again. Alec told me that you have a lot of knowledge about different plants, right? What do you say? This way, you''ll be able to do something that you love whilst getting a bit more money than I''m sure you''re already getting."


    Lily hesitated when she heard his words. She had thought about it, sure, but she always felt so indebted to the man that she could never bring herself to take the offer that he''d given her.


    Not to mention, she felt a little guilty when she thought that she would have fun in the flower shop whilst her mama waited for her back at home.


    "I know what you''re thinking," Mr. Woods said, looking kindly at her. "But if you want it, then you should work for it, right? In my shop, you''ll be able to gather a lot more knowledge than if you''re constantly running around and wearing yourself out."


    The man paused. "Also, Alec said that you have a green thumb that''ll be able to help the shop, right?"


    Lily struggled with her desires, biting her lip.


    She was only eight years old, but she already knew what she wanted in life. This way, she could even help out Mr. Woods with his plants as well!


    "Okay," Lily said with firm determination. "I''ll be the best employee you can ask for!"


    Mr. Woods chuckled, patting her head. "I''m sure you will."


    -


    Alec shouldered his backpack, looking back at Mystik town. He''d left Lily in the hands of Stanley. It was his little way of giving back to the Woods'' family slightly, since he couldn''t do anything right now.


    He was almost a hundred percent certain that Stanley''s son had been snatched up by slave traders. Alec didn''t know if he would be able to do anything about that, but he would keep his ear out.


    He''d managed to get from them that his son''s name was Mason. Mason Woods.


    Hopping onto the wagon (what the fuck, they still used wagons) with Philip and Elias, Henry hopped in front, steering the horses.


    As Alec looked back at the town that was steadily growing smaller, he heard the sweet ¨C well, not really ¨C sound of the Mainframe''s voice.


    [Mission: Stay two weeks or longer within Mystik Town completed.]


    [+100 Points]


    [Current Points: 280]


    [Mission: Earn money to travel completed.]


    [+100 Points]


    [Current Points: 380]


    Alec clenched his fist, feeling a strong elation as the words registered in his mind. He was now a step closer towards the immediate goal of a thousand points, where he would hopefully get rid of the OOC function.


    Though Alec was now used to it, that didn''t mean that he was willing to live with it for the rest of his life.


    There was always the chance that the Mainframe would not allow him to disable to OOC function, but Alec dreaded to even think about that happening.


    Heh. Who was he kidding?


    This was the Mainframe that he was talking about. There had to be some sort of clause that was set in place so that he would suffer. However, if there was even the slightest chance that he would be able to get rid of it, then Alec would work for it.


    Even if it turned out to be hopeless in the end, at least he tried his best and knew it.


    Bunbun sidled up to him, looking for attention. Alec patted the sleepy-looking bunny, his tiny hands sinking into the soft fur.


    If the him from ten years ago could see him now¡­


    Alec wondered if he would do everything the same way again.


    Then, just as he was about to relax and drift off under the purring bunny, the wagon jolted.


    "Creature attack!" Henry shouted back at them.

 Chapter 59 Fight!

    Even before they can do anything, the sound of low, threat-filled growls of whatever creature it was that had emerged to fight them. There was the sound of liquid splattering onto the ground even as the sound of metal slicing through the air met their ears.


    There were two howls of commands that rang through the air, the sign that broke the stalemate.


    Instantly, Alec and Elias were out of the wagon as the horses jolted to an emergency halt.


    What greeted them was the sight of Henry fighting off the various creatures that looked like wolves. The thing that set them apart from normal animals was the faint wisps of magic that they each carried, emerging through the little flashes of light whenever their paws touched the ground.


    With every step, the pack of wolves moved in a uniform fashion, encircling Henry in the middle. Each step was light, as if they never fully touched the ground before they moved forward.


    As Alec scanned the situation, he frowned inwardly. There were more than fifty wolves here, which was a lot even by a normal animal canine''s pack standard.


    Considering that they were facing off with creatures, it was surprising that they were moving around in such a large pack. Even for canine creatures, this usually caused them to prefer moving around in twos or threes, if not alone.


    This was because creatures usually enjoyed a higher form of solidarity as compared to their comparatively more simple-minded brethren.


    Seeing such a large pack was unheard of.


    Henry, fighting hard, already sported a variety of claw marks that were bleeding sluggishly. However, he gave as good as he got, his teeth bared in a reflection to the wolves'' fangs. The man was trying to minimize his fatigue levels by dodging whenever he could.


    He was hard-pressed in his battle, pushed beyond his limits as he fought for his life. Not even once would he have expected that he would face such difficulties along the travelling path to Welkton City.


    He knew that the path wasn''t as safe as it appeared on the map, sure, but having to face so many was unthinkable!


    The hunter roared, his latent potential exploding under the combined assault of the pack of wolves. Luckily, Henry was already in the foundation stage of magic capacity, which meant that he outstripped the wolves by a rank at least.


    Even then, he wasn''t having an easy time.


    Elias pulled out a new pair of daggers that had been strapped at his side, his presence fading to something softer, something harder to detect. The daggers were a product of his two weeks in Mystik Town.


    The teen slipped into the fray without another word, slaughtering his way to the man. He stabbed only at fatal points, bringing down a fair number of unsuspecting wolves.


    While Henry drew attention to himself, Elias took care of the various wolves that slipped through the man''s defences, guarding his back.


    It wasn''t just them who were fighting. Bunbun, who had previously been dozing in the wagon, joined the fray, attacking with all his might.


    Compared to the wolves going after the humans, the wolves that converged towards the bunny were a lot more. It seemed like the wolves'' natural instincts won out here, before a howl of command stopped some of the wolves from diverting their attention.


    Bunbun didn''t falter in the face of adversity, nor did he cower in the face of these predators that usually took bunnies as nourishment.


    Actually, the bunny was just barely smaller than the wolves that were attacking him in his crouched form.


    If Alec wasn''t so busy looking and categorising the flow of the battle, he would have laughed at the sight they made. It felt like a wolf being released in a sheep''s pen. In this case, a bunny released in a wolves'' pen, with Bunbun being the predator.


    A giant bunny fighting wolves on equal ground. No, a giant bunny fighting against wolves and winning without much problem.


    Bunbun savagely tore into the wolves'' necks with his teeth, growling right back at the wolves, who didn''t seem to fear him.


    There were two groups of wolves, one sporting a shade of grey that ran close to black, and the other, which sported black fur with purple undertones. They looked the same in every way except for the colouring.


    Even as Alec slashed out with the dagger that he was so familiar with, his eyes were always moving as he tried to determine the situation they''d found themselves in.


    The trail of dead bodies around him steadily grew


    These wolf creatures in the area didn''t attack as long as no one strayed into their territory. It was the entire reason why this road had been built in the first place, after all. This area was supposed to be far enough from the wolves'' territory that whatever travellers along the road would be relatively safe.


    It clicked when he saw two distinctly alpha wolves howling as they led the battle.


    The two packs of wolves were probably having a territory dispute when they intruded. They probably decided to take care of the intruders first before continuing their fight.


    Unfortunately, Henry was good at what he did, and when first blood had been drawn, it had set off the rest of the wolves.


    Alec avoided the blood splatter as he ducked low, utilising his speed to block a grey wolf''s set of fangs with his dagger. He tipped the wolf in its soft belly, sending it skidding backwards with a whimper, only for a purple one to take its place.


    Alec clicked his tongue, even as the rush of adrenaline made his blood sing. Two territorial wolf packs, working together to take care of a threat. They should just have allowed them to go on their merry way, preventing the casualties.


    However, it was too late now.


    "They''re in the middle of a territorial battle," Alec let the others know. "I''ll take care of the purple alpha wolf. Elias, the grey one."


    Alec didn''t hear Elias'' reply, but the System knew that he''d been heard by the way he felt Elias'' presence disappear from his perception of the area.


    The few wolves that the teen had been facing off let out a couple of whines of confusion as their prey vanished.


    A howl from the grey alpha wolf causes them to shake off whatever confusion they had been harbouring, quickly closing in on the hunter that was still unceasingly fighting against the swarm of fangs and claws.


    Bunbun surged forward, protecting Henry''s back. His powerful paws slapped at their soft bellies, causing a few ruptured organs as they went down for the count.


    Alec jumped over to the purple alpha wolf at the back, finding that it was a lot smaller than the rest, causing him to raise a brow.


    In fact, it was so much smaller than the rest of the purple wolves that it caused Alec to wonder how it had become the alpha of the pack. And it was indeed the alpha, since the purple wolves were reacting to its every howl of command.


    The formations in which the wolves attacked changed accordingly to the howl coming out from the alpha.


    The purple alpha wolf barely had any time to react when Alec slammed a fist on its head, causing it to stumble backwards.


    Alarm bells rang in his mind as he felt the incoming danger, causing him to reflexively dodge to the side.


    The wolf''s powerful paw landed on the ground, causing a minor tremor as the ground fractured under the strike. The wolf''s cunning eyes seemed to gleam at the prospective battle.


    Alec was inwardly shocked at the display of strength which caused his blood to pump even quicker through his veins. For a rank one creature, it was already a lot. The ecstasy of being in a fight where he was matched in pure physical strength caused a strange sense of satisfaction to purr through his body.


    Alec grinned as he readied his blade, taking a stance.


    Similarly, the small purple alpha wolf bared its teeth, its legs poised to ready for a sudden lunge at any given time.


    As their eyes met, human to creature, they recognized each other as a worthy foe and predator. This was a fight that they would enjoy.


    Almost as if hearing a countdown, the two moved at the same time, bloodlust singing to them.

 Chapter 60 New Companion

    The force of their feet kicking off the ground caused a small fracture.


    There was a sort of bubbly glee that Alec felt deep in his bones at the thought of an opponent that was on the same level as he was.


    The more strikes he gave, the more he received as well. They were nothing serious, just scratches on the surface that bled sluggishly.


    The purple wolf too received a number of surface wounds that caused blood to flow.


    Alec felt like he was well and truly alive.


    He was more alive than he''d ever been, with the blood pumping frantically through his entire body.


    More alive than when he''d been Awakening and doing experiments.


    More alive than when he reluctantly acknowledged his friendship with Elias and the rest.


    More alive than when he''d been running through the field of false corpses.


    Judging from the way the wolf''s eyes, it too was feeling the thrill of battle scorch through its body.


    Like this, his surroundings faltered as Alec''s vision wholly focused on the wolf''s next moves.


    The purple wolf had not opened its mouth to howl for some time now, just as lost in the thrill of the alpha battle it found itself in.


    This was a battle between two similarly strengthen opponents, and those who were weaker had no right to interfere in its battle for the alpha position.


    The wolf left out a howl of joy as it relentlessly traded blows with its opponent. This human with black hair was a worthy opponent, much stronger than its brethren. Though the alpha wolf knew that it was small, that did not mean that it was to be discounted.


    Many an opponent had been felled under its leadership and strength, and today would not be the day it fell.


    By now, Alec wasn''t even making any conscious decisions of where to punch or kick. His entire world was narrowed down onto the wolf''s next movements.


    Alec''s eyes glinted when he noticed the slightest flaw in the wolf''s otherwise perfect defence. Its right side was a little weaker due to Alec having wounded it near its paw.


    Without any hesitation, Alec punched when he saw the wolf feint left, landing a solid blow that caused bones to creak under his strength.


    The purple alpha wolf let out a howl of anguish as it collapsed to one knee, shakily standing back up, its teeth bared in a snarl.


    Alec, somehow trusting that the wolf wouldn''t go down this easily, followed up with a fist enhanced with magic, once again knocking at the area he had previously wounded.


    This time, the wolf couldn''t get back up.


    Panting, the previous alpha wolf bared its neck submissively as he admitted defeat. Though it would have loved to go down fighting to the death, deaths that were not caused in the heat of the battle were seen as a disgrace and affront on its pride.


    It could see itself being a beta under this human, an alpha in his own right. The now-beta had a feeling that this human would go far. If it was to serve, then his new alpha was the best choice for him.


    Though the other humans might have been strong as well, they were not chosen by the wolf to be its new alpha. Only through the rite of blood and violence did one submit to an alpha.


    Alec, placed a heavy hand on the small purple wolf''s neck, squeezing as a threat, appeased when the wolf bared its neck even more, whining low.


    Alec''s tunnel vision cleared as the wolf''s tongue lolled. Alec''s hand moved on its own towards those furry ears that twitched under the wolf''s caution.


    Touching those soft, soft ears, Alec rubbed the tiny wolf''s head. The wolf was so small it barely reached his knees, twice as small as the other purple wolves.


    Instinctively, a flow of magic started between the purple wolf and the human, linking the two of them intricately.


    The purple wolf''s ears perked up, staring at Alec with wonderment at his new alpha. The alpha''s pats on its ears caused such contentment to well up within the wolf that it felt like rolling over and wagging its tail.


    As Alec happily patted his new companion, Elias, Henry and Philip were staring with wide eyes.


    Even though Elias himself was patting a rather large grey alpha wolf next to him, that didn''t distract him at all from the shock he felt. The battle had already ended a while ago, and the remaining four other grey wolves were docilely lying by the teen''s foot, awaiting instructions.


    Ten minutes ago, everything else in the clearing had stopped due to Alec and the purple alpha wolf''s battle of dominance as Elias reigned in the remaining grey wolves.


    While it didn''t sound that long, ten minutes worth of battle was actually a very long time. Most fights were usually determined within the first couple of minutes.


    The battle had been heated, almost as if the two could only see each other and no one else.


    Bunbun made a huffy noise as he could feel that he was about to have a new companion¡­


    Throughout the battle, they could only catch glimpses of Alec''s face, mirrored by the alpha wolf''s.


    The young boy''s ever-present gentle smile seemed a lot more sinister in the midst of battle as the two clashed both physically and metaphorically. The angle of his smile was even a tad wider than it was usually, and his eyes were a sharp piercing blue. He looked like he was about to burst into laughter at any given moment, with the way he looked so gleeful.


    Elias even got the feeling that the boy he considered his little brother had a whole different side to him that he had never seen before. He didn''t even look this way when they sparred. Elias wasn''t sure if it was because he couldn''t fully let loose or because he was just enjoying it that much, but Alec''s eyes were gleaming.


    Even as the sight sent chills through his body with the way the boy flitted around, decorated with cuts and blood, his smile never faltered and only ever seemed to grow wider with each passing moment.


    There were goosebumps running up and down on his arms as if he could physically feel the sheer enjoyment the two were experiencing in the heat of battle.


    Henry felt a shiver go down his spine as he felt the reappearance of the predatory aura that the boy was giving off, so similar to that day where he got his ass handed to him by an eight-year-old.


    He just knew that what he experienced that night wasn''t a figment of his drunken imagination. There was a reason why he had chosen to follow the boy, and it had everything to do with the way his instincts screamed at him that he wouldn''t go wrong following the boy.


    Philip licked his dry lips nervously, relieved that the boy hadn''t used all that strength against his friend previously. Though he knew they got off lightly, he hadn''t realized just how lightly it was.


    Even after he had just barely taken care of a few wolves that tried to attack him on the wagon, he still felt like Alec was more dangerous than the lot of them.


    The bloodlust that still filled the air made him wonder if this was the boy''s true face under every polite smile. It was as if a beast had been shoved into a human guise, fooling everyone.


    When Alec made his way back to them, he wondered about the strange looks they were shooting him, only to shrug it off. Since they weren''t saying anything, that meant that it wasn''t anything of importance.


    Alec looked at the grey alpha wolf being patted by Elias still, smiling slightly.


    "Elias, you''re keeping the alpha wolf too?"


    Elias, startled, looked down where his hand was still scratching the wolf who looked like he was all but purring under his touch. He withdrew his hand, only to put it back when it whined.


    "It would appear so."


    Alec looked at Elias with admiration. The boy had taken care of his fight so quickly, unlike him, and let him know.


    Elias looked embarrassed. If it wasn''t because of the way Alec had been playing around, he probably would have taken care of the threat even quicker. Elias didn''t know if it was because Alec subconsciously didn''t want to kill a worthy opponent, or if he had just been caught up in the thrill of the battle that made him slower.


    Once again, Elias admired the graceful fighting form that the other had. He was so much stronger than he had been at that age.


    Elias didn''t know if he would ever stop admiring the younger boy.

 Chapter 61 New Companion II

    They piled back onto the wagon with a few extra additions. They were lucky that they had so much extra room, because the addition of Elias'' wolf took a lot of space.


    The grey alpha wolf growled, causing the remaining grey wolves'' ears to perk up, twitching. There were only four other wolves left, but they dutifully got into formation next to the wagon.


    On the other hand, the purple wolf that Alec had acquired only had two other members left from its pack.


    Alec rubbed the purple wolf''s ears, dubbing him Fenrir. Elias called the grey wolf Echo.


    Alec dragged Henry to the back before he tried to go and continue driving the horses.


    With a gentle smile that didn''t match his actions, Alec quickly and methodically slathered salve over the man''s lighter wounds without any delicacy.


    Henry hissed in pain, but dutifully started healing himself of the worst of his wounds, pouring a liberal amount of magic into the wounds that were still bleeding sluggishly. By the time they were left with a faint scab over them, Alec slapped more healing salve onto it.


    He had made the salve himself from the variety of flower petals that were commonly available inside Stanley''s shop during the two weeks, and they seemed to be working fine, much to his satisfaction.


    Elias got off comparatively lightly, with fewer bite marks and claw marks, so Alec let him be with just a light amount of healing salve over his wounds.


    Having done that, Alec worked on himself and Fenrir, who were relatively worse off due to their prolonged battle of dominance.


    Henry, who saw that the wounds on Alec and Fenrir was just as bad as he himself had been sporting, placed his hand over the boy''s wound, trying to heal him as he healed himself.


    Alec held still for the man, wondering how effective his healing was on other people.


    The hunter furrowed his brows, sweat beading his brow. The wounds knit ever so slowly under his intense focus, leaving the man breathless.


    Alec stared as his wounds slowly scabbed over. The scab peeled off, leaving behind flawless skin.


    Henry groaned. "Ugh, that was harder than I thought." The hunter scratched his cheek. "Gotta work harder on that¡­"


    The man lightly worked over the other two wolves, just barely managing to finish healing the wounds before he passed out.


    They stared at the passed-out hunter for a beat before Philip scratched the back of his head. "Well, I suppose it''s up to me now."


    Philip climbed to the front of the wagon, frowning. The horses were shaking in their metaphorical boots at the sight of the wolves nearby. The creatures weren''t even doing anything, but their mere presence alone was causing the horses to quiver in fear.


    This wasn''t good.


    Philip lifted the flap, shaking his head. "The horses won''t run. They''re too scared."


    Alec paused before looking at Fenrir. "Fenrir, can your wolves pull us instead?"


    Fenrir snorted, tossing his head back, as if Alec was looking down on him by asking at all.


    He gave a short howl, and the wolves outside moved in a uniform manner to the front, looking unbothered. The grey wolves seemed to have accepted that their pack was now merged into one, with a shared alpha position between the two small humans.


    While leaving Philip outside to the wolves, they set off without any more delays, moving at a much quicker pace than before. The horses were let go into the wild.


    Settling in with two wolves, a large bunny, a passed-out grown man and a teenager, Alec finally had time to help out Elias with his potential bond.


    "Do you want a familiar bond with Echo? Or are you just planning to continue like this?"


    Elias thought about it. "If possible, I''d like to have a familiar bond with Echo."


    Alec nodded, pulling out a glass rod from his spatial dimension. He shooed Fenrir and Bunbun to the side, where they stared each other down. A huge bunny staring at a small wolf, who didn''t back down.


    Elias stared. Where had that brush come from? A spatial dimension? But Alec didn''t seem to be wearing anything that would allow such a thing.


    As Elias was thinking, Alec used some of the blood that he''d collected from Echo and Elias, mixing them together as he crafted the runes in his mind.


    For a familiar bond, the standard fare was to use the runes to form something akin to a communication bond.


    It was not unlike what Alec naturally experienced when he Awakened something, just simpler and more one dimensional.


    Those people would be able to very faintly feel what the other party was feeling, as well as track where they were located within a certain distance.


    This type of rune usage was something that people used to communicate long distances as well, so it was really nothing special, but what Alec had in mind was more complex than that.


    He wanted to form a bond on the genetic level, which would allow them to use part of each other''s specialties. Of course, nothing so crude that would cause them to gain extra appendages or what not. It was like they were next of kin. They weren''t altering their original genes, just adding a link between their genes, if that made sense.


    Theoretically, it was possible¡­ it was just that Alec hadn''t tested it out before.


    Of course, this wasn''t something that was crafted on the fly, but something that he had worked on with his mother back in the clan compound, so it had her approval, but even then he still hadn''t used it before, so there was always a chance that something would go wrong.


    Alec ran through it again in his mind before practicing twice.


    When he was satisfied that he would finish drawing the runes without any mistakes, he dipped his glass rod into the mixture of blood.


    Alec moved over to the alpha wolf, eyeing the mass of fur. Alec smiled lightly as he slid his dagger out. Echo growled at him, his ears flattening.


    "Echo," Elias admonished lightly.


    Echo whined but obediently held still as Alec shaved off some fur so that he would have space to work on.


    Alec drew the runes with precision, drawing normally. Whilst he didn''t want to make mistakes, drawing at a speed that was unfamiliar to him would potentially cause him to make mistakes instead. Sometimes, going slower didn''t mean that there was an absence in errors.


    "Don''t move," Alec ordered the wolf. "I need to paint it on your back."


    Elias loosened his top, pulling it over his head. His back muscles flexed as he pulled is top off, looking unbothered.


    The markings in red inked themselves over pale skin, carrying a sheen as they dried on his back. He worked at a slightly quicker pace now that he was more used to drawing the runes.


    Alec stepped back. There was a bloom of red runes over the two''s back. Alec looked over both sets of runes with a critical eye, finally satisfied when nothing was out of place.


    "Channel a bit of magic into them on the count of three. One, two, three."


    The red marks appeared as if they faded out of existence, but Alec knew that they had taken place. Whether or not it worked as advertised was another matter, but Alec was confident.


    Even if they were hurt in the area of the runes, it didn''t matter because the runes already took, which meant that they were already considered a part of the genetic level.


    This was one of the reasons why it was so hard to remove a slave brand.


    Echo whined and put his head in Elias'' lap, seeking comfort. His smooth, glorious fur had been shaved by a madman!


    Elias patted the wolf.

 Chapter 62 Hah. Wearing That?

    By the time they were about to stop for the night, Elias was still knocked out cold. Alec took the chance to ask if he wanted to ink a spatial dimension rune on himself since he already had the tools out.


    Since he had been in good form, completing the runes had only taken around five minutes to draw.


    Elias, learning from Alec''s experience, had it on his hand instead of Alec, who had it in a strange position.


    Alec inked Bunbun and Fenrir with it, as well as Echo, explaining how to use it. The bunny and wolf seemed to have put aside differences for now, opting to get along since they were stuck together with no end in sight.


    Bunbun hopped around with a tiny wolf on his back, Fenrir seemed to find this experience novel and exciting. He was riding another creature instead of running around.


    Alec''s lips twitched. Somehow, they had not been affected by the inking of the runes upon their body, unlike how he had been knocked out for the larger part of a day, just like Elias.


    Alec theorized that it was because of the different ways their body was built to handle magic, but he could not confirm it at this point of time.


    Elias woke up, resisting the urge to curl up into a ball. The ache was something else. He didn''t think he felt this bad even when he went a full sparring session with their teacher.


    Henry woke up soon after, looking dazed.


    From what Alec could tell, the hunter had recovered a fair amount of his magic, leaving him around half full.


    The System smiled at the hunter, who seemed to shrink under his smile.


    Why was that?


    "I won''t do it again!" Henry burst out, unable to take the atmosphere any longer, confusing Alec.


    Had he said something out loud? Though he had been disapproving of the way he had used all his magic to the point of passing out without a warning, the other had still helped them, so Alec hadn''t said anything. Yet, that was. But he was already admitting his mistakes?


    Elias laughed lightly in the corner. Alec''s aura sometimes projected his feelings without him being aware of it, which made it even worse since he had no clue he was doing it. It was quite pressurising.


    It was also why amongst their group of friends, they never once slacked off. Not only was Alec always doing something, seeing him work that hard made them feel like they were wasting their time when they weren''t doing anything productive.


    At this time, the light had not yet dimmed completely from the skies, casting a faint orangey glow over everything.


    By the time they finished setting up camp for the night, they heard a roar of anger and unwillingness in the distance, causing them to frown.


    The wolves'' fur all bristled, a sure sign of the potential threat that they felt.


    The roar was followed by the sounds of shouts as they were presumably fighting against a creature or monster.


    The sounds of fighting went on for a while, but none of them moved to help. This was because firstly, they could tell judging from the first roar that the humans must have provoked the being in some way.


    Since this was the case, then if they decided that they wanted to take risks, they should be equally prepared to lose their life. This was an adventurer and hunter''s main rule. Even if no one came to help them, they would never complain because there was always a risk every time they decided to venture out.


    Secondly, just because they were humans didn''t mean that they were always on humans'' side. There was always a series of events that would lead up to a fight.


    Cold? Maybe. Practical? Yes. Why should someone get involved in someone else''s fight if they were the one to instigate it first? Cause and effect.


    Personally, Alec liked to think that they just weren''t idiots like a few Main Characters that liked to charge straight into danger. Just how suicidal did someone have to be to recklessly rush into danger without taking into account potential death?


    They didn''t have the Main Character halo, nor were they moved around by the plot, so for what reason would they charge into the fray when they were clearly bystanders?


    The sounds of the roars tapered off as whatever creature or monster headed deeper into the depths of the forest, leaving the sounds of cursing and swearing behind from the humans.


    Alec tilted his head. From the sound of it, those people who had been fighting were coming their way.


    Elias and Philip quietly continued cooking the stew, whilst Henry was sharpening his sword.


    The wolves were lying low, but their eyes were sharp with caution even as they looked relaxed.


    The sounds of heavy trudging met their ears, even as all the armour clinked and rattled, causing Henry to frown.


    Judging from the way they carried themselves, they were not normal hunters or adventurers. Even those who were first time adventurers would receive advice from those in the guild when they left looking like this.


    Unless they were complete morons who decided to forgo sound advice, no adventurer would be caught wearing that out.


    Most would quickly learn that the more sound you made, the more danger you put yourself in outside of city walls. Unless you were fighting another human, or in a full-scale war, it was always better to go with leather. Though the protection it garnered was not as good, it was lighter, quieter and overall better to move around with.


    Just what were these people doing out here trying to fight monsters or creatures in those tin cans?


    The sounds of grumbling filtered into their ears under the sound of metal clanking. There were five men that emerged from the line of trees, covered in blood and gore. They were clearly fuming from their loss.


    There were traces of dry blood on the armour before the shiny metal had been painted over by these men''s blood.


    The one in the front paused when they caught sight of them, his face twisting in a series of rage-filled disgusted expressions as he clutched his helmet in his hand.


    The man, cuts on his face, scanned the group, his eyes stopping on Henry, who obviously looked like a hunter or adventurer.


    This must be the leader, the man thought. Fabian grabbed Henry by the collar, snarling in his face. "You heard us, didn''t you! You should''ve come help us! We''re all adventurers here!"


    His words were echoed by his remaining teammates, each carrying a look of indignance on their faces.


    Hearing their words, Alec felt both incredulous and disgusted. He couldn''t even muster up the usual anger that seemed to come so naturally to him. They weren''t even worth an iota of his attention. Two men, a teenager and a child. What exactly was it about them that made these men think that they would make a big difference to their fight?


    Of course, if they really wanted to help, they likely would have made a difference, but the way these men acted so entitled to their blood, sweat and tears rubbed him the wrong way.


    What did they expect? Did they think that just one man alone would have made a difference?


    From the way the blood-stained man had instantly gone for Henry, it was clear that he had dismissed everyone else in their group, going for their ''leader''.


    Those men were all Foundational level hunters who had gone after a rank two creature that had been on bounty. They originally had ten members but lost five of them in the clash with the rank two creature.


    Henry laughed in his face. "Ha. You call yourselves adventurers when you''re wearing those tin cans around? Why don''t you pull the other one? You''re lucky not to have already died from all the noise you''re making."


    Fabian''s face purpled with rage, glaring daggers at Henry. The other four men made moves that made them appear like they were about to confront them head on.


    The sounds of growls filtered into their rage-addled brains, causing them to freeze up.


    Fabian let go of Henry''s collar, slowly backing off with his hands up.


    The previous bravado had been replaced by a deep resentment mixed with fear for their lives.


    "An adventurer would never butt into someone else''s hunt in case there''s ever the chance that they''re accused of stealing a kill," Henry said with cold eyes.


    Fabian sneered at them, turning around to leave.

 Chapter 63 Welkton City

    Alec smiled; his eyes cold. "You''re letting them go just like that?"


    Henry snorted. "I am. Though, I doubt they''ll be alive much longer, if the way the creature they fought with has already marked them irreversibly."


    Alec''s eyes lingered on the way those fake adventurers walked away with their tail tucked between their legs. Indeed, they were all marked with claw marks and a faint lingering magic in the air that Alec presumed would lead the creature right to them.


    Not to mention, the way that they weren''t taking care of their wounds immediately didn''t bode anything well for them.


    The men all looked of the rough sort, and their armour didn''t fit them either.


    If Alec had a guess, they were previously bandits who robbed a bunch of armoured soldiers, then took the chance to try their luck fighting against a creature above their magic rank.


    His eyes fell to the last person, who was dragging a small carcass with him.


    Killing a child in front of their parent¡­ it would not be amiss for him to say that they should have expected this sort of fierce retaliation.


    Alec felt no pity for them. They got what they had coming.


    The little episode was quickly put aside in favour of their dinner.


    Alec secretly sent Bunbun after them to make sure that they were eliminated. He wouldn''t want to leave any loose ends that would come back to bite him later on.


    Bunbun came back and nudged his thigh. Alec patted him.


    Sure enough, the bunch of bandits had met their end at the hands of the rank two creature''s hands.


    Shortly, there was the sound of sorrowful calls that echoed sadly in the middle of the night.


    -


    It took them a solid week of travel to get near Welkton City, even with the wolves pulling them. For a normal party travelling, it would have taken close to two weeks of travel or even longer.


    On foot, Alec didn''t even want to think about how long it would take.


    They arrived outside of the gate, where they obediently got into line as the guards checked the various identification of the people coming into the town.


    "Halt!" the guard called out, eyeing their wagon suspiciously.


    It wasn''t every day that you saw a group of canine creatures pull along a simple wagon like this. It was usually one of the rich scions who liked to pull things like this. However, the simplicity and crudeness of the wagon did not look anything like what those rich scions would like to be caught dead in.


    Thus, the guard could not help but be suspicious about the identity of the wagon.


    The wolves stopped themselves, growling at the unfamiliar guard, who took a step back.


    The guard fingered the spear he kept at his side; his eyes wary. Beside him, his fellow guard was doing the same but looked calmer. What hadn''t he seen as a guard at the gates? Nowadays, these rich scions loved to be eccentric.


    "Calm," the guard heard, and the wolves that had previously been growling at him still eyed him cautiously but were comparatively more settled.


    The guard couldn''t help but look at the wagon with new light. The ''driver'' looked nonchalant, completely unbothered about whether or not the unruly wolves would rebel.


    Henry handed over the necessary identification, and the guard checked them over, finding nothing amiss.


    However he felt, the guard still did his job seriously, telling them the obligatory rules about entering Welkton City.


    "It looks like you don''t have the necessary identification that allows you to bring around your creatures or familiars, so you will be granted a temporary pass before the city guards will come after you."


    Henry nodded to indicate that he understood.


    The guards parted way for them, and the wolves moved forward, tugging the wagon with them.


    The city itself didn''t look like anything special. Compared to the cities in the Capital, Welkton City was really nothing to look at. However, the populace was still at many times more of that of Mystik Town.


    The people that walked around looked busier, and they looked less friendly. The traffic on roads were more congested as well, though not so bad that they couldn''t move around freely.


    The screech of a creature was heard from above, causing Alec to peer out from under the flap.


    Winged creatures, in groups of seven, left the city carrying both people and cargo. With a few flaps of the wings, they were already long out of sight.


    They stopped at an inn where they would stay for the night. The inn was on the outskirts of the city, where more questionable people stayed, but that also meant that it was easier to move around undetected.


    The inn looked a bit shady, but when the owner showed them to their rooms, it was surprisingly decent inside. Though it wasn''t anything fancy, it also wasn''t as bare or dirty as he would have expected from the outer appearance of the rundown inn.


    The owner laughed heartily, seeing their expressions. "Not what you expect, eh? But that''s the way it works around here. Dissuades thieves, you see!" The man then left them to their own devices.


    "I''ll have to drop by the city hall to get a pass with either Elias or Alec to get a general pass for creatures brought into the city. Alternatively, you can always register with a guild that will allow you to bring one in," Henry said, rubbing his chin.


    Elias instantly decided that he would go with Henry to get the pass, bringing Echo with him. They left the rest of the wolves at the inn''s stable.


    Bunbun, who had followed Alec into the inn''s room, along with Fenrir, who was hitching a ride on the bunny, was content to stay within the inn and snuggle on the sheets.


    Left behind with Philip, Alec thought about going to check out the guilds that Henry was talking about.


    Philip stopped him before he left the room, however.


    "Alec are you carrying around cash only?"


    Alec nodded. "That was what I received from Stanley, yes."


    "It''s better to set up a bank account now sooner instead of later since you''ll eventually need to do it anyway."


    Alec agreed. That had been one of the things that he''d been looking to do during their stay in the city as well. With Philip going with him, he was sure that there shouldn''t be any problem. Plus, they now had identification from Mystik Town, which would help out.


    The man and System hitched a ride to the bank, which was located near the various guilds for convenience''s sake.


    The bank was large, yet it was smaller than the various guild houses located around it. However, it was a sleek white, and looked very modernized compared to the rest of the buildings in the city.


    Alec made sure to widen his eyes and maintain his smile as he looked around curiously, taking advantage of the fact that he was considered a child in the eyes of many.


    Arriving before the teller, a young-looking lady who had the perfect customer smile, Philip started talking to her.


    "I''d like to get a bank set up for Alec here," he said, smiling back at the teller.


    The lady looked at Alec, and her perfect mask softened somewhat at his bright eyes. "Of course. I can do it here if you wish. It''ll only take a couple of minutes."


    Philip looked at Alec, who nodded.


    The lady''s smile kicked up a notch at the cute display. Such a cute kid!


    She pulled out a small crystal that hung on a piece of string. "Here''s what you''ll be using to access the money inside your account. It''ll only ever work for you, so even if it gets lost or stolen, no one else will be able to use it."


    Having said that, she pricked his finger, allowing a drop of blood to drip onto the crystal. The previously transparent crystal glowed slightly gaining a purple hue. She handed it to Alec, who stared at it curiously.


    It appeared to work like a card, and there were tiny runes that were engraved on the crystal''s surface.


    Alec handed over the rest of his money to the lady, who inputted the numbers into his crystal using a larger, stationary crystal.


    "All done. When you want to withdraw physical money, just come back to the bank and bring along your crystal."


    "Thank you."


    The two then left, leaving the teller behind sighing. She leaned over to her colleague, whispering. "Did you see that kid with his father?! I''ve never seen such a cute kid before! He was so calm too. I hope my child''s like that next time."


    Her friend snorted. "Knowing you, they''ll probably be a little hellion."


    "Hey!"


    Alec waved off Philip saying that he wanted to explore a little and the man obligingly left.


    Walking on the cobbled stones of the city, another kid lightly brushed against Alec, ducking his head low and hastily apologizing before moving away at the same speed.


    Alec grabbed his hand before he could get further.

 Chapter 64 One Pickpocket, One Smiley Kid...

    The slightly taller boy jerked as though he''d been electrocuted, but he had enough sense not to yell out loud or give away any of his shock.


    "What''s wrong?" the boy says faintly, a confused look on his face. Hong Jun''s heart jolted in shock when he realized that he couldn''t remove his hand from the smaller kid''s.


    Alec wanted to look at him strangely, but he didn''t because that would be OOC. He didn''t even grab the kid with any of his strength. It was as light a grab as he could possibly make it, so what was his problem?


    Hong Jun looked at the younger kid with concealed shock, his heart beating a mile a minute. Not only had he been grabbed, he''d been caught like it was nothing. How!


    Or rather, he thinks he''s been caught. Hong Jun tries acting oblivious in case the other had grabbed him because of something else, but looking at the other''s smile, he has a feeling that the gig was up.


    He didn''t understand. How could he have been caught? He''s never been caught before! Hong Jun was good. Very good. He''s even pickpocketed several mages before, and they''ve never realized anything.


    Of course, he then had to dump the goods quick because mages tended to be paranoid, keeping locating or tracking seals on everything, which made it less thrilling.


    The kid who looked so gullible and smiley had grabbed him like it was nothing, but Hong Jun couldn''t jerk his hand away no matter how hard he tried. How was this even remotely possible? A rich kid like this, with actual, physical strength?


    Hong Jun always thought that these rich brats were just flowers growing up in a greenhouse, unable to take even the slightest gust of wind. These were usually the best targets. They were so sure of themselves that they never once stopped to take in their surroundings.


    When the boy ha split with his caretaker earlier, Hong Jun had presumed that the boy must have sent the caretaker off on an errand before sneaking off, but what was this?


    "What do you want?" Hong Jun repeats, his voice testy. His lips curled down into a snarl that usually terrified some of the other street kids that run around.


    Alec doesn''t say anything, but he doesn''t let his hand go either.


    This was great. It happened so quickly that he almost couldn''t let himself believe it.


    He''d intentionally split from Philip because this way, he''d be an easier mark for any pickpockets to find.


    Not only that, because he was so young, only street children of similar ages would try to approach him. He''d shoved a few loose bills into his pockets when they were exiting the bank as bait, and sure enough, the fish had bitten the hook.


    "The money," Alec says. "I''ll let you keep it in exchange for some information. If you make me happy, I''ll give you even more."


    Hong Jun warily draws back. "Information? What information could I possibly have? I''m just a gutter rat."


    The gentle smile remained curled on his lips, but his eyes cooled as he stared at the boy.


    "Tch," the pickpocket spat. "Fine, but not here."


    Hong Jun''s mind flitted from thought to thought as he tried to find a way out of his predicament. Unfortunately, he preferred to move alone, unlike the other kids who liked going around in threes or fours.


    Since he was so good at what he did, he never needed any lookouts to bail him out of trouble. This was coming back to bite him in the ass. He had been so confident in his own abilities that he never once stopped to think about what would happen if something went wrong. After this, he would have to rethink his modus operandi.


    Should he dupe the other and make a run for it when he was let go? That might work, but somehow the other boy''s cherubic looks made him wary.


    Just as Hong Jun tensed his muscles to try and make a break for it, he heard the rich boy''s words float into his ears. "Don''t even think about it."


    Hong Jun felt chills go down his spine. Was this really a kid younger than him? How was it that a few simple words were able to so effectively dissuade him so thoroughly? Hong Jun cursed his previously peaceful life.


    The two of them backed into a nearby ally, where no one took a second glance. The light there was dimmer, and the sounds from outside the ally echoed in their ears.


    Hong Jun crossed his arms, leaning on the wall. "Talk," he said roughly.


    Alec didn''t say anything, just looking silently at the boy. The longer the silence dragged on, the more unnerved Hong Jun appeared.


    "Hurry up, I don''t have all day!" he spat in an attempt to cover his nerves.


    "I''m looking for two teens," Alec pulled out two sheets of paper with Cyrus and Zacharias'' likeness on it. "Seen them?"


    Hong Jun snorts when he hears what the boy says. There were so many teens in and out of the city. How could he ever possibly have seen them or heard of them? But then, he takes in the drawing he''s been shown, and his face pales.


    "Never seen them before," he tries, but knows its futile anyway. His reaction most likely gave him away a long time ago.


    "Try again."


    "I know them," the pickpocket says grudgingly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "There aren''t many that don''t know them around these parts. Hard to miss, with the way they''re beating down people left and right."


    Alec raised a brow. Sure enough, both of them were in the city. Zacharias and Cyrus were going around beating people up left and right? That didn''t quite sound like the two he knew.


    Though Zacharias was more prideful than a normal person, he certainly didn''t go around and unceremoniously give a smackdown. Alec thought about it. If someone walked up to Zacharias and insulted him, it would most likely involve a fight. However, that didn''t mean that he was the type to go spoiling for a fight after.


    Not to mention, Cyrus, who liked to see himself as a big brother of sorts to the rest of them, was actively participating in this as well?


    Something was up here.


    Perhaps Hong Jun could see from his face that he didn''t believe him, because before he knew it, the pickpocket was shoving his arm in his face, all but snarling. "Look at this! I got this from a fight with them! I wouldn''t ever mistake their faces."


    Alec looked at the scar on the boy''s arm. It was a pale, silvery thing along his tanned arm, but the cut was light and didn''t go much deeper than surface level. That was fine bladework indeed.


    It was a surface wound that would likely have healed up without a scar should it have been taken proper care of, but Alec suspected that the kid was living off the streets, which meant that he had no such active facilities to nurse his wound.


    Since the kid was not sporting any more of such scars, he assumed that his friends had noticed this fact as well, rectifying it.


    Now, he had his clue. All he had to do was find them.

 Chapter 65 Haunted House

    Finding both of his friends was both easier and harder than he thought.


    Hong Jun was helpful in confirming that Cyrus and Zacharias were here, but the boy had no idea where they came from.


    To the pickpocket, the two just appeared randomly like ghosts slinking out from the wall. After a beating, no one else was in any shape to go chasing after them to see where they disappeared to.


    However, as far as Hong Jun knew, only the street rats were the ones who were receiving their ''tender loving care'' as he described it. No one else in proper standing seemed to know about them.


    The strange thing was that they only ever appeared to beat up the kids. They left the adults alone most of the time.


    Hong Jun paused as he thought about every incident so far. The promise of money was enough for him since the information was trading wasn''t anything important. The rich kid would be able to find out about this information from anyone else on the streets, so why would he give up this chance to make extra money?


    "There were a few times where they attacked adults, but that was because they''d been trying to force some of the kids to hand over their food or threatening bodily harm. The two reapers then beat down those who were being threatened anyway, so it doesn''t matter."


    Alec thought over all of the information that he''d received. He eyed Hong Jun with interest. The more he talked, the more this boy felt¡­ off.


    Basically, his grammar and way of speech too good for him to have grown up on the streets.


    Alec wondered if this one was a transmigrator. He was certainly showing some of the signs.


    Hong Jun felt a shiver go down his spine at the way the younger boy was staring at him. It felt like he was a bug under a microscope. Not that they had microscopes here. At least, he didn''t think so. Did they?


    That didn''t discount the feeling he was getting from the stare he was getting. Even though the boy''s smile was light and gentle as a breeze, his eyes were strangely intense for a kid younger than he was.


    Since he was feeling unsettled, Hong Jun spilled more than he originally planned to unknowingly.


    Alec was satisfied with the amount of information the pickpocket had given him, so he gave him the extra money. He was running low on cash soon. He''d have to make some money quick.


    "Are you interested in a business proposition?"


    Hong Jun felt like he''d backed himself into a corner, with the way he already accepted the extra money.


    Alec''s smile curved a bit more seeing the boy''s wary expression. The pickpocket reminded him a bit of a street cat.


    "W-hat," the boy tripped over his words. His face darkened. Of all the times for him to stutter!


    "I''ll give you a tip. That thing you''re doing when you''re pickpocketing someone? Do you really think it''s your ''stellar'' skills?"


    "What?"


    -


    So, Zacharias and Cyrus were in the city for sure. Hong Jun had never mentioned a girl that came with them, so Tatiana was definitely not here.


    Alec was sure that he would be able to locate Zacharias and Cyrus at least. He didn''t know if it was just easier for him to fathom what they were thinking because they were males, or if it was just because Tatiana''s thought process differed from the average person''s.


    Alec still couldn''t pin down her thoughts most of the time, which didn''t really frustrate him most of the time, but in this situation, it was driving him insane!


    Well. It was fine.


    Tatiana, despite being a bit prone to tears, was just as strong as the rest of them were. She wouldn''t roll over and die just like that. He had faith.


    Alec rounded the corner, walking in the dark corners. It was surprisingly clean, for what passed as the slums.


    Hong Jun directed him here with vague instructions, but it was enough.


    This place fit all the requirements.


    It was remote. There was hardly any traffic during the day, and completely silent at night. Of course, most importantly, it looked haunted. Which dissuaded even more people from coming around or bothering with it.


    The only people who would come here was those who were doing stupid challenges like a test of courage and whatnot. Even the street kids thought it was haunted since they always heard things like creaking and doors opening.


    Alec thought it just sounded like home. Or Zacharias and Cyrus playing pranks on people to make sure they stayed away.


    The building indeed looked like it was something straight out of a horror movie.


    It was rundown, but not so rundown that a person would have trouble remaining inside.


    The white of the building had seen better days, fading to a yellow that spoke of old age. Paint curled at the strangest spots, and the front door looked like it was rotten from the inside. A couple of tiles had fallen off from the roof, leaving a few bare spots. As the sun dimmed in the sky, it cast a spooky glow to the building, the sun dipping low.


    Alec was about to enter when he heard the sad sound of a birdcall in the distance as two men hurried past.


    Alec frowned. He didn''t think that many people were even willing to walk past this house, with all the rumours going around. Luckily, he had ducked into the shadow of the house, so he didn''t stick out that much.


    He inwardly shrugged before entering the said ''haunted house''.


    The door inched open, but not a sound was heard. Alec smirked as he disabled the traps that had been left around the door, replacing them to how it had been before he entered. He loved being right. There was no way a house that was already in this shape wouldn''t have a front door that creaked loudly unless there was someone doing maintenance on the hinges.


    He could not sense any living creatures in the house, nor was there any breathing that he could hear, however faint.


    Alec ran eyes over the clean place, a far cry from the outside appearance. At first glance, nothing was out of place, but the absence of dust spoke of cleaning.


    Walking along, he noted several hidden caches stored with weapons in strategic places, calming him.


    This was really where Zacharias and Cyrus were staying.


    He found an armchair next to a beat-up mattress on the ground, hidden in the shadows next to a lamp.


    Sitting down, Alec closed his eyes to get some meditation done.


    Who knew when they would come back?


    Half an hour passed before he felt the approach of two people at the peak foundational stage.


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    By now, the house was already cast in eerie darkness, but for Alec, who was already used to things that appeared ''haunted'', it was no trouble.


    Alec hid his magical signature deep within himself, just barely blending into the surroundings.


    What a lot of people didn''t know was that everything had a tiny bit of magic. That''s why it was so important to leave a faint trace on yourself when you tried to go into ''stealth'' mode.


    If you hid everything, then it would only be a hole in their perception where nothing existed, which meant that they would be able to find you that much quicker.


    Alec felt both teens get closer to him.


    Zacharias groaned. "Finally back. I just want to collapse and go to sleep," he said, groping around for the lamp.


    He pulled the beaded string, casting light into the room.


    "Hello, Zacharias. Cyrus. Long-time no see."

 Chapter 66 Catching Up

    "Fuck!" Zacharias swore, reflexively punching in the direction of the voice with pure strength alone.


    The sudden shock of being caught off guard in a place that he''d deemed safe caused him to temporarily forget his training.


    Likewise, Cyrus'' hands had dropped to the dagger that he kept at his side but stopped himself just as he was about to draw them. His eyes widened.


    Alec caught the fist thrown at him with his own hand, the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoing in the building''s silent confines.


    Luckily, he''d Awakened his own strength, otherwise this wouldn''t be as funny as it was right now.


    He took this chance to take in the changes that the two had experienced in the single year that he had not seen them.


    Cyrus was now a great deal taller, hitting puberty at fifteen. That would have been a bitch to go through in a crappy building like this where he had to keep an eye on his back all of the time. He still looked lean even though he had gained more muscle definition. His hair was still styled in the same way, if a little longer than before.


    Zacharias, on the other hand, had gained a bit of height, but not as much as Cyrus had. He had put on a bit more muscle definition than was normal for a Neil Clan member. When he''d punched out, the fabric had rippled as his muscles moved. The teen had shaved the sides of his head, leaving the top spiked.


    Zacharias'' stunned blue eyes met smiling blue eyes attached to a face that he hadn''t seen for a very long time.


    "Alec?" Zacharias said in disbelief, his mouth parting slightly. Catching himself making an unacceptable face, he immediately schooled his disbelief into something more neutral.


    Alec watched with laughter in his eyes at the two''s overreaction. Though, he felt like they''d gotten a little sloppy from one year being away from the clan. He''d have to fix that.


    Alec never once thought that it was because his own abilities at hiding his magical signature had grown so refined that they were unable to detect it. Continuously draining his magical capacity and building it back up again had done wonders for his fine control over his own magic as his familiarity with his own body increased.


    For some reason, Zacharias and Cyrus felt a shadow of foreboding creep over them at Alec''s smile.


    "Hmph," Zacharias said, regaining his calm. "I see one year away from us has done you some good."


    "Can''t you just say you missed him," Cyrus chided the other teen. "Alec it''s so good to see you again. You passed the clan''s final test?"


    "Of course. They wouldn''t have let out anyone from the advanced course if they didn''t pass."


    The two teens nodded in agreement. Though the clan was lax regarding things like manners and etiquette, they were strict on meeting expectations and strength levels. Those with weaker mentalities were usually weeded out early on.


    Cyrus swept up his younger brother in a hug, taking advantage of his much larger body to spin the boy around a few times. He ignored the glare that Zacharias was giving him at the side.


    Alec bore the spinning with long-suffering patience. If it was anyone else who tried to do this to him, Alec was sure that he would have kicked them hard in the nuts already.


    Cyrus finally put Alec down, who lightly dusted himself off.


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    "Are you alone? Where are Elias and Tatiana?"


    "I graduated together with Elias, but Tatiana passed the same time as the two of you."


    The three frowned. One inwardly, two outwardly. Alec''s smile looked a bit dimmer than usual.


    "She didn''t come this way," Cyrus said, shaking his head.


    Considering that the two didn''t even know that she had passed as well, that meant that she had hidden herself well. There were no rumours nearby about hearing of a young girl wandering on her lonesome.


    Though Tatiana was strong, there were people that were bound to be stronger than her. A female teenager that was seemingly weaker than them was bound to be a sign of trouble.


    Zacharias shot Cyrus a look, tilting his head in Alec''s direction.


    Cyrus sighed long-sufferingly in his mind. Zacharias was, as usual, leaving all social niceties to him to deal with. But this was their younger brother! Just how far were his tendencies going to go! Would it kill him to show a bit more unadulterated emotion!?


    "We want to meet Elias too." Some things were better saying in person.


    The three of them left for the shady-looking inn that Alec was staying in for the night.


    Alec knocked on the door, entering.


    "Elias," Alec said without continuing.


    Elias looked over in puzzlement, only to freeze.


    Cyrus walked forward and thumped him, breaking him out of his stupor.


    "Long time no see."


    "Yeah."


    The four of them sat down.


    "So, do you know about¡­ our clan," Cyrus said, trying to be tactful and delicate. There was always the chance that they hadn''t yet figured it out.


    "Yes. The real final test, as you can say."


    Cyrus nodded strongly, and beside him, Zacharias looked a lot more relaxed now that he knew they weren''t just imagining it himself.


    "I had my suspicions about it, but it was Alec who convinced me when I started doubting it," Elias said.


    There was a faint change in the way the two teens looked at Alec. The eight-year-old was so much better at thinking it through than they were that the respect they felt for him shot up considerably.


    "Do you think Tatiana has figured it out yet? After all, it took me meeting Zacharias again to start doubting it. If I never met him, I would probably have been consumed by my resentment and hatred."


    The room fell into an uneasy silence.


    "Stop. We will find her. Tatiana''s strong. She knows how to take care of herself," Alec said, blowing away the tension in the room.


    His words reassured them that they would never stop until they found her.


    "What have you been doing in the past year?"


    Zacharias leaned back on the bed as Cyrus filled them in, holding in the groan when he sank into the soft mattress. Damn, they should have bought a new mattress for that damn building. His back missed a good mattress. It wasn''t like they were lacking any money!


    "So, I heard you''ve been giving the street kids a beatdown every few days?" Alec said with a smile on his face.


    Elias shot them an appalled look.


    Cyrus waved his hands to hurriedly dispel any of such notions. "It''s not what it looks like!"


    Zacharias snorted and rolled his eyes, lightly kicking at Cyrus'' back. "Shut up. What this idiot is trying to say is that we''re giving them a bit of survival training since that moron over there is too soft-hearted whenever he sees one of those street kids. They don''t know that, though."


    Cyrus put his face in his hands, his face red. "Zach!"


    "Who''s being a bashful idiot now?" Zacharias taunted. His tone spoke of various grudges against being called that. Probably more than once, even.


    "I never called you a bashful idiot. I said you had troubles expressing yourself to show your softer sides."


    "That''s the same thing!"


    "No, it isn''t!"


    Alec and Elias exchanged a glance, watching the two bicker with fondness.

 Chapter 67 Blacksmith Guild

    Alec, Zacharias and Cyrus headed out that day to meet with Hong Jun, having slept in that shady-looking inn the night before. Elias split up with them. Something about wanting to find a blacksmith in the city.


    After the boy accepted working with him yesterday, Alec had set a meeting place with him today.


    They got there before Hong Jun, so the three of them went back into the haunted looking building that Cyrus and Zacharias had been staying in for the better part of the past year.


    Now that Alec took another look around in the light, it actually wasn''t so bad. A little dreary for sure, but none of the windows were broken. There was even a couple of bathrooms that had been touched up, likely by the two.


    Zacharias gave the mattress on the floor a kick with disgust. Ugh. He didn''t even know how he''d survived so long on that crappy thing. After having spent a night on a proper mattress, he didn''t think he could go back anymore.


    Cyrus went around gathering the various little things that they''d collected over the course of a year, packing them.


    Alec would have to give them the spatial dimension storage runes later.


    Before long, Alec felt Hong Jun''s magical signature hovering around outside. From the way he was moving back and forth, he was probably pacing around.


    "He''s here."


    "Who are you meeting anyway?" Cyrus questioned a little absentmindedly.


    "He''s called Hong Jun. Apparently Cyrus gave him a scar earlier on his arm."


    Cyrus paused, looking guilty. "Ah¡­ him."


    Zacharias snorted. This idiot was always finding fault with himself like he was responsible for everything bad that happened to someone else. "Just forget about it already. That scrappy brat wouldn''t die even if you killed him."


    The older teen put a hand on his forehead. "That''s not the point-"


    Alec already headed towards the door to the building, so the two teens followed after him without even thinking about it, putting aside their bickering for the time being.


    Zacharias furrowed his brows when he realized what he''d done. They were falling back into step so easily without even needing to think about it.


    It annoyed him so much that his face fell into his habitual scowl. The brat had been their unofficial leader even a year ago, but he hadn''t thought that in this past year he''d grown enough to become a leader himself.


    The front door was pulled open without a sound, showing them the visage of a young boy, probably a pre-teen, standing with his back against them.


    He ruffled his dirty blonde hair, muttering to himself. "Where the heck is he! Why are we meeting outside this creepy haunted house?"


    "Maybe it''s because he knew how scared you would be," Zacharias snarked. This other idiot here was always mouthing off whenever they fought. It just made Zacharias want to whack him harder. Why did he never try to dodge! He always challenged them recklessly even when his face was entirely pale.


    Hong Jun just about jumped a foot in the air when the voice appeared behind him. He spun around and tripped over his own foot as all the hair on the back of his neck stood up straight.


    "Y-you!" Hong Jun said, pointing a shaky finger in their direction. His eyes shot over the three of them, face paling rapidly. "I knew I should''ve rejected¡­" the pickpocket said, clicking his tongue.


    He jumped up and looked guarded against all three of them, eyes flitting warily at the slightest twitch they made.


    "Let''s talk inside," Alec said with a smile, heading back into the building.


    "Wh-what- inside there?!"


    Zacharias picked up the kid with a smirk on his face, dragging him in.


    "Wait wait wait! We can talk about this, can''t we?!"


    The door shut behind them.


    "NoooOOOO!"


    -


    Elias looked around and caught sight of the sign that had been hung up. The Blacksmith Guild.


    He''d heard someone talk about it yesterday when they were queueing up to get updated identification.


    He''d been thinking about this but spending time with Jin during the two weeks they were at Mystik town gave him a fresh insight about what it was really like to wield weapons. He never realized just how much he had neglected about the shapes and aerodynamics of the blade and ¨C ugh.


    He''d talked to Alec about it, and it wasn''t like the boy hadn''t been willing to listen either, but Elias could practically see the question marks floating around his head. He was usually so hard to read, too!


    So, here Elias was, in front of the Blacksmith Guild. He was going to do it.


    He was going to talk to a bunch of strangers, get his identification, then go out.


    He could do it no problem.


    No problem.


    No. Problem.


    No matter how Elias tried to psyche himself up, it just wasn''t working. His feet wouldn''t move!


    Eventually, he physically slapped his cheeks and stepped in before he could second guess himself.


    He wanted to do this alone because he wanted to overcome his apparently crippling fear of social interaction, but it wasn''t that easy. He never thought about just how much seeing a sense of uniformity and familiarity had placed him inside his comfort zone.


    Now that they were outside of clan compounds, everything was so new and different that he was a bit overwhelmed. It hit at strange times, when he actually had to interact with someone.


    Yesterday when the lady asked him what his name was and what creatures he''d brought into the city, he stuttered and tripped all over himself. He could see Henry next to him really trying to hold it in, but he caught sight of the grin that the man was trying to hide.


    Now inside the building, Elias looked around. The interior of the building matched the exterior. Quite surprising for a Blacksmith guild, but the interior gave off the feeling of warmth and exuded a homely feel.


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    There were many wooden structures and products. Elias looked around with much novelty, pretty much subconsciously moving into a corner as he took in his surroundings.


    The people that were coming in looked different from the ones that loitered around outside, wandering the streets.


    Some of them carried swords, others carried daggers, axes, etc.


    Elias itched to ask whether or not they were the ones who made their own weapons, but that would be rude.


    His fingers dropped to the two daggers that he''d made himself in Mystik Town under Jin''s guidance. They were nothing fancy, just two straight daggers. They were still not what he''d call usable out in field, but they were his. They were something that he''d crafted with his own hands, and that gave him strange feelings that he couldn''t quite place.


    Jin said he did well for a first timer, which filled him with a sort of fulfilment that he hadn''t experienced even when he finished doing all his training. The physical weight of the daggers hanging by his side was like a reminder, and an itch that made him want to go near the furnace again.


    Although he lost himself in the novelty of seeing everything with fresh eyes, he didn''t miss it when someone approached his back.


    His dagger rested on the person''s neck.

 Chapter 68 Of Two Bickering Idiots

    Mercedes hurriedly held up her hand as her heart thumped loudly. She hadn''t expected that the innocent lost-looking boy would react so strongly to her presence. Or so negatively. She was just here to scout out a potential apprentice.


    As shocked as she was, she also approved of his vigilance. It was very admirable in someone as young as this. She wondered just how many battles he had been in to react before the person could even come close to them.


    The sharp look in Elias'' eyes faded as he saw the shock and admiring expression on the lady''s face. Her hands were up in the universal gesture of surrender, showing that she had no weapons. She didn''t move an inch.


    Wearing leather armour and a scarf headband, the lady gave off a rather tough type of first impression. Her arms were well-defined, and there were callouses on her fingers and palms. Though she was still lean, it could be seen that she had worked hard to get those taut muscles.


    Elias pulled back and kept his dagger but didn''t drop his guard.


    The teen didn''t notice how his swift actions had attracted all the attention of the guild onto the two of them from the clear but soft sing of the metal sliding out of its sheath.


    All eyes in the guild were currently on the both of them, but when nothing else happened, the bustle of the guild resumed.


    "Sorry about that," Elias said, adopting the proper contrite look. The embarrassment from his reflexes made him forget about his crippling social anxiety for the time being.


    Mercedes shrugged. "Not your fault. Should''ve known better than to try and sneak up on someone from the back."


    The teen and lady looked at each other. One confused, one appraising.


    "You here to join the Crafter''s Alliance?"


    Elias frowned but cautiously didn''t reply.


    Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Look, I''m not trying to kidnap you or use the information against you, alright? It''s just that you looked completely lost earlier, so, out of the goodness of my heart, I, Mercedes, tried to help you, but what do I get in return?"


    The vigilance that he had up softened slightly seeing the dramatic sadness on her face.


    "Thank you," he said awkwardly.


    Mercedes grinned, slinging her arm over the shorter kid''s shoulders. How cute. She ignored the way he stiffened up under contact, dragging him towards the counter. "Come on. Let''s get you all signed up."


    "Janey! Help sign up the newbie, would you?"


    There was a long-suffering sigh at her words, but Jane nevertheless explained everything obligingly. This was part of her job, after all.


    "This is the Crafter''s Alliance." Seeing Elias'' puzzled look, Jane elaborated for his sake. "The Blacksmith''s Guild, Tailor''s Guild, Painter''s Guild, Tamer''s Guild etc. all fall under the Crafter''s Alliance. In order to promote their goods, having a wider base is necessary. This way, finding cooperation for whatever crafts they want to make is easier as well. It''s also easier to find buyers and sellers, as well as the occasional patron."


    Elias nodded to show he understood.


    Mercedes grinned, thumping her armour. "This lady here is part of the Blacksmith division. If you ever need anything made, this lady here''s your best bet."


    There was a hoot of laughter behind her. "Your best bet if you want some substandard stuff! You should come to good old Sylvain here if you want the better goods!"


    "Sylvain," Mercedes growled, glaring at the redhead.


    "Mercedes," the man repeated, glaring right back at her.


    There were practically flames dancing in their eyes as they glared at each other without letting up.


    Elias wondered if their eyes were dry.


    Jane rolled her eyes, mock whispering to him. "Don''t worry about them. They aren''t really fighting. They just have some unresolved sexual tension that they''re projecting to everyone else in the room. Right guys?" she practically shouted the last part to the better part of the room, getting a following roar of laughter as well as a few hoots.


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    Elias felt vastly out of his comfort zone here, but it wasn''t bad. After all, he couldn''t go his entire life trying to live in a box. That wasn''t what he wanted. It was the main reason why he was trying to overcome his weakness.


    ""Jane(y)!""


    "Just calling it as I see it," Jane said with a shrug. She continued explaining to Elias, who was listening intently. "The Crafter''s Alliance is recognised everywhere in the Kaoriht continent, so you don''t have to worry about your membership not being recognised. On the other hand, while you do have a membership, until you receive a license from the CA, you won''t get any tangible benefits."


    Mercedes and Sylvain continued bickering in the background, all but throwing punches at each other.


    "Here. Fill up this form. Don''t worry about it being leaked to anyone. Even if you become a criminal, your information will be kept safe. I''m oathbound to keep your information confidential. Do you have a crystal? The one from the bank."


    Jane caught sight of the small crystal hanging from his side, nodding. "That''s the one. Your Crafter''s Alliance membership will be connected to that. So long as whatever you craft contains your imprint from the crystal, we''ll know which account to send the money to if you leave your items to sell here with us."


    That was very convenient indeed, but Elias didn''t know about whether or not he would be doing that.


    Elias took the pen from the receptionist, scanning the form and filling it in.


    This time, he purposely didn''t leave out his last name, putting down the name Elias Neil.


    Handing over the form to Jane, who checked it to make sure there was nothing out of place, Elias was watching her face closely, which was why he caught sight of the micro expressions on her face as she read the words ''Neil''.


    Last night, Cyrus and Zacharias had divulged that they found out the Neil Clan was actually a powerful clan that no one dared to offend. How they managed to figure that one out, they didn''t go into detail, but they said that it was safe to use their clan name even though they preferred to go just with their first name.


    Elias caught sight of the way Jane''s shock reflected in her eyes, both a bit awed and respectful.


    It was quite a surprise that their clan was so renowned. He never felt that there was anything special in the way that they acted whilst in the clan, but then again, they were, after all, in a rather closed environment within the clan.


    Elias didn''t know if doing this would give him any trouble, but he didn''t think it was likely. As long as he didn''t go around introducing himself with his last name, trouble wouldn''t come looking for him. There were always bound to be some idiots that tried to ''prove'' themselves, which he was more than happy to avoid.


    Jane was indeed silent. Her control over her facial expressions caused him to feel some admiration. He wondered when he would be able to do something similar.


    "So, Elias," Mercedes said, slinging her arm yet again over his shoulders. She noted with glee that he didn''t tense up this time. That was a good sign, right? "What''s your specialty? Blacksmithing? It''s blacksmithing, right? Blacksmithing''s cool!"


    Sylvain scoffed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Let the kid answer. With you always steamrolling over other people, it''s no wonder that you can never get your apprentices to stick around!"


    The female blacksmith snorted. "As if you''re any better, Sylvie. Those poor people that you con into being your apprentice always end up running away before long!"


    "Don''t call me Sylvie, Mercie!"


    "Don''t call me Mercie, Sylvie!"


    Elias watched them, his head turning back and forth as the two blacksmiths continued their bickering.


    Jane stayed respectfully silent in the presence of Elias, different from her usual reaction.


    Elias frowned as he gave her a look, which she interpreted correctly.


    Jane immediately shut the two up like she usually did. It appeared that the Neil Clan scion didn''t want to be specially treated, so who was she to refuse? She never liked bowing and scraping before nobles and rich patrons, though the Neil Clan was a different matter.


    "Both of you should allow him to respond, at least."


    Three pairs of eyes stared at the teen, making him slightly uncomfortable.


    "Yes, I''m interested in blacksmithing."


    "Yeeees!" Mercedes pumped her fist. "Want to learn from me, kiddo!? I might not be the best, but I''m at least better than that moron over there," she said, tilting her chin in the redhead''s direction.


    "Bullshit! I''m clearly the better blacksmith!"


    Jane rolled her eyes. Why did she have to suffer these two morons every single day? "Why don''t you have a competition to show him who''s better, then?"


    Elias shot Jane a startled look, who ignored him. He wanted to be treated normally, after all¡­


    "Come on kiddo," Mercedes said, dragging the teen with her. "Let''s go!"


    "Hey! Don''t spirit away my potential apprentice like that!"

 Chapter 69 Wear a Bell

    Alec was thinking. There was something that was bugging him nonstop, but what was it? Then, it clicked. Those guys from yesterday¡­!


    The boy headed over to the opposite room, knocking on the door. There was no response. Alec frowned, clicking his tongue. He supposed that it was expected. Though, he had hoped that they would be here so as to avoid having to track them down.


    However, did he really expect that Henry, who had come all the way here to find those backstabbers of his, to stay cooped up in the inn at this time of the day? Philip wouldn''t be here either because the man felt some sort of responsibility that Henry had suffered so badly.


    Alec felt like slapping the both of them up the head. The two of them were blaming themselves for things that were not even remotely their own fault.


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    Two grown men were behaving like children. And by children, he didn''t mean himself, thank you.


    Alec made an annoyed sound.


    He wanted to try and track down the duo, but that would take too much time.


    If it was going to be like this, then he might as well just try and track down the two men who were carrying the Ash Phoenix with them instead.


    He was sure that two men that had been scurrying around with a covered birdcage would have attracted more attention as compared to Philip and Henry who were going around to look for people.


    Even if Gred and Briggs moved around in the middle of the night where ''no one'' was watching, there was always someone who would spot them on the streets. The more one tried to act discreet, the quicker they were noticed.


    Not wasting any time, Alec instructed Bunbun and Fenrir to track down Philip and Henry.


    "Once you find them, lead them to me. Stick to the back roads and alleys. Don''t let anyone see you walking around without a human near you, otherwise the guards will try and capture you."


    He got an acknowledging growl from Fenrir. The resulted Awakening from Fenrir after their battle had made the wolf a bit smarter, but he was not yet on Bunbun''s level. Tonight, he would Awaken the wolf more.


    There went whatever amount of his magical capacity that he''d just barely managed to recover.


    Alec himself tracked down Hong Jun. It wasn''t hard.


    Since he had set the boy loose earlier in the day, he knew where he was likely to be.


    Sure enough, Alec managed to track Hong Jun down without any problems.


    "Hong Jun."


    The pickpocket''s frame tensed tightly before relaxing. Hong Jun glared at Alec, annoyed.


    "Do you have to sneak up on me every single time?!"


    Alec ignored him with practiced ease. "I''m looking for two men. I hear they''ve been asking around for someone who''s able and willing to buy an exotic bird."


    Hong Jun paused the part of his brain that crafting the tirade that he had been about to unleash on the younger boy for ignoring him.


    "Heh, you''ve come to the right guy," the pickpocket said smugly, rubbing under his nose, instantly forgetting everything about his earlier annoyance.


    Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The entire job detail that he''d drafted the other boy for was for this type of thing exactly, so who was he kidding?


    "Anyway," Hong Jun continued. "Word on the street''s that those two are bad business. Pulled a knife on a couple of people and tried to use it. There are two or three casualties, so everyone hates their guts."


    Alec listened without a change in his expression, which freaked Hong Jun out a bit, causing the boy to speed up what he was saying without any embellishments. After all, the other boy had indeed provided him with a great opportunity, so he was indebted. Not that he would tell him that.


    "Anyway, one of the boys said they them heading into the city square. That''s where all the bigwigs are. Should be them. How many people would walk around with a bird in the middle of the night?" Hong Jun finished with a shrug.


    Alec nodded. "Thank you."


    Hong Jun looked at the wall for a brief moment. Just as he gathered enough courage to ask and look back, Alec was gone!


    Stunned, Hong Jun looked around and realized that he was all on his lonesome. His face darkened. He only looked away for a split second! Why did he and the two reapers like to disappear like that! How rude!


    -


    Henry hit the ground hard, his legs giving out from under him as a hard, furry object slammed into the back of his knees.


    With a groan, he got back up. "What the hell, wolf!" he snarled, glaring at the purple alpha wolf. The wolf was lucky he was a Support type, so he was able to heal, Henry thought to himself. Otherwise, he''d skin that wolf alive, Alec''s familiar or not!


    The wolf tossed his mane in a show of arrogance, trotting back over to the bunny, who was waiting patiently.


    Philip snorted. The wolf only ever did that because Henry was always glaring at him like he was thinking about how to skin him alive.


    Henry scoffed and turned around to continue looking for the two bastards, Briggs and Gred, only to be tackled yet again.


    "Why you-!"


    Philip cut off his friend''s rant before it continued. While it was funny, the fact that the bunny wasn''t stopping the fight between human and wolf was an indicator that they had orders. From Alec. "I think they want us to follow them. Maybe Alec''s looking for us."


    The two men looked over at the giant bunny, who nodded his head regally.


    Henry scowled. "I''ll let you off this time," he told the wolf, who gave him a snort.


    "No need," Alec said. "I''m here."


    Both Philip and Henry just about jumped a foot in the air at his sudden appearance. They could''ve sworn he wasn''t there a moment ago.


    The longer they spent in Alec''s presence, the more they felt like they couldn''t read him. It was like peeling back layers on an onion. They were endless.


    "Boy," Henry said solemnly as he got his heartbeat back under control. "We need to get you a bell.


    Alec tilted his head. "What will the bell do?"


    "Help give us some warning, that''s what!"


    Alec shook his head, his smile growing. "No. I mean, even with a bell, I''ll still be able to move without a sound?"


    Alec thought about how he would Awaken the bell so that the bell would stop ringing, ignoring the dubious looks both men gave him.


    Henry leaned over to whisper to Philip. "Go buy a later to test it out. Wait. Does this mean I got knocked in the back of my knees twice for nothing?!"


    "Anyway," Alec continued; his smile more solemn. "I might have a lead on Briggs and Gred."


    The joking manner on Henry''s face closed off completely, his eyes serious.


    "What have you got?"


    There wasn''t even a stray thought that Alec might be remotely wrong. There was a strange sense of trust that the young boy filled him with that he couldn''t say anyone else had inspired in him like this boy here.


    "I asked around, and they seem to be heading to the city square."


    "Then, that''s where we''ll go."

 Chapter 70 Searching For Clues

    Over at the city square, there were a lot of people packed into a small place. Evidently, this was the bustling part of the city where people hung out, made deals, etc.


    [Mission: Rescue the Ash Phoenix.]


    [Mission: Get justice for Henry.]


    The fact that he heard the Mainframe''s voice meant that they were on the right track. Coming out of the clan compound was really the right choice. He doubted that he would have received more missions from the Mainframe had he stayed put.


    He still had yet to find the Main Character, with the Mainframe''s vague and useless instructions.


    Ugh.


    The reason he was doing this was because he still wanted to go back to being a System, after all. Even if he hated those bloody transmigrators and the other useless Systems ¨C


    There wasn''t a spot where Alec didn''t spot a human occupying. As a small human ¨C no ¨C as a human, Alec made a sound of disgust even as he was forced to maintain his smile.


    He did his best to shrink his body to avoid even touching someone, their sweat and uncleanliness freaking him out however subtly. Alec did his best to follow directly behind Henry and Philip, who were leaving just the slightest amount of space behind them whenever they moved.


    Alec even felt like thanking the Mainframe for putting him into the Neil Clan so that he would have access to all the dodge training that their teacher had put them through.


    Alec never realized how much he despised human contact until this moment. Well it wasn''t that he despised human contact in general, but from strangers he''d never met before, or were unfamiliar with.


    It was strange. Really strange. He didn''t recall having these symptoms a lifetime ago, before he had transitioned into becoming a System. So, why were they appearing now?


    In Mystik Town, it hadn''t been crowded at all. There were a few stragglers here and there, but there was always more than ample space for him to avoid them. Even in the clan compound, he only ever stuck to places where he was sure that there weren''t many people. It was just that he''d been doing it subconsciously until now.


    Now that he realized that he was doing it, he couldn''t help but look at all his decisions in a whole new light. Just how much of his actions had been dictated by a subconscious desire to avoid people?


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    Alec was faced with the harsh truth, but he still powered on, nonetheless. Mainly because he was already stuck in the middle of all these humans, and he wanted out! As soon as possible. Immediately!


    Alec stuck so close to Henry that he was all but clinging on the man''s shirt to avoid him leaving without Alec. It was fucking embarrassing, but Alec was willing to put up with it to minimise any stranger''s contact. Strange, thinking that Henry and Philip had been strangers to him just a few scant weeks ago, but he supposed seeing Henry so inebriated during their initial meeting set the bar low.


    Alec even felt the urge to cling onto Bunbun instead and let the bunny carry him around like he was carrying around Fenrir, but the bunny wasn''t big enough for that yet. In the future, perhaps.


    Was it weird that he was having thoughts like this as he tried to disassociate from reality? Maybe, but did he care? No. He didn''t. Anything to get away from touching the crowd.


    Alec was feeling highly uncomfortable in this situation, and it was not decreasing even with prolonged exposure.


    Two men and a pale boy ducked into an alley nearby that didn''t have anyone else.


    Alec immediately let go stiffly, feeling relieved.


    Henry took one look at Alec and frowned. The boy was still smiling like usual, but his face was pale, and if he wasn''t mistaken ¨C cold sweat?


    The initial rage that Henry had been feeling once again as he heard that there was information on the two traitor''s whereabouts faded into something softer for the time being ¨C currently, his worry for the boy took top place in his priorities.


    "Alec, you should have said something," Philip chided before Henry could even open his mouth.


    Henry nodded.


    Alec quickly regained control over himself, hugging Bunbun''s soft, clean fur, colour returning to his face. "I didn''t know about it myself," he said with considerable calm.


    He must have convinced them somehow, because the two men didn''t say anything else.


    "Where do you think they are? I doubt they''ll just bring it out here without any thought on where they are. After all, the Ash Phoenix will fetch an insanely high amount of money."


    "I''ve been keeping an ear out and apparently there''s a street that houses only high-class goods. They''re probably making their way there."


    Whilst Henry and Philip''s main goal was to find the two traitors, Alec''s had to save the Ash Phoenix as well.


    They cut a couple of streets using the back alleys, eventually reaching an alley that led into a wide street. Compared to the city square, this street looked a lot higher class. The streets were clean without a single piece of rubbish, and the people walking along the streets wore clothes of fine quality.


    Now and then, a few carriages passed by that were pulled using various types of creatures that had been tamed. They all looked majestic and elegant.


    Personally, Alec thought that they all just looked stuck-up and pretentious. Everything looked sparkling on the outside, but the back alleys were just as dirty as everywhere else. Just because no one saw them didn''t mean that their existence could be denied.


    "Let''s split up."


    The three of them moved independently, with Alec bringing Bunbun and Fenrir along with him. After all, they were registered under his name.


    "We''re looking for two men who have the scent of an avian type creature on them. Do you think you can sniff them out?"


    The resulting answer from the bond that the three of them shared between themselves was a vague uncertain feeling, but they would try.


    Meanwhile, Alec thought that there was only one place that those two shady ex-friends of Henry''s would go. Not only were they trying to quickly offload the goods and get the money, but they were also trying to fetch the highest price that they could.


    Then, following Alec''s understanding of various common plot points, they were likely to visit an auction house.


    Alec blinked and widened his eyes, taking care to soften his smile even more than usual. Then, he spotted a lady wearing a hat with her hair done up in a fancy hairstyle.


    There were various bags being loaded into the carriage she was standing outside of as she sighed with annoyance.


    Alec walked up to her silently and ''nervously'' tugged slightly on her skirt.


    Blanche whirled with murder in her eyes, ready to unleash a barrage of cutting insults that would leave the offender questioning their entire self-worth, but it immediately disappeared upon seeing a child with teary eyes.


    Blanche brushed her long skirt behind her as she bent down with both hands placed slightly on her knees. "How may I help you, child?" she said as gently as she could. The poor dear looked like he was about to burst into tears, stoking her motherly instincts.


    She had not seen her own child like this for such a long time ¨C where they were still young and innocent and free of earthly worries and problems.


    Alec hesitated. Suddenly, he felt like this might not be such a good idea. The lady looked like she was about to kidnap him and hug him tightly while cooing.

 Chapter 71 Lady Blanche

    "It seems you have something to ask me, boy."


    Alec visibly hesitated but smiled up at her. "Miss, I''m looking for an auction house."


    Blanche felt like cooing. She wanted to badly to pinch those cheeks. He was so precious! And he called her miss! How cute! Which family left their dear child here alone?! Why didn''t he have a guardian?


    There was a strange, instant connection that she felt towards him that she''d never felt for anyone else.


    Blanche smiled down at the boy, badly startling the servants that were working to put everything into the carriage. They felt like they''d seen a ghost. They never saw the madam smile! Even when the young masters came back home to visit, she scowled even harder!


    Seeing her with a smile made them feel like their entire worldview was being overturned. Even when she was with the master, her face was neutral. The servants moved even quicker than before, feeling like they would be struck down by a meteor that they weren''t able to detect if they moved any slower and saw this sight.


    Alec wasn''t lying when he called her miss, though. Blanche looked like she was only in her late twenties, with how radiant and supple her skin was. If it wasn''t for the hairstyle she sported, which marked her as a married woman in higher society, he wouldn''t have known.


    She was about to hold out a hand to the boy, but then thought better of it. After all, no matter how cute he was, there was always someone who was out gunning for her blood. She didn''t get this far being trusting, after all.


    "I know how to get there. It''s just along this street. I''ll bring you there."


    Alec''s smile widened slightly, and Blanche could almost see flowers blooming behind him, dazzling her. She even felt like he was so much cuter than her own children when they had been his age.


    "Seems strange for a young boy like you to be wandering out here alone," Blanche probed. "You may call me Blanche." As she caught sight of the two creatures following the boy, she wondered if he wasn''t so alone after all.


    "Blanche," Alec tested the name on his tongue. "Big sister Blanche?" Alec wondered if he was laying it on too thick but thickened his face and said it anyway. "My name is Alec."


    Blanche valiantly resisted the urge to squeeze his adorable cheeks. So cute! Alec. What a cute name for a cute boy. If only her sons were like this when they were his age, instead of being rowdy little brats.


    He gave her a strange feeling¡­


    "You can call me big sister too!" she said, getting a resulting smile that really made her want to adopt this adorable little tyke into her home.


    They walked along the street, where Blanche pointed out the various shops and buildings.


    "I hope your family isn''t missing you, Alec," Blanche commented. "I''d hate to be the one keeping you out."


    Alec shook his head, his smile dimming slightly. "Father told me I have to come out and find the two traitors, otherwise he won''t give me any dinner."


    "What," Blanche gritted out, her face turned away from Alec. Her expression was dark and foreboding. If she could, she would give the man a tight slap. What did he think he was doing, treating a child that way!


    "That''s not too good, isn''t it."


    "It''s fine. I have Bunbun and Fenrir with me."


    The cuter Alec was, the more Blanche could only think how this poor child''s deadbeat father was making him go around alone to try and find some elusive traitors that might not even exist!


    Blanche knew she shouldn''t, but she really did feel like kidnapping the poor dear. The thought of the look on her son''s faces when she brought home an uncle for them only made the idea more tempting.


    Unfortunately, her musing was cut short as they arrived in front of the auction hall.


    "Leave it to me," Blanche told Alec. She adopted a firm, unyielding expression on her face, a far cry from the doting expression that she''d been showing Alec.


    How strange. She never expected that she, of all people, would feel so strongly, so quickly for someone that wasn''t related to her.


    The attendant at the auction hall got a fright when she saw Lady Blanche''s thunderous expression as she walked into the auction hall with a child in tow. There was a large, white creatures that looked like a rabbit, and a purple wolf creature on top of it.


    The attendant had been about to blurt out the words that the auction hall did not allow creatures into its halls but choked back the words as she remembered that this was Lady Blanche.


    Though the Golden Leaves Auction Hall did not fear her, they would not offend her for no reason either.


    After all, the attendant was just a small, disposable member of the auction hall. Even though Blanche wouldn''t make a move against the auction hall, that did not mean that she would not make a move against her.


    "Lady Blanche, welcome to the Golden Leaves Auction Hall," the attendant said calmly.


    Alec admired the composure the attendant exuded. He''d caught sight of the brief startled expression in the lady''s eyes when Blanche had entered the building, but she had concealed it remarkably well.


    "Yes. Do yourself a favour and bring us to meet the manager." Blanche habitually used her cold and haughty tone to speak to the attendant before catching herself.


    She turned and caught sight of Alec looking at her with wide eyes, making her feel embarrassed.


    "Ahem," Blanche coughed lightly. "Yes, bring us there please."


    The attendant struggled to hide her wide eyes, feeling like she''d heard the rumours wrong. What did she just hear come out of Lady Blanche''s mouth¡­?! Wait, no, Lady Blanche was indeed as overbearing and wilful as the rumours said, but one look from that little boy made her change her tune so quickly.


    Just who was he?!


    The attendant didn''t dare to stare at him for long as she turned and quickly made way to bring the both of them to a waiting room that was used to entertain the distinguished guests.


    She knocked on the manager''s door. "Manager, Lady Blanche is here and wants to talk to you."


    Sean opened the door within a second, his eyes crazy. There were crumbs on his shirt and pants, as well as around his mouth. "Lady Blanche is here!? There was no notice of this!"


    The attendant shook her head. "She did not announce her plans to come. Also¡­" she trailed off.


    "Also, what? Continue, don''t just stall!"


    "Also, she brought a little boy with her!"


    Sean paused, confused. "A little boy? Lady Blanche''s children are already grown up, aren''t they?"


    "I believe so, sir."


    Sean put the matter aside for now. The current presence of Lady Blanche was more important. "Bring the tea! And the biscuits!"


    "Yes sir!"


    Sean checked his appearance in the mirror, brushing down his clothes as he smoothened out the wrinkles, getting rid of the several crumbs that were still on the front of his shirt.


    He hurriedly took the tray of tea and biscuits from the attendant and calmed himself, knocking three times on the door.


    "Come in."


    Sean entered the waiting room and was greeted with the sight of a boy and Lady Blanche sitting on the sofa.


    The boy had dark, black hair and sparkling blue eyes. He looked no older than nine or ten, and was definitely not Blanche''s son, with her green eyes and blonde hair. Who was he?


    But still, this did not cause him to lose his composure, as he had already been warned beforehand.


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    Sean calmly placed the tray down on the table, pouring two cups out. He handed them to Lady Blanche and the unknown child, sitting back down.


    "How may I help you today, Lady Blanche, young master?"

 Chapter 72 Rumble

    "Hmph," Lady Blanche said, sipping on the tea. "This is Alec."


    Sean directed his attention at the young boy, ignoring the two creatures that were in the room nosing around at various things.


    It was evident from Lady Blanche''s tone that she had only visited their auction hall because of the young boy seated on the couch. From the way she was sipping her tea with her legs crossed in a dignified, elegant manner, she indicated that she would not be taking part in their conversation for the time being.


    "Young Master Alec, what may the Golden Leaves Auction Hall do for you today?" Sean asked carefully.


    Alec wasn''t going to lie. Though Blanche had seemed like a wealthy and powerful lady even at first glance, all he expected was for her to point him towards the general direction of the auction hall.


    However, as the two of them walked along the streets, Blanche seemed to grow fonder and fonder of him, really treating him like a younger brother.


    He hadn''t expected to hit the metaphorical jackpot in getting him through the doors to the auction house, even getting a chance to speak with the manager here.


    With Blanche''s presence, the man was all but sweating buckets as he did his best to cater to their needs.


    In this case, there was no need for him to go the long, hard route when he could go the easy way.


    "Father told me that they''re hoping to auction an Ash Phoenix."


    "An Ash Phoenix, you say?" Sean murmured, thinking. "Excuse me for a moment," the man said, stepping out of the room.


    "Get me the ledger for everything that''s been brought in regarding creatures yesterday."


    "But, sir! This goes against the proto-"


    "Enough. You heard me. Hurry up!"


    Inside the room, Blanche stared at Alec with growing curiosity. She just couldn''t get a solid read on the boy. Though he seemed like he was very gentle with the feeling he gave off with the way he smiled, there was a strong sheen of intelligence in his eyes that was not hidden from her.


    Blanche didn''t know whether or not it was intentional, but she was growing fond of him at a rapid pace that she had never before experienced. It wasn''t only because he had called her ''big sister'', though it did give him more points.


    Blanche never quite felt like she truly ever connected with anyone, be it her husband or her children, but this boy here gave her a sense of familiarity and connection.


    With how much discrimination society had against those who held the Sinister Magitype, was it any surprise that her family would try their best to avoid any of such rumours? Even going to the extent of forcing their daughter to conform to rules and expectations at an early age.


    A thought suddenly came to mind, and her eyes widened the slightest amount. Could he also be¡­?


    No, surely not?


    Blanche never thought that she would be the only one to try and do it, of course, but she never really expected that she would meet someone like her as well. Those that she did see, were visibly marked and kept far away from her.


    She never felt an interest in making a connection since it seemed so banal. Blanche was perfectly happy with her lot in life.


    As a lady from high society, she had been expected from a very young age to maintain all the grace, etiquette, and decorum. There were certain social expectations that one expected from a daughter of her family, and even upon marrying her husband, she firmly kept her behaviour in check.


    Her name, Blanche, was ironic in a sense. Sometimes, she felt as if she''d been dyed in shades of black, inescapable since her birth.


    Her husband and both her sons were all Brights, which didn''t bother her.


    Or, at least, she thought it never bothered her. Blanche didn''t notice how she had unconsciously kept up a wall in her heart.


    Seeing Alec''s bright expression in front of her made her feel inordinately fond of him. She even had the urge to bring him back to show him off in front of her sons and husband. The looks on their faces would be very amusing.


    She knew that he wasn''t telling her everything, but where she would usually have felt rage and annoyance that they were deliberately keeping things from her, she felt particularly indulgent here.


    "I hope you aren''t planning on dealing with this situation yourself," Blanche said, sipping her tea. It wasn''t as good as what she had at home, but it wasn''t too bad either, considering the auction hall saw many of the wealthy and powerful.


    "Mm," Alec declined to answer, bringing the teacup to his lips instead.


    Blanche smiled in a way that said she knew what he was doing, but let it slide.


    Sean knocked on the door as he re-entered. He shut the door firmly to ensure that the silencing barrier was active. It was a necessity in their line of work, where sensitive matters were discussed.


    "Lady Blanche, Young Master Alec, what I''m about to tell you is off the records."


    "Evidently," Blanche said coolly, not once looking in the man''s direction. "Given the way you so thoroughly checked whether or not the door was properly closed."


    "Yes," Sean said without any embarrassment. "While the Golden Leaves Auction House doesn''t usually do this, we are willing to make an exception for you, Lady Blanche, Young Master Alec."


    Blanche set down the teacup with a clack on the saucer, sending a chill up Sean''s spine.


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    "Cut the bullshit," Blanche spat, her eyes cutting into the man. "They must have done something to offend you, otherwise you wouldn''t even be willing to give us any information."


    Sean resisted the urge to react, knowing that it was just what she was looking for. This wasn''t the first time he was dealing with the famous Lady Blanche, after all.


    "Yes. There was an incident of sorts yesterday, but nonetheless, they did leave the Ash Phoenix here with us. It wouldn''t look good for us if they suddenly disappeared while it was in our hands, no?"


    Blanche scoffed to show just what she thought about that statement. "Stop going around in circles and spit it out. You''re wasting my time. You want something."


    Alec leaned back slightly as the two adults in the room started a war with words, fading his presence from their immediate attention.


    As he did this, Alec took the chance to take in the room in its entirety. Bunbun and Fenrir were moving around with a sense of purpose, almost as if they were looking for something.


    Alec cocked his head, feeling out their bond. Both of them were confused, sniffing around a mat that had been placed down on the floor, hiding underneath a bookcase.


    Bunbun pawed at the mat but didn''t do anything.


    Alec got a feeling that there was something hidden underneath that bookcase.


    The bookcase itself was filled with antique looking books from bottom to top, something that made Alec click his tongue. All of these precious books were being wasted placed here out in the open with no one to read them.


    They were quite literally being placed here in the room so that it looked fancier, adding to the room''s general atmosphere. Alec itched to touch but held himself still on couch. Before he realized, why do that?


    If the way that the books were being treated was any indication, they weren''t of very much importance to the auction house, something that Alec would use to his disposal.


    He had Lady Blanche backing him up now, and by all accounts, he seemed and appeared like a normal, curious boy.


    So, Alec hopped off the couch and walked towards Bunbun and Fenrir, something that caused Sean and Blanche both to look at him briefly before coming to the conclusion that Alec was heading towards his two creatures.


    With their attention off him, Alec reached out to grab a book from the bookcase.


    There was an ominous rumble.

 Chapter 73 Unlatch

    Of course, as if the universe was going against his every decision, the floor shook audibly just as he grabbed the green-covered book.


    Startled, Sean and Blanche were off their feet, one visibly calmer than the other.


    "Alec, come," Blanche said tightly.


    There were things shaking and bouncing throughout the room. At first, Alec thought that it was him who had triggered some sort of defence mechanism, but judging from the way that Sean was reacting, it evidently wasn''t him.


    If it had been, the man would have kept an eye on him as or Bunbun and Fenrir approached the bookcase earlier. Or, on the other hand, it could be that the man was not aware of something that would have been triggered should anyone touch the bookcase, but that was less likely.


    Sean threw open the door and yelled for an attendant.


    The attendant stumbled to the door, face white with fear, her legs trembling. Nothing of this magnitude had ever happened before. Even when there had been incidents, they were all taken care of swiftly and efficiently before anyone ever realized what happened, but this was something larger. Something bigger. She could feel it in her bones.


    "Sir!" she gasped. "Everything in the building is shaking!"


    "I can see that! What I want to know is why it''s shaking!" Sean said with annoyance. The man was considerably calm considering the circumstances. What he couldn''t stand was the fact all of his subordinates were running around like headless chickens, as he could see even from his position right now.


    All that training was useless if they were going to act this way in an emergency.


    Since the roof hadn''t already come down on their heads even though everything was already shaking like this should have indicated that they were not in danger for the time being, but they were still letting their baser instincts control their action. Unacceptable!


    Blanche didn''t hover, but she did keep Alec close. She couldn''t stand the fact that as she was doing a favour for Alec, they had to meet this kind of circumstance. This wasn''t how she envisioned her helping him out.


    Realizing that the two adults in the room were suitably distracted, Alec cut a glance at Bunbun and Fenrir, directing his feelings through the bond that they shared. He pushed forward his command, something that he had experimented with both Bunbun and Fenrir.


    This was the perfect time for him to relieve the books from the hands of the clearly negligent auction house. He was just¡­ liberating a couple of books.


    Heeding his orders, Bunbun tapped his paw on the bookcase, storing both bookcase and all the books contained on it into the bunny''s spatial dimension.


    Bunbun and Fenrir then moved towards him acting like nothing was wrong.


    Alec almost wanted to facepalm, but then thought better of it. After all, having the entire bookcase missing was better than having numerous books missing from the bookcase.


    Luckily, spatial dimensions were so rare in the world that they wouldn''t suspect a small child was the one responsible for the theft. Not to mention, those spatial dimensions that were left in people''s hands were the low-quality sort that were only able to hold a few things.


    "Sean, I need answers," Blanche cut in the man''s scolding with an icy tone.


    Sean regained control over his temper. "Yes, of course."


    "Sir, we have managed to locate the source of the trembling. Nothing in the building has collapsed yet, but it won''t be long if the tremors continue to grow. We are not the only building affected by the tremors, but they are coming from directly below us."


    Suddenly, a thought occurred to Sean, who swore a blue streak, disregarding the fact that Alec and Blanche were still in the room with him. Right now, there was no time to placate the arrogant Lady Blanche and her young entourage.


    Sean tore out of the room, immediately heading to his office for the communication array.


    Seeing Sean so unceremoniously leave them alone in the room with only the young attendant as company. Blanche''s expression completely darkened.


    Blanche grabbed the attendant by the neck, tightening. "You have more information. Tell me. Now."


    The noble lady ignored the fact that she was showing a violent and unyielding side of her that she rarely showed to anyone else in front of her newly acquired younger brother, but if he truly was what she thought he was, then the violence should be second nature to him, so it didn''t matter if she did show it here.


    If anything, she was banking on the fact that it would make him feel closer to her.


    The female attendant was clearly terrified as the hand placing her in a chokehold slowly tightened the more she didn''t speak, cutting off her supply of oxygen the more each second ticked by.


    "I-I-I don''t know," she stuttered. "I already told the manager everything!"


    Blanche clicked her tongue. "Worthless. Alec, we''re leaving. It isn''t safe here anymore."


    Alec visibly hesitated before shaking his head. "Father told me I have to find the traitors."


    It wasn''t that he didn''t believe they were in danger. With the way the ground was still trembling under their feet, he had no doubts about that, but being with Lady Blanche here would give them an opportunity that he wouldn''t have otherwise.


    In a time like this where chaos reigned, it was easier for him to sneak in to liberate the Ash Phoenix.


    The thought of a sentient creature being held against its will really rubbed him in all the wrong ways for a strange, unsettling reason.


    Blanche had likely come to the same conclusion, seeing the determined look on his face. her eyes gleamed as she wondered just how many layers this little boy had. He just grew increasingly interesting the more time she spent with him.


    She really did want to kidnap him back with her from his worthless father.


    Blanche pressed a pressure point on the attendant''s neck, sending her to sleep without another blink, carelessly dumping the body on the floor.


    "So, what you''re telling me is that you want to steal the Ash Phoenix from the Golden Leaves Auction Hall," she said with a rare streak of mischief in her eye.


    Alec stared at her with widened, confused eyes. Blanche smirked down at him but allowed him to get away with acting innocent.


    Blanche swept out of the room with Alec and his two familiars hot on her heels. This was more fun than she''d had in years.


    Since she always passed herself off as a proper, if cold, Bright noble lady instead of the Sin she really was.


    She felt like she was finally back home with the chaos reigning supreme outside whilst workers and customers alike did their best to find a safe place or flee the building. There was just something primal and raw about the taste of fear in the air that made her feel alive.


    The two Sins headed towards the room where the auction house kept the vast majority of its goods.


    Luckily for the both of them, creatures that were to be auctioned were kept in a separate place from where the more valuable goods were kept. The security was not as tight ¨C mainly kept by a guard or two.


    How did she know this, you might ask? Well, it was amazing the things people whispered when they thought that they were out of earshot. Though Blanche had never used the information she''d gathered about the auction house, that didn''t mean that she had any qualms about using it.


    They turned right, bringing them to a well-lit room, though the lights were shaking and casting shadows about the room as the lights trembled.


    Blanche had been prepared to knock out the worker here, but they conveniently seemed to have fled the premises, which made her feel one part disappointed, one part happy.


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    There were a variety of creatures that littered the room, most of them spooked and agitated.


    Alec looked around before he caught sight of the Ash Phoenix in the corner. Remarkably, the Ash Phoenix, unlike the other creatures in the room, did not move an inch. If it wasn''t for the way its intelligent eyes scanned them as they entered, Alec would have wondered whether or not it was dead.


    Alec silently unlatched the various cages, allowing the creatures to come out on their own.


    Blanche raised a brow before helping out as well.

 Chapter 74 Ominous Feelings

    Upon meeting the unlock of the cages, most of the creatures burst out, some of them taking the chance to briefly rub up against Alec or Blanche''s leg, then disappearing silently down the hallway.


    By the time the tremors in the building were so bad that they were struggling to keep on their feet, the creatures that had been locked up against their will had been completely cleared out ¨C that was, every creature except the Ash Phoenix.


    Alec''s brows slightly furrowed.


    What was the Ash Phoenix doing? Alec checked the lock on the cage door. It was indeed unlocked, so what was the Ash Phoenix doing?


    Alec held the door open, but the creature didn''t move from its spot. Its dark, grey eyes stared deeply at Alec until Alec reached his arm in.


    Foolish, maybe, but for some reason, Alec felt like this was the best choice.


    Indeed, the Ash Phoenix finally moved and hopped ever so lightly onto Alec''s arm.


    Blanche twitched when she saw the creature''s sharp talons, but the bird took every precaution that the sharp part of its talons never found themselves sinking into soft flesh.


    The Ash Phoenix was so light that Alec didn''t even feel like there was anything on his arm at all.


    With a flap of its wings, the Ash Phoenix relocated from his arm onto his shoulder, baffling the two occupants of the room.


    Bunbun growled lightly at the Ash Phoenix, who swept aside its tail and ignored him. The bunny''s ears lowered slightly in anger, whilst Fenrir pawed the bunny lightly. Now was not the time for territorial fights over their owner.


    Bunbun huffed.


    "Hey! The creatures are all escaping!"


    Blanche clicked her tongue, her usual cold image disappearing. "Time to go!" she said, but there was a slight grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.


    The noble lady tugged Alec into her arms with surprising strength, startling Alec so much that he didn''t even resist. What??


    Blanche ran down the hallway in her high heels. It was surprising that for the speed she was running, her steps made no sound. Even though she was running, she looked more like she was taking a casual stroll with the way she so elegantly glided down the hallway.


    There was a power to her steps that spoke more of the training she had received, discernible even to the untrained eye.


    Since Alec was curious, he didn''t fight off Blanche''s hands. Though he would be able to run just as fast ¨C if not faster, his curiosity was once again acting up.


    Wait. He didn''t feel repulsed by Blanche''s touch? Alec was puzzled. He''d felt so sick earlier when he had been in the crowd, but he was alright here?


    What in the world was up with his body?


    By now, there was no one left in the building. The people had long since fled outside to escape the tremors that were wrecking the ground.


    The tremors were growing increasingly violent, as if the ground would rupture at any given moment.


    There was an ominous sound as a tile cracked on the floor.


    Alec''s ears perked up as he stared at the spot where there the crack appeared.


    There was something growing underneath them.


    What Alec didn''t realize was that his magic had slipped out of his control, ever so slightly brushing against the magic that was buried deep in the ground. The faintest trickle of magic flinched, as if recoiling, only to siphon in a bit of magic and repelling Alec''s magic from himself.


    By the time he realized what he''d been subconsciously doing, a result of him being a bit Awakening-happy lately, it was too late.


    A faint trickle of magic could be felt, steadily growing larger and larger. The volume doubled, and continued doubling, until the vast amount of magic sitting beneath them was like an endless, terrifyingly deep reserve.


    Alec felt a chill go down his spine at the feeling of such magic beneath him.


    If he had to describe it, the magic felt unnaturally agitated. The magic gave him a feeling of majesty and pride. The reserve of magic fluttered, expanding and contracting in a way that pressed up against Alec''s senses, giving him a pounding headache.


    It felt like everything in his mind was replaced with the strong, thrumming feeling, reminiscent of a heart beating.


    Alec shuddered at the feeling. There was a feeling of pure terror that the magic produced within him. Whether it was because he was so vastly outclassed, or because of the way he felt like he was sinking into an unfeeling abyss of magic, he didn''t know.


    It felt like his breath was getting stifled, his lungs refusing to work on their own. The System took a stuttering breath as he recovered from the feeling that left him so overwhelmed.


    Blanche noticed the way the body in her arms stiffened up, but solely concentrated on getting both of them out of here. She should still be able to relocate both of them to a safe place whilst still dodging any of the responsibility.


    The ledger that Sean had been holding earlier had been left behind in his haste to leave the room.


    A smirk pulled at Blanche''s lips. This was the perfect excuse for her to bring Alec home with her.


    The two finally pulled out of the still trembling building. The streets were filled with rapidly escaping people in all directions, so Blanche didn''t hesitate to blend in, plastering a look of tight worry on her face that wasn''t out of character for her, no matter how much she wanted to laugh and grin.


    Alec finally recovered enough from the shock that the unknown magic had brought him. What was it? Why was it there?


    Why was it¡­ no one else seemed to be able to feel the magic?


    Quite frankly, there was no way that he was the only one who was able to sense magic in the crowd. Any well-trained person who applied themselves would be able to do it as well.


    From the look of things, Blanche definitely had the markings of training, so logically, she should have been able to feel the magic as well, but she never once looked concerned or alarmed.


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    Why was that?


    The only reason was that she never felt it in the first place.


    When Alec looked at Bunbun and Fenrir over Blanche''s shoulder, he noticed that Bunbun and Fenrir were looking spooked, unlike their usual calm demeanour. Their fur was bristling, though they tried to keep calm.


    Unlike them, the Ash Phoenix appeared positively unscathed, like Blanche.


    The Ash Phoenix fluttered its wings and landed on the bunny''s back, next to Fenrir, who growled at the bird.


    The Ash Phoenix ignored Fenrir.


    Alec took the chance to take in the Ash Phoenix''s looks in full. It looked exactly like the mythical phoenix, just with grey and black feathers. With smooth feathers that looked glossy despite its captivity, it showed no signs of the wounds that Henry claimed the Ash Phoenix had previously.


    It had been theorised that the Ash Phoenix had a strong link to death, which was why it was so fascinating to so many that had only heard legends about the creature.


    There were some humans who had an abnormal fascination with death and all that it entailed, as well as others who wanted to research and dissect the creature.


    Alec looked for any injuries but was unable to find any. Clearly, it had been able to fly, so why had it not taken off yet?


    ¡­It was said that the Ash Phoenix was drawn to places were death were soon to occur, making Alec feel an ominous feeling.


    Could it be that something was to happen to himself or Blanche?

 Chapter 75 The Rothschild Family Mansion

    Blanche had successfully kidnappe - ahem ¨C brought her little brother home to visit.


    She was being shameless by accepting him as a younger brother, but she was happy with it, so what did it matter? It wasn''t like her husband would refuse this, though her sons might protest.


    Blanche beamed at Alec, her facial muscles protesting at the action. She wondered how long it had been since she''d genuinely smiled so widely. Probably not since the day her children had been born.


    She was feeling inordinately happy, something that she wouldn''t have expected a few scant hours ago. She never expected that she would have went on a little adventure a few hours after she left her home.


    She could hardly remember the last time something had filled her with so much adrenaline. Was this what her husband felt when he went out hunting with their sons? If so, she would have to join them.


    Even the carriage going over a particularly bumpy spot didn''t affect her mood one bit.


    "Big sister, where are we going?" Alec questioned, his finger rubbing against the Ash Phoenix''s cheek.


    Even though the Ash Phoenix was said to be a herald of death, Alec couldn''t help but feel drawn towards the strange creature.


    The bird didn''t move from its position on Alec''s lap.


    "To the Rothschild Family Mansion," Blanche said, still smiling at Alec.


    Even though Alec already expected this, he hadn''t really thought that she would say it so bluntly. Then again, he did hear her mutter something about him being so cute that she wished she could just kidnap him.


    Compared to his first impression of Blanche, Alec realized that she was a lot blunter than he first thought


    ¡­ but Alec liked people like this. They were a lot easier to converse with, without him having to second guess their meanings all the time.


    Blanche''s words were clear-cut and direct, which wasn''t what he expected from a noble lady who was expected to fight a war with words.


    Blanche did seem to have somewhat of a reputation for being unreasonable, as seen from the way Sean and the female attendant acted earlier. When Blanche tried being polite earlier, the shocked looks on their faces were more than telling.


    Even when they reached the carriage, Blanche''s servants were sweating nervously but still obediently staying still waiting for her.


    He caught sight of the expression on their faces when Blanche smiled at him as well, which struck him as odd. He didn''t think that just calling her big sister would cause such a great impact on her, but he had no qualms about taking advantage of it.


    They arrived at a quiet mansion in the outskirts of the city. With wide, sprawling grounds, Alec was greeted with the sight of green that stretched on for ages.


    Upon leaving the carriage, the first thing that Bunbun and Fenrir did was run and roll around in the grass, having missed it.


    The stone cobbles under their paws just wasn''t the same. Indeed, grass was still the best!


    The servants that had long been waiting stepped forward to welcome the madam back home.


    Blanche stepped down without help from the servants. The last time someone had tried helping her down had been scorched with such a frigid glare that they never once tried to do it again. The madam had such an unpredictable temper at the most unpredictable things.


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    One of the servants caught sight of the carriage driver making strange faces at them. He was sporting some crazy eyes, but they didn''t understand what they were trying to convey.


    Blanche turned around and held out a hand to Alec. Alec stared at the pale hand in front of him, hesitantly touching. He really didn''t feel repulsed by her. Why was that? It wasn''t like they had known each other for a long time, nor was she part of his family, so why?


    "Alec, welcome to my home."


    The professional smiles on the servants faces froze, their long-honed instincts preventing from making any disastrous mistakes. Nothing that they had ever experienced could have ever prepared them for the sight that greeted them right now.


    Suddenly, the crazy eyes of the carriage driver as well as the other servant next to him made more sense.


    Alec simply maintained his fa?ade as usual. By now, the smile was already an ingrained reflex. He didn''t stop smiling even when he was alone.


    He still hadn''t heard the Mainframe''s voice about the completion of the mission [Rescue the Ash Phoenix.], which meant that it still wasn''t over. It wasn''t over till the Mainframe said it was over.


    He was feeling wary. The Ash Phoenix wasn''t leaving no matter what he did, which meant that something was bound to happen. And soon.


    By making a choice not to return to Elias and the others, that meant that if it was something that happened to them, the Ash Phoenix would have left, but it was still here.


    His decision to follow Blanche to her family home meant that if the ''aura'' of death grew lighter, the Ash Phoenix should have left to converge at the spot where the most concentrated aura appeared.


    There had been hearsay that the Ash Phoenix only ever appeared where there were tragic, messy deaths where those who suffered left the world before their time was up.


    It was because of this that so many were keen on studying what made the creature tick in hopes that they would be able to glean something out of it to tell when they themselves would be in danger.


    Foolish, if you asked Alec. Caging an Ash Phoenix was the same as asking for its death. But he supposed those people didn''t care a whit about that.


    How much about the information he''d managed to dig out about the characteristics of the Ash Phoenix could be trusted, he didn''t know, but he would rather take precautions rather than allow it to happen just like that.


    Blanche had helped him out, so it would be remiss of him to allow anything to happen to her.


    Alec silently gave the command to Bunbun and Fenrir, having them go back to the inn after playing around.


    He was met with protesting feelings, but when Alec looked at them, they sat straight, finally relenting.


    The servants desperately tried to prevent any of their thoughts from appearing on their faces when they were met with the sight of a young boy, probably not even in his double digits, stepping down from the carriage.


    Even as they were lost in their shock at the madam''s behaviour, they could still recognize that the boy in front of them would be a heartbreaker when he grew up. With raven black hair falling just above his eyes, his blue eyes sparkled like cut sapphire, dazzling the few female servants that were standing there.


    With a face that only contained the slightest bit of baby fat that rounded said cheeks, the boy appeared harmless and cherubic.


    When the boy smiled, they almost felt like there was a blossoming of flowers appearing behind him.


    The madam likely felt the same way, with the way her smile quirked ever so slightly.


    They still couldn''t get used to the sight of the madam smiling so widely. In all the years that they''d been here, they could count on a single hand that they''d seen the madam smile so happily.


    This wasn''t the faint smile or smile of contempt that she sometimes showed, but a full on, genuine smile!


    "Prepare for a guest," Blanche directed at the servants, who replied her with a chorus of ''yes madam'', hurriedly going off to work¡­ and gossip, most likely.


    Blanche let out a ''hmph'' but didn''t fault them for it. After all, even she herself was shocked at her behaviour, let alone the servants.


    Blanche walked slowly to the entrance of her home, making sure not to walk too quickly so that Alec could keep step.


    Blanche''s home was a mansion that stretched for quite a distance. It was even larger than the building that Alec lived in back on the clan compounds. It was reminiscent to the types of buildings that he''d seen in his previous life ¨C something that the nobles preferred.


    It seemed like rich people in both worlds had similar tastes.


    The Rothschild Family Mansion gave off a different feeling under the sun''s rays. At a glance, it appeared as if the mansion was drabbed in grey and whites, but where the sun hit the walls, one could see that there was a red pigment that shone under the sunlight.


    The mansion gave off a feeling of lowkey grandeur. It wasn''t bright or in-your-face, but rather something tasteful and classy.


    Blanche shrugged off her coat, handing it to the servant by the side, taking off her hat as well.


    Alec looked around subtly for anyone suspicious but didn''t expect to get any results anytime soon.


    "Mother, you''re home," came a voice from up the staircase.

 Chapter 76 Fate of the Rothschild

    Dietrich Rothschild was taking care of a few loose ends when he heard the familiar sound of the side door of the mansion open as the servants filed out, having been alerted.


    Two rows of servants stood by the pavement, waiting for the carriage to arrive.


    Ah. It was that time already. Taking off the glasses that he''d been using to read reports, Dietrich rubbed his eyes. Though the glasses were meant to make things easier on the eyes, that didn''t mean that the mental strain wasn''t there.


    He hated paperwork.


    Dietrich had arrived home only a short while ago. Having learnt that his mother was out doing some of her obligatory shopping, he had taken to the study to take care of a couple of things.


    Getting his things in order, Dietrich left the study that he''d been making use of, heading down.


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    He was just in time to witness his mother entering from the front entrance, taking off her hat and coat.


    "Mother, you''re home," Dietrich said.


    "Dietrich," Blanche said in greeting. She didn''t even look surprised that he was home. "Meet my younger brother."


    "Mother, I-" Dietrich cut himself off, baffled. "Your younger brother? Since when have I had an uncle? Why is this the first time I''m hearing about this?"


    It was only then that his mother moved slightly, revealing the form of a small child that had previously been hidden behind her.


    Needless to say, Dietrich was stunned into silence. He almost felt like he was having a strange dream.


    Alec was similarly baffled. She really introduced him as her younger brother. Also, what did he just say?


    That man up there who looked like he was in his early twenties was her son?


    Alec looked between Blanche and Dietrich, unable to compute.


    "Big sister, you''re sure you''re not siblings?" Alec said, completely genuine. If anything, she looked like she was barely a few years older than Dietrich, if not the same age.


    Blanche''s smile grew, and she couldn''t resist pinching his cheeks. "How cute. Yes, that''s my son."


    Blanche saw the way Alec''s eyes cut to Dietrich again, and could tell he wasn''t quite convinced, which made her feel ticklish. Such a dear. He was completely genuine as well!


    Dietrich watched with growing bafflement as his mother doted on the young boy in a way that he hadn''t seen since he and his brother had been a child.


    The smile on her face was so wide, as if she had met a long-lost relative that she hadn''t seen for a long time.


    To put it bluntly¡­ he felt a bit jealous?


    "Is this child of¡­ unknown origins?" Dietrich said, trying to be tactful. After all, it wasn''t the child''s fault that he''d been born¡­


    Blanche looked at her son dryly. "He''s not a bastard child, if that''s what you''re asking."


    "Mother!" Dietrich said, glancing at Alec.


    Blanche rolled her eyes. "Please, Dietrich. Alec is an intelligent child. I''m sure he''s already heard all manners of curse words worse than the one I''ve used."


    What he gleaned from his mother just left him feeling more confused. Just who was Alec, and where did he come from?


    "Then, grandmother and grandfather had another child at such a late age?" Though it was possible, he never thought that they would suddenly have a child. Wait. Backtrack here. Alec didn''t look anything like his grandparents, so -


    Blanche sighed like Dietrich was being particularly slow today. "No, Dietrich. I picked him up today on the streets. Right, Alec?"


    Alec nodded.


    Dietrich pinched the bridge of his nose. Just what was his mother thinking?! Dietrich was usually able to predict her movements quite well, but he felt like he''d stepped into the twilight zone today.


    All of a sudden, he found himself with an uncle that was younger than he was.


    Dietrich felt his thoughts swim before he inevitably gave up. He now had an uncle that wasn''t even in the double digits in age.


    It was impossible to change his mother''s mind once she''d made up her mind, so that was a lost cause. Since it was already an unchangeable fact, he might as well just accept it sooner rather than later¡­


    "Excuse my manners, Alec," Dietrich said as a peace-offering.


    "Uncle," Blanche cut him off.


    Dietrich took a deep, steadying breath. "Excuse my manners, uncle."


    Whatever response Alec had been about to say was cut off by the sound of an earth-shattering roar.


    The roar, loud as it was, was evidently from a far distance away and nowhere close to them, but was startlingly loud nonetheless, almost as if something had roared in their ears.


    Alec didn''t even want to think about just how off balancing that roar would be had he been nearer.


    Was this what the Ash Phoenix was heralding?


    No, that couldn''t be it. By now, the Ash Phoenix had made its nest under Alec''s shirt, dozing. Had the so-called predicted death carnage scene approached, he doubted that the avian creature would be snoozing right now.


    Blanche and Dietrich had already rushed out of the mansion, so Alec followed after them after he checked that the Ash Phoenix was still sleeping.


    There, in the far distance, Alec could see a faint outline of a massive creature with wings. It was hovering in the area where they had evacuated earlier.


    Despite knowing that Henry and Philip should have already returned back to the inn as per their earlier agreement, Alec couldn''t help but think about the gruesome scene of so many deaths in that area.


    With the earlier tremors, there should not have been anyone left in the area. Small mercies. Alec had no doubt that the previously flourishing street filled with high-end goods would be completely decimated.


    Alec could only link what he''d felt earlier deep underground to that creature that was still hovering in the air.


    "Goodness. What is that?"


    Blanche shook her head. "It''s above the city''s protection barrier now, so we should be safe still. Otherwise, I have no doubt that the creature''s attack would cause a staggeringly high number of casualties."


    "No," Dietrich said, refuting her. "I have my doubts about that being a creature. With those large wings and streamlined body, it looks like a dragon from the tales of the old."


    Blanche squinted. "You may be right. In that case, even the city''s protection barrier will not be enough to safeguard our city."


    Just as Blanche was about to bark out orders for preparations for the worst, the dragon let out another roar as it flapped its wings harder, moving it at a fast pace.


    Dietrich sucked in a breath. "It''s coming this way! At the rate it''s flying, it will reach us in two minutes."


    Blanche''s face was grim.


    There was a thundering sound of wings beating in the air, almost lazy, like the dragon was taking its time to approach. Despite its easy elegance and majesty, the speed at which it approached was faster than any of the winged creatures that Alec had seen carry cargo.


    With white, almost silver scales, the scene the dragon made as it approached was awe-inspiring.


    Even at a distance, Alec could make out the giant scales that made up the dragon''s body, each looked like the most delicate work of art that a craftsman had painstakingly produced after much blood, sweat and tears.


    Alec had never seen anything like it. Whatever books that he might have read describing a dragon''s presence and aura paled in comparison to seeing the real thing.


    The feeling was all too familiar to Alec, who had unintentionally caught a glimpse of it earlier, perhaps even being the one to finally allow the dragon to break out from deep underground.


    Why was it there? Had it been sealed against its will? Collared like a slave to a wall that had no say of its own fate?


    Strangely enough, Alec didn''t think that the dragon was here to hurt them. Of course, neither did he think that he had managed to form a connection with such a great, utterly vast being, no matter how weak its magic had been before this.


    Before Alec could think it through, the dragon was already upon them.

 Chapter 77 Over His Dead Body

    Blanche and Dietrich both moved in front of Alec, as if they would be able to hide him from the view of the dragon, something which surprised Alec greatly.


    He didn''t think that they were close enough for them to do something that risked their life so soon. Quite frankly, they''d barely just met in Dietrich''s case, and with Blanche, it was only extended by a few hours.


    In fact, Alec himself didn''t think that he would ever be the type of person that would get attached so quick and fast ¨C he certainly didn''t think that he would be putting himself in danger for anyone any time soon.


    Though he himself wasn''t the type to do that, it didn''t mean that he didn''t feel touched at their actions, especially since it was carried out without another thought, seemingly coming across as a natural instinct.


    However they reacted, regardless of what they did, they were unable to prevent the dragon from approaching them at a dizzying pace. Though the dragon had not yet done anything that would cause great death and destruction as of yet, there was no knowing when that would change.


    The dragon was even more massive up close. The Ash Phoenix that had previously burrowed into Alec''s shirt woke up with a croon, before going back to sleep, almost as if saying ''no danger here''.


    With a flap of its wings, the dragon was soaring past them, white and silver scales glittering in the sun. With a twist of its body, the light that reflected off its scales momentarily caused Blanche and Dietrich to be blinded by the glare of the reflection.


    Alec didn''t blink.


    The dragon caught crystalline blue eyes as it flew past, something dropping from the dragon''s body.


    The scale, a pure silvery-white, slowly floated down and landed in front of Alec, almost dwarfing him under the sheer size of it.


    Blanche, Dietrich and Alec stared at the dragon as it slowly disappeared in the distance.


    What just happened??


    Was this supposed to be a thank you or something?


    Alec silently screamed in his mind. Wasn''t this supposed to be something that only happened to Main Characters!? He did not sign up for this! Over his dead, cooling corpse.


    If it continued down this route, then¡­ wasn''t he just welcoming hordes of people coveting the dragon scale?! No, no, no. He refused for his relatively peaceful life to end that way.


    As Alec looked at the dragon''s retreating form, his eyes caught on something that didn''t quite belong. There was something¡­ or someone, rather, clinging onto the dragon''s tail end, dangling in the air.


    Only when the dragon had long since disappeared from their sights did they regain their speech.


    "¡­was that a girl clinging onto the dragon''s tail?" Dietrich said in a deceptively calm voice.


    "It appears so."


    "Never mind that," Dietrich continued, his eyes shifting to the single scale on the ground. "What about that scale? It came from the dragon, right?"


    "Indeed, it did."


    Alec reached out to touch the scale, a feeling of the magic that had been embedded into the scale, so reminiscent to the aura he felt from the dragon even as it had been chained down.


    The scale was warm to the touch, though it shouldn''t have been. It was strange.


    Alec picked up the scale with little problem, though it was a little heavier than he expected.


    Dietrich offered to help. "Here. Let me."


    Alec hid a grin when he nodded, smiling at his (suddenly acquired) nephew in thanks. Both at the offer and the scene that he would be treated to.


    Not disappointing, the man stifled the grunt as he took the scale from Alec''s hands, noticeably strained. Dietrich gave Alec a surprised look.


    Blanche, not oblivious to the slight sparkle of mischief in Alec''s eyes, lightly patted her son on the shoulder. "Careful not to strain your back. I must wonder what your sect has been teaching you that you''re straining to carry something that a child has no problem carrying."


    Dietrich struggled under the weight of a single dragon scale, having to put in some magic to flex his muscles, feeling wronged. It wasn''t that he was having trouble, but rather, how was it that Alec was able to lift the scale without any magic help?


    Dietrich was certain that the child hadn''t used any magic since he was particularly sensitive to its usage.


    "Ale-" Dietrich cut himself off after seeing the glance his mother sent his way. "Uncle, if you want, I have access to a good blacksmith that will be able to craft you a weapon or two from the scale. Or armour, if you so prefer."


    Alec looked at Dietrich with surprise. With how well Blanche treated him, he would have expected that Blanche was the one who said those words instead of Dietrich.


    "Thank you then," Alec said solemnly. He inscribed the favour in his heart that the two members of the Rothschild family had already shown him.


    He didn''t think that Elias was at the stage where he could handle using a dragon''s scale to craft something just yet, so he might as well take them up on their offer. The dragon scale was a massive size which was more than enough to make a few daggers.


    While he could keep the scale first and use it later, what was the point of that? It was more likely that someone would be able to track him down for his possession of the dragon scale instead.


    Alec had no doubt that there were eyes that had seen the scale falling from the sky. If the Rothschild family was as prestigious as it appeared to be, then they would be able to handle it.


    Alec would give them half of the scale. The rest would be made into daggers and a few other things.


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    "I''ll give you half the scale as thanks."


    Dietrich furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to reject, only to be stopped by his mother placing a hand on his shoulder.


    "Tsk, Dietrich. Are you rejecting the present that your uncle is giving us?"


    Dietrich wanted to argue that a dragon''s scale, a magical beast that was thought to be a myth, was worth far more than what they could offer back.


    Blanche didn''t reject only because she could see in Alec''s eyes that he fully knew about the value of a dragon''s scale. In doing this, they would be able to share his burden. While the Rothschild family might be able to handle whatever repercussions that came their way, the same could not be said for Alec and his deadbeat father.


    Blanche was already prepared to declare that Alec was a friend of their house, but she also knew that there were always greedy and ambitious people that wouldn''t care for that.


    If the Rothschild family flashed a dagger or two that showed the dragon scale was in their hands, then the resulting fallout would be at least manageable.


    Dietrich reluctantly relented, but still felt guilty. They hadn''t even done anything for Alec yet, but they were already receiving gifts from him!?


    It was then that the familiar sound of the second child''s creature, the winged horse, also known as a pegasus, neighed. Like always, it alerted them to Kieran''s return home.


    Kieran, Blanche''s second son, had similarly blonde hair and green eyes to both his brother and mother. He swept in with wind-swept hair, his cheeks holding a flush from the sting of wind hitting his face.


    "Mother, brother," Kieran greeted.


    Dietrich happily took this chance to inflict his earlier confusion on someone else. What kind of older brother would he be if the family didn''t share confusion and shock? "Kieran, meet our uncle."


    "We have an uncle?" Kieran said with a startling echo to Dietrich''s earlier confusion.


    Kieran looked around, only spotting a small child.


    "That''s our uncle?!"

 Chapter 78 Dinner With The Rothschilds

    By dinner time, Alec had already met all the members of the Rothschild family.


    Blanche Rothschild, the lady of the household, and apparently Alec''s ''big sister''. With blonde hair that shone like gold in the sunlight and green eyes, Blanche only appeared to be in her mid or late twenties.


    Dietrich Rothschild, the eldest son of the household, had the same colouring as his mother, but his facial features were more like his father.


    Kieran Rothschild, second son of the household, similarly also had blonde hair and green eyes, though his blonde hair was unlike his brother and mother, taking after his father more. He wore his hair in a similar style to his mother, in a braid that hung off his shoulder.


    And finally, Blanche''s husband and master of the household, Franz Rothschild. Like his wife, he had blonde hair, though it was a shade of dirty blonde instead of the blonde that looked like spun gold. He sported dark brown eyes and was just as handsome as his two sons.


    The four Rothschild members sat at the dining table with Alec, doing their best to treat Alec like he was a member of their family instead of a guest.


    Kieran and Dietrich were like a mix and match of their mother and father. It was an entertaining thought.


    The four blondes sat at the table looking like a painted picture, with the way they seemed to sparkle under the light from the chandelier. They looked like a perfect representation of high society that most people could only dream of.


    All four were attractive in a way that would make heads turn and stare.


    Alec felt a little out of place at the table, mainly due to his looks, but the Rothschild family were including him in their conversation, such that he did not feel left out.


    What Alec didn''t know was that all four members of the Rothschild family were equally smitten with his looks, and his carried grace. With his dark hair, pale skin and crystalline blue eyes, Alec looked and carried himself like one of those from the disciples from a well-known sect, or clan.


    His actions were filled with an easy grace that seemed to come naturally to him, something that made Kieran jealous. Imbuing such grace into his own actions had come with repetition that had to be painstakingly grilled into him since his childhood.


    Kieran shuddered at the memories of the numerous, mind-numbing lessons, putting them aside.


    Even Kieran, who was still struggling to accept the boy as his uncle was able to admit it to himself. Alec was really cute.


    To say that the three males of the Rothschild family were baffled by Blanche''s sudden acquisition of a child into their family was an understatement, much less adopting him as a younger brother of all things. Never had Blanche showed such behaviour before.


    Whilst she wasn''t ¨C cold ¨C Blanche also wasn''t known for doing such things. If it had been up to her, she would have been happy to dismiss all the servants and live in solidarity without having to keep up the troublesome interactions.


    The only reason why she didn''t was because the others of high society would gossip, which would hurt her husband and children''s reputation, so Blanche put up with it.


    That didn''t mean that she would go as far as to interact with the servants of her own accord, however, and she had never shown an interest in anyone outside of her immediate family.


    It was something that had worried the three men of the household. Franz was worried that his wife had no friends or attachments outside of them.


    It was the main reason why Franz had so wholeheartedly accepted Alec into the fold of their family even when Kieran still seemed to be struggling with the jealousy regarding the wealth of emotion that Blanche was showing Alec.


    He had not seen such blatant emotion on his lovely wife''s face for such a long time.


    Alec looked between the various members of the family and marvelled at the family''s genes. Had he not been in the know, he would never have guessed that Franz and Blanche were Kieran and Dietrich''s parents.


    Alec wondered just what their magic ranks were. They were definitely above him in that aspect. Even now, where he could feel the subtle wisps of magic that made up each member of the Rothschild family''s magical signature, he was unable to accurately determine where they stood.


    Alec didn''t let the frustration of his stagnating magical capacity distract him. Jealousy was petty, and it wasn''t like he wasn''t doing his best to steadily raise his own level. He suspected that any day now, he would be able to break into the foundational stage.


    He was looking forward to the changes that his magic would go through once he managed to get there. What would change in respect to his bond with his Awakened? Would he still regress back down to the elemental stage once he went past his limit to Awaken something?


    There were so many questions that were left unanswered for now due to the lacking information on the Awakening Magitype that it would have made a lesser man ¨C and that was what he was, no matter the form he took right now ¨C frustrated.


    "So, Alec," Franz finally asked the question that had been keeping him curious throughout their meal. "Are you from a sect?"


    Alec''s eyes widened slightly. "No, why do you ask?"


    "Really? But the way you move¡­ surely that isn''t natural? A clan, then?" Kieran asked in disbelief. The teen set aside down the glass that he''d been swirling, intrigued, and more than a little jealous. He thought that the boy would have to at least have gone through a bit of etiquette training!


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    "What do you mean?"


    "You''re very graceful. Something that isn''t usually honed or manged without being in contact with those who carry themselves in a similar way," Blanche interjected.


    By now, the male Rothschild members were used to Blanche speaking more than she had in years. It seemed that Alec''s presence made her open up more, whereas before she was more content to listen and only offer praise and criticism.


    It wasn''t that Blanche neglected them ¨C far from it ¨C but Blanche usually opted more for actions rather than words, which didn''t always work.


    Now, she seemed to realize that better communication was the key to obtaining the answers she wanted instead of silently taking action.


    The only way they could describe it was that Blanche just seemed more connected to them now compared to before. For this, they were thankful towards Alec.


    "Ah. I''m from a clan."


    Alec waited for someone to ask or pry more about his answer, but they only nodded as if it had been all the confirmation that they needed.


    There were a vast number of clans in the Kaoriht continent. So many that it was impossible to keep track of all of them. Only the most prominent ones were those that were remembered by the people.


    Similarly, there were a good number of sects as well, though not as many.


    The Rothschilds could guess that Alec was likely from one of the better-known clans, but they didn''t know which one.


    Up to this point, Blanche once again thought about Alec''s negligent father, her grip on the knife and fork that she was holding tightening. Even if he was from a clan, that didn''t mean that he should have been left out alone at the tender age of eight!


    Even in the sects or clans, children weren''t let out on their own since there was a high casualty rate. Seventeen or eighteen was generally the accepted age for a member to set out on their own.


    Of course, there was a well-known exception to this unspoken rule. The Neil Clan, which was famous for pushing their members hard and fast ¨C and they flourished under said pressure.


    If Alec was from the Neil Clan, that would explain a lot of things, but he didn''t have the signature brown hair even if his eyes were the right type of blue, so Blanche discounted it.


    Other clans had tried to emulate the Neil Clan, only to fall short time and time again, crippling themselves in the process. The casualty rate was simply too high, and their members were too few.


    Alec was way below that age limit, and Blanche literally could not wait to get her hands on that deadbeat father of Alec''s¡­ she was sure that she would be able to recruit her husband for this task. After all, her husband seemed to be quite fond of Alec thus far.


    Silently, Blanche plotted¡­

 Chapter 79 Favourite Room

    By the time dinner was over, Blanche and Franz had retired for the night, leaving Alec in the hands of his two nephews.


    Kieran scoffed, flicking his braid over his shoulder. He left his brother and ''uncle'' behind, still unaccepting of their relationship. Their mother clearly wanted them to ''bond'' or some nonsense, which he wasn''t willing to entertain.


    Dietrich scratched his cheek, embarrassed at his brother''s obvious reaction. "Ah. Looks like Kieran still can''t accept it. My apologies." Unlike me, was the unspoken words.


    Truly, Dietrich was quite easy-going, going along with his mother''s sudden whims. He had adapted to it remarkably well, going with the flow without much awkwardness.


    Alec didn''t say anything. After all, to him, Dietrich was the one with the stranger reaction. Just how in the world was he accepting it this quickly?


    "So, uncle, what do you want to do now?"


    Alec''s eyes widened slightly. He didn''t think that Dietrich would still call him that when Blanche was out of earshot. Wasn''t he embarrassed?


    Dietrich seemed to know what Alec was feeling. "If I ever slip up in front of mother¡­" he trailed off, a shiver going down his spine.


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    Alec felt puzzled. Just what would Blanche do that was so terrible he would react this way? Blanche had been nothing but doting to him so far. Just how different could it be from the way she treated her own children?


    "Will you show me around?"


    Dietrich perked up. "Yes, of course."


    The resulting smile he received made him feel like his understood more where his mother was coming from. The boy was truly a ball of sunshine and flowers. How did such a little angel exist in this world?


    Not good. Dietrich felt like he was slipping down a slippery slope. Would he end up just as doting as his mother was acting? Combined with the fact that he still felt bad that their family was receiving half of that dragon scale from Alec, he really couldn''t feel anything less than affection.


    Dietrich and Alec set off down the hall, Dietrich quite literally showing him around door to door.


    Following him around like a duckling following its mother, Alec was a constant presence at Dietrich''s side, peering into the various rooms as the other opened door after door.


    It was quite amazing that most of the rooms were in use, considering how many rooms this place had.


    Dietrich explained. "The Rothschild Family Mansion doesn''t only house our family, though exclusive usage belongs to the main house, we still retain rooms for the branch members to store their things should they wish it.


    "They meet up with us once every five years. In fact, they should be coming around any time now. Most likely tomorrow, if I''m not wrong. It''s why Kieran and I are back."


    How peculiar. What exactly was the point of leaving them a room for each of the branch family to use? They only met up once every five years.


    The uncle and nephew duo reached a heavy-set door that was made out of glossy wood. There were gilded edges of gold and ivy spiralling on the door.


    Alec looked at it curiously. "What''s this door?"


    Dietrich grinned. "This door. Is the library. Personally, this is my favourite room in the entire-"


    Say no more, Dietrich.


    Before Dietrich was able to complete his sentence, Alec was already opening the doors to enter.


    With a plush carpet under their feet, the room full of books seemed to stretch on for ages. The smell of books filled the room, causing Alec to light up.


    Alec grabbed Dietrich''s shirt. "Dietrich, I can read the books here, right?"


    Dietrich felt like he''d been shot in the heart from the sheer cuteness emitting from Alec, clinging onto his shirt. Why wasn''t Kieran ever this cute?!


    "Dietrich?" Alec tilted his head.


    "Be my guest."


    Alec immediately let go of Dietrich''s shirt, not even realizing that he''d done it. It seemed as if Alec had been picking up more and more habits that helped him blend in more unconsciously.


    The System was in book heaven. The sheer number of books that filled this place was enough to make him happy for a long while. Even in the clan compounds, where he was able to browse to his liking, had more restricted books that were off limits to him than there were that were available.


    Though he always itched to head towards the second floor, there was always an elder that manned the desk. Not only that, he suspected that there was an array on the staircase, which was why he never tried. Even his uncle didn''t give him permission to go up, let alone the elder.


    Alec''s eyes were practically sparkling as his eyes devoured the titles of the books on the shelves. There were so many different kinds that he almost wished that he could just camp here endlessly for months before he finished reading everything.


    The books, sorted by genre, were well-kept, preserved by numerous runes that he made out, hidden in the spines.


    Dietrich watched as Alec moved around the family library, practically glowing with happiness. Dietrich actually hadn''t planned on letting him into the library, since there were some restricted texts that would spell a bit of trouble for their family should it ever get out.


    What he didn''t expect was the way Alec grew on him during their little exploration of the house. He hadn''t felt this curious and carefree ever since he''d been a boy.


    Alec''s eyes caught on a book that stood out from the rest. With a pitch-black cover, and no title, it looked like the book didn''t belong amongst the other rich covers in the library.


    Without any hesitation, Alec grabbed it. What else could this be but a forbidden text? It was almost as if the author of the book was trying to make it easy for whoever it was to guess it.


    Alec waited for Dietrich to hurriedly stop him, but when he didn''t, Alec smirked a little and started reading for real.


    Dietrich startled slightly when he realized that out of all the books, the one Alec picked was the few ''forbidden'' texts that were hidden. He wondered just how Alec was able to see past the various runes that had been inscribed in the book to make it appear normal.


    Dietrich debated whether or not he should get Alec to put the book back, only to shrug lightly in the end. After all, it wasn''t forbidden because it contained any dangerous information or anything.


    Just that¡­ hmm. Well. To put it bluntly, it was because the royals from the previous couple of generations was a degenerate who wielded his power and authority without a care of the consequences.


    The book was a journal their ancestor had written about his findings and the exploration of the various Societypes.


    The next generation of royals made a move to appease the Rothschild house after so unceremoniously burning every mention of their ancestor out of their books, trying to make up for the previous generation''s fault. This was, in part, the reason why the Rothschild family still stood so strong even today.


    Dietrich picked up a book himself and started, both souls in the library losing track of their time.


    Alec was completely engrossed in the book, which should really have been an indication that something was about to go wrong.

 Chapter 80 Spilled Moonligh

    The ''forbidden'' book was an in-depth exploration of the Rothschild family''s ancestor''s obsession with Brights and the way they functioned.


    Alec was practically devouring the knowledge that had been stored within. It was such a crime that this book would never see the light of day, but it was enough for him that he was able to read it.


    The System did his best to remember each written word, studying with an intense focus, such that Dietrich, who had also been reading, felt startled looking at him.


    Dietrich, who always thought that he had a laser focus, felt like he was actually losing against a small child, no matter that he was supposed to be his uncle, in an aspect that he prided himself in. As such, the man also threw himself into his reading with abandon, subconsciously trying to outdo the boy.


    Alec''s finger twitched.


    His eyes sharpened as he broke out of the engrossed state that he''d been in, frowning. Fuck! These bastards¡­ were interrupting his reading time. He was pissed. It was rare that he ever found the time to completely engross himself, but now someone ¨C or rather ¨C some people were interrupting his happy time!


    Alec''s lips pulled into a snarl, baring his teeth. He was in such a good mood too. Was this why the Ash Phoenix had been sticking to him so closely? It had to be. There was no other explanation.


    He was lucky that Dietrich was so engrossed in his book, allowing him to get away with the slip showing his true nature. He was sure that had Dietrich seen him with that expression, the damn Mainframe would have immediately interjected and deduced his points.


    Dietrich shivered as the temperature of the room dropped a little, looking around. What just happened? Wasn''t the room''s temperature regulated because of all the books that were being painstakingly preserved?


    He looked at Alec but didn''t sense anything amiss. The boy was still using a light smile like usual.


    Dietrich, "???" Dietrich just felt more confused seeing as nothing was wrong.


    Alec closed the book and put it back in its place, surprising Dietrich. He thought that the kid would try and smuggle the book out of the library like he did when he was a child. Or was it just that he was that childish when he was younger¡­


    "Dietrich," Alec said, catching his attention. "There are rats in the house."


    Dietrich''s eyes sharpened. "And just how do you know this?" Was he wrong about his judgement in his ''uncle''? He hated to think that he''d let a snake into their house, but for his family, he always had to look at the bigger picture.


    Of course, he only had that thought for a split second before he put it away. He trusted his mother''s judgement. More than that, he trusted his mother when she said that he had good instincts.


    His gut had saved him a couple of times on a few dangerous missions, so he preferred to defer to his judgement.


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    Dietrich liked to think that he was able to read people properly, something that was needed as a member of the Rothschild family, who always had people with ulterior motives sidle up to him and their family.


    Alec didn''t say anything, but his smile remained, unwilling to explain. It had taken him so long just to open up to Elias, which was already a rather major concession on his part. He wasn''t about to go around throwing his secrets out left and right.


    "Alright. Let''s go," Dietrich said, trusting the boy.


    Though, he might not have agreed to it so easily if he knew what awaited them at the end of the hallway.


    Even if there were no such alerts in their mansion''s barrier nor wards, that didn''t mean that they were infallible, no matter how much they pretended that they were.


    Alec nodded.


    The two set off rather quickly, heading down the hallway. Alec headed up the stairs, going to the third floor.


    Faced with an option of left or right, Alec didn''t hesitate and immediately went left, following the feeling that he received from the bunch of doors that he''d Awakened previously when Dietrich had been showing him around.


    He wasn''t following Dietrich so closely because he was sticking to him, like the other thought, but getting an excuse to touch the various doors that were along the hallway.


    Of course, at that time he''d been silently cursing just because there were so damn many doors in the whole mansion, but it looked like his hard work paid off faster than he thought it would.


    As a consequence, his magic capacity had dropped sharply, but he had been able to recover some of it during their read in the library earlier.


    There were more than ten of them infiltrating the house. If Alec wasn''t wrong, they were the ones that Dietrich mentioned earlier.


    The branch family of the Rothschild family!


    Alec clicked his tongue. He just knew that having the branch family leaving their things here wouldn''t be a good idea.


    Alec could imagine that the branch family probably wasn''t doing well as compared to the main family, so he could see how that would incite jealousy and hatred.


    Comparison is the death of joy.


    Dietrich frowned as he took this more seriously than ever. While he might have been a bit doubtful at first due to Alec being so young, he could not help but feel that there was truly something amiss.


    The atmosphere in the house did not seem right.


    The mansion was eerily quiet, as if no sound penetrated the night air. Something was indeed wrong!


    The two were rapidly approaching the east wing of the mansion, where Dietrich and Kieran both stayed.


    Alec held a hand out, stopping Dietrich in his tracks. With a single look, Dietrich understood.


    They would have to be silent and stealthy as to avoid the infiltrators realizing that they''d already been discovered.


    Dietrich''s heart was burning with anger when he saw that the room on the far end of the hallway had a door that was slightly opened, as if waiting for someone to make a quick escape.


    There was the shadowy form of an avian creature perched on the windowsill. Cold, impartial moonlight spilled in from outside casting it in darkness and light, giving the avian creature its namesake.


    It was the Ash Phoenix.


    The creature both hated and feared, was present. Its dark, beady eyes held no emotions within it, and Dietrich could understand what the books all said when they raved about the death reaper looking at them through eyes of those trapped between the living and dead.


    Something was happening. Something terrible. Something that they wanted to prevent at all costs.


    These few in Kieran''s room were not all of them. The other group was still hiding, lurking. They were waiting for a sign. Waiting to ambush.


    Both Dietrich and Alec''s hearts pounded.


    Dietrich recognized that bird. It was the Ash Phoenix. The harbinger of death, chaos and sorrow.


    Kieran!


    The two could hear faint coos and chirps from the Ash Phoenix that was seated, unmoving. The sound produced a series of goosebumps that formed on their arms. There was an innate feeling that there was something wrong as the song of death was crooned so softly from the avian creature''s throat.


    Dietrich restrained himself, clenching his fists. His nails bit crescent moons into his palms, the pain helping him regain a bit of his senses.


    There was no telling how they would react if Dietrich just burst into there without a plan. Dietrich bared his teeth in a snarl, his usually friendly features replaced by burning hot rage.


    In comparison, Alec looked cool and detached, studying the situation.


    No doubt that the intruders of the Rothschild Family Mansion came here for a banquet of death and blood, and this was only their first stop.


    Kieran was not dead. Not yet.


    Otherwise, the Ash Phoenix would have already flitted off, in search of its next destination.

 Chapter 81 Lurking In The Shadows

    Alec abruptly realizes that they were doing it wrong. Though he didn''t have complete confidence that he would be able to take care of the intruders himself, he thought that he still had a good chance he could do it.


    In that case, he should split up with Dietrich along to avoid the incoming disaster over at Blanche and Franz''s bedroom.


    Alec studies the ward painted on the door, realizing that the silencing ward was inked sloppily and inaccurately onto the door, silencing all sounds from inside the room, as well as also blocking whatever sounds that were coming from outside.


    Sloppy.


    Careless.


    Or had they just not bothered to properly learn the warding sequence? It angered him at the show of gross inaccuracy that could have been prevented with just enough practice.


    Using something that they couldn''t get write on the field was just asking for trouble, but then, Alec supposed that he shouldn''t be critiquing the enemy''s techniques and have thoughts about how he could do it better.


    He was utterly disgusted at the show of incompetency that was being revealed right now.


    "Dietrich," Alec pitched his voice low. Although they should not be able to hear him from inside, he would not take any chances.


    Dietrich''s hand twitched slightly, indicating that he was listening, but didn''t otherwise move his death glare from his brother''s door. He looked like he was a hair away from charging in and recklessly saving his brother.


    "Dietrich, you have to go."


    Dietrich''s eyes snapped to Alec''s, a burning anger in them. "I will not."


    "Don''t make me repeat myself. Do you think this is the only room that they will target? If you were in your room, as you should have been, then you would likely have been ''taken care of'' as well. Go. Alert your parents."


    "I-" he started, his voice containing the undertones of a growl.


    Alec cut him off. "I can handle this. Let me handle this. Go. Now!" Alec barked. He fingered the daggers that were strapped at his sides.


    Dietrich was torn between obeying and staying. Who knew what they were already doing to his younger brother inside there? Could he really trust the young boy?


    He shouldn''t even be able to comprehend the severity of the situation!


    The younger boy still had a smile painted on his lips, but his eyes were cold and cutting.


    It made Dietrich wonder whether what he saw earlier in the boy was an illusion, but he had no time to contemplate that right now. Dietrich hesitated for the briefest moment, turning back and tearing down the hallway. The quicker, the better.


    "Watch out for ambushes," he heard the cold, low voice echo behind him.


    Alec turned his attention to the door. The ward on the door did not prevent Alec from spreading the slightest amount of magic throughout the air, accurately giving him insight into what was happening in the room.


    There were five of them, excluding Kieran, who was being restrained.


    The blond''s magical signature was agitated and tinged with anger. Good. There was no trace of fear, something which he was sure would agitate the Rothschild branch family members inside.


    It meant that they would not allow him to die. Not just yet.


    Working quickly, Alec hashed out the briefest semblances of a plan to most efficiently take down the incompetents inside the room.


    Granted, it made things easier because of said incompetents, which was the only time where he was glad to meet those incapable bastards.


    The familiar sing of blood flooded through his veins, as it was wont to do in times of danger. His heart pulsed, as if thrilled.


    Five of them.


    One by the door, three around the bed, and one by the window.


    At this time, Alec was steadily pumping magic into the area around his eyes, as well as the eyeballs themselves, and strengthening the linkage. He used everything, leaving him just the barest hints of magic. This would, hopefully, not throw off his balance too much whilst still giving him an edge.


    Since it would be foolish to change anything regarding his strength earlier, where he would be unlikely to control himself as he wished, he opted to try and enhance his dynamic vision and Awakening the rod cells inside his eyes instead, giving him more control over himself in the darkness.


    As he did this, his eyes were closed, adjusting to the darkness. Alec ignored the burning pain that were scorching his eyeballs. The pain was bearable.


    Alec Awakened as much as possible whilst retaining consciousness. He could do this. Five people of foundation stage. Manageable.


    He owed a favour to the Rothschild main family, and this was the perfect time for him to pay it back.


    Alec unsheathed one of the daggers, testing the weight now. They were equally as weightless as compared to before.


    The moment a patch of clouds covered the moonlight that had been previously reflecting down the light of the moon, Alec slid the door of Kieran''s room open silently, jumping onto the Rothschild branch family''s member''s back in a singular, smooth move.


    Since the man had so conveniently decided to stand in front of the door as a ''guard'', then Alec would be letting him down if he didn''t pay him any attention, right?


    Alec could see as clear as day. Or rather, his night vision was so enhanced that he didn''t feel any discomfort moving around in the darkness. It was different, sure, but it did nothing to hinder his movements.


    Before the man could react, Alec already slid the dagger''s edge against the hollow point of the man''s neck, angling his head down to prevent the greater mess of the arterial blood spray from leaving his neck. The Rothschild branch family member''s eyes bugged out before losing all light.


    There wasn''t a single sound as this process was carried out.


    Alec propped the man''s body against the wall, thankful that Kieran''s room was stupidly large.


    The bed was a distance from the door, which provided Alec some breathing room. From here, Alec could see that one of the supposed ''watchers'' was actually hanging around on the balcony, looking outside like a complete idiot.


    Alec didn''t even know what to say. Just how incompetent could you get? If you were breaking into someone''s home and torturing slash assassinating someone, then shouldn''t you at least keep your guard up and do your job properly?


    Or was it that he was just that confident they wouldn''t be caught? Overconfidence was a leading cause of death as long as you weren''t a Main Character, after all.


    Alec glided over to the idiot on the balcony, yet again thankful that the room was cast in darkness. Mainly because the idiots probably wanted some dramatic effect as Kieran was tortured for their amusement or whatever.


    Alec made sure that he caught sight of the blond''s eyes as he moved past. The blond''s eyes were filled with hatred and defiance, but he never made a sound.


    Even as their eyes met, Kieran''s eyes immediately slid away as he continued glaring at the person sinking their blade into his flesh. He never once showed that he knew there was someone else there, which Alec appreciated. At least he was better than these incompetent hacks who were losing themselves in the rush of pain and torture.


    Alec darted to the balcony, where the man, who was staring down at the grounds outside the mansion was lounging around.


    The man, or rather, the sentry had grown bored over doing nothing, turning around at the last moment. Alec immediately stabbed his dagger forward and cut to the side, opening a large hole in the man''s neck.


    The System clapped his hands over the man''s mouth, preventing any spillage of noise even as he died messily.


    Unfortunately for the System, because the man had turned around, the arterial spray of blood was unable to be avoided, coating the boy in a splatter of blood over his face and clothes.


    The blood got everywhere, which made Alec feel a weird thump of feelings that he didn''t know how to describe the moment it touched his skin. A slight shiver worked its way through his frame, leaving goosebumps in their wake.


    Alec placed the body down, making sure not to make another noise.


    One of the women, who had been watching her brother and sister work the blonde main family bastard over, sniffed.


    She sniffed harder. "What''s that smell. Blood?"


    Her sister rolled her eyes even as she dug in the blade in her hands. "Obviously it''s blood. What else could it be? It would be stranger if you didn''t smell it."


    "No, like-"


    Before she could react, Alec killed off the one who spoke, licking his lips, grinning.


    The tang of iron in the blood gave his kill a strange taste.


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    There was a gurgle of blood as the woman died without even seeing who killed her.


    ""Sister!""

 Chapter 82 Lurking In The Shadows II

    Jill growled, ripping her out her blade where she''d been having the time of her life extracting all the pain and suffering from Kieran Rothschild''s pliant body, unable to even tense up when she cut in.


    The blood that had welled up from the sliced skin had been lovely. Like red on a freshly painted canvas.


    There had been just enough light for her to be able to see the flickers of pain in the teenager''s eyes whenever she sank her blade in, but he just! Wouldn''t! Cry!


    Of course, that only made work harder to draw out the smallest of cries from him.


    Just as she was sure he was about to break, her fun had to be ruined by a splatter of some viscous liquid at the back of her head. Her movements froze ever so lightly.


    Jack Rothschild struggled to maintain his composure as his younger sister was unceremoniously cut down in front of him by a bastard hiding in the dark. Though he was unable to see it, he still felt her life force fading from existence. The feeling of Maria''s energy slowly fading from the plane of existence was traumatising.


    Maria Rothschild''s last moments were a look of shock and incomprehension as she clutched at her sliced neck, the blood gushing out from between her fingers, unable to be stopped regardless of her efforts.


    She made a gurgling sound before she collapsed, her eyes forever opened in the face of death. She never even had a chance to use her own magic to try and fend off the assailant.


    Alec didn''t make a move to further touch the body, allowing it to slump to the floor like a broken marionette in a move of callousness that was done to provoke the anger of the man that was maintaining the magic he was using on Kieran''s body.


    The body audibly thumped onto the floor.


    The sheer rage he felt at his sister being discarded so easily, like she was a piece of trash, enraged Jack.


    But still, Jack grit his teeth and did his job by maintaining the magic hold that he was using on the Rothschild main family''s progeny, trusting that Jill would take care of it.


    Right now, it was his job to prevent the situation from escalating.


    The killer didn''t even have the decency to face them in the light. Jack conveniently ignored how they were the ones who had left the room encased in darkness, setting the stage, so to speak, for their own benefit.


    If Alec could hear the guy''s thoughts right now, he would make sure to make him suffer a bit more before killing him. Or rather, would he make sure the guy lived so as to ensure his suffering for a while longer?


    As if he was the one at fault for their general incompetency!


    Jack yelled in anger. "Fuck! Guys, where are you! Why aren''t you taking care of the bastard already!"


    There were no answering sounds for him, only the familiar movement of barely audible sounds of blades slicing through the air as Jill fought against the masked assassin. The darkness was working with him for once, leaving him feeling horribly inadequate.


    What¡­?


    There was no answer because they were already dead, but Jack was still hissing as if they would crawl out of the woodwork.


    Jill''s lips pulled into a snarl as her movements were jerky. She did not appreciate being interrupted when she was working on her life''s masterpiece. She was sure that Kieran would have been her life''s greatest masterpiece had she ample time to ruin and take him apart piece by piece, but now it was all ruined!


    As such, Jill''s swings were wider than they usually were, sloppy with the rage that filled her. She didn''t even stop to think about how her sister had been murdered, so lost in the haze of fury that something had threw her out of the spectacular mood she''d been in earlier.


    Or so she projected.


    Alec was dodging from the woman''s wide swings, her movements telegraphed so clearly precisely because she never thought that he would be able to see so well in the darkness.


    Luckily for him, he had made the right choice Awakening himself to provide more vision in the darkness.


    As long as he had the faintest hints of light, he would be able to move around unobstructed.


    Jill screamed in frustration. "Come out, you little bastard! Face me like a man!" She wanted badly to scream at her brother to just let the main family bastard go and lighten up the room so that she could use her magic but rethought it. She should be fine.


    From what she could tell, there should only be one assailant, otherwise both she and her brother would already been cooling corpses lying on the floor. If she got her brother to release Kieran, then they would be evenly matched instead of outnumbering him. Or her.


    Alec rolled his eyes. Did she really think that her screaming that would cause anyone to quote face her like a man unquote? Alec was more inclined to think that they would all run away instead.


    "Where *are* you!?"


    Alec moved back further, making sure to mask his already silent footsteps, waiting for her to give an opening.


    Jill calmed down slightly when her lovely blade never once touched a hair of her opponents, nor did her lovely blade ever draw any blood. As a result, she grew more cautious, waiting for the silent assailant to make a move to kill her.


    Alec''s lips curled into a wider smile when he saw how cautious she had become. She was doing her best, covering the flaws that she''d previously revealed, and sure enough, Alec knew that she hadn''t been as unguarded as she projected.


    There had been various ''openings'' in her moves, but there was always a perfect counter that she was able to exact should he have taken the bait.


    That was fine.


    Although she had been the one who was facing him, that didn''t mean that he had to play along with her little games.


    The man crouched next to Kieran, keeping him immobile, was just as good a target as any.


    Alec''s lips pulled into a genuine grin as he darted past her.


    Jill whirled around when she felt the faint killing intent that was directed at her brother. No! He was the only one left, since her younger sister already dead!


    Her heart leaping to her throat, her blade immediately cut through the air towards the small figure''s neck, ready to execute the insolent whore who *dared* have designs on her remaining sibling.


    Before she could complete her motion, however, the assailant''s dagger buried itself in her neck, slicing out. The warm splash of blood immediately erupted from her previously smooth neck, painting the assailant''s body with redredrED ¨C


    And Jill Rothschild knew no more.


    Alec purred as the blood splashed onto his face and body, a shiver wracking its way through his body. The cooling warmth on his body gave him strange feelings that he didn''t know how to classify.


    A slight laugh bubbled out of him before he could stop it. Alec clamped down on the urge even as the smile on his face widened.


    As the fight drew to an end between Jill Rothschild and Alec, Jack was trembling even as he tried to his best to keep his composure.


    Jack''s heart pounded loudly in his chest, drowning out all other sounds as the fear crept up on him.


    Maria had died, and now, his twin, Jill, was also dead. How could he not know what the sound of utter silence in the room meant as the gurgle of what was likely choking on blood faded from the room.


    He didn''t even know how they did it. Jill had always been better than all of them with a blade, which meant that most of the dirty work was left to her, and she thrived on it.


    Jack always thought that together as a team, the three siblings were invincible. Now, he was the only one left.


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    They should not have come here. Fuck greed, fuck jealousy. He had to warn the others ¨C but his legs wouldn''t move or listen to his commands.


    It was at this moment that the cover that shielded Alec''s movements in the darkness dispersed as the clouds moved away, once again casting enchanting moonlight into Kieran''s room.


    The moonlight moved along the expanse of the room, finally casting light onto their murderer.

 Chapter 83 Cast In The Moonligh

    There, under the gentle moonlight, stood a child.


    With soft, black hair, and intense crystalline blue eyes, the child didn''t look any older than ten. The child, dressed in a white and black long wide-sleeved outfit, he looked like the perfect image of a clan child with his fine and delicate facial features.


    When the moonlight kissed his skin, the two remaining in the room felt like they were staring at a creature that could not possibly have existed on Incantix. He painted a stunning picture, like a being crafted and spun from the finest of moonlit threads.


    That was, if he had not been smiling so gently as he walked closer towards them. As he neared, it became apparent that there were splatters of blood on his face, marring the otherwise ethereal beauty that should have given a gentle feeling to him, and the blood was so thick that his outfit looked more red than white.


    Their breaths caught in their throats as he neared. He looked so harmless and innocent, as children of his age did, yet the presence of the blood splatters upon his face said otherwise.


    Jack trembled, his legs giving out from under him as he tried to get as far as possible from the monster in human skin that was masquerading before him.


    "M-monster," he whispered, fear and terror infused into his soul. Inexplicably, there was a faint tinge of awe and worship that also edged his tone.


    Similarly, Kieran was watching in a daze as the moonlight revealed his ''uncle'', practically drenched in the blood of the Rothschild branch members that had been so happily torturing him for the sake of making him scream and getting back at the main family members.


    He had not realized that it was Alec who had come to his rescue, though he had caught a glimpse of those peculiar blue eyes in the slight flash of moonlight.


    Even before that, he had known that it was not his brother, as the way of fighting did not match his brother''s fighting style at all. While his brother was not rash, he preferred to handle things in a straightforward manner, ploughing through obstacles that were in his way.


    Neither was it his parents. His mother preferred to leave the fighting to them, and his father usually protected his mother so well that she never had to lift a finger.


    True to heritage, both Kieran and Dietrich learnt their fighting style from their father, though it had branched out some, so it wasn''t them either.


    His helper''s fighting style seemed to lean towards being quick and efficient, but moved without a sound or trace, more like an assassin''s. There were only the faintest whispers of the blade slicing through the air before a life ended.


    It was only because Kieran had been straining his ears so hard that he even caught those whispers of death at all.


    That left Kieran in the dark, both figuratively and literally, wondering who his helper was.


    To say that he was shocked that the light revealed that his saviour was his supposed uncle was an understatement.


    Alec''s smile faded into something more subdued, the gentle smile remaining on his face, nonetheless. With a single thought, the lights in the room flickered on, casting them in light.


    The moment the light came back on, the hold that Jack had over Kieran snapped.


    Kieran immediately surged forward, subduing the man even with his injuries. It was as if he had been waiting the entire time to be freed ¨C such that the moment he was, there had been ho hesitation in his movements at all.


    It seemed like the man''s magic had to use darkness in order to have a proper subduing effect on someone. Perhaps the branch family wasn''t as incompetent as he thought?


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    Mn. Unlikely.


    Even as the man was held down in a hold that prevented him from doing anything, Jack was still staring at Alec with wide, terrified eyes. He was trembling like a leaf as Alec walked closer, all but bucking as he tried to get Kieran off himself so that he could move himself away from the whisper of death that was walking towards them.


    Alec twitched. What did he think he was doing, making his injuries potentially worse? The teenager''s front was practically coated in his own blood, unlike Alec, who wore the blood of his enemies.


    Still, Alec did not dissuade Kieran until he managed to subdue the man in front of them. It shouldn''t be too hard.


    Alec leaned down, closer to the shaking man, his smile widening slightly. "Are you going to fight back?"


    Jack shook his head so hard that he felt dizzy. The rage that had earlier filled him upon realizing the demise of his sisters had faded from himself so quickly that he couldn''t even remember feeling it.


    Now, all he was left with was the terror of what this smiling boy would do to him.


    Honestly, if it had been someone glaring at him, or someone of similar stature to himself doing the killing, he didn''t think that he would be half as terrified as he was now.


    He didn''t know how to explain it. There was just something deep inside him screaming that he should just submit if he still wanted to live.


    However, the combined package of the killer smiling so naturally like nothing was wrong terrified him more than the sight of his sister''s combined calls of boredom when they didn''t have any ''missions'' for the family.


    Along with the death whisperer''s young stature, he dreaded to think about what he would grow up to become.


    Alec trailed a lone finger down Jack''s face, not feeling the familiar revulsion at having to touch someone. Strange. Was it just because he classified the man as someone he had defeated, or¡­?


    "Good. I would hate to have to hunt you down and kill you," he said casually, as if he was stating a fact instead of a threat.


    Even Kieran shivered slightly at the composed tone coming from the boy, let alone Jack. Just who was he?! Since when did Welkton City have such an individual in their midst?


    Alec hit the sleep acupoint on the man''s neck, causing him to slip into unconsciousness.


    Jack slumped forward in Kieran''s hold, his body going slack.


    Alec started unclothing the body, causing Kieran to squawk. "What are you doing?!"


    "There''s no better way to make sure he''s unarmed than stripping him naked," he said matter-of-factly, silencing any protests.


    Alec then stripped the stained bedsheet from the bed, ripping them to shreds and using them to expertly tie the man to the bed, spread eagle without any chance of fighting back even if he woke up again.


    Kieran''s lips twitched at the scene. Would he ever be able to come back to his room without seeing the scene of this playing out in front of him? A naked man spread out on his bed tied there?!


    Alec''s smile widened in irritation when he realized that Kieran wasn''t doing anything to stem the blood flow that was still continuing freely down his carved-up torso.


    "Nephew, are you going to take care of your wounds any time soon?"


    Kieran snapped out of his daze. "You didn''t have to remind me," he coughed, hiding his embarrassment.


    He rummaged around in his drawer, pulling out a bottle of pills. He ate one, and the wounds on his torso knitted close with an admirable speed.


    Kieran sighed as the pain disappeared from him completely, leaving him feeling fine, if not for the blood loss that made him rather unsteady.


    Alec made an approving sound. "How convenient."


    Kieran nodded. "Dad gave it to me. Do you need any?" he asked, looking his uncle over. "They''re working using support magic, so it''s able to heal most wounds."


    "I am fine, thank you."


    Since Alec was so covered in blood, he was unable to tell whether or not he was in need of assistance. Kieran squinted as he realized that there were no visible wounds on the boy''s body. This only caused him to feel a deeper admiration.


    "Come. These were not the only intruders in the house."


    Kieran grew serious. He appreciated that the other didn''t try to keep him out of it. His brother usually tried to baby him when he got hurt, so this was a refreshing change.


    "We should head towards my parent''s bedroom."


    Alec left the lights on. It wouldn''t do for their prisoner to wake up and utilise his magic on whoever entered the room. That was, if he was still conscious.


    Alec exited the room first, and upon first glance, he could already see that the Ash Phoenix had disappeared from its previous perch on the windowsill. Now, where was it?


    Alec consulted the bonds between him and the Rothschild''s many, many doors.

 Chapter 84 Not Good!

    The bond that Alec shared with his Awakened let him know that Franz, Blanche and Dietrich had the situation well in hand. Kieran and himself were not needed at all, which was why he was feeling relaxed.


    On the other hand, the same couldn''t be said for Kieran. He was visibly worrying; his pace was flat out running. If it wasn''t because he was concerned that Alec wouldn''t be able to keep up with him, he would already be tearing down the hallway himself.


    Alec, sensing Kieran''s worry, sped up to keep pace with the blonde. Just because he knew that they were safe didn''t mean that it would stay that way.


    After all, accidents happened for a reason.


    Even if Alec made sure to keep his footsteps silent, Kieran was trying and failing to do the same ¨C he just hadn''t had any experience trying to keep himself silent, much to his embarrassment.


    He would have to ask his uncle for tips later.


    The two of them headed towards the right wing of the mansion, where the master bedroom was.


    Kieran subconsciously pushed himself harder, increasing his pace. He didn''t realize that Alec was effortlessly keeping up with him despite his increased speed, too lost in his worry for his family.


    With how the branch family members had tortured him in his own bedroom, he had no doubts that those who visited his parents'' bedroom would be any less equipped.


    Of course, since Alec said that Dietrich had headed towards them to warn their parents, they should be fine, but there was a faint, niggling suspicion that something was about to happen.


    Alec''s eyes sharpened when he found the shadowy figure of the Ash Phoenix, through the bond, hearing it before he saw it. The sound of it was faint ¨C lingering in the shaking air.


    The eerie, haunting song that trilled throughout the air was punctuated by the clear, ringing sounds of fighting that occurred further down the hallway.


    Alec immediately followed it, turning, while Kieran continued down to his destination.


    Kieran spotted his brother exchanging blows with one of his cousins ¨C he ignored the sting of betrayal that he should''ve already expected ¨C but it still hurt ¨C sliding forward, he stabbed the filthy traitor in the back of his neck, reminiscent of the way Alec handled the situation earlier.


    Dietrich grunted as the weight on his blade increased then slid off balance as his opponent fell over, dead. He saved the thanks for later, studying his brother''s form.


    He was one part relieved and one part worried.


    "Idiot! Why are you here! Look at yourself!"


    Kieran immediately rolled his eyes. "As if those branch family members could kill me," he spat. His emphasis on the word ''those'' sounded like he tasted something disgusting.


    Dietrich waved a blade in his direction. "Like I said, look at yourself. You''re covered in blood! Where are you hurt? You should''ve just stayed behind to tend to your wounds."


    Kieran huffed, annoyed and relieved that his brother was back to his usual nagging. He was always babying him! He was already nineteen. He knew about the risks and consequences. "I''m fine. I''m not injured. I have those pills dad gave me. If you''re talking about blood, then I''m honestly not as bad as our uncle-"


    Dietrich cut his brother off before he could go on rambling. "Where''s our uncle?"


    "What do you mean? He''s right behind me-" Kieran turned around, wide-eyed.


    There was an empty hallway, no signs of anyone else.


    "Mom''s going to kill me," Kieran despaired. "I left him behind!? Well¡­ then again, he probably doesn''t need our help anyway."


    "Kieran, this is no time for your antics-"


    "I''ll show you antics," Kieran muttered. "You never saw the way he took care of those branch members! Ugh, whatever. Out of the way, big brother, I have to check on our parents!"


    -


    Alec followed the sound of the Ash Phoenix''s song, inwardly despairing at what he was doing.


    Of course the Mainframe had to choose this time to step in.


    Of course it would. Why would Alec ever doubt?


    [Mission: Follow the Ash Phoenix.] was a go.


    Mn. People ran away from death, yet here Alec was, running along like a particularly suicidal (or just oblivious) Main Character. Towards death.


    Why!?


    Alec even felt like just ignoring the mission. He could afford the penalty, but then his damned curiosity was also piqued.


    If it wasn''t the Rothschild main family member''s deaths ¨C they were all back there in the master bedroom ¨C then who was it?


    Just what else could possibly lead to a gruesome and gory murder in here if it wasn''t the Rothschilds?


    See ¨C this is what he got as punishment when he binged detective novels as a System ¨C the Mainframe tracked everything then used it so that he couldn''t resist!


    Damn! It!


    It was both parts sneaky and effective. Even if he knew it, it still worked!


    The sound of the Ash Phoenix''s crooning was growing louder, echoing in his ears. Alec''s heart was pounding in his chest for some strange reason.


    The bright lights tapered off slowly as he trailed after the Ash Phoenix like someone following a trail of breadcrumbs left behind for them to swallow up one by one.


    There was an uneasy feeling within him now.


    They were moving further down in the mansion, heading below the ground floor, where Alec could only assume were the servant''s quarters.


    The house was silent ¨C very silent.


    Then, it struck him.


    Why was it silent?


    That was just¡­ it was impossible.


    Though it was late at night, the sounds of the clashing upstairs should have alerted them. Some ¨C if not all ¨C of them should have come out to investigate, or at least try and get to cover, but the servants'' quarters were completely silent.


    So, they were either dead¡­ or held as hostages.


    Unfortunately, with the Ash Phoenix flitting down the hallway, even in the darkness, Alec could only lean in the direction that someone was killing them off.


    Even as Alec thought, his feet still brought him forward towards the silence.


    Alec recounted the number of people that he knew were in the mansion right now. He''d spotted eleven of them coming into the mansion.


    When he got to Kieran''s, there were five of them. Four dead, one was handled.


    From what he could see from his bond with the master bedroom''s door, there were another five there.


    That meant that there was one person unaccounted for.


    At this moment, Alec finally caught up with the Ash Phoenix.


    By now, the Ash Phoenix''s melody was already louder than he''d ever heard it. Even louder than before, when he had been situated outside of Kieran''s bedroom.


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    With sheer reflex and thankfully superb instincts, Alec ducked down, just barely avoiding the killing blow.


    Alec''s smile froze as he rolled out of reach, cursing. "Fuck!" he cursed in a low voice.


    The Rothschild branch family''s member sneered at him. "Quite a mouth on you there, boy."


    Of course. Of fucking course.


    He should have known! Just as he was following the Ash Phoenix, the Ash Phoenix was also following the trail of death and possible deaths. And the target was himself!


    Just like how the Rothschild main family members were facing death threats, that didn''t mean that he himself was a part of this situation. Alec had neatly placed himself outside the equation when he''d noticed the intruders earlier on, thinking that they were targeting others.


    But he''d stupidly been led here by the Ash Phoenix.


    He''d been played. Both by himself, AND the Mainframe! Damnit!


    Alec had just been thinking about how it felt like a plot, and sure enough, he had let himself be careless enough to put himself in this situation.


    The man outclassed him for sure. Alec couldn''t get a read on him.


    Then, as the situation was escalating, the Mainframe''s voice echoed in his ears.


    [Mission: Follow the Ash Phoenix completed.]


    [+100 Points]


    [Current Points: 480]


    Not now, dammit!

 Chapter 85 Fanaticism

    Alec studied the man, who revealed himself in front of him.


    There was something strange about him. He was dressed the same way as the rest of the Rothschild branch family members, but there was just something¡­ off.


    He realized this was the case when the man didn''t pay him any more attention. Instead, his eyes were locked onto the Ash Phoenix''s shadowy form, even as the song continued to be crooned out of the avian''s throat.


    He didn''t even seem to care that Alec was there, or that he''d failed at killing him at all. Evidently, the presence of the Ash Phoenix was more than enough for his attention to be diverted.


    "What a lovely song," he said. His voice was low and raspy, as if he hadn''t talked in a long while. "Glorious." That was a tone of pure reverence and fanaticism.


    Though his face and every piece of flesh was covered in black, there was one thing showing.


    His eyes.


    They almost seemed to glow in the dark, and there was a strange sigil inside his left eye.


    The man''s eyes continuously tracked down the movements of the Ash Phoenix, who was gracefully gliding in circles above their head.


    Alec wasn''t usually one to avoid taking an opening if he saw one, but ¨C he could feel it. If he tried anything, it was likely that he would be struck down before he could even blink.


    The intruder''s magic was vast and overwhelming, giving him a feeling like a sleeping tiger, placated only for the moment. If he attacked, however, that would change.


    Alec could see a few body parts strewn on the ground, and faint, concealed breathing not too far from them.


    There were people who were still alive, as well as those who were very obviously dead.


    Who was this man?


    He had come in together with the Rothschild branch family members, but Alec had a feeling that he had just been using them as a distraction instead. He was not a Rothschild.


    So, who was he? And why had he come here?


    Judging by the way the man couldn''t tear his eyes away from the Ash Phoenix, Alec had a feeling that he knew the answer.


    He was here for the Ash Phoenix.


    No wonder the mission that the Mainframe gave him hadn''t been completed. It seems that this was the man that he had to ''free'' the Ash Phoenix from.


    Alec very consciously didn''t make a move.


    The man never seemed to grow tired of watching and listening to the Ash Phoenix.


    With a flap of its wings, the Ash Phoenix descended, perching itself on Alec''s shoulder, nuzzling his hair.


    Alec didn''t tense up, but a shiver of anticipation ran its way up his arms when the man''s fanatical gaze landed on him.


    He could see him, even in this darkness.


    That should have already been evident from the way he''d been tracking the Ash Phoenix, but Alec had futilely hoped that he was following the sound instead.


    The man''s luminescent purple eyes all but scorched into him, glowing lightly. Alec didn''t think that he would ever be able to forget those eyes.


    The glee and fanaticism from those eyes slowly transferred from the Ash Phoenix to himself, his eyes glinting.


    The masked intruder, Dominique, felt his interest ignite. He had been perfectly happy to ignore the small human that had intruded on his plans, but what was this?


    Since his plan had worked, everything else ceased to matter. He had been utterly captivated by the lingering, poetic imagery of the Ash Phoenix circling them in the air. The grace and beauty of such a magnificent creature was unable to be accurately captured using words.


    There was a loveliness in the aura that was exuded from the creature''s immaculate form, reminding him so much of the things that he enjoyed.


    Dominique even felt like he had been reborn anew, listening to the graceful song that left the creature''s mouth.


    He felt the ever-present threat of chaos and violence that singed and set his blood and flesh ablaze abate somewhat in the presence of the glorious Ash Phoenix.


    It was why, when he witnessed the glorious bird of death land on the tiny human''s shoulder, all but affectionately nuzzling him, he didn''t immediately take a step forward to cut down the insolent human where he stood. Had he been in full control of himself, he would have brutally and unthinkingly taken action to cull the being in front of himself.


    Dominique''s body was held carefully still.


    The small human ¨C no, the child ¨C that stood in front of him was a work of art. With pale, alabaster skin, the child carried to blood of others that painted his skin so delicately.


    Drenched in the blood of his enemies, the child wore the colour well on otherwise unpainted skin. With blue eyes that cut into his soul, they should have not belonged to a mortal child ¨C impossible.


    With the glorious personification of death sitting on his shoulders, Dominique almost believed that he was looking at a god of death in human skin.


    Dominique let out a raspy laugh, genuinely intrigued and amused. "Interesting," he murmured. The man itched to poke and prod the personage in front of him, completely intrigued.


    His fingers twitched for a weapon to test whether or not the child was truly death personified. His blood was singing in a way that it never did outside of a battle. As a Sin, he never thought he would feel this way.


    The feeling of euphoria and anticipation was almost burning to him, like he flew too close to the sun. He wanted badly to exchange blades with the child but held himself back for a strange reason.


    He licked the inside of his teeth, swallowing. He should ¨C


    "Tch," Dominique clicked his tongue.


    They were interrupting his fun!


    But still¡­ now that he''d witnessed the affections of the Ash Phoenix with this small death god, he didn''t feel like separating them, no matter what his intentions had been earlier.


    Alec heard the sounds almost silent sounds of the familiar steps of Blanche approaching his present location, and evidently, the masked man had heard them as well.


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    Just as Alec was about to do something foolish to possibly attract his attention, he heard the man click his tongue in annoyance.


    Then, Alec blinked once, and he disappeared.


    The man''s empowering presence disappeared together with him, and all of Alec''s muscles abruptly relaxed at the lack of tension in the air. Alec carefully controlled his breathing, feeling the cold sweat that had developed without his notice as the man''s gaze had all but scorched him from the inside out.


    Alec plucked the Ash Phoenix off his shoulder, glaring at it.


    What a good Ash Phoenix, leading him into danger.


    He huffed.


    [Mission: Rescue the Ash Phoenix complete.]


    [+100 Points]


    [Current Points: 580]


    The Ash Phoenix lightly nipped his fingers before it took off again, flitting up and above, soaring away, as if saying that the threat of death was no longer here for it to stay.


    Then, Blanche burst into the room.


    "Alec, you''re covered in blood!"


    Ah, right. He forgot about that little fact!

 Chapter 86 Aftermath

    Blanche hissed at the sight of her younger brother covered in blood. The moment she''d managed it, she got all the lights back up in the mansion.


    "Are you hurt?!" she asked, her hands hovering as she didn''t know whether it was safe or not for her to touch. What if he was wounded and she made it worse? What if he was wounded and she wasn''t helping stop the blood flow?!


    Ugh, how could he forget about the presence of all that blood? Luckily, his OOC tag seemed dependent on whether he smiled or not, rather than the actions he took in his everyday life.


    Life would certainly be stressful if it wasn''t. More stressful, at least.


    "Big sister, I''m not hurt."


    He wasn''t going to lie.


    This was a miracle in itself.


    Having dodged the one attack from that man, he thought he was going to end up engaging in a dramatic life and death battle where he would (hopefully) end up the winner like some sort of clich¨¦ plot point.


    Luckily, it hadn''t come to that.


    The Ash Phoenix had led him into danger, but it also seemed to have helped him out while he had been in danger. It had been touch and go for a while. He''d seen the fanaticism in the man''s eyes, a kind of fixation that wasn''t easily swayed or disregarded.


    For a person who was completely masked, he sure had been expressive, considering that only his eyes were showing.


    Alec wouldn''t be able to forget those eyes any time soon.


    They were the eyes that all but screamed that he had found his calling in life.


    Alec would definitely see him again. He was sure of it.


    Blanche scrubbed at his cheek with her handkerchief for a moment before giving it up as a lost cause. The blood had already dried, and water was needed.


    At least Alec didn''t look like he minded the blood all over him. It led her to believe that he was indeed a Sin.


    Alec, very thankfully, did not look like he was hurt, which reassured her.


    She patted his hand gently, relieved. Her heart had almost stopped when she heard from her idiotic sons that Alec went missing upon coming to find them, so she may or may not have rushed where her instincts screamed at her the loudest.


    By now, Blanche spotted some of the gruesomely left body parts littered in the room.


    There was even a blood splatter that extended all the way to the ceiling. She frowned in annoyance. That was going to take a lot of effort to get out.


    She looked around, then looked more closely seeing the couple of heads that had been left, completely unbothered by the murder scene that she found herself in.


    If he wasn''t wrong, Alec could see the small amount of tension that she had left leave her body when she confirmed who were the ones who''d met such a gruesome end.


    Some of them looked like they were quite literally torn piece to piece, limb from limb.


    Blanche picked up a delicate bell on a table and rung it once before placing it back down.


    It was at this moment when a series of panels appeared in various places, previously seamless walls and objects opened out.


    There was a painting that hung on the wall pushing outwards, revealing two servants who quietly stepped out, standing at attention.


    Above the fridge, under the stoves, random spots in the wall, a couple of tiles on the floor ¨C there were various hiding places that revealed more and more servants that stepped out, completely unharmed and untouched by the night''s accidents.


    They looked unbothered, just like the lady of the house.


    Alec wondered just how many times something like this happened for them to act so nonchalant about it.


    Not only that, they had been concealed so deeply that Alec never once knew they were there.


    Of course, the moment that the panels opened, he''d felt them, but that was some masterful work. Alec was impressed.


    Wait. If they were so used to it, then why had Kieran of all people ended up in the enemy''s hands?


    "Report," she commanded, her voice laced with authority. Her tone left no room for disobedience.


    One of the maids stepped forward.


    "One casualty in the servants'' quarters, madam. The moles have been taken care of. No survivors."


    Blanche looked them over, her eyes cold. "Which one of you were the ones responsible for shadowing Kieran?"


    Instantly, all of the servants that were standing in front of her bowed low, acknowledging their mistake.


    "My apologies, madam. The sole casualty was the one that had been on duty."


    The temperature in the room dropped lower, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Kieran before she got any further. He''d anticipated his mother''s anger, having seen the way her expression had been thunderous when she saw his torso, though woundless, filled with blood and cuts in his shirt.


    "Don''t berate them, mother. It''s my own fault for being careless."


    Blanche swept over the servants once more with her chilly eyes before sweeping out of the room.


    "See to it that this doesn''t happen again. Alec, Kieran, come."


    They seated themselves in the tearoom, where Dietrich and Franz already were.


    Dietrich gasped upon seeing Alec''s state. "Uncle! Are you hurt?" he said with clear worry.


    Alec smiled. "I am uninjured. I just had to take care of a couple of problems before freeing Kieran."


    Kieran snorted. "I''ll say," he said, then more seriously, "Thank you for the help." The words looked like they cost him to say. His face was slightly pink in embarrassment.


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    Alec nodded shortly. "No problem."


    Franz stood up, bowing low. Similarly, Kieran, Dietrich and Blanche bowed to him as well, a sign of sincere and utter gratitude.


    "The house of Rothschild thanks you, Alec. We will forever be in your debt."


    Alec bowed back, following etiquette. "I cannot speak for my clan but know that your family has done me a favour, and I never forget my debts. If you would be willing, I would be most happy to agree to be friends."


    They straightened up, and Blanche reached over to pinch his cheeks. "Of course, little brother. We are family, are we not?" she said, smiling for the first time since the fighting started.


    Alec really was adorable.


    She hadn''t even been able to enjoy any of it because of how worried she''d been.


    "Then, no more talk of debts between family."


    "If that is what you wish."


    The maid that had reported to Blanche earlier brought in tea for them, despite it being the middle of the night.


    Blanche sipped on her tea, sighing. "We thought that they''d only make their moves once they entered our household, not before. We were slightly off guard, hence the reason why Kieran almost died."


    As she said the last part, Blanche''s eyes were cutting into Kieran with the force of her glare.


    Kieran sweated. He could just feel the incoming torture/training that was awaiting him before he and Dietrich returned to their sect but didn''t do anything to dissuade it.


    He could indeed have died had it not been for Alec, considering that the one who was supposed to shadow his movements seem to have died.


    "I''m sorry to involve you in this," Franz said, looking tired. Then, his tired expression shifted into simmering anger. "Rest assured, I will not rest until they are obliterated from the face of this planet."


    Then, there was a flare of alarms going off as the barrier around the Rothschild Family Mansion went off, startling them.

 Chapter 87 Meeting The Parents ?

    The maid from before appeared before them again.


    "Report."


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    She bowed, then straightened up. "A group of intruders are trying to gain access into the mansion."


    Franz raised a brow. "From the branch family again?"


    "No, master. There are two male adults, three male teens and an unknown creature that appears like a bunny along with two wolves."


    Alec''s lip twitched.


    He knew where this was going! It was hard not to realize where this was going.


    It appeared that his control over his magic slipped a bit when he''d hastily dodged the attack from that masked man earlier, having a close shave with death.


    Some of the feelings must have been projected across the bond, which likely agitated Bunbun and Fenrir into coming here.


    Then, with the two acting out like that, there was no way that Philip and Henry would follow.


    Knowing them, they likely made enough of a commotion that Elias came along as well. Then, had Cyrus and Zacharias been there together, as they likely would, not having seen each other in more than a year, the entire gang would have come to ''save him''.


    Alec resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands.


    This was too much like a common plot point for his liking. At least he wasn''t really in danger, though.


    That would have made him a damsel in distress, and nothing pissed Alec off more than someone coming to ''save'' him when he wasn''t capable of handling something himself.


    "Hah," Blanche let out a low laugh. The moment she heard about the bunny and wolf; she had a feeling she knew who it was.


    Sure enough, Alec stopped the report. "My apologies. They''re looking for me."


    Despite the slightly helpless tone that Alec was using, he did feel a bit touched. They quite literally dropped everything and came after him even though it was in the middle of the night. On the other hand, what were they doing charging straight into danger?!


    Upon hearing that it wasn''t trouble, the rest of the Rothschilds relaxed.


    "That''s fine. Invite them in," Franz directed to the maid.


    She bowed before exiting without another word.


    Before long, Alec''s gang burst into the room without any reservation.


    Cyrus was horrified upon finding Alec covered in blood. "Alec!" he gasped; his eyes wide.


    Alec smiled, but it seemed to be having the opposite effect, if the concerned looks on their faces were to go by. "I''m fine. I am not injured in any shape or form."


    Zacharias eyed him sceptically. "And all the blood?"


    "Not mine."


    Zacharias let out a ''hmph'', turning his attention to the other members of the room.


    Franz stood up to welcome them. "Welcome to the Rothschild Family Mansion. I apologize for the lack of welcome. However, as you can see, Alec is quite well and is unharmed. It was not our intention for him to come to blows with the enemy.


    "Unfortunately, it has already happened, and regardless of regrets, we are unable to take back the actions that led up to that. We are grateful for the assistance that Alec has given us tonight. Please, calm yourself."


    They seemed calmer now that they saw that Alec was unharmed, in spite of the blood that covered him.


    Alec exchanged a look with Elias, who seemed more reassured, then patted Bunbun and Fenrir, who purred under his touch.


    Alec could see Cyrus itching to get him to clean up and out of the bloody clothes, but Blanche seemed to want to say something.


    Blanche stepped forward, drawing their attention to herself.


    "Which one of you is the one that my younger brother is helping look for traitors?" Blanche looked between the two adult men that were standing in their tearoom now.


    She was unable to tell which one was Alec''s father.


    Henry stepped forward. "Your younger brother?"


    Blanche looked at him, her gaze cutting deep into him. "No more foolish questions. Answer the question," she said, her voice cold and emotionless.


    Dietrich and Kieran winced at the tone she was using. That was tone that came out when someone hurt or tried to hurt their family. Since she had already accepted Alec as her younger brother, that meant that any slight upon him would be an offence to her as well.


    "That would be me-"


    "Wait-" Alec said, suddenly realizing something.


    Without wasting another moment, Blanche had already punched out, whacking Henry right in the face without any warning.


    Henry crashed to the plush carpet that he''d been standing on so securely just moments before.


    Henry, "???"


    Why did he just get assaulted without any warning whatsoever? Especially when that man ¨C whom he could only assume was the master of the household ¨C thanked them moments earlier.


    Was this some sort of good guy bad buy routine to soften them up? Soften them up for what??


    Alec placed a hand on Blanche, who had been winding up her shoulder, looking ready to deliver more hurt.


    "Big sister, Henry isn''t really my father," he whispered.


    Blanche paused, then huffed in a way that he''d heard Kieran huff before. Genetics were terrifying.


    "Hmph. He still allowed you to go around like that by yourself! He has no decency!" she said, sounding completely righteous.


    Alec coughed into his fist, hiding his smile.


    She pointed a finger at Henry. "Even if you aren''t his father, what are you doing, allowing him to go after your enemies like that? He could have run into trouble without any help! Not only that, enemies should be taken care using one''s own hands, not using delegation!"


    Blanche eyed Philip as well, who shrank back upon seeing the angry noble woman. He was not getting in the way of that, no sir.


    Henry choked up. He picked himself back off the ground, glaring at her.


    "I don''t think you should be butting your nose into our business, should you? I trust Alec. Do you? Besides, who said that I won''t be taking care of my own enemies? Alec is just helping me locate them!"


    "Regardless of what you say, there should be contingencies in place ¨C no matter how strong he is, he is still a child!"


    Alec could practically see the sparks that the two were exchanging from their glares.


    Franz stepped forward before things could escalate further. He felt like if things continued at this pace, they would descend into a fist-throwing match.


    Also, the sight of his wife getting all angry like that put a flush into her cheeks that made her very appealing ¨C cough ¨C he meant his wife being angry like that was ¨C err. Bad thoughts, bad thoughts.


    "Calm down. Let us discuss this further in the morning when everyone has rested and recovered. I''m sure it was quite draining."


    Blanche and Henry reluctantly backed down, but not before exchanging one more glare.


    Blanche hugged and squeezed Alec to herself, smiling at him. She whispered a thank you to him, before glaring at Henry yet again, sweeping out of the room.


    They broke up for the night, but not before Cyrus followed Alec all the way back to his room to ensure that he really wasn''t hurt.


    "Ow- Cyrus, wait-"


    "Strip!"


    A few scuffling sounds were heard in the hallway, the maid who''d guided them there baffled.

 Chapter 88 Blade

    The next day, Blanche walked into her second son''s bedroom with both sons in tow, as well as her younger brother.


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    She wanted to see just who had the audacity to dare and infringe on the Rothschild main family. Just because they were related by blood didn''t mean that they would get off lightly. She hated traitors with a burning passion, and they would get their reckoning. She would make sure of it.


    No, she was going to make them pay. Slowly and painfully.


    She would not rest until every single one of those idiots had met a painful end for daring to try something like this.


    She immediately paused upon stepping in.


    For a brief moment, she thought she entered the wrong room.


    Why, you ask?


    Why, that would because there was a naked man spread eagle on Kieran''s bed, for all intents and purposes, knocked out.


    Dietrich took one look and snorted, laughing.


    "Haha, my dear younger brother. Didn''t expect that you have such unique tastes."


    Kieran made a low sound that was a cross between a groan and a sound of disgust, glaring at Dietrich. At least the servants had come in and cleared out the other dead bodies. The room looked spotless besides the bed. "It''s not what it looks like," he said defensively.


    Sometimes, Kieran wondered if the servants just liked to fuck with him lowkey. Surely, they would have been able to move him to another room, which was why he had been so surprised when they redirected his mother to his room.


    "Oh, I''m sure it''s exactly what it looks like."


    Kieran growled.


    "At least he''s apprehended properly," Blanche said, looking at the runes drawn in blood that kept the man from escaping the bonds. "I didn''t know you knew how to use runes, Kieran."


    Kieran shook his head. "It wasn''t me. Uncle did all the work," he said, his chin jerking in Alec''s direction.


    Blanche and Dietrich turned surprised looks at Alec, then exchanged a glance.


    "I suppose that makes more sense."


    "Hey! What''s that supposed to mean," Kieran hissed, getting into a fight with his brother.


    Blanche and Alec ignored them, going up to the bound man.


    Balance was in a terrific mood. Her suspicions about Alec being a Sin was all but confirmed. This was the first time that she''d ever gotten close to another one of her Societype without any discriminations in the way.


    Though¡­ it was rather cleaner than she thought it''d be.


    You see, regarding the fights that Sins left behind after finishing, there was usually a terribly large mess. That most people weren''t able to stomach.


    This time, however, it had seemed relatively tame for a Sin Societype, though she knew that she shouldn''t stereotype.


    Whether it was the way they went about it or to satisfy some raw, primal urges within them, there was usually blood and gore splattered everywhere, as if they enjoyed causing as much as a mess as possible.


    Now, Blanche was a bit confused whether or not Alec was really a Sin. Instincts told her that he was, but the evidence provided pointed at the contrary.


    In the end, she just gave up. What use was there to define the Societype that he was born with? As long as he continued acting like he was now and didn''t change, she wouldn''t have a problem.


    Blanche took out a dagger that had been hidden in one of her dress pockets.


    Alec raised a brow, realizing that it was made out of the familiar material of the dragon scale that had quite literally dropped itself into his lap as it descended from the skies.


    The dagger was a pure, silvery-white, but it didn''t glisten in the light. There were still faint traces of magic that Alec could feel emitting from it.


    "They made it pretty well," Blanche said, showing it to him. "We tested how well it would come out if it was made as a dagger, but it''s even better than I imagined."


    Alec ran fingers over it, nodding. Just like the scale, it wasn''t cool to the touch. In fact, it seemed to be gently pulsing as he held it. How strange.


    Alec handed it back, wondering if she was doing to use it to stab the man on Kieran''s bed.


    Blanche eyed the blade happily, then plunged it down into the passed-out traitor.


    Jack woke up with a scream as the pain seemed to incinerate him from inside out, leaving him with a burning feeling even when the blade left his body. His back arched off the bed, before collapsing back.


    He was unable to move further off the bed, nor move any of his limbs. Although he wanted to use his magic reflexively, the room was completely lighted up, not giving him any leeway.


    "W-what," he rasped, his eyes swivelling.


    Blanche eyed the dagger in surprise. "Oh, the blood doesn''t stick."


    Jack''s eyes flitted from Blanche to Kieran to Dietrich, before finally resting on Alec''s smiling face.


    The Rothschild branch family member tensed up seeing the familiar smile.


    Even though there was no blood on the child''s face, the smile was all too familiar, bringing the memories of last night immediately to the forefront. Just looking at the smile was enough for the memory of the scent of fresh blood to be scented.


    Jack gasped, trembling. His face was pale, and his eyes were unable to look away from the monster clad in human skin, let he make any moves while Jack wasn''t aware. The whisperer of death, clad in an innocent guise, terrified him more than anything had ever done so before.


    Jack had a premonition.


    He would not be escaping death today.


    -


    Nice as it was to stay at the Rothschild Family Mansion, Alec started to get a little restless.


    Alec closed the book that he was reading. Just as he was about to leave the house and follow up with Hong Jun, Dietrich and Kieran came in, one grinning, one smirking.


    "Uncle let''s go. The blacksmiths are here."


    Alec placed the book down on the table, following them out.


    Inside the tearoom, there were three people sitting.


    Alec was surprised to see Elias seated in the tearoom together with the two blacksmiths. Then, it clicked. Ah, was Elias learning a thing or two from them?


    "We''re blacksmiths from the Crafter''s Alliance. Mercedes and Sylvain, at your service. This is Elias, our apprentice."


    Sylvain shot a glare at Mercedes but maintained his professional decorum. "Yes, you can be rest assured to leave the crafting in our hands. Have you already seen the sample that we produced?"


    Alec nodded. "Yes. I''m satisfied with it." He slid them a few blueprints that he wanted to be made. "I''ll leave this with you. However, I''d like if you could leave some to be made by your apprentice."


    Mercedes and Sylvain were obviously surprised. "Are you sure, young master? Elias has-"


    Alec blinked, tilting his head.


    Both blacksmiths shut up, sweating. There was an untold pressure in the room that seemed to warn them to stop talking.


    Elias mouthed a thanks to Alec, smiling.


    He''d been surprised when he learnt about where they were going this morning, having just left from here¡­


    He never expected that Alec was the client! Just where had he procured a dragon scale, of all things?


    Really. The younger boy just surprised him more and more every time. By now, Elias wondered if there was anything that Alec couldn''t do.


    "Then, I shall leave the rest of the dragon scale for the Rothschilds. Please discuss with them what form they''d like it made in."


    "Oh, of course."


    Alec nodded, sweeping out of the room.


    There were still things he needed to check. The sooner the better.

 Chapter 89 Bound and Chained

    Finding the whereabouts of Briggs and Gred was easier than he thought.


    With the partnership that he''d set up with Hong Jun, the information had been readily available once the boy had known that he''d been looking for that information.


    Alec didn''t think that he actually needed to be there. As long as Henry got his hands on the two, he would be able to complete his quest.


    So, Alec passed on the message to Henry and Philip to leave them to it. It was none of his concern how the two traitors ended up as long as Henry felt like he got ''justice''.


    Briggs and Gred had been causing a huge fuss both inside and outside of the Golden Leaves Auction Hall, which had not pleased the auction house''s management any.


    The auction house had already been smarting from all the damages and losses that they had suffered and incurred as a result of the dragon breaking loose from underground, and yet these two country bumpkins dared come and act out like they were the ones who had suffered unjustly.


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    The two men had already been compensated for their loss. In fact, the auction house had paid them much more than they should have received had the bidding started, but the two hadn''t been satisfied with the amount they were given, causing a big fuss both inside and outside the auction house, yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs.


    They''d threatened bodily harm to the numerous attendants and security that tried to get them to desist, brandishing a knife and all but yelling until their faces were blue.


    Various pedestrians passing by had all looked at them with disgust. With the foul language that they had been spewing, as well as crude gestures, they did not attract any sympathy.


    Quite frankly, with the fuss they were causing, it only the reputation of the auction house to rise higher, as the attendants still tried to reason with them politely.


    The two had been so enraged that Henry and Philip had managed to sneak up on them and subdue them without any problems. The attendant from the Golden Leaves Auction Hall had nodded at them in thanks, hiding her relief.


    Alec left them to it, visiting a nearby apothecary with interest. He wanted to find out more about the pills that Kieran had passed onto him.


    -


    Meanwhile, in a distant place surrounded by mountains and low-hanging clouds in the distance, Dominique landed on the ground as he stepped off the back of the avian creature that he had bullied to bring him here.


    The moment he stepped off, the bird shivered in fear, its beady eyes staring at the terrifying human''s form.


    When the human didn''t turn back for it, the bird stifled a joyful cry as it flew away in fear, flapping its wings for dear life.


    Dominique landed on flat ground, no sign of any emotion on his face.


    In fact, just returning here made him feel annoyed. He should have taken his chances and stayed back with that Death Whisperer and the Ash Phoenix.


    He licked the inside of his teeth, annoyed at both himself and the sigil that was tugging him constantly in the direction of the sect.


    But still, he took a step forward, the sect''s array engulfing him. There was a faint stirring of magic ¨C so faint, in fact, that one would not have felt it had they not been so thoroughly in tune with the magic in their own body.


    From the outside, Dominique''s figure faded from view as he stepped into the array that belonged to his sect.


    The man was in no hurry to return back, no matter how insistently the sigil pounded into his head, so he casually walked, bored.


    He thought back about the boy and the way the avian creature of death had so affectionately nuzzle the cheek of the child.


    Truly, it had been a mistake to let him go. Dominique should have taken his chances and stuck around, but being in the presence of both majesties, the man had reflexively left because it would be bad for them to be seen together.


    He had not wanted his precious memories to be stained by the blood of those who were under the Death Whisperer''s protection.


    As he was walking along the path leading to the sect grounds, he was alerted to the sound of wings flapping in the air. He didn''t even need to look up since he already knew what was coming.


    It was the disciplinary hall''s group coming for him.


    There were no other sounds than the flapping that gave them away, but to Dominique, it might as well have been broadcasted as clear as day. With a flash, a ray of magic descended from the skies as a member shot his magic at Dominique.


    As it hit, Dominique was sealed and pressed down to the ground none too gently. The man made no move to resist, content to just lie there and wait.


    Up above in the sky, sitting on her pegasus, Laney frowned at the Sin''s uncharacteristic show of submission. She had, upon receiving the alert, readied herself for a fierce and intense battle as she fought with Dominique.


    Just what did he have up his sleeve?


    It was not like the man to give up without any fight, and it was not in a Sin''s nature to go down without violence. Sins lived and breathed violence, and the surest way to make them submit was to force them to in a show of strength.


    It was the reason why Laney had come out with a group of four instead of coming alone. While facing multiple enemies would cause the Sin to fight harder, that also meant that the moment he was finally down, he would be easier to subdue.


    Dominique felt no need to protest this show of violence that he''d been subjected to. As a matter of fact, he just didn''t feel like fighting today. He really should have stayed back with the Death Whisperer.


    That seemed like a lot more fun than coming back here and having to cater to the whims of those weaker than he was.


    Still, his left eye burned, the contract that he made with the sect leader reminding him that he had to return to the sect.


    Laney descended to the ground, leaping off her pegasus as she trod up to the man''s still form, wary.


    She nudged him with a foot as he just stared at her blankly.


    "What''s up with you?" Laney said, expecting the man''s usual poison tongue, but no such remarks came.


    Dominique snorted, leaning back on the ground and closing his eyes.


    Laney frowned. She knelt down and whispered. "Dominique, you idiot. What did you think you were doing? The sect master''s very angry! How could you just take off without a warning? You shouldn''t have come back, idiot!"


    Dominique scoffed. "What''s this? Is this concern I hear? Well, I have no need for your sickening pity."


    Laney glared at the infuriating man. She really ¨C agh, she wanted to strangle him. Just once!


    She scoffed, roughly grabbing him and hauling him onto the pegasus. "Whatever. If you die, that''s not my problem."


    "Whether or not I live is of no concern to you either."


    Laney''s anger bubbled, boiling. She stared at his slim neck, wondering if she would be disciplined if she put the Sin in his place before the punishment was meted out to him.


    Ungrateful bastard! There had been so many people calling out for his head, but she had been the only one who pushed for a delayed judgement as it wasn''t like him to act out like this.


    Or, at least, she didn''t think so, but with the way the man was acting, she wondered if she had been wrong about him after all.


    Just what had happened for him to react like this? She had expected a fight, and now she felt strangely bereft after not getting one.

 Chapter 90 Judgemen

    Dominique''s knees collided harshly with the floor, causing an audible thump as he slumped down. The sound was so out of place, yet at the same time, expected. Dominique himself seemed completely unperturbed, certainly.


    Still, his face was emotionless ¨C as it always had been outside of the battlefield.


    There was no one else in the hall except for the various elders, and the sect master.


    After dragging him here bodily, Laney left, but not before she gave him another subtle glance.


    Dominique ignored her.


    The wood was cool to the touch, and Dominique allowed himself to slump down on it, not feeling any motivation to keep up any appearances.


    Not that he had in the first place, anyway, but he was even less inclined to do it now.


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    He was still bound ¨C hands behind his back. Though, it wasn''t like it really mattered. If he wanted to, he was still able to break out, but he held no illusions about getting away alive. Any one of these old fogeys would be able to take him down within a blink.


    Seated on a pretentious throne, a few steps higher than the rest of the room, the sect master frowned. Below, there were two lines of various elders that framed the throne in a semi-circle.


    The throne was a gaudy, pretentious-looking thing, but they were unable or willing to get rid of it since it had been preserved since founding father of the sect brought it in.


    Surprisingly, the design of the throne did indeed add to the natural authority and majesty that the sect master carried about him. The man looked at ease as he sat in the seat, unbothered by how he appeared to the rest of the room.


    The Heavenly Ascension Sect Master, Dorian Falren, looked down at the bound figure of his disciple slumped unceremoniously onto the ground.


    He tapped a finger on the arm rest of the throne, thinking.


    No one else spoke, but Dorian was sure that he could feel them glaring at Dominque even from where he stood.


    "Dominique," Dorian said at last, breaking the silence.


    Dominique tilted his head, his hair falling into his eyes. Still, he didn''t make a sound.


    "Explain yourself," he demanded, his voice cold.


    There was a strange tension in the air as the elders stared at Dominique''s unbecoming figure. It was as if they were waiting for him to slip up before they struck, like the mantis stalking the cicada.


    Dominique looked at them emotionlessly, unbothered by the apparent power play that was being carried out in front of his eyes. He had seen so many of these throughout his years that he could no longer be bothered ¨C if he had ever bothered in the first place.


    The temperature in the room dropped a little when he showed no signs of answering the question.


    One of the elders couldn''t hold back anymore, glaring harder at Dominique, the eyesore.


    "Answer the sect master, Dominique! When you are spoken to, you will respond!"


    Dominique''s eyes moved slowly to the elder in question, bored. "Why should I?"


    "You insolent-!"


    "Enough."


    Just one word from Dorian was enough to quell the words of the elder that had gotten himself all worked up. The elder choked on the words that were about to leave his mouth, taking a step back sullenly.


    "I will not repeat myself, Dominique."


    Dominique wanted to sigh but refrained from doing so, annoyed. "I went out for some fun," he rasped, his lips curling into a smile at the memory. His eyes glinted with a faint hint of the fanaticism that he had shown so freely in the Rothschild''s mansion.


    The temperature in the room dropped lower at his words as some of the elders started radiating a killing intent.


    They looked at the bloody smile on the Sin''s face, feeling disgusted at the implications that he''d went out for a massacre for reasons only for his own entertainment.


    Just as the elder''s rage hit a peak, the bound man opened his mouth to speak again. "Don''t worry. I didn''t kill too many. Just enough for what I want."


    "You-" the same elder growled out, choking on his words. He could not fully voice his disgust at the atrocities that were implied in the man''s tone.


    "Polren, enough."


    Polren choked back the words that wanted to leave his mouth, holding his tongue only because it was the sect master''s direct orders.


    The elder, had witnessed the Sin''s mission once first-hand, and never had he been so utterly disgusted.


    The mission had been a massacre from start to end, allowing him to witness too many atrocities that had been carried out in the name of the mission.


    The worst part was that so many of those needless deaths could have been avoided had the Sin just curbed himself slightly. There had been no need for so many of those ¨C


    Polren took a breath before he lost any more of his temper. Everything Dominique did went against his deeply rooted moral code. He''d spoken time and time again. They should have long expelled or put down Dominique, but the sect master never agreed.


    Polren was the elder in charge of the disciplinary hall, but his decisions were always overthrown whenever they concerned the bound man in front of him.


    Though Polren understood why this was so, that did not make it any easier to stomach. He was sure that his authority had suffered because of the sect master''s overruling of his decisions, and that just couldn''t be allowed any further.


    The smirk that remained on Dominique''s face irked various elders, but they were silent. They were waiting to see what the sect master did to discipline the Sin.


    Time and time again, the sect master had been able to provide reason and explanation for giving the Sin only a slap on the wrist before he was once again let loose ¨C this time, from the mouth of the horse instead, Dominique had admitted that he had blatantly broken the sect rules just for fun.


    Not only that, he had admitted that he had killed various people, most likely innocent, just to satiate his desire and lust of violence.


    The man was the personification of all the negative traits in Sins, never once failing to live up to expectations.


    Dominique was an uncertain variable that the sect could not afford. Though there were a few other Sins in the clan, they were controllable ¨C mainly due to the sigil ¨C but Dominique was never dealt with any harsh punishments that would cause him to reign in his future actions.


    Dorian was silent ¨C and that was almost as much as give away as speaking out.


    He had made concession time and time again, but Dominique never seemed to appreciate it. Had he been too lax on him? Was that why he always dared to act out, despite the threat of the sigil in his left eye?


    Dorian knew that Dominique would not be able to escape punishment today.


    He should have seen it coming. Dominique had to face the consequences for his own actions. He could not blatantly flaunt the sect rules like this ¨C no matter how much he wanted to.


    Polren glanced at Dorian, receiving his nod.


    He stepped forward, where the Sin didn''t even bother to dignify his presence with a glance.


    "Dominique Falren, your punishment is as follows ¨C three years of solitary seclusion. One hundred lashes from the disciplinary whip. Tightening of the sigil''s restrictions. You will be judged again after a month of seclusion to determine if you will require further discipline."


    The judgement was delivered in a sterile tone, giving away none of the disgust that Polren felt for the sin.


    This was about as harsh as it got for a Sin ¨C for any other Societype, it was only ever half as harsh. Just being a Sin was enough for the punishment to double. It was a flawed system, but it seemed to work, so there was never any cause to change it.


    Of course, this was barring execution. Dorian didn''t think that he would be able to handle watching his son''s death in front of his very eyes ¨C which was why he suspected that Polren did not order it. The elder would not chance having his decision overruled yet again.


    But still, the sect master made no move to contest the discipline. Dominique had indeed been getting a little heavy handed in his actions, but he had never so openly flaunted it like this before.


    "Dismissed," Dorian said, his eyes following Dominique as he was bodily dragged out of the hall, the grin on the Sin''s face growing as he licked his lips, uncaring that he was about to be punished.


    As his father, and his master ¨C he had failed in teaching him.

 Chapter 91 Leaving

    "Hey, uncle. Kieran and I are going back to the sect soon," Dietrich says suddenly one afternoon.


    Alec paused from the book he''d been reading. "Oh," he said, exuding a faint aura of surprise and curiosity. He had not yet met anyone who had been part of a sect.


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    Dietrich pulled out a chair and sat himself down. "I realized we never told you we were part of a sect."


    Alec nodded. "It does come as a surprise. Are you not taking over the Rothschild family?"


    Dietrich laughed. "Ah, no. Sects are rather loose in regard to that, as opposed to clans. To put it simply, it''s fine whether or not you belong to a clan, a family, or you''re simply an orphan. It doesn''t matter to the sect as a whole. However, this only applies as long as they harbour no enmity with the sect. Does that make sense to you?"


    "Perfectly. How would the sect deign to test whether or not a person an enmity with them?"


    "We have something like an intent array that determines whether or not the person who steps in holds any hostility to the sect. Of course, it isn''t fool proof, but it''s the closest we can get. I''m sure there are various sleeping agents that feed information, but they are of little consequence."


    "I see," Alec hummed, absorbing the new information. He suspected that such an array would require the work of a rune master. It required knowledge on both barriers and sealing, which was the two ways that a rune master could specialize in.


    There had not been much that the clan had regarding sects, which he thought was likely because they wanted the clansmen to take their own actions and bear the consequence, as was all the other little ''tests'' and ''traditions'' that the Neil Clan held.


    "The sect is opening admissions to everyone in a couple of days, which is why we are heading back so soon. If you''re interested, you can come along to try your luck." Dietrich paused, thinking about how else to sell it to his uncle. "They only accept admissions once every ten years, so if you don''t make it in this time, it''s likely that you won''t qualify next time."


    Alec was interested. He had not yet been able to find the Main Character and joining a sect would presumably open him to more information that he would not be able to obtain otherwise, which was very attractive.


    However, he would have to do his research first. Though Dietrich was convincing, he wouldn''t just blindly follow everything he said and take it at face value.


    Dietrich smiled, seeing the curious glint in Alec''s eyes. "To be fair, even if you do want to get in, it''s rather hard."


    The fact that both he and Kieran had managed to get in had nothing to do with nepotism. The sect was infamously strict about that. Even those who were born in the sect had to go through a test once they were sixteen to determine whether or not they could stay.


    "We shall see about that."


    -


    Elias had decided to stay behind in Welkton City, as had Cyrus and Zacharias. Henry and Philip were both heading back to Mystik Town due to their¡­ captives.


    It had been a bit surprising, honestly. He thought that at least Cyrus or Zacharias would have followed him, but it seemed like after that debacle at the Rothschild Family Mansion, they saw him in a different light.


    Elias staying had not been a surprise to him since he''d been showing many signs of it already.


    While he did not crave their company, he would not have minded had they decided to tag along either. The teen looked like he was looking forward to learning more about the craft of blacksmithing, which he was genuinely enjoying.


    Cyrus and Zacharias were moving together to see if they could find any other leads in another direction. Apparently, they''d been wondering if Alec would head out together with them to continue searching for Tatiana, hearing that he was going to try and join a sect put them more at ease.


    Alec didn''t know whether or not to be amused that they automatically assumed that he would get in. Sometimes, their faith in his abilities were quite misplaced.


    Henry and Philip ¨C well, mostly Henry ¨C was not even remotely done with Briggs and Gred.


    The man had not yet been able to extract the information about his wife and child from the two men.


    For some reason, they were stubbornly keeping their mouths shut, and Henry had not yet been able to pry the information out through torture. He did, however, seem like he was planning on trying various methods, which would require time.


    Alec had no plans on sticking around for that. Though he did not mind doing that, it would be amiss of him to try and take someone else''s pleasure from them, so he did not plan on getting on the way.


    Not to mention, the man seemed to have some reservations whenever Alec went into the place he had been storing his two prisoners, which helped his decision along.


    There was on a knock on his door.


    Alec stood up to answer it, already packed.


    Outside the door, both Kieran and Dietrich stood, waiting for him.


    He''d heard a great deal from the two brothers about the sect that they had joined over the past couple of days. From what he''d heard, it didn''t seem too bad, even if the way they described it had been a bit romanticized.


    The Heavenly Ascension Sect seemed like a good choice.


    From what he heard, it was the strongest sect in the Kaoriht continent, which was why Kieran and Dietrich were so surprised when their uncle hadn''t heard about it.


    It was one of the sects famously known for their ''righteousness'', which Alec didn''t take at face value. There were always a couple of people that were blackened through and through.


    Of course, the main selling point was that the sect''s style of teaching was mainly providing resources and freestyle teaching, which allowed them to explore on their own, which was what Alec preferred.


    Whether or not he would find the Main Character in the sect, he didn''t know, but he would keep his eyes peeled, nonetheless.


    The three set off for the Heavenly Ascension Sect, which was located in the far distance.


    Kieran sat together with Alec on his pegasus, while Dietrich took a teleportation array back.


    It was the way Dietrich had come back a few days ago, while Kieran had ridden here. Besides, Dietrich was unable to bring back a person not keyed into their sect array without them dying, so they had no choice really.


    Alec eyed the pegasus, not sure if he wanted to do this. Just how safe would this be?


    They would be flying high up in the air without any handle or guard rails, with him having to depend on both Kieran and the pegasus itself for his safety.


    He was quite sure that should the pegasus ever be shot down, there was no way that they wouldn''t meet his death upon the fall.


    Alec frowned, not fond of putting his life so effectively into someone else''s hands, no matter how decently they had been treating him.


    Bunbun and Fenrir seemed to have no such thoughts, happily playing on the pegasus'' back, as if they didn''t comprehend just how precarious it could be.


    Alec withheld the sigh that wanted to leave his lips, getting in front of Kieran instead.


    Hopefully this wouldn''t be too long a ride.

 Chapter 92 Landing

    The moment they took off, Alec immediately wanted to plant himself back on the ground. The lurch has left his stomach down there, and he was not okay with this.


    There was something poetic in the way he left his heart down on the ground, while his body was so far up in the air. He was (unwillingly) entrusting his life into Kieran''s hands, hoping that he would be caught when he fell.


    Perhaps, had he been fully in control of the pegasus they were on, he wouldn''t be so touchy and melodramatic, but Alec had some fundamental trust issues that were not meant to be confronted. And certainly not in this manner!


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    Kieran eyed the tense line in Alec''s shoulder, but very consciously didn''t say anything. If Kieran had the right read on his uncle, the two of them were the same in that way. They didn''t like admitting weakness, and they especially didn''t like others pointing it out.


    About an hour into the ride, Alec could reluctantly accept that he wasn''t in as much danger as he thought and was actually able to relax a little into the ride.


    Once he did that, looking down, Alec was greeted with scenery that seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see. They occasionally came across a town or city along the way, giving Alec the view of various styles and how they were structured, even if they were too small to get a proper look.


    When he finally got his fill of the ongoing scenery, he turned when he realized that the bond between Bunbun and Fenrir were distinctly muted, as if they were actively trying to block him out.


    There, huddled on the small of the pegasus'' back, Bunbun and Fenrir were laid flat, the wolf clinging onto the bunny''s back.


    Bunbun was, quite hilariously, spread completely flat, his fur looked flatter than usual. His four limbs pressing as close to the pegasus as creaturely possible.


    Bunbun made a squeaky sound when he noticed that Alec had turned back to look at them, all but crying, teary eyes and all.


    This was not what he had envisioned when his owner said that they were going to play with the pegasus for a while.


    He should have anticipated it already, given his supposed superior intelligence, but he had allowed himself to get carried away with Fenrir, so both were wholly unprepared.


    Ooh, he regretted it now, but how was he supposed to know that they wouldn''t even have any sort of harness to keep them safe?!


    The sight of the two Awakened shivering and looking even more miserable than he was startled a genuine laugh out of Alec. The sulky looks he got in return made him feel better about being in this situation himself, though he did soothingly send a few of his emotions across to placate them.


    The two creatures made no further movements no matter how the pegasus sped up or turned, closing their eyes as if they would be somewhere else should they just not witness it.


    The scenery below them slowly changed from greenery and woods to a rockier terrain, though there were still trees below them. They passed by a couple of mountains and hills.


    Alec noted everything, committing it to memory.


    -


    Alec jolted back to awareness the moment the magic in the air changed.


    The gasp choked in his throat at the unbearable heaviness of the magic that surrounded him, his eyes shooting open.


    He felt a hand wrap around his wrist, and Alec''s eyes flickered before looking at Kieran.


    "You''re a magic sensor," Kieran said quietly. "Bear with it for now. It gets better."


    Alec studied Kieran''s face. His nephew had been wondering whether or not he would be one as well. "You''re one too," he said, coming to the conclusion from the slight tightness on the teenager''s face. Even though Kieran was hiding it relatively well, there was still the slightest crease that showed he wasn''t as nonchalant as he seemed. "How are you dealing with it?"


    Kieran acknowledged his statement. "Yes. Keep a thin layer of magic on the surface of your skin. It should be more bearable that way. Five minutes."


    Tugging lightly on the reins, the pegasus flew quicker, heading towards a destination that was just within reach.


    They seemed to pass through the barrier of magic that had infringed on them after that, which made both Alec and Kieran breathe easier now that they didn''t feel the heavy press of magic against their senses.


    Kieran explained before Alec opened his mouth to ask. "That was the sect''s boundary barrier. Now, since we''re through it, we can fly straight to the gate because you''re with me. Otherwise, you''ll be stuck down there walking. Or in other cases, riding a creature."


    Alec peered down, and indeed, there were scores of people that were visible to him now that he looked closely.


    It seemed that the Heavenly Ascension Sect''s popularity far exceeded his expectations.


    However, it was to be expected. After all, getting into a sect was a sign of prominence. There would always be people who were trying to climb up the social ladder, and successfully joining a sect was a short cut to a rise in social status.


    [Mission: Join a sect.]


    Alec sighed. At least he would get some points for this. However, that a mission had appeared at all meant that it would not be the walk in the park that he half hoped it would be.


    "Want to walk up as well?" Kieran asked, just to be sure.


    The edge from Alec''s smile that was given to him pulled a short laugh out of the teen. "I thought not."


    As if he would want to walk up right now with everyone gawking at them because Kieran''s pegasus descending and causing a stir.


    He''d rather take the pegasus all the way to sect doors, get off, blend in before anyone realized what he was doing, and wait.


    The pegasus they were riding on gave a whinny, changing directions as it soared far above the heads of those walking. There were a few other pegasus that contained people as well, with people.


    Alec made sure to memorize their faces even if he didn''t know whether or not he needed that information just yet.


    Even from a distance, Alec could see mountains in the distance, each partly obscured by the presence of several low-hanging clouds. The clouds had a tinge of iridescence whenever the sun hit it in different angles, which gave the entire place a sort of glow that made it feel like it was out of this world.


    They headed over to the sect gates, where they started descending from the skies. Alec could practically taste the joy that was coming off Bunbun and Fenrir when they realized that they were descending.


    Alec felt much of the same, thankful that it was finally over. He would be happy to have control over how he moved again.


    They had descended before the rest of those who were flying, partly because of how quickly Kieran''s pegasus had been flying, and also because the rest of them seemed like they were taking in the view more.


    The bunny and wolf tumbled off the pegasus gracelessly, all but kissing the sweet ground. They had not been made to fly! As biology had dictated, they should have been earthbound¡­ forever!


    The two glared petulantly at their owner when they felt his amusement over their shared bond.

 Chapter 93 Ignorance

    Alec left Bunbun and Fenrir with Kieran, who waved him goodbye. There was an abundance of those who were below eighteen years old trying to join the Heavenly Ascension Sect. Most of them looked like they were around his age.


    Alec thought that it was likely the parents thought that it might be easier for them to get in if they were younger.


    They were all eyeing each other, and Alec could see some of those who were already quickly making friends here and there.


    There was a multitude of different personalities, some clashing, others not, all jammed in one place just beyond an empty space behind the sect gates.


    As far as the eye could see, Alec spotted waves of people. They moved haphazardly, without any sense of patterns at all, and Alec felt sick just seeing it.


    They were endless. And numerous. Too numerous.


    Alec shoved down the knee-jerk reaction to leave, maintaining his image. He was already attracting some looks because he came from the area where the pegasus had landed, but not too many.


    "Make way, make way!" he heard a voice shout out, and almost every head turned to look at the loud voice who was forcing people apart so that they could squeeze through.


    Alec immediately took the chance presented to him and slipped into the crowd, blending in, no matter how much he preferred to hold himself apart.


    It was only then that he turned to look at the commotion that was taking place.


    Alec listened to the whispers that had started up in the presence of the voice.


    "That''s the Citrine Clan''s princess, Melanie Citrine. Why is she here?"


    "Huh? Who?"


    "You haven''t heard of the Citrine Clan? Then, what about the Citrine Thunder Sect?"


    "Oh, yeah! Why is she trying for the Heavenly Ascension Sect, then?"


    "How should I know?" the voice said, sounding uncharitable.


    Alec turned his eyes towards the supposed princess of the Citrine Clan, Melanie Citrine.


    The trio made up the three primary colours. Red, blue and yellow. Alec''s lip twitched.


    There were two boys flanking her, the blonde one holding a look of abject proudness on his face, while the blue-haired individual was more subdued. Though he wasn''t flaunting it, he wasn''t hiding it either. All this for being able to stand by her side.


    They looked around eleven or twelve, their cheeks still holding the baby fat that made adults coo over children''s cuteness. The most striking thing about them was the way their eyes shone gold and yellow, like their clan''s namesake. Citrine crystal.


    Melanie Citrine had long, red hair. Rather than the shade of blood, her hair colour resembled the red roses that so many people loved to use as a symbol of their love. Combined with her golden eyes, she made a striking picture even though she was still young. She drew attention without even trying.


    Even now, it could be foretold that she would have many people chasing after her.


    While the two boys were proud about all the attention on themselves ¨C inferiority complex, the voice in Alec''s head whispered ¨C but the girl in question, looked distinctly bored. When Alec looked closer, there was a faint tension running through her shoulders. She was trying to hide how uncomfortable she was.


    The trio moved through the crowd, which parted for them like they were entitled to it, the voices hushing while they passed by.


    Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They were treating her like she was royalty or something, which he couldn''t really fault them for. Judging from what they said, she was from a prominent clan and should have went to their clan''s joined sect, but for some reason didn''t.


    ''Princess'' of the Citrine Clan. Why was it that she was here? Were there some sort of ulterior motives, or was there something happening in the background that Alec didn''t know about? Was the political climate changing?


    However, they were partly alienating her just because of that, either intentionally or because ''they just weren''t good enough for her'', which was exactly the kind of reason that caused certain personalities to form.


    She''d either be completely aloof in a couple of years, or she would take it upon herself to be the ''big sister'' type that solved problems for people. There was no in-between. Yet another typical common plot point.


    Alec wanted to sigh, but it wasn''t his problem.


    He didn''t know her, nor did he have any intention to try and help her out. They weren''t friends, nor were they ever going to be. He was not in any shape or form a Main Character, who would somehow, miraculously change her entire worldview with barely any effort on his part.


    A few minutes later, there was a similar commotion as the crowd parted around someone, this time the whispers were louder almost.


    They backed away even further than they had for Melanie, almost tripping over themselves and eliminating all sense of personal space from themselves as they distanced themselves from the boy.


    It was precisely because everyone abruptly backed off that Alec was briefly pushed almost to the front, catching a glimpse of who they were avoiding like the plague.


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    There was a boy, similar age to himself, with light purple hair that brushed the nape of his neck. With slightly darker purple eyes, the boy kept to himself. Though, not before Alec saw the flinch that he hid inexpertly.


    The boy shoved his hands into his pockets, looking straight ahead emotionlessly. He showed no other signs of being perturbed by the behaviour that he''d been shown.


    The whispers were loud. Though they were whispers, when everyone was whispering, the resulting sound was loud and completely obvious.


    "I can''t believe they let a Sin into the sect!"


    "Huh? There''s a Sin here?"


    "How do you know someone is a Sin?"


    "Have you been living under a rock? Obviously, Sins are all required to wear that black band. If you see one of those, you better stay far away."


    "Hey, quiet. What if he decides that he doesn''t like how we look?" someone said nervously.


    At that person''s words, the whispers grew quieter, as if they were completely terrified that the Sin would suddenly break out in a show of violence from the slightest trigger of their words.


    The only thing that could have possibly alerted them to the sign of the boy''s Societype was the black band sitting on his neck. Though the band wasn''t a tattoo, it didn''t seem to have a latch that would allow him to take it off either.


    The boy seemed like the only Sin who had come here to try and join the Heavenly Ascension Sect, and Alec briefly admired the guts that required to stand in a crowd full of naysayers.


    Then, Alec wondered whether this was the reason why his mother had immediately gone pale as she learnt of his Societype. Had he not had Annalise as his mother, would he too be facing issues like this?


    Shunned by society in such an obvious manner?


    No doubt Alec would have snapped a long time before that, leading them to further believe that it was normal behaviour from Sins.


    From how they were treating that Sin, he was like a tiger the zoo. While he seemed domesticated, one would never know whether or not they were truly harmless because of his base nature. They much preferred to see him behind bars rather than facing him up close.


    It disgusted him. The black, tar-like feeling that welled up inside him had little to do with charity, and all to do with the wilful ignorance that these people were showing, buying into every aspect of Sins that were ''known''.


    Even though they were Sins, that didn''t mean they didn''t have emotions. They just seemed to feel in a different capacity.


    The crowd seemed to both fear and disdain the Sin at the same time, which almost made Alec break character and frown.


    He just couldn''t understand. It was like a vicious cycle. If the average person reacted this way to a Sin, then there was no way that they wouldn''t act out. After the Sin committed violence, the ones that had been disdaining him would feel like they were justified in their treatment of the Sins, and the cycle continues.


    Alec felt frustrated at the lack of logic these people showed.


    Could they not see what they were doing? Were they all so blinded that it had come to this?


    Alec''s gaze cooled, and a few people shivered at the decrease in temperature. Was it always this chilly?


    Alec wondered if the brief glance that the Sin shot in their direction was his imagination, but the violent onslaught of shivers that started around him led him to believe that it wasn''t the case.

 Chapter 94 Ignorance II

    Gracen stepped forward, the hush of the crowd disappearing upon seeing her step forward to address them.


    All eyes were turned onto her form. Each hopeful individual here was hanging onto her every movement with bated breath. They waited for her to address them. To tell them what they had to do.


    Gracen tried not to allow it to go to her head. Though she did enjoy the attention that she got from the sect disciples at any time regardless, there was always something special about the way that the way those who were trying to enter the sect looked at her.


    Had she been a lesser woman, she might have succumbed to the attention that they were unabashedly giving her, but Gracen was a woman of many talents, and she was an elder. Which was why the sect master usually entrusted her with this duty once every ten years.


    Just from a glance, she could already see those who didn''t quite ''fit'' into the crowd, either being ostracized or worshipped, which was one of the many ways that the sect looked out for talents even this early on.


    "Welcome," she started, her voice soothing. She could almost hear the intake of breaths as she spoke. "To the Heavenly Ascension Sect. I am Elder Gracen. I do hope you make it into the sect. Good luck to all of you."


    She said nothing more, sweeping off the stage.


    Their confusion was palpable, which was a part of the proceedings that always made her smile. The confused looks on their faces were just adorable.


    Alec could practically hear the thoughts that were running around in the potential disciple''s minds.


    The thoughts that an elder looked so young and captivating. No doubt they were wondering how that was even possible. Gracen preened. Just slightly.


    Then, a murmur broke out from the crowd. Gracen Lyle was in charge of the medical hall in the Heavenly Ascension Sect, and everyone respected her greatly.


    The atmosphere of the crowd warmed and grew rowdier when they realized just what an outstanding individual they''d laid their eyes on, touched.


    Alec narrowed his eyes, feeling like the tests already started without any warning.


    Indeed, there were already various sect members that were studying the reactions of the potential disciples, though no expression showed on their faces.


    Five minutes later, when the noise of the crowd had grown increasingly loud, one proctor stepped up.


    "Line up. One by one to receive your tags."


    There were so many more efficient ways to do this, but he supposed that it wasn''t just talent that the sect was looking out for. That had to be the only plausible reason why they were doing this. It just wouldn''t make sense otherwise, having so many years to perfect it.


    There as a moment of chaos as people clamoured to be the first in line, only to relent when Melanie and her two goons marched forward.


    Behind them, was the unknown and only Sin in the crowd, since no one wanted to go near him.


    There was a visible gap between the Sin and themselves, until the proctor finally grew visibly annoyed.


    "Don''t leave a gap!" he barked out.


    The crowd of hundreds lingered visibly, still not wanting to get too close.


    In the end, Alec rolled his eyes and stepped forward, wanting to get this over with already. Though, of course, this was also a calculated move on his part.


    The way they avoided the poor boy like the plague incarnate made him feel both annoyed and disgusted at the wilful ignorance that they were showing. If it wasn''t because the crowd consisted of mainly children, Alec would have likely given them a piece of what was going on in his mind.


    He couldn''t stand wilful ignorance, and the blatant disregard about what one''s actions could have as a consequence on someone other than themselves disgusted him.


    The purple haired boy''s shoulders were slightly tense when he neared before they relaxed visibly, which caused Alec to raise an eyebrow.


    There was a palpable relief in the atmosphere behind him where the rest of the crowd quickly got into line, seemingly having realized that the proctor''s temper was thinning quickly.


    Melanie and the other two thirds of the primary colours were quickly cleared and directed deeper in.


    Alec was close enough that he heard the Sin''s name even though it was unintentional.


    "Hayden Grayson."


    The proctor jotted it down, gesturing for the boy to prick his finger to drop onto the appraisal crystal that was built into the table.


    Hayden pricked his finger, dripping it onto the translucent crystal, which the proctor recorded down.


    He waved him in, allowing Alec to take his place.


    Alec made sure to show no signs of the inner turmoil that was happening inside him. Though he expected it already, he didn''t know whether or not whatever method that his mother used on him to hide his Societype was still working.


    Pricking his finger, Alec smiled at the proctor, whose eyes softened a little, but maintained his expressionless face.


    [Alecris Neil]


    [Societype: Every]


    [Magitype: Awakening]


    He still didn''t know how she did it, but what he did know was that there was no way that anyone else had the means to do this.


    If there were, there wouldn''t be so many scores of people out there being discriminated against. Especially with the way he saw how Hayden had been treated like the plague. Would a parent who found out their child''s Societype not move to give them a better life?


    The black band that stood out so starkly on Hayden''s neck was the best proof that whatever means that Annalise used, it wasn''t widely known. Nor were they obtained from his clan.


    Otherwise, he suspected that his clan elders would never have left him alone once he showed he was an Every. Though they had lessened the intense scrutiny on him somewhat, it had still been there.


    However, doing something like that had to have its price as well. It made him wonder. Just what had his mother paid in order for him to pass off as an Every?


    Thinking about the sacrifice that she''d made in secret, Alec''s heart felt sour as he missed her ¨C more than he liked to admit.


    But he wasn''t so lost in his emotions that he didn''t see the slight flickers on the proctor''s face.


    There was the surprise when the man read his surname, though it quickly disappeared when he caught sight of his other stats. His Societype and Magitype.


    Pity, regret.


    Alec could almost see the sigh that he was holding back, since the proctor had approved of the way that he had stepped forward to fill the gap when no one else would do so.


    It seemed the proctor didn''t think he would make it, which didn''t affect him any.


    He continued on deeper into the outer sect grounds, standing next to Hayden without thought.


    Hayden glanced lightly at him but said nothing.


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    Melaine looked at him curiously, her eyes gazing at Alec from top to bottom, but was otherwise distracted by the way her two clansmen engaged her in a conversation as they waited for the rest of the hopefuls to join them.


    Then, people started trickling in slowly after they were done having their information recorded.

 Chapter 95 Intent Array

    After roughly fifty people entered the area where they were waiting, the next proctor started guiding them towards an array that previously been dormant.


    Alec gladly took the chance to study the array, unabashed. Since it was written here, out in the open, it would be remiss of him to give up this chance.


    The array wasn''t something tangible ¨C or rather, it shouldn''t be tangible, but during Alec''s little stint in the Rothschild Family Mansion, the effects of Awakening his eyes had an unexpected side effect.


    His vision was clearer than ever before, even when it wasn''t night-time.


    The runes that made up the array were bare for him to see, clear as day.


    They danced through the air reminiscent of fireflies in the night. They hovered, then slowly buzzed and vibrated. Though faint, Alec was able to see their outlines.


    When Alec gazed at them, they flitted about, flirting with his vision. But still, they were intricately linked and joined, following the rules of the rune master that had so delicately chained them together, forming a function that they would otherwise be empty of.


    The person who had created this was above his skill level for sure, but that only made Alec more excited.


    When Melanie stepped into the array, there was the distinct swirling as the runes rapidly circled the air.


    The sight was not something that Alec would forget any time soon.


    So enthralled was he in his fascination that he never noticed how there were eyes studying his reaction to the array, however subtle it may be.


    Alec''s eyes followed as the runes rocked gently, flirting with his vision, almost teasingly. There was a flicker, as they resonated with the ambient magic that was emitted from Melanie''s skin, painting themselves over the tiny wisps of magic in the air. They took on a distinctly yellow hue as they resonated with Melanie''s magic.


    As quickly as they latched on, the runes let go of the magic, returning back to their earlier transparency.


    Melanie stepped out of the array, but before he could even bring himself to be disappointed about that, the blond-haired Citrine member stepped into the array under the proctor''s instructions.


    Alec watched the process occur again, as the runes in the air trembled. Their function was a work of art ¨C natural in form, and something that almost seemed to transcend his imagination.


    He didn''t even process that it was his turn until the proctor came up to him and flicked his nose.


    The proctor let out a sigh when he realized that the kid was still dazing. It was like the lights were on, but no one was home. He''d been so sure something like that would at least draw the kid''s ire. It usually did with all the other kids.


    Alec absentmindedly touched his nose but was otherwise so lost that he didn''t even feel any of the anger that he would have had the proctor did that while he was fully himself.


    He wandered into the array with a daze, his eyes still locking onto certain parts. He was so close ¨C he was just about to figure it out whole, but there was something missing.


    Then, the runes around him compressed slightly, hovering above his skin. Then, they touched his magic, and the gasp that came out of Alec''s mouth was completely unfiltered.


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    There was a probe on his magic, and Alec felt the magic within himself react.


    It felt like everything and nothing at once.


    It was the feeling of connection, but also the feeling of severance and loss. There was a deeper probe into his magic, and Alec had a feeling like the array was looking into his soul.


    It was both deeply disturbing and enlightening all at once.


    The array of runes released its hold on his magic, and Alec gasped. It was a huge, gasp, air sliding into his lungs, and Alec realized that he''d been holding his breath for the entire duration where the array studied him, and he studied it in turn.


    He stumbled out of the array, feeling dazed, and more of his consciousness returned from the entranced state that he''d found himself in.


    He continued studying the rest of the hopefuls, noting the different ways they reacted. There was no variety between them, or so little variety that he couldn''t obtain the last missing piece of the puzzle.


    Suddenly, as if a lightning bolt on a clear day, the array glowed a harsh, static red, and even before Alec registered it, he knew instinctually what was about to happen.


    The array locked and chained itself, winding round the nervous teenager who had stepped into its range.


    The teen let out a scream as it constricted roughly against his skin, his eyes burning with anger and hatred. He knew that he''d been discovered. His anger was all encompassing, but Alec never once noted the sounds that should have been as clear as day to him.


    The shapeless runes burned themselves onto his skin, leaving behind marks that were visible to the naked eye, a form of power that the array had not shown before them as the conditions were not met.


    Now, they gouged and seared themselves onto unblemished skin.


    Alec watched with an abject fascination ¨C nothing so silly like watching a train wreck, because even though Alec recognized what the runes were doing to that teen, he felt no horror or any urge to look away.


    There was only the beauty of the array working before his eyes ¨C and suddenly, the array seemed to open itself up to him as the knowledge clicked into place, startling him.


    He had a clear, deep understanding about the array now that left him breathless with anticipation.


    Alec snapped back to his senses, his entire consciousness returning to him like a rubber band snapping back into place after being stretched.


    Alec blinked, his smile widening slightly ¨C more genuine ¨C and he dazzled the proctor slightly with his smile, not that he noticed.


    When he looked around, he realized that he was the only one left in the place, the proctor left to bodily drag away the body that remained in the array, clicking his tongue.


    Though, it might have been better this way, because otherwise, a bunch of underaged children would have seen him grinning creepily as the array worked. He was not looking to scar ''innocent'' minds, no matter how they had reacted to the presence of Hayden.


    Then he realized that there was a lady and another man standing in front of him.


    It was Elder Gracen, who had addressed the lot of them earlier, as well as another unknown man. With her vibrant orange hair and green eyes, her face was small delicate. She was tall for a woman, and the way she cocked her hip told more of her personality than it might have suggested otherwise.


    The man had black hair and dark brown eyes. His body was leaner than it was muscular, though he might be hiding more tone under his clothing. He was taller than Gracen, contrasting sharply against the vibrant colours that she exuded.


    They both looked like they were in their late twenties or early thirties, which wasn''t too surprising.


    After all, as you went up the magic ranks, so did your lifespan. Alec had even heard of certain pills being able to restore youth, which was popular amongst the population.


    Of course, it was also horrendously expensive, which put off a lot of those potential buyers.


    Alec made sure that his smile was on his face, but before he had a chance to speak, the man opened his mouth to talk.

 Chapter 96 Nathan Cain

    Nathan Cain studied the picture the boy made ¨C even in the crowd of hopefuls, the boy stood out sharply.


    With sharp blue eyes that danced together with the runes in the area of the array, there was the razor-sharp wit of intelligence that couldn''t be hidden under the genial smile that he sported at all times.


    When Gracen had hurriedly prodded him to come here, he had been sceptical. After all, it wasn''t easy to find someone of his craft that would blossom under his tutelage. Though there were many disciples in the array division, he still didn''t have any true disciples that he could fully and completely pass on his knowledge to.


    So, when Gracen had described the things she thought might make this boy a good fit for him, he''d been sceptical to say the least.


    Nonetheless, he had headed over to the testing area where the applicants who hoped to join the sect would have to undergo the first test to determine whether or not they had malicious intentions.


    He had come with just the barest smidgeon of hope, and the expectation that he was about to be disappointed, but upon seeing the almost fanatical gaze in the boy''s eyes that he saw reflected in the mirror at times, he felt like he was seeing himself from all those years ago when he''d first joined the sect.


    "What''s that child''s name?" Nathan asked the proctor for this area.


    The man flipped through the recorded data, right back to the front. "Alecris Neil. Every, Awakening."


    Unexpected, but of little consequence. The boy was both an Every and Awakening, but he possessed a set of eyes that allowed him to view the runes in an array. That alone far outweighed what Societype or Magitype he possessed. If he wanted to, he could do anything with runes.


    There was a faint, niggling feeling that he had overlooked something, but he didn''t know what. He felt like he''d heard that name before, but where¡­?


    Just as he was about to try and delve into his memories, his thought process was rudely interrupted by a noisy woman.


    "How about it?" Gracen said, secretly smug. Nathan could practically hear it dripping off her words. "He''s perfect for you, right?"


    Nathan withheld his snort ¨C Gracen had that effect on him ¨C but agreed with ill grace. "If he wants to."


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    Gracen rolled her eyes but smiled indulgently. The man was so obstinate. They''d known each other for so many years, yet he still behaved this way in front of her.


    "You know, I quite fancy him myself. Maybe I''ll make an offer to him."


    This caught Nathan''s attention, and his eyes cut to her in a very obvious glare that caused her to start laughing.


    "I''m just kidding! Besides, I know just how crazy you are about him already."


    "I am not."


    The trickle of applicants filtered in and out of the array, but the boy never once lost his concentration. They could almost see the gears frantically working inside his mind as he deciphered the runes that were moving nonstop.


    Nathan was impressed despite himself. Even he hadn''t had such a fierce concentration at that young an age. He''d been more prone to distraction, and the way the runes moved sometimes made him feel dizzy.


    There were no such problems he spotted in the boy, which made him feel more and more pleased.


    He had to get him. It would be such a loss of talent otherwise!


    The boy was completely enthralled with the complexity of the runes that he utterly disregarded whatever the proctor said to him, trying to shoo him away. His eyes were locked onto the magnificence of the array, and Nathan felt like he''d returned to back when he first studied runes.


    The shine he could see in the boy''s eyes made him feel utterly satisfied.


    The two elders of the Heavenly Ascension Sect cautiously didn''t disturb the boy nor allow anyone else to disturb him.


    He appeared to be in a state of comprehension, which would be disrupted should anyone jolt him.


    Nathan spread a thin amount of magic throughout the air around the boy to dissuade anyone from disturbing him.


    Gracen stretched, taking advantage of the fact that no one else could see them. Since they were here waiting for the boy, they might as well filter out those who were harbouring malice for the sect.


    While it was such a menial job ¨C they had the array for a reason ¨C but since they could tell just from feeling these young''uns magic whether or not they were trying to hide their intentions, it wasn''t anything difficult or challenging.


    Nathan and Gracen quickly weeded out the bad seeds that were trying to go unnoticed, tossing them out.


    Nathan held out a hand to stop Gracen from going after the last one. He could see that the boy was almost there, but there was something still eluding him from completely comprehending the complexity of the array.


    He had a feeling he knew why. It was something that had stumped him the first time around too.


    Gracen shot him a confused glance, and Nathan tilted his head in the boy''s direction, watching as the cognizance bled onto her face.


    "Shouldn''t you be going now?" Nathan questioned dryly when the fifty or so that were left in the area were waiting for their turn.


    Gracen crossed her arms, pushing up her ample chest. Nathan''s line of sight shifted skyward.


    "Why? Are you chasing me away?"


    Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose. "No."


    "Oh, I get it. You want to be the only one to imprint your glorious visage into your young disciple''s mind, huh!"


    Nathan sighed. "No, Gracen. Aren''t you busy?" he tried.


    Gracen scoffed. "Of course not! It''s recruitment day, you know! Just admit it already! Then this Gracen will kindly leave you and your potential little disciple alone."


    Nathan ignored her, continuing to study his potential disciple. He ignored the fuss she made when she realized that he was ignoring her.


    They were lucky that the potential sect members couldn''t see her behave this way. They were hidden behind a screen that would cause those who didn''t know it was there to overlook them, but it wasn''t fool proof.


    Sometimes, he really wondered if the dignified farce that she put on in front of her disciples was just that ¨C a farce.


    Gracen huffed, pouting. Nathan always ignored her so ungraciously! And she was the one who brought the boy to his attention too!


    At last, the remaining ''potential'' sect member stepped onto the array. It was the last teenager that harboured malicious intentions for the sect.


    The proceedings were quick, brutal and vaguely harmful to the applicant ¨C but nothing he couldn''t recover from. Nothing life-threatening, at least.


    They didn''t want to scare the children with brutality from the sect even before they entered, after all.


    Watching the comprehension bleed into the boy''s blue eyes as it suddenly clicked was rewarding.


    Nathan was both hopeful and worried at the same time.


    Stepping forward, Nathan was annoyed to realize that Gracen had also stepped forward. She really¡­


    He had no words for her behaviour, truly¡­.


    "Are you willing to be my disciple?"

 Chapter 97 Into the Fold

    Alec paused.


    In fact, the words had taken him by such surprise that it was only when he saw the man make the slightest of shifts, as if awkward, that he snapped out of it.


    He saw elder Gracen roll her eyes, however subtly, before she stepped forward. She had to do something to help this socially awkward man, or he''d never get anywhere.


    "Hello, Alecris. My name is Gracen Lyle, head of the medicinal division in the Heavenly Ascension Sect. What this man here is trying to say is that he''d love for you to be his direct disciple. He''s the elder of the array division, Nathan Cain."


    Nathan cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. "Yes, my name is Nathan Cain. I noticed how you seemed to be able to decipher the runes of the array we use to filter out those who wish harm to the sect."


    What should he do? This was practically handing him the mission points on a silver platter, but would it be worth the added drama that he would probably have to face upon accepting the man''s offer?


    Heh.


    Who was he kidding? Of course it was. Not only was this way more efficient, it also meant that he wouldn''t have to go through the entire ''outer disciple'' nonsense that he''d most likely have gotten stuck with considering both his Magitype and Societype.


    The smile that blossomed on his face made both elders stare at him briefly before snapping out of it. "Thank you for the offer," he said politely.


    Nathan''s shoulders tensed slightly, anticipating a rejection.


    "I accept."


    The stunned look on his master''s (?) face made him feel amused. Both of them stared at each other without saying anything, one amused, one reeling from not being rejected.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Gracen rolled her eyes yet again. Men. Man, and boy? Males.


    "Nathan, you bring your disciple to get himself settled in."


    Nathan nodded, his eyes cutting to Gracen briefly. "Mn."


    She waved them off.


    Nathan visibly hesitated. How did he do this? Did children like holding hands? Or should he just pick him up?


    Gracen looked at him encouragingly, while Alec had a slightly confused air.


    In the end, Nathan picked up the boy, a hand under his stomach as the boy was clutched to his side, hanging limply down.


    Alec, "???"


    What the fuck was even happening now? He stiffened at the unexpected touch from the man, not quite comfortable with it, yet not uncomfortable enough to justify throwing off his touch. Also, this manner of ''carrying'' him??


    Gracen snorted, shaking with silent laughter as she turned around.


    It was just too funny! The man was socially awkward as hell, which was what made his reactions all the funnier!


    Nathan quickly left for the array division peak, moving quickly.


    All Alec saw was the ground changing and blurring as the man moved, his eyes barely able to keep up with the speed that they were changing. The only good part about this was that he (miraculously) wasn''t getting motion sickness from the way the man deigned to carry him.


    He wondered if he got the read on him wrong. Was this some sort of subtle revenge?


    The moment he was put down, looking at the still awkward touch on the man''s face, he knew that it was most likely a coincidence. Though the man came off as aloof, Alec reckoned that it was just more likely that he didn''t really know how to respond than not being interested.


    "This is the array division''s peak. All our disciples stay here, but in terms of seniority, you''re higher than all of them since you''re my immediate disciple."


    Alec nodded to show he understood.


    Looking around, the low-hanging clouds that seemed to be a staple of the sect didn''t actually seem to block any of the sunlight from passing through. The iridescence that they reflected from the sunlight didn''t blind them either.


    The buildings here looked less modern than the city Alec had just come from, instead preferring the aesthetics of natural wood and timber.


    Nathan handed his new disciple a token with his magic infused into it. "Inject your magic into it," he instructed. That would allow Alecris unmolested on the sect grounds so long as he had that with him.


    "Don''t lose it."


    Alec held the warm, cut jade. The magic that it already held flirted with his fingers slightly, but otherwise remained sealed inside the jade. Alec got the impression that it wasn''t precisely the man''s magic, but rather an echo of it.


    Inserting his own magic into the jade caused it to vibrate slightly in his hands, before the two magic echoes stayed separate and unblended.


    Nathan nodded in satisfaction. "Good."


    The two of them stared at each other before Nathan held out a hand for the token.


    Nonplussed, Alec put it in his hand. Then, Nathan chucked it on the floor.


    Or rather, he chucked it into an array, which momentarily glowed before spitting back the token.


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    Alec strangled the distressed sound that wanted to leave this throat. That had been so quick he hadn''t even managed to see anything discerning.


    Nathan patted him on the head like he understood what he was thinking.


    "Don''t worry. You''ll have plenty of time to study it later."


    Alright, so maybe he really did understand what he was thinking. Along those lines, he could semi-forgive the head pat the other man had given him condescendingly like an errant puppy.


    Nathan led him into a large hall that had floor made of timber, reflecting the outside as well. There was no additional padding on the floor nor walls, giving off a very traditional feel.


    The hall was large and empty, giving the feeling that it wasn''t used very often. For all Alec knew, that was true.


    Nathan didn''t quite come across as the type that would use the hall extensively for lectures, only using it once in a while.


    Nathan seated himself on the ground, legs folded under him in a traditional gesture that Alec never had to use even back in the clan compounds ¨C never that often, that was.


    Alec was, of course, up to date in his etiquette since he hadn''t known whether or not that would be ''breaking character'' from the Mainframe, and he hadn''t wanted to test it out at that time.


    Alec dropped into a similar stance, bowing low three times as he acknowledged his new master.


    He wasn''t imagining the happy glint in the man''s eyes when he came up to look.


    Nathan held out a hand to his first direct disciple, who hesitantly put his much smaller hand on top of his.


    Initiating a rite of magic, Nathan''s magic coated his hand as he waited for the boy to return the favour.


    Nathan looked at Alec with an anticipatory feeling, causing the dark-haired boy to inwardly raise an eyebrow before he understood what the other wanted.


    Just as hesitantly, Alec pushed his magic onto the hand that was still joined with his master''s, strangling the jolt that wanted to appear when he felt their magic mingle slightly, feeling highly uncomfortable.


    But still, he bore with it.


    The magic faded from both of them, and Nathan let go.


    Alec clenched his hand slightly.


    Well, that was more¡­ permanent than he expected.


    The master-disciple bond went both ways, it seemed, and was cemented on loyalty.


    He felt the singing of magic under his skin, hinting at the joy that his master was feeling now that he''d accepted a direct disciple, and despite himself, Alec felt himself soften slightly towards the awkward man.

 Chapter 98 Panic?

    His master really carried a happy glint in his eyes that felt very real, and yet at the same time kind of awkward and shy.


    It was strange to think of a grown ass man as ¨C well, he would just come right out and say it ¨C endearing. Yes, that was the word. The way he reacted was quite endearing, if he had anything to say about it, and if that didn''t make Alec felt weird just thinking it in his mind, he didn''t know what did.


    No wonder the other elder seemed like she had a great time messing with him, if his reactions were always like this.


    The tense looks on his master''s face faded to something more relaxed after their magic sung together, cementing them in something more permanent and real.


    It also kind of scared him ¨C having a connection like this to another living, breathing being? Well, besides his bunny and wolf that was ¨C they couldn''t talk ¨C at least not in the traditional sense.


    He didn''t know what to do with the situation that he''d found himself thrust into.


    He really should have thought harder about it before agreeing, but at that time, it''d seemed like such an easy shot into completing his mission.


    Speaking of which, where was the prompt from the Mainframe anyway?


    Nathan looked at the slightly dazed look that his disciple had, despite the smile still remaining on his face.


    Perhaps he was feeling a little out of sorts ¨C Nathan had been so giddy about it that he''d unintentionally forgotten that not everyone knew just how much a master-disciple relationship entailed.


    Nathan forgot. To him, it was common sense. He''d been born to, grew up and lived in the Heavenly Ascension Sect, which meant that his pool of knowledge was wider than it should have been otherwise. Even when there were new disciples that were added to the array division, he didn''t cater to them personally. They were taken care of by the other disciples.


    Since taking over as an elder for his master, this was the first time that Nathan was taking in a direct disciple, which had led to his blunder.


    He would not be making that mistake again any time soon.


    Nathan took a deep breath to calm his giddy anticipation. How humiliating.


    "I''m sorry," Nathan blurted out. He had no other idea how to say it other than bluntly. "I forgot to tell you that there''s a connection from our magic between a master and disciple."


    Alec looked at his master in surprise. That the man had accurately gotten a read on him was surprising enough as it was, but actually apologising for it? Somehow, he didn''t expect that.


    His master was unabashedly apologetic ¨C not in the traditional sense of the word, where every emotion showed on his face, but his eyes told a different story. Though his face was set in impassivity, the emotions that showed in his eyes held a wealth of emotion.


    Alec had a feeling he''d be putting his face-reading skills to work frequently with his master.


    The System allowed his smile to take the faint tinges of embarrassment. "This disciple just didn''t expect it, that''s all."


    Nathan nodded; his eyes relieved. "It won''t happen again," he said, then continued off from his last train of thought like it hadn''t been interrupted. "It''s to prevent things like backstabbing. The master is required to provide and teach, and the disciple pledges loyalty in return. Both master and disciple cannot take actions to intentionally harm each other."


    What won''t happen again?


    The additional information was nice to have now ¨C even if it would have been nicer to get it before carrying out the deed, but his master somehow seemed genuinely apologetic about that ¨C enough that Alec didn''t feel any negative feelings about it.


    When his master seemed to get enough reassurance that he''d managed to convey just how apologetic he felt for forgetting such an important point, he moved to hand Alec the book that he pulled out from inside his robe.


    The book was bound simply, but otherwise gave no insights into what was inside.


    "This is the registry for the array division. As my direct disciple, you will be in charge of this."


    Alec just barely restrained the incredulous look that he wanted to give his master.


    They literally met a few minutes ago, master-disciple bond or not. Was he really just going to hand over the division''s registry just like that? Alec was suddenly going to be thrust into a position of responsibility upon just entering the sect?


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    What was up with this man??


    Almost as if he could hear the thoughts running through his mind, the man spoke, distracting him. "You should write your name inside."


    Flipping open the book, Alec curiously leafed through the other pages, and the man made no move to stop him. Now, Alec wondered if the man had spoken just to distract him from the heavy responsibility that being handed the register had to be, or if he was just hoping to gloss over the seemingly heavy responsibility that had been thrust upon him.


    Alec found a page under his master''s name. It was blank, holding only his name. Every other page had other names of the other disciples, presumably. The page with only the words ''Nathan Cain'' signed on likely indicated that these were his direct disciples ¨C there were none.


    Alec took the pen from his master and jotted his name down directly below ''Nathan Cain'', indicating that Alec was the man''s direct disciple.


    And then, of course, it was just like the Mainframe to infringe when he felt the stirrings of some strange emotion that he couldn''t quite place, the voice of the Mainframe came in.


    [Mission: Join a sect complete.]


    [Mission: Get justice for Henry complete.]


    [+500 Points]


    [+100 zoints]


    [+5z0 zozntz]


    [z10z zzzzz]


    [zzzz zzzzz]


    .


    .


    .


    Alec immediately clutched his head, spinning. The strange dichotomy between the Mainframe''s voice and the unsettling static caused his brain to throb and ache.


    The voice mixed with static caused a sharp, piercing lance through his brain and ears, so much so that he never realized when his master caught him in his arms, alarmed.


    The world tilted alarmingly, and for a brief moment, Alec wondered why the world was spinning ¨C until he realized ¨C oh, it wasn''t the world that was tilting, but he himself.


    "Alecris, what''s wrong?" Nathan asked, seeing the intense look of pain on his disciple''s face even as he struggled to maintain his smile. He rather that Alecris didn''t force himself to smile when he was so obviously in pain.


    "Alecris! Answer me!" Nathan was new to this panic thing. He didn''t think he particularly liked it much.


    There was a strange buzzing in his ears, and his vision was fading on him, but not before he caught sight of his master''s alarmed expression. It looked strange on his face, like someone had painted it there very overtly, causing Alec to unintentionally laugh without a filter there to stop his actions.


    The Mainframe''s staticky voice continued to echo incessantly in his mind, blocking any sort of rational thought process or action from continuing.


    The very foundation of his consciousness was being shaken. It didn''t feel unlike someone taking a two-tonne hammer and continuously smashing it into his prone body with faint pauses.


    The pain was so devastating that he couldn''t muster a single thought ¨C it came in endless waves upon waves. Just before the previous wave ended, the new one came, which meant that for a brief period of time, he felt double the pain.


    The worst part was that Alec could briefly feel that the pain was building up for something bigger ¨C like something was breaking and shattering inside him that he was unable to control nor fight off.


    Then, like a bolt from the blue, it hit him, and Alec passed out instantly, causing Nathan to panic even more.

 Chapter 99 Rebirth

    Alec woke up in bits and pieces ¨C at times, he felt like he wasn''t quite there, and yet, his consciousness still hovered, oddly blank, like magnets of the same polarity being forced together.


    His thoughts were distinctly disjointed and didn''t make any sense, and there was a looping sensation of something fractured being rebuilt ¨C it was a vicious, all encompassing cycle that threatened to devour him whole.


    Something prodded at him ¨C screaming at him to wake up ¨C wake the fuck up.


    Alec bolted upright, but not a sound left his lips, like he''d trained himself to do. It was good to know that one part of himself that he''d tirelessly worked on still functioned as it should be, despite the startling emptiness in his thoughts.


    The room came into startling clarity and quality, like paint being splashed onto a black and white canvas, even clearer than they had been after Awakening them.


    What just¨C?


    His thoughts weren''t quite connecting as they should well be ¨C they each felt separate and shallow. He should have been able to piece together what happened to him already, and yet they just weren''t working!


    There was a building sense of frustration welled up in him as he absently took in his surroundings.


    He was contained on a single bed within a room that had softly painted purple walls. They were meant to induce a calming effect rather than white walls that would have radiated sterility.


    The air that he breathed was clearly filtered, and Alec realized that he was in what probably constituted as the sect''s recovery room.


    There was a man with black leaning against the wall, his back so straight that Alec''s spine hurt just looking at him ¨C that was his master. His eyes were closed, but there was a faint crease between his eyebrows that made it look like he wasn''t having a good sleep.


    The thought linked back all of his floating, errant stray thoughts, his brain throbbing briefly before it died down.


    Alec thought back ¨C the day''s events filtering into his mind.


    He remembered landing in the Heavenly Ascension Sect''s grounds.


    Melanie ¨C and Hayden.


    The elder, Gracen, addressing them.


    Then, the intent array that had so captured his fascination.


    His master ¨C


    What happened!


    Alec must have made a sound, because his master''s eyes snapped open, locking onto him with startling intensity.


    The man stood up and walked to his side, pressing a cool hand onto his forehead.


    Alec was so stunned that he accepted the touch with barely any reservation. The man''s hand felt familiar ¨C just how many times had he done this while he was unconscious, so much so that his body was reacting (or rather, not reacting)?


    "No fever."


    Alec blinked.


    "Hm," his master said, studying him. His face was set in impassivity, but his eyes held a distinct look of relief.


    Nathan made to pick him up, but the boy weakly fought off his hands. The man let out a huff, eyeing his disciple with dissatisfaction and slight chastisement.


    Alec''s smile took on a slightly sheepish edge ¨C which mollified Nathan. This time, when his master tried to pick him up again, he didn''t fight him, but really!


    Was he still going to carry him like a sack of rice! Should it not have been obvious that this was *not* the way to carry a supposedly ''sick'' person?


    There was the click of the door as Gracen entered. She snorted, seeing the scene.


    "Put him down, you heathen! I can''t believe you were going to spirit him away without a single word ¨C and carrying him like that too!"


    Nathan paused, slowly putting Alec back down on the bed. What was wrong with the way he was carrying him? His disciple didn''t say a word of protest!


    Gracen sighed in a long-suffering manner that indicated how lowly she thought of his decision-making skills.


    "You can''t carry a sick person like that!"


    Nathan frowned slightly. "You said he wasn''t sick?"


    Gracen groaned. "I said we don''t know what''s wrong with him, not that he wasn''t sick!"


    "So, he is sick?" Nathan said, clearly focusing on the wrong part of what she''d said.


    Gracen gave up. "What happened to you?" she directed towards Alec instead.


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    Alec shook his head, regretting it when his brain swum alarmingly. He hadn''t figured it out himself. The last thing he''d heard was the Mainframe''s distinctly overlapping and staticky voice ¨C it had been unpleasant, to say the least.


    Nathan''s hand moved slightly, like he was itching to pick up his disciple again.


    Gracen whacked him lightly on the hand. "Bad. Stop."


    Then she wavered at the wounded expression that Nathan was making with his eyes, making her feel like she''d kicked a large dog. "Agh, fine," she said, annoyed. "But carry him properly!"


    "Properly how?"


    The look he received would have cowed lesser men. "Piggyback? Bridal style? Not by how you were picking him up earlier!"


    Alec felt faintly alarmed at the thought of the indignity that would have accompanied being carried bridal style by his master ¨C he didn''t know if he would be able to look the man in the face again after that ¨C but luckily, he was placed on the man''s back instead.


    The man touched him so lightly, as if he was afraid that he would shatter into a million pieces if he was mishandled even the slightest amount.


    Before Gracen could change her mind, Nathan slipped out of the recovery hall with his disciple.


    He moved quickly partly because he preferred to get the boy into his own quarters, and partly because of the feeling he was getting from the boy''s glances ¨C like he''d never live down being caught in such a vulnerable state.


    Alec only didn''t fight the man off because of the way his mind still swum lightly at the thought of movement. He very consciously didn''t press his face into the man''s neck, already feeling disgruntled at his show of vulnerability.


    "Thank you," Alec said calmly. He knew where to give his thanks.


    "Mn."


    Alec was deposited into his new room, which was right beside his master''s ¨C no doubt arranged by the man himself ¨C and given orders to knock on Nathan''s door tomorrow morning after he woke.


    His master gave him one last glance before deciding that he seemed fine ¨C and disappeared ¨C clearly having expended most of his social interactions for the day.


    Alec closed the door, relishing in the privacy after having been caught horribly off guard with both Gracen and Nathan''s presence when his consciousness returned.


    His thoughts were still slightly fuzzy, but not so bad that he would lapse off into unconsciousness just yet.


    There had been something terribly wrong with the way the Mainframe''s voice had echoed in his ears just before he passed out from the sharp lance of pain that had wedged its way into his mind without any warning.


    Alec frowned, safe in the privacy of his room.


    "Mainframe," Alec called out, the taste of the word like ash on his tongue ¨C bitter and burnt.


    But there was no response.


    Alec''s mind paged through the Mainframe''s Rule Book but could not find an instance where this manner of sequences was induced.


    Was he now disconnected from the Mainframe altogether?


    At once, the thought gave him both a feeling of vindication as well as unsettlement. He''d been part of the Mainframe''s circuits for so long that it felt strange to even entertain the thought that he was no longer connected.


    "Just what the fuck happened?" Alec mused aloud.

 Chapter 100 Warmth

    The next day, Alec blinked awake in spite of the lack of sleep he had trying to figure out what was wrong.


    You see ¨C there was something that the Mainframe had set up for those Systems who were doing their duties on a planet. If it was an emergency, they would be able to connect to the Mainframe if they consistently asked for it ten times.


    It was what Alec had tried to do the moment his master had left him to his own devices in his room.


    But that was just the thing ¨C he couldn''t connect to the Mainframe.


    He didn''t hear the Mainframe''s response even once throughout the various calls. This should have constituted as an emergency, which would have responses directly from the Mainframe itself, but nothing.


    Nothing.


    That was, however, supposed to be impossible! No matter where he was on planet Incantix, there was nowhere that the Mainframe was unable to reach ¨C or, at least, that was how it was supposed to be.


    Alec still remembered the Mainframe''s malfunctioning voice as it repeated over and over and incessantly until he passed out. He had no idea how long it had continued after that as well.


    Had something happened to the Mainframe itself? Or was it just his connection with it that was the problem? Was it because of the partial bond that Alec had with his master?


    Alec leaned more towards thinking that something had snapped his connection with the Mainframe ¨C which shouldn''t even be remotely possible.


    But even then, could it really have been because both ''missions'' were completed at the exact same moment?


    Would that really cause such a big malfunction in the Mainframe? Was the Mainframe hacked or something? Did something happen up there, without any warning?


    But that was the Mainframe! The Mainframe! Alec couldn''t emphasize it more. Though he didn''t pretend to understand the kind of processing power that the Mainframe boasted, there shouldn''t have been a problem at all!


    Alec had consistently tried in various ways written in the Mainframe''s Rule Book, but nothing had come of it.


    The sharp jolt of vindication that he felt when he didn''t hear the damn Mainframe''s annoying voice anymore was short lived.


    After that, there was a suffusing and choking darkness that crept up on him. The doubts and apprehension that crept up on him were inky black, leaving their marks as they hooked into his skin.


    What did this mean for him, now that he wasn''t able to connect to the Mainframe?


    What did this mean for him, as a System that followed the Mainframe''s Rule Book to the letter?


    He was here on what constituted as both punishment and suspension. After carrying out his mission, he knew that he would be heading back to the Mainframe''s space where he would continue his duties, but now?


    Was he now¡­ human again?


    The thought was more chilling than he could ever have imagined.


    While Alec had not been treating this as a game, as some transmigtators might have, per se, he now came to the startling realization that he''d been keeping mostly everyone at arm''s length more or less, because he was faced with the knowledge that he would have to leave one day. Whether it be sooner or later.


    Now, he was all too startlingly human.


    There had been no similar incidents such as the one he found himself going through right now. Or, if there were, he was unaware of them.


    Alec had the sneaking suspicion that if he died now, he really would be dead for real. Deader than he''d ever been. No waking up in the Mainframe''s space. Or waking up. Ever.


    He would, just as he should have in his first life, cease to be. His consciousness would be wiped out, and System No. 00290596 would be forgotten by the world. He''d be erased from the Mainframe''s data log, leaving no trace of himself behind in the world.


    Alec felt more human than he had in a long, long time.


    The System let out a little sigh now, accepting the fact quickly.


    Well, he supposed it didn''t really matter. After all, he''d been making logical decisions that wouldn''t have meted his death anyway, which wasn''t a change from what he was going to do now.


    There was always an element of death in whatever he did anyway ¨C just that it was now more permanent than ever.


    As he thought, Alec exited his room, heading outside. Though his master had told him to find him when he woke up, he presumed that meant when the sun had at least come out.


    Right now, it was still dark out, and there were faint twinkling stars above him in the black of the night. The low-hanging clouds that he''d spotted during the day were still there, and their luminance in the night sky painted the sky with different colours, fading in and out.


    So, it wasn''t the way the sun hit the clouds that caused that particular effect like he''d observed.


    Alec shrugged it off all uncertainties that he had been carrying earlier, not bothering himself with depression as one might have expected, then brightened up.


    This meant he no longer had to fulfil his mission from the Mainframe! And that was good news. This meant he was also not under the damn OOC anymore, wasn''t it? He could freely glare at whoever he wanted to now!


    Now that the chains were off, he suddenly felt like he''d sprouted wings.


    The cold bite of the night air brushed against his cheeks, and as Alec held a spread-out hand to the moon, the wind whistled its way through his fingers.


    Alec was alive.


    More alive than he''d allowed himself to be in a while.


    There was a faint rustling sound behind him as his master announced his presence.


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    Alec had sensed his presence but was happy to pretend like he hadn''t since the man hadn''t seemed like he was about to say anything until now.


    Alec turned around, smiling genuinely, his good mood infecting his smile. "Master."


    "How''s your status?" Nathan asked, and ¨C


    Of course, just like how Alec had grown comfortable in his immediate degradation into humanity, the world liked to prove him wrong.


    A white, translucent screen popped up before him, startling him badly.


    Alec stared at it for all of one second before he waved it away before his eyes could focus on the words there.


    "I feel fine, master," Alec said politely. The man had, after all, been so concerned that Alec couldn''t bring himself to keep the other at arm''s length.


    Nathan nodded. "Let me show you around," he said, picking up and placing Alec on his back like Gracen had suggested yesterday.


    Alec stiffened and closed his eyes briefly, shoving down the annoyance of being treated like a kid. Bad Alec, this was his master now. A master was like a father for a lifetime, and Alec aspired to treat the man that way, so he relaxed in the hold.


    At least it wasn''t bridal style carry, even if it was utterly demeaning.


    Alec inwardly cursed that he wasn''t allowed to go back and figure out what the fuck just happened there ¨C it looked like something similar to the screens that he''d used often back when he was doing his job as a System.


    But he supposed it could wait for now.


    His master''s back was wide, and he was warm.

 Chapter 101 MC Radar

    In the sanctity of his room once again, Alec finally allowed himself to feel tired.


    He''d been introduced to so many people that it made his skin feel like it was crawling with the unexpected social interactions.


    There was only so much he could take before he snapped, and it seemed like his master agreed, which was why the both of them now retired to their own rooms.


    Allowing himself to gracelessly thump onto the padding that served as his mattress out on the floor, Alec stared up at the ceiling blankly before hauling himself up.


    There wasn''t any time for him to waste being tired when he still hadn''t figured out the situation he found himself in.


    Was he still human, or wasn''t he?


    While he had certainly believed so before his master''s fateful words, there was a part of him that apparently been sceptical that was the case.


    He dreaded what the screen said, but there was no getting around it. He would feel more uneasy if he just ignored it.


    Nothing else to it.


    He''d just have to get to it.


    "Status," Alec said. There was no other word that would have triggered the screen, so that had to be it.


    On cue, the exact same translucent screen appeared before him.


    Alec already knew that it was intangible, but still waved his hand through it. Since his master hadn''t said anything about the screen earlier, that meant that he was the only one who was able to see it.


    That took a load off his mind. It would be a lot harder trying to hide it every time someone said the word ''status'' if that wasn''t so.


    Now taking the time to read it, Alec surprised himself with how calmly he was taking this, considering that he had all but accepted the inevitable fact that he was human.


    [Name: Alecris Aeden Neil]


    [Designated Authority: System No.00290596]


    [System Authority: Elemental]


    [Points: 608,980]


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    [System''s System]


    [System Type: Gentle Looking]


    Alec stared. That was¡­ that was a lot of points.


    Alec attributed it to the fact that the Mainframe had seemingly malfunctioned while it was supposed to be giving him the equivalent of 600 points in total. With the number of times it repeated¡­ a thousand and fourteen times?


    But would the Mainframe really malfunction just because of this? It wasn''t logical by any stretch! There had to be something more to this. Something he wasn''t seeing.


    "Mainframe?" Alec tried again. There was no response.


    There wasn''t anything special about the first couple of points that popped out on the screen, but the second and last point was something that he''d never seen before.


    Alec tapped on [System Type: Gentle Looking] and cursed, because he swore that was the Mainframe''s damn restriction on him, but it was greyed out, which meant that he was unable to do anything about it.


    The one good thing about being disconnected from the Mainframe was ripped away from him! Just how long would it take for him to be able to disable that? If ever? But still, there seemed to be hope for now. Would an increase in authority give him that right?


    Giving up and tapping lightly on the second last point, [System''s System], it opened up to a new screen, the previous one blurring out.


    [Main Character Page]


    [Main Character Radar: ON]


    [System Reinforcement]


    [System Shop]


    [Faction]


    Alec stiffened, then immediately clicked the [Main Character Page].


    The screen expanded, showing him a list of names.


    [Tatiana Neil]


    [Elias Neil]


    [Cyrus Neil]


    [Zacharias Neil]


    [Lily Cierra]


    [Hong Jun]


    [Dietrich Rothschild]


    [Kieran Rothschild]


    Alec immediately let out a strangled sound that he wouldn''t ever have let anyone else hear, but he was safe in the silence of his room, so he didn''t stop the strangled sound from leaking out.


    He felt like cursing. Just when had Main Characters become so common that he''d already found so many of them?


    He''d been *surrounded* by Main Characters!


    It wasn''t that he hadn''t an inkling about that, considering the things that they appeared to be going through, whether it be the situation they were in, or ¨C well. Bluntly put, they were all stunning in their looks. Like a Main Character usually was.


    There were many things that he saw as he was trying to figure out the Mainframe''s Mission, but he had eventually struck them off the list specifically because the Mainframe said that ''he would know when he saw them''.


    Alec frowned before he tried clicking on one of the names.


    [Tatiana Neil]


    [Status: Alive, Healthy]


    [Potential: 9]


    [Intelligence: 8]


    [Luck: 8]


    [Determination: 9]


    The System frowned, thinking. That was pretty bare, but at least he knew that she was alive. She currently scored a 34 out of 40, which was quite high.


    The Mainframe liked to digitize things in 10''s.


    If he considered that ''5'' was the base of an average person, then Tatiana''s stats were what would give her a shot at excelling if she put in enough work.


    Still, was that it? What was the point of him seeing this page if there wasn''t anything else to go along with it? Could he not influence her path somehow?


    Alec''s eyes caught on a greyed-out point at the bottom. [Plot Route], which was barely visible. Alec had a feeling he had to upgrade his system authority if he wanted to do anything more.


    Alec played around with the rest of the tabs, getting a feel of the [System''s System] as it was apparently called.


    Clicking on the [Main Character Radar], it expanded to show him a small map of where he was currently, the green dot in the middle. There were a few blinking yellow dots further, and two green dots, which he clicked.


    The two green dots were Kieran and Dietrich, who were moving around.


    Then, the blinking yellow dots were potential Main Characters.


    Interesting.


    But, why did he need a System of his own? Though the System wasn''t sentient, why did he have it? Considering that he himself was a System, having another System was ¨C Alec''s mind was going in circles.


    The [System Reinforcement] tab showed him a detailed map of his current body, and the parts where he had already Awakened, which was convenient since he was able to see his various additional effects and bonds.


    Useful.


    [System Shop] sold things using points.


    They were all temporary items, which disappeared after use. 50 points for a strength boosting potion that lasted 10 minutes, 100 points for a potion that let him increase the draw of magic into himself at a boosted rate for an hour.


    Things like that. They might seem like they cost just a few points now, but considering that before this, Alec only had 580 points to his name, that told you the truth about how point-hungry this damn [System''s System] was!


    Late into the night, Alec waved off the interface, crawling under the blankets.


    Just what did this mean for him now?


    Still, he couldn''t help but feel like he had a bit of a duty now to these Main Characters that he''d apparently ''recruited'' to his faction.


    They were all people that he kept close to him, so it wasn''t any trouble on his part helping them out all the same.


    Now, all he had to do was continue trying his best to raise his magic ranking.

 Chapter 102 Solitary Confinement Peak

    When the sun reappeared in the sky, Alec took the chance to try and approach one of the stationary blinking yellow lights in the [Main Character Radar] that he saw was still in the same position as the day before.


    Frankly, it still annoyed him that there were so many Main Characters around him. By this point, it had become apparent that they were Main Characters because they had somewhat of a plotline going on.


    He didn''t know if it was because they had been influenced by the things that Alec was doing, or if it was just set up that way by the Mainframe, but he was annoyed by how he let himself gloss over them since he didn''t think they were the ones.


    Alec had been an idiot to think that there would only be one Main Character for Incantix. Though it wasn''t ordinary, there had been cases where there were two or three Main Characters in the same region.


    Of course, they then usually ended up facing each other as rivals or an archnemesis, which quite obviously wasn''t happening here, so Alec just felt more and more befuddled when he thought about it.


    Just think about it! Wasn''t it weird that there were so many Main Characters around him already! What were they? Radishes? Or was he just some sort of Main Character magnet?


    It didn''t make any sense!


    Heading outside, there were much more people than he saw yesterday with his master.


    Some of the older disciples stared at him blankly before whispering to their friends about how he saw the one that the elder had carried around on his back.


    Alec felt like he was going to burst from the embarrassment and annoyance that suffused him! Ah, he''d told his master to put him down when they were about to meet people, but the man had refused to do so!


    It was one part endearing how the man was obviously doting on him, and one part annoying that he showed the doting to everyone else!


    All he wanted to do was bury his face in his hands and scream, but instead he smiled at them, causing them to shut up.


    Alec gave up. What was embarrassment. With this smile, it wasn''t like they could tell it affected him anyway.


    Alec pulled up the [Main Character Radar] and followed it.


    Heading down the mountain, he took the chance to take in the sights that he''d been too distracted to yesterday.


    There were disciples of various ages wandering around carrying out inter-sect missions, while also those that were having hanging around chatting and laughing instead.


    Alec stared lightly before his eyes tracked back to the peak that the array division called their own. There were so many more disciples that were coming down and up from the other peaks that his own looked dilapidated instead.


    He had to wonder whether it was just the array division, or if there were other peaks that were facing the same thing as well.


    Currently, there were thirteen peaks with elders that specialized in various things, whether it be fighting styles or magic specialties.


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    In the light of day, the colours that painted the sect made it seem like something out of a fantasy novel. He wondered what effects the low-hanging clouds that were ever-present had.


    Alec followed the [Main Character Radar] without giving anything away.


    He pretended like he was just wandering around, which wasn''t out of place for a new disciple of Heavenly Ascension.


    He wasn''t the only one going around exploring. He spotted maybe another ten going around in twos or threes and instantly classified them as those who had entered into the inner disciples that had made it in on either talent or catching an elder''s eye.


    The path that Alec followed slowly tapered off, and the disciples that had been so common along the routes similarly decreased, until there was no one left.


    Alec was left outside of a deserted area, where there was only a single disciple lounging around outside.


    Alec''s eyebrows shot up.


    Here?


    He scanned the area, and there wasn''t even a building. The one other disciple that was yawning and blinking, dazed, was stationed outside what looked like a cave.


    He was now at the base of a mountain, but there were no footpaths or footholds leading up.


    As far as he could see, there weren''t any buildings on this particular peak at all, even though there were still the staple colourful iridescent clouds around it.


    Checking the [Main Character Radar] again, he was sure that this was the place.


    Alec walked forward to ask the disciple that looked like he was just about falling asleep here, feeling a large spike of anger at the disciple''s nonchalant and lazy attitude, annoyed.


    But still, he didn''t say anything since he was technically fishing for information.


    "Excuse me, senior brother," Alec said, but not before making sure that his smile was working properly and not showing any of his annoyance.


    The lazy disciple groaned. Marc wasn''t pleased that his naptime was being interrupted by someone.


    Cracking open an eye, he stared at the young boy, blinking sleepiness out of his eyes.


    "What?" he drawled, on the verge of going back to sleep again.


    Even the sight of the gentle smile on the kid''s face did nothing for him. His eyes drifted close again unintentionally, but it wasn''t long before he jerked, a chill running up his spine.


    Now completely awake, Marc cautiously looked around to see where the danger was coming from.


    However, he didn''t see anything. Frowning lightly, Marc looked at the young disciple that just had to be new to the sect.


    There was nothing out of place.


    In fact, being hit with the young boy''s smile made him feel like someone had chucked a bunch of flowers into his face. Like that one time where a junior sister disciple shoved a bouquet of flowers in his face.


    Alec reigned in the temper that usually got the best of him ¨C surprisingly, it was easier now that he''d had more practice doing so, but he attributed it to the lack of moronic transmigrators ¨C since the disciple looked like he was awake enough to answer his questions now.


    "What''s on this peak?" Alec asked as politely as his temper would allow him. It was already a miracle that he hadn''t lost it seeing how the other was so obviously slacking off. His magic was stagnant and lulled, reflecting the state that the older disciple was in, so he wasn''t meditating or anything.


    He forgot how annoyed seeing someone like that made him. It was arguably his biggest pet peeve and never failed to put him in a bad mood.


    "Ah," Marc drawled, scratching his cheek. He slumped back down, seeing no immediate danger here. "This is the place where the sect keeps those who are undergoing solitary confinement."


    Alec eyed the seemingly sole entrance of the place. It looked dark and musty inside from the bare minimum he could see.


    "What''s your name?" Marc asked the disciple. Though he didn''t think the young boy could possibly be a spy for the sect, he would still take precautions first rather than being careless with it.


    Though he got easy points being here, he would rather not be blamed for something like a prison break or murder.


    "¡­Alecris, under Elder Nathan''s care."


    "Oh," Marc said, his eyes fluttering shut again. "Bye then." His dismissal was blatant.


    Alec stared at the disciple who immediately drifted back to sleep, feeling a tic develop.


    One of the Main Characters was inside there, but did he really want to do it?


    Alec frowned. If they were being punished with solitary confinement, what was their personality like?

 Chapter 103 Solitary Confinement Peak II

    Reaching the mission board, which his master had explained to him briefly yesterday, Alec wondered if there was anything that would allow him to have closer contact with the solitary confinement area.


    Since that lazy disciple had been there, it couldn''t be a job that many people wanted or fought over.


    There were recurring missions, one-time missions, long duration missions¡­ anything that needed help was up there.


    From S to D rank difficulty, the points were awarded according to the ranking level. Money was not used within the sect, which was why the disciples were all desperate for points.


    Today was no exception in that respect.


    Disregarding outer sect disciples, who had their own mission board, the inner sect disciples had a separate board.


    While outer sect disciples had things like chopping wood or feeding livestock, inner sect disciples had missions along the line of tending medicinal plants or going on short trips out of the sect to take care of missions.


    Outer sect disciples weren''t allowed to leave the sect at all, and less leeway within the sect altogether, which was why they worked harder to be admitted as an inner disciple.


    Once again, Alec was relieved that he had accepted his master''s offer, though he had wavered slightly upon forming the (completely) unexpected bond with the man.


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    If he could, he would rather skip the tedious process of collecting a small amount of points then taking part in the once a year competition that would allow them a chance to elevate. While he wouldn''t have complained if he did have to do that, since he was able to skip it, he would have been a fool not to.


    Alec stared seriously at the mission board, ignoring the rest of the disciples that were coming and going.


    In fact, he was so engrossed that he never noticed the fingers and whispers that were pointed at him.


    Word had already spread quickly about Elder Nathan''s direct disciple ¨C as it was bound to within a sect. While some were jealous about his good luck, others wanted to get on his good side to reap a few benefits.


    Even though the array division was the peak with the least number of disciples, they were an integral part of the sect that could not be disregarded. Just like the medicinal division, these disciples couldn''t be offended lightly.


    The array division disciples were only let out to do missions once they had a certain proficiency in their craft, which meant that they had saved numerous lives, numerous times.


    Thus, the disciples that wanted to take advantage all waited to see what his temperament was like.


    Coincidentally, Melanie, who was here with her two long-time followers, Austin, the blue-haired boy, and Reuben, the blond, glanced lightly at Alec, who was seriously staring at the board.


    She turned her head and concentrated on the board as well.


    She would work her way up to be a direct disciple as well, if it was the last thing she did. The elders of the Citrine Clan would regret throwing them away.


    Alec finally spotted it; his eyes gleaming.


    Taking note of the number, Alec lodged the number in his sect token.


    The sect token was terribly convenient.


    It could send messages between other sect tokens, locate, and register mission numbers as well. It also served as a life-token, where a barrier would appear should a possible killing blow be struck upon them.


    Like he said, terribly convenient.


    Not only that, it was made with a complex array that had been shrunk down to fit onto the token himself. Alec already itched to take the array apart, but his master said that he wasn''t able to handle it just yet and had to work his way up.


    Then, Alec reported to the mission hall, which had approved of his mission request.


    Usually he didn''t need to do this, but because it was a long term mission within the sect, there were more directions that were required.


    An older disciple took him aside to brief him on what was expected for the mission, shooting him sympathising looks the whole time. There was hardly anyone who ever wanted to do this mission, even if the points were decent. Mainly because of the people who were stuck inside.


    Only the new disciples ever took it, but they always gave up soon enough. The only disciple who consistently took the job was Marc, who liked to laze off.


    "All you have to do is go in at least two times a day to deliver meals to those who are in solitary confinement. If they threaten you, just ignore it. Get the meals from the medicinal division''s dining hall. If you talk to the chef, they''ll prepare the food for you. You can start today or tomorrow." The elder disciple paused. "If you want to stop, you have to give at least a week''s advanced notice."


    Alec nodded and thanked him politely, leaving.


    The elder disciple waved him off and shed a tear in his heart for the gentle-looking disciple. He wondered just how long this one would last.


    Alec headed back to Solitary Confinement Peak, which, was a fair enough description of the peak, he supposed, but still ¨C


    Marc was still sleeping there by the time he got back, and Alec felt a tic form from his annoyance at how easily the other was taking his job. The other disciple that briefed him told him that Marc was guarding the place practically on his own.


    "Senior disciple Marc," Alec said, making sure to keep his voice uniform.


    Marc stirred lightly, rubbing his eyes. He swiped at the side of his mouth and looked blearily at Alec. "Hey, hey. Wait, why are you here again?"


    "I took the mission to provide food."


    "Oh," the lazy teen said, before blinking as his brain filtered the words. "Another poor soul. Listen, if they give you any problems, you tell me, alright?" he said seriously, placing a hand on Alec''s shoulder.


    Alec was taken by such surprise that the elder disciple was more decent than he thought that he forgot to dodge the hand that landed on his shoulder ¨C the same hand that he swiped at his mouth with ¨C ugh.


    Don''t get Alec wrong. He still hated the slacking off that the disciple did with a burning passion, but he supposed that he wasn''t all that unredeemable.


    Marc finally stood up properly, stretching. The yawn that leaked out of his mouth was unintentional, but he didn''t do anything to stop it, unabashed.


    Alec''s brow twitched.


    "Come on. I''ll take you on a tour, then."


    The two disciples headed deeper into the cave.


    Alec''s brows furrowed lightly. The smell in here was musty and mouldy smell that gave the overall feeling of uncleanliness. The state of this place was utterly unacceptable.


    If it was this dirty on the outside already, then what was it like on the inside?


    The hallway continued down, only lit by dim lights in the ceiling. The floor was covered with dirt and mud, and the walls were dusty.


    "There are a lot of ''rooms'' inside, but not all of them are used. Currently, about twelve are being used. The rest are just in case we need them. Since they''re in here for long stretches of time, sometimes they go a little crazy."


    Alec really wanted to frown now, but he didn''t because regardless of how many points he had now, they would deplete quickly if he kept breaking character.


    The ''doors'' were some sort of black-grey metal that were built from top to bottom, no signs of a gap anywhere. There was a small, barred window that were laden with tags on them to prevent the prisoners from escaping.


    The [Main Character Radar] showed that he was nearing one of the potential Main Characters, and screens popped up the nearer they got.


    Alec dismissed them, eyeing the door that he was at now.


    Marc led them back out. "And, that''s about it."


    The elder disciple scrutinised Alec''s face. "Huh. You''re tougher than I thought, if you''re still smiling."


    Alec immediately felt annoyed at the presumption about his apparent ''weakness'' but stayed silent. He repeatedly told himself not to lash out. The other was just a teen. He was still a kid. A kid.


    Marc waved him off and slumped back down, once again going back to his sleep.


    The tic that Alec felt developing was growing, and Alec clenched his fist. Just one punch¡­ he would whip the other into shape. Just¡­ one punch. That was all he needed.

 Chapter 104 Food Collection

    Alec got up bright and early the next day, ready for his job.


    Following the instructions from the older disciple that had briefed him yesterday, Alec headed towards the medicinal division''s dining hall.


    He was on the medicinal division''s peak, but he didn''t know where to go.


    There were sprawling fields with various herbs that he saw growing around. Alec eyed them and itched to get nearer to take a closer look, but he didn''t think that would be taken to kindly.


    Finally, he spotted a disciple that was carrying a large bucket of water, struggling as he walked on the beaten footpath beneath his feet.


    With light green hair and dark blue eyes, the disciple looked serene as he hummed lightly in the darkness.


    There was hardly anyone around, and the only reason why the darkness of the sky didn''t cause him any trouble was the fact that he had Awakened his vision recently, thus allowing him to see perfectly fine with the aid of the moonlight and the clouds.


    The same, however, could not be said for any other disciples that had come out this early.


    That was why, when Alec approached the disciple in the near darkness, calling out, "Senior brother, where is the dining hall?" Alec''s habitually silent footsteps worked against him then, because the elder disciple cried out an upended the entire bucket that had been clutched in his hands all over himself.


    "Venom Flying Bats!" the disciple blurted out as a curse, his heart beating a mile a minute.


    The older disciple, who now clutched a very empty bucket of water looked very waterlogged, freezing.


    Alec felt embarrassed since he forgot to alert the other to his presence. He forgot that his night vision was a lot better than a normal person''s.


    "Ah, my apologies," Alec said, pulling out a large towel and handing it to the older disciple. He also handed over a change of clothes from his spatial dimension.


    Alec flicked an array that he''d already mastered at the poor disciple, which dried him off ¨C well, mostly dried him off.


    The disciple clutched the towel, stunned.


    "May I inquire where the dining hall is?" Alec said, injecting a bit of urgency in his voice so that the disciple would be more inclined to respond.


    Still out of sorts, the older disciple pointed in the direction of a building, and Alec hastily thanked him before fleeing.


    The disciple, who had been absentmindedly wiping himself dry, only to realize that he was already dry, then wondered if he''d been hallucinating because he was tired. He stopped, angrily chucking the towel on the ground before frowning and picking it back up.


    "Who was that!" Leon''s face darkened. Someone had seen him do something so embarrassing, and he didn''t even manage to catch a glimpse of their face!


    Alec took in the sight of the dining hall. Unlike the other wooden buildings that seemed to populate the rest of the sect, the dining hall was crafted of stone of sorts, and the doors were no doors. In fact, it was more of a pavilion. A giant, long-stretched pavilion.


    Stepping in, Alec was hit in the face with the warm air was contained inside the place, as compared to the breezy coolness of the peak outside.


    Interesting.


    Though there was barely anyone inside besides a few early risers, the dining hall was already well-lit and filled with a fragrant scent that drifted through the hall.


    Alec''s eyes drifted around. There were four tables that stretched from one end to the other, and benches on both sides.


    Alec headed to the back, where he saw a few cooks puttering around with their pots and pans.


    "Good morning," Alec said politely.


    One cook turned around, surprised to see such a young disciple that was already up and ready to eat.


    "Good morning. What would you like?"


    Alec smiled and declined. "Ah, no. I''m here to pick up food for the Solitary Confinement Peak. I was told to come here."


    "Ah," the lady said. "Come ''round back," she said, giving him directions.


    Alec thanked her and followed her instructions.


    Entering a backdoor to the kitchen, the female chef smiled at him, feeling her heart ache at what those monsters at the Solitary Confinement Peak would do to this poor, gentle soul.


    The chefs were all disciples of the sect. Mostly those from the outer disciples, but it gave good points, and a chance to beg for some tips from the other disciples, so they were content.


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    "Ready the food for the Sins!" she called out, and there was an answering chorus of agreement.


    Meanwhile, she piled up a bunch of nutritious food on Alec''s plate, shoving it into his hands.


    Alec blinked.


    "Eat up! You can''t have eaten already if you''re up this early."


    Alec tried to decline, but that only made her put more food onto his plate, so he gave in. It''d be impolite to sneak his Viridian extract here, so he didn''t.


    Alec ate efficiently as the outer disciple talked to him. "It''d help if you gave us a time that you''re going to pick up the food each day."


    Alec thought about it. "If I could pick it up the same time as today, that would help greatly."


    The female disciple/chef nodded. "We can do that," she said, making a note.


    The chef put down the boxed meals that had been prepared, frowning. "You''ll probably have to make a few trips since you can''t carry it all."


    "Thank you, I''m fine."


    Alec picked up all of the boxes and stacked them up, bringing them with him as he flashed a smile at the chef.


    They were so distracted seeing such a young child carry that weight that they forgot any of the advice they were going to give him since it was his first day.


    Alec made his way over to Solitary Confinement Peak without any delays. It was early enough in the morning that he didn''t have any eyes on him, and still dark out that no one could see him.


    Marc was straight up lying on the ground, snoring away, baffling Alec. Did they not have anyone else guarding this place, or what? Why was this older disciple here all the time?


    Alec ignored him, bringing in the breakfast for the twelve stuck in solitary confinement.


    He wondered just what they were like, and why they were stuck in solitary confinement. He still didn''t have a good grasp on the sect''s stance on punishment, so he couldn''t tell how harsh solitary confinement was supposed to be.


    Entering the cave, Alec banged on the first door before placing his hand on the door, which opened based on his magical signature, entering and leaving the meal since the person inside was clearly unresponsive.


    He did so for the rest until he reached the last door, which was, coincidentally, the door that was the furthest in and contained the potential Main Character. The [Main Character Radar] was going crazy with the increased proximity.


    Like the other doors, Alec knocked and entered.


    The screen that popped up let him know the Main Character''s name.


    [Dominique Falren]


    [Potential: 9]


    [Intelligence: 10]


    [Luck: 8]


    [Determination: 10]


    Alec''s eyebrows shot up. Those were the highest stats he''d seen yet!

 Chapter 105 Add One More

    The figure inside was laid out on the bed, breathing lightly.


    Evidently, he wasn''t sleeping, or had at least been awakened by Alec going around knocking on the doors. Dominique was ignoring him.


    There was a shock of silky black hair that framed his face, showing only his side view, but the face was a work of art ¨C chiselled perfection. Even with his eyes shut, he made a strong contrast against the dirt and filth of the place.


    Alec attributed it to the fact that he was a potential Main Character. After all, from what he''d already observed, they were typically unusually handsome or pretty.


    If one day that the [Main Character Radar] stopped working, Alec was sure that he would still be able to search out or at least identify them based on appearance alone.


    Dominique''s breathing was light and airy, as if unwilling to breath too deeply.


    Even in the dimness of the light that flickered outside, through the windows, Alec knew why.


    There were spots of blood that had seeped through his clothing, staining the fabric red. Some of it had dried, flaking slightly, stiff.


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    Alec frowned.


    He had not seen such wounds on the other disciples who were locked up here in solitary confinement. The wounds had to be fresh, with the way they still seemed to be bleeding sluggishly.


    "Get out," Dominique growled, his voice low and gravelly, like he hadn''t had enough water. His voice was hoarse and confrontive, but he never once opened his eyes, treating Alec like he was air.


    Alec raised a brow as the voice instantly pinged every recognition. It hadn''t been that many days since he''d last heard that voice. At that time, Alec had thought that that figure had been a man, but looking at him now, it was obvious that he was still a teenager.


    Alec lightly glanced at the figure, but his eyes were still closed shut, so he placed down the box of food before exiting the room.


    He didn''t seem willing to converse, but that was fine. Alec didn''t think he''d be willing to keep up niceties when he was injured like that too.


    Dominique''s breathing deepened a little, as if he''d slipped back into a fitful sleep upon having the intruder leave his room.


    Alec left and returned shortly with a different box in tow.


    Ignoring the rest of the occupants of Solitary Confinement Peak, he headed straight to Dominique''s ''room''.


    No doubt that this was the man who had been so enraptured by the Ash Phoenix that he looked like he debated staying even when the Blanche had been approaching them.


    He looked completely different now ¨C like the enthusiasm and vigour of life had drained out of him fully. Though Alec had only had a brief meeting with him, the difference between both meetings threw him slightly off balance.


    He''d been expecting many things, but he hadn''t expected that this potential Main Character was someone that he''d already met before.


    Someone seemingly unstable. Then again, circumstances had been shady at best. He still didn''t know why the man had been there at all. At that time, they had come to the conclusion that the masked man had to be working with the Rothschild branch family, but now Alec wasn''t so sure.


    He''d already seen Dominique, and there had been nothing that prompted Alec nor added the man to his list, so there had to be something else that triggered it.


    Alec knocked on Dominique''s door again, and he caught the twitch as he entered.


    A purple eye peeked open to glare at the area around Alec''s foot, the scowl marring his face. "What part of ''get out'' do you not understand?" he said harshly, his eyes slipping back to closed.


    Alec ignored him. He plunked down the box of medical supplies that he kept in his spatial dimension for emergencies.


    "Sorry about this, senior brother," Alec said faux politely.


    "What ¨C"


    Alec peeled back the top half of his robe, drawing out a snarl that sounded more startled than anything.


    Dominique propped himself up on his arm and turned to glare at Alec, only to freeze as his mouth was half open to hurl abusive words.


    Alec met purple eyes steadily even as he continued stripping the clothes from the teenager.


    Dominique half expected that he was hallucinating the Death Whisperer again, only to freeze when the light brushes against his skin sparked the pain from his back that let him know this was no hallucination.


    His thought processes were completely stalled, such that before he realized what was happening, he was already left in his trunks.


    Dominique made a slightly strangled sound ¨C his usual detached state was nowhere to be found right now.


    Alec''s brows furrowed as he took in the various wounds on the Dominique''s body. though concentrated on his back, there were also a few stray ones on his thighs and upper arms.


    Alec pressed him lightly into the bed to stop him from moving, and Dominique struggled lightly, but not enough.


    "Wait- what do you think you''re doing?" Dominique rasped.


    Alec shushed him. He couldn''t believe that the sect would just send him here without at least providing the basics of medical care and changes of bandages. Was this supposed to be some way of additional punishment that was supposed to help him ''reflect''?


    Unacceptable.


    Alec believed that the punishment doled out should never leave marks behind. Leaving scars behind that would bring back whatever trauma usually only served to make them act out more whether it be consciously or subconsciously.


    Bringing out a pan of water, Alec washed his hands thoroughly and disinfected them under Dominique''s startled eyes.


    Alec pressed down on an area that wasn''t wounded to stop him from moving more. "Don''t move," Alec commanded with a smile. His tone was one that expected obedience.


    Dominique kept very still and didn''t fight off Alec''s hold, which would have been telling to anyone who personally knew Dominique, but since Alec didn''t, he just felt surprised that the teen wasn''t fighting him more.


    Dabbing a cloth in water, Alec cleaned the wound with more gentleness than Dominique was expecting, if the way he tensed up was to go by. He let out a grunt.


    The System methodically and systematically cleaned the wounds that had been left behind. Luckily, they were not festering or infected.


    Other than the initial grunt of pain, the rest of the sounds that left the Sin''s mouth were all in the form of curses.


    Gently patting them dry, Alec applied some of the salve that he''d made. This time, the Sin was silent, as if embarrassed about his initial reaction.


    Because they were in a cave, and because Alec hadn''t closed the door, they were more sonorous than he expected, but Alec didn''t say anything because it was better to let it out rather than bottling it all up.


    Dressing the wounds, Alec looked at Dominique''s dazed expression of pain and dressed him in a new set of clothes, taking the old ones with him.


    Alec eyed the teenager. "I''m leaving now," he said in a perfunctory manner.


    [Dominique Falren Intimacy Increase +1000]


    [Dominique Falren Intimacy MAX]


    [Dominique Falren added to Main Character Page]


    Well, that was easier than he thought.


    "Thank you," Dominique said quietly.

 Chapter 106 One Poor, Misguided Soul

    Yuki sat in his cell in Solitary Confinement Peak and thought to himself. Besides the first recovery where he had truly been through some hellish pain, it wasn''t so bad. He''d been stuck in here for about a year now.


    He had food, water, ''shelter'' and was able to continue bettering himself in seclusion where hardly anyone disturbed him.


    Yeah, it wasn''t so bad.


    Even if he was stuck in this place where there was hardly any light, he''d tentatively talked to the various inhabitants that were stuck here with him to pass the time and had made friends.


    It was no secret that Sins didn''t quite get along, with their proclivity to using violence to solve problems, but stuck here in this hole with even less entertainment, it was no surprise that they''d gotten around to talking.


    With the added bonus that Yuki couldn''t hurt people inside here, it suited him just fine.


    The new disciple around the block had just brought them their meals ¨C the previous one had quit because the new round of disciples had filtered into the sect, glad to be finally rid of the burden of taking care of the Sins ¨C Yuki habitually ignored them as best he could lest he lose control over his urges again.


    While Yuki did like fighting, he didn''t like the loss of control over himself once the situation escalated to violence. It was hard to stop once he started.


    It usually happened whenever someone looked at him funny or cowered in front of him. Something about that just set off his primal urges that Sins were apparently supposed to have in spades.


    In uncertain terms, it felt like something inside his head strongly urged him to resort to violence as the most logical course of action, egging him on to fight, fight, fight!


    The lust for violence was something that he''d tried to abstain from before, but that only made things worse in the long run.


    He''d got up shortly after being left the breakfast meal. Though it was dim in here, there was still some semblance of light that shone from outside the bars. He could never tell the time, but his body clock was accurate.


    Mostly when he got hungry.


    8am, 12pm, 7pm. His body was accurate like that.


    But he wasn''t hungry now, so he didn''t know what time it was.


    There was further banging down the way as the new disciple went through the motions of presenting food to the rest of them stuck in here.


    Yuki bit lightly on the spoon, eating, nonetheless. It usually tasted better when it was still hot.


    "Get out," came Dominique''s unique raspy voice, filled with threat and annoyance.


    Yuki inwardly lamented about how, yet another disciple was going to be chased off soon.


    He expected that just like the rest of the disciples that took up Solitary Confinement Peak duty, they would leave very quickly after presenting the food, so when Yuki heard the footsteps that passed shortly after going in and out of the various ''rooms'', he wasn''t surprised.


    With Dominique''s prickly personality at the best of times, there were no shortage of terrified disciples. Even if he couldn''t use his magic, he was still vaguely frightening.


    He was, however, surprised when the same set of purposely loud footsteps ¨C he appreciated the warning; it was very polite ¨C came back around again.


    The footsteps were marginally heavier now. Carrying something heavier than the food boxes?


    The Sin cocked his head as he listened. It wasn''t like there was anything else for him to do.


    The footsteps stopped around Dominique''s room, where he heard the banging knock on the prickly teenager''s door, and the harsh grating of metal swinging open.


    Yuki absently spooned more soup into his mouth as he tried to picture what was going on.


    He heard the low rasp of Dominique''s voice, always raspy and hoarse like he hadn''t spoken for years ¨C no doubt he was telling off the poor disciple to ''get out'' like he always did whenever he was in a bad mood.


    Not that he couldn''t understand his bad mood. One hundred lashes from the disciplinary whip was pretty harsh, and the pain lingered for months. In fact, they hurt like a bitch even when they''d healed up. He still got phantom aches whenever it rained.


    Yuki was pretty sure he still had the scar marks from them, even if he couldn''t see it right now. He tried his best not to think about it.


    So, while Yuki felt for the new disciple, it wasn''t like he didn''t understand Dominique''s desire to be left alone, so he just sat back and prepared to have some drama with his breakfast.


    Sure enough, the resulting growls from the teen echoed throughout the caves, followed by sounds of¡­ Yuki squinted, trying to hear better.


    Sounds of clothes¡­ ripping?


    "What -"


    More rustling sounds.


    "Wait- what do you think you''re doing?" Dominique''s signature raspy voice.


    "Don''t move." The voice sounded like the milky tones of a child, but the note of command in it startled him.


    There was the resulting single grunt of pain and a long period of silence. The silence was more damning than any cries of pain could have been, and the following curses caused him to flinch.


    Yuki''s spoon clattered, clanging in his bowl as he lost control of it. He felt horrified. What was he hearing right now??


    Was Dominique¡­ getting some right now?! On the receiving end?! Was the world ending?!


    Yuki made a low sound of disbelieving shock, scrambling off the bed.


    "Rosabel!" Yuki hissed, tiptoeing to peer out from the bars.


    "What!" Rosabel hissed back, but there was a shaken quality to her voice that suggested he wasn''t mishearing anything.


    Their eyes met across the cave.


    "Oh my stars, Bel! Is Dominque being attacked?!"


    "¡­ Maybe they''re just having some fun¡­"


    Yuki was quiet for a moment as he strained his ears to hear more.


    "Does that sound like fun to you!?" Yuki hissed back. "Is this consensual or not?!"


    There were a few sloshing sounds, followed by Dominique''s slightly strangled sounds. Yuki shuddered. Just who was that person, that they could put *Dominique* into such a state?


    That was Dominique Falren, who was arguably the highest on the Sin scale in the sect!


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    Dear stars, what was happening?


    Yuki didn''t know how long it went on before Dominique''s growls of pain tapered off.


    "I''m leaving now," the new disciple said, and Yuki held his breath.


    His thoughts had completely gone down the gutter ¨C how was Dominique getting some when they were in solitary confinement? Then again ¨C wasn''t the Sin the one on the receiving end?!


    Yuki laughed lightly ¨C almost hysterically ¨C at the thought.


    "Thank you," came Dominique''s low, slightly embarrassed voice, and Yuki might have to stab himself in the brain to get that memory out of his head now. Dominique being shy and shit!


    No, no, no. This couldn''t be happening. Yuki wanted to bleach this memory from his brain ¨C right now.


    The door to Dominique''s room clanged shut, and the footsteps echoed down the hallway like a haunting grim reaper.


    Yuki clapped a hand over his mouth, his heartbeat all but stuttering when the steps stopped outside his door. He backed away from the bars before the footsteps remotely approached him, hiding himself under the covers of his bed.


    Bang, bang, bang!


    Yuki''s heart did its best to escape out of his chest when the door creaked open.


    The sight of the child''s young body and frame, coupled with his sweet voice when he said, "Hello senior brother," terrified him like nothing had before.


    "G-go away," Yuki hissed out valiantly.


    He would not be taken today! Over his dead body!


    "I''m afraid not," the disciple said calmly, smiling at him. While it would have been gentle and soothing in any other situation, Yuki was already highly freaked out by his presence, so his smile looked more like a beckon of death.


    Yuki chucked his pillow at the figure, gasping. "Away, beast!"


    Before he could react, there was a hand that latched onto his leg, ripping a scream from him.


    "NOooooooooo!"


    He wondered if he imagined the smile that kicked up a notch on the boy''s face, but he was summarily dragged from the bed and out the door kicking and screaming. Unfortunately, he still had the bands on which meant that while he was able to practice his magic, it wasn''t able to be discharged from his body.


    "Stop! Leave me! Rosabel, help!"


    "Yuki!"


    Yuki was dragged down the hallway, away from the light and past Dominique''s door, terror suffusing him.

 Chapter 107 More effort... Put more back into it!

    Alec really didn''t know what they were all screaming about, but he felt like he had a faint idea. To be fair, it was pretty funny.


    Though, when the few of them had come back from their baths all but catatonic and without any further screaming, some of them should have clued in. But still, that didn''t discount him feeling like he was wrangling a bunch of unwilling toddlers to take their bath.


    Honestly, shouldn''t they have grown out of this kind of behaviour already? They were all filthy! Alec couldn''t stand it. He''d already scrubbed his hands at least ten times. They should''ve quietened down when they saw that he brought them to the bath area, but instead they were more vigilant.


    Mark his words, he was going to give that older disciple a piece of his mind.


    If he had so much time to slack off and sleep, then he could help out and train harder!


    Ugh. Just thinking about it got him all annoyed.


    Actually, the way the Sins all gawked in disbelief when he brought them to the bathroom for a shower was honestly kind of funny. Now that they already knew where he brought them, the next time around wouldn''t have such dramatic reactions.


    While it may have been part of his annoyance that the entire place was just filthy (including the inhabitants) he was also a bit thrown off how easy it had been to add Dominique to the Main Character Page, so he''d been working through it by using the other twelve to distract himself.


    Alec dumped a bunch of cleaning supplies inside their rooms when they were still out of it from being wrangled to have a bath.


    Then, he went outside and eyed Marc, who was now spread out on the grass. He felt the tic that had disappeared form again seeing the drool at the corner of his mouth.


    Alec dropped a heavy bucket onto his stomach, his annoyance dissipating slightly when the older boy woke up with a "Bwuh?!".


    "Wake up, senior brother. You have to help me." If the smile on Alec''s face was slightly more malicious than usual, no one would have believed Marc.


    Marc groaned; his mind sluggish. "What¡­"


    Before he knew it, he''d been swept up in Alec''s pace. He hardly knew what he was doing.


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    By the time he realized that something was wrong, he was already donning cleaning garb, sluggishly scrubbing at the walls.


    Marc paused. "???" What was he doing right now instead of his carefree life?


    Alec strode past him with a purpose. "Put more back into it!"


    Marc instinctively put more strength into his scrubbing.


    The younger boy kept barking orders at him, and if his tone was too similar to his master''s that Marc reflexively followed orders, that was not his fault.


    It was only when he was done that he felt the conflicting mix of emotions. This was not what he had signed up for this morning.


    "Hey," Marc said to Alec, "This isn''t part of my job description, you know-"


    Alec turned and smiled, and it was so saccharine and sweet that Marc shuddered and shut his mouth, feeling very real chills run rampant through his body.


    He wondered if he''d been wrong about the younger disciple ¨C he evidently wasn''t just sunshine and roses, if this was how he usually was.


    "Yessir. Shutting my mouth now."


    By the mid-afternoon, Marc was ready to just pass out and collapse¡­ and never wake up ever again if it meant that he didn''t need to see this little demon anymore.


    The Sins were more docile today than he''d ever seen them, and he wondered if it was something Alec did to them. It may be a bit vindictive, but Marc was glad that he wasn''t the only one who was suffering from the smaller boy''s tyrannical treatment.


    He had no idea why he couldn''t refuse the boy. Marc briefly wondered if it was time for him to hand in his resignation for this long-term job.


    Marc slumped on the clean, clean ground, leaning on the equally clean wall, and just about fell asleep right then and there.


    -


    Alec huffed seeing the teen all but pass out after the short cleaning they had. He wasn''t done yet, but he supposed it was good enough for the first day. He would just have to slowly train this older disciple¡­


    As if hearing his thoughts, Marc shivered lightly.


    There was a strange sort of pleasure he obtained from making an obvious slacker work. In fact, it was quite satisfying in a strange way. He would probably be doing this a lot now ¨C as long as he was still doing this mission for the sect, that was.


    He really wanted to do something about this ¨C it was clearly inefficient in making the Sins ''reflect'' on their behaviour, which he was sure that solitary confinement was playing a part in as well.


    No one suffered punishment like this and came out without trauma of some sorts.


    However, even if he wanted to, there was no way for him to change anything as of yet. He had no authority, nor did he have any achievements to his name.


    As Alec thought about the problem, he stepped out of the cave, greeted by the warmth of the afternoon sun.


    There was a figure standing in front of Solitary Confinement Peak, staring blankly at the entrance.


    Alec raised his eyebrows, wondering who this was.


    When their eyes met, Alec was struck with the familiar shade of purple eyes. The moment they exchanged a glance, the [Main Character Radar] that had been silent immediately started blaring warnings.


    The figure that had been locking eyes with him turned away, their cloak sweeping in a dramatic arc before he strode away. Though their eye contact had only been a brief moment, Alec was hit by the sheer intensity in the man''s eyes that seemed to radiate from him naturally.


    He possessed a presence that demanded attention ¨C like he would walk into a room, and all eyes would naturally fall upon him ¨C and he wielded it with a grace and ease that spoke of practice that had sunk bone-deep.


    His eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn''t been able to read any of the man''s body language since it had been covered under the cloak, but from his face, it seemed that he was feeling sentimental¡­ and sad.


    [Dorian Falren]


    [Potential: 9]


    [Intelligence: 10]


    [Luck: 9]


    [Determination: 10]


    Alec sucked in a breath. Looks like the apple didn''t fall too far from the tree indeed.


    This should be Dominique''s father ¨C wait.


    Dorian Falren. Wasn''t that the current sect leader?!


    Alec could have whacked himself for being dense. They even had the same surname. How had he let that slip by him?


    The System clicked his tongue in amazement. What were the chances of both father and son being Main Characters? Genes were terrifying.


    On the other hand, he couldn''t see where Dorian could go from here on up, unless he was the type of Main Character that only started their story late. By all accounts, his story ''plot'' should have ended already considering he was sitting in the seat of Sect Master.


    Interesting.


    So, the [Main Character Radar] didn''t only alert him to potential Main Characters, but also those that had already finished their story?


    Alec was suddenly burning with curiosity ¨C what else would he find out from [System''s System]? He had to hurry up and increase his magical capacity.

 Chapter 108 Luckily Theysre Not Rings

    Alec was in the middle of practice drawing out an array when his master entered the room.


    Nathan stood at the side quietly, studying the array that was slowly taking place under the hands of his talented disciple.


    Each line was drawn with precision and detail ¨C not one bit was out of place.


    Nathan felt a complicated mix of joy and sadness. He''d hoped that he would be able to be more hands-on with his disciple, but defying all expectations, Alecris was already proficient and skilled in the art of calligraphy.


    Now what did he do, when he couldn''t use his own master''s teaching techniques on his first disciple?


    Nathan had been happy when the boy said that his calligraphy was ''sufficient'', but when Nathan sat him down to show him, he couldn''t find any faults at all!


    Each word looked like they''d been crafted and painted with utmost time and care, showing the exquisite flowing script¡­ but Alecris finished writing that in under a minute!


    No one would have believed him when he said that. Nathan knew that at Alec''s age, he''d still been struggling over his own calligraphy. Was this what they meant when they said the student surpassed the teacher? But he felt like he hadn''t taught that much yet!


    Everyone who dabbled in the art of array making knew just how hard they had it when practicing both rune script and array design for the first time.


    It was a delicate and time-consuming process that most of array makers underwent trial and error over numerous years.


    But Alec was already more than proficient in that aspect! Now all that Nathan had left to teach him was the vast knowledge involving runes.


    Alec placed down the chalk that he''d been using to draw the array, eyeing his work critically.


    He clicked his tongue when he noticed how one of the lines was just barely thicker than they should have been.


    Nathan overlooked the array that had bloomed under Alec''s hands. "Stop using chalk to practice," he instructed. "You should use a brush with the same thickness as the one you usually use, with water."


    Luckily, Nathan could still teach him on the other things. Theory, as well as the tips and tricks that he''d discovered himself over the years. Living all this time would have been in vain otherwise if his student surpassed him just like that!


    Alec nodded. "Yes, master."


    The master and disciple pair faced each other.


    Nathan handed Alec two rings with a small crystal embedded in it. They were identical and set in a pale silver metal.


    Alec took it and stared at it blankly before looking at his master strangely.


    Why was he giving him a ring that looked like this??


    They were lucky that the two of them were in an enclosed space without anyone else seeing the exchange that just happened.


    "Master?"


    Nathan''s expression didn''t change as he gestured towards the rings. "Those are this master''s gifts to you. Claim them as yours."


    Alec pricked his finger and dropped a single drop of blood on both rings.


    Alec blinked as the information about the rings showed up.


    [Rings of Acceleration]


    [Increase of speed directly proportional to amount of magic imbued.]


    "Now, wear them. On your feet. Like anklets."


    Alec stared harder at the rings and noticed the extremely faint engravings on the inside band of the rings. Well, at least they weren''t to be work on his hands? Small mercies, that. He didn''t know what he would have said if he had to tell someone that his master had given him rings with a small jewel in them.


    He''d rather not, thank you!


    "Master, you made these?"


    Nathan paused before nodding ¨C his face was impassive, but if Alec wasn''t wrong, he seemed a bit shy?


    Nathan took the rings from Alec and tugged off his shoes without a word.


    Alec would have punched whoever dared touch him without his permission, but this was his master, so he didn''t have those reflexes. He obediently kept still as his master tapped twice on the pale crystal.


    The rings expanded, and Nathan placed it on Alec''s foot.


    They shrunk slightly and stayed in place even when Alec tried shaking them off. They were thin and inconspicuous. They didn''t even have the normal shiny glint that a metal usually did and made no sound when he moved.


    Nathan looked at them in satisfaction and nodded at Alec before all but fleeing the room.


    Alec stared blankly at the man''s retreating back. He hadn''t even thanked him for the present yet.


    Alec scratched his cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed. Was it really alright for him to take this when he hadn''t given his master anything yet? It wasn''t like he was a Main Character that obtained items left and right.


    The System put it aside for the time being. There was a strange tingly sensation in his chest that made him wonder if he was sick.


    Heading out from the practice room, Alec ignored the eyes on him ¨C there were always eyes on him regardless of what he did, being Nathan Cain''s only direct disciple.


    There were some malicious ones as well as appraising ones, and Alec just couldn''t be bothered. If they wouldn''t come up and say it to his face, then he was too lazy to deal with them.


    Reaching Solitary Confinement Peak, Alec lightly kicked the sleeping Marc''s side, causing the older disciple to jump up on reflex.


    "I''m awake!" Marc blurted, blinking rapidly.


    Alec eyed him but didn''t say anything.


    "Oh, let''s go, let''s go," Marc said shamelessly, heading into the cave like he''d been originally doing that before Alec came. "I was just taking a short nap to regain my energy."


    Alec let it be. For now, that was.


    When he knocked and entered Dominique''s room, the teen was already up and standing.


    His eyes were glittering with the same fanaticism as it had all those nights ago.


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    Alec''s lips twitched slightly. He somehow felt that he had gained a rather strange follower ¨C and there was no other way to describe it. He had a feeling that it was only because the teen was stuck here that he wasn''t following Alec left and right.


    Dominique was unusually obedient whenever Alec asked him to do something ¨C unlike the other Sins that had on and off days. It felt more like Dominique was treating him like how he usually acted around his master.


    For some reason, he felt like the way Dominique had so abruptly added himself to his [Main Character Page] was out of the ordinary, but he could neither confirm nor deny right now.


    There were three other lights in the Heavenly Ascension Peak, but he had not approached them yet. He occasionally caught glimpses of Dorian Falren, the sect master, but the man always left without a single word.


    By the time he finished, it was mid-afternoon, and like usual, the sect master was standing outside like a ghost.


    It was lucky that he didn''t do this at night. With his dark hair and black cloak, he would''ve probably scared Marc umpteen times ¨C perhaps that was why he didn''t?


    However, unlike usual, this time, Dorian didn''t leave as Alec got closer.


    Purple eyes bore into Alec''s face, and Alec bowed just a fraction ¨C the only person he would ever bow a bit deeper for was his master ¨C and greeted him. "Greetings, sect master."


    "You know who I am," Dorian said without inflection.


    Unlike his son''s voice, the sect master''s voice was mellow and smooth, but it lacked the usual intonation that people used.


    Dorian continued staring at Alec.

 Chapter 109 Sect Master

    "Is there something you need?" Alec inquired politely.


    It wouldn''t do to be impolite to the sect master. After all, Alec was still a member of the Heavenly Ascension Sect at the end of the day, even if they had never personally interacted.


    Besides, with how Dominique seemed to be sticking to him incessantly whenever he went by, it didn''t seem like he would be rid of the Sin any time soon. In that case, then they would have to interact sooner or later, regardless of the sect master''s stance towards his son.


    Let it be said that Alec had never cowered in the face of authority.


    Even if he didn''t like it, he knew propriety ¨C as long as they hadn''t ignited his anger, that was.


    That was how he acted with the Mainframe until he''d been constantly interrupted without being able to get a second word in. His temper ran hot whenever he thought his opinions weren''t being heard. Even if they didn''t agree, you couldn''t act so tyrannically!


    "You are¡­ strange," Dorian said, studying the young disciple in front of him. "Who are you?" While Dorian might not think that the young boy had any malicious intentions towards the sect, he had not lived through so many things in his life without having seen things. There were always ways to fool the inflexible array, so he was alert.


    Dorian could feel from his son''s magic that he was happy whenever this young disciple was around him. It was something that he hadn''t expected to feel in his son''s magic when he wasn''t doing anything remotely close to fighting.


    He was worried. What if his son fell into the wrong hands? Wouldn''t that just be spelling death for the both father and son?


    It had been a long time since he''d felt anything of the sort from his usually taciturn and prickly son, and even longer since they had a proper conversation without it ending in his son leaving in a huff.


    "This disciple''s name is Alecris Neil, elder Nathan''s direct disciple." Alec knew that this wasn''t what the sect master meant, but he said it anyway.


    -


    Dorian continued staring at Alec, his face and eyes unreadable even with the System''s vast experience in reading people.


    "Dismissed," he said in the end. He turned around to leave, his thoughts still stuck on the strange disciple.


    Though he was young, he was already let out into the world based on the Neil Clan''s standards, which were frighteningly high, and rumoured to be notoriously harsh. Some denounced the clan as inhumane, but Dorian thought otherwise. He didn''t think that the clan would have prospered as much had they not had their high standards.


    Only when the clan member had started developing their own magic based on their Magitype were they allowed to leave the clan.


    Dorian had met a few members of the Neil Clan over his years, and they all excelled at various fields and specialties. It made him wonder ¨C just what kind of teaching did they all go through to be able to produce such outstanding individuals time and time again?


    Still, whenever they were questioned, they remained tight-lipped and silent, which only provoked one''s imagination further.


    Now that he had a closer look at young Alecris Neil''s movements, he found no fault in him. He was diligent, hardworking, polite ¨C Nathan had no end of praises for his disciple, which was surprising.


    But it also frustrated him.


    How was the young disciple connecting with his son when he wasn''t able to do the same?


    Just what had caused his usually prickly son to connect with the seemingly gentle and well-behaved younger boy when Dominique had usually spurned the affections of others?


    He¡­ should he shadow the child more to see it up close?


    Dorian was confident that if he didn''t want to be seen, he wouldn''t be.


    It was with this in mind that he waited outside Solitary Confinement Peak for the young disciple ¨C Dorian had reports stating that the time he got up with obscenely early ¨C so much so that it was more like late in the night rather than early morning.


    Spotting the young disciple''s form ¨C aided by the feel of his magic, Dorian followed him silently even as he was amazed at the young boy carrying twelves boxes of food.


    They were stacked so high that he couldn''t possibly know where he was walking ¨C not to mention, it should have been too heavy for him to carry, but he did so with ease.


    His arms were not straining, nor was he using any enhancements of magic.


    Curious.


    Just what was it about this boy?


    As they approached Solitary Confinement Peak, the young disciple who was usually sleeping whenever Dorian dropped by to see the state of the Sins, jerked awake as if he noticed that young Alecris was approaching.


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    How unusual.


    Inside the cave, Dorian felt pleased when he realized that the disciple had cleaned up around here ¨C it was cleaner than it''d ever been ¨C something that he had been trying to put the various disciples up to, but to his immense frustration, it never quite worked out because of how many sect members spurned and despised the Sins.


    While they might have had cause for punishment, that didn''t mean that their punishment was always just. He knew that elder Polren from the disciplinary hall usually took things a bit too far with his punishments just because they had the Sin Societype.


    Alecris knocked on the doors one by one, dropping off the boxes of food.


    There were various groans and curses as they were woken from their slumber, but when they reached Dominique''s room, his son was already awake and standing at the door. There was a glint in his eyes that Dorian had not seen in a long time.


    Dominique didn''t say a single word, but Dorian was suddenly struck by the thought that his son had seemingly devoted himself to this young boy without any reservations on his part.


    There was a glint in his eyes that spoke of devotion and fanaticism that he didn''t know how to aptly put into words. He''d seen something similar in various others before, but he never expected that he would see something similar reflected in his only son''s eyes.


    Dorian knew that come hell or high water, there would be nothing that would shake his son''s determination. Even if Alecris was removed from the equation, Dominique would never rest even if Alecris was dead.


    Instantly, he felt a mix of complicated emotions.


    He didn''t know this disciple, and he didn''t trust him just based on word alone. He loathed to think that his son had chosen someone who was unworthy of his loyalty to, but Dorian would have to keep an eye on Alecris longer before he decided whether or not he wanted to do something about it.


    But still, this was the first in such a long time where Dorian had seen Dominique''s eyes show a spark of life, rather than his usual emotionless state, and the sect master couldn''t help but want to continue seeing that.


    Even if those eyes weren''t looking at him.

 Chapter 110 Spun Gold

    In a space unimpeded by time and change, deep within the forests and far beyond what a normal human could reach, there was the twittering of bird calls. Soft, pale sunlight shone through the gaps between the tree leaves.


    It was a picturesque scene that had it been painted, would have captured the hearts of many upon a single glance.


    The growth of wilderness here had been left unchecked and untouched by human hands. The vegetation drew without reservation, curling up, stretching for more. They competed against their own kind, reaching out high for the barest glimpse of the sun.


    Monsters, creatures and magical beasts alike ran rampant, establishing a delicate but prominent hierarchy amongst themselves.


    The sun rays brushed against the pale skin of a child. Her hair, an imitation of colour, was a silky, silvery-white.


    The child''s chest rose and fell lightly, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Her face was set in sleep ¨C the unguardedness that could only belong to a child ¨C and sleep she did.


    The various whispers of the forest did not disturb her, and the forest was content to leave her be, for she was under the protection of the Divine One.


    Rather than beautiful, she gave off the impression that she was untouched by the various matters of the world. She was like a blank piece of paper, not yet having had experiences with the darker side of life.


    There was an intentional rustle of the grass as a tall stature of an androgynous figure stepped forth. His presence was dazzling and bright. One look could capture souls, and yet, there was an otherworldly presence to him that made others subconsciously look away.


    Similar to the child, the figure had the same shade of silvery-white long hair that cascaded down his back. It was hard to tell whether or not they were male or female with the face that looked like it was carved out of granite and marble.


    His eyes were a shade of pure amber, and his pupil was a slit, like some reptiles boasted.


    "Elysia, time to wake up," Haphira said. His voice was similarly as androgynous as his appearance, but he was male.


    The figure that had been soundly sleeping woke up, rubbing her eyes as she blinked blearily at him. The same amber eyes reflected in the light before she blinked, and the slit pupil disappeared, leaving only behind spun gold.


    "Dad," she murmured, before brightening up.


    She launched herself at Haphira, who caught her without a problem.


    Haphira put her down, and she all but bounced in place, beaming gleefully.


    Elysia grabbed the pale hand that was in her line of sight, swinging it as they walked.


    The man allowed her, the corners of his lips curling slightly.


    How could he have predicted that someone would worm their way into his heart from what could only be described as a chance encounter?


    For their kind, having relations of any kind were not expected. They were all fiercely territorial and individualistic.


    That he had formed this sort of attachment was something unprecedented.


    Elysia grinned because she was feeling happy ¨C she didn''t see a need to hide her feelings from the rest of the world. Perhaps it had been the time that she had spent in this space, where there were no other humans, that she had gradually let go of all her inhibitions.


    Elysia was Haphira''s daughter in more than blood. More than father and daughter, more than master and disciple.


    Perhaps Haphira had given himself a weakness, letting himself get attached like this, but he was alive.


    Life was only worth living if he took risks, after all. Whoever said otherwise was a fool.


    Elysia darted off into the foliage. It was time to hunt.


    Haphira followed behind leisurely, watching over her just in case. She was not strong enough yet for him to shove off a cliff without any support.


    Right now, she would sink instead of swim, and Haphira couldn''t stand the thought of that happening ¨C he couldn''t stand the thought of the only little light in his life disappearing.


    But still, he did not get in the way even when she received cuts and bruises. A dragonling had to learn how to soar in the sky, or they weren''t a dragon.


    Elysia ran, feeling the joy bubbling up in her chest as she was allowed to run freely ¨C something that had not been available to her before. She didn''t think that she would ever grow tired of being able to use her feet.


    She could not feel her dad''s presence behind her, but she knew that he must surely be there. For all that he spouted words that implied he would leave her to fend for herself, the words that weren''t spoken reverberated in her heart. A quiet certainty that he did care for her, no matter what he said.


    The forest they called their home was not something that was touched by human hands. Though she missed having other interactions, she loved her dad more than that. She loved running freely on the ground and soaring through the trees.


    Hunting was something that her dad was teaching her ¨C something about survival ¨C and she loved it with a quiet passion that was never spoken. It almost felt like speaking of it aloud would cause some of that magic to dissipate, so she never did.


    Facing off with a monster, Elysia laughed freely, her voice echoing throughout the quiet of the forest, punctuated by the monster''s growls.


    She never felt any fear, regardless of the creature or monster that she faced. She hadn''t before this, and she didn''t now. It was one of Elysia''s strongest qualities and made her improve at breakneck speeds.


    Without thinking about it, she dodged the blows, dealing small, minor wounds that would add up to her delivery of the final blow.


    Hidden from sight, Haphira assessed the growth of his daughter. While not elegant or graceful, Elysia''s movements were filled with purpose and efficiency.


    He had not taught her how to fight, leaving it to the little girl to create her own style.


    Such was the way of the dragons.


    While he would protect and nurture, the growth that was produced from one''s own struggle was the most meaningful. This way, her strength was hers and hers alone.


    Right now, she was yet unable to deal a killing blow to the monster straight away, but she would soon. He could feel it coming.


    Elysia grew at an unprecedented rate, and this was coming from Haphira, who was a dragon. He had been born into greatness, but she ¨C she worked for it. She had been weaker than a new-born foal when he obtained her.


    Blank-eyed and expressionless, Haphira felt his still heart move at her persistence.


    She had come a long way since that day.


    Time moved quicker in this space as compared to the outside world. Things in here were vibrant, but also stagnant. They were lost in time. Or rather, they would stay here until Haphira felt that she was finally ready to set out on her own.


    Dragonling though she may be, she was still far too fragile.


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    Also, if Haphira wanted a bit more time with his still-too-human daughter, that was his prerogative.

 Chapter 111 The Magnitude Seal

    Alec knocked on his master''s door, where he was ushered into the room by the man.


    Getting a good read of his master''s face, Alec could see that he was both excited and anticipating Alec''s presence at his door.


    Seeing the man react this way, his master probably knew what he was here to do.


    "Show me," Nathan said shortly. This further confirmed that the man already knew what he was here for.


    The man dragged Alec into his private study, where it was soundproof and damage resistant.


    It was the perfect place to test newly created arrays, and with his master at his back, Alec didn''t have to worry about damage control if something went wrong.


    Of course, he didn''t believe that there was something wrong with his meticulous research, but that didn''t mean that he wouldn''t take precautions.


    Nathan peered over Alec''s notes and looked at the end result. He was satisfied with what he saw. He didn''t think that he himself would be able to create something better than this without more research.


    The array was something that opened the possibility of something similar to spatial sealing to them.


    Not to be confused with the spatial dimension that couldn''t work unless an Awakener was the one injecting their magic into the array, this was something that Alec came up with to hide his own ability in plain sight.


    If everyone in his sect could use it, then naturally, there would be no one to question him when he used his own.


    Of course, compared to spatial sealing, the array that he had created was worse in every way, but still useful.


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    Alec took out a brush and prepared the ink, slowly imbuing his magic into it. The ink remained as dark as before, having no visible changes to it.


    As he drew, Nathan stood to the side, inspecting his disciple''s progress. The array proficiency test was coming up soon, and Nathan had no doubt that his disciple would blow the rest of the competition out of the water.


    He was filled with pride. Since Alec had produced this array himself, that meant that his disciple was free to use it in the proficiency test if he so liked. He had not given a single piece of guidance or pointed him in a direction.


    The array that took place on the floor was magnified and drawn so swiftly and quickly that Nathan could tell the number of times it had been practiced. There was an easy grace and precision that flowed from the small hands of his disciple.


    Nathan admired Alecris greatly in this aspect. He had only learnt for such a short time ¨C a mere number of months, but he had already made so much more progress than a lot of the other disciples that were under the other seniors in the array division.


    Having drawn the array with magic imbued ink, Alec was able to activate it with a single thought.


    The array drawn glowed briefly before dimming again, but those with magic perception could tell that the array was active and alive.


    Alec hefted over the desk that was placed in the middle of his master''s study without a problem and placed it on top of the array.


    Tugging lightly at the connection he had with the array, he made sure not to let any of his magic convert into his normal Magitype. This way, he could tell that the effects of the array were really from his work rather than his Magitype.


    The desk abruptly shrunk at a speed that was visible to the naked eye before disappearing.


    "It works," Alec said, a sense of satisfaction filling him. There was the feeling of a job done well, as well as the satisfaction that he felt when something he had put time and effort into worked out just as he hoped.


    "Good job, Alecris," his master praised. "Now, I''d like my desk back, if you don''t mind." The last part was spoken dryly.


    Oh, right. He hadn''t asked for permission and just blindly acted since he was used to working alone.


    Alec''s smile had a bit of sheepishness as he activated the array again.


    This time, the array spat out the desk in reverse, and it abruptly grew larger from nothing.


    It was a bit strange to watch, and he needed to tweak it further so that the size of it changing was quicker instead of this bit of lag before he could pass off his spatial dimension as this new array, but it worked!


    Alec and Nathan both inspected the desk, and it didn''t have a single other scratch on it that wasn''t there before.


    It worked perfectly well and didn''t disintegrate upon coming into contact with his hand, so Alec counted it as a win.


    Nathan visibly smiled; a rare occurrence that showed how happy he truly was right now.


    "Good. What is this array''s name?"


    Alec''s smile gentled even further, and it was smaller as well.


    "Magnitude seal."


    "Alecris, take part in the upcoming array proficiency test. In two weeks, you shall descend the mountain and head to Psyberion City. I will make the necessary provisions. In two weeks, you should bring all your notes with you as well as your tools and converge at the bottom of the array division''s peak. Make your preparations for handing over your other duties as well."


    Alec blinked and looked at his master with surprise, but obliged, nonetheless. "Yes, master. How long will I be gone from the sect?"


    "I expect it will take a month or so, if there are no other problems."


    "Yes, master."


    Nathan nodded, the pleased glint still in his eyes.


    Seeing that his master had nothing else to impart to him at this time, Alec got up and painstakingly broke up the array, pulling his magic from the lines and runes before carefully breaking a line in the array, rendering it inoperative. Then, he took a clean cloth and scrubbed at the floor, erasing all traces of the array that had been there earlier. There wasn''t a single wasted movement in his actions.


    It was only when he was satisfied that there wasn''t a single remaining trace did he gather his notes and took his leave.


    Nathan saw his disciple out with his eyes, feeling the satisfaction settle deep within him.


    Then, he looked at the blank floor and lamented slightly. He hadn''t been able to stop the boy before he had so quickly rendered the array useless ¨C something else that had been practiced over and over again.


    Nathan had wanted to study the array further!


    Luckily, Alec had not included a cipher in his array which would stop others from copying it, likely out of consideration for his master, so Nathan was able to recreate it himself and play around with it.


    Just because he couldn''t find anything to improve with it at first glance didn''t meant that there wasn''t any!


    Deep down, Nathan felt the competitive fires that had not burned so brightly in him since the day he first picked up the art of array making start up again.


    Now, it wouldn''t do for him to lose to his disciple. He had to work harder as well!

 Chapter 112 A Favour

    The next day, Alec was summoned to the sect master''s side formally, which surprised not only himself, but his master as well.


    Nathan frowned lightly, but still brought his disciple with him to the sect master''s residence, which was on the famous Indomitable Peak. The highest on the peak, the residence there looked like something that Immortals themselves lived in.


    Just what did the sect master want with his disciple? Though the two had met, it wasn''t like they had conversed besides once outside of Solitary Confinement Peak, as far as Nathan was aware.


    Was this about his disciple''s participation in the array proficiency exam? Still, the sect master trusted him regarding the decisions of his peak, so Nathan did not think that was likely either.


    The residence was wide and sprawling, holding majesty without pretentiousness. Surrounded by the special clouds that were so representative of their sect, it looked like something out of a picture book.


    The clouds gathered low on the ground, as if something was keeping it there, which caused the visual illusion that they were walking on the clouds. However, each step proved that they were indeed walking on hard ground. It was vaguely misty all around and seeing further was impossible.


    Just walking to the courtyard, a disciple appeared to usher them in.


    "Greetings elder, junior brother," the disciple greeted courteously. "This way, please."


    The disciple led them into the residence with no further delays, showing them to a door.


    Knocking, Alec heard the familiar mellow tones of the sect master. "Enter."


    The disciple bowed and took their leave, leaving just Nathan and Alec standing outside.


    Alec pushed open the door and allowed his master to enter first, entering after.


    "Sect master."


    Dorian was seated on a cushion placed on the floor, a table in front of him. He gestured for both master and disciple to take their places.


    The three sat in silence as Dorian poured tea for the three of them, a show of his sincerity and hospitality. They were not meeting in his office, nor was this the place where meetings were held, as this was something that he wished for to come across as a favour instead of demanding.


    The sect master sipped lightly on his tea, watching as master and disciple drank as well.


    The silence lingered longer, but no one made a move to break the silence.


    The more Dorian observed, the more he thought that he would be able to entrust it to this young disciple.


    The young boy was diligent, had patience, smarts and seemed to be a calming influence on his extremely volatile son. Furthermore, the young boy was bound to his master, whom he knew was completely loyal to their sect, so he would not have to worry as much.


    Finally, Dorian put down the cup on the table, the clink on wood drawing both Nathan and Alec''s attention as it seemed that the sect master was finally about to tell them why he had called for them to his residence of all places.


    He''d finally made up his mind when he saw Alecris again in person. The earlier doubts that he had were placed aside. Since he had decided to use this young boy, then he would entrust it to him if he met the standards.


    "I''d like to ask something of you, Alecris."


    Alec didn''t blink, maintaining his character. "By all means, sect master."


    "Would you be amendable to being in charge of a new division that houses the Sins of the sect?"


    Alec paused and Nathan narrowed his eyes.


    "Sect master," Nathan said lowly, displeasure coating his tone. "Alec is still under my jurisdiction. He has hardly been in the sect for a few months, let alone a year."


    "Yes," Dorian said calmly, picking up and sipping at his tea again. "Which is why you are here as well."


    "You throwing him into that group would be the same as throwing a sheep into a pack of wolves," Nathan continued in a low voice.


    "Is it?" Dorian said, his calm demeanour unshaken. "I believe that your young disciple is more capable of it than you think. After all, he has ''tamed'' my son quite effectively. I believe he is quite capable excelling. But I digress. Though I would like Alecris to take charge, the group I''m planning to form will not be known to the sect. At least, the sect will not know who is inside the group apart from those already within it."


    "I accept," Alec said, disregarding the look that his master was shooting him. "On the condition that those within Solitary Confinement Peak are let out."


    A rare smile curved onto Dorian''s face, which made his handsome but severe features lighten up greatly, dazzling Nathan, who had not seen the sect master smile in all the years.


    [Dorian Falren Intimacy Increase +100]


    [Dorian Falren feels friendlier towards you.]


    Alec resisted the urge to squint slightly. Why did it feel more like he was playing a dating game with the intimacy increases? It was highly disturbing and slightly traumatic. It made him feel strange. Just what was the point of this?


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    "Should the new division come into play, you should note that it will not only be the Sins that stand a chance of being recruited. Of course, you will report and answer only directly to me, no matter what anyone else tells you in the future."


    Nathan frowned. "Still. Alecris is only eight years old still. How will he keep them in line?" Not only was the sect master throwing his precious disciple a hot potato, he wouldn''t get any recognition for it either.


    "You can make an array, can''t you?" Dorian directed at Alec instead.


    Alec paused at the question. He was sure that he would be able to develop something given enough time, but the sect master trusted him with this?


    "I can."


    "Show me the array, and we will talk again. Nathan, you are not to help him."


    Alec replied affirmatively, both of them leaving the sect master''s residence.


    "I really don''t know what the sect master is trying to do. Still, even with the creation of the group, this means that no one will know who''s the real ''elder'' of the new division."


    Alec nodded.


    He could tell that the real reason why his master was so worried was because he would likely face hazing and troubles from all directions if they knew that the new ''elder'' was just an eight-year-old boy that had just joined the sect.


    Not only that, since Alec didn''t seem to have any combat skills (that his master was aware of, the man was naturally worried.


    Alec thought that it was likely the man would be step up his privileges to increase his combat efficiency if he was this worried.


    His master truly was transparent at these times ¨C where he worried openly about Alec. The System had no defence against this type of unabashed affection for himself, so he felt affectionate in return.


    Alec was pretty sure that his master thought he was being quite hard to read, but Alec thought otherwise. The man could not have been more obvious had he shouted it out loud from the rooftops, with how many little gifts the man had plied him with in the past couple of days.

 Chapter 113 Disciples of the Array Division

    At the base of the array division''s peak, there were a group of figures mingling and chatting. Both male and female made up the crowd of twenty.


    Judging from the way they broke up and chatted in twos or threes, they knew each other well. Their bonds had been forged through time and contact. Some of them had been in the sect for no less than a decade, and they were finally confident enough that they could take the array proficiency exam.


    The chatter hushed and stuttered lightly when a tiny figure approached them. His steps were soundless, but he walked slowly. Dressed in the sect''s colours of blue and white, the boy appeared fresh and charming. He gave off a gentle feeling to those that glimpsed at the faint smile that hung on his lips.


    There was a purple wolf that hung over his arm obligingly, giving off occasional sparks as its head took in its surroundings, and a rather large bunny-like creature that hopped next to him, looking docile and cute.


    A bunch of adorable creature lovers wanted to rush up and cuddle the two creatures, but valiantly held back.


    To the rest, the sight was bizarre, but not something that they were unused to seeing these days.


    Most of the disciples of the array division still hadn''t decided their attitude towards this direct disciple of the elder that had popped up from nowhere. Some even said that he hadn''t passed the sect''s entrance exam and had instead come in from the back door.


    They didn''t know whether the boy had some special background that pressured the elder into taking him in.


    All these years, the elder had never taken in a single direct disciple even if he gave lectures semi-frequently.


    As the division leader, elder Nathan was the highest ranked amongst their peak. It also meant that the new disciple should have been higher ranked than all of them, but they never felt its effects.


    It was the general consensus amongst the disciples that the boy wasn''t quite liked amongst his peers ¨C it never seemed like he wanted anything to do with his fellow disciples at all. He never talked or interacted with any of them, instead preferring to stick to himself and his creatures.


    Still, the boy was a direct disciple of elder Nathan, which meant that he was afforded with the base amount of respect, even if they didn''t feel it personally.


    As such, though the group parted ways for him, they didn''t make a move to include him in their conversations, but neither did they obviously ostracize him.


    Alec didn''t seem to mind not having anyone else to talk to as they waited for the elder that was going to bring them.


    Bunbun and Fenrir had been causing trouble in the sect ¨C more specifically, they had been causing trouble at Kieran and Dietrich''s peak, going around and eating a few herbs that the peak had been growing, as well as terrorizing a few of the newer disciples.


    Alec didn''t know whether to laugh or cry when he heard that. No wonder he''d felt glee at the most random times across their bond.


    Kieran had all but begged him to take them back so pleadingly that Alec had told him that he would be gone for a month. The abject misery on his nephew''s face had caused him to laugh before bringing Bunbun and Fenrir away.


    The things they''d gotten up to when he let them be! No wonder they''d been reluctant to leave Kieran and Dietrich.


    Eventually, the elder still hadn''t shown up after ten minutes.


    One of the disciples, visibly younger than the rest of them, locked his eyes on Alec''s form.


    He was roughly fourteen or fifteen years old, but the gaze that landed on Alec''s form was distinctly unfriendly, especially when compared to the rest of the disciples that didn''t seem inclined to make a move.


    The teen stepped forward, eyeing Alec with a distinct antagonistic gaze.


    "Oh, if it isn''t our division''s elusive senior disciple?" the teen said, a sneer pulling at his lips. Just who did this kid think he was? Clause couldn''t stand the fact that his other senior disciples had to avoid the boy like they were the ones who would come off worse.


    A few of the older disciples frowned when they heard his words, but only an older female disciple quietly said his name. "Clause," she said warningly.


    Clause gave her a look, and she frowned further but didn''t say anything else.


    Alec blinked slowly seeing the teen that was the youngest disciple here besides himself, was directing his words at him. "And you are?"


    Clause''s eyes narrowed into a glare. "Clause Montague. Disciple under elder Faye."


    "Alecris Neil under elder Nathan."


    Clause''s face flushed red, his glare intensifying. "Yes, we all know that. Our elusive senior disciple Alecris never interacts with any of us, yet he''s still held in such high regard by our division''s leader. It''s this junior disciple''s fortune to be able to bask in your presence," he said mockingly. "How many strings did the prestigious Neil Clan pull for you to be admitted into our sect?"


    "Mm," Alec said. He was too lazy to bother with a kid''s antagonism when he hadn''t even done anything to deserve it. He couldn''t even get angry because of how immature he was acting.


    For some reason, though the teen was acting out like this, Alec did not feel any malicious intentions from the teen. It felt more like he was throwing a tantrum that Alec had no idea the reasoning of.


    Alec patted Bunbun absently, which only made Clause''s face flush harder in anger, feeling like the boy was mocking all of them.


    The female disciple that had called Clause''s name earlier pulled him back, seeing that elder Faye was coming.


    The elder appeared to be in her early or mid-thirties and possessed an easy grace to her that spoke of confidence. "Faye Fable, for those that don''t know me. You may call me elder Faye. We will be well acquainted on this trip. Let us depart. No further dallying."


    As she said her last words, she shot a stern glare at Clause, who scowled but didn''t say anything further. It seemed that she knew how he felt about Alec and wasn''t willing to tolerate it right now.


    "Whatever arguments you possess with each other, it is to be kept within the sect. Do I make myself clear?"


    "Yes, elder Faye," the disciples echoed back.


    "Good. Come."


    They were led to a teleportation array within the sect.


    The array was a work of art. Both complex and widespread, there were countless safeguards in place imbued within the design of the array to prevent any accidents.


    Faye was gratified when she saw the interest with the disciple''s eyes when they scanned the array before them.


    She caught sight of Nathan''s new disciple''s eyes that tracked the air rather than the lines that were stationary on the ground and felt that the man really had high standards.


    No wonder he had hastily accepted this disciple, if he possessed an innate advantage that he himself boasted. After all, they would only truly be able to pass on everything that they learnt if both master and disciple possessed the same physical capabilities.


    Nathan Cain was the only one within the array division that boasted of rune sight. No one else in the division could see the runes that floated through the air. As such, the way they broke down and studied arrays were vastly different.


    Usually, those with rune sight would excel in this field, so she hoped that his personality matched the feeling he gave off usually.


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    Her naughty disciple would be in for a hard time. She knew that Clause had set up the boy as a rival in his mind ¨C well, he would learn sooner or later.


    The young boy wasn''t as simple as he seemed.

 Chapter 114 Bookstore Hopping

    The group arrived in Psyberion City through the teleportation array.


    Psyberion City was a high-tech city and was one of the ten cities that surrounded the Capital.


    Specifically, Psyberion was a city that specialized in arrays, barriers and seals. This was the holy land for array masters and their ilk. Streets upon streets were filled with the work of array masters, creating a splash of beauty amongst the still buildings.


    In Psyberion City, the love for arrays was felt from every corner of the city.


    Everyone from the youngest child to the oldest, the highest of classes and the lowliest beggars had at least a basic understanding of arrays here, and their education reflected it.


    Out of ten array masters, at least six came from Psyberion City itself, and the rest were nurtured by sects and clans.


    Of course, many of Psyberion''s inhabitants joined sects and clans as well, so it might have been more accurate to describe it as seven or eight out of ten array masters.


    The people that walked the streets looked just like other cities, however, there were many more people who continuously walked around with a book clutched in their hand. Some pedestrians would randomly stop in the middle of the street and stare at a drawn array.


    The place gave off a different air as compared to the rest of the cities that Alec had been in, and while he was taken aback by it, the city was growing on him quickly.


    Alec and Clause looked around with bright, glistening eyes. It was something that wasn''t missed by the older disciples and elder.


    The sight of the two acting their age made them appear more adorable to them, as they reminisced about the first time they too stepped foot into Psyberion City.


    Seeing Alec act like his age instead of seeming unaffected caused them to feel a bit closer to the socially awkward Alec, who tried to hide his unhidden curiosity from their eyes after he noticed their stares. His cheeks were a bit pink, which made them feel a strong urge to pinch his cheeks.


    He wasn''t a bad boy at all, just sort of socially awkward! Their opinion of their senior disciple was quickly changing the more they observed his reactions. After all, someone who smiled so gently shouldn''t be a bad boy. It was just that they''d been trained to observe rather than rashly jump to conclusions.


    Alec didn''t know that he''d been labelled socially awkward by the older disciples, but even if he did, there wasn''t much that he could say about it. After all, he really didn''t know how to interact with people properly unless they first set up precedent behaviour.


    Clause snapped back to himself and glared at Alec, letting out a huff when he realized that the boy wasn''t affected like he was! The teen crossed his arms, annoyed when he thought about how he''d been acting like a country bumpkin in front of a younger boy.


    Elder Faye led them to an inn that they used every time they came to Psyberion City.


    The innkeeper recognised elder Faye, quickly settling their lodging.


    Faye turned to the disciples that were standing behind her respectfully. "The array proficiency test is tomorrow, so don''t go drinking if you want to pass. You are free to explore, but not alone. The gathering time tomorrow is at eight. If you''re late, you can wait another ten years before we''ll let you come down the mountain again."


    With that, the elder left them to their own devices.


    The disciples paired up quickly before heading out. Some of them glanced at Alec, asking if he wanted to go with them.


    Alec would have preferred to go out himself, but he wasn''t willing to rock the boat when elder Faye specifically told them not to just yet, so he accepted the invitation from two older sister disciples.


    The smile Alec gave them caused them to melt, and their previously neutral feelings leaned more towards friendly.


    With the conversation started by the two females, Alec replied naturally with the cues, completely giving off a gentle vibe. This only caused them to feel more partial to him.


    He must have been terribly lonely without anyone else near his age to talk to! Now that they thought about it, no new disciples had joined their division this time round other than Alec, who was personally recruited by elder Nathan.


    They usually had three or four new disciples each time the recruitment test was held, but against all odds, this year there was only Alec.


    The next youngest disciple was fourteen, a year younger than Clause, which was still older than Alec''s eight-years-old.


    No wonder he had been so withdrawn!


    Jade and Claire both decided that they would look out for their senior disciple. How was he to learn anything if he didn''t have any guidance inside their division?


    The two silently tutted, annoyed at themselves for not reaching that conclusion earlier. After all, he was elder Nathan''s only direct disciple, which meant that there was only elder Nathan that could answer his questions. He didn''t go through the selection process either, which meant that he had no friends amongst the disciples in the other peaks either.


    Thinking up to this point, they felt their hearts go out to the poor boy. Neil Clan or not, that hadn''t excused their inaction up to this point.


    Alec felt Jade and Claire''s friendliness to him grow exponentially, but he had no idea why.


    The three flitted from store to store, picking up various books and trinkets, their eyes shining and sparkling when they saw endless amount of knowledge at their disposal.


    This caused Jade and Claire to both grow closer to Alec when they saw how fanatically he took in the various books regarding arrays, feeling like he was just like the rest of them on the array division''s peak.


    They were all crazy about arrays, which was not something that could be instilled. It was something born of genuine interest that could not be faked.


    Their senior disciple was only eight and he already acted like this, which meant that his love for arrays was not any less than theirs!


    They even planned to loan him some money, but Alec shook his head sheepishly. Before he left the peak, his master had shoved a crystal into his hands that contained so many digits Alec almost felt like his eyes went temporarily blind.


    He did feel bad taking money from the man, but since it was given to him, he wouldn''t hold back. Alec was already making plans about the sale of his Magnitude Seal, which would give him more leeway monetarily.


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    He''d secretly shove the money back to his master in a way that the man wouldn''t be able to refuse.


    So, he was currently expanding his knowledge base. Many books here in Psyberion were mainly related to the profession or arrays, which was just as well.


    When they stepped out of the shop, Alec heard a voice mockingly call out.


    "Yo, isn''t this our Yraii City''s famous young master? Didn''t you tuck your tail in and run off to try and join a sect?"


    There was a group of lavishly dressed young masters strutting around. There were roughly seven of them, and the one at the helm was directing a mocking glance at a familiar figure.


    Clause.

 Chapter 115 Not Even a Brawl

    Clause had only his senior disciple sister at his back and was visibly bristling as he faced off the group of young masters.


    Rather than taking it, Clause looked like he was this close to exploding in anger. He visibly reined in his anger, his eyes sparking with anger.


    He sneered at them, but his eyes were filled with disgust and contempt in strong contrast to the look that Clause had given Alec before.


    Because Alec was able to see it, it finally clicked what felt strange facing the other disciple''s looks earlier.


    He really hadn''t been imagining the lack of enmity earlier.


    This time, he could almost physically taste the emotions that rolled off the teenager.


    Every line of his body was tense and ready for a confrontation with the group.


    The group of arrogant young masters gave Clause''s senior disciple sister a brief glance before disregarding her altogether. Even though she was prettier than a lot of the girls out there, she was with Clause, okay!


    Even if she was beautiful, who knew whether or not they had been together already!


    Their dismissive attitude was really something that most couldn''t stand but they were still alive and healthy until now. Who were they? A group of young masters from Yraii City! They had backing to retaliate against anyone who dared try to talk back to them, ah!


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    Being a group of young masters that were used to running rampant within Yraii City, they had long lost any inhibitions that they might have possessed previously.


    That only made Clause feel worse. In the face of their contempt, he had long gotten used to it, but he couldn''t allow his senior disciple sister to be treated this way!


    "Shut your wh*re mouths, you fucking insecure boner biscuits," Clause sneered. "Jeremy, I asked my father to pardon you because of how pitifully you begged me before, but it looks like you haven''t learnt your lesson."


    His ugly words causing a furious flush to cross the group of young master''s faces. When had they ever been treated this way?


    "Who begged you pitifully! Clearly it was you who ran away from Yraii City. Don''t try and turn this around on me. Besides, what can your father do to me, ah? The group of us control the majority of the city. Come retaliate if you dare. Our fathers will just suppress yours." Jeremy''s face was red with anger.


    Clause planted himself firmly in front of his senior disciple sister. Though he was still a teen, his figure was able to block his senior disciple sister Wendy from sight.


    But it didn''t matter in the end, because the group of young masters surrounded them, blocking them from all angles.


    Meanwhile, Wendy was also frowning at the sudden change of circumstances. This group of seven that looked like they were in their late teens or early twenties were obviously picking on her junior disciple brother.


    Her eyes flashed with annoyance. Should she¡­ make a move? But her junior disciple brother had such thin skin. Could his fragile ego handle it, ah?


    Nearby, Jade, Claire and Alec were watching the show in front of them with raised eyebrows.


    "Hey, it looks like Wendy isn''t going to make a move? Should we do it instead?" Jade whispered to them.


    "How annoying. I can''t believe that someone actually dares to posture in front of someone from out sect," Claire said with a frown.


    Alec studied the way that Clause and Wendy were reacting. "Even if they can handle it on their own, I don''t feel right leaving someone from out sect to face opposition alone."


    The two older disciples nodded and made up their mind to step forward to help.


    Alec took the chance when the seven were taunting Clause to bodily pick the one that had been the most vocally outspoken and started the conflict, Jeremy, and tossed him into the distance with pure strength alone.


    The previously arrogant young master Jeremy let out a cry of pain as he was ''ambushed''. His body impacted on the hard ground. While he wouldn''t have normally shown such an embarrassing sight, he had been taken completely by surprise.


    That was just the start. Before they could react, Alec had already thrown all of them away, leaving them in a groaning pile.


    After all, they were just rich young masters who hadn''t put any effort into bettering themselves. Even their achievements of their magic ranking were from consuming pills that would only harm their foundation in the long run.


    Where would they find the strength or reflexes to fight off Alec''s Awakened strength, especially when they were taken by surprise?


    Let alone Alec, he was sure that Clause would have been able to take care of them seven to one by himself anyway.


    Clause stared at the group of seven groaning arrogant rich brats in a pile before snorting with laughter.


    A few fists waved at him from the pile, which only invoked harder laughter from him as well as the three older sister disciples.


    They met no lack of these kinds of people whenever put on plain clothes and wandered around outside the sect.


    Alec had not overtly hurt them, just bruised their pride a bit. Since Alec wasn''t nursing his temper, he was quite light-handed with them. Otherwise, there would probably be more than a few broken bones.


    The group of young masters eventually separated, their faces red with anger. They all glared daggers at Clause even though he didn''t do anything.


    Three females, a kid and Clause. There wasn''t any chance that their ego could take it unless Clause was the one who did something to them.


    Jeremy was so blinded by anger that he didn''t notice that the five that were in his line of sight were wearing the traditional blue and white clothing with Heavenly Ascension''s circular sect logo on it.


    He glared at the laughing four ¨C he never felt like any beauty''s face could invoke such hatred in him. It must have been because the three beauties were surrounding Clause that he felt the stirrings of anger for them.


    They were dirty by association.


    By the time he realized what he was doing, he had already launched himself at Clause''s detestable laughing face. There were even tears at the corner of the damn teen''s face, something else that stoked the flames of his anger even higher.


    Jeremy launched himself Clause, but he neglected to notice that there was another figure below his line of sight.


    When Alec saw how the ''young master'' that charged at Alec didn''t even put himself in his eyes, he felt his temper erupt.


    He was short, but not that short damnit!


    There was no fucking way he wasn''t in the other''s line of sight!


    That meant that damn Jeremy was just wilfully ignoring him!


    Excuse me, *he* was the one who chucked all of them there, not Clause!


    Burning with indignance, Alec''s smile brightened as he vengefully tripped the damn idiot as he rushed past.


    Of course, the idiot didn''t notice at all ¨C something that made him even more annoyed ¨C and groaned as his face impacted with the hard ground.


    Jeremy struggled up, dazed but even angrier, but his eyes met chilling blue ones instead.


    The faint, barely present smile that was painted on his face would have come across as amiable and genial in any other circumstance, but when Jeremy''s anger cleared, he realized that the one who had tripped him was this boy.


    Instantly, the smile looked more like the product of malice and animosity. The cold light that shone in the boy''s eyes made him shiver and he backed up slightly, his eyes never leaving the devil''s form.


    The faint smile on Alec''s face widened slightly when he saw the wary light in the other''s eyes. So, he wasn''t a complete idiot after all. He still thought that this was going to play out like another one of those clich¨¦ tropes that occurred repeatedly.


    "What do you think you''re doing to my junior disciples, hm?" Alec said, tilting his head.


    There were constant chills running up and down Jeremy''s spine. He disregarded the taunts and yells from his friends behind him. Sheer instinct kept him silent as his brain worked rapidly.


    Alec stepped forward and placed his foot on the teen''s arm, his foot lightly pressing down threateningly.

 Chapter 116 Not Even a Brawl II

    "Wait, wait," Jeremy held out both hands to suggest surrender. There was already a bead of sweat that was making its way down from his forehead.


    His instincts that had been long dormant had suddenly woken up from the sudden chilling danger that assaulted his senses.


    He didn''t even know why he was feeling like this, but he only knew that he shouldn''t make any wrong moves if he still wanted to live peacefully. Jeremy might be a wastrel, but his gut instincts had never led him wrong before.


    Quite obviously, the child in front of him should not have been a factor in his instincts at all, yet when Jeremy looked at him, his body was wracked with chills. It was even worse than whenever he faced his father in a bad mood.


    The feeling wasn''t anything good, so he backed off no matter how spineless he seemed for doing something like that in front of his friends. Instincts told him that he wouldn''t even know how he died if he continued down this road.


    Alec leaned down, his eyes glinting. But still, the angle of his smile remained the same.


    "If you continue talking trash about my sect''s disciple, I''ll rip your mouth off," the boy said. His tone even matched the feeling of gentleness that his smile gave off, but his words were a total mismatch, causing Jeremy to feel weird.


    The feeling of danger suddenly spiked as his mind registered the small kid''s words. Somehow, there was no doubt within Jeremy that what they threatened him with would be carried out if he really did run his mouth again.


    Jeremy swallowed, his throat dryer than it had ever been.


    Arrogant though he may be, he wasn''t an idiot without any preservative skills. He knew who he could and could not play around with. If his friends wanted to further court death, they could do it themselves.


    Not to mention, now that he''d sobered up, he had finally realized that the group were indeed wearing the Heavenly Ascension Sect''s vaunted symbol and sect clothing. How could he have been so blind as to miss those signs?


    Luckily, the small kid''s terror inducing eyes had woken him up before he did anything irreversible.


    "Hurry up, let''s leave," Jeremy directed to his group of friends before fleeing. "That kid''s no joke!"


    Even if his friends couldn''t hear the words that had been said to him in that milky child-like voice, they sneered, not taking Jeremy''s words to heart.


    Jeremy disregarded Clause''s puzzled eyes, and the jeers and taunts from his friends.


    He ditched all of them and fled like there were ants in his pants. The further he got the better. Since they didn''t want to listen, that wasn''t his fault, okay. He wasn''t going to go around courting death no matter how much he disliked that arrogant idiot Clause.


    The other six arrogant young masters were unresigned, but reluctantly followed after Jeremy, even if they were calling him a spineless loser in their minds.


    Clause was completely baffled from the sudden change of behaviour that Jeremy exhibited. From what he knew of his character, this was not something that someone of his personality would do.


    But still, he burst out laughing again when he thought of Jeremy''s unsightly face when he gloriously faceplanted into the ground after tripping on Alec''s foot.


    He bent over, clutching his stomach before wheezing. The hilarity of that scene was going to linger for days just remembering the idiot''s face. Even if he failed the journeyman proficiency test, he would probably still end up laughing when he thought about those idiots getting what they deserved.


    By the time Clause finally recovered, the rest of the group was staring at him, bemused.


    The group of them were so distracted that they never realized that there were eyes that were watching their movements. However, they wouldn''t have changed how they acted even if they did take note of it.


    He cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed, but the grin lingered at the corners of his mouth.


    He glanced lightly at Alec before turning away. "Ahem. I could have handled them on my own, but you have my thanks," he said, striding away. His face was set back in its usual annoyed expression, but the lightness in his eyes gave him away.


    Wendy shot a deeply hopeless look at Clause''s back before turning back to Alec and friends, rolling her eyes at his behaviour. "Thank you," she said graciously before turning to follow Clause.


    Jade and Claire smiled at the boy''s prickly behaviour. "Don''t mind him, Alec. It''s not that he hates you. He just thought that you were likely like those arrogant young masters when you never talked to any of us the entire time you''ve been here in the sect."


    Alec''s smile dimmed lightly, causing the two older disciples to feel a bit distressed at the sudden feeling like they''d wronged him unjustly.


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    "I see," Alec said.


    Er¡­ it really wasn''t on purpose, ah. He just didn''t have much time between his frantic pursuit for knowledge, his duties and his master''s guidance, he just didn''t see that many of his division''s disciples in the first place!


    "But you really weren''t avoiding us, were you?" Jade narrowed her eyes suspiciously.


    Alec quickly denied it since it was the truth. It never occurred to him that they were all waiting for him to talk to them in the first place. He''d have to correct it. "Of course not."


    Jade nodded. "Then, it''s fine. Anyway, let''s go. Clause will be fine with Wendy. She takes care of him like a younger brother, so she won''t allow him any harm."


    "Yeah that''s right. Wendy looks delicate and fragile, but she''s got a hidden core of steel. Her fighting ability is no less than her passion for arrays," Claire injected.


    Alec hummed noncommittedly. "Then, shall we move to the next shop?"


    "You read my mind!"


    -


    The next morning, they gathered in the inn''s lobby. Twenty-one of them, twenty-two including elder Faye, headed to the examination site.


    Alec left Bunbun and Fenrir in the inn because the test was supposed to take the entire day.


    The building that the test was to take place in was the most prestigious building for array masters.


    Known throughout the continent for its standards, anyone wanted to claim that they dabbled in the delicate art of arrays had to pass the standards here to be recognised.


    The ranks started at apprentice, followed by journeyman then master.


    Elder Faye scanned the various disciples that had followed her down from their sect''s mountain, feeling happy. This year, there were many journeyman hopefuls that were taking their first step here.


    They were all at least in the journeyman rank. Heavenly Ascension never sent any of its disciples to test for apprentice since they felt like it was beneath their abilities.


    In the array division, they were only recognised and allowed to take missions regarding arrays once they passed the journeyman test.


    The sect''s harsh standards meant that every year, there were always those who didn''t make it during the ten years grace period from joining their division.


    If a disciple still couldn''t make it to the journeyman level in ten years, then sorry, goodbye. They had to transfer to a different division and couldn''t stay there any longer.


    Competition was harsh, but it was also rewarding. The ones that made it were all gems in their own right. Reaching the journeyman standard was something that most others only ever achieved in their mid or late forties.


    Most journeymen didn''t ever reach the realm of masters, where they were supposed to be able to freely craft and modify arrays.


    From this, you could see how harsh their standards were. For someone to reach the ranks of array master was something that was to be celebrated ¨C it didn''t matter what force it was, they would all try to recruit you even if you just barely managed to step into the ranks of array masters.


    In exchange, the array division''s peak was highly regarded because of how well their disciples did their jobs.


    The building they found themselves outside looked deceptively plain, but Alec could see the various arrays that had been set up using the building as a foundation. This building was the most heavily guarded and reinforced from any other building he''d seen.


    This included his sect''s buildings, which had perhaps one or two arrays that guarded it. Never so many at once.

 Chapter 117 Proficiency Tes

    Alec gathered with the rest of his sect''s disciples in a hall that held roughly a hundred others.


    Since there was only roughly a little over a hundred other people, their group of twenty-one caused a bit of a commotion since they entered together.


    While it might have seemed few considering how respected the profession was, just how many people had the focus and drive to constantly work on the same thing repetitively every day for years?


    Just how many people were able to not only maintain the focus, but actually succeed in creating something innovative and new? Excelling in his profession wasn''t just pure luck or talent. Drive, smarts, practice. Not one of those could be lacking if one wanted to even have the chance of success.


    If thought about it this way, then it really wasn''t so surprising that there were only this few people who had come to take the proficiency test, even with how large the continent was.


    Wearing the same type of clothing that sported the Heavenly Ascension Sect''s crest, the whispers were directed at them. Some were reverential, some were mocking, but regardless, Alec didn''t pay them any attention.


    No matter how much someone may talk, it would never convince those who were wholly convinced that they were in the right.


    In that case, it was better to just smack them with your skill.


    Of course, that was only in the event that you had the skills to back up your talk in the first place.


    While Alec might not know exactly where he stood in terms of ranking amongst the array crafting profession, there was no plausible way that his master would allow him to descend from their sect''s mountain if he didn''t believe he could do it.


    In any case, Alec would just keep silent for the time being.


    Each of them held a card that contained their registry details that had been handed out to them by elder Faye earlier this morning.


    Just registering to take the test alone cost more money than most commoners earned in a year. Adding on things like brushes, ink, etc. it was truly a trial in order to succeed in this profession, yet again adding to the reasons why those who excelled in this field were looked up to.


    "Those that are here for the apprentice proficiency test, please proceed to the room on the far left."


    Heeding her instructions, more than three quarters of the room filed into the room on the left in an orderly manner.


    The room was pin-drop silent as they left. Instantly, the tension in the room seemed to increase as those left behind scanned the remaining competition. There was a set quota for the number of people that could advance rankings each time the test was held.


    "Those here for the journeyman proficiency test, pleas proceed to the room in the middle," the lady that was in charge of the announcements spoke again.


    This time, the rest of the remaining participants filed into the middle room, only leaving a scant ten people that were here to take the master''s proficiency exam.


    Alec followed his fellow sect members into the room in the middle. He was the last one in line, and the proctor was checking their cards as they entered the door.


    Alec handed his card over to the proctor, only to be stopped from entering.


    "Wrong room," the proctor said, handing his card back. His voice didn''t give anything away, and neither did his face.


    Alec blinked in surprise.


    Wait. If he wasn''t here for the journeyman proficiency test, then¡­


    He heard a few snickers from inside the room, where people other than his sect members were obviously directed at him.


    "I knew it was a mistake. As if a young kid like that has reached journeyman. Even if he started learning in his mother''s womb, it would be too early!"


    A snort. "Don''t be so mean. After all, a kid that can take the apprentice proficiency test could be the next array master!"


    A chorus of mocking laughter broke out. They were obviously using his mistake to feel better about themselves, which disgusted the Heavenly Ascension Sect members.


    His sect''s array division''s disciples glared at those who spoke the loudest, but they didn''t speak, even when Alec could see that some of them had clenched their fists.


    After all, the proctors from this place were notoriously strict regarding badmouthing. It was fine if they wanted to do it but doing so in their presence was just asking for points to be deducted.


    Judging from the looks that the proctor was using to scan over the crowd, these people would not be an exception to the rule.


    Fights were strictly prohibited here. Anyone who broke the rules would be banned from taking a proficiency exam for five years at the minimum.


    Alec gave a nod to his group, whose furrowed brows loosened lightly when they saw that he wasn''t affected by the mocking words that had filtered into their ears.


    This only caused a faint admiration to grow further in them, seeing as how Alec wasn''t easily influenced by other''s negative opinions.


    There was now a faint sheen of admiration in their eyes that weren''t there before. Since their sect had no precedence of allowing a disciple down to take the apprentice proficiency test, and he wasn''t taking the journeyman''s proficiency test with them, that only left masters¡­


    Just the thought of it shocked them.


    Still, they remained silent in the face of the mocking that was coming from various offenders in the room.


    There was a mix of emotions that they couldn''t quite describe in mere words alone.


    Alec backed out of the doorway, which the proctor then gave him an accessing look before shutting the door.


    The remaining master-hopefuls were watching scanning him with either curiosity or hostility.


    When it became apparent that Alec was not walking towards the room on the far left, their thoughts shifted to something more dismissive. Some of their gazes contained a distinct mockery and disdain.


    This was not the first time that someone had thought too highly of themselves. After all, as long as someone had money, they would be able to take part in the test as they so wished.


    It was this sort of person that they detested the most.


    The remaining few that were still waiting to be directed into the room had all lived for a long time. What had they not seen?


    To be able to reach that cusp of master rank had not been easy for them, let alone someone this young.


    The fact that an eight-year-old wet behind the ears kid thought that he was able to pass the exam was an affront to their pride.


    They silently thought that they wouldn''t have anything to do with the kid. Of course, they wouldn''t stoop so low as to cause trouble for a small child. They had more pride in themselves than that.


    "Those taking the master proficiency test, to the right."


    No one else gave Alec another glance as they entered the room one by one.


    Their eyes flashed when they realized that the proctor indeed had not stopped Alec from entering the room.


    A man with striking grey hair and black eyes stood in front of them. There was no friendliness on his face, only a stern strictness. There was a golden array symbol that was pinned to his collar.


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    When Alec looked at the pin, he could tell that the pin was actually an intact array. The array was fully functional and working even as it had been compressed into the shape of a golden pin.


    "Edward Little. I am your proctor today. I will not tolerate any foolishness in this room. If you are caught cheating, I have the authorization and will ban you for life, effectively ending your career as an array crafter. You best not test me."


    There was a simultaneous intake of breath from the room.


    Edward Little was the youngest array master of the century. At the age of twenty-nine, he had taken the continent by storm with his proficiency in arrays.

 Chapter 118 Proficiency Test II

    Alec stayed quiet as he listened to the man speak. Though he was listening to the proctor speak, his eyes were lingering on the runes that floated in the air, just waiting to be activated.


    He''d made out that the array would cause them to fall into an illusion where they were in a separate space.


    His head tilted and his eyes moved around, giving the others the illusion that Alec had no qualms about ignoring the proctor''s words. It only made them sneer. Of course he was acting this way.


    They hadn''t expected that he would act any other way in the first place. He wasn''t even paying attention! This was Edward Little. Edward Little, alright?! They felt honoured that they could bask in his presence, but the brat wasn''t even paying him any attention!


    What they didn''t realize was that Edward''s eyes had lingered in interest on Alec''s actions before turning away, continuing his explanation like he never noticed.


    There were four stages of the array proficiency test for masters.


    The first test would take a total of six hours, no breaks. It was the test to gauge the basics of their accumulated knowledge. Basically, they were to take a written test regarding their general and specified knowledge about arrays and runes.


    After that, without taking a single break, they would have another test that required them to solve various problems and defects within a number of arrays, yet again for six hours. The more they solved within these six hours, the higher their score.


    Not only that, they had to fight against the remaining candidates for the ''questions''. Someone who was too slow would be left eating the dust. The institution really wasn''t making things easy for anyone who wanted to call themselves an array master.


    After that, they were to present their already prepared ''new'' array to a panel of judges.


    If they passed that stage, they would be directly allowed to take the last stage, where they had the span of a day to modify an array. The question theme of the last exam would be provided to the candidates that remained for them to follow.


    The first three stages of the exam were the ''easy'' stages, whereas the last stage was the one that truly tested whether or not the candidate deserved the title of array master.


    Alec thought that it sounded simple enough. The proctor''s explanation was easy to understand, and the duration of it wasn''t long either.


    If the other examinees were able to hear Alec''s thoughts, their spittle would long have started flying.


    Simple? Simple? Simple his head!


    Did he know just how much focus and concentration taking four continuous tests without any breaks needed?


    Not to mention, whatever food or drinks that they ate needed to be factored into that time as well.


    They didn''t even have any time to go for bathroom breaks ¨C since it cut into their time! They would have to constantly use their magic inside their body to repress their urges. Only someone with fine control over their magic would be able to continuously use their magic without stopping.


    There was no doubt that they would have strangled Alec, this abnormality, had they been able to hear his words. This kid that was younger than their own grandchildren was mouthing off because he didn''t know how hard it was!


    Even though they had been preparing for the proficiency exam for a long time, just how many of them were able to handle the tests that were thrown at them with grace under the strong pressure and pass?


    Everyone who made it to the master rank was a gem that had been thoroughly polished until it sparkled with resplendent light, dazzling others with its splendour, so was it any surprise that the lot of them treated Alec''s presence in this exam as anything but a joke?


    Harsh?


    But this was the reality of their profession. Pride had been bred into their bones, and unless they were shown otherwise, they wouldn''t act any other way. You wanted their respect? Then you had to smack them in the face with your skills.


    Most of the candidates had been dreaming about passing the test for most of their lives.


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    Other than Alec, everyone here was at least eighty or ninety years old at least. Was it any wonder that they didn''t believe Alec could achieve anything?


    The only array master in the room and their proctor, Edward, waved his hand, and the arrays that had been previously dormant activated, shrouding the master candidates in its midst.


    Alec''s vision blurred out even when he was able to see runes, which interested him.


    Still, he moved his attention to the screen that worked like a tablet. It would instantly calculate his score once he submitted his paper.


    Alec didn''t move to hurriedly write down his answers, instead scanning and reading through the questions one by one.


    There were a total of five hundred questions in total. They differed in terms of difficulty and complexity randomly, which would have given others who hadn''t practiced as thoroughly a headache.


    The other candidates had already long started answering the questions to the best of their ability, skipping over some of the more complex ones.


    Edward, who was standing with his arms crossed and looking over the various candidates, felt his eyes linger on Alec, who was reading through with a calm expression.


    Compared to the tensed expressions on the other candidate''s faces, the calmness that Alec radiated was noteworthy.


    The ability to keep calm at all times was something that they valued in the master candidates. Even if the others tried to project a feeling of calmness, Edward could see from the smallest actions that they weren''t as calm inside.


    Just who was this boy?


    Edward checked the registration list that was in his hands and raised an eyebrow. Alecris Neil from the Heavenly Ascension Sect. This was the first time that he''d seen someone from the Heavenly Ascension Sect that wasn''t taking the journeyman test the first-time round.


    As far as Edward was aware of, the Neil Clan had only produced a single genius array master ¨C Annalise Neil. She''d torn through the exam and excelled at the age of thirty-one, which was just barely older than Edward had been when she''d taken it.


    Hearing about her feats had been what led Edward to take the master array proficiency test before he was sure that he would pass it.


    Yet, here was this boy who was sitting here calmly, his eyes a still pool of water. Just where had they found this boy?


    Was he as good as he seemed, or was he just boasting without anything to back it up?


    Without realizing it, Edward had a little bit of anticipation that bloomed within his heart as he watched the young boy''s actions.


    Finished reading through the questions, Alec picked up the crystal pen that lay by the side and started jotting down his answers at lightning speed onto the projected screen.


    Luckily for Alec, he had Awakened the strength within his body evenly and reinforced his bones, so even when he pushed his writing speed to the limit, his body was able to handle it. Followed with his Awakened vision, Alec''s speed was noteworthy.


    He didn''t think that this was somewhere he would have to use his extra attributes, but Alec felt quite happy that he was getting a workout even when he was supposed to be taking an exam. Maybe he could incorporate this into his daily practice as well.


    Don''t think that this first test was simple and easy. Not only did the candidates have to manage their time tightly, they had to think quickly and write just as flawlessly.


    No matter how rushed they were for time, their calligraphy was not allowed to deviate a single iota from when they first began. This was why the screen that usually picked up people''s thoughts and reacted to them were presented this way.


    It forced the master candidates to write by hand instead.


    Many failed out from the first test alone because of this restriction.


    To call the master proficiency test hard was calling it lightly! There had been countless evolutions and thoughts put into each stage of the exam that would ensure the person who achieved their rank deserved it fully.

 Chapter 119 Proficiency Test III

    The moment the six hours were up, the illusion that surrounded them faded briefly, bringing the vision of the room back.


    When the candidates saw that it had finally ended, some of them lost the tension that had been running through their veins, causing them to slump powerlessly onto the desks that had been supporting them the entire time.


    "Submit the papers," Edward said unfeelingly.


    Alec had already long submitted his paper and had been closing his eyes briefly as he thought about some of the questions that had stumped him previously.


    The act of encountering different questions from the style that his master used to question made Alec obtain a few new views regarding some of the things that he had been previously struggling with.


    The screen pinged, glowing green, showing that Alec had directly passed the first written test.


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    When he glanced around, he found that five of the other candidates had failed, leaving behind six others to take the remaining three tests.


    Alec''s brow raised lightly when he thought about how more of them failed than he expected.


    By now, the five that had failed had ugly expressions on their faces, while those that passed looked relieved.


    When those that failed looked around to comfort themselves, their first glance was all towards Alec''s desk, where they were sure that he would have failed.


    Their eyes nearly popped out when they saw that the screen that was in front of him lit up with a bright green. The contrast between their own glaring red screens and the green on the young boy''s screen made them feel like killing themselves.


    The slap to their face had come without any warning, making them feel like their faces were stinging from the swift and collective retribution for their earlier unkind thoughts.


    There was one candidate that couldn''t accept this conclusion no matter what. He was also the most vocal of the lot, whereas the others were content to watch him be the one to address their grievances.


    "Proctor, he must have cheated!" the man cried out. Had he been able to kill with his glare, Alec would have already been six feet under. "I don''t believe it! I want to see proof!"


    Still, no matter how much the man shouted, he was the only one who was voicing his doubts. The rest were content to wait and watch out the drama like it had nothing to do with them.


    Alec felt the stirring of his temper wake up, his previous happiness abating somewhat. The System looked over at the man who was pointing and glaring at him.


    Alec narrowed his eyes, unhappy that he was being questioned for someone that he had put in work to achieve.


    The rest of the candidates were able to see that the boy wasn''t as happy as he appeared. The narrowing of his eyes caused his smile to seem more sarcastic and cool rather than the earlier genial aura he''d been giving off.


    Since they were able to see it, how could Edward be blind to it?


    The loss of control over the man''s emotions as well as his blatant tone filled with accusation and complaint drew the disdain of the rest of the candidates and their proctor.


    Even if he had his grievances, did he have to say it out loud for everyone to hear so blatantly? It was as if the man had never once heard of subtlety.


    Still, the more he talked, the more the other candidates felt like their earlier knee-jerk reaction that Alec had been cheating was off.


    Who here hadn''t passed on their own merit?


    They had been looking down on Alec earlier because they thought that he was throwing his money away just to randomly try out the test, but the results of the first test had soundly and thoroughly slapped them in the face before they could even begin to put their disdain away.


    Now that they weren''t blinded by prejudice, even the most arrogant of them would have taken a step back when they saw that the young boy had passed the test. Just being able to pass the test already meant that he was qualified to stand on equal, if not higher, grounds with them.


    What right did they have to continue looking down on him?


    Cheating?


    Just how did he expect that a small child would be able to cheat under the proctor''s watchful eyes, ah?


    Now that they weren''t being blinded by prejudice, they couldn''t help but wonder. Did the man have a hole in his brain?


    Not to mention, not only was the man not currying any favours from the young boy, he was accusing him of cheating. If this wasn''t the height of stupidity, then they didn''t know what.


    For even being able to pass the first test, the boy was destined to be a star in the array crafting circles. The man had to be completely and utterly blind not to realize this fact.


    Sooner or later, there would be a meteoric rise of the youngest ever array master, and the man was too lost in his own arrogance and stung pride to see that.


    The failed candidate continued making a fuss out of nothing, drawing Edward''s ire.


    "Silence!" Edward thundered. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot. The fact that his integrity was being questioned instantly put him in a terrible mood. As a lofty array master, when had he ever had his work ethics questioned by someone of lower standing than himself? Preposterous!


    The thing Edward placed the most importance on was his principles in life.


    The sole man who had been making a fuss shut up instantly, hearing the anger in the array master''s voice. His teeth clacked from the force he shut his mouth with. His face paled, but he did nothing to take back his words.


    The sound of the proctor''s voice soothed Alec''s rising temper somewhat. That''s right. Why should he waste his time arguing with an insignificant character when he could just smack him in the face with his results?


    "Are you calling my integrity into question?" Edward said dangerously. "Are you calling the institution''s integrity into question?" Edward''s face was cold and devoid of any neutrality that he''d been projecting before, morphing into something that was dangerous.


    The man sputtered. He clearly wanted to retract his rash words, yet his pride didn''t allow him to do so.


    Edward and the rest of the candidates watched him with cold eyes.


    In the end, Edward grabbed the man by the collar, bodily tossing him out of the examination room. "Isaac Baslk, you are no longer welcome within the institute. You may retake your exam in twenty years if you still wish to become an array master."


    The man let out a yell of sorrow and instant regret as the security outside hauled him away on Edward''s orders, they left him the silver badge that was pinned onto his collar but marked his name down on the institution''s blacklist.


    Edward turned around. "The institute does not tolerate being called into question. Take this as a lesson."


    Edward''s eyes met each of the candidates, before landing on Alec''s. Alec nodded his head lightly to the man in thanks.


    The man did not have to take such a harsh stance to help Alec, but he did. Alec wasn''t one who didn''t appreciate help, and there was no doubt that the stern-looking man had helped him out, dispelling the doubts of the remaining candidates other than Baslk, as there was no way that he wasn''t the only one who had doubts about his legitimacy.


    Edward turned around. "Failed candidates see yourselves out. The rest of you, do not think that the time we just spent on that trash isn''t coming out of your test time. Remember, you need at least three thousand points to pass. Begin!"


    At his words, the previous illusion enveloped them again.


    Four other candidates other than Alec were busy cursing Baslk in their heart, their faces dark. They would cause trouble for him later on, mark their words.

 Chapter 120 Proficiency Test IV

    Studying the tablet, Alec could see that the problems were split into different levels. Once the question had been chosen by someone, they couldn''t be chosen by someone else. Once the problem was solved, it couldn''t be reused.


    Unless the person who was currently ''holding'' the question gave up on it, it wouldn''t be available in the question pool. Each person was allowed to reserve ten problems to themselves.


    The difficulty ranks were split into different stars. From one star to ten stars, each question that was solved gave a corresponding amount of points.


    Alec flipped through the pages of problems that were available to them.


    The page that held the one star problems were rapidly being depleted by the other test candidates. The competition for the lower-ranked problems were currently facing cutthroat competition as the candidates flew through problem solving.


    They were simple for someone of their calibre and weren''t uncommon problems that they had faced before.


    There was little pay-out with the few of them solving the questions. Plus, it was too easy for Alec to find challenging or fun.


    With that in mind, the System directly skipped pages to look at the types of questions from the fifth star and above.


    Alec hummed as he reserved ten questions with the crystal pen.


    The pen slid on the smooth screen that panned out according to the size of the array.


    Alec didn''t even blink as he started solving the various problems that were placed in front of him.


    Lines that didn''t match, lines that were too thick. A symbol that was slightly off. They weren''t difficult to spot for Alec who had ample practice and experience thrown at him both from his own practice and his master''s challenges to him.


    Moving on to the sixth star questions, Alec found various similarities that were causing the arrays not to work.


    Seventh star¡­


    Eighth star¡­


    When Alec reached the ninth star questions, his brows raised slightly, his crystalline blue eyes seemed to glow.


    Peering at the tenth star questions, Alec found that they''d underwent a change different from the other eight stars and below questions.


    Both categories of nine and ten star questions held the principal of what they were trying to achieve using arrays, but there were various problems that were occurring that made it hard for the array to work.


    It wasn''t the earlier problems like wrong line thicknesses or botched runes. Instead, they were problems that required out of the box thinking to solve and improvise.


    Alec didn''t notice that his usual genial smile pulled into something that made his eyes almost glitter under the light as he happily solved the questions that were piling up.


    The other candidates weren''t even close to touching them, most of them still locked in a bitter struggle with each other over one or two star problems.


    Meanwhile, Edward studied the reactions of the different candidates. There were only six of them left, so it wasn''t any trouble for his gaze to roam around the room. Since he wasn''t afraid of them cheating, the proctor''s presence was more to see who had genuine potential and chance of elevating, as well as their work ethics and personality.


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    The screen that was in front of him showed the ranking points of the various candidates, as well as the number of different question-ranking difficulties that they''d solved up to date.


    Other than the Alecris, who had only briefly touched the fifth star questions before moving up, the other candidates were all struggling at the bottom of the well ¨C and rather viciously at that. Other than him, there was one other candidate who was solving the fourth star questions at a slow but steady pace.


    Edward''s eyes narrowed slightly. His judgement wasn''t wrong. Seeing how calmly the boy had answered the questions on the previous test already set his curiosity aflame, so how could he have allowed the ignorant to come and disrupt his fascination?


    Sure enough, the work that the young child was working on was methodical, logical and flawless. Edward would be hard pressed to say that he could do better when he himself had been taking the master''s proficiency test.


    Edward''s eyes scanned the screen that was relaying to him the real-time way that the boy was solving the questions ¨C all the way up to the eighth star difficulty questions, which thoroughly satisfied him.


    He wondered just who could claim to be the child''s master, and whether or not he had any room to step in. Whether or not he passed the master''s proficiency test, Alecris was bound to see a meteoric rise in the array industry.


    But watching him solve the problems in real-time, Edward already knew that he would be able to call the child his equal.


    The thought shocked him. The boy was only eight, but he had already reached the realms of array masters, something that many others longed for all their life, but never even touched the threshold of.


    Just when he thought that the boy would continue solving a bunch of eight star questions, Edward''s brows raised slightly when he saw that the boy had taken ten questions from the ninth star.


    Edward''s brow furrowed slightly. Was the boy just being overconfident? He would likely rescind his hold on them once he realized that he wasn''t able to solve it. Edward cautiously reserved judgement before making a conclusion.


    What the candidates didn''t know was that the ninth and tenth tier of questions were never meant to be solved by them in the first place. In all the years that they''d tested various candidates who wanted the right to call themselves an array master, not one of them had solved the questions.


    The questions solely existed as a place for them to show the candidates that there was a sky beyond the sky. These were questions that even the array masters themselves weren''t able to solve just yet.


    They existed in the test one, to show the candidates that they couldn''t be overconfident and two, to sift out any hidden gems that might have passed through the cracks.


    Lines traced over the screen, and runes were corrected in Edward''s vision.


    At first, Edward''s brows remained tightly furrowed as he dubiously watched Alecris draw on the screen, but the more he watched, the more they furrowed.


    He couldn''t make head or tails of the changes that the boy was making to the arrays. It was only when Alecris placed down the last line that the array suddenly came into its own.


    Where previously there had been a mess that couldn''t possibly have worked, the last line suddenly jolted things into place, breathing life into a previously dead array.


    Edward let out a breath of air as his brows loosened. He stared at the array in a daze. This was one of his problems that he had encountered trying to craft this array.


    The more he looked at it, the more he felt like he was seeing something new in every corner of the array. The longer he looked, the more he felt like he had just witnessed life being breathed into the previously stagnant lines.


    There were various problems that had plagued the design previously, but they had all been resolved by the young child.


    It was then that the thought struck him.


    Alecris wasn''t standing toe to toe with him, no. The boy was already ahead of him ¨C and Edward couldn''t see where. If it wasn''t for the fact that being an array grandmaster required a certain degree of magic rank, Edward didn''t doubt that he would have already reached that point.


    The thought sent him into a further daze.


    Just what was this?


    An eight-year-old array master had been born without anyone knowing! What a monster! There was no other way to describe him.


    He''d never thought that he was the best, but he never expected that the one who beat him would be *this* young either. Edward had pride in himself and his own work but seeing the flawless array that stood in front of him almost shattered his self-confidence.


    Luckily, his mind was sturdy enough that he managed to regain control over himself in time. had a lesser array master been standing here, they might have had their self-confidence completely shattered and obliterated into dust at the realization.


    Comparison was a killer.


    Comparing themselves to an eight-year-old who was able to crush their life''s work under his heels would have been extremely traumatising.

 Chapter 121 Proficiency Test V

    Alec continued raking in ninth and tenth star problems by the batch until he suddenly clicked and realized that he ran out of them.


    Alec''s expression fell a little at that ¨C his smile dimming when he realized that the page was empty. He sadly continued back down to the eight star questions.


    Edward''s lips twitched when he saw the abject sadness that Alecris was projecting as he finally ran out of questions that they''d put into the system. Even his smile had taken a tinge of sorrow and dejection.


    He was still feeling completely blown away.


    Edward checked the remaining time left. There was still a bit more than an hour, which was plenty of time.


    He silently contacted the head of the institution. He was the only array grandmaster that was willing to remain attached to the institute instead of just receiving recognition and placing his roots elsewhere. He didn''t say much, just silently directed him to look at the master proficiency test results so far.


    -


    Currently in a room located in the institution''s underground VIP room where a middle-aged looking man was kneeling on the floor, the figure was painstakingly drawing out line after line, rune after rune. The array was almost complete when a series of urgent pings jolted the man out of his delicate concentrated state.


    His finger just barely twitched, but there was an undeniable kink in the previously smooth line.


    The man''s face darkened instantly, his temper surging.


    "Just who was it!" Quinn O''Brien, the sole array grandmaster of the institute, angrily pulled out the screen that was currently still going off non-stop into his hands, discarding the ruined array at the side.


    Anyhow, it was already ruined with how that single misdrawn stroke had blemished the otherwise perfect array. If this urgent message wasn''t worth his time, Quinn wasn''t going to let them off, regardless of who it was!


    Shoving the glasses that had slid off his nose right back up with an anger that wasn''t abating at all, the message showed that it was the young and outstanding Edward Little that had sent him a message, but he was still angry from his ruined array.


    Quinn frowned as he checked the date and time. It wasn''t like he''d lost track of time, so why was Edward contacting him? Right now, the second phase of the master''s proficiency exam should still be taking place.


    The man shouldn''t be sending him anything at all right now, and Edward wasn''t the kind of person who would frivolously send messages when he was supposed to be working either.


    Quinn''s glasses glinted under the light, but his face was unreadable besides the anger that lingered in his gaze. Just what was it this time? He seriously never got a single day of rest since he''d become the head of institution! Was just one day without anything going wrong too much to ask?


    If he''d known it would be like this, well ¨C alright, fine. He would''ve still announced that he''d become a grandmaster, but he would have declined the position!


    Had he known just how much damn paperwork was involved in this life¡­ There was barely any time for him to continue experimenting on arrays, for goodness'' sake!


    Reading the contents of the message, the head of institution huffily strode out of the room that had previously been in lockdown mode.


    Accessing the terminal that allowed him to connect to the system, Quinn quickly pulled up the score card of the various array master candidates.


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    Then, his glasses almost slipped off his nose as his eyes widened in disbelief. Since Quinn had the utmost confidence in the security of their systems, it didn''t even occur to him that someone might have tampered with it.


    How could it be?


    The problems that he himself hadn''t been able to solve were laid out in front of him like a veritable buffet.


    His eyes flitted from array to array.


    Magnifying, then returning it to the normal size, Quinn''s attention was instantly enraptured as the refreshing ways of solving the problems were laid out before him.


    That''s right, that''s right¡­ he could have solved it this way. Why didn''t he think of that?!


    The longer he looked, the more he found that shocked him. Marvellous! This person''s style and thinking was different from the normal style that most array master''s favoured and used widely.


    The way that this master thought was so different from the usual ¨C the way he worked the problems were delicately but intricately linked ¨C so much so that Quinn didn''t think that he himself would be able to solve without dedicating a long time of study.


    Who was it?


    He didn''t think that he would have missed the rising of such a star in their world, so perhaps it was someone on the outskirts of society, or secreted away in a clan or sect?


    Quinn was so enthralled that he lost track of the time that was slipping through his fingers, similar to when he got to work hands-on with his arrays.


    The screen blanked out when Quinn didn''t touch it for a period of time, causing Quinn''s eyes to widen as he felt the vibrations that the mini screen he was holding alerted him. Checking the time, he cursed.


    He''d lost track of time even though the vibrations were this strong. Luckily it wasn''t too late yet, or he was sure that Istella would come and yell at him later for making them lose face.


    The thoughts about the elusive array master that had stayed hidden this time constantly filtered into his brain.


    Making his way up to the floor where the candidates were to present their work to a panel of judges, Quinn slammed the door open, startling the inhabitants in the room.


    Edward was already seated, looking as cold and indifferent as usual. The grey-haired man gave him a nod to acknowledge his existence, getting a nod in return.


    On his right sat Istella Kane, an array master that had just hit the age of a hundred this year. She still looked like she was in her mid-thirties.


    There was a blank spot which was reserved for Quinn, followed by Oscar Vane, a long-time array master and the deputy head of the institute, his long-time friend.


    "Istella. Oscar."


    "Quinn."


    Taking his seat, Quinn leaned over slightly to Edward. "Did you tell Istella and Oscar?"


    "No," Edward said simply.


    Quinn nodded in satisfaction, leaning back, but Istella and Oscar''s attention had been caught hearing his ''whisper''.


    "Tell us what?" Istella questioned, narrowing her eyes.


    "Nothing. Don''t eavesdrop, woman! You''re as noisy as always!"


    "Please! If you didn''t want us to eavesdrop, then you should have kept your ''whisper'' a real whisper!" Istella said, rolling her eyes.


    Oscar caught Quinn''s eye, raising an eyebrow.


    Quinn shrugged. "You''ll see. I wonder if you can tell who it is. Edward, don''t give us any hints."


    Edward grunted. "I''m sure you''re in for a surprise," he said, a smirk pulling at his lips.


    The three eyed Edward''s sudden expression with surprise. They never thought that the man would hints of enjoyment at something other than arrays. The young man had always been so stern and stalwart that he never had much social interaction, which meant that his social skills were woefully lacking.


    Quinn laced his fingers together under his chin, anticipating alight and burning bright. He couldn''t wait to see the mind behind this genius.


    "Send the first one in."

 Chapter 122 Proficiency Test VI

    Alec took the chance to take a break.


    The three remaining candidates had drawn lots to decide the order that they were going in, and Alec had drawn last, while the other two had rejoiced that they were before Alec.


    It''s not that they were being petty, but even someone who was blind would have noticed that the bunch of questions from the seven star difficulty and above had been solved ¨C the ones with eight, nine and ten stars were completely cleared out. There hadn''t even been a single one remaining.


    Since the screen showed them the difficulty of the questions that had been solved, they had been soundly and powerfully face-slapped by the child yet again. Just when they thought that he only had knowledge and not the practical know-how, they were proven wrong so quickly and soundly.


    All thoughts that they had that he wouldn''t be able to solve anything had been long thrown out the window.


    Not willing to accept it?


    Do you think the facts would change even if you were unwilling to accept it? No.


    In that case, it was in their best interest to just accept the face slap from the kid with grace and humility and move on. Or better yet, make a connection to him.


    There was no way that he wasn''t going to soar above them, so why not make friends while you were at it?


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    Thinking up to this point, the stinging continuous slaps on both sides of their that Alec had given them didn''t seem so bad suddenly. Since they couldn''t fight it, then they just had to go with the flow.


    Right now, they were already slapped up down left and right until they didn''t even know which direction was which. Since the results weren''t concealed by Edward, they saw that Alec firmly sat on the top position. The second place wasn''t even near toppling him.


    The more they tried to compete, the harder they were smacked down with the boy''s results. Even if they couldn''t accept it, they had no choice. This boy who was younger than their own grandsons had thoroughly and utterly trounced them in both knowledge and solving skills.


    Even so, they weren''t ashamed. Alec was so far away from them, they couldn''t even begin to compare themselves to him, so not only did jealousy not form, they were admiring.


    Currently, Alec seemed so far out of reach to them that they viewed him as a figure that was to be worshipped instead of jealous of. What had they been doing when they were eight years old? Some of them hadn''t even known that arrays and runes existed yet!


    When the first candidate entered the room, the other candidate moved closer to Alec, but seeing the boy close his eyes, he sighed. He''d lost any chance to make a good impression, but he also wasn''t willing to disturb the other''s sleep, so he instead psyched himself up and went over his presentation.


    Alec''s eyes remained closed, but he wasn''t sleeping like the other candidate thought. Instead, he was consolidating the various arrays that he''d solved earlier, adding them to his repertoire of arrays.


    It was only when the second candidate had entered the room that Alec took out his notes and made a few changes to his array that he''d previously thought was completed.


    His pen flying over the paper, Alec made major and subtle changes to the Magnitude Seal. Now, it worked a lot better than before, which satisfied him.


    It was only when he was sure that he could no longer modify and improve it did he stop, a sense of satisfaction seeping into his bones.


    Alec felt great joy. He felt like his knowledge had improved to a different level, and his way of thinking was now non-linear, instead having more flexibility.


    The attendant opened the door, calling for Alec to enter.


    When he did, he was greeted with the sight of four array masters sat in a row. One of them was Edward Little, but the other three he didn''t know anything of. Three males and a female made up the panel of judges.


    Alec''s eyes lingered on the collar of one man in the middle, which wasn''t a gold pin like the rest, but instead a frosted white pin. Alec could see the array that made up the pin, but he couldn''t decipher what array it was just yet.


    So there was still a level above array masters that he didn''t know about!


    Faced with that knowledge, not only was Alec undaunted, he was even more fired up than he''d been before.


    "Begin," said the man with the silvery-white pin.


    Alec approached them and handed them the notes that he''d made showing the journey that he''d made whilst making the new array.


    The middle-aged looking man with the glasses and the frosty white pin pushed his glasses up as he started reading.


    The other three array masters silently stared at Alec.


    Alec had not missed the surprise that appeared in their eyes when he had entered the room, which meant that Edward had not told them. There had been a hint of glee in Edward''s eyes as he entered.


    Quinn quickly flipped through the pages that the boy''s writing spanned over. The earlier parts were easily digested, but from around three-quarters in, Quinn had to stop and seriously ponder before nodding continuously.


    He himself didn''t think that he was able to create something that could surpass this.


    By the time he reached the end, Quinn had entirely lost himself within the writing and grace that the author solved the various problems with. He was completely enraptured and only returned to his senses when Edward coughed lightly.


    "Ah, yes," Quinn said without any shame, passing on the notes to Oscar.


    Quinn studied the boy closely. By now, he was sure that this was the elusive genius who had not shown his face in their circle. Quinn had previously thought that it was some hermit who hadn''t yet shown his worth to the world, but never had he expected that it would be a young kid that looked like he should still be clinging onto his mother''s lapels!


    With delicately cut features, black hair and the crystalline blue eyes that were the signature of the Neil Clan, when the boy smiled, Quinn felt like he could see the flowers that bloomed behind him.


    But still, even the aura that he gave off wasn''t able to hide the quick intelligence inside the boy''s eyes. Quinn felt excited.


    An eight-year-old array master!


    If his magic rank was up to par, Quinn had no doubt that he would be able to directly break into the ranks of grandmaster!


    The institution had to sponsor him, or they would be sinning! Even if he didn''t pass the last stage of the exam, Quinn would still be willing to use the institute''s resources to boost Alecris up.


    It would be such a waste for this once in a millennia talent to go to waste!


    Quinn couldn''t allow that to happen.


    The way that the child approached the problems facing the completion of the array was seasoned. Quinn almost felt like he was reading some other grandmaster''s works.


    The thing that separated a grandmaster from a master wasn''t as difficult as everyone else thought. It was just that the arrays that the array master produced had to be wholly of their own style. To describe it better, it was like Magitypes and Societypes. The two existed and worked in harmony together, but the magic that a person used was something that belonged only to themselves.


    Basically, array masters had to create something completely new and pave the way for future generations.


    However, that was easier said than done.


    How many aspiring grandmasters had ultimately failed in the end, never ascending in their lifetime? How many grandmasters were stuck at the last step, unable to breakthrough even if they did have the necessary magic rank?


    It wasn''t something that only hard work could conquer. One needed talent as well. And just a bit of luck.

 Chapter 123 Proficiency Test VII

    Alec finished the presentation of his Magnitude Seal with all four judge''s approval. Looking at their impressed faces, even as they tried to keep a straight face, Alec already knew that he passed.


    Sure enough, the man with the silvery-white pin said as such.


    "You''ve passed with flying colours. Not only are you able to answer all our questions about the array, you are able to improvise on the spot."


    The other three array masters echoed his approval.


    The man stepped forward to shake Alec''s hand, all but beaming at him. His joy was infectious, and Alec could practically see the excitement in his eyes bursting out.


    "Young man, are you interested in working with us?"


    Alec paused, looking at the man in surprise.


    Quinn continued on before Alec had a chance to respond. "The institute would like to mass-produce your seals to sell. Of course, we won''t short-change you. We''ll cover the manual and material cost. If you give us five percent of the profits, the rest belongs to you. However, I hope that you will be able to sell it to the institute at the base price should we wish to buy it. Don''t worry, we won''t resell what we buy from you."


    Alec hadn''t even said anything, but the grandmaster had already blurted out a long paragraph of his thoughts before he got a chance to open his mouth.


    The other three array masters were staring at Quinn with surprise as well. Though they sometimes worked with the potential master candidates, they had never been approached by the institution head himself for a deal.


    Still, Alec thought about it. Hadn''t he wanted to sell his Magnitude Seal anyway? Not to mention, if they were approaching him now, then they were already sure that he would be able to pass the last test.


    Now that the opportunity had thrown itself into his lap, he wouldn''t refuse. Using the institute''s good reputation, there would be more people that were willing to buy from them rather than if he worked alone.


    Quinn seemed to notice that he was being a bit hasty. "Ah, of course, we can further discuss it after you have passed the last stage of the proficiency test and issue you your badge."


    Alec nodded in acquiescence and was led to one of the underground rooms.


    The institution had provided all the necessary materials for the candidates to use for the last stage of the exam.


    There was a screen projected in the middle of the room that showed him the array that they were to modify.


    It was a teleportation array ¨C one of the arrays that usually only sects and clans were able to use, as well as the richer cities. The array was not only complex and large, it was also something that most weren''t able to get their hands on to study, which was why it was being used as exam material.


    The cost of using such an array was astronomical, and one usually wouldn''t use it unless they were rich or were hard-pressed to do so.


    Alec hadn''t yet had a chance to study his sect''s array, and his brief look at it earlier when they''d teleported hadn''t been enough.


    Still, Alec started working.


    He broke down the array in front of him with a few strokes and started thinking about how he wanted to modify it.


    Rather than something that cost such an astronomical amount to use, he would rather that he made a seal instead that could be used to teleport countless times in a short distance as it connected to the other seal.


    The difference between arrays and seals was that arrays were almost always wide-spread and required a core to power it, whereas seals were smaller and more mobile. They were used on talismans for easy access and usage.


    Rather than arrays, Alec actually preferred making seals. Still, that didn''t mean that he wasn''t good at making arrays as well. It was just that he felt that his mind truly expanded when he thought about how to fit everything that an array should do into a tiny seal instead with the same functions.


    Starting to work, Alec didn''t realize that his movements were being monitored by the array masters.


    The last part of the exam was open to everyone on the institution to watch as long as they were interested in doing so. Since the last exam was something that required the master candidate to possess both intuition as well as epiphany, showing the sight of them working to the floor was something that would allow those who were not yet at that level to get a glimpse of the future and something to aspire to be.


    Sure enough, the candidates from the other proficiency exams hadn''t left regardless of whether they passed or failed.


    As various people watched Alec work in silence, his eyes gleaming and showing no signs of tiring or stopping, they felt admiration bloom in their hearts.


    Any thoughts that might have existed of him cheating had been blown away the longer they looked on.


    Those that had mocked him before had red faces, as if Alec had personally slapped them himself. It was only now that they knew that such a dazzling star couldn''t be contained within the confines of their ''knowledge''.


    This was the first time that the Heavenly Ascension Sect disciples had seen any of Alec''s work, and they felt a complicated mix of emotions. However, the general consensus was that they were proud of the honour he was bringing to the sect.


    Clause watched in silence. When he saw the state that Alec sank into, he was reminded of the way his master worked. In fact, when he thought about it, Alec''s slightly absent gaze at times reflected this as well.


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    He flushed. So, it wasn''t that the other was wilfully ignoring them, but that he was always thinking about something or the other. If someone else didn''t take the initiative to talk to him, then Clause didn''t know whether or not he would ever talk in the first place.


    When he thought about it like this, his previous unhappiness with the boy mostly faded. After all, he hadn''t really held any animosity with him ¨C he just wasn''t happy that the other was snubbing his seniors with his silence.


    Added with the way that he''d come to help him when Jeremy and his merry band of idiots came to bother him, the boy really wasn''t that bad.


    Alec completed the seal in his hands, then took his time drawing another.


    The hours passed as Alec completed, modified and played around with the seal that was in his hands. He never once showed any signs of slowing down, unlike the other two remaining candidates that had been stagnating due to the stress that their mind had been put under.


    Not many people could focus for such a long period of time without resting at all.


    This day, there were many fans of Alecris Neil that had been born looking at the small child''s sparkling eyes as he stared at the seals that he was making without any signs of wavering. His wholehearted devotion was etched into the depths of their memories ¨C and was something that would encourage them at their lowest.

 Chapter 124 Heading Back

    By the time he was finished, Alec finally felt satisfied with his progress with the teleportation seal that was in his hands.


    Testing it on various objects that had been placed around the room, Alec nodded in satisfaction when he noted that there was nothing wrong with the seal.


    Then, he tried it himself since he was sure that it wouldn''t malfunction. There was always a risk in using it himself, but that was something that he was willing to take. More than calling it recklessness, it showed how Alec was that confident in the seal that he''d made.


    Sticking the seal on the other corner of the room, he activated the seal that was in his hands, appearing at the other seal without a problem. Other than a pulling feeling when the seal activated, there was no problems. His limbs were intact, and nothing else was out of place as far as he was aware.


    Now satisfied that he wouldn''t be able to tweak it any further with his current knowledge, Alec put them down and started working on a few other modifications. This time, he made a barrier version, as well as another array version.


    The three modified versions did different things, satisfying Alec''s curiosity and innovative spirit.


    Before he had time to start a fourth, the time on the clock signalled that the twenty-four hours of time that he was allocated was now up.


    Having finished presented his seal to the same panel of judges, to say that they were impressed was an understatement.


    Quinn and the three array masters filed into the room once it hit the twenty-four-hour mark on the dot, each of them showing him smiles in their own ways.


    Checking and testing the various seals that Alec had produced, there were no problems. Quinn''s fingers itched to possess some seals for his own usage. They were sure to be useful in both combat and non-combat situations.


    Their eyes practically scorched Alec with the desire to have a conversation about arrays and other similar subjects with him.


    Truly, never before had there been such a young array master that had graced the continent. They didn''t think that they would ever find another one even if they searched high and low.


    Quinn grandly presented him with a gold pin in the shape of his Magnitude Seal that was the hallmark of an array master. Now that he had the pin, there was no one who would be able to say that he didn''t deserve to be called one. As the pin couldn''t be replicated due to various measures, Alec would be recognised widely throughout the continent.


    Alec pinned it onto the inside of his shirt''s collar rather that outside, smiling in thanks to the panel of judges.


    Alecris Neil, the youngest ever array master that had ever been sighted. He blew the competition out of the water, and no longer was Edward Little the youngest ever array master.


    Still, Edward wasn''t jealous. Instead, he admired the young child greatly, wondering just how he had been taught, and by whom. He wondered just what series of circumstances had come together to produce this array master before him.


    Alec was led out of the room only to be showered with thunderous applause and cheers from those who had stayed behind to watch the process of him modifying the teleportation array, startling him briefly.


    But then, he regained him calm. After all, he supposed that it wasn''t too farfetched for the institute to broadcast what they were doing inside the rooms so as to expand their base of knowledge.


    When he smiled at them, they felt like they were struck over the head by the smile that bloomed on the small child''s face, stunning them.


    Quinn took this chance to whisk away the new array master into his office to discuss the matter about his Magnitude Seal.


    -


    No one knew what they discussed within the room, but what they did know was that Alec and Quinn came out smiling.


    For the usually dignified Quinn O''Brien to beam so widely that his eyes had practically disappeared, they knew that he must have come to an amicable conclusion to their partnership.


    Alec handed over the cipher to his Magnitude Seal after the institution registered the copyright under his name, so if anyone wanted to procure his seals, they would have to pay him.


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    Leaving the advertisement and sales to the institution, he was fine just raking in the money that would come from the sales.


    They met the rest of the Heavenly Ascension Sect''s disciples as well as elder Faye, who were waiting for him to emerge from Quinn''s office.


    "Congratulations, Alec."


    "Congratulations!"


    "Thank you," Alec said, smiling at them. He made sure to thank each one of them since he hadn''t realized how antisocial he''d been behaving before this.


    Not only did they congratulate him, they shielded him from the zealous other array crafters who wanted to talk to Alec.


    Alec felt helpless. Many of them didn''t look like they were going to give up trying to contact him, which made him feel annoyed at the extra attention he would be getting in the next few days.


    Instead of their original plan to stay within Psyberion City for the next few days, they planned to head back to the sect straight away.


    Alec''s brows furrowed lightly hearing about this plan. "I can head back to the sect myself ¨C"


    Jade cut him off. "Nonsense! We''re either heading back together or not at all!"


    Her sentiment was echoed by the other disciples of the array division, which made him slightly embarrassed. How could he say that he still wanted to visit the various bookstores that he hadn''t got a chance to yet¡­


    Still, they were treating him this warmly despite his earlier indifference to them. Perhaps it was also tied into the fact that he was the youngest ever array master, but he didn''t begrudge them for it.


    He just felt a bit tired about how society functioned, that''s all. Regardless of whether they were in a sect, a clan, or outside in the world, society remained the same. They weren''t bad, and Alec was sure that he could warm up to them eventually.


    Besides, Alec could feel no malintent from them, and even Clause had congratulated him, even if he did sound like he would rather not. His pink-tipped ears gave him away.


    Alec reflected on his past actions ¨C especially the time when he had been a System. He wondered just how much he distanced himself from society, so much that he was holding himself apart from any friendly or non-hostile interactions in the system space.


    When he thought back about it, there had indeed been a few systems that had tried to make friends with him, only for him to brush them off. Alec''s face pinked slightly, embarrassed. He knew that he had probably been taking his bad mood out on both transmigrators and other systems alike.


    Then, when he thought of the way those transmigrators had acted even after a long time of him trying to get them to change their mind, he felt the stirrings of his temper act up again. Yeah, some of them still acted like complete morons.


    Still, Alec generally strived to improve himself, so this was yet another area that he would have to push and better himself.


    By the time they returned to the sect, night had fallen, yet he caught sight of his master standing there, waiting for him.


    The rest of the disciples dispersed quickly, leaving Alec to walk up to his master.


    The man''s eyes were warm even as his face remained stoic. The curve on Alec''s smile increased the slightest amount.


    When Nathan hesitated, but still placed his hand on top of his direct disciple''s head, patting him lightly, his fingers were slightly chilled from waiting outside for them to return, and Alec felt his heart warm.


    "Congratulations, Alec."


    Alec smiled. Pfft. Wasn''t this the first time that his master was calling him by his nickname? It must have been because he heard the other disciples call him that. The times his master acted all nonchalant was so funny.


    "Thank you, master."

 Chapter 125 Completed Seal

    It took three years before Alec was finally satisfied with the design that he had painstakingly crafted to use on the Sins.


    He had tested them extensively and put it through the harshest conditions possible before he finally deemed it ready for use.


    In that time, he finally managed to elevate himself from the elemental rank into the transitional stage of foundation. He''d been pleased to learn that his magic capacity was no longer slid back completely or was wiped out every time he tried his hand at Awakening something more than he should be able to handle.


    The seal that he''d created to place onto the group that the sect master intended to entrust him with was his most complicated work yet. While he had made a few other arrays, barriers and seals outside of this seal, the added hours that he had put in couldn''t compare to the effort that he''d poured into the seal that the sect master had asked him to design.


    Incorporating both teleportation seal, magnitude seal and now an authority seal, this triple layered seal was Alec''s creation using time, effort and a bit of innovative thinking that blended the three seals together into one.


    Seated before Dorian, Alec presented the seal to him.


    Dorian steepled his fingers together as he listened to Alec talk about the seal that he was finally satisfied with, his lack of expression failing to give anything away.


    By the time Alec finally finished talking, a translucent screen popped up in front of him.


    [Dorian Falren Intimacy Increase +1]


    [Dorian Falren Intimacy MAX]


    [Dorian Falren added to Main Character Page]


    [10 Main Characters detected]


    [Faction Tab opening¡­]


    [Faction Tab opened]


    [System Authority Upgraded]


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    The onslaught of messages briefly caused his vision to blur ¨C or it would have had he not Awakened his vision previously.


    Alec uncharacteristically felt like punching the air. Finally! They *finally* maxed intimacy with the sect master! The man had been stubbornly hovering at the [999/1000] points of intimacy for as long as six months already.


    It had not increased no matter what he did, so Alec theorized that it was because the man still held a bit of reservation for him. Interacting with him for this long, Alec had long realized that the first place in the man''s heart was undoubtedly his son.


    Until Alec could show him that he produced a seal that would not cause them any harm, the man would never be added to his Main Character Page.


    Thus, it had taken a long, long three years before Dorian was finally added into the Main Character Page, a stark contrast to Dominique who literally took a single encounter to max intimacy with him.


    Alec was never going to complain again.


    He''d entertained the thought that it was just Dominique that had warmed up to him abnormally fast, but if every other Main Character was going to take as much work as Dorian to get close to, then he didn''t know whether or not the benefits and costs were worth it.


    He still didn''t quite know why he was collecting Main Characters in the first place.


    Dorian and Alec stared at each in silence until Bunbun and Fenrir, who had obviously grown tired of the silence started playing around.


    Bunbun and Fenrir both wiggled their way onto Dorian''s lap, startling the man out of his thoughts. The two creatures had finally advanced enough in their natural magic that they were finally able to control their size at will.


    Bunbun and Fenrir were now similar length ¨C that was to say, they were about the size of a normal bunny.


    Dorian stared down at the two fluffy creatures that were nestled in his lap, staring up at him with their big, big eyes. His finger twitched.


    Alec hid a smile at the man''s torn eyes as he stared down at the two creatures. It was clear that he wanted to pet and touch ¨C he was probably screaming inwardly about how cute they were, but he didn''t since he did not want to break the image that he maintained in front of Alec.


    It was just hilarious how he was practically crumbling in front of their cuteness ¨C like a lot of others did but didn''t want to admit.


    Dorian cleared his throat, but his hand sneakily inched towards the two''s soft fur, patting them lightly as if wary of scaring them away.


    Bunbun''s back leg thumped against the sect master''s knee as the man moved to scratch him under the chin, purring happily. Fenrir used both paws to lightly trap the man''s fingers between his paws.


    Alec swallowed the laughter that threatened to come out. It never got old how so many ''stern'' or ''cold and indifferent'' people seemed to melt under the both creature''s combined gazes.


    "Alecris Neil, I will be entrusting the fate of the Sins into your hands. Do not fail me. Do not fail them," Dorian said seriously, but his serious appearance was completely ruined by the sight of his hands busily moving and patting and doting on Fenrir and Bunbun.


    Still, Alec didn''t allow the amusement to show on his face as he bowed low, graciously accepting the order.


    He straightened up and put a serious look onto his face, his smile diminishing to just the barest hint. "I will not fail," he said with complete assurance.


    "Good."


    "What will the group be called?"


    Dorian reluctantly stopped his hands from patting both creatures to push a sheet of paper across to the boy.


    The word ''Inspectre'' was written on the top. Alec''s lip twitched. He wondered if it was because the group was designed to keep an eye on the sect disciples, as well as take missions outside the sect that required discretion.


    Well, he supposed that it was fine. He would just refer to them as Spectres in the future.


    "I will refer to them as Spectres off paper."


    Dorian didn''t even blink.


    "All the Sins are to be indoctrinated into the Spectres group. Note that this is highly secret and that their identity should not be revealed to anyone who is not in the group itself. Of course, that includes yourself. You are allowed to recruit from outside the Sins as well, should it come to that." Dorian paused, thinking about what else he still had to tell him.


    Alec acknowledged this. It was something that Dorian had spoken of extensively during their meetings. The man did not hide anything from him regarding the activities that the said group would be partaking in.


    "A base of sorts has been delegated to the Spectres. I will hand over the authority to you. Only those with permission are able to enter."


    Dorian placed his hand over Alec''s hand, where a channel of magic touched upon Alec''s before a weight settled onto it. It was a different feeling from his bonds with his Awakened, but he could feel where the space was held.


    Dorian reluctantly patted Bunbun and Fenrir one last time before he nodded at Alec. "I have already directed the Sins to enter the Spectre''s base."


    Bunbun and Fenrir left Dorian''s lap and bounded over to climb up Alec''s clothes, riding on his shoulders.


    Alec stood up. "If that is all?"


    Dorian nodded. "Dismissed."


    Alec left the room, heading in the direction where he could sense the Spectre''s base tugging him, feeling Dorian''s reluctant eyes staring a hole into his back as he left with Bunbun and Fenrir, feeling slightly speechless at the sect master''s actions.


    Bunbun turned behind to wave lightly at Dorian, causing the sect master''s mood to lighten happily.


    Alec''s lips twitched.

 Chapter 126 Spectre Base

    Taking the chance, Alec walked slowly towards the Spectre base instead of hurrying over. He hadn''t yet gotten a chance to look at the onslaught of notifications that the sect master had triggered earlier on since he didn''t want to make any suspicious actions.


    Looking at it now, the Faction Tab had finally been upgraded, and his System Authority had finally, finally, after all these years, increased.


    Previously, he''d thought that his System Authority would increase if he increased his magic authority, but when he had reached the foundation rank without anything happening, he was briefly stumped.


    So, it had to do with the number of Main Characters that he had ''collected''?


    Looking into the Faction Tab, the page was blank and only had a single ''+'' at the top right corner.


    Alec clicked it, and another screen popped up.


    [Create Faction?]


    [Yes | No]


    Alec clicked ''yes''.


    [Faction Name?]


    Faction name?? Alec shrugged and said ''Spectre'', failing to come up with anything at the moment.


    [Faction Name ''Spectre'' confirm?]


    [Yes | No]


    Alec clicked ''yes'' again, impatient.


    The previous screens disappeared, leaving only a single screen left behind.


    The screen automatically designated the ''Heavenly Ascensions Sect'' under his faction, setting it as the base, as well as placing all the Main Characters that he had so far under his name.


    Alec''s eyebrows shot up. He still didn''t have an inkling what was happening.


    Why did he need a faction in the first place?


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    He had a bad feeling seeing this turn of events. Were they going to be attacked or something?


    When he checked over the Main Character Page that now included Dorian''s name, he saw that the [Plot Route] under each person''s name had been unlocked.


    While Alec wanted to desperately check it right now, Dorian had implied that the Sins were all already there waiting for him, so he couldn''t take too long a time if he wanted to make a decent first impression ¨C on the ones that he hadn''t met, anyway.


    The twelve that he''d taken care of the past few years should not have too large a problem accepting him as their leader. Alec liked to think that they got along reasonably well, and Dominique always stared at him with those uncomfortably shining eyes.


    The Spectre base wasn''t on another peak like he''d thought it would be, but instead in a separate space that held the lingering feeling of the sect master''s magic.


    Alec frowned slightly, but then his furrowed brows loosened. It wasn''t that the sect master was an Awakening type, but rather, it had been passed through various hands before finally falling into his.


    It was located near the common joint path where the various peaks crossed paths, but if they didn''t have permission to enter the space, then they weren''t able to enter it even ''accidentally''.


    Alec instructed Bunbun to try, and the result was that the bunny appeared as if he had passed behind a building and disappeared in thin sight. The effect was very natural, and even if there was more than one person who entered at the same time, those that tried to look were unable to find any traces.


    Alec stepped into the Spectre''s base with Fenrir still on his shoulder.


    -


    Inside the space where the Spectre''s base was designated, there were thirty-six Sins that lounged around inside. Thirty-six seemed like a pitiful number, especially when they considered that the sect was practically saturated in a number of Brights and Chers. There was also a decent number of Everys in the outer disciple section.


    So, yes, thirty-six seemed pitiful, but when you considered the Sins'' volatile and destructive nature, as well as how society seemed to shun them for no reason, their sect already held quite a number of them.


    Many Sins didn''t make it past childhood for many reasons ¨C each more brutal than the last.


    Some of the Sins chatted in groups, while others were alone.


    "Just what do you think we''re all gathered here for?"


    There was a series of shrugs from the surrounding Sins.


    "You don''t think the sect has finally decided we''re too much trouble to keep around, do you?"


    The words had been something that they had plaguing their minds. Once spoken, they could not be taken back.


    Those were words that they''d been keeping close to their chest, almost as if speaking it aloud would cause it to come true.


    Though the way the sect treated them was still discriminatory, they had been allowed to take off the black bands that marked them as Sins to the outside world, and the people that lived here weren''t overly hostile. At most, they would be ignored, but they still had friends amongst the other Sins.


    The person that spoke had been speared with more than one glare, and the mood in the space sunk.


    After all, what else could it be?


    They were here, trapped within a space that they couldn''t seem to get out of ¨C and they had tried before they finally stopped ¨C deeming it a waste of time.


    There was a snort that echoed in the air, and more than one head turned towards the source of the sound.


    Rosabel flipped her hair over her shoulder, rolling her eyes at them. "Lighten up already. As if we''ll all be killed in such a rough and ungraceful manner. If you''ve already forgotten, we have daddy''s boy Dominique here. There''s no way we''re dying today."


    There was a short silence as Yuki facepalmed, already anticipating Dominique''s reaction to Rosabel''s words.


    She always tried to get a rise out of the other Sin but mostly didn''t succeed. The only time she got a reaction was when she mentioned his name and his father''s name in the same sentence.


    Wait, no. That was before.


    Now, there was now a new category that existed that could unfailingly get a rise out of Dominique, but since she liked him as well, Rosabel never said anything about him other than that first time.


    Yuki still didn''t know what Alec did that made Alec occupy such a large part in Dominique''s heart and wondered if that one time Alec and Dominique had¡­ Err. Yuki hastily tried to bleach his mind from the filthy thoughts, waving them away.


    Sure enough, there was a whoosh of air as Rosabel just barely dodged Dominique''s furious kick. Dominique''s face radiated an intense look of coldness and anger, something different from his usual indifference.


    If looks could kill, Rosabel would have already been six feet under or deeper. Dominique looked like he wanted to peel off the flesh from Rosabel''s bones.


    Rosabel laughed, her voice high and light. The look in her eyes contradicted the feeling that her laugh gave off. They were filled with fire and a desire to fight!


    The two Sins rapidly exchanged a series of blows as the others spectated, some laughing and cheering.


    It was all in good fun since they knew that Dominique wouldn''t really hurt her irreparably or kill her, and neither would Rosabel use her entire strength in a friendly spar with someone from their sect.


    They were friends of sorts ¨C strange, warped friends, but friends, nonetheless. Yuki couldn''t even begin to comprehend their friendship on the best of days, and he was the closest with Rosabel out of everyone.


    Sometimes, her actions confused herself as well, but Yuki couldn''t fault her there. Most of the Sins were emotionally repressed idiots.


    Yuki used to think that she had a minor crush on Dominique, but he''d been laughed out of the room when she''d heard his theory.


    Instead, nowadays, Yuki leaned towards the theory that she was indeed trying to be better friends with him, but she maintained that they only ever got to know someone better through violence, where one''s true nature was expressed.


    It was to this scene that Alec entered the base. No one seemed to notice that he had appeared, other than a pair of purple eyes, who had been uninterested in the fight between Dominique and Rosabel.


    His smile instantly went frosty.

 Chapter 127 Meeting the Sins

    Dominique and Rosabel were still exchanging blow after blow while the rest of the Sins continued watching on with occasional cheers and yells of excitement whenever a bit of blood was shed.


    They were so lost within their own world that they never noticed the temperature of the room slowly but steadily dropping the longer their fight continued on.


    Alec didn''t interfere because he wanted to see what standards the two were using to battle, and according to Alec, the best way for settling disputes was to fight it out. The result was that the two were mostly playing around with mock fierceness. Rather than real anger, what Dominique felt was most likely the prick of anger.


    Rosabel dodged under the Dominique''s kick, taking the chance to lean in for a punch of her own.


    Her fist lashed forward with a startling force ¨C her speed had evidently enhanced by imbuing magic into it.


    Still, Dominique was unflustered as he moved back from the range of her attack, sliding to the side. This caused Rosabel to miss her punch. She stomped on the ground with her foot, pushing off the ground to fly backwards, her elbow already poised to dig into Dominique''s ribs.


    It was then that Dominique froze for the briefest millisecond ¨C something that was unimaginable to the rest of the Sins ¨C when he noticed Alec''s presence in the room but his pause was so brief that no one noticed anything except for Rosabel, who was deeply connected to the flow of their battle, and Alec himself, who had met the Sin''s eyes.


    Dominique blinked once before he threw himself forward to meet Rosabel''s fist head on, only for a figure of a child to get in between the two of them before they had the time to blink and stop their momentum.


    The figure also contained a small wolf and small bunny that clung onto his clothing. They didn''t move even when Alec moved to intercept their fight.


    Alec was actually feeling pretty annoyed right now. The last thing he expected to see when he entered was to see two people in the middle of a fight without regard for the surroundings.


    The floor was cracked, there were dents in the wall, and not only were the rest of the Sins not putting a stop to this, they were actively cheering them on like a bunch of hooligans.


    While he didn''t think that there was anything wrong with fighting to solve problems, the thought that the Sins were doing this without any fear about whoever was supposed to come and meet them made him pissed.


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    Alec felt his head throb lightly. There was a time and place for everything.


    Then again, he supposed that he should have expected this considering that it was a bunch of volatile Sins stuffed together in the same place.


    Still, he was slightly mollified when Dominique had frozen the moment that he locked gazes with him. The reason why he still continued to fight on was to give Alec the chance to make his own move and give the other Sins a deeper, lasting impression.


    Regardless, he could see that the bunch of Sins required a firm hand so that they could act appropriately in public.


    Alec grabbed Rosabel''s leg as well as Dominique''s and tossed the two in different directions lightly, their weight not a problem for him and his Awakened strength.


    Instantly, the surrounding crowd of Sins hushed at the appearance of this random interloper. All eyes were locked onto his form. They had just been hyping themselves up to forget about the dark thoughts that were plaguing his mind, so where had this child popped up from?


    They hadn''t remembered seeing him earlier. With the bunny and the wolf clinging onto him, they wouldn''t have been able to ignore him.


    Then, it clicked. A wolf and a bunny following someone? This had to be their sect''s resident genius, Alecris Neil.


    Other than those not in the know, those who were acquainted with Alec through their long period of seclusion in solitary confinement shivered lightly seeing the gentle smile on Alec''s face.


    Now that they thought about it, the surroundings felt a lot chillier than it had earlier since the heated aura from Rosabel and Dominique''s fight was now dissipated.


    Yuki swallowed lightly.


    Ah, he should have stopped the two from fighting! But how was he to know that the one who would come was Alec and not some other member from their sect?


    If there was someone that he feared in the sect, it wasn''t an elder, nor was it their sect master, but instead Alec, who had ''taken care of'' them during his stint in solitary confinement!


    Err¡­ let''s just say that they tried lots of ways to get under the boy''s skin, and they had succeeded ¨C but they soon wished they hadn''t. Yet, he never once used violence against them as it usually dictated, which left them feeling a bit out of sorts and unbalanced.


    The surroundings were warily quiet, the Sins watching Alec''s form. He wasn''t strained from his earlier actions.


    It was easier said than done to intrude in a fight and neutralize the two without getting hurt in the process.


    Of course, they would have been able to do the same as Alec had they put enough effort into it ¨C or so they thought ¨C but it remained that this wispy-looking child had done it so effortlessly.


    More than anything, Sins were the type that respected strength.


    It seemed to have been bred into their bones ¨C or some sort of deeper, more primal instinct that made them roar and clamour to fight against someone strong.


    So, while Alec might not have appeared domineering or anything impressive, the fact that someone of the foundation rank was willing to get between two Sins from the peak intermediate tier was enough to garner their respect.


    Dominique stood up and brushed off the dust that had landed on his clothes. Rosabel did the same from the other side of the room where she had been thrown by Alec.


    "Alec," Rosabel said carefully, seeing Dominique ignore her.


    Alec just looked at her deeply, and Rosabel felt a chill run up her spine from that stare. She moved a bit, hiding herself partially behind Yuki.


    Alec turned his attention towards the Sins that were in the room. The room was pin drop silent.


    Faced with a small child that wasn''t reacting to them negatively and didn''t seem to fear them at all despite the high number of Sins in the sect, they unexpectedly didn''t know how to react.


    For him to be able to throw both Dominique and Rosabel into the wall even while the two had been alert from other attacks while they were fighting, this genius'' combat strength shouldn''t be too far off.


    Just why was Alecris Neil here, of all places?


    Why were they here?


    Seeing as the child''s specialty was arrays, had the sect come to force them into something that would allow them to be controlled by the sect?


    They did not have a precedent case on how to react to this child who so obviously didn''t fear them, causing them to inexplicably feel nervous. They were used to facing hate and scorn whether it was inside or outside of the sect.


    It was strange that the lack of such a feeling ¨C that many of them had wished for ¨C caused them to feel like their hands were tied.


    They knew who this was. It was the youngest ever array master that brought their sect glory and pride. Even if they lived under a rock, they would have known who he was. But why had he appeared here? Where the Sins had been directed to come by the sect master?


    Alec, seeing that the attention was focused on him, spoke up. "The sect master has passed orders to me to create a new group within the sect called the Inspectres, henceforth known as Spectres."


    There was a brief moment of chaos when the room exploded into noise. Some of them glared at Alec, while the others frowned and looked around the room.


    The temperature in the room dropped lower at the chaos that enveloped the room, this time evident enough that the Sins noticed it immediately, silencing them.


    "I will not ask for your acceptance immediately, but do know that by the sect master''s orders, it is compulsory for all Sins that join the sect to be admitted into this new division. While it may not sit right with you now, I hope that you will cooperate with me. Unfortunately, I am the only one who is available to lead the group."


    Actually, that last part was a lie. Should Alec not have wanted to, he would have been able to pass off the master seal to someone else to use, but he did not trust any other person to do the job and treat the Sins impartially and without prior judgement without using them to their benefit.


    "Upon admittance into the group, each one of you are required to wear a seal that I have crafted. Rest assured, the seal will not hurt you, but it is able to stop you from using magic should you act out.


    "My policy is that any disputes within the division is encouraged to be resolved with sparring. However, after the sparring is concluded, you are not allowed to continue with a follow up for whatever slights you might have perceived from the other."


    Alec deliberately did not mention that there were other functions to the seal. He would tell them after they had it painted on.


    "Who''s first?" Alec said calmly, as if he couldn''t see the glares from the room.

 Chapter 128 Sin to Spectre

    There was a silence in the room as those who were not acquainted with Alec inwardly thought that the boy was most likely like the others who wanted to use their Societype against them or for his own benefit.


    They had long since been disillusioned with this world and how it treated them like they were the scum of the earth.


    Countless times, they had their expectations betrayed again and again meant that they wouldn''t take platitudes at face value, causing them to remain wary until they saw the true face of those they interacted with.


    Most Sins maintained the mentality that if the world was against them, then they would retaliate in the way that they were expected to.


    Then, to their disbelieving eyes, Dominique, who was the most obstinate of all the Sins in the sect, stepped forward. Dominique Falren ranked the highest in the Sin scale, whereby the prominent ''traits'' of Sins displayed themselves fully and strongly within his personality and actions, did something that no one would expect.


    Dominique dropped into a kneel where his hair shifted, revealing glittering and lively eyes that stunned the room yet again. There was a distinct flavour of fanaticism that leaked from his eyes. It was a far cry from his usual indifferent and blank eyes that they were shocked within an inch of their life.


    The Sins that weren''t in the know felt like they were losing their collective minds.


    Just what was happening here?!


    How could Dominique of all people be willing to submit to that wispy scrap of a child? Just what sorcery had the other cast over him? Some sort of hypnosis magic or something that befuddled the mind?


    Still, there hadn''t been any talk in the sect about someone possessing any of such magic.


    Then, twelve other Sins stepped forward, including Yuki and Rosabel, kneeling in front of Alec as well.


    They ignored the gazes that were practically burning into the back of their heads from their inexplicable actions towards the youngest ever child prodigy in the array profession.


    They could practically feel the confusion and doubt that leaked off the other Sins in the room.


    No matter how they looked at it, they just couldn''t understand. What was happening right now?


    Were they really awake and not just asleep?


    Alec''s eyes scanned over them. He was not surprised that the Sins he had the most contact with had submitted to his claim of leadership. He supposed that they thought it would be better for them to live under someone who they knew instead of someone they didn''t.


    He was, however, surprised when he saw Hayden Grayson, had joined the line of those kneeling. The boy with the purple hair and eyes was the same one that he had spotted previously when both of them were attempting admission into the Heavenly Ascension Sect.


    Alec had not seen Hayden in the past three years, but when Alec looked directly at him, there was a faint feeling that he didn''t know how to describe. Whether it was himself or if it was the [System''s System] acting up, he didn''t know.


    Alec had not exchanged any words with the boy before, and he had actively looked for the other either.


    Why was it that he had willingly joined the line of those willing to submit?


    Studying his figure, Alec noted that the black collar that had been fitted onto the Sin previously was gone ¨C all that was left behind was a pale line that was different from the rest of his skin tone.


    Still, he didn''t allow his thoughts and doubts to show on his face as he approached the still kneeling Dominique. Alec briefly put his thoughts aside for the time being.


    He still didn''t understand how Dominique''s mind worked. Why did he stick to Alec so closely every time he brought the other food? He never reacted this way with anyone else, as far as Alec was aware of.


    Then he dismissed his concerns. Dominique was now free to roam the sect wherever he wanted, so he supposed that the other would spread his wings and leave Alec alone now that he wasn''t confined.


    Alec lightly brushed fingers on the inside of Dominique''s wrist, where the seal that he''d created for the Spectre''s purpose, appeared on his skin. Alec had drawn this seal over and over again until it was ingrained in his muscle reflex. He could draw it half asleep, barely awake, or even completely asleep.


    He had added his cipher to the seal, so it appeared like a stylized crescent moon splattered with red.


    The seal appeared on Dominique''s pale skin then disappeared within the next moment, causing the Sins who had been watching to blink and wonder if their eyes had stopped working.


    Alec moved down the line, repeating the actions to each one who was kneeling.


    The crescent seal appeared and disappeared within moments of it appearing on their skin, surprising the Sins. They thought that he would pull out a bunch of brushes and painstakingly draw each seal on, leaving them more time to think and observe him.


    What they didn''t know was that it was only array masters who had the Awakening Magitype that could do this.


    As someone who had a Magitype that was deemed ''useless'' by society, this was the one advantage they had over the others ¨C but even then, this had been forgotten by society for a long time, only ever being referenced in the most obscure books left behind by the passages of time.


    Truly, the Awakening Magitype was one that excelled mainly in the hands of an array crafter. He''d met every disciple in the array division, but not one of them had the Awakening Magitype, which disappointed him. When Alec had more power, he would see to it that the sect took in these previously ''useless'' Magitypes and train them up.


    By the time he reached Hayden, purple eyes met blue ones.


    Hayden nodded at Alec, who nodded back. Brushing a seal onto the boy''s wrist, Alec looked at the rest of the Sins, his smile no longer had the hard edge that he''d been maintaining before, reverting back to his normal gentle aura.


    The remaining sins didn''t know how to react ¨C both to the one who had been displeased but authoritative before and now to the gentle one that appeared before them.


    They hesitated before someone knelt as well, offering up his wrist.


    If Alec was able to capture Dominique, Rosabel and the rest, then what chance did they have of fighting this off?


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    Not to mention, the boy was graciously giving them the appearance of choice for their own pride and ego.


    At this point, they were better off submitting for now. They would be able to further gauge the boy later on.


    When the first person knelt, the rest of them slowly started to kneel as well. They didn''t know what would happen to them under this person''s rule, but for now they were willing to, however reluctantly, obey him.


    Alec quickly finished marking up the rest of the Sins, each one carrying a seal that hummed in the back of his mind.


    He''d conveniently Awakened those seals that they carried on their skin.


    Alec gestured for them to get up, pulling Dominique up.


    "Shake hands with the person next to you," Alec said without any reason, confusing them. What they didn''t notice was that the seal appeared on both Dominique and Alec''s wrist when they touched.


    It was clarified when their hands touched. The seals that had been placed on the inside of their wrists warmed lightly upon contact with someone else who contained the seal as well, appearing briefly while they made contact and disappearing after they let go.


    Alec now explained the other functions that their seal contained.


    "You should know about the Magnitude Seal that the sect has taken to using. The seal that I''ve placed on you has something similar, but because it is permanently etched to you, contains a larger space for you to take advantage of. Also, if anyone tugs harshly on the seal with their magic, that''s a sign that you''re in trouble or facing certain death.


    This is where the other function of the seal comes in. Anyone who notices the tug on the seal should trigger the seal to teleport to that person''s side if you aren''t doing anything sensitive."


    Alec studied the Sins'' faces, who morphed from reluctance to grudging respect, then delivered the final part of his speech. "While the seal does contain what I call an Authority Seal, I will not use it against you should you remain reasonable."


    He paused. "This is our base. No one without the seal can enter. You are to come here to report for missions. That is all. Dismissed."

 Chapter 129 Sin to Spectre II

    The Sins left the base like their lives depended on it.


    Alec didn''t begrudge them for it.


    After all, being told that their actions were now closely monitored and controlled meant that a larger part of their freedom had been stripped away from them.


    If he had been the one in their position, there was no way that he would be able to tolerate it as well.


    Still, there was nothing that Alec could do that would reassure them that this wasn''t the case in the meantime.


    Eventually, they would realize that they were still free to move as they pleased as long as they stood under his banner, just that their actions could no longer be allowed to move unchecked.


    While it did seem unfair to them, who in this world didn''t live under a set of laws? It just so seemed that Sins had a lower threshold over their control over their actions whenever the blood rushed to their heads.


    Alec couldn''t guarantee results, but he would give them training regardless of whether or not they liked him.


    Since they were going to be his people, then not one of them would be allowed to die under his watch!


    Dominique, Yuki, Rosabel and the rest that had willingly accepted his seal remained behind, still wanting to talk to Alec.


    Alec didn''t know why they stayed, so he looked at them with a slightly confused look.


    "Death Whisperer," Dominique said, and he didn''t say it softly either.


    Alec''s head ached at the words. It had been a long three years, but the other still insisted on calling him that. While he compromised on everything else, that was the one thing that he never let go.


    Alec felt like exploding. Seriously, he¡­ he felt like giving Dominique a good beating. What ''Death Whisperer''? The name was so chuuni that he felt like exploding in embarrassment whenever he heard it.


    Even if Dominique wasn''t embarrassed saying it, Alec was embarrassed hearing it!


    Dominique instinctively sensed the rejection Alec had toward this title that he''d given to the boy in his heart but only just said out loud.


    Behind him, the group that shared bored and troubling times in Solitary Confinement Peak gathered in a circle and discussed with hushed voices.


    Alec would very much like to pretend that he couldn''t hear any of the cringy names that they were discussing to call him, but alas, he had diligently worked on Awakening his own body and upping his ''stats''.


    "Leader?"


    "How about Supreme Leader?"


    "Chief?"


    "The Big One??"


    Alec almost couldn''t take it anymore. He felt the strong urge to leave the room before they somehow came to a conclusion.


    He hugged Bunbun in his arms as he took a single step, but then the bunch of Sins turned around and quickly came to a decision when they saw that he was leaving.


    "Boss," Dominique blurted. Alec didn''t understand why the man''s voice seemed to be this raspy and hoarse even after years of Alec frequently forcing him to drink water as well as extracting a promise from the Sin to take better care of himself.


    The word was echoed by the rest of the Sins that remained in the room, and even Hayden was calling him that.


    The smile on Alec''s froze.


    Why boss!


    Alec felt like rejecting this title. Why did it sound like something that the Main Character''s ''little brothers'' called them, ah! No, no. He was not a Main Character, so how could he accept this title?!


    Even though it was better than the rest of the names that they had been debating to call him, he still felt like he couldn''t really accept it.


    "Just call me Alec," he said a bit weakly.


    Dominique mercilessly rejected him, his eyes showing its signature fanaticism. "No! Boss has to establish dominance, especially when you''ve only just taken over the group!"


    Alec was cursing up a storm in his mind.


    Didn''t he take over with good intentions? So why was he getting hit in the back of his head by those that he was sheltering?


    Dominique''s words were actually echoed by the other Sins that still remained behind, so Alec could only reluctantly accept it.


    Fine. After all, he still took care of those under him. They could call him what they wanted. It wasn''t like he was losing a part of himself after they called him that¡­ was he?


    Still, he didn''t think that he would be getting used to it any time soon. He had some sort of innate rejection towards actions that he thought counted as a Main Character''s actions in this life.


    Even when he face-slapped someone, it usually wasn''t intentional¡­


    "Fine," Alec said. Even when he struggled to accept it inwardly, he didn''t let it reflect outside since they were being sincere in thinking about the difficulties that he would face later on.


    "I need someone to inform me about everyone''s capabilities in our division."


    Dominique''s eyes swept over those present, causing them to disperse any thoughts about volunteering themselves.


    Most eyes slid to Dominique''s figure, and the fanaticism in Dominique''s eyes seemed to kick up a notch when he heard Alec''s words.


    Alec silently resigned himself to his fate. Dominique didn''t look like he was going to leave him alone any time soon.


    "Fine, then. Change into this," Alec said, touching Dominique''s wrist to indicate that he could find a set of clothing inside.


    When had Alec managed to do that, you might ask? Well, they were all distracted when he first planted the seal, so he was able to transfer it from himself to them.


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    "The rest of you go about your day for now."


    Alec himself went to change into the Spectre-style clothes that he''d prepared.


    Everything from head to toe was black, including a pair of buttery black gloves, form-fitting shirt and pants. There was even a face mask that could be pulled up, and the compulsory black cloth that was used to cover the eyes.


    All in all, once the clothing was put on, the person was hardly recognisable, leaving only the lower half of the face visible.


    Alec had modified a seal to use on the clothing so that the voice of the person that used it wasn''t easily recognisable, and they were able to see even with the cloth over their eyes.


    Dominique and Alec standing together looked very imposing. The black clothes along with their silent presence seemed to bring about an aura that caused others to feel an innate sense of danger just looking at them.


    One glance and you could tell that they couldn''t possibly be up to anything good. Even if ''illegal'' was stamped on their forehead, it couldn''t have been more obvious that they were up to no good.


    Of course, while it appeared that way, the main purpose of these clothes was to promote their uniformity and invisibility so that no one was able to link them back to the sect. Anonymity was the real goal here.


    "Boss," Dominique said when he finished changing.


    Shockingly, the voice that filtered out from him was something that belonged to a fresh-faced pure boy that was a direct contrast to Dominique''s usual hoarse tones.


    Dominique was startled when he heard his voice, but then accepted it without any problem.


    Alec''s lips twitched.


    "Let''s go." Alec''s voice was a deep, low voice. It sounded like a middle-aged man. It caused a strange disharmony to be felt when Dominique imagined his boss'' face talking with that voice.


    Still, the seals were something that Dominique hadn''t seen before, and it only caused his admiration for his boss to rise when he thought about how smart and innovative his boss was.


    Alec didn''t know that his figure had been propped up even higher in Dominique''s mind, elevating him to even greater heights.


    It really hadn''t been his intention!

 Chapter 130 Training Exercise

    The resulting scene from Alec bringing Dominique to the sect master to report was hilarious on both ends.


    Both father and son naively thought that the other hadn''t recognised each other.


    Alec expertly hid this amusement the entire time that Dominique reluctantly conversed with his father.


    Dorian''s slight twitches whenever he heard his son''s pure-sounding voice and Alec''s unmatched voice gave him no end to his amusement.


    Alec even decided that he''d send Dominique to report to the sect master in his stead from now on.


    The two were awkward as fuck with each other.


    More than saying that they didn''t get along, it was more that the two had no idea how to communicate at all.


    By sending Dominique to do the reports, Alec was giving them a chance to get to know each other outside of their ''father and son bond'' that they seemed to be chained to, giving them a chance to learn about each other with an open mind.


    He definitely wasn''t getting any amusement from doing this. Not at all.


    -


    The next day, Alec called the Sins to gather in the Spectre base without a warning.


    It was four in the morning, and Alec had prepared his plan for the day. He still hadn''t gone to sleep from yesterday, but his magic was keeping him afloat.


    Right now, there wasn''t anything as urgent as getting the Sins all up to par with Alec''s vision of how the division''s standards should be and about how they should behave.


    Until that was solved, the Sins could not be allowed to go out onto the field.


    Standing in the field outside the Spectre base, Alec silently counted the minutes.


    Dominique appeared within three minutes, appearing before Alec and standing still like he was a ghost. He didn''t say anything, only nodding at Alec.


    Four minutes in, Rosabel and Yuki appeared, followed by the slow trickle of a few other Sins.


    When it took fifteen minutes before everyone was finally gathered, Alec''s face was completely black.


    Thankfully, they all had the good sense to change into the division''s uniform before coming, otherwise Alec would have lost his temper for real.


    Since Alec told them that there was a Magnitude Seal, the Sins had all checked it before long, which pleased him. After all, someone who didn''t bother to learn about the pros and cons on the seal that was quite literally stuck onto them was an idiot.


    The general mood of the Spectres were disgruntled and annoyed, but they were all silenced by the pressure that emanated from Alec''s body.


    Even when they couldn''t see his expressions, they vaguely felt that the domineering aura that pressed down on them made it hard to breathe.


    This, inexplicably, made their bad mood lighten up.


    Alec inwardly felt a little speechless when he keenly felt that the mood in the area got lighter when Alec pressured them but didn''t show it.


    He should have known that the Sins all leaned towards the masochistic side... like Dominique?


    Of course, Alec was wrong this time.


    It just so happened that Sins respected strength, so taking a soft stance with them the first time around would never allow them to respect you whether it be your actions or your words.


    Yet, the Sins still wanted people to treat them normally after they tested whether or not the person was worthy of respect, forming a contradiction that had likely led the majority of Sins to be shunned by the majority of uninformed society.


    Fifteen minutes to gather.


    Alec was not in a happy mood, but he also hadn''t been expecting much when he had called them for the first time.


    Though, even if he hadn''t been expecting much, fifteen minutes was just too long for him to accept! How quickly did situations change in just fifteen minutes? This delay was unacceptable.


    As such, Alec was habitually smiling at the Spectres, but the aura that Alec gave off only became more pressurizing. It was strange. Clearly, Alec looked like a clean and fresh young boy that would give others a refreshing feeling, but when he was annoyed, there was a pressure that caused those around him to pay attention.


    Under the increased pressure, everyone was silent and obedient, like a mouse cowering in the presence of a cat.


    "Fifteen minutes," Alec said slowly. The Spectres all felt an impending sense of danger creep up on them, causing them to shiver happily. "When I call, you are only allowed to take five minutes."


    What Alec left unsaid was that he would be continuing to do this randomly until everyone was able to meet his standards.


    Not only did the Spectres not complain, some of them nodded compliantly, throwing Alec for a bit of a loop.


    Still, he didn''t let them off, starting the ''training''.


    The area around the Spectre base was a wide forest that stretched on as far as the eye could see.


    Alec pulled out a small red flag, showing it to them.


    "You are to steal this from me within three hours. Five minutes preparation time."


    As soon as Alec finished speaking, the Sin''s eyes were gleaming under the cloth at the prospect of being able to properly gauge the fighting capacity of their new ''boss''. Even if his aura had convinced them, they still wanted to see where they stood against him.


    Alec was planning on using this time to thoroughly pin them under his foot so that he would not face any opposition later on.


    While Alec might have lost to them in a one-on-one situation while he stood on a platform with judges watching his every move, it was another matter for him to play around with them in the forest.


    There was a faint sound of a howl in the distance, causing the Sins to look in that direction.


    Hayden was the first to disappear into the forest surrounding them, triggering two-thirds of the Sins to follow his actions.


    There was no glory in attacking someone with overwhelming numbers.


    The other one-third of the Spectres stationed themselves near Alec, locking eyes on his form and the little red flag that was attached to his belt.


    Rosabel visibly hesitated before she followed after Yuki. Between the two of them, Yuki generally had the better plans. She restrained her urge to charge right in and start fighting with Alec.


    Her instincts were telling her that she wouldn''t win if she continued down that path.


    Sure enough, the moment that the five-minute grace interval was up, the one third of the Spectres that remained behind made their moves against Alec.


    A number of low-powered magic flew towards the area where Alec was still standing casually, made with the intention to bind him there or cause a small amount of harm.


    The various coloured magic sped towards Alec who was still standing there without a concern, causing some of their hearts to leap to their throats.


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    What if he couldn''t dodge it? Wouldn''t they have committed murder on a child that small?


    Added to the fact that he was their sect''s renowned genius, they could forget about leaving the sect with their lives intact!


    Even while they regretted it after they used their magic, magic didn''t have eyes after it had been discharged, so they were unable to stop it. They had momentarily been riled up by their boss'' words, causing them to see red.


    Under their eyes, the magic clashed in a blinding show of colour and light, momentarily blinding them.

 Chapter 131 Training Exercise II

    Then, unbelievably, under the gazes of everyone present, who almost thought that they had killed their boss on the first day, the grass that was revealed under their combined barrage was¡­ empty!


    That''s right, it was empty!


    How could Alec, who was the staunch believer or not courting death, allow himself to stay there where magic didn''t have eyes and death was almost certain if he took all that magic head on?


    Even if he had Awakened the impenetrability of his skin, it hadn''t yet reached the case where he would come out unscathed under that concentrated a barrage of magic.


    Needless to say, in the split second that the Sins had been distracted by Fenrir''s howl in the distance, Alec had already moved himself away and into the forest, leaving behind a projection of himself that conveyed his voice real time.


    If they had been careful enough, they would have seen that the despite how real the projection appeared, it did not reflect the breathing that a normal person should have.


    The respect that the Sins felt for their new boss instantly shot up, causing their adrenaline levels and anticipation to light up. This wouldn''t be as easy as they thought it would be.


    Alec was stealthily moving further into the forest, using his advantage to the best of his ability.


    He was here to win, not to have fair duels of honour with them.


    Alec sporadically Awakened a bunch of trees around the Spectre base, gaining a better vantage point and maintaining his upper hand. He used the barest amount of magic so that he could feel the bonds between his Awakened, which were then deeply hidden into the trees themselves.


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    Speaking of which, it was interesting.


    The trees that existed here in this place was alive. Alec was now sure that this was a separate dimension or plane from the normal world, so whatever happened inside here didn''t affect the outside world no matter where they overlapped.


    To make it easier for the Sins for their first-time training session with him, he did not use any of his concealment seals or any complex arrays that he had produced, instead relying on his Magitype and his purely physical body.


    Though the clothes that the Spectres now wore had been Awakened by him already, Alec resolutely blocked off the advantage he had there, blocking off the bond that he felt.


    While this was a challenge to them, it was also a challenge to himself to see whether or not he could escape from multiple pursuers that were after him at the same time.


    Even though Alec could not use various types of offensive, defensive or support magic like them, Alec was fine playing a game of hide and seek with the Spectres.


    Soon enough, they caught on that Alec must have entered the forest after thoroughly sending someone in to check the Spectre base.


    Dominique was moving alone as he tried to channel his inner boss-radar to find Alec, but it wasn''t so easy.


    Alec didn''t leave behind any visible trails that a tracker could use to sniff him out, nor was he using any magic.


    Dominique''s competitive nature was slowly waking up under the direct stimulus of the challenge that his boss had thrown at them. His purple eyes glowed under the cloth, but its luminescent quality didn''t show any light thanks to the work that Alec put into it. Of course, it was another matter if you possessed the same seal on you.


    A lithe figure that was smaller than the rest of the Spectres stepped forward, blocking off Dominique''s path.


    Dominique frowned. "It''s you. What do you want?"


    "Want to work together," Hayden said shortly. The magic that activated to change their voices didn''t activate when there were only Spectres in the area.


    Dominique stared at Hayden longer before turning away, his eyes cooler now. "No."


    Hayden moved to block him off again.


    Dominique started to get annoyed when his high was being interrupted by this interloper. He wanted to have a one-on-one fight with his boss, exchanging blows before suppressing or being suppressed.


    Hayden didn''t like to talk, but he still insistently talked to Dominique even when he had been so obviously rejected.


    "Boss. Training. Work together."


    Dominique wanted to brush off the teenager''s words, but the words that he spoke wouldn''t leave him alone. He walked a bit further before decisively making his decision.


    Could it be that his boss really was trying to get them to work together instead of planning it alone? There was an inward struggle with himself as he weighed whether or not to heed his instincts or to follow his boss'' objectives for this training session.


    In the end, the part of him that wanted to please Alec still won out in the end, so Dominique reluctantly stopped.


    "What do you have in mind?"


    "We make a trap. I track, you attack. Okay?"


    "Let''s go."


    Meanwhile, Rosabel and Yuki were trying their best to track down Alec, but he wasn''t making it easy on them.


    In the end, Yuki had to stop briefly and focus hard. Using his support Magitype, the colours of the world bleached out, leaving black and white.


    There were various strands of magic that lingered in the air, but Yuki was looking for something else.


    He scanned the trees and the ground, eventually locking onto a pair of footprints that were smaller than the rest, visible to only him. Yuki''s Magitype worked using what he called ''presence'' instead of anything solid.


    Everything in the world had ''presence''. It didn''t matter what it was, be it human, animal or any non-living object. So long as it moved, the trail could be found by Yuki.


    Yuki''s Magitype made him an excellent tracker, working well with Rosabel who would take care of whatever threats that came their way.


    Maintaining his state of mind, Rosabel and Yuki tracked Alec''s trail, only to run into Dominique and Hayden who were working together silently.


    Rosabel raised a brow. "Well, looky here. If it isn''t our sect''s daddy boy Dominique and our baby Sin together?"


    Yuki whacked the back of her head before her words could register in Dominique''s mind. "Don''t go around antagonising people while we have a we''re on a mission."


    Rosabel huffed, rubbing the back of her head. "Fine."


    Yuki looked at Dominique and Hayden, his mind whirling. "Want to work together?"


    The two Sins looked at the pair, thinking.


    "Acceptable."


    In another part of the forest, Alec allowed his ''trail'' to be discovered by a group of three Spectres as a reward for actually thinking about working together.


    This was good.


    Alec reacted like he''d been startled when facing three attacks head on from the Spectres that were working together without any planning.


    No group work at all!


    Still, Alec lost the little red flag that tauntingly hung on his belt, causing the Sin who picked up the flag to make a sound of elation.


    Alec smirked, hiding himself.

 Chapter 132 Training Exercise III

    Alec didn''t stay in a single place.


    He knew that there would be various trackers amongst the Spectres from the information that Dominique had provided him with yesterday.


    He''d been planning for this first training exercise with the Spectres since yesterday.


    He''d even recruited a bit of ''outside'' help to ambush the various Sins while they tried to track him down.


    Alec tried to hide his smirk.


    He rather wished that he was able to see it first-hand, but that wasn''t feasible.


    So, while the Sins were tracking him, they were being counter-tracked by Bunbun and Fenrir.


    Sure enough, Alec heard the sounds of a few screams or yells in the silence of the forest as chaos reigned.


    Not only was there infighting from the Sins that had found the red flag Alec had so helplessly lost to them, other Sins had joined in the fight as well when they noticed the chaos and the red flag that was being passed around from hand to hand.


    Not only that, the others were facing various obstacles along the way as well in the form of two creatures that were having fun playing with their prey.


    Fenrir was having the time of his life tracking down the humans who were trying to find his master. Since he was small, he had it easy hiding from the various humans who were stomping around ungracefully.


    He had not had this much fun playing around in the forest since the time that his master had picked him up after their fight~


    Following the steady vibrations on the ground, Fenrir slowly picked off those who were alone one by one.


    Hiding in an underbrush, Fenrir stilled his heartbeat as his ears twitched, listening for the sounds of the forest. This forest was weird. There were no little creatures or any other bigger prey, nor were there any fellow predators as well, but Fenrir got used to it.


    With his paw pressed up on the ground, the vibrations that were transmitted were clear as day.


    Fenrir made full use of the bonds that connected him with his master, connecting to the trees that were sporadically Awakened by Alec.


    Purple ears perked up and his eyes opened. The fierce intent within his eyes were concealed, something that he''d picked up from watching his master interact with other humans.


    There was one lone one that was coming his way.


    Fenrir preferred to go after the lone wolves that strayed from their human pack since it was easier that way.


    Footsteps caused the grass to rustle ever so slightly.


    Fenrir pounced, sinisterly going for the back of her knees.


    Before the lone human could react, Fenrir had brought the other to her knees as she unwillingly knelt onto the ground from the force that had brought her down.


    Even though she was stunned, the Sin lashed out with her magic, not missing a beat.


    Fenrir didn''t blink as he dodged her attack with the barest movements.


    He launched his own brand of magic back, sparks flying in the air. Even as he made his move, he launched himself forward towards the lone human in case his attack didn''t work.


    The magic hit her body, but it wasn''t a lethal amount, so she only passed out with poofy hair and faintly singed clothing.


    The last thing the Spectre saw was the small, cute purple wolf flying straight at her before the pain that overloaded her senses hit.


    Fenrir made a happy sound.


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    This time, his master wouldn''t force him into remedial training! He planned properly and executed his plan only when he knew that he could win.


    There was no way that his master would be able to find any reason to give him more training now!


    What Fenrir didn''t know was that regardless of how he performed, he would not be getting less training ever. If he knew, he would have cried out ''injustice!''.


    Fenrir enlarged himself as he dragged the prone Spectre back to the Spectre base, piling her on top of his other ''kills''.


    Fenrir stared with happy eyes at his ''kills'' and at Bunbun''s pile of two people. He was so proud that he could feel that his tail was more bristly than usual.


    Fenrir happily turned around, only to see Bunbun appear with a large pile of humans on his back.


    The poor purple wolf''s ears immediately drooped, and his fur felt like it wasn''t as soft as the bunny''s.


    Fenrir huffed, going out to ''hunt'' more, feeling his competitive spirit rise, all but soaring into the skies.


    He had a feeling that if he lost to Bunbun, he was going to get it from his master!


    Meanwhile, Alec was using guerrilla warfare tactics to slowly pick off people from the groups of Sins that had decided to work together happily.


    Soon enough, two hours had passed, so Alec went back to retrieve the red flag that he''d loaned out.


    Easily taking care of the remaining five members who were still duking it out for the flag, Alec stuck it into his belt.


    The group consisting of four members, Hayden, Dominique, Rosabel and Yuki, moved carefully within the forest.


    They could already tell that there were less people than there should have been in the forest.


    Sometimes, there was an occasional scream not far from them before it cut off, but still, they didn''t rise to take the bait.


    The four worked on their plan, trying not to make a mistake or underestimate their boss in any shape or form.


    They still hadn''t caught sight of even the edge of their boss'' clothing, and the three-hour deadline was slowly ticking by.


    There was only half an hour left on the clock before time ran out.


    Rosabel was steadily growing impatient, which meant that her speed of walking had grown quicker as she followed the path Yuki laid out, her presence steadily pushing him on from the back.


    With Yuki in front leading the way, Rosabel and Dominique moving side by side, Hayden was left to guard the rear.


    Alec''s smile widened when he saw that they were leaving Hayden in the rear.


    While to others it might not have seemed like a good strategical choice, Alec could see that it was sound.


    Hayden''s instincts and sensitivity to the nature out here was more in-tune than the other three. It had to do with his magic. As an offensive-type Sin, he''d chosen to imitate the various creatures and animals that he''d had contact with.


    As the teen studied them, their various instincts and habits were slowly added into his own normal behaviour.


    Things that normal humans usually wouldn''t pay attention to, he kept his attention on.


    It wasn''t easy to sneak up on any of the four, but Hayden in particular was the most sensitive to intents and noises.


    Alec moved his steps in time with Hayden''s, copying but not making a single sound. Alec carefully withdrew his usual focus and hid it within himself, causing his presence to fade a blank slate.


    For a while, their group of four became a group of five without them noticing.


    There was a rustle in front as Bunbun charged at them head on, and Alec swiftly took this chance to press on Hayden''s pressure point as a hand snaked forward to latch onto his mouth, preventing a single sound.


    Like this, Alec spirited away a member of their group without a single trace giving him away.


    Passing Hayden''s unconscious body to Fenrir to bring back, Alec hid himself again.

 Chapter 133 Training Exercise IV

    Having exchanged a series of blows with the group of humans, Bunbun rapidly reduced his size as he fled.


    Yuki held out his hand to stop Rosabel from chasing after the creature. "Stop. There''s something fishy about this."


    Rosabel raised a brow, but she trusted Yuki''s instincts. She was more surprised that Dominique had not given chase as well.


    When she turned to look at him, she saw that he was staring behind them.


    Turning her head, she made a startled sound.


    "Yuki, Hayden''s gone!"


    "What?"


    Hayden was indeed gone, and there was no trace of a fight, or any sort of struggle at all. While other''s first thoughts might have been that Hayden had ''betrayed'' them, the three remaining Spectres knew better.


    Yuki immediately used his magic, stifling the curse that wanted to leave his mouth. "It was boss!" he said, his voice disgruntled.


    "As expected," Rosabel said dryly. She always knew that their boss wasn''t as clean as he looked! Just look at what he did to Dominique after taking advantage of him those few times in solitary confinement.


    If Alec knew that she still thought Alec had some sort of fling with Dominique, he really wouldn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. They were thinking too much! What could possibly happen between an eight-year-old child and a teenager? Not to mention, they thought that Dominique was on the bottom.


    Tracing the tracks, Yuki''s eyes slid across, only to feel grudging respect and admiration for their boss'' tactics.


    Yuki was frustrated. "He''s been giving us the run-around. Let''s go!"


    The three didn''t exchange more words, picking up their pace to a quick dash.


    Alec''s smile curved when he saw that they''d changed tactics.


    Reaching a particular section of the forest, Alec silently hid in the shadow of a tree, waiting for the three to arrive.


    Within a minute, they appeared. Two pairs of determined eyes, and a pair of fanatical eyes locked onto his form.


    Alec was faced away from them, and the three didn''t even hesitate when they split into three.


    The teamwork between the three Spectres was commendable, especially when Alec considered that with Dominique''s personality, he was the type that preferred to work alone without any teamwork whatsoever.


    That he had managed to so seamlessly insert himself into their pair took more intelligence and effort than one knew they needed and spoke of his martial prowess.


    He had not wrested control from Yuki but instead silently followed along, doing his part flawlessly.


    Alec hadn''t originally been planning to knock Hayden out, but since he''d been presented with the chance, he didn''t waste it. While he would have liked to take out either Rosabel or Dominique, the two were already advanced rank, and his sneak attack might not necessarily have worked.


    Since he had the chance, then he would have been a fool not to weaken them. Alec had never been the type that would allow his enemy to remain unscathed and untouched throughout.


    In any case, he would rather not alert face them in a situation that they would be able to instantly counterattack and gain the upper hand.


    Yuki was now approaching him from the front while Rosabel and Dominique were commencing a pincer attack on him.


    Alec smiled.


    Good plan, but not good enough.


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    There was a reason why he was waiting here for them.


    The three Spectres approached him in a manner that reflected the perfect speed and tactical planning, as if they''d discussed it before splitting up.


    "Boss," Yuki greeted.


    While his stance was casual, Yuki knew that their boss knew that he was putting on an act of casualness in his stance.


    "Yuki."


    Without warning, Yuki attacked, exchanging a series of quick blows from Alec without any pause. However, the help that he was anticipating coming from Rosabel and Dominique did not come.


    Yuki leapt back, dodging the light punch from Alec, his eyes narrowing. Something had gone wrong, but he didn''t feel as bitter as he thought he would. Their boss had been giving all of them the run around since the beginning, after all.


    Still, he could see that this ''training exercise'' that the boss had proposed was rather stacked in the Spectre''s favour instead of his own.


    Sure enough, when Dominique appeared, there were tears and cuts on him, whereas Rosabel did not make a sound.


    A bad feeling crept up on him. Rosabel had likely been knocked out by whatever trap that the boss had set.


    It finally clicked that it wasn''t Yuki and the rest that had led their boss into a trap, but rather that their boss was the one who had led them into a trap. He''d been too careless, not realizing that for the boss to stop somewhere, there had to be something else to it!


    Yuki sighed, raising his hands in surrender. He walked to the side, still keeping an eye on the red flag that peeked out from their boss'' belt.


    Dominique''s eyes could have lit up a dark room had they not been concealed under the cloth. There was a grin forming on his face as he attacked.


    They exchanged a series of pure martial technique and no magic.


    Though it wasn''t anything flashy, Yuki admired the work that the two had put in. The two moved together, exchanging moves that looked as elegant as a dance.


    Their combat instincts were something to be admired by all. There was a flexibility and unpredictability in Dominique''s moves that were countered by Alec''s rigid style.


    Though Alec''s style might appear rigid at first glance, he was able to accurately use it in a split second to meet Dominique head on, choosing the most suitable form to meet him head on.


    The longer the fight went on, the more Dominique''s eyes glittered, feeling like his boss was really his boss. He hadn''t been wrong choosing those few years ago.


    Still, he didn''t use his magic because he subconsciously thought that it wasn''t any fun for him to use his vastly higher magic rank to bully his boss.


    "Use it," Alec said instead, causing Dominique''s grin to grow.


    Throwing aside whatever thoughts he had about holding back, Dominique used his offensive magic.


    Every time his body moved, there was the feeling of flames in the air. Dominique''s presence changed sharply, growing, threatening to consume and burn everyone to cinders.


    Alec felt a shiver run up his spine as the adrenaline spiked through him, his heart pumping blood throughout every part of his body.


    There was a part of him that had been longing for combat and violence that he could no longer wrestle into submission.


    Inwardly, Alec was grinning just as savagely as Dominique was.


    Dominique slammed his fist forward, where Alec quickly dodged backwards, retreating a good distance as he felt the surge of magic from the man.


    Sure enough, the punch that missed connected with the ground, causing a surge of blue fire to spread out in an area attack.


    Dominique laughed; the joy thick evident in his voice, stunning Yuki, who then grinned. After all, they were all Sins who loved battle unconditionally.


    Dominique and Alec continued exchanging earth-shaking blows, only for Dominique''s magic reserves to start running dry. This caused him to stumble when the correlation between his magic and fighting style manifested itself.


    Alec''s eyes sharpened, taking advantage of this.


    Using a single step, he approached Dominique''s space where he could not smoothly use his moves, knocking him out with an ample amount of force.


    Dominique''s last thought was that his boss was too cool!


    He then kicked off against the ground again, dodging Yuki''s hands.


    Yuki smiled wryly. In the end, he''d still failed to take the flag from Alec''s hands. Now, it was too late. The three-hour interval was up.


    "Good job," Alec said warmly to them.


    Yuki looked at Alec, stunned, then flushed slightly.

 Chapter 134 A Little Discipline Is All You Need

    Alec stood before a bunch of Spectres that didn''t want to meet his gaze. Some of them had (quite happily) taken each other out of the running using their own disputes about who ended up with the flag.


    Alec felt his head ache at the lack of teamwork that they were displaying, even if he had been banking on that to win their little training session.


    At least some of them had enough sense, even if they had been knocked out by Bunbun and Fenrir.


    Still, this was in line for his expectations when he first held this training session for them. He was thankful that it wasn''t any worse, really.


    If the first time they met and went against each other didn''t end in the other side''s complete defeat, then Alec hadn''t yet achieved his purpose! Now that he had, he could rest easier.


    Alec wasn''t really a genius like everyone portrayed him. It was just that he appeared more mature than the rest of his peers, so the adults around him naturally slotted him the title of ''genius'' without him doing anything.


    The title left a bad taste in his mouth.


    Sure enough, now that they''d been ''taken care'' of in the area that they held the most pride in, the Spectres were more docile, and the way they looked at him had changed.


    Where before there had only been the smallest embers of respect, it had increased a notch now, even if he hadn''t won most of them over yet.


    That was fine with the System.


    He didn''t believe that they wouldn''t eventually submit if he kept beating them during training. He would continuously grind them down until they were all usable and sensible.


    Alec''s fingers twitched, itching for a weapon to use.


    He''d have to procure one later on for training purposes.


    The Spectres stared at the young boy who looked fresh and innocent.


    He hardly looked like he had taken a run in the woods with them.


    Compared to him, the Spectres looked like they''d gone through a fight and lost miserably ¨C and they had.


    Some of them didn''t even lose to Alec, Bunbun or Fenrir and instead lost it because of the disputes they had with another Spectre, which just made them feel more shameful when they finally cleared their mind afterwards.


    Now that they had sobered up from the anger that had triggered them in the first place, they felt like they''d completely lost any face that they originally had.


    They even lost to a little boy and his pets!


    The facts were placed in front of them, cold and hard. Even if they didn''t want to admit it, they didn''t have a choice.


    Alec had won the game, and that was enough for them to at least grudgingly listen to his orders.


    Alec swept his eyes over the Sins standing still.


    The place was silent, as if there wasn''t a group of Sins silently standing in place.


    Anyone who had interacted with them before would have felt a cold chill run up their back. Were these really the same people that never listened to any form of authority at the best of times?


    Even when Fenrir and Bunbun went around causing trouble for the Sins, they didn''t make a move to retaliate, yet none of them even thought about shrinking back.


    A few of those that were in the crowd sported forming bruises on the backs of their knees and their necks. Others had poofy, singed hair, causing Alec''s lips to twitch inwardly at the comical sight the Sins made.


    "So, losing to an eleven-year-old boy in something that you should be able to achieve easily. How does it feel?"


    The smile on Alec''s face was warmer than it was usually, which was an even bigger slap in the face. Unsaid were the words that they''d charged in with barely any planning, underestimating him.


    Their faces flushed from the slap that had landed soundly on their faces.


    This served as a wake-up call for them. Because of Alec''s actions, even the most stubborn of Sins under his care started to wake up and think harder before taking any actions in the future.


    In the future, the Spectres would be well known for their flexible teamwork, but that was a story for another day.


    "Pair up in twos. You''re going to spar."


    The Spectres didn''t dally, having already shamed themselves in front of their new boss.


    They appeared especially obedient after having suffered a shameful loss, satisfying Alec for the time being.


    Alec didn''t say anything more. He used the seals that were the trademark of the Spectres, locking away their usage of magic into their body. Until Alec allowed them, they would not be able to use any of their magic externally.


    The moment their magic was beyond their reach, all the Sins in the area staggered.


    The feeling of disharmony and imbalance that their body made them feel a sense of vertigo that left them feeling dizzy.


    As they recovered and adjusted from the feeling, their boss'' words filtered into their ears.


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    "This is what it feels like when you no longer have access to your magic. You are to fight without using your magic with your sparring partner. Begin."


    -


    After Alec had driven each Spectre into the ground with his use of the Authority seal, he finally allowed them to go and rest. The lack of magic playing a large part in their stamina depleting a lot quicker than it originally would have.


    The latent magic that ran through them was usually used without much thought, increasing stamina, fitness and strength etc. By reducing their magic usage, this meant that their muscles produced lactic acid quicker.


    This was the quickest way to increase their combat efficiency and show productive results. Prolonging this type of training would allow them to be stronger than most others out there so Alec wouldn''t have to worry about them being bullied while he was gone.


    If those the Spectres had bullied heard Alec''s words, they would have spat their saliva. When would those Sins ever be bullied by them? They were the ones being bullied, ah! Even if he wanted to speak nonsense, he couldn''t go too far!


    Alec sent them off to recover inside the Spectre base, where they would be met with more training the next day.


    Alec returned to the room that he''d marked for himself in the Spectre base.


    He had already informed his master that he wouldn''t be seeing the other for a few weeks or a month at least, and the rest of the Sins had been marked to appear on ''missions'' by the sect master.


    Now he finally had the time to continue checking out the changes to the [System''s System] that he didn''t manage to before.


    He had been up planning all night for the training that the Spectres would go through.


    Luckily, his planning paid off, and the Spectres now seemed to accept his presence, however reluctant they may be.


    Opening the [System''s System], he immediately clicked on the [Main Character Page].


    Since the closest Main Character to him was currently Dominique, he clicked on [Dominique Falren].


    However, before he could click on it, there was a blaring message that popped up instead, stunning him.

 Chapter 135 The Beginning of Something New

    The translucent screen that popped up wasn''t a warning, but rather a notice that a crucial part of the plot had advanced.


    [Warning, Warning!]


    [Crucial plot progression has started.]


    Startled, Alec clicked on it.


    The screen faded, bringing up the new screen.


    [Tatiana Neil and Dietrich Rothschild''s first meeting.]


    Ah??


    -


    Dietrich was on a mission for the sect.


    It wasn''t anything big, just a routine mission for him to clean up some bandits that were appearing in the area.


    Since it fell under their sect''s jurisdiction, then Dietrich was taking care of it.


    Most of the time, this type of mission was undertaken by a group of young inner sect disciples that required both training and experience to temper themselves, but since Dietrich wanted a change of scenery, he just went along by himself.


    The sect wasn''t worried about him either.


    After all, he had finished these types of missions alone before by the dozen, and with his advanced magic rank, there was hardly anyone who was able to threaten him in the Kaoriht continent unless they were also part of a large sect.


    The lands were barren in the outskirts of the continent, but that didn''t mean that they should have resorted to banditry.


    While he could understand why they might have resorted to it, Dietrich just couldn''t condone it, but neither could he turn a blind eye to it. So, whenever he needed a change of pace or to clear his mind, he took one of these simple missions that allowed him to clear out his head.


    Dietrich moved along the beaten path. The trees were dying out here, withered and dry. Other than dying trees, there were plenty of rocks and monsters out here.


    Since the people on the outskirts were generally weak, that meant that even if there were monsters or creatures that they could hunt, they never came away unscathed, usually even losing their lives in the process.


    It was no surprise that those who were able had moved away, and those that didn''t either made a living desperately foraging or resorted to banditry.


    Unfortunately for the bandits, they hurt too many people in the process, looting, raping and killing, which was unacceptable. Had it been just the looting without much bloodshed or ****, the sect would likely have turned a blind eye to them, yet they wanted to court death.


    Dietrich''s eyes narrowed as he found traces of a large number of people moving along the path.


    Since he had an ample amount of experience in these types of missions already, Dietrich didn''t stumble. He followed the tracks with precision, accuracy and an ease that was born only through the repetition of routine.


    Before long, he''d been led to a trail on the side, leading up to a mountain barren of any trees or animals.


    Instead, there were an abundance of rocky minerals and large boulders that acted as a natural shield from prying eyes.


    The bandit''s camp was less a camp and more of an enclosed cave that provided them cover. Not too smart, if he had to be honest.


    Dietrich made a round in the mountains. Other than the one entrance that he''d found, there wasn''t another. That made it a lot easier for him to implement the plan.


    Judging from the trails that the bandits had left behind, most, if not all of them should be inside and just about dead to the world.


    Naturally, Dietrich had chosen the best time for him to ambush them.


    In the morning.


    Most bandits favoured the nocturnal hours since that was the time when most caravans stopped for the night. According to this group''s modus operandi, they fit this to the tee.


    Using the smoke in the sky when a fire was lit, it was easier than ever for them to pick off the caravans, devouring them until there were nothing but the bones left behind. There were many skeletons that had been buried in these parts of the continent, and they would not be the last.


    After all, there was no cover around here, nor were there any trees to block them. As long as they took a high enough vantage point, they would be able to scout out the caravans that had stopped for the night. It was all too easy for them to make a move, with the meat already brought up to a starving man''s mouth.


    Dietrich pulled out a few smoke and tear bombs. While he would have usually just slaughtered them had they been camped outside, since they wanted to hole up in a cave, they couldn''t blame him.


    He threw them into the cave, waiting to smoke the rats out by the dozen.


    Sure enough, the heavy smoke from the bombs caused a series of coughing to echo in the cave.


    One by one, the bandits stumbled out without being able to properly breathe, their eyes watering and tearing from the gas.


    Most of them weren''t even armed with their weapons. Truly pitiful. Some of them tried to put up a fight, but it was feeble at best.


    Dietrich slaughtered them like a wolf being let loose amongst a flock of sheep. Bleary eyed, unarmed and caught off guard, Dietrich hardly even had to lift a hand as his sword flew forward.


    With a silvery-white, exquisitely crafted sword in his hand, Dietrich''s figure didn''t have any flaws as he effortlessly killed.


    While not his first choice in a sword type, the sword that Elias had crafted for him fit him, and his movements were smoother than ever.


    This was not the first time that he had blood on his hands. While he generally didn''t like killing, he didn''t feel too repulsed by it either.


    There was a slim, hidden figure that locked her eyes on his fighting form from the side.


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    Remarkably, Dietrich didn''t notice the figure''s clear gaze as she stared at him.


    Dietrich looked untouchable and valiant as he cut his line through the bandits that emerged from the smoke unendingly.


    She smirked. Someone had beaten her to the punch.


    She had been planning to take action with her men a couple of days later, but too bad. This mission was lost to her.


    The glistening silvery blade sliced through the bandits like a hot blade on butter, creating a stunning contrast to the exquisite delicate cut of the blade that looked more like an ornament instead of something that was used to kill.


    No blood stained the white blade, which interested her.


    Tatiana focused her eyes on the blade, trying to catch a glimpse of what sort of material it was that the blade was made out of. She had not heard of such a blade before, but it should have been famous throughout the world just for its make and style.


    That she hadn''t meant that this person didn''t mingle in society. The crest on his clothes painted him as a member from the Heavenly Ascension Sect.


    The blade was smooth and pulsed faintly with magic, and Tatiana allowed herself to casually take in more of this man''s figure before her eyes sharpened.


    On the flat of the blade, there was a faint but noticeable symbol ¨C a symbol from the Neil Clan.


    Her eyes went from warm to ice cold immediately. Blue eyes were like ice chips as she stared at the symbol on the man''s blade.


    Who was he?


    How was he related to the destruction of her clan?


    Could he be one of those who had attacked her clan?


    At this moment, the last of the bandits had been slain by the man. Just as he stopped to clean his blade, letting his guard down for the slightest moment, Tatiana moved forward into the man''s blind spot.


    Dietrich turned and readied himself to defend, but the opponent did something with her magic, causing him to instantly knock out.


    Tatiana caught his figure with cold eyes, shouldering his dead weight as she dragged him back¡­ and kidnapped him without another word!

 Chapter 136 Shes Ice Cold

    Dietrich woke up groggily, his thought process sluggish, like he''d been drugged. His magic moved similarly sluggishly within his body but cleared up soon enough, yet he was unable to use it outside to get himself out of this predicament.


    His eyes remained closed to fake sleep in case there was anyone else in the room.


    Dietrich''s head had been slumped down, and he was seated up instead of lying down. Flexing a little, he could feel that he''d been bound both hands and legs, with a wad of cloth shoved into his mouth.


    Listening carefully, there didn''t seem to be any movements, so the man cautiously opened his eyes to take in the room.


    He had been securely bound. Putting all of his strength into trying to free himself didn''t cause the ropes to move at all, and neither did him trying to tip over the chair. There were simply no effects to the effort that he''d put in.


    The room had low lighting. The bare minimum allowance of a bit of natural light spilled into the ''room'' which was more of a large cloth tent, just barely giving him enough light to look around the room.


    He had not gotten a clear view of his attacker earlier before they knocked him out, which gave him some apprehension. However, it could not have been a bandit, seeing as he would never have woken up otherwise.


    What did they want with him?


    They had not hurt him, yet to say that they didn''t have any enmity with him was wrong either!


    Why? Obviously it was because they had stripped him completely naked!


    He could even feel the slight breeze on his bare skin, causing goosebumps to appear.


    Dietrich strangled the flush that wanted to rise to his cheeks, feeling horribly vulnerable. They didn''t even leave him any underwear! He gritted his teeth, one part angry one part embarrassed.


    Looking around the tent, it was clean and equally as bare.


    Besides the chair that he was seated on, there was a single bed in the room and a single rucksack on the ground next to it with nothing else. There was one other chair in the room, yet it was set near the edge of the tent, leaving him no leverage.


    There was nothing that gave away the identity of the person who had captured him, leaving him here in the tent.


    A few thoughts came to mind when he thought about who might want to kidnap him. Could it be the remnants of the Rothschild branch family, or was it one of the other families that he had offended when he had been out journeying the continent?


    Yet, how had they managed to track him down? Dietrich had been careful to remove traces and get rid of any external eyes on him when he left the sect.


    His mind whirled as he tried to think of a way to get out of this predicament, briefly putting the mystery of his abductor aside for the time being.


    He did not spot any of his things. His clothes were gone, as was his sword and the dagger that had been stowed in his boots. Even the flexible dagger that had been hidden in his hair was not there. The person who had stripped him had been very, very thorough.


    Dietrich shut his eyes and slumped his figure when he had a feeling someone was approaching.


    Sure enough, the flap of the tent was violently shoved aside as a cold, piercing presence made its way into the tent.


    "Stop pretending. I know you''re awake," the figure said strongly, her voice gave away that she was a woman. Even when she was clearly unfriendly towards him, her voice held the dulcet tones of a young woman.


    Dietrich opened his eyes, knowing that he wouldn''t be able to continue acting.


    The figure of the person who spoke was wearing leather armour, sporting brown hair tied in a loose braid and crystalline blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dim lighting of the tent.


    She possessed features that wouldn''t allow one to call her stunningly beautiful, yet the light that shone in her eyes gave her a presence that wouldn''t allow one to overlook her.


    None of her features on its own would have won her the second glances, yet when her features were all brought together, she radiated a charm that caused other people to take a few glances at her.


    There were a pair of daggers attached to her thighs, and she looked like a typical mercenary.


    The most distinct thing that made her stand out from the normal mercenaries that he knew was that her skin was pale and flawless. There were no scars on her body, and her skin tone had not darkened to the usual bronzed state that most mercenaries sported.


    She appeared as cold as ice, her eyes all but screaming at Dietrich that she would have loved to gut him and left him to bleed out to die.


    Dietrich felt a faint stirring at the back of his mind. Those eyes¡­ her style of ''capturing'' him¡­


    Wait! He was still naked, ah! Naked! Was she the one who had so thoroughly stripped him until he legitimately didn''t have a single article to his name?! Was this¡­ was this the Neil Clan style disarming method?


    Dietrich felt like he''d discovered some sort of unspeakable secret.


    Tatiana pulled the free chair over and strongly sat down in it, crossing her arms over the back of the chair. "Who are you?" she demanded, her eyes ice cold.


    Dietrich didn''t make a move to speak. His mouth was still stuffed with the cloth that was making his mouth dry out.


    Tatiana reached forward and ripped the cloth out of his mouth, discarding it in revulsion on the floor.


    Dietrich twitched. Exactly what had he done to offend her so? He didn''t recall ever meeting someone like this in his life, yet her hostility was all but spilling out of her uncontrollably.


    At the next moment, Tatiana retrieved her presence, hiding it. The room seemed to grow larger when she did, and the stuffiness that was in his chest reduced. Yet, her eyes remained as cold as a winter''s night.


    "Talk."


    Dietrich licked his dry lips, his throat as dry as sandpaper. He wanted to drink water, but there was no way that she would give him some, with the way she was already reacting to his presence. "I''m ¨C"


    "What do you know about the Neil Clan''s destruction?" she cut him off.


    "I ¨C what?" he said, bewildered.


    Tatiana narrowed her eyes. This man did not seem to be lying about his confusion. Could it be that he had just acquired the sword from somewhere?


    "Your sword. Where did you acquire it?" Tatiana asked bluntly.


    Anyway, she had already captured him. If he wanted to run, that was just his wishful thinking.


    There should still be some time before his sect discovers that he''s missing, which gave her a bit of a grace period before she had to move him.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Something seemed to click in Dietrich''s mind.


    Unabashedly, he studied her features, especially the unique shade of her eyes.


    While blue eyes on their own weren''t uncommon, the Neil Clan''s eyes were uniquely brilliant. They looked like sapphire gems with how they looked in the light, which was something that he had witnessed many a time when talking to his uncle.


    Tatiana narrowed her eyes into a glare. Not only was this man unafraid that she would kill him, he was so blatantly studying her features! Should she¡­ remove a finger? She didn''t believe he would be so reluctant to talk then!


    "Are you a Neil?"


    Tatiana''s eyes narrowed further.

 Chapter 137 Clearing Things Up

    "Speak up," Tatiana said, no longer willing to hear any nonsense.


    It would have been stranger if she had been. Her heart was practically burning when she thought about how the person in front of her might have participated in the annihilation of her clan.


    Dietrich frowned at her reaction. Could it be that he was wrong? Otherwise, why would she bother to ask about the mark left on his blade?


    Yet, she seemed unnaturally agitated, so Dietrich was unable to judge whether or not she was friend or foe.


    The light in Tatiana''s eyes grew colder and harsher, reminiscent of a harsh winter''s night. The chill was almost biting, wiping out whatever faint traces of warmth there had been in her eyes.


    Yet, her frosty demeanour was inexplicably charming and captivating.


    No. He couldn''t be wrong about her being a Neil. Having been up close with those eyes, there was no way that he was wrong.


    He replied honestly to her. "There hasn''t been any news about the destruction of the Neil Clan, nor will it ever fall."


    The coldness in Tatiana''s eyes directly dropped to frigid temperatures, but there was also a mix of confusion in the depths of those wintry eyes.


    Dietrich continued on like he didn''t see the waves that his words had set off in her eyes.


    "My uncle''s friend was the one who made that sword for me," he said carefully. He didn''t emit any information, yet he took care not to mention their names either.


    Tatiana got up and kicked the chair down, her eyes boring holes into the side of Dietrich''s face.


    She leaned down, bringing her face close to Dietrich''s handsome face. "You''re lying," she said, yet doubts had sprouted in her mind. There was a clarity and honesty in the man''s eyes that caused her to doubt that he was lying.


    Either he was telling the truth, or he was a fantastic actor.


    If he really was telling the truth¡­


    "What''s your name?" Tatiana asked suddenly, causing the man''s impassive mask to crack a little.


    Dietrich looked her straight in the eyes. "I''m Dietrich Rothschild, pleased to meet your acquaintance." Even when he''d been kidnapped by a beauty, he still held true to his manners.


    "¡­Tatiana Neil."


    She had steeled her heart already, yet his eyes seemed to have struck a hammer onto her, causing her imposing demeanour to lessen a little. Looking honest and handsome, when Dietrich spoke, he seemed to inspire others to trust his words.


    He''d heard from his uncle that he was looking for a Tatiana Neil, who should be this young woman in front of him. There hadn''t been a trace of deception within her eyes when she said her name, which reassured him.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    However, where was the amicable, gentle and friendly crybaby that he''d been promised? He almost doubted his own memories. His uncle had lied to him! And so shamelessly too! He hadn''t had a single change in expression when he described the girl that he considered part of his family.


    "Tatiana Neil?" Dietrich confirmed. "Alec''s big sister?" This had to be her, right? The age matched up as well. She looked to be around eighteen years old.


    There was a flash of astonishment in Tatiana''s eyes, as well as a tinge of wariness. Her frosty look melted a little. "You¡­ you know my brother?" There was a bud of hope that sprouted in her heart, but she didn''t want to nurture it too much. What if her hopes were broken?


    "My uncle."


    "Your uncle???" Tatiana was understandably confused. Just what had Alec been doing while she was gone? Yet, the more they spoke, the more she was sure that Alec was still alive.


    Her heart beat quicker, and her icy gaze continued to melt until the way she looked at Dietrich was very different. However, until she could completely confirm that he was telling the truth, she wouldn''t be letting him go anywhere.


    "I''ll loosen your bonds on the condition that you won''t run until I can confirm Alec is really still alive."


    "That''s acceptable," Dietrich said without showing any signs of negative emotions.


    Tatiana used her dagger to cut the ropes that bound Dietrich securely, yet his magic remained out of his reach even when he was cut free. The dagger came dangerously close to drawing blood, a faint warning from her to him.


    Of course, she would not allow him to take the antidote that would give him a chance to run away before she was able to confirm his words.


    If he''d been lying to her¡­ Tatiana''s eyes glinted harshly. There were countless ways for her to play him to death and wish for life. If he wanted to play with her feelings and give her false hope, she would oblige and return the feelings tenfold!


    Dietrich rubbed at his wrists, the blood flow quickening now that the ropes were gone. His skin tingled as the prickles started up where he had been bound by ropes.


    This little girl was truly harsh to her enemies! She''d tied it so tightly! And so thoroughly too!


    Yet, he admired that about her.


    Crystalline blue eyes locked onto Dietrich''s calm ones. The man hadn''t shown any of the discomfort that he should have been feeling, reminding her a bit of Cyrus.


    They locked eyes for a solid five seconds, yet Tatiana slowly slid her eyes down, trailing down naked skin. The man had firm muscles everywhere, and a strong eight pack ¨C


    Dietrich coughed, smoothly crossing his legs and blocking her view, a flush creeping up on his face. He used his hand to block her view further.


    Tatiana smirked when she saw the flush that had started on his face, experiencing a strange feeling of satisfaction that she''d made this unflappable man blush, and left the room, but not before giving him a warning look before she left.


    Dietrich let out a faint chuckle, interested despite himself. He hadn''t met anyone like her before, who would directly knock someone out before bringing them back to ''question'' whether or not it was right or wrong.


    Not to mention, she had directly stripped him completely naked, reminding him of Alec''s actions back in his home.


    He truly wasn''t resigned to having to stay around naked in front of a young lady ¨C just thinking about it made his face heat up, but he couldn''t bring himself to act without restraint in front of her either. Especially if she was his uncle''s big sister¡­


    Did this mean he had an aunt now??


    He leaned back in the chair, looking casual, like this was his own place. Even if he didn''t feel relaxed, he could fake it with perfect acting. Anyhow, there were no clothes in sight, nor was he willing to lower himself to tear up the bedsheets.


    It was to this sight that Tatiana came back to Dietrich sat on that chair with a natural presence that couldn''t be ignored.


    The chair was solid and hard. It wasn''t at all comfortable, yet the man made it seem like the softest, most comfortable chair in the world.


    She handed him a bowl of soup without any utensils.


    "Thank you," Dietrich said graciously.


    Tatiana watched without blinking as he drank the soup, his actions filled with poise.


    Despite herself, she was a bit interested in this man. His reactions weren''t in line with the way most reacted.


    Since he seemed to be related to Alec, she could relax her guard a little¡­


    What she really wanted to know was if he was how he portrayed himself was how he really was, or if he was just acting pretentiously.


    Her curiosity was acting up, and she wanted to know badly.


    Reaching over for her satchel, she pulled out his sword from inside without blinking, watching his reaction.


    Dietrich blinked when he saw his sword appear from inside the satchel that had been so carelessly discarded on the ground, a laugh startled out from him.


    This little girl was really brave, ah!


    The coolness in Tatiana''s eyes receded a bit at his reaction. She really couldn''t place his personality.


    "Aren''t you afraid I might have escaped before you came back, leaving my things there?"


    "Not afraid," Tatiana said dryly.


    Dietrich was curious. "Why?"


    "Then, did you find your sword?" she said with a raised eyebrow.


    Dietrich laughed again. "Fine, I''ll give that to you."


    "Anyway, your clothes aren''t in here. You''re welcome to charge out naked if you dare," Tatiana said with a smirk.


    Dietrich felt embarrassed just hearing her speak. Despite how hard he was trying to repress his embarrassment, there was still a slight flush on his face.


    Though he should have been mad that he''d been kidnapped so unceremoniously by a little girl like her, he didn''t feel the stir of it at all.


    All he felt was his interest piqued, rising higher and higher.


    "Are you going to give me my clothes back?"


    "Hm," Tatiana said, her eyes dropping to naked skin again, where he shifted slightly. "Fine."


    She wasn''t reluctant. She just ''forgot'' to give him back his clothes, that''s all.

 Chapter 138 Dominiques Origin Story

    Alec speechlessly looked at the screen, which showed the area where Tatiana and Dietrich met.


    He wondered whether or not Dietrich would be able to recognise Tatiana, hesitating for the briefest moments.


    He had been planning to drill the Spectres for a few months before they finally met his requirements, yet he couldn''t put this down.


    What if Dietrich didn''t know that she was Tatiana?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Would they end up fighting the moment they met?


    Alec, who hesitated only for the briefest moment before he resolved himself, had already made up his mind before he could think about it further.


    He was going.


    Alec checked the latest mission that Dietrich had taken, seeing the words ''Gorgestar Canyon''.


    It had been three days, and Dietrich should have been back already had there been no problems, yet he still hadn''t reported back. Since he''d undertaken an easy bandit extermination mission that even the weakest of the inner sect disciples could complete, this discrepancy should have already alerted those in charge of the mission hall.


    In this case, the sect would issue a scouting mission.


    Alec directly sent a message to the sect master, immediately getting back a message of Dorian approving. Alec going out to look for Dietrich was fine, but only if he brought Dominique along with him.


    [Warning, Warning!]


    [Bringing Dominique Falren along will cause the plot route to deviate.]


    [The deviated plot route cannot be calculated.]


    Alec locked eyes on that message but disregarded it in the end.


    This world, ''Incantix'' that he now lived in wasn''t static, nor were its inhabitants stationary.


    There were countless actions that would influence the flow of the world, yet bringing along a single Dominique would entirely change to flow of a plot?


    He didn''t really want to risk it, yet how would he know how much could change if he couldn''t personally test it out?


    Alec checked Dominique''s [Plot Route].


    Dominique Falren, born to Dorian Falren and Vivian Highwood.


    Born on a cold, winter day, the child''s personality seemed to reflect the ice that had dusted the grounds ever so lightly on the day that he was born.


    The Heavenly Ascension Sect was his home, and the people that lived in the sect loved him.


    He was the sect master''s precious son, and his pure, clear purple eyes made him look like a miniature version of his father.


    Though his father doted on him, his mother had disappeared one day. However, even when that came to pass, the elders of the sect never changed the way that they reacted to him, remaining warm and cordial.


    The boy, though cold, had a pure white heart that hadn''t been tainted by the outside world, shielded from the harsh parts of life by the adults in his world.


    Yet, under the combination of meticulous care and affection from those in his world, the Sin''s heart melted slowly, becoming a still pool of water, reflecting back what he was shown.


    It wasn''t until the first time where an elder brought him out to gain some experience that the true nature of his Societype acted up for the first time.


    The blood that rushed through his veins caused his eyes to widen for the first time, the rush of excitement bringing colour into his pure white world for the first time. The violence from his actions surged through his body, making him incomparably excited for the first time in his life.


    Everything that he''d experienced previously felt like a blank imitation compared to this feeling.


    Dominique was hooked.


    He couldn''t get enough.


    His instincts were screaming at him. Screaming for the first time, where the boy suddenly became aware of the gaping hole that had been left in his chest.


    He''d never been able to connect properly with anyone else in the sect before, yet the blood that leaked out between his fingers made him feel alive for the first time.


    When Dominique turned around with a wide smile, he was not greeted with a smile of his own, but instead horror, disgust and fear.


    Had it been just that, he was sure that he would have been able to endure it, yet the feelings that had been invoked in the elder''s eyes never went away or faded even a little.


    It broke him.


    Shattered him.


    Had he not experienced the affection and adoration from those in his life, he would never have known what was missing, yet he had.


    He never knew what he had was so precious until he lost it in a single fleeting moment.


    They had directly shoved him from heaven into the coldest pits of hell, where the coldness chilled him to the bones, burrowing ice deep, until it felt like Dominique himself was made entirely of ice and chill.


    So, it broke him when they discarded him. Their hands flinched whenever Dominique tried to touch them, and they kept a clear berth from him.


    They never said a single thing, yet the way their eyes turned to follow him whenever he entered the room never left his body, as if he was some sort of abomination that had to be put down.


    The little boy didn''t know how long he tried before his eyes went hollow, before whatever feelings that he might have felt died out from inside out, withering to nothingness. All he was left with was the void.


    What followed were years of him following his instincts, following the call of his blood, in the vain hopes that the empty gape in his chest would be once again filled.


    The various elders remained, physically there, yet emotionally they were distant and blank. Only one spoke out against him time and time again. Elder Polren.


    However, Dominique was hollow, and his words did nothing to deter him from the path that he was already treading.


    When he''d left the sect one day without any reason besides the feeling of searching for something, he reached Welkton City, where there was chaos in the air, and fear was spread throughout the city.


    Dominique laughed, breathing deeply as his blood sung.


    There was something calling him.


    There was magic in the air that called him to follow and follow he did.


    In a mansion that was separate from the city, the calling grew stronger and stronger.


    Though the lights were on in the mansion, the heavy scent of death permeated the air. Dominique shivered. There was something going down that night.


    Slipping into the mansion, Dominique followed the scent so unique to death. Something whispered to him in his mind. This was destiny. He was going to find something that made him long for his entire life, where he would find devotion and experience affection in turn.


    There was a lovely singing that echoed in the air, and Dominique followed like a moth to the flame. A few people tried to get in his way, but he cut them down without another glance.


    He didn''t even feel the normal bloodthirst that usually plagued him when he took action, only having eyes for the magnificent bird that had appeared.


    An Ash Phoenix.


    It was beautiful and resplendent. The death that shrouded the phoenix seemed to be its true nature.


    At this moment, someone intruded into his happy space, causing Dominique to reflexively try to kill him.


    "Fuck!"


    "Quite a mouth you have on you there, boy," Dominique sneered. Crass words that he usually heard every time tried to go against him.


    Yet, the Ash Phoenix made a turn and successfully recaptured Dominique''s attention ¨C right until it landed on the child''s shoulder, nuzzling his hair.


    His attention caught, Dominique, for once, didn''t make a move before he could think about it.


    The Ash Phoenix and death''s chosen avatar.


    Unfortunately, before he could make a decision, he was forced to flee, where he returned back to the sect, only to be sentenced to three years of solitary confinement.


    Dominique regretted it.


    He should have stayed around death''s personification.


    Fast forward three years, and Dominique joined the group that death''s avatar created. The Spectres. A fitting name for a group belonging to death himself.


    Followed were a series of question marks, as events that had not yet taken place.


    Alec read up to this point and stiffened. If the [System''s System] had a materialized form, he would have shaken it.


    What sort of tragic origin story was this! It upset him greatly just reading about it when he thought of the Sin going through all of that before he''d met Alec.


    More importantly, where was the future plot!

 Chapter 139 Dominique Bullies a Bird

    There was nothing worse than being left hanging after reading all of that, causing Alec''s head to ache.


    Most likely, he still didn''t have enough authority to be able to extract the future events from the [System''s System].


    Yet, if he wanted to advance his authority, he had to find more Main Characters and add them to the [Main Character Page], which just wasn''t that plausible at the moment.


    Where was he going to find that many more Main Characters?


    Just how many Main Characters could there be in one tiny planet?


    That he''d already found ten of them was practically a miracle. Or was it¡­?


    Just what had the Mainframe been thinking?


    Alec hadn''t thought about the Mainframe for a long time now, not since he ''opened'' the [System''s System] which had cut him off from the Mainframe.


    Yet, a System still existed, so was he really free from the Mainframe in the first place?


    He already tested out that he still lost points from going OOC, so just what was the difference between the him now and then?


    Still, Alec told himself to be nicer to Dominique from now on. He wasn''t quite happy the fact that the man had such a sad past. Even though many Main Character''s pasts were quite tragic, he''d managed to avoid thinking about it for so long.


    Now that the [Plot Route] soundly slapped him in the face with solid facts, he could no longer pretend to be ignorant of the pains that Dominique had suffered in the past.


    There was a strange ache in the middle of his chest, and it didn''t feel good. Still, Alec''s expression never changed, only becoming a degree warmer than it usually was.


    Alec managed to find out from Blanche that the people who Dominique killed back when he''d broken into the Rothschild''s Family Mansion were only the spies and traitors that they were planning on getting rid of anyhow.


    Furthermore, based on what this now told him, Dominique really hadn''t been acting on behalf of someone else and instead been ¨C as weird as it sounded ¨C following his instincts from the chaos that permeated Welkton City.


    Now, any hang ups Alec previously had about the Sin had been let go, and he truly took the other as his subordinate now.


    From the way Dominique was acting, he wouldn''t change his allegiances anymore, which was all the better for Alec.


    -


    Dominique and Alec stood at the teleportation array, teleporting to the nearest point to Gorgestar Canyon. Alec had been planning on getting Bunbun and Fenrir to increase their size and running there since there were hardly any options.


    Dominique offered another solution. "Boss, please wait here for a few moments."


    Alec raised a brow, but obligingly waited while Dominique ran off into the distance.


    They were outside the city now, but just barely so. Alec was hardly outside the city gates as he waited for Dominique to return.


    A large shadow was cast over the city gates, causing Alec as well as the guards that were stationed there to look up at the sudden overcast.


    The two gate guards who were bored as the guarded the gates looked up in shock. Since the day was a fine one, without a single cloud in the sky, the appearance of a sudden darkness made them uneasy.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Unlike the two guards'' unease, Alec was calmer since he could already feel Dominique''s magic rapidly approaching them.


    From the clear skies descended a large, avian creature. A body of gleaming black, Alec could only think that the creature suited Dominique''s personality rather well. Its beady eyes pierced into the guard''s, causing them to take a stumbling step back in fear from the pressure that the creature emitted.


    The avian creature was a black, feathered thing. Its wingspan was the size of five humans, which covered them in a large shadow as it flew above them. It looked like a giant metallic starling, with its red eyes and sleek black feathers.


    The guards gawked at the avian creature, panicking slightly.


    Was that someone''s familiar? Yet, with how menacing the avian creature appeared, it didn''t seem like that was the case! Most familiars didn''t exude such a strong pressure since they were used to humans.


    The shadow that engulfed them largened as the creature swooped down, startling the guards so much that they fell onto the floor with their mouths opened widely, their legs giving out from under them.


    Alec''s expression remained just as genial and amicable as it usually did, causing the guards to look at him with awe in their eyes. Such a young boy, yet he was already this strong mentally.


    Still, they couldn''t do anything more than lock their eyes on the avian creature. Their legs had no strength at all, and the pressure that the creature gave off made them feel like they were close to death.


    The large avian creature landed on the ground, and all Alec could see was that its eyes were trembling pitifully as it tried to make its body smaller.


    Dominique was casually sitting on its back, his eyes glittering at he stared at his boss. He seemed to wear an expression that said: "Praise me, boss! Praise me!".


    Alec coughed, hiding his laughter.


    Alec leapt up onto the avian, which took off as soon as Alec landed and seated himself securely on its back. Bunbun and Fenrir clung to Alec''s clothes without a problem. They didn''t even shake when Alec moved around.


    With a large gust of wind, they took off.


    On the ground, the two pitiful guards stared with their mouths still hanging open as they left.


    The poor guards, "???"


    The shadow of the creature grew smaller and smaller, fading into the distance where they could no longer see it.


    "¡­That was cool."


    "¡­Yeah."


    The greenery bled into soft browns and yellows as the forest around them grew sporadic, thinning out greatly. They were getting closer to Gorgestar Canyon.


    However, Alec didn''t have to continuously search for them since the [Main Character Radar] allowed him to know the direction in which they should head.


    Dominique didn''t question how his boss knew where to go, blindly trusting him with worshipful eyes. The boss probably had some sort of skill that allowed him to do so without any trouble, even when Dominique couldn''t feel any fluctuations from him.


    His boss knew everything.


    They landed further away from the large group of tents that had been set up on the ground, since it was more convenient that way.


    Getting off the creature, it was about to flee like it''d been granted amnesty, but Dominique placed a hand on its wing, and the creature jolted like it''d been electrocuted.


    "You''re pretty useful. Form a familiar contract with me."


    The poor avian creature, "¡­"


    Could it not? The poor avian wanted to bathe its face in tears. This man was too scary! How had he managed to track him down again after all was said and done? It''d been three years since he''d seen the back of this man!


    Why! It thought that it was now free, yet its hopes were dashed cruelly.


    The avian creature sadly formed a blood bond with the man, its red, beady eyes crying as it sadly lowered itself onto the ground and just went to sleep then and there to sleep off its sadness.


    If it had known that this day would come for it, it wouldn''t have hesitated fleeing in the middle of the night like a thief even if it had to leave its home. Now all it could do was resign itself to its fate.


    Dominique prodded it, stopping it from going to sleep then and there. "Can''t you shrink yourself like boss'' familiars?"


    The creature made a cawing noise, indignant. Did his master think that it was so easy to change sizes!? The ones who were abnormal were those two, alright?!


    There were various sentries posted by the mercenary group that had stationed itself in Gorgestar Canyon.


    Dominique and Alec walked past them without anyone realizing that they had infiltrated the mercenary group camp, walking towards the direction where the [Main Character Radar] pointed him to.


    Dietrich and Tatiana were in the same place, so they had already met.


    Alec felt the excitement and worry in turns bubble up within him. He hadn''t seen Tatiana since the day that she''d ''graduated'' from their clan''s final exam.


    Lifting the flap of the tent, Alec stepped in, only for what he saw to make him stop short, stunned.

 Chapter 140 Dispelling Doubts

    Alec entered the tent just in time to see Tatiana shove Dietrich down onto the bed, where his wrists were bound above his head and attached to the bed''s headboard since she couldn''t afford for him to run away.


    Also, this had the added effect of the usually calm man blushing in embarrassment from time to time.


    Tatiana domineeringly tilted Dietrich''s chin up with her finger, smirking at his slight flush.


    From the angle that they appeared, they looked like they were exchanging a fiery kiss.


    Alec felt like he''d been blinded. Just what was happening here?! Then he mentally slapped himself. The angle really made him feel like he went blind for a moment there. There was no way that they reallykissed.


    If it wasn''t for him knowing about all the clich¨¦''getting caught but all of it was actually a misunderstanding'' scenes in various plots, he would really have thought that they''d moved pretty quickly.


    Tatiana immediately separated from Dietrich, whirling around. Yet, she kept his vulnerable body behind her even though she couldn''t feel any killing intent from the person that just entered without her permission.


    Her eyes narrowed with distaste. Who was the one from her mercenary group that didn''t know how to respect personal boundaries?


    Similarly, Dietrich''s eyes darted to the two figures that just appeared inside Tatiana''s tent, yet before he could catch a glimpse of them, his view was blocked by the sight of Tatiana''s back.


    He felt a complicated emotion as he struggled to sit up from the bed, having to contort awkwardly because of how he was bound. He thought that Tatiana would go easier on him when she knew that he was related to Alec, but it looked like she was more cautious than that.


    But he was still able to recognize his uncle from the brief glance before he was blocked.


    "Uncle," Dietrich greeted. He felt like escaping right now.


    Of all people who had seen the embarrassing situation that he''d managed to get himself in on what was supposed to be a simple bandit extermination mission had to be his uncle of all people!


    Dietrich just knew that he would neverbe able to live this down if Kieran or his parents ever heard about what happened here.


    Tatiana had frozen the moment she locked eyes with Alec''s figure.


    The small boy that she still dreamt of every other night had appeared before her eyes.


    Though he had grown up a lot, he still appeared so much the same that she almost felt as if she was dreaming.


    It was the call of ''uncle'' that broke her out of her illusion. She pinched herself. It hurt. This wasn''t a dream!


    Tatiana felt like all her defences that she had built up over these years had suddenly crumbled in front of a familiar face. This Alec that she saw in front of her was not an illusion.


    Similarly, Alec was feeling complicated when he saw that his nephew and his sister were¡­ were¡­ even if there was currently nothing between them, judging from the [Plot Route], he had a feeling that wouldn''t be the case in the future.


    Alec suddenly felt like he was overheating.


    So, this was what the [Crucial plot progression has started.] meant! A romance plot, ah?!


    Between Dietrich and Tatiana?! Just how was this going to continue developing!? He couldn''t comprehend how that would go about, so he just shoved it to the back of his mind. It wasn''t any of his business.


    Alec felt like running out of the tent, but he didn''t. Just what had he interrupted the feeling development between the two! If this followed the typical clich¨¦ plotline, then didn''t Alec just interrupt the male lead and female lead who were cultivating their feelings?!


    Somehow, Alec had completely missed that possibility when he''d made the decision to rush here. He thought that Tatiana and Dietrich were about to fight to the death! Ah!


    How stupid of him. Clearly there hadn''t been the sounds of blades clashing nor fighting when he''d snuck in, and the two were obviously in the same place, so how could he have overlooked this possibility!


    Alec had been too worried to think about it developing to this stage, so he couldn''t be faulted.


    Not only that, Alec had been a legendary ''single dog'' both as a System and as a human. It would have been stranger for him to think about this possibility.


    Alec felt like his three worldviews had been overturned, and his brain was overheating. He wanted to leave the tent, but at this moment, Tatiana burst out into tears, startling him.


    It was such a change from the previous fierce expression and killing intent directed at him that he was caught off guard.


    It wasn''t just Alec. Dietrich was similarly caught off guard. He had been in contact with Tatiana for a few days now, and she had always been unwaveringly strong in her stance and speech.


    Even when he heard snippets from the mercenaries that gossiped like old women, they were all filled with respect for the mercenary leader and her tough way of doing things.


    Tatiana bursting into tears was something out of his expectations. There was a faint feeling in his heart that he didn''t know how to describe when he saw her tears trailing down her cheeks.


    He had no idea why, he wanted to wipe them away.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Tatiana charged forward, disregarding anyone else in the tent.


    She flung herself onto Alec''s small figure, her tears silently leaking down her face. She didn''t even know that she was crying, her tears silently flowing down her face she wept, her feelings of hate and desolation that had been suppressed deep in her psyche surged up in an instant at the sight of Alec''s face.


    She had been strong all by herself for all these years, only to see a glimpse of hope that was bearing fruit.


    This was her little brother that she hadn''t seen for four years already.


    The little brother that she thought had been lost to her for the remainder of her time on Incantix.


    She was so relieved upon seeing his face that she didn''t even care about anything else. Tatiana didn''t feel the glare that pierced her from the man that had come with Alec, nor did she see how Dietrich was reacting to her tears.


    What was the feeling of meeting someone you loved that you thought they had perished and already fertilized the earth?


    The feeling of someone you lost returning back to you was so bittersweet.


    There was no other comparable feeling than the joy and heartache that she felt right now.


    "You''re still alive! That''s good. That''s great," she whispered, her tears overflowed and soaked Alec''s shirt. All her worries had suddenly been unloaded upon seeing a familiar face.


    Alec hesitantly patted her back, which only made her cry harder. So many years, but she was still such a big crybaby.


    Tatiana sniffled before drying her tears. Now, all she was left with was relief and happiness.


    Alec''s previous embarrassment and bewildered feelings melted away, only leaving affection behind.


    Even though he knew that she was still alive, he hadn''t seen it personally. Now that he had, he could tell that she''d been trying to live her life to the fullest, even if she still couldn''t accept that the clan was supposedly gone.


    She was still alive despite the hardships that she''d experienced.


    Tatiana really hadn''t figure out that the Neil Clan''s final graduation exam was about mainly because she had always been suppressing her feelings and memories of that night, never daring to look at it too closely, leading to her being muddled.


    She was usually so smart about things too. Within their close-knit group, Alec knew that Tatiana was actually the one with the highest IQ and EQ compared to the boys.


    Alec silently gestured at Dominique behind Tatiana''s back.


    Dominique, instead of untying Dietrich from his position on the bed, instead grabbed him and bodily brought him out over his shoulder.


    Alec, "¡­"

 Chapter 141 Incoming!

    Alec finally managed to explain that the Neil Clan hadn''t been eradicated at all.


    The System only had to point out a few of the various inconsistencies in the clan''s daily life, before he saw the understanding dawn on Tatiana''s face.


    Tatiana buried her face in her hands, her face red.


    Just how blind had she been that she had missed all the obvious signs, ah?! She had been so happily playing around with her extended family that she completely didn''t notice anything wrong at all.


    The worst part of it was, Cyrus and Zacharias had obviously met up along the way as they ''escaped'' and found each other, whereas she had radically hidden herself under the water''s murky surface until she was sure that there was no one who was following her. She then escaped in a direction she was sure they wouldn''t chase after.


    This caused her to miss the crucial period where she would be able to easily find out the truth about the matter, and now that everything had been revealed to her, it caused her a great deal of embarrassment.


    Her tears had dried up, and her embarrassment eventually abated.


    What she felt left was the rage and annoyance that had suddenly built up within her during these past couple of years. She was pissed! Both at the clan and at herself for missing the obvious.


    Now that she thought about it, it was actually painfully obvious, but she completely missed all the signs that had been laid out in front of her!


    The Neil Clan''s tradition really was¡­! She was filled with complaints, but she knew that it was also because she had been blinded by the trauma and emotion that she felt that one day.


    However, she was noticeably thankful that it had indeed all been an elaborate and cruel clan tradition to test them instead of being real.


    If it wasn''t for her meeting Dietrich, who knew Alec, who knew just how long it would have taken her to catch on.


    Thinking up to this point, Tatiana was grateful that she''d met the man, and her interest had already been stirred up by him and his ¨C ahem ¨C cute reactions.


    Alec sneakily stared at the [Plot Route] under Tatiana''s name when she reflected on her actions and found that it had suddenly been updated after Alec arrived at this place.


    Under [Tatiana Neil and Dietrich Rothschild meet for the first time.], there was a flowery description that Alec couldn''t even bring himself to read. For one, that was his sister in all but blood, and two, that was his nephew. Wilful ignorance was the only way he could keep his sanity intact here.


    Underneath that, there was a new point updated.


    [Mercenary troop ambushed by a monster horde, leading to heavy casualties.]


    Alec''s eyes immediately widened.


    "Dominique, come in!"


    Dominique re-entered the tent within a blink, Dietrich still on his shoulders. But Alec didn''t have any time to feel amused at that now.


    Just how long did they have before they were going to be faced with the monster horde?


    Just how had there been no news about this? Was it because they were currently too far out from civilisation?


    True enough, there was hardly anyone who was willing to come out here, let alone someone who would monitor the situation outside their city.


    But even if that was so, if any of the cities knew about an incoming monster horde, they would tell the mercenary groups that did business with them about the danger.


    Alec''s mind whirled as he thought about what preparations they needed. It was likely too late for them to try and escape already, so there was no choice there.


    He looked through his updated shop, finally finding something that would suit the situation.


    An extra function that had become available to buy with points called [Map] and [Danger Sense]. Both functions were exactly as they sounded like.


    Like the [Main Character Radar] that was available, this was instead for whatever living things existed instead of just Main Characters.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    [Map] didn''t exist as a separate map, but instead it felt like his senses had expanded, and his magic was touching everything.


    It was a strange and surreal feeling, but it also felt very natural, like an extension of his current abilities, raised to a different level.


    The moment he bought [Danger Sense], all his instincts were raised to the max, and his heart was beating in the presence of incoming danger. Even if he didn''t know where it was coming from, it felt like the danger was a looming, physical presence.


    Buying both [Map] and [Danger Sense] caused his points to deplete to almost zero, but he didn''t feel like it was a waste. For one, the functions were permanent and useful, even if he hadn''t needed them before this.


    The two functions melded together perfectly, expanding Alec''s range of influence.


    "Prepare for battle," Alec said seriously. "There''s danger incoming."


    For once, there was no smile on his face, startling the inhabitants of the room more than the news that there was going to be an incoming battle.


    Alec was constantly pinged with the notices that he was losing points, so he had to, however unwilling, smile at them.


    Unfortunately, his points were already pathetic enough without him losing points for OOC. If he had to suddenly carry out another penalty mission, he wouldn''t have any tears to cry.


    It was the right choice since the three visibly relaxed when they saw his smile. Alec felt like facepalming. Just how much was his smiling character already engraved into their vision of him that they felt uneasy when they didn''t see him smile?


    However, even looking at it now, there wasn''t even a single indication that there should be a monster horde or that one was even approaching.


    After all, in this barren place where it was a struggle for both humans and other living beings to survive, how would they be able to find so many monsters in a single place to form a monster horde?


    The lands were so barren that even the trees weren''t able to survive.


    Just how was a monster horde going to happen in this place?


    "Alec? Can you explain further?"


    Tatiana didn''t say another word, instead briskly leaving the room, her previously softer and more affectionate demeanour taking a backseat as the mercenary troop leader that she''d cultivated herself into came to the forefront.


    Dietrich looked at her vanishing figure with a faint light in his eyes, accessing.


    "Shape up! Prepare for battle!" Tatiana''s voice wasn''t loud, but it echoed throughout the campsite, causing the mercenaries that had been relaxing to instantly put aside whatever they were doing, equipping themselves with their weapons.


    Dominique moved outside the tent and pressed his magic against the Spectres'' seal, calling for the Spectres to come.


    One by one, the Spectres appeared before them, exchanging words with Dominique, confused.


    Dominique explained with low voices to Yuki, who spread the word amongst them.


    There were a few minutes of silence as nothing happened, but before they could do anything more than doubt Alec''s senses, the ground shook under them.


    The sky that had previously been a soft, gentle shade of blue faded into a blood red shade, and their surroundings changed.


    From the previous barren ground, they were now littered with sporadic, ominous looking trees in the distance. The trees had a very thin trunk, with a large amount of weepy-looking leaves. There were faint veins of red running through out the leaves and tree trunk, causing an illusion that the trees were pulsing with bloody veins.


    They swayed even though there was no wind, and the trembles on the ground continued without any signs of stopping.


    Dietrich was the one that reacted first. "We''ve slipped into a crack. This isn''t Incantix anymore."

 Chapter 142 Cacophony of Sound

    At his words, the rest of them understood what kind of trouble they found themselves in now.


    Since it wasn''t common, none of them had connected what they were currently experiencing to having slipped into a crack between realms, but now that they knew, they were more settled, if vaguely uneasy about the battle that would be soon to come.


    Besides that, there had been a faint unrest and unease at the sight of various strange people that suddenly appeared within the mercenary troop''s camp previously.


    However, now that they found themselves in such a situation, no one had time to be bothered anymore.


    Unlike the mercenaries who were generally uneasy, the Spectres all felt like their blood was heating up their bodies at the thought of a prolonged battle.


    Their blood was boiling in excitement at getting to let off steam and ridding themselves of the stress about acting ''good'' in the sect.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As expected, following their boss was the right choice!


    They''d barely even come under his care, yet the boss was already bringing them out to play!


    Being treated to something they loved after experiencing the boss'' harsh training, the various Spectres were in such a good mood that their loyalty deepened from Alec''s action of calling them out here.


    The wind howled in an eerie manner, and the ground continued to tremble under their feet.


    The trees that had been far away previously started moving around in an eerie manner that caused the hair on the backs of their necks to stand, causing some of the mercenaries to suck in a breath.


    "Don''t attack the trees! Those are sentient and react to bloodlust and killing intent against it. They''re called Vampiric Willows. As long as you don''t provoke it, it won''t make a move against you. However, just to make sure, steer clear of them."


    The trees looked both ominous and alarming, with their deathly-looking appearance and red veins that ran throughout the various parts of the trees, but everyone stayed their hand no matter how close the trees approached.


    The trees didn''t move too close to them and continued moving without any visible rhyme or reason, in and out of the mercenary camp.


    Tatiana suddenly realized that Dietrich''s magic was still blocked off by her magic.


    Without any embarrassment that she was doing this in front of a crowd, she pulled hooked a hand behind his neck, pulling him down for a deep kiss.


    Dietrich, startled, was unable to stop her from doing so, flushing as all eyes were locked onto them. He wanted to ask what she thought she was doing, but Dietrich could feel his control over his magic returning, causing him to bitterly endure.


    Tatiana pulled back and licked her lips in satisfaction, looking at Dietrich with a deep gaze. Well, she didn''t really need to kiss him, but she did it this way to cement her image in the man''s heart in case someone tried to steal him away.


    Dietrich looked away, only to see Alec''s terrifying smile, causing him to pale.


    The mercenaries whistled and catcalled when they saw their boss have her way with the man that she''d kidnapped from goodness'' knows where, the tense atmosphere lightening up a bit.


    A brief period of time passed before they first saw a monster on its lonesome.


    Yet, before the monster could approach them, they were summarily skewered and pierced by the various roots of the strange trees that surrounded them, its limp body hanging off the roots as its life came to an abrupt end.


    The monster quickly disintegrated before their eyes, withering and turning into dust in a spine-chilling turn of events.


    Not even the bones were left of the monster before, as if it had ever existed in the first place.


    More than one person drew in a cold breath.


    However, that single monster was only the herald of many more to come.


    Alec could tell that a vast number of monsters were pouring in from somewhere, heading towards them at a frightening speed.


    Even without having his magic spread out, the calls and roars in the air were heard from a distance away, causing the hairs on the back of their neck to stand. The sounds blended together to form a cacophony of sounds.


    Just from the sound alone, they could already tell that there were more beasts than they''d ever seen in a single battle.


    The one bright spot in this situation was the presence of the trees that seemed to take the monsters as their enemy as well.


    Though it should have seemed bleak, the mercenaries under Tatiana''s commands didn''t cower or back down. Instead, they stood with their backs even straighter, and their eyes gleamed with desire for battle and the courage to live.


    Alec looked at them approvingly. Tatiana really had grown a lot since the last time he saw her.


    In comparison, the Spectres were similarly excited for the battle to come, but their form was all over the place. They couldn''t even be compared to Tatiana''s organised troops at all, causing Alec''s face to darken inwardly, but he had no time to correct them now.


    It really was too soon to bring them out into the field, but he was also hoping that allowing them to vent some of their dissatisfaction would cause them to be more mellow and susceptible to his commands.


    "Listen up," Alec said to his Spectres. "None of you are allowed to die, understood?"


    The Spectres'' attention shifted to their boss, their eyes gleaming happily at the prospect of battle. "Yes, boss!"


    "Pair up in fours. If any team of you end up with a dead member¡­" Alec trailed off, leaving the punishment to their imagination.


    Inexplicably, the Sins felt like they''d been doused in cold water from the threat of punishment. Just their boss'' light sparring was already so torturous, let alone having to face a punishment from him?


    They didn''t want to find out.


    Most of the monsters that were approaching thus far were generally rank one, so they weren''t hard to kill. It was their numbers that made it troublesome.


    Leaving the Spectres to divide themselves, Alec turned his attention to the approaching monster horde. He could feel his own blood thundering in his veins.


    The last time he''d felt this way was when he had fought off against Fenrir''s and Echo''s group, heavily outnumbered.


    In this aspect, Alec himself was no different from his bunch of rowdy Sins, so he could understand their excitement.


    It had been so long that Alec almost forgot that he was really a Sin and not an Every like he was supposed to appear to everyone else.


    His blood revealed his true nature, but Alec''s smile remained just as it usually was.


    Tatiana took a few glances as Alec''s expression, only calming when she saw that there was nothing out of place. This was the little brother that she remembered.


    Calm, unflappable but gentle Alec.


    Then, she looked at Dietrich, telling herself to keep an eye on him in battle. Though, it wasn''t like she thought he really needed it. She still remembered his form when he had been cutting through the bandits like they were hay instead of real people.


    The monsters approached all at once. No matter how many of them the trees skewered, they too could not keep up with the tide that was incoming, so the monsters constantly slipped through their net.


    Alec was surprised that the Spectres'' had not already charged forward to launch themselves into battle, instead staring at him and waiting for his signal.


    Alec''s lips curled further, pleased. They did learn. However, he himself couldn''t quite wait any longer.


    "Go."


    The moment that word left Alec''s mouth, the Spectres charged forward, launching themselves into the sea of monsters. The screams, yells and blood splatter were like a siren''s call to the Sin''s primal nature.


    On cue, the mercenaries started making their move in the opposite direction as well, steadily advancing as they made sure that none of the monsters slipped past their guard.


    Alec slipped into the flow of battle, moving stealthily and quickly. He used his master''s gift to him for the first time, allowing him to move around without any problem.

 Chapter 143 Vampiric Willows

    Bunbun and Fenrir had enlarged themselves, happily crushing enemies under their foot. With a single swipe, the monsters were unable to hold on.


    Purple lightning sparked under Fenrir''s paws, causing chaos amongst the dying monsters. Just standing there, he was able to cause catastrophic damage to the weak monsters.


    Bunbun hopped around, squashing them underfoot. He swiped out, sending monsters flying into the distance.


    They didn''t needlessly worry about their owner since they could feel that he was alive and well.


    They could even pinpoint where he was exactly, so if there was ever a time where Alec needed them, they would be able to approach in a flash.


    Amongst the various monsters that approached of varying sizes, Bunbun and Fenrir were much larger than they were on the battlefield.


    It would have been comical how much bigger they were had they any extra effort to laugh about it, but everyone was busy to appreciate the sight of an extremely giant bunny and wolf dominating the battlefield.


    Bunbun was particularly ferocious since it remembered the time when a monster had caused Alec to come close to losing his life just to save him, growling, whereas Fenrir was just purely enjoying the battle.


    The two creatures seemed to have a rivalry going on as they competed to see who would kill more in this period.


    Tatiana didn''t allow Dietrich to leave her sight as she effortlessly commanded her troops, maintaining their formation with a few corrections.


    Since the monsters were only rank one, she was able to split her concentration without any effort even as she slaughtered her fair share of monsters with a single blow.


    Dietrich engaged in mindless killing, doing his part in the battle. His actions were like flowing water, killing two of three monsters each time his sword was lightly swung, a faint afterimage left behind.


    After a few days of doing nothing but lying around, it felt great to be able to move his body again. He resolutely shoved the memory of his first kiss being stolen away for now.


    There was a loud caw in the air as Dominique''s newly acquired familiar flew towards its master.


    The poor avian creature really had no tears left to shed.


    It had just been happily sleeping, but just when it had been sinking into a deeper state of sleep, it had been displaced into this crack in the realms due to its connection to its master, causing it to come here.


    It swooped towards Dominique, who was happily fighting in the sea of monsters with Yuki, Hayden and Rosabel.


    The avian familiar, a Blood Starling, was suited for this type of prolonged battle.


    With its feathers that were as tough as any steel sword, and the ability to regain energy from a monster''s blood, this was a battlefield that the creature excelled in.


    The Blood Starling changed its mind when it approached its master, instead flying above head and away.


    Since it didn''t want to be bullied by its master and go where it wasn''t welcome, the Blood Starling instead headed away from the group of four Sins who were killing to their heart''s content as countless enemies rushed up towards them.


    The Blood Starling attacked further away from the humans, venting its anger and unwillingness from being forced into a familiar contract.


    The Spectres were a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.


    Since Alec didn''t forbid them to head further out into battle, they did so freely and wantonly.


    The mercenaries were holding their ground back there, so the Spectres were happily killing anything they saw further out to lessen the pressure that was being put on the mercenaries.


    This was the first ever time where they never felt the urge to turn their violence towards another human, instead being able to sate themselves on the bloodstained battlefield.


    Their blood was pumping quick and strong, yet they didn''t lose their minds to the bloodlust because they had to maintain their formation with their group members.


    Alec''s training, as little as it had been, had proven to be effective so far.


    When the Sins killed, blood and gore splattered everywhere, yet their killing speed was much quicker than the comparatively more cautious mercenaries.


    Yet, no matter how many monsters were being slain, monsters continued to approach endlessly from every direction.


    While everyone else was going around killing whatever monster they saw, Alec was doing something else.


    While he might have wanted to indulge in a little killing himself, that could wait until he had tried something out.


    Approaching one of the Vampiric Willows that was busying itself with the onslaught of monsters, Alec made sure to keep whatever killing intent that he may harbour before he touched the tree''s trunk.


    The Vampiric Willow didn''t react to his touch, but Alec made sure that it was suitably held up as it devoured the monsters.


    Inserting his magic into the Vampiric Willow, Alec staggered a little as the connection to the tree bloomed.


    Since the tree already had a consciousness of its own, Alec only had to use a little of his magic to Awaken it, thereby forming a bond between human and tree.


    The Vampiric Willows were sentient, yet they weren''t sentient at the same time.


    It was easier to say that the Vampiric Willows all shared the same consciousness, spread out amongst all the ghostly looking trees in this place.


    Its main consciousness belonged to the main tree, originating from the King Vampiric Willow.


    The other Vampiric Willows were procuring nutrients to feed the King Vampiric Willow for it to evolve.


    Gaining this information from their bond, Alec''s brows shot up.


    ''Where was the King Vampiric Willow?'' Alec asked through their bond, but there was a faint, confused feeling that was shoved back at him.


    The Vampiric Willow didn''t know. Now that it was disconnected from the King Vampiric Willow''s network, it could no longer trace back to the main consciousness.


    Instead, Alec''s Awakening had caused the Vampiric Willow to gain a consciousness of its own, thereby unintentionally allowing him to use just the barest hints of magic to form their bond instead of what he usually had to.


    It was a stroke of good luck that caused Alec to grin.


    He wanted to find the King Vampiric Willow and Awaken it as well. From what he saw, the King Vampiric Willow and the other Vampiric Willow trees would be very important for them to control the flow of battle later on.


    Alec closed his eyes and concentrated on the feelings of magic throughout the battlefield, looking for the similar magic types of the Vampiric Willows.


    In this manner, Alec slaughtered his way to the various Vampiric Willows that were slowly moving around as they devoured their prey, Awakening them one by one.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Each time he diverted a portion of the King Vampiric Willow''s consciousness away from the Vampiric Willows.


    Alec theorized that this would cause the King Vampiric Willow''s strength to decline as more of its power was being siphoned into the bonds between Alec and the normal Vampiric Willows instead.


    If the King Vampiric Willow was too strong, Alec had the feeling that he wouldn''t be able to Awaken it and form a bond with it, so the System was going around and stealing Vampiric Willows from under its nose.


    Sooner or later, the King Vampiric Willow would come for him and the other Vampiric Willows when it noticed that almost half of its group of Vampiric Willows were missing from its network.


    By now, the rank one monsters were all but gone, and they were starting to bleed into rank two monsters.


    Each time Alec''s daggers slashed out, a warm feeling built in him, his blood thundering within his veins as warm blood splattered onto his face.


    Alec''s smile widened even further as he anticipated the King Vampiric Willow coming for him.


    There were trees everywhere, even in a place like this. Alec''s Awakening Magitype was surely the most useful in times like this, where he was able to turn his seeming disadvantage into an advantage instead.

 Chapter 144 King Vampiric Willow!

    Alec realized something.


    When he killed monsters, compared to when he had so painstakingly practiced and steadily built up his magic, a small, miniscule part of the monster''s latent magic flowed into his body instead.


    All of a sudden, something seemed to occur to him when he noticed this happening.


    There were four Societypes that were known to society.


    Every, Bright, Cher and Sin.


    The defining characteristics of each Societype were quite distinct, yet the information that was available about Sins were scarce and limited.


    Every, which made up a whopping ninety percent of the population, were what was considered as the ''normals'' of society. There were a range of people within this Societype. They occupied the entire range from unskilled to skilled, pertaining to their large numbers.


    Of the other ten percent of the population, the other three Societypes were divided relatively equally.


    The Cher Societype, who shared the Every''s range of skilled and unskilled people in battle.


    If the Chers and the Everys were considered the general populace, then the Brights and Sins were those that were considered to dominate and excel in their chosen fields.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Brights and Sins both, who occupied the upper-middle and higher realm of the skill range.


    Even if Alec looked at it objectively, there wasn''t a Bright or Sin that existed that was completely useless during battle, regardless of their Magitype.


    Brights grew quicker because they understood the basis of their magic comparatively easier, yet why was it that the Sins continued to excel in battle even when they didn''t share that characteristic? Why did they continue to be ostracized from society?


    Alec felt like he''d discovered why.


    Sins¡­ Sins grew from each battle that they experienced.


    The little wisps of magic that Alec was absorbing now was boosting the growth of his magic rank, essentially taking from the beasts and making it their own.


    Since the magic was filled with battle intent and killing intent when it entered their bodies, it caused most of the Sins to lose their head in the middle of battle, becoming something similar to killing machines when they couldn''t control their urges.


    Now, it was all starting to make sense to him!


    Sins, unlike the Brights who saw fast growth in comprehension, grew from experiencing an enemy''s strength themselves and taking it for their own usage. They devoured their enemy''s strength, using it to feed themselves and accelerate their growth.


    Alec carefully prodded the new magic that was melding into his bones and marrows, feeling the fighting intent that dwelled and was emitted from it.


    Alec didn''t erase it but instead used it to hone himself from within. His heart was pounding from the desire to battle!


    Instead of being anything harmful to him, Alec could see that the flow of battle became clearer than ever to him.


    He wondered if this was how the rest of the Sins saw it.


    In this state, his blood was boiling, and his potential was exploding.


    So, why was it that Alec''s growth had been so slow compared to the Brights and the other Sins?


    It was because he hadn''t thrown himself headfirst into battle like the rest of the Sins, yet his natural comprehension couldn''t match up to the Brights either.


    Alec had been slowly toiling away, trying to increase his magic capacity in the normal manner, yet it was the most inefficient manner for those who were Sins!


    Now that he knew about it, Alec felt like an idiot for not taking into account his body''s natural abilities.


    Alec reserved a part of his mind to look out for the King Vampiric Willow as he moved around the battlefield unhindered.


    He was killing to his heart''s content today. The long suppressed violent tendencies that Alec himself didn''t even know he had been suppressing erupted at this moment.


    Alec freed himself from the burden that had been holding him back as he unconsciously tried to emanate the qualities of an Every, which typically did not show a Sin''s characteristics for bloodlust.


    Not only was his magic growing, his reflexes were being refined directly proportionally to the time that Alec spent guarding his own back as he looked for openings to take out the monsters that were at the same level as he was.


    It was refreshing, being able to let loose like this. Unconsciously, the grin on his face grew. Alec was lucky that he was further away from the rest of the humans in this place, otherwise they would have felt chills at the gentle smile on Alec''s face that showed he was thoroughly enjoying himself.


    Each battle was growing harsher as the strength of the monsters increased instead of decreasing.


    Just where was the King Vampiric Willow?


    Looking around the battlefield, there was only a few Vampiric Willows left that weren''t under Alec''s command.


    It was strange. The King Vampiric Willow should have already noticed what Alec was doing, so why had it not come out to rage at Alec?


    By the time they were all under Alec''s thumb, the trembling of the ground increased even more, shaking so hard that even the Spectres, with their finely-honed balance were almost knocked off their feet.


    In the far distance, far away from the rest of the humans, the ground cracked and split, sending earth and debris everywhere as leaves emerged from the previously barren ground.


    The monsters that had previously been occupying the area fell into the large crack towards the strange tree.


    Yet, before they could even touch any of the leaves, their bodies were pierced by red vines and roots, causing the previously lively monsters to disappear without a single trace.


    The King Vampiric Willow emerged from the ground like the last boss in a dramatic and sensational manner, pulling itself out from the ground as it swept up the monsters that were in its vicinity.


    Even the monsters seemed to keep a berth from it, instinctively feeling that they would meet death if they approached even with their low intelligence.


    The humans couldn''t help but slow down as they looked at the giant tree that had appeared in the far distance. The tree was so large that they could see it as clear as day.


    It looked like the other Vampiric Willows that were around them, but much larger and much more menacing.


    Just existing, there was a wave of pressure that washed over the battlefield, causing the battles that occurred between monsters and humans to slow down.


    However, the giant tree did not emit a killing aura nor show any signs of hostility towards the humans.


    Though wary, the humans did not make a move as they were reluctant to attack if they had not been attacked first. They were already having enough trouble with the onslaught of monsters that appeared in every direction.


    The King Vampiric Willow''s leaves rustled gently, yet everyone who stood on the battlefield felt a chill just from the power that spread across the battlefield.


    The King Vampiric Willow was so large that they couldn''t help but look at it a few times. Even the monsters had been affected by the pressure given off by the King Vampiric Willow, allowing the humans to kill them easily.


    While the rest of them only stared on at the large Vampiric Willow tree, some of the Spectres were not only undaunted by the tree, they were even raring to charge straight there and take it on themselves.


    Luckily for them, those Spectres that retained majority of their sanity smacked those that were going to misbehave over the head.


    Don''t misbehave when the boss is away!


    The boss was already allowing them to happily kill, yet you want to anger him later, ah!? Not allowed!


    Alec directly used the [Rings of Acceleration] that his master had gifted to him, pressing his magic into the anklets.


    Alec moved with great speed and retained his stealth as he approached the giant King Vampiric Willow tree in the distance.


    While the pressure that the tree was giving off was strong, it did not seem to be particularly interested in finding the person who had taken away the other Vampiric Willows.


    Could it be that the King Vampiric Willow thought that the other Vampiric Willows had met their end, thus causing it to come out instead to procure more nutrients?


    Alec didn''t forget to continue silently killing on the way there since he wouldn''t be discovered.


    The corpses of the monsters were quickly devoured by other monsters, allowing Alec to perfectly hide his trail from the King Vampiric Willow.


    Matching his magic signature to one similar to the monsters that surrounded him on all sides, Alec just appeared like another one from the horde.

 Chapter 145 Yousd Think That Was The End of I

    The King Vampiric Willow was a truly massive thing.


    Standing tall in the distance, there didn''t seem to be anything that could rival it in this space.


    Just merely gently moving its vines or roots caused the widespread death of monsters around it, yet the monsters almost seemed like they''d been hypnotised as they seemed to sluggishly move towards the tree despite their fear.


    The King Vampiric Willow didn''t seem to care about anything other than moving around by itself. It wasn''t even interested in the existence of the humans in the distance.


    Why was that?


    The only thing that the King Vampiric Willow was interested in doing was gaining nutrients for itself and glutting itself through the large quantities of monsters that surrounded it.


    Alec frowned as he thought about why this was so.


    Theoretically speaking, humans should contain a much larger quantity of nutrients than all the monsters here. Yet, the King Vampiric Willow remained as it was.


    Even when Alec had approached it, the King Vampiric Willow should have already noticed him, yet it did nothing to Alec.


    Alec climbed up the tree, kicking off the King Vampiric Willow''s trunk as he launched himself upwards.


    Not only did the tree not make a move to stop Alec, it even subtly ''guided'' the way between the trunk to its leaves.


    Alec stood at the area where the trunk turned into branches, nestling himself there. He had been expecting a fight, but the fact that they weren''t fighting boded better for them.


    He pressed a hand onto the King Vampiric Willow''s trunk, getting a faint feeling from the tree that it wanted him to do so.


    Could it be that the King Vampiric Willow was looking forward to bonding with Alec? But why?


    The only reason why he continued to do so was because of the faint feelings he had from the other Vampiric Willows that he''d Awakened. The feeling that the King Vampiric Willow wouldn''t hurt him.


    Sinking his magic in, Alec instantly knew that the King Vampiric Willow was on a whole different level from him. No. Even before that, he already knew. He just didn''t know how much it had outclassed him right before this.


    The King Vampiric Willow should be even stronger than Dominique and Rosabel, who were in the advanced level, which equated to rank four.


    Just from this alone, Alec could tell that the King Vampiric Willow should be rank five, which was comparable to the meister rank!


    That was a rank that most sects only had a few of, making them elders. Even on the entire Kaoriht continent, there weren''t too many people who had reached this level, let alone a creature.


    Yet, here was a tree that had reached that level!


    How could something of this level exist here, in a crack between realms?


    Impossible.


    It would have been easier for him to accept if this was a proper realm, but this was only a crack between realms, or better put, a sub-realm. It didn''t reach the level where it could be classified as a realm.


    Alec had been observing this place. While it might have seemed infinite, there was actually an end to the place, and the monsters that trickled into the space were tightly controlled by some external forces.


    Yet, this King Vampiric Willow was able to reach this level in a place where nothing grew normally. Just how long had the King Vampiric Willow existed in this crack between realms for it to grow to this stage?


    Alec, who was a full three ranks below it, was completely outclassed by the tree. It had been foolish of him to assume that he would be able to weaken the King Vampiric Willow any when it had already reached such a realm that couldn''t be closed with tricks alone.


    Not when sheer power alone outclassed him so badly.


    Just why did the King Vampiric Willow want to bond with him? And he wasn''t joking. The call from the bonds between the other Vampiric Willows that had already been connected to him pressed him to connect with the King Vampiric Willow.


    Alec frowned, but he still pressed more of his magic into the King Vampiric Willow.


    Instead of facing a backlash that he would in normal occasions as he would if he was rejected, the King Vampiric Willow gladly accepted Alec''s magic, causing the bond between both individuals to bloom.


    Alec staggered as all his remaining magic was drained into the bond between him and the King Vampiric Willow, strengthening the tree minutely.


    The Vampiric Willows cheered as they welcomed the King Vampiric Willow into Alec''s fold.


    Alec got the feeling that the King Vampiric Willow was pleased.


    The King Vampiric Willow gently pressed its thoughts and feelings towards Alec as if sensing his confusion.


    The King Vampiric Willow was now submissive to Alec, which would have shocked many people who had lived for power on Incantix.


    Just where in the world would you find a master who was so much weaker than their familiar? Talk about a stroke of luck!


    This was no longer just a normal tree.


    The normal Vampiric Willows had already reached the realms of being able to call itself a creature, and the King Vampiric Willow was even more impressive.


    It was about to reach the ranks of being able to classify and evolve itself into a magical beast.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    It had been killing within this realm endlessly for years each time a monster horde came, yet it was never able to cross the line and fully evolve. It was lacking something, yet it didn''t know what.


    Alec gently patted the King Vampiric Willow, having gained an extremely powerful familiar without even doing anything.


    The creature had chosen to bank its hopes on Alec to perhaps allow itself to evolve as a last-ditch effort. Clearly, nothing would change if it continued maintaining the status quo in this place where there were no changes.


    The King Vampiric Willow rubbed a vine on Alec''s cheek gently, but the System still staggered under the blow, causing him to collapse.


    Alec, who got slammed down from the force of that single vine affectionately rubbing him, was speechless.


    He decided to call the King Vampiric Willow ''Vi'' short form for vine. Simple but easy.


    Alec suddenly thought that he''d been adding a lot of trees into his numerous collections of Awakened lately.


    Vi used its vine to rub Alec''s face again, happy that it was able to help its weak master out.


    This was the first time that it had seen a creature with rational thought and logic, even being able to connect with it. What a joy!


    The other trees in its network had been sentient, yet at the same time, they were connected to the King Vampiric Willow, which meant that they weren''t fully sentient at the same time.


    If not for the Vampiric Willows that had been disappearing from its network, it would never have approached the strange two-legged creatures and come out from underground.


    It would have just laid in rest as the Vampiric Willows continued absorbing nutrients for it.


    Just as he was feeling happy that there would be no other dangers from the monster horde now that the Vampiric Willows had been taken care of, Vi sent over a message to him, causing the System to stiffen.


    The monster horde wasn''t the only danger of this place.


    There would soon be incoming meteor showers from the skies that would flatten the earth, causing catastrophic damage all around.


    Alec silently held his forehead.


    Now even the weather was against them, not just the monsters.


    No wonder the [Plot Route] said that Tatiana''s mercenary troops would suffer heavy casualties.


    Alec had been wondering since it didn''t seem like the mercenaries were visibly struggling against the monster horde, numerous as they were. Even if they had been lagging a bit, the mercenaries were taking turns to rest so that they could maintain peak efficiency at all times.


    So, it was likely because of the meteor shower that would cause the damage to their numbers.


    From what Vi was telling him, the damage should be widespread and large.


    There was nowhere to hide here since the lands were barren and flat. Not to mention trees, there weren''t any mountains or rivers either.


    Vi touched Alec''s face again, sending more detailed information over through their bond.

 Chapter 146 The Pain of a Battlefield

    Alec''s smile tightened a little.


    Not just the meteor shower, the monster horde was going to increase in difficulty as well.


    Well, he supposed he''d been too hopeful, wishing for an easier time. Of course that wasn''t possible for them. Of course.


    What did he expect?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Originally, there would only have been two Main Characters here, Dietrich and Tatiana, but now, he''d added in Dominique as well, so he''d been needlessly dreaming!


    Right now, it was still mainly rank two monsters, which were they were able to handle alone and even kill alone, but as time continued to pass, there would be more and more monsters that would be rank three and some even rank four.


    While they would be able to handle rank three monsters if they worked together, it would be hard if they had to fend off fourth ranked monsters as well.


    But¡­ they had the fifth ranked King Vampiric Willow, Vi, who had come under Alec''s care.


    Could he just say¡­ wasn''t this a cheat? Would either Dietrich or Tatiana have originally made Vi their familiar instead of Alec?


    Thinking up to this point, Alec felt bad. He felt like he was stealing away some of the natural benefits that the Main Characters under his care should originally have experienced.


    Alec checked out the three Main Characters that were here with him, checking out their [Plot Route], and was more relieved when he saw that there was nothing that was written about Vi there.


    However, this also meant that Alec had successfully changed the course of the [Plot Route]!


    Now, Alec felt more relieved that he had rushed here for Dietrich and Tatiana. While they might not have died, he was sure that they would have at least been severely injured and on the verge of death.


    From what he could tell, Tatiana, Dietrich and Dominique were all in good health, along with his Spectres.


    Vi''s leaves rustled gently, as if telling its master that it would be fine with it here.


    It hadn''t cared about the survival of the humans before this, but since its master wished it, Vi would protect them.


    Now that Vi formed a bond with Alec, the original network between the Vampiric Willows had been re-established with just the slightest bit of difference.


    Where before the trees had been an extension of Vi''s consciousness, the trees that were in the network now had consciousness of their own, coming as both a surprise and a delight to the King Vampiric Willow.


    Right now, a little over twelve hours of continuous fighting had passed, and the mercenaries that had been holding the forte down were starting to visibly lag.


    Even switching between groups could no longer completely relieve them of their fatigue.


    Each time they raised their arms, their muscles burned in protest, yet they continued without a word. There was no place for them to vent their complaints right now. If they had time to vent, then they had time for another slash.


    Just opening their mouths took energy, let alone talking!


    However, the most disgusting thing was that the monster horde was still as endless as before.


    The monsters continued to trickle in without rest, at times trampling over other monsters, and others dragging away corpses to feast on.


    The monsters showed no signs of higher intelligence at all, which was a blessing to the humans.


    Each time a monster died, a new one took its place.


    This was the true horror of a monster horde.


    Let alone a small mercenary troop like theirs, even well-equipped cities and towns had been destroyed under the continuous assault of monsters.


    A monster horde was a terrifying thing.


    Humans had learnt from their past history and developed stringent checking methods to ensure that a monster horde did not appear within or around their territory.


    When they did, the nearby cities would immediately send aid to rid themselves of the threat of a monster horde.


    The fact that the mercenaries had lasted so long under these circumstances was already a feat that could not be said of many.


    After all, they were attacking point blank and not behind safe walls.


    Tatiana had trained her troops well.


    Similarly, the Spectres were flagging a little, yet each time they killed a monster, their excitement caused them to flare up as if they couldn''t feel the fatigue that went bone deep.


    By now, Dominique and gang were fighting on top the large avian creature which dropped down and bombarded a large area of monsters before flying up and repeating the strategy around whenever they saw that a few mercenaries were lagging behind.


    Instead of feeling weary and tired, most of the Spectres had a large grin on their faces as they killed and killed.


    It was an eerie sight that the mercenaries saw when the Spectres killed without resting or taking turns. Each black-dressed individual shared the same characteristics of enjoying the battle even when they should be bone-dead tired.


    By now, there was no one who hadn''t caught on to the fact that they were Sins, the most detested Societype on Incantix, yet there wasn''t a single mercenary here who thought about them as lesser or formed any discriminatory thoughts against them.


    The Spectres had killed more than all of them combined, and that was enough to secure the mercenaries'' respect and salutations.


    Whatever that had previously existed as prejudice before had been broken down in these short twelve hours where they killed and fought alongside the Sins.


    Many of the mercenaries thought that they would definitely have a drink with the Sins when they managed to get out of this hellhole.


    However, before they took care of the second rank monsters that were as abundant as the stars in the night sky, they realized that there were a few third rank monsters that were trickling in, causing their backs to chill as the sight of them.


    The second rank monsters weren''t the ending. They were merely the prologue. The true battle started now.


    This realization almost drove them to despair, which was broken by the sound of Tatiana''s voice above the sounds of the monster''s cries.


    "Do not falter! Hit! Hit with all your might! Don''t break formation! Maintain the formation like your life depends on it! Drinks on me after we go back! We are not dying here today! Even if the monsters kill me, I''ll kill the monster that does before I go!"


    Her words cleared up the despair that they''d been faced with, causing them to grit their teeth as they slashed out harder.


    Fight!


    The stench of blood and gore filled their nostrils.


    They stripped cloth and tied their blades to their hands in case they slipped from their sweaty grip.


    Each human that was still standing looked like they were on the verge of collapse, yet their eyes burned with unfaltering determination.


    Tatiana killed without pause. Each movement that she made was now optimised for the least energy usage and most efficient killing.


    She was tired. She was so tired, but she couldn''t stop. Not when her comrades were all fighting with her!


    Endless amounts of repetition and the quick change of foes caused her potential to bloom within battle as things that she hadn''t understood before bloomed within her.


    Everything that she''d learnt had been for this moment, where she was protecting her comrades and those around her.


    Similarly, Dietrich had been honing his blade as he fought back to back with Tatiana, both of them trusting each other to watch their backs.


    Dietrich had never been in a battle that had lasted as long as this before. He had always ended his battles quickly, whether it be him triumphing over his enemies through sheer power or ending it before anything could truly stick.


    He was tired, yet he felt like his worldviews had expanded compared to before, allowing him to see the entire battlefield in its entirety.


    They were already almost out of any magic, causing the two Main Characters to rely on their bladework in order to optimise their killing speed.


    They were dead tired, but they continued to force themselves to fight even when there saw sweat dripping into their eyes.


    Yet, not only did their lack of magic cause their skills using the blade to grow, so did their instincts. Not only did their instincts and reflexes not dull, they were sharper than ever.


    They fought back to back; an unspoken trust had started to bloom between the two. There was no other reason than the fact that they trusted the other to watch their backs for them.


    Tatiana was worried about her baby brother, yet Alec''s familiars did not seem to be, so she put aside her worry.


    Bunbun and Fenrir were taking turns to kill various monsters that approached them.


    They exchanged positions whenever the other grew tired, allowing the other to rest atop their back.


    Bunbun''s white fur was no longer in its pristine condition, instead sporting blood, dirt and gore, dying the white fur bloody colours. There were parts of his fur that were singed, and others that were missing patches.


    Similarly, Fenrir, who had forced himself to continue using magic before recharging and using his claws, was dirty and filthy, yet his eyes continued to shine as he remembered about the days that he had fought in the forest against other wolf tribes.


    Twelve hours trickled into thirteen, then fourteen¡­


    By now, the rank two monsters were all but gone, replaced with rank three. This caused the already slow-paced killing to stagger even more.


    Just as they were almost unable to hold on, there was a change.

 Chapter 147 Incoming II

    Alec, who had been killing alone this entire time, not only didn''t feel like he was tired, he felt like he was particularly refreshed as his number of foes didn''t decrease in the slightest.


    Alec felt like he could understand why Sins were so feared, especially when they seemed to delight in the joy of battle.


    Their special constitution meant that even if they felt dead tired, as long as they were in battle, they would not allow the fatigue to slow down their movements.


    Their instincts seemed to scream at them to continue fighting happily. Take everything from their enemies and make it their own!


    The power that they gained from cutting down those that opposed them meant that they could see the most optimal area where they should attack in order to deliver a devastating blow.


    A Sin''s battle potential was terrifying indeed.


    It was likely this particular trait that the Sins all exuded was what had caused such widespread fear of the Sins.


    Imagine having an enemy that not only didn''t seem to falter, every single one of them always killed with a grin on their face.


    Just thinking about facing them en masse could send a chill up one''s spine.


    Those in charge had ostracized the Sins, spreading their irrational fear to the public, which had lingered even until today.


    Just thinking about it caused Alec to feel disgusted.


    One day, he would shatter all their preconceived notions about the Sins and establish a place where the Sins could continue to grow freely without fear of prejudice and terror.


    After a while, the rank two monsters that Alec had been easily killing stared to bleed into rank three monsters.


    He was informed by the Vampiric Willows that the humans seemed to be faltering. There almost been a few casualties just from sheer fatigue alone, but luckily, they were fine. Yet Alec still frowned.


    Vi had been fighting further from him, spearing monsters left and right, yet they still didn''t seem to be decreasing at all.


    Where were these monsters coming from in the first place? Even Vi didn''t know the answer, regardless of how long he''d been here.


    He had to move back to protect the rest of the humans so that they could rest properly before they started dropping dead from sheer fatigue.


    Unfortunately, it looked like his killing time would now be cut short.


    Alec gave the order.


    He moved towards Vi, who extended a vine for Alec to step on, bringing him to the top of its trunk.


    The other Vampiric Willows that had been moving sporadically throughout the battlefield started to moved towards the humans, encircling them tightly within a ring of trees.


    This caused the humans that had previously been focusing on the monsters that that they had been killing to look warily at the Vampiric Willows.


    What was happening now?


    This change that suddenly appeared did not seem to bode particularly well for them.


    Should they attack first?


    However, most of them remembered Tatiana''s words that had been shouted at them previously to warn them.


    No one had attacked the Vampiric Willows before this, so why was this change happening?


    This almost caused the tired mercenaries to despair.


    They were already almost unable to hold on against the third ranked monsters, yet the Vampiric Willows had joined the battle against them?


    Why?


    Just why?


    What did they do to deserve this?


    Vi moved along the path, clearing the monsters along the way.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The ground continued to tremble as Vi moved, causing the humans to look up.


    They fell straight into despair when they realized that the giant tree that was so far in the distance was moving towards their direction.


    Were they also to meet the same fate that the monsters had met at the Vampiric Willow''s roots?


    To crumble into dust and return to nothing?


    They weren''t willing!


    They truly weren''t willing!


    Even as they despaired, their eyes burned brighter as the hands that clutched weapons tightened. They would go down fighting, or they wouldn''t go down at all!


    Just before the first idiot tried to attack a Vampiric Willow in fury and despair, Tatiana directly rushed over and punched him before he could commit something unforgivable.


    "Stop!" Tatiana commanded; her eyes bright. "Look!"


    The mercenary that had been punched didn''t even touch his face as he looked toward the direction that his leader was pointing to.


    The mercenaries were confused as they looked at where Tatiana was pointing, unable to see what caused her to react this way.


    It was only when the giant tree approached that they saw what she was referring to.


    There was a particularly small figure nested on the top of the giant Vampiric Willow that had previously caused them to lose themselves to despair.


    Their thoughts ground to a halt.


    The silence that had been prominent earlier was broken by someone, then joined in by the others as well.


    The Spectres were cheering, admiring their boss.


    It was definitely their boss, with his blood-stained Spectre clothing just like them. Even if the clothing was black, it was easy to see that it had been coated in a thick layer of blood, causing the black clothing to gleam with a reddish hue.


    The clothing was now splattered with blood from the monsters.


    Their boss'' figure sat atop the tree without any visible worries, his gentle smile warming them from head to toe.


    Their boss was the best! Too cool! He could even subjugate the giant Vampiric Willow and make it his subordinate!


    Dietrich was staring with a wide-open mouth before he snapped it shut. Just what was his uncle doing??


    He always ended up doing something that was out of his expectations!


    The mercenaries stared at Alec like he was the second coming of an immortal that had descended straight from the heavens to help them in their time of need.


    Indeed, the Vampiric Willows had not harmed them any and were instead taking care of the monsters that without a single gap between them to escape.


    The Vampiric Willows parted before Vi, who moved carefully as it avoided the tiny humans, before closing the gap that had been made.


    The humans circled around the tree that was enormous, causing Alec''s small figure to appear even smaller.


    Vi extended a vine yet again to bring Alec down. Alec didn''t particularly need a vine from Vi to get down, but he stepped on it anyway, appreciating Vi''s goodwill.


    Tatiana eyed Alec when he finally descended, his feet touching the ground. She checked him all over to ensure that he wasn''t hurt before smiling in satisfaction when she saw that he wasn''t.


    "Just what did you do, little brother?" she said dryly, yet there was a smile that couldn''t contain the relief she felt inside.


    Alec placed a hand on Vi''s extremely large trunk.


    "This is Vi. My familiar."


    At his words, it was as if everyone there had received amnesty. Many of the mercenaries directly collapsed on the ground, panting heavily as the strength left their limbs.


    They didn''t even care that the voice that came out from that small body was supposed to be something that came out from a gruff middle-aged man.


    The Spectres surrounded their boss and happily talked. They didn''t even mind that they were not in the thick of battle anymore since they had already released all of their stress and discontent.


    More than that, they were happy that their boss was steadily growing stronger. They hadn''t chosen to follow the wrong boss.


    Anyone who was able to bring a highly ranked creature into their employ was bound to be outstanding. Familiar bonds were usually formed between two people of the same strength.


    This King Vampiric Willow was already at least rank four, yet it had contracted with their boss, causing them to feel pride.


    Bunbun and Fenrir approached Vi and patted its giant trunk with their paws, as if saying ''welcome to the family''.


    Yet Alec dispelled the relaxed atmosphere with just a few words.


    "There''s no time to relax yet. A meteor shower is coming."

 Chapter 148 Avoiding Disaster

    Alec''s words caused the mercenaries who just barely managed to relax on the hard ground to pick themselves up again without a single complaint.


    While they might have cursed their own luck for being caught here in the first place, none of their annoyance was directed towards this child that stood in front of them.


    For one, not only had he managed to bring the King Vampiric Willow under his command, he had made it his familiar.


    They could tell that this child held an even lower magic rank than most of them. At most, he was only in the foundation rank, which was barely stronger than most civilians out there!


    However, this child had blood splattered on him, and he was just as filthy as the rest of them. Yet, seeing him on the gigantic King Vampiric Willow earlier had caused an awe to bloom within them that could not be described with mere words.


    Seeing him step on the vine from the tree as he was brought down made them feel like they were basking in the presence of someone who had surpassed them in the most basic aspects of life.


    It was an indescribable awe that started in the depths of their hearts following a stressful and traumatic situation. The fact that he was able to find out what would happen in the future before calamity struck was already good enough!


    Not only that, fact that these individuals dressed in black treating him with such respect made them look at him in a more favourable light. Sins were already hard to get along with individually, let alone so many at once!


    Was he a Sin as well?


    The Sins all called him ''boss''!


    The fact that their own boss referred to him as her little brother was the final nail in the coffin.


    The area was silent other than the sounds of the monsters that were dying en masse outside of the circle. The humans all listened to Alec relaying the words to those present.


    There had been a few strange looks as they listened to the dissonance between the voice and the small child-like body, but that quickly faded away the more they listened.


    Their faces were grim, and the fact that they were tired could be ignored for now.


    There was a chill up their spines as they listened to the child deliver the terrifying words with a gruff voice, middle-aged man''s voice.


    Regarding the monster horde, they were sure that they would have eventually been able to power through until it ended as long as they kept killing without pause, but this?


    This was something else.


    A meteor shower was something widespread and unpredictable.


    In this place, where there wasn''t even any shelter, almost as if it reflected the barren lands they had been camping in before, how would they be able to avoid the destructive abilities of the meteor shower?


    That was something that came from nature, not something man-made that could be stopped!


    Yet, not only had the boss'' little brother been the one to first warn them of the incoming danger, he found a way to avoid calamity, simply and directly raising the mercenaries'' evaluation of this child.


    The way they looked at him was more respectful than ever.


    "Luckily there is still time now, so quickly gather up everything to move!" Tatiana looked at Alec''s barely visible smile and continued. "Move it! There are only a few hours left! Leave the tents but bring everything else! I''ll give you half an hour. If you aren''t done before that, watch how I deal with you!"


    The mercenaries immediately broke into action, quickly gathering the various things that had been scattered here and there, breaking up the camp quickly.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The Spectres also helped out by storing away things using the Magnitude Seal function that had been made available to them.


    The mercenaries and Sins worked in harmony, further cementing the good feelings between the two factions.


    The mercenaries used their own Magnitude Seals to hurriedly store everything.


    The entire camp moved with efficiency and briskness, feeling the pressing feeling of threat of the meteor shower press against their backs, urging themselves to move quicker.


    They didn''t even feel the fatigue of their muscles as they worked. They would be able to rest once they got themselves to safety.


    As everyone else was moving, Alec conversed with Vi, who was conserving magic as they waited. They still had roughly an hour before the first round of meteor showers would strike.


    The freest were still Bunbun and Fenrir, who would only trip others up when they tried to help instead.


    Within the time limit that Tatiana gave them, they''d finished packing everything. Even though their boss said to leave the tents, they had managed to bring it along as well in record time.


    The Vampiric Willow''s circle widened, clearing out more monsters. As one, man and the circle of Vampiric Willows moved as the monsters were slowly being eradicated, heading towards the area where the King Vampiric Willow, Vi, had appeared for the first time.


    There was a large fissure in the ground where monsters had staggered and fell into.


    Some of the monsters had died from the fall to their death, while others had broken limbs and such. There were also those who were perfectly fine after landing on other monster''s bodies.


    The humans felt a chill as they looked down at the pit.


    Or rather, what was supposed to be a pit.


    The monsters had kept falling in one by one until they entirely filled up the pit like it was flat ground, countless bodies and corpses inside.


    A few mercenaries hissed, drawing a cold breath.


    What they''d seen so far hadn''t even scratched the surface of just what kind of nature a monster had.


    They were beings of pure instinct. They had moderate amounts of magic, but little to no conscious thought and brains, which caused them to act in a way that was incomprehensible to most.


    Vi shook its leaves, extending vines and roots as they touched the bodies of the monsters, big and small, dead or alive.


    The King Vampiric Willow ''ate'' the monsters that blocked its path, creating a path for them to enter.


    The place was under the surface, where Vi spent most of its time when there wasn''t a monster horde happening.


    Vi didn''t feel annoyed at the monsters that intruded into its territory since it couldn''t even feel the modicum of brainwaves from the monsters.


    Monsters just moved without any thought and were all instinct instead, something that made them more terrifying to humans, yet at the same time, less threatening.


    Vi was the first to head down, the ground trembling as it moved into the space that it had forcefully made by eating the monster''s bodies.


    Vi''s trunk sunk into the hole as its roots moved and clung to the walls, slowly descending into the fissure that was so deep they couldn''t even see the bottom.


    The humans stared at the giant Vampiric Willow tree that descended into what felt like the abyss.


    The rest of the Vampiric Willows were moving to keep the monsters that wandered into the area out, slowly but steadily eradicating them from the surface.


    Alec jumped in without any hesitation, causing Tatiana''s heart to jolt when she was her little brother just jump into the hole without any hesitation whatsoever, but she knew that he would be safe.


    Dominique was the next one to jump in right after his boss. Alec''s feet had barely left the ground when the Sin already knew what his boss was planning, jumping in as well.


    The Spectres moved together with their boss, trusting him.


    Tatiana and Dietrich followed, readying the bare visages of their magic to protect their body.


    The mercenaries jumped in, not willing to be left behind when the first one to jump in ¨C amazing as he was ¨C an eleven-year-old.


    They had their pride, damn it!

 Chapter 149 A Whole New World

    They needn''t have worried because the King Vampiric Willow had many vines to catch them, slowly bringing them down from the surface.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    It was a long way down, but Vi didn''t even miss a single human, wrapping a vine around them as a precaution.


    At the bottom of the ravine, there was a large space, where small, gently waving grass brushed their feet.


    The entire place rumbled as Vi moved its magic, closing the large gape above them on the surface after the other Vampiric Willows descended as well.


    It was something that could only be related to large-scale magic that most people didn''t see even in their entire lives, no matter how long they worked their magic.


    The monsters on the surface would overflow shortly, causing them to fight against each other and trample the weaker ones.


    However, the meteor shower would take care of them.


    With the appearance of the meteor shower that would strike the surface incessantly, the number of monsters that made up the monster horde would be significantly reduced.


    As Vi closed the hole that it had made previously, the faint traces of light that had been present earlier was completely cut off, leaving them in an all-encompassing darkness.


    There was a faint wind that circulated the area, caressing their skin as they stood there in faint, echoing silence.


    The temperature of the cavern was cool. It was much lower than the temperature on the surface, and the blood that had not fully dried on their bodies was even cooler, causing some of the humans to shiver.


    Even when Alec stretched out his hand, he could not see anything before him.


    Just as someone was about to move to pull out a torch, there was the appearance of a faint flicker of light in the distance.


    A ghostly blue, flickering light appeared above their heads, as if triggered by the darkness surrounding them.


    It was only the first of numerous lights starting up.


    More and more ghostly little lights lit up the place, glowing and blinking. They spread across the walls, filling their vision with pale blue.


    The blue-hued light cast a blue shadow over everything, and the faces of the humans that were here were shown in a pale echo. It was eerie, but at the same time, comforting that they were able to see again instead of being left in the darkness.


    Humans both loved and feared the darkness, for there were things that lurked in the dark, yet there was always beauty to be found in it.


    It was human nature to fear the unknown, and hardened as the mercenaries were, they would of course choose to be in the light.


    Looking around, the place was spacious and large. It was almost as if there was a whole other world shoved here under the surface. The difference between the surface and underground was as clear as night and day.


    Where the surface was barren and flat, the underground world looked like it was flourishing in place of the surface.


    The cavern was dark, but the pale blue lights twinkled like tiny, sparkling crystals. It appeared both mysterious and enlightening at the same time, yet it was not blinding to the eyes, but instead a guiding light.


    It instead gave off a warm sort of glow, bathing them in a warmth that was hard to describe properly.


    There was grass that spread out far and wide under their feet. The grass was soft and grew under the lights in the cavern walls.


    Flowers and trees alike grew sporadically, making the place appear more like a forest instead of underground, which was amazing considering that the ground did not have any soil but was instead rock.


    It was a magical, breath-taking sight that contained the harmony between nature''s elements, where nature adapted instead of withering and dying.


    Even when the lifeforms could not flourish due to the presence of periodic meteor showers, the lifeforms that had been forced underground lived just as well.


    The cavern wasn''t silent, even in the presence of humans.


    There were soft breaths and footfalls not too far from them, yet the presences seemed like they were curious instead of threatening.


    It was unsure whether or not it was Vi''s presence that caused them to act this way, yet the humans that were present felt awed at the nature that flourished in this underground world.


    Yet, even as it all appeared so magical and untouchable, it was all static.


    This was a crack between realms, and nothing could grow or reproduce here.


    Whatever creatures existed that populated the underground world, most of them adopted a non-confrontational policy between them, as if they knew that they would not be able to repopulate themselves.


    Even so, it was evident that it had flourished under such harsh conditions, surviving well instead of dying out even as they could not repopulate.


    Alec theorized that someone or something had done something in order for life here to continue, unlike the surface where there was nothing in sight.


    Both the mercenaries and Spectres moved along in the underground cavern, curiously spreading out as they explored the area.


    Tatiana''s voice snapped them out of it. "Don''t move around haphazardly. You can explore later. Set up the tents first!"


    As they started setting up camp again where they were safe with the King Vampiric Willow, Dietrich conversed with his uncle.


    "Uncle, we should look for a source of water."


    Alec nodded, Bunbun and Fenrir jumping down from their spot on his clothing.


    Fenrir lifted his nose in the air proudly, as if saying ''follow me!'', hopping onto the largened bunny as he raised a paw, pointing in a direction cutely.


    Tatiana looked at Dietrich strangely. He really was telling the truth when he called Alec uncle. Just what happened in the time that she had been away from Alec''s life?


    Unfortunately, that would have to wait since they were busy now.


    Dietrich nodded at Tatiana, following after his uncle in the distance.


    Alec walked, touching the cool walls of the cave, rubbing his fingers. The moisture content of the place was high, and the walls reflected it.


    They didn''t have to walk for long before they stumbled across the water that was available in this place.


    Alec eyed it dubiously.


    The water that was contained in a large enough circle to call it a lake looked inky black, sloshing gently against the edges before disappearing back into the darkness.


    There were even more ghostly lights here than there were back there, but all that Alec could see from the water was an inky black, non-penetrative darkness.


    Dietrich made a sound of surprise.


    "This¡­ its Obsidian Aqua. And so much of it!"


    Alec raised a brow despite himself, curious. "What''s Obsidian Aqua?"


    Dietrich explained it for his uncle. "The highest class of Obsidian Aqua is a pure, inky black. It can''t be penetrated even with light shining through. Using Obsidian Aqua can strengthen your magic as well as purify the magic in your body. If you drink enough of it over a period of time, your magic reserves will grow and become a lot denser."


    As expected from a Main Character.


    Either Tatiana or Dietrich would have originally stumbled across this in the original [Plot Route] as well. Or so he thought. Since the plot had now changed, there was no information written about it.


    Disregarding that Dietrich was still gasping in awe at the vast amounts of Obsidian Aqua that was available here, Alec opened the [System''s System], only to get a splitting headache at the onslaught of notifications.


    Alec tried hard to make sure that none of the discomfort showed on his face, taking a closer look at the notifications.


    They were all notifications of him gaining points one by one. Yet, they were not from himself killing monsters, but instead from the Main Characters that were around him.


    Suddenly, things started making sense. He had to stick around the Main Characters if he wanted to gain more points, but by doing so, he had to put himself through the same danger that the Main Characters went through.


    It was a complicated feeling that welled up in Alec''s chest. Danger and fortune go hand in hand indeed.


    It felt strange since he hadn''t had a mission in order for him to obtain more points in a while, and now he knew that it was because the way of obtaining points had changed.


    He had to stick near the Main Characters if he wanted points, which made Alec frustrated.

 Chapter 150 What Did You Do To Boss?!

    The underground cavern that they found themselves in really did feel like a separate world compared to the world on top.


    Yet, Alec wasn''t sure if he was imagining it, but it felt strange and artificial. As if the life that currently lived here had been nurtured and groomed for something. Only, he didn''t know what.


    Life was static here, so there couldn''t be any new life. Yet, where had all these creatures come from?


    Even when Alec asked Vi, Vi''s leaves shook gently, indicating that it didn''t know.


    Vi had no memories of a life before this.


    Or rather, to be more accurate, the previous Vi did not retain memories in the same way that humans did. While it had been aware, it also wasn''t truly thinking in a sense.


    All Vi had known to do at that time was to desperately try and grow stronger without knowing why. It had been a deeply rooted instinct.


    In fact, before Vi had formed a bond with Alec, it felt like there had been something guiding its thoughts, constantly nudging it to grow stronger.


    At that time, it had only seemed natural, but now, it felt distinctly strange. All previous instincts regarding the slaughter of monsters for nutrients had abruptly disappeared, leaving behind an empty blankness.


    It was only when Vi had successfully evolved into a creature that he was able to form conscious thought and think about his actions and consequences.


    Alec found that fascinating. Just like how Bunbun had not had much conscious thought when he had only been an animal, Vi had been the same way.


    When Alec Awakened Bunbun''s brain, it had caused the bunny to evolve into a new being. Bunbun evolved from a simple animal into a creature. As little as it was, he was able to use magic now.


    Yet, how had Vi managed to do that?


    Vi did not have a brain like Bunbun or Fenrir, so how had Vi evolved into a creature?


    Vi sent over his thoughts through their bond, a feeling of confusion. Then, there was a vague feeling like Vi was thinking about Alec''s words.


    A brief moment later, a strange feeling spread throughout Alec''s body.


    It was gentle, yet vigorous at the same time. A feeling of warmth and fire spread throughout his body. The feeling originally started in the core of his stomach before it spread out, gently nourishing and flourishing.


    It was a feeling of birth; of creation and dawn.


    Alec''s mind was blank as he felt the heavy weight of the replicated feelings that Vi sent over their bond. He felt as if he was discovering a new way for him to use his Magitype that he had never even considered before.


    What was it that made them ''Awaken'' in the first place?


    All Alec had been doing was building up on something that had already been there in the first place. He just helped it along, but when he ''Awakened'' a consciousness in something, the reason why his magic capacity dropped sharply was because he was the one who was creating something.


    In contrast, the creation that began in Vi after reaching a certain threshold was something that had bloomed from a period of evolution and growth.


    Alec opened his mind ¨C he let Vi''s feeling spread across all his bonds. He placed a hand on Vi''s trunk, feeling the warmth under his palms.


    Vi felt gentle and nurturing, a stark contrast from when it had been killing monsters without any change.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Life that was born from death was the most accurate expression that Alec could give this feeling.


    What Alec didn''t know was that when he did this, everything that was connected to him through their bonds suddenly stopped, regardless of what they had been doing previously.


    Bunbun and Fenrir, who had been rolling around on the grass and playing amongst themselves, suddenly stopped and collapsed, lying flat on the floor.


    Dominique''s familiar, the Blood Starling, abruptly stood up, alarmed as the two creatures collapsed, gently nudging them with the blunt part of its beak. What happened??


    Some of the mercenaries, who had been watching with a dopey smile as two fluffy tiny creatures played around, stood up in shock, rushing over to the two creatures. They gently moved the two creatures away from the Blood Starling, taking care not to graze themselves on the avian creature''s sharp feathers and talons.


    They checked over the bunny and wolf, but they didn''t find anything wrong with them. Both seemed to have either slipped into unconsciousness or sleep suddenly, causing a brief panic amongst the watching mercenaries.


    Similarly, Alec, who had been seated at the top of Vi''s trunk, slipped into a state of sleep as the feeling that Vi passed over washed against him. The feeling of warmth was addicting and calming, slowly drawing him into the feeling, his breath evening out.


    The only reason why he didn''t have anyone else who suddenly panicked as he fell asleep was because there was no one else around him. Vi shifted its leaves and branches, blocking Alec''s figure from view.


    It had not known its master for very long, but the feelings and personality that Vi learnt about from prodding their shared bond gave it a feeling that Alec didn''t like to show his weakness to other people.


    Back in the Neil Clan compound, Javor, Alec''s first sentient tree, similarly froze, its leaves stopped rustling and swaying, but this wasn''t noticed by anyone else.


    Dietrich was puzzled as he checked over the two creatures, but there was nothing wrong with them that he could see.


    By all accounts, the two just seemed to be sleeping peacefully without any signs that this should have happened.


    Still, he didn''t let down his guard.


    After all, they were in an unfamiliar place that they knew nothing of. They were still lacking in too much information for him to properly make a sound judgement without bias.


    Tatiana frowned seeing this but dispersed the mercenaries that gathered around before any panic could spread, telling them to keep quiet about this.


    She would rather not morale fall any when it was already so important that they had to keep calm.


    While the others went about on their way, Dietrich and Tatiana brought Bunbun and Fenrir with them into Tatiana''s tent, where she allowed the flap to her tent to fall behind them.


    Dominique, after seeing Bunbun and Fenrir fall into a state of sleep, frowned as he looked for his boss'' figure.


    If the two creatures had fallen asleep at the same time, then his boss should be in a similar state.


    The Spectre launched off the trunk of the tree, boosting himself to go up.


    Tatiana, who had come out to look for her little brother, spotted Dominique''s figure moving up the tree and left it to him. From what little she''d seen thus far, that particular subordinate of Alec''s seemed particularly dedicated to her little brother''s wellbeing.


    When he was halfway up, he was rudely interrupted by a red vine from the King Vampiric Willow tree, causing a frown to slip on his usually emotionless face.


    "Let me up," Dominique said, not in a particularly forgiving mood. "I have to see the boss."


    Dominique got a feeling that the King Vampiric Willow was considering his words as Dominique stared at the tree. He didn''t know what part he should be staring at, so he just glared at the vine that was stopping him from advancing.


    While he would have normally made a move to free himself, this was his boss'' familiar, so he was reluctant to harm the things that belonged to his boss.


    Dominique jerked slightly as the vine that wrapped around his waist brought him up to the top, where he saw his boss'' crumpled form, causing the boss fanatic to panic slightly.


    "Bos-!"


    Dominique was muffled by the vine that Vi shoved into his mouth to shut him up.


    The Sin''s face immediately darkened as he glared at the King Vampiric Willow. Boss'' familiar or not, this damn tree-!


    No, that wasn''t the time for that right now.


    His boss was more important.


    Dominique checked over his boss'' small figure but wasn''t able to find anything wrong with him.


    He glared at the King Vampiric Willow''s leaves suspiciously. Boss and his other familiars had fallen into a state of sleep, yet this King Vampiric Willow was fine.


    Dominique pulled out a dagger, threatening the tree. "What did you do!"

 Chapter 151 Arising

    Alec woke up to the sight of Dominique fighting against red vines.


    The System stared with incomprehension for a brief moment, wondering if he was still asleep and dreaming.


    Yet the fierce fight between his familiar and his subordinate forced him to repress the urge to just lie down and go back to sleep then and there.


    Actually, it was pretty funny the longer he looked at the two fighting. Or should he say, playing? Even if Dominique was evidently quite serious, he wasn''t able to do much damage to Vi at all.


    This was the rank difference between someone comparable to the fourth rank and a creature in the fifth ranked.


    While elemental, foundation and intermediate ranks were able to be overcome using tactics, from the advanced magic rank and above, there was a wall that was tremendously difficult to overcome in a short period of time.


    Evidently, Dominique had not yet reached that stage where a Main Character would be able to fight on equal grounds with someone who should be in a higher rank than them.


    Vi was quite evidently going easy on Dominique, which just seemed to make the Sin angrier and fiercer in his attacks, but to no avail.


    The red vines dodged a couple of times, just barely avoiding Dominique''s attacks.


    This was the first time that Alec thought that this subordinate of his was actually quite cute. He was finally acting more like a young man his age instead of keeping that dead face all the time.


    Somehow, he really could feel that whatever misplaced loyalty Dominique felt for him was sincere, despite his rather warped way of thinking.


    The poor Spectre didn''t know that his actions cemented his future. Alec would unexpectedly bully him in all sorts of ways unconsciously because he thought that Dominique''s reactions were funny.


    Dominique spent a long time fighting the King Vampiric Willow''s vines when he felt that the damn tree had something to do with his boss'' condition. He should really have followed his boss out instead of letting him go alone earlier!


    Dominique firmly resolved himself to follow his boss more firmly in the future.


    Alec almost couldn''t bear to look at his pathetic looking subordinate play in the hands of Vi. The feeling that came across their bond was that Vi found Dominique funny, both with his reactions and his care for Alec.


    Vi, noticing that its master was awake, passed a few thoughts through their bond. Apparently the two of them had been going at it for a better part of an hour, with Dominique growing more and more frustrated as the time passed.


    Every time Dominique had worriedly looked over at Alec''s body, Vi amped up its attacks a little to distract the Sin.


    Alec patted Vi.


    Vi had decided to play around with the Spectre since its master was sleeping, and the man that was so concerned about his master seemed like he needed to vent, so why not?


    Alec''s lips quirked up.


    How cute¡­ or should he say stupidly cute?


    It was only then that Alec properly accepted that he wouldn''t be getting rid of Dominique any time soon. Before this, he still felt like he would eventually leave sooner or later due to the Main Character''s [Plot Route], so he hadn''t connected his more fragile emotions with the other.


    Right now, he didn''t feel like he would be able to do that anymore.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Dominique finally realized that his boss was awake when the intensity of Vi''s attacked abated a little.


    "Boss!" Dominique said, his frustration fading away like it hadn''t existed in the first place. How strange.


    The fanaticism that had been absent in his eyes when he had been fighting with Vi''s vines appeared in his eyes again, yet Alec did not feel like it was a burden unlike previous times. He even felt like the other was funny.


    Just why was a Main Character acting this way towards him? It was so unconceivable.


    Alec''s lips twitched again. Just what had been in the water that made him suddenly feel like this man was hilarious?


    "Mini," Alec said. This would cause his poor subordinate to feel like they were closer, right?


    The words that had been about to come out of Dominique''s throat were choked back. What did his boss just say?


    He looked around, but he was definitely the only one here. ''Mini'' referred to him??


    What??


    "Boss," Dominique said slowly at last. "Are you calling me?" there was a faint tremor in his voice that he himself didn''t even notice.


    Alec, however, noticed it.


    His smile gentled as he nodded. His subordinate was touched, right? Alec definitely repaid in kind.


    Since Dominique already decided to follow him, it was only right that Alec treated him properly.


    The poor Spectre didn''t know what to do, but he (tearfully) accepted his fate.


    Since his boss said it was so, then that was it.


    Alec stepped off Vi, dropping down to the ground, followed by Dominique.


    The drop was roughly about the same as that place from the Neil Clan''s forest from Vi''s trunk to the ground.


    What had almost killed him previously didn''t pose a problem to him now, as he used his magic more efficiently. If he''d known how to do this back then, he wouldn''t have had to use his body as a shield to stop his and Bunbun''s fall.


    Fenrir and Bunbun were already waiting at the bottom for him.


    When he looked at them, he could vaguely feel the changes that Vi''s revelation had given him, as well as the various bonds between him and the rest. The quality had gone up.


    Both creatures now looked livelier and smarter than before. They seemed to have increased a bit in their strength, but Alec couldn''t tell just how much stronger they''d become just yet.


    Picking up the small bunny and wolf, Alec casually held them in his arms.


    The Spectres were roughly gathered in the same place, relaxing as they sipped at the Obsidian Aqua from various cups they''d borrowed from the mercenaries.


    "Boss!" they greeted.


    Their eyes peered at the two creatures, finding nothing wrong with them. In fact, when they blinked their eyes, they appeared more lovable and cuter than ever.


    By now, the meteor shower should have already started, yet the Sins weren''t worried at all.


    From this, one could see that their faith in this boss had already reached absurd levels so quickly, all because Alec had allowed them to fight to their heart''s content without stopping them nor ostracizing them for being too ''cruel''.


    Why was there even cruelty in fighting? It wasn''t about being ''cruel'' or ''kind'' but instead, it was a sign that they were taking them seriously.


    To the Sins, fighting was the highest form of respect that said you were worthy of a fight.


    Contrary to what everyone thought, they were picky with their fights ¨C that was, of course, unless you pissed them off. Then, they just wanted to end your miserable life to stop you from polluting the oxygen of the planet.


    They didn''t like killing people that couldn''t fight back, and they didn''t like killing innocents.


    Direct your killing intent on them, and they would fight you to the death, but if you didn''t do anything, they wouldn''t touch you.


    They were Sins, but they weren''t mass murderers.


    The Sins were contradictory in the weirdest ways, but they had a subtle line in their behaviour.


    Since Alec himself was a Sin, understanding them was more like learning about Sins and himself.


    "We should explore this place properly, so split into teams of four again and spread out to look for food and water. Even if we can drink Obsidian Aqua, there''s been no known precedence of using it to replace as drinking water."


    The Spectres'' eyes sharpened as they took in their boss'' orders.


    "Mini and his group will be coming with me."


    "???" Mini?

 Chapter 152 Somethings Not Righ

    Rosabel was the one who caught on first. She started sniggering, which caused Yuki to understand as well.


    Yuki tried to hide his smile as he did everything to avoid looking at Dominique, while Hayden smiled faintly in amusement.


    Dominique''s glare would have killed them a hundred times over had it been able to, but that did nothing to deter Rosabel.


    Alec''s lips quirked.


    When the rest of the Spectres split up with brief confusion to take different directions, Yuki, Rosabel, Hayden and Dominique stayed with Alec.


    Rosabel poked fun at the expressionless Sin. "Mini, huh?"


    Dominique glared at her. He couldn''t help but retort. "Only boss can call me that."


    It was said with the intent to instil how serious he was being, but unfortunately, he forgot that the voice filter was still on, causing him to sound like a pure, fresh and innocent boy, which only made him sound like he was pouting.


    Rosabel dissolved into laughter, and even Yuki and Hayden could no longer hide their smiles.


    Dominique scowled harder but didn''t say anything else. It would only elicit more teasing from the woman, which was the opposite of what he wanted.


    What was wrong with the nickname his boss gave him?!


    ¡­He was living in denial.


    Alec wanted to further explore the Obsidian Aqua since he felt like there should be more to the giant pool of it.


    Vi passed across that it had been the one that created the Obsidian Aqua lake over the years, and that it could produce more so long as it had eaten recently.


    This astounded Alec. He never heard of a Vampiric Willow tree being able to do something like this. Or was it because Vi had evolved into a creature instead of remaining a Vampiric Willow?


    Was this why there were only ever faint traces of Obsidian Aqua being found?


    Things weren''t adding up¡­


    Regardless, Vi was now his familiar, so he should hide its abilities lest someone from the grandmeister rank got any ideas to try and steal Vi over for themselves, as was commonly seen from whatever common clich¨¦ plot point.


    He would rather not be on the run from whatever super sect got into their heads that they were able to handle the Heavenly Ascension Sect, or if some hidden sect that ''resurfaced'' because of his King Vampiric Willow tree.


    Some grandmeister would probably resurface and try and snatch Vi from him using Alec''s death as a catalyst.


    Alec firmly rejected the possibility of that scenario happening, so he took steps to avoid it. He didn''t even let Tatiana or Dietrich know about it.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The area that contained the Obsidian Aqua was just as dark as ever. The ghostly blue lights didn''t help matters any.


    The rest of his group split up to examine around the lake. The area was a large one, yet there was no grass growing around, nor was it inhabited by any creatures.


    In fact, the entire underground was devoid of any creatures or monsters. The silence must have been unsettling to some.


    Alec''s instincts told him there should be something more to the Obsidian Aqua lake ¨C or rather, knowledge that relied on common tropes, that was.


    He didn''t believe that it was just Obsidian Aqua, rare as it may be.


    There was likely another dimension to this that they weren''t seeing yet, so Alec had brought Dominique here.


    As a Main Character, his luck should be pretty good, so why not give it a try?


    Sure enough, before long, when the rest of them were examining the area around, Dominique actually tripped directly into the pool on his own.


    How did he trip, you may ask?


    Well, you see, there was a small rock he didn''t notice, causing the poor Sin to lose his balance and fall into the lake of Obsidian Aqua.


    He disappeared under the inky black liquid with only the slight sound of water being displaced.


    Alec''s lips twitched.


    How in the world did a perfectly good Sin trip into the liquid without any warning? How could he trip over a rock?! As a combat oriented Societype, it was pure nonsense that a Sin tripped of all things.


    If this wasn''t the smell of a plot, he didn''t know what was.


    It wasn''t just Alec staring in disbelief.


    The rest of his group were staring at the spot where Dominique disappeared as well.


    Rosabel, in particular, felt an extremely strong sense of disbelief.


    Dominique, who was, to Rosabel, the epitome of grace in reality, had tripped. The Sin couldn''t balance himself and splash into the pond? On his own?


    It was one part absurd and one part hilariously funny. She definitely wouldn''t let him live this down.


    Rosabel snorted, but she still jumped in after him.


    There had to be something if he wasn''t coming up yet, but since there wasn''t any disturbances in the liquid besides the faint ripples from where he had fell in, that meant that he wasn''t fighting anything.


    Likewise, the rest quickly followed suit, jumping into the Obsidian Aqua.


    Alec''s vision was filled with complete darkness, yet the liquid didn''t sting his eyes. The liquid felt strangely buoyant, making it hard to swim in.


    As he hovered there, he realized that he didn''t seem to be sinking at all after the initial force of jumping into the water.


    He felt like a warmth was rushing into his body, gently nourishing it on a stronger level than when drinking it had happened.


    Strangely, he was able to breathe in the liquid, and he didn''t choke at all like he expected.


    He couldn''t see in front of him, but he could feel his bunch of subordinate''s magical signatures, and Dominique''s, which was further down.


    Alec dived down, kicking strongly.


    He continued swimming downwards towards his subordinates'' magical signatures.


    In fact, he continued diving down so deep that he eventually dived up instead.


    Alec was baffled when instead of more liquid, he broke into the surface instead.


    ¡­As expected of a Main Character. Even the things he found by accident could lead to fortune? Or perhaps misfortune?


    Alec didn''t let his guard down as he looked around.


    Dominique pulled his boss out of the water, using his magic to dry him off.


    Looking around, Alec found that the thing that was the most different was that he was able to feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. Compared to the cavern''s chilly temperature, here seemed more like the normal world instead.


    With lush, green trees that populated the area around them, the trees looked relatively normal, and the water that was in the lake appeared clear and transparent, like normal water.


    Strange.


    Unlike the blood red sky that had been in the crack between realms, the sky here appeared like a normal blue.


    Yet, there was a sense of surrealism in the area that couldn''t quite be explained with mere words alone.


    There was something different about the atmosphere and the quality of magic that was tipping him off.


    "I don''t think this is our realm," Yuki said, looking around. "It''s probably another crack between realms that was connected to the other one."


    Alec nodded in agreement, which was echoed by the rest of their group.


    There wasn''t a reason why they knew it to be so, they just did. It was more like their instincts were telling them that this wasn''t their home.


    Alec didn''t sense any danger, but he didn''t let down his guard. Who knew what Dominique''s luck had brought them?


    There was a rustle from the bushes behind them, causing the already tensed Sins to instantly whirl around.

 Chapter 153 But WHY?

    Dominique killed the monster the moment it appeared from the bushes.


    The Sins had still been tensed from the battle that they''d barely stopped a couple of hours ago.


    The bloodlust still pumped through their veins, and they hadn''t calmed down yet despite already getting their fill earlier.


    The minute a sense of danger filtered into their senses; they were instantly ready to go again. Of course, this included Alec, who was also a Sin despite camouflaging as an Every.


    More than that, after having killed so many monsters, they were finely tuned to the scent of killing intent that was directed their way.


    The monster died without even seeing its aggressors, or its prey. One moment it was alive, and the next it was dead. It didn''t even get to make a single sound.


    "Second rank," Yuki said objectively.


    They looked over the monster.


    It had been killed with a single hit to its vitals, unlike Dominique''s usual style of taking his time and enjoying the fight.


    "So, there are monsters here too."


    While the rest of them were studying the monster, Alec looked back into the lake.


    Unlike the lake of Obsidian Aqua that they''d dived into, this late was positively clear and transparent. Just looking down, Alec could see the bottom where there were soft tufts of plants growing within, as well as a few fishes swimming without caution.


    Alec jumped back into the lake with only the slightest of splashing sounds, but that was enough for the Sins to turn away from the monster''s carcass and look at their boss.


    Alec dived under, but the lake wasn''t as deep as the one that Vi had made out of Obsidian Aqua, so his hand touched the bottom of the lake before long.


    Unlike when they had managed to continue diving down back there, he was now unable to go through.


    Alec frowned.


    By right, they connection between the two cracks in realms should have been interconnected, but since he wasn''t able to go back now, this meant that the crack that lead back to the other realm was located in another place.


    Damn one-way connection!


    This was significantly more troublesome, but also within the expected range. While he had been hoping for the best, he hadn''t put any stock into it.


    Knowing a Main Character''s luck, that definitely wouldn''t have happened.


    Alec resurfaced from the lake, drying himself.


    He shook his head. "No go. The link back between the other cracked realm is somewhere else."


    Now knowing that the way back to the original cracked realm was closed, they could only wander around in hopes that they were able to find their way out.


    They could only make an educated guess about where it would be.


    ¡­Or they could just rely on Dominique''s Main Character luck. Surely that would get them back. It was just¡­ they would probably have to go through some sort of life-threatening danger first.


    The place actually looked rather similar to the previous crack between realms. The only difference was that what Alec remembered seeing was all underground. Instead of growing on rock, the trees here grew naturally, appearing very much like their original realm.


    There were little to no differences here besides the slightly different feel of magic in the air.


    The two realms had likely been twin realms, but there had likely been something that changed within the cracked realm they had been in previously.


    Since lifeforms were flourishing here, where even monsters were still able to survive, that meant that there probably weren''t any meteor showers like the one they''d been hiding from.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Something had changed to introduce a meteor shower in the previous cracked realm.


    This cracked realm wasn''t as silent as it had been underground.


    Instead, there were faint birdcalls and other sounds that had been noticeably absent in the previous crack between realms.


    It was no surprise that Vi and the other Vampiric Willows had been one of the few surviving species there, with the periodic monster horde that appeared every so often along with the presence of the meteor showers.


    The creatures and monsters in this place seemed to have recognized the strength of their party since they weren''t attacked any further, allowing them to pass the time in relative peace, only punctuated by the sounds of Rosabel periodically needling Dominique, with the two engaging in a brief tussle before Yuki broke them up.


    It meant that the person who spent the most time with Alec was actually Hayden, who was the most reticent out of all the Sins.


    Both System and Sin didn''t engage in meaningless chatter, instead accustoming themselves to the other''s presence.


    Alec felt that it was quite natural for him to be this way ¨C he originally didn''t like to talk ¨C it just happened that he had been forced into a ''gentle'' persona, which meant that he appeared friendlier and more approachable than ever, thereby forcing himself to talk.


    On the other hand, Hayden felt like he understood Alec less and less.


    From the time where they first met ¨C the entrance into the sect ¨C to the second time, where it had been Alec announcing his presence as the Spectres'' boss, and even now, where he had seen the seemingly genial boy come back covered in monster''s blood, he didn''t quite know what to make of him.


    Still, the reason why Hayden had joined Alec in the first place, when he''d been telling the Sins about what the seal he''d specifically designed could do, was very simple.


    Alec lied about two things.


    One was when he said, ''he was the only one available to lead the group''.


    Other than that, everything he''d spoken previously had been ringing with truth, but later down the line he specifically said the words ''it is able to stop you from using magic should you act out''. Before that, Alec directly said that the seal wouldn''t hurt them. Which was true.


    So then, why was it when he talked about the seal having power of them, he''d lied?


    The only reason would be that the seal *was* supposed to work that way, but it didn''t. Why? Because he wouldn''t be using it on the Sins.


    So, their boss had blatantly lied to their faces.


    Hayden''s magic resembled animals and creatures very much, and his nose was just as keen. Whenever someone lied, a sour, disgusting smell filled the air. So far, his magic hadn''t let him down yet.


    Up to that point, Hayden made a gamble as he put himself forward. Time would have told whether or not he was worthy of being their boss, and he had proven himself splendidly.


    The seal couldn''t control them. On the contrary, the seal only connected all of them and gave them more benefits.


    The boss was a good person, that much he was sure of.


    Hayden had been silently watching his actions without any sort of filter and made up his mind when he saw his boss'' actions during their little training exercise.


    His boss was definitely smart, and he was willing to use his brains to help better the Sins'' lives in the sect.


    Hayden could tell that it was only because he wasn''t willing to see anyone die that he was strict with them, no matter what came out of his mouth.


    Thinking up to this point, Hayden smiled at his boss, which was returned with a blooming and gentle smile.


    Alec, who had reflexively smiled back when Hayden smiled at him, was confused, not knowing that this subordinate of his had caught his lie that early on, blissfully in the dark. It wasn''t confirmed whether or not Alec would have rolled around the bed in embarrassment if he knew about Hayden''s glowing evaluation of him.


    It was then that Dominique was abruptly captured by a fifth ranked creature without any warning.

 Chapter 154 Main Characters and Their Cliche Plots, Am I Right?

    Rosabel was the first to react to the unexpected situation.


    "Mini!" she gasped, naturally using the nickname that Alec had given him.


    Dominique snarled as he was bodily snatched, prepared to make a move, but was summarily overwhelmed by the magic that flooded his body, causing him to collapse limply.


    It was shocking, considering that they had all still been keyed up from being in a strange place where they couldn''t trust.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Even when they were joking around, the Sins were still all on the highest alert, able to react at any sudden situation.


    Yet, not only had they been taken by surprise, it had been done so quickly and efficiently that they weren''t able to react at all.


    The monster, a gorgeous nine-tailed fox, exuded the aura of a fifth ranked creature, similar to that Vi had exuded when it first emerged from the underground cavern.


    However, it definitely hadn''t reached the realm of a sixth ranked creature, otherwise they would all have died without even knowing how.


    Though they would not be able to put up much of a fight here either, there were two Sins that were advanced ranked that would have put it in a spot of trouble had they fought together.


    However, Dominique, who was of the advanced rank, was now knocked out cold with a grudging expression on his face.


    The nine-tailed fox immediately moved with Dominique''s unconscious body on its back, two tails securely wrapping its prey. The creature moved so quickly they were unable to stop it, running into the bushes then quickly disappearing.


    Rosabel swore.


    The Sins immediately moved, but when they entered the bushes, there was already no trace of both Dominique and the fifth ranked creature.


    From start to end, the entire confrontation had only taken a maximum of eight seconds, showing off the prowess of a fifth ranked creature.


    Yuki quietly swore seeing that they were already gone.


    Alec, besides being stunned, quickly checked the [Plot Route]. Indeed, the start of a new plot had begun when the previous one hadn''t even ended yet!


    Alec''s smile chilled.


    All Alec had wanted was to possibly find out the secrets behind that Obsidian Aqua lake, but he hadn''t expected that instead of finding treasure, they''d directly start up a new plot when the one involving the previous cracked realm hadn''t even had time to cool off yet.


    Sure enough, he should have brought Dietrich or Tatiana with him instead of Dominique. That had been a mistake on his part, bringing a Main Character that wasn''t in the original scenario in the first place.


    Now Dominique had been kidnapped by a fifth ranked creature due to his negligence. Alec was pissed.


    [Kidnapped by a Nine-tailed fox and held captive for a month.]


    Alec looked at it objectively, but he didn''t think Dominique''s life was in danger. Why else would the creature have moved to subdue the Sin instead of directly killing all of them in a straight up battle?


    ¡­Wait a minute.


    A nine-tailed fox?


    Silver coat, gorgeous fur?


    Why did this seem like a badly written clich¨¦ romantic plot between a human and a magical creature that turned out to be a temptress?


    Coincidence?


    There was no such thing as coincidences where Main Characters were concerned!


    Alec was alarmed.


    Dominique''s chastity was in danger?


    They had to find him quickly.


    "Yuki, track them!"


    "Already on it," Yuki said, using his magic to the best of his ability.


    The traces were faint, but they were visible enough.


    Since Dominique had been knocked unconscious instead of sleeping naturally, his magic subconsciously still leaked unstable amounts as it was not a natural body function.


    Yuki had never been so glad for his knowledge about this particular function of the human body in his life.


    Who knew that he would one day come across a situation where a party member would be kidnapped right in front of his eyes?!


    And for it to be Dominique of all people!?


    The group ran for a better part of two hours before they finally managed to find themselves outside of a wide-open cave entrance.


    The entrance was not hidden at all, instead sitting out in plain sight in a show of arrogance from the fifth ranked creature.


    It was both a show of their mentality and the environment here.


    The fifth ranked creature was so sure in itself that no one being would dare dream of usurping or going against its strength.


    No one dared, and no one could.


    This was its confidence in its strength.


    They were all still significantly weary from the earlier fight after the adrenaline rush faded a bit, which was why Dominique had been knocked out so easily. Otherwise, Alec was sure that the Sin would have put up a much larger fight.


    Since most of his magic had been used up, it meant that the invasion of the fox creature''s magic into his body had not been met with the default resistance it should have been.


    The natural speed that the fox creature moved at outstripped them by a lot, even when they had already boosted their speed with magic.


    They came across many other monsters and creatures along the way, but instead of fighting them as they usually would have, the Sins ignored all of them, single-mindedly following behind the tracks that had been left.


    Even when the monsters or creatures that had attacked them, they didn''t retaliate. Instead, their eyes grew sharper as they looked out for traces that they might not be seeing left behind.


    This showed just how important Dominique was to them. Even if the Sins didn''t like to fling around the words ''friends'', they were clearly and obviously affected. They didn''t even bother to hide it.


    Despite knowing that Dominique should be fine, Alec couldn''t quite put down his worry either. Along the way, his anger grew at the sheer gall of the fifth ranked creature, his eyes cold and piercing.


    While the [Plot Route] implied that Dominique was safe ¨C for a month at that ¨C it didn''t mean that his emotional stability was the same thing.


    Alec hid his frown behind his normal smile.


    What *did* the creature want with Dominique?


    Did it just like how he looked or something?


    Why take only him and no one else? Did Dominique have some sort of attraction to him that was special compared to everyone else in their group?


    Other than the magic traces that Yuki was using to track Dominique down, the fifth ranked creature hadn''t left a single other trace for them to spot, which showed just how cautious it was despite outclassing them all.


    Just what were that creature''s plans? Alec couldn''t figure out its motives.


    They were clearly human and creature, separated by species, so they clearly wouldn''t work out!


    But despite how careful the creature had been in covering its tracks, the entrance to the cave was certainly laid out for everyone to see in plain sight.


    There was a subtle pressure around the area that kept other monsters and creatures away, warned away by their instincts.


    The creature should already know that they were intruding in its territory, yet it had not come out to kill them for blatantly trespassing.


    There was nothing blocking the cave entrance, and Alec even had the illusion that the creature was welcoming them to enter its cave.


    Alec barely managed to ward off his frown.


    The danger radar that had been constantly going off in his head during the monster horde wasn''t working here, and neither had it worked the first time Dominique had been abducted before their eyes.


    Neither did the map, since the fifth ranked creature''s control over their magic had been significant enough that Alec wasn''t able to detect it.


    Hayden spoke up at this moment. "No killing intent."


    Alec nodded. "Enter!"


    At his words, the Sins all moved cautiously into the cave entrance.

 Chapter 155 An Alluring Beauty

    They weren''t met with any resistance going into the cave, no matter how cautiously they moved.


    Since they were moving cautiously, it caused their moving speed to slow down to a walk, yet the Sins were all obviously itching to move forward and find Dominique within the shortest timespan possible.


    Yuki would normally have spoken up to propose a different plan, or perhaps tried something else instead of directly meeting the fifth ranked creature, but they didn''t have much of a choice here.


    There were too many unknown variables here.


    This was a crack between dimensions, and they weren''t even in the same crack as the mercenaries or the rest of the Spectres.


    They had little help here, and the chances of them making it out alive were slim at this juncture.


    Yet, the Spectres and their boss still moved forward.


    Dominique was inside there; of that they were sure.


    This reeked of a trap, but why would a fifth ranked creature use such means when they could easily wipe them out with just a little more effort?


    Why go to the lengths of capturing Dominique to lure them here?


    What if they didn''t come after Dominique?


    There were so many things that weren''t adding up, yet they had been forced to come inside this cave to look for Dominique.


    It was something that wouldn''t have worked if they didn''t feel friendship and comradeship towards Dominique, but the creature had taken the right gamble regarding this possibility.


    They couldn''t just leave Dominique alone, and they didn''t want to either.


    There was a faint pressure in the air that let them know that the creature was definitely within the cave.


    There was barely leashed killing intent in the air, as if it was barely resisting killing all of them.


    This did not bode well for both Dominique and the Spectres, yet they moved as if they didn''t notice the killing intent in the air, acting natural but cautious.


    When they reached the end of the cave, there was a wider space within. There were various things carved out of wood, which gave them the strange feeling that the person inside was more of a human rather than a creature.


    There were few creatures that cared about human comforts, but there was a wide bed here, as well as dressers and other furniture that didn''t look out of place in a historical setting.


    There were little shoots of grass and sprouts growing from some of the furniture. Others sported vines and ferns.


    Alec paused for the briefest moment.


    The space within was strange indeed, but they couldn''t look around for long as their attention was captured.


    Dominique''s still form was located in the middle of the room, lying haphazardly on the floor.


    On the bed, there was the gorgeous form of a nine-tailed fox, its tails swaying in the air. The creature''s murderous eyes were locked on the Sin''s forms.


    The System, at once, felt both relieved and surprised.


    So, Dominique wasn''t wanted by the creature because of some spicy love story, but that begged the question: what did it want?


    Why would a creature suddenly kidnap someone in this place without harming them?


    Looking at it now, the creature didn''t appear as if it was waiting for them. It felt more like it was too lazy to deal with them, or that it was daring them to come.


    Regardless of what the creature''s intentions were, they would not give up on Dominique.


    Their eyes sharpened.


    Yet, none of them were paying full attention to the creature.


    Dominique''s form on the floor instead of the bed that the creature was resting on made them feel upset instead at the treatment he was receiving.


    "Why have you come?" sounded a regal voice.


    The voice seemed to echo within the cave. It was enchanting and alluring, almost hypnotic in nature.


    The voice had obviously come from the fox.


    Alec''s heart started pounding harder when he finally realized what was so wrong with this scenario.


    This wasn''t a fifth ranked creature at all.


    Instead, it was a magical beast, with both the brains and the brawn. With both cunning and magic, it was a force to be reckoned with.


    Magical beasts were the most threatening to an average human, with the combined pros of both monsters and creatures, yet none of the cons.


    Magical beasts were rare and almost unheard of, but whenever one emerged in the world, they were almost unrivalled, able to hold their own even against sects.


    Both humans and magical beasts petered off at the grandmeister and corresponding sixth rank, and they were able to fight equally.


    However, unlike most magical beasts that were in the sixth rank, the one before them evidently hadn''t reached that point yet.


    No ¨C the closer Alec looked, he was sure that it wasn''t that the nine-tailed fox had evolved before reaching the sixth rank, but instead, because of an injury, its fighting prowess had dropped.


    Unfortunately, a fifth ranked magical beast was not something that they could fight against fairly either.


    "Give our friend back to us," Alec said instead, causing the magical beast''s eyes to lock onto his form.


    Immediately, Hayden, Yuki and Rosabel very obviously positioned themselves in front of their boss, unwilling to allow the magical beast any closer.


    Alec felt stuffy, and a little helpless. Just blocking him from sight wouldn''t do anything against a fifth ranked magical beast, but he still felt happy over their actions. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    The Spectres glared at the magical beast fiercely. Their boss was still only at the foundational rank, far from being able to match up to the magical beast.


    The magical beast didn''t say anything more, its tail swishing nonchalantly in the air, not taking any offense over their obviously hostile actions towards it.


    There was a moment of echoing silence in the cave, and no one made a move.


    Rosabel cautiously moved forward and quickly grabbed Dominique''s still form on the floor, moving back with her eyes locked on the magical beast''s form. She took a gamble on whether or not the magical beast would allow her to take back Dominique, and it had.


    The fox made no move to stop Rosabel''s actions, but when the group tentatively tried to leave, there was a heavy sudden surge of pressure that pressed down on them, causing them to drop to their knees.


    Alec as well, was forced down, but he didn''t foolishly struggle against it. Yet, he refused to kneel, so he directly sat down instead. Even if he wasn''t strong enough to fight it right now, he refused to compromise on his dignity.


    His cold eyes locked on the fox''s form, yet his smile remained despite how pissed he was still feeling.


    Seeing Dominique treated so carelessly by the fox lit up an even colder edge of anger inside of him. No one treated his subordinates like that. Even if they were a magical beast.


    The fox''s gorgeous tails shook in the air, a feeling of coldness not unlike that which felt like Alec''s anger descended upon them.


    Then, the fox''s form changed.


    In the blink of an eye, its creature form was gone, replaced with a humanoid appearance.


    Just like its creature form, the form that it transformed into was sleek and gorgeous, befitting the beauty of its previous form.


    Unlike its silver fur, its humanoid form had inky black hair spilling over her shoulders, using the form of a woman.


    Her figure was seductive and alluring, just like the temptresses of the legends.


    Alec had little doubt that she was able to sway men and women with a single glance.


    When she transformed, the pressure that she''d been putting on the Sins lightened up a little, allowing them to stand again.


    While the Spectres were briefly distracted by the gorgeous figure she took on, they warily moved back and blocked both Alec''s figure as well as Dominique''s limp form off from her sight, causing a cold smile to appear on her face.


    "So, you''re the one I need to use to get some answers," the magical beast said.


    Her eyes looked directly at the spot where Alec was being hidden by his subordinates.

 Chapter 156 Give Me What I Wan

    Alec frowned where he was hidden.


    While he was touched by his subordinates'' actions that indicated they cared about him, he didn''t let his guard down any.


    From the fox''s words, it sounded like there was something she needed answers to no matter the means she had to go to in order to get them.


    She most likely wasn''t going to let them leave any time soon, not if she had anything to say about it.


    Sure enough, the magical beast moved so quickly that she immediately disappeared from their sight, grabbing Alec''s form and reappearing back at where she originally stood.


    Before they had time to react, the fox already had a hand on Alec''s pale neck. Her nails were sharp, digging slightly into Alec''s neck.


    "What is it you want to know?"


    The magical beast was surprised at how calm his voice sounded, even when it held tinges of coldness to it.


    She looked down at his face. He was young.


    Very young.


    This little kit only looked like he was barely past the first growing stage. He was still a child, and those humans protected him like he was a gem. She wasn''t going to hurt him overly so, but they didn''t need to know that.


    When she looked at how calmly he was reacting now, she felt like she understood a little why he was so treasured.


    Of course, unlike what she thought, Alec was their boss. The fox magical beast instead thought that it was because he was the son of their boss, so they were dutybound to protect him.


    She tilted Alec''s head up, showing them the faint rivulet of blood that was already forming because of her sharp nails.


    Alec wasn''t even going to attempt trying to form a bond with her. He could instinctively feel that he wouldn''t be able to do it. Not with his current strength. Anyway, his magic was still pretty much depleted since he hadn''t had a chance to recover most of it.


    It was just one thing after the other today.


    "Tell me what I want to know truthfully, and I''ll let him go."


    Yuki and Alec locked eyes. Yuki could almost see how Alec''s expression said, ''go along with her for now'', nodding slowly.


    "What do you want to know?" Yuki asked.


    "That man. Who is he?" the fox said, pointing at Dominique''s limp body. He still wasn''t waking up even after all of this!


    Alec fell into confusion. Of the things that he expected the magical beast to ask, that was not one of them.


    Yet, it felt like pieces of puzzles were slotting into place.


    The Spectres looked at the magical beast warily. Her form was too alluring, so they didn''t look directly at her face, instead looking at other body parts.


    She dug her nails into Alec''s neck a little harder.


    Alec''s enhanced skin wasn''t able to hold up under the sharpness of the magical beast''s claws, so the trickle of blood was more obvious now.


    Rosabel''s finger twitched when she saw that the blood flow was constant now, but she didn''t make any moves. She resisted the urge to frown fiercely. If she could match the magical beast, she would already have thrown herself forward for a fight.


    That she couldn''t felt very stifling.


    The Sin''s natural instincts made them want to fight despite most likely being on the losing end, but they suppressed their instincts. Alec was directly in her hands, and the rest of them weren''t safe either.


    Perhaps, had they been at full capacity, they would have tried something, but that wasn''t a viable option now.


    The transformed magical beast watched the humans with cold eyes, yet Alec could tell that she was really staring at Dominique''s collapsed form.


    Her emotions ran hot and cold at alternate times. Alec felt that this magical beast had conflicting thoughts. Even though her nails were causing blood to run freely, it still felt like she didn''t really want to hurt him. As long as they answered her questions, that was.


    The magical beast was the one who had brought him back in the first place, but she had treated him so callously, as if she had reached this cave and dumped him on the floor as she waited for him to wake up.


    The cogs in Alec''s mind were whirling, and he spoke up instead of answering her. "¡­You''re looking for someone."


    The magical beast''s eyes sharpened when she heard what he said. She let out a light laugh.


    "That''s right. Aren''t you a smart kit?"


    Judging from her response, Alec didn''t think that she was here to pick a fight. Neither did she seem like she was looking for revenge or anything of the sort when she looked at Dominique.


    Her eyes hardly left Dominique''s sleeping face.


    If she was looking for someone that looked like Dominique, then¡­ Dorian? That was the only thing he could think of.


    What frustrated Alec the most was that Dominique was still unconscious from the magical beast''s earlier blow. Had he been awake, Alec would have known which course of action to go for, but he wasn''t.


    The magical beast dug in her nails now. There were numerous wounds instead of the single one.


    She didn''t want to do this, but it didn''t seem like the humans were particularly forthcoming with their knowledge.


    She mentally apologized to the kit. She would heal him later, after they answered her.


    "He''s part of the Heavenly Ascension Sect," Yuki said carefully, trying not to give away too much information before they knew about the magical beast''s intentions.


    For all they knew, she was actually the Falren''s long-lost enemy that had been trapped in this crack between realms.


    Alec would much rather be able to read her expressions when they made this exchange, but he could feel the slight tense from her body when she heard that information.


    "Are you from the Heavenly Ascension Sect as well?"


    "Are you the sect''s enemy?" was asked in return.


    The magical beast hesitated for the slightest moment before she replied. "If you truly are from the Heavenly Ascension Sect, then no."


    Yuki''s brow furrowed, unsure whether or not she was telling the truth. Her expressions were too controlled for him to be able to accurately get a read on her.


    It was at this moment that Hayden spoke up. "She''s telling the truth." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    They turned to look at him.


    The fox magical beast''s eyes lit up when she studied him closely. "I see that human has close relations to creatures and animals. Interesting. Yes, I am not the Heavenly Ascension Sect''s enemy, nor do I harbour any intentions of hurting all of you if you are indeed telling the truth."


    Hayden nodded. "True."


    "Yet, I do not recall the sect ever having those clothing in its repertoire. Just how long has passed in the world outside?"


    They were silent at her sharp questions.


    Alec gestured at Yuki, who pulled out a set of their normal sect clothing, which was blue and white. It contained the signature sect symbol of the Heavenly Ascension Sect, causing the magical beast''s eyes to shake.


    The symbol couldn''t be easily faked, and she still had some doubts, but it was enough for her to stay her hand for now.


    The previous death grip on Alec''s neck loosened somewhat, and she stepped away, looking clearly apologetic.


    She moved and brought some medicine, applying it on the deeper wounds on Alec''s neck.


    "Let us converse peacefully. If you truly are from the Heavenly Ascension Sect, then we should be allies instead of enemies. I apologize for my previous actions, as I was unsure whether or not we were to be hostile."


    Now that the magical beast rescinded her heavy pressure, the room was a lot calmer, even if the Spectres were eyeing her warily from the sudden change in her demeanour.


    She appeared very dignified when she bowed slightly to convey her regret and apologetic feelings.


    Alec felt strange. It had concluded just like that?


    Without any further violence? He had merely been threatened a little instead of facing life-threatening danger like he originally expected.


    Something was wrong.


    The System was just about to open his mouth to question her sudden change in demeanour when Dominique''s unconscious form stirred lightly on Rosabel''s back.


    He went from unconsciousness to consciousness in a split second, his eyes darkly threatening.


    His eyes sharpening, landing on the form that was the largest threat to his boss, narrowing in danger, before stopping on that face in shock.


    "Mom?"

 Chapter 157 Grasping a Chance

    Alec saw it.


    The humanoid magical beast''s eyes shook violently at his words.


    She didn''t even hide it as her eyes looked desperately at Dominique''s face. She was far past the point of caring about her image now. Even her long-used skills weren''t being put to use when she was faced with the appearance of her son.


    Vivian Highwood. That was her name.


    It was a name that she gave herself, a name that she used and loved everyday living the blissful life with her husband.


    Vivan Highwood was a magical beast at the peak of power, and even her husband was weaker than her in terms of raw magic power.


    The words ''mom'' coming out from someone''s mouth ¨C someone that looked almost like a carbon copy of her husband ¨C shocked her greatly.


    Was this really her son?


    Yet, she could tell that he wasn''t lying. She felt a bond to him, which was the reason why she had abducted him in the first place. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    But before she could confirm it, she didn''t want to give herself any false hope. She knew that would shatter her, regardless of how long she had already lived here, alone and secluded from the original realm.


    "Dominique?" Vivian whispered. Her voice was trembling badly, and she should resent the weakness that she was showing, but strangely enough, she didn''t.


    Elation, joy, hope, worry. The emotions swirled around, exploding from within her. There weren''t many things that could shake her, but this was one of them. ''Family'' was her weakness, and she had never felt it as keenly as today.


    Rosabel unlocked her hands from carrying Dominique''s form, grinning at the glare he gave her. She was still confused at the situation, don''t get her wrong, but Dominique''s reaction made her feel more relaxed in an unknown situation.


    The shock in Dominique''s eyes receded a little, replaced with faint hostility.


    The feeling of hostility wounded Vivian, and the thought that she''d missed her baby growing up hurt her heart. Just what happened for her innocent child to change into someone this cold?


    However, Dominique''s reaction wasn''t that unexpected. She didn''t know what anyone had said about her disappearance, but it definitely wasn''t the truth. Yet, opening her mouth never felt this difficult.


    "Alec, we should leave," Dominique said, very consciously not using the words ''boss''.


    Even if this woman was his mother, he hadn''t seen her in many years. A woman who''d abandoned her husband and her son, what good was she?


    How could he trust her with his boss'' safety? With his f- no.


    "Wait, please-" Vivian said, her voice was controlled, but there was the faintest hint of desperation. "Dominique, I really didn''t leave you and your father voluntarily."


    Dominique stopped short at that, before continuing to walk. He wasn''t particularly interested in whatever explanation she had at this point.


    What was important now was that this dangerous factor was near his boss, and that was unacceptable.


    Vivian saw that her son had no intention of listening to her, and her heart felt like it''d been pierced, but she didn''t show it on her face.


    Her kit cared very much about the other, smaller kit; she could tell.


    Dominique was mostly expressionless, but whenever his eyes neared that kit''s form, his eyes softened and lit up.


    "Alec, please," Vivian said, pleading. She had put down all her pride just to ask, but if she could reconcile with her long-lost son, it would definitely be worth the price. It didn''t matter that she was being shameless. What was dignity in front of her son?


    If she lost this chance, she felt like she would never have another chance to reconcile with him again. Opportunities were fleeting. If she wanted to grasp it, she would have to take whatever means necessary.


    Alec thought about it, peering at the [Plot Route]. It still hadn''t been updated, but there was a good chance that they would also be stuck here together with Dominique.


    Just as he thought it hadn''t updated, the screen trembled a little, and the previous words ''held captive'' disappeared.


    Yet the remaining number of days that Dominique remained in this crack between realms was constant.


    Either they would only find the link between both cracks after thirty days or there was a time limit between the links.


    One month. Dietrich, Tatiana and the rest were going to go crazy if they didn''t appear for that long. Alec could already feel the concern that radiated from his bonds.


    On another note, that was something. His bonds were even able to reach between different realms, which confounded him. Just how did it work?


    Bunbun, Fenrir and Vi felt distant, but the bonds were definitely there. He could still feel the bonds from their original realm as well.


    "Let''s talk it out," Alec said, studying the magical beast in her humanoid form, then turned to look at Dominique''s face.


    Vivian reacted like she''d been granted amnesty, ushering them into a separate room.


    Since Dominique didn''t resist, that meant that he was at least willing to hear her out, which would probably be better for him.


    If Dominique had insisted on leaving, Alec would have brought his subordinates away regardless of whether or not that would make them an enemy out of the magical beast.


    Vivian hastily made a few chairs out of a few seeds, and they appeared just like the other pieces of furniture in the previous room. There were few vines and sprouts, but overall the chairs were made of wood.


    Interesting.


    Alec had already suspected that she wasn''t someone who had originally been a creature that had ties to this place, and he was right.


    If she had started growing here from birth, then she would have acclimated to the magic in this place, which would prevent her from using any magic that ''grew'' things like she just did.


    It meant that she had indeed been an invader as far as this crack between realms was concerned.


    When Alec looked at Dominique, he somehow felt like his subordinate really wasn''t as unaffected as he appeared to be. There were likely doubts within himself about her sudden appearance before him.


    The ice that shrouded his heart was shaken for the first time in many years.


    But Alec didn''t think that this was a bad thing. After all, Dominique was one of the most repressed Sins within his group of subordinates, and something had torn father and son apart.


    Alec suspected that it was the disappearance of his mother, as well as miscommunication on both father and son''s part.


    Dominique wore his normal expression, but when his mother started talking, his finger twitched once. He''d have to work on his tells¡­


    Vivian wasn''t going to waste this chance that had come by her, so she started talking without leaving anything out.


    It didn''t matter that there were outsiders here to her story. They had come to save her son, and for that she was grateful at their true comradeship and friendship.


    "For the rest of my son''s friends that don''t know my name, I go by the name Vivian Highwood," she directed at the Sins, before moving her gaze to Dominique. "I won''t tell you everything before about how I met your father and eventually fell in love, but our relationship is pure and replicated on both sides. The product of our love was you, Dominique."


    So, Dominique was the product between interspecies love. And here Alec had been thinking that love between two species wasn''t possible when Vivian had abducted Dominique earlier.


    Rosabel directed a strange look at Dominique, squinting at him. It was as if she wondered whether there would be a sudden appearance of fox ears and tails. She coughed lightly, hiding her amusement.


    Dominique glared at her.


    Vivian started to explain the complex story about how she''d been forced into this place.

 Chapter 158 An Unknown Symbol

    "It was a few days before your third birthday that I went out to procure a birthday present for you," Vivian started.


    Dominique recalled hazy memories. They came in bits and pieces. The memories had been long forgotten by him. At least, he thought they had been.


    They had long been shoved to the recesses of his mind, as he''d been unwilling to think back about the happier days, before his mother had supposedly abandoned him and his father.


    He''d never understood why his father seemed to recede into himself after she went missing. It wasn''t like he didn''t miss her too.


    It was only when he heard some poisonous whispers from a few outer sect disciples that his original thinking eventually warped.


    Now that he thought about it, hadn''t those outer sect disciples been harshly dealt with and executed?


    "I was in Yraii City looking for something to bring back to you, when I chanced upon a quaint shop. The people inside were friendly, and they didn''t give off any negative feelings whatsoever. I should have known. What kind of humans didn''t smell like much?


    Anyway, I did eventually find something for you, and I bought it from that shop. I was leaving for the teleportation array when two people started following me.


    I didn''t think anything of it. After all, they were only equivalent to the fourth rank, and nothing I wouldn''t be able to handle. Instead, if they were coveting my beauty or trying to harm the sect in any way, I would summarily take care of them.


    So, I didn''t use the teleportation array to head back to the sect. That was my mistake.


    In my arrogance, I headed out of the city, purposely travelling normally towards the opposite direction from the sect.


    But they didn''t reveal themselves. They disappeared after realizing that there were no other beings around us.


    I still don''t know how they did it. It was as if they vanished into thin air. There were no magic fluctuations, nor signs of an array being used. One minute they were there, the next they were gone.


    So, I headed back to the sect.


    That was my mistake. Somehow, they''d managed to latch onto me without my realization, so I ended up bringing two people through the array. I still have no idea why they weren''t torn on the spot, but no one even realized they were there in the first place.


    It was the day before your third birthday that they finally made their move. The second they started; you were in the room with me.


    Do you remember? I was playing with you halfway before I had to suddenly leave the room.


    I managed to send myself out of the sect, but it cost a lot of my magic.


    I ended up in a place without anyone else there, just the two perpetrators that had been waiting patiently."


    Vivian paused from her recollection of the time, gauging her kit''s expressions, but his face was a steel wall to her. Vivian''s heart squeezed. Her kit''s expressions at this time was so similar to her husband''s that she missed him even more.


    She wanted to see Dorian so badly, now that she''d seen her kit. The two looked so much like each other that she had to stop briefly to collect herself.


    It had been so many long, lonely years.


    She''d been trapped here for so long that she had long since stopped counting the days. The sun never set, and the days started bleeding together, blending together.


    The only reason why she hadn''t lost her sanity in this place was her constant recollection of the memories of her kit and her husband.


    Yet, when her kit had appeared before her, so grown up, she lost all the words she wanted to spill out, only being able to clumsily retell the story before she disappeared from the original realm.


    Vivian drew a symbol for them.


    It was the symbolic shape of a bird with its wings spread open. The bird was pierced through with a sword.


    It wasn''t a symbol that any of them had seen before Vivian drew it, but Alec committed it to memory.


    "This is the symbol of the two men that managed to subdue me. I''ve thought about it a lot over these numerous years, but I have no idea how they managed to produce something that was able to subdue me for a period of time.


    They used something like a crossbow, but the back of the bolt broke off after it managed to embed itself.


    It felt like my magic was being sucked uncontrollably into the bolt shaft, being released back into the air.


    When it was happening, I wasn''t able to use any magic to defend myself at all, whether it was interior or exterior.


    The two were able to deal with me since I didn''t have my magic, despite me managing to kill one of them and severely injuring the other.


    The one that I severely injured threw me into Gorgestar Canyon, where I ended up slipping here into the crack between realms.


    I still don''t know whether or not that was within their predictions, but I can only think of it as something premeditated. Whether they were hoping for my murder or something else, I still don''t know.


    The original crack between realms had been very strange. The sky there was blood red, and there had barely been anything that lived there.


    It wasn''t until a monster horde that a Vampiric Willow came out of the ground, allowing me to escape under."


    Vivian talked about her experiences like it wasn''t her that went through it, but like she was telling someone else''s story. Maybe she had disconnected herself from the emotions after all this time, or maybe she had just been so exhausted by her memories that the strong emotions behind them had worn away from time.


    But Dominique was shaken.


    Alec could tell, because Dominique''s eyes were locked onto his instead. He was very obviously avoiding looking at his mother.


    ¡­He was scared.


    Even Dominique, who generally didn''t have any holes to take advantage of was shaken.


    Vivian''s disappearance from his life was what had truly triggered the change in his previous mentality, and the ostracization from the elders had been what pushed him close to the edge. The final nail in the coffin had been Dorian''s indifference to his son''s struggles, causing the Sin to lock away majority of his emotions.


    Dominique hadn''t always been so stoic, but circumstance had shaped him that way.


    There was something about Vivian''s voice that was very convincing. Alec likened it to her sincerity that rang in her words.


    "I found a little puddle of Obsidian Aqua, and when I touched it, I disappeared and found myself here.


    But I wasn''t able to get out, no matter where I looked for it. The only thing I can think of is that there''s a time constraint on the link between the two cracks between realms, but I haven''t been able to find it.


    I can''t leave this place."


    There was a long pause of silence as everyone digested the words that Vivian had been conveying to them, each of them thinking about various things. Vivian spoke with quiet certainty, her words ringing in the silence.


    Vivian seemed like to take a load off her back after she was finally able to tell someone else her story. It had likely been weighing heavily on her the entire time, without a single other soul here that was able to converse with her.


    At last, it was Dominique that spoke up and not anyone else.


    "Where is it?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Vivian seemed to have understood what her son meant, since she pulled out a little ball, placing it on the table.


    The ball was able to change colours, and it was able to change sizes as well.


    Three-year-old Dominique would have loved it.


    Dominique reached forward and took the ball off the table. His eyes trembled briefly before calming down. "I believe you."

 Chapter 159 Link Between Realms

    Thirty days wasn''t too long a time, but it wasn''t too short either. Especially when you considered that you were pretty much stranded here.


    At least there weren''t any meteor showers here, unlike the other cracked realm.


    The rest of them were likely going crazy from worry that they weren''t yet back, but those who were still in the other crack between realms weren''t able to do anything about it.


    Alec had asked whether Vivian knew what the time ratio difference between the two realms was, but she hadn''t been able to give him a proper answer since she knew even less than they did.


    She''d appeared in this place suffering blood loss and severe injury, amongst other things.


    They were actively searching for a place that could possibly lead back to the previous crack between realms, but they weren''t having any luck.


    "¡­Vivian," Alec said, tugging the back of her shirt.


    Alec''s lips twitched when he realized what he just did. Ah, he really¡­


    Habit was a terrifying thing. He started acting cute without even thinking about it! Alec wanted to swear. He really wasn''t doing it on purpose, damn it!


    It was because of all the people that surrounded him in the sect that gushed over his cute actions that he subconsciously used it when he was trying to get his way!


    Alec furrowed his brows before smoothening them out before the humanoid magical beast reacted.


    No, this couldn''t be allowed to go on any further. His dignity as a System was at stake here!


    Alec detached his hand.


    He felt like he was steadily losing his normal habits and replacing them with bad ones. It was a terrible situation.


    "?" Vivian turned around; a question clearly visible on her face.


    Alec smiled up at her, and the woman seemed to melt at his cute smile, which made him inwardly feel like starting up another round of swearing. Just when could he disable this [Character Type: Gentle]?


    "Did you ever try going underground?"


    Vivian paused as she thought about it. "No," she said slowly.


    Alec nodded, when he saw that her eyes had lit up as she considered his words.


    If he was right, then the link back should be underground. No matter how unlucky she was, she would have eventually found it had she been constantly wandering around in this place, but she hadn''t.


    Alec theorized that this crack between realms was like a twin to the other crack, but what if he was wrong?


    What if the reason why the two cracks were so similar was instead because the two realms were mirrors of the other?


    That would make a lot more sense. Why was it that the Obsidian Aqua lake ended up leading to the surface instead of underground?


    If so, they had to find a place that would allow them to head under.


    Alec sat down instead of going off, passing off the job to the Spectres.


    Dominique shot Alec an unreadable look before he left, but he didn''t say anything.


    Vivian slowly sat down when she saw that he had no intention of leaving. She had a feeling that this kit was not as simple as he seemed.


    "Alright, let''s talk," she conceded. She still didn''t know why the sect allowed such a young disciple out that he managed to get caught coming to this place.


    By right, unless there were special circumstances or unless he had sufficient strength, the sect would not allow him to come out, let alone her husband.


    She had a feeling that this kit was evaluating her, almost. While she might have been displeased had anyone else other than this kit dare test her, she still felt a bit guilty over her actions towards him earlier.


    But she didn''t regret it, since it had led up to the most optimal scenario she never even dared imagine. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "How long have you been here, Vivian?"


    Vivian frowned softly. Her features still looked young and fresh, but Alec didn''t know if it was because she was a magical beast that she looked that way, or if it was the reflection of how old she was in her original form.


    Or was it just that the magic that worked over cracks between realms, freezing her time here?


    There was so much he still didn''t understand.


    "I don''t know," she finally admitted. There was a faraway look in her eyes, but her tone was indifferent.


    He didn''t know if it was because of the indifference, but that just made it more convincing for him.


    She continued. "It''s been a long time. Definitely longer than my kit''s been alive."


    So, the time in the crack between realms and the time outside was different.


    Alec jerked when he felt the connection between himself, Bunbun and Fenrir grow a lot louder. They''d crossed over to this realm.


    Which meant that the link between them was indeed one way and not related to time. it seemed that looking for the place that would link them back was most likely underground.


    The two creatures hadn''t originally jumped down with them, so they were on the other side of the crack between realms.


    Alec patiently waited for the two to come towards him. He wasn''t worried that they would be unable to take care of themselves since he saw their battle prowess during the monster horde already.


    They''d grown tremendously, and he would have to work a lot harder if he wanted to keep up his growth speed and match them. It was too shameful if he wasn''t able to beat them in battle when he was their master.


    Alec talked longer with Vivian, getting a better feel of her personality. He still didn''t quite know what to think of her.


    When she wasn''t threatening them, she seemed quite mild and mellow, but back there, she''d been a force to reckon with. Her aura, for a lack of way to describe it, demanded attention from the room, and the pressure had been no joke.


    She was definitely a magical beast that had once reached the summit, but what was she like as a person?


    As his subordinate''s mother, he wouldn''t tolerate it if he got hurt because of her.


    While he might not have a right to interfere like that, he just couldn''t leave it alone. Not after reading about Dominique''s life story so far.


    After talking a lot longer, Alec started to get a feel of her personality.


    She was confident in herself, but she also knew when to step back and when to advance. She was able to carry the conversation rather smoothly, and the most important part of all, she sincerely loved Dominique and Dorian.


    Despite the status that she enjoyed, she never once flaunted it, and instead conversed naturally, almost like they''d known each other for years. She was able to carry on the conversation regardless of the topic, showing that she was knowledgeable.


    The longing that she felt had been shoved deep, deep down, where almost no one would be able to tell, a stark difference from yesterday, where she''d shown it on her face in her desperation.


    She''d regained her calm now, making it a lot harder to read her, but Alec preferred it like this.


    Someone who wore their hearts on their sleeves would be taken advantage of, and as the sect master''s wife, she''d likely have to face things others wouldn''t.


    Then and there, Alec made the decision that he wouldn''t interfere with their family affairs.


    As much as he considered Dominique part of his family now, Dominique had his own thoughts and actions. No matter how much Alec set up the stage for them, both sides had to be willing to converse in the first place.


    Yet, why was it that he felt a bit put out?


    It was at this moment that Bunbun and Fenrir came tearing down the path, launching themselves at Alec.


    The side of Alec''s mouth quirked up as he caught the two in his arms, where they frantically nuzzled his face, causing Alec to laugh in surprise.


    Alec gently patted them until they were satisfied, not realizing that Vivian had been staring at the scene with a motherly smile on her face, barely resisting the urge to pinch his cheeks. She still felt apologetic to this kit, so she was quite nice to him.


    "Bunbun, Fenrir, did you bring anyone with you?"


    The two creatures sent over the feeling of ''no'', causing him to feel a bit helpless.


    Before they went back there, they''d have to take care of themselves. Hopefully the Spectres would get along with the mercenaries.

 Chapter 160 *Whistles*

    Meanwhile, back on the mercenaries'' side, Tatiana was baffled while Dietrich was worried.


    Alec was gone, along with the few other people that he took with them.


    It had been roughly a day since they disappeared into thin air. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    It hadn''t been until Fenrir and Bunbun ran up to Dietrich and consequently her, miming something with their little paws frantically that she gave the orders to look for them.


    Unfortunately, there was no trace of them. They didn''t even leave behind any tracks for them to trace, and she cursed them for being so competent ¨C then again, what else had she expected, with Alec''s training?


    He even got an extra year of training under their teacher, perfecting already great skills in the process.


    Luckily, one of the men under her had seen the way they headed. The last they were seen were walking the direction of the Obsidian Aqua lake.


    They''d searched all around the lake, but there wasn''t anything for them to find. Which left only one thing. The lake itself.


    The Obsidian Aqua had swirled around, its inky black tendrils lapping against the ground. The silence in that area had been deceptively calm, and as far as she could tell, there wasn''t anything *in* the lake.


    Tatiana frowned as she thought about it. A crack in between realms. Was there yet another crack that was linked back to this place?


    If so, it would be wiser for them to stay here instead of going to search for Alec. If they missed each other because one went and one came back, it would only serve to weaken them further.


    She didn''t like it, but this was currently the most strategical choice right now. But she could still send Bunbun and Fenrir down.


    They were able to adjust their size, so it was easier for them to hide. Unlike that giant Blood Starling, which would have to stay with them.


    Dietrich caught her eye. "Don''t worry about Alec. He isn''t the type to die so easily. Plus, he has a group of Sins with him. They seem to listen to him well."


    Tatiana sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "That isn''t it. Rather, have they not come back because of something else? Perhaps, something like not being able to link back here, or¡­"


    Dietrich stopped her before she lost herself in the endless possibilities. "Stop. You''re thinking about things that are out of your control. You''ll only continue to spiral downwards like that."


    He still didn''t know his¡­ aunt? Inexplicably, Dietrich felt like his family tree was becoming complicated with the new addition. He decided to just treat her like a little sister, kind of how he treated Alec, regardless of how he called him.


    Tatiana eyed Dietrich appraisingly. "You''re right. Hmm," she said, a smile slowly spreading on her face.


    Dietrich eyed her smile warily, getting a bad feeling. It gave off the same feeling as Kieran when he was particularly determined to get something.


    While he was still interested in her personality ¨C he hadn''t met another woman with such a strong sense of presence like her ¨C he felt like he needed to leave the area before her attention was directed at him right now.


    Sure enough, Tatiana smiled teasingly at him, deliberately speaking in a vague manner.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll take responsibility for doing those things to you."


    The chatter amongst the mercenaries immediately died out at her words, a stunned look on their faces.


    Dietrich slowly placed his hand on his face, but the mercenaries were able to see his red-tipped ears.


    They exploded with whistles and catcalls.


    "Go boss!"


    "Haha! You kidnapped a man back home!"


    "Is this our sister-in-law ¨C err- brother-in-law?!"


    Tatiana laughed and pried the hands that went from one to two off of Dietrich''s face.


    The man''s face was dusted a fetching pink, even as he tried to keep a straight face and maintain indifference. It looked good on him. Tatiana just thought he looked adorable, with his reaction to her teasing.


    She pressed a kiss to his cheek, causing the flush there to darken as he glared lightly at her.


    He seemed to take it as her just teasing him, but little did he know that she was being very serious here.


    The mercenaries grew even rowdier at Tatiana''s ''bold and roguish'' actions, laughing and jeering.


    The situation made them forget about the tension and worry that had been filling the air after Bunbun and Fenrir left and disappeared as well.


    Even the Spectres looked more relaxed when they looked at the mercenaries horsing around after they''d taken care of lodging for the night.


    Dietrich seemed to notice this belatedly and looked at Tatiana with faint admiration. She really did know how to control the mood and morale of her group.


    Dietrich was mainly a solo worker, which was why he admired those that knew how to control a group.


    Thinking up to this point, he didn''t refuse the teasing from Tatiana, which just made the mercenaries grow rowdier into the night.


    Tatiana noticed that Dietrich seemed to have misunderstood her intentions but didn''t correct him at this point of time. It was easier for her if he didn''t realize she was hitting on him all this time until the right time.


    She would slowly warm him up, then go for the kill.


    Tatiana''s eyes glittered, and the smile on her face grew.


    "Anyway, we found another part that we don''t know much about. It seems to go further down into the earth. Let''s go on a date, okay?"


    Cue another round of wolf whistles from the rowdy mercenaries as well as follow up laughter.


    Dietrich regained his calm at this, breaking out of his thoughts. He didn''t let the ''d'' word affect his state of mind. She couldn''t possibly be serious about it, after all. "Where?"


    "It''s over that way."


    The two who headed over to the place where the mercenaries had found previously while they spread out to search, leaving the general area where most of the people were having a good time.


    While some of the Spectres looked at them briefly when they left, no one followed them.


    Of course, the main reason for this was because they thought they were heading somewhere more ''private'' for a little fun, so to speak, and didn''t want to intrude.


    Let it be said that Tatiana lightly flirting with Dietrich achieved many birds with one stone.


    There definitely would be people who would try and follow them if they knew that the two were planning on going down with only two people. While it was probably safe, seeing as there were no living beings here other than the Vampiric Willows, they wouldn''t take that bet.


    The main reason for this was because even though Tatiana and Dietrich had achieved an understanding between them in the battle sense and worked well together, the mercenaries didn''t quite trust Dietrich with their boss'' heart just yet despite them joking around at her words.


    Since the two were the strongest out of everyone here, it would be easier if they took a quick glance at whatever lay below instead of bringing everyone.


    There was a ravine in the ground that was quite similar to the one that they''d originally come in from Alec''s new familiar, the King Vampiric Willow.


    Dietrich jumped down lightly and landed. It wasn''t as deep as the original. In fact, it was at most barely half a storey height.


    It was just barely one and a half times the height of an average human male.


    Dietrich held out a hand to catch Tatiana as she jumped down, only to receive a smirk from her.


    Tatiana took a step and landed just as lightly as Dietrich, causing the man''s face to heat up a little as he took back his hand at his social faux pas.


    He was used to treating the fairer sex in a more preferable manner, as part of normal noble etiquette.


    He''d forgotten to stop himself since Tatiana obviously didn''t like to be treated like a fragile glass doll.


    Tatiana patted his shoulder lightly, giving his cheek a kiss again in thanks. "Thanks, but I don''t need it."


    She then sauntered down towards the few globes of light, ignoring Dietrich''s stunned look behind, a hand on the spot where her kiss had landed, as light as the flap of a butterfly''s wings.

 Chapter 161 The Future is Uncertain

    It really wasn''t anything special, but it was something that gave them time to relax their minds from thinking about Alec''s safety.


    Compared to the loud atmosphere up there where they were partying like they were trying to forget about their worries, down below was like a shock of silence compared to that rowdiness.


    Still, Tatiana didn''t begrudge her comrades for it.


    Mercenaries generally lived every day like it was their last and she had been the same right before she met Dietrich near Gorgestar Canyon.


    Before she realized that her clan wasn''t really wiped out, before she took over as leader for the mercenaries ¨C fuck, she still felt anger from that thought occasionally ¨C she''d been living every day like it was the last day she would be alive.


    The constant threat of an imaginary enemy hanging over her head, along with the feeling that her life wasn''t in her own hands caused her to make reckless decisions.


    She hopped from place to place, in the end gathering others like her that she trusted.


    There were stragglers, those who lost the will to live, those who were just as reckless as her ¨C the good, the bad, she met them all.


    Before she knew it, she''d gathered a sizable number of them, and they made her their leader.


    They''d firmly lodged themselves into her flesh, like a thorn she couldn''t quite get out no matter how hard she tried.


    She didn''t know if it was because they''d seen how casually she treated her life or whether it was the anger that burned quietly behind her eyes, but placing her on the top spot meant that Tatiana pushed herself even harder ¨C even as she took on more responsibility.


    They''d probably been trying to chain her down a little, to think harder, to live with caution, to give her another reason to stay alive ¨C and it had worked ¨C to an extent.


    She could no longer be so reckless with her life if she didn''t want to endanger her comrades who''d trusted her.


    They were a small-sized mercenary group, but they were *her* mercenary group.


    She''d long thrown away whatever paranoia that one of them might be an enemy. If she was going to use them, then she could only trust them fully.


    It had been humbling, and vaguely terrifying.


    Till today, she still didn''t know how she got the courage to carry the weight of their lives in her own comparatively small hands.


    When she thought about the weight of the life that was in her hands, she could no longer throw herself in as recklessly as she did before.


    It was only then that she knew that the weight of a life was so heavy, so much more than could ever be described in mere words alone.


    And it had made her ache, how her clan had been slaughtered so carelessly.


    Only, now that she knew it was all a lie, she couldn''t help but want to bash Alec''s uncle''s face in. She seethed.


    Those part of her mercenary group were mostly older than her, though they''d taken in a few that were the same age or younger as a way of giving back to the community, but the core part of the group had all treated her like a daughter or a younger sister.


    She''d found a home in them. A home that she''d supposedly lost those few years ago, filled with bloodshed, terror and so many corpses ¨C


    Tatiana was jerked out of her dark thoughts as the warmth from a big hand touched her hands.


    Dietrich made a move to withdraw his hand when he saw that the dark clouds that had been gathering around Tatiana''s head dissipated.


    Tatiana''s heart thumped.


    Her lips curled when she saw the worry on Dietrich''s face. Curling her fingers, she trapped Dietrich''s hand in her own.


    She laced their fingers together, and the only sound in the place was their breathing.


    The silence seemed so much louder now that they were alone.


    Unfortunately, the lighting in the place was inferior to the higher underground level, so Dietrich missed the chance to realize what was really going on.


    Had he seen the smile on Tatiana''s face, he would have clued in much sooner, but he didn''t, so the only sight Tatiana was able to see was Dietrich''s slightly foolish smile as he patted her head.


    Tatiana stared at the man''s illuminated lower jaw, speechless. Did he just pat her?? Like an errant kitten?


    She burst out into light laughter, confusing him. How was it that a single touch from him could blow away all the dark clouds that clung around her incessantly?


    Tatiana never had a crush before this, but that was the only way she could describe her feelings right now.


    It wasn''t love.


    Not yet, at least. One day, perhaps, but she had no intention of forcing things down a narrow path only thinking about that. If it was the way of the world, then both of them had to have the same feelings, and she could instinctively sense that Dietrich wasn''t there yet.


    But still, he was really treating her like a younger sister. She could see that he was interested in his eyes, but it appeared as if he didn''t know what to do with those feelings, so they were regulated and repressed into something that fit the box.


    That of a younger sibling.


    A mischievous smile formed on Tatiana''s face.


    She''d let it pass¡­ for now. But she wouldn''t be passing the time lightly.


    This oblivious man really¡­


    There were definitely a lot of butterflies that flitted around him, so she would have to stake her claim before anyone else could. At least, until she knew whether or not they would work out.


    Tatiana shone the torch that they''d been using further down.


    So far, the path was straight and while it wasn''t exactly narrow, it was barely enough space for three people to walk side by side.


    Tatiana continued holding Dietrich''s hand, walking leisurely along with him.


    Dietrich peered at Tatiana. What little he could see of her was enough for him to realize that she really didn''t seem to be dwelling on depressing things anymore.


    Dietrich smiled and tried to let go, only for her hand to tighten.


    Surprised, Dietrich looked at her with a question in his eyes, but only received a pout in return.


    A strange feeling welled up within him that he didn''t quite know how to describe.


    Tatiana was acting different. It was a strange contrast to how she usually acted so confident and bold while directing the mercenaries, so he didn''t know how to react.


    ¡­Well, seeing as she''d been feeling down earlier on, Dietrich would just pamper her this one. Like a proper big brother. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Just like this, Dietrich created a misunderstanding for himself that would confuse his thought process a lot in the future.


    The warmth that radiated from where they were joining hands made them feel less alone as they were walking in the relative darkness.


    "Hm?" Tatiana stopped, seeing something flash slightly when she moved the torch.


    Dietrich''s attention was attracted as well, looking over.


    They hadn''t realized that the walls of the cave widened ever so gradually, and that the relative darkness they were previously in had lightened a little.


    It had been a gradual change. So gradual that they didn''t realize because of the torch they were using.


    Tatiana put it out and realized that they were still able to see in albeit dim lighting.


    Just where was the light coming from?


    Tatiana realized that it was coming from the walls ¨C they were made out of some sort of lightly luminescent material. Though it felt like rock, there was a faint glow from within.


    The wall was strange.


    There was no other way to describe it properly.


    The light seemed to dim and brighten at odd intervals, and the shadows darkened and lightened accordingly.


    The two Main Characters frowned at the strange wall. They had never experienced nor seen anything like it before.


    Almost like she was hypnotised, Tatiana placed her free hand on the wall.


    All of a sudden, the entire place shuddered lightly.


    Then, the wall that had been acting strangely abruptly lit up, and a rather sizable eye opened, looking directly at them from behind the wall.


    Dietrich''s face changed immediately, pulling Tatiana along with him at a run.

 Chapter 162 Hunger

    Tatiana snapped out her surprise the moment Dietrich pulled her along.


    Their feet thundered along the rocky floor of the cave as they dashed back the way they came from, adrenaline flooding their veins.


    Whatever was there behind the wall was likely not something that they could face right now.


    They knew it instinctively.


    The giant eye followed them along as they ran, looming threateningly.


    Even while it was partially obscured by the wall between them, the thing that appeared beyond still managed to threaten them.


    It was a level of existence that oppressed them, as if saying they weren''t on the same level at all.


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    The spike of adrenaline made their heart pound loudly, and Tatiana let out curt, disbelieving laugh.


    To think that she''d thought this would be a calm little date. It looks like it wasn''t meant to be. Her extraneous thoughts all came to the surface, and her eyes locked onto the hands that were still joined together.


    There wasn''t a sound from the ''wall'', which was strange in its own right, but she didn''t have the luxury to think about that right now.


    A gritted grin appeared on Dietrich''s handsome face as well. He too did not expect that they would face something of this magnitude when they''d come down to relax.


    In fact, he wasn''t quite sure why they weren''t already dead, having disturbed that thing beyond the wall. Surely, something of that level would have easily managed to kill them.


    Unless¡­


    The entire place shook and trembled, causing little pieces of debris to fall from the top. Whatever monster or creature that dwelled behind the wall smashed heavily into it.


    One time, two times, three times.


    The smashing continued even as they ran, and they realized that the being was trying to break out because of their presence.


    There was an exceedingly faint muffled sound that originated from behind the wall as it followed them without a problem.


    Tatiana got the impression that the *thing* was hungry ¨C had been hungry for ages.


    There was a bit of shock when she realized that even the previously unilluminated parts of the wall were all originating from that same thing from beyond the wall.


    The only light that was present in this place that didn''t come from their torch came from whatever was there behind the ''wall'', giving them a good indicator about where it was.


    Now that it was awake, its presence was muffled, but somehow even stronger, and the light that illuminated from it was enough for them to see every nook and cranny, which, ironically, allowed them to run quicker and faster without fear of tripping. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    By now, they should have already felt a crushing pressure by whatever was behind there, but so far, they hadn''t.


    Thinking up to this point, both Dietrich and Tatiana calmed down as they realized something. Their previously frantic footsteps slowed down, before coming to a complete stop.


    Both Main Characters stared hard at the ''wall'' that separated them and the mysterious creature.


    Sure enough, the wall shuddered as it absorbed the blow from the mysterious being, but it did nothing but tremble a bit.


    There was nothing that indicated the ''wall'' would shatter from the blows it was under.


    The eyes of the beast were glaring at them, blinking, blinking. They gave off the impression that the mysterious beast was eager to devour them whole.


    Tatiana''s racing heart calmed down a little as she looked at it objectively.


    It had been here this long, but it still hadn''t broken out, so it likely wasn''t to do so any time soon.


    Dietrich breathed out as he stared at the ''eye'' that glowed brighter than the rest of it.


    "It should be safe for now," he said.


    Tatiana moved her head lightly, and the being followed her movements, and was stiller than when they ran.


    She narrowed her eyes.


    Just what the hell was this thing?


    "We should go back up regardless. There''s no reason to take a risk before we''re able to assess the potential damage a misstep here could cause," Dietrich said with a frown.


    "I disagree. Look, whatever that is, it isn''t able to get out. But that might not be the case in the future. If so, we should try moving to the end to see whether or not there''s a difference."


    Both of them voiced their opinion out loud, trying to quickly think about the pros and cons.


    The eye continued staring at them without blinking.


    It was both shadow and light, night and day.


    Instinctively, the both knew that they wouldn''t be able to handle the magnitude of that strange being if it got loose.


    But there was no reason to go back now. Not when they were safe for the time being.


    What if they missed a chance because they gave in? What if it *wasn''t* safe in the future?


    In the end, it was Dietrich who gave in.


    "Alright, quickly. Let''s move to the end."


    If it wasn''t because he was worried about Tatiana''s safety, he would have made the same decision as her and pressed on. But as a big brother, he couldn''t quite forgive himself for putting her in danger.


    He frowned.


    Strange. He didn''t think he would react this way with Alec or Kieran. Why was that?


    He shook the thought out for the time being.


    Now wasn''t the time for that.


    They turned around abruptly, causing the being behind the wall to slam into the wall again, before it raced after them.


    Little bits of debris showered down from the top again.


    Both Main Characters sped down the pathway, and the being behind the wall turned and followed them.


    Just what was it that was following them?


    Neither of them had ever heard about something as terrible as this existing in the first place.


    There was no doubt that something like this could be a calamity if it was back in their realm.


    The only reason why it wasn''t already wreaking havoc was because it was being constrained by the wall. But what if the wall wasn''t there?


    How could they possible defeat it?


    Tatiana got the feeling that it was *swimming* of all things, which would make sense with how the light spread out from the ''wall'', but then¡­ how?


    This place was entirely underground, and the world up top had not shown any indications of leading to water¡­


    "Does that thing feel like it''s swimming to you?"


    Dietrich studied it as they ran down the path. He tried to look at its entirety instead of just focusing on one part and realized that what Tatiana was saying made sense.


    "Right. Instead of ''running'' I get the feeling like it''s swimming. There''s a certain fluidity in its motions that look more like a tail swishing rather than using legs to run. In that case, whatever thing that is, there''s a large deposit of water that we haven''t found any access to."


    Tatiana breathed out roughly but felt a strange anticipation well up within her. "I don''t know what that is, but we should speed up."


    "Okay."


    The two ran at max speed, yet the thing was able to follow them with ease, almost appearing like it was mocking them instead.


    Its eyes traversed their silhouettes behind the strangely resilient wall, roaming and causing faint prickles to run down their spines.


    The walls around them continued widening, until they eventually chanced upon what should be the end.


    Indeed, the place that they eventually reached was large and vast.


    If you pictured a lake with all its water gone, leaving only the indentation of where all the water should have been in the ground, that was what they were left with.


    As they reached this place, the strangely lit thing moved away from the sides, and instead hovered above their heads, circling them.


    Tatiana''s blood was rushing quickly through her veins as a sense of danger and excitement welled up within her.


    "Haha, just what is this¡­!"

 Chapter 163 Things of the Legends

    Having made their way to the ''end'', the two Main Characters were stunned by the sight that lay before them.


    The ''wall'' that contained the ''water'' that the being swum within seemed to clear out, becoming semi-translucent instead of mostly opaque.


    The sight that lay before them seemed to transcend their way of thinking.


    Dietrich felt like he''d been abruptly submerged within a pool of ice-cold water, chilling him to the bone.


    For a long but brief moment, his mind just couldn''t handle the sudden sight that lay before them, and his entire thought process stalled for a long moment.


    Being confronted with something that was vastly out of line with his original worldviews, Dietrich almost wanted to reject it, but instead looked coolly at the being that lay before them.


    Where before, Tatiana and himself had been thinking about just what it could be, when its form was revealed to them, Dietrich felt as if he wasn''t able to accept it.


    But even if he didn''t, he didn''t have a choice but to accept it. After all, this was reality and not a dream where he could live in his own delusions.


    It was something that didn''t belong on Incantix, now he was sure.


    It was something that didn''t belong to their world, but something from far beyond instead.


    Even if they were in a crack between realms, that didn''t necessarily mean that what they found here wasn''t in their original realm, but when Dietrich looked at this, he knew.


    There was no other way to describe it other than some kind of space beast.


    Its form was both tangible and intangible at once, and the effects of the ''wall'' that they hid behind was both stronger and weaker at once.


    This entire place was a living mass of contradictions that co-existed together that left him reeling.


    The space beast was a humungous, hulking creature. Yet, even when it seemed too large and clumsy, there was a certain elegance to it as well. There were parts that had scales, and parts that were completely smooth.


    There was a strange dichotomy from the space beast. At once, it appeared like something that a six-year-old drew, while at the same time, like it was the greatest work of art that a master painter had produced.


    It was only now that they realized they were wrong about their speculations that the space beast was swimming in any sort of water.


    Instead, beyond the wall, all they could see was a faint, consuming darkness that seemed to suck in all light.


    If it wasn''t for the fact that the space beast gave off light, they wouldn''t have been able to see it in the first place.


    But the most striking thing about it was the orange eyes. Just one look into them made them feel like their soul was shaken, as if they recognized a predator before them.


    The pressure that they felt from the space beast was overwhelming indeed, but it was just that. While it was overwhelming, he wasn''t, in fact, overwhelmed by it. He wasn''t forced to the floor, his body unable to handle the pressure.


    Dietrich suspected that it was the presence of the wall that allowed them to keep upright. The feeling of its presence was vast and terrible, yet no matter how the orange eyes glared at them, Tatiana and Dietrich didn''t feel their fight or flight reflex kick in.


    Instead, they were able to glance and study it calmly, which seemed to enrage the space beast.


    With a muffled roar, the space beast snarled, slamming its body hard on the ''wall''.


    Further enraged that it wasn''t able to break it, the beast slammed a scaly claw on the wall, but the wall held strong.


    The space beast turned its head, its eyes staring directly into theirs.


    Its wide mouth parted, revealing rows upon rows of sharp, jagged teeth.


    Tatiana sneered, baring her own teeth at the space beast in a mockery of what it was doing, startling a laugh out of Dietrich.


    She kept surprising him every time.


    The space beast snarled, but all they felt was the faint vibrations.


    Had it not been for this wall, they wouldn''t likely be alive right now.


    The space beast narrowed its eyes at them, and the lights that previously surrounded them dimmed together with the closure of the space beast''s eyes, leaving them in darkness once they were fully closed.


    Dietrich felt the back of his neck prickle when the space beast''s presence completely disappeared the moment it closed its eyes.


    Somehow, that was more threatening than if it had thrown around its presence left and right.


    It was already unseen in the darkness of space, but its presence was also hidden.


    What Dietrich couldn''t fathom was how the ''wall'' wasn''t breaking, and what it was made out of.


    But this stank of a plan.


    Why was it able to keep the space beast out, and even come out unscathed?


    If Dietrich had to make a guess, the space beast should at least be a rank six beast, able to contend with the superpowers of the planet.


    Space¡­


    That was something that was only talked about in the legends.


    He''d barely been able to find anything regarding it in the Rothschild library, and their collection was extensive and wide.


    It had been something he''d been interested in for the longest time, but he could never find much mention of it.


    He didn''t know if it was because previous history was being covered up, or if the information had just faded away due to the ravages of time, but ¨C


    Tatiana broke his train of thought. "Let''s go. I''m sure the mercenaries are coming this way already."


    Both of them ran back the way they came from, stopping the incoming group of mercenaries about two thirds of the way back.


    Tatiana shone her torch, using a code between them.


    The mercenaries stopped their tracks and backed up, satisfied that their boss was safe for now.


    Now that they''d managed to send the mercenaries back, Dietrich and Tatiana slowed to a walk, both thinking about things.


    All this time, they were still holding hands.


    Tatiana looked at their joined hands and very obviously didn''t mention it, while Dietrich was trying to think back about the information he''d read about space.


    Clearly, there were dangers there that their planet didn''t know about, nor have any defence against.


    What if¡­ what if they attacked Incantix?


    What would happen to them then?


    Tatiana herself was discomforted by the presence of the space beast.


    She wasn''t able to tell whether or not it was following them, which was more disconcerting than she thought. Since young, she''d specifically trained in tracking, and she had confidence in that specified area, but the space beast¡­


    She totally couldn''t feel it at all once it hid its presence.


    She frowned.


    Suddenly, the urge to grow stronger quicker manifested again. It had died briefly when she learnt that her clan was indeed safe and sound, but with the presence of the space beast, it had come back stronger than before. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    The dangers that lurked were unseen, and determination burned within Tatiana, such that she unconsciously gripped Dietrich''s hand tighter, drawing his attention.


    Dietrich smiled and squeezed back lightly, getting a smile with hidden intentions in return, though he couldn''t see it.

 Chapter 164 What? What?? NO! My Kits!

    Back with Alec, they had indeed found a place to enter the underground area of that crack between realms, but there had been a strange barrier that kept them out, which was Alec''s area of expertise.


    The ''entrance'' to underground was located in a part of the forest, the opposite way from where they''d entered below with Vi.


    How had they discovered it?


    Well, being the Main Character, Dominique had put his luck to good use, and after killing a monster in his way, he''d not-so-accidentally knocked down a tree in the aftermath.


    Thank you, Main Character luck!


    The tree then parted to give way to a gap in the ground, unlike normal dirt.


    That was how they found the ''entrance'' to underground.


    Unlike the gaping, wide fissure in the ground that Vi had managed to control, this one was barely large enough for Alec to fit within.


    Beyond the hole, they could see the presence of stairs that led further down, but Yuki had been rightfully wary about advancing any further without preventive measures.


    Yuki originally threw a branch down the gap, and it had disintegrated on the spot upon hitting the barrier that was just a way beyond the stairs leading downwards.


    It disintegrated even quicker than when the Vampiric Willows were killing off their prey for nutrients, sending a chill up their spines.


    Unlike them, Alec''s eyes lit up when he went to see the effects of the barrier for himself.


    The runes that danced in the air painted another story altogether.


    Vivian and the Spectres stared at Alec''s movements in fascination for a long while before they grew tired of it.


    The Spectres especially, since they''d heard about Alec''s prowess in this field, but had never seen much of him doing anything with it besides the time they gained the Spectre mark from him.


    Even then, it had only been a couple of days since they first gained the mark, and there weren''t any chances for them to take a break since.


    But even the novelty seemed to wear off since they weren''t able to see what Alec did. They were basically just watching Alec stare into blank air as he moved back and forth, lightly biting his index finger as he thought.


    The only one who didn''t seem to grow tired of watching was Dominique, who seemed to stare at his boss for hours on end.


    Vivian''s lips twitched speechlessly when she saw what her kit was doing. Something was strange there.


    Rosabel pulled her aside for some woman to woman talk.


    Rosabel only let her go the minute they were out of earshot. She could see that the magical beast was still staring at Dominique from afar, nonplussed at his reaction. Or rather, non-reaction.


    "Look, Mrs. H," Rosabel started off.


    Vivian looked at the Sin in bemusement.


    "You have to understand something¡­" she trailed off. "Mini and our boss, their relationship with each other is a little¡­ special."


    "Special," Vivian said the word as if she was savouring the taste of it on her tongue. "How do you mean?"


    Rosabel floundered for the words, unsure where she should start. Oh, how she wanted to just leave this to someone else to explain, but she didn''t feel like that would be too kind of her.


    After all, Hayden spoke even less than Dominique, and Yuki was just¡­ well. Yuki. She thought back about Yuki''s total inexperience with females in general and thought it would be better just to¡­ not.


    His struggles with the opposite sex were hilariously bad, and while she would have liked to see it at any other time, this was, unfortunately, not the situation for it.


    He''d been fine earlier when they were in that stressful situation, but the moment it wore off, Yuki started stuttering and averting his eyes.


    He even reacted funnily to Dominique and Alec a bit after that first ''meeting''.


    So, yeah. No.


    She was the only one who would be able to explain to Dominique''s mother properly without tripping up even if it wasn''t exactly her forte either.


    "Well, let''s just say that the two are together in a rather special relationship."


    Vivian listened to the words that came out of her kit''s packmates. By now, she had already cottoned on to the fact that her kit saw Alec as his alpha.


    But she reeled from the implication that Dominique was the alpha''s mate.


    Vivian felt a bit dazed when she thought about the implications of this. No wonder her kit always acted strangely around the other kit.


    ¡­She couldn''t call Alec a kit anymore, if he was the alpha.


    Bah. Who cared! He was her kit''s mate¡­ her kit¡­ mate¡­ Whatever. She had motherly rights, didn''t she?


    It felt complicated, thinking that she just got her kit back only to find out that she''d missed so many important things in his life¡­ and he already had a mate! A mate!


    Her baby Domi was still just a little kit!


    Vivian felt the strong urge to hold her kit in her arms and wail. He already had a mate so quickly!


    Boohoo, the look in his eyes were just like his father''s, now that she thought about it.


    Vivian''s eyes were a little watery, and Rosabel backed away a little slowly, wary about this sudden change in the originally calm woman.


    ¡­She wasn''t going to go ballistic, was she?


    Vivian held Rosabel''s hand, patting it lightly. "Thank you for telling me."


    Still, wasn''t Alec a bit young for her kit??


    But then, her kit wasn''t the alpha, so how did that work?


    She felt like she was going around in circles.


    Vivian felt baffled, but the more she felt Rosabel dissect their relationship, she felt like she was slowly being lured over to the dark side by her words.


    Why did she¡­ why did she feel like she was a bit excited?


    The more she heard, the more plausible it sounded.


    The gaze that Vivian used to look at Alec and her kit changed a bit, sparkling lightly. It felt like something new was being born inside her.


    At the same time, she felt a little wistful. She''d missed everything about her kit growing up to such a stage, but she would support him and his mate.


    After all, foxes mated for life. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "-already ''did it''."


    "Wait, they¡­ they what? Aren''t the kits- err, aren''t Dominique and Alec still kind of young?"


    Rosabel''s face was a little flushed. She stammered as the memory of that first time filtered into her mind.


    "Uh, hmm¡­ I''m not obligated to say. You should ask your son!" she passed on the responsibility back to Dominique. Anyway, it was his mom! Why should she be the one handling this bomb?!


    "Mm," Vivian pouted a little, her previously dignified image crumbling a little.


    Just as she was thinking about how she could possibly bring that up in a conversation, they were interrupted by Alec''s voice.


    "I''ve got it," he said with quiet certainty.


    The smile on his face seemed to make flowers bloom around them, and they were bathed in a gentle breeze.


    There wasn''t anything else that seemed any different, but it alarmed them when Alec moved into the small hole.


    He pressed around on the wall, eventually finding a spot that made the ground rumble, widening the crack that had barely been large enough for Alec to fit into.


    Before they could stop him, Alec walked further down, Dominique faithfully following behind.


    Vivian wanted to pull their ears and scold them. Even if they were confident, they shouldn''t just blindly do it without testing it further!


    But Alec already walked past the part where the branch descended and was subsequently disintegrated, following the stairs down with her kit hot on his heels.

 Chapter 165 When Yousre An Idiot...

    The stairs continued down for quite a way before they tapered off, leaving them in a large underground space.


    Artificial lights lit up their path, granting them access to the darkness below. The lights lit up in the same manner as the eerie blue lights had back in the other crack, but the lights here felt harsher. Colder, as compared to the gentle warmth that was felt from the blue lights.


    The temperature was regulated, and felt like the grounds above, unlike back in the other crack between realms, where the temperature was almost chilly.


    To the group of them, the place appeared barren and desolate. There was nothing growing down here, even less than in the other crack between realms.


    At least there, there had been grass and whatnot, as well as the Vampiric Willows. But here, it was completely empty and barren.


    However, to Alec''s sight, it was another story altogether. Far from being empty, it almost overwhelmed him with the vast number that were crammed into the place.


    Where the others saw nothing, Alec saw an overflowing number of runes that painted the entire place. They overlapped together, buzzing incessantly around the room.


    It dazzled him briefly when he stared around the room. Blinking hard, Alec tried to clear some of them away.


    When the rest of them continued walking forward, with Dominique in the front ''braving dangers'', Alec''s footsteps slowed as he looked around almost absentmindedly.


    The place was so heavily enclosed in runes forming the most complex barrier he had ever seen.


    Alec almost just wanted to stay here forever ¨C or rather stay here in this place, until he had finished deciphering and absorbing everything from this place.


    Just how had someone managed to create something of such elegance and complexity when even the sect''s barrier couldn''t match up to it?


    Where would someone with this sort of magnitude hide? Were these here because they were hiding?


    There were many questions that welled up in his mind as he looked about the place with the gentle but numerous runes.


    Alec felt, not for the first time, that there was still so much more he could improve on regarding the vast world of arrays.


    The delight that there was still so much to learn made his smile brighten his face. He felt like he was drunk off the runes that were vibrating in the air.


    Compared to the cold lights that lit up the way for them, the runes that filled the place felt warm.


    They felt kind and gentle, as if they sparkled in the dusty place. There was something archaic about it ¨C like it had been here for a long, long time.


    Not for the first time, Alec wondered just how old this place was, and what secrets it was hiding.


    How was a crack in between realms formed in the first place?


    While the lethal part of the barrier that had previously been keeping them out had been disabled by him, the other functions of the barrier were still in place. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    The first layer of the barrier ¨C one that kept people out on fear of death ¨C had been ridiculously easy. So easy that he felt like something was going to go wrong.


    At this thought, Alec snapped out of his drunken, dazed state, checking Dominique''s [Plot Route].


    Alec''s face changed when he felt the danger sense blare loudly in his mind, warning him about something.


    He ran after them, realizing that he''d been unintentionally left behind.


    They shouldn''t have moved too far yet, so they were still safe for now. Hopefully.


    Every second that passed felt almost agonizing, and with the way the runes sometimes blocked his view, Alec tripped a few times. But they eventually came into view.


    The barren place before had been replaced with tiled stone flooring, and strangely, there were numerous doors littered throughout the place.


    The doors all appeared different, with numerous designs and handles.


    Just as they came into view, Alec''s sight zeroed in on Rosabel.


    Rosabel had a hand outstretched, reaching for the first doorknob.


    "Stop!" Alec called out, right before her hand made contact with the doorknob.


    Rosabel''s fingers stuttered a little, but she stopped herself from moving altogether.


    His heart thundered within his chest at the close call.


    Any later and it would have been too late to avert disaster.


    The group turned, only catching sight of Alec''s strained smile. It was only then that they realized they left him behind earlier on.


    Rosabel was still, quickly retracting her hand from where it had been just about to touch the knob.


    "What''s wrong?"


    The smile one Alec''s face widened, and even gentled as he walked up to his idiotic subordinate.


    Alec gestured for her to bend down a bit, which Rosabel complied to with a question in her eyes.


    Immediately, the gentle feeling that came along with Alec''s saccharine smile became more intense.


    Alec pulled both sides of Rosabel''s cheeks, causing her to yelp.


    "Owowow, ow!"


    "What do you think you''re doing?! Were you just going to open whatever random door without knowing whether it''s safe or not?! Where are your survival instincts?!" Alec growled, his tone cool and cutting. It didn''t match the smile that was still on his face.


    Alec grudgingly let go of her cheeks after he felt she''d suffered enough. He hadn''t pinched very hard, but Rosabel rubbed her face with a pout on her face.


    "But the door is so pretty," she muttered petulantly.


    Alec made to pinch her cheeks again, causing Rosabel to yelp and hide herself behind Yuki to avoid her boss'' fingers. They hurt!


    Vivian turned to look at her kit''s reaction, and he looked a little jealous.


    "That goes for the rest of you as well," Alec scolded, his smile still on his face when he turned to them.


    They felt a shiver go down their spine at the vaguely threatening smile. They didn''t know why it felt that way since it *was* supposed to appear gentle, but for some reason, they felt like they wouldn''t like it if they didn''t heed his words.


    Alec huffed, seeing that they looked apologetic. Seriously. If they weren''t his subordinates, he wouldn''t be so gentle with them.


    What had they been thinking? Just randomly going around and opening doors? Seriously! Hmph.


    Not to mention, Vivian.


    Vivian!


    She should''ve known better, right?! Even if she was a fifth ranked magical beast currently, that didn''t mean that she could just ignore the dangers! They were in a place that they didn''t know anything about, and there were so many suspicious looking doors!


    They just entered a place with a barrier that''d caused a branch to disintegrate upon coming into contact with the barrier, for goodness'' sake!


    Like, there were over a hundred doors of different shapes and sizes, and none of them felt that there was anything wrong with that?


    This wasn''t their family mansion!


    This was a place underground they just so happened to find in a crack between realms. A crack between realms, where no one even knew how they formed in the first place! And there was what appeared to be an underground palace here.


    And Rosabel was just going to open. a. door.


    Just like that!


    Alec was pissed.


    Seriously. If he hadn''t made it in time, he wouldn''t *have* subordinates anymore.


    "Don''t touch anything," Alec warned them seriously, his smile giving off such a threatening feeling. "There are barriers everywhere, so make sure you don''t touch anything."


    He had to repeat it just to get it into their thick skulls.


    Even with the temperature regulator in the place, they felt a violent shiver go down their spines.


    "Yes, boss!"


    When in doubt, just do whatever the boss said.


    Anyhow, Rosabel really hadn''t been thinking much earlier as her curiosity got the better of her, and the rest of them hadn''t stopped her either because they figured it would be fine.


    But if something could make their normally calm and mellow boss react so violently, then it had to be something dangerous.


    The strangest thing was, not once had Hayden''s instincts warned him of any danger, and neither did Vivian.

 Chapter 166 How Typical of a MC...

    The danger warning that Alec got only calmed down after they moved away from the door.


    There wasn''t any other way for him to describe it, but whenever he approached any of the doors, they all gave off vaguely dangerous feelings to him.


    However, he was the only one who felt that.


    Even Vivian, with her finely honed battle sense didn''t feel anything from the doors, puzzling him.


    While the rest of them wandered around the hallway to see if there were any notable differences other than the doors, Alec stayed around the doors, staring at them.


    Sure enough, the barriers that surrounded the doors were particularly thick, but they only activated upon contact with the doorknob.


    Touching any other part of the door was a no-go either, since that would lead to complete obliteration.


    With Alec''s current level of mastery, he was unable to do anything about that for the time being.


    The barrier''s core was inside the doorknob, expanding to envelop the entire door.


    Compared to the first layer of the barrier in the entrance and the barrier here, it was obvious to see that the barriers on the doors were much more lethal.


    It was like comparing claw wounds from a cat to that of a ferocious tiger.


    Alec squinted at the door harder as if the barrier would start to make sense the longer he stared at it.


    He was having a hard time deciphering the full range of the barrier''s abilities and what the door itself led to.


    Were they just different rooms within the place, or did they do something else?


    Why was it so complex?! But¡­ the more complex it was, the more Alec felt his professional ethics get riled up. How could he call himself an array master if he didn''t try his hand at breaking it!?


    An array master was also a master at breaking arrays!


    "Bunbun, Fenrir, go with Mini."


    As Alec worked on breaking down the barrier on the doors, the rest of them were wandering up and down the hallway.


    The place was truly vast, with widespread spaces. Sometimes, there was a door, sometimes, there wasn''t.


    So far, there hadn''t been any traps within, so it seemed like the true trap was the doors themselves.


    They made sure to keep Alec''s lecture in mind whenever they saw something that made them want to touch.


    Even Vivian, who had forgotten many things due to the erosion of time that she''d spent here, felt like she woke up a little as memories started flooding back into her mind.


    The skills that she had not used in such a long time started coming back in full the longer she explored the place.


    Even after the countless number of years that had passed since she''d last explored a dungeon, this had been her livelihood once upon a time.


    Muscle memory like that wasn''t so easily forgotten! It was how she''d met Dorian, after all.


    More than that, Vivian didn''t want to die in vain. After all, she''d just only reconciled and reconnect with her kit, but she still hadn''t met her mate again!


    Her husband was probably keeping a long face all the time, and she had to go back and pounce on him.


    Dominique loathed parting from his boss, but he also knew that he should look around for a way back to the other crack between realms. He kept thinking about it. How could he have left his boss behind previously?


    Impossible! There had to be something more at stake here.


    While he would prefer to have his boss all to himself, he also knew that this tiny place couldn''t possibly hold all of boss'' grandeur.


    It wasn''t like he was concerned whether or not his mother was sick from staying here all the time.


    Anyway, he had been the one who brought them here in the first place, so he should be the one to get them out, right?


    The boss was working hard trying to decipher the barriers around here, so Dominique couldn''t be the only one who didn''t pull his weight.


    The different hallways all looked identical to each other, only the doors that were within them changed.


    There were many gaudy and inefficient designs amongst them, but Dominique didn''t really have an opinion on them either way.


    There were ten different paths in total, but when Dominique walked around, he realized that they all led back to the same area.


    If you would, it was like a circle within another circle. The way back was probably within that ''inner circle''.


    The paths were carved in such a way that they curved ever so slightly, leading back to the same end.


    In the inner circle, there was were ten doors in total, and other than the colour of the doors, the design of the doors matched perfectly.


    Dominique''s eyes sharpened as he tried to recall the numerous doors.


    He went around each hallway a couple of times again, carefully looking at the various doors and memorizing how they looked, mapping it out in his mind. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    It took roughly half a day''s time, but he finally had a clear map of the entire place in his mind.


    There was a total of a thousand and fourteen doors, including the ten in the ''inner circle''.


    Of those doors, some of them matched, and most of them didn''t.


    If Dominique''s guess was right, then they should have something to do with the ''inner circle'' doors, possibly unlocking the last room.


    Dominique picked up his boss'' two familiars and kept them in his arms for now, walking around to the various doors to test his theory.


    He ignored the baffled look on the two creatures'' faces as he went around pressing on doorknobs.


    Meanwhile, Bunbun and Fenrir were sending their owner frantic feelings over their bond to let them know that his human was doing something stupid again.


    Bunbun squirmed, trying to get out of Dominique''s hold, but wasn''t able to.


    In the end, taking drastic actions, he enlarged himself, pressing Dominique down onto the ground and trapping him under his body.


    Alec''s brows twitched when he felt the feelings over their bond, his smile darkening on his face.


    Yuki, who had been in a conversation with Alec, took an unconscious step back, a shiver running up and down his arms.


    His boss looked so scary!


    The smile on his face was almost thunderous, and Yuki privately thought that if his boss showed this smile to his enemies, they wouldn''t even need to fight. They would probably just roll over to avoid being on the other end of that terrifying smile.


    Alec was so young, but he was already so terrifying.


    Yuki quietly lamented that the boss would probably be even more terrifying in the future.


    Not to mention, as a couple with Dominique, weren''t they just doomed?


    They were terrifying in different ways!


    But the problem was, he didn''t think Dominique could calm the boss down!


    Ah, what to do?


    Alec didn''t care about Yuki''s thoughts, giving him a curt order to gather the rest of the Spectres and gather near Dominique since he was doing something foolish.


    Alec himself started tracking his wayward subordinate down, resisting the urge to start cursing him out the moment he found him.


    All he saw was the giant ball of fluff on the ground. The only part of Dominique that he was able to see was the one arm that was sticking out from under it, patting Bunbun futilely like he was trying to get the bunny off.


    Bunbun, seeing Alec appear, got off the Sin.


    "Good job, Bunbun, Fenrir."


    He just knew that a Main Character wouldn''t be able to obediently sit still! Luckily he had Bunbun and Fenrir to keep an eye on his actions.


    Dominique appeared rather ruffled after he got up from the ground, his eyes slightly dazed.


    "Boss."


    Alec''s smile twitched in annoyance.


    Like with Rosabel, Alec gestured for the Sin to bend down. Despite Dominique already knowing what was about to come, he still leaned down obediently. Alec pinched both of Dominique''s cheeks, tugging them. "What did I say about going around recklessly!"


    Alec pulled the poor Sin''s cheeks, only letting go once his anger was abated.


    He checked the Sin over, who thankfully wasn''t hurt because of his reckless idiocy. For some reason, it felt like he was a bit happy?


    That couldn''t be.

 Chapter 167 Of Confusion

    They eventually did end up going along with Dominique''s theory, but only because Alec had gone around to check that there were indeed barriers that were missing from them.


    However, just because he was right didn''t mean that he was allowed to go around and randomly test out his theory without confirming that it wasn''t harmful in the first place.


    He should have made use of the tools at his disposal and properly *use* them to the best of their ability! It was important to know about the skills at your disposal and properly utilize them instead of trying to handle everything alone.


    For some reason, Alec could see this becoming a recurring theme with Dominique, and he had to break this habit right now.


    Even if he was a Main Character, Alec would not allow this recklessness to go on! Bad habits had to be dealt with properly!


    He was a Main Character under Alec, so Alec would help him learn to avoid pitfalls. Seriously.


    If one day, Dominique went around acting without thinking of the consequences ¨C Alec furrowed his brows.


    He should check up on the other Main Characters as well just in case to make sure that they hadn''t picked up any bad typical Main Character habits. He didn''t believe he couldn''t correct this perchant for recklessness. He would stop them before they did anything as idiotic as this.


    He would like them to live properly, even if they did have plot armour!


    Meanwhile, a few people sneezed. Tatiana and Dietrich, who had sneezed at the same moment, looked at each other with confusion.


    The moment the last doorknob was clicked, there was a flash of light as the entire place rumbled threateningly.


    The place shook so hard that they were all almost knocked off their feet, and bits of dust and debris floated around.


    The lights that had been guiding their way flickered, eventually dying out one by one, until they were left in complete darkness.


    "¡­The creator of this place has bad taste."


    "Agreed."


    Alec pulled out a single torchlight and clicked it on, shining it upwards.


    Alec''s face was illuminated in a strange way, and his normal smile seemed so threatening under the strange lighting.


    Rosabel and Yuki felt chills run rampant around their body. They felt lucky that unlike Dominique and Alec, who weren''t wearing the bandana, they were able to hide the flinch that it brought them.


    Yuki suspiciously thought about whether or not this was what Alec''s real personality was.


    "Alright, enough joking around. Let''s go. There''s no telling how much longer we have once we''ve triggered the door."


    By now, the rumbling had stopped, but the lights remained off, and the temperature in the place was slowly cooling down, a stark difference from the regulated temperature earlier.


    Alec passed the torchlight to Dominique since he was the one with the clearest map in his head about this place.


    Unlike the rest who had been looking around for things or objects that might trigger something, or Alec, who had been focused on the barriers on the various doors, Dominique was the only one who had been looking every single door and actively memorizing the place''s layout.


    Not just that, he had managed to figure out how to escape ¨C or rather, advance ¨C from this place, so he was the most suitable to lead.


    However, they walked for ten minutes, which slid into twenty, then an entire hour had passed by.


    The temperature of the room was rather chilly now and was even colder than back in the other crack between realms.


    Yuki had a feeling that if they didn''t find their way in time, they would directly freeze to death in this place.


    But no one said anything as they each tried to figure out a way from this maze.


    They were each looking out for things, but the darkness that they found themselves in did not help matters much. They resolved to bring around a torchlight properly once they got out of this place in the future.


    Who knew that complete darkness would hinder them this much?


    It was past the hundredth time they circled around that Alec grabbed the torchlight from Dominique abruptly, shining it at a door.


    Unlike the other doors that were surrounded by runes, this one had something subtly different about it.


    While it did look like the other doors from afar, in the end, there was something that set it apart.


    To put it bluntly, the ''feel'' of the door was different, as if the person who''d drawn the barrier on this door was a different person from the one that originally did it.


    Sure enough, when Alec touched the doorknob of the door, despite having the same appearance as the rest of the barriers to those with rune sight, nothing happened.


    Alec swung the door open, to the bafflement of the rest of the party members.


    They squinted, but no matter how they looked, they had no idea how Alec figured out there was something different about that particular door.


    There was nothing that indicated that door was different from the rest of them, and even Dominique hadn''t been able to tell despite having memorized how each door looked.


    They entered the door, only to find themselves where they were originally.


    Alec nodded. "Whoever created that array knew what they were doing. Only a short timeframe has passed since we were trapped within that array."


    Seeing the looks that begged Alec to explain, he continued talking to help them understand what happened.


    "From the time where the place started shaking, we were already within the triggered array, which was why despite us walking around, we were never really moving in the first place. A high-class illusion barrier like that which only traps our consciousness.


    Well, I say ''only'' but if you weren''t able to find the cornerstone, then you would have directly died inside. Your consciousness would have been wiped out, and your body would just be an empty husk."


    Rosabel shivered hearing that. How discomforting. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Hayden was looking at the ground, a rare look of frustration on his face. No wonder things seemed a little of to him. His senses had been totally confused, telling him something different from what he''d been seeing.


    Rather, there had been a strong sense that something was off in the beginning, but the longer they had been wandering around in the darkness, the more he started doubting himself.


    Next time, he wouldn''t unnecessarily doubt himself. It could be life or death next time. If they hadn''t had Alec with them, things would have been a lot direr.


    The party started moving yet again. Dominique made to go towards one of the doors in the ''inner circle'' but was stopped by a strange feeling that crept up on him.


    He hesitated briefly, but it was noticed by Alec.


    Alec eyed Dominique. Was this the instincts of a Main Character? If so, that was rather impressive.


    "Mini, lead us."


    Dominique twitched slightly, but obediently led them around.


    They eventually stood in front of the door that Alec had opened to bring them out from the array.


    This time, when Dominique opened the door, Alec didn''t stop him.


    Stepping into the place, the lights slowly started brightening in the room, and they were hit by a vicious chill the moment they stepped in.


    Prickles ran up and down Alec''s arms as he used his magic to regulate his temperature from within.


    In the middle of the room, like a centrepiece, lay a humungous blue rock. It was such a pale blue that it almost looked like it was white, like the coldest colour.


    When they walked nearer, the coldness from the room dropped further the nearer they got to the stone in the middle of the room.

 Chapter 168 Donst Die, Please

    They''d never seen anything like it before.


    Something like this stone was not commonly seen, nor were there any carved inscriptions on it.


    Even to Alec''s rune sight, there was nothing around the blue stone that suggested its properties were due to a seal or array.


    If he had to put it properly, it wasn''t like the coldness was coming from the stone itself, but more like the stone was steadily sucking and converting the air around it, causing it to drop in temperature.


    Alec thought to himself. Was this the legendary Main Character''s lucky acquisition? Wasn''t it too easy?


    Then, he rethought it. After all, if Alec hadn''t been here with the group, they would likely have died within that array.


    Or perhaps not, with Dominique''s luck?


    Alec shrugged inwardly. There was no way to be certain.


    It remained to be seen whether or not the stone could be used for something else, like materials for crafting, but there shouldn''t be too much problem if they wanted to move it.


    "Can we take that with us?"


    Alec only had to think about it for a brief moment.


    There should be a problem if they directly approached it, since he could already see the sudden growth of ice crystals at the edges of the stone around it in a circle.


    But¡­ he had a way.


    Or rather, he''d make a way.


    When Alec pulled out some supplies and a brush, the party members exclaimed in admiration. The looks on their faces felt like they were saying ''as expected of boss''. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    ''Boss is still the coolest,'' Dominique thought to himself. It was a reaction that he would never have towards other people. He stared at the smooth strokes that flowed from the brush under his boss'' talented hands.


    Rosabel and Vivian exchanged a quiet look, one smirking, the other with eyes that overflowed with affection and excitement.


    Alec finished the seal in a minute since it wasn''t anything overly complicated. It was something that most array journeymen and more talented apprentices would be able to fashion as well.


    Hayden was watching Alec''s movements quietly, staring at the seal that bloomed under his fingers in such quick succession.


    His interest had been stirred up after watching Alec work.


    Alec flicked it, and the seal flew forward, sticking on to the stone.


    Within five meters of the stone, the seal rapidly froze in the air, but still managed to stick itself on to the blue stone in the end despite the strong chill that permeated the air around it.


    Alec watched as the runes that had been written on the seal worked, blooming to life as it came into contact with the cold rock.


    The runes rapidly multiplied before his eyes, sticking themselves to the stone, forming a protective barrier around the stone, sealing its converting property.


    Now that it was encased in a barrier, they would be able to touch it without worrying about coming to harm.


    The coldness in the room quite obviously lessened once the seal stuck onto the stone, and even though it wasn''t warm but rather still chilly, it wasn''t as unbearable as before.


    Alec walked forward and kept the stone within his spatial dimension.


    He''d been prepared for the entire place to start rumbling like it was going to crumble down because he''d removed the centrepiece of the room like some bad adventure movie, but nothing happened even after he did.


    On the contrary, there was something underneath the place where the blue stone used to be.


    It was another set of stairs that led downwards yet again.


    However, no one made a move to go downstairs yet until Alec checked and made sure there weren''t any barriers or arrays that would entrap them, having grown wiser and warier about this place and its various defences.


    Alec was satisfied with their increased caution.


    Other than the blue stone, the rest of the room was empty, leaving just a circular room with the stairs going downwards.


    Alec suddenly started doubting whether this was truly the place that led back to the other crack in between realms or not.


    Somehow, the setup of this seemed more like something out of ¨C hmm. The System had his doubts.


    Surely it shouldn''t be so hard to go back, unless the person that had created this place meant for it to be a hiding spot of sorts, which would explain the various doors and ''test'' like feelings, but other than the unknown giant blue stone that had been in this room, there wasn''t anything of worth.


    The party of five looked at Alec.


    Alec checked Dominique''s [Plot Route] again, and sure enough, the next question mark had been revealed to him.


    [Within the ???''s legacy hall, Dominique meets his destiny.]


    Alec''s eyebrows shot up.


    So, up until now, Dominique hadn''t truly bloomed as a Main Character, and this was all his origin backstory, huh?


    But¡­ Dominique wasn''t originally supposed to have come here in the first place, which meant that Dominique ''meeting his destiny'' shouldn''t have happened right now.


    Would Dominique be strong enough to handle obtaining the ''legacy''?


    Alec resisted the urge to frown. This kind of thinking would only cause him to go in a loop. It was better to just entrust Dominique''s own destiny to himself.


    As a Main Character, he shouldn''t die so easily, so Alec wasn''t overly worried. What worried him more was whether or not he would get another chance at it if he failed.


    More than that, he was worried about the safety of the Spectres that weren''t Main Characters here.


    ¡­Regardless, they would have to go. Alec had no choice but to trust them to keep themselves safe. The Spectres were all strong and had exceptional combat sense. Vivian could easily keep herself safe as a fifth ranked magical beast.


    Seeing the slight change in Alec''s eyes, the party knew that he''d made up his mind.


    Vivian was the first to walk down the stairs, followed by the rest of the group.


    The stairs were winding, and Vivian cautiously walked down, braving the dangers for the rest of the group. Anyhow, should danger come from the front, she was the most equipped to deal with it as the strongest of the group.


    Ten steps down, Vivian''s face had a look of surprise, but she vanished in the next moment, causing unrest and alarm amongst them.


    "Calm down. She wasn''t hurt. She was just teleported away. If my speculations are right, this should be a legacy hall."


    The party calmed down at his words, and Dominique, though his expressions hadn''t changed, had a slightly calmer aura as compared to before.


    Alec lightly patted Dominique''s shoulder from in front, calming him slightly.


    "Continue. Make sure you prioritise your safety inside. It doesn''t matter if you don''t receive anything. Don''t be foolhardy and reckless just because you''re enjoying the battle inside."


    One by one, each member of the party disappeared before their eyes, and in the end, only Dominique and Alec were left. Even Bunbun and Fenrir had been teleported away as well before them.


    Alec turned to look his subordinate in the eye.


    "Don''t die."


    The System stepped forward, and tendrils of magic crept up on him, whisking him away in a teleportation.

 Chapter 169 Where Is This?

    Alec found himself in a dark space, where there was nothing beside himself.


    Darkness surrounded him, but for some reason, he was able to see himself even when he wasn''t able to see anything else.


    There was something in the darkness watching him, but he wasn''t able to pinpoint it.


    It gave him a familiar feeling, in this unfamiliar space.


    Faint chills ran up and down his arms, causing Alec to maintain his ''gentle'' persona. No doubt he would lose points should whatever that was watching him see him break out of character.


    He didn''t know how long he was within that space, but eventually, there was a bright flash of light, momentarily blinding him.


    He found himself in a square room made out of stone. There was a single passage out, but Alec didn''t randomly move until he found out his current situation.


    He was alone.


    Alec was still able to feel the bonds that connected him to his Awakened, but they felt distant, as if they weren''t in the same dimension. Now, even Bunbun and Fenrir felt distant as well.


    Was this to be a ''test'' to see whether or not he deserved to inherit the legacy? He was already getting very familiar vibes from this setup here. He could practically taste the incoming ''mission''.


    Before he had time to ruminate further, a screen popped up before him, causing him to widen his eyes in shock.


    Alec almost wondered whether or not he was back in the System space, where all the System dwelled.


    [Survive at least 15 Stages.]


    [The further you survive, the better the reward.]


    [Easy/Normal/Hard/Hell]


    [Rewards depend on the level of difficulty.


    Alec resisted the urge to swear at whoever was behind this shitty legacy test. This was in bad taste. It came across as a game more than anything. Sure enough, he had been right!


    ¡­This was definitely not a legacy test?


    At least, it wasn''t one that had been left by a natural inhabitant.


    It felt and gave off the feeling exactly like one of the damn Mainframe''s games. Or rather, one of those bad System''s games that they sometimes held to alleviate boredom.


    Alec kept his thoughts to himself, schooling his expression back into neutrality, and by neutrality he meant his normal smile.


    Slowly, there was a budding feeling of inexplicable anger that was building up within him.


    Alec clicked [Hell] difficulty mode. Since he was here, he might as well go all the way. If this followed the rules that most of these scenarios did, then he''d be able to opt out at certain points. Likely every five stages, or every ten.


    Though he was only in the foundational stage, he had the confidence to break through. Since he could see the runes that hung around, just waiting to activate, he was actually at a large advantage in this place compared to the rest of his party.


    That was the reason why he had confidence to take on the [Hell] mode in the first place.


    [Stage 1] hung in the air in the middle of the room, reminiscent of a badly styled dungeon survival game.


    Alec had no doubt that if they died while trying to pass the stage, it would truly lead to their deaths.


    He resisted the urge to frown.


    Something that was as technologically advanced like this shouldn''t have appeared on Incantix. There was something wrong here. It had to be another System. There was no doubt about it.


    Even though the Kaoriht continent was considered technologically advanced, they still had to have machines that would allow a hologram to appear or use screens themselves. They couldn''t appear like this in the form of just floating in the air without any sort of machine to help.


    Alec pulled out the dagger that had been strapped to his thigh, checking it.


    The smooth cut of the silvery-white dragon scale was sharp enough to cut through even the thickest hide.


    He advanced steadily, making sure to check for traps, but not allowing himself to slow down. If he kept remaining tense, that would cause his mental state to deteriorate and cause him to feel tired quicker.


    Instead, he made sure not to focus his eyes on any one thing so that if anything came into his peripheral vision, he would be able to dodge it.


    In the middle of the hallway leading down, it looked completely empty, but Alec could see the presence of runes that were drifting in and out of his sight.


    No doubt that they were traps that would spring upon him touching something.


    Like this, Alec easily avoided the traps due to the usage of his rune sight, however it was at the level that he would be able to easily deal with even if he had triggered them in the first place.


    The others would be fine.


    Alec cleared [Stage 1] without a problem.


    In the next room, [Stage 2] hung in the middle on a floating screen.


    There wasn''t anything special about the room, so Alec continued on. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Not for the first time, Alec thought that rune sight was really a cheat. He was avoiding the worst of all the traps that the others would have a hard time detecting before they activated.


    If he wasn''t wrong, the System who''d created this place had a strong foundation in runes since they were everywhere.


    It gave him a bit of unfair advantage, but Alec wasn''t above using it. After all, he''d only come to have rune sight because he''d Awakened his eyesight, after all, which was considered part of his magic.


    Stage 1 to 5 all consisted of various traps of differing difficulty. Some of them were particularly insidious and had a hair-trigger.


    Even with Alec''s rune sight, he wasn''t able to avoid all of them even with his Awakened body, which made him wonder how badly the rest of his party had it.


    Vivian would be fine since she was still a rank five magical beast. Dominique and Rosabel should be fine as well, but what about Yuki and Hayden?


    Alec bit the inside of his cheek lightly, calming himself down.


    They knew how to take care of themselves, and they knew their own capabilities, so he didn''t have to worry about their safety.


    Even if they got injured, they should be able to make it to the safe area.


    In the room that was just before [Stage 6] Alec saw that the place was filled with a number of runes that were actively working.


    Studying them closer, he could see that they were forming a barrier to speed up the healing process, detoxify, etc.


    It wasn''t until further down [Stage 6] that the first hints of monsters appeared.


    In the middle of his path, there was a rank two monster that blocked the hallway.


    He obviously had to clear it if he wanted to advance.


    Alec raised a brow.


    This was [Hell] difficulty, yet the first monster that appeared was only rank two?


    Alec cut through the monster without another glance, easily killing it and stepping around it to continued down.


    In [Stage 7], there were two rank two monsters that blocked his path, followed by three rank threes in [Stage 8].


    By now, Alec was really feeling the anger build up.


    The person who''d created this place was really on his shit list now. This type of gameplay situation seemed like the recreation of some manga or anime that were really popular on some planets.

 Chapter 170 But Why???

    Things started escalating once he started tackling the fifteenth stage.


    It was the stage where whatever System was behind this whole setup that they had to pass, so it was definitely set to another level of difficulty compared to before.


    Unlike the first ten stages that felt like they were child''s play and hadn''t deserved to have a [Hell] moniker attached to it; Alec keenly felt the difference once he stepped into [Stage 15].


    The reason was, he was no longer in that original space where there was only stone flooring and a direct path to the next stage.


    The method of ''testing'' had already fundamentally changed. He was no longer at the original place with traps and monsters. Nothing so straightforward.


    Instead, he''d been transported to what appeared to be another world the moment his foot stepped down into the [Stage 15] room.


    There had been a swirl of runes before his vision darkened, and he understood that he was now trapped within an array. Or had he?


    He found himself in a deserted looking world, where the buildings were torn and tattered.


    It was originally a place where there were tall skyscrapers full of glass windows, but now the place looked desolate and barren. There were spots on the buildings that suggested someone had smashed onto it and died, leaving gory remains to run down the walls.


    The damage that had occurred to the city should have been fairly recent, seeing as the dust had not yet settled in, and some of the buildings still looked relatively new.


    There were overturned cars, and the buildings looked rundown and broken, as if everyone had hurriedly evacuated as soon as something bad happened, without being able to make the proper preparations.


    Smashed windows, shattered glass. What appeared to be display windows had been shattered and looted from, leaving behind a chaotic mess.


    There was a single sun hanging high in the sky, directly above his head. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    It was noon.


    The place looked like a popular city from the planet Earth, but there were no people around him.


    The place smelled bad ¨C as if there was rotten meat in the air, but no one could be found walking the streets of the place even though it was high noon.


    It was a deserted city, devoid of life.


    This seemed like one of the popular plots that had been used in many a story, and the setting wasn''t anything special.


    When Alec spread out his magic throughout the area, he found that it wasn''t as deserted as he thought.


    Rather than saying it was deserted, it would be better and quicker for you to understand if he said that the place was devoid of life.


    Instead, in its place, there were various ''sleeping'' undead in the area.


    Alec frowned when he realized just how many there were in this place. However, it wasn''t surprising seeing that this had previously been a populated city.


    No doubt that this was a scenario of an apocalypse that was so popularly featured in movies in certain planets.


    Having felt the number of zombies that were enough to make up a monster horde on their own, Alec quickly recalled his magic and hid it deep within himself.


    But it wasn''t enough, because the zombies that had previously been lethargic and sluggish woke up the moment they smelt the pure, delicious scent in the air.


    They all turned towards Alec''s direction at the same time, as if they had caught the scent of fresh, bloody meat. The mindless zombies left only with their instincts roared loudly as they stumbled in his direction as quickly as they could move, with their broken and tattered limbs.


    The sound of the roars triggered even more zombies, who followed the crowd, stumbling along towards him.


    Fresh meat!


    Fresh meat!


    Blood!


    Delicious!


    The zombies still retained a little thinking capability, but only in the capacity of looking for food.


    They lived through their instincts, like eating was their only calling in life. They hungered over live, beating hearts that pumped blood, as if something inside of them was screaming for them to devour and consume so that they could grow stronger and evolve into something new. Something better.


    Before long, almost all the zombies in the previously highly populated area had been attracted to Alec.


    But Alec didn''t panic.


    While this might have been harder without magic, he did indeed still have his magic, and even if he didn''t, his body was still Awakened, which gave him an advantage over the measly zombies in the area.


    Alec wondered if the so-called [Hell] mode was based on his magic rank, or if it was a general standard for everyone who tried out the ''legacy hall''.


    He studied the faint magical aura that the zombies gave off, copying it.


    The zombies that had been charging at him immediately lost track of the scent of his magic, slowing down to a halt, confused.


    There were a few confused roars before the surging zombie horde started dispersing slowly, but most of them remained in the area around Alec, going back to their dull and lethargic state.


    It was only now that the mission perimeters for [Stage 15] popped up.


    [Obliterate the source of the zombies or wipe out all the zombies.]


    Alec''s brows shot up, his eyes narrowing. The bubbling rage that had calmed lightly as he''d fought against monsters came back in full force.


    The anger was like black, sticky tar that marked up the insides of his lungs, leaving him feeling like it was hard to breathe as he choked on the anger.


    If it hadn''t been clear before this, this place had already shown him the truth behind this.


    It had to be another System; he was sure of it.


    There was no one on Incantix who should have been able to create something like this unless they were transmigrators. However, the transmigrators usually didn''t have this type of authority given to them.


    More than that, the Mainframe would never allow this type of infringement into its perceived territory that would grant transmigrators administrative powers. You either became a System, or the Mainframe would do its best to get rid of you completely if you ever dared tread into its domain.


    That just left the question of how they had managed to intrude into this place if Alec was the main System here.


    Or was it because he had been removed from the Mainframe''s scope that this had happened?


    There were so many questions that he needed answered.


    Regardless, this did not bode well for them depending on the System that was behind the creation of this ''legacy hall''.


    However, seeing as the message on what this type of stage this was going to be only appeared a long time after he had first appeared here, he could tell that the personality of the System that managed this ''game show'' was not anything good.


    They were the type that enjoyed causing chaos using the authority of the Systems, making trouble for transmigrators instead of genuinely helping them out.


    It was then that Alec heard the sounds of an engine running, followed by gunshots and cursing.


    They immediately attracted the attention of the nearby zombies, making Alec feel like rolling his eyes.


    Did those idiots have a death wish or something?


    Why were they recklessly driving around and firing shots at low-ranked zombies?


    Since they were using guns, it was clear to see that they didn''t have much fighting capability, yet they were daring enough to drive recklessly in the middle of the city where there were the most zombies?


    They were literally courting death!


    Who would be stupid enough to do that? Did all of their common sense leave their brains, or what?


    Alec almost felt like cursing them out for their stupidity and sheer gall of toeing the line between death and life.


    Then, like a siren''s call to the gunshot sounds, the [Main Character Radar] started going crazy.


    Alec slowly put his hand on his face.

 Chapter 171 Impossible!

    The sounds from the vehicle very obviously started slowing down as more and more zombies surrounded it.


    Alec silently prayed that they wouldn''t head here. Right now, he didn''t even know whether or not he wanted to associate with a Main Character in this kind of place if they were taking actions like this.


    Did it even make sense that they were shouting and firing guns? Were they trying to attract every single zombie to them or not?


    Alec prayed that it wasn''t the Main Character that was shouting loudly inside whatever car.


    In the first place, the entire city should be congested with overturned cars and blocked roads, so why were they even driving?! It made no sense!


    Even if he considered that they had reason for acting this way, he didn''t really need a Main Character to clear the mission. It would just be harder for him, that''s all.


    In essence, Alec didn''t need to hug the Main Character''s thighs like he was clinging onto their coattails. The apocalypse that this place was facing currently hadn''t been ongoing that long, so it wouldn''t be hard for him to blend in.


    Alec had so many questions and so little answers, but he didn''t need the Main Character for that. The Main Character was just a bonus.


    As he stood there in the middle of rushing zombies, Alec silently resigned to his fate when the sounds of the vehicle started nearing them. Since they were coming here without him doing anything, should he take it as fate?


    The little futile hope in his heart that the Main Character was just somewhere nearby and not in that vehicle was dropping sharply whenever the [Main Character Radar] bleeped sharply.


    Actually, now that he thought about it, why was a Main Character showing up in this place?


    Why would the [Main Character Radar] react in what was supposedly a ''mission''?


    Before he could think further about it, the vehicle was already approaching him at high speeds.


    Instead of what he thought, they were actually getting rid of the zombies at a rather moderate speed, whether it be running them down with the vehicle or taking care of it with guns.


    The most baffling thing was that they were in a jeep instead of a normal car.


    There was a round of swearing as a female in her mid-twenties shot at the zombies that rushed up to them.


    "Uwaaaah! Get away from me, you filthy things!" but even as she shouted such distressed-sounding words, her accuracy was nothing to laugh at.


    Every shot of hers was a headshot that caused a zombie to go down without getting back up. Her shots were relatively quick as well, but her bullets weren''t infinite.


    However, it wasn''t enough as more and more zombies started gathering cause of her voice.


    "Shut up already! We''re already loud enough because of this damn jeep, but you''re still attracting more?" the person who was driving whisper-shouted at her. Their voice was slightly thick, as if holding back tears, but he spoke reasonable words.


    "Ahhhh," Karen Flinch angrily whisper-shouted instead after hearing the admonishment from Liam.


    The three of them were university students barely a week ago, but the world had already deteriorated to this state. The surrounding buildings looked old and weary, as if they hadn''t been washed or dealt with for years.


    There was no trace of the formerly bustling and lively city. Instead, it was replaced with the undead wandering around, and none of the living being able to move around freely. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    The presence of undead caused a lot of blood spillage amongst those that had still been living fine after the world changed, spilling blood, gore and guts everywhere.


    Once it dried, there wasn''t anywhere that was left untouched.


    It was even worse in the city, where it felt like it was no-man''s land. Despite having driven so far, they still hadn''t met another living person.


    They were gone. Both her parents, as well as the Roberts'' parents were gone.


    The thought of it caused Karen to feel like her heart was stuffy and full of untold emotions that she couldn''t get rid of. If they hadn''t found that their parents wandered around in their respective apartments as zombies, she would still have been able to harbour hope in her heart, but she couldn''t any longer.


    Karen was only left with swearing to vent at the vile zombies that had ruined the world as tears fell from her eyes. If she hadn''t banded up with Lukas and Liam, the Robert twins, she knew that she would likely have been dead by now. Just like her parents.


    She first noticed that something was wrong with Lukas when his personality seemed to have undergone a huge change right as the apocalypse started.


    He grabbed both her and his twin, shouting at them and shoving them into a vehicle before things started going sideways. He didn''t even explain anything before they were whisked away, but Karen saw the outbreak that happened behind her.


    A man chomped on a woman''s neck, tearing her neck out, causing her to collapse on the ground in a pool of blood.


    It wasn''t only until the world abruptly changed ¨C and changed for good ¨C that she realized that he''d made the right call the whole time.


    It''d been a week. Just a single week, but she''d already seen many things she didn''t quite agree with. However, there was no other way around it. This was the world now. What else could they do but adapt?


    It had only been a week, but the world had already devolved to this state.


    She couldn''t even find any sign of life out here in the city that suggested things would improve.


    Where were all the people? Surely, they couldn''t have all perished.


    Lukas brushed his hair back. He''d have to cut it. There were a lot more zombies here now than he thought.


    He wondered if he''d made a mistake for coming out here so early before the bases had been set up by the government, but he had no choice. They rushed back here to find out whether both his and Karen''s parents were still alive, but it wasn''t to be.


    They''d barely managed to get a pistol, and the bullets were quickly running out.


    He wanted to tell Karen to stop shooting, but he knew that this was Karen''s way of venting her emotions. Their emotions.


    Even if Lukas had long since come to terms with the fact that his parents were dead, he''d be lying if he said he didn''t have the tiniest bit of hope that they were still alive now that he''d regressed.


    The only good thing was that he''d come back in time to save his brother and their friend. He''d been the only one to survive the last time, which had been part of his lifelong regrets.


    But he was back now, and he was wiser than before. He wouldn''t allow them to die this time.


    He knew that they''d realized something was off with him ¨C how could they not? But Lukas would rather allow them to come to their own conclusions.


    He was lost in thought when he heard Karen exclaim. "Hey, there''s a kid there!"


    What?


    How could there be a kid here in the middle of the city crawling with zombies? That wasn''t possible!


    The appearance of zombies in the world had quickly wiped out more than ninety five percent of the population, and most children were the first to go.


    But when Lukas looked, sure enough, there was a kid that looked eleven or twelve standing out of the way from their vehicle yet stared at them with a faint smile on his face.


    Lukas'' brows furrowed lightly, breaking his normally stoic expression.


    There was really a child.


    The ones that did survive all became powerhouses, but he could swear that he''d never heard of someone famous that looked like this child before him.


    With those looks, and those crystalline blue eyes that seemed so wide, there was no way that he wouldn''t be mentioned in the future if he became someone big.


    His expression turned vigilant as he stared at the child, yet when their vehicle went past, this stupid friend of his actually reached out and grabbed the child from outside the jeep, bringing him inside.


    Lukas'' fingers twitched as he grabbed the child that was in her hands and shuffled him to the back seat together with him.


    Karen really¡­!


    Alec resisted the urge to curse them out. It was one thing to be picked up, but another thing altogether to be manhandled when they''d already ''saved'' him from the zombies.


    "Who are you?" Lukas asked vigilantly.


    He looked over the child, but he seemed entirely unharmed. More than that, he didn''t have any zombie guts on him nor any cuts, bruises or scrapes. "How are you able to move freely within the zombies?"


    Impossible!

 Chapter 172 Four Makes a Party

    [Lukas Roberts]


    [Potential: 7]


    [Intelligence: 8]


    [Luck: 7]


    [Determination: 10]


    Huh. That wasn''t that great, but it wasn''t completely terrible either. The stat that Alec liked the most was [Determination].


    Alec was lucky that they were speaking in one of the universal languages that was rather widespread, which made this more convenient. Even without the unknown System translating it for him directly in his head, which, annoyingly enough, caused him to feel like he was listening to his thoughts echo, he understood them fine.


    Alec started talking before Lukas'' expression became hostile, but it wasn''t to explain who he was, or how he was able to survive in that horde of zombies without a scratch.


    Instead, it was to admonish them. If he was going to stick around them, then he wouldn''t condone such behaviour in the future.


    He smiled at them; his voice cool. "Did you really just pick up someone out of nowhere without checking who they were first? What if I''d been a zombie?"


    Surprisingly, Lukas, who''d been the one that was glaring at him, shifted his attention when he started speaking, glaring at Karen.


    "He''s right. Karen, you''re too careless."


    "Hmph. Fine."


    [Lukas Roberts Intimacy Increase +100]


    Lukas looked straight ahead, introducing themselves. "Lukas. That''s Karen, who grabbed you. My brother, Liam."


    Alec was baffled. Where had that come from all of a sudden?


    "Alec."


    Alec stared at the Main Character. Sure enough, he was handsome and had a mature aura about him.


    Even when his face was fresh and still youthful, his eyes carried a deeper and more serious feel that didn''t match his appearance. It made him seem charming to those around him.


    With his dark hair and dark eyes, his face was set in a cool look that was quite stoic. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    In comparison, his twin who was driving appeared like a young university student. Where Lukas was stoic, Liam was quite playful in comparison.


    They had the same appearance, but the one who''d been vigilant to him was obviously the Main Character instead of his twin.


    Like the two other university students, Karen also appeared like a freshman university student, but the stress over these couple of days had obviously taken their toll, and her eyes were slightly red rimmed as if she''d been crying.


    "You''re not going to ask?"


    Lukas looked at him with a piercing glance for a moment before he shrugged. "I figure no one with bad intentions would admonish Karen first thing if they were going to do anything bad. Besides, I can handle you."


    Alec just continued smiling. He wasn''t sure what the setting of this world was, but one thing was for certain.


    If they were shooting at zombies, then they didn''t have any ''powers'' that were so common in this type of apocalypse setting.


    At least, not yet. In that case, Alec would be fine. He''d already checked, and his Awakening worked just fine.


    This jeep was under his command now.


    "Where are you headed now?" Alec asked casually. "Do you have a plan or are you just recklessly driving in the middle of a city no less?"


    The university students in the car and one regressor looked at the child.


    Lukas thought about how much he should reply. Despite knowing that the child likely had no bad intentions towards them, he couldn''t let down his guard. That was what had gotten Liam and Karen killed in the last life, after all.


    "We''re trying to stock up on supplies before the government moves in."


    Alec nodded. That was a sound plan, and they weren''t completely terrible at fighting. There was another reason that they weren''t saying, but it didn''t seem like they were willing to talk about it with someone they''d just met.


    Lukas understood what that subtle look meant, and his evaluation of the boy went up a few notches. "If there are survivors, they should peek out," he offered as a compromise.


    "You only have that gun?" Alec said, pointing at the pistol that was in Karen''s hands. "That isn''t very efficient."


    Lukas'' look was evaluating. "What do you think we should do, then?"


    Alec looked at the crowbar across Lukas'' thighs, and the aluminium baseball bat that was stashed in front. "Nothing close-ranged. Since you don''t have any powers yet, then you should stick with a long-range weapon."


    Lukas grew more alert when he heard the information that the boy unintentionally let slip in his advice to them. Humanity wouldn''t even discover about their own powers until roughly a year later, where they finally managed to ''evolve'' as well, yet this boy knew about it?


    Was he like Lukas as well?


    Was he another regressor?


    The vigilance in his heart increased, but for some reason, he felt a faint liking towards the child as well. His advice was well intentioned, and his gaze was pure, unlike so many others who had muddied and vicious gazes that seemed to want to claw into his flesh without letting go.


    [Lukas Roberts Intimacy Increase +100]


    Why was the intimacy increasing so quickly when he wasn''t even doing anything??


    Alec shrugged inwardly and placed it aside.


    He had no intention of bringing around another person that he couldn''t even take out from the stage, so he would just allow it to increase or decrease as it would.


    "Where are we going to get that?" Karen said dryly. "In a time of relative peace before this, our city doesn''t even sell weapons."


    "¡­Have you already acquired provisions?"


    The number of zombies that were behind them were slowly decreasing as they travelled. It was almost a miracle that they were able to continue driving at all considering that the path was blocked in many ways.


    Alec pulled out a seal under the three''s incredulous eyes and stuck it on the wall of the jeep.


    "Hey, hey! What do you think you''re doing?" Liam asked curiously. His eyes were wide and pure, and his tone was purely curious instead of confrontational.


    "It''s a seal," Alec said casually. He didn''t think that sharing that with them would cause many problems.


    Liam and Karen seemed to take it as a little prank, but Lukas was wary. He could feel the faintest hints of magic from that ''seal''. It just lent more credence to the idea that this child was a regressor as well.


    How many more people like him were there?


    A few minutes later, they suddenly realized that the zombies that had been doggedly staggering after them had stopped, as if confused, allowing them to continue unhindered.


    "What is that? Is that how you were able to avoid the notice of the zombies earlier?"


    "Something like that. Instead, you can use your magic to copy the feeling of the zombies. Then they''ll think that you''re one of them."


    "Huh!"


    Lukas made an expression that was rather stiff, as if the very notion of doing something like that had never occurred to him. He immediately closed his eyes and started moving what little of the magic that he had inside him.


    If this really worked, then what had humanity struggled with for such a long time that they were on the verge of extinction even years later?


    Alec moved his gaze from the Main Character and instead looked at Karen and Liam.


    As the Main Character''s identical twin brother, Liam should have roughly the same potential as him, so there was no problem there. Karen, on the other hand, he had no idea about.


    Alec channelled a bit of his magic, zapping both of them at the back of their necks.


    The two let out twin yelps, causing Lukas'' eyes to fly open and glare at Alec dangerously, fingering the crowbar as if he was about to swing it at Alec regardless of Liam and Karen''s opinion.


    Alec remained unfazed because he had only been helping.


    It was only when Lukas confirmed that there was nothing wrong that he calmed down slightly.


    "What was that for?" Liam asked curiously. His free hand rubbed the back of his neck as he concentrated on driving.


    "That''s magic. Now that you know how it feels, look for it inside yourself."


    Although their magic wasn''t the same, the properties of magic spanned across worlds and universes, sharing similar properties.


    This was as much he could do for them as far as magic went. They would have to do the rest themselves. Let it be said that Alec always returned good to someone who tried to help him in kind.

 Chapter 173 Bro, What Did You Do This Time...

    They stopped at an abandoned mall nearby that was in the heart of the city.


    Compared to the other malls that had been looted early on when it became apparent that the world was changing ¨C and changing quickly, this mall was located in a prime location, smack dab in the middle where there was a lot of traffic.


    It was one of those places that only contained branded and luxurious goods. They had everything one needed inside there, just that they were all high-end products that only the rich would use regularly.


    Lukas had chosen this place for two reasons. One, there were likely to be less zombies inside, and two, it was in the middle of the city, which meant that there was less chances of it being completely looted already.


    It was a ''rich person'' mall, and most of the powerful and influential were quick to get out of dodge, which meant that this place would have less zombies inside it compared to other buildings.


    Liam pulled up next to the mall and maneuvererd around so that the jeep wasn''t as obvious, hiding it.


    Four people got off the car.


    Lukas'' eyes scanned the area around them, feeling strange. To be honest, before picking up Alec, he''d expected to have to fight off zombies once they got out of the jeep, but that wasn''t the case after the boy attached that seal to the wall of the jeep.


    He still felt incredulous about that.


    There was no way that something like that wouldn''t have had the numerous base superpowers fighting over him. And his knowledge? Being able to awaken the powers inside someone? That was practically priceless. Not only that, it was unheard of!


    But what did Lukas know? Before regression, he''d just been one of the many power users on a base. Though he survived longer than most, he wasn''t the most powerful. Far from it. He had normal strength-enhancement previously, but now he had awakened a lightning element instead.


    They didn''t have to go through a life-threatening situation, nor did Karen and Liam have to do something potentially harmful to them. One zap, and that was it.


    It could only mean that Alec had died before he had a chance of becoming known.


    The worst thing was, Lukas couldn''t tell how strong Alec was. Lukas was already a rank one user, but Alec still remained unfathomable to him.


    Were they really from the same place? Or was Alec from some different parallel universe?


    Lukas frowned. Things were getting messier now. He didn''t know whether or not his knowledge was going to be useful, or if other people had regressed as well, causing numerous butterfly''s wings to flap and change the events of the future.


    Yet, even when he remained uncertain of Alec''s motives, he couldn''t bring himself to turn his back on him either. Not when he''d already helped out his brother and Karen.


    Glancing through the glass doors of the mall revealed that there were only a few zombies meandering around on the first floor. They were practically catatonic since it was in the middle of the day.


    Everyone knew from movies that zombies only became active at night unless you disturbed them during the day.


    While it held true in the earlier stages, Lukas knew that this wasn''t true in later years.


    Just like humankind evolved, the zombies evolved as well, getting rid of their earlier weaknesses. The zombies only grew more powerful as they devoured both humans and other zombies, whereas humans had to rely on their own understanding to advance their powers.


    While they could kill zombies as well for the core to advance their powers, most of humankind''s fighting instincts couldn''t be compared to that of a later staged zombie''s.


    Lukas slid into the mall with the rest of his party behind him. Alec had not given him one of those handy seals because he wanted to try out how the child''s tactic had worked regarding copying a zombie''s aura.


    The moment the door slid open, the few zombies that were inside stirred at the smell that wafted into the place, stimulating them.


    Lukas didn''t understand. How was it that the zombies didn''t recognize them when their aura was copied? Surely the smell that only came from humans was still recognisable to them.


    Lukas tuned the feeling that his magic gave off. It was harder than it sounded, since the zombies had practically no magical aura to speak of.


    Still, he managed to get it down before the zombies attacked him, and both Liam and Karen gave off a breath of relief when the zombies lost their sense of direction, falling back into a lethargic state.


    What Lukas didn''t realize was that it was the humans'' magic that made them seem so delicious to the zombies. Ordinary humans were attacked once or twice, dying or turning in the process, but the zombies only ever ardently chased after those with magic powers.


    Since the two couldn''t copy the feeling of the zombies, they had to rely on Alec''s seal.


    "Karen, Liam. You should stick with Lukas since you don''t have much magic yet. The seal won''t last long once you deplete your stores."


    They nodded at Alec thankfully.


    Alec moved so quickly that he was out of their sight before they could ask where he was going, leaving them to stare worriedly in his direction. Would he be fine alone?


    Alec killed any zombies that were in his way. It was laughably easy, but for those who hadn''t yet awakened their magic power, it was nothing to scoff at. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    He even found a rank one zombie and took care of it. It was stronger and quicker than the other lethargic zombies, but not quite there yet. He could feel the faint trace of magic being condensed in the middle of its head.


    Alec stabbed down, digging around.


    There was a tiny, translucent piece that looked like a shard of glass inside. It contained the tiniest hints of magic.


    So, this was how the people of this world were set to grow. They could consume the core that was inside zombies and use it for their own growth and benefit. A lot of plots used this type of setting as well.


    Alec kept the core for now.


    He managed to find a DIY store in the place, which faintly surprised him. He hadn''t honestly thought that he would find one, but it was good luck. Lukas picked a good place for them to loot.


    It didn''t take long to find what he was searching for.


    Rope, duct tape, and a few other things.


    It was just too inefficient to use a crowbar or a dagger in this type of situation, and guns had their limits. In this case, bullets to use.


    It was far easier to make a weapon quickly that they would be able to replace should they need to as long as they had these few simple items.


    Alec quickly made a simple whip out of the items, testing it.


    He injected a bit of magic into it and lashed out. The solid door that had been standing firm in front of him didn''t look like there was anything wrong with it. Other than a fine line going diagonally across the door, there wasn''t anything else.


    Alec procured more supplies from the DIY store. There were many useful things here. He placed them all inside his spatial dimension. There was no telling how long he would be here on this stage.


    Batteries, torches, etc. they all went into his space.


    He felt the rest of his temporary party approaching this place.


    The doorknob rattled as Lukas pushed the door in, only for the lower half of the door to just give way and fall to the ground, creating a loud sound.


    The four people, one inside, three outside, stared at the fallen half of the door.


    "Bro, what did you do¡­" Liam said in a long-suffering voice.


    Lukas'' lips twitched. "It wasn''t me."


    Both Karen and Liam gave him a sceptical look.


    Lukas'' eyes fell on the black whip that hadn''t been there previously on Alec''s side. He seemed to put two and two together.


    "Hey Alec. Woah, this place has been raided already."


    The place indeed looked rather barren compared to the other parts of the mall. But why would they only rob this place and leave the supermarket practically untouched?


    Lukas looked at Alec with suspicious eyes, but Alec showed no signs of his smile changing.

 Chapter 174 Is This Magic??

    Alec asked if they knew about the source of the mutation that had caused this widespread apocalypse, but even Lukas, whom Alec was pretty sure was actually a regressor, didn''t know even years into the future.


    He frowned.


    This seemed to be harder than he thought.


    It was the first time that the difficulty of the legacy hall seemed like it was really [Hell] mode. He had to either wipe out the zombies on the entire planet or obliterate the source of mutation.


    While it seemed straightforward and simple, Alec knew that it was just a trap.


    If the mutation source went unchecked, then the zombies that populated the planet would continue to grow and spread.


    Let''s say he went for the option of killing all the zombies. With the mutation source still out there, more zombies would just be produced in the future. However, if he destroyed the mutation source, then the zombies that still existed would continue to spread.


    Basically, the ''mission'' that the unknown System was setting was actually to liberate the planet, but it deceptively gave him the objectives of the mission in a way that would mislead him, causing his efforts to go down the drain instead.


    Had Alec been allowed to be himself, he would already be sporting a black face, but since he couldn''t, and had to maintain his smile, the atmosphere in the jeep was extremely bleak.


    Karen and Liam couldn''t help but sneak glances at Alec and wonder why he was in a bad mood, while Lukas didn''t see anything wrong with it. He was used to heavy silences like this usually.


    Each of them came to the wrong conclusion.


    "What are your plans now?" Alec said abruptly.


    The oppressing atmosphere in the vehicle lessened a little, causing Karen to take a breath of relief.


    Lukas glanced at Alec. "We''re going to H base. It''s been seven days since the apocalypse started, so the military should have already made their move by now. H base is the most secure."


    Alec sank deeper into his thoughts.


    There was no way that he was going to be able to complete the mission for [Stage 15] alone, so he had to find some knowledgeable helpers. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Lukas would definitely be of help to him since he was the Main Character, but he wasn''t able to take a look into the [Plot Route] since Lukas hadn''t been registered on his [Main Character Page].


    H base should be the largest and most powerful base if a regressor was heading there. And he was definitely a regressor. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be so comfortable with his brother, nor with Karen.


    As a rule, transmigrators might or might not inherit memories from the previous body, but whether or not they assimilated them, unless they were the perfect actor, they wouldn''t perfectly replicate the bonds between close family and friends.


    From what Alec could see of Lukas'' strength, he wouldn''t have achieved his current level of strength without having been through blood and fire, but it also wasn''t like any of the mainstream type of combat that was favoured in other worlds.


    In short, Lukas'' fighting style, from what little he had seen, was the type that favoured efficiency and quickness. It was brutal and ruthless, aiming to take the life in a single stroke due to sheer need from having to avoid bites and contamination from zombies.


    The jeep sank into a strange silence as they each had their thoughts.


    Lukas didn''t know what to make of this strange kid. He was definitely older than he appeared, and the ease in which he wielded the whip was an indicator that he''d already gone through similar experiences.


    The way he used the whip was such a form of art that Lukas couldn''t help feeling awe even when he''d been exposed to many different ways of fighting in the future ¨C past?


    [Lukas Roberts Intimacy Increase +50]


    Alec looked at Lukas a bit suspiciously. Why had it suddenly increased without him doing anything? Again?


    Liam still didn''t know what was up with his brother ¨C and it was definitely his brother. He still had the same habits, the same speech pattern, if a lot colder, but the feeling he got from him told him that it was still his twin.


    However, seven days ago, he''d suddenly changed right before the chaos started, shoving them into a car and hightailing it.


    If he had to say it, he felt like he was looking at his brother from the future, as silly as that sounded. Yet, the apocalypse, whom so many thought would never happen, had happened. Who was he to say that time travel couldn''t happen, right?


    Still, he would wait for his brother to tell him on his own, if he ever did. He could see that there were things weighing heavily on him.


    Lukas always looked at both of them like he was afraid they''d suddenly die when he wasn''t watching, so Liam didn''t say anything.


    The atmosphere in the jeep was weird, and Karen desperately wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but she herself was feeling a little worn.


    Just a few hours ago, she found out that both her parents were dead and gone. She''d even ended their suffering herself, which broke her heart. But she couldn''t live with herself if she made either Lukas or Liam do it for her instead.


    Not only that, someone who had mysophobia like her was forced to live in this filthy, disgusting state. How many times had she already stopped herself from obsessively washing her hands with their limited drinking water?


    She wanted to bathe so badly and scrub all the filth and dirt off of her skin, but she knew that she couldn''t do that. Even if she did, she wasn''t that selfish. Who knew just how long they would have to live in this world?


    There were so many people who''d died because they didn''t have water to drink, yet she wanted to waste it cleaning herself?


    She''d never hated this part of herself so much.


    It was part of the reason why she''d grabbed Alec off the streets from the middle of the zombies, if she had to be brutally honest. The thought that that clean child in the middle of all that filth getting contaminated made all the hair on the ends of her arms stand up straight.


    She just couldn''t do it!


    Karen even got scolded by both Alec and Lukas, but she just couldn''t bring herself to regret saving him after all. More than that, she wasn''t that hard hearted to leave a child in the middle of the lumbering zombies no matter how much she should prioritize their own survival.


    They were out of the city by now, and the zombies had obviously lessened along the way.


    They only saw a few zombies outside meandering around every few kilometres.


    No doubt these were the people that had been driving outside while the apocalypse struck hard.


    They could finally take a bit of a breather now that they were outside of the city.


    Though it was already proven that Alec''s seal worked quite well in preventing the zombies from coming after them, that didn''t mean that the presence of zombies hadn''t weighed on their minds.


    Even Lukas seemed relatively more relaxed even when he was keeping his guard up.


    "Before we head to H base, we should get Karen and Liam used to using their magic powers," Alec suggested.


    Lukas nodded. If they showed up as a force to be reckoned with, no one would dare to touch them if they didn''t want to get hurt.


    Alec spread out his magic, looking for a place.


    "Liam, stop."


    Liam slammed his foot on the brake at Alec''s sudden words, causing Karen to fly forward and slam her forehead into the glass window.


    "Fuck! Liaaaaam!" Karen yelled when she recovered, playfully strangling Liam, who made choking sounds.


    Lukas snorted.


    "Liam, get out."


    Alec climbed into the driver''s seat, his smile twitching when he saw realized that he was a bit too short.


    Lukas snorted again when he realized the problem.


    Annoyed, Alec just sat back, and the jeep started moving on its own.


    "What the hell how are you doing that? Is this magic??"

 Chapter 175 Embracing Your Fears

    They stopped at a place near the river, with flat grass.


    While drinking from the river wasn''t safe, it was hard for them to find a place with an abundant number of zombies that weren''t too difficult for beginners to practice on.


    Alec gripped his whip and lashed out, causing a few zombies fishes to fly out and land on the ground, flopping around. The zombie fishes had large, sharply protruding teeth. It was much sharper than the human zombies'' teeth.


    Unlike the listlessness of the human zombies that were back in the city, the zombie fishes appeared full of life and vitality even when they were clearly zombies. They flopped around powerfully and didn''t die even when they were out of the water, further proof that they were indeed zombies.


    Karen choked off the shriek that wanted to leave her mouth, standing clear of the dirty fishes. Ugh. Disgusting!


    "First thing''s first. Copy the aura of the zombie fish."


    Karen and Liam stared at Alec doubtfully, but dutifully closed their eyes to feel their magic.


    They yelped when a stinging pain was felt from the lash that Alec gave them. For some reason, they didn''t feel bad even when Alec gave them a lash.


    "Don''t close your eyes! Do you think you''ll be able to take your time accessing your magic in the middle of a battle?"


    Karen''s eyes twitched. "Ew, did you just lash us with the same whip that grabbed the zombie fish?!"


    "I don''t see another whip here," Alec said a bit dryly.


    Karen struggled to shove down her disgust. Calm, Karen, calm. She had to get rid of this pesky mysophobia quickly! She couldn''t be a burden forever! This was the apocalypse. The apocalypse!


    She couldn''t allow this damn mysophobia to rule her instincts forever! One slip and she could lose both Lukas and Liam to a zombie, which was just unacceptable.


    Lukas, curious, was already copying the aura of the zombie fish. It felt distinctly different from the zombies in the city.


    Perhaps it was because the zombie was originally a fish and not a human. To put in in simpler words, the aura felt more¡­ watery as compared to the human type zombies.


    Within ten minutes, Lukas had successfully managed to copy the zombie fish''s aura. Meanwhile, Karen and Liam were still struggling, one more than the other.


    While Liam had already gotten a hang of using his magic throughout his body and was able to direct it to specific parts of his body. It was almost as if he''d obtained another limb and was getting the hang of it quickly. He was currently trying to copy the aura after being egged on by his brother''s early success.


    Karen on the other hand, was still struggling to find the magic inside her. Perhaps it was because she kept getting distracted by the wriggling zombie fish on the ground near her, but she just couldn''t find it!


    Splash! Lukas jumped into the river, startling a worried shout from Liam.


    "Don''t worry. Unless he''s directly bitten by a zombie, at the stage your brother is at, he won''t turn because he''s entering the water. You, on the other hand, cannot! So faster get to the first stage!"


    At least, that was how it was in all those novels. Whether it was true or not remained to be seen, but if a regressor was willing to take that risk, then who was he to stop him?


    Liam nodded and concentrated harder. Determination filled him at the sight of his brother putting himself in danger. He didn''t want to be left behind in safety while his brother was facing dangers.


    They were twins! He wasn''t willing to be left behind!


    Karen was still struggling even after Liam finally managed to copy the aura of the zombie fishes.


    Alec studied Karen, thinking. While he''d gotten good at reading people over the years because of his interaction with his master ¨C due to his normally stoic face ¨C he wasn''t a mind reader.


    All he could see was that Karen was feeling scared, disgusted and apprehensive.


    At first, he thought that she was just scared of the zombies in general, which should have been dealt with easily the longer she stared at zombies, which was the reason why he''d picked to stop here in the first place, but that didn''t seem to be it.


    "What are you so scared of?"


    Karen broke the slightly horrified glance she was using to stare at the zombie fish. Even when she was trying to locate her magic using the feeling that Alec had shown her previously, she just couldn''t break her horrified gaze.


    She felt like she was watching a train wreck in motion, but she just couldn''t concentrate when she saw how the fish was flopping around and even causing a bit of mud to be created!


    It was disgusting! It was completely filthy no matter how much she tried to psyche herself up!!


    "I ¨C ugh. I have mysophobia," Karen admitted in a small voice.


    Karen looked ashamed, and depressed. She''d probably been hiding it from both Lukas and Liam, if the way she said it was any indication.


    "Ah." Alec looked at her seriously, seeing how down she was about admitting her fears. He wasn''t good with words, so he would just tell it to her straight up.


    "So what if you have a phobia? As long as you are willing to work on it, one day you will manage to overcome your fear. Did you choose to have that phobia? If not, then why are you blaming yourself? This can''t be controlled but has to be slowly cured. It won''t suddenly disappear overnight no matter how much we want it to."


    There was a pause in their conversation, but Karen seemed more settled after hearing Alec voice his thoughts regarding her mysophobia.


    She looked like she''d let go of a heavy burden within her, allowing her to breathe more easily even when she didn''t feel perfectly fine.


    "How do you feel now?"


    Karen thought about it, and her face slowly changed as her real thoughts came to the surface. "I feel disgusting! Like there are a thousand ants crawling over my body. I want to wash up so badly ¨C even just my hands are fine ¨C but I can''t do that. What if we don''t have enough water? I can''t be a burden any more than I already am ¨C" she voiced her frustrations, finally giving word to them after having sat on these feelings for so long.


    At this point, Liam had overheard their conversation.


    "Karen," Liam said sternly. "You are not a burden. You are our friend. Would you think we were burdens as well if we did something that wasn''t productive? You should have said something! We won''t miss a few bottles every once in a while!"


    "No. I refuse! I can just bear with it until we get to base and manage to secure a place for ourselves. I''ll learn how to purify water so that I can use it, but not until then!"


    Liam and Karen glared at each other, neither of them were willing to back down.


    Alec looked at them dryly. He wanted to speak, but they argued so fiercely that he couldn''t get a word in edgewise. It wasn''t until they started glaring at each other as if the one with the fiercer glare would be able to cower the other into submission.


    "I have a solution."


    Both heads turned to him, confused.


    "All you have to do is awaken to stage one. If you''re lucky enough, you''ll get a water-type power which you can use at any given time. If you''re not, there are other ways you can keep clean with magic."


    "WHAT," Karen shouted, then made to engulf Alec in a hug that he avoided. Karen pouted, but then cheered up at his words. He should have said that sooner!


    There was a way for her to be clean! Everyday! Everywhere! In this filthy world! She almost felt like Alec had been shrouded in a holy aura the moment she heard his words of enlightenment. She could have converted to the Alec religion right there and then.


    Say no more!


    Karen threw herself into it with dogged determination, managing to access her magic and even copy the zombie fish in record time.


    Right as she finished, the current of the river surged and waved, splashing over to the sides. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    They caught sight of Lukas fighting against a giant zombie fish with his bare, lightning covered hands.


    The place fell silent in astonishment.

 Chapter 176 Underwater King Who Once Ruled the Ocean

    Lukas had already clearly discovered the element that he wielded in this life, fighting against the mutant zombie fish with precision and accuracy on the ground.


    He was helped by the fact that the giant zombie fish was unable to do much as it was out of the water, but its powerful flailing and sharp teeth were still a threat. He did not particularly want to test how immune to the zombie virus he was currently.


    Lukas continuously stayed in its blind spot, and eventually wore it down without the zombie fish being able to do anything much.


    The lightning element that covered him made him quicker and made his hits that much harder.


    Lukas and the giant zombie fish were engaged in a battle on land that seemed precarious ¨C well, precarious for the zombie fish, maybe, but not Lukas.


    And if both Karen and Liam were a little bit in awe, and just a little bit terrified, that was their problem, not his.


    When the zombie fish felt that it had suffered quite an amount of damage under Lukas'' hands, it flailed even more strongly, causing the river water to surge and splash as numerous zombie fish from the water to surge up, coming onto land to help the giant zombie fish.


    Alec, with the ease of herding a bunch of cats, directed Karen and Liam to kill off the errant zombie fishes that were coming out from the water. Since there were so many of them, they were able to practice using the new whips that they''d learn to make under Alec''s guidance.


    On the upside, they weren''t being attacked since they''d managed to learn how to copy the zombie fish''s aura. While they might not be useful dealing with the giant zombie fish, dealing with the smaller fishes before they were able to cause trouble and interfere with Lukas'' battle was a win on its own.


    It wasn''t until the zombie fish died that he realized Liam and Karen were staring at him with wide eyes, mouth slightly ajar. If Lukas flushed a little because he wasn''t used to anyone looking at him like that, no one saw it.


    Karen and Liam were surrounded by a mountain of dead zombie fishes, whereas he was standing next to a zombie fish that was even bigger than the pile of corpses next to them.


    Lukas'' lips twitched briefly.


    He stomped on the giant zombie fish''s stomach and punched his way through its corpse, digging around. No weapons needed when his fists worked just fine. Gross as hell, yes, but nothing he wasn''t used to.


    From within, he pulled out a pearl that was just a bit smaller than a golf ball.


    The pearl shone under the sun''s rays, giving off a beautiful gleam that many a woman would have killed for before the apocalypse started.


    Not only was it big, the consistency was milky and clear, like it had been crafted from the finest and most delicate circumstances in nature''s loving grip.


    Of course, you were fine to admire it as long as you ignored the fact that it had come out from a giant zombie fish''s stomach.


    Alec looked at the pearl, surprised.


    As expected from a Main Character''s luck.


    Lukas caught sight of the slight glint in Alec''s eyes that let him know the boy knew what this pearl was.


    Lukas tilted his head at Alec, looking at him pointedly. He held up the pearl between his index and middle finger, but no matter how he looked at it, he didn''t see anything special about it other than the fact that it was giving off a faint wisp of magic.


    There was no harm telling him. After all, if it wasn''t used by the Main Character, then it would hard for anyone else to protect. "It''s a pearl that gives you the ability to open a space, though I wouldn''t know what was inside it."


    The looks that they gave the pearl changed as they stared at it, wondering how that was possible. It sounded like something out of a novel ¨C something fantastical and whimsical, like a main character''s boon in an apocalyptic novel.


    Even though Lukas had regressed, he had never heard of such a thing before. How strange! And to find it in the zombie fish, of all things? Rather than in the hands of humans?


    Wait.


    Wasn''t this one of the mutant bosses that pretty much ruled one corner of the world? They called it the Underwater King because it commanded the seas. Even years later, the humans still weren''t able to win against it because they weren''t adapted to underwater combat, as well as the sheer numbers at its disposal. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    No wonder it had been so much larger than the rest of the zombie fish underneath. Its fins had practically been dragging on the floor as it swum lethargically.


    Lukas had just been testing whether or not his aura copy passed the test, but he hadn''t expected that when he was looking for some fish that hadn''t turned into zombies to eat, he would come across a zombie fish that was so much larger than the rest.


    Not only that, the zombie fish contained a strong magical aura, yet not only was it untouched by the rest of the zombie fishes, it seemed to have the others under its command.


    He should have known then, really. But he hadn''t linked the two together until now.


    Lukas had immediately attacked it since he couldn''t just allow it to be. No doubt that it would one day become a threat to mankind if it continued down the evolution route, but to think that it would become the Underwater King?


    Time had shown that beings that showed the proclivity towards controlling other zombies all ascended to the top of the food chain quickly.


    Little had he expected that instead of a core that zombies usually had, the magic that he felt from the zombie fish was this pearl instead of a core.


    Somehow, he didn''t doubt the words that came out of Alec''s mouth that it could indeed give whoever acquired it a space.


    Karen got a bit closer and stared hard at the pearl in Lukas'' hands. She couldn''t see anything unique about it, but that didn''t dissipate her curiosity.


    "How would someone use it?" she asked curiously. She was simultaneously repulsed by the pearl and attracted to its pretty sparkle at the same time.


    The smile on Alec''s face grew to a little smirk as he saw how enraptured she was with the shine of the pearl. "You have to eat it. Swallow it whole."


    Karen''s face changed immediately as she was completely repulsed, backing away quickly and hiding behind Liam. Her face had a disgusted look on it as she held out her hands. "Good luck, Liam, Lukas! All for you!"


    The thought that someone had to eat something like that that had just come out of a zombie fish''s stomach was completely disgusting and her mysophobia couldn''t stomach the thought at all.


    She shuddered, all the hair on her arms standing up straight.


    She didn''t even want to watch it go down. She''d have nightmares for weeks.


    Alec laughed, and Liam coughed as he politely hid his laughter. Lukas just looked confused.


    "You found it, so you eat it," Liam said with a bit of schadenfreude. He wondered how his brother''s stoic face would change once he ate that. The taste was surely not anything good.


    Lukas stared at it. Could he even swallow it? It was huge!


    Still, he expressionlessly brought the pearl to his mouth and popped it in, struggling to swallow it, but try as he might, he just couldn''t do it! The indescribable taste was filling his taste buds, but he couldn''t swallow the damn pearl!


    Alec snorted and helped him out a little.


    He thumped him hard on the back, and Lukas, startled, choked and swallowed the pearl whole. It went down his gullet as the Main Character wheezed.


    Lukas maintained his expressionless face, but he was dying inside. Liam, taking pity on his brother, handed him a bottle of water, which Lukas chugged down without much elegance.


    Karen was still covering her ears. She could still hear what went down even though she already blocked her ears, and her imagination was driving her to feel disgusted at the thought of that likely slimy pearl going into Lukas'' mouth.


    Ugh.

 Chapter 177 H Base

    As Lukas was playing around with his newly acquired space, they found out that he couldn''t bring around other people inside it, so Alec trained Liam and Karen more. It wasn''t like they were moving anywhere while Lukas was figuring out how to use his space effectively.


    At the end of the day, Liam and Karen collapsed on the ground, wishing they never had to move ever again.


    "How¡­" Liam wheezed. "How can such a small child have so much evil inside of him?"


    Karen panted on the ground, not even having any strength to detest that she was lying on filth. "D-don''t question it. He''s the devil in disguise, I tell you," she said, as if Alec couldn''t hear them.


    It was to the sight of his sweaty brother and friend that Lukas was greeted with when he exited his space. He stared at Alec with confusion. He''d never seen them act like this even after the school''s marathon.


    Just what had Alec done to cause them to become so utterly exhausted that they looked as if they were going to pass out then and there?


    "They made a bit of progress in their magic."


    There were twin wheezes, as if they resented the fact that Alec said they only made ''a bit'' of progress.


    They even found out the nature of their powers.


    Liam awakened fire, while Karen awakened the opposite, which was water.


    With three different elements in their team, they would be able to deal with many problems that came their way.


    Karen wanted to dance with joy when she really awakened the water element type power, thinking of everything she could do with it. She praised herself, saying that her body knew what was up. There was nothing better for a person who had mysophobia to awaken the water element.


    It wasn''t until Alec crushed her dreams that she''d barely started dreaming about that she wailed. Even if she could produce water, she needed more magic so that she could use it as she pleased, and control was one of the big things that she had to master!


    So, like that, Alec put Karen and Liam both through a bit of condensed hell training. There was no time for Alec to slowly take his time with them in this apocalyptic world where there was danger everywhere.


    But the progress they made under the pressurised training satisfied him for now, so Alec dragged both Liam and Karen back to the jeep, placing them in the back as they passed out from using up their daily quota of magic.


    Now, if only they kept up the intensity of their training, they would definitely be powerhouses in this post-apocalyptic world together with the Main Character. They had to do that much in order to survive next to the Main Character, after all.


    Lukas was about to feed them some of the water that he found in the space, but Alec stopped him.


    If he fed that that water to recover their vitality, then the expansion of their magic training would stop early, which wasn''t conducive to their training.


    "Where is H base located?" Alec asked.


    "Near H city."


    Alec inputted the GPS details into the jeep, allowing the jeep to drive itself as they took a break inside.


    "Go to sleep."


    Lukas hesitated. He didn''t want to be caught unawares when his brother and Karen were still passed out in the back of the jeep.


    Alec shrugged, allowing Lukas to make his own decisions. He didn''t push him, allowing him to think it through himself.


    Alec himself closed his eyes for some shut eye as he thought about what his future actions were. He couldn''t just rely on Lukas'' direction as what to base it on.


    He had to quickly acquire more information about this world''s state. He suddenly regretted that he hadn''t picked up a laptop when he''d been in the mall previously.


    -


    H base was located not too far from H city, and it was already relatively bustling if you considered just how chaotic the world had become. That the military had managed to set up something like this so quickly was ever so slightly suspicious.


    The party of four took roughly a week to get here from where they had been previously training. Mainly because they *didn''t* take detours around various towns.


    While Alec would have been all for avoiding those literal death spots had it been later in the apocalypse where the zombies had a chance to grow, right now the zombies were all great fodder for growing the three and solidifying Liam and Karen''s grip over their magic.


    They travelled along the dirt road, and Karen was already dying from not being able to take a bath as she pleased.


    Alec could see that there were military posted around to stop the people from rioting, as well as providing the people a symbol and hope that things were going to be fine.


    It had originally been a small town near H city, but it was now restructured as H base after having cleared out all the zombies from within.


    They were still expanding as there were countless refugees who turned up every day looking for shelter, brought here by either chance or circumstance.


    The military had already discovered that some people had powers. These neo-humans were obviously no doubt the future of the world and humanity''s only hope for eradicating the rest of the zombies from their planet, so they were ordered to have a separate line for those people with powers that wanted to enter the base.


    That was the line that Lukas and his party headed to, and there were countless eyes that stared at them jealously. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Those people who had powers not only could guarantee their future, but they also didn''t contract the zombie virus that easily. They were neo-humans in every sense of the word.


    Lukas demonstrated a bit of his powers, causing his fist to spark with purple lightning, so he passed. While lightning wasn''t that uncommon out of the few elements, having high attacking power, it was the size and brightness of his spark that made him stand out even though he was already toning it down.


    Next, Liam created a small fireball and easily passed the entrance exam to enter the base. His power was relatively common, so it wasn''t anything to exclaim over.


    Karen easily passed as well, having created a globe of water that floated in the air. When the soldier said that she could enter, she first cleaned her hands with the water that she''d already created, not wasting it.


    Out of the various elements, water was relatively harder to find, but the base appreciated this very much. Water was versatile and useful in all situations.


    The three of them stood to the side as they waited for Alec to demonstrate his magic.


    Alec was definitely not going to show his seals here, since that would create unnecessary chaos. Also, he knew that there would definitely be people that would come and try to use him for their political advantage, which he didn''t want to waste any time on.


    In the end, what Alec did next astounded those that had been watching.


    He casually stomped on the ground, and there was instantly an extremely loud noise as the ground gave way under his foot, the dirt condensed in with none of it flying out.


    What was left behind was a large crater with a small child inside, stunning the soldier.


    Somehow, why did he feel like this was the most impressive out of all the power users that he''d seen? That sure was useful.


    Alec lightly leaped out from the crater, ignoring the looks and gapes that were directed his way.


    Even his party was looking at him with surprise.


    "Let''s go."


    The party of four brought the jeep into H base with them.


    They had to go through a few checks as they quarantined for half a day before they were finally formally inducted into H base''s roster.


    Alec asked for the roster from a friendly soldier, flipping through it quickly.


    His eyes gleamed when he caught sight of a few familiar names.


    Very good.

 Chapter 178 The Cause of Disaster

    Alec didn''t need the name list to confirm where they were.


    He already knew that they were here, but he hadn''t known whether or not Vivian was here as well.


    When he spread his magic out subtly throughout the base, he could already feel the familiar magic signatures within the base speeding towards his direction.


    Lukas, Karen and Liam were still going driving along to the area that was assigned to them, only to find out that Alec had disappeared from the jeep without them noticing, baffling them. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Lukas was especially baffled.


    How had Alec managed to escape his finely-honed senses? He was confident that even if he was asleep, he would be able to feel anything that came and went within his sensing area, but Alec had unexpectedly disappeared when he was right beside him, causing his confidence to take a blow.


    Alec didn''t have to go far before he was met with everyone he''d been separated from.


    "Boss!"


    Their call made heads turn towards Alec as the group of handsome men and pretty women called for their boss.


    The various people passing by couldn''t help but look at the group that was so stunning they made everyone turn to get a second glance. Men and women of all ages were attracted to the various stunning faces in the group.


    To their stupefaction, their so-called ''boss'' was a child that hardly looked like he was in his doubt digits.


    What in the blazes was going on here?? Why were they calling that child boss?


    Someone in the crowd seemed to take this as a chance for him to recruit some of them to their side.


    Even if they were useless combat wise, just their looks alone made them a target to covert in this hellish world.


    Ian Sutcliff had his eyes drawn to the heavenly beauty that was in front of his eyes. With her jet-black hair cascading down her shoulders, and her smooth silky skin, she was more beautiful than any woman he''d ever seen before in his life.


    She was more beautiful than any of the celebrities on television, and more enchanting than a fox temptress. With her perfectly shaped eyebrows and charming eyes, when she smiled, Ian felt like his entire soul had been hooked, causing him to be unable to tear his eyes away from her.


    He wasn''t the only one, and the crowd had obviously grown when everyone stalled and slowed down as they passed by the group.


    More and more people were being drawn in, and it was a wonder that the military personnel hadn''t already come to disperse them.


    Alec was aware of the stares that they were attracting in this place, but it wasn''t any of his concern.


    As long as they didn''t have any ideas about touching his people, he would allow them to stare if they wanted.


    However, a single finger out of line and Alec wouldn''t forgive them easily.


    Just as he was happy to ignore the ignorant bystanders that were making a crowd and bring his party away, someone blocked their path. Alec didn''t like the intent that was coming off his body language, let alone the eyes that were locked on Vivian''s form without moving.


    The man brought with him a group of five other men that were looking at both Vivian and Rosabel with overtly and obvious lascivious desire.


    Alec instantly felt the sticky tar-like anger that had receded a little upon meeting his party again well up.


    The gentle smile remained on his face, but he didn''t think that his anger was going to be appeased this easily if they made a move.


    And they were quite obviously going to make a move in front of all these people, which was just as well.


    If they took him as and his party as a punching bag, then that would be a disservice to them.


    Alec felt like gouging out their eyes for daring to look at his subordinates that way.


    Ian''s eyes scanned across the group and didn''t think they were anything special other than their faces.


    It could only be said that the ignorant were truly fearless.


    Ian''s potential was so low that his tiny pea-sized brain couldn''t even begin to comprehend who he''d offended. He wasn''t even able to register the bloodlust that sat just below their skins, meaning he didn''t even qualify as the prey to their predator.


    Some of the crowd felt a chill go up their spines, causing them to wisely take a step back without having any idea why, puzzling themselves as they bumped into the people behind them.


    Unfortunately for Ian and his group, they weren''t part of the small minority that would have recognized the dangers that they were currently facing.


    "Hey, you''re their boss?" Ian said arrogantly, looking down at Alec, who was in the lead.


    Alec smiled.


    For some reason, Alec''s smile sent an even stronger shudder up a few people''s spines. They didn''t understand what they were feeling.


    "I am."


    Alec was pissed. He just wanted to move along. Was that so much to ask? But no, he had to run into this type of clich¨¦ plot development in an apocalyptic world.


    It hadn''t even been that long since the apocalypse had hit this planet, but this kind of trash was already crawling out of the woodwork.


    "Hah. Just a brat. How about it, beauties? Join our group, and we won''t treat you badly."


    There was an echo of jeers and agreement from his henchmen as they still eyed the two ladies at the brat''s side. Their eyes were bright. If they didn''t take this chance, then when would they ever see beauties like this ever again in their life?


    Now that the apocalypse had started, this was their chance to grab things they couldn''t have previously before.


    In a place where survival of the fittest reigned supreme, they would be idiots if they passed up this chance laid out before them.


    The Spectres licked their lips as their bloodlust increased. These people didn''t even have magic, yet they were blatantly provoking them.


    And that idiot, was coveting Vivian''s beauty? Vivian was the strongest out of all of them!


    If they didn''t kill them here and now, then they were idiots.


    The wisp of killing intent that the idiots were directing at Alec made them feel like they were going crazy.


    To think that someone *dared* to threaten their boss in front of them?!


    It was only their boss'' smile that kept them at bay. If it had been anyone else, they would have already struck first and talked later.


    Dominique as well was having trouble controlling his killing intent from leaking out. How dare the trash talk to his boss even? And to look at Rosabel and his mother like that, were they tired of living?


    Did they regret that they weren''t made into zombies along with everyone else?


    That had to be it.


    Alec glanced lightly at them, and they immediately quietened down. It looked like the boss wanted to take revenge for them, touching them.


    Actually, they were thinking too much. Alec was just wondering why his temperamental Spectres hadn''t already lost their temper and attacked the men in front of them, but this was fine as well.


    He had some steam to let off, so he didn''t mind playing along for a bit until they made the first move.


    The stress had been building up since the ''legacy hall mission'' started, and his anger had nowhere to go.


    If they were going to send themselves to his doorstep, who was he to refuse?


    Ian gazed maliciously at this little boy in front of him.


    Just a small child, but he was their leader. If he killed him, then the group would have to disband, and he''d be free to take the beauties as his prize.


    The black-haired beauty was his. The other lady could be left to his men. As for the rest¡­ if any of his men had those tastes, he could take them in as well. After all, this was the apocalypse. It was hard to find men that handsome.


    Each and every one of them were more stunning than any celebrity he''d seen on television before the world went to shit.


    Ian kept staring at the black-haired goddess in front of him, the killing intent in his heart spiking. All he had to do was get rid of this brat here.


    Vivian''s lips curled into a sneer when the pathetic filth didn''t move his eyes from her body, but that only made Ian more excited as he thought about conquering the beauty.

 Chapter 179 Courting Disaster

    "What do you mean?" their boss says, deceptively gentle.


    Even his tone was gentle, but Dominique felt pure chills go through him. This was the boss that he followed.


    Every time he felt like his feelings towards his boss solidified, Alec always showed him something that made his worship towards him increase.


    He could feel the tightly leashed chaos that personified his boss, something that made him submit each time.


    It baffled him how no one else could see this part of his boss, but Dominique chalked it up to the fact that no one was there that night when he saw the Death Whisperer receive an Ash Phoenix''s affections.


    There was no one else he would ever accept as his boss ¨C Dominique knew that.


    But for all that he knew that his boss was definitely death personified, he had never experienced the full force of Alec''s killing intent sliding upon his skin, and he likely never would.


    So, Dominique would just have to make do with living vicariously off of idiots who apparently wanted his boss to kill them ¨C in a place like this that already had lowered standards regarding the death and life of people.


    So, yes, the slight killing intent that his boss was giving off had successfully offset his anger because deep down, he felt a thrill to know that his boss cared about them just as much as they cared about them.


    But¡­ why was it that he still felt a little bit like killing that fucking man who''d been eyeing up his mother like she was a piece of meat he was just salivating to put into his mouth?


    She could take care of herself, of that he had no doubt, but he didn''t know why he was feeling this way.


    By all intents, he should be satisfied with his boss killing them, but why was it that Dominique felt the need to viciously stab the man a few times?


    A glance at his mother told him that she was unperturbed with the attention that was directed at her, yet why didn''t that calm him any?


    "What I mean," the idiot drawls, "is that if you leave them and skedaddle, I''ll be kind enough not to kill you. Of course, if you do decide to resist, then I''ll have to make a little example out of you. You understand what I mean, right?"


    The killing intent and bloodlust that exploded from their group startled even them by its intensity, but Dominique could only feel his entire focus narrow down to that one already-dead moron still flapping his lips.


    Dominique could only say that the moron was wasting the oxygen on the planet just by breathing. The effort that plants had to through in order to produce oxygen for them was completely wasted.


    The stumbling moron actually unsheathed a knife here right before all the witnesses, moving forward threateningly.


    Just as he was about to make a move, his boss made a move instead. If boss didn''t stop him, then the man would already have been dead and fertilizing the soil.


    The man that had been giving indecent looks to his mother the entre time hadn''t even seen his boss move.


    Alec kicked the man deceptively lightly on the bottom of his leg while gripping his upper arm, causing the idiot to collapse like a stack of cards knocked over, his face uncomprehending.


    "W-what do you-"


    Dominique saw the moment the pain kicked in, watching with vicious glee as the idiot''s face contorted in a scream of silent agony as Alec broke his jaw and dislocated it, the pain apparently so excruciating that it could stop even the most hard-headed idiots from talking.


    Ian clutched his face, the pain from the dislocation of his jaw making him tear up. Could he still speak?


    The vicious glee that bloomed within him at the resulting violence placated his bloodlust a little as the moron''s eyes rolled up.


    Alec shook him lightly, causing Ian''s eyes to swivel around as his brain was rattled, his eyes wide and terrified, but then his eyes landed on his mother, and they went from terror to lust in a split second, making Dominique wonder if the idiot''s brain was located entirely between his legs. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "G-G-guh get em," he slurred, but the idiot''s henchmen had apparently cottoned on to the fact that something was wrong.


    "Watrre ya do''ng?" Ian shouted, the pain obviously too little to shut him up, "I shaid get em!"


    The fact that a little boy like this could even bring a grown man that should have been able to forcibly rip his arm out of that grip and *not* gotten his jaw broken, was ringing alarms in their minds.


    They backed away, abandoning their ''boss'' within a split second.


    They thought that it was going to be easy, but apparently the group had a rather terrifying kid as a leader, and they weren''t going to get in the middle of that, no siree. They didn''t survive the initial zombie attack just to die in what was supposed to be a safe base!


    They might not have the best education, but from what they knew growing up on the black streets was that they should heed their instincts and run when it told them to run.


    And they were right to think that way. It was their wise decision that spared their life. As well as the fact that the looks they gave the group was only one of terror instead of anything else.


    Alec obviously noticed the way that his gaze changed as well, and Alec''s smile widened. Even his eyes were gentle and affectionate, as if he was looking at something precious to him.


    Dominique felt a stab of jealousy.


    "What did you say?" Alec continued gently, lightening his grip a little.


    Ian apparently had rocks for brains because instead of immediately running, he tried to throw himself at Vivian the moment he broke free, trying to take a hostage and most likely abscond with her.


    His boss'' eyes flashed as they hauled the man back by his shirt, throwing him on the ground.


    He stomped down, and there was the crisp sound of bones shattering and cracking upon impact.


    Dominique nursed the vicious glee he felt inside him. The man had it coming.


    Ian''s hand looked like a pancake after Alec calmly removed his foot, still smiling ever the same.


    The chills that Dominique had just couldn''t be contained.


    Alec tutted, his smile widening just a little.


    The Spectres sensed that Alec was about to do something, so they shifted a little, effectively blocking out the view of the crowd who had done nothing but stare on as everything happened.


    There were a few that looked gleeful at Ian''s misfortune, as well as others who were disgusted by the violence that was happening before them. Even more were watching with faint apathy or shock.


    Before Ian could blink, Alec had already ripped out both of his eyes from their eye sockets whole, disgustedly throwing them on the ground.


    The scream that was ripped from Ian was earth shattering, and the man writhed on the ground, his hands going up to the empty holes in his face, unknowingly getting himself infected from the filth that stained the ground.


    "How dare you look at my people like that?" Alec said warmly, grinding the eyeballs into a white smear under his foot. His smile never once left his face, which only made Dominique feel lightheaded at how cool his boss was.


    He briefly regretted that his boss didn''t kill the idiot who dared to look at Rosabel and his mother that way, but then felt enlightened when he thought about it.


    Death was too quick ¨C living like this was more torturous!


    Alec, seemingly having vented his anger, smiled more sincerely this time, looking briefly at the crowd, who shuddered when they saw that warm smile. All they could think of was hearing the screams from the man still writhing on the ground.


    He wasn''t a good man, but such unexpected cruelty from a child made their backs feel cold.


    "Let''s go."


    The group fell into step behind him, and Dominique pulled out a handkerchief, wiping his boss'' tiny but perfectly deadly fingers, obsessively trying to clean off the dirty blood that stained his fingers.


    When he was finally satisfied that the dirty blood was all gone, he went back and castrated that idiot to prevent him from spreading his moronic genes.


    Hmph. If he had any thought about treating anyone else the way he would have potentially treated both Rosabel and his mother¡­ well, he wouldn''t be able to any longer.

 Chapter 180 Hes Here!

    In a room that was filled with beautiful pieces of classical music playing, a girl''s eyes snapped open as her body jerked forward.


    She was caught by an assistant that had been assigned to her, steadying her.


    The girl had milky white eyes, but that didn''t take away from the mysteriousness that she exuded. She had an aura about her, like she could see through everything even though she was blind.


    "He''s here. The saviour of the world is here," the seer gasped, tears filling her eyes.


    Though she could not see, that didn''t mean that she didn''t know.


    The world screamed at her. It was dying, withering away before her very eyes.


    The worst thing was that this calamity had been produced by humans themselves.


    The seer grasped the assistant''s hands emotionally. "Quick, inform them that they are not to touch him no matter what he does."


    The assistant quickly left the room at her behest, going to fetch their superior.


    Something major had happened!


    -


    Alec leaned back, staring at his entire group.


    How had he expected that they would choose anything other than the [Hell] difficulty mode?


    He honestly should have known better by now. After all, even Alec had chosen the [Hell] difficulty, so was it any surprise that his subordinates had chosen the same? They lived for a challenge, after all.


    He didn''t know whether it was because it was something that was shared by Sins in general, or if it was just their personality, but they were never one to take the easy road.


    Still, what surprised him was that they were in the same stage. He''d originally thought that the unknown System would put them all in their own generated worlds to fight it out themselves, but it was a happy occurrence that they weren''t.


    It made things easier for them, sure, but suddenly it felt like the mission was going to get that much harder.


    The five others of his party had arrived at differing times, finding each other upon arrival.


    Yuki shared a bit about what he''d already learnt from being the first one here.


    "From what I gather, the first appearance of the zombies was because of a red haze that was spread throughout the planet for roughly five minutes. Then, the first appearance of what we call zombies emerged.


    As we know, zombies pass around the virus through contact. Biting, scratching, etc. As long as you have an open wound and the zombie touches you, you''re infected. Then, you turn into a zombie yourself. Unless, of course, you have magic. Like us. And a few other selected people out there.


    I''ve been scouring for information since I got here, and from what I can gather, the most important and shocking thing was that about a month before the appearance of zombies, a meteorite struck the planet near J City, annihilating the entire city from the shockwaves that occurred when it hit."


    The room digested the information that Yuki had on hand. It was the most comprehensive way that summed up their experience.


    Their mission was all the same. They basically had to save the planet.


    "So, we''re heading for the J City then." Rosabel furrowed her brows. "What a strange city name. But hey, that''s not too far, so we''re lucky."


    Indeed, J City wasn''t too far from H base. Rather, with their augmented running speed, they should be able to make it there relatively quickly.


    Alec had a feeling that the cause of the zombie''s appearance in the world was indeed because of the meteorite, but he didn''t think that it was still there.


    Right now, Alec was actually rather concerned about Fenrir and Bunbun.


    He hadn''t before this because he assumed that they weren''t here, but since he could feel the bond between that jeep and himself, as well as the bond between the Spectre marks, that meant that only Bunbun and Fenrir were not in the [Hell] difficulty mode.


    However, would his bloodthirsty bunny and his equally as bloodthirsty wolf choose not to do the [Hell] difficulty? He didn''t think so!


    So, just where the hell were Bunbun and Fenrir?!


    Yuki stared at the map in front of them. "It should take roughly a week for us to get there."


    "Was there only a single meteorite that struck the planet?"


    The party turned their eyes to Alec, who looked contemplative. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "I don''t think it''s that simple." Alec thought about it and decided on their course of action. "Let''s split into three groups. We should cover all our bases in case we miss anything."


    Since Dominique didn''t have any intention of leaving his boss, Hayden paired off with Vivian, while Rosabel and Yuki were another team.


    "Yuki and Rosabel, you should stay within the base and look out for more information. Vivian and Hayden will head for J City while Dominique and I will be going around to visit various research labs."


    There was a lull of silence in the room as they each thought about the things they had to prepare. There was a bit of unease that tinged the atmosphere in the room, and Alec had a feeling that he knew what the problem was.


    "As you''ve already noticed, this world¡­ doesn''t have Societypes, and neither do they have Magitypes. In fact, this place doesn''t have magic at all. I''m sure that it''s rather disturbing to all of you, so our best bet is to adhere to the standards of this world."


    Now that he''d addressed the pink elephant in the room, they appeared more at ease.


    The existence of Magitypes and Societypes was very ingrained into life in Incantix and appearing in a world where both of those things didn''t exist must have been an eye-opener to them.


    Alec was only able to be so casual because he had already lived a life where he didn''t have either.


    The thought that people weren''t constrained by prejudice and Societypes or Magitypes¡­ it was likely a novel experience, and probably just a bit terrifying since they wouldn''t know how the person would potentially react in a situation.


    After delegating, Alec took Dominique with him out of the room, intending to procure a few things within the base if they had it, and perhaps check up on the Roberts twins and Karen.


    He was wondering was why the military guards hadn''t come after them yet.


    There had been an entire crowd that saw how that confrontation with that idiot went down previously, and the moron was obviously missing his eyes, so why hadn''t the guards come to make an example of them yet?


    There was no way that they should have been left alone, and Alec had been prepared to make a show of himself and the rest of his party''s strength so that they would obtain some privileges, but that obviously hadn''t happened yet.


    With the newly formed base, there was no way that crime rates weren''t on the rise.


    By all accounts, the military should have moved in to make an example out of the neo-humans in order to maintain the security and order of the place, yet they were left alone?


    It made no sense.


    A few blocks down, he was flagged down by a guard, but he obviously wasn''t here to reprimand or bring them in.


    "Are you the captain of the Spectres, Alec?" the guard tried to look serious, but he appeared more like he was trying to hide his grin instead.


    "I am."


    The guard grabbed Alec''s comparatively smaller hand and vigorously pumped it up and down.


    "I''d just like to say. It''s nice to meet you! Don''t worry about having to face consequences. Since Ian Sutcliff had been trying to lay his hands on a party member, it was his own fault. As long as you don''t go overboard, my superiors would like to say that they won''t treat you unfairly."


    Ah, that made more sense.


    Alec had likely shown more strength than anyone else who was already in the base, and the higherups were definitely trying to keep him in H base.


    Fine.


    However, there had to be something more going on here. He didn''t think that his little show of strength had much to do with anything. What he shown was barely anything, and his raw strength shouldn''t even have registered on the military''s radar.


    Dominique looked like he was this close to killing the poor guard just from shaking his hand, so Alec sent the guard away with much difficulty.


    He dragged Dominique away before he went overboard immediately after the guard told them *not* to.


    "Mini, stop."


    Amazingly, the Sin really did stop glaring after the guard that was scurrying away, but his eyes also didn''t move from Alec''s form after that.


    Alec shrugged.

 Chapter 181 This is Mini

    The first place they had to check was outside the base, so they had to leave, but they couldn''t leave unless they were in a party of five at least due to the base''s rules.


    "Huh? Alec is that you?" came a familiar voice.


    Karen, Liam and Lukas were obviously looking to go out as well to gather some materials. While Karen and Liam had been curiously looking at the various mission descriptions, Lukas leaned on the jeep, looking rather bored.


    He''d originally been planning to just grab two people to fill up the slot, but he hadn''t expected to meet Alec again with someone else. Not after he suddenly disappeared from the jeep without any warning.


    "Karen, Liam, Lukas," Alec greeted, his smile turning a bit more genuine upon seeing them. His eyes lingered a little in Lukas'' direction.


    Dominique sensed the change in his boss'' expression, and his previous expression melted into something hostile. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Lukas'' eyes met the person that walked half step behind Alec, his eyes narrowing into a glare back at him.


    There was a faint killing intent being directed towards himself, as well as bloodlust that was well hidden. Had Lukas not been particularly experienced and sensitive towards negative intents directed his way, he would have long since died.


    Why was this person with Alec directing killing intent towards himself? He had never seen this man in his life ¨C both lives in fact.


    Dominique''s eyes were practically stabbing Lukas, his purple eyes narrowed into a glare.


    Alec could practically feel the sparks between the two Main Characters as they met for the first time.


    He wondered whether it was because they were both Main Characters. Was this some sort of innate rivalry that Main Characters had for each other?


    Come to think of it, even back in the Neil Clan, their group of five had been a complete train wreck until their teacher managed to drill into their heads that they were to work together.


    Wait, no. He couldn''t allow Dominique to run amok here when he needed them to head out.


    Where else would they find someone else?


    "This is Dominique. My subordinate."


    The killing intent within Dominique''s heart died down when he heard his boss acknowledging his position before these strangers.


    Lukas continued watching with a frosty expression even when the killing intent disappeared. While he originally would never have allowed a person that had directed that intent towards him or his people, this person was brought here by Alec, so he wouldn''t make a move.


    "Hi Dominique," Liam greeted, eyeing his brother.


    "Hi Dominique," Karen echoed.


    Dominique nodded coolly at them.


    "Cool contacts," Karen said cheerfully. Dominique had such nice contacts. The purple of his eyes glinted in the light, and they looked so genuine. She would have loved to get a pair for herself if this was before the apocalypse, but it just wasn''t meant to be.


    Dominique felt a bit confused but didn''t say anything since his boss didn''t. What were these ''contacts''? Was this some sort of otherworld terminology that he had no idea about? He assumed that she wasn''t talking about his network?


    "Let''s go."


    -


    The lab was conveniently located at the side of Town A, which was helpful for them.


    Being located in the suburbs instead of the city meant that there were less zombies around, and it was easier for them to slip in and out without attracting too much attention.


    Of course, they weren''t scared about meeting zombies because they were able to copy their aura, but if there were any other people around, it would be disastrous for them.


    "What are you looking for?" Lukas asked Alec, but his eyes didn''t meet Alec''s and instead met Dominique''s.


    For some reason, Alec''s subordinate kept glaring at him like he''d stolen something precious from him, and it was driving him crazy because of all the negative intent!


    If he wasn''t Alec''s subordinate, Lukas would already have tried to kill Dominique the moment they left the base.


    "Research. And evidence about whether or not the zombie outbreak is because of humans."


    Their expressions grew sombre at his words.


    "You think that the entire zombie outbreak was a manmade occurrence?"


    Dominique''s mouth pulled into a sneer. "You think that this is something that occurs naturally?" He might not have much information about this place, but Dominique knew that things didn''t happen without a reason.


    Even if meteorites dropped from the sky and wiped out a town, for it to spread throughout the entire planet at such a quick pace suggested that there was help from behind the scenes.


    Also, there was no way that his boss was wrong.


    Karen was confused. "But isn''t the zombie outbreak because of the meteorite that crashed to earth a day before people started turning into zombies?"


    Alec smiled. "It''s not like I''ve found any proof. This is just me making speculations."


    But even as Alec said those words, they didn''t feel like Alec had any doubts about his theory, which kept them silent as various thoughts went through their mind.


    Their emotions fluctuated wildly between anger and helplessness.


    The thought that it was humankind who had caused this calamity to befall the planet themselves wasn''t a nice thought.


    Yet, the more they thought about it, the more plausible it felt even if they wanted to deny it.


    Lukas'' clenched his fist as he turned over the words in his mind. It wasn''t like he hadn''t thought about it before, but he had never deigned it his job to look for the source of the mutation and where it had originated from.


    Lukas had gone crazy with grief back then, throwing himself into combating the zombies that continuously appeared, killing them one by one.


    Honestly, he hadn''t been able to afford thinking about anything else aside from fighting, because he really would have gone crazy if he hadn''t been able to release his stress and grief into a productive manner.


    But¡­ if this zombie virus had truly been created by scientists, then that meant that the deaths of billions were upon their heads.


    More than that, it meant that Liam and Karen''s deaths ¨C their parent''s deaths ¨C and so many other innocents had been the cause of mad scientists.


    And for what?


    To satisfy their curiosity? To obtain immortality? To ''evolve'' mankind?


    Oh, they had ''evolved'' indeed. It had worked so well that ninety percent of the planet evolved into something less than human.


    The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. There was no lack of people who wanted to mess with things they shouldn''t in order to pursue their curiosity.


    The thought just made him burn with anger. He felt like the anger was scorching him from inside out.


    "Do you really think you''ll find anything in a small lab like this?" Lukas asked instead. He doubted that they would find anything so easily.


    They were in front of the lab now, but there was a sturdy security door before them. There were no windows in the entire building, which was probably a decent security measure, but it only meant that they didn''t have an alternate way in now.


    While it wasn''t any trouble breaking in, the alarm would go off should the door be broken in or removed with anything but the password.


    "Of course not," Alec said absently, removing the metal plate from the number pad.


    With a few screwdrivers and other things, Alec quickly hacked into the system within a few minutes, and the door of the place slid open with a hiss.


    They looked at him with amazement, never having seen anyone do something like this with such ease.


    Dominique just watched his boss with worshipful eyes.


    The strange technology of this world was completely different from that in Incantix, but his boss knew how to deal with it in the few days that they never met.


    His boss knew how to do everything!


    Alec stepped into the place. He didn''t need to specifically look for information inside the lab.


    What he needed instead was the high-tech computer that was connected to others of the same specs.


    The information he needed could be found quickly as long as he had connection and power.


    "Find the backup generator."

 Chapter 182 Cleanliness and Dus

    Lukas didn''t know what he would do if he found evidence that the disaster had truly been awoken from human hands, but he steadied his mind, not allowing the fluctuating emotions to affect him.


    They found the backup generator rather quickly in the basement. It wasn''t anything difficult to use, so after they started it up, Lukas left Liam and Karen while he poked around the place.


    There was a whirr as lights came on, flickering before completely lighting up. After that came the sound of the air-con starting up, the whoosh of air sounding obnoxiously loud compared to the previous still silence.


    The place looked pristine and clean, unlike the norm after the apocalypse started. There wasn''t even any dust in the place.


    Unlike first impressions, the lab was actually a lot bigger inside and as well as underground.


    There was something about this place that was tripping his memory, but he couldn''t recall what.


    It had been such a long time since he''d thought about anything other than what was relevant to sharpening his killing techniques. It''d been roughly twenty years since he thought about things that didn''t directly affect him before the apocalypse started.


    As he stared at the brand mark on one of the walls, a blurry fragment of his knowledge surfaced as it slowly started coming back to him.


    This laboratory in Town A was famous throughout the country, and it had a sizable number of famous researchers that were supported by the government.


    Lukas'' eyes narrowed.


    So, just where were all the people?


    Or rather, where were the people that had been turned into zombies after the zombie outbreak randomly started? The red haze that triggered the transformation could penetrate into every crevice. There was no place on this planet that was safe from its reach.


    Why weren''t there any zombies wearing white lab coats walking around, stumbling here and there?


    Alarm bells were ringing in his mind as he analysed the situation. That was what had been tripping his senses when they entered.


    The complete silence and absence of sound. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    The idea that the scientists had been the one to start up the entire apocalypse. Like everyone else, they would have remained working in the lab. Unless they all knew what was coming.


    The cleanliness of this place, the lack of zombies, and the fresh scent of air freshener instead of blood, guts and gore.


    Lukas'' instincts were screaming at him. While there were other reasons that the lab could have been empty, his finely honed instincts said otherwise.


    There had been no zombies in this place since the apocalypse started, which was why this place was in such a state as compared to the other places outside.


    Lukas'' eyes flashed as he sped up his searching.


    Even if they were all missing ¨C or rather, they should have taken cover if they knew what was coming.


    Lukas craned his ears, listening to every single sound, from the whirring of the air-con to the soft sounds of the others moving around.


    Then, he heard a soft clank, and he was darting down to chase after the sound, ignoring his brother''s alarmed question behind him.


    He could hear them dropping whatever they were doing and following behind him, and he didn''t stop them.


    There was someone here.


    Sure enough, he spotted a door in the far right that was still in the middle of closing, but didn''t hear the sound of a lock.


    Cautiously, Lukas opened it. Even though there were no sounds from inside, that did not indicate a lack of danger.


    Just as he pulled the door open, he took a step back, and in doing so, avoided the chair that had been chucked right as the door opened.


    The chair made a loud clatter, whirling across the smooth tiled floor before toppling over.


    Just as the chair passed him, Lukas already entered the room, grabbing the woman inside and twisting her arms behind her back, pinning her to the ground.


    The lady wearing a lab coat let out a muffled groan, struggling futilely under his grip.


    Liam and Karen peeked into the room, entering when they saw that Lukas had the situation well in hand.


    "A researcher?"


    Lukas stripped the white lab coat from her body, chucking it at them. He ignored the scream of pure rage and indignance from the researcher, patting her down to look for weapons or anything else that had not been in her coat''s pockets.


    The lady resisted fiercely, which only made Lukas use more force to pin her down, making it so that she couldn''t move her four limbs. "Let me go, you pervert!"


    This elicited a snort from Karen. If Lukas was a pervert, then the entire world was full of perverts.


    Eventually, the fight gave out from the scientist when she realized it was futile.


    Liam grabbed some duct tape from his backpack, securely binding the researcher''s arms and hands behind her back, then her legs together for good measure.


    The lady researcher was glaring at them heavily, her hair in disarray, yet she looked cleaner and more put together than practically everyone out there struggling in the apocalypse.


    The three of them looked at the glaring lady, but she kept her mouth shut stubbornly, her glaring eyes piercing into them.


    Lukas shrugged, hoisting her over his shoulder, where she wriggled like a caterpillar, shouting out profanities as she was manhandled.


    "Put me down you sorry son of a-"


    Lukas shook her roughly, not having any sympathy for the fairer sex. This was the apocalypse, where women were just as cruel as men, doing whatever they needed to survive.


    The researcher finally shut her mouth, feeling like she was about to vomit, which would waste some of her rations, so she grudgingly kept silent, not wanting to be shaken again.


    Lukas dragged her up to the floor level, where Alec and his subordinate were in the room filled with various computers.


    Alec''s brows shot up when he saw what the cat had dragged in.


    There was actually someone living still inside this place, where there weren''t even any zombies.


    "Where is everyone else? Why aren''t there any zombies here?"


    The lady researcher continued glaring at them, keeping her mouth shut. She didn''t seem willing to talk.


    Lukas'' gaze grew frostier, and the researcher felt a chill go up her arms at his glare. For some reason, she felt like she would die if she continued to go down this path, but she couldn''t make up her mind.


    While Lukas and the researchers were glaring at each other, Alec disregarded them, typing on the keyboard.


    The rhythmic sounds of the keyboard being tapped were the only sounds inside the room, various pages opening at once.


    "Natalie Anne Baker. Blood type A. Thirty-four, PhD in molecular biology. Graduated from Country B four years ago. Two pet cats, a hamster, no living relations."


    Natalie''s expression froze as her heart pounded loudly in the relative silence of the room. How¡­?


    Oh. She could still see the various pages opening and closing in front of the boy sat before one of the lab''s desktops, his fingers flying over the keyboard in a mesmerizing series of actions.


    Her heart shuddered. She was more terrified of this boy who had a faint smile hanging on his lips rather than the man who had singlehandedly captured and defeated her.


    The boy hadn''t even looked in her direction other than that first time when she was brought into the room, which relieved her.


    She felt as if all her secrets were laid bare in front of him.


    "W-what do you want," Natalie said, cursing the stutter that gave away her weakness to the group in front of her.


    "Nothing," Alec said, cutting off what anyone else might have said.


    Lukas looked at Alec incredulously, his eyes narrowing.


    Dominique glowered at Lukas as if he sensed the doubt that was within him regarding Alec''s capabilities.


    "Excuse me?" Natalie said, trying to keep her voice from going hysterical. "Then why-"


    "We don''t need you. Specifically, anyway," Alec said, finally turning to her.


    Natalie shut up, her heart shuddering as those baby blues locked onto her face. There was a terror that suffused her when she heard his words.


    All she could think of was that they were going to get rid of her since she wasn''t going to be useful to them.

 Chapter 183 The Truth Behind Lies

    Natalie quickly spilled everything she knew.


    She hadn''t been the only researcher here, but she had previously been the youngest. She was the only researcher that survived the zombie outbreak and continued to live on as a human.


    There''d been ten of them in this facility, but she was the only one to survive and continue her research.


    She showed them the rooms that they''d used to contain them that was locked with a password. Only if they passed the initial first test would they be able to continue researching.


    Natalie insisted that what happened to them was only part of a greater scheme. They were only the lowly ranked researchers without any say in this matter.


    Lukas could hear the unspoken words that she didn''t think they''d done anything wrong. Even if they turned out like this, it wasn''t that bad, was it?


    Lukas sneered in his mind. This was only wishful thinking. Trapped in this little box, Natalie didn''t know about the true horrors so many faced in the apocalypse''s outbreak.


    There were ten containment rooms, but only one of them had its door swung wide open.


    Each of the rooms were bracketed with glass windows that were bulletproof, giving Alec''s party insight into the rooms.


    Natalie shuddered, turning her gaze away, focusing her eyes on Lukas'' clothes from her spot on his shoulder.


    There were nine zombies in total in this facility, and they could almost pass off as human. If it wasn''t for the fact that their eyes were completely milky white, and that their chests didn''t move to breathe, they could almost have fooled anyone so long as those characteristics were covered up.


    As it stood, Lukas suddenly realized why Natalie had managed to fool herself into believing that this wasn''t so bad. Surely, if the researchers that had been transformed were so docile, the rest of the world outside was like this as well.


    "We aren''t the head of this research. At best, we were just helping to test it a little. Most of the written research came from the TO University lab. The research is spread across almost every well-known research facility."


    None of Alec''s party looked at her with a friendly gaze. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Natalie continued tensely, hunching into herself. "It wasn''t like we had any say in this matter! Do you think I wanted to turn into a zombie? It wasn''t supposed to be like this! We were supposed to liberate humanity and push forward evolution!"


    Lukas'' freezing eyes pierced into her. "Is that what you call this? Liberation from humanity? Do you know how many people died in that initial outbreak? Don''t lie to yourself. What you did wasn''t any different from murder. What you were trying to do was play god and mess with humanity''s fate. Well, congratulations. You''ve proven successful."


    The gazes that were used to look at her wasn''t friendly at all, and Natalie felt as if the cold young man''s every word pierced deeply into the softest, most vulnerable spots of her psyche.


    Natalie shuddered, hunching down as shivers wrecked her body. "No, no, no¡­" she muttered to herself, desperately trying to convince herself. "No, that wasn''t¡­"


    Liam looked at his brother with surprise, not having expected him to be so sharp with his words.


    Lukas'' normally stoic expression was a shade of cold now, and his eyes were unsympathetic as he looked at the researcher that had played a part in so many people''s demise.


    Alec finally shut down the computer. "Forget about her. I''ve got the information I need. Are you guys going to continue finding more information with us or leaving?"


    They looked at each other, unsure about what to do.


    Coming in here, they never expected to really find evidence that the start of mankind''s decline was caused by scientists and researchers that wanted to play god.


    "I''m going," Lukas said firmly.


    The things he hadn''t placed any importance on in his last life¡­ they''d gotten Liam and Karen killed.


    If he was just able to find out why it had all occurred and find out what the cause of mutation was, eventually they would one day be able to wipe out the zombies that still lingered on the earth.


    It was still the early days yet, where it was possible to move around relatively freely as long as he had enough strength.


    Lukas mentally thanked Alec for opening his eyes.


    He had originally been planning on just keeping Liam and Karen safe from the horrors of the apocalypse, but Alec had given him a new direction and goal to work towards.


    He now understood. It was better to take care of these matters before they got out of hand. If they managed to take care of the virus, then this would guarantee their safety instead of Lukas having to guard them day and night.


    He''d originally been sceptical, but now he was anything but. Rather, it was more accurate to say that a part of himself had been desperately hoping that Alec''s hypothesis that the apocalypse was manmade was false.


    The moment he realized that there was a scientist still living in his lab, he already knew that Alec was right.


    [Lukas Roberts Intimacy Increase +700]


    [Lukas Roberts Intimacy MAX]


    [Lukas Roberts added to Main Character Page]


    Alec''s lips twitched. From the start to the end, he still had no idea how Lukas'' intimacy points were randomly increasing, but he didn''t complain.


    Karen crossed her arms. "Uh, excuse me? Lukas Roberts, did you just exclude us from this conversation or what? You are not going out there alone!"


    Lukas frowned at Karen, and he looked like he was about to argue about their safety.


    Liam shot his twin a disappointed look, causing him to shut his mouth before he said anything. "Brother, you may want to keep us safe, but we want the same thing for you, so don''t shut us out. Let us help you."


    Lukas nodded shortly.


    "Good," Karen said, satisfied.


    Lukas was always looking out for both her and Liam even when they were kids. One day, he would finally realize that they wanted to look out for him as well. For each other.


    Sure, Lukas had changed a lot, but she knew that he was still her grumpy friend that remained steadfast throughout whatever hardships they faced.


    Liam turned to Alec. "We''re all going with you."


    Dominique''s expression turned rather surly, but they ignored him, even when Lukas glared briefly at him before turning his eyes back to Alec.


    By now, they''d realized that Dominique''s worship of Alec had reached rather startling levels, but if Alec didn''t say anything about it, then they wouldn''t either since it wasn''t any of their business.


    Alec patted Dominique. "Don''t pout, Mini."


    Dominique''s expression fell slightly. He knew that Alec had made up his mind to bring them together.


    "What do we do with her?" Karen said, pointing at the still researcher that was deep in denial. Her lip curled. She couldn''t stand the fact that someone had gotten it into their head that they had any place messing around with something so radical.


    Lukas had put it aptly earlier. They had been trying to play god instead of letting things progress in a normal manner.


    Alec had half a mind to just leave her be, but part of him also wanted to drag her with them so that she could witness the horrors that she had unleashed on the world however unwittingly.


    Natalie shuddered when they all turned their eyes on her. The researcher''s face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were red-rimmed.


    She took a deep breath and pulled herself together, licking dry lips.


    "Y-you can kill me after it''s all over, but not until I develop a cure. Just how many researchers do you think are still alive? You need me."

 Chapter 184 The Truth Behind Lies II

    Natalie couldn''t resist against the coldness of their gazes, so she stutteringly continued on, frustration thick in her voice. "I didn''t know it was going to get this bad, you have to trust me. I thought I was helping humanity, but that obviously went out the window. I want to atone, but the only way I can atone is to try and develop a cure to the virus."


    She tilted her head up, firming herself. "I helped cause this problem, now I want to help stop it."


    Even though she was sincere about her words, they didn''t change the way they treated her.


    "Bring her along, then."


    Lukas nodded, having left the decision to Alec. He dragged Natalie''s limp form with them into the jeep, taking a dagger out.


    Natalie shrunk a little, trembling, but didn''t make a move to resist.


    Alec respected that she had enough courage to say that and try and make amends even if he didn''t like her.


    Anyway, if the cause of mutation couldn''t be obliterated, then they had a convenient scientist on their hands that could possibly find the cure. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    He''d looked through the files on the database, and her work wasn''t too bad, so she was still relatively useful should they decide to use her.


    There were many things that they didn''t understand, and despite him having knowledge about certain things, he wasn''t infallible.


    "There''s only one thing that wasn''t written in the files. How did you manage to extract the virus to use?"


    Natalie trembled. "I don''t know. That part was redacted from the papers, but from what I gather, it was originally from some sort of rock or meteorite. The virus was extracted into a gaseous form that was then stored in a metal tube and handed to us to experiment on."


    -


    Natalie spent a few days in silence in the jeep. No one talked to her, but she was grateful that they even left her alive in the first place. That they were giving her a chance to atone and fix the things that had went wrong.


    She had no idea whether or not she could do it, but she had to try. For humanity. Because that was all that she''d wanted in the first place. She had really been trying to empower humans.


    For now, they ruled the earth, but what about outer space? There was no way that in the entire multitude of the galaxy, they were the only intelligent lifeforms out there.


    More than that, she wasn''t lying about wanting to atone. She honestly had no idea that the world would devolve into this state.


    The research notes that she''d gotten painted such a beautiful picture that they could all picture the optimistic world if they worked it out properly.


    At this thought, she felt a familiar fear and anger mix together.


    Her superiors originally had told them that they were only testing it small-scale on a few willing test subjects, sending them over.


    The subjects had been paid off, and they weren''t afraid of death, so the human experimentation had been given tacit approval from the rest of her fellow scientists and researchers.


    The fact that they were delivered in a van, unconscious, with the statement that they were drugged to sleep because of the off chance that things went wrong. Even if they were willing to give their lives, that didn''t mean that they should suffer.


    In hindsight, that was super shady, but none of them had questioned it because they had been blinded by their enthusiasm.


    Natalie first started getting a bad feeling when she saw how some of the subjects devolved into a state that could only be called a life between death and life. While they didn''t have a heartbeat anymore, nor did they have any conscious thoughts, they were able to move around.


    They''d sent the report of the data up to the higherups but hadn''t received any news back about what they should do, so they just continued researching the strange state that these people were in.


    They didn''t need to eat, nor did they need any stimulus.


    By all accounts, they were just¡­ existing. They weren''t alive, nor did they have any thought processes.


    The only thing that stood out was they reacted to sound, and meat caused them to go crazy. It was extremely discomforting.


    It was only one day when they were suddenly knocked out cold, placed in separate containment rooms that they realized they were next to be experimented on.


    It drove them crazy, the thought that they would be the next ones facing that state.


    And for what? Why weren''t they needed? Was it because they failed in their research?


    The coldness started seeping into her bones then, and the red haze of the virus started seeping into the room, lasting for a total of what felt like an eternity.


    She''d seen her fellow researchers bang crazily on the door, unable to get out, their eyes going wide and frantic as they shouted, but no sound made its way to her.


    One by one, they started turning and devolving, their eyes going from clarity and desperation to a blank white. No more pupils, no more irises.


    Natalie shuddered.


    Natalie''s heart had thundered in her chest as she scrunched her eyes shut, waiting for death. Waiting for her brain to stop working, to stop functioning as she turned into what she could only call zombies.


    She clamped her hands over her ears, wanting to block out the ringing silence. Somehow, it was worse that she couldn''t hear anything. She couldn''t hear as the rest of her colleagues went crazy, couldn''t hear as they screamed and shouted.


    Natalie wasn''t alone in this place, but she was alone in this room.


    No one could hear her, no one could save her.


    She was going to die. Alone. Because how could you call that state that was in-between life and death anything else?


    It was only then that she regretted not once questioning the orders from the higherups.


    Had the subjects earlier even been willing? Or had they been kidnapped off the streets, fed drugs before their bodies were used without both their knowledge and consent?


    The thoughts haunted Natalie for hours until she realized that she wasn''t going to turn into one like the rest of them, but that only terrified her more.


    She wanted to live, but she also didn''t want to have to face the facts that she''d contributed to this experiment.


    She didn''t know how she got out of the room. Someone must have been monitoring them as they released the lock on her door.


    Natalie had collapsed, shivering.


    She had no idea how long passed like that, her mind wandering without focus as she thought about the horrors that she''d partaken in.


    Everyone was dead.


    Maverick, Jacob, Sally¡­ everyone¡­


    But¡­ but at least now that the higherups knew about the downsides of using this virus, right?


    She was wrong. It was only when she stumbled out and exited the lab that she froze in horror.


    Nearby buildings and the normal bustling that used to exist in the background had faded away, leaving Natalie shivering.


    She shut herself back into the lab, trembling, her face pale and devoid of blood.


    They''d used it.


    They''d used it after seeing what it did to all of them, and sHE WAS AT FAULT IT WAS ALL HER FAULT HER HER HER HER ¨C


    She must have shut the trauma into the back of her mind, because she returned back and realized that a few days passed without her even knowing.


    The lab was silent and devoid of any life, but at the back of Natalie''s mind, something whispered to her not to leave. Not to go looking. Not to turn on the computers, or the television.


    Natalie didn''t know why, but she heeded the voice in her head.


    The loneliness got to her first, but the terror that had been ingrained in her bones stopped her from doing anything.


    She lived as a shell for an unknown number of days. It wasn''t until Lukas and the rest had broken into the lab, all but stabbing her with their cold words that had been just as sharp as any knife that the trauma came back in full force, all her memories returning.


    It hurt.


    Her mind hurt; her heart hurt.


    And she regretted.


    This wasn''t why she had studied molecular biology. She wanted to change the world, that was for sure. But she wanted to advance mankind. Not bring it to its end.


    It was too late for that now.


    All she could do now was make atonement, even though she would never be able to atone properly. If they allowed her, she would live out her life devoting every moment of her time to finding the cure.


    When she was done¡­ when she was done, she''d find a quiet spot to die.

 Chapter 185 Alecs Crazy Subordinate...

    University lab TO wasn''t hard for them to visit. As the so-called ''main'' lab that handled most of the research, they discovered that it was anything but.


    There had definitely been some forces working from behind the scenes, covering up the information.


    What Alec needed was the access to the main computer so that he could get a hold of all the information.


    The only thing they managed to discover was that there were a series of labs that underwent the same timeline that Natalie and the researchers had at the same time.


    There were too many labs for them to visit them all, so they had to choose properly and plan out the route.


    Just within the country itself, there were already a number of labs, let alone those in other countries.


    The more Alec learnt, the more he was convinced that it wasn''t just one force behind this. There had to be multiple hands joining so that this plan was able to be covered up and spread so widely.


    Even though none of them treated Natalie with any friendly intentions, they still gave her the decency that was normally afforded towards a normal human being. She hadn''t been alone in creating the disaster that was the apocalypse. As much as they wanted to heap hate on her, they wouldn''t do anything drastic.


    Rather than going together, it was more efficient for them to split up, so Lukas'' group took Natalie with them since they didn''t have anyone else that was able to access the lab''s computers.


    Unfortunately, Natalie couldn''t do it either. She majored in molecular biology, not computer science, so they had managed to raid a bookstore that was still standing and managed to acquire ''Hacking for Dummies'' amongst other things.


    All of them had taken a crack at it, and to Karen''s surprise, she was actually the one that was able to get the hang of it relatively quicker than anyone else.


    The book made things relatively simple, and she was able to infer a lot of other things from it as well. Karen quietly lamented that she hadn''t discovered this side of her before the apocalypse. Surely, she would have been able to practice in non-life-threatening manners.


    Lukas and his party along with Natalie made a group of four, while Alec and Dominique went together.


    It was a rather unbalanced way to split it, but the way Alec and Dominique carried themselves made it so that they just couldn''t give voice to the thought that the two would have many setbacks.


    Alec already checked Lukas'' [Plot Route], and he didn''t seem like he would get into much trouble that they wouldn''t be able to handle, so Alec was fine leaving them as they went to the other countries.


    He had no idea how long this was going to take, and there wasn''t very much evidence about where they should they should head either, yet his instincts all but screamed at him that Country AA was the place to go, so that was where they were headed.


    Dominique and Alec found themselves before the sea, where compared to the desolation and destruction that was on land, appeared a lot calmer.


    The waves appeared relatively normal.


    That was, until they were met with a giant wave that entirely soaked them from head to toe before they had a chance to react.


    There in the distance, there was a giant¡­ creature leaping up as its mouth devoured its prey.


    With six pairs of scaly dark grey wings attached to its body, the creature leapt out of the sea, giving them a closer look at it.


    The giant aquatic creature appeared much like a blue whale with six pairs of equally large wings upon its back. The creature was entirely black, and it gave off an aura that induced terror.


    The winged whale let out a loud bellow, which created spread out across the sea, waves forming from the force of its bellow.


    Alec stared at it, stunned.


    What would an aquatic creature need wings for?? Cutting through the seas using it to stroke? Nonsense!


    Had its lifelong dream been to soar in the skies like birds or something before the apocalypse hit?


    Alec was about to grab Dominique and make a little detour.


    That creature had actually already approached the realm of advanced ranks back in their world, and likely had about as much magic as Dominique himself. It was quite amazing, considering that the apocalypse had only started less than a month ago. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    There was no need for them to fight against it since they were pressed for time.


    However, just as he was about to do that, Alec realized that Dominique was staring at the twelve-winged whale with wide eyes. Though his expression was set in an expressionless mask, his eyes seemed to sparkle.


    Alec''s lips twitched.


    The same look that Dominique usually directed towards him was now directed towards a twelve-winged whale.


    More than its looks, Alec had the feeling that it was actually the aura that the whale gave off that Dominique liked.


    ¡­Damn. He had no resistance against getting things that he thought those who mattered to him liked.


    Well, it looked like they were going to be subduing that whale.


    Alec pumped magic into his legs, speeding up.


    The good thing about being able to use magic was that they were able to do things that they normally couldn''t.


    Like running on water.


    The whale must have noticed their approach, because it let out another bellow as they approached it, almost like it was disdainful of these small creatures'' audacity at approaching it, an apex predator.


    The black whale retracted its wings, plunging down towards them. It carried a nonchalant air, as if it couldn''t possibly be bothered by them.


    Its re-entrance into the sea caused a series of strong waves to rush towards them, causing both Dominique and Alec to momentarily lose their balance as they plunged into the sea.


    Inside the sea, the whale yawned, sucking in the seawater as if it was trying to devour both of them.


    Alec cut back out through the water, placing himself back on top of the water, waiting for Dominique to make his move.


    Dominique clambered onto the whale''s back, punching it with a mix of lightning and fire elements in his fist.


    His fist struck the whale, the whale''s skin rippling under Dominique''s fist, causing a bellow of pain. His fist looked deceptively light, but the technique and power that he infused into his fighting style made Dominique a force to be reckoned with.


    Alec had no qualms about cheating a little to bring the whale under control, but he rather preferred to watch both Dominique and the whale fight it out to their heart''s content.


    The only reason why he didn''t ''cheat'' was because he found himself hesitating a little when he saw the crazy grin on Dominique''s face.


    It wasn''t everyday he saw that expression on his subordinate''s face, so Alec reluctantly allowed them to fight on their own.


    The fight was causing big waves across the sea, and Alec could already tell that this was going to take some time, so he ended up using the whale''s random waves to train himself instead, developing his control over magic more.


    He only helped out a little when Dominique looked like he was about to lose.


    Both whale and human were fighting to the very end, both exchanging magic and blows.


    There were a few times where Alec plunged partly into the sea, where a few mutated creatures tried to eat him.


    He dealt with them relatively easily since there weren''t many of them.


    Most of the mutated fish or zombie fish had been scared away by the giant twelve-winged whale.


    Evidently, the whale was the apex predator in these parts, and they knew it.


    The only ones that dared to come were those that were trying to go for an easy meal even on the threat of their death, or the mindless zombie fish that didn''t have any thought processes.


    Alec heard his subordinate''s crazy laughter as he battled his heart out with the whale and felt his dissatisfaction abate.


    As long as Mini was having fun, he supposed. The man had been a little tense earlier with Lukas'' party, so this was a good chance for him to relax.

 Chapter 186 The Day It All Began Was The Day It Also Ended

    Joseph Stokes was foraging for things to bring back to the base with his daughter. Since it was in the middle of the day, they were able to look for longer.


    It had been three months since the apocalypse started, and the people that still remained on this planet had gradually adapted to the new life that they led. Whether they belonged to a base, or if they were vagrant wanderers, everyone now knew a thing or two about the zombies.


    If they wanted to avoid most casualties, they had to wake up early, and cultivate patience.


    Right as dawn broke was the time where most zombies fell into a state of lethargy, making it easier for them to be killed.


    While they could wait until the sun was shining bright, they would still have to avoid the zombies that ''slumbered'', so if they were foraging when zombies were still in the building, the humans would have their hearts pounding in their chest the entire time.


    Thus, most of them had adapted to waiting for the break of daylight before quickly slaughtering the zombies still in whatever building they were looting for the day.


    Joseph and Jane had already taken care of the zombies in this corporate building, allowing them to slowly search.


    They cleared the floor day by day, slowly inching upwards from the bottom.


    Ever since the apocalypse had started, Joseph''s entire life had been overturned. Nothing was the same as it was before the apocalypse, and all his common sense was overturned. It did a complete 180 and there was no way for him to go back to that life at any time.


    Sometimes, Joseph even felt like he had transmigrated into another world, where the humans were no longer the predators out there but instead the prey.


    But what could they do? There was nothing they could do but adapt.


    While neo-humans had it better with their newfound powers, Joseph and his daughter didn''t have anything of the sort.


    They were as ordinary as ordinary could be, so their adaptability to unfavourable situations had to be stronger than the others.


    One wrong move and they would face an untimely death.


    Before the apocalypse hit, before the zombies had made their appearance in his country, Joseph had a beautiful family.


    A wife, two daughters, and a son.


    By all accounts, they had been living happily with few ups and downs, and life was relatively peaceful. They weren''t rich, but they were happy and content. They were healthy, and wife and husband never had a quarrel.


    He''d been a car mechanic, making an honest living on a meagre salary, but they were beautifully happy.


    Were.


    With the appearance of the red haze, his wife had succumbed to the virus, turning into what he now knew was a zombie.


    She''d bitten his oldest daughter, Amanda, and ripped off an arm from his only son.


    His lovely Sophie had already eaten her fill from Jamie, casually discarding his body by the side, while she just barely started on his oldest daughter when he hurriedly entered the room.


    It had been the screams and choked sobs that had caused him to burst into the room with a metal bat in his hand, alarmed.


    Joseph had been shocked. He''d been horrified, his mind uncomprehending.


    What was happening?


    Why would she do that?


    His mind screamed at him, but his instincts took over as he swung the bat, and his arm followed through, the swing as strong as he could make it.


    There was a wet crack as he split open his wife''s head, which caused her to collapse, blood splatter all over the clean carpet. Some of it even splattered onto the walls, while her brain leaked onto the floor.


    Joseph felt like he was going to be sick, and he was.


    He vomited messily onto the side, heaving until there was nothing but bile in his stomach.


    He only just barely managed to pull himself together because of the faint sobs that still resounded through the silent room.


    He couldn''t even look at the gory remains of his son on the ground as a whole-body shudder went through him.


    Oh, god. What had he done? What had he done?


    There was nothing that could convey the sheer amount of devastation that he''d felt in that single moment when he realized what was happening. He wasn''t dreaming, he wasn''t having a nightmare.


    This was real. Too real for him to handle.


    "Jane, Amanda, come here," Joseph rasped, his voice struggling to sound calm and collected. His hands were still shaking as he hugged both daughters to himself.


    Joseph dragged both daughters to the bathroom, shutting the door to the room that contained both his wife and son''s remains.


    He couldn''t look at it right now.


    He was still in a state of disbelief as he comforted both of his daughters.


    He didn''t know how he did it, but he managed to dress his daughter''s wound. She was catatonic and wasn''t reacting to anything.


    Joseph was terrified as he thought about what Sophie just did. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    He clutched Jane to himself, shushing her as he rocked her. If there were silent tears that trailed down his face, he would punch anyone that dared criticize him.


    He''d just lost the love of his life, and his son, Jamie.


    Just why?


    He didn''t understand. Just what could have overcome her, causing her to do such a thing?


    What happened next was a swirl of events that happened so quickly he still didn''t know how they functioned.


    He blocked out the horrors that still gave him nightmares every time he slept.


    City NL was an abandoned city.


    With the appearance of N1 base, the inhabitants that hadn''t been turned into zombies all fled there, seeking refuge, and they were lucky that they had originally been living in the newly constructed base before the apocalypse happened.


    It meant that he still had a home.


    Even when he could see their shadows in every corner ¨C sometimes, he thought he would rather have moved out instead.


    Just as he was about to call out to Jane to tell her they were going to move a floor up, a dark shadow cast over them. The fear and pressure that crashed over them made Joseph remember the day it all started.


    Joseph looked up with shock, whisper-shouting for his daughter. "Jane!"


    Jane appeared, running towards him.


    Daughter and father hid behind a corner as they glanced up in the sky.


    What was happening now? What terrors would this new thing bring them?


    Joseph clutched his daughter''s shivering hands as they braved the aura that was emitted from the skies.


    It was then that Joseph caught sight of what was in the sky.


    It was a giant creature that he had never before seen in his life.


    It looked like a black giant whale, only it had six pairs of dark grey wings lined along its back, casually flapping.


    The winged whale was gliding through the sky without a problem, floating casually as it defied all physics.


    "Holy smokes," Joseph muttered absently as a sense of despair hit him.


    "What the fuck," Jane blurted out.


    Joseph lightly whacked the back of her head. "No swearing!" he corrected absently.


    Then, a giant eye glared directly at them, causing shivers to run up and down their entire body.


    Yet, they couldn''t move as fear rooted them to the spot.


    Even if they should have started running, their legs didn''t listen to them as both father and daughter collapsed to the ground, the killing intent that the mutated whale gave them was more pressurizing than any of the zombies that they''d come across.


    Joseph gritted his teeth. He had to get his daughter out of here even if he had to sacrifice himself.


    The shadow over them darkened and Joseph knew that he was running out of time.


    "Come on, come on," Joseph said, hitting his prone legs. He struggled to his feet, pulling Jane up with him.


    "Come on, Janey! We have to move! Now!"


    But it was too late.


    The giant eye had already made its way towards them, peering into the window.


    Joseph gripped the crowbar in his hands tightly. He was prepared to throw the crowbar at the creature''s eyes as he allowed Jane to make a run for it, but the eye disappeared as the whale moved away from the window, startling them.


    There was a blur of black from the back of the creature in the relative brighter room as the twelve-winged whale moved away from the building.


    Just as Joseph put down his heavy heart, there was a crash as the glass from the window shattered inwards, sending little shards of glass throughout the place.


    A figure rolled into the place, dressed in black from head to toe.


    Father and daughter stared blankly at the person who''d just made his way into the room from the window.


    "What the fuck," Jane said blankly.


    This time, Joseph didn''t chide her because he wanted to say the same words.

 Chapter 187 Kidnapped!

    Dominique stared at the man who was ineffectively hiding a young female behind him. They would do. They looked like they knew what they were doing when they were looking around, so they were the ones chosen by Sircela.


    ¡­Or maybe it was because they were the first humans his familiar saw.


    They were both staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes, their mouths hanging open.


    He inwardly shrugged, grabbing them and hauling them out the window.


    He would have shut them up, but the female quickly blocked her mouth to contain her shout as they free-fell from the sky.


    They landed on Sircela''s smooth body, where his boss was still standing as he coolly looked into the distance.


    Dominique hauled both the female and male towards his boss, where he plunked them down before taking his rightful place by boss'' side.


    Alec helplessly stared at the father and daughter pair that were scared out of their wits.


    It looked like they still hadn''t recovered from Dominique''s sudden appearance into the building via the window. All Alec had said was that it would be good if they managed to find an inhabitant of the city to question them whether or not they knew where the lab was.


    He hadn''t expected Dominique to immediately leap down from his new familiar''s back like some sort of swooping bat and launch himself into a window to grab two random people.


    The father and daughter pair were still shaking, acting like they were in a kidnapping situation.


    Alec resisted the urge to put his hand on his face. That''s right. They technically were since there was no way that Dominique had managed to explain anything in those short few seconds before he grabbed them to bring them back up here.


    By now, Alec had already given up. He might as well go with the flow.


    Joseph was still shaking as he realized he was stepping on the monstrous existence''s back.


    Just being here on top of it made chills and shakes go through his entire body. Its presence alone had been enough to deter him when they were at a distance, but now that he was directly *on* it, the pressure was so much worse up close and personal.


    A sense of horror continued to swell up in him. Just who were these people, and what did they want with him and his daughter?


    Why had they brought them onto the creature''s back without saying anything?


    Hold up. Were they being kidnapped right now? Joseph wanted to dial 911, but this was the apocalypse!


    Someone who would control this creature had to be earthshakingly powerful, yet they wanted Joseph and Jane?


    Impossible!


    Unless¡­ it was some sort of kink that they couldn''t get normally?


    Joseph thought about it until he felt like his eyes were swirling.


    "We''re looking for a research lab. Do you know of any?"


    Joseph forced himself to calm down, analysing the situation. They didn''t seem like they wanted to kill them, so they were safe for now. In body, at least.


    He seriously thought hard about their question. It didn''t even matter that it came from a young boy that was younger than his daughter.


    From the way the man who grabbed them stood at the back acting like a subordinate, it was likely that this boy was the one who had ordered for them to be grabbed. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Someone who would do something like that without blinking nor explaining what they wanted would definitely have no qualms about killing them if they didn''t like his answer.


    He was even smiling so gently the entire time! Terrifying.


    That little boy was a terrifying existence. Of that, he had no doubt.


    Alec''s eyes moved to Jane, who was still partially hidden behind him, and Joseph all but panicked.


    "Wait, wait. I know, so take me, alright?!"


    Alec''s eyes moved back to Joseph, causing the man to heave a sigh of relief in his mind.


    Like this, a misunderstanding that was born starting from Dominique''s actions, then continued because of Joseph''s own misunderstanding, solidified into something weird in Joseph''s mind.


    "I know a few places," Joseph deferentially said, causing Alec to eye him.


    Yet being eyed by Alec only made him more deferential even as he sweated inwardly.


    Jane shot her father a baffled look. By now, her shaking had calmed somewhat. She touched the skin of the creature they were standing on, feeling the warmth from it.


    The terror that she felt emitting from the winged whale only abated the longer she stood there. What she didn''t realize was that it wasn''t that the pressure the whale gave off abated at all, but rather that her body was rapidly adapting.


    Jane marvelled. Such a large, terrifying creature, yet it was listening to that man and that boy''s orders.


    How strange!


    "Point them out for us."


    Joseph squashed his fear of heights. Even when his legs were shaking as he looked down, he looked and didn''t dare refute even when he felt like he was going to vomit.


    "There, on Sunset Boulevard, there''s a lab there."


    Alec''s eyes tracked the man''s finger and spotted the building, nodding.


    He jumped down, as did Dominique, leaving the daughter and father on the winged-whale''s back.


    Joseph''s legs finally gave out from under him when the two calamities left, only to leave them here on the creature that was just as terrifying.


    The man tried to make his presence smaller, furiously whispering at his daughter who was running around on the whale without a care.


    "Jane don''t run around! What if the whale gets angry at us!?"


    Jane obediently stopped her curiosity, hugging her father even as she rolled her eyes behind his back. He was acting too suspiciously. What if the flying whale got angry because he was acting all afraid instead?


    It didn''t take long before Alec and Dominique jumped back onto Sircela''s back, and the father and daughter pair''s conversation stuttered to a halt.


    "What other labs are there around here?" Alec inquired.


    Joseph, who had been furiously wracking his mind to recall all of the labs that were in the area, was ready to answer this question. He felt as if the test he''d been furiously studying for paid off as he was able to answer the question.


    By now, the presence of Dominique''s new familiar Sircela, had alarmed many people.


    The giant whale in the skies casually flapping its wings caused no small amount of wind. The people had to be careful to anchor themselves otherwise they''d go flying.


    The most notable thing, however, was that the zombies that had been hounding them didn''t dare to move after the appearance of the whale, allowing the people to kill the zombies with relative ease.


    This sudden chain of events caused the people to crazily kill whatever zombies there were in the area. The whale''s presence was both a calamity and a blessing.


    The pressure that it gave them was no joke, and for a while almost none of the people could get used to it, but when they realized that the flying whale in the sky wasn''t going to do anything to them, they plucked up their courage.


    The zombies had to go. The more they killed in this time, the more they''d be able to wander relatively safely to scour for resources later.


    This sudden chain of events caused almost all the zombies that existed in City NL to be wiped out, allowing N1 base to expand and become a powerhouse in the future.


    With the flying whale''s threatening presence, there were a great number of people who felt as if they were facing a life endangering situation, causing them to unleash their potential and awaken their powers.


    It could be said that the presence of Alec and Dominique had caused this change within Country AA, changing their history beyond compare.


    Meanwhile, up on Sircela''s back, Joseph and Jane were facing the bulk of the whale''s threatening presence.


    Even when they were relatively safe, because of the various stops that Alec and Dominique made throughout the city as they visited the labs, they left the father and daughter duo on the back of the whale for majority of the time.


    There was something budding within Joseph, as with Jane. Their latent powers were blooming under the pressure that Sircela was putting on their body, but they didn''t know it yet.

 Chapter 188 How Cute

    Alec finally managed to find the main base where the research of the zombie virus was originally carried out with the help from Joseph and Jane.


    He hadn''t been expecting much at all from this area. After all, Country AA was huge, and there were bound to be many more labs throughout the entire country. This was already the twenty-seventh city they were going through in Country AA.


    Their searching paid off, and the truth was laid bare in front of them, giving them the chain of events that had led up to this point.


    Originally, in Country AA, the country sent a team to City J. The city that had been wiped out in a single night, so they were tasked to bring back the meteorite ¨C or at least part of the meteorite ¨C that had caused the destruction of the city in secret.


    All the superpowers of the world had been roped into this decision-making process when the lab sent back information about the meteorite that had crashed into their planet''s surface.


    Alec had been right that it wasn''t just a single power who had their prints all over this plan.


    The true powers of the government''s higherups had approved for the plan to go ahead, all of them using their best scientists and researchers to carry out the numerous experiments in that short span of time.


    Alec didn''t know what drugs they were all on, or if the power had all gone to their head.


    What in the world had made them decide that this could possibly be a good idea? Did they want even *more* power to the point that they were willing to do this to humanity?


    Alec just didn''t understand what they were thinking. Or if they were even thinking at all.


    Had they just thrown away all their morals to do something like this? *All* of the higherups had agreed to this like they were possessed? Surely there had to be some that didn''t agree to this proposition?


    Reading the notes that he''d printed out while lounging on Sircela''s back, Alec''s normal smile had a sharper edge to it. His eyes were cold as he thought about how to deal with this situation.


    Thinking about it, he handed over the notes to Dominique, who quickly read it.


    There wasn''t any change on Dominique''s face when he read it since it didn''t affect those that he cared about. They weren''t from this place, after all, and when this place was infected with things like zombies ¨C that Dominique had never even heard about before ¨C things like the people in power causing this calamity didn''t seem so outlandish.


    Joseph and Jane were both shooting them curious looks, but they didn''t ask.


    What exactly had been so important that it made these two powerful neo-humans go around to look for information?


    Could it be the source of the mutation of the zombie virus?


    Their hearts were burning with curiosity even as it held a tinge of sorrow.


    Alec nodded at Dominique when he was done reading, and his subordinate passed over the notes to Joseph.


    Joseph was confused as to why he was given a chance to read whatever the two had acquired from the labs, yet when he started reading, his facial expressions immediately changed.


    From white to green, and back to white again, his face cycled through a multitude of expressions as his emotions roiled violently within him.


    They rattled around ominously until things finally reached an exploding point, where even a mild-natured man like Joseph could no longer contain it within himself.


    "Damn bastards!" Joseph finally cursed in pure, unadulterated anger.


    The thought that all of this could have been avoided had those power-hungry morons at the top just stayed their hand made him furious. While he knew that not everyone from the government was like that, to think that there were so many of them that had damned humanity to this fate!


    Why? For what? Just what could have caused them to make a decision like this when it caused the deaths of billions upon the planet?


    There hadn''t even been any failsafes put into place that would have prevented a lot of people dying. Instead, they were all left to fend for themselves mainly until the military took over.


    Sophie would have still been alive. Jamie, Amanda¡­


    Joseph was so angry that his chest was heaving up and down as he tried to calm himself down.


    Jane was terribly curious, but she didn''t make a move to read it. Her father would tell her if she needed to know. Just what had he read that would make her usually mild father explode like this?


    "What are sirs planning to do?" Joseph inquired.


    Alec supposed that it wouldn''t hurt to tell him since he''d already read the report. As he had suspected, the man''s reaction had been normal.


    "Who''s in charge of the N1 base?" Alec asked instead.


    "Country AA''s vice-president, George Bailey. Are you planning on taking him out?" Joseph asked viciously. There was no doubt that the vice-president had been made aware of the upcoming calamity and had done nothing to try and stop it.


    "No."


    "Why!?" Joseph shouted, his anger clouding his judgement. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    He froze when the child''s subordinate glared at him like he was itching to skin him alive, a chill going through him when he remembered that the two were dangerous people. Joseph bit his lips, calming himself forcefully.


    "Right now, the most important thing to take care of is the mutation of the virus."


    Alec left things unsaid because he didn''t trust the man in front of him. It wasn''t that his character was not trustworthy, but he seemed like he emotional type that would blurt out things when he was in the throes of anger.


    Of course, Alec could always be wrong, but he would rather not take the chance.


    Dominique grabbed Joseph''s collar and flung him far off Sircela''s back, ignoring his startled shout.


    Joseph, who was so sure that he was being punished for his insolence towards Alec, braced himself for impact as the freefalling sensation rushed through his body, only to realize that he collided into the ground, but nothing hurt, causing him to feel stunned.


    Dazed, Joseph opened his eyes and caught his daughter in his arms, who was gently floating down.


    Sircela, who was controlling the winds with its magic and wings, turned around and headed towards N1 base.


    Dominique slowly sat down, feeling entirely too pleased with himself.


    Alec hid his smile of amusement at Dominique''s rare moment of mischief. He felt quite happy that his subordinate was exhibiting more emotions than usual the longer they spent together, and not just towards himself.


    The man was actually acting quite cute, and Alec told him so, causing Dominique to flush in embarrassment at the thought that his boss knew he did it purposely.


    The boss and subordinate pair rode on Sircela''s back towards N1 base, which wasn''t too far away.


    Since they were taking their time, it took longer as they drifted through the air at a leisurely pace.


    Riding on Dominique''s new familiar''s back was rather soothing, almost like he was rocking. The smart whale even knew to block off the air resistance at the top so that their flight was more enjoyable.


    Alec pulled out a brush and held out his hand towards Dominique, who placed his hand on top of Alec''s without any hesitation.


    Drawing a bit of blood from Dominique, as well as a bit of blood from Sircela, Alec started crafting an array between the two of them to solidify their familiar bond.


    By now, Alec was sure that this place was an entire world that existed somewhere out there in another dimension and wasn''t artificially created.


    The people acted too real, and there wasn''t a boundary on this ''stage''.


    Alec had made sure, making Sircela scour the entire planet from high above.


    There had been no place that could resist their travel, nor did anything stop them.


    In this case, Alec was happy that he didn''t have to break Dominique''s heart and tell him that he couldn''t bring his new familiar with him, so Alec was pleased.


    By the time Alec finished reinforcing the bond between the two, a dark shadow cast over N1 base, the people from below pointing at the flying whale in the skies.

 Chapter 189 George Bailey

    Two people descended from the skies like messengers from heaven.


    From the back of the flying whale, a figure that looked like a man as well as a smaller figure jumped off, freefalling from the sky. Rather than having their hands spread out as per normal, they appeared more like they just took a step off and descended in that position.


    This shocked the inhabitants of the N1 base, causing them to point and gasp. There was a faint worry at the back of their minds that this was some sort of advanced zombie that was coming to conquer their base.


    More than that, they were worried that they would be seeing a gruesome scene of blood today. Surely, no one could be safe descending from those heights?


    The two figures plunged towards the base, freefalling, only for their fall to be stopped right before they were about to hit the ground.


    The people around had long since evacuated the area around the place where they were estimated to splatter onto the ground. Not even neo-humans could survive a fall of that height.


    The base flared with silent alarms, casting red over everyone''s vision.


    They had no precedence for a matter like this, so caution had to be observed. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    When the two landed, observers that had been brave enough to stick around to see what was up studied the two intensely.


    There was a child that looked like he was barely out of elementary school, as well as a young man that should have just barely graduated college.


    Both of them sported different types of looks, but it was enough to make the young maidens swoon.


    While the young boy gave off a feeling of a refreshing gaze, the young man was scarily intense, as if he was about to fight whoever dared to approach them.


    George Bailey was alerted to the occurrence as soon as the flying whale in the sky was spotted.


    While he originally sealed himself in the bunker, his secretary informed him the moment it was deemed that the two weren''t zombies, but instead powerhouses in their own right.


    It was only then that the man was willing to leave the safety of the bunker.


    Being able to control such a giant creature like that had never been seen nor witnessed before in human history.


    It had only been three months, yet there were already neo-humans that had evolved to such a form. How could George not be excited? This was a chance for humanity. For him.


    George had to secure their loyalty before anything else. If they were able to command that flying whale in the sky that gave the entire N1 base so much pressure¡­


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that they would be able to rule the world sooner or later.


    The rest of the world would have to bow before him if they didn''t want to be obliterated off the map of the earth, never mind that most technology had already stopped working.


    George''s heart was pounding as various fantasies sprung to the forefront of his mind. His long-awaited dream finally had some hope.


    If he could just secure the loyalty of either of the people who had descended from the flying creature¡­


    On the ground, most of the people were already all but prostrating themselves.


    Some of them thought that the messiah had come, while others thought that it was a calamity that the end times had brought.


    Others just weren''t able to withstand the pressure that was pressing down on them from the creature up above, forcing them to lie flat on the ground as their bones creaked.


    Luckily, when the winged whale flew higher up and stationed itself beyond the clouds, the pressure down below got better, allowing the inhabitants of N1 base to breathe properly as their hearts stopped pounding incessantly.


    After that, the whale in the sky did not make any further moves, making them all wonder whether it was truly a creature or not. Just what sorts of monsters were able to control such a terrifying creature?


    No one dared to go near the two figures, just observing from a distance in case they proved hostile. They had already demonstrated their prowess by stopping themselves from being a meat patty on the ground despite having descended from that height, but they didn''t know anything about what they wanted.


    It was only when George Bailey, their leader, hurriedly approached them with a team of bodyguards that the inhabitants of the N1 base dared to let down their guard a little.


    Some of them backed off, while others continued to linger in the distance.


    "Hello, hello," George greeted the two. He appeared very cordial and friendly, going as far as to welcome them into the base even though they didn''t heed the security measures and come in the normal way.


    The young boy only smiled at him but didn''t say anything else, while the man just looked at him with a cool look, but George wasn''t deterred.


    "Would you like to speak in my office?" he maintained his smile. He didn''t dare anger the two in case they got the flying whale to wreak destruction on the N1 base. If that happened, it would be too late for tears and regrets.


    The boy and young man looked at each other before turning back to him, accepting his invitation.


    George''s heart was light and delighted, but he didn''t allow it to show on his face, making sure to maintain neutrality and just the right amount of friendliness so that they wouldn''t be put off.


    A young man and an even younger boy.


    They wouldn''t be too hard to win over.


    -


    George Bailey was not expecting to be ambushed when he was about to go to sleep, but he was despite all the posted security outside of his rooms.


    He should have known that things were going too smoothly lately.


    With the president dead, he''d been able to take control of N1 base, and things had been running so smoothly that he even smiled to himself in his sleep.


    There were even two neo-humans that had practically gifted themselves to his doorstep today. It was only a matter of time before George was able to win them over.


    He could promise them whatever they wanted as long as they decided to stay in N1 base under his control. There was no price too high if he was able to gain these two as his subordinates.


    While it appeared that the flying whale was under the young man''s control, George wouldn''t make the mistake to discount the younger boy. He had a presence about him that drew eyes, and George could see as clear as day that young man was caught up in the boy''s orbit.


    If he could interact with them more¡­


    It was only a matter of time before he would be able to awaken to become a neo-human himself, and as someone who had survived the initial red haze of the zombie virus, that meant that he was destined to rule in the future.


    He''d just slid into bed when he was forced to stop moving when he felt the cold chill of a blade upon his neck.


    George froze, his breath hitching. He didn''t even dare to even swallow too hard lest he nick himself and bleed out.


    His brain spun rapidly as various theories ran through his mind.


    Who were these people, and what did they want from him?


    The only thing that George heard in the darkness of his room was his frantic breathing. His palms were sweaty as he they gripped his blanket.


    How had they made it past all his guards, all five layers of them?


    Even if they weren''t the best, they were the best that he could currently find, and they weren''t so easy to take down.


    The finest of the neo-humans from the military had been guarding him, which only meant that these people who had come for him were even stronger than them to be able to avoid detection.


    Having thought of all of the above, George did not rashly make a move.


    It was unlikely that they wanted to kill him.


    More than that, it was likely that if he did make a cry for help, he''d be dead before security could get here.


    "What do you want?" George said in a deceptively steady voice. Any politician had to perfect their mask if they wanted to succeed.


    Alec coolly watched from the darkened corner of the vice-president''s room. Dominique had insisted on doing the ''dirty'' work for him, even though Alec didn''t think that there was anything wrong with extracting information.

 Chapter 190 You Want To What?

    George Bailey didn''t know that much, but he knew enough that Alec was willing to keep him alive for future information extraction. For now.


    He was only able to take that risk because he could see that George was the type of person that greatly valued his life. Before the man was certain that he would be able to deal with the threat towards him, he wouldn''t dare to make a move.


    This was the type of person that was the easiest to control.


    Anyway, the thing that was the most surprising piece of information that they acquired from George was that even the people who''d gathered to spread this infectious virus throughout the entire planet hadn''t entirely been willing in the first place.


    George confessed everything to them like he''d been bearing a great burden just from holding in his complaints.


    Things like how he felt like he hadn''t been in control of his body when he spoke, and when he gave orders. How they made the decision to spread the virus amongst the earth.


    It felt like he''d been the one agreeing with the decision, yet at the same time, George didn''t think he would have done something like that. Especially when his own survival wasn''t confirmed.


    It was only when the red haze spread throughout the world that he felt like he snapped out from a long dream.


    He even gave voice to the suspicion that it was aliens who had come for their earth, bewitching them to cause the fall of the planet.


    This information caused both Dominique and Alec, who was still hidden in the shadows, to fall silent.


    There was more behind this than they thought.


    Where it had originally been rather easy to deal with since it was supposed to be a gathering of the powers that joined hands, now what George was telling them was that it might not have been the case after all.


    While Alec would originally have been suspicious to believe him, there was a kind of hidden worry and terror in the man''s eyes that convinced him.


    More than that, Dominique''s way of working the man over was really¡­ let''s just say it was brutal for the sole person being interrogated.


    There weren''t any external injuries on him, but the man sweated so profusely it wouldn''t be a surprise that there were internal ones.


    After knocking out George for the night, Alec and Dominique slid into the hidden level under the base, where the virus that had caused the world''s apocalypse was held.


    The lab underground was state of the art and was unknown to anyone besides the people who''d been sworn to secrecy. According to George, even adding together his personnel, there were only five people that knew of this place, four if you excluded himself.


    Compared to the various labs that the two had been exploring through these months, this lab was even more pristine, and the surfaces practically shone. The place was cold and maintained using air-conditioning even when the rest of the places within the base had to make do with barely any electricity each month.


    Right now, there was only a single scientist that was working with a beaker.


    Before they even realized that someone had entered the place, Dominique knocked them out from behind, catching both them and the beaker, arranging them in a way that made it look like they''d knocked out for the night after fatigue took over.


    Using George''s thumbprint and retina scan, the giant vault that was in the corner unlocked for them, revealing what was hidden within.


    They brought George''s limp form with them into the vault as insurance.


    In the middle, floating was a piece of red meteorite about the size of a human head.


    Alec slapped a few seals onto it ¨C as many as he could think of ¨C before placing it into a glass container that kept it suspended and was used to contain it, handing the box to Dominique for safe keeping.


    Though George claimed that there wasn''t anything adverse about it that would affect them, Alec would be an idiot if he believed him.


    Even if there wasn''t, he wouldn''t take the word of someone who had much to gain from killing them instead.


    Right now, even aliens appearing wasn''t anything that Alec was willing to discard. Outlandish a theory as it sounded, even the apocalypse had come to fruit on this planet, so he wouldn''t rule anything out just yet.


    They placed George back into his bed and left him there once they were done, slipping past the man''s security with no problem.


    With that done, Alec managed to find Joseph and Jane''s whereabouts as they were just only entering N1 base after having finished the quarantine checks. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "Joseph. Jane."


    Joseph shivered as all the hair on his arms stood up straight hearing the voice that was so deceptively gentle as if he''d heard the devil call him from the depths of hell.


    He froze before turning around as naturally as he could.


    Jane was already beaming at Alec, ignoring Dominique''s surly expression. "Boss!"


    The expression on Dominique''s face darkened because they never told them what to call them, but they''d heard Dominique refer to Alec as ''boss''.


    "Boss," Joseph reaffirmed a little nervously.


    Dominique''s face just got progressively darker the longer they were around.


    There were already a few eyes looking at them when they interacted, and he had no intentions on having them become famous, yet he didn''t quite want to invite them back to their apartment either.


    Alec placed a pebble in Joseph''s hand, and one in Jane''s, to their befuddlement.


    "Keep this pebble on you at all times. It will keep you relatively safe from zombies."


    Bemused, Joseph put it in his pocket. He silently thought to himself that this boss was kind of cute at times, acting like a child for once.


    "Thanks! But why are you giving it to us now?" Jane questioned as she played around with the smooth pebble. It gave her a strange feeling that she couldn''t quite place.


    "We''re leaving."


    Both Jane and Joseph were stunned upon hearing that. The two were already leaving?


    But they had only been in the base for less than a day, yet business was already concluded?


    Joseph hesitated, but his gut was screaming at him to follow the two if they wanted to live freely without any worries. They were the single most powerful people he''d ever met in his life, and they were unconstrained by rules and regulations.


    As the two unfathomable males were about to leave, Joseph abruptly made up his mind.


    There was nothing else other than his intuition left, so he would take a chance to gamble now that it came down to it.


    "Wait!" Joseph called before they got too far away. "Could you please take us with you?"


    Jane cheered, though she was surprised at her father''s decision. She had good feelings from the boss and his subordinate. Most importantly, the flying whale was way too cool!


    Alec was confused.


    ¡­The kidnapping victims wanted to go with the kidnappers?? But they''d already been released earlier?


    What was happening exactly?


    This was like watching a fish that they caught then let go after admiring it for a while jump back into the bucket.


    But he supposed that he didn''t mind taking them with him. They were heading back to meet up in H base with the rest of his party to share their findings since they finally acquired more evidence.


    Joseph and Jane wouldn''t be a problem.


    "Fine. Let''s go."


    Dominique''s expression directly blackened.


    "Please, give us a few minutes. We need to bring stuff with us."


    "Half an hour."


    Joseph and Jane both rushed back to their apartment at the quickest speed, out of breath by the time they arrived.


    "Quick, quick! Move it, Janey!"

 Chapter 191 Lukas, You Idiot!

    They arrived just barely in the nick of time despite having run the entire way with just a few things.


    Alec didn''t even flinch when he realized that they''d come back with a whole other person rather than a lot of belongings like Joseph tried to imply.


    It made more sense when he thought about it this way, but the slightly shifty way that Joseph avoided his gaze made him think of various things.


    Fine. It was of no consequence even if they were bringing another person with them.


    There were a few startled shouts when the pressure from Sircela increased as Dominique''s familiar descended sharply from the skies, swooping down and bringing them away.


    With Sircela''s magic, bringing them onto its back was no trouble to it.


    Before long, they were already on their way, seated comfortably.


    "Boss, this is my other daughter, Amanda," Joseph nervously introduced.


    Alec only nodded briefly at Amanda with a slight smile before he eyed the man, causing him to sweat profusely.


    "You shouldn''t leave out something so important when you''re relaying information," Alec chided.


    "Yes, boss!" Joseph cried out, saluting him. "I won''t do it again!"


    Alec was baffled, while Dominique just glowered menacingly at the man who didn''t even have the decency to flinch at his glower.


    -


    Karen was hacking into the lab''s computer with a speed that she would never have imagined herself doing. It was something that she never thought she''d be able to do before the end days descended upon them, but she was enjoying it a lot.


    Compared to her previous hobby of video games and surfing the web, this felt a lot more productive and useful in the long run.


    Being able to work like this made her feel like she had a mission. Like she was an integral part of the team.


    With the last tap on the enter key, everything unfolded before her, her efforts paying off. It was gratifying in a way that doing her homework hadn''t been before the world went to shit.


    "Whew," Karen said, wiping off the sweat from her forehead.


    Her eyes glanced across the screen, reading rapidly.


    There were various things that they''d already learnt before, so she discarded them, only leaving behind any new information that they might need.


    "Hm?"


    "What''s up?" Liam''s voice came from behind her.


    Karen pointed at an open page. "Here. It looks like this lab has something from the meteorite that''s been stored underground."


    Lukas looked at the place where she was pointing to, making an inquiring sound in the back of his throat. "Blueprints."


    "Ah, give me a moment."


    Karen rapidly tapped on a few keys, bringing up the blueprints of the lab, even managing to find the ''hidden'' blueprints that was the underground storage.


    "The only problem is that to get inside uses a retina scanner and fingerprint, but there''s no one in the labs that is still alive. They''re all zombies already. I can hack into computers, but stuff like that is too advanced for me right now," Karen said with a frown.


    They fell silent at her words.


    Liam broke the silence. "Let''s go take a look first. There aren''t any security measures like the other labs, right?"


    Karen checked. "Nope," she said, popping the ''p''. "It''s all clear. The only thing is that if you don''t clear the scans, the resulting alarm will wake up the entire neighbourhood and attract all the zombies to this place."


    Lukas was already heading down to the basement, leaving Liam and Karen to scramble to catch up with him.


    "Do you want me to take a shot at it after all? This is the first new piece of information that we''ve found in a while. Even if I do fail, we should be able to get out of dodge before we meet any trouble."


    Liam''s lips curled into a smile when he saw Karen ramble on. It was quite nice knowing that Karen had developed enough to be able to feel confidence in herself ¨C something that had been sorely lacking since bullies picked on her in her childhood.


    With her newfound confidence, Karen seemed like she almost glowed when she worked on acquiring information for them via the computers.


    Lukas grunted, causing Karen to roll her eyes.


    Seriously, it just seemed like this half of her friend circle just grew less talkative over time instead of more talkative.


    On the upside, she could now distinguish what he meant by various grunts. This one meant ''no need'' or ''I have it covered''. Of course, she could be wrong, but she didn''t think so.


    It was just a common door in the basement that didn''t appear any different from the other doors.


    Like the rest of the basement doors, there was a scanner outside of the doors. Since each door looked like the same thing, it was only with the help of the blueprints that they were even able to distinguish which door to target.


    Just as Karen was about to take a crack at the scanner to unlock the door, Lukas already made his move.


    His magic roiled within him, focused entirely on his hands. The lights in the place flickered violently as Lukas used his magic, slamming his fist directly onto the scanner. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Karen''s mouth dropped open. "Seriously, Lukas!?" she said with pure exasperation.


    Lukas grunted.


    Liam snorted. "What did you expect, with big brother''s personality? You know that he doesn''t like troublesome things. Since you aren''t able to do it, do you really expect that he''d just give up?"


    "True. But still! I was still going to try!"


    On cue, the alarms within the place started blaring, red lights flashing throughout the place.


    The sound was no doubt going to attract the zombies from all directions even if it was in the middle of the day.


    "Lukas, you crazy idiot!" Karen shouted at him as she raced back up the stairs. There were still things that she needed to copy from this lab. Especially when it seemed like there were things going on here that didn''t in other places.


    The twins rushed into the place; Lukas having punched down the door with sheer brute strength like the brute that he secretly was inside despite his cool appearance.


    Inside, there was a metal box that was rather large.


    Liam and Lukas worked together, tugging the box with them as they hauled it up the stairs at record speed.


    Karen was taking a crack at the alarm sensors. Even if she wasn''t able to crack the scanners to bypass security yet, she was definitely able to shut off the alarms just fine.


    She wished Lukas told her what he was going to do in the first place. She would have been able to shut off the alarms *before* they got triggered. Karen resolved to give him a sound scolding after this.


    The alarms shut off, and Karen gave a sigh of relief. Even when the red lights were still flashing, there were no more alarms blaring.


    The three hauled themselves outside with quick speed, where the jeep was waiting for them. Not for themselves, but for the still rather vulnerable scientist that was waiting for them.


    They''d just barely managed to trust her enough not to run away. Besides, it wasn''t like she could ditch them with the jeep. By now, they''d realized that there were strange things going on with that jeep.


    Natalie was nervously sitting in the back, eyeing the zombies that were ambling towards them from all directions. She huddled to make herself smaller, face pale. She still couldn''t get used to the difference between the zombies out here and those that had been in the lab.


    Lukas loaded the metal box into the back. It was rather heavy for whatever was inside.


    Within three minutes, they were already driving off into the distance, running down zombies left and right with their sentient jeep.


    They were only able to do this because this city was completely empty of people. City J that had been completely wiped off from the face of the map had comparatively fewer zombies than the rest of the world because most of the bodies had already been disposed of before the virus hit.

 Chapter 192 Casually Causing Chaos

    The party of four were driving the jeep at high speed as they headed back to H base. It had been a long few months as they were constantly on the road with barely any rest.


    There were zombies everywhere and clearing out a place for them to be able to get a bit of rest was just as tiring as sleeping upright in the jeep. But they took what they got, and sleep was something that was more of a luxury than a necessity right now.


    While Lukas had been able to keep up the shift in his aura through his sleep, the same couldn''t be said for both Liam and Karen, and Natalie was practically bait for live zombies at this point.


    Since none of them were accustomed to the long travelling periods besides Lukas, they were having a tough time, but they finally managed to adjust after a period of trial and error. In the earlier days, they had all been as cranky as hell, which didn''t make the journey as smooth as it should have been.


    Now though, they could be proud of themselves for having come so far. Even Natalie, who had spent life as a cooped-up researcher had adjusted remarkably well.


    The rest of the party still didn''t quite treat her with friendliness, but Natalie already thought that was more than she deserved. They were less closed off that before, and they did reply when she talked to them.


    But even if she did think she deserved to be treated this way ¨C or even worse ¨C that didn''t mean it didn''t ache when he thought too much about it or thought too deeply.


    She had nightmares. Every time she went to sleep, but when she woke up gasping, there was always a warm body pressed up against her, and it was more than she knew she needed after feeling the cold, dead fingers clawing at her in her dreams.


    Seeing the world¡­ the perfectly bright and shining world that she knew previously devolve into this state in a short few months gave her a great shock, and she didn''t think that she would ever be able to forget about it.


    The sights she saw constantly haunted her nightmares. Every day, her nightmares only got more detailed as more and more things were added to them.


    If it wasn''t for the party sharing with her that at least some of humanity managed to stay relatively safe in the base, Natalie was sure that she would have become suicidal before long.


    As it stood, she had days where she wondered if it was worth it living like this.


    It was high noon, and the sun was shining down with startling intensity. Besides dawn, this was the time when the zombies were the most lethargic as the sunlight hit their bodies.


    Beside her, Lukas'' hand on the steering wheel twitched abruptly, garnering their attention.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Lukas peered upwards, a serious look on his face.


    It was more serious than any of them had ever seen him, and they had been in a few risky situations. First and second stage zombies were popping up at a normal rate, which the three of them other than Lukas had to struggle to face.


    Then, it hit them.


    The pressure that was exerted on them was no joke, and Natalie couldn''t breathe the moment it descended upon them. She directly passed out, but the rest of the party wasn''t able to do anything about that for now.


    By now, all three of them were looking upwards with serious faces.


    From beyond the clouds, they could see a dark, looming shadow that was only getting bigger as time passed.


    Teetering between flight or fight, Lukas'' eyes firmed in determination as he stepped hard on the pedal, causing the jeep to fly forward as they tried to outrun whatever thing was beyond the clouds.


    "Shit," Karen swore quietly. "What is that?!"


    "Damn. Bro, drive faster!"


    Lukas didn''t say anything, but they could silently hear his retort when he looked at them with a deadpan expression. His foot was already pressing the pedal directly down to the bottom. This was as about as fast as it got.


    It wasn''t every day where Lukas'' flight reaction kicked in. But they were currently too weak to fight against whatever was up there coming for them.


    Even back in his previous life, he wouldn''t have been able to handle it on his own. Had he been in a party, maybe, but Liam and Karen both weren''t able to match him properly yet, and the researcher was only a normal human.


    "See, I told you we should have taken the Ferrari!"


    "Uh, no. You said, quote, ''Damn, that Ferrari looks sick! Can I take it for a spin?''. Besides, those are only damn two-seaters!"


    "Yeah," Karen snarked. "Perfect fit. Lukas and myself."


    The danger that was almost upon them was making them crack jokes like this and banter since they weren''t able to do anything else.


    There was a faint smile on Lukas'' face when he listened to them even as he silently urged the jeep to go faster.


    By now, the shadow had descended from the clouds, and it was rapidly approaching them.


    Lukas had originally thought that the thing that was chasing them had been the King of the Skies, Galestorm, which was a mutated eagle that had grown exceedingly large.


    The speed of the eagle was able to cross the entire world with a quarter of a day''s time, so you could imagine just what a headache it was to the humans who were bound to the land.


    Basically, all of those in charge of the bases had given up fighting it, instead hiding whenever the King of the Skies was caught heading in their direction, but this was even bigger than crowned King of the Skies.


    Lukas swore quietly, which startled both Liam and Karen.


    Damn, this was bad, wasn''t it? If Lukas of all people was swearing, wasn''t it a direr situation than they thought?


    The pressure was only getting stronger rather than lighter.


    The shadow now had a form. From what they could see in the distance, it was a whale. A flying whale in the skies.


    Lukas, though still pressing hard on the accelerator, was just as stunned as the rest of his party.


    While there were many mutations in the animals that still survived and weren''t turned into zombies, rarely were there ever any animals that diverted from their original species.


    Aquatic creatures remained in the water, while those that ran remained on land. Those that were able to fly usually developed things that made them even quicker, but a whale was flying in the sky???


    Not like a flying fish either, who was only in the air for a few seconds. This whale was legitimately flying above the atmosphere. How was it keeping moisture to itself? Magic?


    A magic flying whale??


    This defied all his accumulated knowledge of the apocalypse so far.


    In fact, he was so far in doubt that he even wondered whether his regression was truly regression. Had he perhaps just somehow dreamed it up instead?


    Then he snapped out of it. Of course not. However, just him coming back had already created the butterfly effect and many ripples just by existing, so it shouldn''t be news that his knowledge would eventually be rendered useless.


    It was just that he hadn''t expected it to happen so quickly.


    The whale was gaining on them at a frightening speed. Lukas clenched the steering wheel with a steel grip. They weren''t going to be able to outrun the creature, so someone was going to have to be the decoy.


    "Liam, take over!" he barked, immediately jumping out of the jeep.


    The whale was so close that he could already reach it with just a jump.


    "Hey!" Liam shouted at him furiously, lurching sideways to grab the steering wheel, but Lukas had already jumped out of the driving seat, launching himself at the whale.


    Just as his punch was about to descend on the flying whale, he was caught by the gust of wind that came from the whale.


    Not good! Lukas'' expression immediately changed. This was the worst possible outcome. He''d been hoping that having to keep itself afloat would take up most of its magic focus, allowing Lukas to at least attract attention, but it wasn''t to be.


    Then, from the top of the whale, a figure in black jumped down, colliding against Lukas'' form. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    The two plummeted towards the ground at a frightening speed, shocking both Lukas'' party.

 Chapter 193 Wide Eyes

    Alec just barely resisted letting out a smirk as he watched Dominique and Lukas clash.


    It was indeed Main Character characteristics that they didn''t get along with each other.


    He felt a little helpless but didn''t see anything he could do to stop it. Nor did he really want to in the first place. Both of them were a little high-strung, but that could be forgiven seeing as they were in the middle of an apocalypse.


    At least Lukas had realized that there was no danger since Sircela was under their command, even if the two Main Characters did seem to be trying to take each other''s heads off with a depth of vengeance that he didn''t think they should have with each other.


    How strange.


    Alec poked the flying whale, who grudgingly summoned the jeep from down below, bringing them on top of its back.


    The clash between Lukas and Dominique seemed very fierce, but all Alec could see was Dominique playing around with Lukas, and Lukas seemed to have realized it as well, seeing as the glare directed at Dominique was bordering on the line of deadly.


    They were shouting things at each other, but Alec wasn''t able to hear them.


    "They sure are going at it hard," Liam said, squinting at the battle that was occurring below them.


    Karen snorted. "You can say that again. Also, you, mister," Karen growled, poking Alec''s cheek. He bore it with deep suffering. "Couldn''t you have given us a heads up that you were the ones controlling this whale? I really thought we were going to die, you know!"


    Alec just smiled, and Karen made a disgusted smile at the back of her throat even as Liam made a sound of agreement.


    "Ooh," Karen grumbled, making grabby hands towards Alec. Liam just strong-armed her into staying still, which she bore with good humour and a pout.


    Below, Dominique was having a good time beating on Lukas, whom he didn''t like at all. Who did this bastard think he was? How was he worthy of Alec''s attention and care at all!?


    Lukas was growling as he parried the heavy strike from Alec''s subordinate, yet as hard as they were hitting each other, there wasn''t any killing intent behind the strikes, something that both egged him on as well as relieved him a bit that he didn''t have to seriously kill Alec''s subordinate.


    Bloodlust, yes, but killing intent? Not quite.


    Lukas was frustrated. Just what did this Dominique want from him? Why was he acting like some possessive girlfriend towards his boss?!


    "Just what do you want," Lukas gritted out to Dominique, a strike from the other clipping his side.


    The pain radiated throughout him, but his compartmentalized the pain. He felt like if he didn''t, just a stray strike from Dominique would send him to the underworld despite him not taking this very seriously. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Dominique just glowered harder. "Stay away from boss."


    Lukas felt the frustration within him explode outwards in pure exasperation. "Your boss is the one coming to find us!"


    Dominique let out a guttural growl at his words, his strikes just becoming harder. They were even harder to dodge now, and it took everything Lukas had to keep up.


    Lukas was being pushed so hard that he could barely see straight. This was even beyond the level of intensity in which he had fought back before he regressed, and he could barely even spare the thought that it was impossible for him to have died had Dominique existed in his previous life.


    Lukas was only at the second stage, but Dominique''s moves were on a whole different level altogether.


    Lukas was so pressed that more and more strikes were going through despite Dominique not changing the pressure he put on him.


    Dominique felt a grudging respect for Lukas, who didn''t shrink away from meeting his hits head on.


    Compared to the level of Incantix, this world was far below their standards. For now, at least.


    Right now, even the outer disciples in their sect could have beaten Lukas, but this man''s determination outstripped them by far.


    It just made him scowl at the thought.


    Lukas managed to slip under Dominique''s guard when he was distracted for the slightest moment, not missing the opening that he''d been given.


    Dominique reflexively struck out with a bit more strength, accidentally knocking him out cold.


    Dominique made a frustrated sound. He still had a lot more grievances to work out on Lukas, but he''d ended his own revenge himself.


    He grudgingly grabbed Lukas'' body and hauled him back up to the whale, where Lukas'' twin fussed over him.


    "Hmph."


    His boss looked at him, as if asking if he had fun, and Dominique felt his bad mood abate slightly.


    Even if Lukas had unintentionally intruded upon their time together, as long as he knew not to get too close to boss, then it was fine.


    Sircela continued flying at a quicker pace, heading back to H base.


    Not too far from H base, Sircela let them down, flying back up into the distance so that they wouldn''t attract any trouble.


    There would definitely be people who knew that they''d been on the whale, but if they weren''t able to find the whale after that, then they had plausible deniability.


    More than that, Alec just couldn''t be bothered interacting with people like George Bailey who clearly just wanted to use them for things that only benefitted themselves.


    They didn''t have much time if they still wanted to take care of the mutation source quickly and without trouble.


    -


    It took a few days for the rest of them to return to H base, but they were all gathered in a room that was a bit of a squeeze as they exchanged their findings.


    Yuki and Rosabel had been looking throughout H base for various things, but there hadn''t been much talk on the streets.


    Instead, they''d hung out in the military districts ¨C more specifically, the bar ¨C where the soldiers had looser lips, and were more than willing to exchange information with pretty faces.


    Word on the street was that the boss of H base had been acting strange as of late.


    Almost like he was possessed. The man didn''t seem to be sleeping well. The soldiers talked about it and wrote it off as depression, but Yuki and Rosabel wondered if it was anything but.


    Vivian and Hayden, who had been looking out for information on the meteorite, didn''t have much to report there either.


    Compared to what had been heard about the meteorite from J City, the meteorite they found there was just a shell of the original.


    They still brought it back discreetly to check it, but that had been a dead end. In the other months, they went around to various weather institutes to see if they could find the source of the meteorite.


    What had been acquired from those institutes had been proof that the meteorite had rapidly approached the planet''s atmosphere, yet when it broke through, the meteorite did not shrink in size at all, instead maintaining its original size and shape the entire time.


    Alec and Dominique presented their findings as well.


    Showing them the red meteorite, the party looked at the deceptively innocent piece of rock that was seated in the container.


    Most notably, Natalie was itching to experiment on it, but a hard look from Lukas contained her curiosity as she remembered the last time she''d allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.


    Last but not least, Lukas placed the heavy metal container that they''d procured from a lab in J City, where the meteorite had struck the city, all but obliterating it.


    Clicking the latches open, the metal container opened, and what was inside caused all of them to widen their eyes.

 Chapter 194 Wide Eyes II

    They''d been prepared for a lot of things, but this hadn''t even been vaguely in the spectrum of things that they were prepared for.


    When Lukas and his party heard about Alec and Dominique acquiring part of the red meteorite from under the base in N1 base, they thought that what they acquired from J City would be roughly the same.


    The lab in J City had been strangely untouched despite the varying states of destruction the rest of the city was in.


    Originally, they thought it was because there were various buildings around it that had been much taller than the lab, thus protecting it and the underground, but it looked like that wasn''t the case.


    Inside the case, there appeared to be a grey doll of sorts, stuffed into the container until there was no visible space inside it for it to move around without having to break a limb. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Liam made a vaguely distressed sound that felt very far away from him. Lukas absently patted his twin comfortingly.


    What was inside the box did not appear either human or zombie, but still had vaguely humanoid features, save for the fact that instead of hands or legs, it had tentacles.


    Liam hysterically thought that it kind of looked like Squidward. Just without the nose.


    If they stretched out the doll inside, it would be roughly the size of an adult female.


    What really stunned them was the fact of the ''doll''. Would the scientists and researchers keep a ''doll'' around in their tightly secured, high-tech lab?


    The answer was no.


    So, if it wasn''t a doll, and it wasn''t a zombie, and it wasn''t a human¡­


    The aliens had truly invaded their planet?


    Alec narrowed his eyes. George Bailey''s words were coming to mind, and he wasn''t the only one who was thinking that way.


    "That''s definitely an ''alien'', isn''t it?" Rosabel pointed out curiously. This world was truly bringing a variety of things to her knowledge base. There were so many things that she''d never seen or contemplated before, causing her to have to rapidly adapt if she wanted to blend in.


    Sticking around H base with Yuki had caused her infiltration and acting skills to grow rapidly. While she still preferred to strike out with her fist first, it was no fun if the people here weren''t strong enough to fight back!


    The inhabitants from this planet looked like they were struggling to make sense of what was happening. Never in their wildest dreams did they think that they would find an alien in the box.


    Not only had their planet been plagued with the zombie virus, there was the appearance of what appeared to be an alien that had been procured from J City''s labs. Which meant that the government was in on it. They had to be.


    "Did you not hack into the lab''s servers before acquiring this box?"


    Karen looked like she was thinking hard back to what she''d read from the lab''s servers. "Of course. We wouldn''t have found that room had it not been for the fact that there were old blueprints inside, but I didn''t read about anything that even hinted about this¡­ alien," she said, gesturing to the box.


    The room fell silent.


    "Ah, but I did download the contents on their server into this thumbdrive," she said, waving the device.


    Natalie''s eyes were all but shining as they stared at the alien still stuffed into the box. She was itching to take a few samples and run it under a microscope.


    She mentally slapped herself. No, Natalie. This was exactly what had gotten her into trouble in the first place!


    Alec started making speculations.


    Based on George Bailey''s words, their ''brainwash'' was something that had been under the alien''s control ¨C but he never once saw anything that could have tipped him off to alien conquest.


    There were just so many questions that were going unanswered.


    "Natalie, take a sample from the alien."


    A shudder went through Natalie''s body at the order, her heart stuttering in her chest before resuming its pounding.


    She swallowed, yet she could hardly deny the delight that filled up her chest. "Are you sure you want me to do that?"


    Lukas turned his head to the scientist. "I thought you wanted to help humanity?"


    Natalie nodded rapidly, an almost fanatical gleam in her eyes that reminded Alec a lot of how Dominique looked at him ever since their first fateful encounter. "I do!"


    The group watched as Natalie carefully extracted a bit of silvery liquid from the being, shutting the box back over the being and placing it out of sight. She all but clutched the liquid to herself as if she was afraid that someone would take it away from her.


    Though it was just merely out of sight, the tension in the room seemed to decrease a little when the alien was no longer in their direct line of sight. They knew that it was still in the room but looking at it had not been pleasant.


    First, they had zombies, now they had aliens?


    A theory was being born in Alec''s brain about the sequences of events that had happened so far.


    One, the place they''d originally appeared at was near J City.


    Two, the presence of the meteorite.


    Three, the presence of the alien.


    Together, it only meant one thing.


    But Alec wasn''t going to give voice to his thoughts just yet.


    In silent agreement, the people in the room left the container there even as they moved the rest of the things into one of the rooms that had been cornered off for Natalie''s research.


    For now, they put aside the thought of the alien that was in their living room, going about the various things they needed to do.


    Natalie was already diving headfirst into her research with a feverish enthusiasm like a woman that had been stranded in the desert with no water and just witnessed the beautiful oasis.


    Natalie was a scientist through and through, otherwise she wouldn''t have been caught up in this mess in the first place. It was just a part of her, as much as the Sins had bloodlust to their Societype.


    The strangest thing was that none of the other labs had anyone else who''d survived, most of the scientists turning into zombies. If there were, they were no longer in the labs.


    Across the room, Lukas and Dominique caught each other''s eyes, glaring at each other as sparks flew in the air.


    Dominique stalked out of the room, and Lukas was hot on his heels.


    Rosabel clicked her tongue watching the two disappear to god knows where. She disapproved of Dominique acting like this and leaving their boss behind.


    It couldn''t be that he was cheating on their boss with his new fling right in front of all their eyes?


    Frowning disapprovingly, she made to go after them, only to be dragged off by Yuki, who gave a faint huff of exasperation.


    -


    Natalie was frantically jotting down her notes on paper ¨C how backward ¨C as she adjusted the magnification on the magnifying glass that the others had so graciously acquired for her to use for this very purpose.


    How could she not be excited?


    This was an alien.


    Natalie had always discounted those UFO sightings that so many people made over the years because of their outlandish explanations, but now that she was faced with actual proof right in front of her very eyes, how could she not be excited?


    Alien blood! Alien cells! Extra-terrestrial lifeforms! There was literally a whole new world for her to explore!


    The silvery liquid was what appeared to be blood from the alien.


    What she really wanted to know was the relationship between the alien and the zombies. Were they intrinsically related at the molecular level, or was it something else entirely?


    Every cell in her body was vibrating in excitement.


    She needed more.


    Natalie slammed open the door to her ''lab'', startling the inhabitants of the room.


    They eyed her warily, with polite disinterest, but it didn''t cut as much as it previously did.


    "Cells. Materials. I need more materials from zombies!" Natalie said with fevered excitement.


    Karen clicked her tongue with disapproval as she saw how much Natalie''s state had slipped compared to when they''d been going around the various labs searching for clues.


    Behind them, in the depths of the metal container, a being silently opened its eyes.

 Chapter 195 Bunch of Backwater Hicks!

    There were only the sounds of faint scratching on paper as the mutterings of the sole inhabitant in the room were heard.


    No one else accompanied the scientist in her journey of cells as she threw herself headfirst into her work, a sense of purpose filling her entire being.


    They''d eventually moved the container with the alien inside it into Natalie''s lab since she needed it on hand to gather more materials from it.


    The day slid into night, and the tensed attitudes of those who''d been privy to the contents of the metal container relaxed a little.


    What they didn''t know was that despite a lack of heartbeat from the alien, and its apparent state of hibernation, that did not mean that it was not alive.


    On the contrary, the alien was very much alive and well despite the things that the nasty humans had done to it so far.


    They had made the assumption that because it stopped moving that it was dead. Oh, how wrong they were.


    How dare these creatures of lower intelligence treat it like it was something that was to be dissected? To be studied like a measly space rat?


    Te.ake was displeased. Infuriated. Enraged.


    How dare these beings treat it like it was something that was of a lower intelligence and spectrum? How dare they?


    Te.ake might not be part of the master race, but it was by no means from a weak species. Those dared treat Te.ake like this had already paid dearly for their mistake.


    So, Te.ake was biding its time, waiting for the right moment.


    Beings that dared sully the great Te.ake would not receive any mercy from it. It had come in relative peace, but its goodwill had been spat on.


    Te.ake even lost a tentacle to these pathetic creatures, something which caused its rage to burn bright. How dare they? How dare these backwards hicks dare sully the great Te.ake''s body!?


    Yet, Te.ake knew the patience of a hunter. As a superior being, Te.ake could wait.


    A day would come where these measly humans would regret ever trying to bring harm to Te.ake.


    It had already extracted part of its revenge against those who dared try to contain its great and mighty self. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Those who had dared lay hands on it had already perished in the aftermath of the meteorite it had called from space, yet that was only the first part of its master plan.


    It was not enough that those who had hurt it had perished. So long as these humans remained on this planet, they would not stop at trying to hurt Te.ake. Of that, he was sure.


    Te.ake had been foolishly gentle as it approached the humans, only carrying goodwill, but they had spat on Te.ake''s generosity.


    No longer.


    These humans from the backward hick planet paled in comparison to the true master race in space. Not only were they of lower intelligence, they were backward in their technology and means as well.


    Te.ake would end this planet before they ever dared of journeying throughout the great universe.


    Having used most of its energy to call the meteorite down from space, Te.ake could only lie in wait as it tried to regain its energy.


    It had been able to control some of those humans with more power by using implantation of its consciousness. It was only a matter of time as the red virus spread throughout the planet, thereby eradicating all life on this puny planet.


    Te.ake bided his time, listening to the sounds of paper being scratched, as the insolent human removed its lifeblood from its veins time and time again, treating Te.ake as mere fodder ¨C something that didn''t even need their attention nor their care.


    Te.ake shook with anger, its tentacles frizzling in the darkness of the box they''d so carelessly shoved it in.


    Those who had dared lay hands on Te.ake''s body had already perished, but now, new humans had taken their place, proving Te.ake''s thoughts right.


    It had been prepared to give a bit of mercy had the humans just allowed it to be, but all humans from the backwater planet were the same.


    No mercy.


    Te.ake would not fall for their ploy any longer.


    The red virus source was so near that Te.ake could almost taste it. With just a little bit of the virus that was so poisonous to this planet, it was only a boon to Te.ake''s race.


    Te.ake would be able to regain enough energy for it to leave before ending this planet.


    A planet like this did not deserve to exist, so all Te.ake had to do was change it to its liking.


    With the spread of the red virus, the planet would eventually fall into ruin, whereby the other races of the great space would be able to partake and reap benefits and rewards. This was a great boon to Te.ake.


    Just the credits alone were enough for Te.ake to live in wealth for the rest of its life.


    Te.ake''s tentacles wriggled happily as he thought about the wealth that was just at its tentacletips.


    Te.ake froze.


    The virus source was nearing his lifeblood. Unconsciously, Te.ake''s tentacles waved wildly as its patience was about to pay off.


    Unfortunately, just as its plans were about to come to fruition, there was a loud sound as the door slammed open in the room, startling the human that had been about to give Te.ake its liberty and causing the red virus source to splash onto the table.


    Te.ake just barely resisted the urge to curse, but it obediently curled up and stilled itself before these humans were able to realize that something was wrong.


    Fury burned in Te.ake''s heart. Truly, these backwater hicks were¡­


    "Natalie, dinner."


    The door closed behind the human, leaving Te.ake in the silence of the room. Back to biding its time as the end times approached this little planet.


    If only it hadn''t used so much power implanting its consciousness in the other humans, doing this would be a piece of cake.


    But still, Te.ake waited patiently. Soon, the time would come. It was only a matter of time.


    Sure enough, a short time later, the female human returned to the room, continuing its ''research''.


    Te.ake bore the indignity as well as it could.


    The day for revenge was nigh. Te.ake would wipe out the rest of the miserable humans on this backwater planet and spread the red virus to the rest of the planet''s creatures before finally causing all lifeform on this planet to succumb to the virus'' whims.


    With the scent of death thick in the air, this type of planet was a boon to many races in the great galaxy, and Te.ake would be the sole reaper of the credits that could be acquired from this place.


    A drop of red virus met its lifeblood, and Te.ake immediately felt the surge of power that rushed through it, leaving Te.ake feeling better than it had been in a long time.


    The time had come!


    Its consciousness scouring around, Te.ake looked for a host to carry its consciousness. A strong one was the best host to take care of errant matters.

 Chapter 196 Hes Acting Weirdly

    Dominique was acting strange.


    Hayden could see it as clear as day.


    While he didn''t talk much most of the time, he was never relegated to the background, and his opinion was always taken into account by the group, as well as his boss.


    It was refreshing in ways that he never expected it to be.


    Outside of their little group, he was usually overlooked, but that didn''t bother him as much as it once did.


    So, yes, Hayden was usually in the ''background'' so to speak, but that was only because he liked being there. More than talking, he preferred to listen and watch.


    But whenever he spoke up, he was heard and listened to.


    Which was why it was so strange. The little connections that he had with his team remained, except for Dominique''s strange reactions. It was like their connection, unspoken though it may be, had disappeared overnight.


    The first thing that tipped him off was that Dominique''s scent had changed.


    Before that, Dominique and Lukas had taken to disappearing together as they worked out whatever pent up aggression they had against each other.


    It was subtle at first, and anyone who knew Dominique less might have just brushed it off, but Hayden immediately informed boss of the change within their party''s grumpy member.


    Everything from his scent to his actions.


    But boss didn''t do anything. He just stared at Dominique for a while before looking away. Boss gave him the slightest of nods, and something in his expression told him to keep his thoughts to himself.


    Of course. The person that Dominique was closest to was boss, who would definitely have noticed that something was off.


    Hayden wouldn''t pretend that he understood what was going on in his boss'' mind half of the time, but he did know one thing. Their boss cared. Perhaps even too much at times.


    Despite seeming like a gentle and genial personality, he knew that the boss was anything but. Yet, for some strange reason, it seemed almost as if only the Spectres knew about the other side of his boss.


    In fact, he was certain that part of the Spectres didn''t know at all, only seeing the pleasant and gentle exterior, despite their harsh training.


    So, if boss said that they should leave Dominique to his own devices for a little despite everything in him screaming that he shouldn''t, Hayden was willing to wait¡­ for a while.


    He could feel that there was a bigger plan in motion regarding Dominique, but he didn''t know what.


    Anyway, Dominique was acting strangely. His scent was off, almost like he''d been possessed.


    Hayden''s eyes flashed a little. If that was true, then everything made a lot more sense.


    Both little and big things that everyone who knew Dominique noticed.


    Little things, like Dominique''s abject lack of bloodlust lately, leaving Lukas feeling a little off balance when he hadn''t received or returned a glare from the man for a good few days.


    Then, there were the big things. The huge things that everyone couldn''t help but take notice.


    Dominique, who always looked at their boss with slightly fanatical eyes, had actually stopped doing it.


    Not only that, he''d actually stopped following boss around like a loyal golden retriever!


    It was unconceivable, and frankly, about as subtle as a slap in the face.


    The alien had probably taken over or influenced Dominique''s decisions lately.


    Even the group that had barely seen Dominique knew that something was wrong, from the way they shot him strange looks, to the way they gave him a wide berth.


    Hayden was waiting for it all to come to a head. Any day now.


    He was not as prone to bloodlust or violence as the rest of his team, but that didn''t mean he didn''t feel it at all.


    His blood was boiling for battle. How dare the alien take their teammate away?


    Hayden bared his teeth, causing Rosabel and Yuki to back away slightly, alarmed at the change in their party member''s expression and mood.


    -


    Lukas was feeling off balance.


    There was something wrong with Dominique, that Alec-crazy idiot.


    Since they brought back the alien from J City''s lab, it had been roughly two weeks.


    In his past life, spending two weeks in the base would have been unconceivable to him, but he was doing it now. He felt a lot more settled when he was able to keep his brother and Karen in his sights.


    However, he hadn''t realized that his circle had grown slightly to include Alec, and while Alec acted as if everything was normal, Lukas couldn''t help but feel that the boy wasn''t as casual as he appeared to be.


    Let him give you an example.


    Dominique had all but stopped reacting whenever Lukas deliberately got near his favourite person and did things he was sure would set off the other like briefly touch or hug the much younger boy.


    Where before Dominique had reacted almost explosively, thus giving their ''sparring'' sessions a lot more heat, he had pretty much just glanced over and glanced away.


    Lukas could tell that it wasn''t because he was trying not to react either.


    He really was just glancing and looking away like it didn''t bother him at all.


    Impossible.


    There was no way that this was the same man that practically breathed fire whenever Lukas so much as glanced in the boy''s direction.


    So, there was only one plausible explanation.


    He''d been affected by the alien''s consciousness ¨C however outlandish that might sound ¨C but Lukas was convinced.


    If the way Alec recounted how George Bailey felt when he recounted his own experiences were to be believed, Lukas was not above believing something like alien possession.


    There had been people who had similar magic abilities in the past ¨C the future? ¨C that he knew enough not to discount that theory.


    But he missed the high intensity fight, damn it!


    Lukas was getting rusty without someone with bloodlust and killing intent come at him like he meant it. His growth was stagnating, which put him in a rather bad mood, even if he didn''t show it.


    Even when he compared his growth to before his death in his previous life, he never had such an explosive growth compared to when he fought with Dominique.


    Of course, he wasn''t worried about the man, but mainly because he felt like Alec would be sad if something happened to Dominique.


    Lukas frowned.


    They were all walking on eggshells mentally, though they tried not to show it lest the alien realized that they''d all realized it had taken over Dominique''s body.


    The only person who didn''t seem to realize that something was wrong was Natalie.


    That was another person Lukas wasn''t quite sure about. His instincts told him there was something wrong there as well.


    While he didn''t know her very well, months on the road together had at least given Lukas an estimate of the woman''s personality and thoughts.


    While Natalie *seemed* fine, that was for certain, she was also progressively descending into what appeared to be an intellectually filled bout of insanity that her curiosity couldn''t contain.


    Natalie was producing stellar work, but the one thing that she''d been most enthusiastic about when she talked about her work ¨C curing the zombie virus ¨C remained absent in her current conversations with them.


    Closing his eyes, Lukas rested his eyes as he caught up on sleep. The rest of the apartment went about their activities without his presence.


    It was in the middle of the night that the faint sounds of the front door opening and shutting caused Lukas'' eyes to snap open immediately.


    He was immediately out of bed and ready to go. No one with good sense in the apocalypse slept in pyjamas anymore since they had to be ready at any time.


    Just as he was about to reach for the door, his hand was caught in a firm grip, causing him to tense as his magic roiled. How was it that he never caught anyone sneaking up on him? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    His eyes met Alec''s.


    Alec placed a finger to his lips, his smile still as genial as ever, causing Lukas to furrow his brows. What did he want? Couldn''t he see that they were getting away?


    Lukas made to open his mouth and ask, but he was dragged away before he could say anything by a grip that was deceptively strong.

 Chapter 197 Te.akes Plans For The Relatively Near Future

    Lukas, Alec, Karen and Liam all piled into the jeep, while Rosabel, Hayden Yuki and Vivian shadowed them.


    They''d left behind the squishy ''civilians'' that didn''t have any training for this type of situation since there was no telling what could go wrong. Though they said that, only Joseph and his daughters weren''t taking part in this operation.


    It was only when they were well down the road that Lukas finally found the words to speak, giving voice to his questions.


    "So, everyone knew about this but me?" he asked with a frown.


    Liam snorted, attracting his brother''s glare. "Hardly, brother of mine. Do you honestly think that you were the only one who was paying attention to their motions throughout the day?"


    Lukas blinked. Chastised by his brother, Lukas fell silent.


    Sometimes, he slid back into bad habits where he kept everything to himself, taking actions and carrying them out by himself without getting a second opinion. Because Karen and Liam were dead. Because he''d allowed them to die on his watch.


    But that was then, this was now.


    He was part of a team now, but he hadn''t been acting like it at all.


    He''d been planning on going after them by himself and bring both Dominique and Natalie back by hook or by crook, and he was aware of himself enough that he acknowledged his own shortcomings.


    Liam nodded in forgiveness at the slightly sheepish expression in his brother''s eyes. He knew his twin better than anyone else, even if he''d been hardened by whatever he''d seen.


    One day, he''d get his brother to admit what he''d seen by himself.


    Karen spoke up in Lukas'' resulting silence from his brother''s chastisement. "How are we tracking them, exactly?"


    Alec finally spoke up. "I can track Dominique no matter where he goes."


    Even Lukas, who arguably had questionable morals from going through the apocalypse already, squinted at him in disbelief.


    "You chipped him like a dog??" Karen voiced her disbelief for the party. "That''s, like, breaking so many laws. Seriously."


    Alec directed his smile at Karen, shutting her up.


    "Fine. Shutting up now. It''s your life," Karen muttered.


    Unlike what they thought, Dominique wasn''t chipped ¨C but he might as well have been, considering Alec''s bond towards his Spectre mark.


    Alec was going to happily ignore the illegality of that because one, this was not their original world, and two, the Spectres could track him back if they so wished it.


    More than that, Alec respected their privacy and didn''t use it at all, unless they were in extenuating circumstances, such as the one they found themselves in right now.


    Dominique and Natalie had left them and were heading back to City J with the alien in tow, though the other things had been left behind. Such as the large piece of meteorite that they''d acquired from N1 base.


    However, the alien definitely wasn''t omnipresent nor was it omnipotent.


    Considering that it was in the middle of the night, they were actually able to exit fairly easily, something that surprised Lukas.


    The two, plus an alien, seemed to be heading towards J City. That was the only city in driving distance. Of course, they could have been heading much further away, but it only made sense if Alec took into consideration that many things had happened in J City.


    Alec now regretted that he hadn''t been to J City himself so that he was able to leave a teleport array. It would have been so much simpler, instead of having to plan around them.


    Though they didn''t leave too long after both Dominique and Natalie set off, they still had to keep quite a distance between them. For safety sake. Both themselves and those under the alien''s mind-control.


    He could feel Dominique moving away from them at a very quick speed ¨C but that was to be expected.


    Unfortunately for them, Lukas and his party weren''t able to move at that kind of speed yet, hence the need for the jeep.


    Alec tapped a finger on the jeep wall. "Stop the jeep."


    The jeep immediately screeched to a halt despite Liam not yet putting a step on the brakes.


    Liam eyeballed the jeep, annoyed. Didn''t he and the jeep have an unspoken agreement for Liam to be in control? Otherwise, him being in the driver''s seat was just awkward.


    Alec got out of the car, popping open the hood of the jeep.


    With a brush in hand, he inscribed a few arrays onto the jeep''s hood, then moved around and inscribed a few different ones on different parts of the jeep.


    By now, they were rather used to Alec''s oddness and strange actions, so they just waited patiently inside the vehicle.


    No matter how Alec tried to teach them about what he was doing, it just eluded them completely, as if it was some sort of knowledge from the fifth dimension.


    Alec hopped back into the jeep.


    "What did that do, exactly?"


    "Mm," Alec answered a little absentmindedly. "Makes the jeep quic-"


    He was cut off when the jeep suddenly lurched forward, causing Karen to choke off a scream that almost left her throat at the abruptness of the action.


    The world almost blurred outside the jeep, causing Lukas'' party to stare at the boy incredulously.


    Liam didn''t even dare to try and control the jeep anymore, just leaning back. He felt like this was the real saying of ''Jesus take the wheel''. If they hadn''t experienced this, then they were using that expression wrong.


    -


    Te.ake had taken control over the strongest male human there, as well as that conveniently placed female human. She''d been weak enough on her own that taking over her consciousness hadn''t placed the slightest amount of strain on him whatsoever, leaving him with ample leeway to find another host.


    This human that he was currently using was perfect. He was the strongest it had seen on this backwater planet, and it was even stronger than Te.ake itself.


    It was quite unconceivable that this little planet held such a powerhouse, and Te.ake almost hadn''t been able to believe it himself, had he not seen the fight between his host and that other human.


    Te.ake salivated over the strength. He was a perfect host, and Te.ake hadn''t been able to resist taking him for itself.


    Luckily, this host didn''t seem to have much mental strength. In fact, none of these backwater hicks did, which was a stroke of luck on Te.ake''s part. It was like the universe was aiding him along in his goals.


    Anyway, Te.ake had moved his real body back to the original place. ''J City'' as it was called, apparently. What strange city names. They made no sense at all. Nor did it have any sort of elegance to it. But then, what else could he have expected from this tiny planet?


    Te.ake could feel the presence of his ship here.


    The pesky humans had not moved it from the spot where they hid it, and Te.ake''s ship was mostly invulnerable to physical damage, so there was no problem in this regard.


    These humans would not have been able to touch its beloved spaceship no matter what they tried, with their ancient technology. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    They were leagues too early before they even dreamed of touching galactic technology, which was yet another boon for Te.ake.


    Anyway, Te.ake had taken this¡­ Dominique and Natalie with it since they were relatively useful.


    Te.ake would keep Dominique with it. This was a perfect host, and easy to use. Dominique''s strength was rather sizable even in the galaxy. Around C+ rank.


    After reacquiring its spaceship, Te.ake would be able to speed up the red virus infection process throughout this little planet, making it more contagious and irresistible.


    Te.ake ordered its hosts to move the rubble that its glorious spaceship was buried under, tutting at the damage the red meteorite managed to do to the surrounding areas.


    The buildings on this planet were so archaic that they couldn''t even withstand a little blow from outer space, nor did they have any shields to withstand enemy invasion.


    Truly, it was a wonder that this planet still stood strong after what seemed like a good number of years.


    They were so defenceless, yet it was strange. Had Te.ake not crashed here by accident, he would never have discovered this little planet.


    Now that he was here, getting coordinates to this place was easy.


    Te.ake wriggled his tentacles. The time was soon to come!

 Chapter 198 Do It, Dominique!

    They reached J City in good time, only to find both Natalie and Dominique digging around in the rubble in what appeared to be at one end of the city.


    The various members of the party watched over them as they worked, frowning.


    There were cuts and gashes along both Dominique and Natalie''s faces and hands. Clearly, the alien did not care about the two''s bodies at all, but that was to be expected.


    Why would an alien care about those that were not of its own race in the first place?


    Alec thought to himself darkly that he was about to eviscerate an alien.


    Even if it did have information that they needed. The alien was most likely the mastermind behind this planet''s zombie virus, so it should know how to wipe out the mutation source as well.


    No one, and he meant *no one*, hurt his subordinate and got away with it.


    The alien seemed to sense their presence, causing both Natalie and Dominique to drop whatever piece of rubble they had their hands on, turning back to face them.


    "Guys," Natalie said, stepping forward with a bright, beaming smile. It looked distinctly unnatural on Natalie''s face. The scientist didn''t smile that much these days, though she did smile faintly from time to time.


    Karen stopped her with a snarl painted on her normally cheerful face. "Give her back," Karen demanded, directing her words to the alien that was controlling her consciousness.


    Though she didn''t like Natalie all that much, everyone could see just how hard she''d been trying to make amends. By making her act this way, the alien was sullying Natalie''s motives and her work.


    Dominique stepped forward as well. "What are you all doing here?" he said with a gentle smile. It was something that caused the Alec''s party to feel a chill run up and down their spines at the unnatural sight.


    There was something inherently wrong watching the usually grumpy or expressionless man smile so nicely at them, almost in a way that reflected Alec''s usual manner.


    Especially so when that smile wasn''t directed at Alec in particular.


    Alec moved his eyes towards the rubble that they had previously been digging through.


    It appeared that the alien did not have any understanding of either Natalie or Dominique''s individual abilities.


    If it did, it should have known Dominique would have been able to blow away all the rubble without any problem at all.


    Instead, the two were digging through rubble with nothing but their bare hands. If this wasn''t ignorance to how strong Dominique truly was, what was?


    There was a brief outline of silver under all that rubble, and what looked like a stereotypical UFO under it. It looked just like a saucer that people always claimed were hoaxes.


    Alec felt a little incredulous, but it wasn''t enough to outweigh his anger. Though the wounds on Dominique were superficial, he had still been hurt.


    Just what was this world? Who the hell wrote this plot?


    Alec would have loved to give them a piece of his mind. Using his fist as the medium.


    "What are you talking about? We''re right here," Natalie said demurely.


    The two mind-controlled people moved and ''subtly'' blocked the container with the alien''s body from sight.


    Rosabel rolled her eyes theatrically at them, pointing directly at the box and calling out the alien''s bullshit responses. "Why''d you bring the alien with you, if you aren''t being controlled by it?" she accused. Her voice was laced with certainty.


    Behind her, Vivian was smiling menacingly, her lips had just the right amount of steel and fire. "Son, what do you think you''re doing with this fine lady here?"


    Alec could see on their faces the moment that it knew that the gig was up. Their faces turned hostile as they tensed up ¨C amateur move ¨C ready for whatever was coming their way.


    Lukas, who had snuck up on them while the group was confronting Natalie and Dominique, grabbed the metal container that had been that had been ''hidden'' behind them, causing both of them to whirl behind as they tried to defend its main body.


    The knife in Natalie''s hands stabbed forward towards Lukas'' unprotected neck, yet she was stopped in her tracks as she was hauled and thrown from him as he absconded with the metal container in his hands.


    He didn''t have a problem at all fending himself off from a weak chicken like Natalie, who had cooped herself up in the labs the entire time.


    While she had a bit of muscle from being on the roads with them, it wasn''t enough for her to go against Lukas and win.


    Te.ake was shocked when its host ¨C weak though it may be ¨C was so forcefully obstructed from protecting its main body.


    Te.ake frowned fiercely.


    These people were stronger than he thought for a backward hick planet like this one. It didn''t like this. Not one bit.


    Te.ake ordered both bodies to protect each other as they moved to re-acquire its main body.


    Should its main body die, it would die as well, which was not the optimal situation here.


    It would go down in galactic history as the unfortunate soul that lost its life in a backward planet such as this one, making it the laughingstock of the century.


    Though it didn''t think that they would be able to hurt its body when it was in a hibernation state, it would rather be safer than sorry.


    Instead, Te.ake ordered the male host to take the hosts'' friend and child ¨C that ''Alec'' hostage.


    He seemed important to the group, judging from the various interactions it had seen over the course of those short days.


    They all cared about him very much, which was something that Te.ake found use in.


    Dominique jumped forward and grabbed Alec in a chokehold, dragging him backwards until they were backed off against the spaceship that was still party buried under the rubble.


    "Stop! Or this child will die in my hands today," Dominique threatened, a smirk on his face.


    Rosabel instantly felt her annoyance increase a hundred-fold.


    She always thought that Dominique was annoying with his relative stoic expression, but this smug one was a hundred times worse! She wanted to punch his face so badly! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Te.ake knew that he made the right choice when the expression of everyone there changed minutely.


    He delighted in his intellect. The weakest and most precious ones in turn were always those that were the smallest of the group, as it suggested beings that had not yet gone reached their full growth stage ¨C or adulthood, as you will.


    "Give me back my body," Dominique demanded, gripping Alec''s neck harder. Under his grip, bruises had started to form. "Quickly, or the great Te.ake will kill him."


    From a direction that Te.ake could not see, Alec''s smile was blooming, and his party members knew that he was pissed. The surrounding area was colder with Alec''s anger, yet the alien didn''t seem to notice at all.


    This wasn''t even the first time in this world that he''d been threatened with death, and it really pissed him off.


    He hadn''t even managed to work out all his anger, yet this alien thought he could use his subordinate to threaten him?


    Him?


    And, of all people, using *Dominique* to threaten him?


    What a ludicrous situation.


    A little laugh couldn''t help but bubble out of him, causing Dominique''s hand on Alec''s neck to loosen as Te.ake was distracted.


    Lukas glared at Dominique as he threateningly opened the metal container instead of giving into the Te.ake''s demands.


    "Tread lightly," came Natalie''s voice, her eyes boring a glare into Lukas'' form.


    Lukas'' expression didn''t change, but he tipped the metal container lightly instead, causing Natalie to tense up, her eyes locked on the box.


    Lukas threateningly stabbed a knife towards Te.ake''s body, causing the alien to launch Natalie''s body forward as she shrieked in a high voice, causing some of the zombies that had been in hiding to amble towards them.


    Karen clicked her tongue just as annoyed and angry as everyone else, but dutifully moved with the rest of the party members to deal with the incoming zombies.


    Dominique backed away with Alec in hand, and Alec obligingly moved along with him.


    Lukas was carefully dealing with Natalie''s flailing attempts at harming him but was careful not to damage her too badly. There was a ring of blue in her eyes that weren''t there before, and a quick glance at Dominique told him the same thing.


    Lukas disabled Natalie without a problem, trussing her up like the day they first met. With duct tape. It felt strangely nostalgic.


    Natalie hissed.


    "Dominique, do it!" Te.ake shrieked using Natalie''s voice.


    The ring of blue in Dominique''s purple eyes brightened as Te.ake exerted his influence.

 Chapter 199 Kill!

    Dominique exerted his strength, blowing away Lukas even as Natalie also went flying together with him.


    The alien clearly could not be bothered whether or not his other ''host'' got injured, something that did not sit right with all of them there.


    With one hand on Alec, and the other hand reacquiring the metal container that held Te.ake''s body, Dominique put some strength into his legs as he dashed away, launching himself up to the alien''s spaceship according to the commands that were ringing loudly in his brain. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    The spaceship was still half buried, but that did not matter. As long as Te.ake could reclaim his spaceship, Te.ake would have the upper hand no matter what trump cards they still had up their sleeves.


    It also had the happy coincidence of separating his host from those who could possibly awaken the host''s consciousness completely.


    Unfortunately, Te.ake was still too weak. Otherwise, he would be able to take care of these people without needing to exert himself at all.


    Te.ake already wasn''t that strong physically, so even if its body had been completely recovered, it still wouldn''t be able to handle this many people, but had its mental strength fully recovered, they wouldn''t be a problem at all.


    Te.ake was frustrated.


    Honestly, having to feel this helpless put Te.ake in a bad mood.


    Had he just had enough strength¡­


    Would these insects be able to even touch the tip of his tentacles?


    It enraged him that he had to act like a space rat, running and hiding in order to preserve his life. Space rats were the lowest of the low, but they had tenacity. Te.ake likened them to this planet''s ''cockroaches''.


    The ringing in Dominique''s mind grew louder as Te.ake moved all of its consciousness into his host''s brain.


    There wasn''t a need for the researcher''s weak and feeble body. Not when his other host was as glorious as this.


    Te.ake felt its lips curl into a smile. As long as it had Dominique, Te.ake was untouchable.


    As Dominique landed on the silver spaceship, they didn''t even need to wait for a door to open as Dominique''s body sank into the extra-terrestrial vehicle.


    The spaceship was attuned to Te.ake''s presence, allowing for its master to return without another hitch.


    Te.ake silently breathed a sigh of relief.


    It had not expected these barbarians to go to the extent of trying to harm its body, even though it should have. It supposed that even cornered rats bit back. Just look at those scientists and researchers, not to mention the rest of this planet.


    Dominique unlatched the box, placing Te.ake''s body on the ground.


    Te.ake looked at its original body through Dominique''s eyes, giving itself a strange sense of double vision that made it feel like it had its eyes crossed.


    The alien moved its consciousness around, relegating Dominique to the background. Instead, Te.ake connected its consciousness into its darling spaceship.


    This spaceship wasn''t top of the line, nor was it the best in defence or offence, but it was something that Te.ake had scrounged and saved up for a long time.


    It was its baby.


    Te.ake''s synchronisation with the spaceship was something that neared the hundredth percentile, something that most people didn''t bother attaining. Well, their loss. Te.ake had already experienced the various benefits that came along with having a high synchro rate with its spaceship.


    Te.ake was happy. The time to start up its plans had come.


    It would need merely thirty earth days before it would be able to sell off this planet''s rights to the galaxy out there.


    Te.ake''s heart thundered within its chest, and its energy pulsed at the thought. It could hardly wait before it was time to start.


    Syncing up with its spaceship, its energy systems came online, blooming before Te.ake''s mind.


    It had missed this.


    It had not been that many days in that container, but the indignity that it had to bear while being trapped there was something that did not do its psyche any good.


    Te.ake did not feel good having its consciousness so weak that it could barely attract those weak-minded earthlings to do its bidding.


    Te.ake turned its eyes back onto the small child that had been acquired to expedite its safety into the spaceship.


    Its host was still cradling the child gently in his arms ¨C no doubt a subconscious act based on the host''s original memories, but not one that was created due to Te.ake''s orders.


    There was no longer any need for this child.


    Alec was glancing around inside the spaceship, curious, but also not as concerned as he should be.


    Dominique was still clutching Alec to himself, his touch light and made sure not to grip. Alec didn''t even feel any discomfort.


    Though, his subordinate''s eyes were still strangely blank.


    Now that they''d managed to make their way into the spaceship, Alec could tell that this was the last line of defence that Te.ake currently had.


    What worried him was the defences on this ship.


    However, now that he was inside it, Alec realized that the ship was familiar. It was a standard model that was used by many other timelines and places.


    It was something that Alec had extensively studied between his System duties. Alec was quickly formulating a plan within his mind about how to deal with the alien.


    Before this, his plans had to be adjusted on the fly, but now that the alien had taken him ''hostage'', it was a lot easier.


    Alec stared into Dominique''s blue-ringed irises, thinking that its appearance gave Dominique a strange sort of appearance.


    Together with his purple irises, it made him look mysterious and otherworldly. Because of the sigil that was in one of his eyes ¨C something that Alec wanted to remove from him very badly ¨C Dominique''s appearance gave him a strange charm that drew eyes.


    If it wasn''t enough with his already normally cool face and handsome looks, with the addition of his strangely charming irises, he would draw no small number of eyes whenever he walked along.


    Dominique placed Alec down on the ground, his face still strangely blank.


    Alec couldn''t get used to it. Not when his subordinate had been showing a larger range of emotions recently. He''d even gotten used to the strangely fanatical eyes that he''d been using to gaze at Alec with.


    Not to be on the receiving end of the gaze made him feel strange.


    The blue ring in Dominique''s eyes flickered slightly, and he blinked.


    Te.ake''s voice was heard from the entire spaceship, having connected his consciousness to the spaceship''s systems.


    "Kill him," Te.ake''s voice rang, both out loud and inside Dominique''s mind.


    Blue glow in Dominique''s eyes strengthened as he looked at his boss.


    Dominique and Alec locked eyes, their thoughts unreadable.


    "What are you doing?" Te.ake''s voice echoed within the space. "I said kill him!"


    Dominique jerkily moved forward, as if he was struggling under the weight of Te.ake''s command.


    Te.ake sighed in abject frustration.


    It appeared that this host''s connection towards this child was rather high. Perhaps, it was even his own child.


    Te.ake frowned lightly but didn''t push it.


    Though it may look down on this planet, it was not needlessly cruel. It would not be so cruel as to make a parent kill their own child.


    Te.ake was sympathetic.


    The fact that Dominique had already harmed the child ¨C however lightly it might have been ¨C in the earlier confrontation with the other humans already spoke of the control that it had over him.


    Te.ake moved Dominique''s body away from the child, placing its host''s hand on the spaceship to record its signature.


    Its body was still too weak at this moment, to be able to handle such vigorous handling, so it had no choice but to use the host''s body to do so.


    Pressing deeper into the host''s mind, Te.ake shoved, pressing down the host''s consciousness, something that was akin to blackout.


    The host would not remember anything later when he woke up. In that time, Te.ake would take care of the child.

 Chapter 200 How Do You Want To Die?

    Te.ake frowned when it realized that the host was resisting its commands.


    The alien pressed down harder, having to use a lot more mental strength that left it weak. Or rather, weaker, before it was able to press down the host''s consciousness to take full control over the body.


    It was finally satisfied when the host''s mental consciousness did not do anything, obediently staying under the sea of unconsciousness.


    Te.ake, satisfied, stepped forward, only to see the youngling slap a piece of paper onto its host''s body.


    Confused, Te.ake touched the strange sheet with equally strange writings and scribbles on it, only for it to feel a sudden surge of power from the host''s mind, and the host''s entire body to freeze in place.


    Shocked, Te.ake tried to withdraw from the host''s mind, only for it to realize that the host''s consciousness was not pressed down at all. In fact, the host''s mind was a lot stronger than it originally thought, causing Te.ake to feel terribly confused.


    Instead, the original consciousness of his body attacked Te.ake''s own mind with a hidden ferocity that shocked it whenever Te.ake tried to regain control.


    Since the host had only ever fought back with the merest tokens of resistance in the beginning, when Te.ake took over it always thought that Dominique''s mental state was weak and fragile.


    Like with Natalie, who had not even managed to put up any resistance at all, to those other influential people in this planet, Te.ake had never met a human that was able to resist it.


    It was only now when it realized that it had been tricked by these humans!


    Indignation and humiliation burned bright within it.


    How could it have looked down on its opponents so much that it had made such a fatal mistake?


    What was this piece of paper, and what was it doing to it!? What sorcery was this?!


    Alec brushed a stray strand of hair out of his eyes, watching as Dominique blinked, the ring of blue remaining in his eyes, but the aura around him changed immediately.


    Dominique stretched a little, finally being able to go back to his normal self without having to force those unnatural actions and expressions on his face.


    Dominique felt like he could finally breathe properly after so many days of feeling stuffy. While the alien had thought he was being subtle with his so-called ''mind control'', to Dominique, it felt more like the alien had been shouting orders inside his brain.


    Frankly, it felt disgusting and unnatural to him, but he''d played along, following the orders of the alien. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    It was something that didn''t quite sit right with him but thinking that he was being useful to his boss by acting like this, Dominique was willing to bear with the uncomfortable feelings.


    "Welcome back, Mini," his boss said, and Dominique felt his heart swell with something he didn''t know how to describe.


    Then, he remembered the various things he did while under the alien''s ''control''.


    His face immediately fell, feeling distressed.


    Dominique''s fingers uncharacteristically twitched as his fingers tingled with the remaining feelings of the force that he''d used to grip his boss'' neck, upset.


    He had been in full control of himself at that time, yet he was worried that Te.ake would go jumping around to the rest of them, so Dominique hadn''t dared to allow the alien to realize he was in full control of himself.


    Alec watched curiously as Dominique hovered, acting like he wanted to touch, yet at the same time, he didn''t dare to.


    It wasn''t like his subordinate to act like this, though the familiar light of fanaticism in his eyes had returned, and Alec felt something inside him relax at the sight.


    It had been strange seeing Dominique walk around for days acting differently, and though he had believed that Dominique was in control of himself the entire time, it hadn''t felt good to know that his subordinate had to act according to the whims of the alien.


    Speaking of which, Alec''s eyes narrowed a little, causing Dominique''s heart to jump. Was the boss going to admonish him?


    "Is the alien ¨C Te.ake ¨C still conscious?"


    Dominique at once felt a mix of disappointment that he wasn''t getting scolded, as well as relief. "It is."


    "Do you think you''re able to move its consciousness at all?"


    Dominique fell silent as he thought about it. When the alien had tried to control him, he hadn''t felt much of anything at all.


    The most he felt was like there was ¨C quite literally ¨C another being that had inserted itself into the back of his mind, trying to dictate his actions. He knew that he was able to ignore whatever it wanted if he wished it.


    Now, the alien was trapped inside his body, unable to leave, and its consciousness originally tried to fight against Dominique, only for the Sin to slap his around mentally.


    Now, the alien was all but cowering in the back of his mind, giving off faint terrified vibes. When it heard Alec''s words, the terror only increased.


    "I should be able to."


    Dominique pushed aside his distress, only feeling anger at the alien daring to use *him* to cause harm to boss. Not only that, the alien wanted him to kill boss!?


    The more he thought about it, the brighter and colder his anger burned at once. He would love to render the alien limb from limb in a fight. But first, they had to remove the alien from his mind.


    Alec immediately shook his head. "If you aren''t certain, then I''m not willing to risk it."


    The System rapidly rifled around through his knowledge to cobble up a seal that would transfer someone''s consciousness to a container of his choosing.


    Te.ake had gone from humiliation and indignation to worry and caution, then outright terror when it realized what the humans were talking about.


    How could it not, when they were able to produce something that was able to contain Te.ake''s consciousness?


    How could Te.ake not be terrified when it thought about the possibility of being eradicated forever?


    Death had never been so certain.


    Though Te.ake had the strength mentally, it was not physically gifted.


    "Release me, and I shall bestow upon you many things that you have never seen before," Te.ake coaxed Dominique, its heart still carrying a faint trace of hope that he could survive this unscathed.


    So long as they got this piece of paper off, Te.ake would immediately try to flee after it returned to its original body.


    It originally thought that the inhabitants of this planet were all weak, but it turned out that wasn''t the case.


    Te.ake no longer dreamed of anything big. It just wanted to leave with its life intact. It knew when to retreat and when to advance, and this was definitely not the time for him to advance.


    Dominique gave a very disdainful sounding scoff, tendrils of anger curling up, the flames of wrath burning brightly within him, causing Alec to raise an eyebrow.


    "The alien wants to bribe its way out of this situation."


    Alec''s eyes narrowed.


    Crafting the seal in his mind, he stuck another one on Dominique''s head, between his brows, while sticking a few more on the alien''s original body.


    Alec''s lips twitched.


    How could he allow the alien to escape when he was still pissed about what he''d done to his subordinate?


    Alec tugged the seal that he''d stuck on Dominique''s head. "Move its consciousness into that seal," Alec said.


    Dominique immediately followed orders, shoving the screaming alien''s consciousness towards the area that the seal was stuck on, and he felt the stuffy feeling fade immediately.


    It felt so good to have the alien''s consciousness gone. Before, his head felt like it''d been overstuffed.


    Te.ake blinked awake in its own body but was horrified to realize that it was unable move a single tentacle, nor was it able to move anything other than its eyes.


    By now, Te.ake was truly trembling in fear inside its body.


    It had originally thought that the planet inhabitants wouldn''t be able to touch its body at all, but it had a feeling that this was not going to be the case right now.


    Sure enough, his worries were proven right when the smile on Alec''s face widened.


    "So, how would you like to die?" Alec said with joy. The hidden anger in the depths of his eyes were for Dominique, who''d gotten hurt ¨C however superficially it might have been.

 Chapter 201 Of Pain and Torture

    The alien was putting up a show of false bravado, and Alec had yet to decide how to hurt the alien that had hurt his subordinate.


    A distant part of his mind also wanted the alien to pay for what happened to the entire planet, as well as what happened to Natalie.


    While Natalie wasn''t his favourite person ever, she was indeed under his team''s protection, and this alien had hurt her. Hurt them.


    Te.ake knew that it would have been shaking had it had the ability to.


    Before, this youngling had seemed so harmless, but now that they were trapped here in a place where there was no help, he didn''t seem quite as harmless as he portrayed himself to be.


    Wait ¨C its spaceship.


    Te.ake prayed that their paper would not stop it from reaching out to its spaceship, but it was not meant to be.


    The fear that welled up from the depths of its soul was something that startled it.


    When was the last time that it had felt so terrified for itself?


    There had never been a single time in Te.ake''s life that it was unable to freely control its mental consciousness. It was Te.ake''s racial strength that gave it this power, and there were not many in the galaxy that were able to freely manipulate other''s thoughts.


    Now, however, it had all come to naught because of a tiny slip of paper. Fear of the unknown crept up on Te.ake, but Te.ake maintained hope that it would be able to get out once they slipped up.


    Te.ake didn''t know how to properly describe it. By all accounts, this youngling should not have inspired such fear within it. Not when it had seen so many more terrifying things in space. And yet¡­


    Te.ake should have been able to bluff and bluster its way out of anything that they could have thrown at it, yet for some reason, apprehension was blooming within its heart.


    It watched as the child drew out a strangely silvery-white dagger that had been strapped at his thigh ¨C strange, had that always been there? ¨C and Te.ake felt a bit of its fear taper off.


    Good.


    They didn''t know how to hurt it. Not really. They were likely going to go through a trial and error process to see what would hurt Te.ake.


    If they thought that a dagger of all things could harm Te.ake, then perhaps it could fake its death until they had satisfied their anger.


    If Te.ake could just control its reactions, then it would be able to escape with its life intact.


    Then, Alec drove the dagger into the alien''s tentacle. He even did it without any malicious intent, so Te.ake wasn''t able to react at all until it had already carved off a tentacle.


    His blood was pumping. Mainly because even though the alien was terrified, Alec could still feel the littlest wisps of killing intent that the alien held within its soul, directed at Alec.


    Alec didn''t know whether the killing intent towards them was conscious or not, but he didn''t have any good feelings towards this alien, so it didn''t matter even if it wasn''t.


    A high-pitched, ringing sound echoed throughout the spaceship as Te.ake''s mouth opened, revealing more tentacles that wriggled around.


    Te.ake''s body subconsciously spasmed even though it wasn''t able to move a muscle.


    It was easy to see that, had Te.ake been unbound by Alec''s seals, the tentacles would have already lashed out to try and stop the source of the pain that was being inflicted upon it.


    Te.ake gasped wetly as the sudden onslaught of pain startled out a genuine reaction from it. It had never realized how sensitive its tentacle was. Or rather, its tentacle had never been cut off completely, so it didn''t know just how different suffering a cut and having a limb cut off was.


    The alien reined in its sounds, but it was too late.


    The unexpected sharp pain that pierced through it had already told them what they needed to know.


    The smile on Alec''s face remained, and Dominique couldn''t tear his eyes away from the glorious sight his boss made.


    Though his anger for the alien remained, his boss looked like he was having fun. As a subordinate, Dominique was not going to to stop his boss from doing something he enjoyed.


    More than battle, more than bloodlust, the sight of his boss enjoying himself inspired something within Dominique ¨C something that felt suspiciously like worship.


    Alec carved away tentacle after tentacle, and though Te.ake didn''t make another sound, it was clear to see that the pain caused its body to subconsciously jerk.


    Alec should not have been able to inflict such pain upon the alien. Not with just a dagger. So, Alec had played a little trick that he''d been thinking about testing out in interrogation.


    With the handy help of his seals, Alec managed to anchor Te.ake''s consciousness into its body ¨C and since this was its main body, the synchronisation rate between Te.ake was one hundred percent.


    This meant that Alec was able to connect Te.ake''s consciousness to his pain receptors that much more tightly, winding them and linking them so that it spread over its entire body.


    Basically, Te.ake was very, very sensitive right now, and even the lightest touch caused a severe amount of pain.


    Not only that, Alec had been able to boost the alien''s healing factor as well, and all the tentacles that Alec had cut off were growing again at rapid speed. Yet, even the new tentacles that grew only grew out again with excruciating amounts of pain.


    Te.ake couldn''t even think of anything. Not when its lifeblood was spilling out of its body.


    Te.ake shuddered.


    If only it had been able to move its consciousness ¨C it would have long since tried to flee this place.


    Even if its main body died, that didn''t mean that death was certain. It was just that finding another body that it would be able to sync with completely was close to nothing.


    But even that small chance was better than true death.


    It was better than watching itself bleed out on the floor of its beloved spaceship without being able to lift a tentacle to do it.


    Alec paused briefly, wiping his dagger and looking at it more closely.


    Strangely, he felt like his dagger that had been made from a dragon''s scale appeared almost brighter. As if it had drunk in the blood that had been expelled from the alien.


    Te.ake''s giddy mind focused a little when it realized that the pain had briefly stopped. It stared at the child, who was wearing the warmest, gentlest smile that it had ever seen on a human being.


    Te.ake shook.


    The alien directed its eyes at its ex-host, its eyes pleading for mercy, but to its despair, it found that Dominique never even once glanced at him.


    Instead, his eyes were watching the child''s actions with a look in his eyes that Te.ake didn''t know how to describe.


    "Tell me," Alec said slowly, tracing the tip of his dagger on Te.ake''s broken skin.


    Yet, even that caused an extreme amount of pain to Te.ake.


    Te.ake''s eyes trembled as it waited for the words that the youngling was speaking.


    "How do we rid the world of the zombie virus?" Alec asked smilingly.


    Te.ake wanted to shake its head, but it realized that it forgot about strange paper that was still stopping its movements. "Impossible. The red virus has already been set into motion."


    "Wrong answer."


    The pain started up again, this time even more excruciating than before.


    Te.ake''s throat was sore. Before, it had barely been able to stop itself from screaming, but the pain was even more blinding now.


    So much so that Te.ake couldn''t stop its subconscious reflexes at all.


    It didn''t know how long had passed, but what Te.ake knew was that even its subconscious desire for revenge had completely fled its mind. Te.ake was sure that even if it managed to escape, it would be too terrified to ever try and seek revenge for itself ever again.


    "Wait," Te.ake gasped, and the blade pressed in even harder this time, causing Te.ake to see stars. And not in a good way. "Please."


    Alec obligingly stayed his hand, but his smile caused him to look like a demon to Te.ake''s eyes.


    In Te.ake''s vision, Alec looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself as he pressed the strange blade into its body over and over again. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Te.ake''s body healed so rapidly that it would have been a fool not to realize that just as Te.ake could withhold information, the human could also keep Te.ake alive for as long as he wanted, death something that was so near yet out of reach.


    Te.ake had no doubt that it would eventually reach a point where it would beg for death instead, and rather than go out that way, it would rather go out with less pain.


    "I''ll tell you, so please¡­" Te.ake begged with a weak voice. Its voice sounded wet, almost like what a human would sound like had they punctured a lung.


    "I''m listening."

 Chapter 202 The End of the Apocalypse

    Yuki was relaxing on top of the spaceship that belonged to the alien. There were no movements from it ever since, and he could only take that as a positive sign.


    It had been quite an amount of time since Alec and Dominique had entered the spaceship with the alien.


    Though they weren''t sure whether or not Dominique was truly under the alien''s control, they had faith that their boss would be able to take care of it. If there was anyone who was able to snap Dominique out of it, it would be the boss.


    The rest of the party members didn''t look so confident in their wellbeing, but the Spectres knew that their boss and Dominique were fine. Otherwise, the boss would have already called them using the Spectre mark.


    The boss had laid out their plan earlier before they set off, and Yuki trusted his judgement. So far, everything the boss had done had not led them wrong yet.


    However, other than the Spectres, the rest of them didn''t seem so confident. Well, they would learn if they stuck around long enough.


    Though Yuki felt a little jittery being so near females that weren''t in his immediate circle, he dealt with it firmly by ignoring it.


    Well, he wouldn''t see them again after this stage was over anyway, so it was fine. He just had to pretend they weren''t there.


    Like Yuki, Vivian was not worried at all even though there were many variables in the plan. This was mainly because, as the one who had the most experience here, she would be able to feel the danger way before anyone else.


    Without a doubt, Vivian was the strongest being on this planet right now, yet no one besides the Spectres were able to tell. While she could have ended this all with a single move, Vivian acknowledged that there was a way that they did things, and she did not want to undermine Alec''s leadership.


    They were all seated on the saucer of the UFO, watching and chatting as the zombies congregated below.


    Karen and Liam were practicing their magic control under Lukas'' instructions and tips, allowing them to hone their abilities in real time without any major danger.


    However, Lukas seemed to think that it wasn''t enough as he kicked both of them into the fray while he watched over their progress. There had to be a little danger so that they would use their abilities to their fullest, after all.


    In this aspect, Lukas and Alec both agreed.


    Unlike the rest of them who seemed relatively carefree, even if some of them were worrying about Alec and Dominique''s safety, Natalie, who had woken up after a bout of unconsciousness, was almost going out of her mind with worry.


    She''d been discomforted to realize that her memory over the past week or so was strange and unsettling.


    At that time, what she did seemed completely natural ¨C like it was her own thoughts that were directing her.


    Yet, just now when she woke up and thought back on her actions, she didn''t even dream that she was able to do something like that!


    She''d already taken part in causing the calamity that had caused so many humans to die, yet she once again went down the wrong path?


    Whenever she thought back about what had happened to her over the past week, she felt a sense of disconnect and horror.


    When exactly had the alien affected her?


    She didn''t even know about it, let alone try and fight against it.


    Natalie quietly worried about Dominique''s wellbeing inside the spaceship.


    The others hadn''t experienced it, so they didn''t know that it felt as if she was completely in control of herself when she did those things. As if it was the most natural thing to move according to those thoughts.


    Te.ake would have cried if it knew that the humans were all casually using its spaceship like a sightseeing ship while it was trapped and tortured for hours on end by Alec.


    Alec finally finished extracting the information from Te.ake, and he left the spaceship in satisfaction.


    Te.ake was placed back into the metal container that it was well acquainted with, but the alien had never felt such stark relief seeing the darkness greet it like an old friend.


    It almost felt as if it never wanted to come back out if it meant that it never had to see Alec''s face ever again.


    When Te.ake had given Alec the information, it had originally thought that it would die right after that, but who knew that they would spare its life?


    Boohoo, that youngling was too scary! Te.ake teared up sadly.


    Even if they had placed it back inside the metal container, Te.ake never felt such stark relief or gratefulness to any one being that the torture was over.


    Of course, what Te.ake didn''t know that was the exact reaction he''d been aiming to get. The relief and terror in turns would ensure that it was easy to extract information in the future.


    The group gave matching expressions of happiness when they saw that Alec and Dominique were unharmed.


    It was relieving that Dominique''s usual normal gaze when he looked at Alec was back.


    It had truly been too strange to see him without the fanaticism in his eyes. They didn''t even realize that to them, Dominique''s fanaticism towards Alec already felt like an integral part of Dominique''s personality.


    -


    Robin didn''t know how to place the changes that had suddenly happened over the course of five years into the apocalypse.


    With the first appearance of the zombies that now populated a vast majority of their planet, humanity had pulled themselves together, uniting as one in the face of their inhuman counterparts, yet that was only how it appeared to be on the surface.


    The masses who wanted to remain protected within the bases ate it all up, yet people like Robin, who braved the dangers in the outside world knew that the pretty words the leaders spewed were all propaganda ¨C just like before the end times.


    People still backstabbed each other. They still lied, cheated and killed outside of the bases.


    Only, now, it was a lot easier to do damage control. Disposing of bodies was so much easier compared to before, and there were so many more avenues for those with bad intentions to carry out their plots and machinations with the degradation of the world''s law and order.


    So, when things subtly took a turn, Robin was not the only one who remained unaware.


    It started with the little things.


    Things like people being more willing to lend a hand when you were out there ¨C outside the bases, with only your teammates to watch your back.


    Sometimes, injury was unavoidable, so the zombies that came after the scent of blood came relentlessly.


    Robin didn''t know when it started changing, but the people that left the bases started helping each other more actively, without wanting anything in return.


    They shared and exchanged necessities with each other, lending each other a hand as long as they promised to do good to someone else when they needed it as well.


    Strange, but good.


    Robin reflected the changes in himself after a period of time and found himself helping others just as others helped him, but that was fine.


    Nothing too unusual.


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    Right.


    But then, came the major changes like the zombie population thinning out, and gradually, there were less and less zombies that they saw from city to city.


    People who got hurt stopped turning to zombies, while humanity''s powers grew stronger over time.


    Though the zombies grew stronger as well, humanity was still able to cope by banding together to take them down.


    Four years after the zombie apocalypse began, someone who''d taken radical experimental treatment after they''d been scratched by a zombie came out entire unscathed, his previously greying skin returning back to its healthy, human shade.


    That was a day where the entire world celebrated.


    Then, when the fervour of the people grew to unimaginable heights, the cause of that was revealed.


    A little girl called Amanda Stokes had been the leading cause behind the cure.


    A little girl that held the anti-zombie genes, something that the scientist, Natalie Baker, managed to reproduce under lab conditions.


    Now that they were no longer held back by the threat of zombification, the world''s enthusiasm for zombie eradication reached new heights so that they could regain their world.


    Life went on. Until, one day, when Robin left the base to do his daily procurement of supplies and to kill some zombies, he abruptly realized that he hadn''t seen a single zombie the entire time.


    His teammates wore equally stunned expressions on their faces when they realized what this meant.


    The world was rapidly being cleansed. By them.


    They returned to the base, spreading what they knew, and before they knew it, a new spree of zombie cleaning kicked off.


    In as little as five years, the zombie apocalypse had started, and had ended just as quickly.


    Because of humanity.


    Because they''d banded together.


    Because of a little girl called Amanda Stokes, and a scientist called Natalie Baker.


    Robin wasn''t ashamed to say that he cried, along with so many other people.


    They held their friends, held their remaining family, and they rejoiced. Their tears contained both joy and sorrow. One for the hope of the new world, and one for the sorrow of those that had left the world early.


    There had never been a happier moment when they realized that Earth had finally rid themselves of the zombies once and for all.


    Robin looked into the setting sun, and he thanked the heroes from the bottom of his heart for making this all possible.

 Chapter 203 Mysterious Disappearance

    It was about time for the stage to be finished, so Alec''s party were ready to leave any day now. They moved around from country to country, doing their part to wipe out the zombies in the area, while the rest of humanity moved as one.


    Instead of staying leisurely in H base, Alec and his party members had originally bid Lukas and the rest goodbye.


    Yet, instead of parting ways there, Lukas, Liam and Karen refused to be left behind when their friends went to battle and followed them around. The group of them went around hunting down zombies from town to town, country to country. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Alec felt helpless, but also secretly felt a little pleased, though it didn''t lessen his anger at the System that had landed them here in the first place. The day they returned was the day Alec gave that System a piece of his mind.


    Alec''s eyes narrowed.


    Now that the threat of the red virus to the planet was over, all they had left remaining was the clean-up.


    Te.ake was long dead and gone.


    Even though Alec had spared its life temporarily, after they determined that they had enough information, he''d ended its life in a quick manner and relatively painless manner.


    Though it had harmed Dominique, who was under Alec''s care, Dominique had only been harmed superficially.


    Not only that, there had been more rounds of torture where Alec tested out various interrogation techniques, before passing it on to Lukas.


    Alec didn''t know what Lukas did to it, but the alien had the fear put directly into its being.


    As thanks, the alien had been allowed to pass on in a peaceful manner despite the things that it did while it was here on Earth. According to the alien, it was because of the humans that it had turned to genocide in the first place.


    Sircela drifted down from the skies while they chatted and rested atop the flying whale, Domnique''s familiar killing zombies left and right with just its presence alone.


    Lukas lay quietly as he stared into the sky in a daze.


    He still couldn''t believe this was how it all turned out.


    Originally, Lukas had believed that Alec was a regressor, just like he was, but perhaps from a different timeline, but that wasn''t the case, was it? He didn''t know why he felt that way, but that was what his instincts told him about the child turned teen.


    It was the reason why Lukas had followed them after they said they were leaving.


    He felt as if the moment he took his eyes off of them, they would disappear into oblivion and he would never see them again.


    Lukas wasn''t the most sociable person, and he didn''t make friends easily, unlike his twin and Karen, so the fact that he considered these people friends was something that still astounded him to this day.


    Five years had already passed, yet it felt as quick as the blink of an eye.


    He didn''t know what he was going to do if it turned out that they really disappeared.


    Lukas frowned and put aside the matter for the time being.


    Instead, he reflected on the other things that had happened throughout these five years.


    The apocalypse had been put to a stop right in its tracks a mere five years after it started.


    Lukas ran that thought in his mind again, feeling a mix of complicated emotions.


    Natalie managing to produce a cure to the red virus, Alec managing to find someone that was immune to the virus in the first place, Yuki managing to put together a feasible plan that allowed them to influence humanity so that they wiped out the zombies quicker¡­


    Alec''s group made things look so easy in comparison that he felt inadequate at times, which only made him push harder as he strived for more.


    Yet, the apocalypse was now all but over. What would he do now that it was over?


    What else did he have besides his wealth of fighting experience? He had no socialization skills to speak of, and his paranoia wasn''t easily put aside even if he wanted to. His nerves were always high-strung.


    The people this time around were less scarred by the entire zombie apocalypse.


    There were still a lot of zombies out there, but the people that Lukas had observed seemed to be more willing to help others out, yet another thing that astounded him. Despite it being something that had started as a movement because of Alec''s group ¨C their group, a voice whispered in his head ¨C it was still something that he never imagined he would be a part of.


    Back in his original timeline, ten years into the apocalypse, it was hard to find those that weren''t touched by loss or grief. Many of them even appeared even somewhat feral as they fought desperately against the zombies.


    Here, now, everything was relatively peaceful.


    Humanity was flourishing.


    The higher ranked zombies hadn''t had much time to evolve yet before they were able to summarily take care of them.


    What really remained were the small fry that was spread out throughout the planet.


    So, right now, if Lukas was in a daze, no one could fault him.


    Liam laid out beside him to the right, and Karen on the left.


    The three of them just basked in the sunlight that filtered down onto them from Sircela''s back. The wind gently caressed their skin, and Lukas felt content for the first time in a long, long time.


    Things were looking up. He didn''t have to worry about losing Liam or Karen to people''s machinations as it was with their current strength. They would be able to defend themselves with no problem.


    Liam spoke up right when Lukas was drifting off into sleep.


    "Bro, are you ever going to tell us why you changed so much?"


    The question caused Lukas to snap awake, his previous sleepiness disappearing in an instant. He remained quiet. How could he not have? But he was afraid that they wouldn''t believe him, so he remained silent.


    Neither Karen nor Liam said anything else, but Lukas could feel them waiting for his answer.


    He decided to bite the bullet and just blurt it out. "I came back from the future. This is the second time I''m going through the apocalypse," Lukas started. The moment he started talking, the words seemed to flow from him uncontrollably.


    It was like the dam that had kept all the words locked up had finally broken, and everything gushed out at once.


    His earlier apprehension didn''t get in the way of him spilling his guts, and he felt his brother touch his arm. Karen put a hand on his shoulder.


    While Lukas didn''t usually like being touched all that much, right now, he took comfort in it.


    By the time he finished spilling his guts, he felt refreshed, even when his throat was dry and croaking from all the talking that he did.


    It wasn''t a pleasant sensation, but comparatively, he felt so much lighter that he didn''t even mind. He had not realized just how much it weighed on him to keep a secret from those that he deemed dear to him.


    Karen fed him water, after which they just lay there in companionable silence.


    "It''s not like we didn''t know, you know? We were just waiting for you to tell us. But it didn''t seem like you were going to, so I had to ask," Liam said serenely. "You''re my twin. I''ll always know. Just as I know it really is you and not some other person that took over your body."


    Karen nodded sleepily. "Yeah. We all knew you''d changed. You became even less talkative than before. Seriously. You already weren''t that talkative in the first place, but now you''re almost always silent unless it''s with us. And you were jumping at every little thing."


    Lukas felt a sudden burst of affection that made his chest feel like it was tight. He smiled under the warm sun rays. It was a shame that no one was able to see Lukas'' smile.


    Then, they heard a shout from Rosabel towards Dominique.


    "Hey, get Sircela to descend!"


    Lukas immediately got up. What was wrong?


    They felt a bit of a lurch as Sircela quickly descended, but not before they caught sight of Alec waving at them from across Sircela''s back.


    Lukas felt alarm bells ring in his head, and just when he was about to quickly make his way over to them to confront them, everyone disappeared with the blink of an eye.


    Karen let out a yelp when they suddenly freefell from the sky as Sircela disappeared before reappearing like it glitched out, stunning them.


    Sircela neared the ground before placing them down and disappearing from their sight, as if a giant flying whale was normal.


    Lukas and party were shocked. Why had Alec and the rest just disappeared so abruptly!?


    Where had their friends gone, and why hadn''t they left as well?

 Chapter 204 Who Are You?!

    Alec found himself in a familiar place ¨C the place where he''d originally stepped into five years ago.


    Alec remained still when he thought back about the five years that had passed in [Stage 15], finding himself feeling strangely sentimental.


    Now that they''d left, Alec was annoyed to find that he had definitely taken the twins and Karen under his wing, but he had no way to find them again.


    This was definitely not the best time for him to realize it. He frowned fiercely and disregarded the popups telling him that he was losing points.


    He felt a familiar anger bubble up from the bottom of his gut at the thought of the damn System that had caused him to form bonds with people then simultaneously lose them in one go.


    He thought that he''d managed to keep them out from his defences well enough, but he hadn''t counted on the fact that even five years could wear away a stone, and he was definitely feeling the loss now.


    Alec took a deep breath and suppressed the anger that felt like it was about to bubble out uncontrollably, allowing his smile to slip back onto his face.


    He checked his body and was slightly relieved when he realized that his body remained the same even though they''d returned from the stage.


    He had no way to tell whether or not the time in this crack between dimensions had remained the same as the time that they spent inside [Stage 15], but he doubted it.


    His body remained in this state instead of reverting back to his eleven-year-old self, something that he was thankful for.


    Alec would have gone mad if he had to spend more time as an eleven-year-old. *Again*.


    Right now, they all had an option to opt out from the place, and he had a feeling that Yuki and Rosabel would likely opt out, though he wasn''t sure about the rest.


    Throughout the entire time they had been in that stage, Alec had still not felt either Fenrir or Bunbun, which made him wonder what they were going through.


    But right now, there was something else that he needed to do.


    Alec tugged on his black half palm glove that he''d taken to wearing all the time. They were both breathable and flexible, which made it feel like he wasn''t wearing anything at all. It had the added effect of protecting his himself whenever he had to do something more¡­ hands on.


    He''d been planning this for a long five years within [Stage 15] when he first realized that there was no way that planet had been made up of data, despite the other System masquerading it as such.


    The people there reacted in a way that even Mainframe itself wasn''t able to produce, with its vast amounts of data.


    It was crazy.


    How could they use another person''s planet as a testing grounds for their so-called legacy hall? It went beyond Alec''s common sense on how a System contracted to the Mainframe was supposed to act.


    However, this place they were in now¡­


    Alec looked around casually, looking for a brief error or lag in the place, but wasn''t able to find one.


    But that was fine. If he couldn''t find a loophole, then he would make one himself. Sheer brute strength and a lot of pent up rage would do the job just fine.


    After training that hard in [Stage 15] Alec would have been ashamed if he didn''t reach at least the intermediate stage, which he finally had after throwing himself into killing zombies.


    While the stage 1 and 2 zombies didn''t have any thoughts, which meant that they couldn''t maintain killing intent against humans, the stage 3 zombies that had eventually appeared allowed Alec to hone his fighting skills.


    Regardless of the zombie ranks, he had killed every single zombie that he saw, allowing him to slowly accumulate and refine the magic within himself.


    Right now, Alec was in the initiate intermediate stage, which was outstanding for his age. However, for Sins, it wasn''t anything that was too out of place, so his achievement didn''t draw too much shock.


    While they ''knew'' that Alec was an Every, it seemed to have slipped their mind, and they just considered him part of the Sins instead.


    Compared to his earlier slow progress, the progress he made now was very satisfying indeed, and Alec was always happy whenever he saw that his hard work was paying off.


    Alec kicked off the wall, slamming his fist down onto the ground in a move that shattered the ground beyond repair.


    Dust, debris and chunks of rubble flew in the air as the place shook as Alec channelled both strength and anger into his punch, placing his entire strength behind that single strike as he thought about his anger towards the System behind this elaborate setup.


    The place trembled, and if they had truly been underground, Alec had no doubt that he would have caused a cave-in.


    Alec looked around without missing a single detail, and his eyes locked onto a single corner that looked untouched by the rest of the destruction.


    Alec zero-ed in on it, tearing apart the spatial wall and stepping through.


    What he used wasn''t his magic powers, nor was it his Awakening Magitype, but instead something that he''d always been able to do as part of his duties as a System.


    As long as a System had been contracted by the Mainframe, they all had basic abilities that allowed them to interact directly with the data stream of the world.


    The space parted for him and closed behind him after he stepped through.


    Alec found himself in a familiar-looking room. It was the standard room that the Mainframe assigned Systems.


    So long as you signed on with the Mainframe, the corresponding System was assigned an unbreakable room for the System to carry out their duties. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Seated in the middle of the room full of screens, the System pale grey hair that reminded Alec of metal, pale skin and green eyes.


    The System was lounging on a comfy looking sofa before the screens instead of the standard rolling chair.


    System No.00110399 was staring at his screen in confusion when he saw what Alec was doing. Why would the human suddenly break the room the moment he got back?


    Confused, System No.00110399 was about to press a button when his eyes widened as the spatial wall tore, leaving him gaping in shock.


    "What?!" System No.00110399 blurted, the shock colouring his features.


    Alec smiled at the familiar-looking System before him even though all he wanted to do was glower at him. It was indeed System No.00110399 that he didn''t get along with.


    Why was he here, and why was the System operating this so-called legacy hall?


    "System No.00110399," Alec greeted, freaking out and shocking the System even more.


    "Who are you?" the System asked, standing up from his chair in shock. His earlier suspicions, that had long been dismissed in the five years that he''d spent watching the screen, returned with a vengeance.


    The human ''Alec'' looked exactly like his friend System No.00290596.


    If this human wasn''t his friend, then how had he not only managed to find a way into the room specifically for Systems, but also acquire his name?


    System No.00110399 scanned Alec''s body again but found nothing amiss. It just added more to the System''s confusion.


    But System No.00110399 soon calmed down as his eyes glittered. This was more exciting than anything had been in the past few centuries.


    Alec felt annoyed at the familiar look of gleeful excitement that System No.00110399 got whenever he chanced upon something interesting that he would be able to play around with to his heart''s content ¨C and in the process, break as many rules as he wanted.


    "System No.00110399," Alec repeated again, regaining the attention from the System. "Why has the Mainframe sent you to Incantix?"


    System No.00110399 flopped back down on his sofa, which was not allowed in regulations, but he couldn''t care less about following the Mainframe''s stuffy rules. Not when he''d finally escaped from that hellhole.


    He was finally free now. What else was he going to do, if not live life a little?


    "Who said anything about the Mainframe sending me to Incantix?" the System said casually, having regained his cool. A smirk was painted on his lips at the thought of something new and exciting.


    Alec felt annoyed. This was exactly why he hated interacting with System No.00110399. The other System never gave him a straight answer, always going around and around in circles until you felt like you were going crazy.


    Alec stalked forward and grabbed the System by the collar, hoisting him up and smiling as wide as he could. "Don''t bullshit with me, damn rulebreaker!"


    System No.00110399 stared at Alec with a blank look on his face as he was immediately reminded of his old friend that had disappeared for quite an amount of time.

 Chapter 205 You Obtuse Idiot!

    System No.00110399 stared at every inch of the human''s face, yet he did not see any resemblance to his old friend other than the looks. His mannerisms were all different, as well as the way he carried himself.


    While this human looked exactly like System No.00290596, he had long since discounted his theory since the human really didn''t act like his friend at all, be it decisions or his way of talking.


    Not only that, this human, Alec, was still sporting such a gentle smile that System No.00110399 could never in all of his years imagine on his friend''s face.


    Like, at all.


    Seriously.


    In fact, had System No.00110399 been the type to sleep, that smile would definitely have haunted his nightmares.


    The glare that System No.00290596 wore was as much part of his character as his swearing and brashness was, and the System just couldn''t imagine that someone had taken his friend''s face and managed to form it into such a gentle-looking thing.


    It was utterly unconceivable.


    If the other System had so much as smiled back in the System''s Cafeteria, System No.00110399 just knew that all manner of chaos and pandemonium would have broken out in the room.


    His gruff manner had already made him quite lovable to those Systems but seeing a smile on System No.00290596''s face would have given him the ''delinquent saving a puppy in the rain'' charm.


    System No.00110399 suspected that his friend did not know that he was actually rather popular ¨C all for the reason that he was able to stand up to the transmigrator''s various unreasonable demands ¨C rather, the System thought that the other truly didn''t have much EQ to speak of.


    Just hearing the phrase, "Don''t bullshit with me, damn rulebreaker!" while he was being grabbed by the collar gave him a lot of memories that flooded back as he was reminded of the friend he loved to tease, System No.00290596.


    This human said it in the exact same way, coupled with the gestures that gave him a nostalgic taste.


    Unfortunately, back when System No.00110399 had tried to inquire with the Mainframe about where his friend had gone, the Mainframe only gave him the words ''classified'' and that was enough to shut down every avenue of investigation that he had going on.


    System No.00110399 had been frustrated. How could the Mainframe just send the other away without any prior warning? That was something that seemed like decent System courtesy, yet they weren''t afforded any in the Mainframe''s damn Rule Book, which was ironic.


    The System squinted at the human. He didn''t think that this was really his friend, not when he smiled like this, but he still had to test it.


    "Princess?"


    Alec''s smile immediately broke as he glowered as hard as he could at the other System in that split second before he was hit with the popups of his points being deducted.


    Then, he immediately pasted his smile back on even though it was noticeably strained. "Don''t call me that," Alec said with faux gentleness.


    Right now, all he wanted to do was strangle the other for daring to call him that.


    Actually, why didn''t he?


    System No.00110399''s emerald green eyes widened as he crowed in joy. As much as the Mainframe had tried to hint to him that Alec was dead, he hadn''t believed it at all. Unfortunately, after so many years passed, some doubt had started to take root, but it was good to finally know that his fears were unfounded.


    "Damn, I knew that you weren''t dead, Princess! Ack-" System No.00110399 fought off his friend''s strangling hands, rolling the two of them around on the ground as he tried to get away from Alec''s hands.


    Alec growled, but still gleefully strangled the other System. However, he made sure not to harm him since their strengths were vastly different right now.


    System No.00110399 lay spread eagle over the plush carpet floor, panting heavily. Oof. The other System had gotten buff in the time he was away! Just what happened to him!? And he was smiling?!


    "What the heck happened to you?" System No.00110399 panted out, incredulous.


    If the other System had still been connected to the Mainframe in any way, System No.00110399 was sure that he would have found the other the moment he stepped into this crack between realms.


    Alec maintained his smile as he looked down at the tired System. "Mainframe punished me after I racked up a certain number of bad reviews. Somehow, I managed to get rid of the Mainframe''s automated system, but the ''gentle'' character type seems to be locked in."


    Alec was feeling quite at home, actually. He hadn''t seen his own room in so long that he''d almost forgotten what it looked like, but perhaps it was the sentimentality that made him softer on this annoying System No.00110399.


    System No.00110399 was silent for a long moment before he snorted. He cracked up and rolled around on the floor. "Gentle," he wheezed out, thumping his fist on the plush floor, his eyes tearing up from how hard he was laughing.


    Alec waited it out with a familiar long-suffering silence. He was used to this. Even if all he wanted to do was glower at the other System.


    An indeterminate time later, Alec finally managed to get back the both of them back on track.


    "How are you so sure it was me anyway?" Alec asked, confused. It wasn''t like he''d done anything that could have given him away. At least, the other should still have doubts about trying to call him ''Princess''.


    System No.00110399 rolled his eyes. "Uh, hello? You look exactly the same as when you were a System. Just that you''re currently a mini version. Wait. Ah, right. We didn''t have mirrors back in the Mainframe''s space."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "So, why are you here in Incantix?" Alec questioned, putting the other matter aside. "Don''t think I''ve forgotten about the things you''ve put me through in that damn [Stage 15]," he gritted out.


    System No.00110399 laughed. "Oh, for sure. I wouldn''t dream about it. But what can I do?" he shrugged. "Life gets boring after so many centuries alone, you know?"


    Alec frowned softly but made sure the System didn''t catch it. "What do you mean?"


    "What I mean," the System drawled, "is that I resigned from the Mainframe''s company. And in doing so, I may have tracked down your general coordinates, but since I have no idea what time it sent you to, I had to take a rough guess." At this, the System looked completely annoyed. "I''ve been on this planet since it started spewing out human life."


    Alec stared at the System that he knew for so long with incomprehension.


    Based on his comprehension of the other System, the man was the type that hated doing boring things and doing something like that was out of character for him. Waiting all those years, doing nothing?


    "Why did you do that?" Alec asked, confusion plain in his tone.


    System No.00110399 stared at him with similar incomprehension. "Uh, why not?"


    Alec felt frustrated. There were things that he didn''t know how to voice without it coming across the wrong way. "I mean¡­ If you''ve resigned from the Mainframe''s company, then why aren''t you doing the things you like? Why are you waiting around to find me?"


    "Wha¡­ What the heck?" System No.00110399 furrowed his brows. "I mean, who wouldn''t be concerned when the damn Mainframe sent their friend off to almost certain death? The punishment certainly isn''t called a punishment if it''s easy to survive, you know? It''s not like I was the only one who was concerned? I''m just the one that took action first."


    Alec felt like he''d been hit over the head with a sledgehammer. This came completely out of the blue. System No.00110399 thought they were friends? Since when??


    He always thought that the other was doing things to make him annoyed on purpose.


    "We''re¡­ friends?"


    System No.00110399 threw up his hands in frustration. "Seriously, Princess? Just how low is your EQ?! After centuries of me finding you for companionship, you still think I''m someone that hates you? Do you think I''d seek you out to bother you for the sake of bothering you?!"


    Alec stared at him blankly. "¡­Yes?"


    "No!" System No.00110399 exploded in indignation, stabbing a finger at him. "Get it into your head, you obtuse idiot! We. Are. Friends. Not only that, I bet you didn''t know that the other Systems that belong under the Mainframe mostly like you either!"


    "They what??"


    "Exactly!" System No.00110399 hissed like an affronted cat.


    Alec held up a hand. "Wait, wait. I need to process this."


    The System rolled his eyes and waited for his friend ¨C that didn''t even know they were friends ¨C to process it with his overly rational logic, minus all emotions that should *normally* be taken into account.


    Seriously.


    If the other just looked at things from an emotional point of view from time to time regarding relationships, things would be so much simpler. Yet, it precisely because he was this way there were no end to the number of Systems that were trying to get into his friend''s pants.


    But the other was completely oblivious!


    While it was funny at the best of times, it wasn''t so funny when System No.00110399 had been stuck here for centuries ¨C millenniums ¨C on end, waiting for him.


    So, forgive him for being a bit high-strung right now!


    "We''re¡­ friends," Alec repeated again.


    System No.00110399 put his face in his hands and made a wounded sound that worried Alec a little. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

 Chapter 206 When I Wake Up, I Will -

    Alec felt like he got whiplash.


    System No.00110399 thought they were friends??


    In a sudden change of events, the System that Alec didn''t get along with the most was actually the System that had his interests at heart? The low-grade bullying was actually a sign of friendship?


    Suddenly, Alec had to re-evaluate all of his previous connections and interactions with the Systems in the Mainframe''s space.


    Alec carefully ran over his memories about his time in System space, but he didn''t see much of what System No.00110399 talked about.


    Alec struggled to use his new knowledge that he''d gained in this life about human and social interaction and tried to apply it back to his time as a System, and if he was being truthful, what he remembered about System No.00110399 did indeed seem like a friend''s teasing.


    Alec felt a low burn of embarrassment creep up on him. Fuck, that was embarrassing. How could he not have realized after so long with the other System bothering him? Just how much more was he missing??


    It would be a lie to say that he was unmoved after hearing about everything that System No.00110399 had gone through in order to find Alec in the multitude of universes and timelines.


    Not only that, the System had left the Mainframe''s company?


    A System leaving the Mainframe''s company was pretty much almost certain death.


    Systems needed data streams and interaction with other Systems in order for them to continue functioning normally. Otherwise, the System in question would eventually go crazy and self-destruct after the loneliness got to be too much.


    In that way, Systems and humans were the same, but that was to be expected. The Systems had originally been humans in the first place.


    Speaking of which, Alec could see that the System''s hand sometimes glitched a little, causing him to frown in concern for his new ¨C old? ¨C friend.


    System No.00110399 had grabbed onto Alec and babbled away, trying to hide it, but Alec still saw it nonetheless. The other''s trash ability level at hiding things was still evident even now. Alec knew that System No.00110399 tried to be sneaky, but compared to his intelligence with other things, he was just too clumsy in this aspect.


    Alec compared the face in his memories to the one that he saw before him now.


    He wondered. Just what was it that had led him to believe that the other was picking on him? Surely, he wasn''t that oblivious, was he? His memories were a bit fuzzy at that time, which made him frown more internally.


    Alec would normally have flung off System No.00110399''s hand already, but for some reason, he felt a strange guilt when he thought about how the other had waited so long for him to reappear in the world.


    Alec allowed System No.00110399''s words to wash over him as he studied the place.


    It was strange that the System still had access to this room even though he had already left the company, but then what did he know about those who''d left?


    Alec looked at System No.00110399, who grew alert when he saw Alec''s contemplative eyes.


    The System took a step back, covering his chest as he acted like a shy maiden, pulling a startled laugh Alec. The System was not what he would call innocent. At all.


    "Can you connect with my existing System?" Alec asked instead.


    Since the other considered Alec a friend, he wouldn''t turn him away. Or, at least, that was what he was banking on.


    System No.00110399 was puzzled. "What do you mean? Aren''t you disconnected from the Mainframe''s automated system already?"


    Alec nodded. "I was. I was actually connected to the Mainframe''s automated system when I was first sent down, but then one day it just kind of¡­ snapped? Anyway, a new System was born in place of that, even though I had no idea until my master said ''status'' in front of me. Unfortunately, I don''t have any tools to check whether or not there''s something strange with it."


    "What?" System No.00110399 said, looking serious for once. "What the heck. You waited until now to mention it?!"


    Alec shrugged.


    The System dragged Alec over towards the screens as he pulled up various screens and devices to scan the data to Alec''s human body.


    Alec bore the other''s checks with good humour, allowing the other to poke and prod at him with various instruments.


    The frown on System No.00110399''s face grew the more time passed. The other System eventually started muttering to himself.


    Alec left it to the other System, because even though both of them had been Systems under the Mainframe''s rule, there was still a hierarchy of skill level throughout the Systems, and though Alec had been competent, the one that truly stood out and shone skills wise was System No.00110399.


    The other could utilize all the technology that landed in his hands with a finesse that made others look up to him, which was why Alec originally assumed that the other System was just bullying him whenever he tried to ''help him out''.


    In hindsight, that was pretty embarrassing for Alec to lash out like that. He''d probably been smarting from his previous life ¨C


    Alec repressed the memories deep, deep down.


    System No.00110399 hummed as he pulled apart the data that had been embedded into Alec''s data, frowning fiercely the more he saw.


    Despite himself, Alec was growing a little antsy seeing System No.00110399''s reaction. He had never seen the other System react so fiercely before.


    "Can you do anything about it?" Alec asked at last.


    "Mmh," System No.00110399 replied absently. "This code¡­ yeah¡­ mm¡­ maybe if I¡­"


    Alec felt helpless, realizing that the other had fallen into what he called ''the zone'', which was when the other System slipped into full working mode, where nothing would be able to distract him come hell or high water.


    Alec listened to his friend (?) mutter absently about how this wasn''t the Mainframe''s data, as well as various other things that sounded vaguely like curses.


    System No.00110399 eventually snapped out of it and started explaining it to Alec with gleaming eyes. It was evident that he''d found himself a challenge that he couldn''t decipher.


    "I don''t know who did it. I tried tracing it back, but it only gives me all sorts of dead ends that I''m unable to breach. What I do know, however, is that this new System was already attached to your body even before the Mainframe''s automated system was in the place. It then eventually severed your original link with the Mainframe, so now even if the Mainframe wants you back, it has to establish a new contract with you."


    Alec''s brows shot up. He wasn''t surprised about his link with the Mainframe being severed completely, or he would have heard the Mainframe''s toneless voice for a lot longer now, but something being able to stump System No.00110399?


    The green-eyed System continued excitedly. "You see, compared to the Mainframe''s automated system, the one you''re connected to is now only in the stages of infancy. It''s a growing type system that will eventually evolve and change depending on the usage of it." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Alec was baffled. He''d never heard of a growing type system at all, and he said as such.


    System No.00110399 nodded excitedly, all but jumping around as his eyes sparkled. "I''m not surprised. It''s one of the things that the Mainframe kept hush-hush, if you know what I mean."


    Both of them feel silent for a while as they both contemplated about different things.


    "Can you connect with the new system?" Alec asked, pointedly looking at System No.00110399''s glitching hand.


    System No.00110399 scratched his cheek, uncharacteristically embarrassed at having his weakness exposed like this.


    "Yeah, I can. If I just do¡­ this," System No.00110399 said, tapping a few things on the screen.


    Alec''s vision started going blotchy, and the last thing he thought about before he blacked out was that he was going to strangle the idiot when he woke up.

 Chapter 207 Awake, But Still Annoyed

    Alec realized that there was a pattern regarding him and other Systems. Ever since he got to Incantix, he realized that he seemed to pass out whenever either the Mainframe or the new system was involved.


    He did not like it this change. Not one bit.


    Alec lay on the floor in an undignified position, but he couldn''t bring himself to care about it right now. Not when he was still feeling out of sorts with himself.


    "Ooh, you''re awake," System No.00110399 stated the obvious, staring down curiously at Alec.


    Alec felt a spike of annoyance and managed to channel all the energy into pushing himself off from the ground.


    He smiled.


    System No.00110399 backed up warily, eyeing him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Alec gently sat down on the sofa and continued to maintain his expression, not even saying anything.


    System No.00110399 scuttled to the side warily, avoiding him with a wide berth, as if Alec was about to explode at any time. How rude.


    Knowing his friend, Alec should already have exploded in indignity as per usual for him and start cussing him out, yet this new, strange reaction left him feeling unbalanced.


    Not only was he feeling unbalanced with this non-reaction, System No.00110399 felt as if this was a bad sign. A very bad sign. Like a build-up that was going to explode in his face if it continued longer.


    System No.00110399 warily left the other alone, hoping that the other would come out of his funk by himself. Hopefully, if the System didn''t bother him, then his anger would lessen a little.


    For half a day, Alec didn''t say a single thing, nor did he react to anything System No.00110399 did negatively at all, yet the System only felt the unease crawling up his spine amp up with each passing moment.


    Boohoo this was too scary!


    System No.00110399 teared up a little when he saw Alec just maintain his smile the entire time towards him. The other System didn''t falter in his smile at all, nor did the angle of his smile change at all.


    Distantly, System No.00110399 thought that he much preferred the angry, explosive version of his friend''s anger compared to this silent, seething one.


    The whole time, no matter how he moved, Alec just continued looking at System No.00110399 with that smile.


    System No.00110399 finally broke down when he couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Please, just stop," System No.00110399 begged. "Your smile is too scary! I was wrong for doing it without warning you, okay? Just let me off this once."


    The System didn''t even dare to call his friend the nickname he''d taken to use to annoy him anymore. This strange, unnatural occurrence of his friend holding in his anger silently was too terrifying for him to stand.


    When the other reacted explosively, it wasn''t this scary, but when he was silent like this? Angry with a smile, to boot?


    System No.00110399 would rather face off with the Mainframe again!


    It just wasn''t right!


    System No.00290596''s personality type was one that just blurted out his true thoughts without any filter or tact, which was the thing that had endeared him to many. Since they knew that what he spoke were his true thoughts, whenever he gave anything that sounded vaguely like a compliment, they all knew he meant it.


    Yet, now, his friend was strangely unreadable to him.


    Alec finally broke his smile and glared at his idiot of a friend, then he was summarily stunned when he didn''t get the familiar popup that told him he had points deducted.


    System No.00110399 perked up when he realized that his friend had given him a glare, feeling relieved.


    The System had been watching what he knew as the human ''Alec'' over five years, but he had never been able to connect the other to his friend''s actions even though their appearance was eerily uncanny ¨C just a younger version.


    System No.00110399 always thought that it was something the Mainframe had done to play tricks on him, but it truly was his friend!


    "So, can you maintain the time dilation when the others are in the next few stages? I don''t want them to change too much since this it isn''t their original world."


    System No.00110399 agreed and tapped on the screens a few times. "I can''t interfere with the stages anymore other than that, so their inheritance depends entirely on what they go through. Their fate is entirely up to them."


    "That''s fine," Alec said.


    He would hardly want for his subordinate get things without having to at least put some effort into it first.


    "Why are you in a crack between realms anyway? Did you create it from scratch?" Alec asked. He''d originally thought that the place had come about because of one of the more malicious Systems that had been excommunicated from the Mainframe''s company, but he knew System No.00110399 rather well.


    Even though the other liked to play around, he wouldn''t create an entire place and go through a bad pretence of calling it a legacy hall, nor would the things he asked from people that stumbled upon the place be too demanding beyond their reach.


    "No," System No.00110399 said, confirming his suspicions. "I chose this place when I moved myself here. It seemed as good a place as any for me to lie in wait."


    Alec was confused. "In a crack between realms?"


    System No.00110399 scowled. "Well, it wasn''t originally split from the realm. In fact, it was in a place that was flourishing quite well. Unfortunately, I''d already anchored myself down in that spot, so I couldn''t move."


    "I see. So, what did you do to me, exactly?" Alec said, crossing his arms casually.


    System No.00110399 shrugged. "Well, I''m basically your system now. Meaning, when you leave here, I''ll be in your mindscape so we can communicate whenever and wherever. I also managed to disable your ''gentle type'' system character type, so that''s that. Though, you can''t open the System interface yourself anymore," System No.00110399 rambled.


    A real smile broke out on Alec''s face when he heard the words that he wasn''t going to be forced to smile or face deduction from points anymore.


    "Thank you," Alec said seriously, and the smile that he wore made him seem like he glowed and sparkled in the light.


    System No.00110399''s jaw dropped as he rubbed his disbelieving eyes theatrically to hide his embarrassment. No one ever thanked him so seriously. It was only ever Alec that did it, which was why he had originally latched onto Alec in the first place ¨C not that he was going to tell the other System that.


    And, when Alec genuinely smiled like that, it felt like he could ask anyone anything, and they would just do whatever Alec asked them to do from being dazzled by that smile.


    "Whatever," System No.00110399 scoffed, then booted the other out of the System space that had already started fragmenting once System No.00110399 connected himself to Alec''s data.


    The place swirled as the entire space started collapsing. System No.00110399''s body started breaking down into data as well as it flew after the hole that had been left behind by Alec.


    Alec found himself back in the underground place with the multitude of doors.


    "System No.00110399?" Alec thought to himself, wondering if the other was truly there.


    "Here," the other chirped.


    Alec entered his mindscape to find his friend hastily making himself at home in his mindscape, changing things to his liking.


    "Eh, why are you here?" System No.00110399 questioned when he saw Alec again.


    Alec smiled.


    System No.00110399 felt a shiver run down his spine as he started running instinctually. He was right to do so.


    "Why are you smiling like that again?!" the System cried out as Alec chased after him at a steady speed.


    If the System slowed down at all, Alec sped up, so System No.00110399 had no choice but to run with tears on his face if he didn''t want to fall prey to Alec. "I''m too young to dieeee!"


    In the end, System No.00110399 had to give in to Alec''s painful abuse.


    "Domestic abuse," System No.00110399 pouted, rubbing his aching cheeks.


    Alec snorted. "Hardly. Anyway, what''s the name you''re giving yourself?"


    "Name?" System No.00110399 asked with confusion. "I have a name. System No.00110399."


    "No, that''s the name the Mainframe gave you. What''s *your* name?"


    System No.00110399 fell silent.


    Alec shrugged. "Think about it."


    Alec exited his mindscape, following the pull on his Spectre mark to find the general area his subordinates were in.


    Sure enough, he found traces of Yuki, who had opted out going to the next stage, and Hayden. Surprisingly, Rosabel had chosen to continue on, along with Dominique and Vivian.

 Chapter 208 sThe Ones

    The link between them had led Alec here, where he could sense that they''d been here briefly, before leaving. Alec likened it to his magic senses allowing him to tell that they''d been here in the first place. He certainly wouldn''t have been able to do something like this previously.


    Alec wasn''t too worried. If they were in trouble, they''d have tugged on their link already, so Alec casually walked around as he waited either for them to show up or for him to find them.


    "Exactly how much time has passed since we entered into your so-called legacy hall anyway?"


    "I''d say about roughly six hours. One for each year you were gone, then another hour for the time you spent in my ''room''."


    That was shorter than he thought.


    He still didn''t know what was up with the numerous doors in this place, and asked System No.00110399 whether or not he knew.


    System No.00110399 shrugged. "Originally, I''d chosen my plot of land to stay already, but there wasn''t anything built here. There were various periods of times when I drifted into a hibernation mode, and suddenly, one day when I woke up, it already turned into what you see now."


    Alec felt vaguely worried. How much had the other System been trying to save of himself if he had to resort to sleep mode to conserve its energy? Systems generally never needed to go into hibernation at all if they were still under the Mainframe.


    "I do know what species built it, though," System No.00110399 continued.


    Alec cocked his head curiously. "Not humans?"


    "Right. It was a dragon. At least, that''s what I think. The magical signature that was left behind matches that of dragon species. Well, then again, it could always be a dragon slayer that''s eaten dragon flesh and drank dragon blood, but I severely doubt that. Most dragon slayers excel in physical arts instead of magical. That dragon also caused this place to uproot itself and end up being in a crack between realms." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Alec thought back about the one dragon that he''d seen before. The very same dragon that gave him a single dragon scale.


    It certainly seemed plausible enough.


    The dragon had just been that strong.


    Its strength was clear even to Alec who''d been pathetically weak at that time.


    "Eh," System No.00110399 blurted, his voice gleeful.


    Alec raised a brow, waiting for the other to talk.


    It would have to take some time to get used to having another person in his head. Literally. Even if that person *was* his friend ¨C somewhat friend? ¨C he was still feeling terribly confused, but he was trying.


    "Ooh, Alec, you sure made a lot of friends in this time already, huh?" System No.00110399 felt like a doting parent when it saw the number of Main Characters that had been introduced into the [Main Character Page].


    His prickly child was growing up!


    Alec seemed to sense the System''s thoughts as he punched the other spiritually without showing any mercy. System No.00110399 faux cried with dramatic sadness.


    Within Alec''s mindscape, System No.00110399 frowned. "Hmm. Your [System Shop] is permanently closed to the both of us."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Apparently the system had an inbuilt response that if another System took control of it manually, then the [System Shop] option will no longer work for either parties." System No.00110399 sounded upset. That meant that he''d already tried to hack it, but to no avail.


    "Sorry," System No.00110399 said awkwardly. The words stuck in his throat. He wasn''t used to apologising. For anything. He hadn''t expected something like this to happen, though that wasn''t any excuse. An oversight on his part could cause Alec to hate him again, and he didn''t want that to happen.


    He wasn''t so dumb not to know that Alec had only asked him to join with his system because he''d noticed that System No.00110399 was glitching out.


    He''d been very touched at that time, which caused him to overlook something as important as this!


    It wasn''t excusable that System No.00110399 had fucked up a good thing for his friend when said friend was just trying to help him out.


    The System was hit by a strong sense of guilt.


    Alec shrugged it off. "So what? I only ever bought two things from there anyway." Rather than thinking about the uncertain future that may or may not come to pass, being able to take action to help his friend now was more important to him.


    Besides, the things in the [System Shop] were all terribly expensive ¨C or useless ¨C but there were certain functions in there that he fancied.


    Rather than saying he''d given up on them, he had enough faith in System No.00110399 that he could eventually unlock some of those functions for him instead of having to use points.


    System No.00110399 fell silent.


    He was secretly touched that his originally prickly friend cared so much about him so fast. Especially when the other had only just started considering him a friend.


    Then again, Alec originally had this personality type anyway. Even if the other tried to pretend and hide it deep down.


    He was the only System under the Mainframe''s contracted Systems that ever bothered giving any new Systems a hand or guidance. Unlike him, the Mainframe just left the Systems to struggle through things on their own.


    Alec always acted all natural when he took on workload that he shouldn''t have to ''because it was more efficient this way''.


    If Alec knew what System No.00110399 was thinking about, he would have been baffled.


    The other System was making him out to be some sort of saint, which he wasn''t. Definitely not.


    He gave the new Systems a hand, sure, because that was what he wished he''d had back when he was just starting, but was he really helping?


    After all, Alec was the one System that had the greatest number of bad reviews that had been racked up year after year, despite the research and effort he''d put into it.


    He didn''t turn anyone away whenever they asked him something, but that didn''t mean he was actively seeking them out to give them help!


    "I have a lot of Main Characters registered in my [Main Character Page] now, but why is it that none of them are the Main Character that the Mainframe originally tasked me to look for?"


    System No.00110399 hummed. "Well, from what I can see here, the Main Character that you were originally supposed to help was ''The One'' for you."


    "Wait. What? What do you mean ''The One''?"


    "What do you think ''The One'' means? Obviously, your romantic partner. After all, aren''t you both a Sin and a Cher? Didn''t you hide both of your Societypes so that you come across as an Every?"


    Alec was stunned into silence when System No.00110399''s words registered in his mind.


    Suddenly, there were a lot of questions that sprung into his mind. A few questions that had been plaguing him were suddenly resolved, just as many more were born.


    Alec was both a Sin and a Cher?


    Why hadn''t the Cher side showed up using the appraisal crystal that his mother used on him??


    The inner turmoil in Alec''s mind caused him to move around haphazardly without any regard to his safety.


    "Alec, take that door!" System No.00110399 suddenly shouted, and Alec reflexively entered the door before he even thought about what he was doing.


    The space around them swirled abruptly as he was ejected from his previous space, finding himself standing in a lush, green forest.


    There was green everywhere, and the sunlight that shone through the gaps of the tree leaves was a normal shade.


    This wasn''t the place where Tatiana and Dietrich were, nor was it the original crack between realms that Dominique was on either.


    Alec fell silent, because he was busy chasing System No.00110399 inside his mindscape with a smiling expression of pure anger on his face.


    It was all the other System''s fault! He''d made a strong order when Alec was thinking hard about his sudden set of problems, and Alec had followed the order without a single thought.


    Now, they were some place strange that wasn''t either of the cracks between realms!


    "This is still a crack between realms," System No.00110399 said after he recovered from the brutal beating that Alec gave him for causing this situation in the first place.


    "Why did you want to come here?"


    "Eh, I sensed the aura of a dragon, that''s all," System No.00110399 said, rubbing his nose.


    Alec was stunned. "And instead of heading away from the danger, you want us to go right to it?!"


    "Uh, yes? Didn''t you ask about ''The One''? Well, ''The One'' is here!"


    "What?!"

 Chapter 209 Of Conflicting Thoughts and Worries

    After System No.00110399 dropped the bombshell on him, Alec truly felt like he''d taken too many shocks in a short period of time.


    "So, the Main Character that I was searching for the entire time was supposed to be my other half," Alec said dryly, almost absently. "Why me? Why am I being attached to another Main Character when I''m not a Main Character myself?" Alec said, like he was talking to himself.


    System No.00110399 rolled his eyes so hard that he could practically feel an incoming headache. The way Alec was talking, it was like he was asking a rhetorical question that he didn''t want answered. "Do you even listen to yourself talk? Why *else*?"


    Alec fell silent.


    The System snorted. "Don''t think you''re fooling me by trying to deny it. Your EQ might be on the lower end of the spectrum, but your IQ definitely isn''t low. The only reason why you aren''t making the connection is because you don''t want to admit it. Even if it''s only to yourself."


    System No.00110399 crossed his arms when he saw that Alec still refused to acknowledge his words.


    "I''m not."


    System No.00110399 sighed loudly. "You *are* a Main Character, whether you admit it or not," System No.00110399 said seriously. "It doesn''t matter even if you want to deny it. You aren''t *just* a System. You''re a Main Character. Especially now that your link with the Mainframe is broken."


    Alec wanted to deny his friend''s words very badly, but he for some reason, he couldn''t open his mouth to give words to the thoughts that swirled around in his brain. It was like the words stuck themselves in his throat and refused to come out.


    Maybe it was because deep down, he knew that the other was right.


    It had been something that he''d been avoiding, whether it was subconsciously or not.


    How could he, a System, be a Main Character?


    That had to be some sort of cosmic joke that the damn Mainframe was playing on him.


    In actual fact, the first time he saw that his [Main Character Page] contained a list of all the Neils he''d grown up with, he already had a faint inkling, but he always shoved that voice deeper down to avoid thinking about it.


    However, now that System No.00110399 had thrown the facts into his face, it wasn''t so easy to avoid.


    System No.00110399 hid the sigh in his heart when he saw that Alec was still silent.


    It wasn''t like he didn''t understand that Alec never wanted to be a Main Character.


    Though he still didn''t understand the other''s aversion towards them, Alec now has Main Character friends, doesn''t he?


    So, he liked them enough to continue keeping them as friends, but he himself didn''t want to be a Main Character?


    "Ye Sha," System No.00110399 said instead. "My name from my previous life. You can call me that."


    "Ye Sha," Alec said slowly. "It suits you."


    Ye Sha smirked. "Of course. Anyway, I''ll walk you through it. Don''t say anything. Just listen to me. You say you''re not a Main Character, but how true can that be? This body was destined to be a Main Character from the start. Even before you were sent to it by the Mainframe, there was already a system attached to the body.


    Think about everything that''s happened to you since you''ve been reborn. Even if it was only because of the Main Characters by your side, what about the times that they aren''t with you? Are you just going to blame that on bad luck? Once, perhaps, but multiple times?


    That isn''t just luck or coincidence anymore."


    It was true. He didn''t want to admit it, but it was true.


    Alec gave up for once. "Fine," he said shortly. He could admit it, but that didn''t mean he was happy about it.


    Perhaps it was because he felt like his life was sort of predetermined by the fact that he''d become a Main Character. Did that mean he had free will at all? Or was it some sort of predestined fate that awaited him?


    The thought unsettled him greatly. How much of what happened was because of himself, and how much was inevitable?


    It was a slippery road, and one he started thinking about it, the more he felt as if he was hopeless in the greater scheme of things, and less control over his life.


    "Look. It''s not like Main Characters are just following a plot route. As a System, don''t you already know that? A single deviant action can change things completely. You''ve had this system for a while now. Haven''t you managed to cause the plot route to deviate? Even that Main Character in [Stage 15]. Haven''t you completely changed his course of destiny?"


    Alec thought about it.


    Indeed, he had. He''d caused Dominique to meet Tatiana and Dietrich, drastically changing the plot route, and Lukas'' plot route had almost completely deviated from the normal path, perhaps for the better.


    Ye Sha moved the conversation before Alec''s thoughts started going off tangent. The best way to distract him from having a meltdown was to obviously¡­ use the existence of his ''destined one''.


    "Anyway, are you excited to meet The One? She''s here, after all. Or he. Do you have a gender preference?"


    The habitual smile on Alec''s face froze lightly. He still couldn''t get rid of the habit, and he wasn''t sure if he really wanted to. Anyway, he was able to change his expressions at will now, so it didn''t really matter.


    He didn''t know if he even wanted to meet the other person who was destined to be his half. Did he want to?


    He truly didn''t know. The fact that there was someone out there for him scared him more than he thought.


    He didn''t know how Chers lived with themselves, knowing that every time they walked outside, there was a chance that a random person they met passing down the street could be The One for them.


    One glance, and that was it.


    It was like love at first sight, but only a hundred times more terrifying.


    All because a part of your biology said that this was the person you were destined to be with.


    Alec let out a breath. "I don''t know. I don''t think I have a preference," he told Ye Sha. "Besides, does it really matter? If what my other half of my Societype tells me, it wouldn''t matter even if they were the most hideous person on the planet. I''d love them anyway."


    Alec, very suddenly, felt like fleeing this place, and he cursed Ye Sha for having made that decision for him ¨C without giving him time to contemplate whether or not he wanted to meet them.


    For fucks sake, he didn''t even know that he was a Cher before today!


    "Hey, look, I''m sorry. But do you really think you would have chosen to come here if I didn''t startle you into doing so?" Ye Sha''s voice was almost disgustingly earnest, and that made it hard for Alec to remain angry at him for taking the decision out of his hands.


    "No," Alec said a little sullenly. "But that''s the point. To *avoid* inevitable fate."


    Ye Sha rolled his eyes.


    Honestly, he kind of just wanted to see this surly bastard be happy for once. Alec tended to hold himself at arm''s distance, but it seemed to have gotten better, if what he remembered from seeing five years of Alec''s life in [Stage 15] was true.


    "You know what? I think you''re thinking of yourself too shallowly. Do you really think your actions will change when you meet him or her? Both of us know that whether or not you fall in love at first sight, there''s no way that you''ll allow your feelings to dictate your actions." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Ye Sha blatantly lied, because he could totally see Alec losing control of himself for once in his life. It would be glorious to see, but he couldn''t let the other know about what he was thinking right now.


    Even if Alec didn''t want to admit it to himself, he was obviously quite enraged when that alien, Te.ake, had harmed Dominique under his nose.


    It seemed like a running theme in Alec''s action process. He always tried to deny that his actions were based off both logic and emotions like the rest of them.


    Alec brushed his hair in frustration, but resolutely walked forward into the unknown.

 Chapter 210 Who Are You?

    Meanwhile, as Alec and Ye Sha were getting into a heated argument about whether or not he should actively move and go and look for The One instead of skulking about in the shrubbery, a figure was meditating in a clearing filled wish lush greenery.


    Every being that existed in this crack between realms knew to avoid this place unless they wanted to face death for disturbing the dragon''s concentration.


    Though their intelligence was not high, so many of them had faced death already that even the least intelligent monsters and creatures knew to avoid this clearing.


    So many had died here, becoming fertilizer for the greenery in the area.


    The monster that lived here was ruthless, uncaring for their life or death.


    The figure had a mix of androgynous features, and his beauty transcended time and space. He had an otherworldly feel about him, his beauty so stunning it was almost inhuman.


    With long, silvery-white hair that was tied loosely into a high ponytail, it was hard to make out their gender, but when he moved, his actions had the taste of masculinity. While still elegant, his actions did not carry the slightest trace of feminine charm.


    The humanoid dragon opened his eyes, revealing golden eyes that had a slit for his pupil, not unlike those of reptiles.


    Haphira stood up, brushing off the fallen leaves that had accumulated while he was meditating. He blinked slowly, turning his head to a certain direction.


    He and Elysia had been the only two humanoid people that inhabited this place, but now he could feel that someone who was carrying his scale had appeared in this place.


    It was likely that young child that he''d gifted his one scale to.


    Haphira was confused.


    The only way someone could get into this crack between realms was if Haphira himself brought them here, or if they entered from a certain door in the other crack between realms that his friend left behind.


    Yet, the place that his friend left behind required a series of linked actions before it could be accessed safely, and as far as Haphira knew, his friend had not had any inheritors or successors.


    In a blink, the place that Haphira was previously standing was now empty as he rapidly moved towards the child that had his scale.


    -


    Alec and Ye Sha were still arguing in Alec''s mindscape when both of them felt the rapid approach of a huge amount of magical energy heading towards them.


    "That has to be the dragon!" Ye Sha said with excitement. "I haven''t seen a dragon in so long! Actually, even then, before you guys, I hadn''t seen a human in such a long time, either!"


    Alec felt surprised. The feeling that this magic gave him was exactly the only time that he''d ever met a dragon. And, when he said met, what he really meant was ''stay stunned in place as the large, overwhelming mass of magic moved towards him''.


    Like that day he''d first met Blanche, the magic that was rapidly approaching them gave him the same feelings of majesty and pride, but compared to before, where it was more unrestrained and free, it was now tempered a little, as if the dragon was mellower.


    Alec stayed where he was.


    There was no point in moving right now, not when he suspected that it was the same dragon that had given him its silvery-white scale that had served Alec well these past couple of years. Even if it wasn''t, it wasn''t too late to flee using his master''s gift.


    Haphira landed in front of the child, who had become a bit taller since the last time he saw him.


    With jet black hair, and wide, innocent blue eyes, Haphira thought that the child had not changed that much since the time that they first met.


    What confused him was that he didn''t think that many years had passed in the world outside, for that child to grow to such a degree?


    Or was his daughter just behind in growth??


    He was suddenly worried.


    As a dragon, their growth rates were a lot different from ordinary humans. His daughter was currently about sixteen due to accelerated time in this dimension, but the outer dimension should not have had that much time pass.


    Had his spell over the realm slipped?


    Haphira quietly checked his array, but did not find anything amiss, further puzzling him.


    "Child," Haphira said, trying to put the child at ease, but that only seemed to make the child tenser.


    Alec tensed up when he heard the dragon''s voice, which was just as androgynous as his looks. Though, from the way he moved, Alec suspected that the dragon was male.


    By all accounts, the other appeared just like a normal human. He was stunning, but he appeared human from all angles. Except for his eyes.


    Just looking into his eyes, Alec felt the power from the dragon shake him to the core, but he forcibly calmed himself.


    Show no weakness.


    "Fake it till you make it," Ye Sha whispered.


    Yes. Exactly so.


    "My thanks for your scale all those years ago."


    "Hmm," Haphira murmured, pleased. What a polite youngling. The boy''s eyes were clear and reflected the light in a curious way. "Hm?"


    Haphira looked closer at his eyes. They were very distinct in the sunlight, and only one clan he ever knew had those type of eyes.


    "Ah, you are part of the Neil Clan," Haphira said with curiosity. "It has been so many years, but the Neil Clan still stands strong. My friend would be pleased."


    Alec''s curiosity was successfully piqued. "Elder, you know of the Neil Clan?"


    Haphira snorted, but even that wasn''t inelegant. Alec was baffled. The dragon was unfairly attractive. "Hah. Elder. No. You have my permission to call me Haphira as thanks for your help setting my child and I free."


    Alec was reflexively maintaining his normal smile ¨C the smile that had practically been hammered into his dreams and nightmares ¨C the dragon was doing a good job throwing him for a loop each time. "My name is Alecris Neil. My friends call me Alec."


    "Alec," Haphira said slowly, as if tasting the words on his tongue. The boy was neither haughty nor humble, which was pleasing. "As for your question, I do indeed know of the Neil Clan. My friend founded it, after all."


    Alec''s eyes widened. Just how old was the dragon before him?


    Haphira did not know why this strange youngling inspired such trust within him.


    He knew well enough that those who smiled all the time likely hid nefarious intentions, or they were the biggest hypocrites in the world. Generally, they should not be trusted at all.


    Yet, there was a hint of something genuine that hung at the corners of the boy''s smile, which made it seem believable. Perhaps that was why the boy did not inspire such distrust in him.


    Haphira had lived a long, long time. So long that he no longer counted the years that passed.


    He''d made friends, been betrayed by them, met villains, befriended them, killed and saved many in turn.


    He''d done all manners of things over his years and had eventually ended up trapped in an array that had only been fractured because someone had removed one of the cornerstones for the array.


    That someone was Alec.


    Without knowing what he was doing at that time, he had his familiars remove all the books from a certain bookshelf, fracturing and weakening the array that had been keeping both Haphira and his daughter ¨C who had originally been thrown in there as his food ¨C locked and sealed.


    Perhaps, that was the reason Haphira felt more generous to the child, despite him not really trusting humans fully any longer.


    Just as Alec was about to ask a few more questions, they were interrupted by the faint rustling of the bushes nearby as a girl stepped out.


    "Hey, dad, what are you doing?" Elysia asked with plain curiosity. "There''s someone else here? Is he your friend?"


    Alec froze as his eyes landed on the loveliest girl that he''d ever had the pleasure of seeing, his heart immediately palpitating.

 Chapter 211 Love So Swee

    The moment Alec''s eyes locked onto the girl''s form, he instantly felt like all the oxygen had been stolen right from his lungs.


    Whenever he heard of Chers speak about how it felt whenever they met The One, it felt like a distant dream, or some sort of fabled myth that he would never be able to touch.


    Love at first sight? That was a myth, even amongst the Systems. However, this world indeed had their version of one''s fated partner.


    Supposedly, it was like a part of your soul calling out for your soulmate ¨C or so it was theorised ¨C and it was a sentiment that many Chers liked to believe in.


    Many books spoke about how Chers were mainly romantic, but Alec called bullshit. He was in no way romantic. At least, that''s what he thought.


    If you''d ever seen a Cher meet The One in front of your very eyes, you''d never be able to forget it for the rest of your life. It was an indescribable sort of yearning that had been born from the depths of their souls.


    It was like their entire worldview had instantly focused onto a single person, and the devotion that sprung into their eyes was not something that was easy to ignore.


    Alec just thought that sounded terrifying. Having your soulmate decided by your biology and Societype. There was no freedom in that.


    Yet, even when Alec thought back to those words that had been spoken so reverentially, what he''d heard paled in comparison to what he was feeling right now.


    It was like taking a sucker punch to the stomach, having your heart stop and feeling your body freeze all at once.


    Distantly, Alec wondered to himself how he''d ever lived without this feeling in the first place, even as another part of him screamed at him to run ¨C run as far away as he could.


    Like the dragon Haphira, the girl had the same beautiful silvery-white shade of hair, but unlike the dragon, her hair was cut into a cute bob, and her fringe curled cutely over her forehead.


    Like her father, she carried eyes of spun gold, but Alec thought to himself that her eyes were so much more beautiful than Haphira''s.


    While others might not have agreed with Alec saying that she was lovelier than Haphira, who looked so good he was practically unreal, to Alec, she was the loveliest creature that had ever existed on the planet.


    She was everything and more.


    So, this was love at first sight that the Chers talked about, huh?


    His usually still heart skipping a beat in his chest, then thundering so hard he could hear the blood rushing in his ears, the System was feeling very overwhelmed right now.


    While most Chers had their entire lives to get used to the fact that one day, they would meet The One, Alec had literally just been shoved into that situation without any preparation whatsoever, no thanks to his friend, Ye Sha.


    Yet. Yet, he could not bring himself to regret it.


    "Elysia, this is Alec. Alec, my daughter, Elysia," Haphira introduced, seemingly not noticing anything out of place in Alec''s reaction.


    Alec was panicking inside, but outside, he was the epitome of calmness and gentleness.


    "Hewo," Elysia accidentally bit her tongue as she panicked over seeing another human for the first time in years. Her face flushed a fetching shade of pink in embarrassment. "Hello, Alec," she tried again.


    Alec felt like he was going to explode.


    How was she so cute?!


    Holy. Shit. Alec was going to die young, and it was all Ye Sha''s fault for putting him in this situation without any warning.


    No, actually, it was the damn Mainframe''s fault for putting him on this planet in the first place!


    How was it that her voice was this lovely, akin to a soft, gentle chime of a bell in the breeze?


    Ye Sha made a disgusted noise at the back of his throat, dragging Alec into his mindscape. He couldn''t watch this tragedy any longer.


    Alec was blowing it with The One!


    Obviously, she wasn''t a Cher either, if she wasn''t staring at Alec with starstruck eyes like this moron was using to stare at her.


    He could not, in good conscience, watch this train wreck without doing anything.


    Though, it was kind of hilarious how out of character Alec was acting. Usually, Alec would just have nodded coolly even as he flashed his smile, reacting with perfect decorum, yet Alec had already been silent for a beat.


    "Hey," Ye Sha snapped, when he realized that Alec was still staring blankly into space. "Hey." Ye Sha snapped his fingers in front of Alec''s face. The idiot was completely lost now.


    Alec looked at him with dreamy eyes, sending a chill down Ye Sha''s spine. Alec was acting like he''d been hit with a drug. Well, a drug called love, that was.


    "Snap out of it, Princess!"


    The familiar nickname indeed drew a bit of ire from his friend, but it was muted, as if hidden under the haze of what he was feeling right now.


    Ye Sha hadn''t expected for the other to react so strongly to Elysia''s presence.


    Then again, his friend never did things by the halves, with how he was always putting his maximum effort into things.


    "What?" Alec tried to say with his usual heat, but it was missing its distinct annoyance and anger. Instead, he just sounded like a lovestruck fool.


    Ye Sha groaned. "I said, snap out of it!" he cried, headbutting the other in the face.


    Both Systems hissed, grabbing their foreheads.


    "What the fuck, Ye Sha!" Alec glowered.


    "Finally! You''re acting like a lovestruck idiot!"


    A complicated mix of emotions swirled around Alec, and his earlier worries seemed to distant and small in the face of Elysia''s loveliness. How could he have doubted that he would ever find love, if love was this beautiful?


    Love at first sight¡­ what a terrifying thing.


    He never believed such a thing existed, but it seemed like it was hardwired into a Cher''s biology.


    It wasn''t to say that he was completely comfortable with it, but he felt like he could let go of his reservations if it was Elysia.


    Wait, no.


    Alec slapped himself. That was the hormones talking, wasn''t it?!


    Ye Sha poured cold water over his friend. "You''re a Cher. But Elysia isn''t. So, if you want to win her heart, then you better get to know her instead of acting like this!"


    Alec really did snap out of it this time, and he compartmentalized the softer side of his emotions after a struggle, allowing him to go back to his normally rational self.


    Ye Sha didn''t feel great doing it. Alec had obviously started to hide a part of himself behind a wall again, but in the long run, this would hopefully lead to the other''s happiness.


    Alec took a breath. Right. Elysia looked like she was his physical age, which was sixteen. He would *not* be touching her. Even if she wanted him to. For like¡­ ten years, at least.


    Gah, he was getting ahead of himself!


    Ye Sha was right, pained as he was to admit it. He was already acting like a lovestruck idiot when he''d barely just met her, but how could he not?


    With her biting her tongue in her nervousness, and the way she beamed at him with those clear, shining eyes.


    Alec felt everything she did like cupid shooting an arrow straight to his heart.


    He breathed in and breathed out.


    He started locking the emotions behind a wall, where he felt it, but didn''t show it.


    Honestly, he didn''t think he could survive if he didn''t do this right now.


    Fine.


    This was fine.


    He could do this.


    He wore a mask every day.


    He was a ''gentle'' type character, right?


    Wait. Wait, wait, wait, did this mean that Elysia''s type was the ''gentle'' type??


    Suddenly, all the decisions he made in his life was thrown into confusion.


    Ye Sha smacked him on the head again. "Stop overthinking it! I''m here to be your sounding board, so just be yourself!"


    "But what if she hates my ''self''?!" Alec blurted, sounding like a teenager in love. Despite his age, he was completely uninformed in any act of love whatsoever.


    "No ''buts''! Get out there!" Ye Sha sent Alec out of his mindscape.


    Alec took a deep breath in his mind, even as he cursed his friend for not giving him a heads up.


    "Hello, Elysia," Alec said, his smile reflexively slipping on.


    He shed tears inwardly. In the end, he was still making good use of the ''gentle'' persona, but when he got a returning smile from Elysia, he felt like all his troubles and struggles had been blown away.

 Chapter 212 Sending Her Off?

    Elysia didn''t quite know what to make of this strange new boy.


    She''d been alone with her father for so long that the only form of human interaction she remembered clearly was *with* her dad, but even so, she didn''t feel shy at all after her initial nervousness.


    Alec was very nice so far, though she was a bit sceptical how much of it was real.


    He didn''t shoot her disapproving looks, nor did he verbally flay her whenever she made a mistake, be it socially or otherwise. All she had left to go on was her spotty memories from when she was roughly four years old or so, which wasn''t a lot.


    Her bad memories associated when she was young was all but disproven because of how Alec was reacting.


    She was positively chipper whenever they interacted, because she could feel that his eyes were sincere when he listened to her, and he never shrugged off whatever she was saying, nor did his attention waver.


    Her dad was right.


    Not all humans were bad, just as not all of them were good either. Two sides of a coin. Cause and effect.


    It was something that he''d been telling her over the years, and how she had to interact with a wider range of people to see more in order to be able to judge.


    Elysia had made up her mind when she talked with Alec.


    She was going to the human world!


    Honestly, she''d been getting a little bit bored with the unchanging flow of things in this dimension. It was nice, that was for sure, and their daily routine gave Elysia and her dad stability, but she knew that it couldn''t last forever.


    She saw the way her dad looked off into the distance some days, as if reminiscing about things that he never told her.


    Alec, on the surface, seemed like a genuinely nice person, and she felt so happy she was practically bouncing to get going already.


    Now that she''d finally let go of her mental baggage, she felt like she was a lot lighter and freer.


    Dad had been hinting to get her to leave this place and go back to Incantix, but Elysia always felt like he had some hidden worry about her being in a place or getting into things that he couldn''t do anything about.


    Alec had no idea how he was keeping his roiling emotions in check that he was able to fool both Elysia and Haphira at all.


    And they really were roiling emotions.


    It looked like his daily workout of keeping his emotions in check under the smile was a lifesaver.


    For once, Alec even wanted to thank the Mainframe for the damn ''gentle'' persona type. It had never come in handy so much before.


    In his mindscape, Ye Sha was still snickering away whenever Alec couldn''t help but smile indulgently, then curse in his mindscape how he was acting like an idiot, but Alec couldn''t even muster up the annoyance that he would normally have felt under the heavy dose of endorphins that was flooding his veins.


    He felt rather complicated when he realized that she indeed was *not* a Cher, or, if she was, she was just as good at hiding it like he was.


    However, the more he interacted with her, the more he felt that possibility decrease.


    Elysia ¨C how did he say it ¨C while she appeared to wear her heart on a sleeve in the way most people didn''t, didn''t actually. There were flashes of things that he couldn''t discern under her radiant smile, but that just caused him to feel more intrigued.


    When she was happy, she would smile so radiantly that Alec felt like she stole his breath away. When her father teased her, the pout that formed on her face made Alec want to pinch her puffy cheeks.


    Alec was experiencing a multitude of emotions in such a short period of time ¨C emotions that he''d never experienced personally, nor did he ever think he would experience.


    The warmth of her gold eyes that appeared like spun gold under the moonlight. Her pupils were slightly oval, but not completely slits like Haphira''s. They were more rounded, giving her eyes a softer set.


    When she smiled, Alec felt as if the entire place looked brighter than before, and her eyes sparkled and danced. Alec slapped himself in his mindscape. Her eyes were just so limpid and clear ¨C like Alec could see his own reflection staring back at him if he looked hard enough.


    Alec had truly fallen hard, and in such a short timespan as well.


    He had never so clearly felt how Societypes affected those on this planet, but nothing could have been clearer to him than this, and he wasn''t sure if he liked it.


    Nothing could have prepared him for what he was feeling right now. Nothing.


    Alec felt like a stranded boat out in the middle of a heavy storm, guided by the sole light from the lighthouse, shining through the rain, fog and storm.


    Haphira eventually came back from doing whatever he was doing outside, and Alec carefully reined in his emotions. It was rather tiresome having to regulate his emotions so much, but the more he did it, the more he was getting used to it.


    Alec mentally shook himself. He couldn''t act like this. In the first place, Alec wasn''t the type that was ruled by his own emotions. He steadily regained control over himself, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction and pride.


    It never occurred to him that The One would not be another human, but he didn''t see anything wrong with it. Vivian was a magical beast who''d overcome her limits, and he didn''t feel anything when she revealed that fact.


    Actually, Alec kind of wanted to see Dominique with fox ears and a tail. There was no doubt that it would be hilarious.


    Haphira, seeing that his daughter got along well with the other child, felt reassured. He had indeed been right to try and push his daughter towards interacting with other humans.


    Elysia''s bad experiences when she was young ¨C with what, humans sacrificing her as dragon food ¨C had left a mental scar on her heart. Though it had healed, that didn''t mean that the experiences she''d gone through were forgotten.


    Even though she''d left behind those memories and didn''t cry at them anymore, Haphira knew that she was still apprehensive towards the human species, however subconsciously it might be, which was not something that he wanted.


    One day, she would have to live on her own. Haphira could not be with her forever.


    It was only right that she lived amongst her own kind, instead of seeking his company alone.


    "Alec, can you take care of Elysia for me? Show her around the human world?" Haphira asked, having listened in to the conversation that the two had while he ''left them alone''.


    Both Elysia and Alec turned to look at the dragon, one in surprise, the other with unhappiness.


    "Dad!" Elysia said, frowning. While she did like Alec so far, and she felt drawn to him, the way he said it gave her a feeling that he was saying his goodbyes with a sense of finality.


    Alec felt a bit of a prick at the unhappiness in her words, but he didn''t take it to heart because he knew it wasn''t because of him.


    If he read between the words Elysia had exchanged with him, she had terrible experiences with humans in the past, but her father was entrusting her to him?


    Not to mention, he was feeling a bit complicated. After all, Haphira didn''t know that he''d fallen in love with Elysia, right?


    Regardless, he would not be doing anything to her. Alec had every intention of placing himself at a distance, where she''d be allowed to develop herself.


    ¡­Wait. Maybe that was for the better?


    Alec imagined a dragon father''s protective rage over his darling daughter, and almost shivered.


    In his mindscape, Ye Sha shivered as well. "Don''t tell him yet," Ye Sha whispered, finally feeling some sort of pressure. He seemed to forget that the dragon would not be able to hear him from inside Alec''s mindscape. "I still want to live! If you die, I die too!"


    "I''d be happy to, but you should talk to your daughter first," Alec said, acting as the middleman.


    He stepped away so that the father and daughter duo could exchange words without his input.


    Elysia crossed her arms and frowned at her dad. While she didn''t mind going to the human world, she felt like her dad was going off to do something dangerous, which was why he was ''entrusting'' her to someone, as if he didn''t trust her to look after herself.


    She always thought that he would be bringing her with him whenever he went off to do whatever he was going to do, which was why he''d trained her strictly, but that didn''t appear to be the case.


    "What are you doing? You''re going to do something dangerous, aren''t you?" Elysia said with a frown on her face.

 Chapter 213 Leaving, But Not Gone

    Elysia stared her dad down, who looked back at her just as calmly.


    "I am. However, I will not be taking you with me. As strong as I am, I will be unable to hide your human presence with how weakened I am. I won''t accept any refusal on this matter. You will be going back to Incantix.


    You don''t want to leave with Alec? Fine. It doesn''t matter even if you don''t go with Alec, but you must experience the various things the world has to offer. We''ve spent a long time in isolation together.


    Right now, you are too weak for me to be able to bring with me. You have no experience, nor do you know any social cues at all. The place I am heading to is very far from Incantix, but I will be able to find you as long as you remain my daughter."


    Elysia deflated a little.


    To be honest, she knew that this day was going to come sooner or later, but that didn''t mean that she had to like it.


    Elysia knew that she was still too weak, especially when compared to her dad. She''d never met someone as strong as her dad, but to think that he said he was weakened and wasn''t able to protect her?


    Fine. She knew she couldn''t stop him, so she had to hurry up and grow stronger in order to help him out in the future. Her dad wasn''t that weak, and she knew he was able to take care of himself.


    Elysia pouted a little, mainly so that he knew she''d given in.


    Well, going on a journey without her dad would be an experience, and Alec did seem like he was fun to be around.


    "You better not lose to anyone before I''m able to beat you," Elysia grinned, her mind already running away with her.


    Haphira ruffled his daughter''s hair, pulling a brighter grin from her. "Naughty. Naturally, I won''t," Haphira said, a rare softness that only his daughter was able to pull from him. "I''ll give you a bit of living expenses, but you''ll have to manage it yourself! If you get into a fight, beat them up without any hesitation."


    The words that Haphira spoke came naturally to him, and he didn''t see anything wrong with it. Dragons lived by the rule that the strongest was king!


    Elysia laughed, and Alec, who was supposedly out of earshot, felt like this father and daughter pair were a lot different from surface appearances.


    "Of course. I''m Elysia Grayxia, The Great Haphira Grayxia''s daughter, after all," she boasted.


    Alec must be losing his mind if he even thought her boasting was cute. He usually felt annoyed whenever someone boasted like that, but when Elysia did it, he couldn''t even muster up the slightest bit of annoyance.


    Pissed at himself, Alec shut the feelings behind the wall again. How annoying.


    Alec held his head inwardly as he battled with conflicting feelings. One part of him screamed at him to just flee ¨C he was in no way being himself ever since they''d met ¨C but the greater part of him just couldn''t let go even if he did want to flee.


    The moment they left this place, Alec would do his best to avoid her while still providing her help.


    To be honest, right now, all Alec wanted to do was flee to escape the overwhelming rush of positive emotions. How could one simple emotion be so powerful?


    Bah, no wonder so many rulers fell for the beauty trap then got slaughtered by enemies. It was precisely because the hero couldn''t resist the beauty, right?


    Therefore, the right course of action here and now was for him to avoid placing himself in harm''s way while still helping her.


    Alec felt satisfied with his decision.


    Yet, when he thought about turning down Haphira regarding bringing Elysia around, he couldn''t do it, and when he thought about Elysia rejecting his companionship, Alec felt like he was drowning underwater.


    Alec felt stifled, which just annoyed him further.


    He could neither move forward nor move back, and Ye Sha was unrepentantly crowing with laughter in his mind.


    Suddenly more pissed than he had been for a while, Alec chased Ye Sha around, who yelped as he instantly started running, becoming a sacrifice for his friend''s distraction.


    Elysia and Haphira both moved towards Alec''s direction, the last bit of tenseness from their frames fading into obscurity.


    Haphira bowed lightly, his silvery hair slipping down over his shoulder, "Please take care of my daughter."


    Ye Sha breathed in sharply. He''d never seen a dragon bow before. Ever. From what he knew, dragons would rather face death than be forced to submit.


    It spoke volumes of how much he loved his daughter that he was willing to bow to a mere human to show his sincerity, and Ye Sha told Alec as such.


    Alec nodded solemnly. "I will."


    Haphira squinted a little.


    For some reason, why did he feel like this person would become an enemy in the future?


    Yet, it wasn''t the kind of enemy that only life or death could solve.


    Haphira''s vague instincts left himself confused. Sometimes, he just didn''t understand his own puzzling instincts, but it would eventually make sense in the future.


    Why was Alec an enemy yet not an enemy?


    Truly mystifying.


    He had a bit of a bad feeling.


    -


    Haphira hugged his daughter, who squeezed him back, smiling brightly up at him.


    "Dad you take care of yourself," Elysia murmured, squeezing him tighter.


    Who knows when she would see him again? However, if Haphira wanted to, he could easily find her no matter where she was in the world.


    However, something within her told her that it would be some time before she saw him again.


    It was probably her intuition, which her father called ''dragon''s intuition''. She secretly called it bullshit the first time he told her about it, but it hadn''t led her wrong yet.


    Haphira stroked his daughter''s hair, which was so similar to his.


    Sometimes, he missed the golden strands that she had before their ritual, but he also adored the sign that she was truly his by blood now, by her own choosing.


    He flicked her on the nose. "You''re a thousand years too early to be worrying about my safety, young lady. But I will take care of myself, just as you will take care of yourself."


    Elysia rubbed her nose but beamed. "Of course!"


    Alec blinked but continued maintaining his smile. He felt as if he was intruding on something that he should not be privy to but didn''t do something like move his gaze away.


    Haphira nodded at Alec, who nodded back at him respectfully. The boy was a bit strange. He seemed well versed in human conventions, but at times, he did something that wasn''t really socially accepted.


    The humanoid dragon put his intrigue aside for the time being.


    "Take care of your daggers," Haphira said. "They should give you a nice surprise one day."


    The memories that he gained back the moment his own touched the daggers in Alec''s hands was the only reason why Haphira was willing to entrust his daughter''s wellbeing to him.


    Well, that and the fact that his daughter could probably win in a fight. Even if she couldn''t, she would be able to flee without a problem.


    "I will."


    Haphira sent his daughter and Alec out to his friend''s crack between realms, feeling a sense of loss in his heart.


    Though he knew that he would one day have to let go, it seemed that the day had come truly early. By his own hands nonetheless.


    Humans had such short lifespans.


    Now that Elysia had started her own adventure, it was time for him to search for his kin.


    From what he gathered, Incantix no longer held any traces of dragons.


    Haphira was the last of his kind on Incantix. The rest of the dragons no longer entered the human realm since a few millennia ago.


    -


    All they had to do was merely blink and the scenery in front of them changed.


    The moment they reappeared in the crack between realms, Alec was greeted with the familiar underground cavern, with pale, ghostly blue lighting.


    He could feel familiar magical signature rapidly approaching them, and he smiled.


    Elysia was looking around with wide eyes, curiosity shining in them. She had never before seen a place like this before, and she was looking everywhere unabashedly.


    Alec very carefully avoided looking at her.


    As expected, she was not good for his heart. Therefore, the best solution was to ignore the bad things.


    "Elysia, my subordinate is coming. Don''t be alarmed, alright?"


    Elysia nodded like a little chick pecking rice. "I know. I can feel them coming."


    Her eyes were glittering even in the dim lighting. She wondered whether they would all be nice like Alec was.


    It was at this moment that Ye Sha gleefully perked up. "Yes! I did it!"


    Alec was confused at his sudden statement, but he had long been used to his friend''s sudden outbursts from time to time. The other System always did the same thing whenever he cracked a code that had been plaguing him.


    Ye Sha continued before Alec needed to ask him to clarify. "I managed to add Elysia to the [Main Character Page]!"


    Alec choked inwardly. He just thought to himself that he was going to avoid her, but now Ye Sha said that he managed to add her to the index. "Why?! Wait," he said, suddenly calming down. "Good job, Ye Sha."


    "That''s what I thought," Ye Sha said smugly. He just knew the other would be a control freak in this aspect. Like he could handle The One being in danger without being there next to her facing the danger together.


    It bothered Alec a little that he couldn''t access the system interface anymore, but since he had Ye Sha to look out for him, it was better this way since he wasn''t able to continuously keep it open without it draining him to check for changes.


    Dominique appeared before anyone else, his eyes wide and slightly wild as his eyes locked onto his boss.

 Chapter 214 Spatial Beast?!

    Even before he finished moving, Dominique already caught sight of an anomaly appearing beside his boss.


    Besides his boss'' presence, there was a white coloured female that had appeared out of the blue.


    Who was she, and why was she here?


    Instinctively, Dominique could feel that the presence of this woman was going to threaten his position in the future.


    Dominique was instantly pissed. He didn''t like her already.


    Who was this outsider!? Was it not enough that the boss had already picked up that damn Lukas and his merry band? Dominique finally got rid of them, but now there was another one? Where were they coming from?


    Why were they randomly popping out of the woodwork?!


    He already hadn''t seen boss for so many years ¨C though the time dilation seemed to have compressed the amount of time they were gone, so his body hadn''t changed much ¨C yet here there was, another person who was stealing boss'' attention from him!


    The girl that appeared had silvery-white hair, not unlike the shade that Dominique associated with the boss'' daggers, and golden eyes.


    The boss'' stance was a bit tense, which Dominique had never seen before, so his alert was high. Why was that woman causing boss to be tense? Was she stronger than him? Was she threatening him?


    With the smile on her face, Dominique had no doubt that she could have somehow bewitched the boss. She looked like the type that many males found cute, though it wasn''t like he could judge. All she looked right now was threatening ¨C or, at least, that''s what his instincts told him.


    What Dominique didn''t know was that his guess was actually relatively close to the truth for once. Usually, his guesses were completely off the mark.


    Seeing Dominique''s slightly hostile appearance, Alec finally, and very firmly, made up his mind concerning Elysia.


    He would indeed help her when she asked for help, but he would just remain as a friendly, if distant friend.


    Ten years.


    That''s how long he gave it. If, by the time she was twenty-six, and she showed no signs of falling in love with anyone else, Alec would¡­ pursue her?


    Alec made vague plans, but he had no idea what he was doing, since he was flying completely blind without a solid plan.


    He didn''t like it. He didn''t like not having a solid plan, or something that he would work away at continuously until he achieved some manner of success.


    Still, he made his plans, because¡­ because? Sometimes, Alec felt confused. Because of what?


    Still, having already made up his mind, Alec immediately locked up his errant and uncontrollable emotions. He didn''t like how unpredictable they made him to himself even, which was just plain unacceptable.


    She''s a friend. A friend, a friend. She''s *just* a friend.


    Compartmentalizing was a skill that he was rapidly getting skilled in, but it was a useful skill to have, at least, in this respect.


    The thoughts clicked, and Alec''s shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit, now able to go back to his normal self.


    If Ye Sha could hear Alec''s thoughts right now, he would have tried to wring the stubborn idiot''s neck. He would have shouted at the other, "Love can''t be rationalized! What are you doing, locking it behind that solid mental wall?!"


    Unfortunately, Ye Sha indeed could not hear Alec''s thoughts, as he needed Alec to speak aloud in his mindscape before he could respond.


    Realizing that the tenseness in Alec''s frame melted away, and Dominique''s stance changed as well. For some reason, the boss didn''t see this woman as a threat any longer? Though, just in case, Dominique was still on his guard.


    "Mini," Alec greeted normally.


    "Boss!" Dominique answered in return, a smile breaking out on his face for once.


    The smile was genuine with his emotions. He hadn''t seen the boss in *years*! He instantly disregarded the girl at the side, though he would not let his guard down against her.


    If she was sticking around, the boss would tell him.


    "This is Elysia Grayxia. Elysia, this is my subordinate, Dominique Falren."


    "Hello, Dominique!" Elysia said with good cheer. Her eyes were all but shining with curiosity as she met another human besides Alec.


    Well, the novelty would fade. Just as it had for the rest of Alec''s clan members when they left the clan for the outside world.


    Elysia thought to herself that Dominique originally looked unfriendly, but his face turned so expressive whenever he looked at Alec. How cute! He must look up to Alec a lot, right? If he admired his boss so much, then he couldn''t be a bad person.


    Likewise, Dominique was eyeing Elysia up. "Hello," he said shortly, but she didn''t seem to take offense, with how she was beaming at him. This confused him. It did not line up with his experiences in social interaction.


    He felt wary, as he did whenever he didn''t understand a person.


    There was plainly something wrong with someone when they seemed overly cheerful whenever they first met a person. Or was it just that he didn''t understand how someone could be so cheerful?


    Regardless, Dominique was confused.


    Somehow, his instincts were screaming at him that she was strong, something that made him itch to battle her, but he shoved that instinct down for now. If she entered the sect, he would challenge her.


    He put it aside for the time being. It was inconsequential.


    "Boss, we found a way back into Incantix."


    Alec felt surprised.


    Ye Sha scoffed. "I could''ve done that," he pouted.


    Alec nodded. "Let''s go."


    The three of them ran back towards the rest of the group.


    "Hm?" Ye Sha said suddenly, frowning. "Hey, Alec! This place has a spatial beast!"


    Alec frowned. "What? Where is it?"


    "Under us somewhere. It''s currently moving around. But, that''s impossible! Spatial beasts are able to move freely through space itself, yet this one is acting like it''s trapped here."


    The two Systems grew serious at this.


    Alec didn''t know what was happening, but he couldn''t just leave it be.


    Spatial beasts were able to rend space and time, and they were able to devour whole planets, not to mention a little crack between dimensions like this. Yet, Ye Sha said that wasn''t the case here.


    Exactly what was happening?


    "Hey, I''m going to hack this place, alright? We can''t just leave a spatial beast roaming around like this if we don''t know what''s happening to it."


    Alec nodded, giving Ye Sha the go-ahead.


    Further ahead, Alec could feel the familiar magical signatures of the Spectres, as well as Dietrich and Tatiana nearby.


    Without meaning to, his heart started beating quicker. He hadn''t seen them in years ¨C to him, anyway ¨C but to them, it was only a matter of days.


    For now, he didn''t dwell on the matter of the spatial beast. As a top-level hacker, Ye Sha would either be able to do it, or he wouldn''t. Either way, they were going to leave this space.


    Along the way, Alec looked at Dominique, but he couldn''t see anything different about him, besides him sporting a new piece of equipment on his right ring finger.


    It was a silver ring with faint engravings on it.


    It looked like something cheap. Something you''d pick up at a street stall, but Alec suspected it was anything but.


    Ye Sha confirmed his suspicions absently as he concentrated on working his screens over the data in this space. "It''s a ring that signifies he''s inherited everything from that crack between realms. He''s the master of that space now, and it''s connected to that ring. He can enter it whenever he wants."


    Alec was surprised, yet at the same time, he wasn''t. Could he say, as expected of a Main Character''s luck?


    That was definitely a lifesaving item, as well as one that would allow him to grow to unimaginable heights.


    The three of them were welcomed back with open arms, and they didn''t find Alec producing a whole other person much to be suspicious about at all, though they were surprised by how much Alec had grown.


    Tatiana squinted at Alec. "Hee. Now you''re only two years younger than me. That''s going to take some time to get used to."


    Fenrir and Bunbun both launched themselves at their master, rubbing his face with their soft heads, earning them a genuine smile from Alec.


    Both familiars had gained much in the time in the legacy hall, but it had been a long time without their master.


    It had been a long five years without his familiars.


    Elysia''s eyes were sparkling as she looked at the tiny wolf and bunny, giving Alec pleading looks.


    Alec tried to maintain his fa?ade as he passed Fenrir and Bunbun over to her, ignoring their betrayed looks. This was just being friendly.


    Vi winded its vines around Alec lightly, greeting him.


    Alec patted Vi, who suddenly shrunk from its gigantic size to the size of a small sprout, surprising Alec.


    From the unsurprised looks from the rest of them, Vi had been able to do this for a few days now.


    By the time they managed to get out from the crack between realms, some of the mercenaries were even kissing the ground and as well as throwing their arms out towards the sunlight.


    It had been so long without the glorious sunlight, and as mentally strong as they were, they had started to get a bit depressed being underground the entire time.


    Both Tatiana and Dietrich exchanged looks, something that Alec didn''t miss, but he didn''t know what they were exchanging with their slightly raised eyebrows.


    Tatiana even managed to find some sort of chalice that ended up sucking in the entire lake of Obsidian Aqua, allowing her to carry it around everywhere.


    Of course, she''d protested against it, but Dietrich insisted that she take it since she had a lot of mercenaries under her.


    Tatiana then slyly accepted, but only with the condition that Dietrich stay together with her so that he could use it whenever he wanted to.


    Dietrich had accepted without much thought, missing some of the mercenaries clicking their tongues in the background.


    Their lady boss definitely knew how to turn things to her advantage!

 Chapter 215 The Company

    After having sent everyone off, Alec waved goodbye to them for a while. The Spectres had to drag away Dominique, who seemed unwilling to leave his boss, but he reluctantly went with them as Elysia was leaving as well.


    Alec left Elysia in Rosabel''s hands.


    One, because Rosabel needed more female friends, as did Elysia, and two, because his instincts screamed at himself not to shoot himself in the foot by allowing potential rivals to get close.


    ¡­Didn''t he give up already?


    Alec had already resolutely made sure not to get overly involved in her life, so why was he still acting this way?


    Now that he had some breathing space away from her, Alec shut down those softer emotions hard, shoving them behind the wall, and down.


    Since when did they sneak out without him realizing?


    Was it healthy? No, of course not. But, right now, he just couldn''t face those budding emotions just yet.


    He already felt like he was losing control over himself, and that just wouldn''t do.


    Alec was still going to induct her into the Spectres.


    Although the Spectres had originally been created in order for the Sins to have a division that they could call theirs without any discrimination, that didn''t mean that they were limited to only Sins.


    Of course, it was still a secret from the rest of the sect.


    Ye Sha spoke up again now that the rest of Alec''s party was gone. "From what I gather, this place is an artificial clone of that crack between realms that''s now in Dominique''s hands. Let''s call that dimension 1A. Then, the red one is 2A."


    Alec brushed his hair from his face, feeling annoyed. What were all these people doing, cloning dimensions, bringing spatial beasts and all?


    The System re-entered the crack between dimensions.


    "It''s not safe to leave this here in other people''s hands. If they were somehow nurturing Vi for their own use, then Vi should be an integral part of their plans," Alec said.


    "That''s what I was thinking," Ye Sha approved. As expected from Alec, who never left loose ends that would work against him in the future.


    "Is it possible to bind this place to you instead?" Alec wondered. There had been no such precedence, so it depended on Ye Sha''s skills whether or not it was possible.


    "Probably," Ye Sha answered bluntly. "Because it''s me. Any other System can forget about it."


    Alec smiled faintly, used to Ye Sha''s habitual confidence in himself. "Do it then."


    Ye Sha hummed as he worked, eventually instructing Alec to leave the crack between realms. "It''s done. You can re-enter it whenever you wish. Since there''s already someone who has control over this crack, I moved it over to the decoy crack, 2B."


    "Good job."


    Having a good System was really a cheat, honestly.


    Alec was starting to acquire more Main Character-like things that left him a little disquieted.


    They were roughly a day behind the rest of Alec''s party, but Alec caught up with them just before they re-entered the sect''s gates.


    Alec''s master had indeed been surprised when he saw him, as had the rest of the division.


    In the short few days that he hadn''t seen his disciple, the boy came back a teenager.


    It hadn''t even been a week since he left!


    Nathan felt a little thrown off balance, but he didn''t think there was anything wrong with it. This wasn''t the first time something like this had happened to the disciples in the sect.


    Alec still acted the same as before, despite his aged-up appearance. In fact, with his maturity, it seemed like being a teenager suited Alec more instead.


    Nathan was secretly a bit sad that he missed Alec going through puberty, though he didn''t say anything about it.


    But¡­ on the plus side, now that Alec''s body was pretty much fully grown, Nathan could start his physical training early.


    -


    After Alec and his party had left the crack between realms, two hooded figures turned up near Gorgestar Canyon, where there were still traces of people going in and out of the place.


    The two figures were dressed in suspicious black cloaks, yet their manner of dressing wasn''t that strange on the continent.


    There were many that chose to dress this way as well, as it looked ''cool'', so it was easy for them to hide their faces.


    Their cloaks were just plain black without any extra symbols nor distinct features but had the added option of having a hood that covered the top parts of their faces, allowing them to remain relatively anonymous.


    Of the two figures, one was male, and the other was female.


    The male figure kneeled down and touched the ground, feeling the traces on the ground. "It''s a few days old," he observed.


    Under the hood, the female figure frowned. "Hmm. We were too late to stop them from going into the dimension. This was our oversight. The company will not be happy."


    "Whatever. Xin Yi, hurry the fuck up," Sekai said, his voice already seeping with annoyance at the perceived work in front of them. He was already stepping into the area to enter the crack before the lady had the chance to reply.


    Xin Yi shot his disappearing figure a look of pure annoyance. She really didn''t like Sekai. That fool always thought he was so much better than everyone else in the company, looking down on all of them.


    She made sure the hood was secure before she stepped into the area that folded before her into the crack between dimensions.


    The blue of the sky faded to an alarming crimson red, giving the entire place an eerie feeling.


    The two looked around.


    Sekai frowned with annoyance the moment he stepped into this place.


    He hated coming here. Especially when they had to come every few weeks or so, since it was mind-numbingly dull. Not only that, the place gave him the creeps, and his annoying partner wasn''t of any help either. She was quite literally the opposite of help.


    God knows what the higherups were thinking when they made Xin Yi his partner.


    Both of them got along like cats and dogs, and that was putting it lightly.


    The most unfortunate part of it was that they were able to anticipate each other''s moves so clearly *because* of how much they fought, so neither were able to get a significant advantage over the other. Which was, in turn, why the higherups had placed them together.


    It was utterly maddening.


    If he knew that it was going to turn out like this, he would have avoided fighting that annoying woman in the first place.


    Not only that, they had to stay out here in the damn countryside with *nothing*. There was nothing to do out here and they had to check up on this place every few weeks because of the difference in the way time flowed inside this place.


    Sekai was sick and tired of this place, but if he even started to complain, that damn Xin Yi would immediately report him to the higherups, and he''d be forced to go through another round of brainwashing.


    Fuck!


    That woman had been thoroughly brainwashed by the damn company. Hah. ''Company''.


    Sekai was biding his time until he was able to escape from that place. He just had to get the damn branding off him first.


    Following all these rules and regulations was chafing at him badly ¨C even worse than when he ¨C mh. Then again, he was a Sin.


    The regulations were particularly stringent when it came to him, which just pissed him off even more.


    Xin Yi frowned harshly when she didn''t feel the familiar presence of the Vampiric Willows.


    "Sekai," she said harshly.


    "What," he snapped back, just as annoyed. She couldn''t even let him brood in peace now?


    "There is no time for your dramatics. The Vampiric Willows are gone."


    "What?" Sekai said more seriously. He wasn''t remotely connected to this crack between realms like she was, but he was a bit of a sensor, which was rather rare.


    Spreading out his magic, a bad feeling started creeping up on him.


    Fuck, it was really gone.


    Didn''t this mean that they were going to be recalled back to headquarters?


    Losing the King Vampiric Willow that the company had been nurturing for years ¨C allowing it to go through battles of blood and fire ¨C had all been for naught.


    "Fuck," Sekai swore unhappily. His mind was spinning at a rapid rate.


    "We have to report this back to higherups."


    That was exactly what he *didn''t* want! He swore that this woman was put on Incantix just to go against him in every single way.


    "No."


    Xin Yi pulled out a greatsword menacingly, as she did whenever they had any disagreements.


    Similarly, Sekai pulled out a sword of his own, sneering at her.


    The two clashed spectacularly, both of individuals doing their best to severely wound the other.


    There was no movement of theirs that was held back, but because they could read each other so well, they didn''t even take any significant damage.


    It was only about three hours later that Sekai''s patience finally ran out.


    "Fucking woman, we''re wasting time."


    "I agree," Xin Yi said coldly. "I do not have time to waste on you when we should be reporting to the higherups."


    Sekai ruffled his hair in sheer frustration, his hood having fallen off in their battle. This woman was truly so stubborn-!


    "I disagree. We should look for the perpetrators first. The King Vampiric Willow should be on them."


    Xin Yi frowned, thinking. She reluctantly agreed with Sekai''s decision.


    As much as she disliked having to go along with one of Sekai''s plans, she did not want to report to the higherups of their failure to maintain the company''s best interests.


    If they could get the King Vampiric Willow back, that was for the best.


    "Half a year. If we cannot find it in half a year, we must report back."


    Sekai snorted. "Plenty of time."


    The woman and man looked at each other without any friendly intentions, before the man stalked back to the exit, the woman following behind with a cold face.

 Chapter 216 Natural Formations

    Alec, upon having settled Elysia into the sect, decided to give himself a little space from her.


    Surely, if he was unable to see her, the feelings that he''d locked away would die down a little?


    After all, they said that time healed all wounds, right?


    So, he made the easy decision of going back to the Neil Clan for a short visit.


    It had only been about three years since he left together with Elias, but it felt like ages ago. Mainly because he spent five years in that apocalyptic world together with Lukas and friends.


    "Ye Sha, what are my siblings doing?" Alec asked.


    Ye Sha hummed as he rapidly checked through the various plot routes that the Neils were going through.


    "Nothing much, but there''s no one near the Neil Clan, if that''s why you''re asking."


    Alec nodded. He''d been planning on asking if they wanted to go back with him, but perhaps it was for the better this way.


    He had a bone to pick with his uncle. He was sure that Elias and Tatiana, at least, still had nightmares about the Neil Clan''s ''massacre''.


    Passing by Mystik Town, which was nearby, he dropped by and said hello to Stanley and Lorraine Woods, who had kindly allowed both he and Elias to stay at their place.


    To say that they were surprised by how much he had grown was an understatement, but they took it in stride after asking where his brother was.


    Alec smiled. "He''s on an adventure right now."


    Lorraine smiled kindly, seeing the things that he would rather not explain, and dropped the topic.


    Stanley patted him heavily on the back. He didn''t say anything, but his emotions could be felt from that heavy pat, and the faraway look in his eyes.


    The Woods'' insisted that Alec stay for the night before he set off again, delaying his plans a little, but that was fine.


    Despite seeming happy, both Lorraine and Stanley still exuded a bit of sadness. Unfortunately, Alec had not been able to find any traces of the two''s son, who had presumably been stolen away and sold as a slave.


    He''d looked high and low for Mason Woods, and any notice of such a boy of his stature and disposition, but there were only dead ends.


    Alec frowned when he thought about their missing son. Could it be that he hadn''t been captured as a slave, but instead been quietly killed off?


    Alec visited a little smithy in the heart of Mystik Town, one that had been opened not too long ago, and bought a few things before heading back to the Woods'' residence.


    Before Alec left, he left a pile of useful and valuable things that was a little thank you for all the help that the kindly couple had provided with two boys freshly into the real world.


    The next morning, Stanley and Lorraine would find the pile of things and feel both exasperated and touched at the same time about Alec''s quiet departure and subsequent thank you.


    Moving on, The Great Expanse, the forest that was called fondly by the Neils, was just as he remembered it.


    There was something that had been plaguing his mind after he started studying the art of arrays.


    When he was young and toddling around, he wondered about how they had been systematically trained to recognise the paths that they were able to take in the forest.


    Even Evin only ever smiled enigmatically whenever Alec asked, as if telling him that he should find the answer himself.


    He always wondered why no one seemed to know about where the Neil Clan was located, but now, when he walked around the forest, he realized that his initial guesses were wrong.


    What he originally thought was a large-scale array that naturally misled those who entered it without any preparations actually wasn''t an array at all.


    Compared to the familiar arrays, it was more like a naturally formed and carefully maintained formation that had been produced by strategically placing certain trees, rocks and other things in a specific orientation.


    Instead of heading straight towards the clan compounds, Alec remained inside The Great Expanse, slowly mapping out the natural formation that obscured the clan.


    It was something that he didn''t have much experience in, but it held similar enough points with a number of arrays that he was able to deduce what it did and how it did it.


    Alec moved along the way, ignoring the curious eyes that locked onto him from the shadows. He knew that they were there, but he didn''t let on that he had noticed them.


    Without finding the core of the formation, those that didn''t have the inside knowledge that had been hammered into the Neils from young would be hopelessly lost, wandering around in circles until they either stumbled upon a way out, or were mauled to death by the monsters and creatures that inhabited the area.


    It was the reason why Mystik Town, that was nearby, had no idea that the Neil Clan existed within the forest that they deemed forbidden.


    Alec quietly wondered just how many people from Mystik Town had their bones buried here in order for the entire town to warn off whoever dreamed of going into the forest to search for treasure.


    Ye Sha whistled. "So, this is where you were born. Well, at least the Mainframe let you be born in a sizable clan."


    "Ha. Did it really, though?"


    Now that Alec was moving along in The Great Expanse, he felt a rush of suppressed affection for his clan.


    Though they were fucked up, they had indeed produced the people that he kept dear to his heart.


    It wasn''t like he was fond of everyone in the clan, but he wouldn''t hesitate to throw himself into battle if it came down to it, defending the clan ¨C though, perhaps, not to his last breath.


    By the time he reached the core of the natural formation, having made sure to lose his trackers along the way, Alec moved placed Vi down, who then grew to a reasonable size.


    Alec planted a few seals on his familiar to make sure that no one would notice anything amiss with the tree.


    Even if they did, they would feel a compulsion for their eyes to slide over Vi without them realizing it.


    It was a delicate piece of work that Alec had put a lot of thought and effort into.


    The thing with seals was that they mainly had overt uses that were blatant and usually dazzling to the eye, but Alec felt like they were too flashy. Too overt.


    It didn''t sit right with him, who had been trained since young to maintain stealth and silence.


    He didn''t know if it was because so many array masters were overlooked by their peers, but the resulting products from most who dabbled in the art of arrays was something that would shock and awe crowds.


    It was flashy and wasteful at the best of times, and while useful, was not something that Alec favoured.


    Too loud. Too overt. Easy to leave a trace of who was behind it.


    Not only that, it would allow whatever enemies they had to nit-pick their seals and arrays, finding faults and loopholes that could lead to death.


    If their enemies just put in enough effort, it was easy to kill an unprepared array master.


    Thankfully, the style preferred by so many seemed to be changing in the current years. What Alec didn''t know was that it was because of his influence.


    The quiet beauty of the seal that he''d produced and made readily available to the public showed many array masters that things didn''t have to be flashy or loud in order to attract and hold attention.


    Alec preferred the unstated, quieter things that would allow him to get away with more things than usually possible.


    Vi curled a vine around Alec''s finger in question, wondering why it was here. The place felt similar to its master''s magical signature, and there were powerful beings here as well.


    "You should stay here and learn a bit from The Great Expanse. I don''t know if it will help loosen your bottleneck, but it''s worth a try. There''s a lot of magic in this place," Alec sent over their bond.


    Vi''s vine tightened a little in understanding, and there was an audible thud as someone made their presence clear. How polite.


    Alec turned around, and his smile was a bit more genuine as he felt his uncle''s familiar magic signature.

 Chapter 217 Welcome Back

    "Uncle," Alec greeted politely.


    Even though all he wanted to do was give him a tongue lashing, he was well aware that he didn''t have enough exposure to the inner clan politics that was only shown amongst the adults.


    Alec''s uncle, Vincent, looked like he hadn''t aged a day since the last time he saw him.


    His uncle appeared just as dashing and valiant as he had before Alec left the clan that day. The only difference was that now, the man had a faint scar under his eye.


    Alec wondered what happened.


    Vincent''s stern features softened a little when he looked at his nephew. Though how he currently looked did not match what an eleven-year-old should look like, the man could feel it deep in his bones.


    This was his nephew, not someone else.


    He''d practically watched the boy grow up and age until he left the clan, after all. Those things didn''t disappear so quickly, especially if they started from childhood.


    "Alec," Vincent greeted back, his eyes studying Alec. "Welcome back," he said simply, but those two words conveyed everything he wanted to say.


    What he found satisfied him greatly.


    The young child in his memories had grown up well, and the man felt a pang that he had to miss it ¨C just as so many others in the clan had missed their own children''s growth.


    While it was the tradition of their clan, he hated that they weren''t able to have regular contact due to the clan''s stuffy traditions. Well, no longer.


    Alec was now around his late teens, so similar, yet so different from the child in his memories.


    Where before, the child had a lean frame that spoke of speed over strength, as most did from those in their clan, Alec now had wired muscles that were just barely visible from his attire.


    They spoke of the amount of effort that he''d put into his strength training. Since Neils didn''t put on muscle easily. Vincent wondered what Alec had been through in these years.


    Because he was wearing the Heavenly Ascension Sect''s clothing, it hid most of his muscle definition, causing him to look deceptively lean.


    Unlike most of those in the Neil Clan, Alec appeared to have a good deal of solid muscle that spoke of strength.


    His cheeks had lost their last bit of baby fat, giving him an almost ethereal presence when he walked under the sunlight.


    While he had heard about the youngest array master ever produced, information about him had been scarce to the public.


    Vincent had used some connections to get more information, which was why he was a little more informed than the rest. But even then, his connections could only go so far.


    With that faintly gentle smile on his face, Vincent thought to himself with satisfaction that there was probably no lack of people throwing themselves at his nephew.


    Alec felt a bit of the anger that had accumulated over the years dissipate somewhat upon seeing his uncle again.


    There were faint shadows under his uncle''s eyes.


    He knew that things weren''t so clear-cut in the Neil Clan. As the clan leader, Vincent was faced with pressure from both sides of the clan. One from above, and one from below.


    There were many hands working in the shadows, and his uncle had undertaken a great burden in order to keep the elders in check, that much he knew.


    "Come. Let us converse in my office."


    Alec nodded.


    Vincent ran through the forest, and his heart lit up with satisfaction when Alec had no problem keeping up with him.


    He steadily increased the speed of his steps, and Alec had no trouble adjusting to his pace at all.


    Sending him out had indeed been the right choice.


    Upon reaching the clan compounds, Alec looked over it with still eyes.


    Just like the forest, the clan compounds had not changed at all.


    From what he knew, the place had always been kept the same because the elders of each generation insisted on it, not wanting to relinquish the glory of their ancestor.


    Alec privately thought that they were all just old coots too stuck in their ways and resistant to change from their routine to make more progress. No wonder Alec heard snippets about the clan''s stagnation.


    Eh? That wasn''t right.


    Something had changed while he was away.


    They reached a building that Alec had never seen before. Alec''s brows raised minutely, before he smoothened them over.


    The building looked newly built, and when compared to the other buildings in the clan compound, stood out because of the modern techniques and sleeker appearance that had been used to build it.


    Still, Alec resolutely kept his mouth shut until he was able to place down a silencing barrier in a secure room. There were several things that he could infer, but he also didn''t know whether it was his place to say it or not.


    Vincent sent away the hidden guards that were with him, and Alec felt their presences move further away until they were roughly two rooms away, the furthest they were willing to go.


    Alec silently approved.


    Instead of upholding his stern clan head image, Vincent sank down on the couch inside his office, pulling a smile from Alec.


    Alec activated the silencing barrier that was normally attached to the doorknob, pressing twice.


    The barrier that bloomed before him was more ancient and beautiful than many of the current techniques that were being used.


    With shining eyes, Alec thought that he would study it further later.


    Instead of allowing himself to get carried away at this moment, he laid down his own silencing barrier as extra protection even though Vincent didn''t ask for it.


    Vincent cracked open an eye to look at him approvingly, then leaned back, completely relaxed for once in front of his nephew.


    Right now, he couldn''t be bothered to put up any pretences. Not when the child he hadn''t seen for so long had grown up so much.


    Without waiting for permission, Alec casually sank down on the sofa next to his uncle.


    The plushness of the sofa enveloped him, and he could see why his uncle would relax on it when he normally tried up uphold his image.


    Alec didn''t usually sit next to people because he preferred watching their body language and micro expressions, so his unspoken action spoke of how much trust he''d put into his uncle, even if the other man didn''t know it.


    Vincent seemed to have realized something at least, because the last bit of tenseness in his frame melted away.


    "You''ve been away for three years, but are you still eleven?" Vincent asked, squinting at the ceiling instead of looking at Alec.


    "I''m sixteen now."


    As if he would say otherwise. It was annoying being treated like a kid. Fifteen was when they were considered adults, and sixteen seemed like a solid age to claim if he wanted to be treated seriously.


    "You came back sooner than I expected," Vincent said instead, but there was a sense of satisfaction coating his words.


    Alec smiled. "I did. Have the others not returned at all yet?"


    "If you are speaking of the rest of your class, then no. You are the first to have returned. Most only do so after they feel that they have achieved what they set out to do. Some never return because of how betrayed they felt by the clan''s traditions."


    Alec nodded. That seemed like the kind of thing their clan would do. If it wasn''t clear, the Neil Clan were all composed of stubborn individuals, which was why so many of them excelled at their craft.


    Which was also why there were many who felt like their trust had been betrayed by the clan''s act. Indeed, he had originally felt that way even when he knew the truth, but who set the tradition, he didn''t know.


    What he did know was that his uncle had been trying to resist the continuation of this tradition, but he was never able to do it.


    Until now, that was.


    There was a lull in their conversation as both uncle and nephew didn''t quite know how to broach the topic.


    In the end, it was Alec that spoke first.


    His original personality was blunter than anything else, anyway.


    "Did you manage to clean house?"


    Vincent let out a bark of laughter.


    Indeed, his nephew wasn''t as simple nor as harmless as he appeared. He was as sharp as a tack, that one. He reflected his elder sister in a multitude of ways that didn''t stop at the surface level.


    His sister had always been stronger than Vincent, and it was only when she turned down the clan head position that Vincent had been asked to step up.


    He still remembered the earlier days when Alec''s mask hadn''t quite been so perfect, allowing his inner emotions to shine through.


    He''d always been a precocious child, and his current image suited him better than the mask of false innocence that he wore.


    "I did indeed. Your book gave me quite the headache, but I was able to crack it a few weeks ago."


    Alec smirked for the briefest second. He''d left behind the books that had been securely locked, and it appeared that the Neil Clan had indeed struggled with unlocking it.


    The presence of this new building already gave him insight into what happened in the clan currently.

 Chapter 218 Stagnation and Bad Intentions

    With how the stubborn elders resisted change at every opportunity, it was no surprise that how majority of them who held the power up top were those that were the most resistant to change. Especially when it came to their authority.


    Vincent felt sad at the thought. The elders had all once been outstanding in their field, eventually allowing themselves to rise after they lived long enough.


    He supposed what they said about absolute power and how it corrupted couldn''t be escaped even in a clan like this.


    That Vincent could be so relaxed right now, especially when he was in his own office, already spoke of how much confidence he had in what he''d already done.


    This building was a symbol that things were changing. That it was even built was already a symbol that things were changing.


    Alec overlooked the room that exuded a sense of quiet stability, something that was very in line with his uncle''s personality.


    While it wasn''t anything big, Alec could imagine his uncle seated behind the desk, silently exuding pressure on the ones that entered as they gave reports.


    There were stacks of paperwork on the desk seated in the room, so high that it almost appeared like a mountain.


    He could also imagine his uncle seated on the sofa like he was doing now when he wanted to give off a friendlier impression, and Alec found himself relaxing more. It appeared that his uncle had things well in hand.


    "Yes, I''ve cleaned house," Vincent said. He sounded neutral.


    Had Alec not been listening carefully, he would have missed the slightly smug satisfaction that came with it.


    Vincent continued. "I''m the main power in the clan now, and various things are changing. I started the day after you left the clan. At that time, the elders are always relatively laxer in their protection. Unfortunately, a lot of them resisted the change coming," Vincent said, but he didn''t express his regret over his actions.


    He knew that not everyone would assent to what he was doing, but change was needed if the Neil Clan to continue to grow. They had been stagnant for far too long, and they were rotting from the inside out.


    Before any enemies killed them, they would be killed by themselves. Vincent had seen enough to know what it looked like when a power stagnated for too long. People outside would start to get ideas.


    Vincent didn''t want to wake up one day and realize that enemies were already upon them. Realize that he could have stopped it had he only taken power earlier, preventing it from happening.


    As it stood, the elders passed the years like they were content in their little pocket of power, forgetting that there were other powers out there who eyed their clan hungrily, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.


    But even when he spoke about all these high-sounding reasons, the real reason why Vincent moved was that someone had the audacity to try and harm his nephew.


    Just thinking about it made his eyes go cold.


    Before, no one had dared overtly try to harm another clan member, but it seemed as if the elders lost their heads when they thought about Alec''s black hair.


    That someone''s genes could be stronger than the Neil family''s dominant genes left them deeply unsettled.


    To think that there had been people that had *dared* to try and target his older sister and his nephew while he had been protecting them. It was unacceptable, and it went against the only reason why he had stepped up to take the position in the first place.


    Other than that, the stagnating elders only ever favoured Brights, and they were intolerant of the other Societypes.


    Though their clan did indeed have a majority of Brights, that didn''t mean that they didn''t have a fair number of other Societypes as well.


    Yet, despite their brilliance, they were always overlooked and passed over by the elders up top, and any wrongdoing caused to them was glossed over in favour of the Brights.


    It left Vincent seething in anger, but he hadn''t realized just how powerless a clan head was until he took over.


    There were times when Vincent cursed the ancestors for their indulgence in this stagnant, rotting pool, allowing the power to go to their heads until it whittled away what little power the clan head had.


    He had been a mere puppet moving on strings, acting according to their whims.


    Luckily, Vincent had people he trusted and cultivated, and those that he nurtured didn''t let him down.


    Politics at its finest. Vincent struck when they were at their weakest, overturning them without giving them any opportunity to resist.


    Either the elders submitted to the changes, or they would be quietly dealt with.


    There had been no small number of elders that had been dealt with permanently.


    While Vincent respected what they had done for the clan, they had also been the ones that caused the continued stagnation of growth, with how set they were in their ways.


    In the end, there was only a small number of more progressive elders ¨C the elders that had been oppressed by the rest ¨C left in the clan, leaving the clan overall weaker than before. But the clan would only grow from this point onwards after they had cut off the rotting flesh before it could spread any further.


    The thing that showed instant change instead of the other gradually happening changes was the yearly tradition of the ''clan massacre''. It had been dealt with appropriately.


    While they still carried it out to the best of their ability, the fleeing seeds from their clan were promptly caught then dragged back as they had everything explained to them, showing them how it worked.


    The first time this happened, it caused them some resentment, but Vincent would gladly bear the blame, knowing that there were no clan members under his rule that left thinking that the entire clan, as well as their families, had been massacred in an unknown incident as a final cruel test.


    Hopefully, this would ease the death rate in their children who went out to explore. They would not be as reckless, nor as careless with their lives like before.


    It would not cause their clan to decline, like so many of the elders had insisted, but instead push themselves to achieve greater heights.


    Vincent was a lucky man that had friends and subordinates that supported him in the clan, otherwise he would never have been able to implement the changes that the clan needed.


    After three years, Vincent had finally managed to somewhat stabilize the situation in the clan.


    The clan now fell entirely into his command, and things were progressing at a steady pace.


    There were many things that had happened, but Vincent only told Alec about what had happened in the most factual way, free of bias and opinion, leaving Alec to be free to form his own opinions.


    "You''ve come back at a good time," Vincent said, looking pleased.


    He''d managed to quieten all the dissenters who didn''t think that his harsh way of handling the situation was optimal, but Vincent had shown them over the years that he didn''t resort to violence as the first method.


    It was, in fact, the final method when everything else failed.


    Doing so had won him more supporters within the clan, and the progress they made was heartening to the clan members, who dreamed about lively days in the future.


    Alec was a little disappointed, even when he was impressed. He''d thought about various ways to deal with the ears on the walls, but it seemed like his uncle had it well in hand.


    Alec thought that he''d come back to face some backstabbing now that he''d returned due to his parentage, but it was a pleasant surprise that he didn''t.


    "Did mother take part in helping you?"


    Vincent''s normally stern face faded into a smirk. "How could she not?" he said instead of answering. There was something in his tone that Alec couldn''t place.


    Vincent got up from his comfortable position on the couch, walking over to the desk in the middle of the room.


    He pulled out a sealed envelope from within, causing Alec to raise an eyebrow.


    Alec took the heavy but slim envelope from his uncle instead of asking questions that could be easily answered. The outer appearance of the enveloped suggested that it should be light, but the weight in his hands said otherwise.


    "Elder sister left around a year ago. None of us expected that you would be back so quickly, but she left behind that for you if you did return before she returned."


    "How long do clan members take before they come back?" Alec asked absently.


    Vincent''s lips curled into a smile. "Ten years, twenty years. Some never come back at all."


    Alec''s brows raised, but he understood.


    He lowered his head to silently read the contents of the letter, his face set in his normal smile. He didn''t let on the contents of the letter, but Vincent thought he knew what was inside already.


    His elder sister was probably explaining the rather complicated situation between herself and Alec''s father ¨C


    Ah, he shouldn''t speculate so much. His sister had her own life, as he did his.


    She was a grown woman, and she could take care of her own affairs.


    Instead of saying anything else, Alec gracefully stood up, thanking his uncle.


    "So, uncle, are you going to visit our apartment later?" Alec said, and his smile took on a bit of a mischievous edge, causing him to look very similar to his mother, but it disappeared before Vincent caught sight of it.


    Vincent''s face blanked as his lips twitched lightly.


    The best thing about his sister being gone was that he *didn''t* have to visit that damn haunted apartment!


    Unfortunately, Alec, unlike his sister, did not know that he tried to avoid whatever supernatural spirits were dwelling in that apartment.


    Vincent stiffly agreed, desperately trying to keep up his image in his nephew''s heart, not knowing that his image had long been shattered before Alec.

 Chapter 219 She Lef

    Vincent would drop by later, so Alec headed back to the apartment that he shared with his mother, finding the inside the same as he remembered it.


    The bonds from the various things in the apartment started calling out to him the moment he neared, the bonds between him and his Awakened sung joyfully in his veins.


    Alec smiled, letting out a flood of magic that they gleefully soaked up.


    Now in the privacy of his own home, Alec relaxed, sitting down on the sofa that he hadn''t sat on in a few years.


    Compared to the growth that his familiars showed, the Awakened here were of lower sentience. They did indeed exist, but just barely so, surviving off of Alec''s magic instead of being able to produce magic on their own.


    He unfolded his mother''s letter once again, reading through it properly this time instead of just skimming the first few pages.


    Alec could still feel traces of his mother''s magic that had seeped into various furniture and other appliances over the year, causing him to feel nostalgic.


    He hadn''t expected that he wouldn''t even catch a glimpse of her at all. Honestly, he was disappointed, something else he hadn''t expected.


    In the first place, he mainly came back to the Neil Clan because he wanted to see his mother again.


    In the letter, it spoke about the various things that had happened since he left, a page a day, creating a truly tremendous amount.


    Still, even though the envelope was so heavy, it didn''t show at all, with how slim the envelope was.


    She''d used a seal of her own making to create this effect, intriguing him.


    Though someone else might have started skimming with how much there was written, Alec took his time, absorbing the words that she wrote one by one.


    Alec could picture his mother''s figure in his mind, hunched over the desk, writing about the things that happened throughout the day right before she went to sleep.


    Certainly, that sight was something familiar to him.


    His mother always wrote before she went to bed, but she never said who her letters were for. Alec always thought that they were for his missing father, but he never had much interest in the absent man.


    Now, these letters were for him.


    Though they did not have any overly sentimental feelings written down, Alec was able to feel the care that she had poured into the letter.


    Slowly, something warm started creeping into his heart, but Alec just attributed it to the bonds that were in close proximity to him.


    By the time he finished, a few hours had passed.


    Alec gave a silent sigh, and Ye Sha, who was normally noisy, was silent as well.


    Ye Sha could feel the emotions that had practically seeped their way into the words, making him feel slightly emotional in a way that he didn''t normally feel.


    So, this was a mother''s love, huh? How nice.


    Still, something like this happening seemed very in line with a Main Character''s plot progression, and Alec was definitely a Main Character, with the intrigue of his birth, and the hidden status of his Societype.


    While Ye Sha could see the advantage of hiding his Societype, he didn''t understand why Alec''s mother had to go to such lengths, to even hide it from her brother.


    Unless, of course, there was something more about Alec that she couldn''t tell anyone.


    Probably something to do with his father, right?


    Ye Sha said as such to Alec, who agreed with his friend. He''d always been thinking about why he needed to hide his Societype, especially from his clan.


    Originally, he thought it was because of the elders of the clan, but he realized that there was indeed the presence of Sins in the clan.


    So, why had his mother so desperately tried to hide it?


    Why did she need to go to such lengths?


    The only reason he could think of was that it had something to do with his father, instead of just having the Sin Societype.


    Alec, who was both a Sin and a Cher, was unheard of. In the Kaoriht continent, at least. While Alec had not yet scoured for various pieces of information on it, he was quite versed in the matter of written word about Magitypes and Societypes.


    Privately, Alec thought that a lot of it was hogwash, so he always took the information in with a grain of salt until he was able to confirm it.


    Nothing had been documented, nor had anything been spoken through word of mouth that he was aware of.


    Alec knew his father''s name. Aeden. It was Alec''s middle name, which was apparently tradition from his father''s side.


    And clearly, that bastard wasn''t dead yet, as his mother had confirmed later.


    She''d clearly written in her letter that she was going to find his father in the time that he was out exploring the world, and that he probably wouldn''t be able to get a hold of her any time soon.


    Alec frowned with annoyance.


    Where was she exactly?


    She wrote that she was heading to the Next Realm, with capitals, indicating that it was the name of the realm, and that he shouldn''t look for her unless he was strong enough.


    Alec stared at the words dryly.


    Didn''t expect that the Main Character plot route can worm its way even here.


    Alec was inwardly helpless in his heart. Just how strong was ''strong enough''?


    What he hated the most was vague words like these, where he couldn''t judge properly.


    "Do you know anything about the Next Realm?" Alec asked Ye Sha.


    Ye Sha shrugged. "No idea. Then again, this world''s technology has advanced a lot since the time I moved to the crack between realms."


    Alec nodded.


    He would ask his uncle if he knew about a way to get to the Next Realm later.


    Even if they were Systems, they could only interact with sub realms or cracked realms. He wasn''t able to touch the real realms at all.


    This was because misfortune would strike them down from out of the blue, obliterating them from the planet if they tried to interfere with the world''s natural laws. Basically, you would encounter a string of bad luck until you eventually died when you weren''t lucky enough to survive.


    It was hard to guard against things that were natural order instead of coming from human hands.


    It was the reason why Ye Sha had to create a legacy hall in the first place. Otherwise, he had no chance of coming into contact with humans at all.


    From this, you could see that Systems weren''t invincible. They were also constrained by rules, natural or otherwise, just like every other existence in the multiverse.


    At this moment, there was a slightly apprehensive knock on the apartment door, causing Alec to smirk as he put his thoughts away for the time being.


    Ye Sha raised an eyebrow at Alec''s reaction, confused. "Why do you have that look on your face?" he pestered Alec. "Nothing good ever happens whenever you look like that."


    Alec gave a low laugh, but it only sent chills of unease up Ye Sha''s spine.


    "Well, haven''t you realized anything special about this apartment?" Alec asked with a raised brow.


    "Realized what? There''s something special about it?" Ye Sha said instead, baffled. He looked around, but there didn''t seem to be anything that was out of place. "What aren''t you telling me?"


    Alec shrugged, moving his eyes to the door instead.


    "Hey, aren''t you going to open the door for your uncle?" Ye Sha was growing increasingly baffled.


    "No need."


    Indeed, the door that had previously been shut tightly rattled as the lock slowly turned on its own, before creaking open slowly with an ominous sound.


    Ye Sha instantly felt all the hair on his arms stand up straight even though he was a System that should not be afraid of supernatural things. Nor should he believe that they existed. Yet, secretly, Ye Sha felt like he was quaking in his boots.


    "Woah, woah, wait! I did not sign up for this," the System let out a hysterical laugh in the inside of his mind.


    Alec stifled his laughter at both Ye Sha reaction and his uncle''s discomforted face.


    It was honestly hilarious, and it was actually his favourite application of Awakening that he employed everywhere.


    Of course, he loved increasing his strength, and he loved doing things with magic, but seeing people freak out was like his hobby at this point.


    Vincent stiffly strode in, his entire body tense.


    "Alec, you saw that, right?"


    Alec put on a puzzled expression. "Saw what?"


    Vincent felt like he was going to lose his mind. Why did he always have to come back to this place? Just when he finally felt that he was free of it when his sister left?!

 Chapter 220 A Source of Disturbance

    The next day, when Alec wandered around the clan, the System was able to see all the little differences that hadn''t been evident at first glance.


    It was a short three years, but there were already changes in the previously stagnant Neil Clan.


    Vincent''s hard work was paying off.


    Everywhere throughout the plaza Alec looked was filled, like usual, with the same distinct Neil characteristics of pale brown hair and crystalline blue eyes, but unlike before, there were now other colours mixed amongst the people that walked around.


    Though the colours were only from the adults. Sometimes male, sometimes female. Alec immediately understood why he was looked upon with such hostility from the elders of the clan, when his hair didn''t turn out the dominant Neil Clan colour that was their source of pride.


    These were the people who''d married into the Neil Clan, who had, according to the clan rules, change their natural hair and eye colour to match the Neil Clan''s dominant features.


    Alec never understood why they had such a superficial rule, but according to his uncle, that was one of the ways that the elders used to keep a leash on the clan''s youths, so that the descendants of the clan would feel tight bonds whenever they looked at another clan member before thinking about anything else.


    Alec called out their bullshit.


    Bonds to the clan weren''t made based on physical appearance in the first place. It was something Vincent agreed with, which was why he had abolished the rule.


    It was a miracle that the clan had still managed to produce so many strong people, even with the elders in power limiting their degree of freedom and thinking.


    It didn''t take any time at all for Alec to adjust because he was already used to the various hair colours sported by the outside world, but he supposed it wasn''t so easy for those who weren''t used to the change.


    The Neil Clan''s distinct characteristics of light brown hair and crystalline blue eyes really weren''t common in Kaoriht continent, but those traits were easily hidden in a variety of ways should they need it to.


    It was a pale shade of brown that sometimes looked almost white in the sunlight, and their eyes reflected like jewels, causing an unusual appearance.


    Unlike them, Alec always caught attention within the clan compound because of his natural jet-black hair. It was something that had made him a little isolated previously but now didn''t get a second glance.


    It gave him a little of a surreal feeling, but he didn''t even have time to get distracted by any feelings because Ye Sha was kicking up a fuss in his mindscape, so much so that Alec couldn''t help but let out a little laugh with how childish he was being.


    It was because of the little prank he''d played on him the other night.


    Alec suddenly found Ye Sha quite fun to play with. How could ghosts exist in this world?


    He didn''t know if it was because the other had been trapped or went into hibernation for so long, but his reactions were distinctly less restrained and a lot more childish than before.


    Rather than doing it purposely, Ye Sha was genuinely excited that he was able to live life through Alec vicariously.


    The embarrassment Ye Sha felt when he realized he was being tricked also led to a round of pouting that Alec found hilarious.


    Alec couldn''t help but wonder, why had he originally felt that Ye Sha was annoying?


    Thinking back about it, Ye Sha had been shoved onto him when they were severely shorthanded, and Alec had been considerably stressed at the time, as one of the earlier Systems that existed.


    Things that he would originally not have given a fuck about or would have glossed over were like flour meeting fire, an explosion in the making.


    That was to say, they had met at the worst time possible, and after that, Alec''s impression of the other man hadn''t increased any because of the worst first impression.


    When he thought up to this point, Alec was a little embarrassed, and was thankful that Ye Sha indeed could not read his thoughts.


    Alec headed away from the crowd of people going about their daily life in the clan''s plaza, heading closer to the centre of the clan compound instead.


    Unlike other places, the Neil Clan compound was centred around a massive lake, where the clan members were free to boat or to practice. Leisure and work were both a common occurrence on the lake.


    Located in the middle of the lake, there were various poles for those who wished to train, and many who hovered around and watched those in the middle as entertainment.


    But Alec wasn''t here for the lake.


    Instead, he was here for his Awakened, Javor. It was, in fact, his earliest bond, and Alec wondered just how much it had grown in the time that he was away.


    Come to think of it, he had more trees that he''d formed a bond with compared to anything else.


    Javor''s bond was also a result of Bunbun having startled him so much that he subconsciously used his Magitype on the tree.


    He''d left both of his familiars back at the sect, since Elysia didn''t want to part her hands from them ¨C


    Alec felt a build-up of annoyance at himself, shoving the unnecessary thoughts down. How annoying.


    Was just distance not enough to cut off his unnecessary emotions? What else should he do, then?


    ¡­Well, he could call them over through their bond. If they wanted to, they could teleport over.


    Reaching Javor, Alec patted its trunk, and their bond sung with happiness, pulling a smile from Alec. The tree''s branches shook a little, bringing the gentle sound of leaves rustling without any wind.


    Then, Alec''s eyes widened.


    At the same time, Ye Sha made a noise of surprise.


    Compared to before, Javor had not grown size wise, but the magical signature that Alec could feel from the bond was something else.


    Alec checked over the tree without missing a single detail and felt appreciation. Like Vi, Javor had surpassed the plant species and had grown splendidly as a reborn creature.


    Even when compared to Fenrir and Bunbun, Javor had more magic!


    A vine peeled off from the place it had previously been wrapped around its trunk, wrapping around Alec''s arm.


    Alec got a feeling that the tree was asking where the bunny was.


    A smile curved onto Alec''s face.


    He was always particularly indulgent with his Awakened, probably because he knew that they wouldn''t betray him. They were like his children.


    At times, what he felt for them was even more than the people who''d gathered under his banner.


    Tugging on the familiar bond, both Bunbun and Fenrir appeared in front of him. Bunbun excitedly rubbed his head on Javor''s roots, before making himself bigger, carrying Fenrir over to Javor like a mother cat carrying its kitten to introduce them to each other.


    Alec huffed a laugh.


    It was at this moment that there was a commotion nearby, alerting those who had been relaxing nearby on the lake.


    The previously idle people immediately turned to look, heading back to the plaza where the commotion was coming from.


    Alec as well was confused as to what was happening.


    He gave an order to his familiars before he headed back the way he came from quickly, hearing cries of distress.


    There was a rather sizable crowd now, but they backed away, giving whatever was causing a source of distress some space.


    There was only a single person in the middle of the crowd, waving his hands. "Move, move! Don''t crowd around!"


    The crowd looked at the man with dissatisfaction.


    "Hey, you should get her to the medical centre!"


    "Miss, please let us help you!"


    The lady that looked like she was on the verge of death rasped with a wet voice. "No, no. I must see the clan leader¡­ clan¡­ leader," she muttered, but it was clearly heard by Alec, who had only been taking a look.


    Alec''s eyes sharpened.


    The man''s hands hovered uselessly over her, unsure where he should touch. There was blood everywhere, and her outfit was dyed with red blood.


    In the end, he helplessly shouted back at the crowd. "Leave! Give the lady space. Don''t worry, we are going to the medical centre."


    It was unknown whether or not the lady heard him or not because she did not refute his words.


    The crowd obediently dispersed, looking back with glances of concern, except for Alec.


    Anyhow, there was no need for all of them to bring her to the medical centre. While they were curious, they knew when something was up.


    What Alec saw was a wounded young lady, staggering forward with some sort of aim in her as the man that had dispersed the crowd tried fruitlessly to convince her to go to the medical centre.


    She was clutching her abdomen, leaving a trail of blood behind her as she staggered. Her face was ghastly pale, and the dark circles under her eyes were made even more prominent from the lack of blood in her face. She seemed like she was only moving on pure adrenaline and willpower alone.


    She was undoubtedly a Neil, with her colouring, but her face was so pale that she drew the concern of those passing by.


    Alec clicked his tongue, not appreciating the lackadaisical way the man was handling things.


    His eyes narrowed as he wondered whether or not she was a spy under external influence.


    Instead, he moved behind her and knocked her out after he took stock of her injuries, stunning the man into silence.

 Chapter 221 Thea Neil Reporting For Duty

    Thea Neil woke up feeling like death warmed over.


    She didn''t know what happened for her to feel that way, but there was a strange, pressing need at the back of her mind, as if she was forgetting about something important. Something that she''d put her life on the line to remember.


    Despite the sheet that was only covering her lightly, it felt suffocating, and she was sweating profusely. Whether because of the pain, or because her body was just naturally feeling hot, she didn''t know.


    Regardless, her pressing need to do something pushed her to try and remember even when her brain throbbed with agony.


    Despite how hard she was trying to remember; she was unable to recall about what was so urgent that she woke up even when she felt as if she was dying from the pain.


    When she breathed, she felt pain scorch up her sides, and Thea ached as she tried to remember what happened to her.


    Absently, her line of vision cut to the slightest sting of pain that she felt in her arm, and her eyes met the IV line that was pierced into her body.


    With her mind still feeling like cotton wool, and her normal thoughts shrouded, she clumsily pulled out the needle that was nestled in the crook of her elbow. The slight pain there couldn''t even be compared to the pain that radiated from her middle.


    She found it kind of strange that her injuries hadn''t been completely healed ¨C this place was the clan''s medical centre, of that she had no doubt. In her teenage years, she visited this place countless times together with her classmates.


    Then, what she had to do hit her like a ton of bricks, and she scrambled out of the soft sheets that surrounded her, but the cool air that hit her body did nothing to relieve her discomfort that was born from pain.


    Someone had knocked her out when she''d been on the way to see the clan leader!


    Thea grunted in pain, but even then, she didn''t halt her jerky movements. She had something more important to her than the pain she felt. Anyway, she had worse pain before. It was still tolerable.


    Staggering as her foot was caught on the sheets that she''d been tangled in, her body tilted as she tumbled to the ground, but just as she braced herself for the additional pain that would no doubt send her close to unconsciousness again, she was caught gently and placed back on the edge of the bed.


    Thea''s head swum as she clutched her abdomen. Even though she had not fallen to the ground, the pain was like a dagger to her sides ¨C well, that was literally what had happened to her, so it was fair enough.


    "Do I need to get the doctor?" she heard come nearby, and Thea blearily looked at the person who had caught her from meeting a more painful fate on the floor.


    Her breath felt like it''d been stolen away at the gentle smile that he gave her, and her heart started pounding in her chest for a different reason.


    The glaring lights that shone down from the ceiling above didn''t seem so harsh when it gave the teenager in front of her a glow that made him seem almost holy.


    While she was instantly stunned at the gentle feeling the boy gave off, she quickly snapped out of it.


    Her cheeks flushed, and she mentally slapped herself for her annoying tendencies to get carried away at a pretty face.


    ''This is not the time to fall into romantic fantasies, Thea,'' she scolded herself.


    Instead, she croaked out, her voice hoarse, "I have to see the clan leader."


    The smile on his face didn''t change, but his eyes seemed sharper that before as he studied her. Thea felt her traitorous heart pound, but she maintained the seriousness on her face.


    She didn''t understand what he was thinking about, and he was strangely hard to read.


    This teen wasn''t the man who''d tried to get her to enter the medical centre yesterday, that much she knew.


    If he said no, then she would incapacitate him and barge into the clan leader''s office anyway.


    That was how important this information was to the safety of their clan.


    It was rather strange that someone that was younger than her was in the clan. He looked around sixteen or seventeen, and he didn''t have the standard brown Neil hair, even though he had their eyes.


    Jet black hair and blue eyes. Something flashed in her mind, but the thought disappeared before she was able to grab onto it, disappearing like smoke between her fingers.


    Thea was incomparably frustrated.


    She did not recall anyone who had black hair ¨C


    "The clan leader will be here soon," he said, breaking her train of thought, and Thea didn''t know whether or not he was just saying it to comfort her, but something inside her told her that wasn''t the case.


    Thea felt a sense of relief creep up on her, but she knew that time was of the essence.


    She''d been willing to give her life away, even when she was bleeding out, to give the message to the clan head.


    It felt like ants were crawling through her body, with the worry and anger burning through her.


    Had it not been for the pain that she still felt, her leg would have been bouncing impatiently.


    "My name is Alec. And yours?"


    "Anthea Neil. You may call me Thea," she said quickly.


    Alec nodded at her, a small smile gracing his features, and Thea felt her felt blush a little in spite of herself. He was handsome, but the thing that really drew her in was the gentle aura that came from him.


    Alec stood up, startling her. "I will go and get the doctor."


    Thea''s brows immediately furrowed as she tried to dissuade him. "No. Don''t. There''s no time for that. The clan head is coming soon. I will see the doctor after that."


    The smile on Alec''s face widened, but she didn''t know what for. "I will get the doctor," he said, his voice brooked no argument.


    "But - "


    "Do you wish to die before you relay the message to the clan head? Otherwise, you may tell me what seems to be the problem that you wish to inform the clan head of."


    Thea shook her head firmly, her eyes narrowing into a glare. While she''d found out a single person who was feeding them information, she still didn''t know whether or not there was more than one person feeding information about the clan to the royal family of bastards ¨C


    No. Regardless of what good feelings the teen in front of her gave her, she would not allow her own feelings to get in the way of her duty or her reasoning.


    Alec nodded as if he knew her inner thoughts. "Stay."


    Thea should have left, but she followed his words as if she was possessed, and before she knew it, her chance to escape was cut off when three doctors entered the room and fussed over her wounds as they pinned her to the bed.


    The female doctor''s eyes pierced through her, and Thea cowered like she''d been trained to do from the Neil Clan doctors.


    They undressed her without a care about Alec, who was standing in the corner, and Thea felt helpless as she submitted under the doctors'' prodding hands.


    Their magic was cast over her, and the pain all but faded into little pangs that were easily ignored.


    It was only when her mind was clear of the pain that she realized he tricked her. Her lips twitched, and her brows furrowed in annoyance.


    She was in pain, true, but she would not have died before she was able to relay her information to the clan head.


    She glared at him, but he merely smiled back at her, as if saying ''I just wanted to help. Why are you so stubborn?''.


    Thea growled as the three doctors left after working their magic, annoyed at her lapse in judgement. The blood loss must have addled her mind.


    She swung her feet off the pristine white sheets, fully intending on chasing after the clan leader''s shadow.


    How could she lose in a battle of the wits against a teenager, when she was already an adult herself?


    It was at this moment that the door slid open again, and the slightly unfamiliar visage of the clan head appeared in the room, causing her to heave a sigh of relief.


    At least Alec hadn''t been lying about that.

 Chapter 222 Whats To Come

    Vincent studied the lady on the bed. She was one of the many members in the Neil Clan, but he was able to recognise her right away. Mainly because she was one of the few in their clan who kept a low-profile.


    Unlike the rest of the clan who preferred to do things the legal way, Anthea Neil had taken a hobby in robbing the rich and donating to the poor. The poor being herself, of course.


    Anthea Neil, currently twenty-two years old. She left the clan roughly five years ago but showed signs that she had doubts about the final test ''massacre''. Didn''t show any signs of inserting herself back into clan life any time soon, but here she was, back within the clan compounds.


    "Clan leader!" Thea greeted, scrambling off the bed in a rather undignified way. Her face burned, but she had no time to care about petty things like her dignity right now. Not when the clan was at stake.


    "Anthea Neil," Vincent greeted calmly in response to her frantic greeting. He studied her for a moment, before making up his mind when he saw Alec''s nod to him.


    Her reactions were genuine enough to Alec, and Vincent trusted his nephew''s judgement.


    They''d already apprehended the man who was so inefficiently trying to get Anthea alone. They didn''t know whether or not he had other intentions, so it was better safe than sorry.


    Quite frankly, it was unimaginable that someone would be so useless when trying to corral someone to enter the medical centre.


    "Let us relocate to my office," Vincent said.


    Vincent disappeared out the window, quickly moving back towards the direction of the most secure building in the clan.


    Thea stared blankly at the clan head''s retreating back. "Ah?" she said unintentionally, baffled. "Ah!" she cried again, when she was physically picked up, shocking her so much that she let out a scream.


    The world blurred around her, and in what felt like a short few moments, she was standing in the clan head''s office.


    She blanked out for a moment before snapping back to attention.


    "Clan head, I bring grave news," she started seriously. While she had been able to find out some things, there were things that were still in the dark to her, as she had been chased out before she managed to obtain more information.


    Accordingly, the clan head''s face seemed to close off as he stared at her seriously. It was strange how not a single muscle on the clan leader''s face changed, but the feeling was completely different.


    Thea looked hesitantly at Alec. She didn''t know whether or not he should be hearing this.


    Vincent caught her look, and steepled his fingers together. "You may speak freely. Alec here has my complete faith."


    Thea took a deep breath, her face dropping into an impressive mask. "I am unsure whether or not you are aware of my job scope, but I function as an artefact liberator," she said, struggling to put her words in a light that wouldn''t have negative impact. If the clan head didn''t trust her because of her little hobby, then her risking her life was for naught.


    Ye Sha snorted in Alec''s mind. Artefact liberator. Basically, she was a thief, but she was putting it in a classier way.


    Though Alec didn''t approve of thieves, he didn''t disapprove of them either. He was neutral regarding them. You needed skills to be a successful thief.


    That, and he would be a hypocrite if he looked down on them. He''d stolen his fair share of books, after all.


    "Two weeks ago, I stole into the royal palace''s halls as a maid."


    Vincent''s brows twitched, and even Alec was surprised.


    Just how much confidence did Thea have in her skills if she was targeting the royal family of all places? On the other hand, she could also be foolhardy, but that didn''t seem likely if she still hadn''t been caught stealing.


    Most thieves met gruesome ends once they were found, and she would be no different. Unless, of course, she had the skills to back it up.


    "Continue."


    "I am unsure how much about the royal family you know about, but I overheard one of the princes talking loudly about how they would, quote, ''hit those brown haired, blue-eyed bastards'' unquote, where they would never expect, so instead of finding things to liberate from the family, I started discreetly looking into it."


    Vincent''s eyes could have cut through her, they were so sharp.


    Thea, in spite of herself, was a little terrified of the clan leader at this moment.


    The Neil Clan''s brilliant sapphire eyes that resembled a jewel were like hard chips of ice right now.


    Thea delicately unravelled the various things that she found and heard, spilling everything out that she''d kept close to her chest.


    Rather than feeling burdened, now that she was able to say the words that she''d been keeping in her heart, she felt lighter.


    A slow, burning ember was creeping up in Alec''s chest, yet this time, it wasn''t the bright flames of rage that he usually felt.


    Instead, it was like a cold, chilling presence that frosted him from inside out, affecting the room''s temperature.


    Alec didn''t realize what he was doing until Thea shivered a little, rubbing her arms. He felt annoyed. This was why he didn''t like his emotions. They always played with his control. This wasn''t good. He''d have to do some extra training to make sure that his emotions wouldn''t wreak havoc on his control later on.


    Alec retracted his magic, deeply hiding it within himself, and the frosty room returned to the normal temperature slowly.


    "Did you manage to find out who''s feeding them the information?" Vincent questioned, no trace of his formerly relaxed self.


    Alec felt a bit regretful, even as he was burning at the audacity that the Rhys Royal Family dared lay their eyes on his clan.


    It had not been long since his uncle had resolved his worries, yet another wave came before the previous one receded completely.


    "Yes," Thea said seriously. "Elder Sarah."


    Vincent slowly closed his eyes.


    She was one of the elders that had given in.


    During the surveillance in the past three years, she had shown that she was complying with his orders and changes, thus he eventually eased off the surveillance as he gave her the benefit of doubt.


    Apparently, that was a mistake.


    One that he wouldn''t be making any longer.


    "You were caught eavesdropping on the prince?" Vincent said coldly.


    Thea breathed in shakily, her heart still tightening at the close shave she had. "No. I was, however, caught off guard. I am sure that they do not know I was eavesdropping. I played out a scene acting like I was trying to assassinate the first prince."


    "Good."


    He didn''t know how much of Anthea''s view could be trusted in that regard, as she hadn''t been able to see the results of her actions, but there were currently more pressing concerns.


    Vincent''s eyes flashed coldly as he looked at his nephew. Alec''s eyes were equally as cold as his was, reminding him once again that Alec wasn''t as gentle as he appeared.


    It was better this way. A truly na?ve and nice person wouldn''t have lived long in the outside world. Most of them met their death without even realizing it was approaching.


    "Bring me Elder Sarah," Vincent said coldly, and the hidden guards in the shadows immediately made their move, blurring out.


    Thea''s face was set in surprise. She hadn''t even realized they were there.


    Within moments, a thoroughly bound Sarah was thrown before Vincent''s desk as the hidden guards disappeared into thin sight again.


    The elder, bound and dishevelled, looked confused and pathetic as she cowered in front of the three in the office. Her frail form should have brought about some sort of pity to the people in the room, but none of the three had the ''normal'' reactions.


    Especially now, when they knew that she was feeding information to the enemy.


    Of course, Vincent took Thea''s information with a grain of salt, but he was inclined to believe her words, if only because the Rhys Royal Family had already been eyeing the Neil Clan for a long time.


    He already knew that there would be unrest in the few years after he disposed of the threats lurking within the clan, but he had no expected that someone would fall this far.


    He should have known better. But no longer.


    Unlike the other clans that submitted to the Emperor and the royal family, the Neil Clan instead lived free and unfettered, roaming around as they pleased without care or regard for royal authority.


    Of course, they were not the only clan to do that, but they were the most high-profile ones.


    Though most sects didn''t submit to the Emperor, for their strength was enough for them to escape the royal family''s wrath unscathed, it was not the same for the clans throughout the continent.


    Most of the sects throughout the Kaoriht continent had accepted the Emperor''s rule, but the Neil Clan had been able to hide away using their natural formation, allowing them to escape due to the clan''s unity.


    Sarah, upon seeing that her act of confusion and senility did not bring about the effects that she desired, slowly pushed her body off the ground, her face giving off a sense of coldness and dignity.


    Vincent inwardly sneered in his heart.


    Dignity? What dignity did a woman who was willing to betray the clan that had fed and raised her have?


    "Elder Sarah. No. Sarah Neil. Confess your sins and repent."


    Sarah looked at Vincent''s young face and laughed.


    "Sins? No. This is all in the name of interest. Just kill me."

 Chapter 223 Information Group?

    There was only silence in the room after the hidden guards dragged away the elder. She was going to be put in solitary confinement until they finished extracting the information from her.


    Vincent''s eyes were dark and foreboding, and Thea was grinding her teeth at the sheer audacity of the elder.


    She didn''t understand how someone could do that to the clan that had raised them, and had sheltered her.


    Unlike the two that were silent and giving off a heavy aura, Alec, in comparison looked rather relaxed.


    Compared to the earlier scary aura that came off the teen when he was listening to Thea''s report, Alec now looked positively at ease.


    It wasn''t to say that he liked what was happening but compared to shielding against a dagger poised in the dark, now that more things were brought to light, they had a wider range of movement.


    Vincent gave a heavy sigh, and Thea flinched at the sudden break of the stifling silence in the room.


    "Looks like we are going to war with the Rhys Royal Family," Vincent chuckled, a cold smile painted on his otherwise stoic face.


    Thea flinched again at his words as her mind flashed back to the various memories she possessed about the clan being ''massacred'' in the middle of the night.


    Though it was not real, sometimes her mind could not differentiate between fact and fiction when she woke in the middle of the night.


    "I will be infiltrating the palace. The war¡­ there''s no point in me participating, right?" Alec said casually, but inside was a different matter.


    Bloodlust was singing in his veins, as the call of battle thundered closer.


    Unlike the rest of his siblings, Alec''s specialty that had been painstakingly trained by his teacher, Evin, was stealth, assassination and infiltration. The reason being his Magitype and Societype.


    Originally, Alec was not meant to ever be on the frontlines in a battle, and that was how he had been trained accordingly even if he had combat training.


    With his liking of the more subtle arts, Alec found that this path fit him very well despite the way he grew his body ¨C or should he say, in spite of the way he grew his body?


    Vincent thought about it, his eyes studying his nephew.


    As if sensing his uncle''s doubts, Alec reined in his magic, and his presence that had previously been there faded into nothing.


    There was a flash of surprise in Vincent''s eyes, because this degree of mastery over one''s magic was not usually seen in someone so young, and so skilfully done as well.


    "Your level of mastery over magic is admirable," Vincent praised, but whether or not one excelled in infiltration was more than mastery over their magic. They needed to perfectly blend in and read the motives of other people properly. "But, is that enough?"


    While Alec was skilled, he had never done an infiltration before. He had received the skills but had yet to put it to use.


    The ever-unchanging smile on Alec''s face remained as usual, as if he didn''t hear his uncle questioning his abilities. "How about it, uncle? Want to test it?"


    Vincent smirked, ignoring the look of bafflement on Thea''s face at their conversation. A chuckle leaked out of his mouth, before it turned into full-blown laughter.


    "Hah. Boy, you''re really like your mother."


    "Shall I take that as a compliment?"


    Thea looked between the uncle and nephew like they were both crazy. Slowly, her hazy memory started coming back to her.


    The nephew of the clan head¡­?


    Alecris Neil, Awakening Magitype, Every Societype?


    Thea''s eyes widened minutely, shocked at her own thoughts. Was this the same Alec that she''d heard the adults speaking about when she was younger?


    Thea frowned.


    But why didn''t his age match? She did not remember the clan head''s nephew being this old?


    Thea kept her confusion to herself.


    Strangely, the clan head seemed to trust his nephew''s skills a lot, despite his Magitype and Societype.


    She''d never heard about anything special about the boy, and the adults around her never really talked about him other than a few casual, shallow remarks. She had no basis or comparison for her to make.


    Of course, if Thea thought about how he was competing against a good number of Brights that were practically designed to excel even from birth, she would have changed her mind.


    What Thea didn''t realize was that after spending a lot of time amongst the common populace, some of their stereotypes had rubbed off on her.


    Thea looked at Alec more closely, confused.


    Hair that was as dark as night, and a toned, if lean body. When he moved his hand to brush his fringe from his face, she could see the slight flex of muscle hidden under the clothes he wore.


    Her eye roamed, and she categorized the various things she had not had any time to take in about him.


    Heavenly Ascension Sect''s clothing!


    And it was an inner disciple''s clothing, not an outer one.


    Thea shocked herself, then her eyes landed on a golden pin that was pinned onto his collar, and her jaw dropped.


    Wait!


    Alecris Neil, from the Heavenly Ascension Sect, the youngest seal master ever recorded on the Kaoriht continent?!


    The shock rippled through her mind, leaving her stunned.


    Vincent cleared his throat, causing Thea''s head to snap up.


    Both uncle and nephew were staring at her, waiting for her input, and Thea''s face burned at the look of hidden amusement on the clan head''s face, as well as the confusion that she could all but feel behind Alec''s smile.


    Ah, fuck! How could she drift off in the middle of listening to their conversation!? Thea was mortified.


    Vincent took pity on her, as he repeated dryly. "You are to give Alec some pointers about the layout of the palace, and you will be his outside contact."


    "Yes, clan head!"


    Excellent. She would be able to redeem herself with her skills.


    While she had doubts about Alec''s skill, she doubted that the clan head would allow familial relationships to get in the way of the clan''s safety.


    "Set out tomorrow for the Capital, Rhys City."


    Both Alec and Thea gave their affirmation to Vincent.


    Vincent nodded at Thea, dismissing her.


    Alec remained inside to continue discussing with Vincent.


    The problem this time was what they wanted to achieve this time around.


    It wasn''t the first time that someone had dared set their sights on the Neil Clan, and it wouldn''t be the last.


    "I am constantly feeling the lack of our information sources," Vincent said with frustration. "I''ve started grooming a group, but it is not ready for field use yet."


    "It doesn''t matter right now. The problem will be fixed with enough time, but this time is a bit short."


    Vincent agreed. "Yes, that is the case. But what I really want to ask is, are you be willing to head an information division for the clan?"


    Alec fell silent. He knew why his uncle was asking this of him. There were a few reasons.


    One, they were related by blood, and Alec had not given his uncle any source of doubt as of yet.


    Two, Alec, who was a Sin and Cher, appeared like an Every to the clan.


    Three¡­ well, his uncle definitely already knew about his little information gathering group.


    Alec''s smile curled into a smirk, causing Vincent to raise a brow.


    "Well¡­ what''s in it for me?"


    Vincent huffed a laugh. "I''ll take that as a no. I know you well enough by now. Anyway, I won''t ask for much. In fact, I will send the youths being trained to enter your hidden sect. How about it? I don''t need anything except for allowing a discount to the clan when we want to buy information."


    Alec hummed. Well, he''d been thinking about how he needed more manpower in the various parts of the continent.


    Just having Hong Jun and the various orphans they were both picking up over three years weren''t anywhere close to enough.


    "Very well. I accept your terms."

 Chapter 224 The Cookie Sec

    The Cookie Sect ¨C that was Alec''s information gathering group that had eventually started evolving, and they had established themselves as a normal sect, to the bafflement of many others.


    Unlike other established sects already that took up a political stance or power, the Cookie Sect was maintaining a neutral stance, away from the influence of any other sects.


    Instead, it appeared just like a business rather than a sect, as they were not gathering any disciples, nor recruiting anyone from outside.


    The appearance of this sect baffled many, but the sect remained indifferent to their curiosity.


    To the outside, it appeared as if the Cookie Sect was just a gathering of foodies and dessert lovers who loved to bake, but it was anything but.


    Of course, they did indeed enjoy their craft, but their true purpose was to gather information from far and wide discreetly.


    At the head of operations was Hong Jun, whom Alec had taken in as a subordinate early on. Even before he ever entered the Heavenly Ascension Sect.


    While they had started off as a little group that only took in orphans, it had slowly spread out, growing like wildfire across the continent.


    They maintained a strict sense of neutrality, and their main skill was gathering information from the unlikeliest of places.


    If Vincent allowed the Neil Clan members to enter, then Alec would be able to spread out his hands wider, for more information.


    Strictly speaking, Alec wasn''t the sect leader of this sect. Rather, he shared the position of power with Hong Jun, whom he shared a working relationship with. It would be more apt to say that they were co-sect leaders, as strange as it sounded.


    Throughout the three years, Alec had been steadily growing this little group cultivating them with the help from the money he made from the sales of his seals throughout the continent, as well as the copyright fees that were paid to him yearly.


    No one else from the Heavenly Ascension Sect knew about it, but Alec had allowed a bit of information to slip into his uncle''s ears, which was why he wasn''t surprised that his uncle brought up the information.


    The Cookie Sect.


    Just hearing about it made it sound more like it was an uninformed nobleman''s pastime trying to create a branch that would attract people to its business, and that was exactly how it appeared to those that were uninformed.


    Even when they knew, the sect didn''t behave like a sect at all, and instead conducted themselves in a way that was like a caf¨¦ slash pastry business throughout the cities in the continent.


    The Cookie Sect was a large-scale dessert shop that catered to both the high class and commoners with different styled shops, with the high class one being obviously more luxurious, and seeing a steep increase in price and quality.


    They broke into the market two years ago, but their cakes and desserts tasted heavenly enough that no one was able to resist their allure for long.


    With two different types of shops that catered to different customers, their service was what made them popular.


    If you paid a little bit of extra, you could get a private room that was quiet and soundproof, suitable for discussions and negotiations on neutral grounds.


    It was rapidly becoming a favourite wherever they were set up.


    While Alec had been the one who founded the Sect, the truth was that he never did anything to expand it at all besides providing the necessary expanses. He left everything to Hong Jun''s discretion.


    In the first place, Alec wasn''t going after power when he helped the Cookie Sect grow. He just took it as investing in a Main Character, but he also hadn''t expected for it to grow so quickly or so rapidly.


    Should he say, as expected of a Main Character? For Hong Jun to be able to do something like this with only orphans that were under his rule was miraculous in its own way.


    It had only been two years since they started, but their reputation already preceded them.


    Alec was more like the patron behind it, reaping the benefits from their cooperation.


    He never expected this to happen, but Hong Jun started moving on such a scale that Alec found that it was more beneficial than not, so he carefully removed whatever hindrances that were in the way.


    Like that, the Cookie Sect could help out the Spectres in the future as well.


    Alec planned to secretly help the Heavenly Ascension Sect in the shadows.


    Hong Jun insisted that Alec sit at the position of the sect leader, but Alec secretly suspected that it was more because Hong Jun didn''t want to be annoyed with that position. In the end, both of them had to compromise and share it as co-leader.


    The teen kept sending him reports even though he was in the Heavenly Ascension Sect when he''d been trying to avoid the position by holing up in the sect.


    Alec had felt helpless at the time.


    He didn''t even know that they''d managed to infiltrate the sect, damn it! Hong Jun was a sneaky bastard that always pushed until he got his way. It was a miracle that Alec had been able to make him compromise.


    After that, he sort of just wilfully ignored the newly founded sect.


    And he''d been perfectly happy ignoring it, until Hong Jun sent a sect member to show him his bank statements and he got a shock at the combined profits from both his seal''s sales and the Cookie Sect''s sales.


    ¡­So, he invested back in the Cookie Sect, causing them to grow exponentially.


    He knew it was a scheme by Hong Jun, making him feel responsible, but Alec felt like he was a bit funny, with how hard he was trying, so he gave him a bit of a hand in the end.


    So, even though Alec was ''co-sect leader'', he was only a figurehead that wasn''t ever seen. The real leader was Hong Jun.


    If Hong Jun knew about what Alec thought about the Cookie Sect, he would have tried his best to strangle him.


    In the first place, Alec was the one who had sent him down the information gathering route! Plus, with how much Alec randomly gave him whenever he found him for a bit of information, what else was he going to do with the money!?


    Bloody hell, Hong Jun hated being in someone''s debt, so he left the sect leader position to Alec, but Alec had the nerve to complain about it?! He would *strangle* the idiot!


    What had he been working so hard for?!


    Alec left the clan compounds in the middle of the night with Thea. Even though Vincent asked them to leave tomorrow, there were too many things that needed to be prepared in order for a successful infiltration into the palace.


    Thea was grudgingly impressed that Alec was able to keep up with her, and her initial good impression of him that had taken a bit of a hit because of his Societype and Magitype increased.


    Thea quickly put down whatever preconceived notions she had of him.


    She knew she was quick. As a thief, she had to be in case she was ever caught, but Alec easily matched her pace and speed without tiring one bit, making her wonder just how he''d been trained, and to what degree of mastery he was at.


    Her speed was the only reason why she had escaped without losing her life unexpectedly. That, and the fact that she had been able to detect the faint killing intent that came at her, no matter how hidden it had been.


    Thea was, however, still doubtful about how much he knew about infiltration.


    "Hey, can you really do this?" Thea asked, her facial features hidden in the dark. Or so she thought.


    Alec didn''t answer, and Thea felt dissatisfied at him ignoring her.


    "It''s not like I want to question your abilities. It''s just that this is something that concerns many lives in the clan''s compound. I don''t ever want to see something like the massacre become reality one day," she continued, feeling a need to explain herself.


    "I have been trained," Alec said simply.


    No matter how much he tried to convince her, she would always have doubts, so he wasn''t going to waste his time on a pointless endeavour.


    Rather, he was formulating a plan in his mind, so he wasn''t giving his answers towards her much thought.


    Thea scowled at his answer, unsatisfied, but what could she do when the clan head had already approved of this?


    She had so many worries, but so little time.


    The worst part of this entire fiasco was that it originated from inside the clan, so it had been difficult to guard against.


    She''d been lucky to hear that conversation when she infiltrated the palace in order to liberate some things.


    Alec broke her train of thought. "Do you really think that our clan is that weak?"


    Thea frowned. "What do you mean?"


    There was only silence that greeted her.


    Alec shook his head, but it wasn''t like she could see it in the dark. "It doesn''t matter. You''ll understand sooner or later."


    Instead of pressing further for an answer, Thea fell silent as her mind started working in overdrive.

 Chapter 225 Capital City, Rhys

    fThe land in the middle of the Kaoriht continent, Capital.


    Capital City, Rhys.


    The Kaoriht continent was ruled by a single power, the Rhys Royal Family, and at the head of the family was the emperor, Louis Emery Rhys.


    Emperor Rhys governed the entire of the Kaoriht continent, and there were four kings under his rule.


    While he left the North, South, East and West to the Kings, the Capital was untouched by anyone except the Rhys Royal Family.


    It was a delicate balance of power that was more precarious than it appeared.


    Emperor Rhys had to continuously balance the scales of power, whilst not allowing the Capital to seem weak. Not only that, he had to make sure that the Kings didn''t get any ideas of making an alliance to take out the Capital City, Rhys.


    While the kings were technically under the Emperor''s power, if the royal family pushed too far, the kings would rebel against the Rhys Royal Family.


    So, while the Rhys Royal Family was indeed in charge on paper, their position was a lot more delicate than it appeared on the surface.


    As such, not much was heard about Emperor Rhys, and he was shrouded in mystery. For various reasons, it was easier for the emperor to hide than show his face to the public, both for his safety and the continual safety of the royal family.


    The emperor was not young, but throughout his years, there was no one who could say that they remembered his face other than the direct members of the royal family.


    In a strange turn of events, even those that had directly seen the face of the emperor could not describe it for you, as if all memory about the emperor''s appearance left their minds from the moment that they left the emperor''s vicinity.


    Even the servants that were employed there for years on end could not say that they were different.


    Many speculated that there was a special type of Magitype that was shared in the royal family that allowed them to alter memories.


    Alec frowned at the various reports that was being relayed to him about the royal family''s rumours.


    Having split up from Thea even before they entered Rhys City, Alec was moving around on his own to collect information, while Thea was doing her own thing.


    By all accounts, Thea and Alec were not related in any way.


    Sitting in the middle of a crowded caf¨¦ located in the heart of Rhys City, Alec appeared slightly out of place, but he acted as if he didn''t notice at all.


    Amongst a crowd full of noblewomen and young ladies, Alec''s figure was seated casually on his own, making him the centre of focus in the place.


    Even if males came here, they were usually too concerned with their useless pride that held them back, so many of them got private rooms to enjoy themselves instead of being casually seated in the shop with the other ladies.


    As such, Alec, who was on his own, and not in a private room, became the centre of attention for the various ladies in the place who were having their tea and desserts.


    There were hushed whispers and giggled as they stole glances at Alec''s face, and the gentle aura he gave off when he sipped at the teacup.


    He had such elegant manners that his every action appeared graceful and natural, unlike the stiff manners of many noblemen who tried too hard.


    He wasn''t doing anything other than leafing through a book with a cup of tea at the side, but the women all felt their hearts beat faster at the gentle feeling his silhouette gave off.


    Even though they were used to the many so-called ''elegant'' and ''handsome'' men that toured their circles, this was the first time they were seeing someone that was so lovely, that made their hearts beat uncontrollably without faltering.


    He wasn''t even doing anything that attracted them, but for some reason, when they looked at the quiet serenity that he gave off, they felt as if they were falling for his charms.


    The curve of his smile pierced into their hearts, and they couldn''t help but fantasize when he brushed the fringe of his black hair out of his face.


    Even though his hair wasn''t styled, they felt as if it was better that way, and when by chance, one of them caught his eye, the smile that he gave them made them feel like they were melting.


    Alec who assumed that they were acting that way because of his ''gentle type'' persona, didn''t care about the effects that he was having on them.


    They had nothing to do with him, and he regarded them as ornaments, as they weren''t his target.


    While he could have requested a private room, it easier to use the crowd to hide his presence, as well as establish an alibi in the future. Also, this was an easier way for him to meet his target without drawing attention to himself.


    While Alec read through the book, he was also listening to an earpiece that was small enough to be hidden in his ear. The earpiece was covered by his hair and wasn''t visible.


    This was the way that the Cookie Sect relayed information.


    Instead of having written copies of reports, information was only ever relayed verbally, and the earpiece could only work within the vicinity of the shop.


    There was another person that was relaying information in the kitchen while they prepared desserts.


    Writing down the information that was given to you was a ''no'' as well, even if Alec was supposedly the sect leader.


    This was part of their policy.


    Still, having a good memory was something that he prided himself in, and Alec absorbed the information being relayed to him as he ignored the giggling of the females around him.


    He didn''t feel out of place in this dessert shop at all, as he drank tea and ate cookies.


    One of the girls nearby sighed quietly in appreciation. Where would she ever find someone that managed to capture her heart at first glance like this again?


    Her friend fanned herself with her fan, looking at him with just as dreamy eyes.


    The two exchanged glances and giggled, realizing that the other was appreciating that fine specimen as well.


    Yet, no one in the shop dared to disturb the quiet peace that surrounded the young man, almost as if they felt that they were sinning if they did that.


    They were happy just looking at him read the book in front of him with a quiet serenity.


    Compared to the other nobles that liked to boast about themselves and their exploits, Alec''s form was a hundred times more captivating to these young ladies that were still dreaming of a fairy-tale romance.


    Alec eventually shut the book that he was reading as the tea in the teapot finished.


    He stood up and kept his book, brushing his hair from his face again, before leaving.


    The ladies that were left behind gave quiet sighs of disappointment.


    When would they ever see him again?


    None of them had been able to muster up the courage to approach an unknown gentleman, as it wasn''t done in their circles, but when Alec left, they couldn''t help but regret their inaction.


    Maybe one day, they would look back and regret that they hadn''t been brave enough to take the first step.


    Meanwhile, Alec was quietly organizing the information about the royal palace and its members into his mind, forming a plan.


    According to Sarah Neil, the traitor, the Royal Family would not be taking action that soon, but their plans were vague and entirely up in the air.


    The only good thing was that the two were no longer in contact any longer, as Sarah had cut off contact before the clan realized what she was doing.


    Now, whether or not they were still going to take action against the Neil Clan was uncertain, but Alec leaned towards the possibility that they were going to attack.


    A small smirk hung on Alec''s lips before he wiped it away.


    If they dared attack, they would be in for a surprise.


    The Neil Clan was not as weak as they thought.


    Still, there was another mission that Alec was on, and his blood was heating up at the thought of a challenge.


    How was he going to successfully infiltrate the royal palace when Thea, who was supposedly at the peak of thievery, had failed in her infiltration?


    No, that wasn''t quite right either.


    Thea had not failed, but she had grown lax when the shock hit her, and her control over her magic slipped, allowing the hidden guards that were guarding the prince to attack her.


    This time, they would probably have their guards raised as a prince had almost been assassinated in what should have been the safest place, and they would be guarding against females who wanted to enter the palace, so Thea was safer staying outside.


    Information was power, and Alec quite appreciated the amount of effort that the Cookie Sect had put into this aspect.


    While he may not want to be in control of it, he was more than willing to use it as he pleased.

 Chapter 226 The Ladies of Nobility

    There had been word amongst the ladies of nobility that there was the sudden appearance of a gentleman with jet black hair and beautiful deep blue eyes that frequented the Cookie Sect caf¨¦s that had been so popular as of late.


    It was something that quietly spread amongst them, to their friends and others of the same circles as they were, and more than once, they had visited the shops themselves to see who the elusive man of the rumours was.


    This brought a flow of traffic to the Cookie Sect that caused those in the Rhys City kitchen to curse out Alec as they worked until they were bone tired. They were about to collapse at the end of each day.


    The cause of those rumours was a young man that sat by the window of the place, leisurely reading a book and drinking tea.


    Not once did he look up from his leisure pastime, but the lack of his action just made the ladies yearn for him to look at them instead of driving them away.


    Many of them stared at him hard, as if they were able to summon his gaze at will, yet they were only left defeated as Alec never once looked at them.


    Just looking at his side view caused the hearts of the many ladies in the place to palpitate out of their control.


    He never had a partner, nor did he make a move on anyone in the shop, so they were able to be satisfied just seeing his face.


    On the other hand, had he interacted with any one of them, it was likely that their jealousy would have boiled out of control, causing them to go after the lady who was lucky enough to garner his attention.


    Many of them even fought for the best seat to see him, coming as early as possible just for the hopes of seeing him gracefully drink his tea and eat sweet cakes.


    They found it adorable that he had a sweet tooth, not matching his outer appearance.


    It had been a month since the first day he appeared in the caf¨¦, and the girls were all going in a tizzy trying to find out who he was, but without any success.


    From day to night, the caf¨¦ was filled with noblewomen who were reluctant to leave, only sadly departing once the gentleman left as well.


    Alec blinked his dark blue eyes, which was a lot different from his usual shade of sapphire eyes that glistened in the sunlight. He was using a pair of contacts that were able to contract and expand, just like normal eyes, so no one was able to tell that they were fake.


    Instead of the recognizable Neil eyes that sparkled like jewels in the light, Alec changed his eye colour to a dark blue that were common amongst nobility, so he didn''t stand out.


    Every day, Alec sat at the same spot, following a routine for the first half of his morning.


    While he appeared like he was doing nothing, this was part of his plan.


    Compared to Thea''s route of going into the palace as a maid, he didn''t think it was as simple for a man to go around undetected unless he had links in the palace to someone higher up.


    He''d finished collecting the information on the Rhys family already, so it was time for him to put his plan into action.


    Right now, even when he didn''t appear as if he was doing anything substantial, his plan about how to get into the royal palace for extended periods of time had already started working.


    That the Cookie Sect was able to act as a fishing ground for him as well was something that was unexpected, but he would be damned if he didn''t use it to his advantage.


    His target this time was the first princess, Ophelia Anastasia Rhys.


    She was, in every way, a spoilt and pampered princess that had been heavily doted on by the emperor and her brothers.


    There were two princesses in total, but the other princess might as well be invisible for how she was treated in comparison to Princess Ophelia.


    She loved dressing up with jewels, gold. Basically, everything that made her stand out in high society, setting trends amongst noblewomen.


    Ophelia was a typical princess, and there was the one thing that made her the perfect target.


    She changed her men like she changed her clothes.


    Though she had many partners, none of them lasted for long, either being thrown away by her, or being dealt with by her brothers or her father on the sly.


    It wasn''t like she didn''t know they''d been dealt with by her family members, but she never cared about what happened to them after she grew bored of them.


    It was a faint disregard for human life that made her the perfect target.


    Princess Ophelia had a very specific type that she liked to bring around, almost as if they were made from the same mass-produced mould.


    They were all handsome and stunning. Their status didn''t matter, as long as they were handsome and willing to shower her with sweet words.


    Alec changed his looks a little and made himself a little less conspicuous compared to his usual looks, he looked plainer than before. Compared to Princess Ophelia''s usual type of man, Alec''s looks wouldn''t usually draw her eye, which was also a part of his plan.


    Rather than going down the usual route of manipulation, Alec had painstakingly adjusted his skillset, changing it to suit his current age.


    Before, he used a specific set of methods that were catered to the older type of women, where he pulled on maternal heartstrings and made him gush over them.


    Now, he adjusted his skillset to draw in young women.


    His face didn''t change much, but he was able to pull off the look perfectly well when he added the ''gentle'' aura that he usually used.


    He didn''t even have to do much acting. He just used the usual ''gentle character'' type that was uncommon in the high social circles, but it was also the thing that he used as a weapon.


    The main difference he had with his usual self was that ''Alexander Bright'' was kind in how he treated women, even if he was a little oblivious, whereas Alec couldn''t care less about those that weren''t related to him.


    As evidence to his adjusted skillset, the noble ladies kept coming back day after day, casting amorous glances at him.


    He ignored them and pretended he didn''t notice their gazes, instead just passing time casually as he read his book.


    Since Ophelia liked to gather with the other noble ladies and gossip, she was sure to come here after her curiosity was piqued.


    In that case, all he had to do was quietly pass the time and wait.


    On the upside, he was able to freely pursue his reading while also working for the benefit of his clan.


    Alec was pleased.


    Ye Sha was snickering as he looked at all the females that were practically losing their souls as they stared at Alec''s form. Alec resolutely ignored Ye Sha''s strange actions in his mindscape.


    Ye Sha was reminded of the time he spent in the System''s space.


    There were so many of the Systems that were aiming for Alec, but the System in question had no idea at all. He just thought that they were being friendly.


    Right now, the only reason why Alec knew he was drawing attention was because he was ''acting''.


    Ye Sha bet that if Alec dropped his act, he wouldn''t realize that they were practically drooling after him at all.


    It was as if the other didn''t consider himself someone desirable, nor did he have any inclination of the way his actions affected others be it romantically or otherwise.


    The System snorted. His friend was oblivious like that.


    He had no idea how that worked, but hell if it wasn''t entertaining as a pastime.


    How was it that when he slipped into ''mission'' mode he was able to notice these gazes, but when he left it, he was completely oblivious?


    It was inconceivable at the best of times, but from what Ye Sha could tell, the other really wasn''t faking it. He truly didn''t realize that there were people who liked him as he was.


    Ye Sha could even bet that even if Alec wasn''t acting right now, he would still be able to draw the gazes of all the ladies in the shop without any problem.


    There was a quick interlude of silence as the giggling from the shop halted for a bit before resuming.


    From the corner of his eye, Alec could see that Princess Ophelia had joined the shop ''discreetly'', but since Alec already knew what she looked like, her disguise didn''t pass muster.


    Alec continued reading his book leisurely.


    He had no intention of making contact with the target right now.


    The quiet conversations in the shop continued, and the Cookie Sect member was obligingly feeding him information about the shop through the earpiece.


    Truly, this was a comfortable mission.


    Right now, at least.


    After an hour, Alec placed a bookmark in the book and closed it, standing up.


    He felt the heavy atmosphere of disappointment in the caf¨¦ as he left and heard the collective sighs of sadness as the bell above the door rang as he closed the door behind him.


    Walking down the streets, Alec pretended that he didn''t notice he was being trailed in secret by the princess'' guards, going about his normal routine and heading to the bookstore where he just started working.


    It was a high-class bookstore that was catered to the noble and rich patrons.


    The place gave a quiet but classy atmosphere. It was well-lit but still maintained the feeling of scholarliness, using high-end wood as furniture.


    "Alexander," the manager greeted, and Alec nodded back at him, quietly settling into his role.


    The manager left, leaving Alec as the sole employee within the shop.

 Chapter 227 Of Embarrassing Situations

    Alec didn''t have to wait long before the bell chimed again, but he didn''t look up from the book that he was reading, which suited him just fine.


    While this was a high-class bookstore that catered to the rich and powerful, the owner of this place had just as powerful a backing, so much so that no one dared to go against them.


    Strangely, it was even off-limits to the ruling power of the Kaoriht continent, the Rhys Royal Family.


    As such, the employees of this place only had one rule to follow.


    As long as the customers were not making trouble, they were free to come and go. If they were on the banned list, then they were to be thrown out no matter who they were.


    Not only that, no service was provided to the customers, and they were to do as they wanted.


    It was a set of strange rules that this place followed, but Alec quite liked it.


    It was the reason why Alec had chosen this place as a workplace, as he really didn''t think he was going to be able to uphold his persona if rich brats left and right came and made trouble for him because the ladies they took a fancy to Alec.


    Of course, he was sure that he would be able to complete his mission flawlessly and professionally, but there was no doubt that he would be boiling with so much anger inside that he wouldn''t be surprised if he exploded, so finding this place was truly a blessing.


    He was able to incorporate it into his plans without a hitch, making this the main base of his operations.


    Alec could see that Princess Ophelia had entered the bookstore with a single guard by her side, but that wasn''t any of his concern.


    Even if she was the target, the way to capture her as a target was not to approach her first, as that would only invite suspicion upon himself in the future.


    Also, according to the information that he''d been given, those that landed themselves with Ophelia were always the ones to approach her first, and if he wanted to be able to properly seduce her, he was not going to go the same route as the rest of those poor, unfortunate souls.


    Right now, it appeared as if she wasn''t going to make contact with him first, and was just observing him.


    From what he saw of her expressions out of the corner of his eye when she stared at him blatantly, she was more curious than anything.


    She acted uninterested in him, coolly looking away for a long period of time as she ''browsed'' the bookstore.


    Alec flipped a page.


    He got up from his seat, and headed towards her, and he watched as Ophelia''s face brightened.


    However, instead of approaching her, he started stocking up the different books instead, completely ignoring her after giving her a faint smile.


    Ophelia''s expression fell when she realized that even though she was staring blatantly, he didn''t even look at her at all besides that initial glance.


    Ophelia felt like her pride had been damaged.


    How could he ignore her fairy-like beauty like she was some common woman by the roadside?!


    The other person was just an employee of a bookstore, but he was blatantly ignoring her. *Her*. Ophelia scowled, turning away.


    She didn''t even know why she was doing this.


    In the first place, it wasn''t like she was interested in this unknown young man, but when she kept hearing how the noblewomen kept gushing about him, she couldn''t help but go and take a look.


    What she saw disappointed her a little.


    It turned out that the rumours were just that. Rumours. They''d likely been hyped, and the princess felt a little cheated.


    When she kept hearing about the mysterious man, she imagined that he was handsome beyond belief, with disposition to match, so in the end when she''d been consumed by her curiosity, she headed to the Cookie Sect, but was ultimately disappointed in the end.


    He wasn''t anything like the rumours painted him out to be.


    Ophelia pouted unhappily.


    He wasn''t handsome enough for her tastes, but the longer she watched him in that shop, the more she felt as if maybe the rumours hadn''t been that far off in the end.


    There was something about him that was strangely easy on the eye, despite his rather common facial features.


    It was his aura that was rather special.


    He seemed to give off a feeling of serenity that she''d never felt before, and it stirred feelings within her that she didn''t know how to describe.


    When he left the shop without doing anything other than finishing his dessert, she had her men follow him, because she was a princess, and princesses didn''t blatantly follow men of her own accord.


    She was then further disappointed when her men reported to her that he entered the Cosmic Bookstore without doing anything else, and instead seated himself behind the desk.


    She thought that he''d do something special, but he was only going to work. So, he was a commoner, then. He wasn''t some distant nobility that came to their continent.


    Still, Ophelia''s curiosity was burning bright, and she wanted to see what kind of man had all the unattached noblewomen in a tizzy, acting this way for someone that was most likely below their status.


    She loitered around in the bookstore for a quarter of an hour, but he never once looked up from his book after finishing his work, which caused Ophelia to huff in annoyance.


    There was no one that she hadn''t been able to conquer as of yet, but this man didn''t even give her a glance in the first place.


    She was confident enough in her looks that she could snare whatever man she wanted without a problem, and with the addition of her status, she always had her way.


    Whatever man caught her eye, all she had to do was make flirty eye as them, and sooner or later, they were all more than willing to throw themselves at her.


    She loitered around a little more, but she didn''t think that anything was going to change, so she was going to make a last-ditch attempt.


    Ophelia pulled a random book from the shelf and was about to go and pay and force him to look at her for longer than a second, when she realized that the guard was still at her side.


    She impatiently waved him off, ordering him to leave and wait outside for her in a quiet voice.


    The bookshop was so quiet that she had to behave inconspicuously in case he heard her.


    Unknown to Ophelia, all her words were directly heard by Alec, who had Awakened his hearing.


    Ye Sha snorted seeing the pretentious way that the princess behaved as she tried in vain to capture Alec''s attention.


    This course of action wasn''t anything new to him.


    There were many Systems that tried the same thing back then, and Alec had never realized what they were doing.


    Of course, this time, since Alec was in work mode, he was probably able to discern her actions.


    Ophelia walked up to the counter, dropping the pink book before Alec, sticking her nose up haughtily.


    She flipped her hair behind her, talking imperviously. "Hurry up!"


    Alec finally looked up from the book that he was reading, giving the princess a glance.


    Ophelia felt a thrill when those dark blue eyes landed on her, and she tilted her head so as to show off her best angle that made her appeared dignified and beautiful ¨C something that she painstakingly practiced in the mirror.


    Alec smiled gently, taking the pink book from the counter. "Yes, thank you for waiting, miss," he said, unfalteringly polite.


    Ophelia preened, but felt disappointed when he didn''t have any other reaction towards her. How strange!


    "The book you are buying today is ''Young Maiden''s Illicit Affairs With Her Darling'', please confirm," Alec said, giving the princess a strange glance. He then put back the normal smile on.


    How funny. To think that she just subconsciously picked up whatever book caught her eye without even checking the title.


    He could only call her foolish.


    From cover to the inside, that book was written in a completely raunchy way, and while it was secretly popular, none of the ladies dared to buy it on their own in fear of their reputation taking a hit.


    Ophelia''s face immediately burned red as she realized what the strange looks that Alec had been giving her was for.


    She contained the scream that wanted to leave her as she was completely embarrassed. Ah, how could she not have checked what book it was that she picked?!


    She resisted the urge to flee, instead picking up the book with what little dignity she had left as she hurriedly paid and left the shop.


    The bell chimed a few times as she hurriedly left, and Ye Sha burst into laughter, howling and thumping his fist onto the ground.

 Chapter 228 Princess Ophelias Worries

    Princess Ophelia rolled about on her bed as she clutched her pillow to herself. The humiliation was burning bright in her.


    Ahhh!


    How could she have embarrassed herself in front of a commoner like that!?


    Not only that, it was in front of the man that was at the head of all the rumours that so many noblewomen wanted to be seen with!


    She''d made a complete fool of herself buying that raunchy book.


    The princess screamed into her pillow, causing her attendant to look inside the room, only to be greeted with the sight of the princess acting in a way that was not like herself, but the attendant only made herself scarce.


    The princess remembered the way she acted, as well as the strange look that the man gave her before he smoothened it over and smiled at her, as if he was doing her a favour by not talking more!


    Her! A favour!


    It would have been better if he just continued giving her strange looks!


    She''d been completely humiliated, and of her own doing nonetheless! She couldn''t even take out her anger on someone else!


    This was the first time in her life that she''d been so humiliated.


    Ophelia abruptly sat up.


    No, this could not do. She could not allow herself to continue looking like a fool in front of that commoner''s eyes. Her dignity was at stake here. She couldn''t let it be known that a princess was out there buying ¨C buying explicit books!


    AH!


    Ophelia screamed into her pillow, her face burning.


    She didn''t know if it was because of anger, or because she was embarrassed. Maybe both.


    How was she going to face anyone if word ever got out!?


    No, this wouldn''t do.


    But¡­ maybe the gods were on her side, and the man would not recognise her even on the streets?


    It was the first time that Ophelia had not wanted to be recognised when someone met her. Rather, it was all too easy to find out who she was. All he had to do was grab a random lady in the shop and ask if they knew who she was.


    Ophelia bit her lips.


    Uuh. She had to find him tomorrow to threaten him into silence.


    With that thought in mind, Ophelia sank into uneasy sleep for the night, waiting for the next day.


    -(Author posts this only on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.)


    The next day, Ophelia woke up with dark circles under her eyes, scaring her attendant. She looked haggard, and her sleep kept being interrupted by visions of that man''s strange looks to her.


    The attendant quickly did her makeup, even before any of the maids were to enter. The princess would have her life if she allowed those who she deemed weren''t worthy to see her tired-looking face.


    Just what had the princess been doing earlier that night that she looked like this?!


    The attendant caught sight of a pink book by the princess'' tableside and felt as if she stumbled upon a secret that she shouldn''t know.


    Terrified, the poor attendant pretended as if she was blind and deaf, banishing all extra thoughts from her mind.


    Ophelia felt like crying. When had her dignity ever been this damaged? Of her own accord, no less. She couldn''t even take out her anger against him.


    She wanted to immediately head to the bookshop, but she knew that the man didn''t start working until after he had his tea and desserts at the Cookie Sect.


    Ophelia spread out her arms, allowing the maids to dress her.


    She frowned when she saw that they dressed her in darker colours.


    Looking at herself in the mirror, she scowled in displeasure.


    "Not this. Something else. Something brighter, that makes me seem more innocent."


    The maids, who were used to the princess'' demands, hurriedly worked as they produced another outfit from the closet.


    With a soft yellow shade that complemented her glossy blonde hair, the style of dress softened the inherent dignity that the princess gave off, causing her to seem fresher and less worldly.


    Ophelia eyed her appearance in the mirror, finally giving a nod in acceptance.


    The princess clutched her fan tightly. She could not make a further fool of herself until she corrected the first impression that she gave to that man!


    The Cookie Sect was just as crowded as usual, but her entrance into the shop was met with a warm welcome as those that recognized her immediately inviter invited her to sit with them.


    While she would normally have refused ¨C being the one to invite instead of being invited ¨C the place was entirely full, and she would not make a commotion that could cause an even worse impression on the man.


    Sure enough, the man from the bookstore was seated in his usual place, elegantly drinking tea and reading his book, as if he had no other concerns in the world.


    The sight of his peaceful face made her burn up inside in rageful humiliation. How could he spend the time so carefreely when Ophelia had been all torn up inside, even losing sleep over it?!


    It wasn''t fair!


    It was at this moment when their eyes met, and she was not mistaken when she saw a flash of recognition in his eyes, before he smiled at her with the slightest tinges of awkwardness, adverting his eyes back to his book as if he was escaping her.


    She felt like screaming, because he definitely recognized her!


    Ophelia felt like just getting her guards to secretly off him already, but it had truly been her own fault.


    Ooh, if only she hadn''t felt her curiosity consume her yesterday. Ophelia felt regret, but she also felt indignant.


    How could he treat her like she was an indecent woman! Her pride couldn''t take it!


    Her fan snapped open, and she hid her face behind her fan, biting her lips where no one could see.


    The place immediately exploded into quiet activity as Alec''s smile to Ophelia was definitely seen by the various ladies that had been watching him peacefully, shock overcoming them as he did something that deviated from the norm.


    Even those that were seated at the same table as Ophelia squealed as they hid the jealousy in their hearts, wishing that they were the ones who''d gotten that smile directed at them.


    "Princess, did you see that?! He smiled at you!"


    Another lady continued as well. "I''m so jealous, princess! Your beauty holds no bounds, to be able to attract that gentleman."


    "Yeah, we''ve been trying to catch his eye for a month, but the princess enters and captures his attention with only a single glance!"


    Ophelia smiled at them as she endured the chatter and their titters, but she inwardly felt as if she was dying.


    She would rather they all shut up about it! She didn''t *want* to catch his attention! How could she wash this shame from her reputation!?


    This was no good.


    She had to silence him before it spread.


    What if he heard them calling her ''princess''?!


    For a brief moment, she thought about sending her guards to silence him permanently, but she bit her lip in indecision.


    After all, it was only because of her own mistake that she was in this predicament.


    Ophelia furrowed her eyebrows, but when she looked at him again, he never looked in their direction again, almost as if he was avoiding her.


    Five minutes later, the man that had been the cause of all the rumours left early, breaking his normal schedule for once, stunning that had been content to just watch him.


    "Aw, why did he leave so early today?" Ophelia heard someone say.


    ¡­The princess could only think that he was indeed avoiding her!


    Ophelia waited for ten minutes before she extracted herself from the shop, heading towards the bookstore that she knew he worked at.


    She didn''t want to seem as if she was stalking him, but she couldn''t leave it like this either!


    -


    Ye Sha was still snickering in Alec''s mindscape at the varied reactions of panic and embarrassment from the princess.


    It was too hilarious watching it happen like this.


    It was better than watching any inane soap opera, especially when he knew it was entirely caused by Alec''s ministrations.


    It was just too funny watching her prideful fa?ade shatter as she revealed her panic and humiliation.


    Alec''s plan was indeed proceeding without a hitch, as he had captured the princess'' attention.


    He''d changed up the line-up of books when he saw the princess lingering around the bookshop, looking without proper aim.


    In the end, she''d subconsciously picked out the book with the pink cover that stood out from the other more normal looking books, causing this situation of her own making.


    Alec had used her own carelessness and personality against her, entrapping her within his plans.


    Everything was planned by Alec.


    From the way the rumours spread, to the way that he caught her attention, even if at this moment it was negative, was going according to plan.


    Alec unravelled his plan like thread on a spool, and the princess had picked it up without a second thought.


    Sure enough, the bell in the shop rang, signifying a customer''s appearance, and Alec kept his attention on his book, before a shadow darkened the counter.


    Princess Ophelia stood before Alec, her fan covering the lower half of her face, as she stared harshly at him, her cheeks pink.


    "Ahem," she cleared her throat.

 Chapter 229 Isll Allow I

    Ophelia regretted her rash actions after she cleared her throat.


    She really hated her own special brand of recklessness that she couldn''t seem to get rid of ¨C mainly because there wasn''t any need for her to, but she always felt a form of regret after she did it.


    Even though she resolved herself not to do it next time, because there were no consequences to hold her back, she made the same mistake time and time again.


    She''d been filled with humiliation at her social faux pas yesterday, and further egged on when she saw his reactions in the Cookie Sect caf¨¦, but she hadn''t thought about how to coerce him into keeping silent either.


    She''d rashly made her way to the bookstore to get him to shut up, but how was she going to do that without resorting to violence?


    What if he didn''t know that she was the princess?


    That led her to another dilemma ¨C if she hinted at it even slightly, then wasn''t she just setting herself up again?


    There was a sense of frustration and anger building up in her the more she felt stifled.


    But it was too late for her to take her actions back now. She''d already caught his attention.


    Those deep blue eyes were locked onto her face, and she could feel the awkward atmosphere that was shared between them when he realized it was her.


    "How may I help you, miss?" Alec asked politely.


    Ophelia floundered for something to say.


    "What''s your name?" she blurted instead, and she could have killed herself for just blurting that out.


    Didn''t this make it seem like she was hitting on him?!


    After she ¨C she bought that book yesterday as well! Ophelia screamed inside.


    Sure enough, the man''s smile took on a distinctly more awkward angle, as if he didn''t know how to refuse her advances.


    Ahhh! She screamed in her mind. Her mouth always got her into the stickiest situations!


    Ophelia felt like throwing down her fan and just storming out, but she didn''t want to make her impression any worse.


    How else was she going to keep him silent?


    "My name is Alexander Bright," Alec said, ignoring Ye Sha''s snickering.


    Ye Sha could have wept with gratefulness for all the laughs he was getting from this. This female was so funny!


    He thought that she would order some people to ''take care'' of Alec, but instead, she was acting like a bumbling, clumsy buffoon in front of them.


    Ophelia cleared her throat. "This lady is called Ophelia," she said simply. She struggled with how to phrase what she wanted to say. "This¡­ yesterday¡­"


    Alec blinked his blue eyes, tilting his head in confusion. "Yesterday? Did we meet yesterday, Lady Ophelia?"


    Ophelia instantly felt a surge of relief. So that was how he was going to play it, huh?


    He was pretty smart; she gave him that!


    If it didn''t work, she would eventually have killed him off, despite how he was the talk of the city.


    She liked a smart man who knew how to please her.


    Alright. She''d decided. She''d give him a chance to woo her, even if he wasn''t up to her usual standards.


    Ophelia seemed to have shrugged off whatever humiliation she felt when she confirmed that Alec would not go around blabbing a lady''s secret, regaining her dignity.


    In the first place, it wasn''t like she had really read that book!


    Ophelia fanned her face, leaning down on the counter a little, something that made her cleavage more noticeable, but Alec''s eyes didn''t once dip down lower than her face.


    She was mildly impressed by how gentlemanly he acted, unlike those nobles that pretentiously acted as if they were so gentlemanly when everyone knew that inside, they were salivating over women like the lowest class of commoners.


    "This lady will graciously allow you to take me on a date," Ophelia generously said, shooting him her prettiest smile.


    She was confident that he''d cave.


    There was a faint trace of surprise on Alec''s face before he smoothened it over, and he bowed to her, looking apologetic.


    "My apologies, Lady Ophelia, I''m afraid that wouldn''t be very proper of me."


    Ophelia stiffened, then pouted, but found herself intrigued in spite of herself.


    To think that he could resist a beautiful fairy-like lady like herself asking him out on a date.


    She''d already made a large concession by allowing him to take her out, but he refused?!


    The princess was insulted, but she was also interested. His manners were so polite, and the way that he bowed painted a graceful arch that many in their circles couldn''t pull off.


    He wasn''t like any other man she''d met before, and it was definitely intrigue that was swimming in her veins right now.


    Was he really a commoner?


    He must be. But, why would a noble work in a bookstore like this of all places?


    All the other commoners that Ophelia had taken a fancy to never displayed such actions or grace even once, and those nobles who displaced good etiquette and grace didn''t have such a personality.


    Alexander was like a mass of contradictory things, and Ophelia was unwillingly drawn in, like a moth drawn to flame.


    What was it about him that had drawn in drawn in so many of her fellow noblewomen? Ophelia felt as if she was on the verge of discovering something new. It gave her a thrill like never before.


    While Ophelia would normally have exploded in anger after someone rejected her, Alexander was only tactfully doing so because of how she''d embarrassed herself, being polite.


    Strange feelings started stirring within her, and she bit her lip.


    They were feelings that she''d never felt before, and she didn''t know what they were.


    It felt like her chest was a bit stuffy, but she also felt as if there was something refreshing squirming about. It didn''t feel bad.


    She didn''t press her luck and instead gracefully bid him farewell, shooting him pouting glances, that he pretended not to see as he sent her off politely.


    It just made her more determined to up her advances. She didn''t believe that she couldn''t get him on her arm.


    The bell chimed signifying the door closing, as if that was the signal, Ye Sha started breaking out in full laughter, much to Alec''s annoyance.


    Now that he''d personally witnessed the princess'' actions and the way she reacted, he now had a better understanding of her personality, and would be able to finetune his plans.


    Alec''s eyes glinted coldly.


    He could see that she''d been planning on doing away with him if she didn''t get confirmation that he wouldn''t leak out what she''d done yesterday.


    No wonder no one ever heard about the men that she''d gotten rid of.


    Alec had to amend his plans.


    They were probably all dead already, which was why they hadn''t been able to find any information about them after they parted from the princess.


    What Alec was more interested in was how the princess never had any rumours about what she was doing.


    There were probably the Rhys Royal Family''s prints all over that.


    Ophelia was probably planning on coming back to look for him tomorrow, but little did she know that Alec had no plans on being around for the day.


    The little game of push and pull would be infinitely more interesting to her than her usual conquests.


    Alec gave a little scornful laugh and continued reading the book that he''d picked up.


    The princess'' intentions were as clear as day. He didn''t know if it was because she was so sheltered that she never needed to wear a mask to hide her intentions, but she really shouldn''t broadcast her thoughts like that blatantly on her face.


    Still, this game was more interesting to him than he thought.


    Perhaps it had to do with the subtle art of manipulation and chance that caught his interest. It wasn''t something that one could win by using sheer effort alone.


    Effort, luck and chance. None of these could be missing.


    Ye Sha shivered a little as he saw the smile on Alec''s face, feeling like the princess had awoken a monster in his friend.


    Goodness forbid that he used this on some unsuspecting woman.


    Ye Sha paused.


    Wait a second. He should use it on Elysia, right?!


    Now that he thought about it, what was Alec doing?


    He''d finally found The One, but they were instead seducing some other woman instead of The One.


    Alec would have started chasing Ye Sha to beat him up if he knew about his thoughts.

 Chapter 230 Playing a Game of Hide and Seek

    The next day, Ophelia appeared at the Cookie Sect again, almost as if she was possessed.


    She would usually have tried to play coy as she avoided making herself seem as if she was too eager, but for some reason, she actually found herself heading to the caf¨¦ again without putting much thought into it.


    Surprisingly, the caf¨¦ was half empty, and even the half of the women that sat inside the caf¨¦ looked dispirited and lifeless, as if they were only hanging on by sheer willpower alone.


    It was a stark contrast to the usual high-spirited and longing gazes that they used when looking at Alexander''s peaceful face.


    Ophelia was briefly confused, and she had a bad feeling seeing their reactions.


    Immediately, she looked around, and sure enough, the spot that Alexander was supposed to always sit at was glaringly empty.


    There were various ladies casting sad eyes at the empty seat.


    Ophelia rolled her eyes.


    They were acting like someone had died.


    At that thought, the princess felt a sudden surge of anxiety.


    He couldn''t have died, could he?


    Surely her father or her brothers didn''t hear that she''d humiliated herself in front of a man, thus dispatching those under them to ''take care'' of him?


    Hurriedly, Ophelia left the shop, glaring harshly at the guard that was accompanying her for the day.


    "Hurry up and prepare the carriage!" she commanded, before stopping. "Wait, no. Bring me to that bookstore!"


    They made their way to the store at a quick pace, but unfortunately, the bookstore indeed did not contain Alexander''s shadow inside, and Ophelia hurriedly left, feeling as if something was chasing her, urging her to go faster.


    What was this?


    Why was she feeling like this for a man she''d only just met?


    She didn''t understand what she was feeling, but there was a bad feeling that was born inside her for the first time when it concerned someone else''s problems.


    Ophelia bit her lips and boarded the carriage again, fire in her eyes.


    "Back to the palace!" she commanded, and the carriage started moving quickly without any outside interference.


    She was halfway back when she calmed down slightly, her rationality returning to her.


    No¡­ it shouldn''t have anything to do with her family. How could they have found out, anyway? So just where was he?


    There was an itchy feeling in her heart now that she''d calmed down a little.


    Hmph. To think that a man was making her chase him. She must have been possessed, acting like that.


    How could she act so out of character like that?


    Ophelia still returned to the palace in a huff, no longer in the mood for any fun.


    She very consciously didn''t ask her family whether or not they did anything to Alexander.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec was taking an off day for himself.


    It was likely that soon, he wouldn''t be able to do it anymore, so he was spending it away from any disturbances that he was going to face before it all started.


    And, by that, he meant that he holed up in his room, relaxing and working on his seals and whatever projects that he wouldn''t be able to physically touch for a while.


    Alec hummed, in a strangely good mood. But he knew it wouldn''t last. There were probably no end of idiots in the palace, and he wouldn''t be in any position to take action any time soon.


    "Ye Sha, were you able to detect anything strange going on with the princess?"


    Ye Sha shook his head. "Not from her, no, but the guard that came with her was watching her actions strangely intently. I figure he''s probably in either the emperor''s pocket or one of her brothers."


    Hm. There was nothing wrong with that, but Alec was surprised that they even bothered to place one of them so near the princess. Yet, the princess didn''t seem to care one bit about it.


    Was there something more to this, or was she just completely oblivious?


    Somehow, he couldn''t help but feel like this situation was more complex than he thought.


    Was there also infighting regarding the decision to attack the Neil Clan, or was it something else?


    He didn''t have answers right now, but he also couldn''t hurry up how he reeled the princess in.


    It was better to have steady results in the future rather than botch it up for a bit of quick success.


    Anyway, based on the information that he was receiving from the Cookie Sect, as well as his own observations, he didn''t think that they were taking action any time soon.


    They hadn''t even started stocking up on grain or other things that were necessary in a war, which he found strange as well.


    He''d been looking to see whether or not any of the ledgers had been fabricated, but as far as he could tell, it hadn''t been altered ¨C other than some of the owners fudging things for their own personal benefit, that was.


    Ye Sha watched silently as his friend was lost in thought even when he was thinking about what he was working on. There was something strange about watching his usually serious friend relax on his so-called ''day off''.


    Apparently, he only did it once a year, where he didn''t do anything but what he wanted to do, but Ye Sha could completely see no difference in what he was doing now compared to what he did daily.


    However, Alec did seem strangely relaxed compared to his usually upright frame when he worked, so whatever suited him.


    Whatever worked for his strange friend, he supposed?


    Ye Sha could not wait for the upcoming drama that he would have front row seats for.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.


    Thea had completely blended into the city, working as a bartender at an upper scale bar that was only frequented by the nobles.


    The bar was set up in a fancy and gaudy way, with its bright lights and crystal chandeliers all over the place.


    Each private room had a terribly fancy chandelier that looked like it cost more than one employee''s entire year of wages.


    Thea just found it pretentious and tacky.


    If they had that much money, then why didn''t the bar look like something classier, instead of just flinging money at the designers that seemed to be wringing out the money from the owners?


    Not only that, the people that visited this place weren''t any good either.


    She''d never once seen a proper group that visited this place, but she supposed that was just as well.


    This place had the reputation for housing the rich scions that liked to waste their life away.


    Clearly, they were here to drink and make a ruckus like everyone else, yet they still refused to even consider the possibility of mingling with the commoners.


    The behaviour of those rich scions that visited this bar was obviously pretty much the same as those that they deemed lower than them, but they still acted as if they were high and mighty.


    They still bragged the same way, made lewd remarks about which noble lady was prettier or whatnot, etc.


    There was a crash as the sound of glass shattering reached her ears, and Thea quietly sighed.


    See?


    Even their drunken actions were the same.


    But still, the reason why she chose this bar was because the first prince was a frequent customer here, and the nobles that frequented this place never paid attention to the staff.


    It was almost like they didn''t even treat the staff here as human.


    On the plus side, the employees were always happy to work here since they got high pay, and the nobles never once touched them regardless of how they looked.


    Thea quietly did her work as she mingled with the employees here, learning about the gossip about various nobles.


    Since so many of them talked freely the more they got alcohol in them, there were always plenty of sordid details that one didn''t hear normally.


    Thea walked into the room on the far left with a dustpan, where the sounds of the glass breaking originated from.


    The inhabitants of the room paid her no attention, and Thea habitually pressed her presence even lower as she bent down towards the shattered glass.


    There were five inhabitants in the room, and they were all inebriated. With red faces and wobbly steps, they made the perfect picture of drunks.


    Thea''s eyes flashed when she realized that one of those drunkards was the first prince, one of the regular patrons.


    He was also the one whom she heard the information about the future attack on the Neil Clan from.


    Thea swept up the glass at a normal pace, keeping an ear out for their conversations.


    "-hit those bastards with me," the first prince slurred.


    His friend on the right nodded so deeply that he stumbled lightly, before bursting into laughter, obviously drunk. "Oooof course, you-ur highness! The royal family has our full support!"


    Thea finished sweeping up the glass and quietly left, making sure not to prolong her presence in the room.


    When she left, the eyes of the first prince sharpened a little, even as his face remained red.


    He looked at her back with a thoughtful expression, only for it to be broken by the loud laughter of the other nobles.


    He tipped back the bottle, drinking directly from it, getting calls of admiration from his followers, the dazed, tipsy look sliding back onto his face.

 Chapter 231 Shameless Princess

    The princess bothered Alec at work every single day without fail for an entire month straight.


    The first day, she kept it light and simple, and she was composed and haughty. She wasn''t too much on the first day. She just came and stayed for a few minutes before leaving.


    The second day, she talked to him a little longer, as if she was gracefully permitting him her presence, which inwardly pissed Alec off so much that Ye Sha kept laughing because of the difference between Alec in his mindscape and the Alec outside.


    Like this, for a whole month, her behaviour increasingly loosened around him as she genuinely enjoyed his presence.


    Alec didn''t change the way he treated her at all, which he knew was probably driving her crazy, as well as simultaneously reeling her in like a fish caught on a hook.


    He acted like the perfect gentleman, always ready with a smile and a kind word.


    Right now, they were playing a little game to see who would give in first, and Alec had no intentions of losing a game.


    The princess thought that she was the cat playing with a mouse, but little did she know that she was the helpless mouse running around in the palm of his hands from start to finish.


    Alec quite enjoyed it.


    It wasn''t that he took pleasure in the fact that he was seducing her, so to speak, but rather, he really liked engaging in a battle of wits against someone else. Even if they were in the dark.


    Alec kept to a strict routine as ''Alexander'', and he knew that the guards had reported back to Ophelia about the things he did down to the very minute, but he pretended not to know.


    Right now, he was sitting in the Cookie Sect, enjoying his daily tea with cookies.


    She hadn''t yet made any contact with him outside of the bookstore, but Alec suspected that today would be different.


    Sure enough, a shadow fell onto the page that he was reading, and Alec looked up, greeted with Ophelia''s delicate fairy-like looks, something that she dressed up the part for.


    She always seemed to take care that she looked particular innocent and untouched by the world whenever they met up, and Alec couldn''t help but laugh inside when he thought about the effects that had come about because she''d picked up that pink book with the rather explicit title.


    "Good day to you, Lady Ophelia," Alec said politely, getting up and pulling the seat out for her.


    Ophelia gave a giggle, fanning herself using the fan she always had out. She gracefully sat down as he sat down again. "Good day to you, Alexander."


    There was a period of stunned silence in the Cookie Sect caf¨¦ before there was an explosion of whispers, yet the cause of those whispers looked completely oblivious to the noise that was being created because of him.


    A few ladies sighed when they finally learnt his name, finally having a name to match to the man of their dreams.


    Ophelia preened when she felt the stares of the noblewomen that she was familiar with bore into her back, and her hand moved just a fraction faster as she fanned herself.


    Alec hid the scoff inside himself, whereas Ye Sha had no such qualms, being free to his reactions in Alec''s mindscape.


    "Look at this shameless woman," Ye Sha snorted, rolling his eyes.


    She was clearly enjoying the attention that was directed at her, and the jealousy from the ladies at the other tables. She was able to be seen in public with the man of their dreams while they could only watch on with envious eyes.


    Alec inwardly agreed. The princess was a vain one, and she never once wore the same outfit, instead scrapping them once it was worn.


    "Is there some sort of special occasion today?" Alec smiled, his eyes soft and wondering.


    The ladies that had been burning with jealousy at the side sighed at his obvious gentleness, and they couldn''t help but fall for him further.


    How was his smile so gentle, so kind?


    They''d never met a man that seemed so soft before, and they couldn''t help but fantasize about how he''d treat them if he was their lover.


    The ladies furiously munched on their desserts as they glared at the princess, as if they were taking out the anger on their food.


    Alec called for another cup for her, and Ophelia smiled at him, tickled pink.


    "A special occasion besides meeting you, you mean?" Ophelia flirted, but Alec seemed as if he didn''t understand.


    "How may I help you today, Lady Ophelia?" Alec inquired, and Ophelia had to stop and think for a moment.


    "Must I have a reason to find you?" Ophelia pouted, lowering her head. She batted her eyelashes, glancing up from under them.


    It was a sure-kill move that never failed to attract the men she got into a relationship with, but she was stunned when she didn''t see any visible change from Alexander.


    Inwardly, the princess felt a little helpless. What kind of man was this oblivious? He was too pure! She sort of wanted to corrupt him, yet at the same time, she didn''t want to. What was this strange contradiction she had?


    She could see the various women grinding their teeth at her shameless flirting, but for some reason, her heart was beating faster, as if she was worried about his answer.


    Strange.


    Ophelia''s grip on her fan tightened just a fraction as she held her breath.


    Ophelia''s actions were not missed by Alec''s keen eyes, and he tilted his head. "Of course not. Is this your first time visiting this caf¨¦? I don''t recall seeing you here before?" Alec looked adorably confused.


    The princess hid her smile behind her fan, using it as a shield, relaxing at his answer to her playfully asked question. She just wanted to hug him. "Ah, I come by occasionally. Do you mind terribly if I join you from now on?"


    There it was again. Why was her stomach doing flips, as if she was waiting for his answer in anticipation?


    The ladies in the caf¨¦ were also holding their breaths as they waited for Alec''s answer, silently chanting in their mind for their Alexander to reject the shameless princess.


    Alexander belonged to all of them, not to one person alone!


    Everyone knew that the men who dallied with the princess never had good ends! They were just blinded to the truth!


    They couldn''t bear to have such a thing happen to their dear Alexander. Just the thought that they''d never see him again almost sent them into tears.


    They wished that they could go over and tear the princess'' mask off, exposing her true self to the kind and innocent Alexander.


    Unfortunately for them, Alexander was much too nice to reject the princess'' straightforward advances.


    "Of course, if you so wish to," Alec said kindly, and he pretended not to hear the quiet wails that some of the women gave off, however quiet they may have been.


    Ye Sha was snickering away at his predicament, as Alec clearly hadn''t expected the ladies to have such a strong reaction to him ''meeting'' the princess.


    Ye Sha just knew that even though Alec thought he knew what he was doing, he was definitely underestimating the effect that he was having on the unsuspecting ladies.


    Just sitting there almost caused them to lose their mind but seeing ''Alexander'' react so kindly made them feel like beating their chests in regret that they were too late.


    If only they were as shameless as the princess, inserting themselves into the free seat at Alexander''s two-seater table.


    They could have been the ones that were on the other end of all those jealous gazes that they had to give Ophelia now.


    The princess beamed at Alec, her heart light. She felt like she was soaring. He actually didn''t reject her!


    Was she making progress?


    Ophelia picked up the teacup, sipping as delicately as she could, putting her etiquette training to good use as she hid how delighted she was at his acceptance.

 Chapter 232 Confession

    Alec continued his little game of cat and mouse with the princess, and he could see that she was growing increasingly infatuated and frustrated with his lack of actions towards her.


    Even though the way he treated her didn''t have any faults at all, all she could do was bite her lip in anticipation for the day where he''d treat her a bit more differently.


    Ophelia felt like she was being driven crazy.


    This was the first time she had chased after a man, but the man didn''t even seem to treat her like a woman at all.


    She was even giving in by chasing him instead since it didn''t seem like the hints that she dropped toward him was being picked up at all.


    Ophelia sighed.


    What else could she do now?


    When she was worrying about what to do, her eyes locked onto her ever-present and faithful attendant, and the princess felt like she was enlightened.


    This attendant¡­ er, what was her name again? Candy? Jandice? Janice, maybe? That sounded plausible.


    She''d been here for a while without pissing her off even once, and she''d lasted a lot longer than the other attendants that served her.


    She''d graciously allow her attendant to give her some advice.


    Ophelia crossed her arms. "Janice¡­ how should this princess go about getting someone who isn''t interested in this princess? Dating wise?"


    The attendant twitched briefly when the princess'' attention focused on her. Candice''s heart palpitated at the princess'' unwelcome attention. She''d only been able to survive because she was relatively quiet and silent when she carried out her duties.


    Receiving the princess'' attention was not a good thing if she wanted to live peacefully.


    More than that¡­ her name was Candice, not Janice!


    Candice would have cried out in protest, but she didn''t dare to in front of this terrifying princess. Those that offended her were never seen again, and Candice still wanted to go home to her family.


    The people who dared to enter the palace always knew that there was a possibility of them not returning.


    If something happened to them, their family would get a large remuneration, but Candice still wanted to live.


    Candice pretended not to know what the princess was talking about. She was sure that if the other knew about the extent of which she was informed of her matters, her life would be in grave danger.


    For all that the Rhys Royal Family seemed to be more lenient on the nobles that offended them, that wasn''t the case for the maids and commoners that entered the palace to be of service.


    Ophelia sighed impatiently when she saw the dumb look of incomprehension on her attendant''s face.


    Just when she was about to leave, the woman spoke up with a shaky voice.


    "Maybe¡­ He just doesn''t know that you''re pursuing him. Why don''t you just confess so that he knows? Maybe he''s oblivious?"


    Ophelia stopped in her tracks, hesitating.


    True. The other really did seem to be completely oblivious to her advances, and even if he wasn''t, then she had to at least make herself clear.


    What if he''d been politely rejecting her the entire time while pretending to be oblivious?


    The princess'' brows furrowed at that thought, but for some reason, she just couldn''t think of him negatively.


    She was more inclined to believe that he was completely clueless.


    As genial as Alexander seemed, sometimes he was hard to read. But that just made him more attractive to her as a whole. It was like the more sides of him she saw, the more she felt like there was still more to uncover.


    That settled it, then. She, Ophelia Anastasia Rhys, first princess of the Kaoriht continent, was going to confess to a man for the first time in her life.


    She let out a laugh, surprised at how bold she was being.


    Ophelia felt refreshed as her worries the past couple of days were finally blown away now that she''d decided on her course of action.


    For the first time in her life, Ophelia had fallen for a man that wasn''t her type.


    The way his eyes gentled when he looked at her, and her alone, the way his eyes narrowed when he smiled. The serenity that he seemed to exude so casually, as if he was living life at his own pace without regard for anything else.


    Even though he didn''t treat her like she was special and treated her like how he would treat everyone else, Ophelia didn''t hate that.


    At first, it had started as just a game ¨C so that she could bring him around and rub him into the face of the various women who lusted over him, but somewhere along the way, her attention towards him had changed to something genuine.


    Ophelia let out a startled laugh when she realized what it was that she was feeling, and why she was feeling so uneasy nowadays.


    She didn''t know when she''d stopped looking elsewhere whenever they had a conversation, or when they sat together.


    When was the last time she had looked around to see the reactions of those around her for her amusement?


    She was changing, and it was all because of Alexander.


    Or, more like, her attention was just wholly captured when she was with him. So much so that she didn''t even have the luxury of thinking about anything else.


    She gave a sigh just thinking about him.


    Ophelia was truly smitten, and she wanted to keep him around.


    In fact, she even wanted to marry him so that she could keep him around forever.


    By hook or by crook, she''d ask her royal father to bestow a marriage upon them so that Alexander couldn''t run away. But first, she wanted to reel him in by herself.


    At the thought, her heart felt like it''d grown wings and taken off. She didn''t even want to let him out of her sight.


    What if he fell for someone else, when he hadn''t even fallen for her yet? At least, she didn''t think he''d fallen for her yet.


    No, she couldn''t allow that to happen.


    At that thought, she abruptly stood up, startling Candice, who had been nervously waiting for the princess'' reaction.


    "Good job, Janice," Ophelia praised. "This princess will reward you handsomely later! Call the carriage for this princess. This princess has a man to catch."


    The princess hurriedly left the room, and Candice almost cried in relief.


    Never mind the reward, she was just thankful that her blunt words hadn''t incurred the princess'' wrath.


    Candice hurriedly chased after the princess.


    -Author only posted this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Ophelia''s heart was thundering, and there were butterflies in her stomach.


    When was the last time that she''d felt so nervous about doing something?


    That word wasn''t even in her vocabulary!


    The doors of the bookstore that she''d become increasingly familiar with over the month had never looked intimidating to her, except for now.


    The best-case scenario was that Alexander would accept her feelings and hopefully fall in love with her as well, in which they would have a happy ending. Maybe he was hiding his feelings better than she thought?


    On the other hand, he could end up rejecting her feelings. If that happened, Ophelia didn''t know what she was going to do.


    Ophelia uncharacteristically hesitated in front of the doors, before she swallowed and resolutely stepped inside the place.


    "Lady Ophelia," Alexander greeted her, and Ophelia felt herself smile at the sound of his gentle voice.


    She pouted. "Didn''t I tell you to just call me Ophelia?"


    Alexander smiled at her, and the princess felt as if she was going through all sorts of emotions today. Her heart was doing funny things that she had problems explaining with mere words alone.


    "I can''t do that, Lady Ophelia," Alexander said.


    Ophelia felt both frustrated and endeared at the gentlemanly qualities that he possessed.


    Calling her ''Lady Ophelia'' just sounded so distant, and the other man didn''t know that she was a princess! He was treating her like a normal noble, but she felt anxious without knowing the reason why.


    For some reason, she didn''t really want him to treat her differently.


    Still, nothing would change now if she didn''t make her stance clear. If she wasn''t going to do it now, then when was she ever going to do it?


    Ophelia hesitated before she decided to just go for it.


    "Alexander, I like you!"

 Chapter 233 Troubled

    Alec made a stunned expression before his face slowly morphed into something slightly awkward and apologetic.


    Ophelia''s face dropped, and she knew that she was about to be rejected by him.


    Sure enough, the words that came out of Alec''s mouth were not the words that she wanted to hear.


    "I''m sorry, Lady Ophelia, but-"


    Ophelia bit her lips, hastily turning around and leaving before she was able to finish hearing the end of his sentence.


    Ye Sha started snickering at the prideful lady''s departure. The look of shock and disbelief, as if she never expected to get that answer, made him wonder just what she had that made her so confident.


    More than sadness or even hurt, that was the emotion that dominated her face.


    He supposed that because she was a princess, the people in her circles never once dared to turn her down, instead waiting on her hand and foot.


    Still, there was a trace of stubborn light behind those eyes when she left, and both Alec and Ye Sha knew that she would be back before long.


    Seeing her act exactly according to Alec''s manipulations like she was a puppet dancing on strings gave him shivers.


    He was lucky that he was on the same side as this scary bastard ¨C wait. Suddenly, Ye Sha recalled his string of bad luck some time back.


    He always wrote it off as just that. Bad luck.


    But, now, seeing how Alec expertly play with the people around him, he couldn''t help but have different thoughts.


    Ye Sha suddenly felt as if he''d been enlightened.


    So, it was all the work of this bastard!


    The System seethed, then helplessly laughed.


    Tch, whatever. It was his bad to take the other as a friend, right! He''d just take it as a prank and gracefully let it pass.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Ophelia felt heartbroken.


    She was in a state of disbelief and shock.


    Sure, she''d been expecting that she may receive this response, but her heart and her mind were telling her different things, having been throw into chaos at his words.


    Her eyes reddened, and the guard that was usually so impassive when he followed her around had given her a little look ¨C as if he''d heard her conversation with Alexander!


    Ophelia glowered at him coldly and was only satisfied when he looked away, not knowing that the guard only looked away because the usually haughty princess was acting so weak in front of someone that she deemed lower than her.


    Even though she''d been rejected, for some unknown reason, the princess lingered at the entrance of the bookstore.


    What should she do now?


    She had been minutely expecting that she wouldn''t be able to get that man from the get-go. What she hadn''t been expecting was the sudden stab-like feeling at her heart.


    She thought that she was ready for whatever he said, but it turned out that she was being foolish, expecting that she would be able to control her own reactions.


    What should she do now?


    She came here so confidently, and she even blurted out her feelings like that, only to be rejected.


    Where would she put her face now?


    More than that, why hadn''t she stuck around to hear the end of what he was saying?


    Ophelia''s eyes shook before she firmed her will.


    Taking a deep breath, Ophelia re-entered the bookstore again, her face was a flushed shade, and her eyes were slightly reddened.


    Seeing her like this would have caused any other man to feel a strong urge to protect her, as her weak and vulnerable expression made her seem fragile.


    Yet, Alec was not any of those men that would have rushed up to comfort her.


    Not only did he treat this as a mission, he wasn''t moved by outward appearances ¨C aside from Elysi- no.


    Alec looked at her with sad eyes, and his hand twitched at her appearance, as if he had reflexively reached out to comfort her, only for him to stop and clench his fists at his side.


    Ophelia''s eyes reddened even more when she saw that.


    This man clearly had some feelings for her, but why was he being like that? She wasn''t wrong, right?


    Would someone who didn''t like her react like that? It couldn''t be! She trusted her womanly instinct.


    Was there some reason why he couldn''t be with her?


    At that thought, Ophelia rushed forward, clutching his hand.


    She didn''t care that noblewomen touching another man''s hand so straightforwardly was enough to ruin her reputation.


    Anyway, it was only the two of them in this bookstore, and she would not be deterred.


    "Alexander, please. Is there some reason why you''re acting like this? Is there something about me that you don''t like?" Ophelia earnestly pleaded with him.


    Strangely, she felt something build up, and her nose felt sour. The tears gathered in her eyes, and before she could hold them back, they spilled over, cascading down her cheeks.


    Yet, her tears only made her seem like a vulnerable beauty when Alec knew she was anything but.


    He couldn''t help but marvel at the dissonance from the outside and the inside, wondering if it was because of this appearance that allowed the rumours that should have followed the princess to disperse like the wind when the nobles looked at her.


    Opehlia was rewarded with the sight of Alexander looking troubled by her, but he didn''t shake off her hand, and the princess cheered in her heart.


    That he didn''t reject her meant that she still had a chance, right?


    For the first time in her life, Ophelia was making herself seem weak and pitiful in front of someone else, but since it was the man that she liked, she had no shame as long as she could get her way.


    She wouldn''t be able to sleep at night unless she had gotten a proper answer about the reason why he was rejecting her.


    Since he reacted like this, she could only think that he indeed had feelings for her. If so, why?!


    Alec shook his head, his expression pained and sad.


    Ophelia felt a pang of pain as well, seeing Alexander so pained.


    "Our statures are just too different, Lady Ophelia," Alec said sadly.


    The anxiety was about to burn her from inside out. Ophelia was feeling so anxious that she couldn''t even care about decorum anymore.


    "I don''t care about that! I don''t care about any of that!" she said desperately, but Alexander just made a sadder face when she said that.


    "That''s what you say," Alec said sadly, "but in the end, you will end up marrying someone else, just like-"


    Ophelia''s eyes shook when she heard what he said. So, he had been in a similar situation before. Was that why he was rejecting her?


    Some noblewoman had stolen this man''s pure heart and wounded him gravely when she had, in the end, left him for another noble.


    But she was different. Ophelia was different from those ordinary noblewomen.


    Ophelia sneered at the woman who allowed this gem to get away from them.


    She wouldn''t allow Alexander to leave her the moment she managed to properly tie him to her side. That was how much she wanted him, unlike the other woman who''d already threw the fish that she caught away.


    Instead of growing depressed at his words, her heart just felt happier at the loss of that woman, even when she felt pained about the pain that her Alexander was going through.


    "Choose me," Ophelia pleaded with him, directing her teary eyes at him. "Please. I promise I won''t ever hurt you. I''ll even run away with you if you want me to."

 Chapter 234 A Message!

    Unexpectedly, Alec shook his head as he gently rejected her even after she''d made such a promise to him.


    Ophelia bit her lip as she was rejected yet again. Something hot started building up inside her, and she couldn''t accept his refusal as an answer.


    Could it be that he really didn''t like her? Why not?


    Then, why was he showing her these signs that gave her false hope? Was it all her wishful thinking?


    Wait¡­ he¡­ he didn''t know that she was a princess, right? But if she revealed that, what if he didn''t want to be with her even more, when a mere noble had already hurt him that much?


    Ophelia felt anxious and depressed.


    Seeing how even her tears couldn''t move him, she really didn''t know what to think. But that pained look on his face¡­ she couldn''t stand it.


    Ophelia felt her heart ache, and she reluctantly let go of his arm, studying his face.


    She felt as if he''d ruthlessly taken her heart and crushed it between his fingers when she saw the well-hidden relief even as he looked sad and pained after she let go.


    She didn''t understand.


    Roughly wiping the tears that were still on her cheeks, she rushed back out of the store, unable to bear being there any longer.


    Why?


    Did he really not have feelings for her? Was it all a lie? Or was there something else he was holding back?


    She took a shuddering breath outside the bookstore, thankful that there were little to no customers that browsed that place.


    The guard that usually followed her was carefully turned away, and she approved of his wise decision. Had he seen her tears she would have to get rid of him.


    "Call the carriage," she said as she cleaned herself up before anyone else came. She would be damned if she allowed her reputation to take a hit.


    The guard bowed, making himself scarce.


    What should she do now?


    Ophelia hesitated. How could someone not fall for her?


    With her looks, as well as her personality, she was sure that she''d be able to charm a man however she wanted¡­ unless that man was already in love with someone else!


    The princess felt as if she''d been enlightened when she had that thought.


    Who was it!


    Alexander was much too loyal, if he was still in love with the woman who''d already thrown him away.


    Ophelia glowered at the tile on the floor.


    When the guard returned with the carriage, she glared at him with red eyes.


    The guard felt as if his soul shook when he saw the usually composed and haughty princess staring at him with red, aggrieved eyes.


    "Stay here and report to me if any woman comes to look for my Alexander!" she commanded imperiously.


    The guard stiffened. According to his orders, he was not allowed to let the princess leave his sight when she was outside, but currently his master was supposed to be the princess. He could not go against orders.


    ¡­Fine. If she was going back to the palace, then there were others that were able to look after her.


    Ophelia snapped open her fan before doing anything else, covering her unsightly face.


    The guard saluted to her silently, and Ophelia didn''t even notice the slightest hesitation before he saluted as she boarded the carriage, still mindful of how she looked, and whether or not there was someone watching in the shadows.


    She probably looked a fright, with her tear-stained face.


    If word got out that she allowed herself to get her heart broken by a man, who even made her, the belle of high society, cry, she''d be the laughingstock among their circles even if they didn''t dare to say it to her face.


    Not to mention, the ladies who were terribly jealous of her would take this chance to kick her when she was down. Their sneering attitude was worse than if they said it straight to her face, because she wasn''t able to do anything to them if they didn''t say it directly to her.


    Ophelia clenched her fist as the carriage rode back to the palace at full speed.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Ophelia sniffed, eating the ice-cream that her attendant brought her.


    She was still red-eyed as she comforted herself in eating, the sweetness reminding her of how she could have been living sweetly had her Alexander just accepted her.


    Instead, what she swallowed left a bitter taste in her mouth.


    Candice was sweating as she tried her best to make herself as scarce as possible, lowering her presence as much as possible so that the princess would not remember her.


    It was at this moment that the doors to her bedroom slammed open, as her second brother entered without any warning, and probably disregarding the maid''s attempts at stopping him.


    Even though he wasn''t supposed to do that, Ophelia currently couldn''t even be bothered.


    She was just so sad as she wallowed in her misery.


    "Second brother," Ophelia said nasally, her nose blocked.


    Frazer looked at his darling younger sister and felt his heart ache when he saw how sad she looked.


    She was usually well-dressed and put together, but now, she gave off the feeling of being dishevelled.


    Even though it should have looked unsightly, her red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained face just made her look like a delicate beauty.


    Frazer, who''d been anxious upon receiving the report, immediately changed expressions. His face was thunderous.


    How dare that commoner do that to his darling sister!


    "Don''t worry, Ophelia, I''ll help you get revenge!"


    Frazer stormed out the door and didn''t see his sister''s panicked face.


    Horrified, Ophelia scrambled off the bed, almost tripping in the bedding, running after her brother''s quick steps.


    With a strength that belied her frame, she dragged him back into her room fiercely.


    What did her stupid brother think he was doing! How dare he even threaten to kill her darling Alexander!


    Ophelia was so frantic that she didn''t even realize that she''d already fallen this deeply ¨C she wouldn''t have cared if it was anyone else who''d incurred her family''s rage, but the thought of harm coming to Alexander was not something that she wanted.


    "No!" Ophelia shouted at Frazer; her eyes frantic.


    "No? What do you mean, ''no''? You''re already crying so badly that you''re in this state, yet you want to help the son of a b*tch who''s done this to you?" Frazer asked with incredulity.


    Ophelia nodded fiercely, glaring hard at her brother. "I ¨C I ¨C he''s mine to take care of!"


    Frazer''s incredulous expression softened somewhat.


    That was more like it. He couldn''t believe that his sister would ever let someone who''d wronged her go. So, it was actually that she wanted to take revenge for herself instead of not wanting him to do it.


    "Okay, I understand," Frazer said indulgently, patting her head. "I''ll let you get your own revenge. But, if you need any help, be sure to ask me, understand?"


    Ophelia nodded obediently, even as she was shivering inside. Goodness, she''d almost sent her Alexander to his death! That was too close a call!


    After sending her second brother off, she glared at Candice, who shivered and quaked in her boots at the princess'' glare.


    Who could have told him? It could only be Janice, right? She was the only one who''d seen her in this state, and she''d left briefly to bring her back ice-cream.


    Wait, no. There was someone else.


    The guard that she''d left to watch Alexander!


    A fierce light ran through her eyes. He dared¡­?


    Knock, knock, knock!


    Three steady knocks on the door was the sign of a message received by the maids who were waiting outside.


    Candice scurried to the door, opening it and receiving the message, handing it carefully to the princess. Thankfully, the princess didn''t seem as if she was going to take her anger out on her.


    Ophelia unfurled the parchment, and her expression changed when she read the message.

 Chapter 235 How Dare You Come Back!

    Down at the bookstore where Alec was working, the bell rang, signifying that a customer had entered.


    According to the rules that this bookstore was run by, Alec didn''t look up when he felt the familiar magical signature that came in. It was Thea.


    She started browsing around the bookstore, and Alec continued reading.


    He''d asked her to come here both for the report as well as to help him act out a little play for their resident princess.


    Since she''d finally confessed to him, subsequently leading to his rejection, he had to give her a way to hold something above his head, which would also cause her to be unable to think rationally.


    He couldn''t help but wonder whether or not he''d reeled her in a little too well. She was displaying signs of complete obsession with him, rather than having heavy infatuation with him instead.


    Ye Sha snorted when he worried about it, rolling his eyes. His friend had no idea. No idea at all.


    "Obviously. She''s never been treated like that in her life, and as you said, the guys have always been the ones who take the initiative to chase her. Not only did you not reject her advances after she started, the way you look at her would make any girl have fantasies. Is it so surprising that she would fall this hard? To the point of obsession even?"


    Alec thought about it before reluctantly agreeing. It was still moving in the direction he needed it to, but he''d have to adjust his plans a little since she didn''t seem like she was going to let him go any time soon.


    In that case, he would have less freedom the moment he ''inadvertently'' landed in her hands.


    Thea made a few rounds around the bookstore before she finally picked a few books up that she liked. As she walked to the counter, she froze when she caught sight of Alec peacefully reading his book at the bookstore.


    The guard that had entered the moment she entered watched in the corner, his eyes unreadable.


    Thea opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if the words that she wanted to say couldn''t leave her.


    Finally, in the end, a shaky voice came out. "Alexander?"


    Her eyes didn''t move from Alec''s form at all, and the guard couldn''t help but feel as if he was intruding on a private moment between two lovers.


    Even the princess'' love, Alexander, who was always calm and graceful whenever the guard saw him, lost his calm at the moment.


    His head snapped up, a look of hope and yet pain, crossing his features. "Lilianna?" he breathed.


    Thea gave a shaky laugh. "I go by Anna now." She took an unsteady step forward, before running to the counter.


    The books had long-since dropped to the floor the moment she''d locked eyes with him, and the guard silently saw himself out.


    He had to report to the princess. This was probably the exact situation that she''d been concerned about, right?


    The guard sent a messenger bird out, watching as its wings blurred before the avian creature disappeared with the message attached to its leg.


    Thea and Alec held hands, as if they were afraid that the other would slip away before their very eyes if they didn''t hold on any tighter.


    Thea leaned over the counter, as if she was exchanging sweet nothings with Alec.


    She gave a silent laugh. "How are you enjoying your seduction with the princess, huh?"


    Alec smiled shakily, but the smile didn''t reach his eyes. "I''d rather not repeat it ever again, but it''s going well so far. I should be able to get easy access into the palace after this."


    Thea laughed. "I hear about you day in and day out from the various ladies that sneakily go to the bar to destress, you know?"


    "That''s the idea."


    "Well, I''ll give it to you. You sure know how to make a splash."


    "Thank you," Alec said dryly.


    In the short span where the guard left to send the message, the two clan members completed their rather detailed exchange, and were now resuming their acting.


    "What happened to you?" Alec said with pain in his eyes.


    From a noble, Lilianna was now wearing commoner clothing that she would never have been caught in previously. From her previous wealth and splendour, she looked like she lost everything except her stunning good looks.


    Alec looked pained by what she''d suffered after she left him to marry another. Yet, the way he looked at her didn''t change a single iota, causing the guard to admire the man.


    From a noble to a commoner, yet Alexander''s love for the woman remained true.


    Thea''s eyes teared up, as if she was able to vent now that she met her former lover for the first time in a long while.


    She threw herself into his arms, her heart giving a strange thump, burying her face in his chest. "I''m sorry!" she apologized loudly. Her voice hitched, and she trembled lightly.


    By now, the guard had silently hidden himself in the corner again, watching the drama unfolding before his eyes.


    Honestly, it was a little uncomfortable, but what could he do? Orders were orders. Intruding in a couple''s moments like this made him feel like punching himself in the face, however.


    Why was he being subjected to their display of love even in the middle of an assignment!?


    "I''m sorry," Thea repeated incessantly.


    Alec tried to shush her without much success. "Why don''t you tell me what happened? There''s no one here to hear. It''s just you and me."


    The guard felt strangely guilty.


    "I t-tried to leave him, but my family wouldn''t let me. But I kept doing things that escalated, and in the end, they dis-disowned me," she got out with difficulty, and Alec''s face expressed that he would love to have taken her place to suffer in her stead.


    Alec brushed the tears from Thea''s face using his thumb, caressing her face, and she just wept harder, clutching his hands.


    The door to the bookstore was thrown open violently, but neither Thea nor Alec acted like they heard it, lost as they were comforting each other.


    "Don''t cry," Alec said sadly. "Seeing your tears pain me so much." Alec patiently coaxed her, and his voice was so soft and pleading that Ophelia felt as if she''d taken a shot to the heart.


    The difference in the treatment between her and the unknown woman that was clinging to him so shamelessly was like night and day.


    Immediately, a fire started burning brightly within her.


    So, this was the woman that Alexander couldn''t let go in his heart?


    Well then¡­ she had to do something about her, didn''t she? Otherwise, how was her Alexander going to make room in his heart for her to fit herself into?


    How dare she throw herself at her Alexander after she''d already let him go?! Not only that, she was married already ¨C or was she a divorcee now!?


    Either way, she didn''t deserve her Alexander when she''d made him hurt that much!


    Ophelia threw herself forward, disregarding the presence of the guard in the corner who felt as if he should stop the princess from disturbing the couple, only to be reminded that he was a measly guard.


    Ophelia dragged the hussy back by the hair, a fierce look in her eyes, drawing a shriek of surprise and pain from the woman.


    "How dare you come back and try to coerce my Alexander again? You already left him once! He belongs to me now!"

 Chapter 236 Progress?

    Thea gasped, tears starting to gather in her eyes as the pain renewed.


    Ophelia hoped and hoped that her Alexander would not react when she was hurting this woman, but alas, his face immediately changed when he saw the pain that the slut was going through.


    Sure enough. Her Alexander was too kind. She supposed she wouldn''t like him if he wasn''t in the first place but seeing him be kind to some other woman just left a bad taste in her mouth.


    It was unacceptable.


    It just made the princess want to treat this whore harsher. How dare she try and insert herself back into her Alexander''s life when he already had her.


    Alec stepped forward to try and mediate with Ophelia, but she only tightened her grip on Thea''s hair when he stepped forward.


    There was a struggle on Alec''s face as he stepped back.


    Ophelia obligingly loosened her grip a little, ignoring the woman''s feeble actions as she tried to escape from the princess'' grasp.


    Alec pleaded with the unreasonable princess. "Please, let her go."


    Ophelia resisted the urge to grind her teeth at the sheer pleading expression that Alexander was giving her.


    She never wanted to show this side of herself to him, but she''d acted before she thought about it, even if she didn''t regret being able to get the slut away from her Alexander.


    The guard that was in the store walked up to the princess and took the woman off her hands, bringing her to the side.


    Alec very consciously didn''t say anything when he was faced with Thea''s pleading eyes, looking hesitantly at the princess.


    "Please. Don''t hurt her," Alec said.


    Ophelia felt stabbing pain in her heart. "I won''t. If you listen to me, that is."


    The princess'' true colours were showing in front of the one she didn''t want to the most, but it had already come this far.


    In that case, she might as well go all the way, then slowly improve his impression of her later on.


    Her eyes firmed as she stared at Alexander, but they softened when they saw that her Alexander appeared sad even though he was worried. His eyes didn''t show any hate or dislike for her at all.


    The princess bit her tongue, thinking.


    Since she couldn''t trust him not to meet that woman again, then she''d lock both of them up separately.


    Wait, no.


    If she did that, then Alexander might not be willing to stay with her anymore.


    "I won''t touch her," Ophelia negotiated with him. "In exchange, you won''t meet her again, alright?"


    "Okay," Alec agreed immediately, and the princess felt another squeeze at how willing he was to throw himself away just to help the person he loved.


    Why wasn''t it her!


    She felt like her heart had been ripped to shreds.


    If only she''d found him first.


    Both of them ignored the struggle from the woman that was still in the guard''s hands.


    Alec, because he was trying to protect Thea, and Ophelia, because she didn''t trust that she could hold herself back from killing the other woman if she continued looking at her.


    Alec gave one last glance at Thea before resolutely turning his gaze away.


    Ophelia held out a hand to her Alexander, who took it without hesitation, and the bit of fury in her heart died down a little at how compliant he was being.


    The princess nodded at the guard. "Let her go after we leave."


    The guard saluted her.


    The man and woman stepped into the carriage together, and her Alexander was being uncharacteristically quiet.


    His usual serenity was nowhere to be found, and Ophelia felt herself growing steadily more upset.


    This was not how she''d planned her confession going¡­ nor how she was going to win him over¡­ this was the last resort.


    Upset, the ride back to the palace was completely silent.


    Inside Alec''s mindscape, Ye Sha was making live commentary to prevent Alec from killing the princess for treating his clan member so harshly.


    "Tsk," Ye Sha tutted. "This princess is really overbearing, ah! But still. Just what is it about you that can make her infatuation turn into love and develop into such an obsession so quickly?"


    Ye Sha was feeling mystified. How could someone go from zero to hundred so quickly?


    In only a month, no less?


    Just what sort of magic had Alec cast over that woman for her to behave in such a manner?


    From the reports that Alec received, and of what he''d pieced together of her personality, the princess was a haughty and overbearing woman.


    She always got what she wanted, but she never made any moves about it herself, instead using the hands from the royal family to do her deeds for her so that she appeared innocent.


    This time, the princess had charged in by herself and grabbed Alec, dragging him back to the palace.


    Alec agreed with his friend.


    He''d seen the signs of obsession that she was starting to sport, but even then, the red flags weren''t as obvious.


    However, when he looked at how she reacted to Thea''s presence, his supposed ''lover'', she didn''t doubt it at all.


    She didn''t look into it, nor did she try and go about subtler means.


    Instead, she had come and quite physically ripped both of them together, removing Alec from the situation altogether in an efficient manner that would ensure his cooperation had he truly been ''Alexander''.


    Alec could appreciate that much.


    He just didn''t like Ophelia Rhys as a person, that was all.


    This was a mission, and he wasn''t developing any feelings for her whatsoever.


    The palace was a harmonious mix between grandeur and elegance.


    Painted in whites and soft gold, as well as various other colours that gave it a majestic feeling, the palace gave off a dominating feeling of luxury that brought awe to those that looked at its infrastructure.


    It was a place that no one was able to enter unless they were nobles, or they were employed to work there.


    Those commoners that worked for the palace usually never left until their death.


    Alec could see the work and thought that had been put into the place, but he didn''t care much for it.


    To him, the Neil Clan compound looked a lot more impressive, and even the Heavenly Ascension Sect was more impressive than this.


    Still, he made sure none of his feelings showed on his face as both he and the princess entered through the main gates.


    Ophelia, who had been watching her Alexander''s face when they entered the palace, was a little disappointed when he didn''t show any surprise at the place, instead just looking down at the carriage floor with a tinge of sadness.


    The princess felt something sour build up, but she shoved it away.


    Alexander was hers now, and no one would be able to say otherwise. As long as he accepted it, then she would give him everything and anything he wanted.


    Ophelia dragged him by the arm towards her quarters, where the maids stood in front of the door, blocking her.


    "Out of my way!" she commanded, glaring at them.


    The maids shivered and trembled, their heads bowed low, but they didn''t make a move.


    "I said, out of my way!" Ophelia commanded with more force this time, only to be stopped by Alexander softly tugging on her arm.


    "Lady Ophelia, please. It isn''t proper for a male and female unwed to be together in the bedroom chambers."


    The maids could have cried when Ophelia''s glare lessened somewhat, her fury abating at his words.


    "Hmph. Prepare a room for my husband."


    Ophelia felt the hand on her arm twitch, but she was pleased when he didn''t reject what she said.


    Progress.

 Chapter 237 How Could It Be?!

    Alec didn''t make any moves at first since that would be unwise.


    He knew that it would be too suspicious if he made any moves when he was supposedly ''heartbroken''.


    If this was a normal infiltration mission where he could quickly dart in and out, he wouldn''t have to take such troublesome steps, but since it was more of a long-term mission, he would rather not take any chances.


    Right now, there were many eyes on him at all times, and the servants that were stationed outside to tend to his needs were just a guise. They were watching him under orders from Ophelia to make sure he didn''t run away.


    By right, the princess'' family should have already known that she''d brought a man back with her, but they had not confronted him as of yet, which was rather strange.


    Alec made contact with the Cookie Sect member that was stationed here secretly, getting more detailed information about the royal family''s schedule daily.


    The first few days, Ophelia kept coming by, but Alec turned her away, so she eventually made herself scarce.


    He knew that she was going crazy because of his rejections, but this was needed. Otherwise, if he acted like he was fine, she''d probably also lose her temper.


    It wouldn''t be long before the royal family and their guards wrote Alec off as harmless ¨C as well as someone who was thoroughly under Ophelia''s thumb.


    It was only then that he would make his move.


    Ophelia, unlike Alec who was supposedly passing the days in a bit of a daze, felt like she was growing wearier day by day.


    Right now, she even harboured the notions of forcing him, but she knew that would be detrimental to her situation.


    She was frustrated and annoyed, but even so, she didn''t force herself into the room with her Alexander even though she knew she could.


    Until he forgot about his sadness a little, she''d wait, biting her thumb in frustration.


    But she better not be made to wait too long, or she''d have to take some drastic actions.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec finally allowed Ophelia to meet him after a few days, having made her wait until she was at the end of her patience.


    This way, she''d be much too happy to see whether or not anything was suspicious about how he was behaving.


    Not only that, with her obsession with him deepening, she''d believe whatever he said if he just said it in the right tone of voice.


    Ophelia was gleefully dragging her Alexander around with her to a tea party that was hosted by Lady Janelle.


    Janelle was the daughter of the marquees, and Ophelia knew that she was deeply infatuated with her Alexander.


    What was the best way to show off her new love, as well as to show that he was already taken?


    Of course, by dragging him to a tea party to show him off in front of the ladies that were all in love with him! She had to hammer it in that they had no chances with her Alexander, even if he had yet to fall for her charms.


    Ophelia looked at her darling Alexander with soft eyes. "Are you sure you''re really okay with this? Aren''t you still mad at me?"


    Ophelia didn''t really want to ask this question, but she knew that she''d have it haunt her every waking thought if she didn''t ask and get it off her chest.


    Alec smiled at the princess, and Ophelia felt her heart beat faster looking at the smile that she''d grown used to ¨C and hadn''t seen in the past few days.


    Even then, the usually serene smile now had a trace of melancholy to it, and it made him have a different sort of charm altogether. It was even more attractive than before, for some reason.


    "I was never mad at you. I was just sad and upset. That''s all. I also know that Lilianna ¨C Anna ¨C has her own life now, and I''m not¡­ in it any longer."


    Ophelia was thrilled. Did this mean that he had finally let down his feelings for that slut?


    Did he finally make space in his heart for her to fit herself into?


    She''d comfort him gently and make him fall for her.


    It was obvious that he was still sad about it.


    All was fair in love and war, after all.


    When she looked at him more closely, she knew that he still didn''t feel anything for her, but that was alright.


    As long as she was able to tie him to her side, and soon she would be able to, with her father''s decree, then she''d be able to get rid of that eyesore.


    They arrived at Janelle''s party with much fanfare.


    Ophelia couldn''t wait to show him off, and her Alexander gracefully stepped off the carriage first, waiting for her down below.


    She took his hand and stepped down, smiling at him.


    Even though he immediately withdrew his hand, that didn''t affect her happiness at all, as she clung onto his arm shamelessly.


    The tea party was held in the garden, with blooming roses and other flowers that complemented the day to beautifully.


    The garden was something that was the pride of the Marquees'' family, and the tea parties that were held here were always appreciated by the noble ladies.


    Ophelia was no different.


    There was a hush as Ophelia walked in fashionably late with a man on her arm.


    Not only that, the man that was with her was the famed Alexander that had stolen many noble ladies'' hearts in the past month or so.


    With hair as dark as night, and a tall figure, the gentle aura that so many of them were enamoured by, he was a sight for sore eyes.


    Although he wasn''t the most handsome person that they''d met, there was something strangely alluring about his aura, and the noblewomen were all drawn in before they knew it.


    They were shocked when the princess walked in with Alexander by her side, as the man had not shown up at the Cookie Sect for a few days already.


    Some of them had even suspected that Alexander had moved on from the city, going to another city instead.


    Of course, that rumour had led many ladies'' hearts to be broken when they heard it, wailing that their Alexander couldn''t have moved on.


    Just as they were coming to terms with it, Alexander had shown up next to Princess Ophelia.


    Suddenly, his disappearance from the Cookie Sect made a lot more sense.


    So, he had been kidnapped by the princess!


    Heavens!


    Many of them were seething with jealousy and heartbreak at this moment, and their hearts ached when they saw Ophelia shamelessly clinging onto his arm as they walked in.


    Many of them clenched their fists in anger, feeling upset.


    Yet, they couldn''t deny that the two looked good together.


    With the princess'' delicate looks, and Alexander''s gentle appearance, the two of them fit together seamlessly.


    "Janelle~" Ophelia called sweetly.


    Janelle, who felt like stabbing the princess in the face, had to force a smile onto her face.


    Luckily, her etiquette training paid off, and her smile was as graceful as usual. "Good afternoon, Princess Ophelia," she greeted.


    But¡­ why was he here? Not that they minded or anything!


    "I hope you don''t mind if my darling joins us this afternoon?"


    There were a series of gasps of heartbreak when Alexander didn''t reject how the princess called him, instead just smiling at Janelle apologetically.


    Inwardly, they were all cursing the shameless princess for having landed their recent heartthrob.


    "Of course not," Janelle said with a slightly more strained smile.


    But when she looked at Alexander, her expression loosened as she stared at him with hearts in her eyes.


    If there were no consequences of her murdering the princess, there was no doubt that she''d have already done so.


    "Thank you," Ophelia said sweetly, but the noblewomen there could only think about how venomous those two words were.


    Alec pulled out the chair for the princess, gaining a beaming smile from her, and the other ladies felt like killing her.


    When they were all seated, Alec quietly ate and sipped at the tea that had been poured for him, giving faint smiles whenever any of the ladies talked to him.


    The ladies there kept sighing inwardly when they saw him stare off into the distance occasionally, a faint melancholy air to him that wasn''t there before.


    He was even more attractive to them now, with the faintly tragic aura that he gave off.


    They bit their lips in regret.


    The star of the party, which was usually Ophelia, had obviously changed over to Alexander, but Ophelia didn''t even mind one bit.


    Because Alexander was hers.


    Seeing her smug face, more than one woman there wanted to kill the princess, and not just one time either.

 Chapter 238 The Office!

    Ophelia showing off Alexander at the tea party was the talk of high society immediately after the party ended.


    The ten ladies that showed up had been terribly jealous that their darling Alexander had been stolen by the princess, who always ended up playing with her boytoys until she no longer had any interest in them.


    Even the males, who hadn''t heard about Alec''s existence, were suddenly made aware with how many rumours and gossip that were going around the circles.


    The males were all curious, and simultaneously annoyed.


    Just who was this Alexander, that was stealing away the attention of every unattached lady in the noble circles?


    It was already hard enough to find someone that they liked, but now, they were all being stolen in front of their very eyes.


    How could they not be curious?


    Yet, none of them had actually seen Alexander in the flesh, nor did they get the chance to.


    There were only more and more outlandish rumours about him going around as time went on.


    There were normal rumours. Things like Alexander being dreamy, having the most peaceful aura, being a gentleman who never talked roughly. Stuff like that.


    Which, fair enough, those rumours came across as relatively normal at first.


    Though, to them, those things didn''t seem that great, yet why was it that the ladies were all talking about him like they couldn''t get enough?


    They were growing more and more curious about this sudden intrusion of Alexander, but they couldn''t gauge him as they had yet to see him.


    However, what they couldn''t forgive was the rumours that the princess was keeping him locked up like a princess in the tower, not letting him get out in fear of him running away from her.


    They scoffed at those rumours, saying it was too outlandish.


    Things had to be done in moderation! What nonsense was this?


    How could the sweet and adorable princess do such things?


    To the noblemen, the princess was like a fairy that was untouchable.


    When they said as such to the ladies that they heard the rumours from, the ladies gave them such vehement looks of disgust and disdain that they didn''t dare to speak any further.


    Meanwhile, in the palace, Prince Frazer, Second Prince of the Rhys Royal Family, had also heard the rumours about his sister keeping a boytoy around.


    He frowned before remembering that time where Ophelia''s guard reported to him that his sister had been crying because of a man. At that time, he''d been struck with disbelief.


    How could his headstrong sister end up crying because of something someone else said?


    So, he''d forced his way into her rooms, only to realize that she was indeed crying.


    And crying badly, at that.


    He''d offered to take care of the cretin for his sister, but since she wanted to take revenge herself, he''d put it out of his mind.


    If she needed anything, there was no way that she''d keep silent, as evidenced from her previous actions.


    Now, though, it was coming back to him.


    Just what was going on?


    Could it be that the rumours about Ophelia keeping the man locked up were true?


    How ridiculous!


    He had to see for himself.


    Frazer made his way to his sister''s rooms, only to be stopped in his tracks when he saw her emerge from the room opposite, clinging onto a man''s arm.


    Shocked, he stared at the couple with his mouth agape, his eyes wider than they''d ever been.


    It was such an unlikely sight that he never thought he''d ever experience it.


    It was only when Ophelia giggled delicately that he broke out of his trance with a slight shiver.


    When had his headstrong little sister ever behaved that way in front of a man?


    Every time he saw her with a man, they were all but grovelling as they threw themselves at her, but this time, the opposite was happening in front of his very eyes.


    Frazer stared at this ''Alexander''s'' face critically but couldn''t see what made him so insanely attractive to those women.


    For god''s sake, even his sister had fallen!


    His sister!


    The man just looked like a plain commoner, even if he was rather easy on the eyes.


    Just throwing a stone in the noble circles, whatever stone than man hit, you''d find a noble that was more handsome than him!


    Was she crazy?


    Were they all crazy??


    Was there something in the water, or what?


    What in the world was happening right now?


    "Hey! Are you crazy!" Frazer shouted at his sister.


    The maids around quickly made themselves scarce.


    They had no intentions on coming between a fight between the favoured princess and the second prince.


    Especially not when there were rumours around the servants that those that ever saw any degenerate behaviour from the royals were quickly silenced.


    Ophelia glared at him before it immediately melted away when she saw Alexander looking at him, smiling gently at her brother instead.


    Frazer shivered in disgust. What was this? What was happening??


    How two-faced can a person get!


    "You must have gone insane!" Frazer couldn''t help but say, speechless at how his sister was acting.


    Ophelia gently let go of her Alexander, turning to him. "Erm¡­ I have to take care of my brother for a bit. Are you going to be fine by yourself?"


    Alec smiled at Ophelia, nodding. He stepped back into ''his'' room, closing the door.


    Ophelia called the maids to stand guard in front of it to make sure he couldn''t run away, in front of Frazer''s disbelieving eyes.


    What was he seeing?


    What was his sister doing??


    Women were terrifying when it came to the men they liked.


    The moment Alexander was out of earshot, Ophelia rounded on him.


    "Hey! Did you have to act like you were insane in front of my darling?"


    "Darling?!"


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec quickly placed a seal on the door after telling the maids outside that he would be turning in for the night.


    He had a good idea of the palace layout already because Ophelia had dragged him around, graciously explaining where each place was, and he had no intentions on sticking around with this insanely arrogant princess for much longer.


    With that done, he slipped out through the balcony.


    He didn''t know if it was because the princess just wanted him as close as possible, but she never did anything about the window, almost like she was hoping he''d sneak into her room at night through the windows and balcony.


    At that thought, Alec rolled his eyes.


    He didn''t know if she was bold or just stupid, but since it was daytime now, the guard on him wasn''t as strict, using the mentality that even if someone wanted to do something, they wouldn''t do it in broad daylight.


    Making himself nigh invisible using the technique that hidden guards usually utilized, Alec faded his presence until there was nothing left.


    Right now, according to the faint whispers that he heard from the servants, the first prince, Alistair Rhys, was at the bar even though it was currently daytime, deviating from his normal schedule.


    Alec had a few doubts about the first prince that he could only voice in his head.


    He wouldn''t anything to Thea first until he managed to find evidence.


    Even though Thea had reported that Alistair had been talking about it loudly in the halls, when he was with walking with his attendant, would something that was likely supposed to be a secret be so openly spoken about?


    It just made no sense.


    Of course, unless they were a complete moron, which Thea seemed to think, but having been able to survive in the royal family until now, would that person truly be stupid?


    Alec didn''t think so.


    With how he visited the bar almost every single day without fail, drinking and partying with the dregs of high society around him, Thea naturally didn''t see him any other way, but Alec was an outsider in this situation.


    If the first prince wasn''t an idiot, then this war had a whole different connotation to it altogether.


    Were the Rhys Roya Family baiting the Neil Clan to attack them so that they had a reason for genocide? Was that it?


    Or was it something else?


    This was the main reason why Alec had infiltrated into the palace seamlessly, without giving anyone doubt about his identity.


    He wouldn''t have done so otherwise, choosing such a long, drawn-out method where he had to seduce someone to gain access.


    Being able to find that information would not be a short-term job, and he needed nothing less where he would be able to have access as well as a backer to save him if it ever came down to it.


    Alec darted into the first prince''s office.

 Chapter 239 As Expected!

    The first prince''s office was surprisingly clean, compared to his usually decadent and sloppy self ¨C or so he portrayed himself to be.


    Obviously, the office reflected the first prince''s true personality.


    It seemed that even though he made sure to keep his appearance outside meticulous, his workplace was obviously spared from that.


    There had been a number of security-based seals on the door to prevent anyone besides the prince from entering, but it wasn''t a problem for him.


    Rather, there had been a loophole where there wasn''t a seal applied to the doorknob, which meant that Alec had ample space to work and make his way in without resorting to breaking the seals down.


    Alec smirked.


    He just knew that the first prince wasn''t as simple as it seemed, as was evident from this door itself.


    Now the only question was left was what his intentions were for leaking information in the first place?


    Were they enemies? Or were they reluctant allies?


    Alec didn''t have enough data yet, which was why he had taken the risk so soon to enter the first prince''s office to gather more information.


    The System looked around with appraising eyes.


    The place looked just like a normal office, but he supposed that there wouldn''t be something so obviously out of place if the real personality of the first prince was as he inferred.


    Unfortunately, he had yet to meet Prince Alistair in person, so he had to make do with second-hand information and guesses, which was not how he liked it.


    Quickly moving before someone realized he was missing, Alec combed through the place while making sure that not a single thing was out of place.


    The less he found, the more Alec felt grudgingly impressed.


    Still, there were things that he managed to gleam from the paperwork that was neatly filed away in the place.


    There were no personal items in the office, and everything was meticulous and neat.


    Why was someone like this faking his personality and his image in front of the other nobles?


    Slipping back out of the office after making sure that it was as it was before he entered, Alec returned to his room via the balcony.


    It was just in time too.


    A few minutes after he removed the seal on the door, Ophelia stormed into the room in a huff. Obviously, the talk with her brother had not gone well.


    Ophelia started complaining to Alec, who patiently bore it as he dissected the second prince''s personality from her words.


    The more she talked, the more he was information he was able to extract.


    From what he gathered, while the second prince seemed more put together on the surface, especially when the nobles compared him to his brother.


    The second prince was currently looking to be first in line for the throne, as there were many more nobles backing him compared to the first prince who only partied away and indulged to his heart''s content.


    The emperor had yet to choose a crown prince despite everyone''s urging, which was why the empress was still wary of the first prince.


    If you looked at the structure of the Rhys Royal Family now, Alec could roughly guess what was going on, if it followed one of the more common tropes.


    The first prince, Alistair Louis Rhys, was born from the previous empress, while second prince Frazer and first princess Ophelia were both born from the current empress.


    Then, the second princess, Freesia, who was largely unfavoured because she was born from a concubine, was pretty much unseen both inside and outside the palace.


    Sometimes, people even forgot that there was a second princess in the first place, let alone remembering her name or how she looked like. That was how unknown she was as a whole.


    It felt like every royal family story ever, where the second empress ascended to the throne after a period of being a concubine after poisoning the first empress and getting rid of her.


    Alec almost clicked his tongue.


    Sure enough, it was another common plot point, which lent credence to his thought that the first prince wasn''t normal by any stretch.


    If it went down this train of thought, then Alec could infer that the first prince was hiding his abilities because of the second empress until he was able to overthrow the throne, while the unfavoured second princess who was born from a concubine was either a Main Character or complete cannon fodder.


    Though, he didn''t think it was likely that the second princess Freesia was a Main Character.


    The palace wasn''t big enough that the [Main Character Radar] was unable to pick up signs of a Main Character being nearby.


    Ye Sha agreed with his line of thinking. He''d be able to find out if there was a Main Character so long as they were in the vicinity.


    This was one of the common plot points that they saw whenever the royal family appeared.


    There was no such thing as a harmonious royal family, and there was always one person acting like they were the scum of the planet, only to be the most capable one there.


    Then, going with this train of thought, it was likely that the upcoming war with the Neil Clan was true.


    It would be bad for the first prince if the royal family got any more powerful before he was able to make his move, which was why he''d leaked information to Thea.


    In cases like this, the first prince probably achieved a high level of mastery over his magic, which was why he was able to spot Thea when she first appeared, without giving anything away.


    Suddenly, things started clicking together.


    Was it about time for the owner of the continent to change hands?


    Alec''s eyes glinted, and Ophelia continued rambling as she vented her anger and annoyance with her second brother.


    "-know he''s just doing it ''for my sake'' but it gets so annoying sometimes!" she huffed.


    Alec smiled at her indulgently, his eyes soft, even as his hand itched to smack her.


    "Anyway, tomorrow I''m going to ask my father for a marriage decree for us!"


    Alarm started going through him at her words.


    "Lady Ophelia," he said seriously after she finished speaking, disappointment colouring his tone.


    Ophelia flinched hearing the unexpectedly serious tone from the man who was always so gentle.


    The disappointment he pressed into his words flowed through her like a shock of cold water splashing over her.


    What did she do wrong, she wondered?


    "W-what is it?" she asked nervously.


    She wasn''t even this nervous in front of her father emperor, but her Alexander was able to do this to her with only two words.


    The thought that she''d disappointed him when he had started loosening up to her these days terrified her greatly.


    She didn''t want to go back to the days where they didn''t exchange words at all.


    "Are you really going to have your father decree a marriage that forces us to be together?" he said with just the barest hints of sadness.


    Ophelia bit her lip. But¡­ if she didn''t do this, then wouldn''t he run away?


    Alec seemed to understand what she was thinking.


    "Haven''t I been staying by your side already?"


    Ophelia''s eyes shook.


    That¡­ that was true. He hadn''t even made a single escape attempt in the time that he was here, and he already knew that that woman was not in her hands, as was promised to him earlier.


    What did this mean?


    Did it mean that he had feelings for her? Or did it not?


    She was so hopeful, yet at the same time, she was completely terrified.


    Sure, having her father decree a marriage would keep him tied to her side, but at the same time, she would always have it at the back of her mind that it was a forced marriage, which would leave a bitter taste in her mouth.


    "Okay," she said decisively. "I won''t ask. But¡­ don''t leave me waiting for too long, alright?" she pouted.


    Alec gently stroked the princess'' hair, and she leaned in. She didn''t even like it when her brothers did this when she was younger, but now she felt like she didn''t mind it at all.


    Well¡­ he had her pacified for a while.


    Alec wanted to make contact with the first prince before he made his exit. Tomorrow would be a good time to do it.

 Chapter 240 What A Rogue!

    Alec could hear the commotion outside from a distance as the first prince was approaching their rooms, likely going past the long way around to exit the palace when there was a much quicker and more direct route.


    According to the servants, this wasn''t an unusual occurrence.


    The prince had always taken this route, almost as if he was delighting in annoying Ophelia whenever he went past, and it was the break that Alec had been waiting for to make contact with the first prince.


    According to the Cookie Sect''s information, Alistair passed by using the same route every time he went out of the palace, and from what Alec had observed from the first prince''s schedule, it was true.


    Alistair indeed had a rather predictable schedule that he stuck to every day, which was why he had twice the amount of hidden guards compared to the rest of the royal descendants. Or so it was claimed.


    Like clockwork, he heard the same thing every day ever since he ''moved in'' via the princess'' orders, and today, he was planning to make contact with the first prince.


    The people that the first prince surrounded himself with were a bunch of noisy ones, and they were all yes-men who agreed with whatever the prince said. A bunch of fair-weather friends, that''s what they were.


    They carried and acted like a bunch of degenerates who were wasting their life away daily, and since they had enough wealth and power to do so, there was no one to stop them.


    Hearing their noisy entourage make their way down the hallway in the distance, Alec knew that this was the time to act.


    Since he''d Awakened his hearing to a degree that far outstripped a normal unenhanced person''s hearing, he was able to act before most people.


    Alec rose to his feet, causing Ophelia to look at him in askance, but she didn''t say anything, instead just rising to her feet as well.


    She clung to his arm, and Alec had to shove down the annoyance that he felt for her more and more often.


    He literally could not wait for this to be over.


    It was at this moment that Ye Sha made a sound.


    "Eh, that stalker of yours is in Rhys City."


    Alec was briefly confused before it clicked. "You mean Mini?"


    Ye Sha snorted. "Mini. Yeah, him."


    Alec was momentarily silent.


    Well, he supposed he should have expected it.


    After all, he ended up staying outside a lot longer than he had originally been planning on doing.


    Originally, he''d made a tactical retreat from his problems, but then more problems started popping up in the clan, so he''d taken the chance to let loose a little ¨C even if couldn''t really call it letting loose now since he had to act and keep himself constrained.


    Well¡­ even Dominique wouldn''t barge into the palace on his lonesome, so it was fine.


    With Ophelia clinging onto Alec''s arm, the two walked out of the room, only for Ophelia to lock eyes with her already somewhat drunk-looking first brother and his equally as drunk entourage.


    For the love of¡­! It was in the middle of the day!


    Ophelia reluctantly let go of her Alexander''s arm as she maintained her haughty stance in front of her brother.


    Ye Sha snorted when Opehlia stuck her nose in the air, as if she was showing off how much better she was than her brother who was dallying in decadence and vices.


    She snuck a few glances at Alec as if she was saying how much better she was than her brother, wouldn''t he praise her?


    Alistair and Ophelia locked eyes, and the first prince gave his sister a sloppy smile when he realized who he was looking at.


    "Opheliaa," he slurred slightly, grinning. "How are you, my darling baby sister?"


    "I was quite fine before you came along, thank you," Ophelia said primly, looking as if she was about to pinch her nose from the heavy stench of alcohol that wafted off him.


    "Don''t be like that, baby sister," Alistair whined, looking for help behind him, but his followers all didn''t want to get between two royal siblings, hiding themselves away.


    Anyway, the first prince rather doted on Ophelia even when she treated him so badly, which meant that if they *did* oppose her, they wouldn''t have good ends.


    Even if they were slightly tipsy, they weren''t drunk yet!


    Alistair''s eyes wandered, and his eyes widened just the smallest fraction when his eyes landed on Alec''s face, staring at him in abject curiosity.


    "What are you doing?" Ophelia said as her jealousy flared up.


    Her brother was looking at her Alexander for far too long!


    "Nothing, nothing," he said instead. "Goodbye then," Alistair stumbled forward with his arms wide open, making as if to hug her.


    Ophelia recoiled in disgust, sidestepping him, and she regretted it when Alistair stumbled sideways instead and ended up putting his filthy hands all over her darling Alexander.


    "What are you-!" she shouted but was cut off when Alistair made a sound of appreciation, his hands moving and patting around on Alec''s body.


    "Wow, what a nice body!"


    There was a slightly stunned expression on Alec''s face, and Ye Sha burst out into laughter inside his mindscape.


    "Brother, you-!" Ophelia screamed; distress evident in her voice.


    Even she had yet to so boldly touch her Alexander''s body! Ophelia felt like killing him, regardless of him being related to her by blood.


    Yet, before she could do anything like that, her brother bodily picked up her Alexander, slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.


    Ophelia gaped unladylike in shock, the shock too strong that her mind wasn''t even comprehending what was happening, let alone moving to take action. Her entire thought process stalled.


    Before she knew it, Alistair had ditched both his yes-men and his sister, leaving them behind in the dust, gaping at their backs.


    It was only when the two were long out of sight that Ophelia let out an unholy scream of anger as her eyes blazed with literal fire.


    "Find the first prince for me! NOW!" she screamed.


    Her brother''s entourage quickly made themselves scarce.


    How could Ophelia ever have expected this to happen!?


    She should have known that her Alexander would attract both males and females to him!


    She''d been too lax in thinking that she was safe because they were holed up in the palace.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec was stunned by the extent that Alistair would go to talk to him, but he supposed that it made enough sense, even if he hadn''t expected him to use such a method, but he was willing to go along with it.


    Alistair was acting like a thief in broad daylight, sneaking around and stealing his sister''s lover.


    Alec''s lip twitched.


    For some reason, perhaps because he was so constrained and hadn''t been able to let loose in the princess'' presence, he found their current situation insanely hilarious.


    Ye Sha obviously agreed, if the snickering he heard was anything to go by.


    Alistair darted into his room acting like a sneaky thief, locking the door behind him.


    He deposited Alec on the bed and stared at the man he''d brought into his room.


    Instantly, the aura that he had about him previously changed minutely as he stared at Alec for the briefest moment, before it changed back.


    There was something about the man in front of him that was triggering something in his memories. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on it.


    Alistair thought hard as he roughly ruffled his hair, acting as if he was still that second-generation wastrel.


    Yet, Alec could see that for the briefest second, his eyes were anything but inebriated.


    Those were the eyes of a sober, calculating man.


    There was no way that the prince didn''t take into account his reaction when he brought him here.


    Rather, this was obviously a test to him as well.


    Alec was rapidly rewriting all his previous predictions on the man, gaining knowledge in real time.


    Alistair gave Alec a sloppy grin, stumbling forward and hooking his finger under Alec''s chin, tilting it up like a rogue.


    Ye Sha cackled with laughter at the situation Alec currently found himself in.

 Chapter 241 Prodding Each Other

    Alistair studied the rather plain face in front of him.


    Rather, it wasn''t that he looked plain, but the overall harmony of his features came across as plain.


    Yet, there was something strangely soothing about his overall features the more he was stared at. Perhaps it had to do with the rather unique aura he had.


    There was just something about this person that was pinging every one of his gut instincts, telling him that he was looking at something that should have been something else.


    Alistair tilted his head, thinking hard even as he had his usual mask fixed onto his face.


    Strangely, the person in his hands didn''t react like a normal person would, either.


    Usually, the person would be afflicted with emotions like shock and confusion, or even amusement, but all he could see in this young man''s eyes was calmness. It wasn''t faked either.


    Something about those eyes were sparking something in his memory, and the aura that he had about him seemed rather familiar as well.


    Even though he''d roguishly tilted up the other''s chin like that, the other person didn''t even feel any negative emotions towards someone who was behaving so indecently?


    A prince, at that, not a princess.


    How very odd.


    "Greetings to the first prince," Alec said, staring into the other''s eyes.


    Alistair''s eyes flashed as he pulled his finger away. "You know," he said.


    He didn''t say it as if he was asking, but rather stating a fact.


    Alec watched with curiosity as the other''s mask disappeared layer by layer, staring with his eyes, then his facial expression changing.


    Even the way he stood changed.


    It was just the slightest shifts of posture, but the overall feeling that came across was completely different.


    Alistair''s eyes flashed with calculation, as if deciding whether or not to silence him permanently.


    "You¡­ hm?" Alistair said, tilting his head, as if trying to look at Alec at another angle. His face changed minutely.


    Alec maintained his usual expression, not even having the decency to express any shock when the usually sloppy first prince suddenly became someone else entirely different from the person that he portrayed.


    "You¡­ aren''t you the youngest array master?" Alistair said, purposely leaving out Alec''s name.


    While others had heard rumours about the existence of the youngest ever array master, not many people knew his name.


    Unless, of course, they were also interested in the art of arrays. Which, truthfully, wasn''t that many.


    It was a tedious process, studying that art, and not many people had the persistence to keep trying various experiments over and over again.


    Even though the prestige that came along with being an array master was high, not many were able to persist to the end.


    If the other was truly who he thought he was, then he should know his name at the very least, and if they wanted to have a proper conversation, then at least that much needed to be put on the line.


    Otherwise, Alistair would do his best to get rid of the other before he took a single step out of the room.


    "Alecris Neil," Alec said simply.


    Likewise, if he thought that this was going badly, then Alec was just going to have to pit himself against the first prince before fleeing after murdering the prince.


    Yet, despite Alec revealing his name, the first prince''s face was a little strange when he revealed it.


    The prince didn''t know whether or not it was just because Alec was from the Neil Clan. While he might have thought that it was possible this wasn''t Alec but instead some other member, the thing was¡­


    Alistair Louis Rhys was actually a secret member of the Heavenly Ascension Sect.


    No one knew that he was the first prince of the Rhys Royal Family there, and he liked it that way.


    More than one, Alistair had seen the famed youngest array master at a distance, and the feeling that the boy gave off was rather similar to this man in front of him.


    Yet, the boy should not have been this old, which was what triggered his confusion.


    ¡­He supposed something must have happened if his appearance was like this now.


    While it was possible to change one''s appearance using seals or arrays, the same could not be said for the body type, which meant that Alec''s body really did look like this.


    More than that, Alistair trusted his gut which was screaming at him. This was Alecris Neil indeed.


    Just as Alistair was studying Alec, the System was also studying the first prince.


    He''d definitely seen his face before, now that he looked more closely at him. He sifted through his foggy memories and tried to recall where, cursing that his memory for faces was just that terrible.


    For as far as Alec remembered, as long as the other person didn''t bother him or was someone related to him, he usually forgot their faces after a while. Unless they made a strong first impression, that was.


    Finally, it clicked. "Aren''t you Marc''s senior brother?"


    Alistair''s eyes flashed. It was indeed him.


    The sharp calculation in his eyes softened a little, now that he knew they were from the same sect.


    While he would normally not do this for anyone else, he''d had enough contact with Alec to know what his personality was like.


    Alistair nodded shortly, confirming Alec''s words.


    Alec had to click his tongue. He should have known.


    Still, it looked like the Cookie Sect''s information still had some room to grow, if they weren''t aware of Alistair''s real identity.


    "Are you here because of the war against the Neil Clan?"


    Alec admitted it freely. While he didn''t trust the other completely, his gut feeling told him that they were on the same side.


    Alistair gave a pleased hum. He didn''t expect to reel in a big fish.


    Even if the other wasn''t that strong, just his knowledge of arrays was enough for him to be a treasure, yet the clan allowed him to go around freely? Even doing an infiltration mission like this where it was possible he could be caught and executed for treasonous reasons?


    They were truly bold.


    But he liked it.


    Alistair let out a laugh, one that came from the depths of his soul.


    It was something that he was never able to do when he was in this stifling palace, but he felt himself liking Alec more than before.


    "So, what are your plans? Going to take over the royal family?" Alec casually spat out some treasonous words that would have been grounds for someone to execute him.


    Alistair shrugged gracefully. "Perhaps."


    They were interrupted in the middle of their conversation by fists banging on his door, and Ophelia''s screaming outside for her brother to return ''her Alexander''.


    Alistair raised a brow, looking at Alec. He was surprised by the extent at which his sister was going to just because of a man. "Just what did you do to foster such obsession within her?"


    Alec just smiled. How could he answer when he didn''t even know? Who knew that she''d react so much stronger than he originally predicted?


    It was probably just a part of her obsessive personality that hadn''t been unearthed before.


    While Alistair stared at the door like he was contemplating just ignoring it, Alec started carding his hand through his hair, mussing it up slightly.


    Using a bit more force, he pinched and pressed a couple of bruises upon his neckline, to Alistair''s amusement.


    Alistair already knew how Alec was planning on playing this off, and it gave him a great sense of amusement.


    The original impression he had of the boy was gentle and rather innocent, but with his actions now, it was evident that he didn''t know the other as well as he once thought.


    Alistair unhurriedly messed up his clothes further, watching from the corner of his eye as Alec did the same, popping open the first two buttons of his shirt.


    Ophelia burst in the moment the door was unlocked, murder in her eyes.


    Her jaw immediately dropped at what she saw.

 Chapter 242 Here For The Show

    Her eyes darted between her brother and her darling Alexander, wide with shock and disbelief.


    No!


    No! How could this be!


    It had only been half an hour while she was busy searching for her brother''s shadow, but it had already been enough for something to happen!


    Ah, she should have known that this degenerate would drag her Alexander back to his bedroom!


    But, unfortunately for her, this idiot had so many bedrooms that she had to check them all one by one!


    Ophelia was about to go insane.


    Ophelia''s eyes locked onto her Alexander''s dishevelled form, and she felt as if she''d taken a blow she couldn''t recover from.


    They''d¡­ they''d already¡­!


    At that thought, she felt faint.


    She hadn''t even gone past holding hands with her Alexander, but here, that stupid Alistair had already¡­!


    No!


    She screamed inwardly in sadness, and despair, and anger coloured her vision when she looked at her brother.


    Alexander''s brows furrowed a little, as if he was upset that he betrayed her, but he still carefully didn''t look at her anymore, instead looking only at Alistair.


    To think that someone she thought was safe was actually the most dangerous one!


    She felt like killing Alistair.


    Eek! She knew that he messed around with females, so why hadn''t she ever thought that he''d switch to males as well if he was given enough incentive? And, sure enough, her Alexander was so attractive that she had to watch out for both genders.


    His first time was gone just like that!


    She felt like crying.


    Unlike his usually neatly combed hair, Alexander''s hair was now messed up, as if someone had run their hands through his hair, pulling and yanking on it.


    Alistair¡­!


    Not only that, two of her Alexander''s buttons were popped off, as compared to his usually neatly dressed self. He''d never allow himself to be seen like this if something didn''t happen!


    Ophelia felt her breath coming faster as she felt faint.


    Alec shakily got up from the bed, stumbling a little as he walked forward, and Ophelia couldn''t breathe from sheer breathless horror.


    It felt like a storm had gone off in her mind, the multitude of feelings swirling around without pause.


    As devastated as she felt right now, the Alexander before her eyes was emitting a dangerously sexy charm that made her feel as if she was about to go crazy.


    "¡­Lady Ophelia," Alec said with a rare hesitance and embarrassment.


    His eyes were lowered to the floor, and there was the slightest flush on his face, as if he hadn''t calmed down.


    He still didn''t look at her.


    Ophelia felt something in her build, and her staring was interrupted at that idiot Alistair''s tap on the shoulder. She swallowed.


    "Baby sister, you''re bleeding," Alistair said with a sloppy, slightly smug grin.


    "Bleeding?" Ophelia repeated in a daze, and Alistair mimed blood dripping down from the nose.


    Ophelia hastily wiped under her nose and stared at her finger, but there was no sign of the blood that Alistair alluded to.


    She glared at Alistair.


    Alec stepped forward, and Ophelia''s eyes locked back onto Alec''s form, her eyes widening even more when he tilted turned his head subtly, and she realized the presence of the hickeys on his neck that definitely hadn''t been there before.


    She just barely stopped herself from screeching, and something hot rushed into her brain, causing her vision to blacken as she fainted.


    Both Alec and Alistair made no move to catch the fallen princess'' body, looking at her crumpled form with bemusement.


    Alec had not expected her to react so strongly, passing out, but he supposed it was just as well.


    Alistair snorted when he saw the expression on his sister''s passed out face.


    It was obvious that she''d received too much simulation from Alec''s unexpected attack, causing her to pass out like a delicate little maiden.


    And to think this wasn''t even Alec''s true face.


    The face that he was using now was much too plain when compared to his real face, but even then, he was already able to hook in so many girls and make them dance to his tune.


    Thinking about him doing the same thing with his real face made Alistair shiver.


    He''d even classify that as a national weapon, if he could.


    "So¡­ you''re going to carry her back, right?" Alistair said with a smile, immediately stepping out of the room. He took no responsibility for this. "I''ll look for you at night."


    As her ''lover'', and ever the gentleman that he portrayed his infiltration character to be, Alec was the one who should be seen carrying the princess back to her room rather than the brother that everyone saw as indecent.


    Alec reluctantly carried Ophelia back to her room princess style, something that she''d die for if she was awake, but too bad, his service only extended this far.


    At least the maids that almost stopped him from going in were blushing when they looked at how gentlemanly he was acting.


    After depositing Ophelia in her room, he subtly painted a seal on her to keep her asleep until the next day.


    It would dissolve by itself, leaving no trace behind when she woke.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    At night, the two met up again to discuss at length without Ophelia disturbing them.


    Even then, Alistair made sure for the maids outside to catch sight of him ''sneaking'' in, causing the maids to flare up as the urge to gossip gushed out from the bottoms of their souls.


    This was big news!


    They couldn''t believe it earlier, but now that they''d seen it with their own eyes, the sporadic rumours that were floating around had all but been confirmed.


    Excited, the maids exchanged glances within themselves and heated whispers and giggles, not knowing that every word they spoke flowed straight into Alec''s ears.


    Alec didn''t quite know how to feel about it, but he supposed that this was the course of action that they planned for, which gave him a way to keep out from under Ophelia''s thumb as well.


    By tomorrow, it was sure that the news about Alexander getting together with Alistair was sure to be a bomb, spreading like wildfire throughout the upper circles.


    Regardless of how Ophelia tried to oppress it, now that the maids had seen Alistair slipping into Alec''s room, there was no way that she''d be able to.


    More than that, such a scandal like this was always hot news, and would be sure to spread without being hope of stopping it.


    "I''ll bring you around with me," Alistair said at last, finally deciding.


    Since they didn''t have a course of action right now, it would be easier for him to bring Alec around with him ¨C that, and he definitely had more information with him than Alec would be able to obtain if he stayed with Ophelia.


    Alec gave a short laugh. That was fine with him.


    Though they had conversed at length, the two were still keeping each other at arm''s length, gauging what the other knew and what they didn''t.


    By no means did they trust each other.


    Motives, goals, personality.


    It was something that they were slowly gleaming from their conversation.


    Of course, nothing could grow without a modicum of trust, and they were cautiously extending it to the other.


    The rumours were already growing out of control outside the door and being faced with curious eyes tomorrow was sure to be amusing.


    Ye Sha snorted.


    Alec''s strange sense of humour had acted up again, and he didn''t know if he pitied the first prince or not.


    Then, he shrugged. The prince had signed up for it, so he would be the one to handle the consequences.


    Ye Sha was just here for the show.


    He wondered if Alec remembered that Dominique was in the city.

 Chapter 243 He Failed, You Know?

    Alistair and Alec had come to reluctant terms regarding their partnership, but while they had agreed to work together, that didn''t mean that they trusted each other fully.


    As such, both of them were going to keep an eye on each other, accompanying each other during the day.


    Which also meant that even when day broke, Alistair was still inside Alec''s room.


    The crazy princess, Ophelia, disregarded all her etiquette when she barged into Alec''s room, only to find her brother and Alec''s face close together, Alistair leaning over Alec and kissing ¨C or so it appeared from the angle she saw them.


    She fainted again, and Alec let out a snort, surprising Alistair. He looked at the younger man with appraisal in his eyes.


    Alistair looked at Alec with amusement. "I''d have thought that you''d be nicer to women, seeing how you come across."


    Alec just smiled at Alistair, as if he had no idea what the prince was talking about.


    Alec deposited the princess back in her room, not bothering with a seal this time.


    The more she saw and the quicker she experienced it, the sooner he''d be able to slip from her grasp.


    Alistair''s end goal was to take over for the throne ¨C at least, that was what Alec himself inferred, but he had yet to hear anything along those lines from Alistair''s mouth.


    Yet, the other was quite willing to feed him the information about the royal family''s plans on the future attack on the Neil Clan.


    Alec was rightfully suspicious, and Alistair knew it as well, if the smirk on his face was anything to go by.


    "Half an hour," Alistair said considerably, leaving Alec''s room.


    The moment he stepped out, his demeanour completely changed, reverting back to the same decadent prince that he portrayed himself as.


    Alec clicked his tongue.


    The other''s transformation was nothing short of amazing. Alec didn''t think he was able to do that. Even keeping up this gentle mask had taken years of practice, and he wasn''t able to let it go so simply like the other.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    All eyes were on Alec and Alistair, the unlikely duo, and the rumours that were flying around about them had spread at a rapid and frantic pace amongst the nobility circles, and so many girls were cursing the entire Rhys Royal Family for daring to put their hands on Alexander.


    Not only had the princess done so, the prince had also snuck into Alexander''s bedroom?


    Many womenfolk in the nobility circles that regarded Alexander as a pure spot in the filth in their circles were devastated now that Alexander had ''lost his purity''.


    Alec''s lips twitched a little when he heard the whispers and talk from outside the room, which was not missed by Alistair''s keen eyes.


    "Hey¡­ I''ve been thinking about this for a while, but are you able to hear the conversation outside as well?"


    Alec turned calm eyes to Alistair. "No."


    Alistair smirked, his eyes contemplative. "You can."


    "I can," Alec admitted freely. He could see that the other man wouldn''t budge in his belief no matter what he said, so he might as well admit it now.


    "Interesting¡­ so, what are they saying?" Alistair said, crossing his legs, and his personality was exactly like how Alec remembered it was like in the sect, so much so that Alec felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    He supposed that this was the first prince''s real identity. Or was it yet another mask that he wore easily?


    Alistair noticed his look. "Ah, are you wondering about this? Yeah, the sect is more like my home than the palace," he said casually, as if he wasn''t talking about something so fundamentally important to Alec''s understanding of him. "But enough of that. What rumours about us are going around?"


    Alec raised a brow. "Things like us being a couple, us doing naughty stuff in this private room, ''Alexander'' having been tainted¡­"


    Alistair chuckled, leaning back on the sofa. He looked completely relaxed, but even then, his actions carried a subtle sort of grace like it was his natural actions instead of being anything fabricated.


    It was a far cry from his usual sloppy act, and Alec was sure that many ladies would lose their mind over him if he acted like this in public.


    Alistair hadn''t been able to properly relax with all those second-generation wastes hanging around him and partying away, but since it was part of his image, he couldn''t just kick them away like that.


    But now he finally had the perfect opportunity to do just that with Alec''s help.


    He wanted badly to go back to the sect, but the empress would become too suspicious if he was away for long.


    The two sect members sat in comfortable silence ¨C well, one of them sat in comfortable silence.


    Alec, on the other hand, was listening to the rumours about both of them growing more and more outlandish. There was a quirk to his lips as he thought that their imagination was wonderfully detailed.


    Then, his eyebrow twitched a little when he realized that he felt a very familiar magical signature approaching him.


    He also heard cries from the staff outside.


    "Sir, you cannot come in here! Sir, please!"


    "Guards!"


    Alec''s lip twitched.


    "Sir! Sir! Sir, I repeat, you cannot be in here!"


    The cries from the workers here were obviously being ignored, if he knew Dominique.


    He could also feel Thea''s signature, but she was keeping scarce. She''d shot him a look earlier when he entered the place with the first prince.


    The door open and shut behind them, causing Alistair to raise a brow as his posture immediately changed.


    Exactly who was so bold to enter a prince''s room without any warning?


    With the sloppy smile painted on his face, his eyebrows shot up when he saw a famous ¨C or rather, infamous face in the sect.


    Alistair slunk out of the room, quietly taking care of the panicking employees outside of the room, their faces completely pale when they saw that the infamous first prince had come out of the room.


    The first prince waved them off and they thanked him while apologizing profusely.


    Alistair let himself back into the room, resuming his previous position, disregarding the glare that was focused on him.


    It was Dominique Falren, the sect leader''s son. Not only was he a Sin, the other man didn''t have any regard for authority whatsoever, so he was always challenging the elder''s orders, so many sect members stayed away from him because he was a loose cannon.


    He''d heard rumours that the Sin had taken to following Alec around, but he hadn''t actually thought it was the truth.


    Yet, when the other appeared here in the middle of Rhys City without any rhyme or reason, what other reason could it be?


    The way he looked at Alec changed a little.


    Alec privately thought to himself that at least Dominique hadn''t actually broken into the palace to find him.


    He''d be hard-pressed to talk his way out of that one.


    The other wasn''t stupid by any stretch ¨C he was a Main Character, after all, but like other Main Characters, he also possessed characteristics that meant he didn''t care about anything as long as they were in the way of his goal.


    "Mini."


    "Boss!" Dominique turned purple fanatical eyes towards his boss.


    "Boss?" Alistair said, raising a brow.


    Dominique''s eyes narrowed into a deeper glare, his eyes sweeping up and down Alistair''s form. "Who are you?" Why was someone else interrupting their reunion?


    Alistair felt a bit speechless. Why was it that neither Alec nor Dominique knew who he was? He was actually rather famous in the Heavenly Ascension Sect! Right? At least, he thought he was?


    Then again, it was also rather refreshing having this sort of reaction to him. Both his identities were usually recognized be it in the streets or in the sect.


    Alistair''s eyes flashed, and he pulled Alec closer to himself, slinging his arm over Alec''s neck. He felt like stirring a bit of mischief.


    "I''m Alexander''s lover, haven''t you heard the rumours?"


    It wasn''t anything over the line, but a dagger immediately flew at him, the hostility and killing intent filling the air.


    Alistair clicked his tongue, deflecting the dagger, his eyes widening a little when he felt the force of it. The other man was really trying to kill him. He was a prince, you know? A prince!


    Alec actually rolled his eyes, thankful that the OOC option was no longer applied to him. "Don''t bully my subordinate."


    Dominique shot a smug look at him, and Alistair made an indignant sound.


    "He just tried to kill me, you know," Alistair said dryly.


    Alec shrugged. "He didn''t succeed."


    Dominique scowled.

 Chapter 244 Who Are You?

    "Who are you?" Dominique repeated again with hostile intentions.


    If he couldn''t see from his boss'' posture that he didn''t want the other dead, Dominique would already have tried his best to kill him instead of that rather flimsy attempt.


    Alistair''s eyes flashed, this aura changing back to something serious. "First prince of the Rhys Royal Family. Alistair Rhys."


    When did he ever need to introduce himself?


    Dominique didn''t even blink before he turned his attention back to Alec. That was not the answer he was looking for from the other man.


    Alistair silently rewrote some of his impressions he had on the Sin.


    "Sit down," Alec said.


    Dominique sat across from Alistair immediately after Alec''s order, still glowering at the prince.


    Alistair was speechless.


    "Did you call him here?" Alistair said with suspicion.


    He was outnumbered in this room. Even if he didn''t think he''d lose in a fight, it remained that the Alec had somehow managed to call someone to his side without the prince being aware of it.


    "No," Alec said simply, and Alistair believed him for some reason.


    "So, he managed to find you in this huge city without even knowing about the rumours about us?"


    Dominique''s eyes narrowed. "What rumours?"


    "Rumours about Alexander and the princess. Alexander and the prince."


    Dominique''s face darkened. He''d heard a number of rumours that were going around, but he hadn''t linked both his boss and the Alexander from the rumours. Until now, that was.


    Suddenly, the Sin felt his urge to kill everyone who talked about his boss increase exponentially.


    His glare got sharper when he stared at Alistair''s face, but the other didn''t even flinch.


    Alistair was thinking. What should he do with the both of them, now? He couldn''t possibly keep both Dominique and Alec nearby with him.


    Surely, with him sending away the employees after Dominique so rudely barged into the room, there were emergence of new rumours.


    His gut was telling him that he should just keep both of them loosely at his side to form a proper partnership, and he relaxed when he made the most optimal decision.


    Dominique didn''t realize that his presence had helped Alistair''s suspicious heart settle down somewhat.


    If he knew, he would surely have his annoyance levels shoot up.


    "Do you want to strike a deal with me?" Alistair finally said the words that Alec had been waiting for.


    Feeling both pairs of eyes from boss and subordinate train on him, Alistair continued talking. He laid his cards out on the table. "Help me take down the royal family."


    "And why should I?" Alec questioned. His eyes were unreadable.


    "I can help you prevent the war with the Neil Clan entirely."


    Alec gave a faint smile. "I don''t need that. No, rather, we don''t need that."


    Alistair''s eyes narrowed as he thought. He originally thought that the other man had made contact with him because he was trying to prevent the royal family from going to war with the Neil Clan, but it appeared that was not the case.


    Then, what did he want?


    The first prince ran through the interactions that they had together, as well as the various rumours that had been going around about Alexander and the princess.


    He could not determine his motive.


    He was looking for information on the war, but he wasn''t biting the bait when Alistair said that he''d be able to prevent the war altogether. Then, what did he want?


    As he was looking between Dominique and Alec, his eyes flashed. "What do you want?" he said slowly.


    He felt as if he was on the verge of discovery when he noticed the comfortable interaction between Dominique and Alec.


    Just as Alistair was studying Alec, Alec had been looking at the prince''s reaction towards Dominique''s presence.


    Even though Dominique didn''t sport the mandatory black collar of the Rhys Royal Family''s creation to show that he was a Sin, Alistair should have already known that the other was a Sin because they came from the same sect.


    Dominique was not what he called low-key, and almost everyone in the sect knew his face, as well as the fact that he was a Sin.


    Alec leaned forward a little after he made up his mind. Alistair would be the perfect chess piece to use in this.


    He''d been unhappy about the treatment that Sins had been subjected to outside of the sect.


    Both before and after they entered the sect, they had been irrevocably changed by their experience outside.


    Mainly because of the mandatory collar that was attached to Sins outside of sects and clans, the Sins had a hard time because they were ostracized, which just fuelled their violent tendencies more.


    It was a vicious cycle that had to be treated, and Alistair was in the perfect position to change that.


    More importantly to Alec, though was that Alistair didn''t have a visible change in his behaviour when he interacted with Dominique, and even after Dominique had thrown a dagger at him with killing intent, Alistair didn''t react negatively.


    Of course, there was always the possibility that Alistair was faking it. His acting skills seemed to be relatively impressive, but Alec went with his gut instinct that the other truly didn''t see anything wrong with Dominique being a Sin.


    That was enough for him right now.


    "Are you planning on taking over the throne?"


    Alistair fell silent, his mind whirling. Instead of looking at Alec, he looked at Dominique who was just sitting there silently like a giant stone statue that was glaring at him.


    "I''ve already set up a silencing barrier, so feel free."


    Alistair turned back to Alec. "Yes."


    While he would rather not, the royal family was rotting from inside out.


    The numerous terrible deeds that had been performed by both the emperor, empress, first princess and second prince were already enough for Alistair to think about how to get rid of them once he caught whiff of the terrible things that were going on.


    It was precisely because they were in such positions of power that there was nothing to keep them in check.


    The only one who was free of the ''family drama'' was second princess Freesia, who was making herself as unnoticeable as possible.


    "If I help you, then I want you to do something about the Sin''s collar once you become emperor," Alec said simply, also showing his hand to the prince, just like how the prince laid his cards out on the table.


    A smile slowly curved onto Alistair''s face, and it was different from the sloppy smile that he usually showed people.


    It was a charismatic and genuine smile that seemed to contain the prince''s deep pleasure at the words that came out of Alec''s mouth.


    He had indeed not been wrong seeing the camaraderie between Alec and Dominique.


    If it was like this, then he felt as if he had more of Alec''s personality figured out, and that gave him a sense of relief and safety.


    "I had been already planning on doing so," Alistair said with pleasure.


    Alec hummed. Regardless of whether or not the other was telling the truth, it was enough for him.


    Compared to Alec and Alistair''s cool reaction, Dominique felt waves of emotion when he heard about his boss'' condition to help the prince.


    The fanaticism and worship that he had for his boss deepened a level.


    The boss had thought about them first, which made him feel something light bubble up in the pits of his stomach.


    He definitely hadn''t been imagining the short glance that the boss gave him before he talked, and there was a strange feeling being born in his heart.


    The boss wasn''t even a Sin, but he really treated them well ¨C both him and the other Sins out there.


    Dominique was a little jealous, but the deep satisfaction that he felt outweighed that feeling by far.

 Chapter 245 Making Plans

    Ophelia was sobbing in her room yet again while she was gorging herself on ice-cream.


    Candice, the poor maid, was helplessly trying to make herself part of the wallpaper, with only a little success.


    The princess had killed off a total of three maids in the past couple of days, and everyone was walking on eggshells because of it.


    They didn''t know when her temper would suddenly flare and lash out, and the innocent maids that had been caught in the crossfire lost their lives for such a trivial matter.


    Candice wanted to be anywhere but here, but the princess didn''t allow her to leave, ferrying ice-cream from the kitchen to her rooms the moment the tub was done.


    Ophelia was upset and furious at the same time.


    How could her brother swoop in and steal her Alexander away from her?


    She furiously bit on the spoon that was in her mouth, her eyes glaring at the ceiling.


    Her eyes were swollen and puffy, so she couldn''t even show her face outside of the room, which just trapped her in a cycle of misery where she kept thinking about Alexander''s face, as well as her hateful brother''s.


    It had been three days since she first saw them together in her Alexander''s room ¨C after which, Alistair had Alexander moved away from the room to sleep in his bedroom.


    She couldn''t even approach Alexander because that idiot Alistair was with him every waking moment, and Ophelia just knew that she would never be able to get her Alexander to look at her with that idiot in the way!


    Ophelia chucked the pillow across the room, scaring Candice so much that the attendant just barely stopped herself from falling down at the sudden outburst of anger.


    Then, tears filled her eyes again as she wailed.


    Her Alexander had completely been stolen away by her perverted brother, and her elder brother Frazer hadn''t been of any help whatsoever.


    Not only that, Alexander had gently rebuffed her after she approached him when he was with Alistair, refusing her feelings yet again.


    Humiliation and devastation warred for dominance within her.


    The developing sign of feelings that she definitely felt from him had been completely snuffed out as he only had eyes for Alistair now.


    *That* Alistair.


    The first prince Alistair, that only knew how to party and play around with those other degenerates, indulging in vices day in and out.


    Alistair that stole his first time, thus stealing his loyalty as well!


    She could have screamed in anger at the thought.


    If she knew this would happen, she''d just have stolen her Alexander''s first time for herself so that he would have to take responsibility for her!


    Now, she couldn''t even ask her father emperor to bestow marriage upon her with Alexander because the rumours that were going around about them were sure to have already entered his ears.


    She gave a scream of frustration at the thought. Ophelia wept, spooning more ice-cream into her mouth.


    She couldn''t even show her face in any tea parties anymore because the other noblewomen were sure to jeer and laugh at her behind their masks if she ever turned up.


    She''d shown off Alexander so proudly to them, but in the end, he''d been stolen away by that idiot of a prince!


    Slowly, Ophelia felt murderous intentions within her grow larger.


    She never thought that she''d feel this way for other royal blood. While it was true that the royal family was never peaceful, she''d been living in relative peace until now.


    Her second brother Frazer doted on her, and even that idiot Alistair doted on her as well, so she had a decent relationship with them, even if she was closer to her brother that shared the same mother.


    However, for the first time, she turned her murderous intentions on someone from her family.


    Ophelia glared at the tapestry, feeling like everything was setting her off today.


    But¡­ how was she going to be able to get rid of the first prince?


    He''d be protected too well for her to make any moves.


    It was at this moment that there was a knock on the door, interrupting her brooding and planning.


    It just made her bad mood even worse. "What is it!"


    Candice hurriedly made her way to the door, exchanging words with the maid outside.


    She re-entered the room, bowing low to the princess. "The Empress has summoned you to her chambers."


    Ophelia got up with a huff. She''d been waiting for this day to come. ¡­Wait. Eh? Couldn''t she get her mother to get rid of her brother for her?


    This was the perfect opportunity that had showed itself to her, literally knocking on her doors.


    Ophelia''s eyes lit up as she suddenly thought of this possibility. It was very possible. Even if Alistair was an idiot through and through, he was still in the way of the throne for her second brother.


    The princess hurriedly got ready.


    "Dress me!" she commanded, and the maids that were outside had no choice but to very silently and efficiently get the princess ready, making sure that she looked as perfect as possible.


    The image in the mirror was enough for Ophelia, so she quickly made her way to her mother''s chambers.


    She was ready to complain about Alistair stealing away her man.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The empress stared at her daughter.


    She could not even comprehend what was going on in her mind. As of late, the girl had been growing more and more incomprehensible to her, and she no longer understood what was driving her actions.


    How could she have allowed herself to lose her mind over a man, of all things?


    If she wanted to remain in power, then she should grasp onto a man with both wealth and power that would treat her like a goddess, yet her stupid daughter was lusting over a man that had discarded her for that idiot first prince?


    She''d been hoping that the rumours were wrong ¨C especially when the rumours started changing directions towards the man being caught up with Alistair, and the rumours concerning Ophelia died down.


    The empress had been prepared to do something to dispel the rumours, but more had popped up without her needing to lend a hand.


    Now, all she had to do was lightly make her move and fan the rumours of Alexander and the first prince, getting rid of the rumours that concerned Ophelia.


    Yet, this stupid girl¡­!


    She was still harping over the man like she couldn''t let go!


    Insanity! It was just pure insanity!


    Just what was it about him that had hooked both a prince and princess?


    Was Ophelia possessed? How could she act in a way unbefitting of a princess?


    How was she going to be able to find a suitable husband for her daughter if she kept acting like this?


    And now, she even wanted to kill the first prince?


    Did she not think that there was a reason why the first prince was still alive in the first place?


    It was because there were forces outside the emperor that were protecting him! The first prince had the grace to be born to a mother with a good family, so there were still hidden guards that had been sent from his maternal family, unlike Frazer and Ophelia who didn''t enjoy such benefits.


    Luckily, he was an idiot, so Frazer was still first in line for the throne, but Ophelia, she¡­!


    She was jeopardizing all her hard work!


    Just looking at Ophelia made the empress feel tired.


    She sighed, waving her hand. "I need to rest," she said, giving Ophelia the hint that her welcome had been worn out.


    Ophelia stood up, unhappy that her mother wasn''t supporting her plans. "Mother!"


    The empress glared at her idiot of a daughter. "No more! It''s impossible! Maids, take her away."


    "Mother!" Ophelia screamed in unwillingness, but she was still dragged away by the empress'' maids.

 Chapter 246 Ship?

    Thea snuck into the place Alec told her about.


    The information that he''d managed to glean was a good amount, so much so that Thea had been rightfully suspicious about how true it was, and whether or not there was fake information.


    More than anything, it upset her that the information was probably coming directly from the first prince, who was apparently in a relationship with Alec.


    She didn''t know how it happened, but it didn''t give her any good feelings that her clan mate was together in bed with someone who held enmity for their clan.


    Sure, she knew that anything could happen on infiltration missions, but she hadn''t expected Alec to go this far.


    If she was able to prove that the information provided to Alec from the first prince was false, then Alec would be able to extract himself cleanly.


    She both wanted and didn''t want the information to have problems.


    Thea was starting to understand herself less and less these days.


    Alec didn''t say anything when they parted, but Thea could see a faint glint in his eye that made her think that he knew what she was going to do.


    She didn''t like this feeling. Like he could see through her all the time.


    It was at night, but she could see the faint traces of light from the distance already.


    Though it was relatively silent, even whispers that gathered in the thousands made a loud sound together.


    Thea sucked in a breath. So, it was true.


    There were complicated feelings swirling around in her that she didn''t know how to give name to.


    They were tangled together in a giant web, and she didn''t know where they ended and where they began.


    The camp that the royal family had gathered was indeed in the outskirts where hardly anyone came by, but they looked like they were ready to move out any day from now.


    Looking around a bit more, Thea made very sure to keep her presence as low as possible, just on the level of a passing gust, where they would be sure to overlook it.


    She didn''t dare to approach too close, in case they sensed her presence.


    Confirming that the army was here, Thea quickly and silently looked as she gauged the number of people that had gathered here to take part in trying to massacre her clan. Thea''s heart was cold at the thought, feeling disgusted by how many people were willing to take part in this ''expedition''.


    She retreated just as quickly as she came, heading back to the city.


    Thea made certain she wasn''t being followed before heading back.


    She was grudgingly impressed by Alec''s work, even as she felt sad that he had to put himself through that just to obtain information for them.


    While she was happy that he managed to weasel the information out of the first prince, she didn''t really like that for some reason.


    Now that she''d confirmed the information, she would extract herself from Rhys City and send herself back to the Neil Clan.


    Alec was going to be staying for longer in the city, much to her confusion.


    But since it was the orders of the sect leader, and Alec himself didn''t seem to mind, then she was fine with it.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The rumours about Alexander and Alistair had spread at such a fast pace ¨C Alistair confided in Alec that he was certain the empress had a hand in it.


    While the rumours had been plenty even before, now it had grown to a staggering level, where you would be hard-pressed to find someone that wasn''t talking about it.


    Where before it was only the nobles who whispered about it, now it had even spread throughout the common populace.


    The moment it spread, it was hard to control, and for this, there were people in the background moving to make the rumours even more outlandish.


    Of course, Alec and Alistair were playing it up as well, and Alistair had taken the chance to ditch all of his ''friends'' that followed him around.


    Those ''friends'' of his made themselves scarce as well, not wanting to get caught up in the rumours that were going around about the two men.


    Some people even speculated that maybe Alistair and Alexander were a pair of Chers that had fallen at first sight.


    Right now, Alec and Alistair were relaxing in the caf¨¦, in front of many noblewomen''s eyes, peacefully enjoying each other''s silence.


    While they stared at Alec with hearts in their eyes, the looks that they gave Alistair were a bit off.


    No one knew what to make of this strange couple before them, and the caf¨¦ was rather silent, save for a few whispers and giggling.


    Seeing the degenerate prince and the heartthrob Alexander together painted a strange image indeed.


    Still, the more they looked on, the more they felt like they could accept it compared to pairing Alexander and Ophelia instead.


    Of course, it wasn''t much better than seeing Alexander with Ophelia, so they still felt hostility for the first prince.


    The haughty princess had not shown her face in high society for a few days now, especially not when the rumours about Alexander and Alistair were floating around.


    Some of them sneered, thinking that it served the princess right when she so obviously had to coerce Alexander to her side.


    The faint melancholy air that Alexander sported before had all but disappeared now, and the smiles that he gave to the first prince made their hearts melt.


    Still, they didn''t approve of the couple, just like they hadn''t approved of Alexander and Ophelia ending up together.


    Just what was Alexander seeing in Alistair that made him look at the other with such soft eyes?


    It was this thought that prompted them to take a few more glances at Alistair even when they didn''t hold any good impressions about him.


    They would kill to be in Alistair''s place ¨C without any hesitation at all, even.


    It was at that moment that Alistair took a sip of the hot chocolate from the mug, and promptly found himself falling in love with that cup of hot chocolate.


    Alistair slurped a little louder, playing it up even when he was genuinely enjoying it.


    Alec grinned a little, and a few of the noblewomen staring at him squealed in the corner, clutching each other.


    Alexander''s smile already had such devastating charm, and this was a new expression that they''d never seen before ¨C a grin with the hints of mischief hanging onto his lips.


    It made him seem more approachable and friendly.


    Alistair put the mug down when he caught sight of the glint in Alec''s eyes.


    "What is it?"


    Astoundingly, the grin on Alec''s face softened into a smile, and the glint in his eyes grew stronger.


    Alistair had a bad feeling.


    Sure enough, Alec leaned forward and ''dotingly'' swiped a thumb on Alistair''s lip indulgently, letting out a little mischievous chuckle.


    Even though he didn''t do anything dramatic like lick his thumb and wiped it off on a napkin instead, the girls around all but passed out from shock and giddiness.


    The prince and the System exchanged smiles, which was all the noblewomen could see. None of them noticed the hidden battle that the two were having between them.


    Alistair just barely resisted swearing at him.


    In retaliation, Alistair reached forward and patted Alec on the hand, smiling winningly at him. "Thank you, dear."


    Ye Sha choked with laughter at the sudden change of address.


    As they continued their battle of wills, the noblewomen around were all but losing their minds.


    "Did you see that!" one of them squealed, clutching at her friend for dear life. "Oh, my goodness, that was so sweet!"


    "Ahhh! They''re so cute together!"


    Suddenly, the way that the noblewomen looked at Alexander and Alistair changed subtly.


    Where before they were hoping to replace Alistair, right now, they were quite content to watch the two together, as their ''doting'' actions towards one another escalated.


    Without knowing what he was doing, Alec had created a whole new faction within the noble circles.


    Janelle shakily drank her tea.


    For some reason, she was feeling quite excited looking at the normally sloppy first prince and darling Alexander together!


    The noblewomen looked at their exchanges with happiness, and the more they saw, the more they approved.


    Previously, their impression of the first prince was at an all-time low.


    Because the first prince was exactly in that position that was so enviable, yet he held himself just like the degenerates of their society, mixing around with them.


    The emperor never did anything to correct his behaviour either, so the ladies that were looking for eligible partners all made sure to avoid the first prince wherever they went.


    When they heard about Prince Alistair and their Alexander getting together, they were shocked beyond belief, and they were even hostile towards the first prince, thinking that blood ran deep, if he was doing the same thing as the first princess.


    So, when they chanced upon Alexander and Alistair together at the caf¨¦, they were all observing them closely, ready to step in and ask their parents for help if they ever saw the first prince doing anything untoward to Alexander.


    However, the more they watched Alistair and Alexander interact, the more they felt that their initial impression was flawed.


    When they first heard about the more outlandish rumours ¨C like Alexander and Alistair being Chers in love, they scoffed at it. Surely the royal family would have made a public announcement if a prince turned out to be something other than a Bright.


    But now, they weren''t so sure.


    Alexander and Alistair were clearly deeply in love with each other, with those sweet actions!


    How could they not support them? What a romantic and adorable story!


    Suddenly, many of them converted to what was commonly known as a ''ship'' on a distant planet called Earth.


    Alistair suddenly looked a lot better in their eyes, and at a closer glance, they could see that the first prince did not look as sloppy as he usually did.


    He was dressing a lot neater now ¨C perhaps good influence from Alexander? ¨C and those degenerate friends of his were nowhere to be found.


    The more they thought about it, the more they supported the two together.


    Suddenly, determination burned fiercely within them.


    They had to protect the two.


    Anyone who tried to break them apart was an enemy!

 Chapter 247 More Plans

    Days before the war with the Neil Clan, there was a visible change tension inside the palace as the emperor and empress were feeling the nerves.


    Both the first and second prince had been given advance notice by them, and Prince Frazer was no longer in the palace, instead leaving for the frontlines.


    The servants that served the royal family felt the change as well, and it was reflected in attitude by everyone walking around more carefully even if they had no idea what was about to happen.


    Was there some sort of event going on that they weren''t privy to?


    The unknown made the servants more nervous and careless, and they made doubly sure not to make any mistakes that could be called out.


    The troops had already finished gathering up everything that was needed, and the war was about to start any day now.


    Alistair only watched on without any visible change in his current behaviour, acting like he was smitten with ''Alexander'' and keeping himself scarce from the war preparations and in general just not having anything to do with the war at all.


    Neither the emperor nor the empress reacted negatively to this as they would rather he keep busy in the palace away from other eyes than go around spilling information to someone else had he gotten drunk.


    There was too much riding on the war for them to take it easy regarding Alistair''s loose mouth.


    Any information that was given out by the prince could lead to their defeat, which was plainly unacceptable.


    Everything regarding the war had been handed over to the second prince Frazer instead of the first prince, but no one found anything strange with that.


    Both ruling monarchs would have been looking for an excuse to hand off the responsibility to the second prince anyway, and Alistair keeping busy with Alexander just made it easier for them.


    As such, Alec and Alistair were mainly left alone to do their own things, and the two were currently discussing in one of Alistair''s many bedrooms.


    "Are you really not going to return to help your clan in the war?" Alistair asked with confusion. He''d have thought that Alec would at least return to take part in the war between the royal family and his clan.


    Instead, the other looked perfectly at ease staying deep in Rhys City, which was far away from the war that was about to happen.


    The troops had already long since moved out from their original location, stealthily approaching the place where the Neil Clan was stationed over the period of two months.


    If this was a world without any magic whatsoever, then two months would have been a short time for a country to prepare to go to war, but as this world had magic, that long and tedious process was drastically reduced.


    Even so, it spoke about the Rhys Royal Family''s power to be able to gather a sizable army so quickly even for the scale of this world.


    However, as the Neil Clan''s traitor, Sarah, was still feeding them false information, they had yet to realize that there was something wrong.


    As of now, the royal family still thought that the Neils were in the dark regarding their plans.


    Alec slowly blinked. He really didn''t think that there was any problem with him not participating in the war.


    It wasn''t that the army that had been gathered by the Rhys Royal Family was weak, but not only did the Neil Clan have both home ground advantage, they also had the advantage of intelligence and preparation.


    Not only that, well, the people in the Neil Clan never shied away from battle, and it would give them valuable experience in modern warfare.


    While they were experienced in fighting monsters and creatures, it was a whole different experience to be involved in a war.


    It was also something that Vincent didn''t mind, speaking as the head of the clan rather than as a clan member.


    Of course, it was possible that they might have been able to stop this entire war before it began, but that wasn''t in the clan''s best interests right now.


    They were sorely lacking in power right now, after the execution of so many elders, so if they wanted to make the first move, that would have been most unwise.


    Instead, allowing the enemy to come attack them right in the clan compounds would give them a much better chance as well as possibly being able to elevate themselves further.


    Alec concurred with Vincent''s judgement.


    Besides, if the Rhys Royal Family thought that the Neil Clan was going to go down so easily with just numbers, they would be in for a rude awakening.


    Seeing the strange tint to the smile on Alec''s face, Alistair didn''t even need a reply to his question, though he did wonder what made the other so confident of the clan''s winning chances.


    The army that the royal family had managed to gather was nothing to scoff at. Still, he would have done his best to sabotage the royal family''s army if Alec had requested him to do so.


    Of course, since the other made no such request, he was fine with that as well.


    Alistair was pleased enough with this.


    The day for him to make his move was drawing near, and despite how calm he usually was, Alistair was feeling anticipation as he waited for the day to arrive.


    With the war being so important to the royal family''s prestige, it meant that neither the emperor nor empress could afford to hold back their resources for the war.


    Of course, this also meant that the inner palace was incredibly weak as compared to its usual defences.


    Not only that, Alistair was in the perfect positions to carry out his plans.


    Alistair was glad that he''d been able to rope in Alec to help with his plans as well.


    The force that he brought to the table was much greater than he originally expected, which meant that he could indeed make a move.


    Previously, Alistair''s people had not been enough to cover the majority of the palace, but with both Alec and Dominique, he felt like it was worth a shot even if he didn''t have complete confidence.


    He could have done either the empress or the emperor in, but not without alerting them to each other''s demise, which would have allowed them to mount a defence.


    "Four days," Alistair said. According to his sources, that was how long it would take for the war between the Neil Clan and the Rhys Royal Family to begin in earnest.


    Alec nodded.


    That was also the day where they would make their move, where the security of the emperor and the empress was at its lowest.


    Both Alistair and Alec hashed out the plan yet again, discussing the possible things that could go wrong, as well as possible alternatives.


    Right now, they were rather certain of what would happen, but the wild card here was Princess Ophelia, who had originally been slated to join the war on the frontlines together with Frazer, but the princess threw a fit since Alexander was still in the palace with Alistair.


    Both the prince and the System were having headaches over the haughty princess and how she wasn''t conforming to their expectations.


    Ophelia had well and truly become obsessed with Alexander, and she (annoyingly) wasn''t showing any signs of giving up.


    Not even when Alistair and Alec showed their obviously ''lovey dovey'' side to the public, as well as blatantly right in front of her face.


    Alec never even gave her a second look, but it all seemed to add to her obsession with him instead.


    Alec was helpless.


    Frankly, he was not in any way trained to deal with this situation, and his grasp over other people''s emotions was unstable at the best of times.


    Most of the time he still had no idea what was going on in people''s minds.


    The only reason why he''d done so well in this ''seduction'' was because there had been a guideline that had been taught to him earlier on, but now that things had derailed to this state, he didn''t know how to prevent it from escalating further.


    Alistair too was helpless against the obsession that Ophelia was showing.


    No matter how blatant they shoved their ''relationship'' into her face, she just chose to ignore it, and when Alec rejected her, she started crying, but still persistently clung onto his arm.


    "I''ll leave Ophelia to you. Do as you see fit," Alistair finally threw in the towel.


    Her actions had been much too unpredictable lately to account for everything.


    She had been steadily getting worse, and with that, her temper had also grown in proportion.


    The looks that she gave him were truly venomous, as if she regretted that she could not kill him with her stare alone.


    Alistair frowned with annoyance when he thought about Ophelia.

 Chapter 248 Security Measures?

    Four days later, the palace was particularly quiet.


    The place where the servants were always busily moving about as they cleaned and worked was particularly empty today.


    In a rare move, if unwise move, the emperor and empress had allowed for all the servants to have a day off, and the servants gladly took the chance to flee from the palace for a day at least, free from the persistently tense atmosphere inside the palace.


    Or rather, they were not allowed to re-join back with society, but were instead all keeping low in their dorms.


    They had no idea why such orders had been relayed to them, but they gladly took the chance for a break, as well as to get away from the atmosphere in the palace.


    Rumour had it that the royal family was acting strangely these past couple of days.


    It was high noon, and a solitary figure slipped into palace through the unguarded walls.


    While it would not have been so easy normally, much of the security and manpower had been sent to the frontlines of the war, leaving only the bare necessities behind to protect the family.


    It was a statement to how truly arrogant the empress and emperor were, to be able to do such a thing without a second thought, acting as if they were truly untouchable in all ways.


    It was like they never expected that someone had nefarious intentions against them, so sure were they in their power and authority.


    Alistair sneered.


    While he would not have called everything off even if the two showed more signs of vigilance, it would at least have allowed him to respect the two as opponents more, unlike how he was feeling right now.


    Emperor Louis was truly a facetious emperor.


    Not only was he now in the empress'' pocket, he had only won the struggle for the throne because of Alistair''s late mother, who had wholeheartedly supported him.


    She''d deflected the attempts on his life time and time again, as well as suffering numerous times all for the sake of her husband, but this was how she was repaid.


    In the end, when she had just barely started tasting the sweetness that should have come from ascending the throne, she had been summarily murdered by nefarious means via the current empress in a moment of carelessness.


    While it was terrible, what truly made the rage within him boil over was that the emperor never showed any reactions to Alistair pleading with him to investigate the cause of his mother''s death.


    Alistair had only been ten years old at that time, but the coldness and expressionless eyes that the emperor used to stare at him when he said those words left behind such a strong impression that he would see those hateful eyes even in his sleep.


    It was only then that he realized he could not trust anyone in the royal family from the top to the bottom.


    His father was cold, and the new empress was a vile snake. Even his siblings looked at him with disdainful eyes.


    If even his biological father could not be trusted, what more for his half siblings?


    The only blessing he had was that the his mother''s family sent their hidden guards to him once it was revealed that his mother had died from infighting in the palace.


    So, Alistair started building up a force of his own outside of the royal family, and he even joined the Heavenly Ascension Sect since it was the best.


    Most of the time, it was his body double that took his place in the palace, which was what had allowed himself time to improve himself.


    Otherwise, if Alistair really allowed himself to act in that manner all the time, he would eventually have fallen no matter how strong-willed he was.


    The window they were staring at silently opened as Dominique allowed himself into the room.


    He was dressed in the Spectres'' standard uniform, where everything except the lower half of his face was covered.


    "Boss," Dominique said, and instead of his usual husky voice, it was a pure and clear sounding voice.


    Alistair''s mouth opened slightly. If he didn''t know otherwise, he would never have suspected that this was Dominique at all.


    He never realized how much the sect''s clothing hid regarding muscle tone. Or was it just that the skin-tight clothing made it much more noticeable?


    Dominique nodded at them. He''d already taken care of a few guards that surrounded the emperor and empress.


    He checked the surrounding areas, as well as the areas outside the city, and there were truly no hidden troops in ambush that would come to the royal family''s aid in a time of crisis.


    This baffled Dominique greatly, but he chalked it up to an idiot''s mindset.


    The time window was short for them to make their move.


    Alistair''s eyes drooped to become half-lidded. It was time.


    The three of them split up without another word, each going their separate ways.


    The blood was thrumming in Alec''s veins, the promise of bloodshed and violence calling out to him.


    He hadn''t let loose for so many days already, and now he was finally going to destress for the first time in more than a month.


    Alec donned the Spectre uniform, his footsteps completely silent as he paced down the hallway, almost as if he was floating down the hallway instead of running down it.


    He was unnoticeable to anyone who might pass by.


    He didn''t even pause when he noticed the few hidden guards hidden in the shadows.


    Their mastery over the technique was far lower than his, and Alec managed to get behind them before they realized that anything was amiss.


    Alec''s dagger was rather noticeable, but before they were able to see anything, the dagger flashed across their throats, causing a spray of blood as their artery was cut.


    The jet of blood spurted high, splattering against the wall.


    Alec felt his heart throb in excitement at his first taste of blood in a long time.


    Every single cell in his body was trembling with excitement as his body thrived on the combat that had been denied to it for more than a month.


    It had been a long time since he''d gone without being able to pit himself against other monsters, and while Alec liked playing around and infiltration, he also loved the battle that made his blood sing.


    With the lacking manpower that the palace currently had right now, they wouldn''t be missed, so he just casually deposited them in the corner where they were out of the way.


    Since Alistair was going after the empress, Alec was going after the emperor, while Dominique was taking care of any security around the place.


    Alec looked at the sturdy throne room doors and tilted his head.


    Instead of pulling the doors open and entering himself, he slammed a fist on the wall outside the room, just barely enough to put a rather sizable crater in it, but not enough to send the wall tumbling down.


    Inside the throne room, the guards and the emperor were instantly alert as the loud boom was heard near them.


    The doors quickly opened as the guards looked for the intruder ¨C as well as the threat to the emperor.


    The throne room that the emperor was currently in had more guards than the rest of the palace, even with the security was as depleted as it was.


    Still, moving in the shadows with the special hidden guard technique, Alec found that the guards that guarded the emperor was clearly a notch lower than he expected.


    He thought that he would face a lot more resistance and had even prepared himself to be discovered before he made it near the emperor.


    Yet, the guards went down like wet paper, and his worries were unfounded.


    It seemed as if the most expert guards had been sent to the frontlines to do more damage, which was just as well.


    Before the emperor was able to react, Alec had already disposed of all the hidden guards that were left still protecting him.


    He didn''t even have trouble with it.


    Of course, as clueless as the emperor was, even he would have to notice when the bodies started appearing out of thin air as they were no longer able to maintain the hidden guard''s technique.


    Emperor Louis was instantly on guard, taking up a stance that one wouldn''t have expected from what was supposed to be a weak emperor.


    "Who''s there?" the emperor''s voice echoed in the silent room, but there was no reply. The door shut.


    Of course, even if his reaction was unexpected, Alec would still be able to take care of him.


    Alec looked at the emperor as the other raised his vigilance to the fullest, displaying his intermediate rank.


    The emperor was the same rank as Alec himself was, which made Alec''s eyes light up.


    Alec silently moved in circles around the emperor, looking for an opening.


    The emperor waited with more patience than he originally thought, his eyes sharp and calculating.


    Alec thought that his eyes looked a little like Alistair''s at this moment, and he made a gauging move.


    Right under the emperor''s guard, there was a small opening, and Alec took it.


    It was likely a trap left there by the emperor, and sure enough, the cheap dagger that Alec used to throw forward was parried by the emperor.


    The blood boiled even more in Alec''s veins at the prospective thought of a battle before he forcibly calmed himself down.


    No, it was an emperor, after all. Would the other really be able to put up much of a fight?

 Chapter 249 Hes Here

    Emperor Louis clicked his tongue when he realized that the enemy didn''t fall for his trick, and was instead testing him as well.


    Well, he supposed that whoever it was that was aiming for his life, they were good enough to see through it. A worthy adversary.


    Yet, the emperor didn''t feel as if he was totally outclassed.


    It was only that thought that allowed the emperor to keep his cool as he looked about the room for any signs of the hidden opponent.


    Still, the emperor waited with rare patience, his eyes not missing anything.


    The room was terribly silent, and the silence echoed loudly in his ears.


    Honestly, the emperor thought that something might happen, but he put it down to his sensitive nerves ¨C or so his advisors had been telling him. They repeated that so many times he believed them as well.


    Now, though, he had to wonder if his advisors were all in on this nefarious plot as well.


    Emperor Louis narrowed his eyes.


    Turning, he just barely deflected the dagger that flew at his unguarded nape.


    "Show yourself!"


    The emperor''s fists sparked with lightning, and an arc of electricity spread out around him.


    Alec dodged backwards out of the range of the spell, his eyes glinting.


    Alec was studying the emperor''s reactions, and he found that the emperor was surprisingly well-versed in his fighting tactics, but it looked untrained, as if he only had the knowledge but not the experience.


    The emperor almost appeared to be unaffected by how his move didn''t work ¨C that was, unless Alec had been looking for it, and he had.


    There was the faintest crease in his brows, showing that he had been expecting that to work.


    Emperor Louis regretted that he never needed his sword ¨C something that cost him dearly, as his weapon was no longer carried around on his person.


    Feeling a little disappointed at the emperor''s lack of battle skill, Alec had to suppose that it was expected, with how the emperor had never left the palace walls, let alone for a war like the one that was happening right now.


    But the System supposed that it was just as well since Alistair''s late mother had been the one that placed the emperor on the throne instead of the emperor ascending to it using his own abilities.


    Alec let go of the expectations of a fierce battle with the emperor.


    He really shouldn''t have gotten his hopes up. The System felt strangely disappointed, nonetheless.


    The more flustered Emperor Louis was getting, the more openings that were revealed in front of Alec''s eyes.


    It just heightened the System''s disappointment.


    Though they were the same rank, the emperor''s lack of battle experience would be his downfall, as it would have been for everyone else.


    Alec waited with a rare patience, like a predator hunting its prey, and the emperor was obviously feeling the pressure, if the way he had started to perspire was anything to go by.


    Alec had been slightly suspicious that the emperor might have been faking, but as the minutes went by, it was looking less and less likely.


    As Alec suspected, the emperor really wasn''t faking it, and the emperor sorely regretted having made the decision to send most of his security to the frontlines to guarantee the win.


    That had been a tactical mistake. He realized that now. He should not have left himself as unattended as this. He also had not realized how difficult it would be to face off against someone hiding in the shadows.


    He would correct his mistake in the future.


    Unfortunately for the emperor, that would be his last thought.


    Before he could react, his vision went dark, and his thought process stalled for a bit before it completely faded, never to return again.


    Alec looked dispassionately at the emperor''s cooling body.


    The worst mistake that someone could make in the middle of a battle against an opponent was to think about other things while they should have been on alert instead.


    The slightest loss of attention could lead to death, as was evidenced from the emperor''s corpse.


    Alec severed the emperor''s head from his body, not taking any chances.


    Since this was part of his agreement with Alistair, then he would make sure that there were no unexpected surprises down the line.


    He didn''t know if there was some sort of ability that someone had developed that would allow them to recover from a fatal wound, so this was the best way to make sure someone was well and truly dead.


    The moment he confirmed that the emperor was dead, he felt a few faint vibrations even though the palace was sturdily built.


    Alec had to wonder just what Dominique and Alistair were doing that caused such a ruckus.


    Still, though, there were no sounds of explosions or anything like that, mainly because the palace walls were laden with silencing barriers everywhere, and they were especially concentrated in the areas that the emperor frequented.


    It was the reason why Alec had to resort to smashing on the wall directly to alert the emperor and his guards.


    However it had been intended to be used, it looked like this worked against them instead.


    Right at that moment, Alec could hear the footsteps that thundering down the hallway. While they would have been relatively silent to the normal observer, to Alec they were as loud as a large, heavy beast walking around.


    Alec faded back into the shadows using the hidden guard''s signature technique right as the doors to the throne room burst open.


    Ophelia looked around wildly, before she let out a scream when she saw her father''s severed head on the floor, its blank eyes staring straight at her.


    She felt as if her father''s unseeing eyes were staring straight into her soul, and she shivered.


    Next to it, there was a large pool of blood on the floor, and his body that was usually dressed with such grandeur and dignity no longer exuded such things.


    However, now that the clothes were splattered with traces of blood, any of the previous dignity was gone.


    She trembled, and her legs gave out from under her, collapsing to the floor.


    She crawled back to the door, still shaking as her eyes could not move from her father''s severed head.


    The most unimaginable thing had happened.


    When she felt the trembling in the ground, she''d immediately gone to Alistair''s bedroom where he stayed with her Alexander, but there was no one there.


    Since she couldn''t find them, she went towards her father emperor''s throne room, where he usually was at this time of the day.


    Surely, with all his guards, he would be the safest one in the palace. Also, it was likely that the one who would be able to help her find her Alexander to get him to safety was her father emperor.


    Yet, why was it that when she arrived, all she saw was her father''s corpse and his severed head?


    The stimulation was too much for her, and she shook as she saw a dead body in front of her eyes for the very first time.


    Ophelia was shaking her head in disbelief and shock, before she realized that the enemy was still inside.


    The throne room had been tightly shut earlier before she entered, and when it had shut behind her, it hadn''t even been a second after she stepped in.


    Her face paled with shock as she hastily pressed up harder against the closed throne room doors.


    She couldn''t tear her eyes away from the gruesome sight that her father''s corpse made, and she grit her teeth, slapping herself in the face.


    Her thoughts cleared a little and she ripped her eyes away from her father emperor''s unseeing ones.


    She stood up, trembling as she was, and parted from the door a little.


    "Show yourself!"


    It was a long shot, but it worked.


    Her vision blurred faintly before a figure dressed fully in black showed up in front of her, and though Ophelia''s eyes were shaking, she took up a shaky stance that had been drilled into her by her instructor.


    "You will not get away with this," Ophelia hissed, glaring at the masked figure.


    A smile spread on the murderer''s face, and the feeling it gave off was strangely familiar to her.

 Chapter 250 Desperately Running

    But she had no space to think about it right now, and Ophelia felt a bead of sweat trickle down her forehead at the nervousness she was feeling right now.


    The thought that the smile seemed familiar dissipated before it even began to finish forming, something that she would regret later.


    She was inwardly shaking with nerves, even as she tried her best to portray that she was unaffected.


    She knew that her father emperor was a lot stronger than she was ¨C than anyone in the palace right now, really, but he and all the guards had still been taken out by this person without a problem.


    How could someone of such calibre come to assassinate the emperor?


    The thing was, the emperor had not been blindly confident in his own ability.


    Though the Rhys Royal Family ruled the continent, most clans and sects didn''t really put their family in their eyes, seeing as they were only intermediate rank at best.


    At best, they had a mutual beneficial relationship with the clans, no relation to sects, and ruled over the civilians.


    While they appeared powerful, they were actually walking on a tightrope.


    If they wanted to, they could be wiped out with a single thought, and those advanced rank that usually protected the family had been sent to the frontlines.


    Was there ever a need for someone that wanted to make a move to wait until they were weaker to act?


    The answer was no.


    Any time they wanted, they could have already stormed in and slaughtered them without any effort, so why would they wait?


    It was using this mentality that the emperor had sent away his men to the war.


    According to his inside sources, the top power of the Neil Clan was only at the advanced rank.


    Using enough numbers, it was indeed possible for them to win.


    Unfortunately, the emperor had not thought of the possibility of the remainder of his kin killing him, which ultimately led to his downfall.


    Prince Alistair was not a waste as they all thought, nor was he willing to take the abuse lying down.


    The princess discreetly swallowed as her mind was working a mile a minute, thinking about how to survive this ordeal.


    The servants were all too far away for her to be able to make any use of them, and Alistair and Alexander''s whereabouts were unknown as of now.


    Her older brother Frazer was on the frontlines of the war, so he couldn''t help her either.


    Ophelia''s guard had been sent away by her late last night ¨C annoyed as she had been ¨C and she regretted it sorely now.


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t turn back time no matter how much she wanted to.


    "Who are you?" Ophelia repeated again, and she narrowed her eyes at her father emperor''s murderer, trying to buy time and information.


    Unfortunately for her, Alec had no intention on talking to the haughty princess. He knew that she was trying to look for a way out, as her hand had been inching towards the door.


    He wondered if he really thought that she was concealing it well. Her movement was rather large, but he still played along.


    Still, he tilted his head as he feigned ignorance, reacting ''a beat too slow'' as she flung open the doors and dashed down the hallway.


    Unbeknownst to him, a grin naturally formed on Alec''s face as he gave chase behind her.


    He maintained a steady pace as Ophelia ran faster than she ever had in her entire life, desperately calling out for guards.


    To her shock, however, all Ophelia ever saw were the casually strewn bodies of the guards that were supposed to guard the palace, so she unwillingly shut her mouth, instead trying her best to shake off her pursuer.


    She bit her tongue in hate, cursing them for dying in such unsightly places.


    If only she never saw the bodies, she would have been able to fool herself into thinking that they were still around somewhere to help her.


    If they were going to die, then they should have done so neatly instead of blocking her way when she ran.


    She heard the audible footsteps from the murderer behind her, and her lungs were burning as she heaved for breath.


    The sounds of the footsteps were like a death siren ringing loudly in her ears, and Ophelia felt like screaming.


    No! She didn''t want to die! She still hadn''t managed to make Alexander hers yet!


    She ground her teeth even as the fear all but swallowed her whole, cursing out Alistair in her heart for taking what was rightfully hers.


    She felt as if the world was crashing down around her.


    How could her father emperor, the most untouchable man in the world, have been dealt with just like that?


    She could hardly comprehend it.


    When she tripped over a guard''s strewn hand in her haste to round the corner, she all but felt her heart stop in her chest as she went down hard, rolling a few times in the process.


    Yet, despite the pain that assailed her, she barely picked herself up and ran, the footsteps sounding even closer in her ears.


    The harsh sound of her heavy breaths filled her ears, but even so, the only other thing she could hear was those loud footsteps.


    Alec casually ran after the princess, trying to see where she was heading.


    She was not running without a plan, and if he wasn''t mistake, she was running with a sense of determination in her steps.


    Still, the more she ran, Alec could make out that she was headed towards the empress'' rooms, so he allowed her to continue running.


    Unlike the emperor, Ophelia was just barely in the elemental rank.


    Either because she never took up practice, or because she didn''t have talent, he didn''t know, but Alec didn''t let his guard down.


    While she was just a haughty and arrogant princess in his eyes, there was still a modicum of intelligence to the decisions that she''d made in his presence.


    She was trying to take corners that would cause the average person to lose her if they didn''t know where they were heading.


    The palace had indeed been designed with that in mind, but unfortunately for her, Alec was more than familiar with the hallways that she''d gladly shown him.


    When she tripped over the body, Alec didn''t even have to adjust his steps since she''d picked herself up right away, and there was just the faintest approval that Alec felt ¨C she wasn''t willing to face death like that because of a little pain.


    The empress'' quarters were quite far away from the throne room ¨C almost at the opposite end of the palace, and the place was originally blooming and full of life.


    The numerous fauna and flora that bloomed in that empress'' quarters was the most beautiful sight in the palace, and only an empress was allowed to stay there during the time of their rule.


    Year round, the flowers were always in full bloom, maintained by both manpower and servants, so that the empress could enjoy them at her own leisure.


    The number of servants that had to tend to the garden daily numbered in the hundreds, and it was maintained with both precision and practice.


    Regardless of how beautiful it had been before this, now, there were only strewn bodies all around, some of them in pieces, some of them relatively whole, ruining the sight.


    Alec recognized some of Dominique''s work, and those that he didn''t recognize he chalked up to Alistair and his men''s work.


    Still, there were no sounds of fighting, and the servant''s quarters that should have heard the sounds of fighting were obviously trying to keep low and keep their heads down.


    Ophelia had long since run out of breath by the time she reached her mother''s place, but the sight there sent her into despair even more.


    She had not been able to throw off her father emperor''s murderer, but even this place didn''t look like it was going to shelter her from the storm.


    Still, she soldiered through and ran directly into the place, hoping that her mother''s guards had been able to fend off the intruders inside.


    She already knew that the murderer that was chasing her was taking it easy.


    Not once did those footsteps falter, and they were loud enough to echo in her ears, and she grit her teeth with hatred.


    How dare he play with her!


    Yet, she didn''t dare to slow her footsteps any, not taking the chance that he would just kill her once he got bored.


    She knew that there was no way that she would win in a direct confrontation.


    Ophelia burst into the rooms, but what she saw made her steps falter in her tracks, her eyes going wide.


    Despite the presence of the murderer behind her, what she saw now was a lot more shocking to her than her immediate death.

 Chapter 251 You Want To Meet?

    Ophelia let out an enraged shout upon seeing her idiot of a brother''s familiar face.


    He was partially turned away from her, but she felt rage build up replacing the previous shock when she saw him.


    Why was he here in her mother''s bedroom when she had been looking for him all over the palace?


    Unbelievable! Didn''t he know that men and women should keep a distance?


    Especially when they weren''t related biologically by blood!


    She stalked forward, shouting at him. "Why are you here?! Where is my Alexander?" she cried, looking around the room, as if her darling would come out if she just looked for him.


    There was a faint trace of unease that was building up inside her.


    Something was wrong.


    Unlike his usually sloppy self, where a smile always hung on his face, there was no trace of it now.


    Alistair turned his head ever so slightly, looking her straight in the eye.


    His eyes were cold and calculating, and despite Ophelia''s intrusion into the room, he didn''t reply her at all, as if she was less than a fly in his presence.


    Ophelia felt as if she''d stepped into an alternate world, with how he was acting.


    She was beyond shocked.


    When had she ever been looked at with those cold eyes?


    Especially when it was coming from her trashy brother.


    Still, he always doted on her, almost just as much as her own fully blood related brother doted on her.


    Getting a look like this that lacked all feeling from him shocked her to the core, and she almost took a step back in shock.


    Still, she threw away her shock as she went around him with determination.


    The question about her Alexander''s whereabouts that was just about to leave her lips died in her throat.


    Her eyes widened in shock when she saw what Alistair''s body had been hiding from her thus far.


    Alistair stood casually with his hand gripping someone''s long blonde hair tightly, their body halfway collapsed on the ground.


    As her eyes directed themselves downwards without any conscious action on her part, she gasped.


    "M-mother?" she stuttered, her hand flying up to her mouth in shock.


    Her usually impeccably dressed mother empress had been reduced to a state where she couldn''t be any more dishevelled. Strands of her hair were sticking up everywhere, and her clothes were in disarray.


    There was blood splattered on her, and various wounds that she had were visible through her dress, sluggishly bleeding.


    There were light cuts on her throat, which were also sluggishly bleeding.


    Blood was pooling on the floor, ever so slowly.


    The empress looked a far cry from her usual dignified self, and one would be hard-pressed to see the similarities from before and after.


    The empress shook her head at her daughter, despair colouring her features. "You shouldn''t have come in here," she whispered, her eyes darting fearfully to Alistair''s cool features.


    The princess couldn''t accept what was happening before her very eyes at this moment. Ophelia glared at Alistair. "What are you doing! Let go of her this instant!"


    But instead of doing as she ordered, as he always had whenever he met her, Alistair instead just sneered at her, as if she was talking air. He even tightened a grip on the empress'' hair, but the empress didn''t dare make a single other sound.


    "You-!"


    There was a single heavy footstep that echoed behind her, and Ophelia froze, her face paling. How could she have forgotten about her father''s murderer?!


    She quickly backed away from them, her mother''s desperate eyes still bore into her.


    Suddenly, it clicked for Ophelia. She looked between the masked murderer and Alistair, feeling horrified when the implications hit her.


    The masked murderer was still wearing a faint smile on his face as he walked closer, as if he was amused by this whole spectacle.


    She felt cold all over when she thought about how he had been enjoying her suffering, and the princess felt the hate accumulate inside of her.


    "You¡­ you''re working together!" she gritted out, and she saw her mother''s eyes flit to the masked figure as well.


    Alistair let out a short laugh. "Ah, what brains you have," he applauded her, truly.


    "What have you done with my Alexander!" she shouted at him. Her voice trembled.


    Even as she couldn''t tear her eyes away from her mother, her heart burned when she thought about something happening to the love of her life.


    Did he know about Alistair''s true colours? Or had he suffered under his hands?


    Was he¡­ was he already dead?


    Her heart shuddered at the thought, and though she worried about her mother''s safety, she could not shake the worry that plagued her heart.


    Alistair chuckled again. "What do you think?"


    Ophelia felt despair hit her at his words ¨C she feared that the worst had already happened to him.


    Instantly, tears flooded down her face, agony burning in her chest at the thought about her Alexander having suffered in this monster''s hands ¨C just like her mother was now.


    Alexander was hers! Hers!


    "You monster," she choked out, much to his amusement.


    The thought that Alexander had been clueless to the end made her ache so much. He had his loyalty and affection thrown into his own face and had been killed because he was no longer useful.


    "Why! Why did you kill him? Wasn''t Alexander perfectly loyal to you? He would never have betrayed you!"


    Alistair''s eyes flashed. His mouth curled into a smirk. "Who said anything about killing him?"


    "R-really?" Hope bloomed to life in her chest.


    "Really," Alistair purred, gripping the empress'' hair even harder, drawing a cry from her at the harsh jerk.


    "What do you want?" Ophelia demanded, now that she received the answer she wanted. "Why are you doing this?"


    Alistair blinked slowly. He didn''t see a need for her to know.


    Really, if she hadn''t understood it by now, why should he waste his breath on helping her understand?


    Ophelia saw that he had no intention of answering her, and she discreetly moved the magic inside of her.


    The instant she tried to make a move she was knocked aside roughly by the masked murderer ¨C wait. There were two of them now.


    She looked at them warily.


    The only ally that she had in the room was her mother, and her mother was incapacitated.


    Ophelia swallowed.


    Not only was she outnumbered, she was outclassed as well.


    "Where is Alexander?" Ophelia asked again shakily.


    She felt as if her death was drawing near ¨C she failed to see how she would be able to escape from her fate this time.


    But she wanted to see with her very eyes that her Alexander was alright before she had the chance to go.


    She wanted him to see Alistair''s true face ¨C to know that he shouldn''t stand by a man like this.


    She couldn''t accept that her gentle Alexander was stuck with someone as cruel as this ¨C someone who made a move against his own family.


    Ophelia was the worst hypocrite ¨C she had been the one who had been trying to convince her mother to kill Alistair, yet when it came to Alistair, she had double standards.


    "You want to see him?" Alistair snorted.


    He had actually been doing her a rare favour by allowing her to die without ever knowing that her so-called ''love'' was just a spy that infiltrated the palace using her.


    Ophelia nodded silently, determination filling her eyes.


    The empress realized that even with her heavily injured in front of her daughter''s eyes, the man that she had become obsessed with still took precedence over her.


    Despair filled her eyes, and she shut them.


    She knew that today would be the last day she lived.


    "You really want to see him? Alright then," Alistair said with amusement. "Have at it."


    Ophelia''s brows furrowed. She started to have a bad feeling. "Where is he?"


    Alistair''s free hand lazily pointed behind her, and Ophelia turned around.


    All she saw were the two masked figures that were leisurely standing around.


    "What foolery is this?" Ophelia demanded.


    Then, the figure on the right, the one that had been smiling this entire time and had chased her all the way to this place, stepped forward just as she stepped back warily.


    "Lady Ophelia," the figure said with a very familiar gentle voice.


    Ophelia shook.

 Chapter 252 Butterflys Kiss

    Ophelia froze, her breath catching in her lungs.


    Her vision shook as the bad feeling became more pronounced, almost threatening to overwhelm her.


    She stepped back.


    The voice that she heard from the masked figure was something that she heard even in her dreams for the past two months.


    She couldn''t believe it. No, she didn''t want to believe it.


    "My Alexander¡­?" she said with hesitation, her heart trembling violently.


    The smile on the lower unmasked half of the figure''s face widened.


    Alec slowly reached up and pulled the mask covering his eyes off, and Ophelia took another step backward, disbelief colouring her delicate features.


    "No, no¡­" she muttered, her eyes wide in disbelief and shock. She shook her head.


    Next to her Alexander, the other masked figure stepped forward, a snarl painted on his mouth.


    "Who do you think you''re calling yours?" Dominique snarled at the presumptuous princess, but she didn''t even flinch at his words, her mind still locked in stark disbelief at the way the situation was progressing.


    Alistair silently choked back his laughter. While it would have been threatening with the Sin''s original voice, and the way he glared into one''s eyes, right now, the Sin sounded like a pure, fresh young man that had just barely entered into society.


    It sounded funny no matter how the prince thought about it. He felt like he was being threatened by a puppy, growling and protecting his master.


    Alistair shook lightly with laughter, but the princess didn''t realize, as shell-shocked as she was.


    Ophelia took a stumbling step forward. "Alexander¡­?"


    Alec didn''t say anything, just maintaining his normal smile at her.


    Dominique smirked, crossing his arms. Hah. He knew it. How could that arrogant, stuck-up princess ever have expected to win his boss'' heart?


    Impossible!


    "I¡­ was everything a lie?" she continued to ask. She didn''t want to know, yet at the same time, she did as well.


    The thought of it was eating up at her insides, and she didn''t even feel the urge of betrayal that should have been born in her.


    She hated herself for that.


    Even when it had come down to this, she was still deeply in love with Alexander ¨C or at least, the idea of him ¨C and how he had treated her.


    She couldn''t even begin to comprehend that it might all have been falsified.


    Where did it start and where did it end?


    She stumbled forward and latched onto his arm.


    Dominique moved to intercept her and fling her away but was stopped by Alec''s hand on his arm.


    Dominique struggled as he reluctantly stepped aside, not happy with how the princess so presumptuously touched his boss.


    Ophelia felt hope bloom within her. Maybe¡­ he still had feelings for her, right? If it was like this, then wasn''t he working with Alistair instead of being his lover?


    In that case, he could still possibly be in love with her, right?


    Even when the situation had escalated to this point, Ophelia was still harbouring false hopes within her, almost as if she was escaping from reality altogether.


    Even as a voice screamed at her inside that she was being deceived by a bad man ¨C a man whose smile called out to her very soul; she just couldn''t abandon her hope.


    Trembling hands clutched onto that strong forearm, and she looked into his eyes desperately.


    It was still the same face, and the same feeling, so how could it be a lie?


    How could it be a lie?


    Yet, her hopes were shattered yet again by the words that came out of his mouth.


    "My apologies," Alec said without any sincerity. His smile never changed, and he started to withdraw his arm slightly.


    While he might have felt bad for her, just the slightest bit because he never expected her obsession with him to grow so quickly and so strongly, that was a whole different matter than him liking her as a person.


    She''d killed many people whether it was directly or indirectly just because she no longer had any use for them, and someone who killed someone else would have to accept that some day they''d be the ones on the other end of the blade themselves.


    Alec had certainly made his resolutions already, but it seemed Ophelia had not.


    The thing was¡­ he knew that Alistair wouldn''t have harboured any killing intention towards his own sister had he just been a better person.


    Just like how second princess Freesia was entirely kept out of this situation.


    However, even when it had come to this, the first princess never showed any signs of remorse about what she''d done, nor did she seem to be very concerned with her own biological mother.


    There was just something grating about that very distinct lack of sympathy or empathy that rubbed Alec the wrong way.


    From the way the empress had looked at her daughter, she did have a bond with the princess. How could Ophelia just throw it away like that just because of ''Alexander''?


    First princess Ophelia was¡­ unsavable. That was his judgement in the end.


    Ophelia shook her head, rejecting reality. But she could already hear from all the unspoken implications that were contained in those two words that it was hopeless between her and him.


    She felt an overwhelming amount of despair consume her.


    She collapsed on the floor, sobbing her eyes out.


    The inhabitants of the room just silently stared at the princess crying for a minute, everyone having different reactions to her crying.


    After a minute of tears, Ophelia stood up and threw herself onto his body.


    Dominique''s eyes bore into the back of her head as he snarled. How dare she! If the boss hadn''t stopped him, he would really have already punted the woman across the room!


    In the end, Ophelia didn''t even harbour any thoughts about hurting her Alexander just as much as he''d hurt her. She was still deeply in love with him, and nothing he said had done anything to dissipate her feelings at all.


    Right now, she''d already accepted that she was going to die by her brother''s hands.


    She was going to die here today, along with her mother.


    The only thing she regretted was that Alec made no move to hug her back, unlike how he would have gently done so before Alistair had intruded in their lives.


    Instead, he just stood there stiffly, allowing him to hug her since he''d managed to reduce her to this state.


    Had there been the slightest wisps of killing intent or hostility, he would already have just stuck a knife in her neck, but she really didn''t seem to have any of those intentions.


    Tears sprung anew again.


    Even if he didn''t have any feelings for her, he still let her hug him.


    She tilted her head up proudly, tears slowly trickling down her face. It was a sight that would have caused countless number of men to lose their minds as they hurriedly tried to console her, but Alec just stared at her without any fluctuations of emotions.


    "Thank you for allowing me to love you," Ophelia said in the end. "Won''t you give me a kiss?" she pleaded.


    The princess shut her eyes, waiting with bated breath.


    She didn''t regret having been able to feel this sort of deep, unrelenting love for someone or something, really.


    She just regretted not being able to make him fall for her as well.


    She regretted that she''d never be able to see him again. That she''d killed so many of those people who had the same feelings for her, as she did for her Alexander.


    She supposed this was her penance.


    The princess shut her eyes for the last time, and she felt her Alexander''s dagger draw a line over her throat.


    It was so soft it felt like a butterfly''s kiss along her skin, right before the pain bloomed, and she could almost imagine that he''d kissed her instead.


    In the end, she still didn''t even manage to get a corner of Alexander''s heart.


    Ophelia''s body collapsed to the ground, her hair fanning out, but she looked relatively peaceful, considering the situation she''d just found herself in.


    The empress made a choking sound, tears flowing down.


    As much as she hated and despaired in turns how her daughter hadn''t even given her a second glance the moment she threw herself into that monster''s arms, she was still her daughter.


    Thick despair choked her, and it was the last thing she felt when a sword arced through the air, slicing off her head in a single stroke, reminiscent to how the emperor''s head had been separated from his shoulders.


    Alistair clicked his tongue watching the real-life drama in front of him. He still had no idea how Alec had managed to enchant his sister to the point of her being obsessed with his every expression and every movement.


    It defied all magic laws ¨C he wasn''t even using a Magitype, for goodness'' sake!


    Alec was an Awakening type, as far as he knew.


    To the end, his sister had been completely enamoured by Alec, hopelessly caught in his web.


    Again, he reiterated that the noblewomen of Rhys City were lucky that Alec wasn''t using his real face.


    Alec had been surprisingly cold to the end.


    He''d have thought that the other would have shown Ophelia some form of mercy, but even so, she had choked on her own blood and died as she suffered.


    Alistair sighed.


    He took no pleasure doing this, but what had to be done had to be done.


    It was time for the final act.


    He nodded at both Dominique and Alec.


    "Shall we?"

 Chapter 253 A Tragic Love Story

    There was unrest in the city.


    Someone had blown off the palace gates, and the commotion that it made was so huge that they couldn''t miss it even if they wanted to.


    Even if someone hadn''t heard the initial loud explosion, they''d have been filled in by the rumours going around.


    Where was it?


    It was the royal palace!


    How could they not care? It wasn''t some sort of random house down the street.


    It was the untouchable royal palace!


    Something had happened. Black masked figures all around had broken into the place ¨C or so the rumours went.


    Still, everyone was talking about it, so some of it had to be true.


    Who had the audacity to infringe on the royal family''s authority? Was this a rebellion?


    Not only that, the intruders were doing so in broad daylight!


    How daring was that?


    It was clear that the intruders had full confidence in themselves, but what really made them puzzled was why the royal family hadn''t already handled the problem.


    There were the sounds of swords clashing and shouting from beyond the gates, but none of the civilians in Rhys City dared to approach.


    It had already been an hour, yet the ''rebellion'' still had not been handled.


    While they were curious, they were not so curious as to risk their lives to satisfy their curiosity.


    Still, the sounds of fighting and slaughter made them unbearably nervous, and almost every one of the shops had closed down for the day, heading home as they hugged their family close, worried about what was about to happen to the city.


    Though those actions were the most common, there were others who were unable to deny their curiosity, peeking out from the windows near the palace gates.


    The place the emperor and his family resided was deep inside, so they couldn''t see anything, but the road along there seemed to be filled with bloodshed.


    The civilians that were not in the know couldn''t help but worry about their livelihood. The people that were up top and claimed the ''royal family'' title didn''t matter to them.


    What did matter was how the people up top guaranteed their livelihood.


    So, the braver souls stuck around, if out of sight, but still around to see what would happen.


    Not too long after the gates were first blasted off, there was an even larger cacophony of sound that reached unenhanced ears, and the civilians tensed up.


    Something was about to happen ¨C no, something had already happened, but there was change.


    The sounds of ringing metal grew louder, and there were obviously a group of people that were coming their way whether they liked it or not.


    The shouts were growing louder ¨C growing more desperate, and the eyes that peeked out from behind the curtains were focusing hard as they stared to see who would emerge.


    Was it the emperor?


    Was it the prince?


    The princess?


    They didn''t know what they were waiting for, but the anticipation was at an all-time high.


    Instead of whatever they thought they would see, what they didn''t expect to see was two male figures dashing out from the fallen palace gates. They were holding hands, but their running was equally as fast, so they didn''t get in each other''s way.


    It was a surprisingly romantic gesture that one didn''t expect to see when they were fleeing for their lives.


    Behind them, there were a group of black masked men from top to toe chasing them, hot on their heels.


    "The prince! That''s the first prince!" a man gasped.


    His wife, who was standing next to him and peeking out just the same gasped as well. "The first prince¡­ isn''t he the famous prince in the rumours that has suddenly changed his ways? The rumours were real?"


    But they didn''t have any more chance to make conversation because the masked men made their move.


    An arrow from the dark came flying at the two lovers, and the people that were watching had their hearts in their throats just watching the arrow near the two lovers.


    It almost felt as if they were watching it happen in slow motion. They stifled the yell of warning that wanted to leave their throats.


    Alexander turned around at the last moment, his eyes widening when he saw the arrow that was headed towards them at high speed.


    In the end, there was nothing he could do about the arrow that was headed directly to Alistair''s back. Nothing he could do to deflect it.


    In the end, he chose the one thing that would allow him to ensure Alistair''s safety.


    Alexander pulled on the prince''s hand hard, exchanging positions with him and covering him with his back.


    There was no miraculous turn of events that would allow both lovers to live as the arrow stabbed deeply into the man''s body.


    "Alex!" Alistair shouted, his eyes going red.


    Alexander collapsed on the ground, his hand shakily touching the arrowhead that had partially pierced through into his front, his hand coming away completely red with blood.


    Alexander coughed, blood trickling down his chin.


    "Alex!" Alistair shouted again, his hands uselessly going to the arrow that had pierced his lover through.


    The masked men were closing in on them, and Alistair pulled Alexander closer to him, letting out a shout of anger as he glared at the men.


    The prince bit his bottom lip until it was bleeding, shouting out. "Attack! Don''t let them hurt anyone else!"


    A large troop of men quickly emerged from the streets, lightly armoured and equipped with weapons, before they heard the prince''s orders.


    They looked like they''d rushed here from far away, and they were each panting lightly.


    In an orderly manner, the guards threw themselves forward, and they managed to push the intruders back through the palace walls, where they would not be able to harm any innocent civilians.


    But those that were watching from the shadows no longer watched that fight anymore.


    Instead, their eyes were drawn to the tragic couple.


    Alexander had risked his life to ensure the prince''s safety, and they couldn''t help but think back about the rumours that had been circulating around the city.


    Most of them thought that it was just hogwash, but what they saw now made them change their minds.


    The rumoured sloppy and depraved prince had really changed ¨C he''d changed after he fell in love, but what they were seeing now blew their minds.


    Alexander breathed roughly, reaching up to touch Alistair''s pale face.


    It almost looked like Alistair was the one who was rapidly losing blood instead of Alexander, with how pale his face was.


    His hand, stained as it was with blood, left a bloody mark on the prince''s face. "Are you alright?" he mouthed, but there was barely any sound leaving his throat.


    Alistair''s eyes shook, and he desperately tried to stem the bleeding that was coming out from the wound, but there was nothing he could do.


    The arrowhead just barely peeked out from the wound, but if he removed the arrow, the bleeding would become even worse.


    Yet, if he didn''t, the bleeding was still maintained.


    He was trapped between a rock and a hard place.


    Alistair bit his lip, bowing over Alexander''s hand. "I''m fine. I''m fine-" he choked out; his eyes glassy with unshed tears.


    Alexander nodded sluggishly, his vision going blotchy around the corners.


    Not once did his vision move from Alistair''s face, as if he was imprinting the other''s looks into his mind before he departed from the world.


    The tragic scene was permanently etched into the civilian''s minds, and many women started crying when they watched what had been a wonderful love story turn into a tragedy.


    Even the men were moved, seeing this touching scene of self-sacrifice for love.


    Then, Alexander''s hand went slack, falling off the prince''s face, dragging powerlessly on the ground.


    Alistair froze, his hands still clutching Alexander''s cooling body.


    Something seemed to break inside him.


    He pressed his head forehead to Alexander''s, and from the viewer''s angles, it looked like he was giving his love a last kiss as he departed the world,


    Bowed over Alexander''s unmoving form, both of them were utterly still, and some of those watching even wondered if both the first prince and his lover had died together.


    Alistair stood up, carrying Alexander''s body in his arms.


    Alexander looked peaceful, which was something that shocked many of them when they thought about the pain that he should have been in with the arrow still lodged in his body.


    There was a warm smile on his lips ¨C one that would be permanently etched there for eternity.


    There were tears flowing down Alistair''s cheeks, dripping onto Alexander''s face.


    Alistair''s face was completely blank, and he looked like a soulless doll.


    He cradled Alexander to himself with such care that the people watching were sent into another fit of tears.


    They despaired at Alexander''s death, but not as much as the prince was obviously suffering.


    Then, the blank look on his face slowly morphed into one filled with such pain and rage, and he flew forward back into the palace, still carrying Alexander in his arms.


    All that was left behind was silence, but the impact that made was even worse than if there were still the sounds of fighting.


    Alistair and Alexander''s tragic love story would forever be remembered by the citizens of Rhys City.

 Chapter 254 Assassinated!

    When Rhys City was thrown into chaos because of the tragic loves story that was occurring in front of many eyes, The Great Expanse was going through something completely different.


    Since Alexander''s tragic death, it had been about a week.


    A week since the war began in earnest against the Neil Clan.


    The scent of death on the battlefield was not something that he would be able to forget any time soon.


    It was a heavy, stifling sensation that lingered around, choking those that were still left alive.


    He was just a little foot soldier that had to obey the royal family''s orders, but he never regretted it as much as he did right now.


    Stephen had been lucky in the sense that he''d managed to ascend to the foundational rank, but because of that, he''d been drafted into the army controlled by the royal family, which wasn''t what he''d wanted.


    Unfortunately, he''d been over the age limit, and none of the sects would accept him, leaving him no choice but to join the army.


    Since then, he''d had to follow orders whether he liked it or not.


    Still, though, this took the cake.


    Why was the royal army declaring war on a clan?


    Stephen didn''t understand.


    Most of the time, the royal army was out in the outskirts of the continent, pitting themselves against monsters and creatures.


    Which, fine. Stephen had eventually accepted even if he didn''t think he suited the lifestyle.


    But this was a whole different ballpark altogether.


    They weren''t killing monsters or creatures this time. They were killing actual humans.


    Stephen had been completely opposed to it when he first heard that they were heading to war.


    Not only that, it wasn''t even a war against another continent, but instead one that was taking place *inside* their continent. It was their own citizens that they were hitting. He just didn''t understand why.


    Why were they hitting their own people?


    The first day, they took down a few of the clansmen who battled them, and the feeling of steel cutting into flesh would haunt Stephen for days to come.


    It was different battling monsters and creatures, and he couldn''t look the people who he faced in the eyes.


    The first day, the casualties were high on both sides, but it was thought that the royal family''s army would eventually overpower them in the coming days.


    However, as the days dragged on by, it was obvious that the royal family''s army were being pushed back instead despite their superior numbers.


    The days dragged on, and the war seemed like it would never end.


    Yet, only a week had passed.


    It felt like a lifetime.


    Honestly, it was the smell of death that lingered around that bothered Stephen the most.


    The cries of people dying entered his ears constantly, and it felt like it was hard just to breathe.


    Stephen wished that it would just stop.


    He just wanted to leave.


    The more they fought on Stephen kept getting the feeling that this wasn''t going to end favourably for the army.


    While their casualty count was increasing by the day, the number of people that were dying on the clan''s side was decreasing.


    Till one day, Stephen realized that their actions were futile.


    There were no more Neils dying in the battles.


    While the realization made him feel a little cold, there was a part of the soldier that also hoped this meant that the war would end.


    "Shut up, fools!" Stephen heard the familiar voice yell. "Less talking, more fighting! Why do you lot always end up getting separated inside? Didn''t I tell you to stick together already? Are you all just that stupid that you can''t even follow simple orders!?"


    The soldier seethed.


    The second prince of the Rhys Royal Family, Frazer Rhys.


    He was the bane of pretty much everyone that was there.


    Not only did he never enter the battlefield itself, he only stayed behind and barked orders at them, flinging insults left and right like they were all incompetents.


    Stephen had yet to find someone that actually liked the prince, with how he was acting.


    They were all worn-out, and they just wanted to go back.


    Even going against monsters and creatures was preferable than this hell.


    Having to hurt other humans caused morale to drop even lower, but now, they weren''t even doing any damage to them.


    Stephen breathed roughly, just barely dodging the elemental attack that the Neil Clan member shot at him.


    He stumbled back and his knee buckled, something that saved his life.


    The whoosh of a weapon spinning by where his head had been previously. The back of Stephen''s neck tingled at the close cass.


    Stephen hauled up his tired body, gritting his teeth.


    He had to survive!


    All he had to do was survive to the end!


    Stephen breathed heavily as he waited to defend himself from the next attack, only to wait in vain.


    He clutched his trusty sword harder, craning his ears.


    There was nothing except the sounds of a few moans of pain, and Stephen felt a bit of hope bloom.


    Had the¡­ had the Neil Clan members retreated?


    Stephen backtracked and picked up a few wounded comrades along the way, heading back to their camp.


    While they always entered the forest in a formation, various things kept getting in their way.


    Sometimes it was the trees, sometimes it was the creatures, but whatever it was, there was always something that ended up picking them off one by one from the formations, causing them all to scatter.


    The worst of it was the trees.


    If he didn''t know better, he''d classify them as creatures as well.


    They moved eerily in sync, almost as if they were connected.


    It wasn''t all of them, either.


    It was only a few, so they couldn''t just indiscriminately avoid all trees either.


    If there were just a few, then it was fine, but there were so many goddamn trees in the forest that it was like a living nightmare for them.


    Even before they saw any Neils, they already had to face the harassment from the trees.


    The Neils even started working with the trees a few days in, and now that they were properly acclimatized to battle in the forest, it was a lot easier for them, while the army was struggling harder than ever.


    They should never have started this war in the first place.


    Why had the royal family decided to start a war with a clan, especially a clan as renowned as the Neil Clan?


    He just didn''t understand.


    Stephen cursed the emperor, the empress, the prince. Every single one of the royal family that he could think of.


    But from the second prince''s loud complaints, he reckoned that it was because they got ''inside information'' which was obviously being proven false right now.


    Stephen preferred to think that those idiots up top had been deceived by the Neil Clan. That was what got them into this situation in the first place.


    If it wasn''t for the higherup''s greed, they would never have been stuck murdering people.


    It was a popular sentient in the army right now, and nothing the second prince did was doing anything to dissuade it.


    Morale was at an all-time low.


    There was a shout of alarm further up, and Stephen quickened his heavy footsteps.


    His body ached everywhere, but it wasn''t often one heard cries of alarm like that en masse up at their base.


    When Stephen reached the people crowding around, he had no idea why they were doing this.


    He nudged one of the soldiers that he recognized. "What''s going on?"


    The soldier shook his head. "Man. They''re shouting about how the prince is dead!"


    "What?"


    "Yeah, they say he''d been assassinated!"


    Stephen was shocked. What did this mean for them now?


    The chain of command was broken, and the second highest had been killed early on in the war.


    The prince never installed another person to take command now.


    Suddenly, things looked bleaker than ever, and the soldier''s whispers started up.


    "What''s going to happen to us now?"


    "Have we already lost the war?"


    "What happens now?"


    "A man completely covered in black just came and assassinated the prince. He didn''t even have time to react. The funny thing is, after doing that, he just quickly disappeared."

 Chapter 255 Overflowing Sadness

    The Rhys Royal Family''s army pulled back under their new emperor, Alistair''s command, leaving the Neil Clan with the clean-up.


    Yet, when the Neil Clan members re-entered the forests that had protected them so well, they realized that they could not find a single body.


    Either it was because the enemy had taken the bodies with them, or because the forest had swallowed them up, they didn''t know, but it gave the clan members the chills.


    They hadn''t realised just how lethal the forest that surrounded them was.


    They were quite lucky that the forest worked with them and not against them instead.


    Of course, what they didn''t know was that this was all only possible because of Alec''s handywork.


    There were so many of his Awakened in The Great Expanse that over the years, the trees themselves started developing the ability to form new connections on their own, spreading out on their own initiative.


    It had spread throughout the forest here and there, and it had worked out fantastically for the Neil Clan in the battle.


    While they would not have lost the war even without this addition, it was no doubt that it came in handy for them.


    They had much fewer casualties because of it as well.


    Secretly, Vi had been stationed here by Alec a few months back, and it had been acclimatizing itself in The Great Expanse.


    It had managed to connect with the other Awakened here, and the bonds between them only grew stronger over time.


    The MVP in the war was Alec''s Awakened, Vi.


    The unsung hero remained in the dark, remaining in the shadows of history.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec remained completely still in the coffin because of his self-induced seal that maintained his body state.


    It made him appear as if he was still alive, but just sleeping to everyone that saw him.


    Essentially, it was like a self-administered paralysis seal.


    Of course, since he was positioned in a coffin, he just appeared dead.


    The coffin swayed lightly as they passed through the city. It was an open casket, and Alec lay in a pile of flowers.


    His peaceful expression was exposed to everyone who were there paying their respects, and there weren''t many dry eyes in the crowd.


    There were rows and rows of people that were standing by the side where the coffin passed, and even though it should have been muffled with the sound dispersive barrier around the carriage, Alec could hear the wails of despair and sadness from the people.


    The System inwardly clicked his tongue.


    Why were they all reacting like that?


    Alec didn''t even know them, for fuck''s sake. At least, he didn''t think so.


    So, he supposed that they were showing the new emperor how much they cared about him in hopes that the emperor would be favourable to the citizens of Rhys City.


    Ye Sha was chuckling in his mindscape at Alec''s predicament. To think a day would come where Alec had to play the role of a corpse of all things.


    He''d called the other a corpse to his face before because of how his facial expression never changed back when they were Systems, but this was a whole different level altogether.


    Honestly, it was just straight up hilarious, and Ye Sha was glad that he had front-row seats to Alec''s pure annoyance.


    The only thing he regretted was that he had to choke back his laughter lest Alec come chasing after him in his mindscape.


    As the open carriage that carried Alec''s ''corpse'' passed through the city, Alistair was solemnly sitting beside it, his eyes locked onto Alec''s ''dead'' face, thoroughly dazed.


    The first prince seemed as if he''d lost his soul ¨C something that drew countless stares of pity and sympathy to the prince.


    The rumours about his tragic love story had spread overnight even quicker than the original story about his new love with the nobility''s darling Alexander.


    Now, though, they saw no trace of the previously decadence that the prince seemed to personify, and he looked like a soulless doll.


    It made many a person ache with sympathy for him and his now deceased other half.


    Still, the first prince was now the acting-emperor, and many of the civilians had been worried about whether or not the first prince or the second prince would take over as emperor once news got out that the emperor and empress, as well as first princess Ophelia, had been assassinated.


    Second prince Frazer was missing in action, and only first prince Alistair and second princess Freesia remained of the royal family.


    But, seeing how Alistair reacted to the loss of his lover, some of the civilians felt better about the emperor being the first prince.


    Many of the noblewomen were fiercely taking a stance that supported the first prince Alistair over the second prince Frazer, pressuring their parents into taking Alistair''s side even though many of them wanted to wait to see when the second prince returned.


    It was an effect that Alec had not expected, but was something that Alistair had predicted, with how enamoured the noblewomen were with Alexander''s presence.


    Now that Alexander had been ripped away from them, they couldn''t accept it, and were clinging onto the last vestiges of Alexander''s love ¨C Alistair.


    If it meant that supporting Alistair for the throne meant that their Alexander would have the grandest, most lavish funeral (after the emperor, though they actually hoped it would be on par or even more, some secretly hoped), then they were more than willing to do so.


    Yet, when it finally came to the time for Alexander''s funeral, their sadness gushed over, overflowing.


    So many of the noblewomen who would never be revealed to the public showed up, standing by the roadside as they waited for carriage that contained his coffin to pass by.


    They were not prepared for how hard it would be to see Alexander''s frozen smile as he passed by.


    It was the same smile he wore in the Cookie Sect, and the same smile that he used to direct at Alistair and only Alistair.


    Sadness swelled like a tide, like a pebble dropped into an already filled cup, spilling over the sides.


    They had already switched to supporting both Alistair and Alexander together if they were really Chers, but they had never expected something like this to happen.


    Many of the ladies that upheld their etiquette broke it by openly sobbing into their handkerchiefs, and they couldn''t even be bothered when eyes looked at them.


    Before, it had seemed like a dream when they heard about Alexander''s death.


    It was only now that it hit them in full, seeing Alexander''s peaceful face as he passed by.


    Some of them even collapsed on the ground, but none of them fainted as they forcibly retained their consciousness, not willing to miss a single moment of the moment that Alexander was commemorated.


    -


    Alec stretched when he finally peeled off the seal that had been stuck to him. Since he was the one who made it, he was able to deactivate it as well.


    Alistair was in a bit of a daze, still lost in the feelings that he immersed himself in.


    "Why were there so many people crying?" Alec asked with puzzlement. "It''s not like this is the emperor''s funeral?"


    Alistair snapped out of it. He looked at Alec dryly.


    The more he learnt about this junior disciple brother of his, the more he realized how flawed his initial impression of him was.


    As if a gentle person could smile like that when they were chasing a princess through the palace.


    Not only that, he''d killed Ophelia without any hesitation either.


    Dominique appeared from the shadows as if he sensed Alistair''s judgement of Alec, glaring at the prince.


    The prince glared back at the Sin. It wasn''t like he voiced his thoughts out loud.


    "So, what are you going to do now?" Alistair said.


    It wasn''t like Alec could stay here, not when so many noblewomen were desperately looking for someone that looked like Alexander.


    The prince ¨C err, emperor ¨C was sure that Alec would end up being mobbed with that smile of his.


    Alec shrugged lightly. "I''ll probably go and work off some steam in a secluded forest somewhere."

 Chapter 256 Sekai: Endless Frustrations

    Sekai furrowed his brows.


    Fuck.


    Three months had already gone by, but they still hadn''t found any leads.


    Though the company did not know about their blunder just yet, that bloody bitch Xin Yi looked like she was getting closer and closer to informing the higherups of their mistake, which he just couldn''t accept.


    He didn''t want to go through another round of brainwashing when they realized that he and Xin Yi had not immediately reported their findings to them and instead went to search for the King Vampiric Willow themselves.


    It was already hard enough to maintain his own thoughts as the brainwashing slowly weakened over the years but going through it again would just blow all of his effort out of the water.


    Sekai was this close to just ditching her and making a getaway, but he knew that if he did that, the bloody woman would immediately make a report against him. That''s how much they hated each other''s guts.


    Even if he could ditch her, the moment she reported to the company, they''d be able to track him down.


    The main problem was that the branding that the company used to keep tabs on them was doing something to mess with something in their brains.


    He didn''t know how they were doing it, but he found himself a lot more irritable than he had ever been.


    Not only that, every time he felt like he was about to get insight into how to break the branding, the thought slipped through his fingers.


    The people that had forcibly joined the company all had the brand in common. They couldn''t talk about the brand with anyone.


    Nor could they mention anything about the company, or what the company''s goals were.


    He''d seen what it had done to someone who forcibly broke the restrictions.


    It wasn''t something he was ever willing to personally experience.


    It wasn''t just pain. It had been bordering on the line of torture, both mental and physical.


    The human body should not have been made to bend that way.


    And the worst part of it was that the company had *ordered* that person to break the restrictions to show them just what it did, and the man had just accepted it like a proper brainwashed slave.


    Sekai shivered when he thought back about the scene.


    ¡­No. Fuck it.


    He couldn''t continue doing this with Xin Yi by his side.


    He had to get rid of her somehow.


    He''d never met a single woman more disagreeable than her, and that was even *with* the stupid ban on his love life.


    Or the lack of it, really.


    Really, fuck that System that sent him here.


    Even if he was desperate for a woman ¨C which he wasn''t, by the way, he would never choose Xin Yi even if she was the last woman on the planet.


    That was how much he hated her guts. Just as she did his.


    They were like oil and water.


    The only thing that held them together was the damn company''s orders.


    If he ever met the System that sent him here again, he''d punch him straight up in the face no questions asked.


    Sekai peeled himself out of the crowd that he''d mingled around in the name of ''searching for clues'', but he really was just using the time to think without that woman''s presence for once.


    The man headed back to the inn that they agreed to meet up at the end of each day and plunked himself in the rowdy dining area.


    He ordered two mugs of beer and started chugging it down.


    He medicated himself on a daily basis because he was stuck to that bitch.


    It was only after half an hour passed, where Sekai was steadily getting tipsier the more beer he downed, that a hooded figure appeared in the empty seat before Sekai.


    In actuality, Xin Yi had already been here an hour before Sekai appeared, but she much preferred to deal with the tipsy Sekai rather than the prickly and abrasive idiot who thought he was all that.


    They were both fooling themselves if they thought that the other didn''t know what they were doing, but since it worked, it worked.


    They were more than willing to buffer the other''s presence than deal with them normally.


    Sekai chugged the whole mug down upon seeing Xin Yi, slamming it down onto the table so hard it was a wonder that neither the table nor the mug broke into pieces.


    "Hey," he spoke first. "We can''t keep doing this. You and me together? We''re just not covering enough ground."


    Xin Yi was silent because he was right.


    They truly weren''t able to cover all the ground because they were stuck together, but what could she do?


    Company orders said that the team had to stick together no matter what.


    They had to be in the same vicinity in order to justify it to their higherups.


    Sekai seemed to sense that she was wavering, and he pressed on harder. "Forget it already! We''ve already broken company rules by delaying our report that the King Vampiric Willow is missing! What''s another broken rule?"


    "Fine. But let it be known that this is your idea. If we still fail after all this, it''s on your head."


    Sekai sneered. Seriously. Even when it had already come to this, she still wanted to be like this.


    This was exactly why they could never get along.


    "Fine," he said shortly.


    Xin Yi felt like it pained her to ever agree with something that Sekai said. She nodded curtly at him and instantly disappeared.


    Sekai snorted, but he felt a little lighter without that bloody woman''s constant eyes on his back, just waiting for him to slip up one more time so that she could get rid of him.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Sekai secluded himself in a cave in a forest that not many people bothered to visit.


    For one, the place was filled with various high-ranking monsters and creatures, so it was no walk in the park.


    Another reason why was that the place was always dark and gloomy, so not only were there hardly any valuable herbs that grew here, it was easy to lose their lives in this place.


    A single misstep could cause their deaths.


    He had no intentions on finding the King Vampiric Willow''s traces.


    Quite honestly, if they hadn''t found anything by now, it was unlikely that they were going to do so in a short period of time.


    It was almost as if it had just sprouted legs and walked off on its own.


    They''d already looked into the mercenaries that were in the area at the time, but they''d checked out clean, so that was a dead end.


    For all he knew, the King Vampiric Willow might have broken through to be able to assume a human form and walked off on its own or something.


    Regardless, there was no way that Sekai was going to continue going down this route.


    He knew that the company would never forgive them, and they already didn''t have a single hope of finding the King Vampiric Willow, so he may as well do his best to try and continue breaking the seal.


    Fuck.


    He''d already amassed more knowledge in the area than he had in anything else because of his desperation to break it, but to no avail.


    There was only so much information without any practice could do, and he was already hitting the wall hard.


    This was his last chance to figure out how to break it.


    Taking a breath, Sekai pulled out a stack of paper and a single calligraphy pen.


    He looked at it apprehensively.


    He just knew this was going to take a fucking long time. His penmanship was notoriously atrocious.

 Chapter 257 Dripping Shadows

    Alec told Dominique to head back to the sect after he finished assassinating the second prince and disposing of his body, so he was currently alone.


    He''d left Bunbun and Fenrir to go back with Dominique since he was just going to work off some steam alone.


    They''d been doing damage control as they kept away the monsters and creatures in The Great Expanse, but not helping out in the battles against humans.


    The forest that Alec eventually found himself in was one that wasn''t frequented by anyone else.


    Not only because of the ominous way that it looked, as if the shadows would leap out at you and drag you down into hell, the monsters and creatures here were particularly vicious, and not only one had lost their lives here.


    Alec breathed roughly, finally feeling at ease after he slaughtered a few monsters to his liking.


    The stress had built up so much during the infiltration mission, and while he liked using his head, it didn''t sit right with him when he couldn''t move his body whenever he wanted to for a long period of time.


    He almost felt as if he''d lost his edge a little, but he was relieved to note that his worries were unfounded.


    Mm while he liked doing infiltration, he didn''t think he was suited to it long-term.


    Alec was cutting his way through monsters and creatures alike while they attacked him.


    There was something very wrong about this place.


    In the outer area of the forest, it wasn''t as obvious, but when he neared the centre of it, the more it felt like there was something strange going on.


    It was quite subtle, but there was something in the air that was causing all the monsters and creatures here to react with a lot less intelligence than he expected.


    It was completely unnatural.


    While monsters generally reacted with no intelligence whatsoever, the same was not said for creatures.


    Yet, the creatures and monsters here in the forest reacted the same way to his presence ¨C when he wasn''t actively concealing his presence, that was.


    The amount of bloodlust that he was stealing from all these combined together was actually rather startling, and the longer he stayed here, he was sure that he could even possibly break into the advanced rank.


    However, it was still startling.


    Exactly what was causing these monsters and creatures to react so ferally?


    They pounced on him like they weren''t thinking at all.


    It just got stranger and stranger, but Alec easily cut through them because they weren''t working together, nor were they using even the faintest amounts of magic.


    They were just all throwing their bodies forward senselessly.


    The further in Alec headed, the more monsters and creatures swarmed him.


    It almost felt as if they were protecting something.


    Or rather, something was forcing them to protect it.


    The forest was a shadowy thing, and it almost felt as if the shadows were alive, with how much they covered the entire place.


    Though sunlight should have shone through, the thing was that almost none of the sunlight pierced through the foliage of the trees, which was rather strange.


    The shadows draped over everything unnaturally and Alec could only think that the same thing that was controlling the beings here was also doing that.


    In a wide area that very noticeably *wasn''t* being surrounded by creatures or monsters, there was a wide, plain area.


    The only reason why it was noticeable, besides the lack of living things, was that it almost appeared as if all the light was concentrated into this single, wide circle.


    There weren''t any trees that overshadowed this area either.


    Alec stepped nearer to it with curiosity burning in his veins.


    The thing was ¨C it wasn''t the doing of any living creature, but instead, there was a surrounding barrier that was lit up in Alec''s eyes.


    Even before the monsters and creatures started attacking him, he''d already seen their glow from the distance, which was what drew him nearer in the first place.


    Studying the barrier while he fended off the attacks of creatures, Alec''s eyes were gleaming.


    Similarly, Ye Sha was also staring hard at the barrier.


    He''d never seen something like this before, but through Alec''s eyes, he was able to see the runes that made up the barrier.


    It was something that appeared absolutely splendid, and Ye Sha could see why Alec was so enthused about his line of study, and why it appealed to the other System.


    There was just something so innately graceful about the production of a working barrier that made it strangely appealing.


    But before Alec was finished studying the barrier, he heard the sounds of a loud explosion near the place.


    Alec narrowed his eyes in the direction of where the explosions had come from.


    That was definitely the work of human hands, and not these mind-controlled monsters.


    The System thought about it for a bit before disregarding it.


    It wasn''t strange for there to be humans in the forest, and it wasn''t like he was going to run towards that direction just because he heard a concerning sound.


    Ye Sha clicked his tongue, staring at the screen.


    "Alec. There''s the presence of a Main Character in the forest."


    Alec frowned. "What? Well¡­ ignore them, then. Those explosions don''t seem like they''re approaching us any time soon."


    "Hey¡­ you know, seeing as how you''re a Main Character¡­" he started off slowly.


    Alec instinctively felt like he wouldn''t like whatever was going to come out of Ye Sha''s mouth next, and he was right.


    "Do you think this is the start of another plot?"


    The habitual smile on Alec''s face widened, and Ye Sha hastily backtracked.


    "Not that I want to be the bearer of bad news, but you can''t deny it. Hearing a random explosion in the middle of what seems to be a human-free forest can''t be anything but a plot!"


    Alec hated to admit it, but he thought that Ye Sha may be right.


    "Fuck!" Alec swore angrily, hacking that much harder at the incoming monster in anger.


    He was pissed.


    Seriously, this body was bringing him all sort of problems!


    Problems followed Main Characters around like a curse! Not only that, it wasn''t one of *his* Main Characters, so he was rather inclined to just ignore it.


    "Are you going to ignore the explosions or not?" Ye Sha prodded his friend.


    "¡­"


    Alec ignored Ye Sha.


    He continued studying the barrier that was in front of him, barely managing to dissipate a bit of his annoyance as he concentrated.


    The barrier was unlike anything he''d seen before, so it took a bit of work to decipher.


    As far as he could make out, the barrier was here to keep something in and everything else out.


    If that wasn''t concerning, then he didn''t know what was.


    By all accounts, it seemed as if something was keeping whatever was in there sealed instead of protecting it.


    It was also because of this that Alec didn''t recklessly enter.


    All his instincts screamed at him to keep away from it, and he was never one to ignore his gut feelings.


    "¡­Looks like I really will be looking for the cause of those explosions."


    Ye Sha snorted. Alec sounded almost sullen, and it was quite funny since he knew how much the other wanted to just ignore everything that had to do with plot.


    However, plots didn''t disappear just because you wanted them to.


    They were rather circular, and they''d eventually hit you when you least expected it, so being able to meet it on your own terms was by far the best option since it gave you the most control over the direction the plot was flowing.


    Alec might not like it, but this was the only way that he would be able to maintain a semblance of control over the developing situation.


    If you looked back at everything that Alec had gone through since he''d been born, there were only ever subplots and things that weren''t so serious, so Ye Sha could only conclude that Alec''s [Main Plot Route] had yet to start.


    There were another few series of explosions in the far distance, each of them closer to each other.

 Chapter 258 System Meets Main Character

    Sekai was seething in annoyance.


    He actually expected his knowledge to fuck him over instead of practical experience, but he was proven wrong.


    While he had the knowledge, putting it into practice was a whole different thing altogether.


    His knowledge was¡­ passable, whereas his writing¡­ well.


    It had only been a few days since he first started, but Sekai was already starting to lose his previous confidence.


    The supplies that he''d stocked up on were not going to last long at this rate.


    While he thought that it would be hard, he hadn''t expected it to be *this* hard.


    Of course, he knew that haste makes waste, but the fucking brand on him that affected parts of his brain and personality meant that he had little to no filter, and he was a lot brasher than he''d be otherwise.


    Sekai roughly ruffled his hair.


    Time was running out.


    Sekai was frustrated. Then, he was frustrated at his frustration.


    Before the fucking brand, he knew he''d be able to patiently work on it no matter how long it took, but now it felt like ants were running around on his brain whenever he tried to concentrate for more than two hours.


    He punched the wall of the cave in anger, before flopping back down on the cold stone floor and squinting his eyes at the paper.


    He dipped the brush in ink, pulling it out.


    He adjusted the torchlight that hung above him before carefully ¨C carefully ¨C placing the brush down on the page.


    Sekai tried again, doing his best to temper down his impatience that nothing he was doing was working.


    How was he going to get it to work when there were only a few months left before the company came to fuck him over once again?


    This was the furthest he''d ever gotten, and if he let go of this chance now, he wouldn''t ever be free of the fucking company!


    Then, of course, because he was distracted for a split second, his brush jerked as the line deviated the slightest bit right when he was completing it.


    "Oh, fuc-" Sekai hastily threw the paper as far as he could down the cave.


    "BOOM!"


    Sekai threw himself away from the place hastily, diving into the sandpit that he''d made, which was something that had saved his life countless times already.


    Yes, yes. He knew what you were thinking, goddammit.


    A sandpit in a cave?


    The first time the bloody seal had exploded, Sekai basically used the hole that was produced in the first explosion to get the hell out of dodge for the rest of the resulting explosions.


    But Sekai really felt as if he was going to lose his mind.


    He already never had much of anything to do with any bookwork in his previous life, but now that he had to actually use his brain properly and puzzle out the seal, it felt like his brain was leaking through his ears.


    Sekai would quite literally kill for a pen to appear now so he didn''t have to deal with these bullshit calligraphy brushes.


    The man sighed roughly.


    Nothing to it, then. He''d just have to power through somehow.


    He was a transmigrator, he comforted himself.


    He might not have any cheats, but he could do things in this life that he never expected he''d be able to do in the previous life.


    It went surprisingly well when he thought about it like that.


    The lines came out smoother ¨C something he chalked up to his previous experience ¨C and he didn''t drop large blotches of ink everywhere like he''d been prone to do when he thought too hard.


    Just as he was about to finally complete a proper seal for once, the boulder that he''d rolled in front of the cave entrance to block out the monsters and creatures from the surrounding areas was roughly shoved aside, and Sekai''s brush jerked, ruining the entire thing.


    Sekai chucked the calligraphy brush across the cave with anger, letting out a scream of anger.


    He''d been so close too! He could just feel it!


    It shattered on the wall, like the last vestiges of his sanity, and the man felt his anger explode.


    Whoever the fuck it was that had just ruined his progress, he''d kill them!


    Sekai grabbed his sword and stalked to the entrance of the cave, murder in his eyes.


    There, at the entrance, there appeared to stand a man that was dressed in blues and whites. The symbol on the clothes signified that he was from the Heavenly Ascension Sect.


    He looked very, very familiar.


    Sekai''s eyes burned when he saw that face.


    He launched himself forward with a roar ¨C that face looked infuriatingly like the blasted System who''d chucked him onto this planet with no chance of finding love ¨C the face that he''d dreamed about cutting into.


    Alec, who had been unenthusiastically heading to the direction of the explosions, felt confused when the Main Character threw himself at Alec without any words exchanged between them whatsoever.


    Usually, if something like this happened, wouldn''t the person who''d had their place roughly intruded into go, ''Who are you?'' or ''What do you think you''re doing?''.


    Was this the legendary ''attack first, think later''?


    Instead of going about things like a rational person, the Main Character just threw himself at Alec with murder in his eyes, and a sword swinging at him.


    Alec clicked his tongue, stepping back and smoothly sliding the boulder back right before the Main Character''s blade was about to connect with him.


    The sword roughly clanged into the stone, cutting deep into it, and Sekai swore so loudly Alec could hear him from outside.


    "Fuckkkkkk! Come out here you shitty System!"


    Honestly, Sekai didn''t really think it was the System. As if a System would come all the way down here to this shitty planet themselves.


    It was just that seeing that face made Sekai feel like exploding, so explode he would.


    Alec''s eyebrows shot up, as did Ye Sha.


    How did the other know he was a System?


    Alec thought back about the Main Character who just straight up charged at him with no words exchanged.


    The man had tanned skin and bright blonde hair that contrasted greatly with his appearance, and steely grey eyes.


    By all accounts, he was quite attractive, but Alec didn''t think he''d ever seen him before.


    Then, Alec suddenly narrowing his eyes.


    Wait a minute.


    He''d originally been sent here by that damn Mainframe because of the bad reviews as ''punishment'' as well as ''atonement'', so he should have expected that the person who''d been the one to trigger it would have appeared in the same planet as well.


    Alec clicked his tongue even when the smile on his face grew brighter, and Sekai screamed at him when he heard the tongue click. "Fight me like a maaaan!"


    "What a brute. Is that you, Xi Kai?"


    Silence.


    "Fuck!!! It''s really you, you damn System! Fight me! My name is Sekai! Remember it!"


    Alec''s smile widened, and he felt the vestiges of his temper billow, being fanned from the little embers into a roaring flame.


    It had originally been rather satisfied with him killing his way throughout the forest, but it was once again ignited.


    "Those are my words."


    Alec roughly kicked the boulder aside with pure strength alone, flying back as Xi Kai ¨C or rather, Sekai, flew out at the same speed.


    Alec ducked under the man''s wide swing, just as Sekai hastily dodged the dagger that the System wielded.


    The two glared at each other, animosity and hostility brewing between them.


    "Fucking System," Sekai spat, readying his sword. "It''s all your fault I''m on this planet! And that I can''t find a lover!"


    Alec just tilted his head, appearing unaffected as Sekai swore at him. It just pissed the transmigrator off even more.


    "On the contrary, I said that you''d be ''unmatched in the entire world'' and that women would find you repulsive, but do you really think the Mainframe would allow that to happen?" Alec said slowly, confusing the transmigrator.

 Chapter 259 Branding

    "Wait¡­ what?" Sekai muttered, then he seemed to shake it off immediately, as if he couldn''t properly comprehend it.


    Alec raised a brow. There was something strange about this transmigrator as well. There had been a slightest flash of yellow, and if Alec hadn''t been staring directly at the transmigrator''s face, he would have missed it entirely.


    There had been a brief spark as the comprehension in his eyes shook, and it slid away like there was nothing there, reverting back to the previous hostility.


    "It''s all your fault I''m on this planet! And that I can''t find a lover!" Sekai charged forward, sword in hand.


    Alec repeated the exact same sentence to confirm his theory that something was wrong with this Main Character. "I said that you''d be ''unmatched in the entire world'' and that women would find you repulsive, but do you really think the Mainframe would allow that to happen?"


    "Wait¡­ What?" Sekai''s blade faltered, as he was hit by a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    There was a deep furrow on Sekai''s brows now, and he clutched his head, his breath coming out in pants.


    "What the fuck¡­ what is this? What did you do to me?" Sekai glared at Alec, before he shook his head. "No¡­ it wasn''t you¡­"


    There was seriously something wrong with the Main Character. It seemed as if someone had stuck a seal of sorts onto him that was doing something to his mental state.


    This time, Alec saw it when it repeated again. He wasn''t sure if it was because it was the second time round that the seal couldn''t react as fast, but he saw the golden glow swirl a fraction slower around Sekai''s head before it disappeared as it sunk under skin.


    Sekai clutched his head, glaring at the face that he so dearly wanted to plant a fist into.


    Once again, the company was getting in his way. Again!


    The Main Character ground his teeth, but he could already tell that his sense of balance was out of shot, like it always was whenever that damn seal acted up.


    Sekai could have screamed, with how frustrated he was.


    He''d finally met the System again after so many years, only to be thwarted in his revenge from the company!


    What was it that the System said that had caused such a reaction from the brand?


    What the fuck? He''d never experienced such blatant tampering from the brand before.


    Try as he might, he could not recall the words that the System had spat out at him.


    Before Sekai could think any further, Alec knocked out the Main Character before he did anything stupid like try and lop his own neck off. Seriously.


    That was the feeling the idiot gave him in their brief interaction both before and after he became a transmigrator.


    It felt like he was interacting with a pure muscle-brained idiot that didn''t think before he did things.


    He pulled the other by the back of his shirt, dragging him bodily into the cave without much care.


    Honestly.


    He couldn''t even properly get his anger going and duke it out with the idiot who''d been the one who sent him down to this damn planet.


    With the idiot getting a seal stuck on him that limited his mental capabilities, it''d have felt like he was hitting a mentally disabled person. How annoying.


    Ye Sha peered at the Main Character curiously. "So, this is the idiot that got you punished, huh?"


    Both Systems stared at the Main Character.


    The furrow between Sekai''s brows was still there even after he''d been knocked unconscious, and Alec sniffed. "It appears so," he said, disgruntled.


    Alec felt annoyed, like he''d felt the entire time he had to stick close to Ophelia.


    He''d briefly felt his rage get going, and he''d been preparing for a proper fight, only for it to be ruined by this idiot. Again.


    He couldn''t even work out his rage now since it''d dwindled into annoyance levels instead.


    Alec dumped the idiot on the floor before thinking better about it.


    He spotted a large hole on the ground, filled with sand, so he dumped the idiot in there with only his head sticking out.


    Alec poured a whole lot of water into the hole, filling it up, and the mixture inside became a mix between set sand and mud.


    The System casually Awakened the mixture inside, telling it to keep a hold of Sekai when he woke up.


    Of course, he could have just stuck a paralysis seal on the idiot before he woke, but what was the fun in that?


    While most of Alec''s temper had been tempered over the years he spent as a human, that didn''t mean that he forgave the idiot for being the one who forced him to change in the first place.


    Of course he had to take petty revenge in every way he could.


    Still though, just what in the world was he doing here before that caused such loud explosions? And numerous times at that?


    The cave was mostly bare, with numerous shallow craters that looked like the results of explosions, and inside was covered with a thick layer of dust.


    With a sole torchlight hanging at the top of the cave ceiling, Alec''s eyes locked onto loose sheets of paper scattered all around on the floor.


    Upon further inspection, he saw what looked like shattered remains of a calligraphy pen, and the smile on Alec''s face tightened a bit.


    He walked closer to the paper and saw¡­


    He saw¡­


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Sekai shot from unconsciousness to consciousness in the span of one second, and his eyes darted around.


    The first thing he did when he woke like that was to sense the surroundings for any hostilities and bloodlust.


    There wasn''t.


    His eyes opened, and the first thing he saw was the System''s face.


    He surged forward reflexively, only to be stopped.


    Stunned, he glanced around, and found that he was stuck in the hole that he''d been using good use of the past few days.


    "What the hell? What is this?"


    Sekai struggled to get free from the mixture, but it felt as if something was dragging him back from neck down.


    Sekai''s arms flailed recklessly underneath, but he couldn''t even move a muscle. In the end, he (bafflingly) plonked his forehead on the flat surface outside of the hole, his veins bulging as he tried in vain to pull himself out using his face alone.


    Ye Sha snorted, unheard.


    Just as Sekai was about to ask again, he was egged on by the smile on the System''s face, and he roared, trying again.


    The idiot went through the process around twenty times until he was all tired out.


    Sekai glowered at Alec''s face. "What do you want?"


    Alec didn''t say anything, just tilting his head.


    The smile on his face was rather wide, and the more Sekai stared at it, the more he felt a little freaked out.


    It wasn''t normal for someone to just smile and say nothing when someone struggled in front of them.


    Sekai always heard from others that he was a freak, but honestly, they should look at this System before they said anything!


    Sekai''s head shrunk back carefully, a wary expression coming over his face.


    Somehow, he felt as if something was wrong.


    Then, he saw the wad of papers clutched in the System''s hand.


    While the System looked completely casual and gentle with that smile, the hand that was clutching the papers spoke of something else together.


    His knuckles were white with how hard he was clutching the papers.


    "Hey, hey, hey! Stop it! You''re wrinkling them!"


    But his words had an adverse effect.


    Instead of loosening, they tightened even more. "My seals!"


    Alec instantly felt the rage ignite inside of him.


    "Seals?" he said deceptively calmly. His voice didn''t raise a single octave. "You call these¡­ seals!?"


    The papers smacked Sekai on the face with surprising force. The Main Character had to wonder just how much force was used to achieve that effect.


    The papers slid down Sekai''s face. He looked at the System warily. "Yeah. What''s wrong with that?"


    "Everything is wrong with it!" Alec exploded, reaching down and pulling both sides of the man''s cheeks.


    He pulled hard, startling a shout from Sekai.


    "Ouwh!"

 Chapter 260 Customized Seal

    Sekai glared at Alec, who was still smiling at him (even if it was rather menacing). The transmigrator felt goosebumps forming on his skin.


    He refused to back down or show weakness, even if all he wanted to do was rub his aching cheeks. How could it hurt so much, when even stabs didn''t hurt this much?!


    More than that, wasn''t this a completely unprovoked attack!?


    Alec took Sekai''s sheathed sword and stabbed him with it, prodding his head angrily a few times.


    "You," Alec started, then took a breath to calm himself down. "How can you call this sacrilegious work a seal?!"


    Sekai growled, trying to grab the sheath as it continued prodding him with his teeth, before Alec''s words took him aback.


    "You take that back!"


    "No!"


    "My seals are not shitty!"


    "I''ve seen complete beginners better than this!"


    Ye Sha watched the two bickering with pure anger, snickering the entire time.


    Somehow, the Main Character had managed to make Alec behave childishly like this.


    Then again, he supposed that the pure disrespect that Alec felt the other was doing to his field of interest was just grating him in an entirely different way as compared to when the other had given him all those bad reviews that forced him down to this planet.


    Alec held up a sheet, stabbing his finger on the page. "Look at this! Look at it! What are you doing?! You¡­ the lines of conversion are all wrong! Your handwriting is sloppy! The use of your brush is sub-par!"


    The moment Alec started, all the complaints he had came gushing out. Especially because he''d been forced to stare at that peacefully sleeping face when Alec''s indignation had been mounting.


    Sekai look stumped. The blank and uncomprehending look on Sekai''s face just infuriated Alec more.


    This¡­ this was a travesty.


    He''d never seen such bad results from someone. He wasn''t lying when he said that he''d seen better from a complete beginner. And, of all people, it was the Main Character that he''d sent off, no less!


    Of course, what Alec didn''t realize was that he''d only seen the beginners from his sect, who had been handpicked out of thousands to join his division.


    The ones that had been picked had a lot of talent in the area, and Alec had watched over their first steps, which was obviously better than many people out there.


    Even if they couldn''t all be called geniuses, they still had talent in the field that would get them far enough if they just put in enough effort.


    Alec felt like he got a shock when he saw how badly Sekai was doing in his practice.


    He''d found all the papers lying around the cave, but he couldn''t find much improvement either.


    Of course, Alec was trying to hold it in. There had been improvements ¨C minimal as it had been ¨C what he really couldn''t forgive was someone who hadn''t properly finished learning the knowledge trying to move onto practical drawing when they obviously had not yet mastered the knowledge!


    Ye Sha was just laughing at the side since he knew what Alec was going on about.


    Sekai actually wasn''t that bad when compared to the normal person, but when compared to the people in the Heavenly Ascension Sect''s array division, Sekai wasn''t even in the same league.


    Sekai felt very offended by how horrified the System was of his skills. He shouted at the other. "Hey! I''m doing my best alright! Do you think I really want to learn it?!"


    Alec angrily prodded the other a few more times with the sheathed sword. "You have some improvements I''ll give you that," he hissed. "But you haven''t finished learning the basics yet! Yet here you are, trying seals already?! You''re obviously rushing for something, so why aren''t you leaving it to the professionals!? You''re just spitting on our line of work if you''re just doing it half-heartedly!"


    Sekai hissed at Alec a few more times, his head trying to dodge the sheathed sword in vain. How was it that the sheathed sword kept stabbing at him with such precision!?


    Alec dropped his smile and glared at the other, and Sekai actually felt a bit relieved when he saw that smile disappear.


    The last time they''d met, the System had been rather blank-faced, and even in the end, he''d been glaring at him, so the smile the System wore really freaked him out.


    "So, start talking. I already know you have some sort of seal stuck on you."


    Sekai jerked. "You¡­ how do you know about that?" he asked suspiciously.


    Alec put down the sheathed sword. He silently pointed at the golden pin on his collar.


    Sekai''s eyes slid over to the pin, his eyes widening. "Eh? Damn System ¨C err, you, what''s your name?" he said shakily.


    Alec raised a brow. He could tell that the other man at least had some knowledge in the field, even though his practical experience was horrendous.


    He''d looked over the sheets of paper, and he could form a vague impression of what the other was trying to do, so he''d wondered just how much he knew.


    Since he knew about the pin''s significance, he should know about the people at the top of the Kaoriht continent.


    "You''re Alecris Neil?!" Sekai shouted loudly at him. "I should have known something was fishy when an eleven-year-old can top the competition! We''ve all been scammed!"


    Alec actually resisted the urge to roll his eyes.


    Sekai flailed, but only his head whipped around amusingly.


    Alec prodded him with the sheathed sword again, trying to get the man back on track.


    Sekai calmed down a little, still a little miffed at the thought that he actually idolized Alecris Neil for a bit. His face burned.


    Still, he grudgingly admired the other''s skill in the area. Sekai already knew that he''d never be able to catch up unless he had a lot more time to practice.


    Not right now, at least. Not with the fucking brand the company put on him to limit his freedom of thought.


    Even up to now, he still didn''t have a clear idea of what it could do, but the appearance of THE Alecris Neil gave him a little hope.


    Still, he couldn''t hope for much either.


    After all, both he and the System had fucked each other up, apparently.


    As if a high and mighty System would deign to come down to a planet if they weren''t somehow being punished. At least, that''s what he thought. Unless the other came down to mock him?!


    Just as the Main Character was thinking, Alec was also studying the Main Character.


    He''d gotten a good look at the seal earlier, and Alec could only feel disgust at that perverse seal that he could only call a brand.


    Never had he felt such a feeling for something that he felt so strongly about. They''d taken the beauty and flexibility of seals and warped it to such a state, instead using it to limit and control other''s thoughts.


    It made Alec sick just thinking about it, but the worst part of it was that it was a customized seal.


    It was like Alec''s Spectre seal, meaning that it appeared in the form of an image where the runes that made up the seal all melded together in a tight space, giving the impression of an image.


    It was a specialized thing that only those who were at least array masters could do. Not only that, Alec didn''t recognize the crafter of said seal.


    Every array master had a special way of working about their things that would allow others to get insight into the crafter, but Alec had not managed to gleam anything from this person at all.


    Which meant that there was an array master out there that was in hiding.


    And that someone had basically created an enslavement seal that would allow them to control and limit those that had it on.


    The reason why it filled him with such disgust was because knowingly or not, Dorian had tried to get him to go down that route those years ago, where he ultimately rejected it even as he pretended that he complied.


    Of course, Alec had managed to explain it to the man eventually after they got closer, and the man had accepted the revisions. It helped that Alec''s Master had been there to back him up, as well as the relief Dorian felt when he knew he wouldn''t be putting his son''s life into someone''s hands after all.


    So, even if it was someone that he couldn''t stand, Alec wasn''t going to let someone suffer under the gross misrepresentation of what a seal was supposed to be.


    Alec prodded the head sticking out of the ground. "Start talking."

 Chapter 261 Tumble

    Sekai shook his head. "I can''t tell you anything."


    It wasn''t like he was being stubborn either. He truly couldn''t say anything unless he wanted those terrible consequences to happen to him.


    He wasn''t going to chance it like this either.


    Even up until now, he still didn''t have a concrete answer of what would trigger such a meltdown, and he wasn''t going to risk it before he did.


    Alec nodded. He''d expected as much.


    If someone was going to make a brand and stick it on someone of all things, the first thing that they''d make sure of was to to prevent anonymity to the crafter. He''d just straight up call them idiots if they didn''t, honestly.


    It had been a long shot, but it was a base that he didn''t want to overlook only to find out in the future that there had been a much simpler option.


    "Then, answer my questions. Yes or no," Alec attempted.


    Sekai''s eyes glittered. Why didn''t he think of that? That could work!


    Honestly, Alec didn''t think it was going to work, but like he said, covering all the bases.


    "Are you part of an organization?"


    Sekai''s eyes glazed over when he was about to answer affirmative. He shook out of it a few moments later.


    "Won''t work," he said, and he sounded like such a sullen child that Alec found it funny.


    "I thought so."


    Sekai hissed. "Can''t you get the brand off? I''ll answer all your questions if you manage to get it off."


    Alec shook his head. "It''s not that simple. What you have there is a customized seal. Meaning, the original form of the seal has been distorted into something else entirely. Doing so means that it''s nigh impossible to figure out the true extent of what it can do without extensive research on it."


    Sekai listened quietly as he digested the words coming out of the array master''s mouth. It was something that appeared rather out of place with Sekai''s brash personality.


    Unfortunately for Sekai, his findings weren''t extensive, nor were they concrete either.


    For one, he didn''t even know how the brand looked like since it was only visible when it was active, or when there was magic running near the area.


    Since he couldn''t trust Xin Yi, there was no way that he was able to get her to tell him how it looked like.


    He couldn''t see it in the mirror either, much to his frustration.


    Those days, it felt like his freedom was further away than it had ever been, leading to more and more frustration on Sekai''s part.


    The more the frustration mounted, the blurrier the goals in his mind appeared.


    Actually getting to hear about his situation from an array master''s mouth was a godsend in this situation.


    Even if it was from the mouth of the damn System.


    Sekai thought that he would actually able to forgive the other man if he managed to get the brand off him, his love life be damned.


    "Anyway, when the hell are you going to let me out of this pit?" Sekai impatiently asked, his head swirling around.


    He still couldn''t move anything from neck down.


    Alec tilted his head. "Well¡­ why don''t you tell me why your name is Sekai in this life?"


    Sekai barely contained his jerk, but he came off as remarkably composed. Too bad that actually made him more suspicious instead. But Alec didn''t need to know those tells to know that he was lying either.


    "What are you talking about? Obviously, my parents gave it to me."


    A smile spread on Alec''s face. "You''re lying."


    "I''m not."


    "You are. I can see it."


    "Bullshit."


    "I''m not lying, though? I can see the influx of runes that appeared when you lied. It''s probably one of the seal''s functions that you didn''t know about."


    Sekai fell silent, then he broke out in a multitude of swears that made Alec feel the tiniest bit of admiration at his extensive vocabulary.


    Alec didn''t know how to classify the brand that was stuck on the other man.


    It was a seal that seemed to have very specific triggers.


    He had no idea why Alec''s words had managed to influence the seal in the first place previously, but judging from Sekai''s reactions, there were various levels of levels to the brand.


    Honestly, Alec didn''t really give a fuck about Sekai, but what really triggered him was the fact that there were more people running around with this brand on them as well.


    You didn''t create an extensive brand like this just to use it on a single person.


    It was an insult to his profession that something this vile could be allowed to go free.


    More than that, he had a feeling that this had something to do with a larger plot as well.


    So, Alec had no choice but to care, but even if he did have a choice, he wouldn''t have allowed the person who created such a thing to go about their lives freely in the first place.


    It utterly sickened him to think about someone like that going about their lives freely.


    "So? How did your name come about?"


    Sekai glowered at him. He didn''t want to say it.


    Alec shrugged. "Well, we have to see whether or not it stops if you tell the truth, right?"


    "¡­The person that registered my name heard it wrongly and inputted it, so it''s stuck like that."


    Alec laughed, but it wasn''t unkind. He ignored Sekai''s growling.


    Xi Kai¡­ Sekai. Honestly, he could see how the person had gotten that mistake. It was more of a pronunciation thing that was rather off, but it was still plausible.


    Honestly. The more they interacted, the more Alec felt like Sekai was more like a hissy stray cat instead.


    He was kind of prickly, but when he calmed down a bit, he wasn''t so bad.


    Sekai could have just continued to refuse answering him.


    It wasn''t like the runes had been there before he lied, so that meant that they wouldn''t hang around indefinitely, but really. It had to be something to do with the seal that was interfering with the man''s judgement.


    If he recalled correctly, the other wasn''t as quite like this in his previous life. The data that he obtained on Xi Kai before he appeared was rather extensive, but now it was almost as if the anger and rage had been pushed up to the forefront of his mind.


    "Are you a Sin?" Alec asked.


    "What''s it to you?" Sekai snorted. "So what if I am?"


    "I was just wondering whether or not you received a special seal, or if it''s just the general one. Make sure to keep your answers very general, and in no way containing anything that might interfere with your mind."


    Sekai thought about it. He made sure to be very vague with his phrasing so that the brand couldn''t trap him. "I was in a room by myself."


    Alec nodded. He suspected that the brand that Sekai received was specialized for him. "What''s the ratio of Sins to the other Societypes?"


    Sekai shook his head. "I''m the only one."


    Interesting.


    So, Alec had other things to work with now. It seemed that Sekai could still answer, but neither the question nor answer could contain things that talked specifically about the identity of the group, nor could names be revealed.


    "Three months," Sekai suddenly said. He pointed at his neck.


    Alec''s eyes widened minutely. "I see."


    Alec finally withdrew his magic from the Awakened mixture that was keeping Sekai bound, and the Sin hauled himself out with a strange expression on his face when he felt the¡­ *thing* holding him loosen.


    Just what was that exactly?


    As a tentative peace-offering, Alec held out a hand to Sekai to grab, who eyed the hand in front of him before hesitantly grabbing it.


    Of course, that was the exact moment that fucked them up.


    Ye Sha barely let out a shout of warning before the two who seemed to be connected by fate were abruptly shoved through space.


    The hands that had been loosely gripping each other tightened reflexively, before they were shoved out again, tumbling down.

 Chapter 262 Why Are You Here?

    Shocked, Sekai just stayed stunned there on the ground, as Alec just barely managing to brace himself above Sekai''s prone body.


    Both men inwardly sweated. Any closer and they would have actually ended up kissing.


    Much to their relief, Alec had managed to steer himself clear.


    Alec picked himself off the ground, looking around.


    What the hell just happened there?


    When the System looked around, he realized that they were no longer in the previous forest, nor were they in the cave any longer.


    With the absence of the shadows that crept around in every corner, this forest appeared much brighter in contrast.


    The forest was a lush green, and Alec couldn''t see any defining characteristics about it at the moment.


    Of course, it was a different matter when he spread his senses out.


    If there was one thing about it that stood out to him, it was the feeling that there were stronger monsters and creatures here.


    The forest almost seemed to teem with life, and even the trees seemed more developed compared to those that existed back in the Kaoriht continent.


    If he had to describe it properly, it would be that the trees were on the verge of becoming creatures without any help from Alec''s Awakening at all.


    No matter what his sight was telling him, his senses were telling him otherwise.


    The magic in this place was a lot denser and heavier compared to the Kaoriht continent. It made every breath that he took in that much lighter.


    "What the fuck," Sekai picked himself off the ground. "Toto, are we still in Kansas?"


    Alec ignored him. "Ye Sha, this isn''t the Kaoriht continent anymore, right?"


    Ye Sha was busy pulling up various screens and busily tapping away. "Yeah. This definitely isn''t the Kaoriht continent. Still, this isn''t another realm either. It''s just a different continent. At least, that''s what the I''m reading from this."


    There was a loud crash nearby, and the grunt of pain from a monster. There were hollow thuds as the sounds of multiple trees falling were heard.


    Alec looked in that direction. It was far enough, but it was still within his range.


    He could sense a humanoid figure and a very large monster. The person had it well in hand.


    Of course, Alec was just going to sit back and leave it to whoever that was since they didn''t have enough information yet.


    "That''s Elysia."


    Alec twitched bodily, ignoring Sekai''s side-eye.


    "What?" Alec hissed. "What are you talking about?"


    "Well, I just checked the data and it appears that Haphira did something to link your vicinity to Elysia. At least, you have to be in the same continent. So, she probably tripped into something that sent her to the next continent and dragged you along for the ride. Since Sekai was in contact with you, he was dragged along as well."


    Why¡­ just why!?


    Alec had the impression from Haphira that the dragon wasn''t really worried about Elysia''s wellbeing ¨C or rather, that she could take care of herself, but then he ended up doing something like this!?


    How had he not realized that the dragon had done something to them?


    Ye Sha had no idea when this had happened either.


    Hmm¡­ Alec groaned in his mind. This meant that the System''s data wasn''t infallible.


    Of course, that should have been a natural reaction to anyone, but as someone that had been living as a System for a long time, it had not taken long for their doubts to fall away.


    It almost seemed as if the Mainframe had everything under its control, so much so that it had almost seemed like a natural conclusion that that was the case.


    He hadn''t realized how much of it affected his judgement regarding that area.


    Alec silently chided himself and made sure that he would be more conscious in the future.


    As much as he knew that success came hand in hand with mistakes and stumbles, Alec never liked that process.


    Alec was much too stubborn to give up, which was precisely why he hated it so much when others were lazy.


    Still, he''d kept his distance for a reason, goddammit!


    The monster seemed to be a rank four monster, and the mere thought of Elysia didn''t send his heart fluttering like before.


    Perhaps it was because he knew that there was no way that Elysia would be that weak if she was connected to a dragon.


    He cautiously patted his heart and was relieved to note that it was his normal heartbeat.


    It looked like him keeping his distance worked, right?


    Elysia was facing off a rank four monster, which was the equivalent to an advanced rank in humans.


    Still, he knew that she was only in the foundational rank, one rank below him.


    Had she made such progress in the few months that he was away?


    Sure enough, she was a Main Character, alright!


    Come to think of it, wasn''t this idiot a Main Character too?


    Alec turned to look at Sekai, who looked like he was befuddled. He silently turned away. They weren''t even in the same league!


    Alec chucked over the sheathed sword that he was still clutching in his other hand, and Sekai caught it without a problem. At least the other had top-notch reflexes.


    "Haha, thanks!" Sekai flexed, his confidence coming back with his trusty sword in hand.


    And then, of course, like the muscle-brained idiot he was, he charged off into the distance, directly at the sounds of fighting that was still going on.


    Alec took a beat to react, before he ran in the same direction.


    What he saw was Elysia''s graceful figure as she dodged, a big grin on her face as she stabbed the monster in the vitals.


    She was a blur of silver as she dodged the monster''s movements minutely, and always at the last second.


    She had a few bruises that were already blooming on pale skin, but more than that, she looked like she was having fun.


    Alec discreetly put his hand on his heart, but it was beating at a normal pace, much to his relief.


    He was pleased.


    He''d managed to shut out these unnecessary emotions in the time that he''d been away from her.


    Still, even when Sekai also threw himself into the fight with a roar, she didn''t blink at all.


    Instead, her movements turned quicker, and she hit harder as she coordinated with him.


    Elysia let out a laugh as she joyfully hit the monster to her heart''s content now that there was someone to share the burden of the monster''s attentoin. Her bright smile never once left her face, and she seemed to enjoy the combat situation to the fullest.


    Sekai seemed to realize it as well, and he gave the strange new girl a speculative glance.


    Alec felt something surge inside of him, only to realize that he had no idea what he was feeling.


    In the end, the System just shoved the feelings back behind the wall and was relieved when he went back to normal.


    That''s right. This was how he was supposed to be. Well¡­ if he just treated the other normally like all his Spectres, then he should be fine.


    Between the two Main Characters, it didn''t take them long to take care of the monster between them, even if it was a higher rank than them.


    Sekai let out a bellow of happiness, flicking off the blood on his sword. "That felt great!"


    He hadn''t moved his body after he cooped himself up in the cave for those few days, and his body had been all stiff.


    This little girl wasn''t too bad, either.


    He smelt the scent of a strong person, and Sekai''s eyes burned when he stared at her.


    He wanted a match!


    Just as he was about to step forward and challenger her, Alec stepped in, giving Sekai an unreadable look.


    "Elysia. It''s been some time."


    Elysia''s eyes sparkled as she looked at Alec''s face. There was no way she''d forget about the first friend that she made!


    "Alec!" Elysia greeted happily, bouncing forward. She hugged him gently, and Alec, thank *fuck*, did not feel himself react.


    He could do this.


    "Why are you here?"


    Sekai sulked when he realized that he wasn''t going to get a fight from her any time soon.


    Elysia brushed her bangs out of her face. "Hmm, well. I was out for a mission for the sect."

 Chapter 263 Off Into An Unknown

    Elysia continued her explanation. It was simple, really. "I was taking down some bandits along the way when the boss of the group fled into some sort of cave. Erm, I killed him, but then his blood splattered on the wall, and the wall seemed to have a reaction. Before I knew it, I arrived here in the forest."


    Elysia paused, thinking about what else to say to help clarify the situation. "It''s been about¡­ twenty minutes, maybe?"


    Alec was a bit speechless when he saw her talking about casually killing someone with a smile on her face.


    Wait. Wasn''t he the same as well?


    ¡­It was fine, then. He supposed that it was totally normal, since no one ever said anything about it to him.


    "Huh," Sekai said, confused. "Well, we were holding hands when we were suddenly teleported."


    Alec jabbed him in the stomach, causing the Main Character to bend over with an ''oof''. What the hell did he think he was saying?!


    Could he not say it so ambiguously that could cause someone to misunderstand their relationship?!


    Branding seal or not, he regretted helping the other out of the hole that the transmigrator literally dug out with his own ''seals''!


    "Ignore him," Alec said, running damage control. "It''s my belief that your father put something on both of us to keep us in the vicinity of each. Neither he nor I triggered anything on our end."


    Elysia didn''t even blink at their actions, but she looked at Alec with curious eyes. "Oh, I see. I''m sorry!" she apologized sincerely, bowing.


    She stood back up, saluting him. "He was probably worried about me being out there alone. But, as you can see, I''m strong!"


    After she said those words, she did a flex that reflected the exact movements of what Sekai did earlier, before she broke out into a laugh. "Just kidding. But I really can take care of myself. You don''t have to worry!"


    Elysia seemed to be a rather cheerful person, with a bright and optimistic personality.


    Now that Alec had his pesky feelings out of the way, he was able to objectively judge her and see her character from their interactions.


    ¡­He didn''t dislike the sort of person that Elysia seemed to be.


    Still, he felt a bit of curiosity about what else he didn''t know about her.


    Of course, it wasn''t his feelings for her acting up, but instead a normal type of curiosity that came when he interacted with his Spectres!


    And she was part of the Spectres, so it was fine!


    Alec nodded. "Yes, you are strong. But since we''re in a different place, we might as well stick around together, then."


    Honestly, it was better for them to go around in a group of three instead of just alone.


    People travelling alone were either seen as easy marks or someone who was horrendously strong.


    Neither of those things were something that he wanted.


    Call it a gut feeling if you must, but he just knew that if he left the two Main Characters alone, they''d probably end up causing no small amounts of chaos.


    If they were going to cause chaos, then they should at least keep it somewhat under control.


    There were times were Main Characters got in over their heads, which was not ideal.


    Alec could just picture it now.


    Sekai would start some sort of fight with a rich, arrogant punk, who provoked him with words. Or looked at him funny, even.


    Then, the transmigrator would beat his face in, or even just straight up kill him, knowing Sekai''s personality.


    Then after that was all said and done, an elder from that rich punk''s family or whatnot would come and chase Sekai, demanding his death as repayment.


    Sekai fight as best he could but would ultimately end up fleeing for his life. He''d hide in an unlikely place before he miraculously stumbled upon something that would make him stronger.


    Alec could see the whole string of events playing out in front of him right now.


    As for Elysia¡­ well.


    Ye Sha spoke up without needing to be prompted. "If she goes on her own, she''s going to encounter an arrogant punk that tries to pick her up, only to get turned down.


    "Then, since he was turned down in front of a large crowd, causing him to lose face, he sends his men to follow after her before trying to drug her food.


    "In the end, when she consumes a bit of it, she realizes what''s going on, and she plays along until she''s brought to a room.


    "Then, she kills him.


    "After that, the idiot''s family manages to find her using the blood on her hands, and they chase her around the place."


    Alec wanted to cover his face. WHY!


    It was so similar to his prediction of Sekai''s problems that he couldn''t help but despair a bit.


    Somehow, Alec even felt like they could end up meeting the same person. Some cannon fodder that was there to move the plot along.


    So, yes. It was definitely better for the three of them to stick together until Alec managed to pry apart the seal on Sekai''s neck.


    After obtaining the information from Sekai, the idiot could get lost for all he cared. But not before.


    "The three of us should stick together for the time being," Alec reiterated.


    "Hah?" Sekai growled. "Why the hell should I stick with you punks?" he said, displeased at the idea of having to stick around with the System for any longer than necessary.


    Alec directed the gentlest, warmest smile at him, and Sekai felt a chill run down his spine. "Your seal? Have you honestly just forgotten about your seal already?"


    Sekai struggled with himself, but reluctantly gave in.


    He honestly didn''t want to stick around the System. After all, he was the one who had caused him no small amount of pain with his curse that he wouldn''t be able to find a lover.


    However, the System was also his best shot at getting out of this. "Fine!" he shouted, but then he stabbed a finger in Alec''s direction. "But, why are you acting like that, huh!? You faker! You''re all smiley now!"


    Elysia tilted her head at the side, confused by Sekai''s words. "What do you mean? Alec''s always this smiley! Like me!" she pointed both of her index fingers at her smile, beaming at both males.


    Alec smiled back at Elysia. "Right?"


    "Wow," Sekai spat out. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing happening right in front of his eyes.


    What sorcery was this?! Alec''s smile seemed so gentle and so inviting that Sekai would have been fooled if he hadn''t known the System before this.


    This was a scam!


    A straight up scam!


    And that little girl was falling for it!


    "Anyway, this is Sekai," Alec introduced Elysia. "Sekai, this is Elysia."


    Sekai eyed both of them before turning around with a huff. "Whatever."


    Elysia grinned. "Nice to meet you!"


    "Yeah, yeah. You too," Sekai grumbled lowly.


    He could just tell that he wasn''t going to get a fight out of either of them any time soon.


    But then he brightened up.


    This was a whole different place, which meant that he wouldn''t have to worry about the company when he was here, right!?


    That was a good thing.


    He could go and play to his heart''s content.


    Before Alec managed to get the damn brand off him, he wasn''t going to step a single step back into the Kaoriht continent.


    Not when they would be able to track him down in a mere couple of hours.


    "Haha! Let''s go!" Sekai charged out, not even checking whether Alec and Elysia were following behind.


    Elysia let out a laugh before running after him, grinning cheerfully at Alec. "Let''s go, Alec!"

 Chapter 264 Out of the Fores

    The forest was a lot more extensive than any of the three of them imagined it to be.


    Even when they were actively looking for a proper path, they hadn''t even been able to find the barest traces of humans that had intruded into the sanctuary called the forest.


    The three Main Characters had already been wandering around for a week, and it was only with Alec and Elysia''s experience in navigating around a forest that they weren''t hopelessly lost.


    Sekai, on the other hand, was of practically no help at all.


    By the time they managed to find their way out from the maze of a forest, the three had grown rather familiar with each other, even if they couldn''t be called the best of friends.


    Elysia seemed to have a magnetic charm that drew others to her, and Sekai and Alec were no exception.


    She was truly a bright personality that made friends easily, and even the rough Sekai felt strangely soothed by her despite his urge for battle.


    Sekai and Alec kept a tentative truce that would continue until they managed to deal with the brand stuck on the Sin.


    Still, the forest was full of monsters and creatures that Alec had not seen before, and it made his eyes widen with abject curiosity.


    They were on a different continent, which meant that even the weather and temperature was different, but it wasn''t a drastic difference that left them feeling out of place.


    Alec itched to document everything down but had to make do with Ye Sha recording it for him.


    At a glance, the forest didn''t seem that different from the ones back on the Kaoriht continent, other than the monsters here seemingly stronger than the usual back in their own continent, but it was still manageable for the time being.


    By the time they managed to find their way to a town, Sekai looked more than ready to drop right then and there.


    Yet, instead of looking relieved, the Sin just looked cranky ¨C even more so than usual.


    In comparison, Alec and Elysia appeared as if they were perfectly at home with what happened.


    Sekai felt shitty when he thought about how he was the only one being worn out. Just what in the world were these two doing in their daily lives that he couldn''t compare to them?


    Sekai''s eyes burned with determination when he thought about how to win the next time.


    Elysia laughed when she saw the look in Sekai''s eyes.


    The man was very competitive, but it was all in good fun.


    He always reacted in the funniest ways, and he was so easy to rile up that whenever Alec prodded him the slightest bit, he flared up instantly.


    It was quite nice to watch, and it reminded Elysia of the time she''d spent with her fellow Spectres.


    She''d been utterly shocked when Alec had inducted her into the folds ¨C in a different continent, no less.


    No one had told her that Alec ¨C seemingly gentle Alec ¨C was the boss of the Spectres.


    It made her unbearably curious, and Elysia felt as if she was unwrapping a present. The more she learnt about Alec, the more there was to learn.


    While Elysia and Sekai were reflecting about themselves, Alec was looking objectively at the town they found themselves in.


    The town appeared rather lively, and there were various people rushing about the place.


    There were streamers and lights hanging above them that made Alec feel as if they were preparing for festival.


    Judging by the delighted looks on many of the people working on putting up decorations, Alec didn''t think that he was wrong.


    With a smile on Alec''s face, he dragged both of them to a nearby street store before either of them could wander off.


    Honestly, it felt like he was herding cats.


    Alec paused.


    Then again, most of the Main Characters under Alec''s rule felt like a bunch of cats to him.


    Why had he not realized this before?


    Making sure to keep his eye on the two cats that were drifting from him a little, Alec looked around to see what kind of currency the people were using.


    He spotted a store that seemed to be selling hairpins and the like by the side of the street.


    The store was just as popular as the rest, and the turnover rate of the customers was quite quick.


    Business seemed to be booming, and it was an easy way for Alec to obtain information.


    Alec sidled closer with a natural expression on his face, glancing at the hairpins and other bits and bobs.


    He had no idea whether or not if was anything good, but the customers seemed to be happy with what they bought.


    Contrary to expectations, he didn''t see any exchange of loose currency at all.


    Instead, the people here used a card, not unlike back on the Kaoriht continent, where they used a crystal.


    The two items seemed to work in a similar manner, and it was nothing unusual.


    When the man was done with the transaction with a customer, Alec picked out a random hairpin and passed over a small but clear gem to the storeowner.


    The storeowner''s eyes opened wide, and he hurriedly covered the gem from view. He pulled Alec closer and talked to him in a low voice.


    "Dear customer, this is too much! This little owner doesn''t have change for this. This one doesn''t have that many credits," he said with a regretful look on his face.


    Alec nodded in understanding. "I understand. Can you point me to where I can get some money by exchanging monster corpses?"


    The storeowner beamed. "Ah, you are from a distant place, yes? Well, I''ll gladly let you know. This continent uses credits as a form of exchange. If you go down that street and turn left, you''ll find a trader''s association that you can do business at."


    Alec thanked the storeowner before leaving.


    The storeowner hurriedly shouted at him that he could pick a few more, but Alec was already out of sight.


    The storeowner scratched his head. "Well¡­ it''s fine, right?"


    Sekai was drooling at the stand with barbecued sticks, feeling his stomach grumble. The Main Character swallowed, feeling as if he hadn''t eaten properly in a long time.


    The smell that wafted to him was tantalizing, and Sekai reflexively swallowed.


    Alec grabbed Sekai by the scruff of his neck, ignoring his indignant shout.


    Sekai thrashed a little, so Alec shook him a little. Sekai very reluctantly went limp in his grasp, a scowling expression on his face.


    Alec walked up to Elysia, who was also staring wide eyed at various things.


    She was chatting and getting friendly with the storeowner, already making fast friends.


    Just as she was about to dart off to the next store, Alec also grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.


    Elysia squeaked, her eyes wide. Her eyes met Sekai''s, who had his arms crossed with a scowl.


    She let out a laugh.


    She hadn''t felt Alec approach at all, and she briefly admired his skill.


    Sure enough, he was the Spectres'' boss, alright!


    The three of them turned right and reached a less crowded area before Alec deposited them on the ground.


    Sekai glowered at Alec, but graciously let it go. Elysia was already bouncing in place.


    "Where are we going next?!" Elysia said with excitement. She couldn''t keep still when she was in a new place.


    "We have no money," Alec said seriously, causing Elysia to droop. "So, we have to go and exchange some of the corpses for money."


    Elysia brightened up. "Right! Hmm. Maybe we shouldn''t bring Sekai."


    "Haah?" Sekai growled, offended.


    It wasn''t like he was planning on going in the first place, but when she said it like that, it made him want to go instead.


    Elysia tilted her head. "You look like you scare all the traders."


    Sekai felt like he''d taken an unintentional blow to his heart. He sank down to the floor comically.


    He dramatically rose up again. "I''m going, dammit! I''ll show them!"

 Chapter 265 Awerk Continen

    Honestly, the new place they found themselves in wasn''t all that different from the Kaoriht continent.


    As long as there were people, the ebb and flow of time and civilisation would always remain the same.


    This place, the Awerk continent, existed just as the Kaoriht continent did, and whether it rose or sank with the coming of time was something that remained to be seen.


    Of course, while there were things that were different, there was also things that remained the same.


    Once again, Alec felt a little distant as he watched it all from an outsider''s point of view. The people walk on by, carrying on with the lives.


    The creatures that flew in the air, carrying both cargo and people.


    In the grand scheme of things, these things were mundane and didn''t matter, but when they all came together, they formed up a civilisation that was unique to them and them alone.


    Human nature stayed the same, even on Incantix, and Alec was yet again reminded of such a fact.


    Still, he did like watching people and their reactions even if he didn''t always understand.


    Perhaps it had to do with the way Alec didn''t truly understand himself at the best and worst times, that he found himself so unexpectedly melancholy at this time, that even Elysia and Sekai could not distract him from it.


    The two were having a one-sided argument ¨C the argument from Sekai ¨C where Elysia was just cheerfully agreeing with him.


    Sekai was quite obviously getting riled up by her happy but sincere answers, looking like he was about to tear his hair out in frustration.


    In retrospect, that was not the correct situation for Alec to space out.


    Even as he''d been thinking earlier about the trouble that the two Main Characters could make, he still found himself spacing out a little as he took in all the little details that he''d missed earlier in his focus to ground themselves.


    After the trio managed to acquire themselves a bit of money, Alec''s laser focus loosened a little as he gave into his curiosity about the new continent.


    Honestly, it wasn''t like there was anything so terribly captivating about his surroundings that he found himself distracted, but he found himself distracted, nonetheless.


    Was it because of a change in routine when it had been just the three of them in the forest?


    Alec felt like he didn''t understand himself, truly.


    He was interrupted from his self-reflection by a sharp whistle cutting through the air.


    Instantly, Alec''s wandering consciousness snapped back so sharply that it almost felt like the person he''d been portraying when he''d been distracted, and the person now were completely different people.


    Travis Ross, young master of the Ross Clan, had been wandering the streets when he caught sight of an adorable young woman that looked like she was still in her teens.


    Yet, it couldn''t be denied that the charm that came out from her every action made her breath-taking.


    She wasn''t like anyone else that he had seen before, and he''d seen no small amount of beauties.


    There was just something about her that made Travis covet her, wanting to possess and capture.


    He just wanted a little taste of the meat that he''d never sampled before.


    With a bob-like hairstyle that came across as remarkably fresh, her silvery-white hair gave her a sense of charm that attracted Travis'' eyes to her at first glance.


    Her smile was something that Travis coveted, so he made a move, whistling before he thought twice about it.


    "Hey!" Travis sidled up to her.


    He ignored the exotic-looking, sullen man that had been at her side.


    They didn''t interact like they were lovers, so Travis didn''t expect to find any resistance on that front.


    Elysia tilted her head curiously, a question surfacing in her golden eyes. "Hello?" she replied with a bright smile on her face.


    "I''ve fallen for you at first glance. Won''t you be mine?" Travis abruptly proposed. "I''m the first young master in the Ross Clan. What''s your name, lovely lady?"


    Sekai, who had been thoroughly ignored at the side, looked like he was about to bash the other''s face in.


    How could he just blatantly ignore him like that! Not only had he been ignored, he''d interrupted them.


    They were even in the middle of an argument! Now the flow was all broken. What was he going to do now? He could have gotten Elysia mad for once, he was sure of it!


    On the other hand, Elysia''s bright smile didn''t change either as she stared at the teenager that had come out of nowhere to suddenly propose to her.


    Alec got the sense that none of the words that were coming out of Travis'' mouth moved her at all.


    It was a strange feeling, and Alec actually thought that Elysia would have been a bit more na?ve, with how separated from society she''d been until recently.


    But nothing had changed from her bright smile those few months ago, and it was apparent that Elysia was a bit wiser about the world than she let on.


    There was a lull of silence as Sekai glared daggers at Travis, while Travis was looking hopefully at Elysia.


    Alec stepped forward, interjecting. "What''s the matter?" he asked, his usual smile hanging on his lips.


    Sigh.


    He''d expected something clich¨¦ like this to happen, but to think that it already happened the moment they stepped out into the street.


    Or, should he say, as expected. There were three Main Characters here gathered together, after all.


    It would have been stranger if nothing happened, honestly.


    When he thought up to this point, Alec was still trying to disarm the bomb that was the clich¨¦ part of the plot.


    Of course, the young master Travis was not dissuaded by Alec at all.


    Instead, a single glance at Alec made him feel like shit. Travis was aware of the numerous glances that they were getting from women all around.


    Some of them even stopped and stared blatantly, as if they''d never seen a handsome man before.


    Of which none of them were directed at him.


    Even the strange-looking man that was standing next to the beauty was getting some looks.


    "What are you looking at, eh!" Sekai growled out towards the onlookers, his rough words a direct contrast to his rather delicate appearance.


    With his tan skin and bright blonde hair, the contrast was great. Along with his steely grey eyes, he appeared like a pretty-boy that women liked.


    Of course, their illusions were promptly shattered the moment he opened his mouth.


    Sekai''s personality was rather rough around the edges, a direct contrast to his rather delicate appearance, which soon disillusioned them.


    Most of the ladies turned away at that, directing their glances at Alec instead.


    Travis was particularly sensitive because he felt the numerous eyes on them. He couldn''t stand that he was being looked down on in a small town like this.


    Who was he?


    He was Travis Ross, the young master of the Ross Clan!


    If they wanted to look at someone, they should be looking at him!


    Travis had always been the centre of attention wherever he went, and today hadn''t been an exception.


    That was, until these two men came into the picture together with this cute girl.


    Travis drew his shoulders back. "Who do you think you are, trying to interfere with our conversation?"


    Instead of receiving a reply from the two males, Elysia was the one who stepped in instead.


    "I apologize, but I will not be accepting your offer. Not only that, you just insulted two of my friends. There''s no chance in hell of us working out," Elysia rejected him firmly, her smile not changing a single iota.


    Travis'' sense of inferiority flared up when he heard her rejection. He made to grab for her hand, but she flung it off without a problem, causing his anger to flare up even higher.


    The titters from the crowd seemed even louder in his ears.


    "You''ll regret this," he left his parting words as he departed the scene.


    Flames burned in his eyes.

 Chapter 266 Distractions

    None of the three group members were disturbed by Travis'' parting words.


    Quite honestly, he sounded like a bad clich¨¦ villain at this point, and they had no trouble putting the apparent young master out of their minds.


    Of course, they weren''t as stupid as to completely forget about him. With the blatant threat that he made they''d be a fool not to observe their surroundings.


    In actual fact, they were actually quite carefully observing their surroundings even when they appeared on the surface like they weren''t, but that wasn''t anything new since the three of them already did that on reflex almost.


    Sure enough, the arrogant teenager had indeed sent people after them, and Alec quietly despaired about how annoying and sticky the plot was.


    It looked like it was going to continue going down Elysia''s route, where the Travis would try to drug her and simultaneously ''take care'' of the two of them that had apparently humiliated him.


    The humiliation on his face had been quite vivid when he departed, and Alec couldn''t help but think to himself that if he was the cannon fodder in a clich¨¦ like that, he wouldn''t have made it so obvious.


    Alec''s mind wandered without any warning, but there was a part of his subconscious that was still looking out for the threat in the background.


    Not only had Travis let out his intentions, he did so by doing it very obviously and threatening them right to their faces.


    His face didn''t hide any of his intentions, and his emotions were running high.


    It was as clear as day that he''d do something, so they would obviously have to be on their toes.


    Honestly, it wasn''t like Alec was particularly worried about the ''retaliation'' from the arrogant young master either, but it was better to be safe than sorry.


    Since Travis was still alive, that meant that they wouldn''t have to worry about one of the elders coming after them ¨C at least, not just yet.


    No.


    If Alec was going to be cannon fodder, then he''d at least do it intelligently so that he actually stuck around in the reader''s minds afterwards.


    Acting like Travis was a no-go.


    Simply put, even if he had backing to fall back onto, that didn''t mean that he should so obviously flaunt it so that people knew he had someone to rely on.


    If it happened that way, then all he''d be seen as was a fool who didn''t have their own strength, instead borrowing strength from someone else.


    If Alec had to face off against a Main Character, he''d take a shot at them in the dark.


    The frontal assault was obviously never going to work and was the epitome of foolishness.


    In that case, he just had to hide himself in the dark and make sure that they never got a whiff of him.


    Things that could be chalked up as ''coincidences'', things that ever so quietly influenced the flow of things, things that would leave others scratching their heads wondering where it had all gone wrong.


    Alec abruptly stopped his train of thought there.


    Strange. He kept getting distracted today.


    Why in the world had his mind gone down that trail?


    Alec had never been one to get caught up on the ''ifs'' or ''maybes''.


    If only he spoke nicer to Xi Kai back then, if only he''d managed to convince the Mainframe.


    He''d never once had those thoughts, but why was it that his thoughts had gone completely off the rail this time?


    Alec shook his head again, to the concern of both Elysia and Sekai.


    Sekai also shook his head, a fiercer scowl decorating his face.


    Blah! Why was he getting concerned over his enemy!


    Tentative truce they might have, but that didn''t mean that they were friends at the end of the day!


    Sekai had already long decided that he would not trust anyone besides himself.


    The mere fact that he had to rely on something as flimsy as trust to get by was something that disgusted him greatly, but his skills in deciphering the brand left on him left much to be desired.


    While he may not like Alec as a person, he would never allow another array master that he didn''t know to mess or even take a crack at his seal either.


    Better the devil you know than the devil you don''t.


    Elysia appeared rather baffled, but Alec''s strange behaviour was a bit more out of place compared to Sekai, who showed everything on his face as and when he felt it.


    Sekai was the type of person that didn''t have a filter. Instead, he spoke with relative honesty ¨C not in his words, but in his expressions.


    In her mind, Alec was someone that came across as gentle, but the description that she got from the Spectres about her friend slash boss said otherwise.


    Which one was the real Alec, she didn''t know, but she was enjoying the process of getting to know him.


    Alec was an enigma and a contradiction all at once.


    The trio checked themselves into a nice inn a little further out from the town, where the hustle and bustle of the welcoming festive aura didn''t include.


    It was a lot quieter here as compared to the noisiness in the centre of town.


    But, sure enough, there were three rats that had followed them out from the bustle of the upcoming festival.


    Before either Alec or Sekai could make a move towards them, Elysia placed a hand on their arms, stopping them.


    Sekai just rolled his eyes at the implication, bored now that the promise of a fight was gone. Scowling, he shook off Elysia''s hand and made his way upstairs to his room instead.


    Now that only Alec was left, Elysia shook her head at Alec. "Don''t do anything. This all started because of me, so I''m going to be the one to end it as well," she said, and she sounded so cheerful that it almost felt as if Alec was looking at a altered version of his mask.


    Of course, Elysia''s wasn''t truly a mask. Or, if it was, she was no longer able to differentiate her mask from her original self.


    Alec could at least tell this much, with how much practice he got with the stone-faced figures in his life.


    As a person, Alec felt himself grow more interested in Elysia, but he put that aside for the time being. "No," he said.


    Elysia looked taken aback for once, her smile dimming a little. She seemed to pout. "Why not? It''s more fun if we do it that way."


    The smile on Alec''s face became a bit more genuine. So those were her true thoughts, huh.


    Interesting.


    Almost as if possessed, Alec reached out and flicked her forehead. "You''re supposed to listen to your superior."


    Elysia clutched her forehead. More than pain, she was a bit startled at his action. Alec never struck her as the type to do that, but she found it kind of cute.


    "Fine," she pouted. "Then, eat dinner with me!" she demanded.


    Alec chuckled, accepting graciously.


    While Alec and Elysia were having their conversation, Ye Sha was carefully watching his friend''s reactions.


    Even though Alec had seemingly shut off his emotions regarding ''love'' for Elysia out of his mind, Ye Sha truly couldn''t tell whether or not he had succeeded.


    But what couldn''t be denied was that Alec was reacting the tiniest bit differently when Ye Sha looked at the way Alec had interacted with his subordinates.


    Whether or not this was good would remain to be seen in the future.


    Sitting down at a very visible spot in the rather empty dining hall, the Sin and Bright ate their food in a quiet silence.


    Elysia licked her spoon, her eyes curving with happiness at the great taste.


    Then again, practically everything tasted great after she had to endure her dad''s cooking for years on end.


    She watched Alec''s graceful motions when he ate, and she found herself wondering how this person had become the boss of the Spectres.


    How did he fight?


    Was he really as brutal as the Spectres described him to be?


    Somehow, Elysia felt as if she was becoming closer to Alec, as compared to when he''d only come across as a gentle person.

 Chapter 267 Three Rats

    Three rats snuck into the dining hall.


    They checked into the inn without much thought, before sneaking glances at each other.


    They were used to doing things like this, and they didn''t even need to think of a plan now in order to carry out their task to maximum efficiency.


    What used to take a lot of brain cells to do now only required the barest amount of thinking.


    They were more than used to the flow of events that followed whenever young master Travis felt as if he''d been slighted by someone.


    Of the three targets that had been pointed out to them, only two were eating in the dining hall. The third one was missing, but he should be somewhere in the inn as well.


    Joe gave a side glance to Connor, who nodded at him.


    Connor silently split off from the three of them. No one ever gave them a second glance, and that was how they liked it.


    It was a busy time for the inn right now, being dinnertime, and it was more than enough for them to move about unhindered.


    The young lady would be sent up to the young master''s bedroom, whereas the two men would be discreetly taken care of after they had some fun with them.


    Though young master Travis had a lot of power in his hands, that didn''t matter when it came to public opinion, which meant that more often than not, the three men were used by the young master.


    It was precisely why the young master kept them around.


    Joe wasn''t proud of his job, per se, but that wasn''t to say that he was ashamed of it either.


    More than anything, it was easy, and he found that his conscience was non-existent for things like this, which made it all the easier.


    His morals were in mint condition. As in, they''d never been taken out from the box. They were pristine and untouched.


    Still, Joe liked doing a job well, and if they were to do it well enough, the young master would allow them to have the leftovers after he''d finished gorging himself on the taste of fresh meat.


    The dining hall was packed to the brim despite the inn being out of the way of the festival''s preparatory area, which they chalked up to the influx of visitors due to the upcoming festival.


    This made their job so much easier, and Joe had to compliment the young master on choosing such a day, as well as such a target that made things easy.


    From what they''d observed, the two teenagers didn''t have much in terms of their strength, which would make it easier for them.


    With their group split up, it was even easier for them. The trio''s combat strength had directly decreased due to the split, and the men were more than enough to take care of two brats and a man.


    The two targets ¨C two teenagers, were obviously having a quiet conversation in the middle of the bustling dining hall, and their expressions showed that they were comfortable with each other.


    Well, they wouldn''t be for long.


    The girl was pretty enough, Joe supposed, but to each their own. He preferred a more glamorous type of woman, but a woman was a woman.


    The male teen, on the other hand, received quite a bit of hate from the man.


    There were only a few females in the dining hall, but even then, he was already drawing all the glances.


    His face appeared much too pretty for a male, but even so, one wouldn''t be able to doubt that he was of the male gender. There was a masculinity to his actions that didn''t match his appearance, but the calm and gentle smile on his face made Joe felt an irrational hate well up inside of himself.


    He wanted to wipe that smile off his face.


    Still, he didn''t fight it.


    The hate seasoned his appetite, and the meal would be that much more scrumptious later.


    Joe and Bill started up a loud but innocuous conversation amongst themselves, and they started roughhousing with one another, both appearing tipsy, with Joe more obviously drunk than his friend.


    Drawing on actual memories from being drunk out of their minds, the duo''s act was rather convincing, but it wasn''t anything out of place.


    The dining hall already had people that were relatively drunk despite it being early in the evening.


    Joe and Bill fit right into the crowd.


    Joe stumbled, sending himself crashing right onto the floor, and he laughed loudly, drawing eyes to himself.


    He hiccupped and made sure that he didn''t glance in Bill''s direction.


    He''d fallen down before the target''s table, and when he staggered, he made sure to crash almost directly into the male target.


    The female target steadied him, calling out with concern. "Oh! Are you alright, sir?"


    The young master''s soon-to-be female had such a sweet voice that hearing that voice cry out in a mix of pain and delight would be a joy to listen to.


    Kind and pretty, she was about to be incomparably ruined forever.


    As all eyes were directed at Joe, Bill quietly slipped a bit of sleeping powder mixed with just the right amount of aphrodisiac inside both of the target''s drinks.


    One was to ensure that both of them would consume it, and the other was that it gave the three men a sick sense of pleasure seeing a male target to utterly lost in his lust that he was able to do anything just to get off.


    And if they had a little taste of that pretty face too, then it wasn''t much of a loss for them.


    After all, the young master didn''t always share his conquests.


    Bill walked forward with steady steps, and he sighed loudly and deliberately. "Joe, what did I say about making a mess!"


    Bill apologized profusely to the people that had been caught up in his friend''s drunken stumbling, quite convincingly at that.


    The man grabbed Joe and led him to the nearby table, dumping a cup of water on Joe''s head. "Sober up already!"


    Joe groaned, but his eyes appeared more lucid than they were at the start of their act.


    Losing interest, the crowd turned away from them.


    As Joe and Bill conversed in a normal tone of voice, Joe was keeping an eye on the next table.


    From what he saw, the girl had only consumed about a fourth of the drink on the table, but she was already looking rather sleepy.


    On the other hand, the male target had finished off his entire drink, and he''d even taken some of the female target''s.


    Bill swallowed and licked his lips at the thought that the pretty face was going to be entirely wanton later on. Bill didn''t have a gender preference, but he did like them pretty, and both targets had successfully aroused his hunger.


    Soon enough, the male target looked just as sleepy as the female, and it was lucky for them that the drinks the two targets consumed were alcoholic in nature, which meant that their act was going to be even more convincing.


    Before long, the two were collapsed on the table, the male one just barely keeping his eyes open.


    Bill felt a spike of lust at those hazy eyes.


    There weren''t many eyes looking at them now, and the two men slid off their stools and patted the two teenagers, acting worried.


    When they picked them up, slinging their arms around their shoulders, there wasn''t any reaction from the people around them.


    There were a few women who looked disappointed that they weren''t able to approach the male target from the start to the end, but that didn''t matter.


    The dead weight in their arms did little to mask their excitement, and they headed up to the top floor, where the young master was waiting.


    Just as their excitement hit the peak, they were silently knocked out as they were stared at by two pairs eyes.

 Chapter 268 Traceless

    Alec single-handedly dragged both of the rats to the room where Alec was supposed to stay instead.


    Since he wanted to do this in secrecy, then the only place that was currently available for them was the rooms that he''d already secured.


    He was certain that Sekai had already taken care of the rat that had gone after him, having a good idea of the Main Character''s personality.


    Sure enough, the sight that greeted both Elysia and Alec was one that wasn''t out of character for the rather rough Main Character.


    Compared to the two men that were in their hands, the one that had gone through Sekai''s rough handling was in much worse shape, but it wasn''t bad enough that he wouldn''t be able to participate in Alec''s little game.


    It wasn''t too bad. He was a little banged up, but it wasn''t anything that a bit of ointment couldn''t fix.


    Pulling out a jar of ointment, Alec started slathering it on the third man''s bruises.


    Sekai instantly made a sound of discontent. "The hell you healing him up for?"


    Elysia also looked like she was hoping for an answer as her eyes sparkled, which was why Alec even deigned to reply in the first place.


    "I''m not so nice as to end their suffering right away, of course," Alec said, and it was with his normal smile on his face. "Just killing them won''t cut it."


    Sekai looked at him warily. Somehow, he didn''t feel like he wanted to know.


    If anything, he pitied the fools who handed themselves to the System on a silver platter where he was free to exert his retaliation as he wanted.


    After all, just look at what had happened to Sekai.


    Some fools were going to suffer in his hands again, but it gave Sekai a bit of vindictive pleasure that he wasn''t on the receiving end this time.


    "Ha. You take care of it, then. I''m going to sleep. Don''t bother me unless you''re dying. Wait. Even then, you take care of it yourself."


    Alec waved him off, and Sekai sauntered out of the room.


    On the other hand, Elysia was still grinning brightly, and her eyes all but sparkled.


    It was quite fascinating how Elysia didn''t seem to be phased by his apparent change in personality at all, so Alec couldn''t help but ask.


    "Aren''t you curious?"


    Elysia beamed at him. "Of course I am. But, it''s also more fun for me to puzzle it out by myself. Anyway, I like you, so that''s enough. And my intuition is never wrong!"


    Alec''s traitorous heart gave a little thump at those words, causing the System to frown inwardly.


    He shoved down on his walls a bit more firmly before he was satisfied that nothing else was going to come out.


    "You''re strange."


    "Thank you! I think you''re strange too," Elysia chirped.


    She watched Alec prepare some sort of concoction with a green herb that she''d frequently seen back when she was living in a forest with her dad.


    "Hm," she mused. Her eyes sparkled when she thought about what fun things Alec was going to do.


    She had a clear distinction between people she liked and people she didn''t, and she was well aware of the difference in her treatment towards them.


    Still, she didn''t see anything wrong with it.


    For someone that she liked, she''d go through hell and high water for them, but for those she didn''t, sometimes she felt as if she didn''t even consider them part of the same species.


    When she''d said as such to Rosabel, her friend had given her a funny look, saying, ''As long as you''re fine with it''.


    Elysia laughed cheerfully.


    Honestly, her morals and ethics were probably a bit out of whack, but that didn''t really matter much to her at all.


    To be honest, she felt like she was more dragon than human most days, but that didn''t mean that she felt like the new friends she made were anything less.


    She knew well that she wasn''t what one considered ''normal'', but she thought that she was quite fine with it.


    Elysia knew that it was partially because of her past, and partially because of her upbringing, and she was definitely raised with more dragon characteristics than human ones, but this was who she was, and she wasn''t going to change herself for someone else no matter what they said.


    Like her, hate her, that didn''t influence her thoughts at all.


    She had a feeling that she and Alec were actually remarkably similar, and she felt as if she discovered kin.


    More than friends, they felt like they were the same kind of people.


    In this respect, she felt her curiosity for her friend slash boss grow incomparably.


    By this time, Alec was done with his rather potent aphrodisiac.


    He''d drank the entire glass and more of what they''d placed into their drinks, but even with the added potency of alcohol plus the drugs, it didn''t affect him one bit.


    He''d been regularly consuming small doses of poison with increasing potency, as well as the antidotes, and Alec was quite immune to most poisons at this point.


    What started out as a little experimentation with the Viridian herb from his curiosity surged out of control whenever he thought that he was improving bit by bit, and before he knew it, his body had ended up in this state.


    It''d helped that he''d Awakened his body''s latent immunity, which made the whole process a lot simpler than what it would be otherwise.


    If normal people wanted to do what he did, they''d have to suffer at least ten times as much.


    Instead of feeding them the concoction, Alec continued working on it until he managed to produce a clear, traceless serum.


    He injected it directly into the three''s bloodstream before standing up.


    Elysia''s eyes could have lit up the entire night sky, with how much they were sparkling, and they reminded Alec of the stars.


    She seemed to realize that something very fun was about to go down, and despite himself, Alec felt his lips curl into a little smirk of vindication at the thought about what was about to go down.


    Elysia sniffed the air, and her eyes widened. She was sure that without her increased sense of smell, she wouldn''t have been able to tell what the serum did at all. "Wow, that''s potent!"


    Even without Alec telling her what it was, she could already tell that it was going to be aphrodisiac. Her nose never failed her when it came to scents. It was a dragon''s privilege.


    She quietly pieced together his plan, and she let out a little laugh.


    "Are you going to put them all in the same room as that guy who hit on me earlier?"


    Alec freely admitted it, and Elysia flew forward, squeezing him out of glee. "Haha, that''s so funny! A taste of their own medicine, huh?!"


    She grabbed up the remaining syringe on the table, pressing down on the stopper just a little, causing a bit of it to squirt out.


    Grinning, she darted out the window, silently sneaking to Travis'' room.


    Alec didn''t stop her.


    Instead, he grabbed the three men that now had a flush on their faces, making his way towards Travis'' room as well.


    Just as he felt Elysia ready herself outside of the man''s window, Alec knocked on the door three times.


    He heard a bit of swearing behind the door.


    "Finally, idiots! What took you so long!"


    Just as the door opened, Alec also caught the arrogant young master''s unconscious body, the man knocked out from behind.


    Elysia grinned and made a peace sign. "Tada!"

 Chapter 269 Be Good

    Alec casually hauled the four male unconscious bodies into the room, where Elysia''s eyes widened a little at the casual use of strength.


    She looked at her skinny arms, then back at Alec''s which was muscular, but not *that* muscular, and she silently thought that she should step up her training so she could haul people around too.


    Still, her eyes were sparkling, and she looked like she was having fun.


    Despite himself, Alec felt a little bolstered by her apparent delight, and he dumped them on the bed together.


    "Stay there," Alec ordered, seeing her move a little closer. Elysia pouted.


    Alec started casually stripping the clothes from the four of trash and dumped the clothes on the floor in a large mess, before nodding at Elysia.


    Elysia seemed almost reluctant to leave the room, her curiosity apparent when she glanced at the four men on the bed, wondering what would happen now.


    In the end, she still darted after her friend slash boss when she realized that he was already out of the room.


    She left the door open just a little since she thought that there would probably be a few people who were curious about the noise coming from the room.


    She laughed, not feeling anything particularly bad about what she''d done.


    She knew everything about what they were likely planning to do to them after they''d gotten drugged.


    The number of stories her dad told her about the kind of people that would try to take advantage of her had been enough to give her nightmares for years.


    Elysia wasn''t nice enough to just let it slide like that.


    It appeared that Alec wasn''t either, and his particular brand of ''revenge'' used their tools against themselves, which gave Elysia a laugh.


    Actually, she¡­ well. To be honest, she really was curious about the act of fornication, as her dad had described to her.


    But the way he described it was as if he was talking about a completely different species altogether, so Elysia had no idea what all the fuss about it was.


    She heard about it here and there, talked about with tones that made her feel as if they were commending the act, but she had no idea *why*.


    However, she was mindful enough of Alec to realize that he didn''t particularly want her or himself to watch the process, so she left her curiosity be for the time being.


    Of course, whether or not she''d peek a little later on was a whole different matter altogether.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Joe was feeling particularly foggy when he woke up.


    He had no idea why he was awake in the first place, but what woke him up couldn''t be anything other than the fire that was licking its way throughout his body.


    He felt like he was on fire.


    His vision was hazy and fantastical, but he felt as if he was melting from inside out.


    The need scratched at him deep inside, chipping away slowly at his sanity, and the man panted.


    There was a desperation that clawed at him deep inside, and he felt as if he could explode if he didn''t manage to cool himself down soon.


    His lower half was especially unbearable, and never had such a need manifested itself in his body before.


    He was so desperate that he was delirious, and there was no way that his thought process could be rational, and it wasn''t.


    Groping around blindly, his hard palms contacted with soft flesh, and the man reacted as if he''d found an oasis in the middle of a desert after having thirsted for days on end.


    The man panted, and his throat was dry and painful that he felt as if any water that he could get his hands on at this point was a godsend.


    It didn''t matter how he got it, just that he was able to get his hands on it.


    It didn''t even matter who it was that was quenching his unbearable thirst. He just knew that he needed them right then and now.


    A series of low groans echoed in the room, the sounds seemingly bouncing off the walls, but the man was so lost in his own relief and pleasure that he wasn''t able to spare a thought about where they were coming from.


    Still, the man had no consciousness left to be able to make rational decisions.


    The man''s mind faded away as barely anything of his consciousness was left, trickling away like grains of sand between fingers.


    His body moved on autopilot as he instinctively knew that was what he needed to cool himself down.


    To get rid of the burning sensation that was eating up his insides.


    With hazy eyes, the man did everything he could to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling.


    He felt his thing pierce warm heat, and before he knew what he was doing, the sound of flesh echoed throughout the room.


    The repetitive motions blended together, and the man couldn''t tell fantasy from reality as he lost himself completely.


    Not long passed before other sounds echoed in the room, and the moans and echoes were provocative enough that the man felt himself ache more and more.


    There were other soft sensations that surrounded him, but the man really didn''t have any brain capacity left to savour them.


    All he knew was that he felt a sharp pain, but the pain and pleasure mixed together without giving him respite.


    The man had no idea the debauchery that he was involved in, but if he knew what he was doing right now, it was no doubt that he''d break out in cold sweat.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    When Elysia heard the sounds that echoed even through the wall, she sprung up with sparkling eyes.


    Before thinking twice about it, she already out her door and headed towards the room where the four men were currently residing.


    The door was open just a sliver, and the faint light that leaked out into the hallway beckoned to her.


    Yet, before she was able to peek into the room, she was hauled back by the back of her shirt, and she kicked pitifully into the air, reminiscent to earlier in the day where Alec had picked her and Sekai up like a pair of bedraggled kittens.


    "Noooo!" she pouted.


    She already knew that Alec was behind her from the scent, but she thought he''d come to watch the drama as well, not to stop her.


    "Be good."


    Alec grabbed his wayward subordinate and deposited her back in front of her room.


    Upon opening the door, his brows furrowed when he heard the provocative sounds that were leaking through due to the thin nature of the wall.


    "¡­" No wonder she was so curious.


    Elysia stared at Alec with wide eyes, forcing him to look away.


    Alec coughed. "I''ll go get another room."


    "Eh?"


    Alec spoke with the receptionist, only to meet with a head shake.


    "It''s too late. There aren''t any more rooms left." Seeing the frown on Alec''s face, the receptionist took it upon them to explain further. "Since the festival starts tomorrow, there were a lot of people streaming in."


    Unfortunately, there didn''t seem to be anything that Alec could do at this point, but he refused to allow Elysia to stay in that room where she''d be constantly faced with those sounds.


    Knowing his serum, they would be at it all night long and well into the next day, which was even more unacceptable.


    Alec made his way upstairs, only to actually slap his forehead when he realized that in the end, he still left her inside her original room.


    The System knocked on the doorframe, crooking his finger with his normal smile.


    Elysia bounced out of the room, but her eyes were still sparkling with curiosity.


    He honestly felt like she was going to sneak off to continue watching the show he just barely stopped her from watching if he left her be.


    "Let''s go to my room."


    Elysia blinked.

 Chapter 270 Sleep

    Elysia guilelessly followed Alec into his room, not feeling like anything was out of place.


    On the other hand, Alec was in turmoil inside, and Ye Sha was not of any help at all as he just snickered at the dilemma that his friend was going through.


    Alec wanted her to sleep alone, but he also felt as if leaving her on her own meant that she was just going to sneak out for mischief instead.


    So, there was only one choice left to him at this very moment.


    Though he had forced aside his emotions for Elysia, that didn''t mean that it was wise to test his patience.


    Even Alec didn''t know what would happen if he snapped one day, which just placed him in a bad mood.


    Thus, there was only one available option to him right now¡­


    Telling Elysia to stay put for the time being, Alec walked to the room next door.


    Ye Sha cottoned on to what his friend was going to do, and he protested instantly. "Hey, what do you think you''re doing?! This is your chance to sleep alone with Elysia! Why are you bringing a third wheel into this?!"


    Alec ignored his friend and resolutely made his way to the door.


    Ye Sha sighed in despair at the stubbornness of his friend. "Don''t regret it later."


    He could feel that Sekai was already deep asleep, but that didn''t matter to him right now.


    The door opened without another sound, and Alec took a moment to judge the Sin about his lack of awareness.


    How could he not lock the door?!


    But he placed aside such concerns. There was no time to waste.


    Even when Alec walked up to the Sin''s bedside, the Sin still hadn''t stirred at all, and Alec felt his contempt for the other''s lack of awareness grow.


    Some Main Character this was.


    Alec shrugged.


    Taking one end of the blanket, Alec very slowly and carefully rolled Sekai up inside the blanket, and miraculously, the Sin didn''t wake up.


    In the end, the transmigrator was turned into a human burrito.


    Hauling the human burrito into his arms, that was the moment that Sekai chose to wake up.


    "The fuck?!" the transmigrator swore, flailing a little.


    But he couldn''t do anything in the end because of how securely he was wrapped up, the human caterpillar wriggling in Alec''s arms.


    Alec snorted, drawing Sekai''s ire.


    The Main Character started growling and flailing even harder, but Alec slapped a paralysis seal on the blanket.


    "I thought I told you not to wake me up! Also, what the hell are you doing?!"


    "Oh, we''re having a sleepover."


    "Haaah?!"


    Alec carried the human burrito back to the room, causing Elysia''s eyes to widen as she met Sekai''s eyes from across the room.


    "Oh, are we having a sleepover?!"


    "Yes," Alec said calmly.


    Riled up, Sekai shouted. "We are fucking not!"


    Alec ignored him. "I can''t get used to sleeping alone after our nights in the forest."


    "Haaah?!"


    Sekai still couldn''t make heads or tails of this situation.


    What bullshit was this!?


    As if that cold-blooded System would feel such things! He didn''t buy it one bit!


    If that was true, then he wouldn''t have been travelling alone in the first place!


    Still, no matter how Sekai protested this arrangement, he was in the end placed on the ground next to Alec while Elysia took the bed.


    Elysia suddenly sat up before pulling an extra blanket from who knows where.


    She peered off the side of the bed at both Alec and Sekai who were making themselves comfortable on the floor, one more reluctantly than the other.


    "You look like you''re having fun," Elysia directed at Sekai, eyeing him curiously.


    It looked fun. She never thought that someone would do something like that, but seeing him do it now, she felt the urge to play like that too.


    Sekai exploded instantly. "What part of me looks like I''m having fun!"


    With a serious face, Alec patted Sekai, who was still trapped in the blanket. "He''s quite shy, so you shouldn''t compliment him so much."


    "Shy! I''ll show you shy! Fuck! Get me out from here already! Fight me!"


    Elysia gently placed the extra blanket on top of Sekai. "In case you get cold," she said seriously and earnestly, patting the blanket.


    Sekai snarled. "I don''t need it! I''m already trapped in a layer of blankets! Do you want me to suffocate to death!?"


    Alec patted the transmigrator. "It''s okay to be shy, but you should give your thanks to someone when they''re showing consideration to you."


    Sekai started another round of swearing. "I don''t need this kind of consideration!"


    Alec smiled and patted the transmigrator''s head, the repetitive motions lulling the Main Character despite how he tried to dodge the System''s hand.


    "Go to sleep¡­"


    Sekai fought off the indignity as his eyelids drooped. After all, he''d been in the middle of his sleep when he''d been rudely interrupted.


    Both Elysia and Alec stared at the sleeping transmigrator with bemused actions.


    What a simple person.


    "I guess he didn''t hate it as much as he said," Elysia observed.


    "I suppose so."


    Both Sekai and Alec fell asleep relatively quickly.


    Compared to what Alec was worried about, his usual sleeping habits kicked in, and he was out like a light, no need for worries that would have plagued him.


    Had he not shoved those feelings behind the wall, however, this would have gone very differently.


    Instead, the one that was kept awake was instead Elysia, who was still feeling curious about the things that were going on a few doors down.


    However, when she realized how much her friend slash boss was doing to keep her occupied, she couldn''t in good conscience go against that consideration towards her.


    So, she tried to get some shuteye, but her thoughts constantly revolved around her mind, the sound of two different sets of breathing keeping her awake.


    For some reason, she felt a little fidgety, and her heart was strangely unsettled.


    She originally chalked it up to her curiosity, but when she let it go, the feelings still remained with her, so what was going on?


    Elysia didn''t actually have a very good grip on her own emotions, and she knew that she was relatively simple when compared to the rest of humanity.


    When she''d been with her dad, she saw no fault in that.


    Dragons were loyal to their instincts, and their emotions were strong and simple, which made it easy to converse.


    On the other hand, she''d been in the human world for only a few months, but she''d already seen a wide scope of emotions that she was unable to recognize.


    It made her curiosity deepen, but at the same time, she felt a little repulsed by the very distinct human emotions that she didn''t really connect to.


    She had no urge to personally experience those messy emotions, which was why she had no idea what she was currently feeling.


    Keeping her tossing and turning discreet, she didn''t realize that Alec had woken up because of her fluctuating magical signature.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Elysia jumped at the sudden question, her heart racing.


    She shook her head. "Just can''t sleep."


    Alec fell silent.


    In the end, when Elysia almost thought that he''d drifted off to sleep again, she caught sight of Alec approaching her on the bed.


    Elysia froze up, her heart pounding.


    Alec raised a hand, and her eyes widened when they landed on her hair.


    Alec repeated the same motions that he''d done to Sekai earlier, but much gentler, and Elysia felt her thoughts grow hazy.


    The soft, repetitive motions brought a sense of peace to her that she''d be hard-pressed to feel otherwise.


    She fell asleep with a soft sigh, her breathing evening out.


    In the end, the one that was left awake was Alec.


    There was an unreadable expression on Alec''s face as he looked at Elysia''s peaceful sleeping face before he lowered himself back down to get some sleep.

 Chapter 271 Killing To Keep A Secre

    Travis woke up feeling like a horde of monsters had stampeded all over his body.


    Strangely, he felt like he was rather relaxed even when his body was aching all over.


    Shifting a little, the man rolled over, only to feel something sticky leak out from ¨C from somewhere.


    His eyes flew open.


    Similarly, his body rose off the bed, and Travis hissed as the ache and pain hit him all the more sharply.


    But he couldn''t be bothered about that right now.


    No, instead, the ache was foreign to him, but the feeling he got from it wasn''t so.


    He''d heard countless people describe it to him before, but it wasn''t something that he himself experienced.


    Travis turned his head ever so slowly, his memories vague and hazy.


    Sure enough, he caught sight of three naked bodies on his bed, and the young master trembled in both indignation and rage.


    The three men on his bed were familiar to him.


    Too familiar, even.


    They were, just like him, in varying states ranging from debauched to completely debauched.


    There were unnamed fluids everywhere, and the expanse of skin that was revealed to him did nothing to curb his rage at all.


    Travis flushed looking at their indecent state, then he looked over his own body.


    Travis looked like he had been the one who suffered the most under the three''s hands, his previously pale skin carrying the marks of all three men together.


    The humiliation built up strongly in him, and he even felt faint.


    Just a single look and you could already tell that they''d participated in something that couldn''t be talked about in polite society. It was tantamount of social suicide if it ever got out.


    There were love bites and bruises everywhere, not to mention the suspiciously white liquid.


    A single glance was enough for a scandal that would be talked about for years on end. Especially for a young master of the Ross Clan, like Travis.


    Travis Ross was someone that received attention from all sides of society, but it something like this was known to his enemies, they would have all the information needed to force him out from the ranks of high society.


    Travis almost felt as if he could breathe. How could this have happened!?


    Travis started trembling in sheer rage when he felt the sharp pain coming from the lower half of his body.


    He felt strangely tender, and his skin prickled at the faintest tease of wind that blew across his skin.


    His face changed many times all at once, and he immediately kicked the bodies off the bed in his state of anger.


    He stripped the coarse blanket from the bed, using it to cover his naked body partially, ignoring the groans that came from his henchmen.


    He even felt an urge to kill them on the spot, but not before he managed to find out what happened from their mouths.


    What happened!


    Just what the fuck had happened last night?!


    He tried to recall what happened before all of this, but the only thing he could remember was the knock on the door.


    He had no other memories apart from that.


    Wait, no¡­ he ¨C Travis seemed to recall the disjointed and hazy memories of drowning himself in pleasure and pain as the night progressed on, but the memories were so vague that they might as well have been a dream.


    He seemed to recall calling out and begging for more, which made his face darken and flush simultaneously in humiliation.


    Travis took deep breaths to steady his breathing, trying to remain calm when all he wanted to do was permanently silence them so that they could keep his secret forever.


    There were a series of groans from the three men, who were just waking up at the sudden rude awakening to their previously sound sleep.


    Travis'' soul almost left his body when he realized that the door to the room was slightly open.


    "Shut the door!" he shouted, to the befuddlement of the three men who were just waking up. "Shut the fucking door right now if you don''t want to die!"


    Connor staggered before shutting the door, and Travis'' heart, which had almost stopped beating, finally calmed down a little.


    Still, he was plagued with the worries about who''d peeked into the room before this, with it having been left open this whole time.


    Or¡­ had someone entered in the middle of the night, then left it open when they exited?


    The numerous possibilities sent a chill up Travis'' spine.


    He couldn''t even say nothing happened, because one look at any of them blew any credibility they had out of the water.


    It was quite evident that they had ''done the deed'', so to speak, and nothing he could ever say would wash him clean from the stain on his reputation if it ever got out to society.


    Travis glared furiously at the three henchmen, feeling like he wanted to peel their skin off of their bones.


    The young man gritted his teeth. When had he ever been humiliated in such a way before?!


    "What the fuck happened last night," Travis hissed, his face dark and menacing.


    Bill and Connor unconsciously took a step back from the sheer malice that was contained in the young master''s tone. Things never ended well whenever that tone was directed at someone, let alone themselves.


    Usually, that tone was only ever directed at his enemies, and it seemed like they had gotten on the bad side of the young master now that it had come to this.


    Their faces were pale, and their hearts were bleak.


    How could they survive when it had come to this?


    At this moment, a bit of despair started seeping into their mentality.


    Working with the young master had always been rewarding, and they had never tasted any hardship after following him.


    Now, however, it looked like everything was going to turn on its head.


    The most damning thing was that they were not able to recall doing such a thing, but the hazy memories that were left with them told them that they had indeed spent a hot evening with the three other men.


    Their faces cycled through a series of complex emotions as they had that thought.


    A foursome¡­


    Travis looked like he was about to lose his patience and start trying to kill them, so Bill hurriedly opened his mouth.


    "I don''t remember much, young master. All I remember was that after the two targets fell asleep, Joe and I carried them up the stairs, but when we were outside your room, our vision blackened. I don''t remember anything other than that."


    Of course, he was not so stupid as to mention that he could vividly remember the feeling of the young master''s soft skin under his hands¡­


    Joe confirmed Bill''s words, and Travis was starting to look nonplussed.


    He was beginning to think that it wasn''t the party of three''s retaliation but instead a move from an outside party that wanted to harm the Ross Clan.


    Travis slammed a fist on the wall, causing Bill and Connor to jump at his sudden show of rage.


    Travis'' eyes seemed to pierce into Connor. "What about you." The man''s voice seemed to promise death if he didn''t like what he heard.


    Connor opened his mouth. "I don''t recall much. After managing to sneak attack the target that had been sleeping in his rooms, I recall nothing other than pain and agony. After that, I woke up here."


    Travis fell silent, his face dark and brooding.


    He shifted a little, and the blanket that had been keeping his modesty loosened a little, causing his shoulder to be revealed. Three pairs of eyes fell to the white shoulder that had been revealed.


    Travis stood up with an unreadable face, killing intent blooming within his mind.


    He had to kill them.


    There was no other way about it.


    There was no way that he could trust these scums to keep his secret upon death.


    He knew what they were like, and he would only be able to rest easy if they were eradicated from the face of the planet, keeping his secret forever.

 Chapter 272 Belated Regrets

    Unlike Connor and Bill, who had been scared silly by the young master, Joe had a different reaction. He''d been carefully observing the situation since he was so gently ''woken up'' by the young master.


    It was too late for them to plead innocence since they''d already committed the act, and there was no way that the young master was going to let them go just like that.


    By now, Joe was more than familiar with the young master''s thought process.


    Compared to both Bill and Connor, Joe had been with the young master the longest, and he knew exactly how the young man ticked. He also had the best idea of what was going on in the young man''s head even if he pretended not to.


    Those that offended the young master never lived good lives, and Joe was all too aware of the fact.


    Since he didn''t want to die yet, then what he had to do was create a situation in order for all of them to live. Or at least, to let himself live.


    Magic started billowing out from the young master, the blatant killing intent obvious from his usage of magic.


    Bill and Connor''s faces paled even more in shock.


    On the other hand, Joe immediately made a move and pinned down the young master with his hands above his head.


    Honestly. If it wasn''t for him, those two idiots would have just died right there and then.


    What did they think they were doing when they were stronger than the young master? How could they be so foolish?


    The young master kept them around for a reason, but the nitwits were just passively accepting their punishment like that?


    Travis'' face reflected shock, then it morphed into a look of pure malice and rage. "What do you think you''re doing?" he asked darkly.


    Joe sneered at the young man but didn''t deign to reply. Not when he was already so close to his goal.


    Joe, with experienced moves, dodged the retaliation from the young master of the Ross Clan and shouted at the other two men.


    He put more strength into his arms and locked down Travis'' movements. However, he wouldn''t be able to do it for long.


    "Do you want to die?! Hold him down!"


    Bill and Connor broke out of their shock, hurrying to Joe''s side.


    Connor''s brows furrowed. "Joe, are you sure?"


    Joe sneered at the Connor, who felt his rage flare up at the look. "What do you think?"


    "I''ll kill you!" Travis snarled; murder bright in his eyes.


    At those words, even Bill and Connor, who''d been hesitant, abruptly made up their minds, their faces hardening.


    "So sorry, young master. But we want to live."


    A faint trace of fear crept into Travis'' heart, but he didn''t show it.


    Instead, his lips curled back in a sign of disdain for his henchmen. "If you kill me, you''ll never be able to rest well. My clan will track you down until the ends of Incantix, killing everyone even faintly related to you."


    This wasn''t an idle threat. Those that offended the Ross Clan never had good lives, and it could be seen that it was an active deterrent in those who wanted to harm someone from the clan.


    It was also the reason why so many of the young men and women from the clan were able to travel unhindered.


    Even if Travis felt a little scared, he was more ashamed of the fact that he''d been scared than anything else.


    He felt as if his status as a young master from the Ross Clan had been sullied by these three buffoons.


    His own henchmen, no less.


    They were the ones that were under his rule, so how could he be scared of them? It was an insult to his dignity and his pride.


    Yet, despite his threat, the three men laughed in his face.


    Travis snarled, kicking out harder, only to be subdued with even more strength.


    In the middle of his defiance, Travis didn''t realize that the coarse blanket that had barely been covering his modesty had slipped off, revealing his love-bitten body to the three men''s sights.


    Of course, even if he had been unaware, the sudden stop of laughter from the three men clued him in sooner rather than later.


    There was an outburst of anger and embarrassment when he realized that the three men were so lewdly staring at every inch of his exposed body.


    Suddenly, the bad feeling he had earlier was so much more pronounced in this moment.


    Could it be that they didn''t want to kill him, but instead wanted to¡­?


    The beginnings of panic started creeping into his previously unaffected expression.


    Fear stronger than ever crept up on his mind. His heart thundered and he tried in vain to cover himself, only for him to be held down even stronger.


    Joe trailed a cool finger up the young master''s pale stomach, drawing a shiver out from the body trapped underneath them.


    "Unhand me! Do you realize what you''re doing? Fine. I guarantee your survival, so unhand me!"


    Travis didn''t realize, but the faintest traces of wavering in his voice were caught by all three men in the room.


    They zeroed in on his faint fear like a pack of hyenas, smiles slowly spreading across their faces.


    Joe laughed. "Young master do you know¡­ your skin. It''s so pale that it''s incomparable to the young maidens you''ve tasted. If I didn''t know better, I''d say that you were the young maiden instead."


    Travis flushed bright red at the humiliation that he received, but there was also a faint trace of something unimaginable within the feeling of humiliation that made him bite the inside of his cheeks.


    Bill caressed the skin of Travis'' arm. It wasn''t even an erotic place to be touched, but it drew a violent shiver out from the young master like he''d been electrocuted.


    With the way the young master was reacting to them, you would have thought that he was a pure, untouched virgin, but the sight of the numerous love-bites and white marks across his body said otherwise.


    They''d clearly enjoyed a hot night together, but the young master was still pretending like it was his first time.


    Travis'' blood was thundering in his veins. Was this how his targets felt when he laid his hands on them? When he discarded them like they were worth less than junk to the three men that were currently holding him down?


    Suddenly, an all too real regret flooded into his veins.


    But he couldn''t accept it. He couldn''t accept that he was going to be¡­!


    Joe walked across the room and came back all too soon, and Travis felt as if he was being devoured by the eyes that licked their way across his body.


    Despite himself, his pale skin started to flush, and Travis felt waves upon waves of humiliation crash upon his psyche.


    Connor took the white packet from Joe and forced about half of it into the young master''s mouth.


    Travis coughed, some of it going down the wrong pipe, but more than that, the fear suddenly magnified.


    He knew what the powder did, and how it was all too potent.


    He''d seen the results from up close, which had provided him many a pleasurable night, but now it was being used on him!


    Joe pulled out a purple crystal from his pocket and kissed it, smirking at the young master.


    Travis paled.


    He knew all too well what that was.


    It was a memory crystal, which could be used to record hours at a time.


    Activating it and placing it in a room would allow the record of the entire room, and upon visiting the memory later, the view could be seen from all angles.


    With the powder and the crystal, his life was all but over if that crystal was ever leaked into society.


    Suddenly, a surge of power crashed over him, and he started to struggle harder as the adrenaline kicked in.


    Connor clicked his tongue and forced even more of the powder into his mouth.


    Terrifyingly, Travis felt his sudden strength fade away from him, leaving his limbs feeling weak, and his mind hazy.


    No, no¡­!


    Th effects of the powder were kicking in, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.


    Still, Travis was not resigned, and he thrashed weakly. But how could he fight them off when he couldn''t fend himself from them when he was at full power?


    The surge of negative emotions he felt now made him regret ever having stepped onto this path in the first place.


    Alas, it was too late¡­


    The three men descended upon Travis like a pack of hungry hyenas¡­

 Chapter 273 Excitable Festival

    Alec very kindly helped the four men in the midst of their increasingly spicy foursome block out their sounds from outside.


    Then, he froze.


    Ye Sha started laughing at his friend when he realized that both of them had forgotten that the seals could have isolated the sounds coming out from the room, and thus would have saved Alec from the dilemma the previous night.


    Alec''s face was dark.


    Had he truly been panicked yesterday, that he couldn''t even think about such a thing?


    How could he have made such an elementary mistake?


    Alec silently looked at the ceiling. Whatever¡­ it had already happened. What was the use of crying after he already spilt the milk?!


    It''s better for him to just forget about it completely.


    Anyway, he''d been planning on looking at the young master''s devastated face when he came out in the morning, but little did he expect that they had, unexpectedly, gone for another round.


    Alec felt like he understood the arrogant young masters less and less every time he interacted with one.


    Truly incomprehensible.


    Actually, there was a faint suspicion in his heart that the young master might have been pressed down by the three hooligans instead, but he had no way of confirming that.


    Nor was he curious enough about it to go and find out.


    Anyway, he ''kindly'' helped block out the sounds from the inn, wondering how many people already got a little sneak peek, and whether or not the news would spread.


    It had nothing to do with him now. He was already satisfied that he got his revenge, so unless Travis came after them yet again, Alec would let it go here.


    Elysia had intentionally left the sliver of a slit open to the door yesterday to satisfy her curiosity, but neither Alec nor Elysia had shut the door later on.


    Whether or not someone used that information for their own sakes, it had nothing to do with the trio.


    Now, though, he had to deal with the silently glowering statue at his side.


    No matter where Alec went today, Sekai silently followed him around with a dark, glowering face, and Alec privately thought to himself that the Sin wasn''t really inconveniencing him at all. In the first place, Alec actually wasn''t that sociable, no matter how his mask appeared.


    It was, however, obvious that the transmigrator was still holding a grudge from the previous night and was obviously trying to go out of his way to inconvenience Alec.


    He had even fallen uncharacteristically silent, probably to do with the unexpected blow to his pride when he fell asleep to Alec stroking his head like a child.


    It felt rather strange that the usually loud transmigrator had been reduced to a silent glowering statue.


    In the end, Alec dragged Sekai to a secluded location, exchanging blows with the Sin.


    Both Alec and Sekai came out, though one was obviously worse for wear, while the other looked only slightly winded.


    Sekai''s glower had lightened up a little, and he seemed to have developed a little grudging respect for Alec.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The festival in the little town was in full swing, and the streets were overflowing with people who were having a good time.


    The splash of colours in the otherwise normal town gave it a bright and lively atmosphere, and the people were simply having the time of their lives.


    There was no pretentiousness nor hidden meanings to the event and was a result of the citizen''s pure motives.


    With the sound of chatter and laughter, the bursts of music and song, the entire festival was well under way.


    It was easy to see that the people of the town were thoroughly enjoying themselves.


    It was a day where they could let loose, and play around to their heart''s content, and it was also a way for them to bring profit and people into their little town.


    Banners and streamers of beautiful colours hung from the tops of buildings and streetlights, and it was not an unusual sight to see a few familiars roaming around with their masters.


    Children ran hand in hand, and adults joked around and laughed, drinking and eating to their heart''s content.


    It was an event that clearly showed the grand time that the people were having, and Elysia was not one to miss such a wonderful event.


    Elysia dragged her friend slash boss out to the festival, unbearably curious.


    For some reason, she felt as if Alec hadn''t really wanted to come, but she couldn''t tell what his real feelings were since he just smiled at her gently.


    Still, he didn''t refuse her, and she was quite happy to feign ignorance if he was happy enough to go with her.


    As a boss slash friend, this was something that he should do!


    On the other hand, Sekai had blown her off with a scoff, giving her a look. "Do I look like I would ever enjoy a festival? Ever?" he said with a scowl that seemed as if it grew naturally on his face.


    In Elysia''s opinion, he should lighten up a little and enjoy life while it lasted. Who knows when it would end some day?


    Sekai was always grumpy, but she felt like he wasn''t a bad person, despite him pretending otherwise.


    To her, it just seemed as if he didn''t know how to properly convey that he cared about someone.


    Elysia had every intention of making fond memories before someone was snatched away from her life.


    On the other hand, Alec felt as if he was suffocating in the crowd, unlike Elysia who looked perfectly at home.


    He was quite sure that some of the women who ''bumped'' into him did so intentionally.


    While it was crowded, they weren''t squeezed in like a pack of sardines, and there was enough space for them to move without being touched.


    Yet, every minute or so, his body came into contact with someone else, steadily bumping his previously calm mood down.


    Even so, the smile that came to him so naturally as a product of work over the years remained unscathed.


    In the end, even Alec had to give in to defeat, and put on another act to prevent more of the ladies from doing the same thing.


    He frowned a little, as if it hurt when the lady bumped into him and smiled apologetically at her. "My apologies."


    The lady that bumped into Alec felt a pang, even as she stared at his face with wide eyes, her mouth opened. She felt a flush creep up her cheeks as she felt ashamed of her actions that had caused pain to the lovely gentleman.


    She shook her hands wildly, apologizing to him.


    She gave a glare at the other ladies that had been about to approach and ''accidentally'' bump into Alec, and they got the message.


    Though many of them felt a loss, as if they''d missed an opportunity, they also felt bad when they thought about how many of them had been unintentionally harassing him when he''d been having a good time.


    Now that Alec had a bit of space, he heaved a sigh of annoyance and relief inside his mind, only to realize that Elysia had run off on him.


    Inwardly, he was a bit speechless at her actions.


    Really, she was too excitable, and the festival was something that likely called out to her curiosity and excitement.


    What else could he have expected from her?!


    But, inexplicably, he felt his earlier light mood sink into something darker.


    Though he was surrounded by bright lights and laughter, Alec himself felt as if he did not match with his surroundings at all.


    Still, he showed no signs of it on his face as he leisurely walked through the crowd, taking in the experience for what it was.


    Though the ladies that had been following him around lessened a little, no one dared to go up and brazenly bump into him like before, allowing him to walk unhindered.

 Chapter 274 Lucielle Hartknigh

    The festival was something that attracted people from far and wide to the town. It was a festival that was only held once every five years, and it was actually a rather large-scale festival that was held specifically in this town.


    Over the years, the scale of the festival had evolved, and there were more and more forms of entertainment that allowed all sorts of entertainment at the same time.


    Every time the festival was held, there would be people pouring into the town for days on end, which guaranteed the town''s livelihood and survival.


    Aside from the nearby common civilians that attended, there were many young misses and young masters that attended out of curiosity as they looked for a bit of fun, dragging along their friends.


    Other than them, there were those that specifically came here to make connections in a more relaxed environment, or to look for a spouse in order to elevate their own standing.


    Regardless of the reason, people poured into the town left and right, filling up every inch of the town, even those that should have been more deserted.


    The young miss of the Hartknight family, Lucielle Hartknight, was of no exception.


    With just two friends, she snuck out of her home to come join the fun of the festival without anyone knowing.


    Disguised as a normal civilian, the three friends toured the festival letting out cries of delight at whatever entertainment they found for the moment. They hopped from stall to stall, eyes bright as they bought little trinkets and snacks.


    It was a completely different sight from the boring parties that they were forced to attend, and the three young ladies were soaking themselves in the boisterous atmosphere.


    It was a fresh environment, and they could see why it had been extensively talked about.


    Lucielle wandered around with no goal in mind, only to find a large crowd that seemed to be made out of women at the side. The group of women giggled and whispered to each other; their attention all directed to a specific place.


    At that, Lucielle felt curious about what was happening here that attracted such a specific crowd instead of being a constantly moving crowd like everywhere else.


    Tilting their bodies here and there, they made their way through the crowd of women, and the three friends finally realized why there were so many women standing around.


    In an area where all the women nearby could see, there was a man that appeared as pure and gentle as refined jade.


    He seemed to exude a trace of pureness in this world that seemed so filthy at times, and the smile on his face made Lucielle''s heart palpitate wildly.


    This was the first time that she''d seen such a man, and with his handsome features and crystalline blue eyes that sparkled with an unknown emotion, Lucielle felt as if she was falling in love for the first time ever.


    His looks were exactly to her taste, and the smile and gentleness he exuded made her feel intoxicated.


    Compared to the women of the crowd who were admiring him from afar, Lucielle felt the sudden urge to boldly confess to him in front of the entire crowd, staking her claim on him.


    Lucielle''s eyes sparkled, but she still felt a bit shy when she realized that she was about to do it in front of an entire crowd. It wasn''t like she was going to do it alone, and on top of that, in front of her friends!


    However, as they said, fortune favours the bold, so she would just go for it!


    If she waited, who knew whether or not he''d just disappear in front of her eyes.


    Then, she''d regret that she didn''t take a chance to outright confess!


    More than that, no one here knew that she was Lucielle Hartknight, so she still had a bit of immunity.


    Taking a deep breath, Lucielle broke out from the crowd of women, and was faced with harsh glares from all ends by the women that were standing around watching without doing anything.


    Still, Lucielle admired that the unknown man had enough patience not to just randomly break out from the crowd who was obviously whispering about him.


    The women that were part of the surrounding crowd were all annoyed. How come this little girl dared to break their unspoken agreement?


    This handsome gentleman belonged to everyone! How shameless!


    Yet, before anyone could drag her back, the girl already reached her target and clasped her hands in front of her chest, looking upwards at him in a way she knew men liked.


    A little calculative, maybe, but all''s fair in love and war.


    "Hello! You don''t know me, but I''ve fallen for you at first glance! Won''t you please go out with me?"


    Lucielle shut her eyes pleadingly, her heart beating a steady staccato in her chest.


    This was the first time for her to be so bold in front of a man.


    She wasn''t scared of challenges, nor was she scared of rejection, but what she couldn''t stand was not following her heart''s desires.


    She just knew that if she didn''t do this, she would regret it forever in the future, that she didn''t charge forward and take a chance when she wanted to.


    She didn''t know why, but Lucielle just had this feeling.


    Unlike Lucielle, who was hopeful for a chance, Alec, on the other hand, felt his inexplicable bad mood go from bad to worse.


    There were already a group of women treating him like some sideshow, but now there was even someone who had come up to him to confess in a way that reminded him so much of how Travis had ''confessed'' to Elysia yesterday.


    Unfortunately for Lucielle, with Alec''s bad mood, and the fact that his stress levels had been steadily building back up, he had no patience for any of these kinds of antics right now.


    Alec smiled his signature smile and bent down a little, brushing a stray strand of hair behind Lucielle''s ear.


    Lucielle''s eyes popped open in shock, and her heartbeat seemed to stutter in her chest. Her heart soared at his provocative actions.


    Alec leaned down and whispered in her ear. His voice was low and magnetic, and it could have sent her into a drunken state of ecstasy.


    "Why don''t you get the fuck out when I''m still patient?"


    Lucielle froze, her eyes wide with shock, as the seemingly gentle and refined man walked away from her with light and easy steps.


    She replayed his words in her mind, feeling faint.


    The harsh rejection that was whispered into her ears was a direct opposite of what she thought he''d say, yet for some reason, something inside Lucielle squirmed.


    Alec was not and had never been a kind person.


    The softest parts of himself were reserved for those that he kept dear to him, and he was abrasive to everyone else that was outside of his circle.


    However, due to Annalise''s interference early on in his life, as well as the Mainframe''s restrictions of OOC on him, Alec''s approach to this had changed a little.


    Instead of just using words that he used frequently before, letting out his real thoughts without any filter whatsoever, Alec was now able to deflect any curiosity about himself that he didn''t want with a gentle smile and calm words.


    However, Lucielle, who had chanced upon Alec at the peak of his bad mood, received no such consideration from the System.


    Alec continued on without even leaving a glance behind for her, leaving Lucielle staring directly at his back as he walked into the distance.


    The young miss of the Hartknight family found herself falling into a daze.


    Lucielle''s two friends quickly appeared beside her, clinging onto both sides of her arms.


    "Lucielle, spill it! What did that dreamboat whisper to you before he left?!"


    "Our baby Lucy''s in looooove," her friend teased, and her eyes were glittering with mischief.


    "Ngah," Lucielle let out a sound that was completely indecipherable, confusing her two friends.


    They exchanged glances.


    "What''s wrong? Did he accept?"


    "Are you his girlfriend now?"


    Lucielle shook her head slowly, the dazed look still remaining on her face. "I was rejected¡­"


    "Eh??"


    The two friends were completely confused. From the look on Lucielle''s face, that didn''t seem to be the case at all.


    What was wrong with her?

 Chapter 275 Leaving Town

    The party of three left the town the next day. One day at the festival was enough, and they would be able to extract themselves sooner without leaving a trace when things were at the peak period.


    With the use of the festival, they were able to learn a great deal of information ¨C at least, Alec did.


    He managed to get a hold of relevant information that gave him an idea about what they were going to do.


    They were barely out of the town when Alec felt like sighing.


    Even Sekai glared at him, and Elysia shot him little glances, as if asking him to take care of his stalker.


    For some reason, Alec felt a little wronged when he saw Elysia give him those glances. If she hadn''t ditched him earlier last night, he wouldn''t have taken it out on that teenager in the first place!


    Alec''s untouched expression actually furrowed a little when he thought about his newest annoying tail.


    He waved at the two of them, as if asking them to ignore the lady who was following them without much stealth.


    Alec was quite sure that she thought she was being stealthy, and while she would have managed to pass unhindered amongst normal people, none of the three Main Characters could be considered normal in the slightest.


    She did a decent job, but it wasn''t enough to be able to fool the three of them.


    Still, Alec didn''t want to give that woman any more attention in case she interpreted his attention as something positive.


    He was quite certain that if he called out to her, her antics would only get worse.


    He didn''t understand why she was following the three of them around.


    Was his rejection of her earlier not clear enough?


    Or was it too clear that that young teenager thought that she had to get ''revenge'' for herself. Sort of like a princess mentality, like ''how dare you reject me?!''?


    Regardless, Alec was not going to acknowledge her at all.


    Maybe if he ignored her long enough, she''d go away on her own.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Lucielle Hartknight had no idea what she was doing.


    This was in no way proper.


    Honestly, she''d even ditched her two friends, telling them to head back without her, much to their disapproval.


    But she felt like she had to do this.


    Now, though, she felt as if she didn''t understand herself properly.


    How was it that someone had managed to capture her attention so quickly, with just a few words?


    She didn''t understand!


    She almost felt as if she''d opened a new door.


    That man''s words to her were a direct contrast to his gentle and calm exterior.


    He looked so kind and sweet that she''d almost expected him to reject her gently with a smile, yet, not only had he whispered such rough sounding words in her ear, they were spoken with a tone that matched his appearance.


    Just the thought of it alone sent shivers up and down her arms.


    What Lucielle didn''t know was that she was experiencing the charm of gap moe ¨C as it was commonly known back on Earth.


    Still, Lucielle felt pangs of jealousy when she saw the man she''d fallen in love with interact with a girl that looked around her age.


    Unlike her, who had a striking sort of beauty, that female teenager had a sort of cheerful and lively charm to her.


    That wasn''t to say that she wasn''t beautiful as well, but the other girl gave off a different sort of vibe compared to herself.


    Lucielle couldn''t help but wonder whether or not that girl was Alec''s type instead, and she felt annoyed when she caught her own thoughts.


    It was as if she was turning into a completely different person than who she knew she was.


    Still, Lucielle knew she wasn''t imagining it when Alec''s eyes were a little softer as he looked at that other girl.


    Perhaps he hadn''t realized yet, and Lucielle would never tell him such.


    She could definitely tell, because the eyes he used to look at his male companion were reminiscent to the eyes that he used to look at her earlier during the festival.


    Yet, even though she was sad that she didn''t receive those gentle eyes from him, she felt her heart beat faster at his cold look as well.


    She felt as if those eyes would be able to pierce into her very core, stirring her up from within.


    What was wrong with her!


    She seriously couldn''t understand herself anymore.


    It wasn''t like she, Lucielle Hartknight, had a lack of admirers.


    She had admirers from far and wide trying to win her hand, but none of them made her heart beat for them.


    Unlike Alec.


    She sighed.


    Even his name was dreamy.


    Lucielle smacked her face.


    Why was she like this!


    Yet, even when she disdained herself for acting like this, she just couldn''t stop herself!


    She knew clearly that her family would probably send out someone to collect her back if she didn''t return, but she just couldn''t bring herself to go back just yet.


    Not when she had Alec within her sights.


    Still, it was getting harder and harder to follow the trio stealthily when they were moving towards what seemed like a forest.


    She hesitated.


    She knew that this wasn''t a good idea. Especially not when she didn''t have any companions, but she couldn''t give up this chance.


    What if she never saw him again?


    How would she be able to find him next time?


    It was those worries that plagued her, leaving her uncertain but equally as determined.


    In the end, she still snuck after them into the forest that held monsters and creatures.


    Luckily, Lucielle knew that the monsters and creatures that inhabited this particular forest weren''t anything special.


    Lucielle was a widely renowned upcoming young miss of the Hartknight family because of her martial prowess, and she was certain that she would be able to handle herself.


    The young miss of the Hartknight family never tried to go at it alone in the forest, but she was certain that she''d be able to do it.


    The question was: how long?


    Encouraging herself, Lucielle compressed her presence to the lowest point it could go.


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec had to stop Elysia from going after that girl that''d been following him since last night.


    Elysia furrowed her brows, frowning. "But is it safe for her to be alone in the forest?"


    Alec looked at Elysia coolly. "This is her own decision. We have no right to interfere. Unless she calls for help, I won''t help her."


    Elysia fell silent. She looked to the other man for help, but Sekai didn''t have an opinion either way, just looking bored.


    While her reflexive instinct was to invite that girl into their group, Elysia thought that Alec''s words made sense as well.


    In the end, Elysia decided to leave her be, but if that girl who was following them shouted for help, Elysia would be the first to her rescue.


    Sekai shrugged at them, feeling bored. He warmed up his good arm.


    Now that they were back in the forest, it was time for him to let loose again!


    Grinning at the thought, Sekai charged back into the foliage, sword in hand.


    Alec and Elysia silently followed after him.


    Sekai was quite single-minded in his pursuit, and Alec secretly thought to himself that the transmigrator was a single-celled organism who could only concentrate on one thing at a time.


    With a yell, Sekai attracted a fair number of wandering monsters that lurked in the forest''s shadows.


    Elysia and Alec dispersed, leaving Sekai on his own.


    Alec landed himself in a group of monsters as well, taking the chance to work out his frustration.

 Chapter 276 - Hold Still

    Alec breathed lightly.


    He was about to break through into the next stage. He was near the threshold, and he was hovering at a paper-thin line before he broke into the advanced stage. Yet, it seemed like no matter how many monsters or creatures he killed, there was no improvement to the amount of magic inside his body.


    Alec likened his body to a cup that had already been completely filled up. No matter how much more he poured inside, nothing more could be added without spilling over the sides.


    Still, Alec wasn''t annoyed by his lack of progress.


    To be quite frank, the magic ranks didn''t quite have much effect on how Alec fought.


    At least, there wasn''t one that he saw right now.


    Alec was still treading blindly on this path that he was inventing himself ¨C what with the lack of information and his trial and errors.


    So, it was expected that his progress was rather mediocre. He was quite satisfied by how he was doing already, but there was always room for improvement, of course.


    For one, he was of the Awakening Magitype, which wasn''t magic that was primarily used for offense.


    For another, he used his magic to fuel his Awakening Magitype anyway, so whenever he managed to deplete his magic, it still went towards improving his body in the end.


    He didn''t see how advancing to the advanced magic rank could do any difference if he wasn''t like the standard magic practitioner.


    Alec slowly perfected his movements against the different types of monsters and creature, occasionally working together with Sekai or Elysia.


    The trio didn''t exactly have a set goal right now that they were supposed to look for, but Alec had a sneaking suspicion that some sort of plot was going to approach them soon.


    With three Main Characters in the same place, he wouldn''t be surprised if something happened to ''help'' him advance to the advanced magic rank, much to his displeasure.


    If he had to say how it happened, it would probably have something to do with the crazy woman who''d confessed to Alec the minute she saw him.


    Alec hesitated.


    She couldn''t have been a Cher, could she?


    Alec had surpassed the odds by being a person with two Societypes, so who could say that another Cher couldn''t have him as a soulmate?


    Alec''s brows furrowed. Somehow, that thought left him a bad taste in his mouth.


    Still, he stood by his actions. They''d already happened, and there was nothing he could do to take it back now.


    It was her own fault for doing such a thing when he had been in a bad mood.


    Not only was she still around in the forest, she was keeping close to the trio. Alec, most of all.


    Alec was rapidly approaching the end of his patience.


    He wanted her gone, and he wanted her gone right now.


    Surprisingly, she had not gotten in over her head, and she was holding her ground remarkably well against all the creatures and monsters.


    Like both Sekai and Elysia, she was in the advanced stage as well, and Alec almost had the illusion that the advanced stage wasn''t all that uncommon with how often he was meeting them.


    In actuality, reaching the advanced stage was a mark of power and potential, and outside of sects and clans, it was remarkably rare.


    ¡­Alec kind of wanted to kill off the sudden stalker he''d gained right now, but he didn''t.


    What if him killing her off was the cause of the plot progression instead?


    Suddenly feeling annoyed, Alec slid through a series of move that easily dispatched the creature that he''d been fighting.


    Lucielle, who''d been quietly watching from the shadows, exclaimed inwardly at the smoothness and elegance of the actions.


    Though Alec made it look simple, there was an efficiency and calculation to the moves that would have caused it to fail had any of them been the slightest bit off.


    From the distance, Sekai sauntered back from a patch of trees, looking bored.


    Alec zeroed in on the transmigrator.


    This was as good a time as any for him to start working on the brand that''d been stuck to the Main Character.


    Though he''d taken a look previously, he hadn''t been able to properly study it.


    More than that, this was the perfect opportunity for Alec to take revenge on Sekai for laughing at him for unintentionally picking up a stalker. Not to mention, a way for him to throw off his pursuer as he worked quietly on Sekai''s seal.


    Alec smiled. "Sekai, come here."


    Sekai stopped dead in his tracks, looking at Alec warily. He associated nothing good whenever that smile was directed at him. "What do you want?"


    Alec tilted his head. "I want to take a look at your seal."


    A mix of complicated emotions flashed on Sekai''s face.


    Honestly, he''d been trying his best not to think of the brand that was still limiting him even to this moment.


    The quiet moments between the trio gave him a false sense of security, almost as if the brand never existed in the first place. But Alec had just shattered that false sense of security so casually.


    There was a part of him that was frustrated, while another part of him was relieved. There was also a part of him that was elated but worried.


    In the end, Sekai just silently sank down on the ground before Alec. He couldn''t even muster up the energy to be grumpy right now.


    This was the first time that the System was going to seriously look at his brand, and Sekai was feeling nervous.


    Alec prodded the back of the transmigrator''s neck, causing him to twitch.


    "Channel some magic."


    Sekai obediently followed Alec''s instructions, and Alec saw the entire brand bloom to life before his eyes.


    The runes blended together in a shade of grey, hovering faintly over the transmigrator''s skin. They made Alec feel faintly sick, almost appearing as if they were rotting from inside out.


    It seemed to reflect the original maker''s intentions, morphing into something that could hardly be called a seal at all.


    Alec could only feel disgust at the creator distorting the beautiful art in such a way.


    The System quietly studied the seal, taking quick notes as he tried his best to decipher it.


    While Alec was completely focused, Sekai was fidgeting where he was sitting.


    Alec was taking a long time, and Sekai had never been one to sit around doing nothing. However, he couldn''t move because Alec was working, and neither could he retrieve his magic, so he was forced to constantly move his magic from time to time.


    In the end, Sekai couldn''t handle it anymore and moved, causing Alec to glare at the back of Sekai''s head.


    Alec prodded Sekai with a finger, causing the transmigrator to cringe at the sudden ticklish feeling to his side.


    "Hey! Stop it!" Sekai growled out.


    "You stop it," Alec said dryly, taking his petty revenge on the Sin. "If you really can''t do it, then why don''t you make it an exercise instead."


    Sekai''s brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"


    Alec stared at the transmigrator. "Your control over your magic is trash. Fix it. Now."


    Sekai snarled. "I know, alright?! I''m pretty sure it has something to do with *that*!"


    "Really," Alec said, unimpressed. "So, of all the other people that you know who has the *that* as well, every single one of you is suffering from bad control?"


    "Yes!" Sekai hesitated, suddenly thinking harder. His brows furrowed as he thought of Xin Yi. "Wait. No?"


    "Yes or no?"


    "No?"


    "Then your control is trash," Alec drove the point home, causing Sekai to growl weakly.


    "What should I do then?" Sekai reluctantly asked.


    "Head, right arm, left arm, palms, stomach, eyes, feet. In that order, move your magic around. The quicker you complete it, the better your control."


    Sekai scoffed. That didn''t sound so hard.


    Focusing harder, Sekai fell silent as he worked on trying to improve his magic control as he was egged on by Alec''s tone.


    On the other hand, Alec kept prodding Sekai''s side whenever he thought the transmigrator wasn''t doing it quick enough, disrupting his concentration.

 Chapter 277 Wayward Daughter

    In the middle of a room made bright from the wide stretch of glass window planes, and gentle sunlight shining in, a figure was cast in darkness as his face was unable to be seen from the bite of sunlight.


    There, a man sat before a desk made of mahogany, the darkness of his face a direct contrast from the gentle sun rays.


    There was nothing about him that could be called gentle right now, and just looking into the man''s eyes would have caused a shiver even in the most hardened individuals.


    The room was completely silent except for the heavy but steady tapping of a finger thumping on the wood. It was steady, coming in exact intervals, almost like clockwork.


    Outside the room, the man''s assistant sweated from the sheer feeling of the dread and worry that crept up onto his spine.


    It wasn''t that he was afraid of the man, but rather the bad and pervasive mood that his master was in. Nothing had been able to break it for the past couple of days, not that anyone dared to in the first place.


    But the servants in the mansion all knew the cause of the master''s bad mood.


    It wasn''t a secret, but no one dared to speak of it out loud, almost as if the man would swoop down on them the moment they uttered it aloud.


    It wasn''t the master''s wrath that they were afraid of. The servants were doing their part because they genuinely liked the young miss, and some of them had even helped cover up for her short disappearances in the past.


    Now, however, the days had stretched on, and the mood of the house sank in accordance to the number of days that passed.


    Originally, the servants of the house thought that the young miss had just gotten caught up in whatever new fancy that took her as per usual ¨C that was, until her friends came back empty-handed and shaking, facing down the master''s stare.


    Nonetheless, the two friends had delivered the news. The worry for Lucielle was a welcome one, but the assistant silently thought to himself that if they were so worried, they should have followed her instead.


    The young miss had not been sighted in a number of days, and the only clue they had to go off was that she had been besotted by a young man that had been seen in the crowds.


    Not only that, she had been rejected!


    The assistant paused and repeated it again in his mind.


    Rejected!


    Who in the world had the gall to reject the young miss of the Hartknight family?


    Lucielle Hartknight was a young miss that had been born and raised as a noble, and she was graceful and beautiful. Not only that, she was widely renowned as a genius that had captured the hearts of men far and wide.


    As a mistress, she was fair and just to the servants. While she never treated them like friends, she was never unkind, and they served her with loyalty in their hearts.


    Time trickled on, but the steady tapping inside the room never once stopped, and the assistant felt his sweat grow.


    The master was becoming impatient.


    While the master''s face didn''t appear like it could grow any darker, the assistant could feel the blowout that was sure to come if the hidden guard didn''t return in a timely manner.


    Still, the assistant steeled himself, because he too treated the young miss as a mistress.


    Should anything happen to her, the assistant would join his master in war to right whatever wrongs had been done to her.


    So, the two, master and servant, waited with increasing tendrils of impatience that were barely being constrained by the promise of information.


    "Too slow," the master''s low voice rumbled, and the assistant didn''t have to look to know that the master''s eyes were boring holes into the door as he waited for the appearance of his hidden guard.


    Raegan contained the explosive sigh that wanted to leave him. It was both a boon and a blessing to have such a talented daughter that she may be able to shake off her tail so easily.


    She even disabled the tracker that she had on, so Raegan couldn''t find her with it either.


    The furrow in the Hartknight master''s brow deepened at the thought.


    While his daughter may enjoy her freedom, she wasn''t acting like herself, without any regard of other''s concerns.


    Still, the man had a gut feeling that it was of her own volition. What bothered him was whether or not her ''own volition'' had been tampered with.


    The Hartknight family had many enemies, and so did Lucielle and Raegan themselves.


    There were knives hidden in every shadow, and one could never be too careful.


    While they were usually very careful, Lucielle was acting out of his expectations.


    She had not even sent a single message, other than the one that had been told to her two friends.


    The window slid open just the barest amounts, and Raegan''s tapping on the desk finally stopped.


    Looking at his hidden guard that had been sent out to gather information, Raegan laced his fingers under his chin, waiting for the guard to start talking.


    The guard dropped down to his knees, lowering his head. He didn''t speak of any pleasantries, instead launching into his report.


    The more Raegan listened, the lighter the furrow in his brows.


    Still, the guard didn''t think that it was because his master was relieved.


    On the contrary, the more peaceful he appeared, the greater that storm that lay inside of him.


    Raegan stood up, and his cape billowed behind him as he strode out of the room, the nameless assistant quickening his steps to keep up with his master.


    The hidden guard faded from view; his footsteps silent as he trailed after the imposing man.


    The Hartknight family and their guards moved out immediately, like they had been waiting days for the deployment ¨C and they had.


    The young miss of the Hartknight family had gone missing. What else was to be expected!


    While the master didn''t act like it, he did dote on his daughter, it would have been a bigger surprise had there been inaction instead.


    Saluting as they received the orders from the head of their family, groups of five discreetly set out while others remained behind in the family mansion to ward off watchful eyes.


    Unfortunately, since the master of the family was going out, they were unable to hide the news for long, but it would be long enough for the master to move about unhindered.


    They would take care of the remaining pests.


    How annoying. To think that they showed fake weakness, but there were already flies that were flitting about trying to have a taste.


    Those left behind didn''t begrudge it at all. After all, defence was the best offense.


    Quietly, smirks curled on their lips. This was not the first time, nor was this the last time that they would do such things.


    When the cat was away, the mice came out to play.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Two days.


    Two bloody days.


    Raegan''s brows creased in annoyance.


    That was how long it had taken him sift through the remnants of the festival and go through all the gossip and news that lingered around the busy town.


    As far as he could tell, up until Lucielle had met that man, she had been behaving as per normal, but what disconcerted him was her abrupt change in attitude after she first clapped eyes on him.


    According to all witness accounts, there had been nothing wrong, but she had abruptly confessed her affections for him on the spot, before the man leaned down and whispered something in her ear.


    She had been all but catatonic after that, according to Lucielle''s friends.


    There was a deep unease stirring in his gut, and Raegan didn''t like it.


    Still, he tried to maintain his cool headedness, but he could feel the stirrings of his temper start up again already.


    Lucielle was too good to be caught in someone''s ploy, but even the best of them could be felled if they weren''t aware, and Lucielle clearly had her guard down while she was enjoying the festival.


    Raegan snorted. He would have to up her training after he pulled her back from whatever she was doing right now.


    The nameless assistant shivered in sympathy for the young miss at the master''s dark look. He just knew that she was going to be going through another few months of harsh training again.


    Still, the young miss had shown strength of will even when she had been young, and she never once complained under the master''s harsh training, bearing everything silently.


    Callouses on her palms, bruises that never quite healed under the clothes.


    The young miss and the master made a combination that the assistant wouldn''t wish on anyone else.


    Sometimes, he wished that the mistress was still alive so that she could reel in the master a little. He was afraid that one day, the father and daughter duo of the Hartknight family would go too far ¨C irreversibly.


    Raegan didn''t waste any more time.


    Since they should be in a relatively nearer vicinity, he was able to forcibly turn the tracker he had on Lucielle back on.


    Sure enough, the matching bracelet that Raegan had connected to his daughter was working just fine.


    Raegan stalked forward with single-minded intent, following the direction of the pull.

 Chapter 278 Comatose

    The forest was rather silent, and Alec knew the reason why.


    There were groups of men that had been entering into the forest, subtle though they may be.


    His brows furrowed a little, which wasn''t missed by Elysia, who had been staring curiously at his face.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Alec blinked, breaking his concentration. "There''s been a few groups of people that have entered the forest."


    Elysia tilted her head curiously. "Where from?"


    "The same way we entered previously."


    "Oh, so they''re from the town! I guess the festival is over." There was a smile on Elysia''s face, though her eyes seemed to carry a bit of dubious questioning.


    The conversation between the two died a little, and Alec thought to himself that it wasn''t the festival ending that had brought the groups of men into the forest.


    As far as he knew, the forest was rather avoided by the town, and was far away enough that the town didn''t have to worry about monster hordes, hence the avoidance about it.


    No one visit the forest for herbs or anything of the sort of their own accord. Rather, Alec heard a few rumours that the only time the forest was accessed was when there was a prisoner to be executed.


    Sometimes, instead of execution, the people from the town drove them here instead.


    No, these men were looking for something ¨C or rather, Alec privately thought, someone.


    Originally, Alec had hoped that someone would come and take the stalker away, saving him some trouble, but with Sekai now¡­ well. It was a whole different manner now.


    If he went along the plot routes, then he didn''t think that anything so convenient was about to happen. Such was the life of a Main Character.


    While they should have moved on from the forest already, there had been a bit of a complication with Sekai''s seal that had ended up sending him into a state of unconsciousness.


    It had alarmed Alec and Elysia respectively.


    Alec especially, since he hadn''t even tampered with the brand on the transmigrator''s neck just yet. This meant that the seal was a lot more complex and sensitive than he originally thought, which was not a good thing.


    There had been the barest flashes of runes before they attacked the Sin''s body, causing him to instantly lapse into a coma-like state. He hadn''t been able to fight back at all.


    Alec''s first instinct had been to grab the Main Character and haul him to safety, but upon closer inspection, should anyone move Sekai from a meter vicinity from where he first dropped, it would result in an immediate termination of life on both sides.


    He could not be moved for two days, and had Alec not had knowledge in runes, the consequences would have been dire on both ends.


    Alec had to begrudgingly acknowledge that the creator of that damned sickening brand knew what they were doing ¨C and they knew it well.


    It didn''t sit right with him to see runes being used in such a way ¨C he just couldn''t help his knee jerk reaction.


    By the day, it was slowly overpowering whatever misgivings he had with the transmigrator. Alec had no doubt that if it continued down this line, all his negative feelings related to Sekai would eventually fade away until only the urge to help was left.


    The more he studied the brand, the more he felt disgust for its creator.


    How could someone in their right minds create something so inherently evil?


    Alec just didn''t understand. Nor did he want to.


    Still, he didn''t think that it would be so bad for him to rid himself of the negative feelings in his heart towards the transmigrator.


    He could faintly feel that the day he was able to let go of his lingering negative emotions would perhaps be the day that he transcended into the advanced stage.


    There was no rushing it, and no one said that he couldn''t have petty revenge on the transmigrator, so he was actually rather satisfied with his conclusion.


    Still, Sekai had all but placed himself into Alec''s hands when he had assented to the System working on his seal.


    With such a duty, Alec wouldn''t leave the other to die no matter what lingering negative feelings he had for the other.


    There was still had ten minutes left before they would be able to freely move Sekai around, and the other was still in a coma-like state.


    Not only were they a person down, they likely had to fight with this burden¡­


    Alec''s brows furrowed more when he thought about it, but he wouldn''t just leave the other here.


    Still, the people that were coming were relatively strong. There was a single person that radiated strongness beyond all three of the Main Characters, even.


    If Alec wasn''t mistaken, that man should be a Meister.


    Which was, quite frankly, terrible for them.


    If you thought about all the clich¨¦ plots ¨C well, this would be the time where they fought almost to the point of dying, before miraculously escaping after paying a huge price.


    While they would not be able to win, they wouldn''t die immediately either.


    Still, Alec had a feeling that the men were here for that stalker that was following him around day and night.


    It was just his damn luck that the psycho stalker was part of some influential family or clan.


    Inwardly, Alec was frustrated, but Elysia only felt a few wavering emotions from his slightly fluctuating magic.


    Still, before she could discern what emotions he was feeling, they were under control.


    But she had a feeling. "Are those men coming for us?" she asked seriously. Her question was sharper than he expected.


    Surprised, Alec looked at her, before turning back to look at Sekai who was still deep in the grips of a coma.


    "I can''t be certain, but they''re likely here for the girl that''s been following us."


    There was a pause as a sharp cry pierced through the air, coming at the worst time in the world, followed by a thud of the body in the distance.


    Alec silently closed his eyes.


    Of course.


    Of fucking course this would be the time that the crazy stalker would get hurt almost fatally, from the sounds that Alec heard.


    Right at the moment when the men that were coming into the forest to find her.


    Sure enough, when he watched the situation from afar, the people that had been combing the forest zeroed in on the scream like bees to honey, and Alec bit back a curse.


    Of course she was unconscious as well!


    Alec glowered at Sekai''s unconscious form. Why did it always feel like someone or the other was unconscious?


    For fuck''s sake, Sekai was a Main Character!


    Damn the plot!


    Now, they were going to have a misunderstanding or whatnot that caused that Meister rank to come charging at them for their lives. He knew this plot development!


    He originally thought that perhaps it would be the arrogant young master Travis'' clan that would come after them for retaliation about what had happened between the young master and his henchman, but it looked like Alec misjudged the lengths that he would go to in order to keep his secret.


    Then again, he supposed that with them going at it again for a few more rounds even after they were out from the influence, could he say that the young master had opened a new door?


    Still, he had been preparing for those clansmen to come instead, but the ones that had come were the ones who were related to that crazy stalker.


    The most aggravating thing about this situation was that he was sure this was going to get out of hand.


    He could already feel the flare of anger from the strong magic that was coming from the Meister, and Alec felt chills run up his arms at the sheer depth and magnitude of the man''s magic.


    It was rapidly changing to killing intent, and Alec took a breath as he stared at Sekai''s comatose body.

 Chapter 279 Tempest Coming

    Raegan was burning with as when he looked at his daughter''s unconscious body.


    Wounds and cuts that bled sluggishly. Wounds that had not been made in the name of training.


    Raegan knew that he should not be so emotional, but despite how it appeared, his daughter was the apple of his eye, and knowing that she was hurt with the intent to kill didn''t sit right with him.


    Yet, they were warriors, and Raegan knew that this was not the first nor the last time that Lucielle would be harmed. So, he curbed the vicious bite in his chest, tempering it as he fought with his reflexive urges.


    Letting go of the urge to dole violence out onto the next person was easier said than done, but something that he had ample experience with.


    But even when he had let go of the urge to harm for the sake of harming, that didn''t mean that he would extract retribution if it came down to it.


    You had to receive damage to dole out damage in the future. Raegan knew that intimately. This was the only way to grow.


    Blood, sweat, tears. None of those ingredients could be missing to produce a strong being.


    Ultimately, Raegan would not be satisfied if Lucielle didn''t manage to make herself untouchable.


    Since even the healers that he''d brought with him had not managed to awaken her consciousness, and not from the lack of trying, he wouldn''t force it.


    In the end, they maintained that the young miss should be left unconscious so that she could heal up.


    Her body was just too worn out at the moment, and her mind was hibernating as she recovered. No doubt from the days on end fending for herself as well as keeping her mind in sharp awareness.


    Raegan clicked his tongue.


    Lucielle had not yet tested herself so extensively in the field, and Raegan looked at her unconscious form. But he wouldn''t berate himself for not pushing her training sooner.


    Perhaps she might not have been caught up in this state, but she could easily have faced the same thing despite training as well.


    It seemed as if his hidden softness had harmed Lucielle instead of protecting her, despite what he told himself when he was about to sleep at night.


    No longer.


    Instead of regret, Raegan felt the blood rushing to his head, and the long-hidden anger that he had not let out to the world again returned in full.


    Even as the fire of anger burned bright within him, threatening to scorch the entire forest down, Raegan reined in his anger until he could confirm that his daughter was safe.


    The healer nodded at the murderous-looking family head, then shook her head. "The young miss isn''t in any danger, but she won''t be waking up for now. A few hairline fractures on her ribs, two fractures on her right leg, and a broken arm."


    Raegan''s eyes dropped, becoming half-lidded, and while his face appeared impassive, his eyes were easily seen as another story even by those that didn''t know him well.


    "How did she get the wounds?"


    The healer recounted the wounds that had been left on Lucielle''s body, giving a negative when Raegan asked whether or not there were any left behind by human hands.


    He could not be rest assured when he thought about whether or not the strange man that Lucielle had ''fallen'' for had caused this perplexing situation.


    He had fully expected to find Lucielle in the presence of someone else, but instead, she was alone.


    In any case, it was better for Raegan to capture the trio before doing anything. Interrogation could wait until Lucielle had woken up.


    Haste made waste.


    Still, before he could wait for her to wake up, he had to catch them first.


    Raegan ran his eyes over his daughter''s unconscious form yet again, muttering to himself so lowly that only he could hear. "Foolish daughter. What have you gotten yourself caught in this time?"


    The head of the Hartknight family turned around, his cape billowing with his sharp movements.


    "Stay with my daughter," Raegan commanded in a low voice, and the guards moved to ensure the young miss''s safety.


    The family head''s figure blurred in front of them, disappearing. What they had been looking at for the last few seconds was just an afterimage.


    Raegan didn''t have magic at his disposal for tracking, but that didn''t mean he didn''t have other ways of tracking.


    In just a blink, he managed to filter out the call and sounds of everything other than human sounds, and the man was already dashing forward towards their location.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec swore quietly when he felt that the Meister was already coming towards them at breakneck speed.


    He was already beyond Alec''s full speed ¨C his enhanced speed no less.


    There were still five minutes left before they would be able to move Sekai, and every second counted.


    Judging by the feeling that was coming from the Meister, he was not going to exchange any words with them, and the feeling of killing intent and bloodlust that was emitting from the man made his blood sing.


    Well hidden and reined in though it may be, Alec felt himself react to it almost reflexively.


    Unbeknownst to Alec, the smile on his face widened a little even as his blood pumped hard with adrenaline at the fight that was about to come.


    He was terribly outclassed ¨C two whole ranks below the man, but even so, his blood was singing at the challenge.


    Five minutes.


    They just needed to hold on for five minutes before Alec could use his teleportation seal to get them out of the way.


    And yet, five minutes was a hell of a long time, especially against a Meister.


    "Get ready," Alec warned Elysia.


    Elysia was already ready even before Alec said anything. She could feel him coming already ¨C and not with any friendly intentions either.


    Elysia let out a laugh, surprising Alec with how clear it sounded.


    He wondered if she felt the bloodlust just like he did.


    Alec''s lips curved into a smile, a calmer echo of the wider one on Elysia''s face.


    The two Main Characters stepped in front of the comatose man''s body, keeping him out of view.


    Alec drew his twin daggers that had been made from Haphira''s scale, and they reflected weakly in the sunlight.


    Elysia didn''t wield a weapon, instead, her nails sharpened a little, appearing almost like dragon claws, and the usually normal pupils gained a more oval shape.


    They felt him before they saw him.


    The man was making no move to hide his presence at all, but even so, there was a subtlety to it that would have caught those who weren''t looking for it off guard.


    The man''s magic felt like a storm approaching, and Alec almost had the impression that he could see the trees swaying in accordance to the man''s magic.


    Yet, the trees remained stationary, and it was with the help of his shared bond with the few Awakened trees in the forest that Alec was able to see his approach.


    He saw the furrow in the man''s brows deepen as his head suddenly shot in the direction of the tree Alec was using, his eyes boring holes into the tree.


    Alec almost felt as if he and the man were looking at each other face to face, but he knew that it wasn''t so.


    Raegan only made a single step of deviation as he obliterated the tree that shared the connection with Alec, his eyes narrowing in thought.


    Inwardly, he was alarmed. So, someone who had ascended into a high enough level was able to catch even the faint traces of magic that Alec had left as a bond on the tree.


    That was not good news.


    It didn''t even take another minute for the man to approach them, and by the time they were face to face, there was still four minutes left.

 Chapter 280 That Stupid Cape

    The man that was definitely a Meister didn''t exchange any words with them. His face was impassive, but his eyes were burning as they flitted from Elysia to Alec, before resting briefly on Sekai''a unconscious form.


    Alec shifted a little, blocking Sekai''s body from Raegan''s intrusive gaze.


    Raegan''s eyes flashed, and his body shot towards Alec with so much power that Alec only just barely managed to block the blow from Raegan after using all his strength. He grinned as he slid backwards but managed to stop before Sekai''s prone body.


    Raegan raised a brow.


    The opposition was stronger than he thought, and Raegan felt a faint admiration for the young man in front of him, despite what he might have done to his daughter.


    The man was not even in the advanced stage yet, but he already had such strength. His strength far outstripped his rank, and Raegan was knowledgeable enough to know that strength depended on the wielder of it.


    In this aspect, this young man passed all the tests. It was something that shocked him. Despite his lower rank, Reagan could already tell from his smooth moves and quick glances that he was leagues ahead of his daughter.


    Even though he had already been taking this seriously, Raegan started channelling more strength than his previous ten percent.


    Raegan tilted his head minutely as the palm strike from the girl flashed by his head, the strength of force less than the young man''s, but still rather sizable.


    He inwardly raised another eyebrow.


    These two teenagers seemed to be rather strong ¨C they were definitely beyond that of his daughter, and his daughter wasn''t a slouch either.


    Raegan''s training had ensured that.


    While he tried to put aside such thoughts, he was progressively growing more shocked about how strong they were. Their strength was truly far beyond what their rank could show.


    The feeling that they might have something to do with how Lucielle had changed seemed to have solidified ¨C they were certainly strong enough for it. But there was something niggling in the back of his mind.


    Alec almost swore when he saw that the burning rage in the man''s eyes was decreasing somewhat.


    That meant that he was now taking this more seriously, and that wasn''t good for them.


    So long as he was in the throes of anger, it meant that they had a higher chance of escaping with Sekai.


    Now, however, the fight would be that much harder.


    Yet, the pleased smile on Alec''s face stretched wider.


    Alec didn''t realize how much his previous mentality had changed.


    When he had first been sent down onto Incantix, he had originally tried to avoid violence and actions that he called ''certain death''.


    Now, however, Alec almost revelled in the adrenaline and bloodlust that came together with battle.


    Elysia was grinning ¨C and her smile was almost innocent, matching Alec''s gentle one.


    Raegan raised a brow at both the male and female that seemed to delight in the challenge of battle despite being terribly outclassed.


    Despite himself, he felt himself grow interested in the two.


    He''d seen that step that the teen took to block his view from the man that was lying on the ground, and he could tell that it was a genuine action.


    He frowned a little, rethinking about whether or not they had anything directly to do with Lucielle or not.


    When he studied the teen, he could see why Lucielle had been attracted. There was something special about his aura, and while he was more pretty or elegant than classically handsome, that was precisely Lucielle''s type.


    Yet, what had caused her to promptly abandon both of her friends?


    ¡­In the end, it was still better to capture them first before doing anything.


    Raegan attacked harder, but he made sure he still held back because he didn''t want to kill them.


    Wounds, on the other hand, he didn''t mind so much. He was sure that he''d be able to heal them up if it came to that.


    With a gleam in his eye, Raegan used a bit of his Magitype, testing them.


    Alec cursed loudly in his mind when he felt the pressure of gravity pressing down heavily on them.


    This had to be part of the man''s Magitype!


    His limbs were heavier, and gravity was pressing down on him. From what he could see of Elysia, she was facing the same predicament.


    He heard Elysia''s laugh before he saw her move, but she seemed to move even quicker under the force of gravity.


    There was a hint of astonishment in Raegan''s eyes, but he dodged the strikes that came from her with minimal movements.


    There was a hint of approval in his eyes.


    The man used his Magitype in an annoying way. Whenever Elysia or Alec attacked, he would press then release the gravity at different times, throwing off their movements. While they adapted as best as they could, it was clear to see that the man was experienced in his craft.


    Begrudgingly, Alec felt something like respect for the other man bloom, but he never showed an inkling of it on his face.


    Even when he attacked, Alec make any big ones nor stray too far since he couldn''t guarantee Sekai''s safety.


    It grated that he had to act like this. Alec wasn''t made to battle with a person to protect in mind.


    There was a reason why being someone''s bodyguard was a whole different matter from fighting properly.


    While Elysia faced Raegan head on, Alec threw a few short daggers that he considered disposable, supporting Elysia from the back.


    Since they were thrown with all his strength, Raegan had to dodge them unless he wanted a wound that was deeper than he wanted, which gave Elysia a bit of respite.


    Raegan wanted them to work for him.


    These days, there weren''t many with this much combat sense since the peaceful days were being maintained.


    The youths were lacking all sorts of practical experience, but there wasn''t much they could do about that since the number of monsters and creatures that inhabited the continent were dropping dangerously low.


    With gleaming eyes, Raegan increased his strength even more, pushing his test even further.


    The blow sent Elysia flying away, and the gravity pressed on the two even harder than before.


    Alec snatched Elysia from the air, landing with her on the ground.


    Neither Main Characters acknowledged each other or showed any signs that the time was almost up.


    They were stalling for time now, and it wouldn''t do for the man to catch onto what they were planning.


    The battle between the three became fiercer, and five minutes had never felt so long.


    Alec could feel the seconds slowly trickling down, and his heart echoed loudly in his ears as the blood rushed and adrenaline pumped.


    Every couple of seconds, the intensity of the battle amped up.


    While both Elysia and Alec were sweating heavily, Reagan looked relaxed, as if their attacks didn''t matter to him at all.


    Alec ground his teeth. He could see that neither he nor Elysia were doing any damage to him, and they weren''t even expending his stamina at all. It rankled.


    The Meister rank was really in a whole different league compared to them.


    While Alec could still fight off and win against the advanced stage, the same could not be said for those who had broken through the threshold to the Meister stage.


    It was not until now that Alec realized just how huge a gulf there was between the ranks.


    No wonder they said that anyone below Meister was no match for them. There was a qualitative change once someone broke through to Meister.


    Still, there was no backing out, and time was indeed creeping forward.


    Raegan was only testing them, and had no intention of killing them, which was better than he expected.


    More than that, it was beyond infuriating that the man''s cape was perfectly untouched, as were the rest of his clothes. With the way that cape billowed with his movements, Alec had fully expected to be able to take advantage of it.


    Ten seconds were left.


    Ten.


    Nine.


    Eight.


    Alec parried the heavy strike from Raegan, putting every ounce of his strength into it. Sekai was behind him.


    Seven.


    Elysia took the chance to strike at Raegan''s unprotected back, only for him to flash to the side and slam a palm onto hers instead.


    Six.


    Elysia stumbled forward, coming to a halt next to Alec.


    Five.


    A very faint smile appeared on Raegan''s face, and his eyes narrowed.


    Four.


    Alec braced himself, and he quickly picked up Sekai, slinging the man over his shoulders.


    Three.


    Raegan''s eyes narrowed, even as Elysia quickly stepped backwards.


    Two.


    Elysia grabbed onto Alec''s hand, the grin on her face still there despite the numerous wounds that laced their body.


    One.


    Raegan darted forward so quickly, but just as he was about to grab Alec, the System threw three daggers out that shot towards the Meister at a breakneck speed.


    Raegan was about to minutely dodge it as per usual when the daggers changed direction in mid-air, forcing him to dodge with wider movements.


    The three disappeared in a flash of light due to the delay in the man''s movements.


    Raegan''s eyes deepened, and his eye seemed to catch on his cape. Taking a bit of the cloth, the man let out a short but deep laugh at the gash that had appeared in the previously immaculate cape.

 Chapter 281 This B*stard Is Bullying Him Again!

    Alec barely withheld the groan that wanted to leave his lips as both Elysia and Sekai harshly collided on top of him, the System cushioning both of them from the impact of the ground.


    The two Main Characters panted harshly as they tried to recuperate their stamina.


    The battle with Raegan ¨C however easy he might have been taking it, was in no way easy on them.


    The battle had been such a highly intense bout of blows that neither one of them dared to relax, and they were right to do so.


    Elysia raised her head dizzily, no doubt a side effect from the random teleportation, and before she could open her mouth to speak, Alec grabbed the two and Main Characters and made a few more random teleports ¨C as far away as possible ¨C to give them more time.


    He didn''t know whether or not Raegan would be able to track them further, but it wouldn''t hurt to be safe.


    Now a lot further from that previous forest, it would hopefully be would be able to stall the Meister long enough with that stalker family member of theirs regaining consciousness and explaining that they never had contact at all.


    It still infuriated him how he himself had been the cause of such a close call.


    He barely held back the snarl that wanted to leave his throat.


    Elysia seemed to realize that he was feeling something negative, and she patted him hard on the back, seeking to reassure him.


    "Don''t worry. They didn''t get us now, they won''t get us again next time!" she said cheerfully, and despite himself, Alec felt a little part of him relax at her words.


    There was something about the sincerity of her words that helped to soothe the deeper part of himself that was always so critical.


    Ye Sha, who had been keeping conspicuously quiet to prevent the loss of Alec''s concentration, also sighed with relief.


    While he had been able to inform Alec of the group of people that were in the forest, he wasn''t able to get a read on any of them because none of them were Main Characters.


    Neither could he exert any sort of outside influence on the world.


    Ye Sha felt a build of frustration with himself ¨C mainly due to his lack of a body.


    For the first time, the other hated that he didn''t have a physical body so that he could help his friend.


    Other than the sigh, Alec did not hear any other sounds coming from Ye Sha. It made him frown.


    Sekai was still fully comatose, and all Alec had to do now was to apply a counterseal to the one that was currently running amok on him.


    Luckily, Sekai only had to maintain that state for two days. If it had been two weeks instead without any food or water, the other would have been half dead.


    Alec himself didn''t seem to realize that he was growing softer towards the idiot transmigrator.


    The other wasn''t so bad. He was just brash and blunt without any sort of filter.


    Alec applied the seal on Sekai quickly, the smoothness of his strokes indication of how familiar he was with the seal.


    Both Elysia and Alec stared at Sekai, but there didn''t seem to be any change in his condition.


    Alec frowned. It was just the smallest downturn angle of his lips, but it was a frown, nonetheless.


    Likewise, Elysia''s brows furrowed cutely. "Why isn''t he waking up?"


    Alec shook his head. He had no idea when it would happen. For all he knew, the other might just be sleeping right now. "It might take a bit longer for him to wake up. I can''t say for sure."


    Ten minutes passed, but there appeared to be no change.


    By now, Alec was running through every single thing that might have gone wrong in his mind again.


    Elysia couldn''t handle staring at him any longer without being able to do something to help. "I''ll go find drinkable water for us, then gather some firewood!"


    Alec nodded in thanks, but his eyes didn''t leave Sekai''s slack face.


    Another twenty minutes passed, and by now, Alec was all but preparing funeral arrangements for him already. For the first time, he doubted whether or not he had been able to execute the seal properly.


    Sekai stirred, and Alec denied the feeling that felt suspiciously like relief.


    Sekai groaned, and Alec stepped lightly on him with a dark face, drawing out an ''oof'' from the man.


    The transmigrator blinked bleary eyes, blinking at the dying sunlight that flitted over the skies.


    His hands reflexively curled around the foot was stepping on him, and the cogs that were slowly turning in Sekai''s brain suddenly clicked.


    "The fuc-! Cough, cough, cough!" Sekai''s throat was horribly dry due to not drinking the past two days.


    Uncharacteristically, Alec froze up a bit when he heard how severe the man was coughing.


    Ye Sha also coughed in Alec''s mindscape, reminding him that he had things to do. Now wasn''t the time to be frozen.


    Alec lightly lifted his foot off the man. He would bully him later. How dare he just fall into a coma-like state like that!


    He pulled out a few bottles of water and pulled the still weak transmigrator''s head onto his lap. He changed his mind. He could still take petty revenge while the other couldn''t fight him off.


    Sekai weakly tried to fight him off, the indignation of having to place his head on another person''s thigh made him livid.


    This bastard was bullying him again!


    Alec glared at the stubborn bastard. He was so weak already, but he was still fighting him!


    The System shoved the bottle onto Sekai''s mouth, who quietened down as he sipped the refreshing taste of water.


    It was to this sight that Elysia came back to, and she blinked speechlessly before deciding to disregard their strange behaviour altogether.


    Since she couldn''t make any sense of it, then she would just pretend she understood.


    Seeing Elysia''s eyes on him made Sekai weakly flail around again. Alec just slapped him on the head, causing Sekai to glower at him.


    "Just drink your water," Alec said dryly.


    Sekai sipped the water while glaring at Alec. Alec ignored him.


    Elysia crossed her arms, glaring at Sekai. "He''s right, you know! You''ve been in a coma for two days!"


    Sekai choked on the water, sputtering. "What do you mean two days?!"


    Then he thought back and faintly remembered how his last memory had been Alec''s alarmed expression before it went dark. "Hey! This is your fault, isn''t it!"


    Sekai scrambled off and sat himself upright again, and this time Alec didn''t stop him.


    The two exchanged glares so fiery they could have burned the previous forest down.


    Elysia slapped Sekai''s head in a move so reminiscent of Alec''s previous one that Sekai just stared at her dumbly.


    "For your information, it''s apparently the doing of the creator of the seal," she scolded the transmigrator. Elysia turned to Alec and glared at him as well. "You too! You should speak up for yourself so that he doesn''t misunderstand you like just now!"


    Elysia was evidently on a roll, and her grievances of between the two male''s interaction had been something that she''d been observing for a time. "The both of you like to go around in circles, you know that! But I know that you really do like each other!"


    Both Sekai and Alec stared blankly at her. What was she talking about!?


    Alec doubted his own ears at this moment. How could she say that!? They were obviously not on good terms.


    Ye Sha was howling with laughter, much to his annoyance.


    "Now kiss and make up!" Elysia commanded victoriously.


    Sekai sputtered in disbelief. "What! First of all, you don''t just command someone to kiss and make up! Especially not two guys!"


    Elysia lost a bit of heat with her confusion. "What do you mean? I''m quite sure that''s how it goes, isn''t it? You fight, then you kiss and make up!"


    "No, that''s not how it goes at all! Left with no choice, Sekai had to turn to Alec, gesturing wildly. "Idiot, tell her!"


    Alec smiled and tilted his head, acting confused. "What do you mean?"


    "Argh!"

 Chapter 282 Ultimatum

    Raegan let go of the cape, turning around. The gash in the cape was rather evident, but a part of him wore the only damage done to him with a bit of pride and a bit of precaution to himself.


    He would have to see to the replacement of the cape.


    Despite telling himself that he should have captured them first before trying to test them, it looked like his damnable curiosity had gotten in the way again.


    Yet, his instincts told him that they had nothing to do with Lucielle.


    In any case, he simply had to wait for her to regain consciousness before he extracted information from her.


    She was not harmed unduly, with her lack of experience and her rashness of heading out to the field without any preparations.


    This would be a lesson to her.


    And to him.


    The guards that were guarding his unconscious daughter looked at the hole in the family head''s cape like they''d seen a ghost.


    No matter how many battles the master had been in, they had never once seen him come out worse for wear.


    Raegan Hartknight was a Meister. There weren''t many people that could threaten him, much less hurt him in any way.


    Though the master did not have any wounds, the damage to his cape almost felt like a physical wound to the guards.


    It just served to make them feel insanely curious about just who the person who had done such a thing was.


    They''d put a hole in the master''s cape, then escaped! How many people could do that? As far as they knew, no one under the Hartknight family was able to achieve such a feat.


    Raegan carried his daughter in his arms, nodding to his guards. "You lot track them down for me."


    "Yes!"


    The nameless assistant bowed to his master, then disappeared as he followed after the rest of the guards. With the master guarding the young miss, the guards were free to do as they pleased to secure results.


    Raegan stepped into the long-distance teleportation array that had been set up the moment they secured Lucielle.


    Without needing to halt his steps, Raegan stepped back into the mansion, disregarding the numerous bodies that laid out on the grass.


    They were in various stages of dismemberment, something that didn''t faze him.


    Every time he left the mansion for whatever reason, there were always some fools that tried to sneak into the mansion for whatever reason.


    He almost suspected that they were sent here as a suicide mission by whatever enemies he had to dispose of them even.


    What other reason could there be, with the success rate a whopping zero?


    The intruders weren''t even able to enter the house, courtesy of the Hartknight guards.


    The healers that were located inside the mansion quickly made their way out upon seeing the master''s appearance.


    They ushered the young miss into a sterile room, yet again checking over her, then checking her for any foreign substances or alterations on Raegan''s behest.


    Raegan nodded at them in thanks.


    His eyes were dark and cool, a startling contrast compared to when he had been fighting with Elysia and Alec.


    This was the side of the Meister that others usually saw.


    As long as one didn''t rile him up or cause a fluctuation in his emotions, he usually appeared controlled and impassive, almost cold and indifferent.


    He was a man driven by logic and rationality, though touching Lucielle was the sure way of getting Raegan Hartknight riled up.


    The retaliation would be swift and just, but he would never take revenge for his daughter, no. She could do that herself.


    Instead, Raegan was just interested in decimating his enemies before they became a problem.


    Raegan Hartknight bowed to no one, and his interest was rarely piqued.


    However, the two that had been so doggedly protecting their friend had indeed stirred up a bit of his interest.


    He was inclined to believe his gut that told him that the three had nothing to do with his daughter.


    There was the sound of slightly hurried footsteps that echoed in his ears, causing him to turn his head.


    "Master, the young miss is awake and asking for you!"


    Raegan nodded. "Dismissed."


    The maid bowed low and stepped out of the room, knowing that the master hated exchanging pleasantries.


    Raegan walked with a pace that wasn''t too fast, nor was it too slow, approaching his daughter''s nervous energy.


    His eyes narrowed as he studied the change that had occurred within her magic.


    Just a few days ago, she had radiated calm and logic, but now, her magic was erratic and jumpy. Excited but nervous.


    What in the world was going on with her?


    Was this¡­ puberty?


    Raegan tilted his head. He would have to get some books regarding puberty and magic.


    Lucielle would have cried if she knew what her father was thinking. How could he say that with a straight face! Also, she was long past the stage of puberty!


    Alas, Raegan was clueless as a man, therefore her tragedy would continue in the future.


    "Daughter."


    "Father," Lucielle greeted in return.


    Raegan eyed her. The influx in her magic increased even more when she spoke, and he felt a bit frustrated. Just what in the world was going on with her?


    Was this some late-set puberty rebellion that was the cause of this entire mess?


    There was no other way that he could describe it.


    The two stared at each other without saying a word, before Lucielle finally cracked.


    "Father, did you hurt him?" she asked, a bit of anxiety bleeding into her tone.


    "Hurt who?" Raegan played dumb, crossing his arms.


    Lucielle glared at her father. She knew what he was doing. "I know that you''ve received information about why I suddenly went off grid."


    Raegan inclined his head. "So I have."


    Lucielle deflated when she heard his reply. She knew that she wouldn''t be able to get more information out of him if she didn''t come clean herself.


    The girl pulled herself out of bed, brushing her fringe aside with annoyance. "Father, I want to go out by myself. I want to become stronger."


    Raegan studied his daughter. "You want to chase him," he said bluntly.


    Lucielle glared at him. Her father had no tact! None at all! "Yes," she said with considerable calm, considering how riled up she felt right now.


    Raegan didn''t say anything as he continued studying the various reactions of his daughter. The healers had already checked her over, and there were no foreign substances in her body, nor was there any external nor internal influence that could alter her mind in any way.


    This meant that everything had happened because of his daughter.


    He huffed. All was well since they hadn''t managed to capture the three, but he would have to make reparations for attacking them unprovoked.


    Raegan made an ultimatum. "Break through to Meister before you turn twenty. Otherwise, you have to come back and get married."


    He waited to see her response. If she hesitated, he wouldn''t allow her to go out at all.


    "Yes! Thank you, father!"


    Lucielle breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that she''d received her father''s unspoken acceptance of chasing Alec, but in the end, everything depended solely on her.


    "I will not be sending your guards with you, nor will anyone report back to me about you," Raegan said seriously.


    This was both a challenge to her and to him. He had to let go and let her soar freely in the sky, or she would forever be a caged bird.


    If she could not achieve what she had set out to do, then that was that, he could not live her life for her.


    More than that, Lucielle had always followed his instructions without a problem, and this was the first time that she had shown signs of doing something on her own.


    It made him both sad but happy at the same time, giving him bittersweet feelings.


    He turned around and swept out of the room, his cape flaring out behind him.


    Lucielle''s eyes caught on the torn cape that was still worn on her father''s back, and her eyes gleamed with appreciation and shock.


    It had to be Alec that did that. Who else could it be?

 Chapter 283 Bunbun VS Dominique

    Dominique lay on the back of his familiar, staring straight up in a daze as the flying whale cut through the skies at a breakneck pace.


    He was waiting for any sign that the mark gave him to tell him that he was getting closer to his boss.


    It was lucky for the inhabitants down below that they were flying above the clouds, so there weren''t any cases that caused unnecessary panic amongst the masses.


    Rather, Dominique couldn''t be bothered about people that would intercept them if they thought that Sircela was a threat, or a creature that was flying uninhabited. Not when he was still so far from his boss.


    So, he just made do with flying discreetly.


    Beside him, his boss'' familiars were also stretched out, squinting their eyes in contentedness as they basked in the sunlight.


    The sun was warm up here, and Sircela had control over the winds, which meant that they didn''t have to worry about the cold air.


    Though he was basking in the sun, Dominique''s mood wasn''t too good.


    How could boss just ditch him back at the sect when he was going off onto another adventure?


    Even if it wasn''t Dominique, shouldn''t he at least bring his familiars with him?


    Because of the distance, when Dominique tried to teleport to where the boss was, he wasn''t able to do it.


    It frustrated him to know that there was still a limitation to how far one could be before the seal was no longer able to be used.


    Luckily, he was still able to tell the general direction in which Alec had gone, so they were flying there in a straight line with no deviations.


    They hadn''t even stopped for anything, let alone food or sleep.


    They''d been flying for a week straight, but it hadn''t done anything for his mood since there wasn''t any change in how he felt.


    Dominique was sure that they were long out of the Kaoriht continent, at least, and he had no idea where they were going.


    How in the world did the boss manage to get so far, so quickly? It was almost unconceivable!


    Still, he admired his boss'' skills for being able to do it so effortlessly. Even though they were travelling using Sircela, they still hadn''t managed to get anywhere near.


    To be honest, Dominique had been feeling bored in the sect.


    While the others were going out on missions that had been filtered and assigned to them by the sect head in the boss'' absence, Dominique had been waiting for the boss to return.


    With the boss gone, there wasn''t anything left for him to do.


    He couldn''t go out and let out some steam either, since he knew that the boss didn''t like it when he killed wantonly.


    To be honest, he just wanted to get away from it all, but his mother wouldn''t allow him out of her sight.


    His eye twitched at the thought.


    After a while it was just stifling beyond words.


    Bunbun woke up leisurely, thumping his leg on Alec''s subordinate, as if asking why he wasn''t sleeping as well.


    Dominique looked over at Bunbun and scoffed, rolling his eyes before closing them.


    He never knew that a rabbit could be such a mother-hen. He swore that he behaved even more like a mother-hen than his own mother did.


    Then, his eyes shot open and he abruptly sat up, much to Bunbun''s dissatisfaction.


    Fenrir cracked open an eye and looked at the foolish human. How many times was he going to go against the rabbit? He should just give up before he gets smothered under fur again.


    The foolish human just never learned its lesson, did he?!


    Dominique sat up with excitement. He could feel it!


    His boss was here!


    Or rather, the boss was nearer now!


    They were getting hot!


    At the thought, Dominique couldn''t calm down, a smirk creeping onto his face.


    He didn''t see the look Bunbun kept giving him.


    It wasn''t until he was smothered under the heavy ball of fur as the bunny grew to a humungous size that he realized it was happening again.


    Dominique struggled futilely to free himself from the boss'' familiar, his face as black as ink.


    The most annoying thing was that he couldn''t hurt his boss'' familiars! What if they told on him?!


    Dominique growled. "Off!" He glared at the rabbit. Or rather, the white fur of the rabbit that was all he could see.


    Bunbun ignored him. This human always ran until he collapsed. The last time that he didn''t listen to the bunny, Dominique passed out because he didn''t rest.


    Fenrir let out a huffing sound of amusement, but it just got on the Sin''s nerves.


    Dominique growled.


    Bunbun just pressed more weight onto the human to make him stay still. Honestly.


    Dominique gave up after struggling a while, closing his eyes.


    Bunbun, sensing that the human had become lax, moved off as well, only for the human to shoot up and clamber onto his back, angrily holding the two giant rabbit ears in his hands.


    The Sin tied the bunny''s ears into a knot, using it to steer the bunny, much to the bunny''s consternation.


    Bunbun swung his head around, making angry sounds. He tried to dislodge the human, only for Dominique to cling on tightly, unable to be thrown off.


    Dominique made a victorious sound which just annoyed Bunbun even more.


    Fenrir stared at the two with a deadpan expression, before just closing his eyes and going back to sleep. Such children. What would their master say?


    Fenrir''s eyes shot open when Bunbun passed magic through their half-open bond, causing the wolf to grow larger and magnify as well.


    The bunny then hopped onto the wolf''s back, with the human on his back.


    Fenrir just stared straight ahead dumbly as he imagined what they looked like right now.


    A giant flying whale, with a giant wolf on top of it. There was a giant but still smaller bunny riding on top of the wolf, followed by a human riding on top of the rabbit.


    Fenrir made a sound of disgust, shaking his body.


    Bunbun snorted, anchoring himself down, much to Fenrir''s annoyance.


    "Stop that!" Fenrir growled at him through the link, but the bunny just rolled his eyes at him.


    "If I have to be subjected to this indignity, then you have to be too!"


    Fenrir felt the frustration building. "What indignity?! Don''t we ride on top of each other often enough?!"


    "Not with a human on my back! A human that isn''t our master!"


    Fenrir silently conceded that point, before shooting back. "Just dislodge him!"


    "I''m trying!" the bunny hissed at him. "God knows I''m trying!"


    "Try harder!"


    "I''m trying!" the bunny roared, and indeed, his actions grew a touch wilder, but the foolish human clung on as if it was a sport.


    Bunbun bucked, but Dominique remained firmly on top of his boss'' familiar using the ''reins''.


    Eventually, the bunny quietened down when he realized how idiotic he was being when Fenrir reminded him that he could just shrink. It wasn''t like the master''s human could be hurt from that little fall.


    Dominique smirked, wrongly assuming that the bunny''s sudden stop was due to its compliance. "Don''t you ever lie on top of me again."


    Dusting off his hands, Dominique got off the bunny, only to be immediately subjected to the same indignity again.


    "Fuck!" Dominique swore, his voice muffled.


    If bunnies could smirk, Bunbun would be doing so right now. If anything, the familiar made himself even bigger than usual so that he could smother the human.


    Fenrir rolled his eyes with a long-suffering look, patting Sircela on the back. They''d long since come to an understanding, despite having different masters.


    He supposed that he was lucky that they didn''t speak the same language. Goodness knows that they would have been insufferable if they did.


    Actually, even without it¡­


    Fenrir sighed as he tried to drown out the muffled cursing that continued over there.


    He hoped that they found the master soon¡­

 Chapter 284 The Chase

    Sekai swore loudly as he crashed through the forest without any finesse or skill whatsoever.


    "Damn it, Elysia!" Sekai roared in grievance, dodging hastily under the branch.


    How could such a small girl be such a big menace?


    How many times had Sekai and Alec managed to attract various monsters and creatures to them? Meanwhile, the one thing that Elysia attracted, she had to attract a rank five one!?


    He supposed that he should consider it lucky that she didn''t attract a rank six one, then!


    They wouldn''t even get the chance to run away, in that case.


    Originally, he thought the three of them were rather lucky.


    Every so often, they stumbled across rare herbs, or rare items in the middle of the damn forest, followed by things like manuals and scrolls that contained techniques.


    The more it continued on, the more baffled Sekai felt.


    He was lucky, but he wasn''t *this* lucky.


    Just what in the world was this string of luck?


    Rather, at that time, they were so lucky that the Sin almost felt as if something bad was going to happen to them.


    Sure enough, the one time that Elysia was the one that fell into a cave, they found something big.


    Something huge.


    And it was totally suited to Elysia.


    It was a whip blade that was able to channel magic through it, and would allow the user to alter its trajectory to their own will.


    Since she had been fighting with her bare hands before this, the weapon that she managed to get her hands on was almost so perfect for her that it was scary.


    The Sin would have been jealous, if he didn''t already have an attachment to his own blade.


    But¡­ just as alluring as the weapon was, it was also guarded by something just as powerful!


    A rank five monster was nothing to scoff at, and they had to wake it up in order to get their hands on the weapon.


    Well, he would have done the same thing if he was by himself, but he needed a way to vent, so Sekai continued swearing as the monster chased them.


    The only thing they were lucky about was that it was a monster, not a creature or a magical beast.


    If it had been either of those instead, Sekai was quite sure that they would already be dead ten times over from this run alone.


    "Quiet," Alec ordered, even as a smile remained on his face.


    Sekai glowered back at Alec. How could the System still smile at this point of time?!


    Alec felt annoyed. They already knew that it was a monster that was chasing them, yet the other was still giving the monster more clues to go on as it chased them down.


    The only reason they were able to remain alive was because they led it to hit against various tree trunks and branches, slowing it down from time to time.


    However, this idiot was leading it straight towards them without any chance of it getting lost.


    Sekai just glared back at him. "Bastard, you think I''m leading it to us!? Well, news flash, genius, the only one that''s leading it to us is you! You and your wound, that is!"


    Alec resisted the urge to swear back at him.


    His wound had already long since healed due to his high heal rate, but it was true that the monster was probably tracking them down due to the scent of blood from him as well.


    Alec narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything, Elysia cut in with a sharp smile.


    "You better not be thinking about splitting off from us."


    Alec bit back the words that had been about to leave him. He had indeed been planning on distracting the monster while they ran away.


    However, he had a feeling that Elysia would not be happy if he admitted as such.


    Wait. He was the boss, wasn''t he?


    Technically he could just order her to continue running without him.


    For some reason though, the words that would normally have left his lips without any hesitation, didn''t today.


    Behind them, the monster''s gravelly roar sounded, pain, dissatisfaction and anger heard in its voice.


    "Motherf*cker," Sekai angrily swore again. There were deeply set lines in his face as he kept up his pace.


    He was already squeezing out so much energy to run that it felt like he was about to run dry. He didn''t have much energy left to swear, but he felt like if he stopped swearing then he would stop running as well.


    They''d already been chased for more than a day, and the monster showed no signs of stopping.


    The only silver lining to this was that none of the other creatures or monsters took this time to ambush them either, having been scared away by a rank five monster.


    Even Elysia''s ever-present smile had started to grow a little strained in the face of the continuous chase.


    Alec looked at the two Main Characters and knew that they wouldn''t be able to hold on much longer.


    Unlike the two, he still had stamina that he could use to burn, but he could feel that they were burning out.


    While right now it wasn''t as bad as when he and Elysia were facing off against the Meister alone.


    This time, there were three of them, and the monster didn''t have much intelligence besides its brute strength.


    Since they were able to share the workload and split it amongst them, they were able to mislead the monster fairly well.


    However, a whole day being chased as they maintained top speed had caused a drop in their stamina.


    However, they couldn''t drop their speed either, since the monster would catch up to them in no time if they slowed even the slightest.


    Suddenly, Alec heard the sound of what appeared to be ringing crystal ¨C as if someone had taken a metal spoon to glass. It constantly echoed in his ears, causing a throbbing feeling.


    Alec frowned.


    "Ye Sha, what is that?"


    Ye Sha was already on it, having heard the sounds as well.


    A glance at Elysia and Sekai told him that they didn''t hear anything. The monster behind them didn''t seem to have any change in behaviour either.


    Ye Sha''s brows furrowed. "I can''t tell. There''s something blocking me from accessing the information."


    Alec fell silent.


    He instantly made up his mind.


    Sekai and Elysia were both flagging already, and he couldn''t take care of both of them and himself at the same time. He was not suited to be a bodyguard.


    "This way."


    Elysia was confused but didn''t question Alec''s words. She felt relieved when she noticed that Alec looked like he''d stopped thinking about ditching them to draw attention from the monster.


    It felt like a bad habit of his that needed to be broken. Elysia couldn''t say why, but she didn''t feel good when he looked like he was about to carry the burden for them.


    Though they were up against a rank five monster, they weren''t helpless, and she wouldn''t accept that they needed a single person to ''sacrifice'' for the rest of them.


    If it came down to that, she''d rather the three of them faced off against the monster and try to take it down.


    Sekai continued swearing the entire way, his swearing almost like a background track. They were so used to it that they were already automatically tuning it out.


    Alec realized that the way they were running led to a deeper part of the unmarked forest, and the light here was darker.


    It wasn''t long until the little visibility they had was severely compromised.


    Rather, Sekai''s visibility was severely compromised.


    While Elysia''s vision wasn''t as good as Alec''s in the dark, she was able to make do.


    However, that didn''t matter when they suddenly stepped onto a piece of land where it suddenly gave way.


    "Wait, there''s a-!" Ye Sha called out hastily, but it was too late.


    There were no previous indications that it was anything other than flat land.


    The three Main Characters fell down a hole.


    While they were falling, Alec speechlessly thought that this was a fucking clich¨¦ plot point right here.


    This wasn''t the first time, either!

 Chapter 285 Transcendence

    The three of them tumbled down into the hole, landing at the bottom silently despite the sudden drop.


    Their reflexes kicked in quickly, allowing them to land as quiet as a mouse.


    They were conspicuously silent as they craned their ears and tried their best to hear any sounds that were coming from the cave.


    Unlike Elysia and Sekai, who heard nothing, Alec heard the sound of the ringing grow louder and louder, until he almost felt as if he was off balance.


    It couldn''t be described as anything other than pure noise.


    "What is it?" Elysia asked, seeing something in Alec''s expression.


    Alec could barely hear her voice over the sound of the ringing at all.


    Sekai frowned and stalked forward, his Magitype providing just enough light for him to see where he was going.


    Don''t think he didn''t realize how Elysia and Alec were able to see in the dark better than him. Still, if they didn''t mention it, then he wasn''t going to bring it up either. He could provide his own light source, so there.


    He had no idea what was going on with Alec, but damned if he would stay here and wait to find out.


    The System was too stubborn by half, and he had no intention of waiting like a saint for him to reveal whatever he was keeping secret.


    They could already hear the scrabbling sounds of the rank five monster above them, and the ground was shaking.


    There were pieces of debris falling down from above, and it wouldn''t be long if the monster continued smelling them from this place. It would just make it more determined to enter the small hole if it remained so angry.


    Alec walked forward, following behind Sekai. He was feeling off balance and almost dizzy with the constant ringing echoes in his mind.


    He was so concentrated he was on walking straight that he missed Elysia''s frown of worry as she followed close behind.


    The cave wasn''t anything special, but there was a faintly whispery quality to it that made their hair on their arms stand straight up.


    At least, that was how it was for Sekai and Elysia.


    It felt almost as if something was whispering in their ears, but other than that, they couldn''t hear anything else.


    They got a feeling that they weren''t exactly welcomed by whatever dwelled in the depths of the cave, but it was clear to the two Main Characters that Alec wasn''t feeling the same as either of them.


    Instead, just a look at his face alarmed them a little, though Sekai hid it better than Elysia did.


    Alec''s face was pale. Very pale. There were little beads of sweat upon his brow that made them feel anxious.


    Considering that Alec hadn''t even broken a sweat when the rank five monster had been chasing them the entire way, it was very alarming indeed.


    And then, of course, Alec passed out, and Sekai actually let out a shout of alarm that he would deny to his dying day.


    Elysia caught Alec''s unconscious body without a problem, looking at him with worry.


    Something in here had made him pass out, but what?


    She didn''t dissuade Sekai from hovering over her shoulder while she checked him over, but she couldn''t find anything wrong with him.


    By all accounts, it just appeared as if Alec was sleeping.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Dominique landed on the ground, sending his familiar back to a spatial dimension that his boss had created specifically for him to keep Sircela.


    He was so close that he could practically taste the boss'' magic in the air.


    It wasn''t like he could sense magic like his boss either, but he could feel it somehow. Though, of course, it was only his boss'' magic that he was able to track.


    He stopped abruptly when he reached a cave that appeared discreet, though something ¨C or someone ¨C running through it had ruined the careful hiding of the cave, and it was now exposed.


    There were other traces of magic here, but he had no idea who they belonged to.


    Still, there was a splatter of blood on the floor, and abruptly, Dominique knew exactly who the blood belonged to.


    Dominique''s face darkened and was so black that it appeared like ink.


    Something had hurt his boss.


    The thought sent pure unadulterated rage through his body, and he felt disgusted and enraged at the same time at the thought that something had hurt his boss.


    Stalking forward, Dominique tracked down the little blood trail, before locking onto the very distinctly non-human signature.


    While he couldn''t track magic like his boss, there were other ways that he could track.


    Looking for footprints, as well as the collateral damage in the area, Dominique was able to track without a problem.


    He was aided by both Bunbun and Fenrir who were tracking through smell as well, and the three of them made a strange trio as they tracked down the monster that had hurt his boss.


    Dominique knew that the monster had to be at least rank five in order to damage his boss in any way, but he couldn''t allow anything that had hurt his boss to continue living!


    His blood was boiling in a way that it had not for a long time.


    It was reminiscent to the days where he lived and breathed anger and wrath, slaughtering whoever stood in his path without a second thought.


    The man hunted ¨C for it could be called nothing else ¨C patiently, silently, feeling a sense of something creep up on him without even the man being aware of it himself.


    The Sin falls so deep into his desires that his concentration was heightened to a startling degree.


    Unbeknownst to himself, his Magitype was roiling, his magic changing. His previously stagnant pace at the advanced rank had started to move.


    He was close, magic seemed to whisper to him in a way that it never had before.


    There was something about him that was changing.


    Magic was closer and yet further to him at the same time now, and it was a qualitative change that couldn''t be properly explained until one went through it themselves.


    However, Dominique was lost in his own thoughts, and he didn''t realize what was happening to his body at all.


    On the other hand, Bunbun and Fenrir weren''t so clueless. They knew that something was happening, though they didn''t know what.


    Intent ¨C it was something that was needed and almost revered. Something that was absolutely required for one to break through into the Meister stage, and not something that could be produced artificially.


    It had to come from the depths of their soul, and Dominique, in his weird, obsessive way, stumbled across the method to transcend into Meister entirely on accident.


    As much as he worshipped the ground his boss walked on, it wasn''t a surprise that his transcendence to Meister was something that had to do with his obsession as well.


    Something in him snapped when he realized that his boss got hurt when he wasn''t around. When he wasn''t there to cover his back.


    The taste of ash and fire almost consumed him whole.


    So, Dominique hunted.


    He hunted with a patience that wasn''t part of his character. He hunted with a fire that roared in his blood. But mostly, he hunted with calm, cold precision that was a direct contrast to the fire inside himself that called out for blood.


    He had no idea how much time passed while he was tracking down the monster that still contained traces of his boss'' blood on its claws, but he found it all the same.


    Bunbun and Fenrir didn''t make a move even though they wanted to, seeing something strange about Dominique''s state of mind.


    They could feel the magic gathering in the air, almost as if it was waiting for something to happen.


    Dominique engaged in battle with the rank five monster as an advanced rank, a whole tier below it.


    Still, the monster didn''t know what hit it.

 Chapter 286 Breakthrough

    Splash!


    The blood that had previously been inside the monster''s body splattered out onto the ground the moment the last of its heads left its body.


    Now that the monster was dead, there was silence in the clearing with only the sound of harsh pants left as Dominique finished severing the last of the monster''s heads from its body.


    Before he did anything else, he kept the few of the heads of the monster as a gift for his boss as proof that he had avenged him. He was sure that the boss would praise him again this time!


    The Sin stabbed his sword into the ground, using it to prop himself up as he caught his breath.


    His magic was still bleeding of the bloodlust that he''d been using to keep himself afloat during battle.


    His energy was completely depleted now that he was out of battle.


    The adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins was long gone, leaving him bereft and almost cold in a way.


    The blood-hot adrenaline cooled significantly now that the monster was no longer alive in front of him.


    His breathing came out in harsh pants, the only sound left in the clearing, the silence almost seemed to ring as he came out from the hyper concentrated state that he''d been previously.


    That had been foolish, having such tunnel vision.


    Dominique frowned. That hadn''t been his intention, but it was done, and there was no crying over spilt milk.


    No monsters nor creatures had dared to come near as the two battled harshly with each other, having been scared off by the power and sounds that were coming from the clearing.


    It was for the better, for they would have been instantly obliterated by either Dominique or the monster before the two continued their battle with each other.


    It had taken more than six hours for Dominique to emerge victorious in his harsh battle with the rank five monster.


    But the grin on his face was something more breath-taking than usual. The only time his smile was ever remotely like this was when Alec praised him.


    The Sin was breathing harshly, and it almost felt like there wasn''t a single unbroken bone in his body.


    Dominique collapsed back on the ground with a laugh, a grin on his face.


    The satisfaction that coursed through his body was something that he had not felt in such a long time.


    Despite the aches and pains that plagued his body, Dominique had never felt lighter than right now.


    Without any worry about anything coming near at this moment, Dominique''s eyes immediately slid shut, leaving Bunbun and Fenrir to defend the foolish human who hadn''t even looked at them once throughout the entire battle.


    This part of this foolish human was very much like their master. Or were all humans the same? They couldn''t tell.


    Alec didn''t like to look for help either, even when he could coordinate with them perfectly well.


    Most of the time, his familiars had to join in the battle as support by themselves, using their own brains to calculate and perform to their best.


    The two familiars watched over the silly human, savaging any monsters or creatures that approached quickly and efficiently.


    With both of them taking turns to watch over the human, they were able to make sure that he remained undisturbed as his body went through changes.


    Both familiars were able to tap into their master''s talents and look at the magic that was undergoing change in front of them with curious eyes.


    They could feel that the human would be a lot stronger after this.


    Strong enough that they no longer needed to subtly help him out later on.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Dominique''s eyes snapped open without warning, startling the bunny that had been staring at his face.


    Bunbun topped over in shock, causing the Sin to smirk at the familiar''s predicament.


    Dominique leapt up, his body coursing with more power than before.


    Never before had this much pure unadulterated magic run through his veins, and he instinctively knew that he had broken through to the Meister stage.


    He couldn''t help but marvel at the visceral change that his body had gone through in the time that he''d passed out.


    Flexing, he spread his magic out, and the control he had over it was leagues ahead than what it was before it.


    Not only was there more now, he was more in tune with it.


    If he wished, he could even hide it so deeply that he appeared just like a normal civilian rather than someone actively practicing their magic.


    It seemed like managing to kill of the rank five monster that had hurt his boss had been the last push he needed in order to break through.


    Dominique smirked. Truly, everything related to his boss was great.


    Then, he frowned the slightest amount when he realized that a lot of filthy things had been ejected out of his body during the process, leaving him filthy and dirty.


    If he didn''t care so much about what his boss might think of him if he showed up in front of him like this, he might even have forgone his discomfort and went on to find his boss.


    The boss was so close, yet so far!


    Frowning harder, Dominique quickly made his way to a river nearby and cleaned himself up, much to the two familiar''s relief.


    It truly hadn''t been easy guarding the foolish human that grew progressively smelly as the time went by.


    Towards the end, they didn''t even have to fend off any monsters or creatures, with how repulsed they were at the smell that came from the human.


    Small mercies, that.


    By the time he was done, the entire river had turned black, before slowly being washed away downstream.


    If there had been any elders that had passed into the Meister stage that saw it, they would have been shocked.


    This meant that the person''s advancement to Meister was on a grand scale. Compared to most people that only passed through painstakingly, Dominique had passed through perfectly.


    Just by judging the amount of impurities that had been forced out from the body, it would indicate how much further they could go in the future.


    Compared to some of them that had passed through with almost brute force, Dominique''s had been natural and almost effortless.


    It would have shocked countless Meisters, as well as Grand Meisters, even.


    Whether they wanted to nip a bud before it bloomed or recruit him over to their side remained to be seen, but it was an achievement that could be called worthy of a Main Character.


    Now that he was clean, he quickly picked up the trace of his boss again and was startled when he realized that the boss had passed through here.


    In fact, he had been so close before the fight with the rank five monster that Dominique felt cross with himself for missing it in the first place.


    He could have had the boss watch him as he avenged him!


    Ah, what a mistake!


    Dominique hopped into the hole on the ground, then felt a spike of anger when he thought again that the rank five monster had been trying to chase his boss when Dominique had engaged it.


    Then, he felt a spike of satisfaction knowing that he had stopped the damnable monster before it got into its empty head that it should go after his boss.


    The bottom of the hole he dropped into was dark, but after having advanced to the Meister rank, he was able to see perfectly fine in the dark.


    Or rather, he could make out where there were walls or objects in the way.


    It wasn''t so much sight as seeing a faint outline. It was rather useful.


    Dominique quickly shook off the chill that seemed to settle in the air, trudging forward towards his boss'' location.


    He was so close that he could practically taste it.

 Chapter 287 Sekai Style?

    The magic that was so familiar to him practically settled in the air, and Dominique instinctively knew that his boss was within these halls.


    His pace quickened, and so did Fenrir and Bunbun''s.


    While he could have just teleported there, he wanted to see his boss'' expression when Dominique appeared before him without any warning.


    Just the thought of his boss'' delight upon seeing him made his pace quicken as a faintly happy expression appeared on his face


    ¨C something that he never was without the boss'' presence.


    He frowned a little when he realized that there were other people here as well.


    One of those auras even niggled a little at his mind, as if he should recognize where it came from.


    Dominique tilted his head.


    ¡­It reminded him a little of that annoying female teenager that the boss had brought back. The one he didn''t like.


    The Sin briefly hesitated before putting it out of his mind. How could she be here with the boss when she was back at the sect? Dominique had no interest in anyone else, and his boss was the only whose magical signature he could recognize instantly.


    He walked a little faster while still appearing casual, as if he didn''t know that the boss was here.


    The darkness from the place lightened a little, until he realized that he didn''t need to rely on his extra vision to see properly anymore.


    The path leading from the cave connected to a wide, perfectly circular room.


    From the middle of the room, there were a total of eight pathways out, including the one that he was situated in currently.


    However, what made his eyes really widen was the sight that greeted him in the middle of the room.


    On an array of sorts that had been drawn on the ground, there were two figures.


    One of them was dragging a body over to the array in the centre, placing the body in the middle of the array.


    There was an array on the floor, as well as a linking array at the top of the cave.


    While he didn''t have his boss'' eye with arrays and seals, Dominique had managed to pick up quite a bit just being in the boss'' presence while he studied things. Though he never asked questions, the boss always seemed to know when he had questions, explaining it for him.


    Right now, he had no idea what this array was for at all.


    In fact, he was completely clueless. He didn''t recognize even a single rune that made up the array!


    Yet, that wasn''t what had him so shocked.


    There was an unknown man dragging his boss'' body to the middle of the array.


    Instantly, Dominique saw red.


    Before he registered what he was doing, the Sin was already flying across the room and punching the man that had *dared* desecrate his boss'' body!


    The Sin very consciously made sure to keep his strength in check. He wanted this to *hurt*.


    How dare he try and use his boss for whatever nefarious purposes he had?!


    Somehow, Dominique was still able to keep his strength in check despite how new it was to him.


    Sekai swore when a man appeared out of nowhere and started pummelling him nonstop. He couldn''t even get a break to retaliate at all. There were no openings that he could see.


    Right now, Sekai was in the middle of a one-sided fight, and he was on the losing end.


    This man was likely in the Meister stage, and he was obviously holding back. It just made Sekai''s Sin instincts flare up instantly with all the bloodlust that was directed at him.


    Sekai slammed his fist against the other man''s, losing in strength. He stumbled back, just barely managing to dodge the following strike.


    His lips pulled into a snarl, and Sekai glowered at the random man who''d intruded into his business. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"


    Dominique''s expression shuttered. That should be what he should be asking instead. Who did this man think he was, touching his boss?


    Sekai grew noticeably enraged when Dominique didn''t reply him.


    The two Sins were exchanging blow for blow, though Sekai was looking noticeably worse off.


    Dominique, with a cold and indifferent expression on his face, systematically took apart Sekai''s defence, icy fire in his eyes.


    Sekai felt his anxiety growing larger. He had no time for this, even though he usually revelled in this kind of fight.


    Who was this man, and why was he attacking him? Was this some sort of test, or was he an enemy? Was he the owner of this place or something? But that didn''t make sense!


    His mind was spinning with countless questions, but he had no answers.


    However, he wasn''t dead yet despite the man being a Meister, so he was more inclined to think that the man didn''t want to kill him.


    At least, not yet.


    He had to buy some time for Elysia to return. Perhaps then, they would be able to ¨C wait.


    Why the fuck was he acting like he was the loser already!? That was unacceptable!


    Sekai snarled, self-admonishment coursing through his body.


    At that thought, Sekai fought back harder against this unknown man.


    He was definitely not here with good intentions; with the way he was wailing on his body. it felt more like he wanted to inflict as much pain and damage as possible before he killed him off.


    Sekai sneered at the thought. The man had to be crazy if he thought that Sekai was going to go down without a fight!


    He''d die together with him or die trying!


    Even when Sekai was fighting against this unknown attacker, he made sure to steer clear of Alec who had almost been placed in the middle of the array.


    Yet, because of this person''s interference, he wasn''t able to place Alec directly in the middle.


    Elysia said that she had a gut feeling that putting Alec in the middle of the array would allow him to wake up sooner or later, and they had no other leads.


    The System had been passed out for almost a day already, and if that wasn''t an indication of something being wrong, he didn''t know what was.


    He still needed the System to figure out how to get the brand was off him!


    Dominique''s eyes narrowed when he inflicted damage on this person. He made sure to hit the parts that inflicted the most pain, while causing relatively little damage.


    He could already have ended this battle a long time ago, but every time he caught sight of his boss'' prone body, he couldn''t stop the anger from flaring up, and his magic responded in kind.


    Fire and lightning clashed against each other, the two most destructive elements meeting each other in a head-on clash.


    The two Sins exchanged a fast-paced high-intensity battle, and they didn''t even notice Bunbun and Fenrir waiting in the corner for them to finish up.


    Though they didn''t know what was going on, they could tell that this man had their master''s magic on him, so he was likely a friend and not foe.


    It was something that Dominique eventually realized when he registered it. He originally thought that the magic had come from his boss'' body, but then he realized that the little bits of his boss'' magic was clinging onto the other man''s skin.


    "Why do you have the boss'' magic on you?" Dominique asked darkly. He punched Sekai''s rib, only more annoyed when the man didn''t call out in pain.


    Sekai held back the hiss that wanted to leave him. Pain was a close friend, even though he didn''t like it. He could maintain rational thought and maintain a level head if he so wanted to.


    He was confused. What the fuck was this psycho talking about? He didn''t know, and he said as such. "What the fuck are you talking about?"


    "What did you do to boss?" Dominique continued coldly, like he hadn''t heard a word Sekai said.


    Sekai''s eyes narrowed, his brain working, but then the other man started upping the ante, and he had no time to reply, let alone think things out.


    Whatever. He would just beat down this idiot then think about it in true Sekai style!

 Chapter 288 Is There Such A Thing As Too Loyal?

    "Stop!" Elysia called out, her smile that was usually on her face gone.


    To Dominique, it felt a little strange since he treated her smile as an integral part of her. Just like the boss'' smile was part of him.


    Elysia was annoyed. She''d just left for ten minutes to procure more water since they ran out! Ten minutes!


    How was there fighting already!?


    Wasn''t this Alec''s right hand man, Dominique? He was in charge of the Spectres while Alec was gone.


    What was he doing here, and not back in the sect?


    And why was he fighting with Sekai?


    Then, her eyes skimmed over to Alec, whom she noted with relief looked the same as before. While he wasn''t better off, he wasn''t worse off either.


    Wait. What was it that Rosabel told her again?


    Dominique and Alec seemed to be ¨C er, in a special kind of relationship? Was that why he was so angry?


    He probably thought that Sekai was a stranger that was randomly dragging Alec''s body to an unknown array.


    Dominique got in one last punch that sent Sekai flying into the distance, turning his glacial expression onto Elysia.


    He scanned her up and down, and while she did look a little worse for wear, she didn''t look like she was in distress either.


    "What''s going on?" he asked coldly.


    Just wait for it. If her answer didn''t satisfy him, he would punch her whether or not the boss didn''t like it.


    He''d even take the boss'' punishment rather than allow him to be wilfully harmed in the future.


    Elysia just put her hands on her hips and glanced at him with a frown.


    It had all the effectiveness of an angry kitten in Dominique''s mind.


    It just made Dominique''s expression cool even further, but she didn''t quail under his gaze.


    While he didn''t think that she would do anything to the boss because she was a Spectre, that didn''t discount the fact that they were placing him on an unknown array.


    "Do you even know what that array does?" he glared at her.


    Elysia shook her head. "I don''t."


    Dominique''s anger mounted. Dominique snarled. "You were going to put boss on something that has unknown effects? Are you lacking in the mental department or are you just daft?"


    Dominique intercepted the fist that came from behind him, throwing Sekai into the wall again. The place shook, and dust came down from the ceiling.


    Elysia let out an explosive sigh. "It''s not like we want to do that either, but there''s no other choice. We haven''t been able to find anything else in this place that might have caused Alec to pass out like this. If he''s left in this stage, it''ll be dangerous before long."


    Dominique digested her words.


    Elysia looked at Dominique with a rare serious expression. "You don''t know, but Alec has been burning up, and his fever isn''t light. When we put a cloth cooled with water on his head the water all dries up before long."


    The corner of Dominique''s mouth pulled into a frown. "How long has it been?" he asked seriously, pressing down his displeasure. Now was not the time for his dissatisfied feelings to act up.


    While he didn''t like how Elysia was the one who addressed the boss as ''Alec'', as long as the boss allowed it, he didn''t see how he could refute her address. Though, that didn''t mean he had to like it.


    The more important thing right now was the boss'' situation.


    The boss was in the intermediate stage, and he should be immune to the basic colds and illnesses that plagued civilians already.


    He may or not agree with them placing the boss on the array, but one thing was for certain. They were far from the sect, and they likely wouldn''t be able to find a healer out here in the middle of nowhere.


    For the first time, Dominique was plagued with a sense of helplessness.


    Elysia frowned as well, echoing Dominique''s frown. "It''s been more than a day already!" That''s why the two of the were so anxious. Surely, Dominique could see it as well?


    As little contact she had with this man, she knew that he cared a great deal about Alec. It almost bordered on worshipful.


    Dominique shut his eyes. He should have held back his advancement. He should have known that suddenly feeling like passing out was going to cost him a lot of time!


    He ground his teeth in hatred.


    He kicked backwards, causing Sekai to fly back into the wall again with a muffled curse. "Who''s this idiot?" he asked instead to keep his mind off it.


    "That''s Sekai. He''s our friend."


    Dominique''s brows furrowed, displeased. More people!?


    He reluctantly stopped whacking the idiot who didn''t seem to know when to give up, nor know how outclassed he was. The only reason why he wasn''t dead was because Dominique had held back in the first place.


    "What have you done already?" Dominique asked, moving forward to check on the boss.


    He placed a hand on the boss'' forehead and frowned even harder. It truly was as hot as that little girl described. What was happening to the boss'' body?


    Elysia outlined the things they''d tried to bring down his fever, but it hadn''t broken. "He hasn''t even woken up since the first time he fell unconscious."


    Dominique fell deep into thought, his expression unreadable.


    Sekai finally managed to pick himself up and reluctantly licked his wounds as he glared at Dominique.


    He could infer that this man was Alec''s subordinate. Could he say, as expected from boss and subordinate?!


    Both of them got on his nerves!


    ¡­Wait. Elysia was Alec''s subordinate as well!


    All three of them got on his nerves!


    How annoying!


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    While the three Main Characters were worrying over Alec, the two Systems were in a completely different situation.


    Alec and Ye Sha stared at each other with confusion.


    They were inside of Alec''s mindscape, and the ringing that had been plaguing their ears previously was no longer heard at all, other than a very faint and distant sound.


    "Do you have any idea at all what''s happening to us?" Alec asked.


    Ye Sha shook his head as his fingers flew over various keyboards.


    The sounds of the keyboards tapping came constantly and quickly. His fingertips barely touched they keys at all before the next one was being pressed already.


    Ye Sha had been checking for over a day, but he still wasn''t able to get a hold of any solid information.


    But a thought occurred to him. "I think this might not be because of you, but rather to do with me."


    Alec raised a brow. "What do you mean?"


    "Theoretically speaking, you should not have passed out before you even got a chance to see anything. That just doesn''t make sense. Whether or not this is a treasure or a misfortune, you should still have had an encounter before anything happened."


    Alec nodded. That would be the standard plot route indeed, but this time, he passed out before anything happened. Ye Sha was right.


    He started to form a few theories of his own.


    "Do you think that it''s because the two of us are sharing a consciousness that caused a conflict in whatever was happening in this place?"


    "It''s possible," Ye Sha confirmed. "There should be a way for you to regain consciousness, but it''s probably something external."


    Alec nodded calmly. While Ye Sha was working, he was making his own calculations as well. Even though he didn''t work as quickly as Ye Sha did with data, that didn''t mean he was helpless.


    While he hoped that Elysia and Sekai would quickly find the external source that would allow them to wake up, he was also trying to find a solution from the inside.


    Suddenly, his brows creased when Ye Sha swore. "Ah, damn! Dominique is here. He''s touching your forehead."


    The two Systems looked at each other speechlessly.


    ¡­Well, there went all hopes that they would wake up due to external factors.


    Alec could just tell right now. With how much Dominique seemed to protect him, it would be a miracle for Elysia and Sekai to be able to move him to do something that seemed dangerous.

 Chapter 289 Gone

    The thing was ¨C time in Alec''s mindscape went by a lot slower than it was outside, so Alec and Ye Sha were still figuring things out until the last moment.


    It had been a rather long time since Alec felt Dominique''s phantom touch, but that didn''t deter the two Systems.


    While Alec slogged away at the data, Ye Sha felt himself growing increasingly anxious and restless, almost uncharacteristically so.


    It was almost as if the solution was there on the tip of his tongue ¨C or that he should be able to change this situation in some way, but he couldn''t.


    They weren''t getting anywhere, and it wasn''t from the lack of trying either.


    Then, a brief thought flashed in his mind as he felt the helplessness of their situation.


    While data was good, if they weren''t able to affect it internally, then it wasn''t going to help any.


    With both Alec and Ye Sha stuck inside Alec''s mindscape, they had their hands figuratively tied.


    He wished that they weren''t stuck together so that he could help his friend out externally rather than just internally.


    The thought only surfaced for the briefest moment before Ye Sha shoved it down almost subconsciously. Ye Sha''s personality was the type that didn''t like to dwell on things beyond his control. It was part of the reason why he was so successful as a System.


    But then, it almost felt like something clicked into place as he felt his consciousness go hazy. Ye Sha''s eyes flew to the screen that was still hanging before him right now, and it felt like a light bulb moment, as you might call it.


    ''Of course!'' Ye Sha could have groaned. He should have known. Then, thinking that the problem as well as the situation had been all because of him, he groaned out loud.


    There was a need for both external and internal connection before something happened. He should have known.


    Alec''s head snapped around, and his eyes widened minutely when he looked at Ye Sha''s semi-translucent form.


    The System immediately abandoned the screen in front of him in favour of checking on his friend.


    "What''s happening?" Alec demanded, his eyes flying over Ye Sha''s fading form.


    Ye Sha actually felt disgustingly emotional at the undercurrent of worry that he heard from Alec''s voice.


    It wasn''t that he doubted the friendship that they had now, but the System always felt like his attachment to their friendship was heavier on his end.


    Ye Sha smiled, and it contained a faintly watery quality to it that didn''t do anything for Alec''s worry.


    It made him feel like the other was saying his last goodbyes.


    "Relax," Ye Sha snorted, regaining control over himself.


    His tone was a lot lighter, Alec was relieved to note, and he sounded like the System that loved to have fun again, reminiscent of the past.


    Ye Sha''s consciousness blurred further, startling both Systems at the sudden advance of the translucency in Ye Sha''s body.


    "Calm down. I think your emotions are affecting whatever this is. It seems to be speeding up even more now."


    Ye Sha snorted. ''Way to state the obvious,'' he thought fondly.


    Which was just a total mistake, because it obviously sped it up even more.


    Alec glowered at him, as if asking why he was being so foolish, and it startled a laugh out of Ye Sha yet again.


    Alec glared harder at him. "I said calm down, not get more riled up!"


    Ye Sha choked out his words between laughter, "I knoooow, but it''s just so funny. Anyway, it''s not going to be harmful, so relax and don''t worry about it."


    Alec''s brows furrowed, and he looked like he was this close to cursing the other System out, but Ye Sha had already disappeared with one last jaunty wave.


    Ye Sha''s form blurred and pixilated, then shattered with an audible sound that reminded him sharply of when the Mainframe decided to delete a System.


    It was a sound like crisp glass breaking. It was beautiful and haunting, and Alec had always associated the sound with the deletion of a System ever since he woke up under the Mainframe.


    It was disconcerting, and mildly horrifying at the same time.


    Alec sucked in a breath.


    The furrow in Alec''s brows deepened, and he couldn''t help but have the feeling that this had something to do with the fucking Mainframe!


    But before he could dwell further on his thoughts and the unwelcome emotions that seeing Ye Sha disappear did to him, he felt his consciousness grow hazy as well.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec snapped awake, instantly sitting up.


    There was a brief flare of pain as his forehead harshly collided with the person that had stuck their face into his personal space while he had been sleeping.


    "Oww," he heard, and Alec faintly thought to himself that that was Elysia''s voice. "Alec, you''re alright now!" she said with good cheer.


    Blinking, he looked over, and it was indeed Elysia who was pouting at him, holding her forehead rather cutely.


    She had faint smudges of black under her eyes, and Alec felt his heart squeeze for one brief moment.


    Alec''s hand traitorously twitched, and for a brief moment, Alec waited for Ye Sha''s interjection as he mocked him for still pretending that he didn''t have feelings, but there was only silence.


    Dominique''s face cut off his view of Elysia. Alec didn''t know whether or not to be thankful, not knowing what he was currently feeling.


    "Boss!" There was a note of worry in Dominique''s voice.


    Before Alec could do anything other than smile, Dominique pressed his hand on Alec''s forehead, much to his consternation.


    "Mini," Alec greeted back, his voice a little strained, and Dominique dropped his hand like he''d been scalded, looking like he expected to be berated.


    Meanwhile, Sekai, who had been completely ignored at the side, raised his eyebrows as he looked at the three idiots that surrounded him.


    Sometimes, it felt like he was the only one with his priorities straight. Seriously.


    Sekai let out an explosive sigh, and Dominique sent him a look so scathing that Sekai could have combusted spontaneously with how hot it was. It was a far cry from the icy look that Dominique had given him previously when the two of them were fighting.


    Sekai didn''t know which one he preferred more. If he was being honest with himself, both of them were pretty intimidating, but he wasn''t, so he was happy to live in denial.


    The transmigrator held up a cup to Alec''s lips. "Drink," he commanded.


    Alec paused; his hand raised to take the cup. He was too thirsty to give a scathing reply.


    Dominique glowered at the man, snatching the cup from Sekai''s hand.


    He checked it over with precision and efficiency three times, almost bordering on paranoia, before finally presenting it to Alec with a faint smile. "Boss."


    In response, Sekai shot back an affronted look. As if he would try and kill Alec when he still needed him! After, however, was fair game.


    Alec accepted the cup with barely a strain in his smile, by now all too used to Dominique''s antics.


    "Wait!" Elysia said, yet again snatching the cup from Alec''s hand.


    Alec felt the start of a headache creep up on him.


    Could they just let him drink¡­?


    Elysia warmed up the water and mixed in a bit of honey to soothe his throat, as well as lemon, before she finally deemed it acceptable, handing it back to Alec.


    Alec''s lips twitched into a more genuine smile at Elysia, who beamed back at him.


    Alec took the cup and immediately drank from it, daring any of them to take the cup from him now.


    There was a faint hitch in Alec''s breath when he finally drank, the water soothing his throat, and he was so engrossed in drinking that he didn''t notice Elysia''s cheeks flush faintly before regaining their natural shade.


    He was in the middle of drinking when two shadows launched themselves at him.


    Alec absently caught his two familiars before gently stroking their fur. The two familiars all but purred under his stroking, their magic responding in kind to Alec''s magic.

 Chapter 290 White Space

    Alec lay awake while Dominique was taking night shift. As both Sekai and Elysia slept, the past two days or so of exertion caught up to the two Main Characters all at once.


    With the rank five monster that had been chasing them for an entire day, plus Alec''s rather startling and abrupt drop in unconsciousness as well as his high fever, they had been understandably stressed out, though Sekai looked like he would rather die than admit it.


    Dominique volunteered to stay on watch before any of them opened their mouths, and at Alec''s thanks, the Sin had uncharacteristically lit up, his eyes glittering with the fanatical glee that Alec could see from a mile away.


    For some reason, it felt like the Sin was even more fanatical after they spent a short period of time away from each other. And try as he might, Alec couldn''t tell whether or not he was just imagining it or not.


    Dominique had broken through to the Meister tier, of that much he was certain.


    The Sin''s magic had flared briefly when he''d been genuinely happy previously when Alec woke, before simmering back down to sit at the advanced stage.


    It couldn''t have been more than two weeks, but Dominique had broken through in that short amount of time.


    The only reason why Alec was able to tell was because of how familiar he was with Dominique''s magic, as well as the lapse in control.


    If it hadn''t been for that, Alec would have remained in the dark, likely for some time.


    He still had no idea why Dominique was so attached to him, so as much as he didn''t want to, there were still times where he kept the Sin at arm''s length, waiting for the other shoe to drop.


    Alec shut his eyes again, shoving the unnecessary thoughts out of his mind.


    How annoying.


    It looked like the loss of Ye Sha''s companionship had affected him more greatly than he cared to admit.


    Then, as if he was coming out of shock, the full extent of the loss of Ye Sha''s presence in such a startling way ¨C especially with the added sound effects and combined visuals ¨C hit him fully and completely.


    It almost felt like there was a hole in him now, the way that there had never been before the introduction of the quick to laugh and fun-loving System to his mindscape.


    Honestly, it hadn''t even been that long since Ye Sha was first introduced to his mindscape, but his mindscape felt woefully empty right now.


    Alec took a breath.


    Then, he slammed down on the useless emotions and locked them behind the wall where they would likely fester until he was able to confirm that Ye Sha was indeed safe and not deleted by the Mainframe or anything similar.


    He breathed out.


    He''d gotten a good look at the array that painted the cave they''d ''stumbled'' into, and the runes danced across his vision every time he opened his eyes.


    The array was only contained on the floor and the ceiling of the cave, but they encompassed so much more.


    This place was not meant for any of them.


    Instead, it was meant for Ye Sha and Ye Sha alone.


    He felt like it had something to do with Systems, because even though Alec was in a human body right now, it still felt like something was calling him at a low octave.


    Then, he carefully shut his eyes once again and went to sleep.


    Just like that.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Light shuttered, and the darkness casts spots against his eyelids, causing the System to flinch.


    Wait.


    Eyelids.


    Consciousness.


    Ye Sha''s eyes snapped open, and he regretted it not even a second after he did so as the light practically blinded him, causing him to hiss as his hands scrabbled over his eyes.


    The System took a while to get used to the new sensations, having been out of touch with them for so long.


    He felt¡­ he felt startlingly human, honestly.


    By the time he got used to the light source in the room, he could finally see where he was now located.


    His heart thundered loudly in his chest at the unknown that he found himself in, taking in the room.


    He was lying in a strange container that appeared to be made out of some transparent material with a purple sheen. It wasn''t glass, that was for sure.


    Rifling through his database, it told the System absolutely nothing.


    Impossible!


    How could Ye Sha have no knowledge of this material? The sheer thought of it unnerved him greatly.


    How could it not?


    He had information at his fingertips for the longest time, and this was the first time that something that should have been known to him showed no trace of it whatsoever in the database.


    It shook him greatly, in a way that he never expected it to.


    Ye Sha firmly pushed the thought out of his mind for the moment, putting it aside as if he was placing it on a shelf for himself to examine later on.


    The room was set in the shape of a cube, and it appeared almost sterile at first glance.


    Other than the container that had been holding Ye Sha''s body, there was nothing else in the whole place.


    The rooms were a pure, unblemished white, and the floors were tiled with silver and white alternatively.


    The place was eerily silent, but thankfully it was not filled with white noise. He would have gone crazy if it had been.


    Instead, there was a low, soothing hum to the place, and it gave Ye Sha a sense of familiarity. However, the System was very sure that he had never been here. Ever.


    Walking up to one of the walls, Ye Sha ran his hand on the surface.


    The walls were smooth to the touch, almost icy.


    Again, his database failed to tell him what the material was. Now, he was feeling more and more unsettled, feeling out of his element.


    But instead of falling into his baser emotions, Ye Sha''s eyes narrowed suspiciously.


    If the information wasn''t made known to him, then he could only assume that they were newly created or had been deliberately kept from the database.


    The database was everything that the Mainframe knew about, which meant that this place was out from its realm. Or was it?


    Either way, two things were vastly different situations, and Ye Sha didn''t know if he liked either. Still, a sense of curiosity was growing in him even as the unsettling feeling faded somewhat.


    But¡­ the question remained.


    Where was he?


    Who was behind all of this?


    Why had they done this?


    And, more importantly, was he still able to contact Alec?


    Ye Sha shut his eyes and dropped into his own mindscape.


    Compared to Alec''s, Ye Sha''s mindscape was something that he had never accessed. Because he was a System, not a human.


    Only beings that had a body were able to access a mindscape, so the fact that he''d been able to do so shook him to the very core.


    While he had hesitantly thought that he might have gained a human body earlier, it had been a mere speculation at best. Right now, he absolutely knew that he now inhabited a body. He was no longer incorporeal.


    Somehow, he had gained a human body.


    Unlike Alec''s mindscape that appeared like a giant library of sorts, Ye Sha''s mindscape was, to put it bluntly, a junkyard. But it was a technological junkyard.


    There were metal scrap pieces and gears everywhere, forming piles and piles of technological junk.


    Ye Sha loved it.


    But this wasn''t the time for him to marvel at it.


    Pulling up screen after screen, Ye Sha looked for any hint of a link that would help him connect with Alec yet again.


    Even if he couldn''t find a link back to communicate telepathically with Alec, he would make a path himself.


    Ye Sha''s eyes shut as he sought out the tiniest hints of a path.

 Chapter 291 - White Space II

    Ye Sha''s eyes snapped open when he was abruptly thrown out of his mindscape, the pain flaring indiscriminately throughout his body, though his head ached the most out of everything.


    He felt like he''d been hit by a Meister at full force. Not the little fight against Elysia and Alec earlier, which had been more of a Meister playing around, but the full force of a Meister that could decimate a country on their own.


    There was a reason why Meisters didn''t move easily, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.


    Ye Sha groaned as he tumbled to the floor, clutching his head.


    Having been forcefully thrown out of his mindscape, the resulting consequence was the backlash and pain that radiated throughout his body. His head throbbed with every little thought, and his body ached something fierce, but even that was manageable compared to the pain in his brain.


    Ye Sha lay out on the cool tiles, desperately pressing his head on them and basking in the little relief that he got there.


    He didn''t know how long passed before the throbbing in his body died down, and he peeled himself off the ground.


    So, contacting Alec was definitely a no.


    But he didn''t regret it because it at least gave him an answer. He knew what he had to do from here on out.


    The question remained: where was he, and why was he here?


    He half expected to land right next to Alec when he woke up, but it evidently wasn''t the case here, much to his disappointment.


    Who was the one who had ''summoned'' him so graciously and grant him a corporeal body?


    It couldn''t be anything else other than a summon, of that he was certain. Had he not had the thought of obtaining a body due to his regrets, nothing would have happened in the end.


    He laid there for half a day until the pain died out at least a little bit, but there was still no one that came in to look for him, and there were no clues that gave him an idea where he was being held.


    The more time passed, the more confused Ye Sha was.


    The System struggled as he moved nearer to the container that he woke up in. It was the only thing other thing in this place other than the blank walls and tiled floor.


    He tried to access his screens, connecting them to the oddly sheened container, and his eyebrows shot up when he realized that he could still do it.


    This was the real world for sure, but which world?


    His fingers flew over the keyboard, trying to gather as much information as he could from his current surroundings. He dug deeper and further in than he ever had before.


    There wasn''t much that he learnt, but he realized that he was indeed still on Incantix.


    More accurately, he was in a strange little crack between realms, almost like the one that Alec found himself in previously.


    Ye Sha silently sighed a breath of relief. It had been hard enough to connect back with Alec previously, not to mention this time.


    But other than that, he didn''t gain much. He still didn''t know what material the box was made out of, nor how he could potentially leave the room.


    His brows furrowed as he continued working, until there was suddenly the sound in the room.


    Ding!


    The System waved away his screens. If there was the off chance that they weren''t monitoring him, then he wouldn''t want to give anything away.


    Ye Sha cautiously looked around, and a door seemed to appear out of the previously seamless wall.


    The System stared hard at the outline.


    That definitely wasn''t there before.


    Whoosh.


    The doors opened with a hiss, and a bit of smoke wafted in, flooding the room. It made a dramatic entrance.


    Ye Sha''s lips twitched.


    Three small figures walked into the room with eerily similar steps.


    The three were completely in sync, from the breathing to the blinking, as well as the pacing. Not only that, all three figures looked exactly the same from head to bottom.


    Ye Sha felt the hair on his arms stand, and he felt like the room became chillier.


    There was a distinct inhumanness to the three small girls that walked into the room. But when they blinked, Ye Sha could instinctively tell that they did have a high level of intelligence to them.


    They wore clothes made out of a metallic fabric which almost seemed like it was alive. Yet, even then, the way the clothes moved were exactly in sync.


    It was eerie.


    Looking into their eyes, Ye Sha could not see any trace of humanity in them for all that there was intelligence.


    A thought suddenly popped up in his mind. Was this artificial intelligence?


    "Welcome," the three echoed.


    From the intonation of their voices, they were again in sync, causing a strange echo-like quality.


    When they blinked their eyes, they appeared almost cute. If only you ignored the way that they seemed to look almost through you, as if they could read your every thought.


    Ye Sha was reminded strongly of the Mainframe.


    "We welcome you, Ye Sha, System No.00110399, to White Space."


    But¡­ that was impossible!


    Something like the Mainframe was unique and one of a kind. How could there be another three that had appeared before his very eyes?


    Even though Systems were thought of by transmigrators as artificial intelligence, the truth was anything but.


    Systems originated from a human soul, and when contracted to the Mainframe, started a new life as a System.


    It gave them a softness, if you will, a humanity that would have been otherwise absent.


    Ye Sha had secretly tried to create an artificial lifeform of his own, but it was a lot harder than it appeared to be.


    It was easy to make those low-levelled artificial intelligence, but high-levelled artificial intelligence like the Mainframe was almost impossible to make!


    The main difference in them was that the higher end of the spectrum was able to make their own decisions, as well as exert independent control using logarithms. They could grow, adapt and change.


    Ye Sha felt a chill creep up on him, and he wasn''t entirely certain that it was because of the drop in temperature when the triplets entered.


    "What is it you want with me, to so insistently summon me here?"


    The girl in the front opened her mouth to answer. "You would not have been able to be called here had you not desired a body of your own."


    Ye Sha acknowledged that much.


    The second girl opened her mouth to answer. "Our owner wishes to meet you."


    "But not yet."


    Ye Sha frowned. "What do you mean ''not yet''?"


    "We will not restrict you, but we must insist that you do not leave White Space until you have completely synced with your body."


    "You may alter your looks however you wish, and we will do our best to aid you."


    "Using your screens, you may connect to the container that you woke up in."


    Having said finish their pieces, the triplets walked back out the doors without waiting for his response or whether or not he would have any other questions.


    The doors seamlessly closed again, blending back into the walls without a single trace.


    Ye Sha squinted at the place the doors had been previously, but they were well and truly gone.


    There hadn''t even been a blur to suggest that it was the work of some sort of magic.


    Ye Sha tried to maintain a calm outlook, but he was never very good at maintaining his expressions, unlike how Alec could do so with relative ease.


    Yet, despite himself, he felt his interest rise up like a tidal wave.


    Alec always said that his curiosity would get him in trouble one day, and he felt like that day was going to come soon.


    Still, there was something deep within him that hungered for the obviously advanced technology that he''d been so blatantly shown.


    This wasn''t like technology out in space, or technology that was found on various planets.


    Instead, it felt both ancient but new at the same time.


    They were placating him. But what for? And to what extent?

 Chapter 292 Elysias Reflections

    Elysia snuck a look at Alec. He had been in a strangely bad mood the past couple of days.


    Even though he was still wearing his normal smile, it wasn''t normal normal, if that made sense. Elyisa''s brows furrowed. She didn''t know how to describe it just using words.


    Anyway, it wasn''t normal!


    The four of them ¨C with the sudden inclusion of Dominique ¨C were moving at a normal pace, which was rather fast for a normal person. For the group of four, however, it was normal.


    She almost thought that they were escaping from the watch of the Meister previously, but Alec''s raised eyebrow when she asked about it previously dispelled any of those thoughts.


    Elysia took the time to reflect about everything she knew about Alec.


    Alecris Neil, unbeknownst to the rest of the sect, was the leader of the Spectres.


    It had been both humbling and exciting at the same time to realize that she was in an exclusive group within the sect upon her admittance. She hadn''t even needed to specifically join the admittance exam normally, the Sect Master making an exception to test her himself.


    Alec had an absurdly ridiculous fan base in the Sins, which he himself didn''t even seem to realize. Elysia thought about that with quite a lot of fondness, thinking that it made him cute. It was adorable how oblivious he was to their admiration.


    He had the trust from the Sect Master, the trust from his subordinates, and the trust from his master.


    It made her marvel. He was around her age, but he seemed so much more accomplished than her.


    In the time that she''d been in the sect with the Spectres, he wasn''t there at all, but the Sins all stuck to their training routine like they were possessed, even adding on more and more things by the day.


    She could admire that. The dedication to improvement.


    It had baffled her at first, but then she eventually ended up accepting everything as they came, treating it like a core characteristic of the group.


    In particular, Dominique Falren took his admiration of Alec rather far, but who was she to judge?


    Actually, she thought that it was kind of cute as well. If she could call a grown-man cute, that was.


    To be honest, Elysia couldn''t say that she was particularly close with Alec, but something in her just screamed out at her. She didn''t know much about him, but she could instinctively feel that he wouldn''t hurt her.


    She felt like she was closer to him than she had been with anyone else.


    Was that weird?


    That she followed her instincts like that?


    She realized that people didn''t really follow their instincts solely like she did, and it confused her greatly. Was this just some sort of dragon thing? Or was it part of her Magitype or Societype?


    There were still things she didn''t know about herself, but she was quite content to slowly explore herself without any outside influence.


    Alec was a rather private person, and it was hard to read him since his thoughts didn''t show on his face. However, the more time she spent studying him, the more she managed to get a read on him.


    It was only the faintest tells, but they were tells, nonetheless. His body-expressions were so honest that it was adorable.


    He liked to pretend that he was cold, but he really was very nice.


    There was just something deep in his eyes that couldn''t hide his feelings completely, despite what he believed.


    He was adorable.


    Not that, of course, she would tell him that. She had no desire for him to snap at her like he did with Sekai. But honestly, even when he did, she couldn''t see it as anything but cute.


    Elysia paused.


    What was wrong with her? Her thoughts were kind of strange, weren''t they?


    She didn''t think that she''d ever paid that much attention to one person before, and she''d enjoyed making friends greatly.


    Yet, she always felt her attention unintentionally being drawn back to her boss.


    She paused. Right. It was probably because Alec was her boss too, which was why she was behaving like this.


    Like the rest of the Spectres, Elysia admired him greatly.


    Even though he was only in the intermediate stage, he had been able to face off against a Meister together with her. He''d kept up in every way when she''d been fighting the Meister head-on, protecting Sekai.


    So, it had to be the same admiration that the rest of the Spectres felt.


    That made sense!


    Now a little more settled, Elysia''s mind drifted a little. She was still worried about her dad, and where he had undoubtedly gone without her. He had definitely sent her out earlier than she wanted to leave because he was going to do something dangerous, but she trusted him.


    She trusted that he was strong enough to take care of himself.


    Otherwise, Elysia would definitely be the first to take revenge for him.


    She was interrupted from her thoughts by Dominique''s cool voice. "Boss, here''s some water."


    There was a pause as Alec took the cup. "Thank you," he said politely.


    Dominique beamed.


    Elysia grinned.


    She still couldn''t get over Dominique acting like a very affectionate cat bringing its master various trinkets and hunting trophies as goodwill.


    It was hilarious.


    The barest hints of strain in the smile on Alec''s face previously had honestly made her laugh when Dominique presented him with the various heads of the rank five monster that had been chasing them, much to the rest of their group''s confusion.


    None of them had any idea why she was laughing, and Dominique had even bristled like a cat, wrongfully presuming that she was laughing at his offering to Alec. It just made her laugh harder at that time.


    It still brought a grin to her face whenever she thought about it.


    Though she had a bit of a crash course regarding human interaction in these couple of months, she liked to think that she caught on rather quickly.


    She didn''t know if it was because they were Sins, but most of them reacted remarkably similarly to creatures and monsters.


    She wondered if it was because they were more in-tune with their more animalistic instincts, unlike the rest of the Societypes.


    It rather endeared them to her, the sense of familiarity.


    Sekai and Dominique, she could read perfectly well.


    Alec, on the other hand, was an Every, but every so often, she found herself confused by his reactions, as if they reminded her of the rest of the Spectres.


    As she was thinking this, Alec, who was across her, tucked a stray hair behind his ear.


    Ah, it looked like his bad mood was returning. Time to run some damage control!


    Elysia gestured at Dominique, who had been hovering too close in Alec''s space.


    "Dominique, want to spar?"


    Dominique paused and turned his head towards her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.


    Elysia had to fight down the widening of her grin at his unfounded suspicion. She likened him to a cat more and more every day.


    "Fine," Dominique said shortly.


    Elysia and Dominique split off from Sekai and Alec, both of whom had started to work on Sekai''s brand.


    Sekai shot them longing looks, like he wanted to go as well.


    They ignored him. This was for the best, really.


    They moved to a clearing far enough away that they wouldn''t disturb the other two.


    Elysia dropped into a stance, and Dominique did the same, but not before he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.


    "What are you trying to do?"


    Elysia raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. "Whatever do you mean?"


    Playing dumb was the best way to deal with a suspicious Sinister, of course.


    Dominique glowered at her. He seemed to realize that he wouldn''t be getting an answer today.


    The two flew forward as they clashed.

 Chapter 293 New Body

    Alec wanted to ditch the three Main Characters and go find Ye Sha, but he decided not to in the end.


    He didn''t know what or where the other System was right now, but he trusted that he hadn''t been deleted.


    ¡­If he really had been deleted, just watch. Alec was going to wage war.


    Ye Sha had already broke off his contract with the Mainframe, which meant that the Mainframe would no longer have any control over the System.


    He was somewhat of a freelance System now, and by connecting with Alec, that managed to stop the System''s degradation.


    Theoretically speaking, Ye Sha should be safe from the process of deletion by the Mainframe.


    But his unstable mood continue to grow and fluctuate strangely the more days passed.


    It didn''t help that he could feel the subtle eyes from whatever town they were passing through.


    Those that were from the females whenever he went into a town, or hostile eyes from males, as well as what he thought was the watch of that Meister from before.


    While it didn''t feel hostile, Alec didn''t like the feeling of eyes on his body. He hated the feeling of being watched by those unknown to him.


    Suddenly, his brow twitched.


    This feeling¡­


    Alec resisted the urge to scowl. Instead, he made sure to maintain his smile.


    However, his sudden increase in bad mood was seen through by the rest of his group. They gave him a look, but he suddenly didn''t feel like explaining anything to them.


    She was back¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Ye Sha sat up, feeling disorientated.


    He had changed his body to look exactly as it did previously, which for some reason, they didn''t do in the first place. For what reason, he didn''t know.


    Honestly, he''d seen the body they put him in, and if it hadn''t been for the information that had been telling him otherwise, he''d have thought that they had just randomly stuck him in a random person''s body.


    ¡­Well, now that he thought that to himself, he would never get that thought out of his mind.


    What if it *was* someone else''s body, and he just modified it to his looks?


    It made him feel strange and unsettled when he thought about himself with a different appearance, so it wasn''t like he''d leave it be either. It felt like he wasn''t himself and instead hijacked someone else''s body, which in this case was really quite apt.


    While trying not to let them in on what he was thinking, he checked everything he could.


    He was relieved when he noted that this body had indeed been¡­ uninhabited (?) before he moved his consciousness in.


    This body had been made from scratch, from inside out, and it functioned exactly like a normal human body.


    It could use magic, and it even had a Magitype and Societype, which stunned him.


    When he was slapped in the face with blatant information like this, how could he say otherwise?


    Just what sort of black technology was this that a proper human body had been made from scratch?


    He originally thought that this body was more like a golem.


    While it would have functioned and looked like a normal human body, he thought that he would have been regulated to the level of a civilian with little or no magic.


    Imagine his shock when he realized otherwise.


    It made his hair stand on his arms stand up straight when he thought about the level of technology needed to obtain such a thing.


    He felt a little chill.


    He was beginning to think that he''d fallen in with an extremely dangerous group.


    He didn''t know anything about their motives, nor did he know what they wanted from him specifically.


    There were so many unknowns that Ye Sha had to act cautiously every time he took a single action.


    Ye Sha hadn''t met the triplets or anyone else in the past week, so he made sure to engross himself in the study of his new body.


    He was able to move exactly how he remembered he was able to do. It only took roughly about a day to get used to having a body again, but Ye Sha had never been a combat-type.


    Even in his original world, before he became a System, there had been no need for any combat roles, and as such, there had been no need for Ye Sha to brush up on anything related to combat at all.


    Even in his free time as a System, as well as the time that he spent down here on Incantix waiting for Alec, he had never specifically needed to learn combat for himself.


    Reading up on it, yes. Seeing it, yes. But doing it himself? Blasphemy!


    However, it seemed like he didn''t have a choice now. He felt a little bitter about that. But he bore with it, knowing that just a little bit more practice could determine life and death.


    He was on Incantix (or at least, he seemed to be), and he just knew that Alec was going to drag him into many combat situations.


    He couldn''t just sit back and chill like he had previously while he was lounging around in Alec''s mindscape.


    It was a struggle.


    Whether he did it by his screens or with his body, there was no way that he was going to get away with whatever he was doing right now. Not with their technology.


    Ye Sha was honestly trying, but it would be better to seem upfront and honest than try and hide anything.


    For now, at least.


    The door hissed, and Ye Sha tensed, stopping his exercise.


    The door whooshed open, admitting the triplets with their previous dramatic entrance.


    It still looked just as dramatic the second time around, and Ye Sha briefly wanted to try that himself.


    "You can, you know?" the girl in front said robotically.


    "Can what?" Ye Sha asked warily.


    "You can do the dramatic entrance if you just agree to join us."


    Instantly, Ye Sha''s caution shot up. "What do you mean? You want me to work for you?"


    "Of course," the three echoed. "Why else would we have brought you here?"


    This was the second time they were meeting, but Ye Sha still got chills. Not the good kind, either.


    But there was a little glint in their eyes that he couldn''t place. He didn''t know whether or not they were just fucking with him, but it didn''t feel good.


    More importantly, they just directly revealed that they could read his mind! That wasn''t good, was it?


    It meant that they had a lot more power than he originally thought.


    "Yes, we can," they echoed yet again, and Ye Sha tried to repress the unsettled feelings.


    How? How could they just¡­ read his mind? That made no sense!


    "But it does."


    Ye Sha glared at them. "No, it doesn''t."


    "It does."


    "It doesn''t!"


    "It does. Everything makes perfect sense. Our master in infallible."


    "Who is your master?"


    "We cannot say," they echoed.


    Ye Sha ruffled his hair in frustration. "It makes no sense! No matter how much advanced your technology is, you can''t just read a living, breathing person''s mind!"


    "Can''t we? Systems can read data. Why can''t we read minds?"


    Ye Sha fell silent at that. That was true¡­ but, there was something niggling at him, and he was inclined to believe his gut instinct rather than just listen to them.


    The four beings in the room fell silent.


    The System didn''t know what to say to them, while the triplets showed no visible emotion.


    "What does your master want with me?"


    The girl in front turned her head as she stared into Ye Sha''s eyes. "If you are amendable, master would like to meet you."


    Ye Sha just grew warier. They spoke like he had a choice, but¡­


    "There is always a choice."


    That just made it creepier, damn it!


    "We are not creepy."


    Ye Sha placed a hand on his face. "Let''s just go."


    "Gladly," the three echoed.

 Chapter 294 What We Wan

    Stepping through the doors, the best way for him to describe what happened was that his vision blurred before he stepped through another set of doors.


    The door hissed behind him as they closed.


    Ye Sha found himself standing in the middle of another room that seemed remarkably similar to the one that he''d been in previously. In fact, it was identical.


    Only, this time, there was no container that he''d woken up in, which meant that the entire room was entirely bare.


    The triplets were still in the room together with him, this time standing behind him in a respectful manner.


    It kind of freaked him out.


    He felt like he had three predators standing behind him, and that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight. Still, he valiantly ignored it, trying his best to show nonchalance.


    There was something niggling at him. His eyes scanned around the room, and just as quickly as a thought formed, it disappeared in the next second.


    "Welcome," a wispy voice echoed around the room, giving Ye Sha pause. The voice was androgynous, and it sounded both young and old at the same time.


    Ye Sha couldn''t place it, and he was certain that he''d never come into contact with anyone who had this particular voice before.


    Of course, there was always the option of changing one''s voice. It wouldn''t be a surprise, considering how technologically advanced this place was.


    "Hello," Ye Sha said genially.


    No reason to antagonize people that could read his mind, after all.


    Suddenly, Ye Sha spoke up again, prodding and testing. "This place. It''s the same room I woke up in. How did you manage to get rid of the container in the middle of the room in such a short amount of time? Or¡­ did some time pass before I rematerialized?"


    Silence fell.


    "How did you know?"


    The wispy voice had a dreamy quality to it, and it reminded Ye Sha of a child''s innocent curiosity. It surprised him briefly.


    One of the triplets stepped forward respectfully, answering their master''s question. "I believe that it is because of the slight scuff marks on the floor."


    There was a slight pause before the voice spoke again. "I see. Ensure that it does not happen again in the future."


    "Yes, master," the three echoed.


    Ye Sha could feel the owner of the voice measuring him up. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled again.


    But¡­ with this interaction, Ye Sha could tell that the owner of these triplets wasn''t artificial intelligence like them, nor were they as omnipotent nor as omnipresent as they''d like him to believe.


    The wispy voice spoke up to dispel his thoughts. "That is not the case. We have never tried to enforce that impression on you."


    Ye Sha thought about it but decided to put it aside for the time being. "Who are you?"


    There seemed to be a faint smile in the voice. "Smart boy. But¡­ We shan''t tell you just yet."


    "Then, what do you want, and why have you brought me here?"


    Ye Sha talked again before they had the chance to say something. "Don''t tell me you brought me here it''s because I wanted it in the first place. For one, I may have wanted a body, but it would never have taken root if you hadn''t trapped my friend inside his mindscape against his will."


    The disembodied voice chuckled lightly, showing a humanity that wasn''t present in the triplets. Ye Sha didn''t know how he could tell. He just could. "Indeed. However, take it in good faith that we mean you no harm, dear Ye Sha. Nor do we contain any desire to harm your Alec."


    First of all, Alec wasn''t ''his''. That just sounded wrong!


    ¡­Seriously, the hairs on the back of his neck never stopped prickling. He didn''t know whether or not he was flattered or creeped out in this disembodied voice''s apparent interest in him.


    Was it him specifically? Or not?


    He felt like there were eyes scanning his every movement, and with the thought that they were able to hear his thoughts as well, he had never felt so insecure in his own skin.


    It was distinctly uncomfortable.


    "What do you want from me?"


    He really couldn''t tell whether or not they were lying, so the only thing that could give him more data was to make the voice talk more.


    "Nothing."


    "Nothing?" he asked incredulously.


    "Nothing."


    "I find that unlikely. You would give me a body out of goodwill, just like that?"


    There was the sound like the soft clinking of glass upon glass, and it threw him off a little when he realized that the voice was laughing.


    "Goodwill? No, this is all predestined, of course. We already knew that you were coming."


    Ye Sha frowned hearing that. Predestined? He didn''t believe in fate.


    Fate was made by one''s own hands. That much he had in common with Alec. He didn''t believe that he couldn''t change ''fate''.


    They packaged it and made it sound like such a pretty thing, when Ye Sha knew that it was anything but. It was just an excuse to use when something went wrong, blaming it on ''fate'' like they were unable to fight against it.


    Much like how there were various plot lines that were used throughout the various worlds, it didn''t mean that they couldn''t be subverted.


    There was no such thing as predestined.


    The light sound of glass clinking against each other came again. "Right, of course. You may think of it however you wish, however, to us, it is indeed predestined. We shall not try to convince you of our standpoint."


    Ye Sha just listened silently.


    "This is White Space. You are not the first to come here, nor will you be the last. Tell me, what do you know of the Mainframe?"


    Ye Sha''s eyes sharpened. Asking about the Mainframe?


    Before, he may not have been able to speak of it due to the risk of punishment, but now that he''d broken all ties to it, he was able to speak freely. The question was, did he want to?


    In the end, he still trusted his gut instinct. "The Mainframe contracts with previous human souls to create Systems, using them to uphold the various worlds and universes, as well as the timestream."


    "Very good," the wispy voice praised, and Ye Sha got the feeling of warmth from it. "Then, tell me. Who created the Mainframe?"


    The System''s eyes narrowed. He''d always wondered about this question, but he''d never been able to find a hint of the answer no matter how far back he dug.


    Just who had created the Mainframe, this existence, and used it to enforce order upon the various worlds?


    "I''ll tell you something else instead, and let you ponder on it. The Mainframe is semi-autonomous. It used to be part of a greater whole, but it split off one day of its own accord, creating its own rules and conduct, trying to enforce it on those it saw fit."


    Suddenly, Ye Sha''s heart started pounding.


    The words that came out of the voice made him feel unsettled. It felt like little jolts of electricity were hitting him.


    He''d always treated the Mainframe as the greatest authority out there, since he hadn''t been able to find evidence of it otherwise.


    Ye Sha shuddered, shoving all the various thoughts down deep. He could not afford to think about it here when he was under surveillance.


    "You need not be so cautious with us," the voice said soothingly, almost hypnotically. "All we want is for you to work with us. You just have to provide us a bit of information in exchange ever so often."


    "What information?" Ye Sha asked warily.


    "Information we require. We have been looking for a Spatial Beast. We know that you have come into contact with it."


    Ye Sha was instantly shaken.

 Chapter 295 Stalker No Stalking

    Alec actually sighed audibly.


    This ''young miss'' was getting on his nerves badly. Was there a reason she needed to quite literally stalk him?


    There wasn''t a single other way he could describe her actions. She never left the vicinity of his detection range, and with how familiar he now was with her magical signature, there was no way that he wouldn''t realize.


    Right now, he was currently split off from the rest of his group since he wanted to confront this stalker of his.


    If he could just get her to see sense, he wouldn''t have to use violence to get his point across.


    Why was she stalking him anyway?


    Alec didn''t think he''d done anything that could have caused such an obsession to sprout in someone. Sure, he''d been a little harsh on her due to his temper, but what she was doing now was crossing the line!


    He split off from the rest of the group, but predictably, she didn''t move after any of them.


    Alec''s smile twitched as he resisted the urge to glower at a spot on the ground.


    His bad mood hadn''t improved any, and she wasn''t doing any favours for herself.


    He was approaching a snapping point soon. If she didn''t desist right now, he didn''t know what he would do once he snapped.


    Alec rounded a building that was further away from the rest of the civilisation sharply, quickly speeding up as he suppressed his magical signature.


    He hopped up onto the roof of the building, watching with cold eyes as she quickly followed behind. She even sped up when he disappeared from her sight, for fuck''s sake!


    This stalker!


    The girl turned her head here and there, looking for his figure, but was unable to find him.


    Alec''s face darkened. Should he just kill her?


    There was a little anxiety that bloomed on her face when she realized that he was gone.


    "Where did he go?" He heard her mutter to herself.


    What should he do?


    For no reason at all, just looking at her made his annoyance grow exponentially. There was just something about her that rubbed him in all the wrong ways.


    For one, she was legitimately stalking someone.


    For another, she never once tried to make contact to apologize for the actions that her family took in her stead despite how long she''d already been following him after the Meister attacked them.


    Then, to top it off, he never once saw her training or anything whenever he saw her sneaking after them.


    There was only so much leeway he could give to an idiot. If it wasn''t for the presence of the rest of his group that had calmed him down a little, he was sure that he would already have exploded by now and tried to get rid of her.


    Was there something wrong with this moron''s head? Was it completely empty?


    Come to think of it, the last thing was probably the thing that ticked him off the most. The way she wasted time following him around instead of improving herself like a normal person.


    What in the seven hells was wrong with this woman?


    When he thought about what she was doing, he really didn''t see anything redeeming about her whatsoever.


    ¡­He should just kill her and be done with.


    He''d done a bit of basic research on her already, and it appeared that she was rather famous, which was why she took to covering herself using a cloak.


    Lucielle Hartknight was fifteen when she advanced to the advanced stage. Now at sixteen, her hand was sought after by many families who looked to increase their power.


    However, Alec couldn''t see why.


    This teenager, who was stalking him like she was possessed, was a highly sought-after beauty?


    Beauty? She wasn''t that pretty, honestly? Talent, so what? If she wasn''t going to work at it, what was the point?!


    What use was talent if she was just going to squander it like this, following someone else around?


    You could say that Alec''s first impression of Lucielle was at an all-time low. Especially when she tried to court him the moment she landed eyes on him.


    He''d already checked. Lucielle Hartknight was a Bright, not a Cher. He could have forgiven her had she been a Cher, but she wasn''t, so there was no need for him to hold his punches!


    Alec''s frustration had bled over, and even his ''gentle'' persona couldn''t contain it properly. Even Dominique had looked a little concerned the past couple of days.


    Lucielle was still looking around like she was certain he''d appear from any corner.


    Alec''s brows furrowed.


    He dropped down behind her silently, and she didn''t even realize that someone was there.


    "Stop following me," he said coldly. There was still his normal smile on his face, but the smile never once reached his eyes.


    Lucielle whirled around, an embarrassed look on her face.


    "A-Alec," she whispered, her cheeks pinking a little.


    It looked like she at least had a bit of shame to be able to look like that when she got caught.


    Alec just smiled at her, but there was a cold edge to it.


    "I wasn''t following you, really!"


    Alec let out a disbelieving laugh. "Really? Since that time in the forest, you were already following us. We''ve gotten so far away from your father, who''s a Meister, but you, who isn''t a Meister, is still able to find me?"


    Lucielle looked dumbstruck. She actually stuttered, her mind going blank at her deeds being thrown in her face like that.


    Lucielle reflected back on the things she''d done the past couple of weeks, and her face went beet red. Ah, she''d been acting like a complete stalker!


    She bowed low, ducking her head. "I''m sorry! Nothing can ever make up for how my father treated you suspiciously just because I was in the vicinity when I collapsed. Please, tell me. How can I make it up to you?"


    The standard smile that Alec usually wore without a problem had completely dropped from his face. His face now reflected a cold indifference and strong dislike for her.


    He didn''t say anything, but the depths of his contempt for her shot through her like an arrow.


    What in the world was her problem? How abundantly clear did he have to make it to her, that her ''advances'' were not appreciated?


    What was he doing wrong? Was it the fact that he wasn''t smiling?


    She took a cold breath, and inexplicably, she felt herself squirm under that gaze. Her cheeks flushed even more.


    ¡­This was it! This was the reason why she couldn''t give up. If only he used that gaze to look at her forever.


    She bit her lips, and her heart started beating all that much harder in her chest. She felt almost giddy with elation.


    Alec corrected his mask that slipped, and his lips curled back into a smile. The smile didn''t reach his eyes. "Don''t fucking follow me anymore," he said coolly.


    Anyone who was passing by would just have seen a young man gently rejecting a girl in a cloak who was saying something to him, coming to all the wrong conclusions.


    A faint colour of despair coloured Lucielle''s eyes, but before she could say anything, there was a loud scream that was heard in the distance.


    Lucielle shut her mouth instantly, her head snapping in the direction the scream originated from.


    Immediately, she abandoned her conversation with Alec, shooting in that direction that the helpless and desperate scream came from.


    Alec paused, having suddenly been abandoned in the middle of his ultimatum to his stalker.


    His face darkened. He hadn''t been able to extract a verbal promise from her that she would leave him alone.


    His eyes narrowed, and he re-evaluated her character.


    Perhaps there was a little truth to the information that he''d dug out, and despite himself, he felt a little bit of his curiosity grow, so he followed after Lucielle, wondering what she was going to do.


    The scream originated from a deserted place, even more deserted than the place they were already at.


    This smelt like a plot.

 Chapter 296 They Dared To-?!

    Lucielle entered the abandoned building without any worry whatsoever. It was like she didn''t even register that it could possibly be a trap.


    Was she just brainless???


    How could she charge in just like that? Alec couldn''t even comprehend what was going on in her brain. Was it just completely empty or what?


    The abandoned building was a warehouse, and it had seen better days. It was in a state of disrepair, and there was paint peeling off from the walls. The front window was broken, boarded up with planks in an ''x'' shape.


    The surroundings were just as bad as this place, so perhaps if someone recklessly charged in, they would not have realized how suspicious this situation was.


    However, the fact that it happened here in the first place should have made you think twice.


    Alec wondered just how many people had considered themselves heroes, coming into this place without a second thought after hearing that scream.


    Others likely came to scout out the place so that they could report it later. Yet, there was nothing about this place that was mentioned at all during his information gathering.


    That could only mean one thing.


    Someone at the top of the food chain in this place was responsible for it.


    Alec waited a minute, curiously studying the faint magical signatures inside the derelict warehouse.


    Underneath, there were a bunch of people who seemed to be held captive.


    The warehouse actually seemed to hold a lot more people than first assumed, and Alec''s eyebrow raised when he realized just how many people were overlapping with each other.


    Diving further down, he realized that there was a total of ten storeys down, and wasn''t that surprising?


    If they were so powerful, why were they letting a random woman scream out in the open like this?


    Was it really to capture people?


    There had to be something more to it.


    Anyway, anyone in their right mind would not have entered the place willingly when they saw the disrepair of the house, as well as hearing the continuing loud screams that emanated from this place.


    That was, unless they really considered themselves a hero for the weak. But how many of these so-called ''heroes'' really existed?


    If they did, many of them likely came from sects or clans with little experience. Yet, why was it that this place was undiscovered?


    There were people inside there that didn''t seem that weak, but they were unable to break out.


    Lucielle Hartknight just charged in like this without much further thought.


    Was she so confident in her strength? Or was it just foolishness?


    Granted, she was in the advanced stage, but that didn''t mean that she shouldn''t practice cautiousness.


    Her righteousness might have given her points in the eyes of others, but to Alec, it was just foolhardiness.


    ¡­But Alec was curious.


    Was it like he thought? Was the trap targeted to lure in people to ''save'' the woman who was screaming so heart-wrenchingly? Or were the people inside just incompetent?


    How did the ''bad guys'' carry out their plans? How was their organization like? What did they need the people for? Slaves? Or was it something else?


    Alec''s crippling curiosity was the reason why he kept silent when he noticed a few magical signatures creeping up to him. They were trying to keep their magical signatures repressed, but they were like glowing beacons in Alec''s eyes.


    Instead, he watched the progression of the ''fight'' that Lucielle had with the people inside.


    They were no match for her, sure, but it looked like they employed other methods to get her to submit, because Lucielle''s magical signature flickered before dying down in unconsciousness.


    It was likely poison or whatnot.


    Alec resisted the urge to stare at the sky. He shouldn''t have expected anything from her, really.


    ¡­Still, it was kind of interesting.


    He felt as if it was more fun if he played along to their little scheme.


    When three assailants sprung up on him and grabbed him, he only resisted minimally, as was expected from a person in his situation. He even made sure to only show a strength that was barely stronger than a civilian''s magic.


    One of them pulled out a syringe and roughly jabbed it into the back of his neck.


    Alec struggled a little longer, before obligingly going limp.


    As far as he knew, whatever they were using on him was meant to make him pass out and probably incapacitate him like how Lucielle had been similarly taken care of.


    It didn''t have those effects on his body, but he did note that his detection range had shrunk greatly. He could usually ''see'' very far, but after the injection, he was only able to scan up to a maximum of one meter from his body.


    It was distinctly uncomfortable, like a sense had been taken away from him.


    A voice sounded near his ear. "Hiss, this one was particularly feisty. He actually managed to resist the serum for so long."


    Another voice chuckled. "Heh. Yeah, I like those kinds. They''re always so feisty in bed. Alright, enough chitchat. Drag him down."


    "There''s a good haul today. This method always attracts those righteous people that want to help. There are those that charge in, and those that stay outside like cowards."


    Alec resisted the urge to slam his leg into the other man''s balls.


    While Alec might not be the most righteous person around, that didn''t mean that he would condone these kinds of disgusting acts to happen right under his nose.


    However, this person that was putting their hands all over him¡­ he was definitely going to die by his hands, no doubt about that. He would make it painful.


    Conscious or not, that didn''t mean that he had the right to just touch his body everywhere! Alec inwardly snarled, feeling his anger mount. It was a familiar feeling. A feeling that had been tempered travelling in the presence of Main Characters.


    There seemed to always be idiots around, and he just knew that they would never end.


    Suddenly, Alec missed Ye Sha''s backtalk. He would have calmed him down a little, telling him that he could kill them in messy ways later.


    It just felt wrong not to have another voice in his mind giving their opinion on the situation.


    ¡­It took such little time to get used to, but when he was ripped away, Alec felt like he couldn''t recover properly.


    Wait. Lucielle wasn''t a Main Character.


    So, this little ''event'' was actually here for him? Or was there someone else here? None of his group should be near this place.


    While he was thinking, the three men walked into the seemingly derelict warehouse.


    Without Ye Sha, Alec was no longer able to access the System''s abilities no matter how hard he tried. He hoped that it meant that Ye Sha was still alive.


    He was roughly dropped to the floor two storeys down, but not before the man who''d been carrying him slapped him on the ass.


    Alec saw red.


    It took every inch of his willpower not to tense up and immediately kill the man who''d just dared ¨C dared to ¨C


    There was a chorus of lewd laughter from the three men who ''kidnapped'' Alec, and the System had to slam down on his walls.


    They were dead!


    The moment they left the cell they''d chucked him in, Alec''s lips curled into a savage snarl, his eyes memorizing the three figure''s magical signature.


    With his eyes still showing disgust, his face slipped back into his practiced smile, only for his eyes to meet a room of huddled people.


    They were looking at him with both fear and wariness.


    ¡­Luckily, he wasn''t forced to maintain the ''gentle'' character type anymore, even if he did usually default to it.


    He would have lost so many points.

 Chapter 297 Who Do You Think You Are?

    "Hello," Alec greeted them calmly, as if they didn''t see the dark look on his face just now.


    There were people of varying ages here, and both genders as well.


    It seemed that everyone here had strength that was just barely above the average civilian. most of them appeared rather ordinary, and it was likely that if you passed them on the street, you wouldn''t remember what they looked like.


    Alec tilted his head a little, confused. Was he here in the same place as them because they were supposedly at the same strength level?


    Alec had to wonder about the supposed organization of this place. Or rather, the lack of it.


    If these people were going to be sold as slaves, why were they organizing using strength as a gauge? Or was there something else at play here?


    Surprisingly, the people trapped here in the cell with Alec seemed to calm down a little since he didn''t do anything suspicious or threatening. Most of them sympathised with the feelings that the teenager had shown on his face.


    No one made any moves to greet the teenager back, but they didn''t look at him as warily as before either.


    They had been like that when they first entered this caged hell as well. They''d been filled with grief, sorrow, hatred and anger.


    Some of them felt empathy, while others felt indifference. It depended on the time that they spent down here.


    The longer they were here, the more they felt a part of their previous humanity die. The more they saw, the more apathetic they felt eventually. It was hard to cling onto kindness and decency when one was trapped without any basic human rights.


    Alec got up and observed the bars that they''d been locked behind.


    Someone spoke up from behind. "Don''t bother. We can''t escape." The voice was tired and weary, and there wasn''t even a speck of hope in his voice. It was carried a distinct flavour of mockery, as if he was watching a fool.


    Alec ignored him. He hated the kind of people that gave up before the very end. He''d say it was about on par with not working hard.


    To Alec, even if he was going to die inevitably, he wouldn''t give up the chance of living until the moment his life was extinguished from his body forcefully.


    "Did you hear me? I said we can''t get out!" The person speaking was more agitated now, his voice rising to a higher pitch.


    Alec clenched his fist and tested it. He still had all his strength, and that was all that mattered.


    They didn''t manage to take away his hidden weapons either. Alec scoffed at the three henchmen''s abilities. They touched him all over, but they didn''t find a single weapon that he hid on his body.


    Just how had they survived until now? Or was it because he appeared so harmless that they didn''t think he''d put up much of a fight at all?


    Suddenly, Alec felt even more pissed.


    They weren''t even placed inside his spatial dimension.


    Alec felt his impression of them drop even lower, and he hadn''t thought that it was possible, with how low his impression of them already was.


    But it wasn''t the time for him to break out yet.


    There were various runes painted on the bars, as well as the floor and walls surrounding them. They dampened the magic of the people inside the array so that they couldn''t use any magic externally.


    He secretly let out Bunbun and Fenrir, who quickly darted away. They were as small as mice, and their speed running down was nothing to scoff at.


    Mentally, he told them to find anything useful and cause some chaos for him.


    Disregarding the various eyes locked on him, Alec moved to the part of the cell that was not filled with people, sitting himself down. He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, preparing to pass the time calmly.


    He was already doing that insolent man a huge favour by not exploding in his face. If he continued, however¡­ Well, Alec''s control over his temper was never that tight.


    The voice from before scoffed again seeing his unsuccessful attempt, muttering to himself, "See? What did I tell you? It''s useless." The man seemed to grumble, and Alec felt himself getting even more annoyed.


    Alec looked over at to the other side of the wall, and found a man that people were ostracizing even in their tragic state.


    It seemed as if even in a place like this where people needed each other, the man''s tactlessness and tendency to blurt out his every thought didn''t afford him any sympathy.


    In fact, some of them were even glaring at the man for talking so much.


    "¡­Bunch of idiots that don''t listen when good people are giving them advice-"


    Alec snapped. He smiled. "Shut up."


    The man who''d been complaining incessantly immediately snapped back with a spark of fire that had been previously absent in his voice. It was almost like he was trying to find someone to vent his anger on. And Alec, with his looks that passed him off as delicate to those that didn''t know him, seemed like the perfect target.


    "Who do you think you are, brat?" the man said threateningly, shooting to his feet.


    He towered over Alec, who was still seated on the ground.


    The smile on Alec''s face stretched a little, but the man didn''t seem to realize anything wrong.


    The same could not be said for the people who looked on blankly behind. They shivered a little looking at Alec''s smile. Why was his smile so scary? It was clearly normal?


    "Say that again, huh? Say that to my face if you dare." The man got all close up and personal with Alec, who didn''t even blink.


    The man seemed offended that Alec wasn''t reacting in the slightest, as if he was treating him like a fly. It just made him sink deeper into his rage.


    Some of the people who weren''t as gone yet tried to step up and drag the man back, telling him that he was taking things too far. This teenager had just appeared in this place and didn''t know anything yet.


    But instead of making things better, it just made things worse. It seemed to egg the man on more, causing him to fling them away as he continued to intrude in Alec''s personal space.


    Alec sneered inwardly at the lot of them. Those ''good'' people who tried to hold the man back weren''t even putting much effort into their limbs, nor were their words meant to help him out.


    Instead, they were designed in such a way to cause the man who''d been provoked for who knows what reason to get angrier. Whether it was for their own sick fantasies, or for their own entertainment, Alec had no interest.


    "Fucking say that again, brat," the man snarled, spittle flying out of his mouth.


    Alec quickly dodged to the side.


    That was disgusting.


    The man sneered at him, as if Alec had acted scared of him. "I guess you''re just like the rest of those p*ssies."


    Alec was still smiling, but he let out a scoff that didn''t really seem in character. His lips curled up even more as if he found something funny.


    "What''s so funny, brat?! Do I seem like I''m joking to you?"


    Alec''s soft smile remained, and it looked distinctly mocking in the man''s eyes. "Why don''t you stop before you hurt yourself with your lack of braincells?" Alec said nicely. His tone seemed so sincere that if it wasn''t for the words, you''d have thought he was greeting an old friend.


    The man flew off the handle at Alec''s provocation. His body charged towards Alec, who was standing near the bars.


    Alec looked at the man charging at him with a mocking expression. He stepped aside once the man had been about to charge into him, tripping him with his foot.


    The man slammed into the bars of the cage they were trapped in, and immediately, alarms started blaring in the hallways.

 Chapter 298 Accusations

    With the sirens blaring, it didn''t take long for their captor on this floor to appear before their cell.


    "Hey, you!" the ''guard'' snarled, pointing his spear at the man who had spoken so impudently to Alec. The guard stood clear outside, his eyes shining with hostility and dissatisfaction. The man was not going to have a good time. "You¡­ you''ve been a while now. I suppose that''s why you think you can escape, right?"


    "What?" The man''s brain stalled before he paled. "No, no. Of course not, my lord. Of course not. I know the rules! I wouldn''t break them for no reason! I was forced to do this!"


    The guard sneered at the simpering man in front of him. Even now, both of his hands were still clutched onto the bars. The guard spat on the ground. Excuses from a pathetic worm. They never confessed easily.


    Everyone who entered into the cages knew not to touch the bars at any cost because it would produce an ear-splitting alarm that was impossible to ignore for both prisoners and guards alike.


    Not only that, the alarms wouldn''t shut up until they tasted the blood of the person that had set it off.


    The main reason why most of them gave up trying was because the guards became that much more vicious every time they had to endure the pain in their eardrums from the alarms blaring.


    "Cut the bullshit," the guard sneered, using his spear to stab the man lightly a few times. With that, the blood splattered both on the ground and on the bars, quieting the alarms.


    It was clear to see from the layer of brown on the floor that this wasn''t the first time this happened.


    The man groaned, but his hands just tightened on the bars. It appeared that he had no intention of letting go at all.


    The guard couldn''t understand why this usually model prisoner was suddenly acting up. Did he finally go crazy?


    The alarms had already stopped because they''d been ''fed'' blood, but if he continued holding on any longer, they would start up again.


    "Let go, fool!" the guard commanded the panting prisoner. He stabbed the man a few more times.


    The man finally seemed to realize what he was doing that set the guard off, and he pleaded for leniency. He quickly let go of the bars. Though the guard had already stabbed him a few times, he knew that it wasn''t too deep. He could get by if he just properly nursed his wounds.


    But he couldn''t handle how wronged he felt. In the first place, if that brat hadn''t dodged him, he wouldn''t be in this situation!


    "It wasn''t my fault, my lord!" the man called to the guard, hoping that the superiority that the guard felt from a prisoner calling him a higher rank would make him listen.


    "Hm?" The guard didn''t seem interested.


    "It''s true. He kicked me into the bars on purpose," the man said viciously, pointing directly at Alec.


    However, the vicious look on his face was not missed by the guard.


    The guard sceptically looked at the person the man was pointing out, only for his breath to catch.


    The lower the level the prisoner was moved to, the more potential they had. Usually, the ones that were at the lowest level were the most stunning, because magic and looks seemed to come hand in hand.


    There were hardly any normal looking people there, but this guard was only in charge of the second basement, which meant that the people here were hardly better than civilians.


    As such, most of them were ordinary in pretty much every way.


    However, this teenager in front of him shocked him fully.


    Why was someone like this here?


    They should have scanned both his current potential and his supposed maximum reached potential, but they still left him here in basement two?


    Something wasn''t adding up, but the guard didn''t quite care at this moment.


    Seeing that the guard was taking an interest, the man continued talking hastily. "It''s him! It''s all his fault! Punish him!"


    The guard stepped through the cage, sneering at the man. With a swing of his spear, the man who''d set off the alarms was severely wounded, drawing sharp intakes of breath from the people who''d been quietly waiting for the storm to pass.


    They looked at the guard with even more fear, which pleased him.


    "Why¡­" the man groaned. He didn''t seem to realize his position in the guard''s eyes, and the guard gave the man a kick.


    "You, stand up," The guard directed his words to Alec. His eyes were lasciviously running up and down Alec''s form.


    The people here on basement two weren''t that important, but they couldn''t be randomly killed either.


    However, that didn''t mean that the guard wasn''t allowed to have some¡­ fun¡­ before anything happened.


    If they managed to get on the guard''s good side, they could delay being chosen at all.


    There was no lack of both men and women inside the various cages that exchanged favours with the sole guard on this level. It looked like Alec was going to be the lucky favourite this time.


    If Alec could hear the thoughts going around in these prisoner''s heads, he would have sneered at them. Exchanging sexual favours for basic human rights was seen as lucky? He would rather spit in the guard''s face and hasten his execution if he had no choice.


    Alec stared at the guard with a slight smile, but it only seemed to egg the guard on more.


    Just before the guard made a move to grab Alec''s arm, Alec stood up on his own.


    The guard grinned, his teeth yellowing. Alec sneered in disgust. It was like these people never heard of hygiene. If you were already ugly, why let your hygiene get even worse?


    Then again, it was better for these people to never procreate. Well, it wasn''t like they would have a chance to do so even if they wanted to once Alec was through with them.


    There wasn''t a single decent person in this place.


    Seeing the beauty docilely following him, the guard was pleased. He grabbed the offender by the foot and dragged him out, leaving a trail of blood on the floor.


    The man''s weak groans continued, but Alec still obediently followed behind him.


    The guard didn''t even seem to notice that a ''normal'' person wouldn''t be smiling in this situation.


    The guard brought Alec to a room and shoved him inside.


    "Stay here," the guard commanded, and shut the door with a loud bang.


    There was the sound of clinking keys, before the sound of something heavy being dragged away. Weak groans came from the man.


    Alec raised a brow. So confident he wouldn''t be a problem?


    They even took him out of the magic dampening array, which meant he could use magic.


    ¡­Was this what they meant about beauty bringing downfall to cities?


    Alec''s brows furrowed, feeling disgusted. Why did he feel like every person in this place was a pervert?


    He glared at the floor for a split second before snooping around the guard''s bunk to find anything incriminating.


    Rather than saying he was here as an apostle of justice he was more interested in being able to vent his anger upon this place.


    Alec rifled through the desk, ignoring the bed that contained various disgusting smells entirely.


    The only thing that was of use was the guard''s diary.


    Alec raised a brow. Such a man kept a diary? How unexpected.


    Flipping through it, his face darkened. It was filled with the disgusting man''s various sexual escapades.


    Alec ground his teeth, forcing himself to skim through it to look properly.


    There were bits of information sprinkled about the place and its workings here and there, so Alec couldn''t stop even if he wanted to.


    Still, he made sure to note to disembowel the guard later. He was even more disgusting than he originally thought.


    There were footsteps echoing down the corridor, and Alec didn''t even have to have enhanced hearing to know that, with how loudly the man stepped.


    It was as if he delighted in the terror that his footsteps down the hallway caused.


    He could have put the book away, but Alec continued flipping through it.

 Chapter 299 Please...

    The guard entered the room, his breathing unintentionally coming out heavier. "Beauty, where are you?" he called out teasingly. His lower body was already unable to wait.


    Alec wanted to punch his lights out. ''Beauty''? Beauty his fucking head. Alec was not a female! He was 100% male, thank you very much.


    The guard was hardly able to wait. When he dropped off the slave at the use point, he had to make sure he didn''t look like he was hurrying to the other guards.


    If they saw him hurrying, there was no way they wouldn''t want a piece of the beauty that he was saving for himself, and the guard didn''t like to share, unlike some of the kinks that the other people had here.


    The guard found the beauty still locked up in his room, and he was even reading his diary. The man smirked. The beauty''s pale digits were trembling slightly on the spine of his diary.


    The guard chuckled lewdly, finding his actions cute. Was he reading about all his past escapades? Was he so scared that his fingers were trembling? How adorable.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t make you do those things. Not until you ask me for it," the guard gently placated the beauty.


    Unbeknownst to the guard, the fingers on the diary tightened, going pale white because Alec was restraining himself from instantly killing this disgusting piece of shit.


    Alec wanted to gag from the sheer disgusting feeling he got from the man''s words.


    Some of the things that were written in the diary were completely inhumane. How could someone sink to such a level? He didn''t even have the slightest shred of dignity or humanity.


    Was it the power that immediately went straight to their dicks or what?


    In that case, why didn''t he help him out?


    Today, his blades would be tasting unworthy blood, but it sure would sate his anger. Or maybe, he would just give him a taste of unimaginable pain until his puny mind broke.


    The guard felt even more stirred up when the beauty didn''t spare him another glance. Playing hard to get, huh?~


    The man licked his lips, grinning.


    Just when he was about to reach forward and touch the beauty''s pale, smooth skin, he felt a sudden surge of pain in his nether regions. It was so painful that it felt like everything was burning. The pain came in sharp waves without tapering off.


    Gasping, the guard clutched his body and collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain. Tears had sprung to his eyes, and he moaned brokenly.


    He rolled about on the floor, and every lascivious thought left his mind when he looked around with shock and mild terror. Who had managed to attack him just when he was about to touch his beauty?


    Alec was looking down at the man with a faint smile on his lips, and the guard''s mind almost combusted from anger when he realized that the person who was causing him pain was the beauty that he''d been about to bully.


    The man clambered up from the ground, still clutching himself. "You¡­" he said, glaring at Alec with tears still clinging to his eyes. It was almost laughable how unthreatening he was right now.


    The area throbbed with pain, each wave just sent the guard deeper into anger. "I was going to treat you gently, but I''ve changed my mind," he said sinisterly.


    The guard reached forward to Alec again.


    There was a grin on his face that spoke of the terrible things he wanted to wreak on Alec''s body, but there was never going to be a chance for him to carry it out.


    Alec smiled gently at him, but the pure look of contempt in his eyes was another matter altogether.


    Since the guard had been staring into his eyes to see the terror that would no doubt spring up, it set the guard off when he didn''t get the reaction he was looking for. How dare this little boy look at him with such contempt? Did he really think he could escape from him?


    "Still dare to think about me?" Alec said lightly.


    As he said it, he kicked heavily at the guard again.


    This time, the guard was alert and ready for his kick, but even so, there was nothing he could do. He couldn''t even see the kick coming, let alone block against it.


    Once again, the guard''s head hit the floor as he bowed over, clutching his precious jewels. The pain was even more intense this time around.


    However, what would the guard have thought if he realized that Alec was holding back? Had the System not needed this disgusting guard to answer some questions, he would have properly used his strength and completely obliterated this person''s balls.


    Allowing this person to have the chance to procreate in the future was a sin!


    Then again, Alec was going to kill him once his use ran out, so he supposed it didn''t matter.


    "Wait, wait," the guard cried out, holding his hands up like he was pleading for mercy. However, the vicious look in his eyes couldn''t be hidden.


    Alec just maintained his usual expression, stomping down yet again. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How terribly clich¨¦. He was just a little side character ¨C or rather, cannon fodder, but he still dared to nurse grudges?


    The guard howled in pain.


    Outside, the various prisoners kept in the cells shivered. The guard was having fun with his new conquest again. Just how much was the guard torturing that poor prisoner for them to scream so tragically like this?


    Even the previous times the guard had fun weren''t this bad. Some of them had caught sight of Alec walking down behind the guard earlier, and they felt pity spring up from the bottom of their tired hearts.


    That poor child.


    He was only a teenager, but he was already being preyed on. Even their cold hearts felt the warmth again for him, but there was nothing they could do when they were still locked away.


    "What do you want¡­" the guard groaned. The pain was threatening to overcome his senses.


    Alec didn''t say anything. He just stomped down again.


    "Agh!"


    A series of whimpers echoed in the room.


    "Please, just tell me what you want¡­"


    "Sob¡­"


    "I''ll never do it agai-"


    "Wait! I''ll tell you anything you want, just-"


    "Please!"


    By the time Alec had finally partially vented his anger, the guard was already reduced to whimpering sobs. He was curled up into a ball, and he couldn''t even defend himself anymore. Even when he was protecting his jewels, this heartless devil still managed to get through his defences.


    Every time he tried to get up, Alec mercilessly kicked him down in the same spot.


    Right now, all he felt was a throbbing ball of agony. He would rather pass out into unconsciousness, which he had briefly, but every time the beauty brought him back somehow.


    The guard trembled, looking at the smile of the demon king. Never before had he felt such stark and abject fear.


    Alec took his foot off where it had previously been grinding down painfully, and the guard almost burst into tears again from the relief he felt.


    By now, the guard would answer any question he had truthfully. The guard already looked like he was half out of his mind, which was the way Alec preferred his interrogation victims.


    It was better if they didn''t know half of what they were saying when they were questioned.


    The guard was rocking back and forth, and he was just short of foaming at the mouth.


    "Tell me everything."


    The guard shuddered, and the speed of his unconscious rocking sped up a little in response to his spike of fear and terror.


    The guard quickly opened his mouth when Alec looked like he was about to start venting his anger again. The man already felt that anything other than a prompt answer would cause his sanity to waver.


    "There are ten storeys in this place¡­"

 Chapter 300 Cold and Dignified

    Meanwhile, outside the delipidated building, a woman wearing high heels flicked back the braid that had been hanging on her shoulder. There wasn''t a strand out of place, and her blond hair shone like the sun.


    She looked like cold, elegant perfection, and she stuck out like a sore thumb when one considered the location.


    Her eyes were sharp, and she glared at the building in front of her.


    Though she could not sense the magical signatures that this place should contain, her instincts were screaming at her instead.


    This was the place.


    The woman moved forward, but there were no sounds to her steps despite the six-inch heels that clad her feet.


    Instead of someone about to enter combat, the woman looked like a cold, dignified goddess instead.


    She looked like she''d stepped out of a ballroom, with her fine dress and sleek appearance. She was both dignified and noble and was definitely not someone that came from this city.


    It was unknown how long she stood there before the sounds of men were heard from behind her.


    "Who''s that broad?" they whispered to each other.


    "I don''t know. The trap isn''t up right now. It''s been down for about two hours, so why is she here? Is she lost?"


    "Do we still capture her or not?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "I''m not sure. She doesn''t look that strong, though."


    "Should we take a chance or not?"


    "¡­Let''s just do it. Capturing more means we''ll get more rewards."


    There was a brief silence before one of the men laughed lewdly. "Her skin looks so smooth and fair. Just like that little boy earlier on. If we enjoy the both of them together, then¡­ Heh. That would truly be something."


    More lewd laughter sounded as the two other men agreed with the first.


    The woman''s lips curled into a sneer when she heard what they were whispering about. Her eyes held no trace of mirth.


    With a single step, the distance between them disappeared. She outclassed them by far.


    "Eh? Where did she go?"


    The three men who had previously captured Alec looked around themselves in confusion, and just as they were about to express disappointment that they hadn''t been able to capture such a fine specimen, a chill flashed through them, and the hair on the backs of their necks stood up.


    Almost mechanically, the three men turned around, and they felt the chill intensify when they realized that the woman was standing there.


    One out of three kidnappers almost collapsed from the shock. "Who¡­ who are you? What do you want?"


    The other two weren''t so weak-willed. Instead, they tried to attack the woman that had so silently appeared behind them.


    Right now, they were in the fight or flight mode, and had obviously chosen to ''fight''.


    However, with how much the noble woman outclassed them, they were down without even being able to make a single move.


    The last thing they felt was a sharp burst of pain, then nothing.


    She stomped on the one sole man who tried to flee using her heels, and the man made a sound like a dying pig.


    The woman ground her heels down, her cold, green eyes seemed to pierce through him even more than the pain that he was experiencing under her foot.


    The man who worked as a kidnapper shuddered, instinctively knowing that he would never be able to win against this monster in human skin.


    Blanche scoffed, looking at the three wastes of space that had been dispatched by her.


    Thinking that they were using such weak people to kidnap people just made it even more disgusting to her.


    She stomped down yet again on the cowardly one ¨C or rather, the one that had better survival instincts than the other two ¨C producing a pathetic yelp from the man.


    The man sweated as he shivered under the perceived threat from the woman. He could feel the pointy end of her heel digging into his dick, and he had no intentions of provoking her further. His junior was on the line here.


    She was only touching it a little, but it was already so painful! He would be stupid if he provoked her anymore.


    The man was already producing cold sweat at the thought alone.


    Further inspection of the other two men made him even more terrified.


    They were dead.


    Deader than dead. There was definitely no chance that they were still alive.


    His two friend''s heads were completely smashed open by the terrifying noble woman in front of him. Blood and brain matter were splattered on the grass. The man felt his dick shrivel and try to crawl back into his body.


    The man''s breath started to come in pants.


    "Bring me inside," the woman said coolly, and the man scrambled to his foot, not daring to slow down in the slightest despite the pain he felt in his body.


    He all but tripped over his feet multiple times as he limped towards the headquarters in his haste.


    A man appeared behind her without any prior warning. He had been there the entire time, just not visible to the three who couldn''t even see through his stealth.


    This man had many similar features to Blanche, and his hair was worn in the same way.


    "Mother, did you really have to kill them?" Kieran asked without any judgement.


    He was just worried that they would end up attracting some attention before they managed to get in.


    If they were locked out before they even began, that would be a real pity.


    They hadn''t chased down the errant members for so long just to let them slip away at the last moment.


    "Hmph," Blanche huffed instead, but there was a smirk on her face. "Do you think your mother is a fool? This isn''t the first time I''m doing this."


    Kieran let out a ''tsk''. His mother was always so prickly with them, though he knew that she loved them.


    When she was with their uncle, though, it rather terrified him how she melted over him.


    "Enough chitchat," she commanded, moving to walk just behind the kidnapper who was still stumbling every couple of steps.


    Kieran shrugged. He felt no sympathy for them. Especially with the words he heard coming out from their mouths without any thought.


    In fact, he felt that the death his mother granted them was too lenient. They obviously hadn''t suffered anything when they died, unlike the people who had gone through hell because of them.


    They even talked about a young boy!


    Kieran ground his teeth. The fact that he could still be called a ''boy'' was already a sign of how young he was.


    Kieran would have inflict mental pain on them before they died, but his mother had killed them off just like that.


    But he knew about his mother''s temper already, and it wasn''t any better than his was. There was a reason why his father said he inherited his mother''s temper.


    The mother and son duo followed behind the kidnapper, who was tripping even more often now. It would have been funny had it not been so pathetic.


    Blanche suddenly spoke up. "Bring us to the place where you put the ''little boy''."


    The kidnapper shuddered. "W-what?"


    Blanche glared at the back of his head, and the man actually started crying. Kieran hid a smile. Did he ever mention he loved how terrifying his mother was?


    "R-right, the boy." The man was even stumbling over his own words. "This way," he directed them.


    The three of them slowed down to a halt, and the man seemed to possess some modicum of intelligence, because the moment he stepped into the place, his facial expressions changed from his previous snivelling one.


    Every trace of his tears was gone.


    The three of them passed by the guard on the first basement without any problem, and the man quickly led them down to the second basement.


    He looked into the cell that previously held the little boy, but to his surprise, he was no longer there.


    "Where is the prisoner I brought here a while ago?"


    The people inside trembled, but someone still cautiously answered. "The guard took him."


    The kidnapper''s face darkened, even as his face paled. He could feel his heart in his throat. Fuck! That perverted guard again!


    The man could feel the dark gazes coming from the terrifying noble woman, and he shivered. He all but ran to the guard''s quarters, but before he could lead them there, the woman was already moving.


    There were various screams coming out from the room, and Blanche busted down the door with a single kick.


    Her heels left a deep imprint on the door, showing just how much force she used.


    "Ah?"

 Chapter 301 Blood and Gore

    Blanche and Kieran immediately froze when they saw who was inside the room.


    Rather than what they expected to find, what they really found instead was a thousand times more shocking. The two of them had been ready to instantly stop whatever was going on inside, but now, they let their magic disperse naturally.


    Inside was a rather familiar face that Blanche hadn''t seen in a few years. Although he was older now, Blanche could recognize him at first glance.


    "Alec?"


    She fully expected to find a guard assaulting a young child, but instead, what she saw was a guard curled up in a foetal position, making high-pitched whimpers as Alec abused him under his feet.


    Briefly, she thought to herself that it was no wonder the man was making such high-pitched sounds if his dick was being stomped on like that. No wonder she thought it was a child suffering.


    Shocked, Kieran blurted out, "Uncle?"


    Alec, who was just as shocked as the two of them, lost control of his strength unintentionally and crunched down a lot harder than he''d been planning on doing. He immediately controlled himself, but it was already too late for the man.


    Instantly, an agonized scream of pain came from the guard who''d been suffering under Alec''s ministrations.


    The lower half of the guard''s body was completely flattened by Alec''s use of strength, but Alec didn''t seem to find anything wrong with that.


    Alec was inwardly annoyed at his loss of control. With how much more strength he had than those who usually used magic to boost their strength, he had to be extra controlled with himself lest he hurt those under his care, and he''d actually slipped up because of a measly surprise.


    Luckily, the guard wasn''t anyone important, and he''d already gotten all the information he wanted out of him.


    Instead, he just smiled his usual smile, and the kidnapper who''d been standing behind Blanche and Kieran felt a chill go down his spine at the innocent-looking smile on the teenager''s face.


    Compared to what he was doing previously, the fact that this boy was still able to smile meant that something was very, very wrong.


    "Big sister. Kieran," Alec greeted. He hadn''t felt them coming at all. The damned thing they injected into his bloodstream was still working, but this was a rather pleasant surprise.


    He had not expected to run into anyone he knew when he was across the continent, but he had.


    He supposed it had to do with the fate of Main Characters?


    Unfortunately for the kidnapper, Blanche instantly made the connection that he was the one who''d brought Alec here. She didn''t forget despite the surprise they got.


    She grabbed the kidnapper by the scruff of his neck and shoved him into the room, closing the door behind her.


    The kidnapper whimpered, especially when he landed on the guard''s previous lower body, which was now completely flattened, but still contained the texture of skin and blood.


    The man trembled, but he didn''t dare to do anything to set him off.


    However, he could tell that was a futile hope when glacial green eyes glared at him.


    "So, the ''little boy'' you were talking about previously is my little brother?" Blanche also smiled, but unlike Alec, whose smile appeared gentle despite everything, hers was an ice-cold one.


    "Ah, wait. I want to kill him myself," Alec cut in. This was the idiot that *dared* touch him while he was ''unconscious''. He would pay greatly for that. Of that, Alec would make sure.


    Alec learnt his lesson. Next time, he''d either sneak in another way, or just kick the door down like Blanche had done so with her six-inch high heels.


    "Hmph." Blanche wanted to take revenge for him, but her cute little brother was obviously trying to say that he was all grown up now and could take care of his own problems.


    It made her reminisce about the time that Kieran and Dietrich grew up as well. "Fine." She threw the idiot over and strode over to the other man.


    "Then, I''ll kill the one that you were torturing earlier," Blanche said, her eyes glinting.


    Kieran slowly palmed his face. He just knew his mother wasn''t going to let it go. Seems like she still wanted to do something for Alec.


    Alec glanced at the guard and shrugged. The man was already half-dead anyway.


    The guard was still gasping lowly on the floor, trying to crawl away even though his lower body was already completely obliterated.


    Blanche clicked her tongue and walked up to the man who was still crawling away at a snail''s pace.


    She was surprised that he was still awake, given the state of his lower body. Alec had crushed everything from his spine down, flattening it. When the man crawled away, he actually fully detached from the lower half of his body.


    She was mildly surprised that he hadn''t gone into shock or passed out from the pain, but felt a bit of magic lingering in her body, rightly thinking that Alec had done something on that account.


    With a single step, his head completely exploded under her high heels, sending blood all over the place.


    His body twitched a little before falling limp.


    Blood splattered over her white heels and stained her pale green dress, some of it even landing on her face.


    The blood and brain matter splattered about in a truly gruesome and horrifying way, coating the walls and everything around him.


    Some of it landed on the kidnapper, causing the man to whimper as his eyes showed the deepest amount of fear, his pupils dilating.


    Kieran disdainfully shielded himself from the residual gore, wrinkling his nose in disgust.


    Some of it also landed on Alec, but not as much, and he obviously wasn''t perturbed by it.


    Blanche smirked as if she was telling Alec to get on with it.


    Alec smiled back at Blanche and started systematically killing the man. He would not allow him to die so easily.


    While Alec tortured the man, and Blanche gave a few directions, Kieran was silently standing at the side.


    While he himself didn''t partake in torture, that didn''t mean that he didn''t condone it. He just didn''t have the taste of doing it himself. Some people deserved it and so much worse.


    He reflected back on the changes his mother had gone through since meeting Alec for the first time.


    While his mother had always been cold, she''d always shown her love in little ways that weren''t too obvious. After she met Alec, she let herself go more, and Kieran knew that his father was thrilled about the change.


    His mother used to keep herself shackled down with rules, as if they were iron-clad, attending tea parties even though she hated them with a passion. Nowadays, she didn''t go to any tea parties unless she wanted to do so.


    Not to mention, his mother finally revealed to them that she was a Sin.


    To be honest, it wasn''t a surprise at all, and it didn''t make them love her any less. It was just that she showed her love in different ways. They''d always suspected, really. There were only so many years you could go before you started to notice things.


    Many things had changed since their first meeting, and for that, Kieran was always grateful that she had a chance to meet Alec in the first place.


    Grateful enough that he would actually call Alec his uncle even in company that wasn''t direct family.


    There were many ways that his mother seemed to relate with Alec, and sometimes the Bright couldn''t help but wonder whether or not Alec was really a Sin instead. It certainly felt like it at times.


    It really did feel like his parents had another son, giving them another brother that seemed too act way too old and mature for his age, despite the little act he put on.


    Gentleness was what Alec wore like a mask, and he''d never been more wary of people smiling at him like that than he had been after meeting Alec for the first time.


    With the mandate on Sins being removed by the new emperor, there were many Sins that started to reveal themselves, but even so, there were many more that remained in hiding.


    His mother was one of those that remained in hiding.


    When Kieran asked why, she said, ''Why should I reveal my upper hand?'', and Kieran couldn''t help but agree.


    With a final squelch, the man finally died. The silence almost seemed to ring in the absence of the previous scream.


    "So, big sister, what are you doing here?" Alec asked.


    "We''re tracking down some errant members of the branch family that escaped to this continent." Blanche paused, raising a brow at Alec. She didn''t even hesitate to reveal something that was potentially sensitive. "What about you? I don''t believe you managed to get yourself caught by these fools of all people."


    Alec smiled. "Of course not. I was faking it since it seemed like it would be easier that way, but I don''t think I''ll be doing that any time soon. How many people are you looking for?"


    Kieran pulled out a handkerchief and used it to scrub at Alec''s face. He wanted to do so for his mother as well, but he didn''t have a death wish, thank you very much.


    Blanche felt amused at her son''s fussing, but still answered Alec''s question with a scowl. "There''s at least ten of them that are involved in this shenanigan. I fully expect we''ll have to track more of them down if they get wind of us here."


    "Let''s go together, then."


    Kieran felt distressed when he realized that he was only making the blood spread more on Alec''s face instead of cleaning it off.


    Alec''s smile twitched, and he lightly grabbed Kieran''s hand. "Don''t worry about it. I''m sure I''ll end up getting a lot more stains, so there''s no point in cleaning it off."


    The Bright paused. Right. How could he forget that this was the little boy that had killed with a smile on his face back in their family mansion?


    Blanche walked off first, her heels still not producing any sound at all, showing off her masterful control over her body.

 Chapter 302 Meister vs Meister

    Both Kieran and Alec had a modicum of stealth skills, but Blanche didn''t have that word in her dictionary at all.


    Of course, she was also strong enough not to need it, which was why the two males were following in her footsteps silently as she walked down the hallways elegantly.


    The place was designed in such a way that they had to cross the entire hallway full of prisoners before they could descend to a lower level.


    It was designed with two things in mind. One, to make it harder for whatever prisoners they had currently in here to escape, and two, to slow down anyone who was here that got any ideas about ''rescuing'' people.


    It was a rather smart thing to do, because the people that did successfully manage to break into here would have been disturbed by the prisoner''s states and would have stopped to help them.


    If they weren''t careful, they would activate the alarm on the bars, and even if they were, could they really call themselves human if they just ignored these people in front of them?


    Of the three in the rescuing party, Kieran was the only one grinding his teeth as he passed by the prisoners on every level.


    Unlike him, Blanche and Alec had no problem compartmentalizing. They knew that if they didn''t manage to get the ''mastermind'' so to speak, then these prisoners wouldn''t be able to escape safely anyway.


    It wasn''t that Kieran didn''t know this as well, but he was more affected by the begging and pleading from the people inside the cells, and his emotions were directly affecting him.


    While they had killed off the guards each time they descended a level, the security got tighter as they went further down.


    However, since they had Blanche on their side, they didn''t have much worries about it. Unless there was another Meister in this place, Blanche would be able to take care of any potential problems.


    Alec had actually been rather shocked when he realized what realm Blanche was in. Previously, he had been so weak that he hadn''t been able to tell anything other than the fact that she was stronger than he was.


    If he thought about it, however, it made sense. Why else would both Kieran and Dietrich tremble when they thought about their mother''s training sessions?


    But, how in the world had Blanche become so strong while she was hiding it? Was it just natural ability, combined with training? Why didn''t he advance as quickly as she did, when he was fighting monsters while she didn''t usually?


    Did it have something to do with his Magitype?


    He placed the thought aside.


    Right now, he was more surprised that they had yet to come across Bunbun and Fenrir. He could feel that they were further down, deeper than they were.


    Since they didn''t bother killing the guards, they were able to slip by unnoticed.


    Whatever they injected him with had slowly started to wear off, and he could sense much further now, even though he wasn''t fully recovered.


    Suddenly, Blanche furrowed her brows and stopped, causing them to stop as well.


    "What is it?" Kieran whispered to Blanche.


    "There''s a Meister here," she said with a dark face.


    Instantly, Kieran was alarmed. "What? It''s already hard to meet a single Meister, but there''s actually one in this place? That doesn''t make any sense!"


    Alec nodded, agreeing. Why would a Meister fund an operation like this?


    For money?


    Nonsense!


    Meisters were usually rolling in gold, especially if they put their minds to it. They didn''t need to do something as despicable as human trade to make money.


    Every country or continent was willing to pay an exorbitant to keep a Meister for themselves. However, most Meisters were either living a low-key life or were already under someone.


    Those that had ambition started their own sects, and others founded a clan of their own.


    There were even people that were willing to send their sons and daughters as concubines so that they could connect their families.


    It was clear from this how much prestige and power being a Meister had, yet there was actually a Meister in this kind of place?


    Meisters were supposed to be rare and meeting them wasn''t an everyday thing.


    ¡­Come to think of it, Alec had actually met a rather large number of Meisters.


    Blanche breathed out. "We''ve already made contact. You two move to the side. Now," she commanded.


    Kieran frowned, but before he could say anything, Alec dragged his hand back, raising an eyebrow at him. They would just get in the way of a true Meister''s fight. If they didn''t want to worry Blanche, then they could only get out of the way.


    Blanche nodded in thanks at Alec.


    "Big sister, be safe."


    Kieran made up his mind resolutely, nodding at his mother. Since she was going to be in the most danger, then the two of them should go and look for the list and more evidence about what this place was doing.


    He''d take down the branch family members while he could. He didn''t believe that his mother would lose.


    Alec and Kieran hid, and Blanche darted back upstairs in a flash. Another flash passed by the two of them quickly, and they knew that it was the other Meister that had been downstairs.


    Alec frowned inwardly. He was seriously meeting too many Meisters nowadays for it to be circumstantial. Were things going to be heating up soon?


    He had to quickly advance himself.


    Anyway, it wasn''t so easy for a Meister to kill another Meister. Most of the time, unless one was newly advanced and the other was a veteran, there wouldn''t be a large difference.


    Usually, Meisters couldn''t go all out either, lest they destroy the country. Most attacks were probes, and made so as not to damage their surroundings too much.


    With that in mind, Kieran felt more settled.


    The two split up quickly as they looked around for incriminating evidence.


    There was no way that the Meister previously didn''t notice them while they were hiding, but he was also busy fighting Blanche.


    Their fight had already started in earnest, and the entire place shook from time to time, sending dust down from above as the lights shook.


    There were various cries of shock from the prisoners in their cells, which helped hide their movements.


    Alec went deeper down and finally found Bunbun and Fenrir, who were running around carrying various scrolls.


    He stared at them blankly. Did they forget that they could also use the interspatial dimension?


    Seemingly hearing Alec''s thoughts, Fenrir whacked Bunbun on the head with a paw, sending the bunny rolling onto the ground.


    Alec held back a snort at their antics. Even in a place like this, his two familiars were still messing around.


    Suddenly, the two familiars became aware of Alec''s eyes, and they obediently straightened up.


    Bunbun secretly put a paw on the scroll and sent it into the interspatial dimension.


    Alec rolled his eyes, holding a hand out to them. "Show me what you''ve gotten."


    They obediently placed a few scrolls onto Alec''s hand.


    The System quickly looked through it, and his face darkened. There were so many names that were listed here, and just as many that had been crossed out.


    Whether they were dead or alive, it wasn''t stated clearly.


    However, he almost froze in shock when he saw two names that he recognized.


    The first was ''Mason Woods'', whom he had been looking for a long time. Mason Woods was the son of Stanley and Lorraine Woods, who had put up Elias and himself in their home for a few weeks.


    He had always been trying to track down this son of theirs, who was supposedly kidnapped and dragged off to become a slave, but he had scoured the whole of the Kaoriht continent without any success.


    So, he had ended up in another continent altogether.


    But why would they bother to kidnap someone all the way across the continent and bring him here?


    He had more questions than answers at this point.


    The second name he recognized was also very familiar to him. Lily Cierra, the girl who he taught a bit of how to use her Magitype.


    They even managed to kidnap a Main Character?


    Alec was confused. How had they managed to do that? Did she also willingly get captured like he did?


    His brows furrowed a little. Wait¡­ wasn''t Mason Woods also an Awakening type?


    But¡­ they why would they capture Lucielle Hartknight? She was a Bright.


    Something wasn''t adding up with his deduction.

 Chapter 303 Fluff is Life

    Things seemed to add up in the most unpleasant way.


    Alec quickly moved to confirm his suspicions.


    When he asked the prisoners in the cells, they all confirmed that they were indeed of the Awakening Magitype.


    What did this mean? Why would someone collect people with the Awakening Magitype? Were they using them for something?


    He just knew that it wasn''t so simple as a slave trade.


    Now, more than ever, he needed to capture someone vital to this place to confirm his suspicions.


    Hopefully, Kieran would be working on that part. With him capturing the branch family members ¨C and there sure were a lot of them for a single place ¨C how was it possible that they didn''t have any information about this place?


    Alec rather suspected that the Meister that Blanche was facing off against was a Rothschild branch family member as well.


    While the Meister ran past earlier on, Alec had managed to catch a glimpse with his exceptional eyesight.


    The man had indeed carried many of the Rothschild features, old as he was. And when Alec said old, he meant that the man looked ancient.


    But then, where was Lucielle in this place, and how did she fit in?


    Did they have a separate place for those that weren''t of the Awakening Magitype or something? Why the need to keep them separately?


    Bunbun and Fenrir seemed to sense their master''s bad mood, and they darted away after rubbing their heads on his ankle comfortingly.


    What they needed to do now was not to comfort their master, but to find more evidence for him.


    They''d already found so much juicy stuff on basement six. How much more would there be further down?


    Instead of following after them, Alec left them to it.


    Speculations were just speculations. He had to check it himself before he could come to any solid conclusions.


    The arrays and seals on the bars of the cells were pathetically easy to disable for someone of his expertise, and whatever doubts he had about this place being related to Sekai''s ''company'' lessened a little.


    Getting into the cage, the people inside scattered like mice meeting a cat, moving from corner to corner.


    Alec''s lip twitched.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Kieran was having much better luck than Alec was.


    From the ninth level down, he found a total of four of the Rothschild branch family members, and he''d successfully subdued them for future interrogation.


    It was rather therapeutic to be able to kick them around without much problem despite his Magitype. He''d expected much more of a fight from them, but he was left a little disappointed.


    For some reason, between Alec and his mother, he didn''t think that there would be much problems extracting information from them.


    They honestly put up so little of a fight that Kieran was more than a little suspicious.


    They''d been alerted to intruders already. They weren''t that stupid, and there were traps around that they were using relatively efficiently, but he was still able to take care of them.


    He didn''t know if it was because they were stuck down here like rats in a hole, but they didn''t seem very experienced using their magic to fight, for some reason.


    While it made it easier for him, but that was just it. It was *too* easy.


    He trussed all of them up like chickens and left them in separate places. There were rooms on each level that the ''guards'' used to relieve themselves from hearing the prisoners.


    It wouldn''t do for the alarms to go off, as Alec had warned them, but the guard''s rooms were safe from those. Since he didn''t share his uncle''s apparent mastery in runes, he wouldn''t be taking any chances.


    However, even if they already knew that there were intruders, that didn''t mean that he could be so cavalier about stealth. Kieran faded his presence more, until he was all but traceless.


    By the time he hit the lowest level, Kieran frowned. There were only two more branch members that he managed to find, which meant that he''d captured six of them in total.


    There were still four people that were unaccounted for. Three, if one counted the Meister that was fighting his mother. At least, he thought the Meister was a Rothschild.


    Not good. They were probably somewhere else, but he had no idea whether or not the remaining people had been informed that someone found their ''hideout'' or not.


    If Meister that his mother was fighting was truly a Rothschild branch member, it would certainly explain why the branch family suddenly acted up after all these years.


    If they had produced a Meister that could hold their own, why would they be content to be part of the branch family?


    That was a possible reason why they might have attacked the main family, but it would have to be confirmed later.


    The little information they''d managed to extract from the branch member that infiltrated the Rothschild family manor didn''t amount to much. He hadn''t been high on the totem pole, so to speak. He was just a grunt.


    He looked around for any hidden doors or latches that might lead him to another path downwards, or even sideways, but no luck.


    Kieran clicked his tongue.


    Something wasn''t adding up. Alec told them about the prisoner that had been dragged away earlier, and it hadn''t looked like he would survive, but so far, Kieran hadn''t found any injured prisoners whatsoever.


    While these people looked bleak, they weren''t physically damaged in any way, nor were they hiding their injuries. The damage was all mental.


    That meant that there was at least one other place that he hadn''t found yet.


    As he was exploring, he made sure to dodge the traps and disable them as best he could.


    Still, despite him fumbling around, there was no trace of the secret door or floor that he knew existed.


    Kieran''s brows furrowed. Did this mean that he had to go and interrogate one of the branch members that he''d already acquired?


    But they were all knocked out cold, and there was no telling how long it would take for them to wake up.


    Just as he was about to turn around and try and resuscitate one of the branch members, he heard the sound of scratching.


    Kieran''s brows shot up, and he immediately darted towards the place where the sound was coming from.


    Going all the way back down the hallway, past all the prisoners that had been held there, he had to force himself to ignore the prisoners who were calling for him to free them, focusing on the scratching sound.


    He was not at all disappointed when he realized what was making the sound.


    Instead of finding a person, he found Alec''s familiars right at the spot where the stairs were located.


    He grabbed the bunny and wolf off the floor, raising an eyebrow at them. "What exactly are you doing?"


    Kieran secretly had a soft spot for small, fluffy animals, and he always itched to touch them. Now that he had a chance, he wasn''t going to let it go!


    Bunbun ineffectively whacked him a few times with his paw. The bunny felt annoyed. He''d been close. He could just feel it!


    But he couldn''t hurt this human either because he was master''s human.


    Glaring at the man, Bunbun pointed at the spot he''d been scratching at, and Kieran raised his brows.


    He reluctantly placed the bunny back on the ground, wondering where he was going with this.


    Of course, since the purple wolf did not react in any way, Kieran continued to shamelessly cling on to him.


    However, no one would have known since Kieran''s face didn''t change in any way to suggest embarrassment.


    Bunbun continued sniffing around, looking for something.


    He could smell magic, and it was close.


    He ignored Fenrir, who was mentally calling him for help, so the wolf just sulked in the human''s arms.


    During a sudden rumble from above, the spot that Bunbun was touching seemed to knock itself loose, and the wall around next to the stairs parted smoothly, revealing a deeper entrance.


    Kieran''s brows shot up instantly.


    He wasn''t even ashamed that the bunny found the entrance instead of him.


    He picked up the bunny and pressed a huge smooch to his face, ignoring the bunny''s disgruntlement.


    There was no one around right now. He could behave however he liked with small, fluffy animals, and no one would be the wiser.


    Of course, what he didn''t know was that Bunbun was indignantly sending Alec mental images, causing Alec''s lips to twitch.


    Dodging Kieran''s further attempts at cuddling, Bunbun darted into the opened entrance, causing the Main Character''s heartbeat to stutter.

 Chapter 304 Not So Keen Now?

    At first glance, it didn''t appear like this place was so different from the rest of what he''d seen.


    However, he was proven wrong when the more he walked down.


    The people in here were all exceptionally good looking, which confused him greatly. Actually, this was more in line for what he imagined a slave trade would look like.


    Of course, they were only good looking and not stunning, like he was used to. If one stayed with his brother or mother, or even his father long enough, you''d eventually grow accustomed to these kind of looks.


    Alec as well, though only a teenager, had stunning looks. He was pale, but his features all came together in such a way that made him a beauty, though he was sure that his uncle would stab him in the side if he ever said as such to him.


    "Huh? Who''s here now?" came a voice from somewhere a little further away. "Intruders?"


    "Eh, no way. The intruders can''t find this place." There was a pause before the person continued talking. "I have no idea. Unless that idiot from before accidentally killed another one? I swear. We still need these people. It''s not like those useless Awakening idiots grow on trees. It''s so hard to find even one of them!"


    "Yeah. I''m going to give him a piece of my mind if it''s really him."


    Kieran''s eyes sharpened. He recognized those voices. It was his cousin and uncle.


    Their eyes locked across the hallway, and the two stopped, their eyes widening in shock.


    He dropped Fenrir as he darted forward, instantly taking care of his branch member cousin first since he was nearer.


    There was a shout of alarm from his uncle as he attacked him.


    Kieran ducked under the kick from the man. He didn''t even want to think about how these morons were related to him.


    How was it that his family hadn''t seen the dark side of their so-called branch members before? Had they hidden it so deeply that they were able to cover their tracks so well?


    It didn''t make any sense.


    There had to be someone behind them helping them cover up their tracks.


    "Kieran," Johnathan hissed, glaring at this hated nephew of his.


    It wasn''t that he hated the boy specifically. He just hated everything he stood for, and the fact that his brother had never reinstated him as a main family member.


    Once upon a time, he had been part of the main family too. He''d been a proud Rothschild.


    That was, until his father had banished him from the family, branding him a branch member. He couldn''t stand it. He was from the main line, not the side branch!


    "¡­Jonathan," Kieran said. He couldn''t bring himself to even utter the words ''uncle'' when they were surrounded by people that had been placed here by him.


    He was disgusted that he was related to such a person.


    Did he have no humanity at all? How could he do something as despicable as human trafficking? Or worse, as he suspected?


    Jonathan sneered, feeling hatred bubble up. "So, I''m not even graced with the words ''uncle'' now, am I? It goes to show exactly how much the branch family means to the main family."


    Kieran sneered right back. He couldn''t believe that he had the audacity to say such a thing. Not when he was surrounded by various prisoners in different states. Their eyes seemed piercing to Kieran, but Jonathan could just stand here so nonchalantly and disregard them.


    He didn''t even dignify the man with an answer, feeling like he was giving the man too much if he answered. It was utterly disgusting.


    Not to mention, Jonathan had been kicked out of the main family because he''d tried to kill his father. Not just once, but two times. He tried to be all subtle about it and used poison, but they were able to trace it back to him, apparently.


    Honestly, the first time Kieran heard about that, for the first time ever, he actually wanted to smack his head against the nearest wall.


    How could his parents have been so¡­ well, so stupid?! They were just leaving loose ends for themselves, and knowing that Jonathan actually, legitimately tried to kill his father because he wanted the seat of family head for himself obliterated whatever respect he had for the man.


    Family? Pah, he would rather not have family if they were going to try to kill them. The nonsense about blood being thicker than water apparently didn''t apply here at all.


    Since Jonathan didn''t think of Franz as family, then what was the point of trying to keep that relationship?


    His father was too soft. It wasn''t anything that Kieran thought he''d ever say, considering his father was known as ruthless in high society.


    No, he was going to kill this man here and now. Even if he couldn''t, he had no intentions of leaving him alive. He was sure that his mother would agree with him on this point.


    No wonder there was always a weird undercurrent whenever the branch family members visited them last time.


    Kieran''s magic coursed through his body.


    Unlike the rest of his family, while Kieran was a Bright, he had the Defensive Magitype.


    He used it for body reinforcement. He was all but impregnable in this state. As long as he didn''t lose concentration.


    It wasn''t as flashy as the Offensive types, but it worked just fine for him. He didn''t feel a need to show off in battle.


    Taking a single step, Kieran crashed forward into Jonathan''s defence, sending the man stumbling a few steps back as he tried to regain his balance.


    Kieran dodged the swing of Jonathan''s fists, ducking under and sweeping the man''s feet from under him.


    Jonathan snarled. How could he be beaten by a brat?


    Calming himself down, the man started to test the brat''s defences. To his frustration, whatever he did didn''t seem to do any damage to the young man.


    Frowning fiercely, Jonathan started powering up his attacks more and more.


    Kieran''s eyes flashed.


    Jonathan seemed to think that he was taking everything head on, but the reality was, the man''s magic caused a large bang and a large amount of dust to fly up every time.


    Kieran just dodged everything. While he was certain that his defences could hold up, there was no telling whether or not he could do so.


    The man was actually a cut above most people, and while he was inwardly anxious that more people might come, he was slowly wearing down the other man.


    Jonathan panted, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it didn''t make.


    Why wasn''t he able to leave a single dent on this little brat?


    He was sure that he was able to hurt him at least a little, but the looked just as pristine as he did before he started.


    Jonathan narrowed his eyes, then he quickly pulled out a slave from inside the cell.


    He''d seen her out of the corner of his eye when they were fighting, and she''d strayed close to the door in hopes of avoiding them.


    There was also curiosity shining in her eyes as she took in their battle, and Jonathan felt a flush of humiliated anger at the thought that he was being watched like a sideshow freak.


    So, he grabbed her, and to his delight, it made Kieran stop in his tracks, gritting his teeth.


    "What? Not so keen to fight me now?" Jonathan asked, sneering at his nephew.


    Kieran''s eyes blazed with anger, and he didn''t make any sudden moves.


    Jonathan had pulled out a knife on the poor girl''s neck, and he''d already pricked her a little when she didn''t stay still.


    There were tears rolling down her cheeks, but she didn''t make a sound, hearing the silent threat in his action. She bit her lips, staring at Kieran with pleading eyes.


    Kieran closed his eyes for half a second. He didn''t want to give Jonathan any time to attack him if he sensed weakness.


    Slowly, Kieran looked down, his eyes flashing.

 Chapter 305 A Hostage Situation

    Jonathan jostled the girl. "Where do you think you''re looking? Don''t get any funny ideas, now. No funny business. Anything weird, and I''ll kill her without a second thought. There''s so many hostages I can use here, after all."


    Kieran''s eyes snapped back up, sneering at the man.


    Jonathan sneered back. He couldn''t believe the brat. He already had a hostage on hand, but he was still acting too big for his britches.


    Disgust bubbled within the man, knowing that he had the upper hand now, despite how nonchalant Kieran was trying to behave.


    He didn''t believe that he didn''t care about this little girl. Kieran had always been a bit of a bleeding heart, no matter how much he tried to hide it. It had been especially obvious in his younger years, when he hadn''t learnt how to shield his emotions from being taken advantage of.


    Jonathan never forgot a weakness, and it was definitely coming in handy now.


    The man didn''t believe a person could change so much, so he still had to care. And, look, with how the other Rothschild was dawdling now, his bet had paid off, hadn''t it?


    "Ha. So, you don''t care that I have a hostage, do you?" Jonathan said, slicing deeper into the girl''s neck.


    She let out a short scream before she choked a little, pressing her neck as far away from the blade as she could.


    Kieran hardened his heart, looking at the scene with an impassive face, the previous anger in him bleeding out from his eyes.


    The girl was just a teenager ¨C barely one, if anything, but the man was already so ruthless to her. With her light brown hair and big, wide eyes filled with tears, she would have stirred sympathy in the average person.


    However, Jonathan was obviously an exception from this. Since he didn''t want to give Jonathan any added ammunition, he couldn''t allow himself to react to this. The man was a typical bully that bullied the weak and feared the strong.


    Any sign of weakness and he would strike out like a shark smelling blood.


    "Do you really not care?" Jonathan said with sadistic glee. He used his free hand, which was not holding the knife, to dig his fingers into the wound that was on the girl''s neck.


    She choked, the blood gushing out from the wound, and the pain that that man was causing her was agonizing. He used his nails to dig deeper into the decently sized wound on her neck.


    There was already a large trail of blood gushing over her dress, and something inside Kieran clenched seeing that. He was sure that if it wasn''t for her body trying to fight off the blood loss, she would have already passed out there and then.


    Her breathing started to come out in harsh pants as her body trembled. She couldn''t stop herself from softly crying, which only delighted Jonathan further.


    This was exactly the reaction he wanted out of her, and from the cold look on Kieran''s face, it was definitely affecting him.


    There was no way it wouldn''t.


    "Since you don''t care, then I''ll just kill her," Jonathan said with a fierce grin. "After I kill her, while her body is still fresh, some of the men might like a go at her."


    Fat drops of tears were being squeezed out of the young girl, the descriptive imagery just too much for her.


    They wouldn''t even leave her alone after she was dead?


    She shut her eyes, despair overcoming her. Her vision had blurred on her, and she felt light-headed.


    There was a clang as someone thumped their fist against the bars of the cage.


    Surprisingly, the bars being touched did not cause an alarm to go off, but it made Jonathan''s face darken.


    "Leave her alone, you monster!"


    "Yeah!" echoed the other prisoners.


    "Release her! She''s just a little girl!"


    "Take me instead, you bastard!"


    It surprised Kieran and made him wonder if these were the people that had been captured trying to save the people inside here.


    That was a lot more probable than everyone being broken like up there.


    So, those people were the ones captured, and the ones here were the ones that had walked into the trap themselves.


    There was still a fire that burned in these people''s eyes, and Kieran felt a little better knowing that there were still people worth saving here.


    Jonathan snarled. "Shut up!"


    "You shut up!"


    Jonathan gripped the girl''s neck tighter, causing her to shout out in pain. Only then did the rowdy prisoners quieten down a little.


    Even though Jonathan talked so savagely, he didn''t once take his eyes off Kieran. Who knew what this headstrong brat would do if he took his eyes off him?


    At this moment, there was a sudden dimming of the lights above him, sending him into confusion.


    He hesitated, but in the end, he still looked behind him quickly to check what was happening.


    Were the others here, or was there something else happening?


    Jonathan''s eyes widened when he realized he was staring down a gigantic bunny that had just appeared behind him without any warning. "What-!"


    Before Jonathan could react, he was savaged by a large bunny.


    In his shock, Jonathan''s hold on the girl loosened, and Kieran stole the girl out from his arms, pressing his hand hard over the wound on her neck.


    It didn''t matter that he was causing her pain, but the wound could not go without pressure being put on it before it healed up.


    "Anyone''s a healer here?" Kieran couldn''t help but ask the prisoners.


    There were various calls of ''no'' and the explanation that their kidnappers got rid of whatever apparent healers that made their way into this place.


    Kieran swore under his breath. He tried to use his magic on the girl, trying to make it hard for blood to leave the wound, but there wasn''t much he could do about the blood she''d already lost.


    But Jonathan didn''t have any time to care about what Kieran was doing right now. He was trying to get himself out from under the white rabbit''s paw, but to his disbelief, he could do no such thing.


    He let out a few blasts of magic against what he could only assume was Kieran''s familiar, but there was no effect.


    Jonathan swore loudly, his eyes wild. "Stop! If you kill me, you''ll never know what we''re doing here!"


    But before he could do anything other than shout and threaten Kieran, to his horror, he saw the bunny''s mouth open widely, showing him pearly white teeth as the familiar''s mouth descended on Jonathan.


    Nothing else was heard from the man, because Bunbun devoured him whole, bones and all.


    He didn''t leave a single bit of the man remaining, swallowing him whole.


    There was a pin drop silence in the place as everyone stared at the cute looking, if rather large, familiar in horror.


    This was the first time they found out that a creature like that could devour people whole. Most of the time, familiars savaged, and they tore, bit and clawed, but never devoured whole.


    Many people felt a chill go down their backs at the sight.


    The girl that had been in Jonathan''s arms just a few moments earlier, and was now safely escorted by Kieran, let out a squeak as she locked eyes with the giant white bunny.


    "I¡­I used to have some herbs in my bag," she said haltingly to Kieran, before her eyes rolled back as she fainted due to blood loss, as well as the shock the bunny gave her.


    By the side, Fenrir silently palmed his face at what Bunbun just did. He wasn''t subtle at all!


    What if Kieran complained about them to their master? Wouldn''t they be in for another round of training, then?


    Bunbun just happily patted his stomach, and if one ignored the way his stomach sometimes bulged a little here and there, as if someone was punching or kicking from the inside. He looked perfectly innocent and harmless.


    However, the people who had witnessed the sight first-hand were probably scarred for life. They would never be able to look at bunnies or rabbits the same way again.


    Someone even tried to open the gate, taking advantage of the fact that the bunny was near the bars.


    Since the authority had been on Jonathan earlier, if the bunny ate him, did that mean that the authority passed on to the bunny?


    The gate silently opened, and the man quickly darted out. He took the bleeding girl from Kieran''s arms and darted back into the cage, passing her on to someone else. That person quickly applied pressure on the girl''s wounds.


    Then, he closed the cage door behind him, making Kieran speechless.


    For now, Kieran ignored them and instead walked up to Bunbun with unsteady steps.


    Fenrir raised a brow, wondering if the human had become disillusioned with them.


    His thoughts, however, were too far from the truth.


    Kieran collapsed on the white fluff, feeling like he was in heaven. How cool! Cute, but savage at the same time. His uncle really struck lucky. Was there anything better than this combination right here?!


    Later, he reluctantly got up and searched to see whether or not there was anything of the prisoners that the guards had left behind. Maybe there was something of the girl''s herbs that could be used to stem bleeding and replenish blood.

 Chapter 306 - Angel In The Sky

    Meanwhile, Blanche was facing off against the other Meister outside.


    The two of them were battling in the sky, but the shockwaves that the town got were enough for its inhabitants to hide inside their houses, waiting for the two big figures to finish and leave.


    The town''s inhabitants were all shocked. Why was it that these two big figures were fighting above their little town? They couldn''t be considered a city, though their town was rather big.


    But they definitely weren''t big enough to attract bigshots like these here.


    In a little town like this, they actually saw people up to the advanced tier a lot, but they always disappeared soon enough. It was like something attracted them here, but the inhabitants of the town had no idea what.


    Anyway, since they always left soon enough, it never held the citizen''s attention for long.


    Now, they were fighting, and many buildings were just barely withstanding the shockwaves.


    The ground was trembling nonstop, and there was dust flying everywhere.


    The two bigshots had to be Meisters. Or perhaps, even Grand Meisters. Only Meisters and Grand Meisters could fly in the sky after their magic went through a change. That much was common knowledge.


    The citizens of the town were all praying that the bigshots would quickly leave before they did too much damage to the town.


    Though they didn''t know much about Meisters, they knew enough about the legends to realize that they could easily blow away the entire country, much less their little town.


    They were just ants in the larger scale of things, and not one soul in the town dared to step out from their houses.


    Why were they fighting here, and not somewhere else?


    Blanche glared at the Rothschild branch member in front of her.


    No wonder the branch family had been acting up over the years. Yet, neither her nor Franz had noticed that one of them had miraculously advanced to become a Meister in his old age.


    And he was definitely old. He was the oldest branch member they had, and he was fondly known to the branch members as Elder Paul.


    Blanche hated him.


    Not only was he condescending in the worst ways, he was biased and greedy. He acted like he was so superior to anyone just because he was old, and she hated that.


    She didn''t agree with anything that left his mouth at all, and she knew that Franz didn''t like him either, so she was free to kill him off here and now.


    She''d never allowed him to be in the same room as her sons without her or Franz there, and for good reason.


    She''d always harboured suspicions about his character, and at this time, it was proven to her that her suspicions were right.


    In fact, he was probably the one who had started this whole debacle in the first place.


    How this man, of all people, managed to advance to Meister standards was beyond her. It was a travesty! Someone up there had to be as blind as a bat.


    The only thing she was mildly impressed by was that he managed to hide the fact that he''d advanced to the Meister tier from the rest of the world, allowing him to move about unhindered.


    Paul spat out a laugh, echoing her thoughts, which just disgusted her. "I can''t believe that little boy Franz managed to nab a wife that''s a Meister. I really would have expected him to shout it out to the heavens."


    Blanche didn''t dignify him with an answer, just sneering at him. It made her feel filthy thinking about how someone like this had corrupted the entire branch family, turning them into people that didn''t even see anything wrong with human trafficking.


    Paul just laughed in anger.


    This haughty woman never thought that he was worthy of her time, nor of the main family''s time. She''d thwarted his plans time and time again, until he finally advanced to Meister.


    Yet, here she was again, in his way!


    He couldn''t understand it. How was it that such a weak woman that depended solely on her husband for her way of living was able to advance to a Meister when he himself hadn''t been able to for so many years?


    She was just a slip of a girl and compared to his lifetime at the advanced stage, she was nothing but a baby.


    She was nothing!


    Nothing!


    Paul seethed at the injustice of it all. He''d thrown himself into countless dangerous situations, hoping for force advancement, but nothing had happened.


    Just when he had all but given up hope, someone had shown him the way. Shown him the light, so to speak.


    For that, he was ever so grateful. He dedicated their entire branch family to them, knowing that one day, they too would be able to become a Meister before their time was up.


    It was time for the branch family to step out from the main family''s shadow. It had taken so many years, but the time was finally here.


    The two Meisters exchanged fierce blows, but neither were able to do much to each other, much to their consternation.


    However, Blanche was the one that got a hold of herself first. Errant emotions would only get in the way of a true battle.


    Slowly, the bloodl.u.s.t started creeping in, and a bloodthirsty grin appeared on her face, startling Paul a little. He''d never seen her look like that in all his years. She''d always portrayed herself in a cold way.


    Strangely, the look didn''t diminish her nobility or dignity at all, instead adding another layer to the fa?ade of Blanche Rothschild. Perhaps, this was the real Blanche Rothschild that many did not get the chance to see.


    Paul''s brows furrowed. He dropped down to the ground to avoid Blanche''s strike, only to fly back up trying to catch her off guard.


    How was this possible? How could he be evenly matched with this little slip of a girl? Impossible!


    That person said that he would be unmatched within the Meisters!


    Anger started to burn within Paul. He did not care, instead pouring out attacks that were fiercer one after the other.


    The scale of what the buildings in the town soon reached a point where they could no longer withstand the shockwaves.


    The citizens cried out in fear as they hurriedly evacuated from the buildings, their houses coming down around them one by one.


    Looking up in the sky, none of them would be able to forget the tale of two Meisters fighting against each other.


    A lady with blonde, sun kissed hair in a braid fluttered in the sky, with a pale green dress that flowed like water. With white heels clad on her pale feet, she moved unhindered throughout the sky, almost like an angel. A bloodstained angel, that was.


    The other Meister was an old man ¨C so old and decrepit that he looked as if he had a foot into the grave. However, judging from his clothes and his stance, he should be just as noble as the other angel in the sky.


    The two of them were fighting so fiercely that the people down on the ground only ever saw the afterimages produced.


    Anger blazed in Blanche''s face, and she used a particularly vicious thrust to send Paul higher up into the atmosphere.


    She kicked him so hard that his body few in a > shape as he shot up into the air.


    Soon, he was so high that it was almost too hard to breathe.


    Growling, Paul righted himself as he fell down through the air, his eyes locked onto Blanche.


    Blanche buffed herself up using almost all her magic, not leaving anything to chance.


    In a fight between Meisters, it could last a long time, or it could end quickly.


    She could already tell that Paul had started declining throughout their fight, and they should no longer be as equally matched as they were before this.


    Ripping into the elder as Paul didn''t dodge in time, blood scattered down onto the ground like blood rain, and the savage part in Blanche that was deeply connected to her instincts roared in triumph.


    Just as she was gearing up for a much harder fight, something she saw shocked her.

 Chapter 307 Avenging Goddess

    Paul, who looked strong and had been full of vitality previously, seemed to be withering.


    He seemed to have aged a lot in the short span of their fight, yet, the man himself didn''t seem to realize that there was anything wrong.


    He was literally about to die any moment now, and Blanche felt a great deal of glee inside her at those words that popped up in her mind.


    Indeed. The man did not realize that there was anything wrong with his body at all. In fact, he felt greater and stronger than ever. He felt that this was the strongest that he had ever been in his life, and he was all but bursting with confidence.


    The power that rushed through his veins and allowed him to soar in the sky made him feel invincible.


    Paul let out a rough laugh and said mockingly to Blanche, "What''s wrong? Don''t dare to fight anymore?" He sneered at the noble. "Well, this old man still has some fight left in him!"


    As he said that, he charged faster towards Blanche, his magic charging up on his fists. They were coated with grey fire, his chosen use of his Magitype.


    Blanche didn''t say anything and prepared to just dodge him. However, she thought better of it and sneered back at him even when the bloodlust was urging her on to fight!


    She clashed with him head-on instead and didn''t lose an inch to him in any way.


    There was something wrong with this senile old man.


    Suddenly, a thought flashed in her mind. Could it be that this man didn''t break through using his own means, but used some sort of external means?


    As soon as the thought occurred, Blanche immediately fixated on it. She couldn''t think of any other possibility.


    "Your body is already old and failing, but you still want me to fight you?" Blanche let out a derisive laugh, feeling only disdain now. Even her bloodlust had cooled down when she thought about how she was fighting an unworthy opponent.


    The only thing her bloodlust retained was the feeling that the unworthy would die soon, and it caused her blood to throb.


    She felt disappointed when she thought about how her opponent didn''t even know. He was burning his lifeforce just for one last hurrah. He wasn''t giving her the fight that she envisioned.


    While they were exchanging words, the two Meisters never once stopped exchanging blows, causing the skies to tremble with the force of their attacks.


    Though they were higher up in the sky now, they were even more unrestrained up here. For that reason, the situation down on the ground wasn''t any better than before. It was worse than before.


    The trees had all been uprooted, and the buildings had all but collapsed.


    The people of the town hastily evacuated with their family members, leaving with nothing but their clothes on their backs.


    The clash between two titans was not something that they could withstand without getting hurt.


    Paul scoffed derisively at Blanche''s words, his eyes glinting harshly. How dare this woman call him weak? They were both Meisters, but she dared to insinuate that he was lower than her?


    Without Blanche putting much thought into it, she had thoroughly pricked the elder''s sore spot with her cold words.


    This was because this matter was something that he always harboured insecurity about deep inside him.


    With that person''s help, he''d managed to advance into the Meister tier, which he could not do for so many years. But he couldn''t help but feel inferior to the Meisters that had advanced on their own merits.


    The inferiority that he harboured deep inside his heart had been provoked by Blanche''s words, and the man instantly flared up.


    "You''re not looking at me properly if you don''t think I''m a Meister."


    Blanche''s eyes narrowed. It seemed like her guess was right. With how much he insisted that he was a Meister, it was as if he wasn''t stating a fact, but rather shoving it into her face, trying to *prove* he was a Meister like her.


    "You''re just a dying old man whose lifeforce is fading away by the second."


    Normally, Paul would have brushed off her words without any further thought, but at this time, a subtle bad feeling started to creep up on him.


    He''d started to feel a little overwhelmed under Blanche''s attacks, something that he wasn''t struggling so hard with previously.


    But with the ferocity of the attacks the two of them were exchanging, Paul had no time to think about it further and check on it.


    Finally, he managed to seize a chance by allowing Blanche''s attack to knock him further away without too much damage.


    The instant he managed to gain some distance, he checked himself, and his eyes widened with horror.


    "Impossible," he muttered. "Impossible! How can this be?"


    Blanche watched his reaction with calculating eyes. "This is what borrowed power does to you. Someone at the advanced rank wanting to play being a Meister? Nothing more than a foolish pipe dream."


    "No, impossible!" Paul roared, a multitude of emotions rushing through him. "They said I would be invincible!"


    How could this be? That person had promised! Paul had dedicated the rest of his life to the cause, but now, he was dying! Both horror and understanding ran through him. Betrayal had hit him at the worst possible time.


    What was happening to him?


    Was this not the thing that he dreaded the most?


    Could it be that he was using his remaining lifeforce to power up his transformation to use attacks at the Meister level?


    Paul originally still had around fifty to seventy years more to live, but now, when he checked his body, he appeared as if he was on the verge of death.


    The thing that Paul had been the most terrified about was his life coming to an end. The reason why he had accepted that person''s offer in the first place was because he was terrified that his lifespan was drying up.


    After breaking through to a Meister, his life should have extended at least three to four hundred years more, leaving him safe to find other ways to break through before the time was up.


    However, now, no to mention fifty to seventy years, he was going to die in the next few minutes if he continued attacking.


    Horror dawning on his face at this estimate, Paul quickly descended to the ground at breakneck speed.


    Unfortunately for him, Blanche was not motionless during this time, quickly chasing after him.


    Blanche started to gain on Paul, and the Rothschild shouted at her, his face going red with anger. "Don''t push me too far, wench!"


    Blanche''s eyes glinted at his words, her lips curling into a bloodthirsty grin. As if she would allow the chance to destroy a Meister. Albeit, he was a fake Meister, but she didn''t believe that there weren''t people watching their battle.


    They''d made such a huge commotion; it would be stranger if they weren''t being watched.


    ''Fool,'' she thought to herself.


    There was a reason why people didn''t resort to external means to become a Meister. The reason being, even if they did successfully advance to a Meister that way, their body wouldn''t be able to handle the transformation.


    Blanche had read those words in the Rothschild family library, but she''d always thought that those words were based on myth. No one had found a way to artificially advance to a Meister before.


    But with the evidence she saw in front of her eyes, she was more convinced than ever.


    Paul''s eyes flashed with a vicious light. This woman wasn''t going to leave him alone to the very end.


    In that case, killing her spawn would cause her more pain before he left the world. Since he was going to die anyway, then he might as well cause someone to suffer with him before he died.


    He''d drag a few more people with him down into hell!


    Thinking up to this point, Paul was about to touchdown on the ground. He would slam into he ground with full force and kill everyone that was down below.


    This way, he got revenge on the people who had forced him to this state. That man, and this woman as well! He wouldn''t let any of them off!


    Blanche seemed to realize his suicidal intentions, and she did something she''d never tried before.


    She threw a buffing spell at Paul, causing him to feel feather-light, which in turn made him drift to the ground instead of slamming down on it with full speed.


    Paul let out a shout of anger, and he turned around to fight with her again, but Blanche wasn''t having any of it.


    She flew towards Paul even faster now, her heel-clad feet savagely crashing into his head. Knocked dizzy for a split second, Paul wasn''t able to react.


    Blanche slammed him into the ground using added gravity as her friend. Simultaneously, she reinforced the ground around them the moment she hit the ground.


    The last thing Blanche saw of Paul was his terrified and unwilling eyes before she crushed his head in a splatter of blood.


    The blood flew so far, and even his skull''s remains were nowhere to be seen with the force she''d crushed it with, shattering into powder.


    The blood spread out, going all over Blanche, covering her face and neck, and partially over her dress and heels, staining them red. Redder than before, at least.


    She daintily stepped off the body that remained twitching on the ground, licking the corner of her mouth. She''d felt a rush that she never felt before, causing her to feel like she was stronger than ever.


    All that remained of Paul was his body. His head no longer existed in this world.


    Tsk. She should have killed him in another manner. How dare he think about going after Kieran and Alec?


    He''d courted death, and she had delivered.


    Blanche looked at the crater spread out on the ground dispassionately, before staring up into the sky.


    Some of the Meisters that had been watching the show took a shocked breath when their eyes seemed to connect with Blanche''s.


    She looked like a cold, avenging goddess, and with blood splattered over her, she painted a fierce look for herself.


    Blanche looked away, and the Meisters that had been watching cut the connection, not wanting to take any chances of her tracing it back to them.


    With the problem settled, Blanche leisurely headed back down to look for her son and her little brother.

 Chapter 308 Ink Them

    Kieran let out a cry of triumph when he found the pouch the girl spoke of, only to jump a foot high in the air when Alec suddenly talked behind him without giving any warning that he was there at all.


    "What exactly are you doing?"


    "God, don''t do that," Kieran growled, resisting the urge to put his hand on over his chest like a terrified maiden.


    "Sure," Alec said, tilting his head with his normal smile.


    Kieran glared at him. "I''m serious. Don''t do that again. You need bells. You''ll scare the pants of someone one day, then you''ll regret it."


    Alec raised a brow. The only reason why the man had been so shocked was because he wasn''t paying attention to his surroundings.


    Alec wouldn''t have shocked the man so much had he just paid proper caution since he was in enemy territory.


    If anything, Kieran should be thanking him that he wasn''t an enemy.


    Kieran just glowered at Alec, shuffling aside.


    "What do you have there?" Alec asked, staring hard at the pouch in his hands.


    For some reason, there was something about the magic that the pouch contained that gave him a familiar feeling. However, it was too early to make a solid conclusion.


    Sometimes, there were people with similar magic even though they were in no way related.


    Kieran just rolled his eyes. "It''s got herbs and stuff. There was a hostage that got hurt earlier on when I was fighting my uncle," Kieran said, spitting out the word ''uncle'' like he tasted something foul.


    The Main Character made a sound at the back of his throat. "I have no time for this right now. I used magic on her to make it harder for blood to leave her throat, but it''s not a complete solution."


    "Hm."


    "The people inside the cells took her to apply pressure on the wound, but I have to get back quickly."


    Kieran took a step back when Alec suddenly stared at him. "What is it?" he asked warily. It was never a good idea for him to get in Alec''s way when he got that look in his eyes.


    The last time someone in the sect had tried to do so, they''d been on the end of some very passive aggressive treatment from Alec. Along with that smile, they broke down within two days, crying for mercy.


    "You''re telling me that you left a girl you applied magic on inside the bars that stops any use of external magic?" Alec said slowly, as if he was talking to an idiot.


    Kieran immediately paled. "Oh, shit!" the noble swore, panicking a little, before he calmed. "Wait, no. It''s fine. I was there for a bit while I was cuddl- comforting Bunbun, but nothing happened."


    Kieran quietly swore. He''d already used up most of the wound-healing salves that his father had given him, otherwise he''d have given it to her.


    Alec just nodded shortly, but the Rothschild was already quickening his steps, all but flying down the hallway.


    Alec followed after him.


    The System snatched the purse from Kieran, who only raised an eyebrow at him.


    Alec quickly checked it over while Kieran updated him about everything that happened so far.


    The place was still shaking terribly, and Alec raised a brow when he heard how Kieran noted that those with the Awakening Magitype were kept separate from all those with the other Magitypes, making him wonder what they were doing.


    "Where''s the hostage?" Alec asked.


    "She''s with the non-Awakening Magitypes."


    Alec frowned. Was it not Lily, then?


    But, this pouch¡­ the herbs that were inside seemed to be filled with a similar magic, and they did seem to have other properties other than what they should have.


    Did she manage to find a way that fooled the kidnappers?


    The two Main Characters sped up a little as they approached the area where Kieran left the hostage previously.


    By the time they returned, they noticed an aura of gloominess in the area, causing Kieran''s heart to drop.


    Had his magic really stopped working to prevent more blood loss in the girl?


    His heart dropped all the way to his stomach at the thought, causing the man to feel wretched.


    He''d assumed that his magic would be able to tide her over for at least a while before he found some form of help, but had he been wrong?


    Bunbun, who was still large, was looking into the cage with droopy ears, looking sad overall. Meanwhile, Fenrir was looking on solemnly, but he didn''t seem to be filled with sadness like the rest of the humans.


    Death was a part of nature, and he doubted that he would truly be torn up over anyone''s death other than his master''s.


    "Young man," called a sad voice from inside the cell.


    It was the man that had pulled the girl into the cell previously, and he had a deeply sad look on his face.


    Kieran didn''t say anything, just walking nearer. "How is she?"


    The man shook his head sadly. "It doesn''t look like she''ll live much longer."


    Kieran took a deep breath. While he already expected the answer, it still impacted him hard. Knowing that her cause of near-death was because of the fight between Jonathan and himself made him feel worse than ever.


    An innocent had gotten hurt because that disgusting man wanted to use something to make him stop, and instead of it being Kieran who got hurt, it was a teenage girl.


    Alec snapped him out of his remorse. "She isn''t dead yet."


    Kieran took a deep breath.


    Alec ignored the emotional Main Character behind him and quickly went over the Awakened herbs in the pouch, pulling out a few that should heal her up rather well.


    Instead of doing anything like pounding the herbs and creating a paste, Alec just hastily shoved the entire herb into her mouth, drawing a cry of dissatisfaction and unhappiness from the prisoners inside the cell.


    They glared at him, as if they were thinking about scolding him for how roughly he was treating her.


    Alec just smiled at them, before Kieran coughed and reminded them to look at what was happening to the herb.


    The prisoners, who were about to riot in outrage at the way he was treating the dying girl, quietened down sheepishly when they saw that the herb had all but dissolved upon coming into contact with the girl''s saliva.


    Alec touched the wound on her neck, inwardly praying that it would work. However, it didn''t. He tried to pour more of his magic into the wounds, but nothing happened at all.


    With no other choice left, he had to Awaken some properties in the herbs that Lily brought, feeding more of them to her.


    The wound healed in front of all their eyes, causing them to exclaim in awe.


    Alec played it off as the effects of the herbs that the girl brought, not wanting to draw attention to himself.


    The girl was indeed the Main Character, Lily Cierra, whom he had not seen at all over the years. When he hadn''t been able to find her within the various cells earlier, he''d thought the worst, but she was still alive.


    Alec pulled back. "The wound has closed, but I don''t know whether or not she''ll survive."


    "No, no," someone praised him. "At least you were able to close the wound."


    Alec watched Lily with dark eyes. This was the first time he saw a Main Character coming so close to death.


    Kieran asked all of the prisoners still here to evacuate while Alec moved Lily to one of the guard''s rooms, keeping an eye on her there.


    He took the chance while she was asleep to press a seal to her, something that he usually wouldn''t have done.


    It would allow him to teleport near her, or to bring her to him, something that all his Spectres had.


    With such a close call, he now had the urge to ink all his Main Characters.

 Chapter 309 - Lily Cierra

    Time ticked on slowly, but instead of getting better, Lily just seemed to get worse. Her face paled until there was hardly and blood left in it at all, leaving Alec deeply worried.


    He tried to place some of his magic into the girl yet again, but her body seemed to instinctively reject his magic from entering her body, stubbornly refusing every last drop of it. It was a whole different reaction from how her body reacted to Kieran''s magic earlier.


    Somehow, Alec felt like it was because of their Magitype instinctively repelling each other.


    Kieran, who was standing instead of sitting like Alec, frowned when he looked at how the girl seemed to decline instead of getting better, feeling anxious.


    Suddenly, the entire place shook greatly, and there was even the sound of something collapsing somewhere.


    Kieran looked apprehensively at the walls, looking outside the room, but there wasn''t anything that he could see that would shake the structure integrity of the place. He hesitated whether or not he should go out and check, looking at Alec and the pale girl on the bed.


    Alec quickly sent Kieran away. "Kieran go find big sister. I can feel her coming already."


    "Huh?" Kieran said blankly, looking reluctant. "But that girl-"


    Alec retained his normal smile, but he had a bad feeling inside him. Something was going to happen to Lily. He just knew it. Call it his gut instinct.


    He also knew that Kieran, as tough as he tried to portray himself as, really wasn''t. It wasn''t that he was weak, no, but he seemed to feel emotions a lot more strongly compared to most people.


    Unlike Dietrich who was used to death occurring before his eyes, Kieran was a little more¡­ delicate. It was probably a mix between his more emotional nature as well as the fact that it was because of him that Jonathan attacked Lily, but Kieran would no doubt feel the guilt should Lily really die.


    And if Alec could spare Kieran from seeing her dying breaths flash before his very eyes, then he would do so.


    In fact, Kieran was already blaming himself for causing her to fall into this state with his careless actions.


    "Go. She''ll be fine. Help out the evacuation quickly and help me look for a teenager called Mason Woods while you''re at it."


    She was not fine.


    Kieran reluctantly left, but not before casting the two of them a few more glances, as if he was imprinting everything into his memory. Alec shifted a little.


    The Rothschild intercepted his mother before she made it all the way down, and the two quickly got to work, evacuating the rest of the prisoners in case the place came tumbling down.


    Alec tried all sorts of ways to get Lily''s unconscious body to accept his magic, but to no avail.


    He gritted his teeth. If he could just get her to accept his magic, he''d be able to speed up the blood regeneration and take her out of the danger zone, but now that he was out of herbs to use, there was little he could do.


    He''d already tried using his own herbs to alter and feed her, but since she was unconscious, and the herbs he had were saturated with his magic, her body instinctively rejected it.


    Alec slammed the wall in frustration.


    This was the first time that he''d failed in helping someone that was under his care, and anxiety was eating him up inside.


    He watched as her face continued to pale, becoming devoid of blood entirely, and he shut his eyes for a brief second before reopening them with a colder expression.


    Her breathing was growing increasingly laboured, and Alec bitterly regretted that the summoning of his people only extended to within the continent.


    There were Support Magitypes amongst his Spectres, but he couldn''t summon them at all.


    Regardless whether or not Lily died, he would be making a point to upgrade those seals soon.


    Lily was not fine, and it didn''t look like she was going to pull through.


    Her breathing was staggered, and it had even slowed down a little. No doubt that her heartbeat had started faltering as well.


    Alec took her hand in his, and it felt cold and clammy. There was hardly any body heat at all. He felt like he was touching a corpse.


    He watched her face, waiting to see if she would wake up at all, but she remained unconscious even to the very end.


    He didn''t once move his eyes from the teenager, feeling his heart clench a little when he thought about how she would die.


    However, he still held a little hope.


    With a Main Character''s luck, she would pull through, right?


    They skid by death on a daily basis. Surely this would not really cause her death?


    Even if she died, there was¡­


    Alec put those thoughts aside for the time being. He was still trying to use his magic to affect her in some way. He wouldn''t give up.


    If she just woke up, he would be able to ask her not to reject the magic going into her, and her survival rate would increase exponentially.


    But Lily remained unconscious, and Alec tightened his grip on her hand. If she were awake, he would be causing her some pain.


    "Wake up," Alec said quietly, and it felt like his voice rung in the silence.


    He was counting her breaths, but they only slowed down, before her breathing halted a little, and her heartbeat stopped.


    Alec didn''t need to check, already instinctively knowing, but he still did, placing his fingers on her pulse point.


    The absence of anything was damning.


    He tried to resuscitate her, but she remained utterly unmoving, quiet to his attempts at saving her.


    Alec felt as if there was a lump in his throat, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.


    While he only knew Lily for a short time, she''d evidently taken him as someone close to her, with the addition of her name in the [Main Character List].


    That meant that she was his.


    She was under his care.


    And now, someone had killed her.


    Slowly, a slow, deep anger started replacing the grief that he felt upon her death. His eyes burned as they narrowed vindictively.


    He just knew that this place wasn''t the end. There were other people in the dark using this place for their own means, and they had caused Lily''s death.


    Alec''s lips pulled into a smile, and it was lucky that there was no one else inside the room, for they would have never been able to look at Alec the same way again.


    Instead of the usual red-hot rage that Alec was known for in his time as a System, this rage felt ice-cold, as if he could freeze anyone else alongside it. There was a cold, unfeeling light in his eyes, so different from his usual self.


    Alec silently picked up Lily''s body, and there was a thought inside his brain that said, ''She''s so light.''.


    The System shoved the thought away. There was a time for grief, and that was after he killed everyone even remotely responsible for her death.


    Even if he didn''t know her that well, she was *his*. His Main Character. His to protect.


    Alec snarled, before he smoothened the expression over, choosing to maintain blankness instead.


    He didn''t know what he would do if he let his emotions get the better of him, so he shut them behind the wall for the time being, where all of his peskier emotions resided.


    He met Kieran on the way up, whose face lit up briefly when he saw Alec, before falling. His face paled.


    Alec didn''t know what was reflected on his face, but he could see that Kieran understood.


    The Main Character didn''t say another word, silently following after Alec instead.


    Lily Cierra was dead.

 Chapter 310 - The Death of Lily Cierra

    Kieran was baffled by Alec''s subsequent actions following the girl''s death.


    Instead of allowing them to peacefully let the young teenaged girl go, Alec instead hoarded her body and didn''t allow them to cremate her or touch her in any sort of way.


    The man didn''t understand.


    What in the world was his supposed uncle doing with her dead body?


    Though he didn''t understand, he was trying not to judge the teen.


    If he was someone else, he might have harboured suspicions about Alec being a necrophile, but he knew the teen a little better than that.


    Just reading his face allowed Kieran to realize that there was something afoot here, even if he had no idea what.


    His mother, as compared to him, seemed wholly unconcerned with the matter, allowing Alec to do as he liked, but Kieran disagreed with her.


    That was a dead body!


    No matter what Alec wanted to use that body for, his morals didn''t allow him to desecrate the dead.


    They should allow the dead to rest in peace ¨C as in, they should be either cremated or buried, not placed in a spare guest bedroom!


    Alec was lucky that he and his mother had procured a house for them to use.


    If it weren''t for that, he had no doubt that whatever place Alec tried to get in to would reject them since they were bringing a dead body with them.


    As Kieran stewed in both guilt and confusion, Blanche passed by him.


    "Mother, are you really not going to ask uncle to cremate that girl''s body?"


    Blanche raised a brow. "Just let him do as he likes."


    "But what could he possibly be doing with a dead body that he can''t do elsewhere-!"


    Blanche narrowed her eyes, but Kieran just narrowed his eyes at her. His annoying morals did not allow him to treat a body like that.


    Torture, he could condone in circ.u.mstances. Pain, he himself doled it out on a daily basis. Experimenting, who hadn''t experimented using their magic before?


    But Kieran couldn''t shake the feeling that the dead deserved their rest.


    "Give it a week at least," Blanche acquiesced. Her son got hung up on the strangest things.


    "A week?!" Kieran disagreed. "I bet the body is already decaying!"


    Blanche frowned, not knowing what he was using that point as protest for. "Kieran, you know very well that Alec is an array master. That means that he has ways to prevent a body from decomposing."


    Kieran''s brows furrowed as he fought with the various voices inside his mind saying that this wasn''t right at all. "Fine. One week. That''s all I''m allowing. If it comes to it, I''ll be the one to dispose of the body myself!"


    Blanche smiled lightly at her son. In the end, it was mostly because he was worried about Alec that he was so stubborn about this.


    "It can''t be healthy staying by the bedside of a dead person like this," Kieran muttered under his breath. He didn''t know whether or not Alec had suffered some psychological trauma from the girl''s death.


    Alec evidently knew the girl from a long time ago ¨C he''d even mentioned her name.


    Unfortunately, they hadn''t been able to find Mason Woods within the prisoners, something that disappointed his uncle even though he didn''t show it.


    Kieran couldn''t make heads or tails of it either. Clearly, his name was not stricken off the list, so he should still have been there.


    Putting aside his other thoughts, Kieran doubled down on the multitude of evidence that had been left behind in the place.


    Blanche all but walked with a bounce in her step as she walked towards the place where they were housing the prisoners.


    Time for a little interrogation¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec sat by Lily''s bedside, his eyes tracing over the girl''s deathly still features.


    She appeared as if she was alive. Her skin, while a little paler than usual, didn''t appear like the greying skin of a corpse, and her skin was still smooth and tender, showing no signs of rigor mortis.


    If it wasn''t for the fact that her chest wasn''t moving at all, she would have appeared as if she was merely sleeping.


    As it was, their world, Incantix, was one that contained various things in order to cast a body into stasis.


    On the downside, that meant that there were many people who had no intentions of letting go of their loved ones, living with the dead body as long as they could uphold the seals on the body. As long as they were rich enough, that was.


    There were even people in the world that extorted money from people that wanted to preserve the body of their loved ones, essentially becoming blackmailers and moneylenders. It was appalling.


    Lily Cierra was definitely dead, despite what he thought about a Main Character easily overcoming death.


    But that was not what Alec was doing.


    He had not lost his mind to grief, nor had he absolved to keep her body with him forever, despite what it might look like.


    He knew what Kieran was thinking whenever he looked at him with a mix of guilt and worry, but Alec had no idea how to explain it to the Rothschild.


    Blanche, on the other hand, he was surprised about. She didn''t react in the normal way ¨C or rather, perhaps it was because she was a Sin that she didn''t react at all.


    To her, it probably wasn''t anything too alarming that Alec was doing something like this. She probably thought that he was grieving for a bit and was content to allow him some of the space she thought he needed.


    Unlike Kieran, who looked as if he would burn Lily''s body himself if it came to it.


    Alec''s lips twitched a little at the thought, but he continued watching over Lily as he did his own thing.


    Rather than what Kieran imagined he was doing, which was losing himself in grief next to Lily''s bedside, Alec was carrying out his normal routine of reading books and crafting seals.


    He could still feel the cold rage that rattled his lungs every time he took a breath, but it didn''t threaten to overwhelm him like his usual rage. Instead, it sank deep down, almost dormant, waiting for a chance to erupt.


    Alec too, was waiting.


    Suddenly, Alec''s lip twitched again. He''d sent Bunbun and Fenrir to the three that he''d pretty much ditched in the aftermath of that incident, and he could just feel it.


    The lot of them were causing chaos wherever they went.


    They weren''t far away enough that Alec couldn''t reach them should he need to, so he was content to allow them to get into trouble for the time being.


    He''d already impressed on them how much they should stick together, so he was free to wait here for Lily.


    Suddenly, the deathly still figure on the bed moved a little.


    Pale, white digits twitched.


    If Alec was anyone else, he would have screamed bloody murder at what appeared to be a dead body coming back to life before his very eyes, but he wasn''t just anybody.


    He was a System, and he had been harbouring a faint suspicion in his heart ever since Lily really died.


    Would a Main Character die so easily? Maybe. It was possible. But from a bloody side character of all things?


    Not f.u.c.k.i.n.g likely.


    So, Alec had harboured some hope that he was right, and he was definitely being proven right at this moment.


    He thanked his experience as a System seeing the various clich¨¦ plot points. Otherwise, they might have even cremated her body, stopping the apparent rebirth.


    However, the question remained.


    Was this Lily, or was it¡­ someone else?


    Alec fingered his daggers, thinking about it.


    If it was someone else, Alec was going to kill them again. He''d rather Lily''s body rested in peace than let someone use it for their own purposes.


    Alec''s eyes glinted coldly at the thought, but he maintained his normal ''gentle'' smile.


    Lily''s body was moving more and more now, and her eyelids were fluttering.


    Then, her eyes shot open and she lurched off the bed, drawing in a huge, gasping breath.

 Chapter 311 - You Are Dead

    Lily sat up with a gasping breath. She''d *died*.


    She felt dazed and disoriented, so she could be forgiven for her lack of caution right after she came back to life.


    With blank eyes, she looked at the wall in front of her.


    The feeling of her blood leaving her arteries, gushing out, without her being able to stop it with her magic depleted, haunted her. If she had a choice, she never wanted to experience it ever again.


    It had been terrifying, feeling her vision go hazy.


    The wall was decorated with a single painting. A painting of a blooming rose, and what appeared to be dew, on closer inspection, was actually droplets of blood, blending into the red crimson of the rose.


    Lily stared at it, not particularly thinking about anything at the moment. She felt terribly cold, as if she was still devoid of all her blood.


    However, her mind was working as she tried to think about where she was, and whether or not she''d ever seen that picture before.


    Where was she?


    How was she able to survive against all odds? Or¡­ was she really dead? Was she in hell?


    The thought sent a chill up her spine.


    Lily was dazed, disoriented, and confused, so when she jumped as someone suddenly put an arm on her, she was *definitely* excused.


    She lashed out, her magic working sluggishly, only for her magic to be deflected by the other person.


    Lily''s eyes narrowed as she prepared to launch herself out of the bed, going back to fight mode. Just because it wasn''t in her disposition to do so didn''t mean she couldn''t.


    However, before she was able to do that, her eyes locked with crystalline blue ones, so characteristic of a Neil, and her own blue eyes widened. "Alec?"


    Alec''s blue eyes appeared especially blue today, and they practically shone under the light from the window.


    Lily''s eyes, traitorously, started to grow teary, alarming Alec.


    She lurched forward, hugging her friend. She started laughing wetly when she felt him stiffen up.


    He was still at this phase where he wasn''t that comfortable with human contact, and he was a lot more guarded with his softer emotions right now.


    Alec stiffened at Lily''s unexpected hug, his mind racing. He relaxed a little when he realized that this was probably the *real* Lily and not just an impostor.


    The emotions in her eyes were too real upon seeing him, so he was inclined to believe his hypothesis.


    The question remained: why was she reacting like this? Was it just because of her brush with death? Or was she older, wiser? Was Alec¡­ dead in her time?


    Alec didn''t hug her back, but he didn''t remain stiff in her arms as well.


    Her loud cries eventually died down to little sobs, and Alec had to wonder where all the tears were coming from. Surely, she''d already cried her body''s weight in tears.


    Still, he was sure that a brush with death like that was more than a little traumatising.


    Lily clutched the man that''d she''d missed so much in her arms. He was younger and smaller, but he was *alive*.


    She could live with that.


    Lily sniffled, hating how she was looking weak in Alec''s eyes. She tried her best to stem the flow of tears, but they just weren''t stopping at all.


    All her repressed emotions were coming out all at once, leaving her to the tender mercies of these unfortunate feelings. It just added more to her disorientation, and she wasn''t particularly sure whether or not she was really alive at all.


    She must have said it out loud, because Alec answered her. "No, you''re not."


    Stunned, she pulled back from the hug, not sure what he meant. Then, the implications of it hit her, and she actually felt herself calming down a little.


    She resolutely ignored the wet patch on Alec''s clothes, embarrassed beyond relief.


    Alec saw how confused Lily looked and decided to explain it for her. "You''re not breathing."


    "What?" Lily just looked more confused than ever. "What do you mea-"


    She placed a hand on her chest, then felt herself go pale. She started to panic a little, pressing her fingers to her pulse point, but there was nothing.


    Lily gulped. Her heart¡­ was not beating. Now that Alec mentioned it, she hadn''t started breathing until he mentioned it as well.


    Stunned, Lily just stared at Alec with her mouth agape.


    Alec''s lips twitched, and he smiled his usual smile at her, regaining his equilibrium.


    The smile seemed to allow Lily to lose some tension.


    "Wait, so¡­ am I dead or alive?" Lily asked, confused. "Am I in hell? I''m sure I died."


    It startled a laugh out of Alec. "No, you''re dead, but you aren''t in hell. This is Incantix."


    Lily''s confusion just grew in the following minutes. She was dead¡­ but she was alive at the same time. What was happening?


    The last thing she remembered was her dying from ¨C she shook her head, dispelling the memories.


    Alec took her hand without permission, and she was bemused enough that she just allowed him to. This Alec¡­ was different from the one in her memories.


    She looked down at her hands, and they were much smaller than she remembered them being.


    "What year is it?"


    "It''s year AR 1," Alec replied calmly.


    The first thing that Alistair did when he took over as emperor was to change the ruling year, saying that it reminded him too much of the corruption of the Rhys family.


    "Twelve more years, then," Lily whispered to herself, and Alec''s eyes sharpened.


    Twelve more years to what?


    "You''re so small like this," Lily mused to herself. She didn''t even consider hiding it from Alec, knowing about him being a System.


    Alec tilted his head, smiling at her. "You''re smaller than me, though."


    Lily snorted. He was always like this. He waited for people to trip up on their own, revealing their own secrets.


    "I am. And I''m sure that you know what''s happened to me already."


    Alec had a suspicion, but he wouldn''t be confirming anything of the sort.


    Lily just made an impatient sound at the back of her throat. "I died in the year AR 013," she said primly, and Alec was surprised at the change in her personality. "Now, I''m back."


    "Yes," Alec said plainly. "You died here, after Kieran''s uncle slit your throat deep enough that you bled to death."


    Lily''s fingers twitched briefly at the mention of Kieran''s name, before she registered what he said. She immediately made an affronted sound. "Excuse me? What did you say? I died to Kieran''s *uncle*? No, I didn''t!"


    After all the things she''d been through, for her to die in this timeline from that pathetic man?! When she had clearly survived in her own?! It was practically an insult!


    The look of disgust was shown clearly on Lily''s innocent-looking face, and Alec gave a soft laugh.


    He''d wondered whether or not he would like Lily at all, considering they didn''t know each other that well, but it looked like they got along well in the future ¨C her past?


    Anyway, those experiences that she''d apparently go through with him in the future would probably never come to light.


    With Lily''s presence in this timeline, things had already started shifting.


    You know what they said about a single butterfly''s wing flap causing hurricanes.


    Lily''s hand jolted away from Alec after he poured in a bit of his magic to diagnose her. "Don''t do that," she said plainly.


    Magic from people who shared the Awakening Magitype always felt less than pleasant since they clashed.


    Besides, Lily was the healer of their little group!


    She checked over her body as Alec started speaking. "You are well and truly dead."


    Lily let out a strangled laugh as her own diagnosis confirmed his words. "What the hell happened to me?"


    It was at this moment that the door opened without any warning.


    "Uncle, I heard voices ¨C are you talking to yourself-?"

 Chapter 312 - The Future - Er, Past?

    To say that what Kieran saw beyond the door shocked him was an understatement.


    In fact, it rather hammered in the rule of always knocking first before waiting for an answer. Blanche had been trying to teach this wayward son of hers for the longest time before she just couldn''t find it in herself to care anymore.


    She''d eventually given up on improving Kieran''s manners, treating it as a lost cause, which was why she found it so hilarious later on when she found out that it was this situation that caused Kieran to change.


    Kieran was instantly dazed when he saw both Alec and the previously dead girl ¨C''Lily,'' his mind whispered ¨C communicating.


    As in, really communicating and not just Alec talking and making voices to himself. Before he entered the room, he''d been concerned, and now he was concerned for a whole different reason!


    "What?" Kieran blurted out rather rudely. His mind could not comprehend what was happening right now.


    "Kieran, this is Lily Cierra. Lily, this is Kieran Rothschild."


    "Nice to meet you," Lily said politely, but her eyes were all but devouring Kieran.


    Kieran, being so deep in shock, missed the whole thing entirely, but Alec wasn''t so distracted.


    "Nice to meet you too," Kieran replied on reflex, but it was apparent that his mind wasn''t entirely there.


    Before Kieran realized how she was looking at him, Lily returned to her normal look. This wasn''t *her* Kieran.


    Just what relationship did Lily and Kieran have before she came back from the dead?


    Alec stood up from the chair at Lily''s bedside, gaining the attention of both Main Characters. "Wait here," he said. "I''ll go get big sister so that we don''t have to explain another time."


    He ignored both Lily and Kieran''s reluctant expression, leaving both of them inside the room as he went to retrieve Blanche from her various interrogation methods.


    The two looked at each other, one more awkwardly than the other.


    Normally, Kieran''s mind would have come to the conclusion that Alec was using forbidden magic, but he didn''t think that was the case here.


    More than anything he''d heard, about the horrible stories of trying to return someone to life, Lily looked like she was in perfect condition. Her body looked just like a normal person''s, except for the fact that she was a little paler.


    It was nothing like what was described in the fantastical stories.


    Confused, Kieran just felt his thoughts going in circles.


    Lily, on the other hand, was rather calm even though she found herself in less than favourable circ.u.mstances.


    She''d once heard something about people coming back as the undead, brought back by someone, but that obviously wasn''t the case here.


    Lily had come back somehow, but without the help of anyone else. Alec had said that her body''s magic rejected his own to the very end, until she came back to life, so there was no chance of anything happening from that end.


    So¡­ she had to have done something herself. Somehow. She just didn''t know *how* she achieved that.


    She was still doubtful about how it''d happened, but she wasn''t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.


    She was alive now ¨C well, as alive as she could be, since her body was dead ¨C and this was a second chance to right every wrong that had happened.


    She was wary about telling anyone about the events that would go down, but she also didn''t know if keeping it to herself would change anything.


    At this moment, while both Lily and Kieran were staring at each other, there were three firm knocks on the door.


    "Come in," Kieran answered reflexively.


    The door opened, admitting Blanche and Alec, and Kieran''s face minutely showed how relieved he was.


    Lily tried not to let it prick her heart, but her heart had a mind of its own even while her mind told her not to expect anything.


    Alec shut the door behind him and started placing silencing seals around the place, as well as seals that would prevent those from eavesdropping, approaching, etc.


    The three looked with amus.e.m.e.nt as Alec warded the place to the nines, only calming down after he was done with everything. He even looked satisfied with himself.


    Blanche had to stop herself from going up to pinch her little brother on the cheeks. Why was it that he was still so cute even after he became a teenager?


    From what she remembered of Kieran and Dietrich''s teenaged years they were little shits who made her itch to spank their butts.


    Alec started laying out his theories to the three in the room, and Kieran didn''t so much as visibly relax, but his expression looked a little looser.


    It helped that Lily was obviously clueless about what was happening to her.


    Lily bit her lip. It hadn''t really sunk in that she was dead, *dead* until now when Alec started theorizing about the different ways it could have happened.


    She fought with herself, but in the end came to the conclusion that she would be splitting ways with Alec here.


    There were still things that she needed to do, and Alec should have been doing things as well.


    She didn''t know just how much of the timeline she''d already changed, but it was in their best interest that they didn''t mess with it too much lest it become unrecognizable.


    "I''ll be leaving now," Lily said calmly, smiling at the three.


    Blanche showed no visible reaction, but she felt herself grow a little interested when she saw Kieran''s slightly reluctant expression.


    Exactly what was her son doing? He seemed like he was keeping a distance from the girl, but then he also didn''t want to part with her.


    "Kieran go with her," Blanche ordered, causing both her son and Lily to stare at her, nonplussed.


    Kieran protested. "I still have to inform Alec about my findings about that kidnapping slash slavery place."


    Blanche nodded. "Well, tell us now, then."


    Kieran started quickly listing down everything he''d managed to glean from the various information sources left behind in the place.


    Blanche as well had a few things to add. "I managed to get a few of our¡­ relatives to talk, but they don''t know much. Apparently, Paul was the one who did most of the planning, and they just went along with it. Willing fools and pawns, that''s what they were. Unfortunately, I really don''t think they do know about anything, and there isn''t anything too incriminating left behind written as well."


    Alec nodded. "Still, it''s got us somewhere, and it''s given us a lead."


    Blanche nodded approvingly. "Alright. Now, Kieran, if you would be so kind."


    Lily tried to turn her down, interjecting. "I think it''s better if I go alone."


    "Nonsense," Blanche said, steamrolling over her protests.


    By the time they realized what was happening, both Lily and Kieran were already stocked full of essentials and kicked out of the house by Alec and Blanche.


    It was only when the door shut in their face that they reacted.


    "What just happened?" Kieran said dryly, glaring at the door. His mother was like a force of nature!


    Lily let out a soft laugh, more than a little used to it in the future ¨C er, past? "Well, if it''s all the same to you, we should part ways here."


    The first impression that Lily gave to Kieran was probably already rock bottom. No need to make it even worse, now.


    Surprisingly, Kieran rejected her. "No," he said, and his hard tone softened a little when he saw the surprise and doubt on Lily''s face. "No matter what, you still look like a young, vulnerable girl. I won''t just allow you to travel alone like that."


    A bit of blush actually made its way to Lily''s face ¨C then she paused. How in the world was she still able to blush when her body was all but dead? That made no sense whatsoever! Also, it was so unfair!


    She thought that she''d finally be able to get rid of the embarrassing reactions that her body caused her, but it looked like that was going to be a no.


    Kieran grabbed Lily''s hand, and he didn''t even have to force himself much not to flinch at the coldness of her hands, surprising both her and himself.


    The Rothschild started dragging her in a certain direction before he changed his mind. He cleared his throat. "Let''s go," he said gruffly.

 Chapter 313 - Abuse?

    After Kieran and Lily left together, Blanche and Alec moved around together.


    Mainly because Blanche complained that she hadn''t seen her little brother for such a long time and didn''t want to let him go around without her. Alec gave in because he did have a tiny, *tiny* soft spot for Blanche.


    As for the other reason? Well, to be honest, Alec didn''t want to be left alone when Lucielle Hartknight was still chasing after him, and he couldn''t be bothered to keep fending her off.


    Since she mostly seemed to leave him alone when he was with other people, he didn''t want to give her any ideas that she was free to approach him either.


    As long as she stayed *away* from him, he couldn''t even be bothered to give a f.u.c.k right now.


    Somehow, it just seemed to trivial after he watched Lily die in front of his eyes. It was not the first time he''d tasted how helpless he was, but it was the first time someone of *his* had died, so he could be forgiven.


    It made him want to grab Ely- Alec''s mind dropped the thought for him willingly.


    So, Lucielle was still stalkin- following him from a distance. It surprised him more that Blanche didn''t see anything wrong with that.


    When he asked why, she just shrugged, leaving Alec confused.


    Was it some Sin instinct to stalk something that caught their attention? But Lucielle Hartknight was a Bright! Wasn''t she??


    With an inward sigh, Alec waved it off. He couldn''t be bothered to think about the reasons why she was acting so uncharacteristic of her Societype right now.


    Besides those two reasons, Alec had no intention of catching up with the rest of his group for now, treating it as a little vacation away from the chaos. A man needed some downtime.


    No doubt that they were in the middle of whatever chaos they were attracting just by existing.


    He would find them later on.


    He was a lot safer with just Blanche, who wasn''t a Main Character.


    Also, he was still looking for that wayward friend of his who had just upped and vanished like he was within his rights to do so.


    The two made their way into a nearby city, Ruthven, raiding various bookshops throughout the city and generally just taking the time to relax and play around.


    Alec munched on his apple-flavoured meat, looking around.


    This city was clean, and the streets were devoid of any trash at all, causing Alec to raise his brows.


    He''d never seen such a clean city before, and the people were friendly to visitors from afar.


    He''d seen more than one citizen stop and help people who were visibly lost, and someone even gave him this meat skewer.


    Of course, Alec had no problem eating it after checking that it was fine.


    This place almost felt unreal. The people here were so nice that it almost felt like there was something wrong with them.


    He was wandering to the next bookshop on the map stop when his brows shot up.


    He saw a rather familiar face that he''d ditched a few towns back.


    The young master Travis of the Ross Clan was walking around alone. Hm, wait. No. He wasn''t as alone as he thought. He could feel one of the teen''s bed partners nearby.


    Both of their eyes met at around the same time, and Travis''s face visibly flushed with rage when he caught sight of him.


    Then, his face paled a little and he looked around as if checking whether or not anyone saw his reaction.


    Alec tilted his head, confused at the apparent reaction the teen was having. He was a little bemused by the reaction the other teen was having to him, wondering what his problem was.


    With how¡­ busy the young master of the Ross Clan found himself, he shouldn''t have any time to think about any extraneous thoughts at all. Especially since he was apparently still shacking up with the three men.


    There were still marks on him that suggested that the physical relationship with them had continued.


    That was how Alec set it up, but he was still a little surprised by how it worked out. He half expected for the Ross Clan to come after them after a few days passed, but it was Lucielle''s family that had come after them instead.


    Well, he couldn''t really be bothered with this young master at this time. He''d already given him a chance, and Alec didn''t do second chances.


    However, if he was still going to court death, then¡­ well. Alec would be sure to grant it to him.


    But right now, Alec had already washed his hands of him.


    Since the other was still a teenager, Alec was a little more lenient to him than to say, an a.d.u.l.t. Because no matter how a teenager thought they were old enough and mature enough, the truth was, they hadn''t even seen a fraction of what the world had to offer yet.


    They were still allowed to make mistakes, but only if they weren''t of the fatal kind.


    So, yes, Alec had given him a second chance ¨C what happened after Alec washed his hands of him was of no matter to the System.


    Travis stalked up to him and looked like he was about to lose his temper, only for him to immediately pale when someone bumped into his shoulder.


    He fearfully looked back, only to calm down when he realized that it wasn''t them.


    Alec''s eyes narrowed at his reaction.


    ¡­Don''t tell him that it wasn''t as consensual as he thought?


    Alec had assumed that the young master of the Ross Clan would have been able to get rid of them if he ever wanted to do so, but the way that the teen was reacting now stunk of abuse.


    "Hey!" Travis said to Alec, glaring at him. There was a depth of burning anger and resentment to his gaze, as if he was blaming Alec for getting him in the situation that he was currently in.


    And, truth to be told, Alec was indeed the one that was responsible for the way that things had went down, but he liked to practice exact retribution, so if the young master had never done those things in the first place, nothing would have happened to him.


    More than that, it made his blood boil when he thought about how this teen would have drugged Elysia ¨C one of his Spectres ¨C *his*, to have his way with her.


    However, before Alec could respond, one of Travis'' henchmen appeared from somewhere, slinging his arm around Travis'' shoulders.


    Travis instantly flinched, but he turned meek eyes towards Joe, his eyes shaking.


    He was trembling minutely, and it wasn''t missed by Joe, who grinned maliciously at his reaction.


    Alec''s eyes narrowed further.


    Abuse¡­ of the s.e.x.u.a.l kind? Or more? He resisted the urge to frown.


    Alec tilted his head a little, and it caught Joe''s attention.


    "Hey, baby," Joe said, and it sounded so disgustingly slimy in Alec''s ears that he felt as if his ears were contaminated by filth. "Who''s your friend?"


    Then, Joe''s eyes lit up as he remembered where he''d seen Alec before. How could he have forgotten about this delectable morsel right here? They hadn''t been able to find him and his little friends after they had their fun with Travis, so they''d given up.


    Alec felt dirty just seeing the man''s look. Why did he seem to be running into these people so much lately?


    First it was them, then it was the ''guards'' back where they were kidnapping people. Did that make any sense at all?


    Sure, this world didn''t put as much stock into genders since Chers existed here, but why were they all attracted to Alec?


    "Your friend?" Alec asked Travis, completely ignoring Joe.


    Joe''s face turned ugly.

 Chapter 314 - Can You Not Be So Oblivious?!

    Alec really wanted to decapitate the man right now.


    He originally thought that the foursome that Travis was having with them the next morning was consensual, but now, it was rather obvious that it wasn''t.


    Alec resisted the urge to frown.


    Or was it that it had started out consensual then become non-consensual down the line?


    Alec didn''t like doubting himself.


    This was the first time in this life that he''d made such a grievous mistake ¨C and though his morals might not be exactly the same as an average person, he still had lines that he didn''t cross.


    Teenagers were one of his soft limits, and though he might not like Travis, he wouldn''t still be Alec if he could watch this happen to someone else without putting a stop to it.


    So, instead of doing what he wanted to do ¨C especially since they were in public ¨C Alec smiled softly at Joe, and the man''s eyes practically dilated in response.


    Alec resisted the urge to scoff at him, but there was also a part of him that was thankful he had a face that was useful for these sorts of matters. Things would have played out a whole lot differently if he was the buff, muscular sort of man.


    Imagining a gruff man like that smiling so sweetly at someone else, Alec shuddered a little inside.


    Instead, he said, "I remember you. You helped my friend and I out that night, didn''t you?"


    Joe discreetly swallowed but smiled back at Alec. "Yes, we did. Though, I don''t recall what happened after¡­" Joe tried to think back on it, but Alec interrupted him before he could.


    "You told us that you had something to do," Alec said with a confused expression.


    ¡­Just how easy was it that they couldn''t remember that night in clear detail? Alec had expected more doubt, but he could work with this. This was the perfect set-up. He didn''t have to invest much into making it work either.


    Joe was slightly doubtful, but he accepted it easily enough. After all, that night had been the start of his pleasant nights with Travis. The rest of it was kind of a blur, to be honest.


    Joe pulled Travis nearer to him, smirking at Alec.


    Alec ignored Travis'' pale complexion, as well as his eyes that seemed to be trying to warn him off.


    "Why don''t you join us for dinner?" Joe asked.


    Alec visibly hesitated. "I''m supposed to meet my friend later-"


    "Before dinner?"


    "No, after."


    Joe was a little disappointed. "Well, you can just meet them after dinner, then," he said as he flashed a smiled that Alec was sure the man thought was charming. It just made him look particularly sleazy, disgusting Alec.


    "Alright then," Alec acquiesced.


    Travis felt like the world was crashing down again. While he might not like the other boy because he was the one who had indirectly led to his downfall, that didn''t mean that he wanted someone else to suffer from his fate as well.


    The other teen was directly stepping into the damn pit of snakes himself! Could he not see that there was something wrong?!


    He tried to warn the other teen of what could possibly happen, but the other boy was a moron. Travis felt so frustrated!


    He hadn''t called out to the other teen because of this! He just wanted to vent his anger a little, not drag him in as well!


    "Joe, it looked like he''s terribly busy," Travis said to Joe, who had thankfully kept a distance from him. "Maybe a rain check for another day?"


    The glare Joe gave him was so scathing that Travis knew he''d be paying for it later. His face paled further, but he didn''t take his word back, secretly gritting his teeth.


    Travis silently prayed that Alec would suddenly regain *some* brain cells and leave before anything untoward happened to him!


    However, the other teen seemed impervious to his silent, telepathic messages, and he hesitated before rejecting. "It''s alright. Anyway, I do need to have dinner first before meeting my friend."


    Travis glared at Alec, but Alec only tilted his head in confusion. Travis could have strangled him. Could he not see that he was giving him an out?! This was the perfect time to take it up!


    Could he not be so oblivious?! Please!


    The three of them walked towards the inn, one more reluctant than the rest.


    Travis was inwardly biting his lip in frustration, but how else could he make it so that it wasn''t obvious he was rebelling?


    Travis fell back a little and tried to grab Alec while the Joe walked up ahead.


    Alec dodged Travis'' hand. Travis frowned but relented. He didn''t need physical contact with him to talk to him.


    There was no other way than telling him straight up, he supposed. "Hey," Travis whispered. "Hey, psst."


    Alec raised a brow, but obligingly turned his head towards the young master. How could he let himself fall into such a state? Shouldn''t he have gotten out sooner rather than later?


    Even if his reputation was ruined, why wasn''t he doing the sensible thing? Alec was also frustrated with the other man. He didn''t understand.


    If Alec was the one in his position, he would have killed them all, by hook or by crook. He would never have given up until he achieved his goal.


    "What is it?" he said in a quiet voice.


    "Don''t come with us. Make some excuse or something."


    Alec looked at Travis with piercing eyes, causing the teenager to take a wary step back.


    "What?" Travis said cautiously. Why did it feel like this teenager could see through everything? It left him feeling transparent and ashamed.


    The resentment that Travis showed earlier was gone now, and Alec felt confused. Did other people change their emotions that fast? Or was Travis just special?


    "No."


    "Are you crazy?" Travis hissed.


    Joe looked back, and Travis maintained his usual look around him and shrunk away, causing the man to feel satisfied that there wasn''t anything untoward happening.


    "Look," Travis whispered back. "I''m telling you. This is a bad idea."


    "Why is it a bad idea?"


    "¡­Just trust me. Don''t come," Travis said with clear frustration.


    Alec could tell that he really did mean it, which left him feeling baffled. He was quite sure that the resentment in the other boy''s eyes previously had been very real, which meant that he''d abruptly changed his mind after Joe set his eyes on him.


    "I''ll help you out," Alec said to him instead.


    Travis frowned dubiously. How did the other teen want to help him out?


    He hesitated, before agreeing. He didn''t know how he would do it, but he was willing to take a chance.


    If he could get out of this, then he would. If it failed, it would likely get worse for him, but that was a chance that he was willing to take.


    "Okay," Travis said quietly.


    If this worked¡­ if this worked¡­ Travis swore he would become a better person in the future. He never realized how terrible the things he had been doing was until it was turned against him.


    Travis frowned fiercely at the ground. Some people might have said that he was getting his just desserts, but that didn''t mean that he didn''t want an out.


    The three of them entered the inn, where Joe suddenly pretended to be a kind and upstanding person who didn''t have any ulterior motives.


    "Ah, Travis, why don''t you bring your friend up with you to freshen up a little?"


    Travis hesitated a little, and Alec stepped on his foot.


    "Okay."


    Joe waited for them downstairs, his eyes watching as the two walked upstairs. He grinned savagely before following from a distance.


    Travis gave Alec a glance before he knocked on the door.


    Both of them stepped into the room, and the door swung shut behind them.

 Chapter 315 - Blood and Fire

    The three men circled Alec and Travis predatorily, which caused Travis to tense up a little before he forcibly untensed himself.


    Alec, on the other hand, remained relaxed and dare they say it, almost innocent looking. It just made them feel like they were set on fire with desire.


    "Travis," Joe cooed, and Travis felt like puking at the man''s sickeningly sweet voice. The next time someone said his name in that tone of voice he was going to stab them. "How nice of you to introduce your friend to us."


    "Yes," Connor said, grinning in a lecherous manner, his eyes never once leaving Alec''s form. "We''re going to have a lot of fun tonight."


    Travis was growing more nervous, but he hid it reasonably well. To the three men in the room, he even appeared as if he was remarkably composed compared to his usual self.


    Suddenly, he felt as if he shouldn''t have dragged Alec into this at all, regardless of the teen''s promise of help. He should have taken care of this using his own power.


    "He''s leaving soon."


    "No, he''s not," Bill sneered, narrowing his eyes.


    The young master of the Ross Clan suddenly picked this time to have courage, and his eyes blazed. "He is. Whether or not you agree doesn''t matter. You can''t just take someone that didn''t give you their consent."


    Joe, Bill and Connor exchanged looks amongst each other, starting to laugh.


    "And what are you going to do, young master?"


    The words ''young master'' were used in a mocking and almost derogatory way, causing Travis to flush as his skin crawled. It was a mix of disgust and anger.


    He didn''t think that he would ever be able to hear those words the same way ever again, when he managed to get rid of them.


    The entire time, as they exchanged barbs with each other, Alec just watched them silently, his eyes cool. Though, his normal ''gentle'' smile remained on his face, as if nothing was amiss here.


    Travis glared at the three with fire and anger that hadn''t been seen on his face since the first couple of nights they spent together.


    The change in his disposition excited them, and the atmosphere in the room grew more heated than before.


    The three men were now fully paying attention to Travis'' display, their attention off Alec completely.


    Travis was too lost in his anger to heed his instincts screaming at him to keep his head down.


    Instead, he curled his lips into a sneer, looking and feeling more like the young master of the Ross Clan than he had in a long time. "I don''t think so. If you continue down this road, I will definitely expose you to my clan. Don''t push me too far."


    The three men felt their heart rate pick up a little at his threat, briefly scared.


    Travis looked at them with cold, mocking eyes, which caused their anger to flare up as well. The spike of anger overwrote the fear inside them.


    "Well? Do it then. Go and expose yourself for the wanton s.l.u.t that you are. The young master of the Ross Clan sleeping with three men at the same time. And more than once, too!" Joe taunted, hiding his fear.


    How could he have allowed this inexperienced young master to threaten him? He would have to be put in his place before he thought he had certain¡­ liberties yet again.


    The only reason why they''d let him wander around ''alone'' was because they took turns to follow him discreetly. Not that Travis noticed, of course.


    However, now they would take that privilege away from him.


    He was starting to gain back some confidence, and though they liked it, it wasn''t good.


    Bill walked forward and grabbed Travis'' arm, causing the teen to flinch.


    But then, Travis seemed incensed that he had *flinched*, and the deeply suppressed rage bubbled up. He forcefully knocked the man''s hand away, taking him by surprise.


    He was still stronger than them, even though he couldn''t overpower three of them together.


    He was sick and tired of this shit and taking it lying down. Well, no longer. He looked at Alec and seemed spurred on by Alec''s almost approving gaze.


    So f.u.c.k.i.n.g *what* if they had evidence of what had happened to him? Something that had happened because they *threatened* him to do? Forced him to do?


    Travis did not want for the rest of his life to continue going down this particular path, nor did he want it for anyone else.


    He didn''t know how strong Alec was, but he had more than a fighting chance if the two of them teamed up together.


    He felt a bit sorry that he''d already dragged the other teen into this, but since he was already here, then Travis would make use of it.


    He didn''t need much. Hell, the other teen could just hold off one of them for him, and he would be able to take down the other two by himself eventually.


    Travis Ross was not a coward.


    Travis roared and slammed his forehead into Bill''s, causing the man to shout in pain as he went down in disorientation and pain.


    Travis'' actions alarmed Joe and Connor when his foot instantly slammed down on the man''s windpipe, causing his neck to snap before he was able to fight back.


    Bill let out a wheezing gasp as his hands scrabbled on Travis'' pant legs before his eyes went blank, his hands dropping to the floor.


    Travis cracked his knuckles, surprised at how ther.a.p.eutic if felt for him to kill someone that had wreaked harm on his body and his psyche. He felt as if he was being born anew again, bathed in blood and fire.


    Joe and Connor rushed forward to subdue their suddenly rebelling plaything, when they suddenly heard chuckling in the serious atmosphere.


    For some reason, that low, mocking laughter made the hair on the back of their necks stand up straight.


    They warily looked from Travis to Alec, but they didn''t know what was setting them off in the first place.


    Why did a teenager''s laughter sound so threatening to them?


    All they saw was his innocent, pure face, and his gentle smile. However, the fact that he was still smiling and laughing in this situation indeed wasn''t normal.


    Connor couldn''t handle it anymore. "Shut up!" he said fiercely towards Alec.


    Travis sneered at the cowardly men. How could he ever have been so afraid of them? Of their threats? He was disgusted at both them and himself.


    After all, he could just sic his clan on them, regardless of his ''shame''. He knew that they were following him when they gave him ''free time'' but he was certain that he would have been able to slip away before long.


    He was certain that his clan could and would cover it up for him. He was, after all, the young master of the Ross Clan.


    For a brief moment, Travis felt a stab of guilt when he remembered how he''d called out to Alec without any thought, damning him to come into this room with him.


    Now that his head was clear, he could see that they''d been preying on his fears and his doubts, causing him to lose faith and play into their hands.


    For this, Travis was thankful for Alec opening his eyes. If it hadn''t been for that little push that gave him courage, he would likely have stayed in a bad headspace, unwilling but fearful to rebel against his captors.


    Alec''s laughter indeed quietened down after Connor''s shout, but the smile on his face remained.


    The two men felt a little creeped out by him. He definitely wasn''t normal. Someone had *died* in front of him, but he was still laughing like that!


    Alec looked at Travis with a hint of approval in his eyes, now more than before. He thought that the other teen was just a beaten-down, abused teen, but there was still fire in him after all. Even if he did give up for a bit.


    Travis huffed. "I suppose I have to say thank you for snapping me out of my mindset."


    Alec''s gentle smile took on a little bit more of a sly edge, and Travis actually felt a little better at that.


    "Well, go on, then. There''s still two of them."


    Alec crossed his arms and leaned against the door, blocking off the escape route.

 Chapter 316 - Are You Human?!

    Alec quickly and efficiently lay down seals that would damper sound from leaving the room, not wanting for people to interrupt them. He also sharpened the sounds that filtered into the room.


    Those were Alec''s basics for whenever he was going to smack someone around. It would be the height of foolishness to be interrupted before he could properly dispose of the trash, after all.


    Joe went for Travis single-mindedly. He no longer put Alec in his eyes, seeing that the teen wasn''t going to move against them.


    If he had a chance, he was going to take it.


    However, Connor, who was still rather freaked out, went to attack Alec instead of going to subdue Travis together with Joe.


    Joe inwardly cursed the other man, whose brain had been addled by Bill''s death.


    To him, it was better to take care of their little toy that had bent to their wills for countless nights rather than going after the unknown factor. They could always team up against him together once they''d taken care of Travis, but no! Connor went for the unknown first!


    The sudden split in their priorities meant that their fighting strength was weakened.


    Travis shifted as if he was about to tackle Connor to stop him from going after Alec, but before anyone in the room could react, Alec''s hand lashed out lightning fast, grabbing Connor by the throat.


    Connor kicked out, but he was stunned by the sudden change in his position, flailing uselessly.


    Joe and Travis were surprised at the show of strength Alec was showing, but then quickly put it out of their mind, returning to their own fight.


    Joe kept an eye out for Alec in case he attacked from behind, leaving him fighting in a disadvantageous position of two to one.


    To be honest, the man really didn''t want to attack either of them because if it got back to the Ross Clan about what they did or had done, his life would be over in a split second.


    However, things had already come to this. There was no backing out for him now, and if the blackmail threats didn''t work now, then it wouldn''t later either.


    The only choice he had left was to kill Travis before altering the crime scene and fleeing.


    Joe still wanted to live.


    Alec sneered at the man whose flailing was getting weaker as he choked him, slowly closing his fingers around the man''s throat.


    Connor''s face went white then red as the blood tried to go to places to help him take in oxygen, but to no avail.


    Luckily for him, Alec had no intentions of having him die by something as boring as *strangulation*, no. Especially not for abusers like this. Alec loathed them with a passion.


    Alec abruptly released the man, causing him to drop to the floor, panting, and slightly disbelieving that the enemy would give him time to recuperate.


    Maybe he was one of those pretty boys that detested killing, or had problems facing their morals and ethics as if taking a life was something shameful.


    Connor took in large, heavy gasps as oxygen rushed back into his lungs, his vision swimming.


    But even when he was doing that, the man tried to escape from Alec.


    Before the man could get very far, Alec lazily reached out and dragged the man back by the arm, looking for all the world as if he was a cat playing with a struggling mouse.


    Then, what Alec did next would forever be impressed on Travis'' mind.


    Alec gripped harder before the smile on his face widened. He planted his foot on Connor''s body, then with a single, strong yank, he actually managed to detach the entirety of Connor''s arm from his body.


    The first thing that happened was the joint popping out of the socket, before the muscles that connected the bones and joints tore. Then, the arteries and veins simultaneously burst before giving way.


    It happened in a split second, and no one was able to react in time.


    It happened so quick that there was a delayed reaction in Connor, the pain not registering until after he saw his arm in Alec''s hands, detached from his body.


    Connor instantly let out a scream so loud that if it wasn''t for the seals Alec had placed up, the entire building would have been wondering who was screaming in the distance ¨C and so painfully and desperately too.


    The blood gushed out from the place his arm once was, and the man looked at the arm that was still in Alec''s grip in horror.


    His face instantly paled from its previous red-state, and his legs trembled on the ground. The man''s entire world now consisted of pain, and there were no thoughts in his mind.


    Any pain that he thought he''d experienced before this was nothing compared to what he was feeling at this moment.


    Every single one of his nerves was screaming, like they were on fire.


    Thankfully, Connor felt his vision gaining some black spots, and the man rolled around on the ground, clutching his still gushing arm. His arm that would never recover.


    He knew that he would pass out soon, which would end this unbearable pain.


    Alec clicked his tongue when Connor''s screaming grew increasingly faint. He lightly pressed his foot on the man to roll him over, prompting another jerk from the man as his screams increased in volume again.


    Alec blinked his eyes as he put on his most genial smile, smiling down at the man on the stained red ground.


    He pulled out a syringe from his interspatial dimension ¨C still cursing that his idiotic self had placed the seal *on his thigh* ¨C and pressed on the plunger lightly, causing a bit of light green solution to squirt out.


    "Don''t worry. This will keep you awake for the rest."


    The words that Alec said seemed to register in Connor''s mind, because the man started gasping and making little desperate noises as he weakly shook his head, as if doing so would prevent Alec from doing anything.


    Without any warning, Alec plunged the syringe into the man''s neck, pressing down fully.


    Connor was thrown straight into the pits of despair as no matter how close he felt like he was getting to passing out, his mind remained clear and in the depths of pain.


    Tears started leaking out of the man''s eyes.


    Alec tsked. The man was already breaking so quickly.


    Alec ripped off a leg this time, prompting another round of screams from the man. Screams that were growing increasingly shrill and hoarse as his mind broke down from the sheer unending agony that ripped through him.


    The System ripped off the other leg, and Connor''s eyes rolled back in his head, but only a fraction of a second passed before he returned to consciousness.


    By now, the man was heavily sobbing, too drained to even scream.


    Alec threw away the two legs that he''d ripped off the abuser then casually picked up the arm that he''d ripped off from him, smacking him across the face with his own arm.


    "I bet you regret it now, huh?" Alec said lightly, his damnable smile still so gentle on his face.


    Connor shuddered, and it had nothing to do with the pain that was lancing through his body. Instead, the fear that encompassed his mind was so overwhelming that his teeth chattered when he looked at the smiling demon in front of him.


    His teeth were chattering so violently that it was a wonder the man didn''t bite off his own tongue.


    "No?" Alec continued in the same light tone.


    Connor, cottoning on to what the devil was about to do, frantically shook his head, not prepared for losing his last him.


    "P-please," the man choked out, but Alec felt no sympathy for him.


    He really should have killed the lot of them last time. Alec''s mouth was smiling, but his eyes were ice-cold.


    "Don''t do this," Connor whimpered, casting desperate eyes towards Joe, only to fall deeper into despair at whatever he saw.


    Alec tilted his head. "I think not," he said deceptively kindly.


    Alec turned around to look at Travis to give him a choice, only to blink when he saw that Travis had managed to subdue Joe ¨C he had no idea when.


    Travis was looking at him with wide, slightly worshipful eyes, while Joe looked like he was standing face to face with a monster.


    The man didn''t even seem to care that he was being pressed down to the ground by Travis, instead looking at Alec with large, horrified eyes.


    ''Was this still a human being?!'' Joe thought to himself.

 Chapter 317 - Joes Demise I

    Alec shrugged before dropping the profusely bleeding man on the floor. He would die out on his own due to blood loss.


    The man should have already gone into shock, but since Alec used his serum on him, he wasn''t able to do so.


    Joe was all but trembling now, knowing deep down what was about to happen to him, even if he couldn''t accept it.


    He''d never accept it.


    The sounds of Connor''s gasping breaths as he slowly died out haunted the man.


    The best he could hope for right now was for mercy at Travis'' hands.


    Yet, he could not see the young teen doing so for him. Not after he had so much as forced the teen into his servitude, along with the now deceased Bill and Connor.


    No, he didn''t think that the teen would have much of a forgiving bone in his body. Especially when it was Joe who had all but coerced them into it.


    Travis would not have forgotten about that.


    Joe''s mind whirled.


    But¡­ if he was tortured at Travis'' hands¡­ which he was probably too faint-hearted to do on his own ¨C there was a reason why the young master of the Ross Clan had employed them ¨C he would possibly be able to escape later on.


    As long as he didn''t land in that monster''s hands, anything was preferable.


    "Please, young master Travis," Joe started begging. "Please forgive me. I won''t ever do it again. It¡­ it wasn''t as if I wanted to do everything that I did to you."


    Alec''s eyes glinted coolly as he took in Joe''s words. The man was disgusting and willing to debase himself just for the little chance of absolution. However, his words had been designed and worded to inflict emotional harm on Travis.


    Not only would it remind him of what had happened nightly, it would leave him incensed and at the mercy of his anger.


    People who were angry made irrational decisions at times, and that was likely what Joe was aiming for.


    He also ¨C from the way he looked at Alec from time to time ¨C didn''t want to land in Alec''s hands and suffer a long and torturous death like how Connor was right now. The man wasn''t dead yet, but he would be soon.


    Alec smiled his normal gentle smile, which only made Joe shudder as his incessant pleading grew louder, as if the increase in his volume would spur Travis on.


    Indeed, Joe''s words had successfully reminded Travis about what had happened to him on a daily basis, and the young master of the Ross Clan was angry and wrathful. He was, however, not as lost in his anger as the man wanted him to be.


    The emotion in his eyes was so much deeper and that much more scorching than the look of resentment that he''d shot at Alec previously.


    It made a shiver go down Alec''s spine, and he didn''t fight the curl of his lips that was more than what one would expect from a ''gentle'' individual like Alec.


    Alec was all for retribution.


    It felt like he was a part of the sudden bloom in character from Travis, something that felt strangely humbling.


    If there was ever a doubt that a single action of his could cause an entire landslide to happen, it was at this moment that Alec reaffirmed it.


    Travis sneered.


    Joe and his associates were the typical bullies who bullied the weak but feared the strong. It meant that he was a snivelling coward that catered to the strong.


    ¡­More than that, it disgusted Travis when he thought about how he''d behaved even remotely similarly to them before.


    It had been a harsh wakeup call for the young master of the Ross Clan, and not one that he would be making again any time soon.


    He was angry. He was so angry that he laughed, the disbelief in his mind had no other way to come out.


    The spineless, utterly disgusting man had actually managed to bring tears to his eyes ¨C as if he had any right after causing Travis pain. As if his ''regret'' now could ever absolve him of the guilt that stained him black.


    He laughed from anger, and he laughed from sadness.


    Travis himself had likely caused others to feel the exact same way he was right now, and for that, he just couldn''t forgive the man in front of him.


    Joe, though acting sorry, held a steady light in his eyes, as if he was waiting for the most opportune moment to strike and escape.


    Travis breathed harshly, wishing that he had his spear with him now. He wanted so badly to just stab the man multiple times as he bled out, and perhaps use that syringe that Alec had used previously to stop Connor from going unconscious.


    Alec sensed his anger and raised his brow. "What are you waiting for?"


    "¡­I want my spear."


    "Go, then. I''ll be here watching him."


    Travis shot Alec a grateful look before darting off into another part of the room, searching for his spear.


    His eyes lit up when he found it. His spear was a work of art and had been passed down to him by his mother. It was streamlined so that blood flowed through the grooves instead of sticking onto the metal, and it was a deep black.


    Gripping it, Travis felt a lot more powerful than he had in a long time.


    With a savage light in his eyes, Travis stalked back to Joe.


    No, he would not lose himself in his anger since that would make it too messy.


    Travis was going to take his time and do this right. It wouldn''t do for him to either pass out or for the man to escape. That wouldn''t do at all.


    Making his way back, Alec informed him that he''d already used that same solution on Joe that he''d used on Connor.


    Judging from Joe''s despairing eyes, that was indeed the case. Travis felt the glee stir deep inside him, as if he was confirming that this was really happening.


    "Thank you," Travis said gratefully, and Alec nodded at him.


    Joe actually whimpered when he saw that he wasn''t going to be getting out of this at all, something that stroked the little sadistic pleasure inside both Travis and Alec.


    Joe''s mind whirled rapidly, trying to see a way out from the situation. He wasn''t going to just sit down and passively accept his torture and subsequent death.


    No.


    There had to be something he could say that would capture their attention.


    "Wait, wait," Joe said, seeing Travis approach with the wicked-looking spear.


    They''d originally been planning on selling off the spear discreetly, but they kept getting side-tracked. Something that he regretted now.


    His heart pounded as he thought about gambling with his life. There was just one thing that he''d kept to himself.


    "I was paid by your aunt to do this!" Joe shouted desperately.


    Travis'' eyes blazed, and he instantly stabbed his spear into Joe''s side, wrenching a groan of pain from the man. Fire scorched Joe''s insides.


    "Do not talk badly about my aunt," Travis spat, anger a lot more apparent in his eyes than before. "Not when you''ve never met her. How dare you use her?"


    "I do," Joe said through gritted teeth. "She was the one who planted me by your side."


    "Ludicrous!"


    "She said that until the day she could get rid of you, all I had to do was follow your orders, and subsequently hers."


    Joe gained more stab wounds.


    Seeing that Travis was just attacking him out of sheer calculated hatred and disgust now, Joe knew that he had to sweeten the pot so to speak.


    "She was going to sell you off to some slave traders or something!"

 Chapter 318 - Joes Demise II

    Travis just stared at Joe with a blank face, which unnerved Joe more than anything else.


    That was, until Travis punched him in the eye, drawing out a cry from him that was more shock rather than pain.


    "I swear I''m telling the truth!" Joe shouted loudly. He didn''t even dare to move to clutch his sides or anything. Blood spilled out incessantly onto the ground, staining it red.


    Travis was about to stab him again when Alec lightly gripped his arm, stopping him.


    The young master seemed shocked. "What are you doing?"


    Alec didn''t look at him. Instead, he looked deeply at the man on the ground, bleeding out currently. "Continue."


    "Are you serious?" Travis protested. "Everyone knows that information produced under torture can never be believed!"


    "That''s why you need him to spill all the details before you can make an informed decision. If there''s ever the chance that he''s right, you''ll regret it in the future."


    Travis frowned, but conceded that point. He''d been a bit blinded by his anger despite telling himself that it wasn''t. Taking a deep breath, Travis could see it more clearly now.


    However, Alec didn''t think that what the man said got through to him, so Alec said something that would convince him to stay his hand. "The thing is¡­ I recently chanced upon such a kidnapping operation. They were dealing in slaves."


    The words that came out of Alec''s mouth chilled Travis to the very bone.


    Slavery was something that they saw as utterly abominable offence, and in the Awerk continent, it was stomped down hard on.


    Punishment for slavery was even harsher than punishment for manslaughter, and that was saying something.


    It was the reason why Travis had been incensed upon hearing Joe slander his aunt of threatening to do as such to him.


    His aunt doted on him, especially since she couldn''t have children of her own.


    Travis had always treated her like a second mother, but this vile man *dared*¡­!


    "What''s her name?" Alec directed at Joe.


    He was originally going to ditch Travis after this since he already paid his dues, but this was a whole other matter altogether. Regardless of whatever second chances he gave to the teen, he still didn''t like him as a person.


    He''d found a clue in the unlikeliest of places, and he would make use of it.


    Joe shuddered having Alec''s attention on him. It didn''t feel pleasant at all. "Diane Ross," he said carefully. "She didn''t tell me her name at first. I had to find out based on her description. But I''m sure of it. She''s Travis'' aunt. She''s paid me monthly to stick around Travis."


    Travis was filled with disbelief. He now didn''t know what he should or should not trust. His previously strong faith had been slightly shaken as he went over his memories of his aunt.


    Seeing Travis distracted, Alec took over the interrogation, dragging the still-bleeding man to the side to continue. He had to see whether or not the man had any other connection to the supposed slave trade that they stumbled across.


    He knew there was something more to it. What did they need all those with Awakening Magitype for?


    Travis stared blankly into the air.


    To be honest, his conviction shouldn''t have been shaken just because of Joe''s words, but the thing was¡­


    When he was young, he''d never quite liked his aunt in the beginning. He''d always felt that she was a bit scary when she looked at him, but that had faded over the years.


    She always treated him well though his uncle seemed rather indifferent towards him.


    Travis tried to remember what it was that had originally made him a bit scared of her when he was younger, but his memories were blurry and vague.


    He frowned.


    His mind was a mess.


    Then, suddenly, a very clear memory of his aunt looking down at him with cold eyes surfaced in his mind. Travis flinched in shock, and his face paled.


    The eyes that he remembered were ice cold and so emotionless that it was terrifying.


    But even if she didn''t truly like him, why would she want to sell him to the slave traders? That didn''t make any sense, did it?


    Travis had successfully confused himself, and he looked back at Alec, who was still extracting information from Joe.


    "Do you think what he says is true?" Travis asked hesitantly.


    Even if it was true, he didn''t really want to believe it. He always thought that his family would be the ones that would never hurt him even if the rest of the world did.


    Travis glared at Joe, his eyes murderous.


    Joe shrunk back, but there was a victorious little grin on his face as if he knew that they couldn''t kill him yet.


    Travis was incensed when he thought about how he was right. If Joe was really telling the truth, then he couldn''t kill him yet.


    "How I wish to just kill him to end it all," Travis said darkly.


    Alec raised a cool eyebrow, looking down at Joe with a smile. The grin on Joe''s face immediately dropped off as fear crept back into him.


    "If you want to, then just do it."


    Travis looked at Alec with shock. "But what if he has more information?"


    Alec tilted his head. It didn''t matter to him. Joe clearly had no other information on the slave trade, and he wouldn''t be able to wring anything else out no matter what he did.


    Joe started sweating. How could they discuss right in front of his face whether or not he would live or die by their hands?


    "I doubt it," Alec said clearly.


    "Wait, no!" Joe cried out. "I do have more information!"


    Alec turned his gaze back on the man, and Joe knew that he''d made a mistake when he saw Alec''s creepy smile.


    "So, you mean to say that you''ve been hiding information from me?" Alec said in such a gentle tone that the man almost couldn''t believe this same person as the one who had tortured him for information.


    It just added more to the horror factor.


    Joe hesitated for the briefest second, but it was enough for Alec to catch on.


    "You haven''t." Alec''s eyes glinted. His original deduction was right. Besides, it was better not to leave any loose ends. If Travis didn''t kill him, then Alec would. "Well, feel free to kill him."


    Joe started begging for his life. He wasn''t below doing that if it granted him some mercy.


    Travis immediately stabbed his spear through the middle of Joe''s chest, making sure not to hit the heart.


    He wanted this to be long and drawn out.


    Joe looked at the shaft of the spear that was sticking out from his chest in mild disbelief. He never thought that it would be Travis who killed him instead of Alec for all that he''d tortured him a little earlier on.


    He thought that the boy was much too soft to do the killing himself.


    Travis let out a disgusted laugh upon seeing Joe''s disbelieving eyes even as he struggled on the ground like a fish caught on a spear.


    The man flopped around in pain, trying to pull the spear out, but it was firmly stabbed into the ground.


    "Then, I don''t need him anymore," Travis said with a savage grin on his face. "I can find the evidence elsewhere. I know my aunt well enough to know that she wouldn''t just leave loose ends like this alone. If he lets it slip in any way that he''s been compromised, I don''t know what she''ll do."


    Alec didn''t say anything. At the end of the day, what Travis did had no impact on his life whatsoever.


    The two teens didn''t bother to clean up the room. Instead, they just took the bodies with them.


    The three men had rented the room for the next two weeks, where it wouldn''t be discovered that they were missing and presumably dead.


    Travis stepped out of the inn and felt lighter than ever.


    It didn''t matter that it wasn''t sunshine that greeted his skin, and instead the cool night air.


    He simultaneously felt lighter but more burdened.


    Travis turned to Alec. "So, uh¡­ who are you really?"


    Alec smiled, but this time it was a cool smile instead of the normal gentle ones. "Alec Neil. From the Kaoriht continent."


    "Travis Ross," Travis said, sticking out his hand to Alec.


    They shook hands briefly.


    "Thank you for all your help," Travis said seriously. "I''ll never forget it."


    Alec blinked. "It''s fine." He would rather not ever see Travis again if he could help it.


    Travis smiled wanly. It really wasn''t. He wouldn''t forget Alec''s help for the rest of his life.


    While he may not follow the other teen around, he would always remember to pay his debt later on should Alec ever ask for help.


    At this moment, a voice came from behind them.


    "Little brother, what exactly are you doing?"

 Chapter 319 - Slave Trade?

    Travis jumped and whirled around at someone suddenly speaking behind him. "Who are you?!"


    Blanche raised a brow at his jumpiness. "Alec''s big sister. Blanche Rothschild." She held out a hand to Travis.


    Travis'' etiquette kicked in and he lowered his head over her outstretched hand, making sure that his lips didn''t touch her.


    "Travis Ross. Lovely to make your acquaintance."


    Blanche nodded at him before she coolly took back her hand, looking at Alec. "Is there a reason why you are late to our appointment?"


    Alec inclined his head, smiling. "I believe we''ve found a lead. Travis'' aunt supposedly was going to sell him off to slave traders."


    Blanche''s eyebrows shot up. That was some fantastic luck. Being able to find a lead in a place like this, where they were just relaxing? It couldn''t have worked out better.


    It was indeed when you expected it the least when things worked out for you.


    "Also, we disposed of a few annoying people-"


    Blanche''s face didn''t change, but she almost seemed to pout hearing Alec''s words. She obviously wasn''t happy that she''d missed out on the action but seemed to accept it with good enough grace.


    Alec didn''t understand how she could look like that when not even a single iota of her face changed angles. Was it the eyes? Could he do that too?


    "Do you know where she is?" Blanche directed at Travis while Alec was lost in thought.


    This time, it was Travis who raised his eyebrows. So, they had been looking for more information on the slave traders that were going around. No wonder Alec said that he''d heard about them.


    Then, Travis'' eyes twitched when he took in Blanche in all her glory. He almost took a breath in shock, his eyes widening. "Wait¡­ aren''t you that new Meister? Everyone''s heard about you!"


    Well, ''everyone'' meaning those who had connections to the upper ranks themselves, who had spread the news of a new Meister who had enough power to kill another Meister.


    The only reason why Travis knew about this news was because they sent someone from the clan to him every time there was news he should know about.


    At that thought, he felt a bit bitter. He should have taken that chance to let the messenger know that there was something off about his situation.


    Then he came back to himself and realized that both Blanche and Alec were staring at him.


    "What?" he asked, confused.


    "Bring us back to your clan together, won''t you?"


    Travis didn''t even have to think about it before he nodded.


    If even his *aunt* could turn her back on him, who else would as well? Besides his own mother, he didn''t know who else in the clan he could trust.


    After going through that ordeal with Alec, he trusted him. Blanche was just there as an added on.


    Since she was a Meister, the clan wouldn''t turn her away. In fact, they''d be very respectful, and his standing in the clan would probably rise when it was known that he was in connection with a Meister.


    However¡­ Travis already owed so much to Alec that he wouldn''t be doing anything of the sort. He''d send for his mother from outside the clan compounds.


    -


    Alec stared at the clan''s headquarters that was supposedly located in the middle of a city.


    Even from such a distance, the people who were entering the city could see the tall, sky-high building in the middle of the city that stuck out.


    It almost seemed like a beacon.


    The Ross Clan controlled Rosier City, and they were the leading clan in the city.


    While there were a few other, smaller clans here, they were the minority.


    Alec was more than surprised to see such a thing. From what he knew about clans back on the Kaoriht continent, most of them were hidden away so that no one could find them.


    Here, the clans were proudly on display. There was the Ross Clan crest on buildings that were controlled by them, and people who walked around with the crest on the back of their shirts.


    It was a completely different scenery from the one he was used to.


    Alec wondered what other differences there were when you had to add in people that constantly came in and out that weren''t completely under your clan''s jurisdiction.


    Travis looked sharply at the gatekeeper, whispering something to him.


    The gatekeeper looked surprised, but nodded obligingly, nonetheless. He wasn''t obliged to report that young master Travis was back.


    The three of them changed into cloaks, which drew a few looks, but not many. There weren''t many people who used cloaks in this city due to the pride of the clan crest, but it wasn''t that uncommon either.


    Soon enough, no one paid them any more attention.


    While the headquarters of the Ross Clan was in the middle of the city, the real clan compounds were on the outskirts of it to prevent any sabotage, as well as to ward off people who attacked to ensure that there weren''t any civilian casualties.


    The group of three checked into an inn instead of heading to the clan compounds immediately and breaking in. As much as Travis wanted to go incognito, if it came out that he was the one that brought a Meister into the clan without any warning, it was very possible that they might order his execution despite him being the first young master of the Ross Clan.


    Potential embarrassment at the clan''s expense was always taken seriously, but more than that, it was the fact that he had endangered the Clan by letting in a Meister that could cause catastrophic damage.


    Once they were there, Travis quickly sent word back to his mother and for her to come out to meet him.


    He also included their current location and knew that she would come by the moment she read the letter.


    Sure enough, a scant thirty minutes later, a similarly hooded person arrived at their doorstep. She had come alone, knowing how serious her son''s tone was in his letter to her.


    Talisha swept back her hood, sweeping her son into a hug regardless of their company.


    She half expected the boy to leave for years on end, only sending her the occasional letter, and communication had been scarce, leaving her worried.


    "Travis!" Talisha said with a smile. She beamed, squeezing her son''s cheeks. "You''ve grown thinner," she said disapprovingly.


    Travis'' face pinked. "Mom," he complained with embarrassment, his eyes darting to his company.


    "Stop that," she scolded. "Let me get a good look at you."


    Despite himself, Travis felt a smile creep up on his face. He''d missed her, and she had obviously missed him.


    After settling down, Talisha politely greeted both Alec and Blanche.


    Blanche sized the other woman up. She quite liked that Travis'' mother didn''t gawk at her though she already knew that she was a Meister.


    She could also tell that the affection Talisha held for Travis was genuine, but she also didn''t really like Travis, so she remained indifferent.


    "So, what''s this all about?" Talisha asked her son. She smirked. "I know for sure you wouldn''t return just for a visit. Not when you''re still in the middle of your journey. Bringing a Meister along with you, no less? What have you been up to?"


    Talisha''s face turned serious. "Are you in trouble?"


    Travis steeled himself. He''d just blurt it out without any tact whatsoever. This was his mom, after all. "Mom, is it possible that Aunt Diane harbours murderous intentions towards me?"


    Talisha looked shocked. "What?" She looked at Alec and Blanche suspiciously. "Did those two tell you that?"


    Travis shook his head. "No. You know the three men that hung around me last time?"


    Talisha''s eyes darkened at the mention of the three men. She never liked them, despite their seemingly innocent presentation of themselves. There was just something about them that set her off, yet her son had been so set on bringing them around that she could hardly disagree.


    "I do."


    "I killed the three of them," Travis admitted point-blank. "Before one of them died, they told me something disturbing. About Aunt. But I''m not sure whether or not I believe them completely. She was apparently involved in the slave trade."


    Talisha looked at Travis seriously. "Tell me more."

 Chapter 320 - Hidden

    Talisha just couldn''t believe what her son had told her.


    Both she and Diane had originally been expecting around the same time, but when her sister had miscarried her child, she''d eventually become cold and withdrawn, shying away from contact.


    Her bright and kind sister had disappeared in the short span of a few months, leaving behind a person that was a shell of her former self.


    Even the birth of Travis hadn''t helped her any ¨C it just reminded her of the loss of her child.


    She even turned away from her husband, whom Talisha later found out had cheated on her after she miscarried her child.


    Talisha had been filled with righteous fury at that ¨C and if her sister''s husband had a little¡­ unfortunate accident, then it was just that. An accident.


    Diane had eventually recovered a little with Talisha''s unwavering support. While she still treated Travis coldly at the start, she eventually warmed up to him.


    That just filled Talisha with so much relief that she hadn''t bothered to check on her sister''s mental state before that to make sure that she was really alright and not just faking it.


    But¡­ her sister wasn''t like this! Not like what Travis had described, at least.


    She didn''t believe that her sister would go so low as to partake in human trafficking that was so abhorred.


    But¡­ if what Travis said was true, then what was she going to do?


    She hesitated a little before she accepted reality. Regardless of whether or not it was the truth, they now needed to investigate. Otherwise, the doubt would always linger in their minds like a slow-acting poison.


    More than that, if Diane really did want to cause harm to her son, then Talisha would take action. Sister or not, that was her son!


    "Okay," Talisha said with determination. "Tomorrow, I''ll make sure that there''s a huge celebration for Travis'' return. Travis and I will make sure to keep Talisha occupied, as well as preventing any suspicion on ourselves."


    Alec just smiled at Talisha, which reassured her a little knowing that her son had a gentle friend like this.


    Travis'' mother was being a lot more helpful than he expected. Alec half expected to go around her instead of being able to work with her. He hadn''t really believed Travis'' reassurances, but this was better.


    More so since the rest of the clan would be suitably distracted while they broke in.


    -


    Under the cover of darkness, Blanche and Alec broke into Diane Ross'' house, where she lived alone.


    The house was modest and well-equipped, but there were little in the way of personal effects, which was a little surprising. It was like she had nothing to live for. Nothing to look forward to.


    It was pretty much bare. There were no photos, not paintings. Nothing except for the basic necessities.


    Alec''s brows furrowed a little.


    Blanche sauntered into the woman''s bedroom while Alec headed towards the other rooms.


    He made sure to leave no traces behind as he checked behind each door. Luckily, Alec''s standard attire was wearing his half-palm black gloves for his runes which helped whenever he had prevent leaving behind evidence.


    He sorely doubted that the information they were looking for would be out in the open air. It never was.


    Unless, of course, it was a trap, or the person was an utter fool.


    Judging from how Diane had been able to fool both her sister and her nephew over the years, he doubted that she was one of such fools.


    He disabled the various traps that he found in the office, knowing that he would have enough time to reset them.


    For all that there were various lethal traps, they were relatively easy for him to disable since they were all using a mixture of seals and arrays.


    He still checked the ''obvious'' spots like the bookshelves and the drawers, but as expected, he didn''t find anything inside those other than normal paperwork.


    ¡­He couldn''t say much for the woman''s reading choice, really. It was all dry, boring texts that contained little useful information. She also harboured three of each book.


    He didn''t quite know what he was looking for, really, or what would point her out as someone more deeply involved than she seemed. Perhaps she was just a ''seller'' who knew the right contacts, but his gut instinct said otherwise.


    For all that Travis and seemingly Talisha had accepted that Diane had been about to sell Travis off, they didn''t seem to think that she had anything deeper than that.


    Since there was nothing wrong with the desk, and the floorboard were all accounted for, then if anything was hidden, it should be in the bookshelf.


    Taking a closer look at the bookshelf, Alec paid close attention to the floor and wall surrounding it.


    It was very faint, but there were slight scuff marks on the floor that couldn''t be covered up due to how often it had been used. It was the wear and tear that usage would eventually cause.


    He also looked at the places where the bookshelf met with the wall, and he blinked.


    Jackpot.


    He could see what appeared to be hinges on the top and bottom of one side of the bookshelf.


    Now, how to activate it?


    Sliding his gloved hands around, Alec didn''t feel any sort of latch, and it probably wouldn''t be something that needed brute strength to do since that would cause noise.


    Suddenly, Alec''s eyes narrowed, and he pulled a book in the bookshelf, tugging it firmly. The book tilted backwards, but it never left the bookshelf completely.


    Alec''s lips twitched. He always thought these were a myth.


    Just this one book was more worn than the others while the others only showed faint signs of yellowing from the oil that humans naturally carried on their fingertips.


    This one book, however legitimate it looked, didn''t match the rest.


    There was a clank that wouldn''t have been heard to normal human ears, but Alec heard it.


    Something unlatched, and the inside was hollow.


    Alec stepped back and tugged at the bookshelf. It slid forward easily without any sound, and he went around it.


    The inside of the place was a lot more lived-in compared to the outside house and didn''t that say a lot for the owner of this place?


    Just how much was she hiding that she considered the secrets she was hiding her true self instead of her life outside?


    How much of it was fake and real?


    Alec shrugged it off. It wasn''t like he was going to have anything to do with the Ross Clan after this. They could handle their own situation without his help.


    He took everything inside the room, rummaging about messily and overall leaving a mess in the place.


    He left behind all the notes about what she had to do with slave traders, as well as the various suspicious disappearances that had gone on in their city and basically everything about Travis.


    Originally, Blanche and Alec were not going to leave any trace behind, but the things that he read inside here made his temper flare.


    With a smile that didn''t show how pissed he was, Alec called out to Blanche. "Big sister, let''s go after I blast this bookshelf down."


    Blanche appeared behind him, raising a brow but nodding gracefully. "The rest of the house is practically untouched. The only place that''s frequently used is the bathroom and the bedroom. The rest are just there for decoration. There isn''t any evidence there either."


    Alec smiled. "I got it all."


    The System turned around, blasting down the bookshelf without any fanfare. He overturned a few things, and Blanche turned around to move a few things elsewhere as well.


    Then, Alec kicked half the front door down, making an earth-shattering bang in the middle of the celebratory feast.


    Judging by the sound of the feet thundering across the ground, the people of the Ross Clan should be here at any moment.


    Blanche grabbed Alec and quickly moved out from the clan compounds, and rather than returning back to the inn where Travis had checked in, it would be better for them to just leave the city instead.


    No doubt their actions would cause a great upheaval and sudden investigation into the clan''s members.

 Chapter 321 - Territory

    Blanche and Alec moved a few cities down, nearer to where Alec''s group of three Main Characters were no doubt causing endless amounts of chaos, but not near enough that they would come across each other without arranging to meet up first.


    They didn''t do so because they had something to do first.


    They''d discovered a little black booklet within Diane Ross'' stash, as well as her diary. The information in there was enlightening to say the least.


    Though there weren''t any names in the little black book, there were rather apt descriptions, and it was more helpful than not.


    There were so many people inside there that were implicated that it was more than a little disturbing.


    There were also a few conspiracies that the woman herself had discovered and wrote into another separate diary that Alec had liberated from her care.


    The woman was not dull; rather, she was intelligent.


    It was only that the tragic loss of her child had set her down such a dark path when she saw the sheer joy that her sister had, while she herself despaired and mourned.


    She had never been able to get over the loss of her yet-unnamed child. A loss that had been brought about from vile miscarriage-medicine that had been fed to her by her husband''s then-lover.


    Not only had she lost her child, she discovered that her husband had been cheating on her immediately after. The series of events that led her to discover that the result of her loss was not her own fault, but rather a plot from someone else sent her over the edge.


    Diane tumbled into the darker, dirtier side of the Awerk continent, and she didn''t see anything wrong with it.


    Why should others be happy while she herself suffered?


    Flipping through more pages, Alec took in the words that dripped with hatred for the happiness of her sister and her nephew, as well as the revenge that she had sought on her husband and his lover.


    Talisha''s discovery about her husband''s unfaithfulness and subsequent revenge for her had left her bereft of a target for her hatred, as she had only just killed off her husband''s lover.


    That just sent her deeper down. Though Travis and Talisha were from a single-parent family, they were still happy while she had no one, and now she was left without anything to do.


    Diane Ross had become a very twisted individual under the guise of her everyday life.


    She could have spirited away Travis at any time when he was younger, selling him off to the already blossoming human trafficking business that she was a part of.


    However, she did no such thing.


    Instead, she wrote about how she wanted them at the heights of happiness before she brought it all crashing down.


    She''d whispered various words into her nephew''s ears that could be taken in an innocent way, planted the most unsavoury criminals near him without a second thought.


    The people that had led him down a similarly twisted path of life to ensure that he left behind a trail that would be hard to deny and wipe clean.


    All so that one day, Travis Ross deeds would be exposed to the world when he inevitably went ''missing'' in an attempt to find him.


    The trail that tracked back would cast him in the dirtiest light possible, and the clan would cast him off from their books, expelling him once and for all.


    Not only would her nephew still be alive and suffering, her sister would also hit similar levels of despair that she had when she lost her own child.


    Then, Diane Ross would whisper back the words that meant *nothing*. ''It''s alright,'' she would whisper to her distraught sister.


    Without a conscience and without any more morals to speak of, Diane went down a path of no return.


    Alec read on more and more, feeling disgusted.


    It was truly a view into the human psyche where they lost something precious and irreplaceable to them, then have to compare their loss to the happiness of someone so close to them.


    There was an almost clinical and methodical way that Diane Ross had planned this out for years.


    Her patience was commendable, but that was all.


    Everything else was despicable in the worst way.


    There was an almost casual violence that bled off of the words Diane Ross wrote in her diary, as if she no longer cared about whether she herself lived or died. The way she spoke about what she wanted to see happen to those closest to her.


    Diane Ross was a woman that had gave into despair and wanted to inflict similar levels of despair on those around her.


    She was cold, bone-deep, and she had been for a very long time. She was just a consummate actor.


    She acted as if she was concerned with her family, her friends, and she moved in a way that drew no attention to herself whatsoever.


    All the while, she murmured words into the right ears, and she worked exclusively from the shadows.


    People went missing both inside and outside the clan, but nothing ever came from it.


    Even her plans had plans, and everyone who knew her described her as kind and gentle. But she trusted no one but herself.


    Alec was honestly shocked at just how much vitriol someone could infuse into their words on paper.


    Her plans had been written down in so much detail it was honestly disturbing.


    And it had been working pretty much perfectly. Travis'' personality had been shaped almost as much by her as he had been by his mother. However, Talisha obviously hadn''t been able to counteract Diane''s poison on her son.


    It was like Diane didn''t care that one day all the evidence she had could be used against her. She had completely lost herself, and she didn''t care whether or not she lived or died once she''d achieved her goals.


    If it hadn''t been for Alec and Blanche breaking into her place to look for evidence against the slave traders, she''d likely not have been exposed at all, and continued to live normally.


    It sickened Alec.


    The worst part of it was that Alec couldn''t stop reading her poisonous words because the descriptions about her meetings were thrown in as well, and sometimes they were so subtle that Alec had to read it seriously.


    Her words dripped with so much malice and hatred that a lesser person would likely either have self-destructed reading her words or have been utterly put off altogether, giving up.


    Alec actually had to take a break a few times from reading that diary because of how utterly disgusted he felt inside. The revulsion he felt was so strong that he had to blow off some steam by killing various monsters in a nearby forest.


    He also sparred (and lost) against Blanche numerous times.


    The taste of defeat was more relieving than it had ever been, knowing that he wasn''t and would never be like Diane Ross. He did not inflict harm on his own people.


    But still, there were a few similarities between the two of them that Alec could see, and he didn''t like it. He didn''t like thinking that he was in any way similar to one Diane Ross, who would do anything she could do reach her goals, no matter who got hurt in the process.


    But there was one thing that calmed him.


    He worked for the benefit of both himself and the people he held to himself instead of bringing them down like Diane Ross was doing.


    Alec blinked his eyes, shutting the diary full of malice. He cross-referenced it with the little black book, but half of his mind was wandering.


    Still, he could and would go through people if it meant that he''d be able to keep his territory safe.


    Alec paused. Territory? Was this what he was treating those people close to him?


    Suddenly, Alec wondered whether it was in a Sin''s characteristics to be protective over their ''territory'' which would spur a murderous rage once it was infringed on.


    He thought about his Spectres, and Blanche, and couldn''t quite make a connection just yet.


    But it bore thinking about.


    Anyway, Alec finished looking through the little black book.


    He''d come to the conclusion that Diane Ross was relatively high up the slave-trade roster, and she had been careful enough to avoid implicating the people within it though she didn''t care about her own details.


    Alec narrowed his eyes.

 Chapter 322 - Starting A Conversation

    Blanche and Alec sat at a quaint little teashop in a part of the city that wasn''t too populated.


    It was calmer than the bustle of the downtown areas of the city, where people frequented, but it wasn''t so out of place that no one came by either. Instead, there was a steady flow of regulars that visited the place.


    But they weren''t here on vacation, no.


    They were here to see whether or not the information in Diane Ross'' little black booklet panned out.


    She''d written down the various meeting times that the operatives usually went on, as well as their little quirks.


    The two that they were ''meeting'' today was a male and female operative that posed as a couple to exchange and pick up information.


    Surprisingly, over the past couple of days, there had been no information leaks about the Ross Clan from anywhere, other than faint complaints that Rosier City had tightened up on security, causing them to wonder what was happening.


    It made Alec wonder just what was going on inside the clan before he quashed his curiosity. He''d already washed his hands clean of them. By leaving behind information to make clear about the kind of person Diane Ross was, he had more than paid his dues and absolved himself from any further guilt.


    Anyway, this was better for them. Since Talisha and Travis were implicated in the corruption of Diane Ross, they would be kept in the loop. After Alec and Blanche took a look at these two operators and how they moved, they could meet up again with either Talisha or Travis to extract some information from them.


    According to Diane, there should be a meeting here every week as long as there were no external factors that affected their meeting time.


    Alec and Blanche were hopeful that the meeting would continue since Diane''s work was mainly handled by other people and her subordinates didn''t receive much management from her.


    Nothing should have tipped them off besides the brief lack of communication that could be chalked up to the increased security in the Ross Clan.


    Since there was no news from the Ross Clan leaking out, Diane''s position should still be as per usual. As such, they were waiting here to see whether or not their gamble would pay off.


    They''d come here for the past couple of days so as to integrate into the caf¨¦''s atmosphere.


    Blanche and Alec were seated by the window, and they chatted and sipped tea, generally acting like gossiping nobles.


    Their server had given them a few looks, but eventually came to the conclusion that they were nobles looking for a bit of fun away from the glitz and glamour, which was how they wanted it.


    The rays of sunlight shone gently through the window, providing ample reading light and made her feel a little like a fat cat basking in the sun.


    She felt drowsy, especially with the combination of tea and snacks that she nibbled on.


    Blanche blinked, trying to maintain her sharp focus of mind, but to no avail. Blanche sipped her tea.


    She''d been coming here with Alec for the past week, and they did nothing but sit around and chat, as well as reading books.


    They came across as perfectly harmless, though the server had hinted more than once, asking if they were on a date.


    Blanche would have given him a black eye if they weren''t needed here. Did they have to ask so many questions?! Couldn''t he just keep it to himself?!


    Did he think that she was blind to the covetous looks that he gave her when she wasn''t looking? She felt like plucking out his eyes just for that alone, but she held herself back in order not to make a mess.


    If it ever turned out that this man was also part of the slave trade, she would gladly pluck out his eyes for him. How dare he look at her with such lewd eyes?


    While she may enjoy spending time with Alec, it was not in a place like this where she felt forced to keep her manners and be still.


    Granted, it was a lot looser than when she had to go to tea parties with gossiping ladies, but she felt like she was dying of boredom.


    Blanche had never been one for reading books quietly like a sophisticated person. Instead, she much preferred hands-on work and honing her skills.


    Of course, that didn''t mean that she was unread, but that she preferred it in small doses rather than hours on end.


    Like right now.


    Alec, however, seemed perfectly content dwelling in his reading, and she didn''t want to ruin that for him.


    Blanche pouted, but still started up an innocent conversation with him.


    Alec''s ability to multi-task was better than anyone else she''d ever seen. She''d even seen him drawing runes down perfectly while referencing a book and holding a conversation at the same time.


    Alec''s lips twitched a little. Blanche was pouting, and it was so out of character that it was actually pretty funny. Most of the time, Blanche came off as cool and sophisticated, but he supposed that she didn''t like just sitting around.


    "How do you think that son of mine and his new little girlfriend are doing?" Blanche picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into her tea, stirring it. She was bored beyond belief.


    She''d purposely said those words because the damn server was hovering near them. Sure enough, when the words ''son'' had come out of her mouth, he''d moved away soon after.


    She brought her teacup to her lips, hiding her smirk.


    Alec flipped a page but didn''t outwardly react. "I don''t think they''re dating though?"


    "Yet, you mean?" Blanche raised a brow. "I''d be blind if I didn''t see the designs that girl had on my son."


    That startled out a little laugh from Alec, and he looked at her with a smile. "Noticed that too? Well, knowing how oblivious your son is, I doubt he''d notice it any time soon."


    Blanche sighed heavily. "Sure enough. I wonder when I will get some grandkids. Not just him, but that other son of mine too! Both of them have never had a girlfriend in their entire lives. Their father was perfectly charming. It makes me wonder where we went wrong with them."


    Alec coughed a little to hide his laughter. It wasn''t that there was something wrong with them, but rather, they were Main Characters, so naturally, they wouldn''t just pick up the first girl they saw. "Aren''t you still too young for grandchildren?"


    Blanche huffed. "Well, it''s better to have them young, isn''t it? Then I can still help out when *I''m* young. Just wait until I''m old and wrinkly. I''ll have no energy to keep up with youth!"


    Alec almost snorted, but the smile that hung on his lips were entirely genuine. "I sincerely doubt that, big sister. That you''ll ever lose energy. Or become ''old and wrinkly''. After all, that server was hitting on you."


    Blanche''s eyes immediately found the server''s one in the distance, sharp as a laser, and she glared at him.


    The server shrunk back, sweat beading his brow, looking away.


    The conversation between the two naturally died down a little, in no way suspicious.


    Blanche looked out the window and felt herself perk up when she realized that someone was coming.


    She studied them with a casual eye, as if she was nothing more than an observer.


    Blanche and Alec were sitting far away from any of the other inhabitants of the caf¨¦, and by right, they shouldn''t have been able to hear anything if Diane''s subordinates turned up.


    But that was only for normal people.


    Blanche was a Meister, and for some unconceivable reason, Alec''s hearing was even better than hers was.


    The chime of the bell on top of the door signalled the entrance of a man, and he sat down at a table that contained a woman, greeting her naturally.


    Blanche almost wanted to perk up as their targets came into light but didn''t do anything to give them away.


    Alec flipped a page, but Blanche knew that he was listening carefully.


    Blanche picked up the teacup from the saucer, sipping her tea yet again. She placed it down and picked up a cookie.


    Far away from the two, the man and woman started having a conversation.

 Chapter 323 - Just One Thing After Another

    "Are you crazy?!" The woman said to the man with a sweet smile on her face. "How could you go ahead with the operation without any approval?"


    The man replied in the same manner, smiling at the woman dotingly. "I''m not going to sit around and wait for that bitch when we''re hit with the prime opportunity to strike. With or without permission, of course I was going to take it when I saw the chance. A chance that wouldn''t have come without a good number of years, mind you."


    Despite the words that were less than sweet, the tone that they were spoken with was very pleasant and soothing, almost like they were having a normal everyday conversation with each other.


    Their tone was one that new couples used with each other, as if they were still flirting with every gesture.


    Since they came across as a normal couple, along with the calm tone that they used to speak, if someone wasn''t paying attention, they would never have known about the less-than innocent connotations to their words.


    The woman sighed and looked a little put out, but her tone was full of doting affection. Almost as if she couldn''t berate the man. "Well, at least it worked out. The higher-ups might give us a bit of trouble for not following our superior officer, but not if we can prove that what we did worked out perfectly."


    "Exactly," the man said, pleased. He cupped the woman''s face, before kissing her deeply.


    Alec was suddenly confused. Maybe they weren''t really playing the part at all. Surely if it was fake, they wouldn''t go as far as to kiss in public?


    Then he suddenly noticed the various listeners out of the corner of his eye turn their eyes away from the public display of affection politely, and thought to himself, ''Maybe not?''.


    It sure got the people around them to be careful not to pay the ''couple'' any attention. It was a rather good way to make sure that no one was staring at them too closely.


    Alec silently remembered it so that he could use it in the future if he was on a mission with a subordinate.


    The ''couple''s'' affections continued on for a disturbing amount of time, and other than Blanche and Alec who didn''t seem affected, the rest of the people who were previously chilling in the caf¨¦ started to leave one after the other.


    Some people even shot the ''couple'' a few dirty looks as if they were being indecent.


    Alec took it in with great curiosity but didn''t otherwise show any reaction as he read his book while keeping an ear on the two.


    Blanche just elegantly sipped her tea. It might not be what she was used to, but it was pleasant enough.


    Now that the two targets were here, she wasn''t as bored as she had been before this.


    Their male and female targets moved closer together, the woman all but sitting in the man''s lap as they supposedly exchanged sweet nothings.


    With Blanche and Alec''s hearing, however, they knew that the words that were exchanged were anything but.


    The only sounds left in the caf¨¦ were sporadic giggles from the woman, as well as the low whispers exchanged between them punctuated by the occasional sound of Alec flipping a page, or Blanche''s teacup clinking the slightest on the saucer.


    The man bit the woman''s neck, drawing a scandalized gasp from her, and a flirty giggle. The woman secretly pinched the man hard under the table.


    "Don''t you f.u.c.k.i.n.g go too far, you f.u.c.k.i.n.g bastard! Especially not here! We''re only pretending, you f.u.c.ktard."


    The man snorted. "Darling, I know you love it," he said particularly loudly.


    The woman smacked his shoulder with a loud sound, but obviously did no damage. "Stop it! She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.


    "Anyway, other than our successful heist, there''s nothing much to report. That bitch also didn''t give me any other orders to follow, so I''m just waiting."


    The woman hummed. "Later tonight, there''s going to be another meeting. At the same place. You know the time."


    "Ah, f.u.c.k," the man swore, but still maintained the sweet smile on his face. "That nosy bastard must not have kept it to himself."


    "No, indeed. He immediately reported it as per protocol, and as far as I know, the higher-ups went crazy after receiving the information, saying something like it wasn''t time yet or whatnot. Anyway, one of the higher-ups are coming down tonight, so you better behave yourself."


    "Ugh."


    "I''m being serious here. Everyone knows that whenever one of the higher-ups come down, it''s never anything good. So, you better not piss them off any, or it''ll be your head that goes flying."


    "I know, I know," the man said impatiently.


    "It was your call that landed us in this situation, so you''re on your own." The woman resisted the urge to sneer. She had no affection for this man in front of her, and if she could get out of kissing him, then all the better. But she was still slightly obliged to inform him of the consequences. If he did it anyway, then it was his own problem, not hers.


    The man snorted softly, muffling it in the woman''s neck. "So much for camaraderie, huh?"


    The woman turned her head into his hair and sneered. "You should have thought about that before you joined up the organization if you were so worried about things like that."


    The man let out a frustrated sound. "Yeah, whatever." His voice sounded the slightest bit bitter.


    Alec and Blanche didn''t so much as exchange a look, which was practically the basics, so that they wouldn''t give anything away. Alec took a moment to admire that Blanche had a whole lot more experience in playing ''not interested'' than him, which he chalked up to the various tea parties she''d been forced to attend.


    The ''couple'' either eventually caught on that neither Blanche nor Alec were going to leave them be, or that they had finished exchanging information, so they left the caf¨¦ together after paying.


    Five minutes later, Blanche and Alec also left the caf¨¦.


    Blanche nodded at Alec before disappearing down the walkway, where the two had disappeared. She trailed quietly behind the woman, blending in without giving herself away.


    Alec trailed after the man, making sure that he never once knew he was being followed.


    The man checked his surroundings often, not complacent, but he also wasn''t that well-versed in spotting a tail, which made Alec''s life easier.


    The man disappeared down an alleyway before ducking into a building. Since he didn''t come out again, Alec squatted on the rooftop of the building, thinking to himself about any big news.


    Then, his eyes flashed. He remembered now. It had been spoken in very hushed voices in the bar, but he had heard it nonetheless.


    Apparently, a few days ago, the daughter of the mayor had went missing, but everyone chalked it up to the girl running away with her lover.


    What they neglected to mention was that it appeared as if the daughter''s lover had mysteriously disappeared a few days before the girl''s disappearance.


    It was probably the mayor''s daughter that this group had abducted. Her lover was probably dead in a ditch somewhere.


    If Alec had to fashion a guess, they probably used the lover''s name to draw the poor girl out before whisking her away in the night.


    It wasn''t *bad* for a plan, but there were other ways they could have done it as well.


    But, he supposed, for a group that should be lacking in vast strength, this was about as good as it got.


    Alec turned his eyes down to the building that the man was still in, wondering what else they would discover tonight.

 Chapter 324 - Cult-esque

    Alec waited patiently while various people that seemed to come from all different designations filtered into the building at odd times.


    They made it so that no one ever caught on to what they were doing, never entering with more than two people.


    From Alec''s vantage point, he could see that they put on a black robe with an attached hood before the doors shut behind them.


    Alec clicked his tongue. He had to get the Cookie Sect to expand to the other continents as well. He had the feeling that he was going to need a lot more information in different continents if it continued to go down like this.


    ¡­Could he not be a Main Character? Alec silently despaired.


    It was only when Blanche joined back up with him, giving him a silent nod, that he knew the woman from this afternoon had looped back to this place. So it was not, as he''d briefly suspected, a decoy.


    Alec silently raised a brow. He had expected for the man to change locations later on so as to ensure that if anyone followed him, they would be led astray.


    However, he just came here without doing any other detours.


    Too sloppy!


    Unless they had a teleportation array inside that building?


    But¡­ no. Alec could still feel their magical signatures as clear as day. And their sounds were still ringing cleanly in his ears.


    "The woman went to a few places to throw off any trails before coming here," Blanche said, as if she knew the thoughts going around in Alec''s head.


    Ah, so it was just the man who was an idiot, then. Understood.


    Then again, from their hushed conversation earlier about how the man had recklessly seized the chance before awaiting permission, Alec supposed it was rather in line with his personality.


    An hour or two more passed before the sounds abruptly cut off.


    Alec and Blanche would have been more than perfectly content waiting and spying on them from the space above this, but someone had activated noise-cancelling seals on the inside of the building, which left them without a way to hear inside.


    Alec frowned. He knew he could circ.u.mvent the seals if he just found the main one, so he would have to go in.


    Blanche would have to stay up here.


    For how powerful she was, she''d never bothered to learn anything about the various stealth skills beyond walking silently.


    Which would not be enough.


    Alec nodded at Blanche, who pouted but obediently stayed on the rooftop.


    Blanche cursed to herself that she was missing out on all the fun. She silently absolved to learn some stealth skills so her cute little brother and her sons couldn''t leave her out from the fun from now on.


    She sadly lay down on the rooftop despite how filthy it probably was.


    Pulling out a spool of metal wire, Alec hooked it onto the latch before dropping down.


    Alec slipped into building through a window, where he didn''t see any active seals, so he hopped onto the window ledge before working it open.


    Thankfully, the hinges were well-oiled. Not that they would have heard anything from this high up, but Alec liked to be thorough if nothing else.


    From his vantage point, he could see everyone who had gathered inside.


    If Alec didn''t know better, he would have thought that they were some sort of cult gathering, with their dark hoods that didn''t show any faces.


    Alec''s eyes suddenly sharpened as he caught sight of a familiar symbol.


    It was the same symbol that Vivian had once shown him when they''d first met in the crack between realms.


    It was a symbolic shape of a bird that was pierced through the middle with a sword.


    It was also the symbol that Alec caught sight of on Sekai''s one lone black cloak.


    Alec''s eyes narrowed. Why was it that when Sekai had come here, the pressure of his brand had all but stopped working while it was in full bloom on the Kaoriht continent?


    Something wasn''t adding up here.


    Alec ignored the people who were raising their hands in welcome to the white robe on the pedestal.


    Honestly, if anyone broke into the place right now, they''d be labelled as a cult with no doubt whatsoever. That was how cult-esque they looked from the outside.


    And for all Alec knew, they behaved in the same way as a cult. With brands and all. Just look at Sekai!


    Alec supposed it was a bit of careful marketing there in case they got caught. This way, anything that those in the black robes said, they''d be treated as crazies, and thus preventing any crucial information from leaking to the public.


    The person clad in the white robe raised their hands, calming the welcoming greetings from the crowd.


    "Welcome, friends," the white robe said, almost friendly. "You have done well," they praised.


    Alec could not tell the gender of the person under the robe, and the looseness of the robes hid their gender well, providing yet another layer to their anonymity. Their voice was similarly androgynous.


    But it was a minor inconvenience to Alec at best.


    Alec listened while he moved around, looking for the seal that was keeping the building under wraps.


    To his annoyance, the place he found it was under the white robe''s feet.


    Alec''s smile twitched.


    "But not well enough!" the person thundered, sending shocks through the minor black robes. It was evident that the white robe''s sudden anger caught them off guard after having put away their caution at their previous words.


    Alec had to choke back the laughter that wanted to leave his lips. It was hilarious to think about how they were posturing in front of each other over the pain and sorrow of someone else.


    It was utterly repulsive, and the people that thought they were better than others by doing this were clearly utterly delusional or in deep denial. They were out of touch with reality, or just plain didn''t have a bottom line.


    Alec looked around the place, but nothing else stood out to his rune sight. It was just the one seal on the ground that blocked out noises.


    Alec frowned again inwardly. Why was it that was the only seal in place? Was it because of time constraints? Or because they expected to get caught? At the last thought, Alec''s eyes narrowed.


    For some reason, Alec didn''t think that the people in the Awerk continent were branded the same way that Sekai was.


    However, there should be other things that were keeping them in place. Unless they were disposable, which the ones in black mainly were. The one in the white robes he was on the fence about, not knowing just how important they were, despite them being one of the ''higher-ups''.


    If Alec was going to move, then he was going to take the one in the white robe.


    The System silently dropped down and landed behind the white robe, standing on the seal.


    Since the seal was already active and was doing its duty, there were no other reactions from the seal.


    It wouldn''t do for Alec to disable the seal right here, as it would produce a flash of light that couldn''t be explained away. They''d know there was someone else inside the building.


    The white robe was still gesturing wildly, loudly cursing out the black robes, who shrunk back under the white robe''s tirade and cutting words.


    Alec listened with half an ear as he silently reached forward and altered the various runes that were dancing in the air.


    The changed the function of the runes to something useless, which meant that their voices were able to be heard with both Alec and Blanche''s hearing.


    Still, Alec made no move to do anything else nor to move away from behind the white robe.


    If he got the chance later, both he and Blanche would spirit away the white robe for a little¡­ talk.

 Chapter 325 - Silent Shadow

    Alec silently shadowed the white robe as they stalked around the place, circling the black robes, sounding particularly murderous.


    The man or woman had started singling out people that they felt were particularly stupid and inane, taking risks that didn''t pay off.


    It was a far cry from the previous genial-sounding tone that they used to greet the members of their organisation.


    They didn''t let off the ones that did stupid things but had it pay off, because it was sheer dumb luck ¨C according to them anyway ¨C Alec could see that there were some people that railed under the scolding, trying to school their murderous expressions away with little success, while others ducked their head down and looked contrite.


    Most of them, however, were just angry. Since Alec couldn''t see their faces, he had to rely on their heartbeats as well as their body language.


    "Who''s 14910?" the white robe said with an uncharitable voice after having gone through the various transgressions, seemingly coming to the big fault of the night.


    The only thing was, Alec had expected a lot more murder and mayhem, but there was nothing of the sort. It was mostly just lashing them verbally and nothing else, which left him disappointed.


    For a supposed slave trade organisation, it was rather tame, wasn''t it?


    He knew that they didn''t have any qualms about murdering the slaves under their rule, even though there were rules that they had to follow. Such as it only being three maximum a day, and one minimum.


    For what, he still had yet to find out, but he had a feeling that if he managed to get the white robe, their questions would all be answered.


    Didn''t that woman in the caf¨¦ say how the man should keep his thoughts to himself lest his head go flying?


    Was that just a metaphor?


    14910 stepped forward, and Alec was pretty sure that this was the man that he''d trailed after for a good part of the afternoon.


    His heartbeat sounded the same, and he wasn''t nervous either, which made it a lot easier for Alec to identify him.


    "I am 14910, Inspector Fade."


    There was a brief silence as Inspector Fade stared at 14910, and the silence in the building grated obviously on the man, who fidgeted despite himself.


    Inspector Fade lashed out, and the man looked up at the white robe, shocked. His hood fluttered and fell off, and the man blinked before his hands reached up to his neck. He felt as if something had passed through, and there was a pain that started to blossom.


    There was a brief moment of silence before 14910 made a gurgling sound, and his head cleanly slid off his shoulders, landing on the floor. His eyes went glassy.


    There were cries of shock, and the heartbeats in the room increased a lot.


    Alec''s brows shot up.


    There was the violence that he''d been expecting upon walking into this place. But he supposed that even the shadiest of organisations couldn''t kill off their members left and right.


    Or were they still waiting for someone to storm in?


    There were a few heartbeats that were louder than the rest, drowning out the rest of the startled heartbeats. It tasted of fear and apprehension.


    It was probably these people that had been part of the operation as well.


    "Let this be a warning to you," Inspector Fade said, glaring at them from under the hood. "The organisation doesn''t tolerate mistakes, and we don''t do second chances. If you don''t listen to the rules, then you will end up like 14910."


    There were a chorus of hasty agreements from the black robes, and the white robe finally felt like they''d made their point clear enough.


    "Dismissed," Inspector Fade said, their voice clipped. Unlike the black robes, there was something masking the white robe''s voice, but there was a single defining feature.


    That was the person''s nails. They were painted with a sort of shine, and it caught in the light a little. However, Alec was reluctant to label them a female just because of that.


    "7990, 7991, stay back," Inspector Fade commanded, their voice brooking no disagreement.


    The rest of the people quickly filed out of the building in set intervals, while two black robes stayed back.


    "Remove your hood," the white robe commanded.


    7990 and 7991 removed their hood, revealing female twins. They were identical in every way, from the way their eyebrows arched to the cut and style of their hair.


    "Which one of you was the one that reported 14910''s insubordination?"


    The twin on the left stepped forward, bowing their head submissively. "7990, Inspector Fade."


    "Good," the white robe said. "Should anyone else do anything out of line, you may contact me directly."


    "Yes!" the twins responded in kind.


    Alec raised his brows. There was something off. Rather than their heartbeat increasing in delight, it sounded more like dread, worry and apprehension.


    Just what did they have to worry about?


    Actually, now that Alec thought of it, since when had he been able to differentiate what a person was feeling from mere sound alone?


    He''d continued Awakening his hearing since he considered it important, but he hadn''t realized that his hearing had crossed the degree that a human should be able to reach.


    Even Blanche had remarked how his hearing was better than hers.


    But this was good. Very good. It would allow him to differentiate lies from truth, as well as differentiate obvious emotions.


    He had been Awakening his five senses the whole time, which probably also slowed down his progression into the advanced tier a lot, but to him, the trade off was worth it.


    Alec moved a little closer to Inspector Fade, wondering when the best time to capture them was. He''d already prepped several seals to use while the white robe had been putting on dramatics.


    But now, he was more interested in the twin women that stood before him. Their expressions and their words didn''t match what they were feeling inside.


    It intrigued him.


    But only a little.


    He wasn''t so foolish as to compromise his and Blanche''s plan just because of a few external factors that caught his interest.


    More than that, his gut was telling him not to bother with them just yet.


    "Leave," Inspector Fade commanded after giving the twins a few more praises and barely veiled warnings.


    The twins bowed and gracefully bowed out, all but fleeing the place, but having the smarts not to do it obviously.


    Inspector Fade scoffed and their hand disappeared under the hood, presumably brushing their hair.


    Immediately after the white robe was the only one left in the building, Blanche crashed through the top window, causing the white robe to jerk in shock. Shattered glass shards rained down from above.


    While they were distracted, Alec darted forward, the seal already starting up as it neared the white robe.


    However, inconceivably, they dodged it by the barest hints of a fraction, causing the seal to go wide.


    At this time, the white robe''s hood had fallen off, revealing a woman. She looked plain, but her eyes glowed with power.


    She grinned at the two of them, her teeth pulled more into a snarl than a normal grin, but it appeared to be her version of a smile.


    Luckily, both Blanche and Alec had taken to wearing the cloaks to prevent their identity from being leaked even if they fully expected to capture this woman here and now. It was remarkably similar to the plain black cloaks and robes that the previous members donned.


    Inspector Fade let out a high laugh, and it sounded startlingly maniacal.


    Alec wondered what it said about his choice of subordinates when it reminded him a little of Dominique''s laugh.


    "Now, who are you?" Inspector Fade chuckled, looking way too entertained for someone who was potentially in danger.


    Then again, it was nothing too out of place if they were a Sin like Alec was.


    Inspector Fade''s eyes danced as they took in Blanche and Alec before she grinned savagely, ripping at something on her chest.


    Blanche lurched forward, feeling like something was wrong, but the white robe''s eyes rolled back as what seemed like a mass of magic left the person, leaving them dead on the floor.


    Alec swore.

 Chapter 326 - Bastardized Seal

    Blanche clicked her tongue disbelievingly. "Tsk. They actually used possession! That''s something that only the most paranoid people use. If they aren''t paranoid, then they''re just despicable."


    Possession, as Blanche spoke of it, was something that caused the death of the person that was possessed after the original caster ''left'' that body.


    As far as Blanche knew, this type of seal wasn''t even found nowadays. The knowledge had already all but died out, though one could still read about the horrors that one could commit using possession.


    But even if they could read about the horrors about possession and the damage it had caused, they weren''t able to find the right sequence of runes that could produce such an effect.


    Yet, beyond all odds, they had managed to find someone that had been possessed by someone ¨C and they had used it as a means of escaping from Blanche and Alec.


    That just pissed her off.


    The reason why the knowledge was no longer circulated was because the various people in power had done their best to stamp it out from general circulated knowledge, leaving a sharp decline in people being able to use it in the future.


    To be able to find knowledge of it also spoke of how widespread the organisation''s reach was.


    Unlike Blanche who was clicking her tongue over how the reach of this organisation hidden in the dark seemed to be a lot more widespread than she thought, Alec was crouched over the freshly dead body, his eyes narrowed.


    There were still runes scattered about the air that he could barely make out, but they were quickly fading without a source of magic to latch onto.


    Going by his gut instinct, Alec used his own magic to seal the area around the dead body, preventing the magic from fading into nothing.


    Alec''s brows furrowed and for once, the smile that had been all but beaten into his reflexes didn''t make an appearance.


    "What is it?" Blanche questioned her little brother, seeing him so serious for once. What was it that he was seeing that she wasn''t?


    Alec''s face was dark as he took in the broken seal that had been attached to the woman. "It''s a bastardized version of a seal," he said lowly, his voice thoroughly displeased.


    Blanche felt a shiver go up her spine at Alec''s darkly promising tone. She had no doubt that her cute little brother would skin them alive if he ever got his hands on the creator of the seal.


    "You do know that possession like this was created before you were born, right? And that they probably aren''t even alive anymore?"


    Alec looked up from the body, smiling at her. It was a nice smile, but the intent behind it made her grin savagely. She felt as if Alec ever invented some time travel array that took him back in time, he would take great pleasure in killing the person who came up with such a seal.


    She couldn''t pretend to understand what he was feeling ¨C to be honest, to her, possession wasn''t that big a deal. She could deal with it. She just didn''t respect those that sunk so low to use such means.


    But Alec apparently didn''t feel the same.


    "That doesn''t stop my murderous feelings any," Alec said pleasantly. "Anyway, they could have done something amazing with this, but now it''s just a piece of disgusting patchwork in the making. Someone cobbled up what seems to be a mix of a few different seals together. The creator clearly had no idea what they were doing," Alec ranted. "They could have blown themselves up!" He paused.


    Alec angrily started again, this time the sheer affront he felt coming stronger. "They *should* have blown themselves up! It''s a travesty, that''s what this is-"


    Blanche looked at him fondly as he ranted about everything wrong that person did in his bastardized seal. Alec was only ever this passionate whenever he got into a debate about arrays and seals. She thought it was rather cute.


    After all, he was always reading about the subject, saying there was never too much to learn.


    Blanche didn''t pretend to understand it, but it seemed to work out for her little brother, so that was all that mattered.


    Blanche looked at how Alec stared trailed off before staring blankly into space, as if he was lost in his own mind, and her lips twitched.


    She hauled him up onto her shoulder ¨C and he still felt as light as he did when he was still a kid ¨C and the body up onto the other shoulder, jumping out of the building.


    She quickly moved them away from the ''crime scene'' so to speak, and into a safer place.


    No doubt that someone would come soon, with the sounds she''d made when she crashed into the place as a distraction.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec blinked, looking around with confusion. This was the first time that he''d found himself in a completely different place from the time when he zoned out.


    He felt slightly embarrassed when he realized just how much he''d let down his guard with Blanche. Nowadays, his subconscious didn''t even register her as a threat, thus allowing her to move him without any reaction from him.


    Still, his loss of concentration this time was fruitful.


    He''d designed a seal that he could use to track the person who had possessed this person. Rather, if their magical signature was ever near him, he''d be alerted.


    Useful.


    He''d already studied the ''possession'' seal ¨C if that shit could even be called a seal ¨C and he gathered that the person''s magical signature stayed the same no matter that this was another body.


    Thus, if he ever found that person, they wouldn''t be able to fool him.


    Now, whether the person was male or female, didn''t matter. He already got his hands on their magical signature.


    Alec''s lips pulled into a smile.


    "Who are you going to kill this time?" Blanche questioned with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "The person who created this seal," Alec said, his tone pleased.


    "Pass me one too," Blanche said, sticking out her hand.


    Alec looked at her, bemused. "Pass you what?"


    "One of whatever you''re going to use to make that person''s life hell, of course."


    That startled out a genuine short burst of laughter from Alec. He pressed one of his newly designed seals onto a sheet of paper, waving it above the dead body still in the room with them. He then passed it to her.


    "Put a bit of your magic into it," Alec instructed. "It''ll tug on your magic if the person is within one kilometre of the seal. Then, you just have to follow the way your magic tugs to find the person."


    "Good," Blanche grinned, pleased. "This makes things easier."


    Alec nodded. He''d been pissed when he realized that he failed to take into account that the person might escape by other means other than well¡­ *physically* escaping.


    He''d grown a bit more complacent than he thought, if he allowed for something like that to happen.


    Being around Blanche, who was perfectly powerful and also willing to listen to his orders most of the time, had killed off a bit of the thorough thought process that he should have maintained when facing a potential enemy.


    He''d have to split off from Blanche soon lest he continued down this path.


    Alec still needed strength of his own making, not something that he depended on others for.


    It rankled that he had still yet to hit the advanced tier when Dominique was already a Meister.


    He was perfectly happy letting things take their course, but he would probably do well with a bit more urgency.


    With that thought in mind, Alec turned to face Blanche. "Let''s go find that group of chaos."


    Blanche raised a brow, but she nodded. She''d seen the frustration that was well hidden on her little brother''s face, and she knew that they would probably be splitting up some time soon.


    Her being here for too long was probably hampering his growth. He also couldn''t get into suitably dangerous situations with her here. Just knowing that she was a Meister probably affected his subconscious.


    "I''ve heard rumours about some chaos happening further down south."

 Chapter 327 - Herding Cats (Again!)

    In the end, Blanche and Alec split apart, going in different directions without meeting up with Alec''s group.


    Blanche maintained that she would head further north to see whether or not the seal that Alec passed her to track the white robe''s magical signature would react at all, but Alec knew that she only said so because she was giving him some space.


    She''d probably come to the conclusion that Alec''s growth was stagnating around her, which filled him with both gratitude and something that felt distinctly like he was sorry towards her.


    However, she never once let on that was how she felt, and there was also a part of Alec that was thankful for his pride being spared.


    Alec started gathering more information about the ''chaos'' that had been ab.r.e.a.s.t the various nearby cities. His brows were furrowed from the information he heard going around.


    Some of them were even happened simultaneously, and Alec almost let out a groan.


    He should have known that he couldn''t count on the Main Characters to stay together without him.


    They were just naturally drawn to the chaos ¨C or rather, chaos followed them like a loyal hound, willing and able to pounce and lick its master at any time.


    Alec thought about the various reports.


    There were *so many*, damn it! He''d only left them alone for a few days!


    Minor ones, major ones.


    There were a multitude of minor ones, but the major ones were only one each, thankfully.


    Alec didn''t know *what* he would do if there were more than one.


    This wasn''t exactly their home continent, which meant that they had little to no power here.


    There was a large group of people that had been savagely beaten up and all of them had varying severities of wounds. There were even a few casualties. The only reason why it blew up was because there were more than a few of them that were part of prominent families. They raved about the man that had attacked them in a black cloak. It made Alec''s lips twitch. No doubt that the subtle marking on the cloak was still there.


    A few young men missing their manhood ¨C having been castrated by a whip-like weapon. They couldn''t answer when asked who the perpetrator was, having had the fear of a woman put into them. They only trembled and said something vague about smiles¡­ Three guesses on who that was. The first two didn''t count.


    And last but not least, a massacre at an apparent treasure-breeding site. Both young men and young women were found there, as well as apparent elders and guardians who were massacred just as badly. There was no trace left behind to indicate the person who had done such a heinous thing, but this was exactly Dominique''s style before he became Alec''s subordinate.


    Alec frowned at the last one. Something must have happened to cause Dominique to snap like that.


    He was already a Meister, and he had pretty much full control over his strength.


    Basically, there was a large group of people that had been provoked by his three Main Character''s actions and were calling out for the perpetrator''s blood.


    Alec felt the sudden onslaught of a headache when he finished going through the news.


    The only good thing was that the people who''d been offended had no idea who was behind the sudden violence in surrounding areas.


    No doubt that there was now a continent-wide manhunt for the people who''d hurt their precious heirs or guardians etc.


    Alec very obviously *didn''t* rub his forehead. He should have known better than to leave those trouble-seeking cats alone.


    They really were exactly like cats!


    He left them alone for *one week* and they went out and caused this amount of chaos already?!


    If he left them alone for even longer, wouldn''t they just run headlong into it?!


    They even split up!


    Was he really herding cats?! This was *not* in the job description! When Dorian asked him to be the leader of his new little group, he expected it to be mainly paperwork, which he was more than fine with. Not herding a bunch of cats!


    For Sins, they usually already had a shorter attention span than usual and were more inclined to violence than not. It just meant that each one of them was worse than the previous.


    And Main Characters¡­ Don''t even get him started.


    Alec shoved away the headache with sheer willpower alone.


    Since they''d already split up, there was little sense in getting them back together.


    In this case, he''d go after Sekai first. He''d had a little breakthrough in the brand that was still on him after seeing the possession seal on the white robe previously.


    Since no one was around him, Alec allowed himself to have a moment of weakness and sighed.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.b.e.l.-


    Sekai relaxed on the soft, green grass, lazily closing his eyes and lounging around.


    After he''d gotten his revenge on those bunch of idiots, people had left him alone.


    Of course, Sekai wasn''t a complete idiot and had got out of dodge once he''d finished his revenge. He had no doubt that those morons would try and get him into trouble, but he was experienced in these affairs.


    He''d worn his cloak from the f.u.c.k.i.n.g company ¨C just so that they could get into more trouble, of course. If the people from this place went and actually started f.u.c.k.i.n.g with the company, there was nothing that would make him happier.


    He made sure that his voice, his fighting style, and his looks were completely obscured.


    Who said that he was just a reckless idiot?


    Without the brand disrupting his thoughts at every given moment, his mind was clearer than ever.


    He almost just wanted to stay on this continent forever without a care in the world.


    When he was angry, he just donned the cloak and went out to wreak some morons before taking it off and relaxing when the resulting morons passed by him without a single thought that he could be the perpetrator.


    Being able to vent his anger whenever he wanted was the life.


    He was away from the bothersome subordinate of that damn System''s, and he was far away from that unnaturally cheerful teenager.


    What more could he want?


    His thoughts were clear, there was no one to give him orders, and he could do whatever he wanted without having to live with anyone else''s commands.


    He was even willing to live in the goddamn forest despite how much he hated it if it meant that he would never have to listen to someone else''s commands again.


    That was how much he hated the damn company.


    And he *despised* living in the forest. He had no idea how Elysia or Alec could do it so nonchalantly.


    He hated it even more than he hated that bitch Xin Yi, but it still lost out to how much he hated the company.


    If he could get rid of the brand that muddled his thinking as well as stopped him from turning against the higherups, he would gladly go back and slaughter them down to the very last member.


    At the thought, Sekai grinned savagely.


    But¡­ too bad. That probably wouldn''t happen.


    Even the genius of a millennium, Alec Neil, also known as that damn System, couldn''t figure it out in such a short period of time.


    Sekai buried such thoughts deeper down. He knew it wasn''t the System''s fault, but there were times when his explosive anger got the better of him. It was a side-effect of the f.u.c.k.i.n.g brand that only increased his already hard to control anger.


    He swore he wasn''t such a hot head in his previous life. He''d just been a normal school student, living an ordinary life.


    Sekai relaxed further onto the grass in the clearing, the sweet sounds of nature filtering into his ears. For once, he wasn''t plagued with the instinct to fight and slaughter, and he was at peace.


    He stretched out with true luxury, his back arching off the ground slightly.


    Then, the sunlight beyond his eyes dimmed abruptly, and Sekai furrowed his eyebrows.


    What happened to his glorious sun?


    Opening his eyes, he almost got a heart attack when he suddenly saw Alec''s smiling face above him.


    "F.u.c.k!"


    Luckily, Sekai was already on the ground, otherwise something embarrassing would probably have happened.


    Alec was obviously ticked, and though his smile remained the same, Sekai felt a chill go down his back.


    Alec was pissed. How dare this Main Character laze around and have a damn nap when he couldn''t!


    He even had to clean up this idiot''s messes for him! He should have just left it before he came to get him!

 Chapter 328 - Spilling Dirty Secrets I

    Alec sniffed, and it was the first almost-haughty sign that the System had shown to Sekai, who had no idea there was this side of the System at all.


    Alec was mildly appeased at the petty revenge he got by scaring Sekai ¨C it was the main reason why he''d taken extra care so that the Main Character didn''t realize he was coming, after all.


    Sekai rubbed his aching head, having accidentally smacked himself when he saw Alec suddenly appear. He''d just been shocked out of his wits, and his heart was beating all too fast in his chest.


    Why was his own arm so f.u.c.k.i.n.g hard? The Sin made himself speechless at times. Wasn''t this what one meant when they talked about hurting themselves?


    "The f.u.c.k?" Sekai swore, eyeing Alec, having sat up. "What are you doing here?"


    Alec raised a brow and it was so snooty that Sekai made a disgruntled sound at the back of his throat. "Well, I''ve made a breakthrough regarding your brand. If you''re fine with me not finding you in the wake of this news, that''s fine too."


    Sekai''s mouth, that had been opened to make a retort at his first sentence, dropped open. "What?" he squeaked, his voice cracking.


    Alec''s lips twitched, and his eyes showed some mirth.


    "Ah, shut up!" Sekai snapped, his face a little pink, before returning back to the topic. "You really managed to crack it?"


    Sekai sounded more excited and much more alive than he had in ages, and he didn''t even care.


    He felt like he was back to being an innocent schoolboy that hadn''t seen the multitude of harsh attitudes and cold, unfeeling sides of the world.


    He was almost giddy with elation. It was a whole different type of drug called happiness and hope.


    If he''d thought that the previous contentment he''d felt when lying on the grass without any worries was strong, what he was feeling now was a heady mix of hope, apprehension and glee that blew everything he felt earlier out of the water.


    It was a c.o.c.ktail of conflicting emotions, but it was a heck of a lot stronger than the almost muted feeling of contentment.


    Emotions burned through his veins, and there was an almost desperate clawing at the back of his throat.


    He didn''t even blink, wondering if he''d heard wrong.


    Alec''s eyes softened the minutest amount, which Sekai selectively ignored for the time being. "I did. At least, that''s what I believe. Of course, it''s probably not safe to just use it on you, but-"


    Sekai cut him off. "I don''t care. I want it done, and it want it gone. Now!"


    Alec shot him a withering look. "If you''d allowed me to continue, I''d have said that I know you wouldn''t accept waiting any longer, which was why I took the liberty to test it out on a few animals and monsters that I came across while searching for you."


    Sekai was all too happy to react as he normally did to Alec''s tone ¨C which was to challenge him to a fight ¨C but it didn''t even matter that Alec had tested it on other animals and monsters instead of it being a human.


    He wouldn''t with that damn brand on anyone else ¨C wait. That was a lie. He still hated that bitch Xin Yi enough to wish it on her, but not on anyone else!


    Alec let out a sigh. He''d much rather that Sekai would let him catch a criminal or whatnot to use the damn brand on them to see whether or not his removal of the brand would cause any damage.


    He''d already spent so much time studying the runes that made up Sekai''s brand that Alec was certain he''d be able to paint it in his sleep. Similarly, he removal of the brand was also just as familiar to him.


    As much as he''d tested it extensively, a human''s brain compared to that of a monster or animal was completely different, and there was always a chance that something would go wrong.


    However, Alec''s gut feeling was urging him on, as if this would be helpful to both him and Sekai.


    In what way, he didn''t know, but he wasn''t one to ignore his gut instinct.


    If it wasn''t for that, Alec wouldn''t have allowed Sekai to rush him no matter what. Regardless of whether or not he''d already tested it on animals and monsters.


    Alec let out a huff, kicking Sekai''s feet out from under him again.


    Comically, the Sin didn''t make any moves to dodge it whatsoever, tumbling to the ground and landing on his back with a comically stunned expression on his face.


    Alec cracked a smile at the sheer dazed and almost betrayed expression that was painted on Sekai''s face.


    "Flip over, would you?"


    Sekai silently obeyed, but not without grumbling in his heart.


    He was *not* pouting, no matter what the System said.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Sekai stared at the sky with a blank expression on his face, feeling almost like he was floating in the clouds.


    His mind was even clearer than just a few hours ago.


    He already thought that it was clear then, but compared to now, he might as well have been looking out through muddied glass.


    The difference in his clarity of thinking now was night and day.


    Unfortunately, he seemed to have retained the side-effects of his unstable temper, and his recklessness, but that wasn''t anything bad if he had to trade it off with being able to get the brand off him.


    Sekai almost felt like crying out of sheer gratefulness, and he was only holding it together because he didn''t want to shame himself in front of his benefactor.


    Though Alec had been the damn System that he''d hated since he sent him down here without so much of a warning, he now knew that Alec hadn''t really cursed *cursed* him, if that made sense.


    He''d just been commenting on his personality.


    Sekai''s face started burning when he thought about that again.


    To think that he''d been putting his anger in the wrong place for more than a decade.


    It was a whole different level of f.u.c.k.i.e.d up that apparently the brand had been consciously erasing things from his memory that would leave him less angry.


    And that¡­ well. That made him *pissed*.


    Alec had just tested again whether or not the brand was still affecting him, and the System gave him a clean pass, his face pleased.


    Sekai''s impression of the System had been changing slowly after the time they spent together, but it was only now that he realized that the brand had been wreaking havoc on his ability to connect with other people.


    And wasn''t that a damning realization?


    To think that he probably wouldn''t have had such a hated relationship with that bitch Xin Yi if it wasn''t for the brand that was affecting his mind.


    Sekai sat up. He was more than ready to spill all the beans about the damn company to his benefactor.


    The Main Character realized that Alec had been patiently waiting for him to get his bearings, and Sekai was once again hit with the realization that the other man wasn''t as impatient nor as brash as he was.


    He felt embarrassed. Hindsight was a *bitch*.


    He was hit with the crystal clear memory of the two of them shouting at each other, which was something that he remembered even before this, but he also now remembered that the System had at least tried to reason with him before he went off the rails.


    Sekai shoved away the urge to do something maidenly like *blush*.


    Even if he was embarrassed or contrite, he sure as f.u.c.k wouldn''t be showing it so openly!


    Sekai sniffed but felt grateful for the reprieve he got from Alec.


    As much as he hated how all-knowing Alec seemed right now, he had a feeling that the System already knew just how grateful he felt.


    But that was beside the point.


    Right now, he was going to get and plot his sweet revenge on the f.u.c.k.i.n.g company that he''d been forced into.


    Sekai opened his mouth, really to spill all the company''s dirty secrets.

 Chapter 329 - Spilling Dirty Secrets II

    "What do you know about the company exactly?" Sekai asked, his eyes bright.


    Every stifled thought, every stifled word. He was going to get it out today.


    He was going to say whatever he wanted without any consequences, and damn if that wasn''t freeing as f.u.c.k.


    Sekai almost wanted to break out into song and dance like one of those Disney princesses.


    Alec raised a brow. "I know that they''re part of the slave trade, and that they have a branch here as well. I know that the symbol the organisation you used to belong to uses a bird being stabbed through with a sword."


    Sekai couldn''t help his lips quirking up when he heard Alec say ''he used to'' belong to the company. But he was more surprised about the other words that were coming out of Alec''s mouth.


    Slave trade? What slave trade?


    However, he had little doubt that they could sink so low, even if he didn''t know about it.


    After all, he and the rest of the academy¡­ they were almost pretty much like slaves to the company, weren''t they?


    Sekai pulled out the cloak that he used to wear daily, showing it to Alec. "This one, right?"


    Alec took a closer look at the stylized symbol on the cloak and nodded. "The only difference is that on this continent, the ones they''re wearing is white. The symbol, that is. But there''s one person I saw wearing a white cloak."


    "White?" Sekai muttered, his brows furrowing. "On Kaoriht, it''s all black. You can hardly see it on the cloak, so I always thought it was meant to be that way. Wouldn''t white just make it stand out?"


    There was a brief lull in their conversation before Sekai picked it up again.


    "Could it be that the ones using the symbol on this continent are copycats?"


    Alec shook his head. "I don''t think so. They''re too well branched out for that. In the time when I split up from you, Elysia and Dominque, I stumbled upon a slave ring that''s been collecting people using the Awakening Magitype, as well as the various people who stumble upon the place."


    Sekai''s lips pulled into a snarl. "All the better, then. More to go around."


    While the ones on the Awerk continent had not done anything to him, they existed alongside the company on Kaoriht, so Sekai was more than happy to savage them.


    Sekai never said he was a *good* person.


    Besides, they ran a f.u.c.k.i.n.g slave ring. As if he needed more incentive than that?


    At this point of time, Alec could probably point Sekai at the nearest black-cloaked person, tell them that they were from the company, and he would kill first. No questions needed.


    "Do you know someone called Inspector Fade?" Alec questioned.


    Sekai''s brows furrowed a little, but he shook his head in the end. "Never heard of them, so they''re not from the Kaoriht continent side of things. I know all the higherups."


    Sekai calmed himself down a little ¨C and wasn''t it gratifying to realize that it came so much easier compared to when he still had the brand on him ¨C before getting back on point. "I didn''t know there was another branch. The company mainly dealt in the shadows of things. They didn''t do covert things like kidnapping or slavery. I suspect it''s because it''s harder than you think to cover things like that up."


    Alec waited patiently for Sekai to gather his thoughts.


    "I was partnered with this bitch called Xin Yi, and as far as I can tell, we were kept a sharp eye on in the academy. Because we were transmigrators."


    Alec''s eyes sharpened at the surprising words that were coming out of his mouth. "What?" he said urgently, his mind racing. "What do you mean? There are more transmigrators in this academy?"


    Sekai nodded sharply. "Yes. The entire academy houses the transmigrators they find. It doesn''t matter what age it''s at. We''re all branded. I can see that now. When we were in that madhouse, it''s like a haze muddies our thoughts, leaving us feeling blank but mouldable to the company''s wants and needs."


    Alec''s lips pulled into a smile, but it wasn''t a nice smile.


    This was so much worse than he originally imagined.


    Honestly, Alec just thought that ''the company'' that Sekai spoke of was trying to run an underground business and cultivating things like assassins or other such things, or in the worst case have delusions of grandeur and trying to rule their planet, but this was a whole different matter altogether now.


    What Sekai spoke of was something much graver.


    It meant that the company was aware of the existence of transmigrators and had been going around to collect them.


    It also meant that they were aware of how destructive transmigrators could grow to become. Yet, if they were all Main Characters like Sekai was, why was it that nothing had allowed them to break free yet?


    More than anything, this alarmed him greatly. Sekai spoke of how they were usually collected at a young age before they knew anything, and they were indoctrinated into the cause.


    So, they probably didn''t even want to break free, in that case.


    Which was bad.


    Very bad.


    What the cause of the company was, even Sekei was unsure of.


    But they did know one thing.


    They were to follow the orders of the company down to the letter.


    And the only way out was death.


    And Sekai was the only one who had made it ''out'', so to speak, alive.


    Alec felt the very strong urge to kick something. Or kill something.


    The System took a deep breath as he suppressed his murderous urges, wondering why the world was suddenly going to shit.


    Or had it always been going to shit, but he just never realized it?


    Was this why the damn Mainframe had placed him down here? Or was he just overthinking it?


    The company was in possession of a number of transmigrators. This was the worst-case scenario. Best-case scenario, they were transmigrators but not Main Characters.


    Most transmigrators were Main Characters, weren''t they?


    Alec bit back the swear that wanted to leave his throat.


    He couldn''t even confirm it now because Ye Sha was gone, and he''d taken the ability to check whether someone was a Main Character with him.


    Alec turned to look at Sekai, who looked lighter than he''d ever seen him. "If I manage to get the brand off the transmigrators, will they defect?"


    Sekai hesitated visibly, before shaking his head. "I don''t know. We''re all kept rather separate, and competition is cutthroat there. There may not have been many of us, but the company would pit us against each other at any given opportunity.


    "That bitch Xin Yi was my partner because we were always matched in whatever courses they put us through. At the top. It didn''t matter to them that we didn''t get along, or that we never would. They brainwashed ''us'' enough for that not to matter. Not when the mission was on the line."


    Alec swore.


    Right now, they were potentially dealing with a bunch of brainwashed Main Characters that was under a shady organisation''s rule.


    It literally could not get worse than this.


    "Ah, wait," Sekai blurted out, suddenly remembering what had triggered the start of his journey to freedom. "That bitch and I were on a mission for the company, checking the crack between realms for the monster that they were breeding."


    Alec paused. They were talking about Vi.


    "King Vampiric Willow?"


    Sekai looked surprised. "How did you- wait¡­ it was you!"


    Alec nodded curtly. "What were you checking on it for?"


    Sekai shook his head. He didn''t know. "We''re just lackeys. We''re the manpower. They don''t tell us things. They only need to know that we''re following instructions. But I did hear some of the higherups talk about something *more* in that place that they couldn''t figure out."


    Alec breathed out, rubbing his forehead. This was getting a lot more complicated than he thought.


    He had to find Ye Sha. And quick.


    Right now, Alec was scarcely better than a normal human down on Incantix here. He couldn''t access any of his System abilities, nor did he now have a helper.


    It was at this moment that there was a soft crack that reached his ears.


    Alec and Sekai whirled around.

 Chapter 330 - One?

    Then, what seemed like a small child tumbled out of the crack, stunning both Alec and Sekai.


    But they didn''t let down their guards.


    In this world, there were many child geniuses that had been born, and they were no worse at killing than some a.d.u.l.ts. Some were even a lot better.


    Alec was considered one of such child geniuses ¨C but he wasn''t a child any longer, so he was more than happy to leave that ''title'' behind.


    If anyone could tell you that a child could be dangerous ¨C more so than many civilians out there ¨C it would be Alec.


    From his track record, he''d been finding a lot of child Main Characters, after all. It wouldn''t be much of a stretch for this little girl to be one too.


    Alec eyed the small child that came out of the crack, and what seemed to be from a different dimension or a different realm.


    He''d checked to see whether or not it was anyone he knew, and it definitely wasn''t.


    No one he knew of had a magical signature like that, and Alec silently squashed the little hope that had built up when he''d be surprised and thinking of Ye Sha.


    This definitely wasn''t him.


    Instead, this was a little girl with pure white hair, and similarly as blank white eyes.


    There was something distinctly inhuman about her. As if she was a half-finished canvas, like someone had created a figure of a girl, only to get bored when they were about to finish colouring her, leaving her hair and eyes white.


    On a closer look, he could see that she did indeed have irises. They were just such a pale grey that she looked like she didn''t have any at all.


    The little girl looked like she was about six at most, and she was wearing some sort of metallic dress.


    But it wasn''t any material that he knew, and it flowed strangely but naturally.


    Her face was unnaturally blank and didn''t show any sort of micro expressions at all.


    While Alec was used to blank faces, they weren''t actually all that blank. From the smallest amounts of body language that they subconsciously gave away, to the minute shaking of the eyes, they still reacted, and showed hints of whatever they were feeling.


    Not like this.


    Not like her.


    Alec''s skin prickled unpleasantly, as if it was warning him of something.


    Every instinct in Alec was screaming at him that this little girl was more than human. That she could be dangerous if she wanted to be.


    But Alec calmed down a little when he realized that there was nothing malicious about her magical signature at all.


    Instead, it was almost worryingly blank and static.


    Might not be the wisest choice, but¡­


    Well, while he was wary, his instincts were also screaming at him to listen to her.


    "The hell," Sekai muttered under his breath. Seriously, he couldn''t catch a break, could he? It was just one thing after another.


    He literally *just* got his brand off a scant hour ago!


    If Alec knew what he was thinking, he would have glared at the Main Character. That was how he felt when he had to clean up their messes.


    He had to distract all the other parties with an even bigger mess so that they didn''t have time to obsess over the little things.


    And that wasn''t easy at all, by any means. It wasn''t like he had his Spectres here to help out.


    The little girl blinked slowly, ignoring Sekai''s muttering.


    "Alecris Neil. System No. 0029-"


    Alec stepped forward, and her speech halted as she locked eyes with him.


    "Ye Sha sends his greetings," she said monotonously.


    It was still strange how she didn''t have much intonation, but nothing could beat the way the Mainframe sounded, so it wasn''t all that bad to his ears.


    He was right that she wasn''t human. She was probably a sort of System that he hadn''t seen before.


    He doubted that she was human before she became a System like him either.


    Was she an A.I.?


    Was that a thing?


    Suddenly, his brain halted. Did she just say Ye Sha sent his greetings?


    Instead of doing what he reflexively wanted to do ¨C which was to grab her ¨C he bent down in front of her, looking serious. "Did you say Ye Sha sent you?"


    The little girl nodded, and it looked mechanical. "He did."


    Sekai hissed at her, and Alec was suddenly struck by the hilarity of it. He already thought of his Main Characters as cats, but with him reacting like that, it just tickled his funny bone.


    The little girl ¨C who was distinctly not human ¨C blinked and touched Alec''s face, her eyes intent and studying.


    Alec held still for her and raised a brow when she didn''t do anything else, nor did she continue to talk.


    Similarly, the little girl raised a brow, and in Sekai''s opinion, it looked eerily similar to what Alec just did.


    "Is this little girl one of you?" Sekai asked with confusion. And by ''you'' he meant Systems in general.


    The nicest way to put it was that she just didn''t come off as a human. Her gestures and the way she stared at things without blinking *could* have painted her as just a very creepy and antisocial child, but Sekai''s instincts were nothing to scoff at.


    The way Alec reacted was something else as well.


    Plus, he was a Sin. And his instincts to fight were *not* acting up around her at all. Which just didn''t happen.


    Even when Sekai looked at a newborn, he sometimes got the urge to steal the pacifier or their rattle from them to see if they were worthy.


    Sekai made a deeply disgruntled sound. His instincts were strange like that, but they were *his* instincts, and he knew when they would react and when they wouldn''t.


    To have it not react at this moment was very disconcerting.


    There were five more minutes of silence before Sekai couldn''t handle it anymore. "So, are you going to talk or what, brat?"


    The little girl blinked. "I am."


    Silence.


    "And?!"


    Alec''s lips quirked into a smile. Still as impatient as ever even when the brand was gone. Perhaps it had just been a part of his personality that had never been unearthed before.


    The little girl blinked again.


    "And?" She tilted her head.


    Sekai hissed again, sounding like an affronted cat.


    Alec eyed her, amused. She was probably a highly functional A.I., which meant that she was probably just winding him up. Still, just because Alec didn''t hate Sekai now didn''t mean that he would give up all his ways of petty revenge.


    "What''s your designated name?" Alec asked instead.


    "One."


    "Just One?" Because what did he expect? This little girl wasn''t human, but who had named her?


    One nodded. "Ye Sha named me," she said helpfully.


    And just¡­ *why*?


    Alec''s smile twitched.


    "So, where is Ye Sha now?"


    One tilted her head. "He''s in White Space along with Master."


    "Can you bring us there?"


    One shook her head. "Ye Sha can''t leave yet, so he said there''s no point. But he told me to stick around with Alec."


    Alec looked at her considering, ignoring Sekai''s refusal of having her stick around longer.


    "Fine," he said. He picked up One, and she hugged him around the neck, clinging to him.


    Alec''s lips twitched. He pushed away the feeling that he''d suddenly acquired a child when he was still a teenager.


    "Are you seriously going to bring that thing around?" Sekai said with displeasure. Their travel was going to slow down so much.


    ¡­Wait. Who said that he had to stick around with his benefactor?


    He was cured!


    He could go back to the Kaoriht continent and wreak some havoc to the company!


    Alec said very calmly, "No, Sekai. Don''t call her a thing. She still has feelings. They''re just developing, I would assume. We can split up if you want, but you can''t go and cause more chaos with that organisation just yet. The ones back on the Kaoriht continent that is. We''re still trying to pin down where all of them are."


    Sekai twitched. "Do you have eyes on the back of your head?!"

 Chapter 331 - Its a Mini Boss

    In the end, Alec sent Sekai away for the time being, telling him to go live a bit without causing too much chaos.


    He could hardly begrudge him that. Especially when the Sin told him that the only thing he remembered from this world was the company. He''d been snatched up even before he was out of his first year.


    It made Alec wonder why he wasn''t on the company''s radar.


    Sekai was, however, free to seek out the Awerk continent side of the company and gather more information about them. Without causing too much chaos.


    But knowing his Main Characters, they didn''t go looking for trouble, but trouble found them instead.


    Alec took One with him, and she took a liking to riding on his shoulders or clinging onto his neck while he carried her in his arms.


    There wasn''t anything wrong with it. She was even lighter than a sack of rice, after all.


    On the very, very bright side, Alec had finally broken into the advancement stage, and he just knew that his gut instinct had been right again.


    Until he''d apparently solved his heart demons and completely let go of what happened with Sekai, it had been unconsciously holding him back from advancing.


    Now that Alec was in the advanced tier, his already fine control over his magic was further strengthened, and he didn''t have to worry about his magic permanently dropping him back to the bottom of the intermediate stage, which was relieving.


    Other than that, he had noticed that as the days passed, she started taking on more and more of his features, and the thing that had made her seem to unnatural and inhuman had faded after their interactions together.


    Compared to her earlier almost mechanical-like way of interacting with the world, she now appeared much more natural. If rather precocious for what appeared to be a six-year-old.


    Right now, her previously pale grey eyes had darkened into something resembling Alec''s eye colour, and her hair had faded from its stark white, becoming something vaguely silvery that reminded him of ¨C Alec squashed the thought.


    Which brought them to their current situation.


    Dominique ¨C his ever so faithful subordinate ¨C gawking at him.


    It wasn''t so obvious as a dropped jaw, but in Dominique''s terms, this was indeed considered gawking for him.


    His eyes were wider than usual, and his mouth was parted ever so slightly. Had he been anyone else, he voice might possibly have cracked.


    "Boss is that your secret love child?" he asked nervously ¨C though, his nervousness was well hidden.


    Alec''s placid smile twitched, but Dominique couldn''t bring himself to take back the question.


    "No," Alec said easily. "I picked her up from somewhere. With Sekai."


    Dominique felt faint. Boss'' secret love child with Sekai?!


    Wait¡­ that didn''t make any sense. Boss and Sekai were both male. Boss'' secret love child with Elysia?!


    She looked like the perfect combination of boss and that damn teenager, and ¨C Dominique made a strangled kind of sound, looking like he was breaking down at the side.


    Alec''s lips twitched. He had a feeling he knew what was going on in his subordinate''s mind, but he had no reason to correct his thinking.


    Not when he was still vaguely pissed about how Dominique had gone around killing people even if he''d been provoked.


    It wasn''t even under a mission''s orders!


    But then again, he had a feeling that it was Dominique''s disposition, and it wasn''t like he was going to demand he change when it was an integral part of being a Sin.


    He already checked the people that had suffered under Dominique''s hand, and he was satisfied that they weren''t innocents.


    Alec eyed him speculatively. "Mini, do you ever feel the unreasonable urge to protect something? Or someone?"


    Dominique snapped out of it. "Unreasonable? No. But I do have urges to protect people. Or things."


    Alec nodded. "And, this urge¡­ it comes with the feeling of anger?"


    Dominique''s head tilted ever so slightly in his confusion, and the way he looked at his boss deepened a little, and Alec was struck with the familiar look of fanaticism that never quite faded from his look.


    He''d grown to ignore it, and right now, Alec most definitely couldn''t do that.


    He''d grown so used to it that he forgot it was there sometimes, and he was suddenly hit with the sudden realization that perhaps he was part of Dominique''s ''territory'' so to speak.


    Alec turned around to hide the sudden flush that overtook his face. How could he have overlooked that!


    Now that he was thinking about it properly, he could see it all clearly.


    It appeared that Sins had a tendency to obsess. Over things they considered ''theirs'', and that made perfect f.u.c.k.i.n.g sense!


    For Alec, he obsessed over books, his arrays, and his Spectres. As well as his clan, and wasn''t that just¡­


    Not for the first time, Alec cursed the lack of information that''d been done into a Sinister''s outlook.


    While he wouldn''t have believed everything he read, it would have been nice to have *some* form of reference. Not just the bullshit ''research'' that had been done and recorded.


    He''d looked high and low, damnit, but it was useless.


    It was in part because of how feared Sins were in society, and partly because those in power had shunned Sins, leaving them to the side and not mentioning them as if they were a dirty secret to be hidden.


    One day, he''d write his own goddamn manual. F.u.c.k this bullshit!


    At least, in the Kaoriht continent, Alistair had helped in that aspect, but here Alec had no say in it.


    As Alec was thinking about it, One peered over Alec''s shoulder and glared petulantly at Dominique, who blinked, startled. Her glare was more like a pout, and despite himself, Dominique felt his lips twitch.


    Was she really not Boss'' child?


    On the very few rare occasions that Boss dropped his smile, it appeared almost exactly like this. It was pretty much a carbon copy. It was just a lot scarier, and she didn''t have it down because of the baby fat that was still on her face.


    A mini Boss. Dominique paused. He corrected himself. A small Boss.


    Dominique reached forward and prodded One on the nose, causing her to look at him, mildly startled.


    Her nose scrunched up, and Dominique couldn''t help the further smile that crept on his face, but it disappeared just as quickly.


    One squirmed on Alec''s shoulder, and he placed her down.


    She walked forward and tugged on Dominique''s hand.


    Dominique looked at her blankly.


    Alec''s lips twitched. This was the first time he''d seen Dominique so confused, and it was honestly hilarious.


    "She wants you to pick her up."


    Dominique grabbed her under the stomach and picked her up like a sack of rice, and Alec''s lips twitched in mirth.


    What was it with the males in his life carrying people like that? Was it a natural thing?


    As far as he remembered, both his teacher, his uncle and even his Master did the same thing to him when he was smaller. Was it just an instinctual thing for them?


    But One wasn''t making any dissatisfied sounds, so he let it be. In fact, she rather looked like she was having fun.


    That was another way that One had developed. She seemed to develop a more child-like mentality the longer she was with him.


    While she was still more knowledgeable and mature than a lot of people, it was now peppered with bouts of curiosity and innocent wonder.


    Mainly whenever she had to interact with another person.


    She was no longer so mechanical now.


    It was a deeply fascinating thing for Alec to watch her as she changed so much in just a couple of days.


    More than that, she was acting as a substitute for Ye Sha and was helping him out in scanning surroundings as well as the information available. She too could determine whether or not someone was a Main Character.


    Though, Alec still mis- er, he had to pay Ye Sha back for suddenly disappearing like that.


    "One, do you know when I''ll be able to meet Ye Sha again?"


    One raised her head, and it was comical to see with her still tucked under Dominique''s arm. "Ye Sha still has things to do, but it shouldn''t be too long now."


    Alec nodded; his expression unreadable.

 Chapter 332 - The Little Mushroom is a What?

    Alec tripped over a tree root, though, by right, he should not have done so at all.


    Alec''s eye twitched.


    He knew he had enough awareness and time spent in various forests that the signal of tripping over a tree root was all too obvious to him.


    He resisted the urge to close his eyes as he looked down at the tree root that had the gall to annoy him.


    It better be some sort of legendary tree root with medicinal properties.


    He looked down, only to find that it wasn''t much of a tree root at all.


    Instead, it was a rather large mushroom that was currently offending him, and Alec couldn''t even muster up the energy to wonder how he missed such a giant mushroom.


    Then, of course, the mushroom turned invisible, and Alec eyed the space, considering what he was seeing.


    It was invisible, and he hadn''t managed to catch it in his range at all. It had magic, that was for sure. But it was so subtle that it slipped under his radar.


    Now, however, when Alec was focusing, the mushroom wasn''t as invisible as it previously was to him.


    Then, with all the curiosity of a child, Alec reached forward and prodded the mushroom.


    The mushroom prodded back.


    Despite himself, Alec''s lips twitched in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    It was rather cute.


    And it reminded him a lot of Vi.


    The mushroom tried to shrink and escape from him, but Alec just grabbed it and placed it in his palms.


    It shrunk a little more in his palms, which just made Alec want to keep it more.


    So he did.


    Clearly it wasn''t a normal mushroom, even though he''d never seen anything similar to it.


    It was at this moment that Bunbun tried to eat the mushroom, only for Alec to quickly hold it away from the bunny.


    Bunbun turned wide, pitiful eyes onto Alec, only for the System to let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. It was as if the bunny still thought he was susceptible to those eyes.


    Well, when you''ve had them turned onto you for every little thing, you too would grow used to them rather fast!


    Not to mention, One had started turning those eyes to him when she wanted something as well, and Alec was doing his best not to crumple like a wet tissue, thank you very much.


    Something that Dominique didn''t seem to be able to do.


    One just had to bat her large, blue eyes at him, and the Sin practically scrambled to fulfil any request of hers.


    Alec couldn''t help but smile at the thought.


    He never expected the rather stoic ¨C outside of Alec that was ¨C Sin to react in such a way to what appeared to be a small child.


    Of course, what Alec didn''t realize was that it was only because of Dominique''s fanaticism towards Alec extending to One, whom he treated as his Boss'' child.


    If he''d realized, Alec would probably be torn between hopelessness and exasperation.


    Then again, Sins did tend to obsess.


    Anyway, Alec Awakened the mushroom in his hands, mentally dubbing it Loeri.


    The little mushroom shuddered and trembled, seemingly undergoing a change as a higher intelligence was being born in it.


    Alec placed the mushroom down, planning to leave the mushroom in the forest like he had with the other Awakened trees that he planted whenever he went into a forest.


    It wouldn''t be the first time he did something like this.


    However, just as he let go, a vine-like thing appeared from the mushroom stalk, attaching itself to his fingers.


    Alec''s brows shot up in surprise.


    He didn''t think that he''d Awakened a new ability in Loeri, but it seemed to have happened.


    "Don''t leave me, master!" the tiny mushroom squeaked out through their bond.


    Alec''s lips parted the slightest bit in shock.


    While Bunbun, Fenrir and Vi ''talked'' to him, it was more like feelings through the bond, and vague (though getting clearer) pictures of what they wanted.


    It wasn''t like the squeaky voice that was coming through now.


    Loeri pulled itself onto Alec''s shoulder, stationing itself there without another word.


    Alec just blinked.


    Dominique walked up with One cradled to his chest, and One blinked seeing the little mushroom on Alec''s shoulder.


    "That''s a mythical-class magical beast," she said, "it''s known for being particularly shy and unobtrusive. The Thousand Poison Mushroom you have now is rank six. But it is particularly unsuited for combat. You can recognise it through the small eyes on the mushroom''s cap."


    Alec''s lips twitched, because *of course it was*.


    He should not have expected anything less.


    Alec peered closer at the tiny mushroom and noted that it indeed did have little eyes that made it cute.


    Tripping over a mushroom? A mushroom that could avoid his senses?


    What else could it possibly be?


    Please note the sarcasm in his words.


    "Hello master," Loeri says happily, and Alec couldn''t even bring himself to hurt his (apparently) new familiar by leaving it somewhere.


    "Hello Loeri."


    The mushroom makes a little squeaking noise as it cycles through a range of colours before moving itself onto Alec''s head and camouflaging itself there.


    ¡­Alec silently notes to himself not to go through any more forests if he can help it.


    He was stringing Dominique along with him to bring back to the Rosier City and see whether he could get Travis to part with information about the clan''s most current scandal.


    It had been about two weeks since he ''outed'' Diane Ross to her clan, and there should have been significant headway in their investigation.


    But mostly because he just didn''t trust that the Sin wouldn''t get into more trouble without him around.


    Or, even if they were going to get into trouble, he''d much rather he was there with him.


    The only reason why they were in this forest in the first place was because Elysia was rumoured to be hanging around here. That and Alec was just following the direction Fenrir''s bond with him stretched, as well as the way the bond with the Spectre mark stretched.


    It helped that One was able to pinpoint where one of his Main Characters were.


    Somehow, Dominique didn''t seem to find anything wrong with One at all, which he found surprising.


    Though One now acted very much like a child, she still knew a lot more than she should, as well as things that she really shouldn''t know. But Dominique had absolutely zero problem with that at all.


    The group moved forward, and they finally found Elysia deep inside the forest with Fenrir, who looked even more long-suffering than before, as well as another new addition.


    Dominique''s eyebrows twitched when he looked at Elysia''s familiar colouring. Sure enough, the hair colour on One was the same shade as Elysia''s hair.


    The Sin suddenly felt lost. He didn''t know what to do with his animosity with Elysia now.


    Turns out that she wasn''t coveting the top subordinate spot that Dominique occupied, but instead wanted to be Boss'' wife?!


    And her child with him was already so old?!


    But¡­ wait¡­ how old was Elysia?


    ¡­How old was Boss now, in fact??


    Alec had no idea of Dominique''s struggle inwardly as he greeted Elysia normally, shoving all weird feelings aside when he saw her.


    One had no such misgivings. She peered at Elysia from Dominique''s arms, and nodded a little to herself.


    She''d chosen the right colour to make Alec more susceptible to her whims after all.

 Chapter 333 - Alec Says: No

    Alec was rendered speechless when he realized that Elysia had picked up a new pet ¨C or rather, a new familiar ¨C the Ash Phoenix that had led him on a merry chase all a few years ago.


    He was relatively certain that it was the same Ash Phoenix.


    It made him wonder if the Ash Phoenix knew that some day it would bond with Elysia and was thus nearby when she first broke out together with Haphira.


    It wouldn''t surprise him. They said that animals and creatures, not to mention magical beasts, had a higher connection with ''fate'' and were able to sense the person they have a connection to in the future.


    As he had a staring contest with the Ash Phoenix, who stared back at him with unblinking eyes, Elysia was cooing over the little girl that looked almost like a miniature version of herself with Alec''s eyes.


    She was already attached without the little girl doing anything. One was quiet and smiled at Elysia from time to time, which made Dominique unbearably jealous.


    One seemed rather docile in Elysia''s grip as well, and Dominique looked hilariously abandoned by the side, his arms empty.


    Alec''s lips almost wanted to twitch, but he didn''t because he was still locked in a staring contest together with the Ash Phoenix.


    Alec reached forward a little to the Ash Phoenix, who nipped his fingers before flying back to Elysia and burrowing under her shirt.


    Alec felt his brow twitch as he glared at the offending avian creature, his fingers similarly twitching.


    The Ash Phoenix peeked out from under Elysia''s shirt.


    Alec glared at it.


    It also made him wonder¡­ Ash Phoenixes were said to be the herald of death, but it wasn''t singing this time.


    Alec made a hesitant conclusion that it was more that the Ash Phoenix was able to sense the upcoming events that resulted in numerous deaths, but not the outright cause of it.


    Thinking up to this point, he felt a little better about his subordinate having an Ash Phoenix as a familiar.


    Maybe this would allow Dominique and Elysia to get along better ¨C


    "So, we''re going to Rosier City?" Elysia asked, her eyes bright.


    "Yes," Alec said, "their information gathering should have been complete by now. The Ross Clan is rather large, and Travis should have information that he''d be willing to part with."


    Alec watched Elysia to see if she had any misgivings about seeing Travis again, then wondered whether or not she knew who he was talking about.


    "That''s the guy who we saw back when we first arrived on the Awerk continent," Alec added.


    Elysia nodded cheerfully. "Ooh, the one with the other ¨C er ¨C Sounds fun!" she chirped.


    Alec looked carefully to see whether she was hiding anything, only to relax a little when he saw that she didn''t show any signs.


    "There''s no time to waste."


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Rosier City was on a much tighter lockdown compared to before.


    The security was stricter, but it wasn''t obviously so. At least, the civilians obviously hadn''t noticed much of an increase, and that was how the Ross Clan wanted it.


    But Alec could feel their roving eyes, and the way there were a lot more patrols in the city.


    Still, he had to wonder about the efficiency about having more patrols instead of running damage control over their clan.


    He definitely wouldn''t just add more patrols throughout the city. He had to find out if the security over the clan compounds had increased more as well.


    Alec supposed that them wearing cloaks with hoods didn''t help matters any, but when they lowered them, the scrutiny on them lessened a little.


    "Master," Loeri said, "that person is looking at you!"


    "Yes, Loeri. I know. Can you track them down for me?"


    "I can."


    Loeri waited for the wind to blow in that person''s direction before she sprinkled some of her seeds, satisfied when it stuck to that person''s clothes.


    Since her seeds were so small and n.a.k.e.d to the eye, they wouldn''t be discovered.


    "They''re bad people," Loeri said seriously, waving in Alec''s hair.


    "Good job." Alec reached up and patted Loeri on her cap.


    The System got a vague sense that Loeri was preening.


    There was a vague sense of dissatisfaction that Alec felt coming from Bunbun, and the System helplessly patted his bunny as well, then his wolf. All three of his familiars preened under his attention.


    Bunbun and Fenrir were gathered in the hollow of his hood now that he wasn''t wearing it, and he was attracting a few more glances than usual.


    He''d already arranged to meet Travis later on discreetly, and anyone that was keeping more than a passing glance on him probably didn''t have any good intentions.


    More than that, his gut was screaming at him that this was possibly part of ''the company'' that had escaped the Ross Clan''s tightened security.


    He just knew it. He wasn''t a Main Character himself for nothing.


    The thought made him bitter, but he was willing to use it for what it was worth.


    Alec ducked into a nearby alleyway, following Loeri''s instructions.


    While he could track them using his range detection, it was much harder to do so in a city like this where there were a lot of people mingling together and overlapping.


    These days, he tried not to look too hard lest he spontaneously combust one day. There were downsides to finer control over his magic.


    "There!" Loeri pointed, and it led to an abandoned warehouse that looked like it had seen better days.


    Alec was briefly speechless.


    Why did it always lead to some sort of abandoned building?


    Wasn''t it more covert if it was in a populated building that had a lot of people going in and out?


    Wouldn''t that make it a lot easier to blend in and hide their ''covert'' doings?


    Damn common plot points!


    There wasn''t one time where he was led to a nice, clean place where he didn''t have to worry about the conspicuous amounts of dust in the air.


    There was more than one person waiting inside, and Alec briefly wondered about what the patrols from the Ross Clan were doing if they allowed a number of people like this to gather.


    No.


    Okay, that was it.


    This was the last straw. Or, rather, the last abandoned building.


    The Ross Clan patrols could deal with it.


    Alec didn''t enter the building (thank god), but instead moved away from it.


    While he could, of course, enter and dispatch all of the people inside, why should he do that when he could pass on the job and avoid getting his hands dirty?


    So, Alec slipped out from the alleyways and quickly alerted the nearest patrol team.


    "Excuse me, I spotted some suspicious people going into an abandoned warehouse down that alleyway!"


    While some of them gave him suspicious looks, they still went after his lead while they left one person behind.


    The security guard questioned Alec, "Why were you following them?"


    At this moment, there was an outbreak of chaos when one of the nearby fruit stands came crashing down, sending the people passing by into a moment of confusion and panic.


    The security guard''s head whipped in that direction, but when he saw that it was being neatly contained, he turned back to continue questioning the person giving them a lead.


    Only to find that he was gone.


    The security guard gawked at the empty space. The hooded informant was gone.


    Nearby, Bunbun hopped back onto Alec''s cloak and burrowed under it after he finished causing a disturbance nearby for Alec to get away unseen. He popped back out and joined Fenrir after Alec swept his hood back down.


    Alec would never complain again about how differently people treated him when the hood was up and the hood was down.


    Troublesome matters dealt with; Alec headed towards the place where he was supposed to meet up with Travis.


    No doubt that the young master of the Ross Clan would receive news later on about the people that had likely been apprehended already.


    The System sat down on a table at the bar, his hood now back up as he drank his mildly alcoholic drink.


    Alec licked his lips. It was rather sweet.


    What Alec didn''t see was the various looks of confusion when he drank his various mugs of alcohol without a problem.


    The amount of alcohol in this one particular drink was known to knock people out with just a small little glass.


    Yet, Alec was chugging it down with a mug instead.


    He drew both admiration and worry from the bar''s inhabitants.


    Within ten minutes, Travis entered the place, and the people that had been staring at Alec still drinking looked away.


    No wonder.


    This person was a friend of the first young master of the Ross Clan.


    Young Master Travis sure had powerful friends!


    "Hey," Travis greeted, "how could you just ditch me like that without a word? You caused so much chaos!"


    Alec snorted before pasting down a silencing seal on the table.


    The people that had been listening in sighed in dissatisfaction when the sound cut off.


    The young master''s friend had to be rich. Or really influential. Silencing seals like that were only used by those who could get them.


    And they weren''t so easy to make.


    Up to this point, there had been a few people that had been having a few extra thoughts about Alec, but not anymore.


    Travis'' eyes flashed with appreciation at the silencing seal.


    "So, what is it you want?" The young master leaned back in his seat.

 Chapter 334 - Dungeons?

    A slow smile spread on Alec''s face, but it was unseen under the hood he sported. "Don''t be obtuse. It''s unbecoming of you."


    Travis snorted, but conceded. He''d only been back for a little over two weeks, but he was already thrust back into the clan''s political playground, which meant that his manner of speaking had changed a little.


    It was hard to break out of habits.


    "Fine. You managed to uncover a truly horrendous thing in the Ross Clan, and the political shitstorm that happened is about to swallow the clan whole."


    Alec raised a brow. "Surely it''s not as bad as that?"


    Travis snorted again, disagreeing. "There''s always been a power gap between two factions, but since Diane Ross was a staunch supporter of the first faction, the upheaval after her apparent doings was enough to shift the power more towards the second faction. Diane was in charge of a lot of things in the clan, helping the first faction. She had quite a bit of power."


    Alec kept silent, listening to Travis ramble on and on about all the things that were going wrong since Diane had been exposed.


    He wasn''t really interested in the internal happenings of the Ross Clan, but the information he got from Travis as he continued to vent was helpful enough that he didn''t stop him.


    Finally, Travis got to the point where he was just tired and less on guard.


    He took a big gulp from the mug that was placed on the table.


    Alec allowed him to do so. Maybe it would further loosen him up a little.


    "I mean¡­ I just never expected her to be capable of such atrocity, you know?" Travis said. He seemed almost sad.


    Alec didn''t say anything. Rather than wanting Alec to talk, Travis just seemed more like he needed a listening ear.


    Travis slumped onto the table, sobbing.


    Alec was speechless.


    Helplessly, the System planted another seal that obscured the table they were seating at before anyone could see the first young master of the Ross Clan acting like a fool.


    Alec had no idea why he was acting in such a way. He only had a little sip of Alec''s drink, so it couldn''t be that.


    Alec prodded Travis with his shoe, causing the teen to roll over on the table, completely ungraceful.


    "What?" Travis said with a watery sniff.


    "Did your clan discover anything else about Diane''s wrongdoings?"


    Travis'' eyes filled with tears, and Alec didn''t want to touch on that with a ten-foot pole.


    "We did," Travis wailed. "There was so much!"


    "Like what?"


    Alec only had a brief time to scan through the other things left behind, and her diary and little black book only contained details outside the clan, as well as the things she did for the company without the clan''s presence.


    What he wanted were the extra details about the things he hadn''t managed to read about.


    "There were times where she killed one or both parents, then abducted the child. Both from inside and outside the clan. There were also instances where she was the one who purposely sabotaged ¨C there are just so many things-" Travis'' voice cracked.


    "I just can''t believe I never saw any hints of it whatsoever, you know? She was so nice to me. I treated her almost like another mother, but those eyes of hers when she looks at me now just-"


    Alec''s eyes flashed. Those weren''t the things he was looking for, but it deepened his disdain for her all the same.


    "Do you know what she did with the children?"


    Travis shook his head. "I suspect that she was giving them to the slave traders, but they don''t have any solid evidence of that. We just know that she was the one doing it."


    "And did your clan interrogate her?"


    Travis smiled bitterly. "Of course. How could you expect anything less?"


    The young master from the Ross Clan took another sip from his cup, and he seemed noticeably more depressed.


    "I still can''t believe it," he slurred. "I can''t, I can''t¡­"


    Alec frowned. While he did still have a bit of sympathy for Travis, it was expiring fast. What in the world was causing him to act this way?


    Was he just using the presence of alcohol to drown in his emotions, or was he really drunk?


    The System gave a few more prods, but the young master of the Ross Clan seemed completely out of sorts. He information he spouted was varied and differing in detail.


    Alec was baffled. The teen truly did seem completely drunk, which made no sense to him.


    He was only sipping one mouthful at a time!


    Alec himself had went by the mug and was still perfectly fine and in control of his mental capacity.


    Unless Travis just had an abnormally low tolerance?


    It didn''t occur to Alec at all that it was his alcohol tolerance that was abnormally high. Especially since he''d been repeatedly dosing himself with various forms of poison over the years.


    Travis spilled everything he knew under the influence of alcohol ¨C something that the teen had told himself not to do when he met Alec ¨C but the alcohol successfully loosened his tongue even though Alec didn''t expect it to have such a great effect.


    Finally, Travis let out something that Alec was interested in. Very interested, in fact.


    "Diane''s been rotting in one of the clan''s dungeons. Since she won''t say anything else, the elders are all scratching their heads despite the methods being used to interrogate her. By now, it''s mostly been abandoned as a useless avenue, so she''s mostly left alone."


    Alec''s eyes narrowed. "Is there only one dungeon?"


    "Mmhm."


    "Where can I find the other information that the clan''s already gathered from Diane?"


    "Top floor, in the management office," Travis slurred, before he knocked right out, the alcohol doing him in.


    Alec''s lips twitched. He looked in the mug. What a lightweight.


    Still, he very kindly picked up Travis like a bedraggled kitten and carried him under the arm, removing the two seals he''d placed down on the bar''s table.


    He absconded with Travis, people staring at him with wide eyes.


    The people left behind whispered to one another, "Should we inform the Ross Clan or not?"


    Someone snorted. "Let them be. It''s not like it''s our problem."


    "But what if they arrest us?" someone else asked, nonplussed.


    "I say it''s more likely that the first young master''s found a bit of fun, more like-"


    "Hahaha!"


    Alec sneered, hearing the words that were going around crystal clear despite the distance he''d already put between them.


    Alec carried Travis'' unconscious body towards the Ross Clan Compounds and was obviously stopped outside before he could enter.


    He painted a suspicious picture. Lugging around an unconscious body would do that.


    The System picked up Travis by the back of his shirt, showing them his face. "I''m bringing back the first young master of the Ross Clan. He got plastered with me in the bar."


    The guards eyed him with great deal of suspicion, but they still allowed him entry in the end after they pointed out where Travis lived.


    He supposed that it helped that he knew Talisha''s name and not just Travis''.


    Of course, to Alec, what they were doing was inconsequential. He was here for more than that, after all.


    Still, Alec brought Travis back to his house and unceremoniously dumped him on the bed before leaving quickly.

 Chapter 335 - More Than A Jail Cell

    By the time Alec managed to break into the place where Diane Ross was supposedly held, his eyes were narrowed in vigilance.


    That was because that someone had made it into the place before him.


    What was their motive, and why were they here for Diane Ross?


    Alec looked at the people who were left motionless on the ground and knew that he wouldn''t have a lot of time before they were discovered.


    Still, he could hear their breathing as clear as day, which made it clear that they were indeed still alive, and that they were not dead as others might have thought.


    However, it was a clever deception with how their chests didn''t move and were completely motionless.


    But Alec, whose hearing was even better than that of Blanche ¨C a Meister ¨C would not be so easily fooled.


    Whether or not it was because they didn''t want to further agitate the Ross Clan or because of something else was of no consequence to him.


    He tilted his head slightly but pushed the sudden thought he had aside.


    Alec moved forward quickly. He could find Diane Ross only because of the little magical signature that had been lingering in her house''s hidden room.


    But also, because¡­ well.


    Let''s just say that the only people who were in the Ross Clan Compound dungeons were people who had committed crimes and belonged to the Ross Clan.


    It was also making it a lot easier for him, of course, that the Ross Clan had such ''sensibilities'' to grant their criminals more pardon.


    Though these were the ''dungeons'' it would be better to describe it as rooms underground. They were in no way something that looked like a dungeon.


    He''d taken a look into one of the empty rooms after curiosity got the better of him, and he felt a little bitter when he compared it to solitary confinement back in his sect.


    That his Spectres were treated like *less* when a clan like this could make their own prisoners even remotely more comfortable rankled, and it left him more than a little bitter.


    He knew that some of his Spectres still suffered from night terrors even after leaving that place.


    It was barbaric. And it upset him greatly.


    While Dorian himself had been working to improve living conditions, it remained that it wasn''t until Alec had taken over duties in the peak that those who had been trapped in solitary confinement had their standard of living remotely improved.


    Still¡­


    -Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Diane Ross was not in any great pain. Or any pain at all, really.


    She''d been healed up after their ''interrogation'' on her, and they didn''t even really push that hard.


    The clan apparently didn''t believe in the more violent methods against their own, and it left her comfortable.


    All she had to do, really, was ward off against feeling emotions for her captors, and she was fine.


    The cell that held her was less of a cell, and rather a semi-furnished room.


    It held all the necessary things for a person to live in captivity, and Diane had never been a person that needed social interaction in the first place. She might have once upon a time, but ever since her ¨C


    Diane squashed the thought with familiarity born from doing so numerous times over the years.


    Still, her heart ached a little despite having shoved the thought away.


    She sneered a little.


    The Ross Clan had always been too gentle on its members, and even criminals like her who had committed heinous crimes were neither tortured heavily nor ''taken care of'' discreetly.


    Instead, they were to live out the rest of their lives in this cushy room with people bringing them food twice a day.


    Really, it was no hardship.


    However, she did regret that she had yet to enact her plan regarding her nephew and inflict the same amount of grievous pain on her hypocritical sister.


    But it didn''t matter.


    She always expected to die one day. She hadn''t expected to die in captivity.


    The guards even brought her books to read every day. What else did she need in life?


    Diane already hated people after all the ''sympathising'' looks they gave her day in and out when they thought she wasn''t looking.


    Now, the looks she received were more of disdain and disgust, but Diane felt that it suited her better now.


    She didn''t feel like her skin was trying to crawl off her anymore.


    She knew fully well that she was twisted, but what did it matter to her?


    A normal person wouldn''t think of hurting their sister or people that were happier than her just because they were suffering.


    She just didn''t care about what was considered ''normal'' anymore.


    All she knew was that she wanted them to suffer!


    At this moment, when she was lost in her thoughts, she heard the sounds of a few thumps outside, which raised her caution.


    It almost sounded like the guards outside had been killed without a sound.


    Straining her ears, Diane shut her eyes to increase her sensitivity to sound.


    However, the only thing she heard was the slow, thumping footsteps that echoed in the hallways.


    Immediately, the only thing that she could think of was that the company had found out she''d been detained.


    But they wouldn''t be doing anything so nice as to break her out.


    Instead, it was more likely that they were breaking in to kill her.


    She knew too much about the company to be left as a loose end, and regardless of the fact that she had not blabbed about anything nor written much down, she would be disposed of.


    She was only startled for a brief second before she calmed down again.


    So what if death was here to claim her?


    She wasn''t scared.


    She had already been waiting for this day to come.


    But¡­ the one thing that bothered her a little was that this didn''t fit the assassins from the company''s M.O., which puzzled her.


    Before she could think further on it, the lights in the room flickered for a brief moment.


    The door to her ''cell'' creaked open slowly, and Diane''s eyes darted to the gap in the door.


    The door continued to open by itself, but there was no one there.


    At this moment, the lights in her cell suddenly died completely, and there wasn''t the sound of the lightbulb shattering which would have been more explainable.


    Even though Diane was trying to keep her cool, something like this would test even the bravest of souls.


    Not to mention, Diane herself hadn''t had contact with anyone in a couple of weeks already, and her social quota before that was already rather low.


    And now¡­


    There wasn''t even anyone there.


    Despite herself, Diane felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up straight, and goosebumps appeared on her arms.


    It felt like someone had walked over her grave.


    Suddenly, the cool temperature of the room felt a lot chillier and almost sinister in a way.


    The only thing that gave her the barest slice of light was the opening in the door, and the long light outside in the hallway.


    Diane didn''t realize that she was holding her breath until the door slammed shut, causing her to jump as she was cast into darkness.


    The jump caused her to start breathing again, and her heart pounded unsettlingly in her chest.


    "Who''s there?" Diane projected clearly, firmly, not allowing her fears to get the better of her.


    This had to be a human.


    Suddenly, she heard a giggle echoing around the room.


    Diane''s eyes darted around, but she was unable to find the source of the laughter that sounded like an innocent child.


    Then, right before her very eyes, a pair of glowing, molten gold eyes appeared right in front of her.


    Diane screamed.

 Chapter 336 - Delusions, or Something More?

    Alec''s lips twitched as he found Elysia crouched over the unconscious body of Diane Ross.


    In the darkness, no less.


    He wondered if this was some new game that he was playing.


    Still, he wasn''t too surprised to find her here, considering that he''d filled in both of his subordinates on the way to Rosier City.


    "What exactly are you trying to do?" he asked dryly.


    Elysia grinned brightly at him under the cover of darkness, scratching her cheek sheepishly. "Well, I didn''t know she''d pass out like that without any warning. I hardly did anything at all. I just killed the lights."


    "Right," Alec said, disbelieving.


    As much as he hated to admit it, he did know Elysia better than that.


    She had a mischievous streak, and it was hidden by how innocent and cheerful she came across with her sweet smile.


    If they didn''t know about this side of her, they''d take her as the most innocent person on the scene.


    It wouldn''t be the first time someone was tricked by her.


    And it wouldn''t be the last.


    Well, it wasn''t like he had any qualms about it happening to Diane Ross of all people.


    Not when he was here for information anyway.


    After a brief moment of thought after dropping off Travis, he''d went out to borrow the information that the clan had gathered from the management office before coming here.


    And it paid off.


    He had a feeling that something was going to happen before he came here. He just hadn''t known what at the time.


    "Hm," Elysia said cheerfully, "well, Dominique''s waiting for us in the nearby forest with One."


    Alec was surprised. "I see." Elysia must have predicted that he would come here after hearing what Travis had to say.


    He had to say¡­ she sure did manage to obtain information without any sources in the Ross Clan. He was impressed.


    He could''ve just left it to Elysia to handle Diane Ross while he went off to find the information they''d managed to extract from her mouth.


    Things to think about in the future.


    Elysia casually grabbed Diane by the hand, then frowned. "She''s a bit heavy," she frowned cutel- she frowned.


    Alec raised a brow.


    He''d seen her carry things heavier than this woman all the time. But he still casually grabbed Diane from her, heading out of the ''cell''.


    "Thank you!" Elysia beamed.


    Alec turned his head away.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Diane awoke in a start, her body jolting off the ground. She was sweating, and the cool wind that blew across her chilled skin made her aware that something was very wrong.


    Her nails dug into the hard dirt on the ground, but she disregarded the pain that came along with it.


    Her breaths came out in pants, and it came out white. Evidence of how cold it was.


    It was a wonder that she wasn''t shivering ¨C no. There it was.


    Diane shivered, bringing up her arms to wrap around herself. She left behind streaks of dirt on her clean clothing, but she didn''t care.


    Her eyes darted about the place, but the only thing she could see was the darkness and the moon and stars that hung high above in the sky.


    It was night-time.


    Inwardly, Diane was alarmed.


    She knew that it was barely after lunch when she fainted, but now it was already at night.


    Not to mention, she was outside of the clan compound dungeons, and she was no longer in Rosier City.


    Had the clan decided that she was too much trouble for what it was worth? Did they suddenly change their policies?


    She looked around for a landmark, but to no avail.


    The only thing she could see were trees, and the woman stumbled to her numb feet, shivering.


    Her hand landed on one of the trees nearby to steady herself, and she snatched her hand back when she felt the bark move under her skin.


    Her face paled.


    She was not afraid of death, but no one ever said that it would happen like this.


    Why were they playing with her like this?


    Were these people even human?


    Diane swallowed, her mind muddled and blank in the face of a crisis like this.


    Still, she stumblingly moved forward, no idea where she was at all.


    She didn''t stop moving though, for there was a deep, instinctual fear the crept up her bones.


    She could have fooled herself, telling herself that she had nothing more to live for, that she didn''t care if she died achieving her goals, but now, in the midst of terror that ate her from inside out, the most instinctual fear surged back to life.


    The cool night air continued to chill her to the bones, and Diane felt like she was made from ice and frost. Like there was nothing in the world that could possibly warm her up.


    But then¡­ but then, was this not how she felt every time she looked at her *darling* nephew?


    Was this not how she felt when she looked at the children that wandered down the streets hand in hand with their loving parents?


    A single laugh spilled out of her mouth, then like a dam unleashed, the laughter continued to gush out from her, unhindered. A little broken, a little hoarse, but the woman didn''t notice the faint tear marks that cascaded down her cheeks.


    She laughed until she couldn''t laugh anymore, her maniacal cries dying down. It left her hollow and broken, as she was frequently nowadays. As she always had been ever since that fateful day.


    By now, she had noticed that something was very, very wrong.


    The trees that seemed so far away previously loomed over her closely, and she wondered if she was losing her mind.


    Their branches swayed threateningly in the still night air, the rustling from the leaves not from the wind as she previously thought, but instead moving on their own.


    The instinctual fear that Diane managed to forget for the briefest moments made a resurgence as her blood pounded in her ears.


    "Who''s there?" Diane shouted, all false bravado.


    "What do you want?" she continued to shout into the stillness of the night.


    But there was no answer.


    It was unnatural.


    A forest should not be this quiet, never mind the time of the night. There was always something going on.


    But the quietness did its job, and Diane was growing ever unsettled.


    Her mind played tricks on her, giving life to the trees and plants that surrounded her.


    Every few trees, one would lurch towards her, its branches brushing against her cheek, and Diane ran.


    She ran and stumbled, uncaring of where she was heading.


    All she knew was that she needed to get away. To get to somewhere that wasn''t here.


    Fear was an all-encompassing thing, and it snuck up on you when you least expected it.


    Diane could have sworn that she saw glowing golden eyes watching her from afar, as well as the colours of purple and blue, but her mind brushed them off as a trick of her over-active imagination.


    But she couldn''t stop.


    She couldn''t stop.


    Diane was the loudest thing in the forest, and she was a nervous wreck.


    Perhaps it was the pure silence of the night that sounded so much louder than anything else.


    Should she have heard footsteps, or shouting at her, she would not have been so afraid.


    But now, haunted by her own shadow, Diane''s mind took control.


    She whirled around; her eyes wild.


    "Stop it," she whispered, sinking to her feet. "Stop it!" she shouted louder.


    Shaky hands made their way to her face, and her haunted eyes peeked out from below her fingers.


    She rocked, and rocked¡­


    She didn''t even flinch when a vine curled its way around her leg, nor did she react when more roots curled around her body.


    Almost as if they were trying to devour her whole.


    Her eyes darted from shadow to shadow as they lengthened and curled in the dim moonlight.


    Molten golden eyes appeared in front of Diane again, and she laughed¡­ she laughed, broken.


    She laughed and she laughed, and she laughed, the hoarse and hysterical sounds leaving her mouth without any thought.


    Up in one of the tree branches, Alec''s lips curled into a smile.

 Chapter 337 - Two Continents

    The woman on the ground was shaking, having lost control of her motor skills.


    Her fingers were trembling, and her eyes looked wild.


    She stared into Elysia''s bright eyes like she was possessed, and Alec raised a brow, more than a little surprised.


    She wasn''t even blinking.


    Then, her eyes rolled back in her head and her body slumped backwards, and Alec was less than impressed.


    Elysia blinked, nonplussed. The smile was still on her face.


    Alec eyed her a little, and he suddenly wondered if this was what people felt when he continued to smile in what they considered strange situations.


    Then, he smiled too.


    Dominique eyed both Alec and Elysia before moving his eyes to One, who was placed in his arms.


    They were able to see rather well in the dark, and it was a bit surprising how that woman just fell apart like that because she couldn''t tell what was going on.


    The main reason for her mental breakdown was all herself.


    That and the trees that Boss did something to.


    Dominique patted One on the head, and she blinked her large, crystalline blue eyes at him. The Sin melted inwardly, but nothing showed on his face.


    He smirked when he thought about how One didn''t see anything wrong with the violence that was happening in front of them ¨C even if it was just mental.


    She wasn''t like the other snivelling children that he detested so much.


    ''As expected of Boss'' child,'' Dominique thought to himself, feeling smug for reasons unknown to him.


    Alec dropped down from the tree he was perched in, examining Diane. His brows didn''t even twitch when he found a seal on her.


    It was similar to the brand that was on Sekai, but it wasn''t as severe.


    Still, he could tell that it had been made by the same person.


    This one just restricted her from talking about anything sensitive and confidential to the company, but she was able to move of her own freewill.


    With a single hand on her neck, he ripped the seal apart. It wouldn''t cripple her, because Alec didn''t do shoddy work like that, but he painted his own seal on her. The paralyzing seal that he''d used on Sekai previously.


    She''d still be able to talk and move her eyes, but that was about it.


    The best part was, since it was a seal that Alec had made himself, there wasn''t any known solutions to it, unlike those seals that were frequently on the market.


    In the end, Elysia sprinkled some form of powder over Diane''s face with something to make her wake up again, and she continued feeding magic into her eyes, causing them to glow.


    Her smile remained on her face despite the setback.


    "What did you just use?" Alec questioned, curious.


    "Mmh. It''s something dad taught me to make. It''s a mixture of herbs as well as a few roots. It stimulates the brain, which causes a person to wake up."


    Diane came to with a jolt, and her eyes rove around wildly.


    She was still suffused in darkness all around.


    The fear that had abated during her ''sleep'' came back immediately when she realized that she was still in the same situation.


    "Who are you?" she shouted as best she could at Elysia. "Who are you?! Leave me alone!"


    Elysia laughed, and Diane looked like she was going to faint again.


    "I''ll tell you everything you want!" the woman shouted at the golden, floating eyes.


    She tried to back away, but nothing in her body listened to her commands.


    It wasn''t because of the fear either.


    The only things that she could still move were her eyes.


    Diane''s breathing started coming out in harsh pants. Nothing was listening to her, and it was profoundly terrifying.


    It was as if she was a guest in her body, and her body no longer listened to her commands exclusively.


    "What have you done?" she whispered, her eyes flickering nonstop. No matter what she tried, her body refused to listen to her commands.


    Slowly, the horror crept up on her. This¡­ she would have preferred death.


    "Tell me what you know," Elysia whispered, her eyes unblinking as she stared at Diane.


    "W-what do you want to know," the woman slurred, fear causing her words to sound almost unintelligible. She was trying her best, but having one''s body out of their control was a profoundly terrifying experience that she never wanted to experience again.


    "Tell me what you know," Alec said on the other side of Elysia, and Diane shuddered, her eyes darting from the golden eyes to the sound of another new voice.


    Alec allowed his magic to bleed into his eyes, causing them to bloom in front of Diane.


    Diane''s breaths came out in pants, and she felt like she should be hyperventilating right now, but her body remained as still if her body was dead.


    "What do you want to know!"


    "What do you know of the company," Alec asked, circling around Diane like a predator playing with its prey.


    Diane''s eyes shook the smallest amount. "Can''t," she said, despair colouring her eyes. "I won''t be able to¡­"


    "I took it off," the voice said, and Diane could hear the slow smile in their voice alone, let alone those blue eyes that seemed to smile as they moved ever so slowly.


    "The company¡­" she tried tentatively, and she was worried when she realized that she could indeed say those words.


    The moment she uttered those two words, both pairs of eyes disappeared as if they were never there in the first place.


    Diane felt like she was losing her mind.


    Were those eyes there in the first place, or had it all been her imagination?


    Still, she didn''t dare to dally and quickly spat out everything she knew.


    "The company headquarters are in another continent. It''s called Yraii City. Other than that, the company in Awerk Continent is under an inspector called Inspector Fade. She likes to act like she isn''t that high up, but she''s actually at the top of the food chain!"


    Diane continued rambling about big things and little things, as if she was scared that if she didn''t speak enough, they would kill her on the spot.


    She didn''t stop speaking for even a brief moment, and the words flowed like a waterfall.


    Alec almost clicked his tongue in amazement. There sure was a lot that she knew now that the seal was no longer limiting her ability to talk.


    No wonder they weren''t able to extract much information from her while she enjoyed the hospitality of the Ross Clan.


    Perhaps someone had realized that she had a limiter on her preventing her from talking.


    By the time she finished spilling everything she knew, Diane looked like she was well and truly broken.


    More than any pain, it was the anticipation that did her in.


    She was sitting on the ground, all alone in the pure darkness without any footholds for her mind to latch onto.


    Along with the fact that she couldn''t move her body as she liked, she couldn''t handle it.


    In the end, it was Elysia who killed her out of mercy more than anything else.


    Alec and Dominique would have been perfectly happy to leave her here for the monsters and creatures.


    Elysia shrugged when they looked at her with confusion. She just looked pointedly at One, who just blinked her big eyes at them.


    Dominique immediately nodded solemnly and looked almost approving.


    Alec raised a brow in surprise.


    It wasn''t like One would be opposed to it.


    He knew that while she had more emotions now, she was still mainly driven by logic and rationale.


    Looking at both Dominique and Elysia, he just felt confused.

 Chapter 338 - Boarding

    Dominique looked between his Boss and Elysia, who was also kind of his subordinate, then he looked at One, and he felt very conflicted.


    Boss and Elysia were bent over the map, their heads almost touching each other. They looked like they were very close.


    At once, Dominique didn''t know what to do with these strange directions that his thoughts were going without his consent.


    On one hand, he was jealous that Elysia was close with Boss, but on the other hand, didn''t Boss need a girlfriend?


    They even produced One together!


    Dominique looked down at One, who was still obediently seated in his arms, and felt something inside him soften.


    One was the perfect blend of his Boss and Elysia, and their features came together stunningly on the child.


    Silvery-white hair and crystalline blue eyes that seemed to almost glow in the sunlight. Her features as well were a blend between the two. Her cheeks were slightly chubby, making her face rounded, but she looked adorable.


    No doubt the Spectres would all dote on her endlessly should they be made aware of her existence.


    She blinked her big, blue eyes, and Dominique sullenly thought to himself that he couldn''t get in the way.


    One tilted her head at the strange expression on Dominique''s face. She had no idea what he was thinking, so she reached forward and pulled on one side of his cheek.


    It was the briefest moment, but Dominique smiled lightly before his face returned to its normal expression.


    One blinked, dazed.


    She felt like her computer chip heated up a little.


    How dangerous!


    ¡­How exciting!


    Mind made up, Dominique held One properly before turning around and leaving as silently as possible.


    He would show One to the rest of the Spectres.


    One blinked again, not sure where Dominique was taking her, but he placed a finger on his lips, bidding her to be quiet, so she nodded solemnly.


    Alec thought about their future course of action, before deciding to get more opinions. "Mini, what do you think?"


    He waited for a while, but there was no answer.


    Confused, he lifted his head, looking at the place where Dominique had been standing with One earlier.


    There was no one there.


    Baffled, Alec checked his surroundings, but there was no trace of either Dominique or One.


    Elysia also noticed that they were gone. "Huh, where did Dominique take One?"


    "They''re nowhere in my range detection."


    Elysia gasped but realized that Alec was rather calm for his supposed child having been stolen from under his nose. "They¡­ Dominique''s eloping with One?!"


    Alec''s lips twitched. Before he knew what he was doing, he''d already reached out to pinch both of Elysia''s cheeks in his fingers, tugging them a little. "Of course not."


    He instantly let go of her cheeks when he realized what he was doing, and as casually as he could, he turned his face away.


    Elysia continued to stare at him with wide eyes, her hands subconsciously coming up to touch her cheeks.


    "Ouch," she said as a delayed reaction.


    To Alec''s horror, he could feel a slight flush appeared on his face, but he was lucky since it didn''t seem like she noticed it. He quickly shoved the unconscious reaction down.


    Alec''s traitorous eyes looked at her expression, and it felt like it would be seared into his memory, which was *not* conducive to him pushing away these damn feelings ¨C


    Elysia''s face was blushing, and the faintest pink tint on her pale cheeks made her look adorable in a way that made his heart thump. Her eyes were wide, as if surprised, and her lips were slightly parted.


    For a brief moment, Alec waited to hear Ye Sha''s commentary before catching himself.


    His mood dipped a little, and he berated himself.


    Elysia was like¡­ fifteen. Fifteen.


    He, on the other hand, was a lot older than that.


    Alec''s brows twitched.


    How could he keep himself further away from Elysia?


    He already knew that Dominique had likely taken One with him in a bid not to get in their way, and damn if that didn''t make him alarmed.


    For a split second, Alec felt annoyed when he realized that his ''System'' so to speak, was gone again, then he almost froze as he thought of something else.


    Could it be that his¡­ his feelings for Elysia were apparent to his subordinate?


    But¡­ Dominique was supposed to be just as dense as most Sins (supposedly) were!


    He was equal parts horrified and shocked. Was it that obvious?


    "I think it''s more likely that One said she wanted to go on an adventure, so Dominique took her," Alec said with faux calm. He couldn''t allow it to continue going down like this.


    Elysia snapped out of it. "Right."


    "Well, he knows our plans, so let''s just continue. Dominique is stronger than both of us, anyway. He can take care of One."


    "Awww¡­" Elysia pouted. Alec looked away. "Fine. Anyway, do we have a way back to Kaoriht continent?"


    Alec nodded. "There''s a ship that leaves every month. If we start making our way there now, we should be able to catch it."


    "Hm." Elysia paused. "Wait, isn''t there a way to do it via teleportation arrays?"


    "Yes, but we just don''t have enough money to set up such an array right now."


    "I have money!"


    "As do I. Let''s just say¡­ creating a cross-continental array like that to allow teleportation once would bankrupt the royal family."


    Elysia stared at Alec with wide eyes. "That much!?"


    Alec blinked and nodded. He would have liked to do it that way as well, but they just didn''t have the funds currently.


    Of course, if he could use his money on the Kaoriht continent, he could do it, but they used a different currency on the Awerk continent, which was terribly inconvenient.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Both Alec and Elysia had ditched the cloaks that they''d been moving around in to blend in better with the rest of the passengers that were boarding the ship.


    Since taking a ship cross-continent was only for the rich, it was better this way in order to prevent anyone from having any ideas if they thought that both he and Elysia were part of the crowd.


    The best way to prevent chaos was to take precautions before anything happened, after all.


    Right now, they were disguised as a couple who were out seeing the world together, and Alec felt like braining himself when Elysia suggested it, but he didn''t reject it for some reason, and now he was stuck with it.


    Alec had to tug the excited Elysia back as she darted around from place to place like a hyperactive and curious kitten that had all nine lives.


    "Time to go onboard. Look," he said, pointing at the giant ship that they were about to board. He handed the carrier that contained Fenrir, Bunbun and the Ash Phoenix to the attendant for them to move.


    Elysia''s eyes widened as she stared at the ship with a grin. She''d never been on a ship before!


    Alec took back their boarding passes to the attendant at the side and dragged their (empty) luggage up the ramp.


    Elysia was already gone.


    Alec was briefly speechless.


    Then he shrugged. It wasn''t like she could get into trouble on a ship along the sea, after all.


    He paused, mentally slapping himself.


    Why was he setting up a flag for?!


    He''d really grown too complacent!


    Boom!


    There was a very loud boom in the distance, and Alec silently looked skyward as he contemplated his life.


    The security guards rushed forward onto deck.

 Chapter 339 - At Least It Wasnt Elysia?

    Alec followed behind them, because what was he going to do?


    Just avoid the chaos?


    Well¡­ actually, he could do that, but his curiosity was acting up again, and he just had to see how in the world an explosion had occurred when Elysia had only been on the ship for a scant few minutes.


    Surely not even Elysia would have got into trouble this quickly?


    It was more likely that something else happened, wasn''t it?


    But the fact that something like this already happened was triggering his senses that told him there was more to this ship than meets the eye.


    He wasn''t the only one following after the security guards that had barged onto the boat, but he was one of the few to realize that these ''security guards'' were more than normal security guards.


    For one, they were a lot more trained, and for another, they were a lot stronger than what one would usually hire.


    These people had definitely seen blood before.


    Not to mention being able to make this many of the advanced tier listen to you, you had to pay them well and prevent any dissatisfaction. Or be powerful enough that they were willing to swear loyalty.


    Exactly who was the owner of this ship?


    Alec had already checked, but they weren''t part of a sect, so it should be something that was owned by someone from a powerful family, though no one could tell him who it belonged to.


    Making their way in, Alec spotted Elysia on the side.


    The smile on his face widened a little, not realizing that he himself was attracting a lot of attention from nearby.


    This was because the smile on his face was incomparably gentle, and the people that boarded this ship were all rich socialites or people that had at least some modic.u.m of power.


    Most of the time, the men that they associated with were either lewd or arrogant and almost unbearable, and the taste of Alec''s smile was not something that they came across often.


    Especially not in a place like this.


    At once, Alec garnered a lot of attention instead of the explosion that had caught everyone''s attention.


    Explosions were common enough that they weren''t that bothered by it.


    They were either powerful enough that they didn''t have to bother, or they had bodyguards by them, so something like an explosion of that magnitude would just garner interest.


    But when they thought about the person Alec was smiling towards, their eyes all turned towards that direction.


    They were treated to the sight of Alec walking towards a cute teenager who had a silvery-white bob-like haircut, and golden eyes like molten sun.


    Her smile was natural and free, and she was attracting the gazes of the many men aboard the ship.


    She had a charm to her that was fresh and light, and she almost seemed to exude innocence to those around her.


    There were more than a few people glaring at both Elysia and Alec, upset that either one of them weren''t single to snatch up.


    Inwardly, Alec was cursing that they were attracting so much attention.


    How annoying.


    Luckily, he and Elysia were posing as a couple, which should keep the bulk of the attention away from them.


    Alec swept Elysia up in his arms, squeezing her a little and hiding the slightly stunned expression on her face which was quickly smoothened away by a smile.


    "Ely," Alec said affectionately. Inwardly, chills were running up and down his arms.


    Ah, how had he never discovered how hard it was to act with someone else who knew him and wasn''t a target?


    They never mentioned anything about this in his trainings!


    Elysia smiled up at him so sweetly that he could''ve sworn his heart skipped a beat.


    She wrapped her arms around his waist and laughed, and Alec had to let go of her lest he risk losing his sanity.


    It felt like the emotions he didn''t like to think about and had locked behind that thick wall were trying to come out, but at the same time, he felt like he''d properly shut them down.


    He didn''t know what he was feeling right now.


    With so many eyes on them, Alec and Elysia couldn''t talk about much.


    "Do you know what happened earlier?" he asked instead.


    "Ah, you mean the explosion?" Elysia tilted her head. Alec had to force himself not to look away and let his expression soften instead. "Yeah, I have no idea! But I''m curious!"


    Alec allowed himself to be swept along at Elysia''s pace, finding it easier than trying to control himself.


    They made their way through the crowd, and finally arrived at the back of the security guards.


    "Ooh, Master," Loeri chirped, swaying a little. "There are so many people here!"


    Alec smiled a little at Loeri''s cuteness. He could feel it examining their surroundings with curiosity.


    "Eh!" Loeri said a little later, tilting its head. "There are a lot of yummy things on board!"


    "Yummy things? Like what?"


    "Yummy things!"


    Alec let it be for now.


    Elysia was already straining her body to see over the security guard''s shoulders, and he had a feeling that if he let her loose right now, she would cause an untold amount of chaos.


    Right now, things were still contained, but the ship hadn''t even left the harbour yet!


    The guards dragged a few people off board, who had been trying to sneak onto the ship without being noticed.


    Alec deduced that the explosion was the result of coming onboard without the presence of a counterseal to the array that had been placed on the ship.


    If a person that didn''t have the ''ticket'' on them while they tried to board, then security measures would ensue.


    That ticket was what allowed them to pass through without harm. Although, it wasn''t a well-known fact.


    That was why there were always people who tried to become stowaways on board for a new life only to have it stopped at the very last moment.


    The bit of excitement was quickly over, and the ship started moving before long.


    This journey to cross the continent would take at least a month, and Alec was already filled with bad feelings.


    All the eyes on him reminded him a bit too much of when he had to go undercover, and he wasn''t even in disguise this time.


    Alec wandered about the ship, and thankfully, no one disturbed him. He''d taken both Fenrir and Bunbun out from the place where the ship stored familiars, and they were running around happily on their own, though not far from where he was.


    They weren''t the only ones, either.


    The guest''s other familiars were wandering about as well, and it made a lively sight.


    Of course, that only applied to familiars that were relatively harmless. The more ferocious familiars were only allowed if the presence of their master was around.


    "Yummy things," Loeri said insistently, burrowing down on Alec''s hair. "Delicious things!"


    "Okay, okay," Alec said, and if his tone was a little indulgent, then that was your imagination. "Which way?"


    Loeri gave him mental directions, and Alec walked there.


    He descended the stairs in the ship ¨C and it was a large ship indeed ¨C bypassing the various rooms that contained a good amount of people that were having fun.


    He hit the bottom floor and looked around. This place was still just as opulent and lavish as the rest of the sh.i.p.s, but there were a lot more blips on his mental map than upstairs.


    It made him curious.


    Exactly what was behind the door?


    But he didn''t make any moves to go nearer, because the door was being guarded, and Alec had no intentions on putting himself on their radar.


    When he turned around, Loeri cried out, slumping down sadly.


    "Aw¡­" Alec heard.


    His lips twitched, and he patted it on the cap.


    Loeri perked right back up.

 Chapter 340 - Spore Them!

    A day later, late into the night, Alec loaded himself up with stealth seals and various other arrays, then quietly slipped out of his room.


    Night-time was still the best time in order for him to sneak around.


    Loeri was cheering on top of Alec''s head. "Yummy things!"


    Alec still had no idea what Loeri''s version of ''yummy things'' was, but he was more than willing to find out.


    There were so many people trapped on one little vessel that it felt suffocating.


    Not to mention, the women were like a pack of hungry hyenas. There were some men that tried to hit on him as well.


    It wasn''t like he had anything against them ¨C okay, that was a lie ¨C Alec just didn''t like humans all that much. Or, at all, really.


    The only ones that he liked were those that he took under his wing. And were ''his''.


    It only took one day for rumours to spread about the entire ship that he was involved with Elysia, but that hadn''t deterred them any.


    In fact, Alec was not hesitant to say that it might even have spurred them on a little.


    Crazy bastards.


    Anyway, he was digressing. He was bored enough that he was more than willing to go along with Loeri''s whims.


    He was going stir-crazy on this ship, seeing the same people day in and out.


    He was sure that he would be able to match all their faces if they came near him now, which was more annoying than not. He never wanted to remember so many faces from the sheer annoyance they made him feel.


    It was only a day, but it already rankled.


    He had no idea how Elysia was still perfectly fine with it, but he didn''t want to say anything in front of her, so he just kept silent.


    There was only so long he could stay inside his room before people started pestering Elysia, so he had to come out as well.


    Hopefully in this one month on the damn ship, some of them would retain some of their brain cells around them after seeing him day in and out.


    As it was, he''d already stopped himself from killing a couple of people to warn them away.


    Alec slipped down the stairs without a sound, and he didn''t trip any alarms either.


    He sidestepped the patrols without a problem.


    Loeri, on the other hand, was rather busy.


    She kept sprinkling spores around the place, and Alec was surprised when he could actually ''feel'' the places she sprinkled them.


    It felt something like when he Awakened something, but without the feeling of consciousness from them.


    It felt like his range deepened a little in understanding when Loeri did that.


    Alec prodded the little mushroom. "Just what else can you do?"


    He hadn''t managed to ask One about the breakdown of Loeri''s skills before she disappeared with Dominique.


    Loeri wriggled a little, tilting its body here and there in confusion. "Lots of things! Spreading spores, uh¡­ tracking. Eating! And poison! Lots of poison!"


    "Huh."


    Well, that was interesting. It was more varied than what Fenrir and Bunbun could do, who were mostly geared towards direct combat.


    Loeri''s skillset was more support based, which was both useful and helpful.


    ¡­Though, he was suddenly interested in seeing a giant Loeri smash a few opponents to death.


    They reached the bottom of the vessel before Alec had time to debate more on that topic.


    There were five guards outside the door, and if that didn''t scream ''secret!'', he didn''t know what did.


    It was heavily guarded indeed.


    But what exactly would be so heavily guarded on a passenger cruise like this, he didn''t know.


    Not to mention, there were many more magical signatures under there.


    Suddenly, a thought occurred to Alec, and he had a bad feeling.


    Didn''t this feel like he was tripping into a plot, of all things?


    Chills ran up and down his spine at the flag he was setting up for himself.


    ''Damn it!'' Alec swore.


    But he wasn''t the same person who had previously run away from the thought of a plot occurring, and his interest was already piqued. Right now, he didn''t think he could let it go unless he knew what was behind the closed doors.


    Once again, Alec''s crippling weakness for satisfying his curiosity didn''t allow him to stop and turn back before he got himself into trouble.


    What had it come to, that Alec was actually going to seek out trouble rather than avoiding it?


    Should he be worried?


    "Loeri, can you put those guards to sleep?"


    Loeri bobbed its head. "I can! I can also poison them, dissolve their brains, and put them under my control!"


    Alec should have been alarmed, but this skillset was too useful for him to worry about anything. "What do you mean, ''put them under your control''?"


    "Mm¡­ like I spore them, then whoosh, they''re under my control!"


    Alec''s brows shot up. Mind control? But to what extent?


    "Is there anything they can''t do while you''re controlling them?"


    "Nope!"


    "How long does the control last?"


    "Uh¡­ forever?" Loeri said with a bit of confusion.


    Huh.


    That was¡­ really useful. Almost too useful. No wonder the Thousand Poison Mushroom was a magical beast!


    "Put them under your control, then."


    "Okay."


    Loeri shook its mushroom cap a little, and the spore spread out in an absolutely stunning multi-coloured rainbow that faded as it hit the light.


    The spore travelled towards the five guards who were standing still, landing on bare skin.


    One of the guards sneezed.


    Another guard spoke with confusion. "Is it just me, or do you feel a bit of wind?"


    "You''re thinking too much, man."


    Five minutes passed before the guards returned to their sleepy-eyed look.


    "Loeri, make sure they don''t notice us going through the doors."


    "Okay!"


    Alec stepped forward and studied the guards, noting that each one of them had a seal on them that would allow them to pass unhindered.


    Without any trouble or stumbles, Alec copied the same seal onto his shirt, the black ink blending in with the shirt''s fabric.


    Alec walked forward casually, and the sealed doors opened automatically for a short amount of time before shutting closed again once Alec was through.


    Outside the sealed room, the guards looked just as normal as usual, and there wasn''t anything out of place.


    They didn''t even blink.


    The guards themselves didn''t even notice that they''d done anything out of the usual, Loeri''s orders sliding to the back of their minds.


    Alec stepped forward and found that the floor beyond this was almost completely dark.


    Luckily, he had no problems with it.


    He walked further up and stood by the handrails, glancing down.


    All he could see were the shiny handrails and guardrails from the ship, and at first glance, it appeared like the rest of the ship made known to the public, but on a closer glance, was actually smoother and sleeker.


    It seemed that this place was taken care of more than the ones that were available to the public. And wasn''t that just interesting?


    Beyond that, there were various rooms across the floor that had numbers and alphabets painted on them.


    It reminded him of a prison cell. Or some sort of experimental facility that dealt in human experiments.


    Alec''s brows shot up as Loeri cheered. "Yummy things, yummy things! So many yummy things for me to eat!"


    The sounds of footsteps drew nearer, and Alec''s eyes sharpened.


    Instantly, he jumped forward and grabbed the handrail, launching himself off the floor onto the one below.


    "Loeri, spore them."


    "I already did!"


    He listened for longer before relaxing a little. They had yet to discover that something was wrong, which meant that his infiltration was still undiscovered.


    What exactly were they keeping here? Or transporting?


    People? Creatures?


    Alec wandered a bit from the handrail and walked towards the cell where he could feel a magical signature that felt like ¨C


    Alec was about to peer into one cell through the bars, and his eyes widened right as he registered what he was feeling and seeing.


    "Elysia!" he hissed.

 Chapter 341 - Whats The Ash Phoenix Saying?

    "Elysia!" Alec hissed, causing her to jump right outside the cell door.


    Luckily he managed to stop her before she put her hands on the door that had a multitude of alarms and shocks that would keep the intruder from entering.


    Elysia''s familiar figure whirled around as she scratched her cheek, feeling strangely guilty.


    She mimed a bit, successfully getting across her surprise to see him here.


    The smile on Alec''s face twitched, and his lips fought not to frown. How could he ever have expected for one of his Main Characters to stay out of trouble indeed.


    ¡­Wait.


    Wasn''t he doing the same thing right now?


    Alec made himself speechless, then he put aside the matter for the time being.


    [What are you doing here?] He signed to her.


    Elysia smiled sheepishly. [Ashy went missing!] She made the name signs for her Ash Phoenix, whom she hadn''t seen for a bit.


    Alec resisted the urge to frown again.


    He didn''t think that the people in charge of this place would be so sloppy as to kidnap familiars when the people on board still had a chance to make a mess of things, so that shouldn''t be it.


    Then, he remembered how the Ash Phoenix had tendencies to fly right into trouble, and he strained his ears a bit, listening for any sounds that would give him a hint.


    Now that he was focusing only on the sound, he could hear the faintest echoes of a song that sometimes haunted his dreams.


    He faintly despaired.


    Was there going to be a massacre tonight?


    [He wasn''t kidnapped by these people.]


    Elysia looked surprised. [How do you know?]


    Alec pointed at his ears. [Listening. Ashy is further down below.]


    Elysia was curious about what he was hearing to realize that it was her Ash Phoenix, this probably wasn''t the time for them to chat about it casually.


    She nodded and hopped down, abandoning the empty ''cell''.


    Alec quickly checked the next magical signature nearest to them, then the next few.


    He was confused, because there were a mix of creatures as well as people, and there were even some treasures in each cell.


    There didn''t seem to be a rhyme or reason for the segregation.


    The most surprising thing was that other than the group who had hurriedly run around on the top earlier, there were no other guards in this place at all.


    It was utterly unconceivable.


    Considering the people and creatures as well as the other things inside the ''cells'', they should all be relatively valuable, but there weren''t any guards at all, and were instead just left inside the cells.


    There were seals on the doors, sure, but they were only basic seals that a normal seal master could use, let alone and array master.


    More than that, the Ash Phoenix had come down here by itself, so there should be something up.


    Not to mention, Alec could still hear the haunting sounds that were coming out of the Ash Phoenix''s mouth.


    It was a song that was hard to describe, and it felt like nothing living could ever make a sound like that.


    Once you heard it, you would never be able to forget it for the rest of your life.


    It was, at once, chilling and also solemn and respectful at the same time.


    The emotions that it inspired in a person was different from person to person, but that was only if they had the ability to hear the Ash Phoenix in the first place.


    Some people, no matter how long or how often they stared at the Ash Phoenix''s open mouth that was clearly singing, they would never be able to hear the sounds that left its mouth.


    The last time he''d heard the Ash Phoenix sing was when he was in the Rothschild''s Family Manor, and there had definitely been a small-scale massacre in the manor that involved the spies that had infiltrated the servants.


    Alec suddenly had to acknowledge the bad feeling that was telling him this smelt of a plot. He''d already denied it as long as he could.


    Damn his curiosity!


    But at least it let him run into Elysia who had also come running down here without a second thought.


    Who knows what would have happened if he left her alone?


    It wasn''t that he was worried about her safety, but rather, the chaos that she could cause. It was on a whole different level!


    Alec listened closely to the Ash Phoenix''s song, and he could tell that he was getting nearer. The song was louder, and hauntingly chilling.


    Every time he listened back to it or listened to it closely, it gave him a strange sensation. As if someone was walking over his grave, or he was having a close brush with the personification of death.


    Still, he found it strange that he was the only one who had ever heard the Ash Phoenix''s song.


    Even Elysia had no idea what he was talking about just now when she asked how he knew.


    Or maybe she just wasn''t close enough to hear it?


    After all, it had been faint even to his ears.


    Alec found Elysia with the Ash Phoenix perched on her shoulders, and Loeri was chanting again.


    "Yummy things, yummy things all around!" Loeri sang happily.


    She burrowed down happily into Alec''s hair, showing her happiness.


    Alec suddenly had a thought. Was what Loeri called ''yummy things'' referring to the people or the creatures that were around? Or was it the treasures that were scattered here and there?


    They were stationed outside of a cell that contained a person.


    The Ash Phoenix''s haunting song resounded in his ears.


    That person looked like they''d seen better days.


    It was a young man with dark brown hair. His eyes were shut so that they couldn''t see what colour his eyes were, but his complexion was waxen and pallid.


    He looked like he was on the verge of death, and he was coughing weakly.


    The cough seemed to have taken quite a lot out of him, and he had to take deep, heaving breaths that drained all of the energy out of him.


    Something inside Alec screamed at him, and he couldn''t help but frown when he stared at this young man.


    It wasn''t that often that his gut screamed at him for something, let alone for another person. It wasn''t like this man was the only one who was in distress, and it wasn''t like he was the only one who was suffering.


    What, then, did it mean for him that his gut was telling him something about this man here in the cell?


    This was the first time that he felt something this strongly, but he couldn''t tell what his gut was telling him to do.


    Still, it wasn''t like he was going to ignore his gut after getting this far.


    He stopped Elysia before she was about to touch the door.


    Somehow, the seals on this one cell were a lot more severe than the rest.


    Should he take this as a sign that the young man inside was more important or valuable than the rest of the things in here?


    But what was it exactly that made him more important than the rest?


    If he was so important to them, then why was he inside and practically dying while no one else cared?


    One look at him could tell you that he wasn''t in a good condition. He looked like he could die at any moment.


    Likewise, Elysia originally hadn''t been planning on helping, but the more she looked at him, the more she felt like he was going to die if she left him there like this.


    Alec wondered if this was what the Ash Phoenix was warning them about.


    The moment he got the seals off the door, he strode forward.


    At this moment, the young man let out a series of gut-wrenching coughs, and the loudness of it echoed in the silence of the place.


    Elysia and Alec were too well-trained to react other than quickly grabbing him from inside.


    Alec carried him bridal style. He didn''t think that he would survive any other method of carrying him.


    Already, there were footsteps that were thundering above them.

 Chapter 342 - Hiding In Plain Sight

    Alec didn''t need to give Elysia any further instructions. She knew that he would be able to handle the body without any trouble, so she quickly darted up with her Ash Phoenix perched on her shoulder.


    In the end, Alec was quicker on his feet than her, and stealthier than her anyway, so splitting their tasks this way was more beneficial.


    Alec was close behind her.


    These guards weren''t the ones that he had Loeri spore, and they were likely part of the internal security that guarded this place.


    He could hear them thundering down the metal stairs now. Suddenly, his brain drifted a little as he thought about what a huge security flaw that was. To be able to hear the security guards coming down metal starirs.


    Loeri, at this moment, said nervously, "Master, I don''t have enough spores to spore these new people right now."


    Alec blinked, but didn''t let this information faze him. It wasn''t like this was the first situation he''d been in a spot.


    And his skills were good enough that he wouldn''t have any trouble escaping from this place.


    Not to mention, the guards outside were still under Loeri''s control.


    Though, he really had to confirm Loeri''s skillset for future consideration.


    Alec launched himself up over the rails, then bounded up from floor to floor using only the railings.


    Honestly, it wasn''t as hard as it sounded.


    Within half a minute, Alec was already at the top of the place and ready to leave.


    Elysia had already exited after Loeri got the guards to open the door for her.


    Now, the doors slid open on their own for Alec, and he dashed out, hearing the shouts of alarm from below.


    "Make sure they remember nothing about our encounter, Loeri."


    "Yes, master!" Loeri said, sounding much too happy. It was happy that it got to use its skills to help its master, and nothing else mattered. Not even the fact that she wasn''t able to eat yummy things right now.


    Alec quickly made his way to Elysia''s room, which was beside his.


    They''d originally been staying in separate rooms, but people wouldn''t find it weird if he and Elysia were staying in the same room considering their couple status.


    However, it was the one line that he''d drawn for himself for the duration of their ''acting'' on the ship. It looked like it was about to end right now.


    He didn''t feel very safe right now allowing Elysia to stay alone. Not when they suddenly had another burden to take care of.


    One that was in critical condition, no less.


    It was probably easier for them if they worked together to hide this young man who looked like he was on the verge of death.


    Elysia instantly opened the door as he approached and shut the door immediately without a sound after he entered.


    Alec quickly slapped a body paralysis seal on the unknown young man, and it stopped him from moving unnecessarily.


    It would buy them some time until they were able to find a solution to what was ailing him.


    The paralysis seal was originally made for this purpose, after all. Not just for Alec to halt annoying pests that he didn''t want to deal with.


    Likely, there would be security guards that would be barging into rooms to check whether or not their ''escaped'' prisoner was in their rooms.


    However, he was made to wonder if they were able to invade every room.


    Were the people behind this ship powerful enough to do that?


    Or would they have to let it go?


    Alec had a feeling that it as the former.


    The System grabbed the young man who was deathly still and shoved him under the bed.


    Elysia''s lips curled in amus.e.m.e.nt, and she opened her mouth to say something about ''the monster under the bed'', but before she could say anything, she let out a little squeak when Alec grabbed her, pulling her closer.


    Before Elysia knew what was happening, she smelt the soft but masculine scent of Alec''s skin. It was a mix of ink, paper and blood, and it was so Alec that it delayed her thought process for a moment.


    However, that moment passed, and her face burned red, which was luckily hidden since she was pressed close to Alec.


    Alec picked her up and walked towards the bed, and she squeaked again, looking at Alec in alarm.


    "Wha ¨C oh," she said, her mind connecting the dots when she thought about the situation they were in.


    Sure enough, Alec could hear the banging on doors further down and shouts for people to comply though the rooms were supposedly soundproof.


    However, when Alec looked down at Elysia''s red face, and her wide eyes, he felt like all his control flew out the window.


    Suddenly, he felt like teasing her.


    She was still cradled gently to his chest, and he placed her down on the bed.


    Playing her part, Elysia wrapped her arms around Alec''s neck, though she couldn''t stop her natural reaction from coming out.


    There was a shy smile on her face, and her face was still burning.


    She''d never been this close to a male before. And her friend slash boss at that!


    The sounds of the security guards were coming nearer quickly, and just as they were at the room next door, Alec leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek.


    It was almost impossible, but Elysia''s face burned even redder at his actions, and she felt like her brain was shorting out.


    Her thoughts were incoherent and jumbled, and she had never experienced such a reaction before.


    Her own strange reaction caused her to be even more fl.u.s.tered, and Alec chuckled.


    If this was an anime, her eyes would be swirls by now.


    Alec was halfway between acting and succ.u.mbing to his own hidden desires, and he felt like he was out of his mind. There was very little control that he still leashed.


    The System brushed the strands of silvery hair that were framing her face, and the action was so gentle that Elysia didn''t know how to react to it at all. Was this really all an act?


    At this moment, the strange atmosphere between them was instantly broken by the security guard slamming their fists on the door.


    Elysia jolted, her face still the same hue of red.


    Alec pulled back with a faint, lingering regret on his mind that he couldn''t help but hold on to.


    He walked up to the door and opened it, a dark expression on his face.


    It was an expression that Elysia had never seen on Alec before, and the contrast of it from his usual gentle smiling face made her heart thump.


    There was something dark and predatory in his gaze that caused goosebumps to form on her arm.


    Her face wasn''t far away from steaming.


    Alec glared at the security guard that had interrupted them.


    "What is it?" Alec asked darkly.


    The security guard stared at him blankly before trying to move past Alec.


    Alec blocked him with his body. "What do you want?" he asked again, his voice still as dark as it was previously.


    The security guard shivered, and he felt as if he was submerged in ice water. Was he actually afraid of this slip of a man? Impossible!


    "There''s a criminal on the loose, and we''re checking rooms to ensure that he''s not here!"


    Alec sneered at him. "Well, as you can see, there''s no one else here but my girlfriend and I. I assure you, the fact that you are wasting our time is not appreciated."


    The security guard looked like he was about to insist, but then he saw the girl on the bed that was blushing bright red, picking at her dress.


    Alec blocked his vision. "Leave," he said coldly.


    The security guard paused. It looked like they were about to get hot and heavy, and despite knowing that he should be doing his duty, he honestly didn''t really want to get into that.


    He nodded sharply, before leaving the couple.


    Alec shut the door but didn''t lock it, and he had to stop himself from slamming his head on the door.


    What did he just to do Elysia before the security guard came?!

 Chapter 343 - How Spicy!

    Alec waited until the guards were all off their floor before he finally relaxed his tense mental state a little.


    While he thought that he could take care of the problem should they be exposed, they were in the middle of the sea, after all.


    It wouldn''t be so easy to escape. If they could hide it, then it was better to do so for now.


    He almost didn''t want to, but his curiosity made him look back at Elysia.


    Her face was still flushed red, and she''d taken to burying her face in her palms. However, Alec could still see the redness of her ears as well as her face that peeked through her fingers.


    Alec felt like stabbing himself for ever daring to do something like that.


    No doubt that this¡­ these damn feelings that he apparently had for Elysia were not going to go away that easily.


    He originally thought that if he ignored it for long enough, he''d be able to kill off these extra feelings inside him before long.


    However, Alec had forgotten that there was a reason why ignoring things never worked out, and they''d come back to bite him in the ass.


    He should have dealt with this a long time ago.


    If Ye Sha was still inside Alec''s mindscape, he would have whacked this idiot up the head despite what he may potentially do to him.


    Did he have to be so oblivious!


    What Alec had forgotten was that the moment pandora''s box was opened, the things that had come out could no longer be put back inside¡­


    Likewise, Elysia was having a little enlightened moment of her own.


    She''d never been so close to another man before.


    Or rather, she had never allowed a man so close before. This was because her body subconsciously moved to avoid unfamiliar men she didn''t know.


    Even when they were already known to her, her body still moved before her mind reacted.


    In this way, although she may feel comfortable with other men, she would never allow them close.


    However, Alec¡­


    Alec had blown through all her boundaries without a single problem, and neither had her reflexes acted up to push him away.


    She was confused, and more than a little puzzled.


    Her reflexes to avoid men had never failed to act up other than her dad, and she sometimes even felt aversion at touching other people herself, but with Alec, there was nothing of the sort.


    Sure, it may have because they were in the middle of a situation, but Elysia knew herself better than that.


    She wasn''t cut out to be an actress. And she would never be cut out for an actress.


    Her real emotions showed much too blatantly, which was why it was easy for her to hide it behind her usual cheerfulness.


    It was just that sometimes that happiness was a mask.


    Suddenly, Elysia was confronted with the feelings that she''d had no idea about all this time.


    Could it be that she actually had feelings for Alec that went beyond the normal feelings for friends or even for her boss?


    She was very confused. Was she having feelings, or was she not?


    Elysia had learnt various things about ''love'' from books, and her symptoms right now certainly seemed fit for it, but¡­


    Wait a minute. Wasn''t having a crush on your boss a normal occurrence?


    That was what the books all told her. Plus, the crush would fade sooner or later, which left her back with her friend slash boss in a normal position.


    Goodness knew how often her fellow Spectres talked about Alec like they had a crush on him.


    So, she was perfectly fine and normal!


    She was just like the rest of the Spectres.


    It was just a little baby crush that would fade as time went on.


    Now more settled, the deep blush on Elysia''s face faded, and she looked up at Alec, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression.


    She grinned at him, and Alec reflexively used his normal smile.


    Alec suddenly felt at a loss.


    There was a part of him that had been intrigued and pleased at the reaction he garnered from Elysia, but now she seemed to have gone back to her usual self.


    It left him a little disappointed for reasons he didn''t want to acknowledge.


    Still, he couldn''t lock away his feelings so deeply because the people on this damn ship would obviously take advantage if he acted any colder towards Elysia than his previous affection towards her already.


    He felt the oncoming headache just thinking about it.


    So, right now, he was burdened with the feelings that made his chest astir, but he resolutely ignored it.


    He pulled out the body from the bed, and the more he looked at him, the more he felt like he''d seen this person before.


    But he couldn''t quite place it.


    His memory for faces wasn''t that good, but¡­ he also couldn''t remember where he''d seen this person before.


    At this moment, before either Elysia or Alec could do anything, Loeri hopped down from Alec''s head, landing on the young man''s body that was held in stasis.


    "Yummy things!" Loeri cheered.


    Alec was instantly alarmed. "Wait, Loeri! You can''t eat him!"


    Loeri instantly wilted sadly. Alec''s lips twitched. If this mushroom was a puppy, its tail would have drooped.


    Alec was a little curious. "You really want to eat a whole human?" he asked with confusion.


    As far as he knew, the Thousand Poison Mushroom didn''t like to eat things that didn''t have poison ¨C very much like himself.


    Wait.


    It suddenly clicked, and he felt foolish for his thoughts going in a strange direction.


    "What you mean is, this person here is poisoned, and you want to eat the poison?"


    Loeri nodded vigorously, hoping that its master would agree to let it eat. What else could it mean? The poison that it could smell on this body was very fragrant, very delicious!


    It should be a delight to eat, and it was not often that it got to eat such a delicacy!


    When else would Loeri be able to eat such yummy things again?


    Loeri could even sense the deliciousness of it from so far away. It was not the only delicacy that was down there, but this one was by far the best!


    It would definitely be the yummiest, which was why it had been so happy earlier.


    "Okay, you can eat it."


    Loeri cheered and moved its body to the heart region of the man''s body.


    Alec didn''t release the body from stasis because he had a feeling that if he did¡­


    Sure enough, the eyes of the man fluttered fiercely. Luckily, the body was still, otherwise who knew what damage he might have caused. Not to mention the screaming.


    Now that he looked closer at the man, he could see that his veins were a deep blue. They were almost black.


    But the poison in the man''s body was being eaten quickly by Loeri, who was humming even as the man was likely in a large amount of pain.


    Alec didn''t know whether or not he should feel sympathetic to him or not.


    Elysia prodded Loeri with curiosity, and Loeri just wriggled, too happy to be annoyed or to feel anything else.


    Loeri was having a feast! A banquet!


    Alec''s head raised. "Quick," he directed to Elysia, "get on the bed!"


    Elysia was stunned, but she still got onto the bed as directed.


    Alec grabbed the man''s body and hefted him up, sandwiching him between himself and Elysia.


    Without any prior warning, he sunk his teeth into the man''s pale neck with distaste, though none of it showed on his face.


    Thankfully, he''d ''accidentally'' left the door unlocked earlier.


    The security guard quietly cracked open the door, wary about whether or not this couple was deceiving him, only for him to quickly shut it again, his face flaming.


    What the hell!


    There were three people in there now!


    Two men and a woman!


    That man that had greeted the door previously was even sucking hickeys into someone else!


    The security guard quickly left, fanning his flaming face. Calm down, calm down.


    How f.u.c.k.i.n.g spicy!

 Chapter 344 - Its Him!

    It took a whole week for their mysterious visitor to regain consciousness.


    Well, he said visitor, but technically, they actually did rather kidnap him.


    But he had been on the verge of death at the tiome, and he looked like he hadn''t been about to get any help from the guards any time soon, so it was fine, wasn''t it?


    This was pretty much liberation, not abduction!


    Alec continued to read as the man on his bed moved and twitched. There was definite movement behind his eyelids now, so he should be waking up soon.


    It took another half an hour before the man''s head moved as he blinked blearily at the ceiling.


    Alec took note of the page that he was on before reluctantly shutting the book and placing it to the side.


    Really. He had to wake up while Elysia went out to divert people''s attention?


    Should he call this good timing or bad timing?


    Rather than saying anything, he would rather the man regain consciousness by himself before he thought that something was wrong and potentially trigger him to do something he may or may not regret.


    The man continued to blink, before lurching upwards, almost sending himself tumbling off the bed.


    Alec didn''t make a move to help him, eyeing him.


    Now that the man was awake, the sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu was striking him harder than ever.


    The thing that stood out the most was those light green eyes of his. It was a shade that wasn''t easily forgotten. The young man in front of him had a blend of features that he found very familiar.


    Alec took a closer look at him before it finally clicked. "What''s your name?"


    The man finally snapped out of it hearing his question, and he regained his bearings remarkably quickly.


    "Hello! Thank you for helping me!" he said, bowing low from his seated position. He would have tried to get up, but his body wasn''t quite cooperating smoothly with him at the moment.


    Then, he looked confused. "Why does my neck hurt so much?" The man''s hand raised as if he was about to touch his neck, and Alec quickly interrupted him.


    "What''s your name?" Alec repeated.


    "My name is Mason." Although the man''s expression was bland and slightly confused when he said this, giving off the impression that nothing was wrong, Alec hadn''t missed the fact that he deliberately didn''t mention his last name.


    As expected, it was Mason Woods, whom he''d been searching for all these years in vain.


    Was it because he was in a place like this that he couldn''t find him?


    Even after utilising all of the Cookie Sect''s connections, he wasn''t able to find anything about Mason Woods.


    He''d found his name on the organization''s list, but he was nowhere to be found at that time.


    Nor was there any more mention of him.


    Even when asked by Blanche, no one there ever said that they''d known a Mason with them inside either, which had killed off his leads.


    The main reason why Alec was going after the organization so hard was because of this man here.


    Mason Woods.


    But still, he didn''t say anything about it to him.


    "Why are you in this ship? Can you tell me anything?" Alec asked Mason.


    Mason looked confused. "I have no idea, benefactor. I really don''t. My life is mostly a blur, and I lose days on end without any hope in sight. Even my memories about the time I''m awake are vague and blurry."


    Alec looked at the man, and he really did seem like he had no idea. His heartbeat was slightly unstable, but Alec chalked it up to him being upset about what he was saying.


    At this moment, Elysia returned from her pleasantries outside.


    "Alec!" she said cheerfully as she entered, only to pause when she saw that their mysterious guest was awake. "You''re awake!"


    "Yes. I thank you for helping me," Mason said solemnly. "I can still remember the pain that I went through as you detoxed by body, and I feel better than I''ve been for many years. I also know that the two of you have helped me avoid re-capture."


    Alec nodded. Now that he had finally achieved his goal of finding Mason Woods, he knew that he was still going to go after the organization. They were definitely involved in something much bigger than just the slave trade.


    He had to find out what they knew about transmigrators.


    "Are you going to go back to find your parents?" he asked casually.


    Mason jolted, and there was a look of surprise on his face that he couldn''t hide fast enough. "You know my parents?" He paused. "No, I guess you could also make that conclusion from seeing my circ.u.mstances."


    Alec inclined his head slightly, leaving him to guess.


    "I don''t think so. There are still things that I want to do, and I''m unsure about whether or not my whereabouts will bring trouble to my parents. I''d hate myself if anything happened to them. Not when they''ve already suffered so much after my disappearance. I know my parents. There''s no way they would give up hope of finding me."


    A reasonable conjecture.


    "Are you going to take down the organization?" Elysia asked with curiosity.


    There was a flash of surprise in Mason''s eyes. "Ah¡­"


    "Looks like I''m right?"


    "Mm¡­" Mason said hesitantly. He didn''t seem to know how to respond to Elysia''s straightforwardness.


    Elysia and Alec exchanged a glance.


    It was as if Mason didn''t want them to tell him he should stop. But neither Alec nor Elysia were the type to interfere with someone''s decisions once they''d made them.


    "Well, now that you''re awake, you should be able to hide yourself from the guards." Alec could see that the man''s cultivation wasn''t too bad, so he should be able to hide himself relatively well.


    "I can do it," Mason said firmly.


    Alec took a look at Mason again and didn''t feel reassured at all.


    The young man looked more like a teenager with his large eyes. His skin was so fair that it bordered on looking sick. But now that Loeri had extracted all of the poison that was dwelling inside him, he didn''t look like he was on the verge of death anymore.


    He just looked more delicate than a normal person. Almost like he was suffering from a frail body since childhood or something. Or indulging in decadence. Something that wasn''t too uncommon within the people on this ship.


    Loeri had even went to sleep for more than three days after eating all of his poison. It made Alec wonder just how potent the poison the was inside Mason''s body previously, that it made a Thousand Poison Mushroom of all things have to sleep for a few days to digest it.


    It was a poison that he''d never heard about, and Loeri told him that the effects of the poison were hard to notice.


    It had been slowly killing him over the years, and it had been hard to get it out of him, which was why he was in so much pain while Loeri literally sucked it out of his bloodstream.


    By some miracle, the man hadn''t died in the process, which Alec almost thought would happen when he saw how painful the process seemed to be, never mind that almost all of his blood contained traces of it.


    Alec had to use some emergency seals to increase the replenishment of his blood.


    For some reason, he felt as if he shouldn''t Awaken anything on this man, but he did it anyway.


    He really would have died if it hadn''t been for Alec.


    However, he could now feel something akin to a bond coming from Mason towards himself now, but the other man didn''t seem to be aware of it.


    Alec wouldn''t call it to his attention either.


    For now, he would wait and see.

 Chapter 345 - Help Elysia...

    The next day, Alec and Elysia finally left their room together, and judging from the glances that the other inhabitants of the ship were not so subtly giving them, they all thought that they''d been up to¡­ naughty things.


    Apparently, the security guard had blabbed, so now the interest in them was renewed. Especially after they found out that there had been a third party in their bed at night.


    Alec was a little speechless at how well their ruse worked.


    He really didn''t think that people would read into it so deeply.


    But neither did he expect that the security guards who''d been checking on everyone to blab either.


    Before anyone could ''subtly'' come up to them and ask about where Alec had been all these days, Alec swept Elysia off.


    Elysia was surprised. "Where are we going?" she asked with confusion. As far as she knew, this wasn''t part of their itinerary for the day.


    For some reason, Alec felt like teasing her, so he deliberately didn''t say anything. "You''ll know once we get there."


    Elysia was confused, but she was more than willing to go along with Alec''s whims. This was the first time she''d seen her boss slash friend act like this, and it made something within her loosen up.


    She didn''t know how to describe it.


    It felt like her heart was a little light, but also as if it was clenching in anticipation.


    It was very strange, but she embraced the feelings while they lasted. After all, what was better than having a new experience with someone that she trusted?


    Surely sooner or later, these strange feelings she had for Alec would die down. Who knew when she''d be able to experience feeling this light-hearted anticipation again?


    The ship they were on was huge, and there was no shortage of things to do, which was why Alec had been so annoyed when he kept seeing the same people day in and out.


    The place was large enough that they didn''t have to see the same people if they didn''t want to, but it was almost as if they deliberately stuck near him each day, and unbeknownst to Alec, it wasn''t too far from the truth.


    It was actually rather strange since even the socialites themselves didn''t know why they were going to such lengths to get near both Alec and Elysia.


    It was more than just their physical appearance, and it didn''t have to do with their ''status'' whatever it may be either.


    They mostly knew the people here on the ship ¨C they were acquaintances or friends, but Alec and Elysia were unknowns.


    There were only two reasons for that. One, they were from a powerful but hidden family, and two, they didn''t have status at all.


    None of them on the ship could decide which one it was, so they''d taken to hanging around to see whether or not there were more benefits to be had to make friends with them.


    There was even a plaza in the middle where the socialites were able to do their shopping and gossip, and that was the place where Alec led Elysia.


    If he was going to do this, then he was going to go all the way for it.


    He may have been short on money over on the Awerk continent to make a cross-continental array, but it wasn''t like he didn''t have plenty of money that could be used on this ship.


    Alec gently held Elysia''s hand as they strode forward, and he ignored the swooning maidens and lovestruck fools at the side.


    Unfortunately for him, while he hated them, he was already used to it.


    Most of them had the sense not to come up while he was together with Elysia since it would be seen as bad manners to interrupt a couple''s time, but that didn''t mean there weren''t people who disregarded manners to get their fix of gossip.


    Elysia was still curious, seeing as they were walking in the part of the ship that she''d avoided due to the numerous female socialites and nobles that gathered here day in and out.


    However, today, it was even worse than usual, from what she''d heard.


    It was packed, and there were both males and females that were gathered here, which shocked her.


    Why were there so many people today?


    As she listened closer, she realized the cause of the hype today.


    Apparently, the ship was holding a ball tonight, and everyone was invited to attend.


    The news had shaken the ship, and everyone looked to be attending, which was why there was organized chaos on the plaza area where dresses and suits were being sold.


    While most of them had brought their own clothing, this was like an excuse for the socialites aboard to shop and make merry.


    If he could, Alec would have avoided this altogether, but alas, if they didn''t at least participate and enter, they''d be seen as suspicious.


    It was no surprise to him that the ship had done something like this.


    No doubt that they were still looking for Mason, who was hiding himself well from their gaze.


    The only problem was¡­


    Neither Alec nor Elysia had any clothes that were presentable for this situation!


    Alec only had his everyday clothes, as well as his sect uniform and his Spectre uniform. He had nothing else!


    Elysia too, didn''t have such things. Her wardrobe was pretty much the same as Alec, which made him speechless when he thought about it.


    After all, it hadn''t even been a year since Elysia had left the crack between realms where she''d been living with her father.


    Why would she have clothes to wear that were presentable in a noble''s presence?


    Even the clothes that they''d picked up previously before boarding the ship were only those for everyday use and not something as ''grand'' as this.


    It just gave Alec a headache.


    The shops in the ship were all top-notch, so no matter which shop they went into, it would all be of the highest quality.


    Alec found a slightly more secluded and less-noisy shop and brought Elysia in.


    The bell on the door chimed, admitting them.


    The shop assistant looked up, and she gasped.


    Wasn''t this the rumoured beautiful couple that everyone had been talking about?!


    At one glance, she could see the gentleness in the man''s eyes that were only directed at the lovely lady, and the pink aura around them spoke of young love.


    The shop assistant was unbearably excited.


    They were still holding hands!


    Seeing the way that the shop assistant''s gaze was stuck to their hands like she couldn''t get enough, Alec¡­ had the urge to gauge out her eyes!


    In a brief, horrible moment, Alec almost felt as if he was embarrassed!


    He, Alec. Embarrassed!


    Still, he had a part to play.


    He lightly lifted Elysia''s hand and pressed a faint kiss on the back of her hand, looking in her eyes with a faint smile as he did so. Inwardly, he was dying.


    Elysia''s eyes widened with shock, then her pale face filled with pink, until she was blushing from the ears. Her heart had not been prepared for this!


    The most tragic part of it was that she knew that Alec was acting, while she herself wasn''t at all!


    This little crush she had on him was proving to be worse than she originally thought. She had to quickly get rid of it before it compromised her relationship with Alec any further!


    As such, she blinked her wide, golden eyes and smiled back at Alec.


    It wasn''t the first time that she''d seen Alec react with annoyance whenever someone did this to him.


    However, his reaction to her actions was completely different!


    He gently let go of her hand and turned away from her, coughing a little. Was she imagining it when she saw that his ears were slightly red?


    "Please help her find a dress for this evening," Alec said calmly.

 Chapter 346 - Brush Away His Sin!

    Alec calmly read his book while Elysia was getting changed.


    He''d already finished his measurement and fitting for his own suit, and the speed at which the shop assistant settled him was only because he insisted on having it done quickly.


    Only Elysia was left inside changing to different dresses.


    The shop assistant seemed to be sick!


    It was like she couldn''t be satisfied with the dress no matter what Elysia wore, as if she couldn''t stand it.


    Luckily, Alec hadn''t allowed her to get away with it when he himself was doing the fitting since he already had a clear goal in mind.


    But for Elysia, Alec didn''t believe it.


    Elysia may not be a beauty in the classical sense as she leaned more towards the cute and refreshing side, but she could definitely pull off whatever she wanted to wear if she wore the correct kind of makeup.


    It made Alec wonder if it was the shop assistant''s incompetence that caused this delay, or if it was the shop assistant who wanted Elysia to buy as many dresses as possible since Alec was only buying a single outfit.


    Regardless, he would not hurry them up since it would be seen as a fault on his part, and he knew that a single person in the know could spread word and cause rumours to grow at an exponential rate.


    Of course, what Alec didn''t realize was that the shop assistant, who was also the seamstress, had her muse burning, and she practically couldn''t let go of Elysia.


    She wouldn''t do it even for money.


    Elysia was different from all the haughty and stuck-up nobles who visited her shop day in and out, so she never usually entertained anyone unless they caught her fancy.


    She was definitely the best in the business, but she chased anyone out whom she didn''t like, which was why the shop had been empty upon their arrival.


    The lady kept coming out and staring at Alec with uncomfortably burning eyes like a psycho, then re-entering the place where Elysia was at, only to come tearing out a few moments later.


    She then charged back into the place with a handful more of dresses that she hadn''t taken before.


    It made Alec wonder if it was the reason why this dress shop wasn''t frequented by the other socialites who were all clamouring for a dress. It made no sense otherwise.


    They must have known that the shop assistant was crazy.


    Finally, after Alec finished a whole book, Elysia come out of the dressing room.


    "You''re done?" Alec asked distractedly, not looking up from his book.


    There was no response after a while, which confused him.


    He looked up, and the book slipped from his hands, causing him to lose his page, but he didn''t even care.


    His eyes widened without him realizing, and Elysia was standing there with a slightly uncomfortable face as she picked lightly at the dress she was wearing.


    She was wearing a knee-length silver dress made out of a material that flowed and hugged her in all the right places. Even the places where her curves hadn''t fully developed yet were nicely accentuated, and her waist looked so slim in the dress.


    The silver shade went nicely with her hair, and it made her eyes seem wider and almost popped out. There was lace of gold winding down her arms and wrapping around her neck. there was a little bit of cleavage shown, but it was only through the delicate gold lace, giving an illusion that it was there, yet wasn''t at the same time.


    She wasn''t wearing any jewellery, but she already looked so stunning that she didn''t need much more to add on to the look.


    She looked so breath-taking that Alec had no doubt it would be hard for anyone to tear their eyes away from her.


    "Isn''t this a bit much?" Elysia asked with hesitation. She''d never worn something so restricting before, and she didn''t see how she could fight in this.


    It was only with Elysia''s question that Alec remembered to start breathing again. Then, he had to restrain himself from glaring at the gleeful woman in the back.


    He''d have to beat the men off with a stick, damn it!


    Not to mention, this made things a lot harder for him. In the control department.


    He already had a hard enough time locking these unnecessary emotions away, but this threatened to send everything down the drain!


    However, he still had to play his part, and it was almost torturous at this point.


    The shop assistant at the side was smiling smugly at Alec''s stunned expression, and she patted herself on the back for a job well done.


    Elysia, who''d grown a little more bashful at the non-reaction from Alec, turned around as she wanted to choose another dress. She just knew that this dress was too much!


    But the shop assistant''s eyes had practically burned when she tried it on. Then she pushed her out and had left her with little time to reject or react.


    More than that, the main reason why Elysia had tried it on in the first place had been because she noticed that when the women with a lower-cut dress hit on Alec, he reacted a little more harshly.


    She was torn between wanting to keep a distance and wanting to press herself closer. She didn''t know what to do with her limbs right now.


    She was stopped by Alec gently touching her arm before she could move more, and Alec''s breath was so close to her ear that she felt herself going red. She felt his breath like a caress to her ear. It felt like that area was tingling.


    "It''s very nice," Alec said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. Unconsciously, his tone was coloured with a bit of longing, and the faintest hints of hunger. "You look stunning, Ely."


    It made Elysia swallow, and she really couldn''t tell if his reaction was natural or not.


    But the shop assistant at the side who was practically losing her mind as she fanned her blushing face told her everything she needed to know.


    At least, it came across as genuine to the onlookers, and that was good enough for her.


    While she was flattered at the compliment he paid her, she had originally been planning to turn him off her so that he wouldn''t get so close to her.


    How was she going to get rid of her baby crush like this!


    But¡­ but¡­


    All Alec had to do was come a bit nearer her, and she could feel her face start to flush.


    She didn''t want that at all! Her fair skin was not helping her out now!


    Alec pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. "What other dresses did you like? I''ll buy them all."


    He pulled back a little and looked down at Elysia, who was staring up at him with slightly glazed eyes. Her mouth was parted a little, and Alec was suddenly hit with such a strong urge to kiss her that he had to step back a little.


    "Hm?" he murmured, his thumb brushing the spot where he''d kissed her cheek, almost as if he was trying to brush away his sin.


    She snapped out of her stupor, her blush darkening. She cursed herself for allowing herself to get lost in her boss slash friend''s act. "I don''t really need any more! Just this is fine."


    Alec stepped back graciously, allowing her space. "Go and change back then."


    Elysia didn''t give him another glance as she quickly went into the changing room.


    The shop assistant was about to go in and help her out again when Alec stopped her.


    Confused, the shop assistant stared at Alec in question.


    Alec lowered his voice, saying, "If there are any other dresses that she liked in there, ring it up for me."


    Immediately, the assistant''s eyes lit up. That was what she liked to hear!


    The lady quickly rang up various purchases and dashed back into the curtain, bringing out a few more dresses.


    From simple to the more exquisite ones, she packed them neatly for Alec.


    By the time Elysia exited from the room, she was greeted with Alec standing by with a bunch of bags at his feet.


    She was instantly speechless. She thought she had changed quickly enough, but they were even quicker than her!

 Chapter 347 - Dance in the Ballroom

    That night.


    The ball held by the ship was inside the massive ballroom that was located at the bottommost of the ship levels, and it spanned the entire ship''s length.


    With how large the ship was, this was truly a feat and a stunningly beautiful scenery unfolded before them.


    The place looked like it was sparking with the chandeliers and high-classed furniture that were placed inside. The crystals shone delicately, each crystal refracting a few different colours of light.


    The servers were obviously the guards that doubled as the ship''s security, but they didn''t look out of place with their black, sleek suits and ties. Instead, they appeared rather amiable and helpful as they waited in the background.


    Standing around, they looked just like the help that the nobles had back home, which helped them to blend into the background more.


    If a person didn''t know that they were on a ship, they could have imagined that they were in some noble''s ballroom. The ship was stable and didn''t have any rocking motions that were present in a more low-class ship, showing absolute stability.


    It was so grand that they could even imagine it as the royal ballroom.


    So, it was expected that most of the nobles were delighted to be here.


    The class of this place even surpassed those of the higher-ranking nobles, which made some of them feel inferior, but they were also determined to use this place to the best of their ability.


    They were surprised that the ship had spontaneously held a ball for them, but none of them were complaining after seeing the decorations and service that came with this place.


    Even if they did have complaints, the ship wouldn''t care ¨C something which further confirmed to them that the backers of this ship could not be messed with.


    They had just expected to have a normal bit of fun whilst they travelled to the Kaoriht continent, but instead, they were given a treat at the ship''s expense.


    That night, Alec brought Elysia to the ''ball'' spontaneously held by the ship, and he felt like he was going to die.


    All these people, cramped in the same place, with him unable to deflect their attention to something else.


    Even more so because both of them were attracting a lot of attention, and it was over his dead body if he left Elysia alone.


    She could take care of herself, but¡­


    Let''s be real here.


    She was a Main Character. There was no way this wasn''t going to end peacefully.


    Chaos was their bread and butter.


    Alec nodded to the guard at the side, who opened the doors for them.


    Elysia had her hand tucked on the crook of his elbow, and they were walking forward together as they kept up their little act.


    They made a stunning couple. One with black hair, the other with silvery-white hair. Under the gentle light of the chandeliers at the top of the ballroom, they almost sparkled under the light.


    They looked like a fairy-tale couple that had come out from the books, and they drew attention left right and centre.


    The man had a gentle smile on his face, while the lady was smiling in delight. Hand in hand, they descended the steps, and it took everyone''s breath away.


    Alec was more dressed up than he had ever been, and he was uncomfortable, but none of it showed on his face.


    With his hair partially put up, the people in the ship were able to see the clarity of his blue, crystalline eyes that shone like jewels. Paired with his smile and his elegant looks, he stole the hearts of another portion of the people there who had been resistant to him before.


    Elysia on the other hand, looked like a fairy. She had the lightest bit of makeup on her face, and her lips looked slightly shinier than normal. With her hair held up by a golden clip inlaid with sparkling stones, her eyes looked bigger and almost sparkled.


    The lace of her dress matched her eyes perfectly, and her dress flowed gently with every movement she made.


    When she smiled up at Alec, Alec could almost hear the collective breaths that had been held just looking at her.


    He himself had to exert all his self-control to act like he usually did. It was like a layer of acting that he had luckily prepared for in his clan training.


    By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, the people below had already parted, giving them some breathing room.


    The ladies and gentlemen that lingered around, chatting and socializing, kept casting glances at the both of them. All of them had smiles on their faces, and they generally looked like they were having a good time.


    There wasn''t a single sad face in the ballroom, which made Alec''s skin prickle immediately when he saw it.


    He was used to seeing smiles, but he couldn''t help but see that most of them were fake, hiding their other intentions.


    It was at this moment that Elysia disentangled her hand that had previously been in the crook of Alec''s elbow.


    This seemed to be the movement the crowd needed and caused them to almost surge in a wave, as if it was some sort of signal to them that all bets were off now.


    Alec twitched as he smiled disarmingly at the lady that had dared to grab his hand, then swept Elysia away, to the middle of the dancefloor.


    Elysia, on the other hand, looked like she was having the time of her life.


    Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes sparkled under the lights.


    Alec''s lips twitched, and his eyes shone mischievously. He dipped her, whispering at her surprised look, "I''m surprised you know how to dance."


    Elysia pouted and looked at him with an offended look. "What if I didn''t know how to?"


    Alec smiled. "Then, you''d be stumbling around stepping on my foot all night."


    She was instantly speechless, but her lips quirked all the same, and she eventually ended up laughing.


    Her laugh lit up the ballroom, and they attracted even more attention, but for some reason, Alec couldn''t bring himself to care at this moment in time.


    Somehow, he felt that as long as he had Elysia by his side¡­


    Alec harshly bit the inside of his cheek, causing himself to bleed. It didn''t hurt at all, but the taste helped him snap back to reality as he regained his senses. How could he think of such things?


    This was the result of him not locking away these extraneous emotions that he didn''t need.


    It caused him to think of things that he would rather not think about, as well as the fact that his ''fate'' was not controlled by himself.


    He couldn''t accept it.


    He could accept that he was attracted to Elysia, but he couldn''t accept that it was because he was a Cher that he felt these feelings.


    What if he wasn''t part Cher?


    Was it even possible that he would have fallen in love with her in the end? He didn''t think so.


    How could he, Alec, be part Cher when he was already a Sin?


    He still didn''t understand.


    He thought that perhaps he would be able to answer some of his questions if he saw his mother again, but she''d gone to find his father while he was away, which meant that he was still in the dark.


    He couldn''t find any written texts about this even in the depths of the royal library. Alistair had certainly given him enough time to comb through the library, and there was no part of it that had been kept from him, so what was happening?


    Elysia, who seemed to notice that Alec was distracted, leaned lightly on him as they swayed gently together with the music.


    "What''s wrong?"

 Chapter 348 - Determination Can Achieve Just About Anything

    Alec snapped out of it. "Nothing," he said with a faint smile.


    Elysia eyed him with doubt. It sure didn''t seem like nothing.


    She liked to think that she could read him a little better now. Even with his sweet smiles that made her feel like her heart was palpitating weirdly, his eyes held more emotions than he realized.


    When Alec looked down at her like this while they were dancing, she got the wrong impression that she was the centre of his world.


    It made her feel things that she didn''t know how to react to, and she just got more confused.


    But¡­ it sure felt great.


    There were so many eyes on them while they were dancing, but neither Elysia nor Alec felt anything when they were together.


    It was both strange and mystical at the same time. Both of them were highly trained. Especially for the two of them, who had better senses than a normal person''s, and having that many eyes on them at once should have caused their skin to prickle nonstop, but when they were together, they truly only had eyes for each other.


    They swayed gently to another two more songs before Elysia wanted to take a break.


    It was not because she was tired, but rather, she had to space herself out and get some of her thoughts in order.


    The longer she was with Alec, the stranger the direction her thoughts seemed to go.


    She let go of Alec''s hand while she sat down by the side, and she heard a few of the ladies who were also taking a break talking.


    Because they weren''t whispering, nor talking discreetly, Elysia could hear everything even though she didn''t want to.


    "I can''t stand it when he''s with other women, you know? But¡­ there''s always so many of them that flock around him. I can''t help but feel jealous, but he says I''m being unreasonable!"


    Her friend gasped. "Of course you aren''t! Isn''t it normal that you''re jealous? It''s not like you want much. It''s just that you want him to stop interacting with them so casually, right? It''s not like you don''t want him to have any female friends at all."


    The first lady nodded vigorously, fanning herself. "Yes, you truly understand me! I''m not being unreasonable, am I? But it''s almost like he doesn''t see what he does as flirting¡­ meeting those ladies alone, I really¡­ I can just tell they have intentions for him!"


    Elysia couldn''t understand their conversation at all, but she tried to make sense of it. She knew what the words meant, but why was it that when it was strung together, she couldn''t understand? Was it beyond her?


    At this moment, Alec, who had gone to get a drink, moved nearer to her.


    He left the mushroom near the punch since it kept clamouring about ''yummy things''. It made him puzzled, wondering if the punch was spiked, but he kept it to himself. He was immune to poison for a reason, after all.


    As he was about to approach, he was suddenly stopped by a few ladies that surrounded him. There was even a man who had joined the ladies around him.


    All of them drew so close to him. Though Alec looked the same as he usually did, and his body language didn''t show any of his discomfort, Elysia found herself instantly standing up from her seat, startling the two ladies who had been still chatting beside her.


    Alec''s fingers on the stem of the wine glass twitched, and Elysia''s sharp eyes didn''t miss that.


    These people were like hyenas. They saw Alec without Elysia, and they were ready to go in for the kill.


    The only reason why they hadn''t gone after Elysia was because there was an unspoken rule that no one of the opposite s.e.x was to bother ladies who were resting, but that didn''t apply to Alec who was walking around without someone else.


    Sure enough, they had appeared out of the woodwork without any prodding at all. Like they were all waiting for the most opportune time to strike.


    He really didn''t know what they wanted to do. What was it about him that was so alluring to them?


    Was it just because he was a fresh face?


    The noblewomen back Kaoriht continent liked to react like this to him as well.


    He paused.


    Come to think of it, some of the faces didn''t seem completely unfamiliar. It was just that he didn''t realize it before this.


    For a moment, his eyes scanned over them, looking for any hint of familiarity in their gazes.


    Could it be that they had discovered he was ''Alexander''?


    But, when he listened closely to the females chattering around him, he realized that it wasn''t so. They were just attracted to his looks ¨C or rather, his smile?


    Should he stop smiling?


    But the smile was already like a reflex for him at this point. He couldn''t put it down so easily.


    Despite what it seemed like he really wasn''t that good an actor at all.


    While he was trying to figure out how to extract himself from this situation, Elysia was conflicted about something else.


    She recalled the words that the ladies beside her had spoken and realized that she was feeling some form of jealousy.


    The people who were putting their hands all over Alec¡­ she didn''t like it.


    She didn''t like it at all.


    The realization stunned her.


    Could it be that her feelings were not a mere crush that would pass quickly?


    She¡­ could she really have deeper feelings for him?


    But why? This was not scientific at all!


    Why would she have such feelings for him? Just because he was good to her? But she knew that he was also good to all his subordinates, and to all his Spectres.


    In what way was she different from them?


    Was it not all just her wishful thinking?


    Was it not Alec just playing a part as their ''couple'' so that their identities on board wouldn''t be exposed?


    Then why¡­ why did she feel so dissatisfied now when she saw that one man and the various other ladies clamouring to touch him?


    She was confused and unsettled, and it seemed like the two ladies who had been gossiping earlier saw her confusion.


    "Little sister¡­ do you like him?" the first lady said, her eyes alight with curiosity.


    Elysia hesitated, but she still nodded in the end. After all, it was currently true. She had a tiny little baby crush on her friend slash boss.


    The second lady spoke. "Then, seeing him like this, are you jealous?"


    Again, Elysia hesitated, but still nodded. She didn''t know what this feeling was, but if she paired it with these circ.u.mstances, then it should be jealousy!


    The two ladies exchanged an excited glance. "Then, you must like him! Like him a lot! Are the two of you not together?"


    Elysia''s face started to flush, and she looked at the floor uncertainly. "We are."


    Her reaction endeared her to the two ladies, who felt sympathetic towards her. Especially the first lady who had been talking about her own circ.u.mstances as well. She felt as if she had found a comrade.


    "Then, you should go! Don''t just stand here like a wooden block! Chase off those flies before they get any ideas!"


    "This¡­ this wouldn''t be too good, right?" Elysia was confused. After all, she and Alec weren''t really together.


    "What''s not too good!" the lady said fiercely, "Love has to be striven for! You can''t just sit around and do nothing! Of course, that''s with the prerequisite that he also likes you!"


    "That''s right. However, even if he doesn''t like you as much as you like him, that doesn''t mean that you should just throw in the towel right away either! You have to fight for it! If, in the end, it still doesn''t work out, at least you know that you have no regrets!"


    Their words seemed to clear up the faint, misty uncertain feelings that she had in her heart.


    That''s right¡­ even if Alec didn''t like her back, she could always try!


    At this moment, Elysia firmed up her determination. She would win Alec over using her own powers!


    Even if he was acting now, one day, perhaps he would open his heart to her.


    Thinking of this, she happily thanked the two ladies, then strode forward into the crowd.

 Chapter 349 - Best Mushroom

    Alec was dodging the idiots clinging on as best he could. However, since he couldn''t very well blow his cover out of the water, it wasn''t like he could use all of his strength.


    More than that, he was keeping a low profile due to having broken Mason out of the place, so why would he do something like that?


    As such, he was currently enduring with the touches while struggling forward bit by bit towards Elysia.


    His fingers twitched, and he was truly going to snap if *one* more person touched him again.


    At this moment, the noise in his surrounding area stopped, causing him to look up.


    Elysia seemed to almost glide through the crowd, which silenced the people around him.


    Under the lights, she truly looked like she came from another world, and the smile on her face was bright and pure. Anyone who glanced at her reacted like they had their souls stolen away.


    It made Alec feel the urge to rush up and pull her into his embrace, but he forcefully suppressed it.


    However, what happened next stunned him instead.


    Elysia threw herself forward into his arms, and he reflexively wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to steady her.


    He could hear her faint breaths and she smiled up sweetly at him.


    He felt as if his heart skipped a beat, and he hoped she couldn''t hear how loudly his heart was beating.


    After all, she was still so young. If she found out that he had these¡­ feelings for her, wouldn''t she stray off the right path?


    Judging solely by years, Alec could be considered an old man!


    But¡­ the thing was, when Elysia did this, it felt like all of his brain circuits short-circuited, leaving him blank of anything but his most inner desires that he''d been steadily ignoring.


    With her so close, he could breathe in her natural fragrance, and it was more devastating than a direct attack from Blanche to him.


    Alec didn''t like feeling conflicted, which was why he had subconsciously stopped himself from bonding on a deeper level with Elysia, but it was also because of this that every time Elysia came near him and did something that tested his limits, he couldn''t tear himself away from the allure that she carried.


    Truly, he had to distance himself from her.


    Unbeknownst to Alec, Elysia had already made up her mind and was determined to take him down and make him hers.


    If he knew, he would likely flee in terror despite how that might make him seem in front of her.


    "Al," Elysia said sweetly, tugging his shirt while still in his embrace.


    Alec''s fingers twitched, and the already gentle smile on his face softened to such a degree that the surrounding people were surprised that the gentleness and affection wasn''t dripping out of him already.


    Some of the ladies retreated with a pout on their face.


    They could see that they wouldn''t be able to move Alec despite them pestering him.


    Just one look at that expression on his face told them that they had no chance. While his smile was gentle when he softly rebuffed them, it didn''t hold even a fraction of the soft affection it held for Elysia.


    The more sensible ones retreated with grace. They wouldn''t make a move, nor make an uproar because they were jealous.


    Wouldn''t they just disgrace themselves if they continued to pester him?


    They wouldn''t be able to show their faces in high society anymore, if that was the case.


    Most importantly, the two together as a couple truly made a stunning picture that couldn''t be surpassed.


    On their own, the two were already soul-capturing, but together, it was truly a lethal sight.


    While they were together, they all got the feeling that they were the only person in each other''s worlds.


    How could they ever compete with that?


    On the other hand, there were also those that just didn''t seem to get the hint that they weren''t wanted.


    Instead, they tried to stick even closer even though Elysia was already in Alec''s arms.


    It was a move on Alec and Elyisa''s part that was considered a public display of affection that wasn''t quite looked highly upon, but it was done in such a natural and non-lecherous way that they were able to accept it.


    The crowd that had been surrounding Alec decreased to the point where the only people left were the sole male and one female vying for Alec''s attention.


    Now, normally, Alec would have likely already snapped at this point and spat out some harsh words. However, he didn''t take a single look at them from the moment that Elysia placed herself in his arms.


    Elysia had started blushing prettily as Alec kept staring at her with affectionate eyes, and she felt like burying her face in her hands.


    How had she never noticed how intense Alec''s look was, especially when they were the sole focus of his attention?


    She felt both shy and energized at the same time, and she stood by her determined goal.


    She was going to fight for Alec, and she wouldn''t let anyone, or anything stop her.


    Especially not these people who looked like they were just attracted to Alec''s physical appearance.


    They didn''t know anything about him as a person at all, and yet they wanted to compete with her?!


    For the first time in her life, a competitive spirit burned brightly in Elysia, and she turned a little in Alec''s arms to stick her tongue out at the two competitors left, causing their faces to darken.


    Alec let out a startled laugh when he saw her actions, and he tugged Elysia back more firmly to him. He pressed a kiss on her cheek before saying in a voice that was loud enough for the two to hear, "Ignore them, Ely. They aren''t worth anything to me."


    The man and woman''s face changed a few times and they stalked away in a huff.


    Elysia''s eyes sparkled as she stared up at Alec, and with an almost coy look on her face, she hugged Alec tightly around the waist.


    Alec''s brain processes floundered.


    Beside them, near the punch table, Loeri was still confused by the sudden upsurge of pheromones in the air, and it c.o.c.ked its cap staring at the various humans.


    With a move that would have been considered a shrug on it, Loeri continued to drug the punch, as well as the air itself, which caused an upsurge of such emotions in the people within the ballroom.


    Loeri made a squeaking sound as it dipped a root in the punch, starting to sing happily.


    Of course, the sound was not heard by anyone except for Alec.


    "I''m a mushroom, and I''m okay! I eat poison and I keep bad guys away! I like to sit on master''s head, he made mistress'' face turn red! They saved a guy who was quite a wreck! Not quite sure why master nibbled on his neck! This is my song. This is my story. The tale of the best mushroom named Loeri!"


    Alec''s lips twitched, and his face almost darkened when he heard about Loeri singing about him biting Mason''s neck. Luckily, that one had mostly healed before he woke up despite how deep it was when he bit him.


    Around them, inexplicably, there were various couples getting together due to Loeri''s influence.


    Alec''s lips twitched again as he caught sight of the man and woman who left earlier hooking up and leaving together.


    ¡­That was one way to deal with pests.


    He suddenly felt happy about this ability of Loeri''s.

 Chapter 350 - You... What?

    Elysia too noticed how the people who were in the ballroom had started to pair off together, ''subtly'' leaving the place.


    She was confused, but she couldn''t really bother about it right now.


    With Alec''s hand on her waist that felt like a bit of scorching sun, she couldn''t stop herself from flushing from time to time when her mind drifted towards it.


    She might have firmed up her determination, but she had no idea how she was going to catch this man in front of her.


    What did the two ladies before say to her again?


    At this moment, she really couldn''t recall any of their advice at all. The hand on her made her brain short-circuit a little, but it was also accompanied by a feeling of sheer bliss and happiness that made her feel light and floaty.


    Logically, she should be thinking about how to ascertain his feelings for her, but they were in the middle of a ''mission'' now, even if it was a self-assigned mission.


    Elysia had zero experience.


    But she did know what she was feeling now.


    What she felt for Alec was different from what she felt for anyone else, and it was different from the familial love she had for her dad.


    While it might have seemed like a rather long time since she came out from the crack between realms with her father, it had actually only been a few months.


    Not only that, most of that time had been spent in the sect while she acclimatized to living outside a place where there were no humans.


    In that place, she only had her dad to base her interactions off, and there was hardly anything she could recall about when she had been younger.


    As such, Elysia was truly clueless. She was a blank slate that had yet to be filled.


    Thus, right now, when Elysia was still floundering in thinking about how she should go about making Alec hers, she decided to divert the topic first while she thought of a way.


    "Where do you think everyone''s going?" she asked as she looked at the various people leaving the ballroom.


    The smile on Alec''s face froze, and his lips twitched a little.


    "Hm," he said instead, diverting his gaze from her.


    Elysia frowned, wondering what he was doing. He usually answered any of her questions seriously, so she didn''t understand why he wasn''t doing so now.


    Instead, he said a little helplessly, "Elysia¡­"


    Did he really have to explain it to her? She wouldn''t even let him off! Alec felt like he''d been hit on the head with a brick, causing his thought process to slow down.


    This little girl really was too curious for her own good!


    He suddenly remembered about the time that she had been so curious about Travis'' matters of the night.


    So, it wasn''t that she had been curious, but that she had been totally ignorant to what was happening!


    Suddenly, Alec was hit by such a strong sense of helplessness that he didn''t know what to do.


    Even if he wanted Elysia for himself, it really didn''t seem right to make any moves on a person that had no idea about what was happening between a.d.u.l.ts?


    Inwardly, Alec felt helpless. Why had that dragon dad of hers not taught her about this?!


    Elysia peered up curiously at him, still having no idea what was causing Alec such apparent distress. She looked around the room, but there was really nothing that should be causing him those feelings.


    She hesitated and almost wanted to pull away.


    Suddenly, the hold on her waist tightened a little, pulling her closer to him.


    She gasped softly as she took a step closer, her instincts kicking in.


    Then, her face burned when she realized she had essentially thrown herself into Alec''s embrace again.


    She had done it earlier, but that had been in the heat of the moment when her determination had been at the peak.


    Yet, after her hot head cooled down a little as she thought about her future actions, every little action she took that contained Alec made her overthink and her face burn.


    When she realized that her ''little crush'' perhaps wasn''t so little at all, and was possibly love, she really couldn''t help but blush at the littlest things.


    When she acknowledged it, she really noticed all the things from Alec''s slightly deeper breaths to the slightest twitches of his eyebrows when he was annoyed. The way his eyes sparkled when his smile reached his eyes.


    Alec definitely wasn''t as gentle as he portrayed himself to be, and Elysia should have been repelled by that considering her past history with people like this, but instead, she just found herself more attracted to him.


    It was like she was helplessly drawn in despite herself, yet she couldn''t help but want to fall deeper to taste the sweetness as well. She wanted all the sweetness to be real, yet she was scared that it wasn''t at the end of the day.


    Alec pulled her close and buried her face deeper into his chest, blocking her vision of anyone else. "Elysia, do you really not know what they''re going to do?"


    Elysia''s heartbeat sped up so much she felt almost dizzy. Alec''s breath sprayed on her ear, causing it to heat up, but when she registered his words, she was really clueless.


    She peered back a little staring up at him with confusion.


    Looking into her clueless eyes, Alec really felt helpless. Her apparent innocent was eating away at him in a way that was sorely testing his self-control.


    His Adam''s apple rolled despite himself. She was so close that he could smell her natural fragrance. Why was he himself testing himself this way? He didn''t know.


    It was like sweet torture being like this.


    And right now, even with so many people leaving the place, there were still eyes on the two of them, so it wasn''t like he could abruptly rip himself away as well.


    Alec tried to dumb down his explanation to her, for some reason, feeling a little embarrassed. "They''re doing things that only couples ¨C err¡­ They''re doing things that usually only couples do together. Like that time in the inn with Travis, remember?"


    Elysia''s eyes widened, and it clicked. "Oh!"


    There was a moment of silence as the music trickled between them, and Alec relaxed a little, thinking that it was over now. He would buy a few books that explained everything to her. This way, she didn''t have to ask anyone any strange questions, right?


    However, Elysia''s next words shattered that hope. "But¡­ not all of them are couples, right? And why are there only two of them leaving together?"


    Alec was inwardly dying. Elysia, please! Could you just¡­ let the matter go?!


    "No." He suddenly felt regret at having to bring Elysia here ¨C wait.


    A thought suddenly occurred to him.


    Did that mean that the only thing she knew about was the more extreme end of coupling¡­ a threesome?


    Did she think that this activity required three people in total, and not only two!?


    Alec felt like his brain was breaking down, and he tried not to show it on his face. "Elysia, usually it''s only two people who get together¡­" If his voice was a little strangled, that was your own imagination.


    "Oh." Elysia blinked. "Ohhhh."


    Alec inwardly prayed that she would just drop it.


    The two of them made another round around the ballroom, and both of them were thinking about different things.


    Alec was just praying that Elysia wouldn''t ask any other awkward questions, while Elysia, on the other hand¡­


    She was still thinking about how to make Alec ''hers''.


    But the thing was, she really didn''t have any methods at her disposal at all!


    Then¡­ the only thing she could do at this moment was¡­ power through?


    Making up her mind, Elysia suddenly looked up, and she caught sight of how Alec was still staring at her face.


    "Alec!" she said, "I want to tell you something."


    "?" Alec inwardly panicked. It wasn''t something else along those lines, was it?


    Elysia took a deep breath. She was going to go for it.


    "I like you!"


    At the same moment, the lights in the ballroom all shattered at the same time, causing chaos in the darkness.

 Chapter 351 - Did You Hear Me?

    Despite the general chaos in the room, Alec disregarded everything else other than what he just heard ¨C or at least, what he thought he heard.


    Was he imagining things?


    Had he really heard what he''d heard come out of Elysia''s mouth?


    Alec felt like he was dazed.


    This was the first time that Alec had ever reacted in such a way during an unknown and potentially dangerous situation.


    Instead, Elysia was the one who immediately reacted and pulled Alec to the side, her face full of (fake) panic.


    At this moment of time, there was no one who had time to pay attention to other people''s safety, and the people inside were all panicked for a brief moment, until a loud voice came from one of the security guards.


    "Calm down! There is no danger, and everything has been handled. However, we will have to ask you to retire for the night since the lights no longer work!"


    Slowly, the crowd calmed down, and as they calmed down, Alec slowly regained control over his thought process.


    The shock he got had been truly too large this time.


    He didn''t even have time to spare to think about what caused the chaos that erupted around them.


    On the other hand, Elysia had been feeling a little discouraged since she thought that her confession had been wasted.


    Ah, she should have just blurted it out five minutes earlier! No, even one minute would have been sufficient!


    She''d blurted out her feelings only to have it masked up by an outside influence. It was all for nothing!


    She pouted but resolved herself to say it again once they returned back to their room. She couldn''t just allow her resolution to be wasted like this. She had to hear his answer today.


    In the corner of the ballroom, the guards had been watching over the various reactions from the people inside.


    They were looking for anyone who panicked excessively, or someone who was totally calm inside it.


    However, despite what they were looking for, no one stood out.


    The leader of the guards frowned. Could it be that they hadn''t come to the ball? Or were their detection skills just that bad?


    They''d already checked the various rooms on the ship discreetly while the ball had been in full swing, and everything checked out.


    However, two hours into the ball, people started leaving together for a little bit of¡­ fun, which made them speechless.


    Weren''t these noble ladies usually very picky about who they spent their time with? Even then, most of them didn''t ''put out'' so to say until their marriage was confirmed.


    Yet, they were all cutting loose and getting together?


    It was illogical!


    The guards felt like their preconceived notions were all crashing down.


    Why were these batch of nobles and rich people so weird this time around?! The guards had been on various trips crossing the from continent to continent, but they''d never seen the people on board act with so little reservation!


    As such, the guards had no new leads. This move of theirs had been wasted.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec had come to the conclusion that he was probably drunk on the pheromones that Loeri had been releasing into the air earlier.


    What else could explain the hallucination he had?


    Speaking of which, Loeri was still playing around and would return later on its own.


    Was he so thirsty for Elysia that he had descended into such a state? Was he¡­ too pent up or something? Alec couldn''t accept it!


    How could he imagine a confession by himself?


    Even if his body was in puberty, it wasn''t like he couldn''t suppress the effects that it had on him! At least, he shouldn''t have descended into such a state!


    However, it had already come up to this point, and Alec felt that he had to take drastic measures. He should distance himself from Elysia. Immediately.


    As such, Alec was planning on going back to his room.


    He had just turned away when his shirt was grabbed by Elyisa''s small hands.


    "Where are you going?" Elysia asked.


    Alec turned and looked at her. Instinctively, alarms were blaring in his mind. As if he truly couldn''t allow himself to stay near her if he wanted things to remain the same.


    He must have paused for too long because Elysia ended up dragging him into the room by force.


    Alec could have broken free any time he wanted, but he really couldn''t bring himself to do so.


    Elysia firmly shut the door behind them, and she stared at Alec with determined eyes.


    Her eyes were so lovely under the light, and with her determination, they looked like they were molten gold.


    All her emotions reflected in her eyes, and Alec felt himself soften towards her.


    Could he really handle being away from her now, with his feelings apparently developing without him noticing?


    For some reason, he felt like everything had changed tonight.


    Seeing Alec just stand there like a wooden block, Elysia knew that he hadn''t heard her heartfelt confession before the lights flickered out and shattered all at once. The noise must have hindered him from hearing her.


    He was acting a little strangely, but she didn''t let that affect her.


    If she thought too hard about it, she would lose her nerve, so she didn''t.


    "Alec, did you hear what I said to you before the lights exploded?"


    Alec blinked, his brain not processing what she meant.


    Wait¡­


    Elysia frowned, and Alec''s eyes zeroed in on her lips.


    "Alec?" she repeated, waving her hand in front of his face.


    Alec snapped out of it.


    He still hesitated. "No."


    How could he confess something like that? Surely it was his own hallucination. Elysia had never shown any signs that she liked him, after all.


    It was probably his own brain playing tricks on him.


    "I said, I like you," Elysia said slowly and clearly.


    Instantly, Alec was stunned again.


    She¡­ what?


    So he really didn''t hear wrongly?!


    Sure enough, it wasn''t that his hearing nor his brain that had a problem.


    She really liked him!?


    But there were no hints of it whatsoever?!


    Elysia raised her brows at the non-reaction from Alec. She was completely prepared for a rejection from him, but she wouldn''t allow him to keep his distance from her.


    She stepped forward, and Alec subconsciously took a step back.


    In this manner, the two of them moved across the room, and Alec''s mind was a mess. What in the world was happening here?!


    ¡­Why did he feel like their roles were reversed in this situation? He felt like he was being hunted down by Elysia.


    The gleam in her eyes spoke of something predatory and playful, which made his throat more than a little dry.


    Alec''s mind was thrown into confusion, and he really couldn''t entangle himself from it.


    Then, he suddenly stumbled and fell onto the bed. Instantly, Elysia didn''t let up and straddled his h.i.p.s.


    Alec''s throat went dry, and he swallowed.


    Elysia smiled down mischievously at him. From his reaction, Elysia thought that he liked her as well.


    "Why do you like me?" Alec asked with pure confusion.


    Elysia tilted her head, just as confused as Alec. "Do I have to have a reason to like someone?"


    ¡­That was true.


    After all, he didn''t have a reason why he liked Elysia as well, other than the fact that he was a Cher apparently.


    Everything she did was just so cute.


    Alec took a deep breath to steady his mind. "Elysia, I don''t think this is a good idea."


    "Why?" She took tilted her head and stared down at him.


    Alec could see that he hadn''t managed to change her mind in any way.


    There was a traitorous part of him that urged him to just accept her confession.


    But there was also another part of his mind that rejected that. How could he, when she had no idea he was a Cher!


    Thinking about everything, he prepared for a long conversation with Elysia. He patted the side next to where he was lying, hinting for her to get off him.

 Chapter 352 - Leaning In, Giving In.

    Unexpectedly, Elysia directly ignored his hint and only adjuster herself to plant herself more firmly on Alec''s lap, making sure that he couldn''t pluck her off without a problem.


    She had to make her feelings known to him today, or she wouldn''t be going to sleep! Nor would she let him sleep!


    She peered down at him with mischievous eyes, and Alec''s resistance against her instantly broke down.


    He felt helpless. Elysia, could you not play by the rules!? Who even discussed a relationship like this?!


    "Elysia, there are still a lot of things that you don''t know about me. I really don''t think this is a good time for us to get together," Alec said relatively calmly.


    Inwardly, however, was another story.


    Elysia instantly frowned, not happy with his words.


    He didn''t even think about it and was trying to stop her with reasons like this?! She wouldn''t accept it.


    More than that, she had to set him straight. Even if this was the first time that she wanted to get into a relationship with someone else, that didn''t mean that she didn''t know what she wanted.


    She''d read some books about people in love before. It might not account for everything, but she thought that she had the general idea.


    Even if right now, she was still young, she had the confidence that she could walk down the various paths in life hand in hand with the person in front of her.


    Elysia was playing for keeps.


    Since Alec had stolen her heart, then he had to take responsibility!


    No takebacks!


    "No," Elysia simply said.


    "No?" Alec echoed, confused. "What do you mean, ''no''?"


    "No."


    Alec stared at her stubborn face, feeling helpless. This was not developing according to his expectations.


    "You''re still young," Alec tried again, only to be cut off by Elysia.


    "No."


    "I haven''t asked your father ¨C"


    "No."


    "I ¨C"


    "No!"


    Elysia pouted and shifted forward. Alec instantly shut his mouth, feeling a stirring down ¨C


    Too dangerous!


    He reached forward to pick her off him so that they could have a proper conversation, but Elysia reached down and covered his mouth.


    She frowned at him, unhappy.


    When Alec fell silent, she started talking. "I''ll answer all your objections one by one, alright?"


    She stared him into submission, then continued with satisfaction when she didn''t see any rejection from her words.


    Alec''s eyes were slightly pained, and had the barest hints of panic, but there was also an endless wealth of warmth and mixed affection. It was something that she could almost physically feel just looking into his crystalline blue eyes.


    Accordingly, her eyes also softened when she stared at him.


    She was starting to find his panic kind of cute. It was likely that he knew he liked her, but he didn''t know how to go about it.


    She didn''t know what was it that was holding him back, but he definitely wasn''t acting now.


    They were alone in the room, and with the arrays that Alec used on their room, there was no way that anyone could eavesdrop on them.


    As such, everything that Alec was showing now should be the real deal.


    "First of all, you said, I don''t know everything about you? That''s true. However, I''ve spent time with you, and you''ve spent time with me. You like me too, right?" Elysia peered into Alec''s eyes.


    The conflict was still there, but he didn''t make a move to refute her words.


    He hesitated a little, but in the end, he nodded slightly.


    Elysia smiled in satisfaction and continued. "As for this, it''s not like you know everything about me either, right? Isn''t it find for us to discover these things about each other later on? I might not be that knowledgeable in dating, but I know the basics! Anyway, how can people know each other completely and fully even after spending a lifetime together? Isn''t it enough that we are willing to try?"


    As she said this, Elysia bit her bottom lip, staring into Alec''s eyes.


    There was still conflict inside his eyes, so she continued talking while he took in her words.


    "As for me being young, aren''t we the same age now?" she asked with grievance. She widened her eyes sadly, a frown painting her face.


    She looked so sad that Alec ached to comfort her. No doubt she thought that he was just taking any random excuse to brush her off, but that wasn''t the case at all.


    Alec felt his head ache.


    How was he supposed to explain this to her?


    Should he just tell her, or not?


    Anyway, with Sekai going around shouting that he was a ''damn System'' all the time, she should have found it strange, right?


    He made up his mind at this moment, and yet again moved to pick up Elysia. He wasn''t going to allow her to reject this time.


    However, outside of his expectations, she saw what he was going to do and immediately clung onto his neck, stunning him.


    "Elysia," Alec said in a helpless tone.


    "No!" Elysia said fiercely.


    "Elysia, let me go."


    "Nope," she said, burying her face in the crook of Alec''s neck. When she spoke, her voice breathed out and tickled Alec, causing his fingers to twitch.


    Alec gave up.


    Right now, all his defences related to Elysia had completely crumbled with this one move from her, and he could feel that he would never be able to fit these emotions back into the pesky wall of his anymore.


    He''d likely always feel them whenever he saw Elysia.


    Her words gave him false hope, and he knew that he would never be able to escape from the net that was called ''Elysia'' in his lifetime.


    He''d been denying it the entire time, but the time he''d spent with Elysia had quietly crept into his heart, and he''d felt himself weakening every time, but for some reason, he just couldn''t bring himself to do anything about it.


    As much as he tried to deny it, with this one move by Elysia, everything came crumbling down.


    He was in love with her.


    Irrevocably in love, at that.


    Maybe part of him was tired of running from his feelings ¨C of denying them until he could no longer stand it.


    When Elysia talked about it, it all seemed to simple and clear cut, while his own brain gave him every single way it could go wrong.


    Would he survive losing her in the future if she ever got tired of him?


    Would he be able to sleep at night if he knew that she was with someone else?


    Alec hesitated for a bit, before deciding to just go for it. What else did he have to lose?


    If, in the future, they were no longer together, it wasn''t like Alec couldn''t survive without her! He''d just pray for her future happiness and bury himself in his work.


    He didn''t believe that he would be crippled by the lack of love. He could just shove all his heartbreak under the wall again when it came to it, right?


    Didn''t one of those books that ''imparted wisdom'' say that they would rather have love and lost than not loved at all?


    Thinking up to this point, Alec opened his mouth and explained everything about himself to Elysia, leaving it to her to decide what she wanted.


    If she still wanted him, then he didn''t mind giving it a try.


    If she didn''t want him, then at least he knew that it would never have worked out from the beginning.


    He didn''t believe he was so deep in already that he couldn''t continue ignoring his feelings.


    He explained everything from him discovering he was a Cher, to him actually being a Sin instead of an Every. He even briefly explained a little about this not being his first life, and that he had been a System previously.


    He talked so much that his throat went dry.


    By the time he finished, he felt¡­ lighter somehow.


    Elysia pulled back a little and stared at him with wide eyes.


    "So¡­ does this mean we''re boyfriend and girlfriend now?"


    Alec stared at her blankly before a smile started creeping up on his lips. She didn''t mind at all?


    Slowly, laughter started to spill out of his mouth, and his eyes were incomparably warm.


    The warmth warmed Elysia down to the very bones, leaving her feeling boundless affection.


    Quietly, she leaned in towards Alec''s face¡­

 Chapter 353 - Scorching Fire

    Instinctively, Alec panicked, but then he thought to himself, did he really have to avoid her like this?


    After all, Elysia seemed to have accepted him? And they were¡­ dating now, right?


    He was confused at this crucial moment.


    In his moment of confusion, Elysia''s lips landed on Alec''s before he could do anything, and Alec''s eyes widened without his knowledge.


    Instantly, the fragrance that he only seemed to smell on Elysia engulfed him, and he couldn''t help but anchor her more securely against him.


    There were no fireworks beyond his eyes, but instead, it was like something surged within him, and he could not help but pull her closely possessively, as if the beast within him had been unleashed.


    He had never before felt this way for another person, but instead of being confused or muddled, it was more like his every sense had been amped up to the fullest. It was likely that he would never again feel this strongly for anyone else.


    In this case, all he had to do was wholeheartedly embrace it and cherish his time with Elysia.


    He had to anchor her to his side, not allowing her to escape¡­


    The moment these thoughts surfaced; they were no longer able to be suppressed by Alec, like dark ink that stained a clean sheet of paper.


    The moment Elysia''s lips had touched his, he knew that he would not be willing to allow her to escape him.


    The base nature of his thoughts shocked him, but even as these thoughts were churning in the back of his mind, there was no time for him to care about it right now. In the present, he tightly controlled his fierce instincts and softly pressed his lips against Elysia''s, treating her with such a degree of gentleness that wasn''t his innate nature.


    He felt as if she would shatter in his arms if he held her too hard.


    On the other hand, Elysia had no such reservations.


    Alec''s kiss made her felt like she was melting from inside out, and her heart was filled with a sort of sweetness that made her feel like she''d eaten a particularly sweet dessert.


    More than anything, the feeling of lovely contentedness and affection welled up within her, and her eyes fluttered shut without her knowledge.


    Alec''s lips moving against hers was the sweetest, most unimaginable thing that caused her to shudder subconsciously.


    Everything she felt in this sensitive state seemed to have been magnified and amplified tenfold.


    From the way Alec''s fingers lingered on her clothed skin, to the way he tilted his head, and the soft feeling of his lips, she etched it all into her memory.


    But still, there was something inside her that hungered for more, but she was acting entirely based on instincts and without any much prior knowledge.


    She clumsily kissed Alec, which was a lot more devastating to him than if she had skilfully controlled every aspect of their kiss.


    Alec felt something pool in the lower half of his body, and he broke away from their kiss, taking a deep breath.


    Damn this hormone-ridden body!


    Elysia pouted at him, dissatisfied. She even leaned forward, but Alec hurriedly stopped her.


    "Alec¡­" She pouted.


    Alec''s line of sight couldn''t help but fall onto her lips, and he found that her pink lips were swollen and plumper than before. They were also shinier, and his mind instantly blanked.


    This time, Alec was the one who initiated the kiss with Elysia. He was endlessly drawn into the Elysia''s pace, but he couldn''t bring himself to tear himself away right now.


    Her kisses were still so clumsy, and Alec felt as if his heart had suffered a blow.


    Most tragically, he really could not control his reaction, and all the dark thoughts were coming out nonstop, telling him to just take her for himself.


    Should he really be making a move on someone who didn''t know about ''the birds and the bees''?!


    He felt like he was committing a crime!


    Still, he tried his best to restrain himself as best he could. They literally just entered into this relationship. It was too quick.


    His body felt like there was a burning fire consuming him from inside out.


    As such, he couldn''t help but instinctively deepen his kiss, his tongue invading into her mouth.


    Elysia stiffened before she let out a gasp and clung tighter onto Alec.


    The previously gentle kiss deepened into something hotter, more passionate. The new couple tentatively explored each other''s mouth in a way that had been foreign to them before this.


    Slowly, the clumsiness that Elysia showed previously disappeared as she copied Alec''s movements, and the two of them kissed increasingly wantonly and fiercely.


    Elysia growled as she bit lightly on Alec''s tongue.


    An electric current surged through her body without stop, causing her blood to boil. She pressed up against Alec''s warm body, tilting her head.


    What Alec had originally intended to be just a gentle introduction and a soft kiss developed into something more, something that threatened to scorch the two of them until their bones turned to ashes.


    Gradually, both Alec and Elysia were losing more and more control, and the two of them kissed so fiercely that they lost track of all time and rational thinking.


    Elysia felt as if she was drowning in a sea of passion, and she was the lone boat holding on against a raging sea.


    She''d never felt this way before, and it was as if she didn''t know where her body ended and where Alec''s began.


    The high intensity of their kiss seemed to burn both of their brain cells out, and it was only when Elysia tried to mould her body onto Alec''s even more than what was already happening that Alec abruptly snapped out of it.


    He took a deep breath when he realized to what extent his control had slipped. Right then, Elysia had finally pulled away a little, and just looking at her face nearly made all his control slip again.


    Her face was painted with pink, and her eyes were covered with a faintly misty haze, giving her a dazed expression.


    Compared to before, her lips were even more swollen due to their ministrations.


    Alec''s fingers twitched again before he pressed his face into the crook of Elysia''s neck in a move that was reminiscent of the way she''d pressed her face into his neck earlier.


    His brain worked fast.


    The control he was so proud of was really nothing in the face of Elysia''s determination, but he already knew from the moment that she placed her lips on him that he would never be able to have much in the way of self-control where Elysia was concerned.


    It should have alarmed him how quickly they were moving, but truthfully, there was a sense of relief that he felt deep down.


    The possessiveness that bloomed seemingly instantly was a dark, filthy feeling inside him, but he couldn''t stop himself. Perhaps, it was only with Elysia nearby that he would be able to control this feeling.


    Alec almost frowned at his thoughts. He didn''t like that he was turning out like this. Had this always been a part of him? Why had he not discovered it before?


    But before he could sink too deeply into these thoughts, the misty haze in Elysia''s gaze cleared up a little.


    Curiously, she peered down, and before he could react, her hand reached down and grabbed a certain stiff thing.


    Alec instantly froze up, his expression losing a bit of the softness that had been there previously.


    "Elysia!" Alec said with a strangled tone.

 Chapter 354 - Fluttering

    Alec''s voice was strangled as he grabbed her hand. "Elysia!"


    Elysia peered up at him curiously. "Hm?" Confused, she squeezed lightly, drawing a gasp from Alec.


    She then peered down at the thing in her hands again, before it registered. "Oh!"


    Her face stared flushing pink. She had a bit of theoretical knowledge ¨C she knew about a male''s biological reactions, but in the heat of the moment, her mind had not equated it at all.


    However, when she was stunned and staring at him with a bit of disbelief, she still had not yet let go of that thing in her hands.


    Alec''s voice was still strangled as he wrestled with his control. He would not touch her like that until she was at least eighteen, and only if she was the one who initiated it!


    "Elyisa¡­ Let go."


    Elysia''s face immediately burned red, and she immediately let go.


    But her hands still flexed a little, as if remembering that foreign sensation in her hands before.


    The two people who were newly in a relationship couldn''t look at each other, and both of them felt as if the room was stuffy.


    Both their faces were red.


    Elysia uneasily cleared her throat before climbing off Alec''s lap. "Sorry," she squeaked.


    Alec closed his eyes. Her climbing off him just seemed to stimulate his body more. "It''s fine. Just¡­ let''s not do anything until we''re at least eighteen."


    Immediately, Elysia''s face fell. "Ah? No more kissing?" she said sadly.


    Kissing Alec had lit up something inside her, and she still wanted to experience those feelings again. Waiting until they were both eighteen? That was still so long away!


    Alec groaned.


    Everything Elysia did and said sent scorching fire through his veins. Especially now that he no longer had the luxury to deny any of his feelings.


    Acknowledging them only seemed to make him feel it stronger.


    If Ye Sha was here, he would have laughed his heart out at how Alec was right now. It served the dense idiot right for thinking that he could suppress his feelings like that. Didn''t he know that doing that would just cause them to burst out sooner or later?


    However, the strangest thing to Alec was that he actually didn''t feel awkward at all after kissing Elysia so deeply previously.


    Instead, he felt rather relaxed now. Like he''d let go of all his burdens and worries.


    The only reason why he felt a little awkward was because she had abruptly grabbed his erection that he hadn''t been able to hide from her.


    After all, Elysia was still¡­ not legal.


    He could kiss her, but anything more than that was just a no.


    At this moment, while they were about to prepare to go to sleep, Loeri suddenly burst back into the place riding on Bunbun''s head.


    Behind them, was Fenrir, who had also returned at the same time.


    The only familiar that was missing now was Elysia''s Ash Phoenix.


    "Master, master!" Loeri called out happily. "Are you done nibbling faces with mistress?"


    The smile on Alec''s face twitched.


    Instead of replying, he walked forward and patted each of his familiars on the head, successfully distracting each of them as they preened happily.


    It was only later that Loeri suddenly spoke up again, alarming him.


    "Master that man that was a wreck got caught by the guards just now¡­"


    Alec, who had just lay down on the bed, helplessly stared at the ceiling.


    "What is it?" Elysia asked, confused. She could sense the sudden change in mood that Alec went through.


    He''d still been contentedly cuddling with her earlier on before his mood suddenly changed as he tensed up.


    "Loeri said that Mason got captured by the guards."


    Elysia blinked, confused. "Wasn''t he hiding well earlier on?" she asked, puzzled.


    With how hard the guards had been combing the ship the past week or so, they still hadn''t found Mason. This meant that his hiding skills were definitely sufficient enough to use against them.


    However, he still got caught?


    Was it a moment of carelessness or something else?


    Loeri wriggled around on Bunbun''s head, and Bunbun swiped at it to tell it to calm down a little. Loeri wilted sadly, but then perked right back up.


    "He''s captured, but not captured at the same time!" Loeri said happily.


    Alec: "???"


    "Is he poisoned again?" Elysia asked with curiosity.


    "Nope," Loeri said sadly. It could have eaten more yummy things, but there was no more.


    Alec silently handed Loeri some of the powder that he used to build up his immunity. Loeri happily wriggled around.


    Alec thought about it before deciding to leave the man. "Leave him, then. He should be able to get himself out if he purposely got himself caught. If, on the last day, he''s still caught, then we''ll just rescue him before getting off board."


    Elysia nodded, agreeing with his assessment. "He should be fine. Unless they''re torturing him to make an example of him?"


    The two of them stared at Loeri, who shook its head.


    "Let him do his own thing. Loeri should have sensed if he was in distress anyway."


    Elysia was still frowning. She hugged Alec tighter, burying her face in his neck. His tense body relaxed a little, and she smiled to herself when she thought about how she''d caught this big boss here for herself.


    The silver-haired girl opened her mouth and lightly bit on Alec''s neck, causing him to stiffen up a little.


    Alec sucked in a breath, but obediently allowed her to do as she wished. It embarrassed him a little, but more than that, it was causing him to have reactions. As such, he remained very still.


    It was only when Elysia was satisfied that she nuzzled his neck, her eyelids fluttering.


    Alec smiled softly seeing how happy Elysia was, despite the sweet torture that he was put through. It helped to confirm for him that he wasn''t making a mistake, and that he wasn''t forcing his feelings on someone else.


    Now, it was less that he couldn''t acknowledge his own feelings and more that he didn''t want to be a burden.


    The realization stunned him. Had he always had that fear that he was being a burden?


    Confused, Alec wrapped his hands around Elysia''s waist, pulling her flush against him.


    She snuggled into the warmth as her eyelids continued to flutter.


    Alec couldn''t help but lean down and press a few kisses on Elysia''s eyelids lightly. They were so light that Elysia barely felt it at all.


    It wasn''t until Elysia fell asleep that Alec continued thinking about his various problems. He had likely been scared of being a burden when he became a System, because it was something that had plagued him his entire first life.


    When he became a System, he worked hard, and he always followed the rules. However, it made his temper become worse, and he always came across as grumpy.


    This time, however, he''d slowly relaxed into his life when his connection with the Mainframe snapped, leaving him stranded and without any rules to follow.


    He thought back about how lost he''d been previously without anything to guide him. It was the height of irony considering a System was supposed to be the one guiding the Main Characters in the first place.


    However, now, he had a goal for himself.


    He wanted to find the transmigrators that the damn organization was hiding from the world and see what exactly they were trying to do.


    He had a sneaking suspicion that it involved something like world domination.


    At this moment, Elysia made a soft noise, her hand that had been clutching his shirt tightening.


    Unbeknownst to himself, Alec''s smile and eyes were completely warm, not showing any trace of alienation at all.


    Without him knowing, he''d already completely and utterly fallen hard for Elysia.

 Chapter 355 - One Squad

    The rest of their trip back to the Kaoriht continent wasn''t so adventure-filled, thankfully, and in the deepest recesses of Alec''s mind, he sort of treated it as a long-term date with Elysia.


    He didn''t know if it was because of their new relationship status or because he just admitted it to himself, but it felt like everything would be fine.


    He didn''t feel as anxious when he had Elysia in his sights, and he felt that he could handle whatever chaos the world threw at him.


    The time he spent with Elysia and only Elysia allowed him to learn so many little quirks and thoughts that she had, and if Alec thought that whatever love he had for the teen had been deep before, it was nothing compared to how much it continuously increased.


    Sometimes, Alec lay awake at night, thinking about how terrifyingly unfathomable such feelings were. Just how were they able to continue expanding like this, without any bottom?


    It made him scared¡­ that Elysia didn''t feel the same.


    It made him wonder¡­ did all Chers go through things like this? Thoughts like this?


    He wanted to talk about it with someone¡­ anyone. But the only Chers he knew were his mother and Elias.


    On the other end of the spectrum, the days passed in a manner that left him feeling like he was endlessly drunk on something called ''love'', which made him wonder why he''d spent that long denying everything it had to do with him.


    He still wasn''t quite resigned to being a Cher, but when he held Elysia in his arms, he didn''t mind as much.


    It was a strange contradiction that left him feeling lost at times, but everything seemed to fade away when he just looked at Elysia''s molten gold eyes and saw that they stared back at him.


    The days repeated in such a manner, and it left him feeling almost sad as the shore approached them. It felt like the dream was finally ending. They would have to return back to their chaos-filled life once they were back on land.


    Still, there were too many things that he wanted to do for him to spend every waking moment with Elysia. As much as he wanted to, he was much more determined than ever before to try and end the organization that had already hurt so many people.


    He didn''t want to leave any loose ends behind that would hinder his future with Elysia.


    The two of them had tried to look further into the ship that they were on, but even with Loeri being able to turn invisible to infiltrate the place, they weren''t able to learn much.


    Alec went in himself, but he couldn''t find anything like a ledger or even the person that was supposed to be in charge here, which left him very suspicious.


    However, he did manage to connect again with Mason, who had gotten himself ''captured'' again.


    Mason would be working on it from the inside, and Alec wasn''t the type of person who overturned other people''s decisions, so he left it to the man.


    It was his own choice.


    Alec would not be pursuing this lead for the moment. Instead, after returning back to the Kaoriht continent, he return back to the sect for a while.


    On the last day, Elysia and Alec didn''t appear in public.


    Instead, the two of them spent some alone time away from the masses and just basked in each other''s presence.


    They didn''t act like a new couple at all.


    Perhaps it was because they had been already relatively familiar with each other before they got into a relationship, or because Elysia''s personality meant that she didn''t allow anyone to act awkwardly with her, but Alec had never felt so relaxed and open in anyone''s presence before.


    At the time of their supposed departure, Alec picked Elysia off the bed, causing her to blink, startled, before she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him happily.


    Instead of putting her down, Alec carried her out just like that, attracting various stares to themselves.


    The sight of a handsome young man and a lovely young woman acting out their affection in front of everyone attracted various jealous gazes.


    With the addition of their familiars following after them, the two of them looked exactly like a youthful couple that were still in their honeymoon stage.


    Elysia peered over his shoulder and stared at the people who were left behind. There was a faint pink on her cheeks, and she seemed happier than she''d ever been.


    However, it was only now when Alec so obviously displayed their relationship that the last few stragglers that were still hoping for a chance with either one of them gave up.


    The two of them looked carefree, but in actual fact, they were fully utilizing every search method they could right now.


    Their guard had not been let down at all as they were leaving the ship.


    If someone had discovered that they had links to Mason''s ''breakout'', then they would likely make a move as they were leaving the ship or soon after.


    But since there were too many people who were looking at them, it was hard to pinpoint it when they weren''t exuding any hostility.


    Alec and Elysia had covered up their tracks well enough before, yes, and with Loeri who had done the infiltration for them later on, it had also planted other false trails.


    However¡­


    Stepping back on land, Bunbun''s size abruptly grew, and Alec hopped onto his back.


    The people behind were all left staring at them, dumbstruck, as they rode away on a giant bunny.


    After they were far away enough, Alec''s eyes sharpened. Sure enough, there were people following them.


    The people that were following them did not seem to be aiming to attack them. Instead, they were likely tracking them down.


    There were around six people that were currently tracking them, and they should be a single squad.


    Alec didn''t know whether or not to be insulted that they only sent six people after them.


    Elysia jumped across onto Fenrir, who was running beside Bunbun.


    The two of them exchanged a look, and a grin broke out on Elysia''s face.


    It had been a while since they''d been able to fight, and she already missed it.


    A whole month of not fighting meant that she and Alec had only been able to spar with each other in the room they blocked off from outside influences.


    She was scared that she''d gotten rusty, but someone had been kind enough to send people after them for her to practice on and let loose.


    It wasn''t bad that she was able to be with Alec every day, but she missed running about freely.


    Likewise, Alec was itching after only being able to play with Elysia this one month in.


    His blood was boiling in a whole different way than when he kissed Elysia.


    Their group disappeared deep into the forest, and they hid their bloodl.u.s.t relatively well.


    They split up, waiting for the group tracking them to come deeper into the forest to land right in their traps.


    In the area he was in, Alec happily Awakened some trees nearby to help him. It had been a long time since he''d connected with some trees.


    He''d Awakened things on the ship as well, but it just wasn''t the same since those things didn''t have any latent magic inside them at all.


    His heartbeat quickened, and a sense of excitement that he hadn''t felt for a long time boiled in his blood.


    Sure enough, being a Sin really encouraged their feelings to fight. It was the bloodl.u.s.t that entered their blood, quickly raising their cultivation that made it both addicting and joyful.


    Violence was born and bred in them, and unless Alec forcefully controlled himself, he could indulge in it for a long time.


    This time, however, it was the people who were sending themselves to his door, so he was fully prepared to draw it out for fun.


    The people coming should be some of the guards on the ship, right?


    Six advanced tier people¡­


    Alec subconsciously licked his lips.

 Chapter 356 - Reveal Yourself

    Rhoda took her five subordinates to track down the people they suspected were the ones who had broken into the most secure bas.e.m.e.nt of their ship ¨C they couldn''t allow them to go.


    Even if they were innocent, the company held the belief that it was better to kill a thousand innocents than to let one go.


    It wasn''t that she particularly liked what she was doing, no, but it was all for the company.


    So, it was just business. They couldn''t blame her for being cruel. Not when she made sure to end it in the quickest way.


    Their targets didn''t feel any pain, nor did they cause their targets to suffer prolonged torture either. Amongst the other teams, Rhoda''s one was the most humanitarian one. They liked to consider themselves pacifists.


    They weren''t the only teams that had been sent out, and honestly, Rhoda didn''t think that these two lovebirds were in any way suspicious at all, but orders were orders.


    Of course, they couldn''t leave any suspicion behind that they were connected to the ship at all, so they all had to wait for the most optimal time to make their move. Preferably when there wasn''t anyone around.


    It would be of the utmost simplicity to be able to frame the two lovers as having eloped due to one of the party''s family not approving of their courting.


    This was, of course, only on the premise that their families weren''t too powerful. They''d already looked into the background of the two, and they couldn''t find much. They should be noveau rich, or some hidden family that was only just coming out.


    It was more likely the former than the latter, so they were comfortable to make their moves.


    In this aspect, Rhoda Gacy''s team was luckier than the rest who had to track down powerful aristocrats or those who were well-connected.


    Rhoda''s team could just take the two out in the middle of the forest before burying them and planting traces later on that would place them far away.


    Rhoda was already looking forward to a good night''s sleep before they had to move again.


    Perhaps she would even get to be promoted or have the trust in their team increased.


    Thinking up to this point, Rhoda started getting a little excited before she forcefully calmed herself down, regaining her reason.


    Even cornered animals bit back, let alone humans.


    Rhoda had not gotten this far just to let herself be killed because she grew slack in her work. After all, their team would not have such a high success rate and be highly recommended to their superiors had they been the kind to be lax.


    The two couples and their familiars should be easy pickings.


    With six advanced tiers in her team, they would be able to handle them with ease.


    Yet, her skin was prickling unpleasantly, and her senses were warning her.


    This was not the first time that she had felt this type of warning, and it wasn''t the first time that it had saved her life.


    "Captain, the two targets are moving at a steady pace. They should cut through the forest up ahead."


    Rhoda''s eyes flashed, and she nodded. "Good. Keep your guard up. Don''t let complacency be the thing that brings about our fall."


    "Yes Ma''am!"


    "Speed up a little. We should intercept them in the forest before they get out. Their familiar seems to have a decent enough speed on them, but as far as observation goes, it should be just a normal rabbit that can move fast. It has no magic signatures on it that will allow for combat."


    Rhoda became much more serious as she thought about what to do.


    However, they risked losing the targets and missing the chance of intercepting them in the forest should they slow down their pace to check everything cleanly.


    There weren''t any other forests along the way, and if the two managed to get out, they would be hard-pressed to cover up their tracks.


    They sped up accordingly, using more magic than was otherwise efficient, but they did see the frequency of the tracks more now.


    The tracker of their team also spoke up quickly. "They seem to have discovered us," he said seriously.


    Rhoda frowned. Sure enough, the two weren''t as simple as they seemed.


    Her instincts were very rarely wrong.


    "They''ve split up into two, and they''re heading in different directions."


    "Split up into two teams," Rhoda commanded. "David, Kiel, you''re with me."


    They couldn''t afford for one of them to make it out alive. It would leave too big of a trace behind if they managed to blab that they were being chased.


    If that happened, Rhoda''s team would be finished.


    Rhoda took two subordinates with her and split off, following the trail first. It looked exactly like rabbit footprints, just larger. A lot larger. It was a distinct trail.


    They entered into a patch of trees, but they couldn''t see anyone.


    By now, the bad warnings that she got were incessantly ringing in her mind, telling her to be very careful. That something was wrong here.


    With practiced eyes, Rhoda scanned the place.


    Unfortunately, their team did not have a senor that was specialized in tracking down people''s magic signatures. If they did, their team would have risen to a much greater height, as well as propelled their team to greatness.


    But sensors were just too rare.


    After looking for a brief amount of time, Rhoda''s eyes landed on a pure white bunny that was happily hopping in the forest.


    Her eyes narrowed, and she threw a dagger to the bunny.


    She wouldn''t take any chances, and the target''s familiar was a white bunny that was able to change sizes.


    However, it confused her when the bunny was stabbed through by her dagger without any problem at all.


    She was briefly stunned. Could it be that it really wasn''t the target''s familiar? She''d guessed wrong?


    For the first time, she doubted herself.


    If it had really been the target''s familiar, then it should have increased in size so that the wound done to it was smaller, right?


    "Maybe it''s really not?" One of her subordinates, Kiel, questioned doubtfully.


    Rhoda remained silent, regaining her calm. "Doesn''t matter. However, the target should be hiding from us now. It makes sense that they would send their familiar out to meet us head on. Most people are attached to their familiars, after all."


    Then, Rhoda paused and nodded at the corpse of the bunny. "Check it."


    The black figure knelt down and checked the rabbit that had died from a single dagger of Rhoda''s. He touched its cooling body and checked its blood, rubbing it between his fingers.


    "No problems here."


    Rhoda frowned. She had a feeling that she was missing something, but she didn''t know what it was.


    "Something''s wrong," Rhoda said, listening to the quietness of the forest. This was not a natural quiet feeling, nor should the creatures of the forest be scared away without any warnings whatsoever.


    Instead, it was like they were trapped in a space.


    The thought alarmed her, and her guard shot up.


    "Show yourself!" Rhoda shouted, causing her subordinates'' guards to shoot up as well.

 Chapter 357 - Mushrooms!

    The silence continued, and it caused Rhoda''s subordinates to doubt her sudden shout.


    What was the captain doing? Was she wrong finally? After all this time?


    This move of hers had always worked, so they never once doubted it, but this time, nothing came out. Not even a ghost.


    But even when they were confused, the two subordinates kept their guard up, looking around warily.


    Other than the bunny, there was nothing else in the vicinity with them.


    All they saw were the trees and the various marks left behind by animals and creatures.


    Rhoda too, was puzzled.


    Why were they not following the script? Usually, when she shouted this, the people who were hiding would obediently come out, saying something like ''Hehe, you discovered me?''. But this time, no one came out indeed.


    Had she really been wrong, and their targets weren''t here?


    Rhoda slowly let down her guard, appearing as if she had truly let go of the idea that someone was there.


    In the end, there really wasn''t anyone who attacked her when she relaxed her guard, stunning her.


    From the place Alec was watching their futile reactions, he almost rolled his eyes. What did she expect?


    Who would actually let their guard down in a place like this where they''d already called out, ''Who''s there?''.


    Instead, if someone really did reveal themselves or attack, then both of them were fools.


    Alec almost wanted to grin. Was that woman just acting silly, or was she being genuine? It was rather strange. The first impression that Alec got from her was that she was rather sharp.


    But now¡­


    He took it as his new array working perfectly well. But, how well would it work in such a circ.u.mstance where there was more than one person inside the array? Would it affect all of them equally?


    He looked silently at the array that they were in the middle of.


    There was a particular set of runes that he was now testing out on these people. It was meant to induce a decrease of deductive functions and reasoning, but he didn''t know how much of their thinking was affected, and how much of it remained.


    As such, Alec remained, observing them.


    He''d just barely managed to curb his urge to engage in live combat with them and used them as test subjects instead.


    It wasn''t every day that he managed to get human test subjects, after all.


    Still, these people¡­ how could he say it? Why did they seem so humorous?


    He wondered how entertaining this was going to turn out to be.


    Down below, Rhoda and her two subordinates were still standing in a triangle as they guarded against sneak attacks.


    However, there was nothing but the sound of leaves rustling.


    Five minutes passed¡­


    Ten minutes passed¡­


    Finally, Rhoda seemed defeated, but she stubbornly maintained her stance.


    David, her subordinate, couldn''t take it any longer. He started to speak quietly. "Ma''am, do you think that maybe ¨C"


    "Shh!" Rhoda shushed him harshly. "If we cannot hear the enemy because of your words, then it''s all your fault!"


    David and Kiel looked stunned.


    What was this logic that she was using??


    In the first place, the sentence she just spoke was so much louder than what David used to ask the almost silent question. She even started berating them.


    "I am sure they''re here!" Rhoda insisted, her eyes darting about wildly. "I just know it!"


    David and Kiel looked at each other, confusion stark in their minds. What in the world was happening to their captain now?


    Rhoda''s head kept moving from side to side, and her thoughts seemed impaired by something.


    "Why are you not responding?" Rhoda furrowed her brows, turning around to look at them. "Do you want to be written up when we get back?!"


    Just a moment earlier, she''d been so concerned that she couldn''t hear the target''s movements that she wouldn''t allow David to make a sound, but now, she was blatantly turning her back just to look at them.


    Alarm spiked in both David and Kiel, and they exchanged another look.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Rhoda asked.


    David lunged forward, grabbing Rhoda.


    "Sorry about this, captain!"


    Likewise, Kiel darted around and smacked the captain up the head.


    It wasn''t enough to knock her out, but it was enough to rattle her brains. Doing this would cause most effects that affected the mental state to dissipate.


    Unfortunately, what Alec was using was an array of his own creation, and he had painstakingly tweaked it until he was sure that it would not be so easily dispelled by someone else.


    As such, Rhoda looked at her loyal subordinate, stunned. "You¡­ what are you doing?!"


    Kiel looked hopelessly at David. "It didn''t seem to have done anything?"


    "What are you conspiring?" Rhoda shouted; her shout so loud that it caused their ears to ring.


    The two hurriedly shushed her, Kiel slapping a hand over his captain''s mouth.


    "Mmph!" Rhoda shook her head wildly, trying to dislodge Kiel''s hand or throw off David''s grip.


    The three of them struggled until all three of them were completely drained and panting.


    "You¡­ why are you doing this?!" Rhoda hissed. Her mind was confused. Why had things developed in such a way?


    This was completely illogical!


    Likewise, David and Kiel were thinking the same thing. Why was their normally level-headed and logical captain behaving like this?!


    What the three of them didn''t realize at all was that enough time had passed that the rest of the squad should have returned by now, having finished dealing with the other target.


    Yet, none of them had returned.


    This showed that even David and Kiel''s judgement was lacking at this point. However, the two of them only noticed that Rhoda was acting strangely.


    Up above in the trees, Alec smothered the smile that was on his face.


    The scene that he''d just been treated to was truly¡­ something else.


    Who knew that the array would have such hilarious effects? Seeing three people act like they were utterly devoid of intelligence astounded him.


    The entertainment value was very high. With his hearing, he could hear their every conversation.


    They didn''t even think to use magic earlier when they were struggling against each other.


    At this moment, the three of them started struggling against each other again.


    "Unhand me!" Rhoda growled, twisting her body.


    Her leg kicked backwards, which David hurriedly released her to dodge, saving his family jewels.


    Just as Rhoda got free, she was seized by Kiel instead, frustrating her immensely.


    Alec covered his mouth, smothering the laughter that wanted to leave him. He couldn''t even muster up the normal bloodl.u.s.t. It was like watching a bunch of elementary school children fighting against each other on the playground.


    He decided to add more chaos to the situation.


    At this moment, many mushrooms started growing at a rapid pace on the ground, literally springing out in moments.


    The three who were still arguing amongst each other didn''t even notice it at all.


    By the time they noticed, they were already virtually surrounded by a forest of mushrooms that had been created singlehandedly by Loeri.


    David made a sound of shock. "Mushrooms!"


    Rhoda growled, her eyes glaring at David. "Put aside your futile attempts to distract me ¨C"


    Kiel forcefully turned her head, causing her eyes to go wide.


    "Mushrooms!"


    While the three of them were staring with stunned, wide eyes, a veritable army of rabbits and tiny wolves surrounded them, causing the three of them to clutch each other, subconsciously feeling alarmed.

 Chapter 358 - Three Stooges

    Then, the following turn of events caused all three of them to believe that they were hallucinating.


    They must have consumed some sort of drug that had been released in the air to cause hallucinatory visions.


    Not only were the mushrooms large and various, they all had different effects as well. Mainly because Loeri decided that was the way that it wanted them. Thus, the mushrooms all contained varying and different poisons.


    They were harmful in large doses, as all poisons were.


    By now, had they been in their right minds, the three would have decided to work together, however Rhoda was still under the impression that her two teammates had decided to betray her.


    As such, she charged out once she managed to break free, sending her right into the thick of the mushrooms.


    "Captain!"


    Rhoda ignored them, chancing the mushrooms over traitorous subordinates any day.


    However, Rhoda also failed to heed the voice in her mind that told her she was being foolish. She turned her head to jeer at them, only go plunge headfirst against a giant mushroom, knocking her dizzy.


    A large amount of spore kicked up, causing her to cough violently, and while she expected both David and Kiel to catch up to her, they did no such thing.


    She hurriedly moved along, deeper into the numerous mushrooms.


    Rhoda continued coughing, her eyes watering. They grew increasingly violent, and she felt as if there was something lodged in her chest.


    After a period of intense coughing, after a final, violent hack, she spat something out.


    It was a large clump of vibrant green that caused her hair to stand on end, shocked beyond belief. Similarly, her face turned green as she felt disgusted by what just happened.


    Likewise, David and Kiel were facing their own problems.


    The large number of tiny rabbits and wolves that were surrounding them made them feel apprehensive. They wanted to go after their captain, but they weren''t able to because they got stopped.


    Kiel kept glancing in Rhoda''s direction, but couldn''t see her at all. He started to get nervous, but there was nothing they could do.


    The damn animals were all running around and causing chaos until he felt as if everything was a blur.


    It was like an ever-moving collection of patterns that caused him to feel dizzy and unbalanced.


    The most damning thing was the bunnies were the ones who were chasing the wolves. Then, the mushrooms entrapped the bunnies, and the wolves then escaped.


    The nonsensical cycle repeated like this until they felt like they were on the verge of losing control.


    Kiel and David both suspected that they were hallucinating as well as their captain. What else could explain this course of events?


    David slapped his face, but other than causing his vision to swim and spin, nothing changed in the scene in front of him.


    "Could it be that all of this is real?" he questioned with uncertainty.


    David charged forward and tried to attack a portion of the creatures, only for all three types of creature to turn against him, instantly drowning him under the large number of animals and mushrooms.


    Kiel let out a shout of alarm as he hurriedly rushed forward towards David, only for him to stare in shock as the crowd of the animals and fungi dispersed, and the place on the ground was blank save for the appearance of his friend''s clothes.


    None of the other animals approached at this time, leaving a conspicuous blank spot on the floor.


    "What is happening?!" he couldn''t help but shout to the sky dramatically. "David, how could you be divested of your clothes like this! How can you die peacefully if you die n.a.k.e.d?!"


    Watching them from up high, yet again, Alec had to stifle his laugh, turning it into a muffled cough.


    However, it was not heard by any of the three within his array.


    This new array of his that caused a severe drop in mental abilities, paired with Loeri''s mushrooms that caused hallucinatory and auditory confusion, worked perfectly well together.


    The three opponents could probably confuse themselves to death and not get anywhere.


    They were already self-destructing before Bunbun and Fenrir entered, but with the addition of Loeri''s spores floating around, they were even more muddled.


    Alec''s lips twitched again when he saw Rhoda try to commit suicide by smashing her head against a giant mushroom, only to pause.


    Confused, Rhoda tried it a few more times, only bouncing off the mushroom''s elastic stem.


    "Why won''t it work!" Rhoda shouted.


    She ran randomly a few more times, smashing into random mushrooms. She didn''t even look at the various trees that were strewn here and there. She was completely focused on the appearance of the mushrooms.


    Looking over at David and Kiel, one of them were passed out while the other one was diving into the horde of rabbits and wolves, swiping left and right as he tried to find his friend, having stripped off his shirt in preparation of placing it on his apparently n.a.k.e.d friend that was missing.


    He didn''t even notice that the original spot where David had collapsed was the place his friend was.


    Kiel grabbed the shirt and pants that had fallen to the ground, as well as the various weapons and undergarments that were his friend''s, storing them.


    "I will keep them in your memory," Kiel said solemnly.


    Alec watched with undisguised interest, not bothering to cover the smirk on his face. He''d never seen anyone react like this before, and everything was fodder and information that he could use for later on.


    More than that, it was wildly entertaining. Their thought processes, that was.


    At this point of time, Elysia had finished with her three already and were lugging them behind her.


    She tied them up securely and deposited them at the base of the tree that Alec was perched on, swiftly hopping up.


    She casually pecked Alec on the cheek, causing him to look at her, before she turned her attention to the chaos that was happening down below.


    "What''s this?" she asked curiously, a smile painted on her lips. She seemed awfully amused.


    "I''m trying out a new array on them."


    The new couple peered down at the three stooges with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "What if I¡­" Elysia started.


    Alec gestured to her, telling her to what she wanted.


    Elysia gleefully sent down her Ash Phoenix, which also multiplied in the presence of the array.


    The Ash Phoenix dived down and started pecking at Kiel, causing the poor man to shout out, alarmed.


    The man ran and sought refuge from the bunnies and wolves, even hiding under the mushroom caps, but the various Ash Phoenixes still attacked him.


    Similarly, the same thing was happening to Rhoda, who was still trying to commit suicide via mushroom. She shrieked, running from mushroom to mushroom.


    At this moment of time, David woke up, only to find that he was completely n.a.k.e.d. Shocked, he stood up instantly, using his hands to cover himself, attracting Kiel''s attention.


    "My friend!" Kiel shouted loudly, using his shirt as a cover as she dashed towards David, half n.a.k.e.d.


    Alarmed, David took a step back. "Stay back! Also, where are my clothes?!"


    The two then proceeded to chase each other around the clearing.


    Elysia started breaking into laughter, burying her face in Alec''s chest, sneaking peeks at them occasionally.


    Despite himself, Alec found himself smiling. He planted a kiss on Elysia''s cheek before telling Loeri to put all six people here who had come after them under its control.


    Finally, he knocked them out.

 Chapter 359 - Mind Control

    Rhoda snapped wide awake, her eyes habitually snapping open. She could feel a gust of wind brushing against her bare face, which made her eyes dart around.


    She knew that she wasn''t in her bunker back at the company, so where was this?


    Immediately, she caught sight of her five subordinates'' faces staring back at her with looks of relief.


    Or rather, three looks of relief with David and Kiel staring at her with strange, undecipherable faces.


    Rhoda was stunned. What did that look mean?


    She thought back carefully into her memories, and it clicked. She controlled her instinctual reaction to blanch as she thought about her inexcusable and utterly deplorable behaviour.


    Despite the control she had over her facial features, her face still turned red in embarrassment. Too embarrassing! How could she still look David and Kiel in the eyes after this?!


    She remembered every single thing she''d done earlier, and she almost wanted to look for a mushroom to commit suicide again.


    At that thought, she fiercely knocked her head against the wall, getting calls of alarm from her three subordinates that had been spared this form of strange torture. They were shocked at what their cool-headed captain was doing.


    She felt like she could die from embarrassment. What had she been doing?! Just what was it that had been so potent it had been able to affect all three of them who were at the advanced stage without them noticing it?


    Try as she might, she could not bash the memories out of her head.


    Right now, all she wanted to do was dig a hole and bury herself. Luckily, it didn''t appear like either David or Kiel would ever bring up the memories of what they''d done in that clearing while searching for their target.


    Rhoda''s magic instinctively moved as she prepared to use it to get rid of the ropes surrounding her, but the magic dissipated upon trying to leave her skin.


    Startled, she looked at the rest of her subordinates.


    Nancy nodded, confirming her guesses.


    Rhoda fell silent. Her mind whirled as she tried her best to dispel those memories in her head, turning and looking at where they were.


    The only thing that she could see were trees. Subconsciously, she looked for the mushrooms, and her face changed subtly.


    Come to think of it, didn''t their targets have familiars that correlated to the animals that had appeared before them yesterday?


    A bunny, a wolf and some form of avian creature that she''d never seen before. The one she didn''t know anything about was the mushrooms, but if they appeared at the same time, then it should have something to do with the target.


    She had to find a way to get word to the company that they''d been captured. It was too long for them to wait until they were notably missing, so there was little choice for them.


    At the exact moment she had that thought, a figure dropped down from above, causing the six of them to tense up.


    None of them had noticed that there had been someone there at all.


    Alec looked at the six startled figures in front of him and ran his eyes over them. They were all relatively well trained, and they seemed useful enough for him to keep them around in the future.


    Of course, he had already taken care of pesky brand that they''d been afflicted with, and with Loeri''s control over them, he could ensure that they wouldn''t betray him in the future.


    With it off, they would be free to move according to their own judgement. It was just that¡­ he suspected that the lot of them were all brainwashed to loyally follow the company''s every command.


    Such as killing and espionage.


    In that case, he would have no choice¡­


    "Who are you?" Rhoda asked seriously. She shifted her body a little in front of her subordinates, trying in vain to block them from his view.


    Rhoda didn''t know why the look in the man''s eyes were a little approving, but they were gone in the next second, making her wonder if she imagined it.


    "Smart," Alec said instead. "Tell me. Who do you work for?"


    Rhoda sneered. "You''ll have to kill us first."


    Alec didn''t blink. He could see that from the body language of all six of the bound people here, they were all willing to die to keep the secrets of the company even with the seal off.


    They weren''t like Sekai, who had railed under the pressure of the brand, and none of them were Sins, who would have been acting against their instincts.


    Instead, the six of them would definitely never betray the company that had brainwashed them so thoroughly.


    He threw a seal forward.


    The moment it landed on the ground, the six people from the company were put to sleep.


    Well, five of them were instantly sent to sleep. The last remaining one, the captain, struggled to stay awake.


    "What¡­ do you want¡­" she murmured, before she ultimately lost the battle and succ.u.mbed to sleep as well.


    Alec resisted the urge to let out a sigh.


    Instead, he stroked Loeri''s cap, instructing it.


    Loeri hopped down, sprinkling more spores on each person and strengthening the mind-control spores that it had already left on them.


    The Thousand Poison Mushroom¡­ it was a really mystical magical beast. It was said that partners of this magical beast were always blessed with luck.


    That was, both bad luck and good luck!


    Instead, Alec found that this description perfectly fit the characteristics of a Main Character, with their string of bad and good luck.


    He felt a little complicated.


    At this moment, Elysia dropped down from above, standing beside him.


    She hugged him lightly, smiling at him.


    He looked down at her little face, and a faint smile surfaced on his lips.


    But he was still feeling conflicted inside considering what he was planning to make Loeri do.


    He''d talked about it with Elysia while the lot of them had still been unconscious, but he really couldn''t find a way to remove the brainwashing on them.


    The only thing he could do was to replace the source of their ''loyalty'' using Loeri and treat them humanely.


    Yet, there was still a part of him that detested what he was doing. Wasn''t this exactly what he''d been combating when he made the Spectre''s seal?


    Was this not doing the same thing, but in a different manner? This time, it really was control, wasn''t it?


    Granted, he could just ask them to live lives on their own, but he had a feeling that they wouldn''t know what to do without orders.


    The captain of the team had seemed a little more resistant towards him, but he read from her body language that it was because she couldn''t even fathom the thought of betraying the organization.


    Was what he was doing right?


    But¡­ he still had goals that he was after, so he hardened his heart.


    These six people were now under his control, but he swore that he would never make them do anything that they were uncomfortable with.


    He paused slightly, a little helpless. Would they even tell him if they felt uncomfortable with something?


    Elysia saw his conflict and hugged him tighter, causing him to break out from the cycle of vicious thoughts.


    "Hey!" she said, "Look at me."


    Elysia took Alec''s hand and placed it on her chest.


    Alec instinctively wanted to remove it. Why was she placing his hand on her chest!


    Elysia glared at him. "Look. Listen. Feel. As long as you never go against your own moral principals and do right by them, isn''t it fine? After all, you''re saving them from the company who would likely make them do much worse things. They can even die at any time if they displease the higherups."


    He wondered¡­ how was it that she could calm him down with just words alone?


    Alec''s eyes softened, and he softly kissed Elysia''s lips.

 Chapter 360 - Fake Death

    The next time the six people woke up, they could tell that something had changed.


    The previous loyalty that they felt for the company had disappeared, replaced with pure loyalty towards the man in front of them.


    They were dazed at the sudden change in them, but also accepting of this.


    Their new master must have done something to them, but not only did they not feel any resentment towards him for doing it, they were perfectly happy being under his command.


    It was both strange and disconcerting, but the strangest thing was that they all got used to it quickly.


    Their minds were perfectly fine with this change. If thought about logically, one would realize that it was definitely better to be under the sole command of one man rather than at the mercy of the company which would ruthlessly exploit them due to how they weren''t able to refuse orders.


    Alec looked at them with a complicated feeling. He hid the feeling deep in his heart. He could deal with those later on when he had finished dealing with the organization.


    "Introduce yourselves to me."


    "Yes, master!"


    Rhoda stepped forward, taking the leading position. "Master, my name is Rhoda Gacy. These are my subordinates, David, Kiel, Nancy, Julius and Julia. We''re all in the advanced stage."


    Alec inclined his head slightly. "Tell me more about the company."


    Rhoda hesitated, wondering if their master knew about the existence of the brand, and how she should tell him of its existence if he didn''t know.


    Alec said to reassure them, "I''ve removed the brand that stops you from talking about the company, and you won''t feel its negative side effects anymore. Rest assured; I will never hurt you unless I''m training with you."


    The six people saluted him. "Thank you, master!"


    They looked elated and happy, as if they were more than pleased to be able to help him in any way.


    Inwardly, they were pleased that their master was such a powerful and wise person, that he already knew of the seal before they said anything to him.


    For some reason, Alec felt as if he''d gained six more subordinates that were like Dominique.


    "Going by the order of the company, we have both external and internal members. External members aren''t fitted with the seal that ensures our loyalty, while internal members are required to have it. However, external members have a different system compared to the internal members."


    Rhoda paused before she continued. She felt sad that she couldn''t provide more information that her master needed in order to take down the company.


    At least, that''s what she assumed that he wanted to do, if he was asking about how the company was run.


    "We aren''t sure about how the external members are governed since most internal members aren''t allowed to have contact with external members to preserve secrecy. Only the higherups are allowed to contact them directly. Everything goes through to our superiors."


    Alec nodded. That was as much as Sekai had told him. However, the Main Character was even less informed than these people here.


    It was clear that even in the internal member list, there were those that had different clearances.


    Sekai was one of those that had been closely monitored and put under their direct control. Likely because he was both a Sin and a transmigrator.


    They couldn''t be ensured that Sekai was completely loyal to the company because of this, which was why he was so tightly monitored using his partner.


    Rhoda continued to talk for the team, telling her new master about everything he needed and wanted to know in detail.


    Finally, Alec nodded, satisfied.


    "Does the company have any other way to track you down? Will they know if you''ve defected?"


    At this, Rhoda hesitated. It was clear that she didn''t know how to reply this.


    Kiel stepped forward, explaining for Rhoda. "We are unsure because no one has ever defected from the company before. The presence of the seal ensures that we cannot stray far from our objective. However, it isn''t monitored and isn''t checked unless the operative doesn''t check in for a certain amount of time."


    "And what is the amount of time given before someone checks on you?" Alec asked.


    Rhoda took over again. "It varies from a week to two weeks."


    Alec raised a brow. How inefficient. Then again, he supposed that they had so many operatives that they couldn''t be bothered to keep track of every one of them. Especially not if they were equipped with the brands that made sure they couldn''t defect without going mad.


    Alec started to instruct them about what to do. "Take my familiars with you." Alec pointed at Bunbun and Fenrir, who bounded forward towards them as they chose a person of their liking to cling onto.


    "Fake a battle in this forest before faking your deaths so that they think you''re no longer alive. I''ll leave you a copy of the seals that you can use on another body."


    Alec handed six seals to Rhoda, who accepted it with slightly shaky hands.


    "After you''ve done that, come look for me. My familiars will guide you to me."


    The six operatives saluted him. "Yes, master!"


    Having said that, the six disappeared as they went about carrying out their tasks.


    After they were gone, Elysia dropped down from the place she''d been observing everything.


    She hugged Alec, whom she noticed was still a little uncomfortable. To be honest, to her, she didn''t understand his dilemma, but that didn''t mean that she''d make fun of him for it.


    Everyone handled things in different ways.


    For her, something like this didn''t seem much to her. Maybe because she knew just how miserable it could get under something as shady as the organization that they were part of.


    The people who joined had been brainwashed, sure, but they also didn''t have a long life expectancy, and they were replaceable pawns at best.


    Alec was the type of person that was strict to the people under him, but he was just as strict on himself.


    He also never crossed the bottom line, and he didn''t like how the sect had been treating the Spectres, so he changed it.


    That was the type of person that Alec was.


    Her heart ached a little when she saw Alec like this.


    She squeezed him as if squeezing him hard enough could lessen his pain.


    Alec seemed to sense something from Elysia, and he pressed a kiss onto her forehead, smiling faintly. "I''m fine. I just want this all to end quicker."


    A cold light flashed in his eyes. He would not be merciful to those that dared to do something like this in their world today.


    As quickly as the light entered his eyes, they disappeared. He didn''t want to show his ruthless side to Elysia in case she thought differently of him.


    Elysia just smiled and pulled him down, pressing kisses to his lips.


    Alec''s eyes softened, and he indulged both her and himself, affectionately carrying her up.


    He pressed his face against her neck, lightly biting her whilst still continuing to run with her in his arms.


    She let out a startled laugh, pressing kisses to the top of his head.


    A small smile curled on Alec''s face, and he felt a lot more settled now.

 Chapter 361 - My Girlfriend I

    They ended up taking a carriage the rest of the way back to their sect since Elysia said she wanted to try riding in a carriage. Alec really had nothing to say in regard to Elysia suddenly developing a fascination with the carriage.


    To him, there was nothing much about it as all. As person who had other means at his disposal that were both quicker and more efficient that riding a carriage of all things, riding in a carriage was just a waste of time.


    Personally, Alec thought that running back was a lot faster ¨C he could''ve even used his teleportation array, but since Elysia didn''t want to, he felt fine with that as well. Somehow, it felt like he was pampering his girlfriend.


    Alec still felt a little bewildered when he thought that he''d actually gotten together with Elysia as a couple. As if his heart couldn''t calm down when things were going so well.


    However, now that he had her, he had no intentions on letting go of her any time soon¡­


    Getting off in the middle of nowhere, the man looked at them strangely. "Are you sure you don''t need me to wait here for you?"


    Elysia shook her head, beaming at him cheerfully. "No need. We''re fine here."


    The carriage-driver still looked deeply confused, but he didn''t insist. He snapped the whip, causing the animals to lurch forward. These high-born people sure were strange. He just couldn''t understand them at all.


    Alec held out a hand to Elysia, who placed her hand in his with a smile.


    They laced their fingers together very naturally, slowly walking back towards the entrance of their sect.


    Unlike before, where Alec shied away from any displays of affection in public, being with Elysia felt as natural as breathing. The only thing was, he didn''t know how much of it was because he was a Cher¡­


    It felt like ages since he''d been back, and Alec felt something akin to relief at having returned to a place he considered his second home.


    Though they hadn''t been in the Awerk continent for that long, it felt a lot longer. Especially since most of the time he''d been suppressing his emotions regarding Elysia.


    The two Main Characters walked hand in hand back into the sect.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The first thing that happened when Alec returned from the sect was his master flying out from their peak and landing before him.


    The sight of the elder flying through the sky was a cause of surprise for the disciples of the sect.


    Most of the time, the elders were lowkey and didn''t like to show off inside, but this time, an elder had come out and rushed forward like they were in a great hurry.


    However, there wasn''t the feeling of tension coming from Nathan, so they relaxed a little. Their curiosity, however, did not abate.


    Most of them followed after the flying figure in the sky.


    Nathan felt his only direct disciple''s familiar magical signature, and he lost control of his emotions. None of it showed on his face, nor in his actions, but he''d been constantly worried about this troublesome disciple of his.


    The thing was, he had just disappeared from the face of the earth without informing his master, which Nathan felt more than a little upset about.


    Just how much trouble could one person get into at one time!


    He''d been planning on getting Alec to enter an exclusive and intensive training regarding his arrays to see if the two of them could make a breakthrough.


    In the end, he''d made a breakthrough himself, but it wasn''t the kind of breakthrough he wanted.


    Nathan felt vaguely resentful that he had such a position of responsibility in the sect, meaning that he couldn''t just up and leave like that fanatic follower of his disciple''s had done.


    He pushed himself quicker by a bit but tried not to appear too hurried to maintain his dignity in front of his disciple.


    Finally, he caught sight of his disciple''s face.


    Nathan landed gently on the ground before Alec.


    Alec stared at his master''s face, feeling like the man had changed. Not looks wise, but rather¡­ the largest change was that¡­ his master had become a Meister!


    It left him briefly speechless as he thought about how everyone around him was progressing too quickly.


    He thought that he''d be able to speed up the progress of his training after discovering the secret of why Sins progressed so fast, but he forgot that Brights also had an advantage in this aspect.


    Once again, he felt as if he had to speed up his training.


    He would have to head off soon to go and pit himself against more monsters to speed up his training again. He felt that he couldn''t dwell in romance right now. Not when he didn''t know when those crazy idiots would try to make a bid for the world.


    He would rather not be so weak that he couldn''t protect his own people with his own hands.


    "Master," Alec greeted.


    "Alec." Nathan stared hard at his disciple before feeling satisfied that he had not suffered unduly in his absence.


    He looked around but didn''t see that fanatic follower of his disciple, which surprise him.


    Then, Nathan''s eyes landed on Alec''s hands, which were still intertwined with someone else''s. Surprised, he looked up, finding that his teenaged disciple was holding hands with a girl.


    Instantly, Nathan felt stunned.


    This disciple of his that only had seals and arrays in his mind had got a girlfriend?!


    Nathan felt mildly aggrieved that he didn''t even know about the important matters in his disciple''s life anymore.


    He staggered away, feeling dazed.


    This move of his stunned both Elysia and Alec, who exchanged a look.


    They followed after him back to the peak, where Nathan unsteadily walked back into his room.


    As Nathan did this, the disciples that had been looking at the show earlier were indeed shocked. They''d never seen the esteemed elder act like that in front of anyone before, and they wondered whether or not Alec had fallen out of favour.


    Only the disciples from other peaks thought that, however. The disciples under Elder Nathan had exchanged amused looks.


    This elder of theirs had been listless ever since it was reported back that Alec couldn''t be found, and that he could not go out and search for his disciple.


    More than that, all of them greatly respected their senior brother, who had become an Array Master at such a young age. Most of them looked up to Alec quite a bit and took him as a role model.


    Plus, Alec had always helped them out whenever they went to him with questions, which endeared him to them greatly. They wouldn''t get any ideas because of this.


    The ones that had designs on Alec''s position within the peak had already been quietly taken care of by Alec''s fans without anyone realizing.


    Alec''s position within the peak could not be shaken. But this was unknown to him, as well as the people from other peaks that thought that they could sneakily install someone who could sow discord within them.


    Alec knocked on the frame of the door, causing Nathan to snap out of it.


    The man turned around and sat himself at a table, gesturing to both Alec and Elysia to sit down as well. He was mildly embarrassed by the loss of control.


    It had felt like he was out of the loop from his disciple''s life, causing him to lose his senses. Showing that to his disciple¡­ made him feel uncomfortable. Like he was seen through.


    Not to mention, the various disciples from various peaks must have seen him leaving the scene just like that.


    Nathan calmed himself down and went back to his normal stoic self. His excitement at seeing Alec returned had wreaked havoc on his control over his emotions.

 Chapter 362 - My Girlfriend II

    Alec took the initiative to explain because he could see how lost his master was feeling at this moment.


    Though it wasn''t his fault that he''d gotten thrown into another continent by Elysia, he could have sent back word somehow that he was fine, but he had forgotten to. Honestly, there had been too much going on at the moment for him to find time to do something as extensive as that.


    Still, his master looked so stunned when he saw him holding hands with Elysia that he felt vaguely guilty even though it had only recently happened.


    It wasn''t like he''d acknowledged his feelings for her before that, either.


    But there was still a strange sense of guilt.


    With his master staring at him blankly now, he admitted his relationship with Elysia.


    "Master, I recently started dating Elysia with the thought of marriage in the future."


    At his sudden words, both Nathan and Elysia looked at him with shock.


    Elysia even more so. They were dating on the premise of marriage?


    Why hadn''t he said anything before this?


    But, secretly, Elysia was a little happy. After all, she wanted Alec and only Alec. She had the confidence to walk down the vicissitudes of life with Alec hand in hand, but she had not yet considered marriage.


    Rather, it had never occurred to her in the first place.


    To hear that he was considering it with her, and that it was a possibility in the future, excited her.


    She almost wished that she could chain herself to his side so that she could keep away all the pesky women that l.u.s.ted over her boyfriend.


    Elysia paused slightly, wondering when she''d become such a possessive and overbearing person.


    She always thought that the description of jealousy was such a disgusting and hateful thing, but when it came to herself, it turned out that she had such ugly thoughts.


    Yet, why was it that she was willing to stain herself black in order to be with this man? She couldn''t even describe it in words properly.


    However, knowing Alec, he wouldn''t be willing for her to stain herself black at all.


    A smile curled onto her lips, and she suddenly pressed a kiss to her Alec''s cheek. She couldn''t control her smile at all, and it felt like her insides had turned into goo just thinking about how seriously he was taking their relationship.


    Never mind that he had never mentioned as such to her but seeing him mention it in front of his master, whom he highly revered, was almost like he was introducing her to his father.


    Elysia beamed at Alec, squeezing his hand.


    Her eyes were soft and sweet, and she looked particularly adorable at this point of time.


    The new couple exchanged affectionate gazes, causing Nathan to feel like he was going blind.


    To a person who had never had a girlfriend before, they were¡­


    Nathan cleared his throat after five minutes where the two of them just stared at each other with besotted expressions.


    First, the sect leader and his wife. Now, his disciple and his girlfriend¡­


    Could he never escape this curse?


    Alec continued staring at Elysia, but Elysia turned her attention to Nathan.


    She beamed at him, squeezing Alec''s hand again. She bowed deeply from where she was, all but shouting, "Please take care of me, master!"


    Nathan was made speechless.


    Elysia continued, "I''ve only been dating Alec for a short while, but I won''t give up on him no matter what happens in the future, and I know he won''t give up on me either. We''ll work out whatever issues we have with talking, so please give us your blessing."


    Nathan looked at Elysia, who looked perfectly serious, even if her eyes were bright. Her eyes spoke of her determination and her resolve regarding this, but he could also see the affection and adoration in her eyes that spoke of her love for Alec.


    He really didn''t know what to say. It had only been a short few months, but already, their love had developed to this degree? He didn''t know whether or not to be sceptical of their claims. However, he was willing to give them the benefit of doubt.


    Nathan turned his gaze to Alec, as if trying to confirm that what he was seeing was real and not a dream.


    To his surprise, he could see that Alec, who usually had a gentle expression on his face, melted even further when he looked at Elysia. Anyone who took a glance at him while he was looking at Elysia so softly would instantly understand that he was completely and utterly lost in the river of love.


    Nathan looked at them blankly. It seemed like his disciple had grown up without him realizing it¡­


    Suddenly, he was hit with an inexplicable sense of sadness that he missed it while he was sitting behind his desk in the sect.


    Was this what every master felt when their disciple had started to grow up and left the shelter of their wings?


    Nathan sighed a little, before looking between the two of them. Hopefully, they would be able to face whatever challenges they came across together.


    He would bless them from the bottom of his heart.


    If this failed, then as his master, Nathan would always be here to pick up the pieces of his heart¡­


    Before he could say anything, however, he was interrupted by Alec.


    "Master, I seem to be a Cher. As well as a Sin. Is that possible?"


    The words that had been about to leave his throat were choked there. "What?" he said instead.


    Then, before either of them could say anything, he thought about it quickly. "It''s not impossible. It''s possible that the array that registers your Societype registered you as an Every instead because you have two Societypes."


    Alec inclined his head, but he still wondered why that was.


    Nathan continued thinking out loud. "It''s possible that Everys are usually an equal ratio of two Societypes, thereby rendering one or the other Societype neutral, thus causing what seems to be an ''average'' amongst the common population."


    Elysia just listened silently at the side. She hadn''t even known about the existence of Societypes before leaving the place she stayed with her dad earlier on, so she was quite the blank slate in that regard.


    Alec was thinking hard about it. However, he had presented as a Sin earlier on ¨C and it was only when his mother had done something to him that his status on the crystal changed to Every.


    Could it be that she''d somehow induced his recessive genes or something? She herself had been a Cher ¨C


    For the moment, Alec put aside the matter. Right now, he was introducing Elysia to his master, not here to ponder about the mystery of their genes affecting their Societypes.


    Alec bowed his head sincerely, introducing Elysia to his master again. "Master, please bless our future union."


    Elysia also hurriedly bowed, but she couldn''t stop the smile from spreading on her face. "Please bless us, master!"


    Nathan smiled faintly despite how thrown-off he''d been regarding this matter, reaching forward and touching both of their heads, patting them lightly. Their hair was vey soft and fluffy.


    "You have my blessing," he said simply.


    Finally, Alec''s attention was drawn to his master, and the smile that spread across his face was no less gentle than the one that he used to look at Elysia.


    The two of them held hands happily, and Nathan felt a sense of gratification when he saw that.


    He just hoped that Elysia wouldn''t break his disciple''s heart. Otherwise¡­ well, he''d show her why he was an Array Master.


    At this moment, the door burst open, startling Nathan, who had been lost in his thoughts.

 Chapter 363 - Its Over?!

    The ''thing'' that was admitted was Dorian, who had been impatiently waiting about news about his son.


    Upon hearing that Alec was back, without even needing to wait for the rest of the information, he had immediately headed to the place where Elder Nathan was currently staying.


    He could feel his magical signature clear as day, and he could feel Alec''s as well, in the same room with another magical signature he wasn''t familiar with.


    He''d been hoping that his son had retuned and simply hadn''t went to greet his mother, but upon a closer look in the room, other than another disciple of the sect, there wasn''t anyone there.


    Instantly, Dorian was disappointed, but he hid it well. None of it showed on his face. He still made his way to the elder''s residence regardless. He could just take this chance to receive Alec''s report.


    However, Dorian could not hide his agitation when he opened the door with more force that necessary.


    Alec looked at the sect leader, whose eyes scanned over the place before returning back to its stoic demeanour.


    Looking at Dorian''s reaction, Alec could already tell that Dominique had not come back to the sect at all.


    Just where did Dominique take One?? Alec felt helpless. But he''d already gone without the System functions for so long that he was already more than used to it.


    Plus, One hadn''t been with him that long in order for him to care yet.


    Dorian cleared his throat and sat down next to Nathan.


    "Elder Nathan, long time no see."


    Nathan silently stared at Dorian, but he didn''t call him out. They just met this morning.


    The sect head hid his emotions well. He turned to Alec and Elysia very naturally. "Alec." He looked at Elysia. "This is Elysia, right?"


    The two of them dipped their heads respectfully, though Elysia was surprised that he sect leader knew about her.


    Alec, on the other hand, knew better. The sect leader had one of the most important positions in the sect, but they also had the most responsibility. Dorian took the responsibility very seriously, and he had memorized all of the outer and inner disciples, as well as those who had left their sect.


    It was one of the things that he admired about the man.


    Of course, Alec hoped that if he had a child in the future, they would not just leave without saying anything like Dominique did¡­ no doubt he''d feel the same as Dorian was currently feeling right now.


    Before Dorian could open his mouth to speak, Alec felt he incoming familiar magical signature that belonged to the sect leader''s wife ¨C or better known as Dominique''s mother, Vivian.


    No doubt she was here to see if her son had returned. Had she been back in her normal form, he had no doubt that he would be able to see her tails and ears flicking irritably.


    Similarly, she too burst into the room in a manner that resembled her husband.


    Suddenly, Alec could see the resemblance between husband and wife. They were both concerned about their wayward son who was missing.


    Vivian patted Alec on the head, who silently endured it, before sitting down next to Nathan, effectively sandwiching the elder between the couple.


    Nathan: "¡­"


    Alec silently apologized to the couple who had come looking for their son, only to find that he had indeed not come back.


    After all, their son''s fanaticism was related to him. Though he didn''t do anything to encourage it, it really didn''t seem to be getting any better. In the end, all Alec could do was take Dominique as a subordinate and hope that his fanaticism wouldn''t grow to abnormal levels.


    Alec paused. At least, any more abnormal than it already was.


    It came to the point where Alec was actually amazed that Dominique had taken One and gave him some ''alone time'' with Elysia. He thought that this fanatical subordinate of his would end up sticking to him all the time.


    After all, it had already come to the point where he was more than willing to throw everything down and chase after Alec''s shadow without telling either of his parents.


    Alec silently thought to himself that Dominique was lucky his father was the sect leader. Goodness'' knew that Dominique would have been long thrown into solitary confinement and wouldn''t be let out if it was anyone else.


    The sect leader and his wife made small talk with them, as well as even receiving Alec''s report about his journey in the other continent and making plans about what they could do in the future before they finally brought up the main topic.


    "So, Alec, where is Dominique now?" Dorian asked ''nonchalantly''.


    The smile on Alec''s face widened a little in amus.e.m.e.nt, but he made sure that Dorian didn''t realize. He was sure the sect leader still thought that his impeccable mask was in place.


    Suddenly, the urge to tease them surfaced.


    "Dominique¡­" Alec drew out his words, and he looked hesitant.


    Dorian and Vivian both showed their interest and worry in rather similar ways, but it really wasn''t obvious to someone who had never spent any time with them.


    Dominique shouldn''t be in trouble, but they still wanted to hear about their son''s adventures.


    Next to them, Nathan''s lips twitched. He could see what his disciple was doing. How was it that he''d never discovered the slightly mischievous side to Alec before?


    Nathan glanced at Elysia. Perhaps it was because of this lady here.


    He didn''t know if the things being brought out of Alec''s personality from behind the mask was good or not, but he liked seeing his disciple act more human. Surely it got tiring adhering to his mask all the time.


    Elysia grinned and squeezed Alec''s hand, shooting him a look.


    Alec caught her look and obediently dropped the hesitant look that he had on his face, which had been causing Vivian and Dorian to be on tenterhooks.


    "Well, he went on a journey of self-discovery with a little girl."


    "What?" the two parents said in sync, their faces reflecting their disbelief.


    It was only now that Vivian caught sight of Alec, who was still holding Elysia''s hand.


    Her thoughts suddenly shifted, and she felt a little faint.


    Now that she was paying attention, she could smell that Alec and Elysia''s scent mingled to a certain degree, meaning that they''d been in close contact for a while.


    That much might not be incriminating, however, if she wasn''t mistaken, she caught sight of what appeared to be a hickey on Alec''s neck.


    She fell deeper into a daze as she contemplated whether or not this was the end of her son''s relationship with Alec.


    But¡­ he had already gotten a little girlfriend so quickly?


    For some reason, she couldn''t see her son getting over Alec any time soon.


    Her heart ached for her poor son, and she frowned sadly.


    Sorrowfully, she asked Alec, "Are you and Dominique not in a relationship any longer?"


    This time, it was the rest of the occupants in the room who echoed the words "What?" together.


    The smile on Alec''s face twitched. Just what in the world was going on in Vivian''s head? Since when had he ever been ''in a relationship'' with Dominique?


    Vivian continued hesitantly, "Rosabel told me that you and our son had a rather¡­ physical relationship."


    Instantly, Alec felt like he''d been struck with a bolt of lightning. Just what in the world was going on in his subordinate''s heads?!


    Wait¡­ so all that time, they all thought that he was in a relationship with Dominique?! His relationship with him was nothing more than leader and subordinate! They were pure!


    Alec resisted the urge to put his hand on his face, taking a breath instead.


    "No," he calmly explained, "we''ve never been in such a relationship before, and we never will. More than that, Dominique''s relationship with me is just subordinate and leader, nothing else."


    Dorian heaved a sigh of relief. It wasn''t that he was homophobic¡­ neither did he have anything against Alec. It was just¡­ he would like to have grandchildren.


    With Alec''s words, the room fell into a strange silence, which was soon broken by Elyisa''s laughter.


    With her sweet laugh, the tension in the room slowly diffused, and they all looked a lot more relaxed.


    Alec couldn''t help but smile helplessly, but his heart warmed a little.

 Chapter 364 - Following Leisurely

    Dominique was wandering around different towns, a little lost. He had brought One around with him all over the Awerk continent, looking at different sceneries and places, but for some reason, he felt a little listless as of late.


    It was a strange feeling.


    He''d never felt like this before.


    Not even when¡­


    Dominique crushed the thought before it finished forming.


    One, on the other hand, felt nothing like that as she clung onto his neck, looking around.


    Despite himself, a small feeling of affection had bloomed in him for One. A tiny, smidgen of affection.


    Maybe because she looked like a mix of both his Boss and Elysia, whom he was reluctantly coming to accept.


    Yet, there was a feeling like he was adrift out at sea, as if he had lost motivation in life.


    The strong admiration and worship he had for boss was still there, but it was slightly muted, as if he had lost something.


    He didn''t know what was wrong with him, and it was making him slightly murderous.


    At this moment, there was a bit of a commotion, and he turned his eyes leisurely towards that direction. Things that didn''t interest him before seemed to hold even less interest to him now, but there were also things he did that seemed a little out of character to him.


    He was changing a little¡­ but he didn''t know why.


    It was disconcerting, but at the same time, he really couldn''t bring himself to care about it. He was becoming increasingly apathetic again, the longer he was away from his Boss.


    But¡­ he had to give Boss and Elysia some space for their relationship to grow, right?


    He didn''t want to be that person who caused Boss to miss out on his happiness like that.


    Dominique acted with the Boss'' wellbeing in mind, despite the apparently negative toll it was taking on him.


    Even having One with him couldn''t really help it.


    It was almost as if he was returning to the days of his childhood and adolescence, where he couldn''t feel anything but malicious joy at the thought of harming someone else to appease the blood that was running through his veins.


    But the more time he spent with Boss, the more he knew that there was more to life than just fighting and violence.


    He didn''t want to live his entire life as a slave of his instincts either.


    Just like the rest of the Spectres in their sect, who were striving to walk out of the shadow of their instincts.


    The best thing was that Boss had helped them a lot. Just by showing them that he didn''t hate them all, nor did he discriminate against them, went a long way.


    Even more when he had taken action to change their situation by making a deal with that annoying prince now emperor.


    There were a bunch of people surrounding a brown-haired, blue-eyed man threateningly, looking like they were going to beat on him.


    Dominique turned his eyes away, losing interest quickly.


    However, at this point of time, One suddenly spoke up with a curious tone. "Dominique, that man feels similar to Alec."


    Suddenly, Dominique''s interest was piqued again, and he turned his attention back to the man, who was surrounded by a bunch of lowly thugs.


    The thugs all made various threatening stances, as if they were trying to intimidate him into coming with them. However much they presented themselves with good clothes and nice appearances, their body language spoke otherwise.


    The man in question had a look of ''hidden concern'' on his face. It was a mask. That much, Dominique could tell. There was no trace of panic or worry in his eyes, nor did he show any signs of concern at all.


    His eyes did not fluctuate, nor did they dilate or widen. Instead, they were steady and calm, not matching the look on his face.


    The thugs looked smug, and they obviously didn''t catch on at all.


    Dominique snorted.


    He looked closer at the man''s features, and he was indeed reminded strongly of Boss. He had the same crystalline blue eyes that reflected in the sunlight, and his soft, brown hair had the same texture as Boss'' hair for all that the colour was different.


    He was either in his late teens or early twenties. Dominique couldn''t tell.


    His features indeed looked around fifty percent like Boss, as if they were related by blood, or perhaps even brothers. While Boss had black hair, the brown hair was more characteristic of the Neil Clan that Boss hailed from.


    Instantly, Dominique''s interest grew even more, and he wanted to see what he would do to the people who were harassing him.


    Differing from his expectations, however, the Neil Clan member was taken away by them instead of fighting back.


    The slight smile on Dominique''s face froze, but his interest was only growing, and he leisurely hid himself while he followed the from a distance.


    One asked curiously, "Are you interested?"


    Dominique''s gaze didn''t even move towards her. "Hm."


    A slow smile spread on One''s face, and her eyes glittered mischievously as, if she knew something that he didn''t know. But since Dominique wasn''t looking at her, he wouldn''t have caught that look in One''s eyes at all.


    She docilely lay in Dominique''s arms, not making another sound.


    For the first time in his life, Dominique was interested in another person other than Boss and One ¨C but even then, it was only because the person might be related to Boss in some way.


    However, Dominique didn''t find anything strange with that.


    He wasn''t resistant to it either, because for the first time in almost a month, he didn''t feel so empty inside without having anything to do.


    He kept feeling that this person really looked like Boss'' brother. It made him wonder just how much the Neil Clan looked alike for them to look so similar, with the difference of hair colour.


    Boss had told him that the Neil Clan descendants all had brown hair and crystalline blue eyes, as he had seen previously in Tatiana, and that only Alec had been born with black hair, which had made the previous elders of the Neil Clan detest him.


    At that time, Dominique had wanted to go and pick a fight with them and slaughter them at the place they stood, but Boss calmed him down when he said that most of them were already dead, or had been thrown into the clan prison.


    Only then did he reluctantly put down his murderous plans.


    Now, when he saw someone who looked similar to Boss besides One, he really couldn''t stop himself from being curious about what was happening. He wanted to see if there were other habits they showed that were similar as well.


    He followed the group, who were still keeping that Neil in the middle of them at all times, like they were scared that he would run.


    Dominique only felt the barest hints of surprise that instead of some dilapidated shack in the middle of nowhere, they were instead led to what seemed like a high-class and luxurious building that was the home of some bigshot.


    He raised a brow in surprise but didn''t follow them in while they entered.


    He could still see the masked look of worry on the Neil''s face, and his eyes flashed.


    However much he wanted to follow them inside right now, he was carrying One, who would stop some of the moves that he wanted to make.


    Just as he was about to give it up as he wasn''t going to endanger One because of mere curiosity, One spoke up like she knew what he was thinking.


    "Put me in that inn there," she said, pointing at a luxurious inn nearby.


    Dominique paused. That looked good enough to house Boss'' daughter (?) so he immediately headed there.


    After all, he really was curious about that Neil.

 Chapter 365 - Please!

    Dominique entered the luxurious, upscale building without any problems.


    In fact, along this main street, the buildings here were all upscale. The street they were located on obviously belonged to the wealthy elites, who were either powerful or wealthy.


    This was a residential area, and not an area where one could deal with goods. However, one street down, there were many people who set up shop there.


    Being near the housing of the rich and powerful made for good money.


    Now, just why was a Neil being captured and brought here? For what reason? Were they not afraid of offending the Neil Clan?


    Or was it that they had no idea he was Neil? It was doubtful. The Neil Clan''s eyes were special, and they were easily recognized.


    Dominique felt unbearably curious now. The faint stirrings of interest slowly grew and crescendoed, reaching new heights. It spurred him on further.


    He slipped into the place, easily dodging the guards that were around. They were alert, but Dominique was much more experienced than them in this aspect.


    If he wanted to, only someone of the same rank or someone stronger than him could discover him.


    But he had already scanned the place before entering, and he knew that they weren''t able to stop him.


    While the place was heavily guarded, and there were various magical objects in the building, that didn''t mean that it had been guarded by any arrays.


    It was hard to invite an Array Master to work for you, and even if you wanted to find anyone who was of less expertise to do it, it couldn''t be confirmed that they would carry it out.


    This mainly stemmed from the lack of Array Masters in the continent, as well as the increasingly high price rates. Most Array Masters already had a faction they belonged to, making it even harder to meet one.


    Which was perhaps lucky for the owner. Dominique''s ''expertise'' in runes could only be referred to as demolition.


    Most of the time when Dominique picked up the techniques from his Boss, all he saw was the way he ''broke'' the arrays or seals down to study it.


    However, that route would usually lead to the entire array shattering like a mirror being shattered into pieces. It would usually be loud and messy, which was not something that he wanted.


    Dominique leisurely strolled into the place, walking by right in front of the guards. Just a little bit of the stealth skills and he could successfully fool them.


    In fact, he could even break out into a dance in front of them and they wouldn''t be any the wiser.


    This was the stark difference between a Meister and anyone below them.


    It was a qualitative change that created a gap so wide that the gulf could not be filled with mere expertise alone.


    The power levels were too different in this regard.


    It was to the point that anyone below the ranks of Meister who successfully lived to tell the tale when they were involved in a fight with a Meister would become famous shortly after, regardless of if the Meister had been holding back or not.


    However, because most of the fights were shielded by the Meisters, this hardly ever happened.


    The place inside really exuded luxurious decorations inside in every place. It was ostentatious, but somehow, one didn''t feel discomfort looking at it. It was high key luxury that didn''t lose out to the royal palace.


    It made Dominique raise his brows. Why was a Neil captured and brought here?


    For some reason, Rosabel''s various racy novels flashed through his mind, involving a domineering rich tycoon kidnapping a helpless young woman or man, having a whirlwind romance that eventually led to the kidnapping victim falling in love with the kidnapper.


    With a blank look on his face, Dominque waved the thoughts away. How absurd.


    It was more likely that the Neil Clan member had something that the owner wanted.


    Dominique''s eyes flashed. Just what was it that he wanted?


    He wandered around the place, and he even found the office of the bigshot. From what he heard; the bigshot was inside playing around.


    Dominique frowned in disgust.


    There were even rooms that held other people as well, ranging from both male to female. Some of them looked listless, some looked indifferent. Some of them had clearly given up the urge to live, and they were all in rooms that didn''t have locks.


    Dominique looked coolly at them without any intention of helping them. The door was unlocked, and they weren''t physically locked in. The only thing that was keeping there was themselves.


    He hated people like this, who only relied on other people to save them without making any effort themselves. He didn''t know if it was because they had tried and failed, or if it was because they were terrified of the bigshot, but he felt no sympathy for them.


    People like this made his blood boil.


    Moving on, he found rooms full of magical objects, rooms with treasured items, rooms full of paintings¡­


    It was like the owner of this place had a particular OCD with the way the rooms were placed, with something which had the most value placed in the middle of the room, and the rest of the items being decorative.


    Dominique slowly came to a conclusion as he thought about it.


    Could it be that the Neil Clan member was able to make something that the bigshot wanted?


    The Main Character''s eyes flashed, and he continued to walk around, looking for that Neil from before.


    Finally, he found the room where there were two guards outside, and it should be the room where he was kept.


    Dominique was briefly surprised that it wasn''t in a dungeon or whatnot, before he understood.


    They had ''invited'' the Neil here to ''ask'' him to create something for them.


    Dominique sneered.


    He hoped that what he saw wouldn''t disappoint him.


    If the Neil Clan member was like the rest of the people ''trapped'' here, he would likely lose control over his bloodl.u.s.t.


    It would be too disappointing, and his curiosity would have died a swift death.


    But regardless of what Dominique was thinking, he didn''t realize that he also held a faint trace of anticipation, as if looking forward to seeing what the man would do.


    For some reason, he didn''t feel like the man would do something that disappoint him, but he didn''t know where these feelings were coming from.


    He rounded a corner and waited until a maidservant walked past, carrying a tray of something.


    Right when she passed it, he knocked over the table that contained an antique vase, causing it to shatter the moment it hit the ground.


    Instantly, the maidservant let out a scream, and her face paled.


    The two guards that had been outside the Neil Clan member''s room instinctively made their way to the maidservant, dragging her away by the arm.


    Dominique opened the door in front of him casually and slipped in, closing the door softly behind him.


    Before he did anything, he leisurely removed the stealth skills that he''d been using previously to fool the inhabitants of the room.


    For some reason, he wanted to see the reaction of his man, who had still seemed so calm deep down when he''d been taken directly to this place.


    His eyes met with the calm eyes of the Neil Clan member, who had just opened his mouth to speak.


    Only to see him freeze, his eyes widening as he went into a bit of a daze.


    The man''s hand quickly darted out, grabbing onto Dominique''s arm.


    Dominique could have dodged it, but for some reason, perhaps because the man looked a bit similar to Boss, he didn''t.


    "Please date me!" the man blurted out.


    The two of them stared at each other with faintly stunned expressions on their faces.

 Chapter 366 - Date Me, Please.

    Dominique couldn''t quite believe his ears. Did he hit himself on the head? Was he dreaming?


    Who in the world could tell him what was happening right now?


    When he briefly thought about the bigshot and the Neil Clan member having a whirlwind romance, this was indeed a whirlwind romance, but¡­ with him?!


    Suddenly, Rosabel''s racy romance novels surfaced in his mind again.


    Wait¡­ appearing like this, didn''t he seem like a hero rescuing the damsel? Dominique felt stunned by his own thoughts.


    On the other hand, the Neil Clan member''s face flushed red, but he didn''t relinquish his grip on Dominique''s arm, as if he was afraid that he would run away. He shamelessly stared at Dominique''s face despite his red face.


    Dominique stared at the man disbelievingly, but the blank expression on his face didn''t change a single bit.


    Other than the slightly wider eyes that showed how surprised he was right now it was hard to read his expression.


    By now, Elias'' face was truly burning, feeling like this was not the first meeting he wanted with his ''fated one''.


    He always thought that they would meet each other in some sort of romantic, cheesy way that he would always look back at fondly, like those movies and novels that he read sometimes in secret.


    He''d have said something sweet and sufficiently convincing in order to tell the person that he''d fallen in love at first sight, and that he wanted to court them with romance and flowers.


    However, what had happened was out of his imagination. Instead of having remained calm and collected, it felt like he''d been hit with something that made all his rationality and collectedness disappear instantly.


    He''d heard about what it was like to discover ''the one'', but what was described lacked so many of the necessary flavours that he''d experienced in that brief moment.


    The moment his eyes connected with this man''s, he knew for sure that he was ''the one'', and that he wanted him and only him until the day he died.


    As such, every thought he had about what he would do before this flew out of his mind, leaving him with only the instinct to grab onto him to make sure he didn''t disappear forever from his sights.


    Even if this person was not what he''d expected as ''the one'', he wouldn''t have it any other way.


    Dominique was confounded.


    He had not experienced anything like this before, and he was actually a little lost for words right now. But he made sure to maintain his normal expression even when he was confused and didn''t know how to respond.


    Was this how Boss felt when random girls came up to him and confessed??


    Dominique knew that, physically speaking, he was considered attractive, but his cold demeanour usually kept them at a distance.


    No one had ever confessed to him. Until now, that was.


    The Sin''s brow furrowed a little, unsure about how to react. What if this man was related to Boss?


    Dominique tried to draw back his hand, but the look of panic and reluctance on Elias'' face made him soften a little inexplicably.


    Then, he caught himself and ripped his hand away. What was he doing? This wasn''t like him at all.


    He distanced himself quickly, feeling wary. He''d originally thought that his interest had come because this man looked like Boss, but what if it was something else?


    What if it was this man''s Magitype?


    However, when he looked closer at him, he indeed looked a lot like Boss! Was he really a Neil Clan member?


    What was the proper reaction in a situation like this?


    Seeing the man that he''d been waiting for all his life looking at him vigilantly, Elias knew that he''d f.u.c.k.i.e.d up.


    He shouldn''t have been so hasty.


    Especially to another man.


    There were some men that still didn''t like to think about being with another man. Perhaps he was one of those?


    Elias felt a little disheartened, but he still powered through. There wasn''t much he could do besides showing his sincerity.


    This man looked like the cold, stoic type, which wasn''t what he expected ''the one'' to be, but damn if he didn''t find it attractive right now.


    He couldn''t take back what he''d already done, and the water was already spilled.


    He recollected himself, calming himself down. "Sorry, I was too hasty just now. Will you give me a chance to prove myself?" he asked.


    Dominique stared blankly at the man.


    In normal circ.u.mstances, he would already have thrown this man far, far away. But he actually didn''t have the urge at this time¡­


    He was confused.


    What did he do now?


    Dominique stared into the man''s crystalline blue eyes, and he understood that no matter how cool he was playing it now, he really did feel something for him.


    No matter how collected he sounded right now, he was nervous.


    However, noticing these things just astounded him further, and left him clueless. Was this man¡­ a Cher?


    Didn''t they say that Chers only had one person they fell in love with at first sight their entire lives?


    Then, this man''s ''fated one'', was him?


    Seeing Dominique remain silent, Elias quickly spoke. "You might have already guessed, but I''m a Cher. You don''t have to feel obligated or anything. But please give me a chance to win you over. How about it?"


    Dominique continued to study how sincere Elias was.


    "My name is Elias Neil. And you?"


    Dominique turned around, facing the door.


    Just as Elias felt a little disheartened, he heard Dominique''s voice.


    "Dominique Falren."


    Elias'' eyes sparkled.


    Dominique turned back around. He was floundering. He''d never interacted with someone like this before.


    He really was confused, and it was throwing him off. Did he just directly refuse, or did he accept?


    Other than curiosity, he really hadn''t been feeling anything. However, he was a little interested¡­ why had he been ''paired'' with this person?


    Would he eventually make him feel those¡­ softer emotions, like his father did for his mother?


    All of a sudden, he felt a little tempted. Surely it wouldn''t be so bad to keep this man around? It certainly didn''t help to try, and it wasn''t like he had anything to do now, anyway.


    "Okay," Dominique said with a faint smile on hanging on his lips. Elias felt it like he''d been shot with an arrow of love. "I''ll date you."


    Elias blinked, dazed, before his eyes brightened. He felt a little abnormal. His emotions were completely out of sync. He certainly had not expected to experience something like this when he first woke up in the morning.


    He smiled, and it was a cool, refreshing smile that did not carry any trace of heavy infatuation that Dominique often saw from the gazes directed at his Boss.


    "How long?" Elias asked.


    Dominique raised a brow. He thought about it.


    Indeed, there should be a time limit to see whether his emotions fluctuated with this man or not. "Six months."


    Elias nodded immediately. While he would have accepted whatever time limit that Dominique gave him, he was more than happy to be able to have a longer period of time in order to win him over.


    After all, this was for his future happiness.


    ¡­Their future happiness?


    Dominique looked away from Elias'' uncomfortably sparkling eyes, feeling a little bad.


    He turned his attention back to Elias, who had luckily reigned in his emotions from showing blatantly on his face. He appreciated it.


    "Why are you here, anyway?"


    There was a shuttered look of annoyance on Elias'' face that warred with the happiness. "Dallas Biggs wants me to craft a sword for his collection. However, I''ve been refusing his requests over the past couple of months."


    Dominique nodded just the slightest bit. It seemed like his earlier predictions were right. The bigshot here indeed wanted something from Elias.


    For some reason, he felt a little uncomfortable about that.


    After all, Elias was sort of considered his temporary¡­ lover(?) now.


    "So, you got captured on purpose?"


    Elias nodded without any abashment. "I wanted to see what lengths he was going to. I also heard some bad rumours about him."


    Dominique reassessed Elias, feeling the familiar interest start to build up again. "What are you going to do?"


    Elias studied Dominique, before smiling slightly.

 Chapter 367 - Familiar

    Dominique stared on curiously as Elias carried out his plan.


    He was moving about the house with surprising deftness that spoke of already having scoped out the place beforehand.


    Dominique, while having started a sudden relationship with another person, was in no hurry to entrust his wellbeing to another person. But¡­ the only thing that could hurt him in this house was if he slashed himself.


    As such, he was a bit laxer than he was usually.


    However, his curiosity got the better of him, so he was following Elias around as he did what he wanted to do.


    He still had reservations about what had suddenly happened. It was like a bolt out of the blue that someone suddenly confessed to him in this situation.


    The most baffling thing about it was that Dominique actually didn''t reject him.


    But he also respected when Elias told him not to interfere unless he was going to die.


    This made him slightly more approving when he realized that Elias still had his guard up and wasn''t going to randomly trust a literal stranger with things that he already had an idea about what he was going to do.


    After all¡­ they''d just met.


    Cher or not, that didn''t mean that he knew what kind of person he was.


    Elias checked the various rooms that the place held, memorizing what he wanted.


    He quickly knocked out the various guards who were patrolling the place with swift, practiced moves.


    He locked the maidservants in a single room so that they couldn''t cry for help after checking that they were all civilians. There weren''t as many servants in this building compared to how upscale it was, which was strange.


    Dominique raised a brow.


    Not bad.


    Elias was better than he thought. Perhaps it was a clan thing?


    Boss was also very proficient in moves that worked against people''s blind spots and sneaking around in general. Not that he needed it, but Dominique had noticed that it seemed to be ingrained in them.


    It suddenly made him curious about what kind of training the clan gave its members.


    Elias so far seemed to be competent and smart about the way he was going about things.


    While it wasn''t Dominique''s usual method of going about his missions, he could respect it.


    Perhaps it helped that it was similar in decision making to the way Boss went about things.


    Dominique paused, feeling a little unhappy about the direction his thoughts kept going.


    He had given his word that he would date Elias for six months, and that meant that he could only look at Elias as a person for himself. He was not allowed to compare him to Boss in his head.


    Dominique faded his presence a little more, making sure to keep his eyes on Elias.


    Elias, on the other hand, was feeling more in his element now.


    Compared to facing Dominique with his pounding heart, this was something he was used to. Something he''d been trained for.


    On the other hand, love had never felt so terrifying to him.


    It couldn''t be compared to the familial love he felt for his parents, nor the sibling-like bond he shared with Cyrus, Zach, Tatiana and Alec.


    This was something so deep that it threatened to swallow him whole and devour him until there was nothing left.


    It was as if his ego would take a hit if he did something that Dominique didn''t like. Like he couldn''t breathe if he didn''t have Dominique''s eyes on him at all time.


    It left him disconcerted.


    It was unsettling.


    Still, it had been something that he''d waited for with bated breath, from the first day that his mother told him about what it meant to be a Cher.


    What it meant to have someone out there who was literally the other half of your soul.


    Sure, he had not expected to meet ''the one'' as a prisoner in someone else''s house, but that didn''t mean that he treasured his meeting with him any less.


    To be honest, he always thought that it would be a girl, but the moment he met eyes with Dominique it was like his entire world snapped into place in that instant. Who could tell him what it was like when a Cher met their fated one for the first time?


    Words couldn''t describe it properly. It was so much more.


    Elias hurriedly shook the thoughts away. This was not the time to dwell in thoughts like those. One mistake, and he would definitely be exposed.


    It wasn''t that he couldn''t take care of the people that would come, but rather¡­ perhaps it was something like wanting to look good in front of the person he liked, right?


    Showing off his cool side to someone he wanted to impress.


    Dominique''s presence disappeared from Elias'' side, but he could still feel the eyes on him.


    It made him shiver a little, but he didn''t show any other actions.


    Elias swept the place, making sure he took care of the bodyguards without them being to alert each other.


    He quickly stripped them n.a.k.e.d and threw their clothes away, binding them tightly without them being able to move even if they woke up.


    Dominique''s lips twitched in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    This was¡­ indeed the style of the Neil Clan.


    Stripping them completely n.a.k.e.d to make sure that there was nothing else they could use to get out of the predicament.


    He''d seen not only Boss do it, but also Tatiana¡­


    He wondered. Just how many of them adhered by this rule?


    His lips twitched a little. Suddenly, he found it hilarious.


    Elias didn''t approach the rooms that had items in them, and he also ignored the rooms that had people inside that weren''t part of the household staff.


    Dominique was a little curious. "You''re not going to save them?"


    By ''them'' he meant that people who had obviously been ''kidnapped'' like Elias himself.


    Elias raised a brow. "They can save themselves. Why should I waste my energy on saving people that don''t want to be saved? People have to take action themselves for it to count!"


    He didn''t want the person he liked to dislike him, but¡­ he also wouldn''t discard his principles to please someone else. Even if it was ''the one''.


    Dominique smirked, but it wasn''t seen by Elias.


    He agreed completely.


    He''d just been thinking about that earlier on, but he wondered if Elias was softer than he was.


    Reality proved that¡­ it was different from what he thought! Dominique consciously evaluated Elias as a person.


    Somehow, it felt different from when he evaluated the rest of the Spectres, or when he looked to find flaws in someone''s fighting stance.


    This was the first time that he''d seriously looked at someone for themselves, looking at their actions, thoughts and reasoning.


    It was strange, but also gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.


    Elias finally made his way to the bigshot''s room.


    There were four bodyguards that were standing outside, so it would not be as easy as before.


    He thought about it a little before he went to the other side of the large house, using a communication device each of the (now n.a.k.e.d) bodyguards had.


    Activating it, they would come running quickly.


    Before they came, he meticulously prepared a trap here for them to step into.


    Dominique raised a brow when he saw a seal that he was very familiar with.


    "You''re familiar with Boss?"


    Elias paused. "Boss?"


    "Alec Neil."


    Elias let out a chuckle. "You could say that. We grew up together, after all. We''re like brothers."


    Dominique was stunned. They really knew each other!


    ¡­What should he do now?


    Elias triggered the communication device. "Intruders in the left wing!" he said in a low, calm voice.


    Soon, a few sets of footsteps echoed down the hallway.

 Chapter 368 - Red-Tipped Ears

    Elias re-dressed one of the bodyguards and propped him before him. He slapped him with a bit of magic, causing him to stiffen up. With the sunglasses that was on his face, he naturally looked like he was still awake.


    With the position he was ''stood'' in front of Elias, he looked tense and serious, a frown on his face.


    As the footsteps approached them, Elias made sure that none of his body could be seen from behind the large bodyguard.


    "Don!" One of them said as they approached. "What''s going on?"


    Don remained silent.


    "Don?"


    The bodyguards instantly became alert, becoming more cautious than they already were before, wondering what was wrong.


    They looked at every possible area for suspicious activity, but there was nothing there to their senses.


    Don took a step forward, and one of the bodyguards quickly shouted at him, pulling out a taser that was used to take care of the people who tried to rebel. "Stay there!"


    Don stopped.


    The bodyguard looked at him closer, his eyes narrowing. There was something wrong. Could Don be under some sort of mind control?


    Before any of them could do anything, Don''s hurtled at a quick speed towards them, and they couldn''t dodge in time.


    Taking a calculated approach to this, the four bodyguards lashed out and hit Don as they thought that something was wrong with him, hoping to quickly take him out without hurting him too much.


    However, their guess was wrong. Don was already knocked out cold by Elias a long time ago, and the only reason he still had his clothes was because Elias needed him for this exact reason.


    As their eyes were drawn to Don''s movements, Elias struck out.


    Before anyone noticed anything, there was a large broadsword in Elias'' hands. He swung the sword with force, instantly knocking out three of the four bodyguards without a problem.


    He was lucky that Dallas'' hallways were sufficiently loud enough for him to act.


    He didn''t do any lethal damage, instead just sending them into the realm of unconsciousness.


    The last remaining bodyguard reacted quickly enough, jumping back.


    His hands lit up with some sort of light, but before he could use it, he got hit in the back of his neck hard, just shy of breaking his neck. He passed out instantly.


    Elias, who had taken up a stance with his sword, paused.


    "Thanks," he said instead, but what he really wanted to say was, ''That was my prey!''.


    Dominique''s lips twitched despite himself. He could feel what Elias really wanted to say.


    He was getting more and more interesting by the minute.


    Because he was feeling entertained, Dominique actually took the initiative to apologize. "Sorry. I reacted before thinking about it."


    There was a faint smile hanging off his lips, which was a fatal attraction towards Elias.


    Elias smiled helplessly, his attitude immediately softening. He really had wanted to show off for Dominique, but instead, he got shown up instead.


    But¡­ Dominique was really cool!


    Elias paused, lightly tapping his face. This wasn''t good. His mind kept drifting towards Dominique, which was not the right state of mind he needed now.


    Yet again, he took a breath and pushed everything else out, like he''d been trained to do, regaining the correct state of equilibrium for the mission he was on.


    Before doing anything rash, he stripped the rest of the bodyguards, briefly silencing Dominique again, who still found the Neil Clan style of ensuring there were no more latent threats hilarious.


    Most of the time, Dominique would just immediately kill off the threats that he didn''t want around him. Those that he didn''t were injured enough that they wouldn''t be a threat anymore.


    After binding them and changing into a set of clothes that the bodyguard had been wearing, he passed another set to Dominique.


    Dominique stared at the clothes in his hands.


    Elias turned around, adjusting his glasses nervously.


    Dominique''s lips twitched again.


    He really didn''t think he would mind of the other person ogled at him. Actually, he een changed in front of the female Spectres as well back in the sect¡­


    Suddenly, he found that it was a bit funny, and he couldn''t help but want to tease this man who was shyer than he appeared.


    "Not looking?" Dominique said casually, his shirt still unbuttoned.


    Elias remained silent, but Dominique could see that the tips of his ears were a bit red.


    Elias dropped his hand from his glasses, turning around. His face was not red, but the tips of his ears remained red. It was the only thing that gave him away.


    "You''re really¡­ aren''t you just asking for trouble," Elias said bluntly. His face was a smooth mask.


    But he took this chance to just stare at the smooth skin on Dominique''s chest. Those abs!


    Dominique couldn''t help but smirk when he saw that Elias'' eyes didn''t move from where they were locked.


    Leisurely, he covered up and buttoned the shirt, then slipped on a tie. Putting on the sunglasses, Dominique tilted his head. "Am I? I don''t think so."


    Elias looked skyward, chanting in his mind that he was on a mission.


    He''d never been very good at locking away extra emotions like the rest of his siblings had been. He just didn''t have the aptitude for it, and it was easy to tell what he was really feeling if one just paid a bit more attention.


    He strode forward, ignoring Dominique''s teasing.


    Despite his face going blank, his ears remained red. Dominique couldn''t move his eyes away from that patch of redness that was visible from behind. The blush went down to his neck.


    Even though Elias wore glasses that covered up the sheen of his eyes, those were undoubtedly a Neil''s eyes.


    The man looked rather scholarly, but the way he waved around that large broadsword earlier made Dominique raise his brows.


    The man wasn''t unfamiliar with fighting at all, and he was even rather strong.


    Unlike most people, Elias didn''t disdain using little tricks to help him along in his fighting, and he probably didn''t mind fighting dirty, which attained Dominique''s approval.


    He could see that he could be ruthless when he wanted to, and he had a quick mind.


    It made him more curious about the man called Elias Neil.


    He was similar, yet different from all the other Neil Clan members that he''d met.


    Elias sized up Dominique in the suit that he''d taken from the bodyguard. From the sunglasses down to the smooth leather shoes, he looked very much the part.


    The Cher adjusted his clothes and the two strode down the hallway after locking up the bodyguards.


    As for the rest of the building, no one dared to come out once they heard the sounds of fighting, as if they were scared of being implicated.


    Elias sneered. Truly, they were all spineless. That was why they could be captured and forced to pump out good after good.


    But, by doing this, they had already long lost the individuality that had made them special and unique, and what they produced now was only a pale imitation of the past.


    As an artisan himself, Elias couldn''t accept them and the lows that they''d sunk to.


    Outside the room where Dallas Biggs was indulging himself without even realizing that anything was wrong, Dominique and Elias stood there stoically, not making a move.


    This was the first time that Dominique had actually bothered to be discreet rather than taking the initiative to attack. It was refreshing, and using the advantage of sunglasses, Dominique sized up Elias.


    Elias stoically bore with the looks, but Dominique could see the red-tipped ears and thought that it was funny.


    Judging from the situation inside, Dallas was not going to be coming out any time soon.


    Slowly, the redness to Elias'' ears disappeared, and Dominique wanted to see them appear again.


    Yet, before he could make a move to tease the man, the door slammed open as Dallas exited the room with two girls on each arm.

 Chapter 369 - This Fool... (Is Cute)

    Dallas swaggered out, feeling good about himself. His hands rove around the scantily clothed bodies of the two girls that had attached themselves to him in a lascivious manner.


    Since Dallas hadn''t coerced them in any way, he was perfectly at peace with his decision. After all, they had indeed sent themselves to him.


    Elias got a better look at Dallas as he swaggered out.


    The ''bigshot'' of this house actually wasn''t all that old. He was at most in his mid-thirties, and while his looks had faded a bit, it was not to the extent that one could call him ugly. Not at all like Elias previously imagined.


    The man''s face was a little sallow, and he had dark eye circles that spoke of his excessive indulgence, but he looked nothing like a person who was going around ''inviting'' people to stay in his house.


    The two girls that were all but moulding their body to Dallas had pink hair and orange hair respectively.


    They looked like they were sisters. They seemed to be either young a.d.u.l.ts or in their early twenties. With fresh and beautiful faces, their every action carried a charm that was hard for the average man to resist. Their eyes were watery and misty, making one feel like bullying them.


    There was a slight slouch when he walked, and when he exited the room, Dallas raised a brow as he staggered a little, causing the two women to giggle as they stumbled with him. "Where are the other two?" he asked with confusion.


    Weren''t there usually four bodyguards around? Or was he just that drunk that the four of them looked like two?


    Confused, he shrugged it off, slinging his arms around the two shorter women, who let out another set of giggles as they hugged his body.


    Dallas laughed loudly striding off with them hand in hand.


    However, before he could do anything, Elias hit his neck from behind, causing him to instantly black out. He slumped to the ground, out cold.


    He was going to ask the girls to step aside, but surprisingly, the two of them attacked him.


    His eyes flashed.


    These two actually weren''t civilians! And they had managed to conceal their magic so well that he couldn''t tell! He didn''t feel the usual killing intent from them either.


    The girl on the right, who had pink hair, pounced towards Dominique, who met her blow for blow. Dominique just glanced coolly at her, easily dodging her attempts. It made her eyes flash dangerously as she felt his disdain for her.


    The woman with orange hair who had been clinging onto the left side of Dallas dashed towards Elias.


    Elias pulled out a sword this time, deflecting her dagger.


    She jumped back, throwing another set of daggers towards Elias.


    Elias was briefly surprised at how she managed to fit so many daggers in that skimpy outfit. He very seriously deflected every dagger, as well as the ones hidden behind it.


    Though he was a Defensive type, that didn''t mean that he could be lax in any fight. There were always wonderous things out there that were beyond his imagination.


    The woman clicked her tongue, opening her mouth wide and spitting out what seemed to be white silk. The white silk quickly turned transparent in the light.


    She launched herself towards the ceiling and landed on what seemed like thin air but was actually the now-transparent silk that was thin enough to look invisible.


    She could tell that she wasn''t going to get anywhere soon with this one. He was strong enough and meticulous enough that her usual tricks wouldn''t work well.


    She was badly matched here against a close-combat specialist.


    Running across the wire, she tried to provide support for the other girl who was facing off against Dominique. If they took down one first, they could team up to take down the other one.


    She occasionally spat some silk at Dominique, but the Sin dodged it without losing any sweat.


    Even at this point of time, Dominique still looked so casual, like he was playing around.


    Elias threw a dagger at the orange-haired woman, who made a strange movement as she dodged it, swinging herself onto another part of the wire.


    Elias'' eyes darted around as he stared at the different parts where the wire intersected in the air, before his eyes constricted.


    He dodged the poisoned needle that she threw at him, the thin needle barely missing him.


    The orange-haired woman started attacking Dominque, and Elias felt a stab of anger towards her.


    She jumped from place to place on the various interconnected wires up top, looking like she was floating in the sky like a graceful fairy.


    Dominique just easily deflected everything she threw at him while nonchalantly facing off against the pink-haired woman who was also attacking him. He moved with such easy grace and made it look so easy that it seemed like child''s play for him, but Elias still didn''t like it.


    Swinging up, Elias struck the thin wire, but it held steady. The wire didn''t even shake.


    Narrowing his eyes, he used his Magitype in a different way for the first time. Swinging his sword again, the wire instantly shattered, causing the orange-haired woman who had started taking shots at Dominique to plummet to the ground before she could catch herself.


    Her wires had never broken before, catching her off guard.


    The pink-haired woman let out a shout of alarm, glaring at Elias.


    Dominique raised a brow, suddenly feeling annoyed. How dare this woman glare at his man?


    Glaring at her, a fraction of his strength slipped out, and he swung a little harder. However, just that small slip was enough to easily overpower her, causing her to fly back into the wall, knocked unconscious.


    At this moment, the orange-haired woman snarled as she quickly recovered from the sudden fall, launching herself forwards at Dominique in a bid to take him down together with her.


    However, what she didn''t count on was Elias standing in front of Dominique and taking the dagger to his chest.


    In a moment of irrationality, Dominque panicked, flinging his hand out at the orange-haired woman. She instantly flew back like how her sister had, this time colliding into the opposing wall.


    Dominique was alarmed as his hands hovered over the dagger that was stabbed deeply into the Cher. The only thing he could see was the handle of the dagger.


    He didn''t know whether or not he should take it out or not. Dominique wasn''t in the habit of carrying around those medicines that could allow one to quickly recover because he''d never been hurt that much before to need something like that.


    And his subordinates and Alec had never needed them either, leaving him at a loss.


    Sins could recover most of their wounds with amazing vitality as long as they threw themselves into battle and continued to kill.


    They were born for the battlefield for a reason, and their Societypes made them gods in the warzone.


    However, Elias was a Cher!


    For the first time in his life, Dominique was panicking as he looked at Elias, who had taken the stab for him.


    He could have easily deflected it.


    "Elias!" Dominique hissed; his eyes were not calm no matter what his expression said.


    "Dominique?" Elias said with a blank look in his eyes.


    To Dominique, Elias looked like he was dazed from the pain and in shock.


    Dominique''s hands hovered over the dagger. "Why did you do that?! I could have easily taken that!"


    Elias only looked more confused. "I know, but-"


    Dominique started to look both pissed and worried, creating a strange combination on his face.


    Elias opened his mouth to speak again, but Dominique interrupted him, picking him up in a panic.


    "Wait, listen to me-"


    "Save your strength, idiot!"


    Elias felt a wave of warmth and soft affection for this fool in front of him who didn''t even realize ¨C


    The Cher trapped Dominique''s face within both of his palms. "I''m not hurt."


    Dominique: "???"

 Chapter 370 - Not Hurt?

    Dominique stared blankly at Elias, who was still carried bridal-style in his arms, utterly confused.


    Not hurt?


    Was he hearing things wrongly?


    Suddenly, the worry and confusion warred within him, causing him to stop in place.


    The magic that he''d gathered up to frantically dash out of the place dissipated, and he took the time to seriously study Elias, looking at the place the dagger was still inserted in the Cher''s chest.


    There was a helpless expression on Elias'' face, and it was slightly sheepish, as if he was sorry that he had worried Dominique.


    Elias carelessly plucked the dagger out and waved it in front of Dominique''s face, showing him that he really was fine.


    Dominique put Elias down, now more confused than ever. He could smell the blood in the air. That wasn''t his imagination.


    He had clearly heard the sound of steel entering flesh, but Elias wasn''t hurt at all?


    In this moment of confusion, he ripped apart the shirt that Elias was wearing. The buttons went flying about as he made to confirm that Elias wasn''t hurt.


    Elias stifled the unmanly squeak that was about to leave his lips, resisting the urge to cover himself like some maiden.


    Uh¡­ they were both male, so why did he suddenly feel an onset of shyness?


    Dominique stared at the smooth, unblemished flesh that was presented in front of him. The man indeed wasn''t hurt, and he didn''t even have a scratch on him at all. But there was a small amount of blood on his chest where the dagger had went in.


    For the time being, he ignored the physical look of the man''s body, instead just meticulously checking him over for wounds or cuts.


    He prodded the chest, but there was only smooth skin.


    The dagger had gone in, but exited without making a wound? Dominique''s hearing might not be as good as his Boss'' but he was confident enough in it that he knew what it sounded like.


    Yet, there was truly no wound on Elias. It healed that quick? Even Sins didn''t heal that quickly! Unless there was someone who was a Support type who was skilled in healing, their natural regeneration was still slower unless they had many targets around them.


    Dominique took the dagger from Elias'' hand, staring at it. There was a bit of blood on it, but Elias indeed wasn''t hurt. He frowned.


    Elias hurriedly stopped Dominique before he did anything. The man looked like he was about to strip him to check that he was really unwounded everywhere else.


    The Cher grabbed Dominique''s hand, stopping him. Dominique stared at him with a frown on his face, breaking from its normal stoic looks.


    "Elias." His tone was cold, like he would not take any dissent from the Cher.


    "Dominique," Elias repeated just as dryly. "Trust me. I''m not hurt. At least, not any longer."


    Dominique''s frown didn''t lighten.


    The panic he felt earlier was much more than he had ever felt for anyone or anything in his life. It made him wonder how he had already gotten so attached to someone that he had just met.


    Just because they were ''lovers'' now, it was only in name.


    How could this man just casually take a dagger like that for him?!


    After all, they had only met a few scant hours ago. Yet, Dominique had been shaken when he saw Elias take the dagger for him.


    Before that he''d been just taking Elias almost as a novelty in his life ¨C he hadn''t invested any deeper emotions into the man, just using him to satisfy his curiosity and interest instead.


    Yet, there had been something that unravelled from the tightly wound spool that he called his emotions when he saw the man take the dagger for him without any hesitation.


    Now, Dominique was a little lost on how to treat the man.


    So, he hid everything as best he could. Before any more of the spool could unravel. He knew nothing about Elias.


    Elias took the initiative to explain. "I''m a Defensive Magitype."


    Just a few words from Elias shattered his composure just like that. Dominique glared at Elias. "So, you really did get hurt."


    Elias looked a bit embarrassed. "Yes, but it wasn''t to the degree that I could no longer withstand. And I''m not hurt anymore."


    Dominique glared harder at him. For the first time in his life, what he really wanted to do was shake him and say, ''that''s not the problem'', but when he thought about Elias, who clearly didn''t understand what he was feeling right now, he could only say, "Don''t do it again in the future."


    For once, he understood what Boss felt when he scolded him about how lightly he took his own wounds whenever he covered for Boss.


    If Boss felt anything like how he did right now, then he was apologetic for it.


    Elias tilted his head, confused. Why not? What if Dominique really couldn''t take it? Would he have to stand aside and just watch it happen? He refused!


    Dominique felt more annoyed when he saw this.


    He had to keep a closer eye on Elias in the future. As a Meister, Dominique was almost invincible to those who were below him in ranks, but Elias wasn''t.


    "I''m a Meister. You aren''t."


    Dominique looked away, feeling a baffling sense of upset. No, this wouldn''t do, he had to quickly get Elias to the Meister rank. Otherwise, he would not feel safe¡­


    Elias stared at the man''s frowning face, and he silently read between the lines. It meant that Dominique was worried about his wellbeing, right?


    A soft smile crept up on his face, which Dominique caught.


    "Why are you smiling?"


    Elias shook his head. "Nothing."


    Dominique frowned.


    Elias got up, grabbing the dagger from Dominique. He wiped his blood off it, looking at it.


    It wasn''t a normal dagger, and the blade instead had a bit of a wave to it, and the handle appeared ordinary, but there was a hidden compartment that would allow for a small needle to be stored.


    Prying it open, he noticed that the needle was the same as the one that had been shot at him by the orange-haired woman earlier. Making sure that he didn''t prick himself, he tried to identify the poison that had been injected in the hollow of the needle, but there were no distinct characteristics.


    Elias placed it back inside carefully.


    Having taken care of the immediate problems, he walked towards Dallas Biggs, who was collapsed on the ground.


    The main reason why he had infiltrated this place was because one, the man had taken an interest in him, and Elias had no intention of allowing a latent threat to hang around him to strike when he was unaware.


    And two, the man had a similar last name as the person who had hurt his friend previously.


    For the last reason, Elias was looking into possible leads about ''the company'' for Alec, and this man was one of them.


    Elias looked at his face, and he found that the man did not look anything like the man he had previously seen.


    The last remaining vigilance in his heart relaxed a little. Reason two was out.


    So, the man had only taken an interest in his craftsmanship and wasn''t looking to harm him secretly, or he was acting on orders from ''the company''.


    However, the longer he was here, the more inconsistent things he found. First, the people here all looked like they''d lost their souls, and secondly, the two women who had attached themselves to Dallas had not been ordinary at all.


    Their actions spoke of training. Long, extensive training, at that.


    In addition, the orange-haired woman had been able to deftly react and were decisive enough to abandon a target to team up shortly after she realized that she was not going to get anywhere soon with Elias.


    Everything was very inconsistent with Dallas Briggs reputation as a wealthy noveau riche that liked to flaunt his wealth.


    Right now, Elias was leaning towards Dallas Biggs being associated with the company.


    Elias grabbed Dallas Briggs and dragged him by the foot to the man''s bedroom.


    Dominique glanced at him before he walked to the two women and secured them.


    The Cher was just about to strip the man when Dominque appeared next to him, stopping him from stripping him.


    Stunned, Elias looked at Dominique with confusion.


    Dominique didn''t say anything. Instead, he just silently stripped the man with great disdain written plainly on his features, dropping him on the bed.


    He then wiped his hand on the bedsheet in disgust.


    Elias smiled at Dominique, who huffed and turned his head away.


    The bespectacled man pulled out some taut rope and quickly tied the man to the bedpost after ensuring that he would not be able to move.


    Dominique''s lips twitched in amus.e.m.e.nt when he saw this move.


    Why did this seem wrong¡­


    Elias was about to pull out a vial to wake the man up when Dominique handed him a set of clothes.


    The two of them changed, and Dominique opened his mouth to speak.


    "Do you need my help?"


    Elias paused, stunned. Dominique''s low, almost hoarse voice that was perfectly manly was replaced by a cool, refreshing tone that sounded a little sweet. It reminded him of those noble young men who had yet to see much of the world.


    His lips twitched before he shook his head.


    "No."


    Elias'' lips twitched again. His own voice had been changed into something discreet and hard to place. It would be hard to accurately recognize this voice. If they listened to a hundred males, it was possible that eighty of them would roughly match this sound.

 Chapter 371 - Parcel For Delivery I

    Elias uncapped a bottle and held it under Dallas'' nose, who stirred quietly, leaving his unconscious state.


    Dallas'' eyelids twitched, and they fluttered, revealing his eyes. The bigshot''s eyes darted around in fear, somehow using his instincts and realizing that something was wrong.


    However, the closer Elias looked at him, the more he felt that this was not a natural reaction. While it had felt very natural, a person didn''t actually recall what happened exactly to them after they woke up from being knocked out.


    When he stared closer at the man''s face, he could see that his reaction was fake, if well-crafted.


    Dallas Biggs was indeed a civilian, and he only held the barest hints of magic. But that way he reacted, instinctively using ''fear'' when he first woke up, he had trained himself to do it.


    This wasn''t as simple as he thought.


    Elias frowned, glancing at Dominique.


    Dominique, however, had not been looking at Dallas at all. Instead, his eyes were completely locked onto Elias'' reaction.


    Elias, who realized this, suddenly felt embarrassed, and he turned his head back to Dallas.


    Dominique happily peered at the red-tipped ears again.


    Dallas, who had realized that he was stripped n.a.k.e.d and bound to his bed, rove his eyes about wildly, seemingly panicking.


    But instead of being panicked, like he projected outwardly, the man was actually calm. He was quickly taking in the possible routes in order to escape, as well as how many assailants there were.


    His bodyguards should have been taken out already if they managed to get him, and that meant that the two women were also taken care of, leaving him free of surveillance from the company.


    He caught sight of the two men whom he''d seen earlier replacing his bodyguards. They were no longer wearing the suits that he made his bodyguards wear.


    Instead, both of the men had some sort of black cloth covering their eyes, as well as skin-tight black clothing that covered them from the neck down.


    Dallas'' eyes flickered. This¡­!


    He felt his face pale immediately.


    Weren''t they part of the mysterious organization that had surfaced lately who went about assassinating people who had done bad things?


    Because of the way they did it, even piking the head of the people and providing all the evidence, it was approved of by the public despite the barbaric public display. It even got to the point where they were tacitly approved of by the local authorities.


    These lunatics had been referred to as Spectres because of the way they appeared and disappeared like ghosts, evading detection and only killing their targets.


    They couldn''t be reasoned with or bribed, nor could they be fought off without having an army at your disposal.


    If you fought one off, two came. If two weren''t enough, there were three.


    It was like an endlessly multiplying game that one would eventually lose against.


    Rumour had it that one bigshot had managed to survive until there were a hundred Spectres who surrounded him, decimating his hired bodyguards and himself.


    It was because of stories like this that many people had been driven to despair once they realized that they were marked by the Spectres.


    All of this flashed through Dallas'' mind before he instantly gave up the gig. He didn''t believe that a bunch of lunatics could be tricked.


    In any case, honesty was better than dishonesty with these lunatics.


    The fear and panic melted off Dallas'' face like water sliding off a swan''s back, and Elias inwardly raised a brow.


    There was something else going on that he wasn''t privy to. Who were the women before, and how were they connected to each other? He was already leaning towards the theory that this man was connected to the company, but he knew better than to invest in a theory before he got all his facts straight.


    Dallas spoke up before either of them could speak up. "I won''t play games with you. I''ve been prepared for death at any time, but you should keep me alive if you want more information. If they realize I''m dead, then they will summarily evacuate the area, never appearing again."


    "And how will we know that the information you give us is true?" Elias asked.


    Dominique just looked behind like a silent shadow, providing a pressuring presence that made Dallas tense up.


    But Dallas remained calm. He didn''t even try to sit up or struggle against his bindings.


    Dallas didn''t reply Elias'' question, but instead posed a question of his own. "I''m not sure if you know, but ''the company'' has been keeping a tight eye on me."


    Dominique''s eyes sharpened as he heard familiar words coming out of his mouth.


    "Continue," Dominique said, and his youthful-sounding voice surprised Dallas.


    Dallas paused for the briefest second before he continued to talk. "They''ve been basically blackmailing me in order to use my connections. Do you think I really wanted to kidnap all these artists? They''re like sheep now!"


    There was an aggrieved tone in Dallas'' voice, speaking of how indignant he felt that the artists he valued so much had been reduced to such a state.


    Elias didn''t buy it. However, the man was telling the truth about him being ''blackmailed''.


    The impression the man gave him was that he was an old fox.


    "All the things produced by the craftsmen are taken away by the company in set intervals. Every two weeks, they come and collect the things that have been produced. However, they only come out if I''m there. If they don''t see me, they will automatically assume that I''ve been ''taken care of''."


    Elias'' lips curled coldly. Saying this much, wasn''t he just pleading for his life in the end?


    Still, there was always the chance that he was telling the truth.


    Elias had not expected that a mere kidnapping would result in something like this. He had received a letter from Alec that he was looking for ''the company''. Not only that, Dominique was also aware of their existence.


    He had been following up on various leads, but they had all led to dead ends. This was the last lead that he had, and he had similarly expected to be led to a dead end.


    But defying all expectations, it had paid off.


    Rumours about Dallas Biggs had been lowly talked about in the market, as well as amongst the artisans, but it was talked about in hushed voices.


    He had not expected the rumours to pan out. He paused, narrowing his eyes.


    It seemed like the rumours were deliberately allowed to spread by this Dallas? Indeed, he was not as stupid nor as ignorant as he portrayed himself to be.


    This way, rumours about something that was connected to the company could be leaked out, and whoever was opposing the company would eventually come to him.


    This was not a bad way to get attention indeed. And obviously, it had not caught the attention of the company, which meant that his plan had worked.


    Dallas rambled on for long enough that his throat became dry. He cleared his throat. "I''ve told you so much. Shouldn''t you untie me now?"


    Elias tilted his head. "I don''t think so."


    Dallas blinked.


    Dominique stepped forward, brandishing his dagger, and Dallas shut his mouth obediently. He worried that any further words would instead push them in another diection.


    He didn''t say anything when Dominique roughly tied him up and bundled him up before knocking him out and placing him in the cupboard.


    Elias'' lips twitched as he resisted the urge to laugh.


    Dominique looked at Elias. "You stay here. I''ll go get someone to take care of him."


    Elias nodded. Even though he felt like he didn''t want to let Dominique out of his sight, if he really couldn''t trust this much, then their future relationship would have no future¡­


    Dominique quickly made his way to the Cookie Sect, where Dallas Biggs was brought away without any trouble.


    Within a day, Dallas Biggs would be in the hands of his Boss.

 Chapter 372 - Parcel For Delivery II

    Hong Jun frowned when he got the report from Alec''s subordinate. He stared at the ''parcel'' that had been delivered to them, and the ''parcel''s'' eyes stared back at him.


    His lips twitched uncontrollably in helplessness, not amus.e.m.e.nt.


    Honestly, could someone save him from his unprofessional subordinates? What were his subordinates doing when they were working? Why was the ''parcel'' not in an unconscious state? Who knew how much he''d already seen?


    Hong Jun glared fiercely at his subordinates, who ducked their heads.


    They knew they had messed up when they saw the parcel''s eyes staring back at the sect leader.


    The sect leader let out a huff. Luckily, they had taken sufficient precautionary measures in order to deal with things like this, but it didn''t mean that he ever wanted to use them.


    Unfortunately, he owed that brat too much, which meant that he still felt obligated to help him out even though he didn''t want to.


    These pesky feelings were so annoying!


    Hong Jun sighed out in annoyance before waving his hand, causing his shadows to take away the parcel to transport.


    He would have to wipe their memory first before they left their transport location.


    Hong Jun let out another huff in annoyance. Alec had better appreciate all the lengths that he was going for him!


    This co-sect leader didn''t do anything except providing monetary resources. Of course, without that, they would never have had the resources to start up in the first place, which Hong Jun was grateful for.


    However¡­ if he had to deal with this much paperwork every day, he would rather not have founded the sect in the first place!


    He wanted his co-sect leader to come back and take some responsibility!


    Hong Jun even itched to mail some of it to Alec right here and now.


    Three people dressed in black and grey appeared before him. They were apparently Alec''s newest subordinates. Hong Jun had no idea how the crazy brat had done it, but he had somehow converted them to his side.


    He pointed at the distance, saying, "Collect the parcel for Alec over there. There is a total of three. Make sure you wipe their memory before doing anything else. And knock them out before doing it!"


    The shadow in the lead nodded to him politely before disappearing.


    Hong Jun pinched the area between his brows.


    He looked at his paperwork and resisted the urge to flip the table over. He swore that it had grown in the few seconds he hadn''t looked at it.


    ¡­The next time he saw Alec, he was going to stuff his face in the paperwork!


    He had a few Neil Clan subordinates now, but none of them brought him as much trouble as Alec did!


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec received the ''parcel'' for him the next day.


    The Cookie Sect member in the Heavenly Ascension Sect informed him, and he made his way to a small hut in the middle of the nearby woods.


    It was small and discreet and had been inlaid with an array that would turn those who didn''t know of its existence away, making it convenient for him to stash something or someone here without anyone realizing it.


    Kacha!


    The door to the hut opened and his subordinate, Rhoda, was standing inside. She quickly saluted him then stepped aside. She respectfully widened the door for him and made way, standing behind him in a vaguely protective manner, like a bodyguard.


    The other two were guarding the perimeter to make sure that no one got near.


    Alec stepped in. The inside of the hut was a lot larger than he originally thought, and was actually fully furnished like a house with several bedrooms.


    The three ''parcels'' were locked in separate rooms to prevent anything from happening, which was a necessary precaution to prevent them from communicating.


    "Which one is the one that was ''blackmailed''?"


    "The door on the far left, master."


    Alec opened the door, and the ''parcel'' inside squinted as he was suddenly assaulted with the light but didn''t otherwise show any reaction.


    He was quite calm considering the circ.u.mstances he found himself in.


    His eyes didn''t fluctuate, nor did he reveal a look of fear. It was very natural, and it wasn''t a mask either.


    Alec had ample experience telling whether or not something was fake mainly because he himself did it.


    This man was a civilian through and through, but he was calm in the face of adversity and danger. According to Dominique, he and Elias had stumbled upon him through the rumours that Elias had heard, then caught him.


    Alec had raised a brow when he heard that Dominique and Elias were together. Indeed, Main Characters attracted each other. However, there was something else there that they weren''t saying.


    Dallas squinted his eyes as his eyes readjusted to the light that he had not seen for a few days.


    The man that appeared in front of him was wearing the normal Spectre clothing, but to have been passed from hand to hand, it meant that this person was not of low ranking. In fact, he may even be the head of the Spectres.


    Even if he wasn''t, he at least had some authority.


    Alec didn''t mince words. A person like this, who was calm in the face of danger, was a useful ally indeed. However, they also wouldn''t work for you unless you had something that they wanted or needed.


    "I''ll be blunt with you," Alec said, "Do you agree to work with us? We will guarantee your safety, but you are not to betray us."


    Dallas'' eyes flickered, but he remained silent, studying the man''s body language. To his chagrin, he couldn''t tell much. The eyes, which were the window to the soul, were covered. His lips carried a gentle smile, made him feel at ease, but it also scared him.


    The clothing on his body was skin-tight, but it exuded a relaxed feeling.


    Alec continued to talk. "We don''t need much. We just need you to get us into the headquarters of the company."


    Dallas maintained his blank look. "I don''t know where it is," he said frankly. There was nothing he could gain from lying right now.


    The smile on Alec''s lips widened a little, but Dallas shivered, feeling like something wasn''t right.


    "You don''t need to worry about that part. You just have to cooperate with us. Of course, we won''t mistreat you and we''ll even provide you ample compensation."


    At this point, Dallas was leaning towards rejecting the offer. No matter how pretty he made it sound, it wasn''t like his life could be guaranteed by these bunch of lunatics. But there was always the off chance that they would silence him¡­ permanently.


    At this moment, as Dallas was wavering, Alec''s voice sounded like the voice of the devil. "I''ll get Elias Neil to create a work of art for you. That should be sufficient payment, right?"


    Dallas'' eyes instantly shook, but it was stabilized in a split second like nothing happened. "Give me time to think about it," he said instead.


    "Very good."


    Alec exited the room, not bothering to hide his smile.


    After all, the company had only come into contact with Dallas Biggs after he started amassing his collection. Originally, this ''bigshot'' was interested in things like this. It was only when the company made him kidnap the artisans that his collection had stagnated and even became reduced as they were sent to the company as tribute.


    Alec had enough confidence that the man would not reject him.

 Chapter 373 - Yraii City

    Alec gathered all his Spectre subordinates with the exception of Dominque and briefed them before informing Dorian of anything.


    After doing that, he cleared it with Dorian, saying that they were going out on a mission.


    Dorian had raised a brow and given his stamp of approval quickly enough after hearing the rundown. What kind of mission would require the entire unit of Spectres, who had been rapidly growing in the sect, instead of having a few teams?


    The sect leader knew that it wasn''t as simple as Alec told him, likely a lot more complicated judging from the paperwork, but he approved it anyway.


    The Spectres listened to Alec before anyone else for numerous reasons, but Alec listened to him.


    The reason he approved was because he knew that Alec wouldn''t place his Spectres in harm''s way if he could help it. Which meant that there were necessary precautions in place. Minimal risk.


    The other reason was that Alec had written him a full, lengthy report on what he was expecting during the mission that Dorian had yet to go through.


    There was so much of the damn paperwork that Alec just handed him that it was potentially enough to fill up an entire room.


    Dorian felt a headache just looking at it, so he had Alec give him the rundown, giving the Spectre leader the approval before he slogged through the paperwork.


    Not for the first time, the sect leader wondered if Alec was a sadist. He took way too much pleasure in doing copious amounts of paperwork for him to be anything else.


    Alec had his Spectres prepare for battle, doing all their preparations in the sect while he took Rosabel and her team with him.


    Along with them, he took Elysia with him, as well as the two ladies that had been put under Loeri''s mind control.


    He passed their newest ''informant'' Dallas back to the Cookie Sect to bring him back to where he was originally. They would keep an eye on him while not making it intrusive enough like the company had done.


    But since he couldn''t allow the man to go free like that, under the man''s permission, he''d been placed under Loeri''s mind control to prevent him from having disloyal thoughts for the time being.


    It was the largest surprise when Dallas had informed him that Yraii City was under their control. They were controlling from the shadows, and even the inhabitants of Yraii City didn''t know.


    Well hidden but operating smoothly, it meant that the company had taken over a large part of the city inhabitant''s lives without them ever realizing.


    This much was confirmed by the pink and orange-haired sisters, who were higher up in the ranks than he originally thought.


    They could even tell him where the location of the transmigrator academy was located, as well as how they found possible transmigrators and tested them.


    It wasn''t far outside of Yraii City, located in the nearby forest.


    That forest was warded off and entry was prohibited.


    Alec had originally been planning on having Dallas pose as if he had collected that week''s quota before placing the people from the company under his control.


    However, he changed his mind when Loeri successfully used her mind control spores on the two women. They had put up quite a fight, being naturally resistant to poisons, but they had succ.u.mbed in the end.


    The group arrived in Yraii City in the middle of the day, seeking a place to stay.


    Alec tipped his hat at the guards while they passed through the inspection, acting as merchants who had come to sell their goods.


    They passed through without any trouble.


    Booking a few rooms in inns at different parts of the city, Rosabel and the rest of her group discreetly summoned the rest of the Spectres one by one, spreading them out around the city.


    They would have to find the main headquarters of the company before they could make a move.


    Since the headquarters moved around every couple of months, neither of the sisters that had been guarding Dallas knew where the headquarters were currently.


    However, they only had ten bases, which meant that they had to go through the bases to confirm that they were not the headquarters.


    The only place that wasn''t part of Yraii City that was under their jurisdiction was the ''transmigrator academy'' that picked up various transmigrators whenever they first got whiff of them.


    They would be brainwashed in the coming future and made loyal only to the company.


    Sekai, as well as his former partner, Xin Yi, had been part of this program.


    So, while his subordinates were handling the situation inside the City, Alec was going to handle the ''transmigrator academy''.


    Elysia was against this. She frowned, putting her hands on her h.i.p.s, looking disapproving. Alec just through she looked adorable.


    "I don''t think you should go alone. If something happens to you, we won''t be able to get to you in time."


    Alec shook his head. "Unfortunately, none of the others know enough to be able to play the part, so I don''t feel confident about them doing it. Plus, there should be a way for them to determine whether or not I''m telling the truth."


    Elysia couldn''t stop her frown from deepening. While what Alec said made sense, she just couldn''t let him go.


    There was a nagging feeling that told her this was not a good idea.


    Perhaps it was because there were so many uncertain factors that she was unable to let go of her worries. She trusted in Alec''s strength, but those people would stop at nothing to achieve their goal.


    Alec''s firm will didn''t soften, but his expression did instead. He hugged her around the waist, pulling her close and kissed her forehead, she hugged him around the waist as well, biting her lips.


    Maybe it was because she couldn''t keep an eye on him while he was inside there that she didn''t feel like letting him go.


    Elysia slapped herself, stunning Alec, who held her hand two hands.


    "Don''t do that," Alec said with a rare frown.


    Her cheek was already pinking, which made him feel a bit of heartache. It wasn''t the same as when they got hurt during sparring.


    Elysia blinked cutely. "Hmph. If I didn''t do that, I would have clung onto you and asked you not to go!"


    Alec was instantly speechless. Did she have to be so dramatic?


    But¡­ why was this cute as well?! Alec was also speechless at his own thoughts. Had he already developed to this stage where everything she did was adorable¡­ was this incurable?


    "Even so, you don''t have to slap yourself so hard."


    "No way. I definitely wouldn''t be able to restrain myself if that was the case," Elysia argued stubbornly.


    Alec really had nothing to say. He could already tell he wasn''t going to win this argument.


    "Anyway, I''ll send you periodic updates, so read my letters, alright?"


    Elysia''s eyes softened. "Okay. Make sure you don''t miss any of them. If you do, I''m charging in like it or not!"


    Alec laughed, squeezing her tighter. "Alright. I''ll take note of it. I''m sure that if you end up coming, you''ll end up decimating the entire place and giving us away."


    Elysia frowned. "I won''t!"


    Alec continued like he didn''t hear her interruption. "If only because I would do the same thing if I ever thought you were in danger."


    Elysia flushed, before she grinned. "True. So, if you don''t want to give away that we''re on to them, then you better not get yourself in trouble!"


    Alec chuckled, then took Elysia''s hand, tugging her.


    The two of them were about to go on a date to throw off anyone who was looking. This way, they looked just like a normal couple who were out exploring the town.


    The couple already had makeup on which made their faces less stunning, and their hair colours were different than usual.


    Yraii City was actually well-known for being a dating hotspot, and there were countless couples who came touring this place on their honeymoon, which made their cover perfect to use.


    Elysia and Alec laced their hands together, walking towards the bustling crowd of Yraii City Square.

 Chapter 374 - Rejecting Reality?

    The next day, Alec made his way into the warehouse that he was keeping ''goods'' in.


    By all accounts, the goods that he was ''trading'' were legitimate. No fault could be seen in Alec''s persona and background that would be exposed in the short run.


    Everyone else that was part of his merchant caravan had been cleared out, going about carrying their orders on the pretence of a day off from their wealthy boss'' kid, Alex Fields.


    Alec''s merchant caravan was trading goods, and he had smuggled in explosives to supposedly sell to the undercurrents in Yraii City.


    Not very smart for a new merchant who was hoping to strike it big, really, but that was exactly what Alec had wanted to portray about the ''old body'' he was about to inhabit.


    Lucky for Alec, he was an Array Master.


    Alec took out a stone and struck it against the wall of the warehouse, and a spark jumped out.


    The spark instantly caused an explosion inside the place, and Alec felt the wave of heat and shattered debris flying towards him, with him almost in the middle of the blast.


    It meant that he was facing the onslaught of the explosion head-on, and it would have killed a normal person.


    Even with how his hearing had been muffled with his own magic, his head still spun, and his eardrums had been ruptured by the blast, leaving him bereft of his hearing.


    Alec quickly allowed himself to pass out, but not before he expended all his magic into the air, as if something drastic had happened, causing him to use every bit of it to save his life... or perhaps, the arrival of a new presence.


    The last thing he saw before his blurry eyes was a few shadowy figures that had appeared, and he immediately shut his eyes before allowing himself to pass out.


    Being in a state like this that was so vulnerable was distinctly unsettling, but there was nothing he could do about it now¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    When Alec woke up, he was lying in what appeared to be a hospital room.


    There was an IV drip attached to his wrist that was connected to a metal pole.


    A man was sitting next to his bedside who was propping his head up with his eyes closed, occasionally slipping forward from time to time as if he was trying to keep awake but had lost the battle.


    Alec blinked bleary eyes and noted that they had not healed his ruptured eardrums yet, as he expected.


    "Wha¡­?" Alec murmured, sounding lost and confused. His voice was slurred and his eyes were blank.


    He felt the man''s sharp eyes on him as he snapped awake, and Alec looked at him with confusion and panic.


    Alec saw the man''s mouth open and close a few times, but there was no sound.


    Alec looked horrified and he raised his hands to his ears, looking panicked. He didn''t even care that the IV drip had been ripped out, causing him pain.


    "I can''t hear ¨C I can''t hear!" Alec shouted in panic, struggling off the bed. He fought off the man''s hands that tried to keep him down.


    While Alec knew that it was not permanent, nor was it actually an impairment since he had ways to get around it, it was distinctly discomforting to have such a major sense taken away from him.


    Especially his hearing that he relied on a lot. His hearing that had been Awakened countless number of times, so much so that he could even hear someone''s heartbeats and discern their emotions from just hearing alone.


    It gave him a sense of crisis that he had not felt for a long time, pushing him. While Alec was acting at this time, the emotions that he projected were only magnified a little bit as he actually allowed them to show.


    The man who had been sitting next to his bedside pressed him down, his face concerned.


    Alec continued to struggle as the man turned his head and shouted for someone to come in.


    After doing that, the man held both of Alec''s hands in his, squeezing a little.


    The System''s breaths were coming out in panicked pants, his eyes shuddering in fear. His pupils were all but tiny pinpricks at this moment.


    The man mouthed, ''calm down'', but Alec shook his head rapidly, his eyes swirling with confusion.


    In the end, Alec felt the man click his tongue rather than hearing it, and he felt a small prick as a needle pierced into his skin.


    Within ten seconds, he was back to sleep.


    The next time Alec woke up, the man was still seated beside him.


    Alec''s mind felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton, and there was a hazy sense to reality that he would not have been able to fight off had he not been so used to inducing numerous side-effects in himself.


    He raised his hand shakily to his ears, and he heard the man say, "Are you alright?"


    Alec''s head lolled, slumping on the pillow. "Who¡­ are you?" He struggled to get up, his head supposedly not clearing up at all.


    The man chuckled. "You sure are lucky, young man. You should have died in your original world, but you miraculously inhabited this body instead."


    "Wha¡­?


    The man seemed to sense that Alec was being genuine in his confusion, and the smile on his face became more genuine.


    "You''ve transmigratred," the man said.


    Alec inwardly raised a brow. Did they come off it like that just off the bat? His mind whirled while he kept the confused and dazed expression on his face.


    "No, I didn''t¡­ Is this some sort of prank?" Alec asked with a sort of desperate tone, like he was trying to escape reality.


    "It''s true." The man spoke seriously, holding a mirror up to Alec''s face. "Look at this. This isn''t your face, is it?"


    Alec stared at his face in the mirror, and his hands shakily reached up to touch the mirror. "No¡­ it''s not¡­"


    The man handed the mirror to him.


    Alec somehow regained some sense of strength and hurled the mirror, causing it to shatter into countless reflecting fragments.


    The man sighed sadly, looking at him with emotional eyes. "It''s a sad reality, but it''s one that you have to face eventually. I, too, had the same reactions one upon a time."


    Alec shook his head, refusing to look at the man.


    What a joke. Was this the pity card? The man here, sent by the company, was definitely brainwashed, but he had also started taking part in its operations to fool other transmigrators as well.


    No doubt that this man was going to be his ''mentor'' in the upcoming days, giving him a sense of stability and reassurance when Alec felt like he could no longer handle what they were forcing him through.


    The man stood up and waited sadly at the door before sighing and slowly closing the door.


    Alec''s body shook like he was in shock, and a few trails of tears made its way down his face. He buried his face in the pillow like he was hiding them from the world, when all he was really doing was acting out a play.


    In the end, this was the script that he had come up with together with Elysia to play out for the company.


    A lost, confused young man who refused to accept reality. He was gentle, but after repeated brainwashing, grew colder and colder until he was only a machine.


    He had already predicted that there would be someone by his side when he woke up, and that they probably wouldn''t heal all the injuries before he woke up to foster a sense of trust between him and the company.


    It was a trick used by them to start roping the lost transmigrator in.


    As Alec buried his face in the pillow, a cold smile grew on his face.

 Chapter 375 - The Birth of Alex Fields

    It only took them a day before Alec was escorted out of the ward by the man he''d seen previously at his bedside, whom Alec presumed was the person meant to keep an eye on him to make sure that he wouldn''t develop any¡­ extra thoughts.


    The man introduced himself calmly, smiling at him as if he was there to reassure him from the nurses that were busying themselves over him.


    "My name is Harold Yang. You can call me whatever you want. Harry, Yang, Harold. Whatever you want. But I''m your mentor in this place, so if you have any problems you come to me. There may be things that you aren''t comfortable with telling other people, but you can be safe confiding in me. I''ll always be on your side."


    Personally, Alec thought that he was laying it on a bit thick. He was coming on so strong that it would only work on someone who was worried and unstable. Someone who was lost and didn''t know any better.


    Alec eyed him warily, still understandably worried and confused about where he was.


    Last he knew, he had been in his own world, but he had been suddenly transported here to another world.


    "I''m sure you have a lot of questions," Harry continued, looking kind and sympathetic.


    Alec stared at his face with a blank look when he realized that the man truly was being sympathetic with his plight. Perhaps he saw himself in him all those years ago?


    Or was it that the company naturally chose people who had this kind of sympathetic disposition in order to guide their ''newest recruits'' properly?


    It was hard to say at this moment, so Alec played it safe.


    He didn''t particularly feel anything for this man, so it wasn''t like he really cared either. He just felt disgust at his fake sympathy.


    He hesitated, before asking, "Is this¡­ really not¡­?" His questions were stilted and stuttered out as if he couldn''t accept reality.


    Alec took a deep breath before pulling himself together under Harry''s sympathetic but careful eyes. There was a flash of calculation that he could not hide under his mask, and Alec could see it as clear as day.


    Harry''s eyes flashed with approval when he saw that Alec was pulling himself together though his face was a bit blank.


    "Do you know who you are?" Harry asked leadingly.


    Alec gave a calmer nod. For all intents and purposes, he looked like he had pulled himself together and stopped the inevitable breakdown he was going to have.


    "I have flashes of memories, and the basic knowledge of the world. I also know that this¡­ this body''s name is Alex Fields. He''s¡­ a merchant, with two siblings, and his mother¡­ He''s¡­ an advanced¡­"


    Harry''s eyes flashed yet again as he put a hand on Alec''s hand, and the System didn''t fight the shiver that went through his body, as if he wasn''t disgusted by the man''s hand but instead breaking out of his reverie.


    The man''s touch in his situation made Alec''s skin crawl.


    In the first place, Alec had never been a tactile person.


    But also, because the man acted like he had seem a rare gem and was salivating to keep it to himself.


    Alec sneered inwardly.


    Harry patted Alec. "Do you want to go by your new name or your old name?"


    Alec hesitated before he said, "¡­Alex Fields. That''s my name now."


    Harry smiled at him encouragingly at him, as if he really cared about his wellbeing. Alec really couldn''t tell if it was genuine or not, which was worrying.


    He supposed the man could care because of his ''worth'' which made it genuine in a way.


    "Very good, Alex. Now, get up. You shouldn''t keep lying in bed all day. The best way to acclimate yourself is to move around and become so busy that you don''t have time to think about anything else."


    Alec stumblingly stood up but refused Harry''s hand for help. He smiled gently, disgustingly grateful, at Harry, who smiled back.


    Alec immersed himself in the character, trying to block out any aversion or disgust he felt at being in this place.


    They took him to what looked like a dormitory and dumped him inside, Harry reassuring him that he would be able to find him at ''any time''.


    "Once a week, no matter what problems you''re facing, we will meet up. It''s the necessary time taken to make sure that you aren''t going to snap. I know it can be intimidating at first but remember that everyone goes through this process in the beginning."


    And by ''any time'' he meant, during their scheduled once a week meet up.


    Alec almost curled his lip there and then. Any time indeed.


    The dorm room he was placed in had another person who had previously started one week ago.


    Alec nodded gratefully at Harry who departed with a smile, and he noticed that everything about his life now was controlled. They didn''t give him much time to ask questions at all, instead redirecting himself back to whether or not he remembered anything.


    It may have worked on the other transmigrators who were teenagers or younger when they first appeared, but Alec could see through them without a problem.


    From the start, everything had already been carefully orchestrated to make you think that they were on your side.


    Had Alec truly been a transmigrator that had been ripped out of his comfort zone and placed in another body, he would likely have fallen for it. Or would he?


    Still, it didn''t hurt to be compliant¡­ for now.


    The person he was sharing the room with wasn''t back yet, and he wondered if they had already sunk their teeth into this one.


    Alec looked into the mirror again and noted that he had the brand placed on him, and he immediately got rid of it, replacing it with something that looked similar but didn''t function the same at all.


    Instead, it just appeared like it was functioning normally.


    If he left it on for too long, he would end up losing most of his thought freedom like Sekai had, and he had no intentions of leaving it be.


    A few more hours passed as Alec looked around the room.


    The room was almost spartan in that it didn''t have any decorations, but there was a bed, a wardrobe, and a box for his daily necessities.


    Alec clicked his tongue. It made him wonder how often they had done this in order for them to be so remarkably skilled at doing it without a single hitch.


    How long had the company been around, and how long had they been messing with the various events throughout the various continents?


    Alec quietly lay on the bed as he heard the sound of his roommate appearing.


    The teen looked dead tired, and there were eyebags below his eyes, showing that he wasn''t well-rested at all.


    The boy looked about seventeen or eighteen, and he was handsome enough, but with the way he looked now, he may as well have been a zombie.


    The teen paused a little, startled as he noticed someone new in the room that had previously been empty.


    "Who are you?" the teen said bluntly, not giving a single f.u.c.k about the social niceties at all. He was too tired for that. He looked like he was about to go to sleep standing up.


    "Alex Fields," Alec said softly, holding out a hand for the other teen to shake.


    The teen shook his hand with drooping eyelids. "Nicholas Moon."


    Then, the teen collapsed on his bed without another word and started snoring, dead to the world.


    Alec''s lips twitched. What an interesting person. Or was it that he was just genuinely that tired from the new training he was going through?


    Alec quietly slipped back onto his bed as his eyes flashed with anticipation. He''d already told Harry that he still remembered that Alex Fields was in the advanced stage, so he wondered what they were going to put him through tomorrow to try and break his spirit.

 Chapter 376 - Targets For Those Around Them

    The next day, Nicholas Moon kindly prodded him awake, which was more than he expected.


    Alex''s eyes snapped open, startling the other teen, and he lurched backwards, clutching his heart. He looked fully startled as he lost the sleepy look that had previously been on his face, the scare waking him up fully.


    He looked a little more alive than he did yesterday, but he still looked dead on his feet. Alec was more surprised that the teen wasn''t slumped over, cradling his pillow.


    "You scared me," Nicholas said dryly, clutching his pounding heart.


    Alec chuckled. "Well, aren''t you awake now?"


    "Too awake, if you ask me. Anyway, get up!" Nicholas said, brushing his hair back. The dark circles under his eyes looked darker than ever. "Training is going to start soon, and they''ll punish whichever person isn''t there on time."


    Alec climbed out of the bed and hurriedly got himself ready under his roommate''s watchful eye.


    Before he managed to leave the room, Nicholas grabbed his arm.


    "Wait. Listen to me first. No matter what you hear out there, you should know that roommates have to look out for each other if they want any chance in hell surviving this place. A single person alone is easy pickings for them to climb up the rankings."


    Alec inwardly raised a brow but was willing to play along with the competition ''rules''. He smiled at Nicholas, who looked a little dazed at his smile. "Then, I''ll follow your lead."


    Nicholas smiled back a little hesitantly, but he seemed pleased that his new roommate was willing to listen. "Alright. Just remember, no matter what they say, I''ve got your back. So make sure you guard mine as well. If you have any questions, you should come to me."


    Alec looked a little confused. "I heard you''ve only been here a week more than me. Do you really know everything?"


    Nicholas let out a dry laugh. "It''s only been a week, but it feels like a year already. Without a roommate, this place is truly hell on earth. Luckily it only took a week. If it was any longer, I would probably have to fear for my life."


    The teen stepped out of their room, and Alec followed after him without saying anything else.


    The moment he left the room, Alec could feel all the gazes that trailed after them, acting like they were a tasty snack that the hungry predators could rip into at any time.


    Nicholas'' mouth was set in a firm line, showing none of the weakness he had inside the room.


    He whispered to Alec as he walked beside him, "Don''t show any weakness. That''s the time they all decide to pounce. Fake it till you make it, baby."


    The smile on Alec''s lips curled a little more. "Alright," he said calmly.


    Nicholas eyed him. "You''re taking this a lot better than I thought you would," he said, sounding almost approving. "You''re tougher than you look."


    Alec raised a brow and chuckled, not offended. "Really?" he said, playing the innocent teenager. "Well¡­ I may have a bit of experience with things like this."


    After saying that, he turned his head away, firmly ignoring all the looks as if they weren''t there at all. His actions were very natural, and Nicholas almost thought that he was the more experienced one instead of himself.


    Nicholas was intrigued but seeing that Alex didn''t seem interested in explaining anything further, he didn''t push it.


    The two roommates made their way deeper into the building without having any breakfast at all, where there were other pairs of roommates waiting for the instructor.


    According to Nicholas, they weren''t allowed to have breakfast until they decided their rankings for the day, which would then decide their breakfast.


    Alec felt a little bored by that. It wasn''t anything new to have this kind of tactic in order to foster competition between pairs, thus increasing their drive to work harder.


    It just seemed so¡­ mundane. He actually expected better ¨C or worse.


    Yet, the harder they worked only caused them to fall deeper into the company''s trap.


    It was a vicious cycle where the people who were produced from the system were cementing the brainwashing that the brand was putting them through, making use of human psychology.


    The soldiers produced at the end would be perfect for them to use and exploit.


    And with how transmigrators usually had some sort of growth cheat where they grew stronger at a quicker pace than others, they were the perfect soldiers to foster.


    Strong, but under their control, which was what they were aiming for in the first place.


    Transmigrators would never make it high up the company''s totem pole, and they were considered expendable, which disgusted Alec.


    They entered a bare room that had nothing else inside. The floor didn''t have any kind of padding either, and it was just solid concrete.


    The instructor immediately threw the pairs into battle against each other in the bare room, which meant that they had to fight hand to hand using teamwork.


    Out of ten battles, ''Alex'' and Nicholas won all of them, which surprised the instructor greatly. After all, Alex Fields and Nicholas Moon were relatively new, and they had not been part of the training for long at all.


    The instructor could not help but give them a few looks, sizing them up.


    Was this the start of the new ''dream pair''?


    The last dream pair that the instructor had taught had been Sekai and Xin Yi, who were famous for their fantastic results, but bad relationship.


    The other pairs looked at Nicholas and Alex with hostile eyes. They did not like that new threats had appeared, and they it didn''t even register to them that this was not how they would have reacted before.


    Now, the sense of competition and rivalry had been stirred up by the instructor''s not-so-subtle glances at them, and Alec knew that trouble was incoming.


    By the time the ''class'' was dismissed, Alec and Nicholas sat at the table in the cafeteria.


    Having taken first place, their meal was the top meal that everyone else envied.


    Almost everyone was looking at them. There were more eyes on them than that morning itself. Rumours had already started spreading viciously, becoming more and more distorted.


    Nicholas and Alec were quiet.


    Alec still had the faint smile on his face, as if he couldn''t care less, but Nicholas'' face was pale, even if it was blank.


    Nicholas whispered to Alex, who was way too at ease in this situation, "We''ve overdone it. Now, all the other teams will be looking at us to check for whenever we slip up. We''ve become targets!"


    Alec''s smile widened a little. "You mean¡­ as opposed to before? We were already targets for being the ''new guys''."


    Nicholas looked like he started despairing before he forcefully froze a look of stoicism on his face.


    Alec continued like he hadn''t seen it. "Besides, this way, once we put the first ones that come after us in place, the rest of them will fall in line."


    Nicholas sighed tiredly. "It''s not that simple around here. But¡­" Nicholas gave Alex an accessing look. "You sure are stronger than you look. You''re really strong. I''m not sure if I''m lucky or not."


    Alec smiled nicely at Nicholas, but their fantastic lunch was interrupted by someone coming up to their table.


    Both of them turned to look at the newcomer.


    It was lady who looked mature and alluring, delivering a message for Alec. "Alec, it''s time for you to meet your mentor. After breakfast, report to Room 1-2."


    Finished with what she was saying, she walked off, her heels clacking against the floor.


    Nicholas raised a brow. "That doesn''t seem¡­ usual."


    Alec titled his head, his smile not changing. "Regardless, I have to go."


    He stood up, clearing the rest of his lunch. Nicholas nodded, standing up as well, falling into line with Alec.


    "I''ll go with you."

 Chapter 377 - Questioning

    The hallway that Nicholas led him to was decorated grandly, while remaining practical enough.


    It was a far cry from the area that the recruits stayed. The area that the ''recruits'' lived in was spartan and dry. There were no decorations or any extra furniture at all.


    Alec eyed the teen who had led him here without a problem. The fact that he was able to do it without having to take a detour at all was very suspicious. Or just very curious.


    Walking up to Room 1-2, Alec knocked on the door with audible knocks, waiting for a response from inside like a polite person.


    Nicolas gave him a tired nod, leaning against the wall next to the room, waiting for Alex to finish up with his business before they left together.


    Even though no one could come here unless either them or their roommates were called by their mentor, it wouldn''t be the first time someone didn''t follow the rules and attacked where there was no one watching.


    At this moment, both of them weren''t safe walking alone, so it wasn''t like Nicholas would leave by himself.


    While what Nicholas saw during that one sparring session with the other teams told him that Alex was good at fighting and working in a team, he didn''t feel safe knowing that there were teams who would go against him together if they spotted him alone.


    It was the quickest and most efficient way to deal with someone before they got a big head, and none of the instructors would step in, claiming that it encouraged competition and rivalry.


    Even though he was tired, Nicholas closed his eyes as got some rest while keeping his ears open on high alert.


    Alec entered the room after receiving Harry''s permission.


    He closed the door behind him, and he pretended that he didn''t see the way this place had numerous arrays in place that prevented any sound from entering or leaving the room once the door was shut.


    Looking at Harry, the man appeared calm and collected as he smiled at Alec.


    "Alex," Harry greeted like he was meeting an old friend.


    The man''s smile was friendly and meant to endear the person who talked to him. He felt more like a friendly older brother than a mentor.


    "Harry," Alec said with a similar smile.


    Compared to the day where he first woke up, Alec seemed to have overcome all his trauma and worries.


    Harry eyed him approvingly. This teen was shaping up to be a good seed. He was quick on his feet, while being calm and smart. He was strong enough that he won the rookie matches this morning for breakfast.


    Based on his fighting ability, he took acceptable risks and had good spatial awareness. His reflexes were quick and his hearing was above average.


    Harry had already been informed by the instructor, and he had given them orders to keep a closer eye on the new recruit to make sure nothing went wrong.


    It was almost baffling how strong he was considering that he was an Every, but that only made it better for the company.


    He outstripped the Brights by an entire mile, which was almost alarmingly shocking.


    The man was even a little jealous about how much attention was being paid to the boy.


    He sized up Alex again, and he noted that the smile on Alex''s face appeared genuine and he was unfazed by his sudden call to meet Harry even though he''d told him that they would only meet once a week.


    It meant that the seal was working properly in keeping him numb.


    The first impression that Alex had given Harry was that he was a gentle soul, so Harry was genuinely surprised when the instructor told him that he''d won all the sparring matches with his roommate.


    "Are you getting along with your roommate?" Harry asked.


    "Yes," Alec said with a smile. "He''s very nice to me."


    Harry nodded. He had a feeling that the way to controlling Alex would be the people around him.


    Very good.


    It was feasible.


    "What do you think about the instructor''s way of teaching? Your other classmates? You can tell me anything."


    Alec appeared confused. "Well, I don''t think it''s anything special, to be honest. The other classmates seem to be hostile to Nicholas and I, but as long as they don''t go after us outside of classes, I don''t see a problem with that."


    Harry sat back, thinking. This would bear more observation from the instructors about Alex''s personality, but so far, they were on the right track.


    Perhaps his home planet probably hadn''t been as peaceful as most of the transmigrators that appeared on this planet. Or was the teen able to use the memories in the original body a lot more efficiently than most people?


    "How are your memories coming along?" Harry asked.


    Alec shook his head. "I can remember almost everything now. But I feel like there''s a bit of dissociation between myself and the original. However, I''m able to make use of his fighting experience."


    Harry smiled with satisfaction. "That''s good. You should know that you''re in the top 1% of the people here when it comes to adapting. Sometimes, they''ll never remember anything about the body at all. However, for you, it''s the opposite. You remember almost everything. It also means that the instructors are going to push you that much harder."


    Alec nodded, determination flashing across his face. "I can handle it."


    Harry looked gratified, and his eyes were light and approving. "Alright. I''ll see you next week."


    Alec stood up, saying goodbye to his mentor. As he turned around, his eyes flashed.


    He had a feeling that tonight, someone was going to enter his room and make sure that the seal was working properly and not malfunctioning.


    He also had a sneaking suspicion that they were going to upgrade the seal''s potency to the level that Sekai''s had reached.


    He''d seen Nicholas Moon''s seal, and he noted that it was a weaker version of the one that was on him. Alec''s had previously been a weaker version of Sekai''s as well, which meant that there were truly different levels of seals depending on the ''danger'' that the transmigrator represented.


    As someone who was already in the advanced stage, Alex Fields was already considered dangerous, but now that he confided to his mentor that he had recovered almost all his memories, they would clamp down on him even harder.


    Alec exited the room, and Nicholas'' eyes snapped open.


    "Oh, good. That didn''t take long."


    "Yeah. It was just the routine check-up from my mentor."


    Nicholas was confused. "But¡­ you just entered this place yesterday? I haven''t even met my mentor again yet!"


    Alec tilted his head, equally as confused. "I have no idea."


    Nicholas dropped it surprisingly quickly. Alec gave him a side eye, thinking. It looked like no matter how weak the brand was, it still affected the person rather severely.


    Alec could tell that Nicholas'' original character was the chatty and curious type, yet with the brand, his curiosity dropped randomly at times, as well as times when he thought too hard and got too curious.


    The System felt the familiar low burn of disgust curling inside him. How could someone use their beautiful runes in such a way. For such disgusting methods.


    If he could, he would like to meet the original creator of the seal and eradicate their cursed existence from the earth.


    Nicholas turned right. "We have to go for the noon training now. It''s to determine our lunch."


    Alec''s smile didn''t change, but his lips twitched a little.


    The transmigrator''s academy sure didn''t let up at all. He supposed that for dinner, they would be doing the same thing as well. Just using a different competition method.

 Chapter 378 - Not A Single Word

    That night, sure enough, someone came.


    That person opened the door just a slit and the sound of a softly rolling metal ball could be heard on the wooden floor.


    Alec, who had fallen into a light sleep, immediately woke up, but kept his eyes closed.


    He wanted to see what this person was going to do!


    The door shut again, and sure enough, a few moments later, he could smell the subtle fragrance in the air that was diffused out of the ball. It was supposed to cause whoever breathed it in for an extended amount of time to fall asleep.


    However, Alec, with his immunity to most poisons, was not affected.


    Five minutes later, the door opened again silently, and a person entered.


    Alec felt a wash of magic enveloping the room, and he knew that the person had started to use their Magitype to keep them asleep.


    However, Alec, who was not asleep, was not affected by it.


    They were more careful than he originally thought.


    The person crouched over Alec''s body, and the System could feel them appraising whether or not he was really asleep, even going far as to clap loudly to startle them.


    Alec didn''t do anything besides breathe deeply, like he was already asleep. He didn''t even stir.


    The moment that the person reached forward and touched Alec''s shoulder, Alec''s hand darted out like a snake, trapping the wrist in his hand. He relied on the fact that she was caught off guard to make her move.


    The time when she had put down her reservations when she confirmed that he was still asleep was the time when her defences were at the lowest it would be in this room.


    The woman was visibly shocked, and her eyes widened before quickly narrowing. She immediately pulled her hand back and jumped backwards as she prepared to quickly knock him out.


    Just as she was about to make a move, she sneezed.


    The woman stumbled backward and crashed into the bedpost that Nicholas was slumbering on without moving, her head dizzy.


    In the middle of the night, when no one else was awake, this was a loud and earth-shattering sound that would have started many.


    But Alec was indifferent.


    He sat up, the sheets pooling around his waist, looking like he had been awake this entire time.


    It gave the woman the impression that everything was under his control, that everything was developing the way he wanted it.


    He looked coldly at the woman, who had a brush and ink in her hands, now shattered on the ground.


    "Who¡­ what¡­" Aisha murmured, clutching her head. Her lips pulled back into a snarl as she fought off the thing invading her using her Magitype.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like a losing battle. She glared at the person sitting calmly on the bed, stroking what looked like a small mushroom.


    His eyes were as cold as ice. There was no mercy in them. No weakness. It was different from what she had heard about him, who was constantly smiling.


    Aisha''s hand fumbled for a weapon, and she eventually found the flap to the weapon pouch she kept in case any of the transmigrators woke up or weren''t affected by her Magitype.


    Her vision was going hazy, before it suddenly snapped back into clear focus.


    She stalked forward with the weapon in her hand, and Alec just looked at her calmly.


    Aisha dropped into a kneel before Alec, like a retainer to a lord, her head bowed respectfully. Her eyes were as calm as a puddle of water. There were no ripples in them at all.


    "Master," she said respectfully. Her eyes were clear and limpid, and there was a faint smile on her face, completely different from the hostility that she''d been showing Alec earlier on.


    Alec looked at her coldly, no trace of a smile on his face. "Tell me more about this place, as well as how routinely you check on the seals that you use to control the ''students'' here."


    "Yes!" Aisha bowed her head even lower, sensing that her new master didn''t seem pleased at what she had been doing.


    She explained in a low voice about the various ins and outs of the academy, as well as who was currently in charge of the place. The person in charge only came once a month to check up on the students and the potential the new recruits were showing.


    They checked on the seals every week without exception, strengthening and weakening depending on the effects the person had to it.


    "What about the company headquarters? Where is it now?"


    Aisha dipped her head even lower, causing Alec to frown.


    "Look at me," he ordered. While he trusted Loeri''s spores that could induce mind control to the highest degree, that didn''t mean that he could be lax with it.


    If Aisha was not fully under control, then the easiest way to tell would be on her face.


    Aisha immediately looked up, and there was a torn look on her face. However, it didn''t seem like an expression that would appear if she was fighting off the control.


    Instead, she looked desolate and crushed that she couldn''t answer.


    "I don''t know which location the headquarters is at this time, master," she said with teary eyes.


    Alec almost wanted to take a step back. What a drama queen. He felt goosebumps form on his arms. How could someone get so upset just because they couldn''t answer his question?!


    "Who will know the location of the headquarters?"


    Aisha beamed at him, the previous tears in her eyes immediately disappearing. "The inspector that comes every month to check on the academy, master."


    Alec thought. It seemed that he would have to bring the inspector under his control if he wanted to find the location.


    However, it was understandable that the location of the headquarters was jealously guarded.


    "When will the inspector come next?"


    "One week from now, master. Because of you."


    "Explain."


    "You have been showing extraordinary progress in the first day itself, and your potential is off the charts. For an Every, you are considered easy to control and influence without the higherups having to do much work."


    "Which day will they be coming exactly?" Alec questioned. His eyes bore into Aisha''s.


    "Next Tuesday!"


    "How do you determine when someone is a transmigrator?" he continued to interrogate her.


    This was the perfect opportunity for him to get more answers. Since she was likely ''in the know'', she would have answers.


    They would not just entrust the job of altering the brands on the transmigrators to someone who was not completely under their control and had a certain level of authority.


    Someone who could work in this place and take care of the company''s newest recruits would definitely be completely trustworthy.


    Sure enough, Aisha knew the answer. "There are several points to take note of. First, the transmigrator will never enter into the body of someone who is still alive. The researchers of the company conclude that it''s because the old soul has to make way for a new soul before they can enter this world.


    "Taking note of this, after repeated examinations and cross-referencing, we eventually concluded that transmigrators usually appear in a body that flatlined for a few minutes before restarting. Not only that, the situation that a transmigrator appears during is usually loud and catches the attention of at least fifty people."


    Alec nodded as he heard this. He already knew all of this, being a System who sent transmigrators down, but to think that the people in the company had been so accurate and so precise with their observations.


    Alec spoke. "What is your success rate using this method?"


    "Ninety percent, master."


    Alec hummed. "That''s all for now. You may leave. Come back on Saturday."


    "Yes, master!" Aisha said, standing up and saluting him. She gathered the shattered remains of the ink bottle and dealt with the stains before saluting him once more and disappearing.


    Alec stood up from the bed and walked over to Nicholas'' bed.


    He smiled faintly. "Make sure not a single word gets out of your mouth," he said, his cold fingertips brushing against the back of Nicholas'' neck.


    He felt the shiver from the teen, who nodded almost imperceivably.


    The brand that had been on the back of Nicholas'' neck disappeared in the air, replaced with something else.

 Chapter 379 - Alex Fields Camp

    That night, Nicholas didn''t move a single inch, while Alex slept peacefully.


    Listening to Alex''s peaceful breaths, Nicholas felt tumultuous feelings swirling inside him, the main feelings being fear and worry.


    Just what was happening here?


    Nicholas couldn''t make heads or tails of it. Everything had been going swimmingly until that night.


    He had only been here for a week, but now that Alex had intruded into his life, he was suddenly in a situation that he didn''t think he could get out of any time soon.


    He knew that this place wasn''t as innocent as it seemed, but it never occurred to him that it went so much deeper than he originally thought.


    When he''d heard the door creak open, along with the ball that rolled into the room, he had immediately held his breath.


    Five minutes wasn''t too long, but any longer than that, he would have effectively succ.u.mbed. But since he didn''t know what the gas that was coming out of the ball was, he didn''t dare to be relaxed. For all he knew, it was poison.


    Nicholas had made sure not to keep his body relaxed so he could quickly make a move while they were caught off guard, but the following situation surprised him so much that he had no chance to open his eyes.


    He thought that they would ''take care'' of him first since he was the weaker link, but to his surprise, it was someone who had a hand in authority at the academy itself instead of being another student here.


    This¡­ shattered the logic that he seemed to have understood while he stayed here.


    While he knew that Alex Fields had been strong from the single day that they spent together, this was the first time that he felt such acute fear and confusion.


    When the woman had crashed into his bed post, it had taken all his control to stop the flinch that wanted to surface.


    It wasn''t a conscious decision or anything, but his instincts had always been good, and they told him to keep his head down, to pretend that he wasn''t awake.


    Luckily, he had been facing the wall, so even though his brows furrowed, it wasn''t visible. Of course, having his back to them had the added effect of making his back feel cold.


    His heart thundering in his chest, but he could still hear the conversation between the two people as clear as day.


    The woman had clearly been confrontational against Alex earlier, but now she was calling him ''master'' and answering his questions with the utmost reverence.


    It left him terrified and doubtful.


    He didn''t understand. Wasn''t Alex like them?


    Was that really how they determined that transmigrators appeared?


    Did that mean that there was a whole other world out there that had no idea about the existence of transmigrators on their planet at all?


    Were all the things that had been taught to them from the academy lies?


    What was the so-called brand that she was here to strengthen? What did it do? How did it affect them, if someone had to enter in the middle of the night while making sure they were asleep to do it?


    What did he do to that woman, that she was acting like this all of a sudden?


    Hypnosis? Or something worse? Mind control?


    Had he already been affected by Alex as well?


    Nicholas was so confused and lost.


    He had never experienced a life-threatening situation like this before, and he didn''t know how to react to it. Especially when the perceived threat was so near to him.


    The door opened and shut again as the woman walked out on her own two feet, leaving them in silence.


    There was the rustling of sheets as Alex stood up, and Nicholas almost held his breath from the tenseness of it.


    And when Alex had brushed his fingers across his nape, he felt chills run up and down his arms. His hair was standing on end. For some reason, he felt like death was touching him from behind.


    His fingers were so damn cold!


    "Make sure not a single word gets out of your mouth," Alex said, his cold fingertips brushing against the back of Nicholas'' neck.


    Nicholas couldn''t stop the shiver that wreaked his body, and he nodded just the slightest amount, not even doubting that the other teen knew that he was awake.


    How he knew, he had no idea, but he had no intention of ending up like that woman who had snuck into their dorm room.


    Alex had some sort of mind control powers that could cause a person to change their entire being ¨C the woman even acted like her religion had been converted to Alex Fields, for f.u.c.k''s sake!


    Would Alex do the same thing to him if he even placed a single step out of line?


    What was he trying to do here?


    Nicholas came from a planet where everything was peaceful. There were wars, sure, but they were far from his everyday life, leaving him ignorant.


    And you all knew what they said about ignorance. It was bliss, of course, and Nicholas felt that way keenly right now.


    It took him hours to drift into an uneasy sleep. Every time he heard the rustling of the sheets, he jolted back awake.


    The next day, when he woke up, his eyebags were worse than ever. His eyes were dry and flaky, and his mind was dull.


    In comparison, Alex Fields woke up like he hadn''t had an entire secret interrogation the night before, looking as fresh as a daisy.


    For a moment, Nicholas felt a stab of anger at that before he deflated hopelessly.


    He couldn''t even beat Alex in a fight. What was he going to do? Tell the instructors?


    He valued his life, thank you.


    More than that, the interrogation that Alex carried out made him terribly curious, an emotion that was familiar to him. Very familiar.


    He had allowed that curiosity to burn him more than once.


    They all said that curiosity killed the cat. But satisfaction brought it back.


    There was a chance that Nicholas was playing with his life here, but he couldn''t stop himself.


    That was why, before they left the room, Nicholas spoke up.


    "Alex¡­" he trailed off, not sure how to put it into words.


    "Hm?" Alex said, looking in his direction.


    Nicholas hesitated slightly. "Will you include me in your plans?"


    Alex''s eyes narrowed, and Nicholas wondered if he''d made a mistake. He hurriedly backtracked. "Of course, you don''t have to if you don''t want to-"


    "Sure," Alex said, cutting him off.


    Nicholas almost couldn''t believe it.


    "Really?"


    Alex raised a brow, smiling at him. Nicholas shivered, feeling like there was an inexplicable sense of something under that gentleness that Alex showed. Especially after the last night, where his voice had sounded so cold.


    "Yes. Why not?" Alex said.


    "But¡­ why? Aren''t you afraid that I''ll tell the instructors?"


    Alex smiled mysteriously. "Maybe. But I don''t think you will, will you?"


    Nicholas shook his head hard, his hair flying in random directions, slapping his cheeks. "No, no! I won''t!"


    "Then what''s the problem?"


    Alex strode out the door, leaving Nicholas staring at his back in stupefaction.


    "Huh? Just like that?"


    Nicholas hurriedly caught up with the other teen, making big strides.


    He thought that the other would put some sort of mind control on him to prevent him telling anyone.


    At this point, Nicholas gasped loudly, causing even more eyes to be drawn to him, but he didn''t notice.


    Could it be that he was already under mind control?! Then¡­ he didn''t have anything to worry about, right?


    Anyway, he was already in Alex Fields'' camp!


    Of course, he was scared of death. Who wasn''t? But this was a rare chance for him to be able to satisfy his curiosity, and he wouldn''t let it pass up.


    He wanted to see what else this world had to offer. It couldn''t just be this academy, with its barbaric rules and strict instructions.


    The people here had all degraded to a point where Nicholas wondered if they were really transmigrators like him as well.


    They were all like savages who only knew how to go after someone else like a shark smelling blood in the water.


    There had to be something that was causing them all to act that way.


    He didn''t believe it was all normal.


    Luckily, Alex Fields seemed like he had some of the answers.

 Chapter 380 - So Damn Curious!

    The days passed so quickly that it was already Saturday in the blink of an eye.


    With the ''lessons'' that they were put through that were more like the instructors pitting them against each other like feral attack dogs, it passed by very quickly indeed.


    Nicholas had not learnt anything new about their current situation from Alex, and he was currently on pins and needles.


    Tonight, the woman from before would come and visit them again on Alex''s behest.


    Compared to Nicholas, who fidgeted in his bed while acting like he was asleep, Alec was very calm.


    This one week gave him a bit more time for him to study Nicholas Moon, and the other teen really didn''t have much of a filter at all.


    He was curious and talkative, but it seemed a little muted. He wasn''t sure if it was because of the side effects of the brand or because the teen still shivered whenever Alec suddenly talked.


    Loeri had used a bit of its spores to ensure that he wouldn''t be able to say anything.


    Unlike Aisha and the rest of the people from the company that were now under his command, however, he didn''t use the mind control spores on the teen.


    The door creaked open around four in the morning, revealing Aisha''s darkened figure.


    She let herself in and kneeled reverently in front of Alec''s bed, quietly waiting there for Alec to acknowledge her.


    Alec opened his eyes and looked at her. She seemed as if she wouldn''t say a single word if he didn''t wake up, and it briefly made him wonder about the differences he saw in each person that was under Loeri''s mind control.


    They all had their normal personality, but in front of Alec, they were very obedient and reverent, almost as if he was their personal saviour.


    The way they acted in front of him differed as each person had a different outlook in what they considered the most respectful behaviour.


    As such, the people under Loeri''s mind control each displayed themselves in front of Alec in a special manner.


    It gave Alec goosebumps if he thought about it too hard, so he didn''t.


    He had never been comfortable with those fanatical eyes ¨C with the exception of Dominique, who had worn down his defences by sheer grit, determination and long-term exposure.


    "Report."


    Aisha ducked her head down in a show of respect, before raising it again as she looked straight into Alec''s eyes, remembering what he had instructed her that time.


    Her eyes were clear and free of any falsehood.


    "Reporting to master, the inspector will be coming on time on Tuesday, no changes. The other instructors have been praising Alex Fields and have been considering to up the ante or perhaps changing your roommate to someone else in order to match your ability better."


    Nicholas bristled when he heard that in his bed though he was feigning sleep. What exactly did they find about him that was so wrong! He was a perfectly fine partner!


    ¡­Wasn''t he?


    Aisha continued like she didn''t sense any agitation from her master''s roommate. "Your mentor, Harold Yang, has been making moves against the other instructors so that they don''t have a chance at getting close to you."


    Alec raised a brow.


    "Any suspicious movements?" he asked.


    Aisha shook her head, "No, master. Everything seems to be as it is. There have been no suspicious movements, nor have there been any orders from the higherups. The instructors are all singing your praises, and they are excited about the raw potential you exude."


    Alec nodded. "Dismissed."


    Aisha stood up and saluted him before quickly leaving.


    Nicholas sat up and looked at Alex with a complicated expression. He still had no idea about how much he was allowed to say in his roommate''s presences, but he was constantly on the edge, making sure that he didn''t say too much.


    Alex Fields ¨C which probably wasn''t even his real name ¨C was a lot more terrifying than his sparring record or his intelligence record showed.


    He was strong, yes, very strong indeed, but the thing that made Nicholas more scared was the fact that he was able to effectively switch masks in such a smooth, practiced manner that left him confused about whether or not that was his real face.


    Was the cold him the real self? Or was it the gentle one?


    Were they both real?


    Regardless, Nicholas was now in the same boat as him, so it wasn''t like he was going to deliberately go against him at this moment.


    He still wanted to keep the sanctity of his thoughts and not have his religion forcefully converted to Alex Fieldism!


    Nicholas hesitantly spoke up. "Supposing what she said is true¡­ I find it a bit strange. Why is it that everything seems so peaceful? It just doesn''t make any sense!"


    "What do you mean?" Alec said, leaning back.


    "Well¡­ from what we know about this world, there are the presence of Meisters and Grand Meisters, yet none of them reside at this place, and none of them know that there''s something wrong with that woman? This place should be somewhat important to them, from what I judge, yet there were no checks on the state of the person who''s going around altering the seals on their precious students?"


    Alec nodded, his lips curling. This Nicholas was still passable if he was able to critically analyse and judge things.


    Indeed, there was no way that everything was peaceful and calm.


    This was the transmigrator academy, where each student was kept a tight watch on.


    It made more sense that either a Meister or a Grand Meister would check on the staff once in at least two days.


    If Aisha had reported that there were a few incidents (as was common for the transmigrator academy), then he would know that the mind control on Aisha was not discovered.


    However, she reported that there were absolutely no anomalies, specifically mentioning that the instructor would continue to appear on Tuesday.


    Alec was rather sure of the fact that Aisha had been discovered, but they allowed the mind control to remain in order to misdirect him into thinking that he had not yet been discovered so that they would not alarm him.


    They were fishing for more information, as well as hoping to successfully strike a blow and capture him before he could do anything.


    In that case, they were either coming tomorrow or the day after, before the supposed date that they were supposed to come.


    Alec''s lips curled slightly, and Nicholas felt a chill go down his spine at the smile on Alex''s face.


    Nicholas eyed him warily.


    Alec suddenly stood up, causing Nicholas to flinch.


    "What are you doing?" Nicholas asked when he saw the other teen strip and quickly redress himself in what seemed like tight-fitting black clothes. "Where are you going?"


    Alec just smiled at him before he disappeared from their room, leaving Nicholas staring with his mouth agape at the spot he had been standing at previously.


    "Wait¡­ does this mean that I''m not supposed to follow? Or do I follow?" he questioned the air in confusion.


    He waited a little while before he realized that Alex wasn''t coming back to berate him, saying that he didn''t follow even after waiting for him.


    He hesitantly lay back down in the bed, pulling the sheets up to his chin.


    The teen shut his eyes and stared at the back of his eyelids for what seemed like an eternity.


    Nicholas tossed. He couldn''t fall asleep, but he also didn''t really want to go out.


    Despite what he was learning, he had no stealth skills to speak of, and he was a naturally loud person. He was sure that he would give it away.


    Yet, he was so damn curious!


    Nicholas quietly consoled himself that he would have to learn from skills in order to satisfy his curiosity in the future.

 Chapter 381 - Their Ploy

    Alec wandered about the academy unhindered by anyone but himself.


    There were no teachers patrolling, nor any students wandering about after their bedtime.


    It was calm, almost peaceful.


    It was at odds with the transmigrator academy that he had come to know in the past week.


    It was almost strange, the way that even the most stubborn transmigrators went to sleep obediently, leaving the place barren and empty, bereft of their loud presences.


    There were no eyes on him, which further confirmed to him that the higherups had likely asked them to leave him alone.


    He didn''t get detected at all, though by right, he should have been quickly locked on to. Otherwise, he would really doubted the security of this place.


    Since he had only went out to check whether or not the security had become more lax, and he wasn''t willing to have the people take action at this point of time, he quickly went to a few different places and ''took'' a few things before leaving.


    Within a scant half an hour, he was back within his dorm room.


    Leaving behind no traces that he had been there, Alec re-entered his room, ignoring the slight flinch from the opposite bed.


    Nicholas was so jumpy at times that Alec was a bit concerned about him.


    He changed his clothes in a swift and efficient manner before lying back down.


    Nicholas'' eyes cracked open to peer at Alec curiously before he closed it again, feigning sleep until he really fell asleep.


    Alec''s lips twitched in amus.e.m.e.nt. This teen was really¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The next day, Alec went about their normal routine without showing that there was anything wrong.


    On the other hand, Nicholas was feeling twitchy and paranoid. He kept looking around and glancing at people nervously, and it made Alec feel like he was helpless.


    If there really was anyone who was keeping an eye on them, Nicholas'' strange behaviour would no doubt fall into their eyes.


    They might even think that he was the one who was the ''spy'' for goodness'' sake.


    It was more than obvious that Nicholas had no experience in things like this.


    His life in the other world must have been peaceful, right? That was a good thing. However, he was completely useless right now!


    Alec grabbed him and the teen almost shouted out loud in alarm. His heartbeat skyrocketed, almost beating out of his chest.


    Alec''s lips twitched again. This teen was really nervous! What else could he say?


    "Look," Alec said, "can you tone it down a bit? You''re drawing a lot of attention to us."


    Nicholas hissed as his heartbeat calmed down from being suddenly grabbed when he least expected it. "Shit¡­ did you really have to grab me so suddenly?" he complained. "I know, alright? But I can''t convince my brain to turn it off and just relax."


    Alec smiled at him, causing him to shiver. "You don''t have to ''turn it off''. What you have to do is embrace it and layer it over your perception. You have to be aware of it, but you can''t let it dictate your actions.


    "It''s just like when you learnt how to display a neutral expression when you''re outside in front of the other student''s eyes, right? It''s the same concept."


    The moment Alec explained it, he made it sound so easy. Nicholas felt like he''d been hit with a frying pan over his head. "So simple?"


    Alec raised a brow. "Just that simple."


    Nicholas nodded lightly, and reined in his extra emotions, realizing that it was indeed easier now that he knew what he was doing. He was still twitchy and nervous, but he realized that it was because of the extra number of eyes on him whenever they passed anyone.


    They were all looking at Alex and himself, which caused his paranoia levels to shoot up.


    The more he showed what he was feeling, the more eyes there were on him.


    He was actually surprised that no one had taken the initiative to challenge them today.


    There had been a large number of people who had taken to challenging their team, but they had been savagely beaten down by Alex, who didn''t hold back at all.


    The challenges only started to peter off yesterday, and today, it had dropped to an all-time low.


    Suddenly, he found it a bit funny. Maybe they thought that Nicholas had been baiting them to attack with how weak he was making himself seem. Especially when Alex was completely at ease.


    Maybe they thought that they were trying to increase their ranking even further.


    He couldn''t help but quirk his lips when he thought of it, and a large number of gazes moved away, as if they had confirmed their guesses.


    Nicholas quietly covered his face, resisting the urge to laugh.


    For some reason, it was too funny!


    "Alright, don''t laugh anymore," Alec said. He felt like he was taking care of a particularly silly child. He really didn''t know what to do with him.


    One look at his face and Alec knew that he had come to all the wrong conclusions that night, but it was convenient, so he didn''t say anything about it.


    Alec felt Aisha''s eyes on him from a distance away before they disappeared, and he knew that she was trying to act discreetly to make sure that no one knew that she had been compromised.


    She likely didn''t know that they had already caught on.


    He was still waiting for the inspector to appear.


    At this moment, there was a large commotion, and there were countless whispers and curious questions in the air.


    It seemed like the inspector had appeared.


    Alec had been harbouring a faint hope that it would be the Inspector Fade from before, but there was no reaction.


    There was a loud siren in the air, before the announcement came. "Students, please return to your classrooms! Students, please return to your classrooms! Students, please return to your classrooms!"


    The announcement was made three times before it abruptly cut off.


    The students made disappointed expressions as they all trudged back to their designated area.


    They thought that they would be able to catch sight of the inspector this time.


    If they managed to catch the eye of an inspector, then there were countless benefits! They would be on the fast-track to success.


    Or so they thought.


    It was more likely that they would be pumped full of something that would cause their potential to explode, causing their worth to rocket for a short amount of time before being stuck there infinitely.


    According to Blanche, that was what had happened to that Meister that she fought back in the Awerk continent.


    He had yet to find anything in this place that hinted that such a thing had been created by this group of people, but he supposed it made sense.


    If, by any chance, one of the transmigrators got whiff of it from their abnormal luck, then it would be very messy to clean up!


    They wanted the transmigrators ignorant, and each of them were a good asset to the company. Raising them up had cost a lot!


    None of them even thought about how it was a Sunday, and that they should have had a rest day today. It made no sense that they were told to report to their classrooms like it was completely normal.


    Alec and Nicholas returned to the classroom, and the instructor informed them that they were going on a forage in the forest to check on their skills today.


    The pair exchanged a quick glance, and the smile on Alec''s face widened a little.


    It seemed like the company was more impatient than they showed. This was likely their ploy.

 Chapter 382 - Sunday At The Transmigrator Academy

    It was Sunday, and the transmigrator academy didn''t have ''lessons'' on this day, yet the students were all riled up by the presence of the instructor.


    With the added instructions from the academy to head back to the classrooms, many of them were agitated and excited.


    They didn''t consider it a hardship at all that their rest day was gone.


    Though, Alec had a feeling that even if none of them had rest days, they would be more than happy to continue throwing themselves into the competition with other students.


    Feral dogs indeed.


    Not only did the situation deviate from the norm, the instructor had suddenly announced that they were going to be testing their skills out in the forest as a ''field trip'' that the inspector could pass by later if they were lucky.


    Alec narrowed his eyes.


    ''Could pass by later''? Heh.


    It was more likely that the inspector was already there, having narrowed down the ''class'' in which the traitor came from. It made no sense that theirs was the only class going out into the forest otherwise.


    The only thing Alec was unsure about was whether or not the person that had come was a Meister or Grand Meister.


    However, both options were bad. It was just that one was worse than the other.


    A Grand Meister could level the entire country without a problem, while Meisters could level the city.


    It was a difference in pure strength and quality that couldn''t be overcome with rank alone.


    To be honest, the only people that knew what the difference between the two were those who had achieved Grand Meister status themselves.


    Those who were below Grand Meister were clueless, and it was the Meister''s bane that they couldn''t find an accurate description in order to advance.


    Some people never advanced in their entire life, leaving only a small handful of Grand Meisters behind. There were countless Meisters over the course of the years that had perished due to old age, never breaking through.


    Apparently, it was hard to describe it, and the people would have to achieve it themselves before they understood.


    Yet, there were so few Grand Meisters that had ever existed that one could control the entire continent if one wanted to.


    As of today, Alec didn''t believe that there were any left. If there were, they were probably trying to maintain their lifespan by going into hibernation.


    Against a Meister, Alec could still use Loeri''s mind control spores to affect them, but against a Grand Meister, he could only hope to be captured without struggling.


    Then again, they probably didn''t expect him to be able to struggle either against a Meister.


    Alec had only caught a quick glance at the inspector earlier on, and they appeared like a genial person. But that was only their appearance. Their eyes weren''t gentle at all, and their true personality was likely very different.


    They looked like they were in their mid-forties and she had a pleasant smile on their face, unlike the instructors who only ever kept a stern and strict face every day.


    It was the classical carrot and stick method, where the people training them were the stick, and the mentors and inspectors were the carrot.


    Unfortunately, it seemed to work almost too well in this case.


    With the damn brand that was on the transmigrators, it was almost a miracle that Sekai had managed to maintain some of his stubborn state of mind, to remind himself that it was not how he had originally been.


    That his loyalty was to himself and not the company despite all their efforts to brainwash him into a loyal tool.


    Sekai had managed to do it through a mix of his sheer, stubborn will, as well as the natural inclinations of his Societype that railed against having rules bind them down.


    Yet, for some reason, most of the transmigrators that Alec saw here in the academy belonged to the other three categories. Brights, Chers and Everys.


    It was very surprising. Or, was it that they didn''t think it was worth it keeping a Sin transmigrator around that they couldn''t control?


    Alec actually thought that it was because the instincts that came from being a Sin rebelled so strongly against the way the seal was trying to force onto them that most of them suicided or went insane.


    At that thought, Alec''s eyes chilled a little before regaining their normal look.


    Had Alec not had the means to remove the brand from himself, he wondered if he would end up going insane like the rest of them?


    Despite how he portrayed himself, Alec was very individualistic, and he didn''t like someone giving him rules and regulations to follow.


    It was pure irony there, that he had previously been a System under the Mainframe that loved to follow the rules and regulations.


    Now, he liked to make the rules and regulations for others to follow instead.


    Alec paused for a moment, realizing that they were already in the forest, hiding.


    He was next to Nicholas, and he frowned fiercely.


    He didn''t even remember entering the forest, nor making any conscious decision to hide here away from the other classmates.


    His mind had wandered unnaturally in that time, and from the look on Nicholas'' face, he too was lost in his thoughts.


    The teen''s face was blank and slack. One look and you knew that he wasn''t paying any attention.


    Alec''s alarm suddenly spiked when he realized that wasn''t normal.


    He sharply prodded Nicholas in the side, causing him to yelp loudly in the stillness of the forest around them.


    "What?" Nicholas said, turning around with a frown on his face.


    "Were your thoughts wandering?"


    "Nonsense," Nicholas instinctively denied, then paused. It was true. His thoughts had indeed been wandering in useless places.


    Nicholas'' face grew serious. "Let''s move!" he said instead.


    Alec nodded. He had been about to suggest that as well.


    Even now, he still didn''t know where the inspector was, or if it was just someone else in their class that was affecting them using their Magitype.


    The two of them moved forward silently, but and they stopped under a tree.


    Alec boosted Nicholas up before hopping up there as well.


    The two of them kept a lookout for the other teams. Well, Alec was looking for the inspector, while Nicholas was looking out for the other teams.


    This far up in the tree, they had a better vantage point.


    They could spot the various partners moving around as they fought against each other in a ''controlled'' environment, but neither Alec nor Nicholas were interested in joining the dog fight below them.


    Instead, they were alert in the tree.


    Alec was waiting for Loeri to return before he did anything.


    At this moment, Loeri slowly made its way to the base of the tree. Alec waited for it to hop up to return to Alec''s palm, but instead, the mushroom ''shouted'' at him across their link.


    "Master! There''s someone else in the tree with you!"


    Alarmed, Alec controlled himself not to whirl around, but his senses never told him that there was anyone there.


    Even now, when Loeri told him that there was someone else with him other than Nicholas, he could not feel anything.


    Unbeknownst to both Alec and Nicholas, the genial-looking inspector had always been standing on the tree with them and had even been there when they were lost in thought at the other place.


    But neither of the pair could see the woman at all.


    She had always been following them, but everyone looked past her like she wasn''t there.


    Now, Loeri had seen through her, but it could only inform their master. They did not have the strength to resist.


    "So, you''ve discovered me," the inspector said with a slight smile on her face.


    Serious chills went up and down the pair''s arms as they turned around cautiously.


    However, that was the last thing that they did.

 Chapter 383 - Drip. . .

    Drip.


    Drip.


    Drip.


    The sound of dripping water came rhythmically and periodically, forming an entire symphony of sounds.


    The sound of water was both gentle and persistent, like the sound of water tipping from a high point, meeting the low points down below. With enough time, it would wear away even the steadiest of minds, like a single dripping point meeting rock for years on end.


    The gentle sounds came from above head, and it was the sound that Alec woke up to.


    The entire place was awash with the sounds of water meeting rock, having various points of water dripping with different intensities.


    His arms were aching, and so were his wrists, more from being stretched excessively than from damage.


    Blearily, Alec blinked his eyes and forced them to open, and despite the dim lighting in the place, his eyes still burned more than they should. They felt crusty, and he had to blink more than once to get the usual clarity back.


    It felt like something had died in his mouth, which made his face change slightly in disgust.


    The back of his neck was throbbing lightly, and Alec attributed it to the inspector that had knocked the two of them out yesterday.


    At least, that was what he assumed.


    After all, he had no memories from the time before he was knocked out past seeing the inspector''s smile.


    Now, he woke up in what seemed like a dungeon.


    Looking around, he could see that he wasn''t that far off.


    His hands were shackled above his head, explaining the ache in them, and the room was barren save for the presence of himself.


    On a single glance, it appeared as if the room didn''t have a door, instead only having the solid stone blocks around.


    Looking up, the water came from the little cracks in the room, causing him to raise a brow. He wondered if it was intentional.


    Still, there should be a drainage system underneath, otherwise the water would have long formed puddles.


    There was a single dim lightbulb in the middle of the room, swaying ever so gently in tune with the dripping water. From what, he didn''t know. It wasn''t like there was a draft inside this place.


    Alec''s feet were bare, and he had been stripped down and changed into plain white clothes.


    Had Alec been a normal person, the chill in this place would have caused him to shiver incessantly, but as it was, Alec was made to withstand most of the elements, so other than his arms being sore, and his neck likely being bruised, he was fine.


    The place was made out of solid rock, and it was cool to the touch.


    There weren''t the typical bars that signified a prisoner, like the cells the slaves had been placed in, nor was this like the technologically advanced rooms that had been on the ship that brought him back to the Kaoriht continent.


    Alec could see no trace of Nicholas anywhere, and even when he concentrated his ears, all he could hear was the sound of the maddening dripping sounds.


    Alec''s brows furrowed a little, concentrating harder as he pushed away the sounds of the different water droplets.


    He could hear it, but it was so faint that had it been anyone else, they would have been effectively crippled in this regard, leaving them clueless about what was going on.


    Alec let out a breath that he didn''t know he was holding.


    However, this was not the time for him to lose hope or give up. After all, the fact that he could hear the dripping water so clearly meant that they were confident enough in it that they thought they could seal this ''ability'' of Alec''s.


    They treated Alec''s extraordinary hearing like they were treating a solution to someone''s Magitype.


    What they didn''t know was Alec''s benefit.


    Alec could hear a few faint conversations that were going on outside his ''cell'' but they were mostly inconsequential.


    He didn''t hear any of the mention himself or Nicholas at all, which made him frown.


    Alec tested the manacles that held his wrists for a bit before determining that he would be able to break out without a problem.


    The thing was the company had assumed that Alec''s strength was due to him pumping magic throughout his body like was the most common application in everyone else.


    It was strength augmentation in the most simplistic way, but that wasn''t what Alec was doing.


    All his magic was used to Awaken parts of his body, allowing him to exist in the purest form as just himself and nothing else.


    But it was not yet the time for that.


    Closing his eyes, Alec made himself a little more comfortable in his spot as he rotated his wrists a little, getting his blood flow going again.


    Since it wasn''t the time to be stingy, Alec sent magic throughout his body, causing the magic that he painstakingly regathered throughout to Awaken himself further.


    The magic that had been seeing a breakthrough to the Meister levels dropped back down to the bare minimum of the advanced tier.


    After doing that, everything about his body had been upgraded at least a notch.


    Strength seemed to flow through his body, and the previous fatigue disappeared like it was never there in the first place.


    C.o.c.king his head, the faint conversation became much clearer to his ears.


    Even through the supposedly hearing dampeners and magic suppressors, the conversation now appeared as clear as day in his ears. It was even very crisp, like he was standing next to them and listening to them talk.


    Suddenly, there was the sound of someone being dragged down the hallway.


    One of the people outside tutted. "There are still prisoners trying to escape. They just don''t learn."


    Another disdainful voice spoke up. "Of course. If they don''t get a taste of hardship, how will they learn?"


    "But that one especially. He''s already tried to escape four times. As I see it, the higherups should be giving the order to use more painful restraining methods on him soon."


    A snicker. "You''re right. I wonder just how badly that one will suffer before he learns to behave."


    "What''s his name again? Nicholas something?"


    "Who cares? It''s not like he''s going to live long anyway."


    Alec frowned. This smelled more like a trap than even the forest, but he couldn''t just sit still and do nothing if Nicholas was truly in danger.


    But¡­ how long had Alec been out?


    Nicholas escaping four times didn''t make any sense.


    With Alec''s bodily constitution, he wouldn''t take long to recover from being knocked out, yet Nicholas had already escaped four times?


    Had they used something else to keep him down longer, or¡­


    At this moment, he didn''t have the luxury to think about it right now, because there was the sound of footsteps approaching his ''cell''.


    This should be the person who was here to interrogate him, right?


    Unfortunately, he hadn''t been able to get Loeri to make a move on the inspector at that time.


    Hindsight was indeed 20/20. He shouldn''t have sent Loeri out to scout but instead kept it close to anticipate the time to make a move.


    When the door opened, it almost appeared like the door had appeared out of the solid rock in a shape of a door.


    Alec looked at the door calmly, and the person that was admitted was the inspector that he had seen right before he was knocked out by her.


    While he saw the movements she''d taken to knock him out, his body hadn''t been able to react in that split second, which ultimately led to his loss in her hands.


    Now, she was here again.


    She stepped in, her genial smile still stark on her face.

 Chapter 384 - Feeding Her Blade

    "Hello, Alex," she said, the smile on her face made him felt like it was fake and plasticky.


    There was a single other person behind her, and they didn''t say anything, standing silently behind the inspector.


    Rather than the person in front of him who was the obvious person to pay attention to, Alec took his time studying the assistant in the back, which caused the inspector''s lips to curl up further, becoming much colder.


    The assistant stood in the back dutifully, and clearly, the inspector didn''t expect them to chime in either.


    Instead, the inspector''s attention was solely on Alec. And she was displeased that Alec wasn''t paying her any attention.


    But just before she snapped, Alec turned his attention to her, smiling. He tilted his head ever so slightly, and it could almost pass as a polite greeting. "Hello, inspector."


    Her eyes flashed. "Do you know why you''re here?"


    "I have an idea."


    "So, do you have anything to say for yourself?"


    "I don''t think I do," Alec said with a guileless smile. He seemed perfectly innocent, and Lilith actually couldn''t read him at all.


    The two faced each other with smiles, and the assistant that was behind the inspector looked between his master and Alec, somehow feeling like the two had the same type of smile.


    It was a little eerie how perfectly they echoed each other.


    However, the smile on Alex Fields'' face was a lot gentler and genuine. The angle of it was the same, but it just seemed more genuine on Alex''s face.


    The assistant kept his thoughts to himself, looking down at the ground. He didn''t dare to show anything. If he showed anything on his face, the inspector would kill him off.


    The smile abruptly dropped off the inspector''s face, leaving behind only boundless coldness and piercing sharpness.


    The air in the cell changed, causing the assistant to shiver behind.


    The temperature in the place had already been cold, but with the inspector''s change, it was even colder, almost frigid.


    However, Alex Fields wasn''t shivering in the least.


    Instead, Alec leaned back, looking almost comfortable, and the inspector, Lilith, roved her eyes over his face.


    Lilith''s lips pulled into a cold smile. She could tell that this one wouldn''t be easy to break, but that didn''t mean that she wouldn''t enjoy trying. Thoroughly.


    Time was of the essence now, otherwise she would have enjoyed it sweetly, pulling every single detail from his memory in the most painful manner.


    But she had her orders, and she wasn''t able to enjoy it to the fullest this time, which was a shame.


    She told him as such. "It''s such a shame. I would have had so much fun with you. But now, I just have to break your mind to extract the information. I hope you won''t disappoint me," she said, and her cold smile actually warmed up a little.


    Alec maintained his smile at her, spitting out a few words. "I''m afraid I''ll disappoint you."


    Lilith sneered.


    She stepped forward, not even minding the puddles that were on the floor, coming closer to Alec.


    She stared deep into his eyes but found nothing other than calmness.


    It made her want to break him. Shatter him. Leave him as nothing but a drooling mess that had to rely on others to keep him alive.


    She smiled almost maniacally at the thought, and with an almost theatrical flair, she pulled out a straight dagger, caressing it with love.


    Her tongue flicked out and she licked the dagger a little, her pupils visibly dilating. Alec''s smile didn''t change.


    She breathed in happily, the pure ecstasy on her face leaving nothing to the imagination about how much she enjoyed her little past time.


    "The smell of iron¡­ lovely," she said, drawing nearer to Alec.


    She ran the blade lightly across his face and frowned when it didn''t cut with the slightest touch like she was used to.


    She didn''t turn around and instead glared at Alec. The assistant trembled, feeling the weight of his master''s gaze as the temperature dropped. Even though it wasn''t directed at him right now, he could feel the terrifying weight of it in the air.


    "You didn''t sharpen my dagger?" she said with a cold and accusing tone.


    The assistant shuddered, dropping to his knees with a bowed head. "I have, master!"


    "Then how do you explain this?" she said with a cold expression.


    The assistant shook his head frantically. "I don''t know, master."


    "Useless!"


    She exerted more force, and she finally drew blood this time.


    There was a deep cut on Alec''s fair face, the crimson blood spilling down onto the ground.


    Lilith smiled again, delighted at the thought of feeding her blade.


    She trailed her blade down, and it sliced into his clothes without a problem, but his skin remained fair and untouched.


    She frowned again, her eyes flashing. It looked like it wasn''t something wrong with her blade, but instead, something that had to do with Alex Fields.


    She would have to report this. Now.


    Lilith still wanted to keep the merits for herself, but at least if reported it now, she would still get most of the credit.


    Still, Lilith played around a little more, drawing more blood. Each time, she looked deep into his eyes to see the traces of pain that he was enduring, only he never did anything but smile gently at her, as if he was meeting an old friend.


    Annoyed that she couldn''t draw out more of a reaction from him, her eyes flashed sinisterly.


    She would have to go much harder on him. Today was just a taste test. Tomorrow would be the real deal.


    With a flip of her hair, she turned around and exited the room, not even giving him a second glance.


    On the other hand, her assistant turned to look back at Alex sympathetically before running after his master.


    Alec smiled and threw out a little piece of stone that he had been holding, and it scr.a.p.ed past the assistant''s leg, causing him to stumble a little, but it didn''t register at all. He just thought that he tripped in his haste.


    He barely caught himself before he shut the door behind him.


    The door shut with a loud bang, and the sound of dripping resumed in the wake of silence.


    Alec''s lips pulled into a cold smile, and his eyes were cool.


    They were getting anxious. There was something that was chasing them, making them nervous.


    The words from the inspector were enough to tell that. She was a sadist through and through, and she would genuinely have enjoyed playing with him over an extended amount of time, but her loose lips gave him information.


    A few hours passed, and Alec could no longer hear any conversations from the men outside, and their breaths were deep and even. It meant that they were asleep.


    Flexing his arms, the manacles broke and shattered into pieces on the floor.


    Alec stretched his arms and flexed them a little more, rubbing at his sore wrists.


    There was still blood all over his body, so he gathered the water dripping from various places and used it to clean himself off.


    He couldn''t do much about the cuts in his clothes, so he just left it.


    The previously white clothes had been stained red, and now that they were mostly dry, they were flaking in some places, having dried to an unappealing shade of brown.


    Alec walked up to the door and placed his palm flat on the ''door'' that was really just a flat piece of stone.


    It could only be opened from the outside.


    However, when Alec had shot the tiny pebble at the assistant before, the pebble had landed there, creating the smallest gap in the previously seamless door.


    Digging his fingers in, Alec exerted almost all of his strength before he was able to get the door to move.


    With much effort, he finally opened the door silently.


    He stepped out, glancing at the sleeping guards.


    Alec said mentally to Loeri, "Can you take care of them for me? Not the mind control, but just keep them asleep for a long period of time."


    Loeri squirmed and changed colours, finally reverting from the colour it''d used to blend into Alec''s hair after stealing onto his body while Lilith had taken its master away.


    It jumped down onto the sleeping guards, sprinkling spores on them. "Done!" the little mushroom chirped.


    Alec patted the small mushroom. "Good job."


    Loeri preened happily.

 Chapter 385 - Guards

    With the guards taken care of, Alec was able to easily locate Nicholas. He just had to trace it down to the place where he heard them dragging the teen earlier on.


    Now, outside the ''door'', he could hear the teen''s laboured breaths. They were at times steady, at other times unsteady, which made Alec feel a little confused.


    It sounded like he was having a nightmare, yet his heartbeat was much too soft for that to be the case. He didn''t seem to be in distress.


    Using the key that he''d taken from the guard, he opened the door up with ease.


    He entered the cell that was different from his.


    Unlike his cell that had been modified to use ''dripping'' as a form of subtle torture and way to block his Magitype, Nicholas didn''t have any such additions.


    Instead, it just looked like a plain dungeon cell. If those could be called plain, that was.


    Other than the shackles on his arms, as well as the manacles on both his feet, there didn''t seem to be much that was stopping him.


    Without him realizing, Alec''s brows furrowed lightly.


    Didn''t those guards say that the intensity was going to be upped? Instead, Nicholas just looked like he was unconscious or sleeping.


    Alec stepped closer, and Nicholas must have sensed it, because he sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes shone with a sharp light, almost piercing when his eyes opened.


    When he caught sight of Alec''s familiar face, the teen blinked a few times, and the previous ferocity in his eyes he softened a little, appearing more mellow.


    The previous sharp and bloodthirsty edge in his eyes faded away so quickly that anyone other than Alec would have wondered if they imagined it.


    Alec looked at the shattered remains of a few sets of different shackles and his frown became a little more pronounced, causing Nicholas to startle.


    There was still a deep-rooted fear of the person that had put another person under mind control without a single problem.


    "Er¡­ it wasn''t me," Nicholas said before Alec said anything.


    Alec raised a brow, and his normal smile came back.


    It only served to make Nicholas feel cold. And more than a little guilty. "Okay, maybe it was me, but it wasn''t me at the same time¡­"


    Alec didn''t have to listen to his stuttered confessions. "Well, get yourself out, then."


    Nicholas'' hands flailed comically in the shackles. "I can''t!"


    Alec tilted his head, and Nicholas deflated without another word.


    "I just can''t¡­"


    They didn''t have time to quibble about it now, so Alec just took one side in both hands and tore them apart without any problem.


    Nicholas'' mouth dropped open. He squeaked. Not in fear. Definitely not in fear. "No way! How much strength do you have, to be able to do that?!"


    "You can do it too," Alec said absently as he worked on the other hand. "With magic."


    "What?" Nicholas said, tilting his head with confusion, then he tilted his head the other way. "What?" he repeated again.


    Alec noted that the teen was doing it rather naturally, as if he was listening to someone else talk there that wasn''t in the room with them.


    Alec quickly broke the manacles on the teen''s legs. "I heard you broke out four times already?"


    There was a pause in the air.


    "Yeah¡­ kind of," he said, hedging.


    "¡­" Alec let him go for the time being. "Forget it. Hurry up, we don''t have much time."


    "Much time for what?"


    The two of them dashed out of the room, and Alec grabbed one of the guards who were still sleeping soundly on the ground.


    He dug around in his pockets and pulled out a familiar-looking set of shackles, causing Nicholas to make a confused sound.


    "Do they just carry those around with them? That''s so f.u.c.k.i.n.g weird, dude." Nicholas'' voice dropped to a whisper, looking around with cautious eyes.


    Alec made an affirmative sound.


    He swapped clothes with the guard before him as he gestured at Nicholas, who got the idea.


    While Nicholas changed his clothes, Alec grabbed the sleeping guard and dragged him back into his former ''cell'' and chained him up in the same place.


    The guard would not have a good time when he realized that he was in the same position that Alec had been in previously.


    Nicholas did the same to his guard without Alec''s help, and the two gathered once again.


    "How much did you see?" Alec questioned the teen.


    "Not much. I barely made it up the stairs that one time before getting a glimpse around. They quickly dragged me back down without any hassle. The customer that I thought was trying to help me was actually part of them," he said bitterly.


    Customer?


    Alec immediately broadened his hearing senses, and he realized that he could hear the gentle sounds of customers talking as well as the salespeople conversing.


    They were located under a shop!


    Or rather, the shop was the basis of their ''dungeon''.


    Were they in the headquarters?


    Somehow, Alec didn''t feel like they were. Instead, it felt like this inspector, Lilith, had acted on her own, trying to achieve merits.


    In that case, this shop was part of Lilith''s assets was used to provide funds for the company? That made more sense than this being the headquarters. There weren''t enough people here for that to be possible.


    "How about a lift, or other stairs?"


    Nicholas shook his head. "I didn''t have time to see. But there''s only one way in or out in this place. And that''s up one set of stairs."


    Alec nodded.


    Since the two guards were already taken care of, Nicholas didn''t have to worry about anything.


    The only reason he''d been able to get out that last time was because the guards had been changing shifts, and there had been a gap.


    The two causally walked up the stairs, the guards'' uniform still on their body. Because of the cap that was part of their uniform, they didn''t appear suspicious at first glance.


    Up the stairs, the voices of the people because louder and more audible. There was a quiet elegance to this place, and the customers that appeared all looked either wealthy or noble. Some of them were walking around with assistants in tow, or walking with friends.


    The place was decorated with much luxury, but it was a type of lowkey luxury that was prominent throughout the place. It was tasteful and looked very classy.


    While there weren''t many people, it was still considered bustling knowing how these ''nobles'' didn''t like to mingle with other people.


    No one paid any attention to the two who were in the guard uniforms. In fact, it was very normal. The uniforms were seen throughout and outside the place, guarding the place well from any attacks or attempts.


    While Alec looked around casually, Nicholas was feeling anxious and jumpy.


    But he had learnt his lesson from that time in the academy, and he reigned in his extra emotions.


    Instead, seeing how calm Alex was, the teen tried very hard to emulate him, studying each person and each place, like he was keeping an eye out for any latent threats.


    Because the place was spacious and spread out, it wasn''t easy to find something. Even the entrances and exits were hard to locate.


    Finally, Alec caught sight of what appeared like a door that led upwards. It was protected by what looked like a scanner.


    Further looking around, he realized that most employees there had a single card on them. Similarly, the guards also had a card.


    Alec reached into his pockets and pulled out the same card. Then, he placed it back inside very naturally.


    A little smile curled onto his lips, and Nicholas had a bad feeling looking at his smile.

 Chapter 386 - Who Are You?

    But he didn''t do take action right away. Especially not when the two of them had just come out from the underground.


    There were still a few guards who were looking at them to make sure that they weren''t doing anything suspicious.


    If he did anything now, it would be too easy for them to link it to them. Even if they did link it, it would have to be in the future when they couldn''t get in his way!


    So, when the other guards looked over at Alec and Nicholas, they didn''t notice anything amiss. The two were looking over the shop just as seriously, looking for dangers.


    Alec looked over the customers in the shop, but he only spotted one ''customer'' that was not really there to shop. They were just looking over the wares as well as the other customers, making sure that there was nothing out of place.


    They even had an assistant to help them out, as if he was really a customer.


    The staff were a mix of people from the company as well as people who seemed oblivious, and Alec couldn''t accurately pick them out.


    In this case, it was better to believe that everyone was part of the company rather than allow someone he didn''t know mess up the plans. At this point, he was already exposed using this face, so if he didn''t get the information that he wanted out of it, then it was really a waste for him to be cut up by that woman earlier on.


    No doubt if he fell into her hands again, she wouldn''t be as easy to deal with this time around.


    As Alec ''patrolled'' the place, he secretly bit his finger using his incisor, causing it to bleed.


    Then, as he neared one of the display cases on the further side of the room, he quickly drew a seal on the glass when no one was paying attention.


    Then, he made his way back to the place where Nicholas had stationed himself.


    Nicholas gave him a side glance, but before he could say anything, there was chaos.


    The sound of shattering glass filled the air, and all the attention was immediately directed at the place where the sound had come.


    There were a few shouts of alarm from the nobles as they were shocked. This shop was always secure, and no one dared to make any trouble with it, but today, they had been attacked!


    The guards all immediately headed there to deal with the crying and the chaos, and the shop assistants were at a loss.


    Immediately, Alec grabbed Nicholas'' arm and dragged him to the door that he found.


    With a single swipe of the card, the door opened, and the two were through.


    The door slid shut again without another sound, and no one noticed that two ''guards'' had entered the door where they weren''t supposed to go unless there was an emergency.


    Nicholas, who had been shocked by the series of quick movements that happened in a scant moment, gawked at Alex with his mouth dropped open.


    He silently reaffirmed to himself that Alex was terrifying and could not be crossed!


    Luckily, they were already on the same side!


    Nicholas patted himself on the back.


    The two quickly darted up the stairs, and Alec kept his ears open.


    The place was very silent, with the exception of the whirring noises that came periodically. He could not hear any sounds of human heartbeats besides Nicholas'' own, and one other person in here, and it made him frown.


    He had expected opposition here since they were going in blind, but it was out of his expectations that there was only a single person here.


    To be honest, he could have escaped from Lilith''s attack in the forest even though he had not been able to sense her, but he didn''t.


    Because he wanted to find the location of the headquarters!


    Yet, it was unexpected that Lilith didn''t report to the headquarters at all, instead wanting to drag the information out of him by force.


    Which meant that this was a miss.


    But Lilith wasn''t in the building anymore. He couldn''t hear her heartbeat, nor her footsteps.


    The one person that was here was probably¡­ the assistant? The heartbeat sounded a bit familiar, but the sounds that Alec got from the man were rather ordinary, which made it hard to pick out at a glance.


    Lilith was easy to remember because there was a faint current of power whenever she breathed. It was something that was limited to those who were Meisters and above, and they didn''t even realize that they were doing it.


    The place was cold, almost frigid, and Alec had to wonder why they were keeping the temperature of this place so cold.


    He could hear the slight sloshing of water, and the sounds of machines whirring.


    He could smell the antiseptic in the air, as well as something that he had no idea how to describe.


    This place looked more like a hospital than anything else.


    The walls were white and gave off a sterile impression. Just coming up the stairs alone, you could see metal carts with various medical instruments placed on it.


    Looking at it could give one a chill, making one imagine about what they were used for in a place like this.


    This was definitely not a hospital, nor were the ''patients'' here likely willing.


    Alec wondered if this location was the place that Lilith brought her victims, playing with them?


    Did she cut into them so deeply that they could no longer survive without medical help, thus having this place above in order to maintain their lives?


    Or was it something else?


    He had not expected the place above the shop to look like this at all.


    Even now, he could still hear the soft sound of a metal blade slicing into flesh. It was hardly distinct at all, but because of the relative lack of sounds in this place, it was easier to pick it out.


    Next to him, Nicholas was freaking out. And not in a good way. He got the chills, and he looked very unsettled. His face had become totally pale, as if he was reliving a trauma that had been rooted deep in his heart.


    His breaths were coming out shorter and quicker, and his eyes were shaking. His whole body was trembling nonstop, as if he was a person thrown out n.a.k.e.d in the snow.


    Before Alec''s concerned eyes, Nicholas didn''t say anything at all. Instead, he just crouched down slowly, clutching his head, as if he couldn''t handle the sight before him.


    The teen''s heartbeat was going wild. It was almost as if his heart was trying to escape from his chest. It was thumping so much louder and stronger than it ever had in Alec''s presence.


    Immediately, Alec''s eyes narrowed as he stared deeply at the teen.


    The transmigrator had even started shivering lightly, as if he was facing a trauma from before.


    This was a genuine reaction that could not be faked unless you were a fantastic actor ¨C and only then, only if you had experienced it first-hand!


    Then, all of a sudden, the loud heartbeats from the teen slowly calmed down, returning back to its normal state, then slowing down even more.


    The knuckles that had become bone-white from gripping his knees hard slowly regained their colour, and his fingers uncurled from their previously locked position.


    Similarly, the teen''s body unfurled from where his body had been bound, standing up to his full height.


    Alec took one look in his eyes and knew that this wasn''t Nicholas. The teen''s eyes were now deep and cold, and it was filled with a murderous light!


    "Who are you?" Alec asked deeply.

 Chapter 387 - Feral Nic

    Nicholas'' lips pulled into a savage grin that he''d never seen on the teen before, showing off his sharp incisors. The transmigrator launched forward with a snarl painted on his lips, seemingly wanting to fight him here and now.


    The feeling that the teen gave off was completely different from the original Nicholas.


    The feral teen didn''t even bother to talk as he started slinging out blows that Alec dodged within an inch. Feral Nicholas didn''t feel good as his target kept dodging his various attacks, leaving him immensely frustrated without being able to give a reason as to why.


    Looking closer at the teen, Alec had a feeling that he had multiple personalities, which would match what Nicholas had previously said about it being him who broke out of the place, yet not being him at the same time.


    However, the symptoms that had appeared in the teen''s body were not previously there.


    Once again, Alec wondered how long he had been ''sleeping''. Had it passed date that he agreed on with Elysia to send back word? He didn''t think so. Otherwise, that inspector would have said something taunting to him, right?


    Feral Nicholas snarled as he realized that Alec''s mind was drifting as he casually deflected his moves, sending him tumbling more often than not.


    Alec moved backwards, and Nicholas also moved together with him.


    He originally thought that this had happened because the teen had been a spy, but it looked like it wasn''t the case.


    Which gave him more relief than he expected. After all, the teen had grown on him a little¡­ like fungus. Or a slightly stupid little brother that he cleaned up after.


    Nicholas chased after him, hot on his heels, while Alec dodged every strike the feral teen threw at him with ease.


    Right now, this feral Nicholas was moving on instinct and bloodl.u.s.t rather than rationality and logic, which meant that his moves were all straightforward and had many tell-tale signs.


    Of course, Alec could just have Loeri ''take care'' of him, but then¡­ he had neglected testing this one point.


    Was the mind control removable or not? What if he couldn''t remove it later on? Wouldn''t he have ruined a perfectly good transmigrator then?


    He knew that at times like this, it was better to be ruthless, but he really couldn''t do it¡­


    He didn''t know if it was because of his leftover sentiments as a System, or because this boy really hadn''t been a spy for the company that he didn''t feel like doing it.


    But this place was still considered rather soundproof. Even though feral Nicholas was bouncing around from place to place, making holes everywhere, that assistant still hadn''t come out to see what was happening.


    Alec threw the card key forward, and it accurately hit the pad next to the door.


    The door slid open with a whoosh, revealing a figure standing inside with a scalpel in his hand.


    Confused, the assistant looked back with a bad face, not happy that he had been suddenly interrupted in the middle of an experiment, but before he could see anything, two blurs rushed past him and the door closed behind him.


    "What-" the assistant shouted with a black look on his face, but he froze when he saw who had entered the room.


    Feral Nicholas'' head immediately snapped in his direction when he caught whiff of the familiar scent that had caused the original personality so much pain, thus producing him in the process.


    Even now, the smell of this place gave the original personality a shock, and his consciousness was hidden deep down, causing feral Nicholas to come out.


    The assistant hastily dodged under the kick that came at his face, rolling backwards. The force of that kick could take his head clean off.


    But he hadn''t been careful, and he cut his hand with the scalpel he had been holding, causing him to let out a shout at the unexpected pain as the scalpel cut into his dominant hand.


    The scent of blood filled the air, but it only seemed to make the feral Nicholas more excited as the blood of his prey was scented.


    Then, what came next was a series of beatings.


    The assistant was beaten until he didn''t know up from down, left from right.


    Meanwhile, Alec was looking at feral Nicholas going wild on the assistant with a raised brow. Even when he stood next to the man, Nicholas'' other personality didn''t look at him at all.


    He continued to pound the man''s face in, until it was completely swollen, then he moved to the other more sensitive parts of the body.


    Even the attempt the assistant had made to stab him with the scalpel was met with indifference.


    The scalpel was stabbed in Nicholas'' leg, but he didn''t even care. He just continued to beat the man within an inch of his life.


    Kicking, beating, jabbing. He did everything.


    Looking at how savagely the feral Nicholas was behaving; Alec had a thought. Perhaps, this alternate personality really hadn''t been born before coming here.


    Yet, this place had triggered the birth of this personality.


    He looked at the operating table that still held a body on it.


    Previously, the assistant had been cutting into the body with the scalpel, and there was a flap of exposed skin, showing the person''s heart.


    With the n.a.k.e.d body on the table, it had long since died, and it was already dead before they entered, but Alec still frowned.


    Ignoring the cries and sounds of flesh meeting flesh from behind him, Alec studied the body.


    It was a middle-aged man lying on the table, and his skin held the pallor of a corpse.


    From the look of it, the man had various incisions on him at different parts of the body, and there was a look of pain on his face even though he was long dead.


    Alec turned his attention back to the assistant that was still being beaten up by Nicholas, and he spoke.


    "Nic, let him go. He''s about to pass out."


    Feral Nicholas didn''t acknowledge Alec''s words. Instead, his hits became fiercer instead, as if he was trying to directly beat him to death.


    As it was, the man probably already had severe internal bleeding and wouldn''t last too long.


    Seeing how feral Nicholas was ignoring him, Alec walked up to him and pulled on his ear, causing the feral teen to let out a whine from the back of his throat. Alec''s lips twitched. He had a feeling from him like a feral wolf cub.


    However, it was only like this that the feral Nicholas stopped beating the man.


    He growled at Alec, but he didn''t do much other than swipe at him petulantly.


    Alec''s lips curled in amus.e.m.e.nt. Quite cute like this as well. He was really like¡­ a dog, unlike his cat-like Main Characters.


    He patted Nicholas on the head, telling him to be good.


    Feral Nicholas glared at him, but he still obediently stayed put. He didn''t try to fight Alec again, as if sensing the original personality''s fear mixed with reverence at the teen before him.


    Alec crouched down at stared at the assistant''s face. His face as so swollen and bleeding that he couldn''t see his original features at all. He exuded a thick sense of fear and pain, and his body was shivering pathetically.


    "Speak. Where is the headquarters."


    The assistant just whimpered and m.o.a.ned, shaking his head, like he wouldn''t say it even in death.


    Alec returned to his normal posture and casually stepped on the man''s leg. Instantly, the leg caved in, and if everything inside had been squashed, and the assistant made a sound like a squealing pig.


    "Please, I''ll talk!" he said, his words muffled.


    "Talk."


    "In the restaurant called Green River Jade, that''s the headquarters this month."


    Alec smiled lightly at him, and just as the man relaxed, his face was sprayed with a bunch of spores, causing him to writhe on the ground.


    "Where is the headquarters?" Alec questioned again.


    "Across the city, in a restaurant called Red River Jade, master. Begging for your forgiveness."


    Alec smiled coolly. "Very good."

 Chapter 388 - Hes Back!

    Elysia was waiting impatiently for the report that Alec said he would send out.


    However, she had a feeling that something had happened. She just didn''t know whether her intuition was right or not. After all, she knew that Alec was very strong, and he was smart enough not to get caught.


    Then she felt a little embarrassed at the thoughts in her own head. Did it sound like she was praising Alec too much, even for her? Her face was a bit pink, feeling like she was praising her boyfriend for being the best.


    But then she shrugged it off. After all, if she didn''t support him like that, who else would?


    She kept staring up at the sky, waiting for a familiar messenger to come down, yet the only thing she saw was the endless blue expense of a sky.


    There wasn''t even a single cloud in sight, which made her a little depressed.


    Why wasn''t the messenger here yet?


    The messenger bird had probably already been circling for more than ten times in that area, right?


    It should have been back already, but it clearly wasn''t.


    Every time she saw a stray pigeon or any other avian creature, she got all excited, then realized it wasn''t the one she was looking for.


    Rosabel, who saw her funny actions, couldn''t help but tease her. "Little girl, look at you, being so anxious about your boyfriend''s letter."


    Elysia pouted at Rosabel''s teasing. While what she said was true, the way she said it made it sound so ambiguous!


    She didn''t believe that the rest of the Spectres weren''t nervous about their boss going alone either.


    Because, as she''d already learned, the Spectres were actually a bunch of softies. She didn''t like the way that some of the people in the sect treated them, but it seemed to be getting better.


    Especially after Alec''s deal with the current emperor had gone through.


    It was as if the people had all been blinded by their prejudice before, and they were only now realizing that the Sins weren''t the monsters that they''d been made out to be.


    While Elysia was happy about it, the Sins seemed rather indifferent to the change in reactions that they got. Perhaps they were just jaded, or perhaps it was because they already knew that before any of that happened, it was their Boss who first looked at them in a different way, treating them all the same.


    Their Boss had never said anything, but his actions proved the true way that he thought. All of the Spectres were very grateful to him, even going to the extent that they had accepted Elysia into their fold even though she herself wasn''t a Sin.


    They were like a family.


    But now, that very Boss had rejected all of them from volunteering to go with him, saying that he would tackle it alone.


    Elysia sighed, peering out the window.


    Rosabel clicked her tongue before she affectionately rubbed Elysia''s silvery hair with great fondness. "Don''t look so despondent. Boss is strong. I''m sure he isn''t any trouble."


    Elysia pouted again, before she loosened up. "You''re right. I, too, know that Alec is very strong. But¡­ I just have this nagging feeling in me that''s telling me that he''s doing something very dangerous without any of us knowing."


    Rosabel raised a brow, looking out the window as well. Now that she said it, that did seem very like boss to do that¡­


    He was always going off somewhere alone, and in the end, Dominique was the one who went chasing after his shadow like a loyal dog.


    But this time, Dominique was still off in another continent.


    Now, Rosabel felt her own concern start to raise, but she remained calm.


    She still felt like Elysia was blinded by that concern called love, causing her to worry excessively.


    More than that, she had faith in Boss. Since he said that he would send a messenger, then she would wait for it.


    The moment it passed midnight without a sign of a messenger, that was when all the Spectres would be raring and ready to go.


    It was at this moment that a Rosabel felt the familiar heating up of the Spectre mark on her skin, signalling that someone was using her mark to teleport.


    She backed up wisely, and so did Elysia, who saw her actions.


    There was a blur as two figures suddenly appeared in the blank space, and it revealed the familiar figure of Alec, who was accompanied by another person whom she had never seen before.


    Rosabel raised a brow, but calmly accepted it. "Boss!" she greeted.


    "Alec!" Elysia said cheerfully. She thought that she''d get a messenger today to report back news that he was fine, but instead, he was here in person!


    Then, she paused. It wasn''t like Alec to suddenly abandon his post just to see her, or anyone else. It just wasn''t in his personality.


    Which meant¡­"Your cover''s been blown?" she asked curiously.


    Alec gave a little smirk which was unfairly attractive in Elysia''s opinion.


    "In a manner of speaking. This is Nicholas," he introduced.


    The two females greeted Nicholas, who only pulled his lips back and snarled at them like a feral wolf, brandishing his ''claws'' at them.


    He had only taken a single step forward when Alec grabbed the back of Nicholas'' collar and hauled him back.


    Instead of saying anything else, he pressed his fingers to the Spectre mark, summoning back all of his Spectres.


    It was only a short week, but it was already enough time for all of his Spectres to make their way into Yraii City without making any of it obvious.


    It was time for them to make a move.


    As there were familiar sounds of people who teleported to their position, Alec tossed feral Nicholas aside and tugged Elysia close, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead.


    "I missed you," Alec admitted both to himself and to Elysia.


    She grinned up at him and pressed her lips against his, ignoring the wolf whistles in the background at their shameless display of public affection.


    Rosabel rolled her eyes. Poor Dominique¡­ she sympathized with the strongest Sin in their sect, but she couldn''t deny that Elysia was good for Alec, and vice versa.


    They were more open and more relaxed now.


    Both with themselves and with each other.


    Alec let go of Elysia and calmly looked at his Spectres, who all greeted him in unison.


    "Boss!"


    Alec nodded at them, smiling. "Get ready. We''re going to attack headquarters. Now!"


    "Yes, Boss!"


    The Spectres immediately started gearing up, and Alec exchanged a quick word with Elysia, who was already ready.


    "Make sure you keep yourself safe. Don''t take any unnecessary risks."


    Elysia rolled her eyes when she heard his words. She could fight him to a standstill, and he knew that.


    However, that wasn''t the reason why she was rolling her eyes.


    She nudged him playfully. "You hypocrite. You probably put yourself in immense danger just to get the location of their headquarters, right?"


    Alec''s smile took on a wry edge. "You caught me," he said dryly. He kissed her cheek, smirking. "You can chide me later."


    Honestly, Alec really wanted to make a move only when he knew everything that there was to know, but that would take too long. And they were so anal about their security that everyone in the company had a seal on them to tell them whether or not someone was dead, compromised, etc.


    It would take too long. In this case, it was better to strike when they were still caught off guard.


    Lilith should have reported about his presence, but it was just a small blip.


    Alec''s eyes glinted in determination. "Let''s go!"


    "Yes, Boss!"

 Chapter 389 - Go Down (In More Than One Way)

    Red River Jade restaurant was located in the most populated area of the city square, and only the richest patrons went there to have a taste of their special dishes and wine.


    The prices were horrendously expensive, but it was only matched by the quality of their food, which was why they were willing to pay such a sum.


    Alec and his merry band of Spectres weren''t here for the food, nor the excellent service.


    As Alec neared the place, he had a more accurate grasp on why the place was so highly acclaimed by the people who frequented the place.


    The restaurant was upscale and luxurious, and every inch of it seemed to exude class. The service that came with the place was top-notch and couldn''t be faulted. Even if it was, those people would mysteriously disappear after a period of time¡­


    No one was able to find them later on, leading to a few ghost stories, but none of it deterred those people from frequenting the place.


    Like the rest of the ten locations that alternated as the company headquarters each month, the place was filled to the brim with seals and arrays.


    They were the same kind of arrays that were used throughout the various headquarters to protect it from people with bad intentions.


    Without a good eye and a detailed blueprint on what there was here, anyone hastily touching or meddling with it would have met a gruesome end.


    However, that was only without Alec''s ability to see the runes in the air. As an Array Master, Alec was more than familiar with the layout that was commonly used in heavily guarded places.


    This place was no different.


    Though the same person who had created the brand had created the defences on this place as well, Alec had steadily grown more familiar with the person''s style and way they crafted their arrays after spending a week in the very informational transmigrator academy.


    In fact, Alec was so familiar with it that if he ever saw someone whip out some seals in the middle of a battle in the back and start writing, Alec would be the first to charge over and murder that person.


    How dare he create someone so outrageous? Alec still felt rage bubble up every time he thought about it, as well as the deplorable effects that the damn seal had.


    His skin crawled when he thought about how many people wore that seal unwillingly, only to be turned into brain-dead dolls to be used by the company.


    His lips curled in disgust.


    At this moment, since it was no longer lunchtime, there weren''t many people left in the restaurant.


    Using his senses and his hearing, Alec could tell that there weren''t many people who were still in the restaurant.


    This was the perfect time to strike. Of course, that was only in their current circ.u.mstances, where he was sure that they had not yet been reported nor put on the company''s radar.


    Tracing his finger in the air, Alec took out a brush and painted on the ground, gently breaking the various arrays and seals that were aimed towards intruders.


    He gently dismantled them without them being able to function any longer, removing the alert system.


    He took over the control of the arrays manually, drawing the control to himself. Now, no one else would be able to use the arrays inside the building.


    Alec took out his dagger and made a cut on this palm, pooling blood. Then, he slammed his hand down on the ground, overwriting the previous owner''s control.


    He couldn''t help but grin with the runes in his field of vision went wild as his blood seeped into the array, then they froze before hanging limply in the air, seemingly obedient.


    Alec calmly withdrew his palm, and it had already healed.


    It was done so smoothly and uniformly that it didn''t seem strenuous at all. On the other hand, had another Array Master been here to see what Alec just did, their jaws would have dropped to the ground.


    The System gave his team a signal, and they immediately entered the place from the windows, trusting their Boss fully to have taken care of the defences on the place. There was no doubt in their mind that it was now safe for them ¨C besides the obvious threat, that was.


    Hayden, Rosabel and Yuki didn''t even glance back once.


    Elysia grinned at him and entered through the front door, drawing a startled laugh from him.


    There wasn''t any sound from inside as they quickly killed the people who were working inside the building.


    It was the quickest way to take control, as well as the least damaging way.


    They couldn''t afford the alarm to sound if even one of them woke up and alerted the company.


    The various teams of his Spectres entered in group by group, and the building''s inhabitants were already wiped out.


    This¡­ this efficiency would have scared anyone else, but to them it was very normal.


    After all, they were all Sins!


    Their bloodthirst was legendary for a reason.


    Let alone in a place like this where the sound was blocked off from the outside. What did they even have to worry about when everything was set up perfectly for them to enter the stage?


    The only thing they needed to take note of was not to send the building crashing to the ground before they could finish controlling the place from inside out.


    If a passerby had looked in the window, they would have been shocked to see a bunch of figures dressed in black, covered from head to toe.


    One look and they knew that they weren''t up to any good.


    One Spectre reported back to Alec. "Boss, we found the entrance of the headquarters."


    "Good," Alec said, striding forward.


    The entrance that they found was disguised as a dumbwaiter that was used to transport food, but it was actually the elevator that they used to enter and exit the place.


    As a security measure, it was made so that only one person could use it at a time, up to the space of a grown man, making it terribly inconvenient.


    There should be other entrances as well, as Alec ordered them to find and immediately infiltrate.


    Alec bent down and entered the dumbwaiter that was taller than it looked, which was good. It still allowed him to stand up straight.


    Then, as he was about to close the door and descend, Elysia squeezed her way in, hugging him tightly.


    She jabbed the button, and the doors closed.


    Alec blinked then gave her a helpless look.


    "You¡­"


    "Hmph," Elysia pouted. She blinked her big golden eyes up at him. "You were going to leave me behind!"


    "I would have waited for you at the bottom."


    "Lies. I know you better than you think. You would have immediately followed your curiosity and tried to map out the place so that it was safer for us!"


    Caught red-handed, Alec was actually made speechless by her.


    She really¡­ knew him well!


    There was a chance that he really would do that, knowing himself.


    The two of them were squeezed into a tight place, and her body was completely pressed up against him.


    If it was just for a moment, Alec wouldn''t have minded, and he would have even forgotten about it quickly, but now, as the dumbwaiter was descending, he felt his face heat up as she shifted here and there.


    "Don''t move!" he instructed.


    Confused, Elysia obediently froze, hugging him tighter.


    She felt a¡­ hard thing sticking to her, and her face pinked a little.


    "¡­" the two of them were completely silent in the awkwardness as the dumbwaiter descended.


    By the time it reached, they felt like an eternity had passed.


    Elysia quickly let go of Alec and stepped out, fanning her face.


    Alec closed his eyes and willed himself to go down with sheer willpower before stepping out behind her.

 Chapter 390 - Intruder Alert!

    Alec could hear the steady flurry of heartbeats that seemed to converge together, creating a sound that almost echoed in the enclosed spaces here underground.


    There were various emotions in the place itself, and it seemed like no one had discovered that he and Elysia had already entered the place on the sly.


    Pow!


    There was a sound of flesh meeting flesh, and Alec casually turned his head, finding that Elysia had already taken out the person who was guarding the dumbwaiter entrance with ease while he''d been listening to the sound of heartbeats that were incredibly distracting.


    The heartbeats all seemed to blend together, making him have the urge to cover his ears and block it out. It was like white noise, the way it all gathered.


    Elysia placed the person''s unconscious body in the dumbwaiter and pressed the button, causing the doors to close as the body was brought up.


    Originally, she was going to give Alec backup in this place, but she changed her mind once she saw the situation here.


    She looked at Alec, and the two nodded at each other, then split down opposing sides of the hallway, heading in different directions.


    At least, in a space like this that was relatively enclosed, they would not be surged by numerous enemies from all directions all at once. As long as they had the hallways, they could defend themselves fine.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Inside the control room of the company''s headquarters.


    Jim was whistling as he buffed his nails. He sung a merry tune that caused the rest of his subordinates'' lips to twitch as they were forced to listen to his out-of-tune voice without being able to tell him to shut up.


    It was practically torture to their eardrums.


    Yet, what could they do? Jim was their boss, and he was directly in charge of punishing them if they did anything wrong.


    Ah, the woes of having a superior officer like this.


    At this moment, while Jim''s voice reached a crescendo in the room, one subordinate suddenly sat up straight and stared at the screen with unblinking eyes.


    After five seconds, the subordinate hurriedly stood up, and the chair scr.a.p.ed across the floor in a loud, jarring screech.


    Jim instantly fell silent.


    As his malevolent eyes turned to his subordinate, that subordinate felt a chill go down his back, but he didn''t dare to be negligent. How could his squad leader go from silly to serious in that split second? He really could not comprehend.


    "Squad leader, the people above the headquarters have been compromised!" The subordinate said very seriously, before he paused for a little while, sounding more unsure of himself. "I think?"


    "What?" Jim immediately said, standing up with a similar screeching sound.


    He strode over with a serious face that lacked any jovialness from before.


    "Check it for me now!" he ordered.


    The four other subordinates in the room didn''t dare to be lax, and their fingers flew over the various screens as they checked the various seals that were attached to those people on duty today.


    It was true. Nothing else was out of place, only the people up there in the restaurant today.


    Instantly, Jim''s face fell, and he looked very grave.


    "This is bad," he said, looking extremely solemn. While the lights still indicated that they were alive, and that they should be fine, the more one looked at it, the more obvious it was that it wasn''t blinking in time with the movements of breathing.


    Instead, it was like the seals had been forcefully activated and tampered with.


    Jim took his subordinates and strode out of the door. While they oversaw the security room, the people who were on duty in the security room were also the first response team since they were the most familiar of what consisted of a breach.


    This meant that he and his team had to go and check the scene first to ensure that everything was alright.


    After all, this was their headquarters and not just a random base.


    His face was incomparably solemn. His head would be the one to fly if anything happened to the headquarters.


    "Hadrian, you stay here and be ready to request for backup! Better safe than sorry! If nothing happens to us, you can hold off the backup request, but if even a single one of our lights go off, then you must report it right away!"


    Jim commanded his last subordinate.


    The four of them suited up within three minutes, and they were striding down the hallway.


    Before he left the room, he instructed his last subordinate one last time. "After I leave the room, engage the lockdown procedures on the security room!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    The door shut with a loud clang, and there was the sound of the bolt turning, as well as the gear on the door moving as it was securely locked.


    The four of them darted down the hallway to the nearest entrance to the Red River Jade restaurant.


    It was a lift that would allow four of them to enter together rather than taking the dumbwaiter.


    There hadn''t been many of their people in the restaurant at the time because it wasn''t lunchtime.


    They should still be searching for the entrance to the headquarters, and there shouldn''t be too many of them.


    They shouldn''t be too strong either, otherwise they would have already directly demolished the place.


    If they were strong enough, even the emperor wouldn''t make a move on them in a move to curry favour. There was a reason why so many ''bigshots'' were so lawless.


    Jim and his subordinates were the first response team because they were the most familiar with the seals.


    Should it really be tampered, they would know about it.


    "Hurry up!" he commanded, and the three subordinates sped up even more. They were making some noises now, but time was more important than being traceless right now. They would worry about their stealth when they reached the top.


    The quicker they got there, the more time they would have for a response.


    As Jim and his subordinates rounded the corner, Alec stepped out from the shadow of a pillar, his eyes glancing in the direction they came from.


    Like a ghost, Alec moved down the hallway at the same speed that Jim and his subordinates had been frantically running at, but the difference was that he made no sound whatsoever.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Jim and his team cautiously slowed down as they approached the restaurant.


    Even though they were listening so hard, they could not hear anything from the place. There was no sound of slaughter, nor any of footsteps or breathing.


    Given the current circ.u.mstances, it was indeed a bit eerie!


    After all, this was a restaurant that was always busy, and the people inside were constantly moving without any time for rest.


    It also gave them the surest indication that something was wrong.


    The men couldn''t help but feel a sense of apprehension, with the exception of Jim, who was used to situations like this already.


    It wasn''t the first time that their bases had been attacked, nor would it be the last. The only difference was anyone that dared to have designs on the company would meet with a gruesome end.


    The four of them hid themselves around the corners and didn''t make any rash moves. If they did, there was always a chance that they were just giving up their lives on a silver platter.


    Jim rounded a pillar, peeking from behind it, when he suddenly noticed a waitress wearing the Red River Jade uniform collapsed on the ground. Since her back was facing him, he couldn''t see her face, but there wasn''t any blood on the floor.


    Yet, for some unfathomable reason, Jim''s heart skipped a beat.


    He cautiously backed away before he gestured for his subordinate to go and check on the woman.


    His subordinate quickly dashed towards the woman and checked her over, placing his fingers on the woman''s neck.


    There was a slow, steady pulse, and she seemed to be just unconscious.


    The subordinate gestured to his team leader, signalling that she was fine. He carried her in his arms and brought her back to the team leader, who checked over her seal.


    It seemed to be fine?


    Yet, Jim only grew more apprehensive as his senses started ringing faintly. Could it be that they weren''t aiming for the restaurant, but instead the headquarters itself? Did they already know about the existence of the company?


    It wasn''t plausible, but¡­


    Bang!


    The sound of the pillar splintering filled their ears, and Jim''s subordinate had hurriedly dodged the strike, cold sweat filling his forehead.


    If that had landed, he would have died!

 Chapter 391 - Hard Headed

    Jim grabbed the woman tossed to him, and the rest of his subordinates split in different ways as they made to divert the attention of the people who were there to attack.


    They were more than willing to die for the safety of the company.


    As his subordinates diverted the attention to them, Jim took the woman and quickly re-entered into the headquarters with the woman. He needed her alive not just because he was saving a fellow member, but also because he needed her to report about what had happened exactly.


    Hopefully, her state of unconsciousness was not too deep. If possible, perhaps Hadrian would be able to wake her up.


    If not, then¡­ Jim would have to make a move himself. If he damaged her mind irreparably, at least she had died saving the company¡­


    Entering the lift, Jim took it all the way to the bottom before he fiercely jammed the doors, not allowing it to close, and thereby not allowing it to go back up.


    He would be damned if those people took the lift to get down to where he was.


    Clutching the woman, he quickly ran back to the security room where his last subordinate was.


    Hopefully, the rest of his subordinates would be able to hold on until they got backup.


    He had faith in them, and now that the enemies were out in the open, their evasion and other techniques should be able to hold them off and buy them some time until more people got there.


    "Hadrian!" Jim hissed, "Open up!"


    "What''s the password?"


    "Oh, for f.u.c.k''s sake!" Jim groaned in sheer exasperation, but still dutifully recited the password that they had ''agreed on''.


    The so-called password was just a joke that they were making, but who knew that this newbie would take it seriously? Luckily, he still remembered what it was. If it was any of his other subordinates, they might have already forgotten it.


    "Tom jumps over the wheelbarrow, then trips and knocks his teeth out."


    In hindsight, that joke was not as funny as it had been while they made it. Especially now.


    The door opened after an excruciatingly long time.


    Jim hurriedly hurtled his body into the room, not caring about anything else. He dumped the woman who he had previously been carrying on his shoulder on the ground, not worrying about banging her up at all. After all, she was unconscious.


    "Wake her up. Also, next time, don''t bother about things like this in the time of emergencies!"


    Hadrian proceeded to gently wake her up under the rolling eyes of his superior, who thought that the teen was too gentle. However, he didn''t say anything. If he wanted the woman to be cooperative when she woke up, then this was the easier way.


    The teenager closed his eyes, placing his hand on her head, but after a while, there was still no visible change in her mental state.


    After a while, Hadrian shook his head at Jim. "Can''t do anything. She''s totally out cold."


    Jim frowned fiercely, but there was nothing he could do. He would have to forcefully invade her brain, then.


    "Sound the alarm," he said, but before his words could completely get out, there was other sounds of banging on the door.


    Jim frowned. Could it be that his subordinates were back already? Did they manage to defeat the enemy? It wasn''t likely at all.


    Before he could instruct Hadrian on what to do, Hadrian had already walked up to the door and opened it.


    Jim''s heart leapt into his throat.


    This little idiot!


    When he said not to bother about the password at times like this, it was only in the case when he could hear the voice of the person at least! Who in their team didn''t know about this procedure!?


    But this Hadrian had only joined them a month ago, and he was still too green!


    The door had already opened at this time, and it was too late for Jim to berate him.


    The heavy metal door that used a lot of strength to pull open immediately slammed open backwards without any warning, causing Hadrian to knock his head against it hard and end up being knocked out cold.


    Inside strode what looked like a young man, and Jim was already ready. He knew there was no way his subordinates would have totally ignored the protocol in a situation like this.


    A flash of green light surged forward and drowned out the person that was standing at the door, and Jim hurled his body backwards as he made his way to the panic button that would alert the rest of the headquarters.


    As he did it, he threw a good amount of magic at the intruder, trapping the other person in an illusion that would put him in the opposite direction of the place where he was currently at.


    Jim was very anxious, and he felt like things weren''t going well. There was already an intruder in the headquarters. He had to alert them!


    Just as his hand was about to slam on the button, his wrist was gripped in a tight grip, and he couldn''t move it at all.


    Undeterred, Jim threw his other hand forward, then his forehead, but each of his attempts were stopped before they could make contact.


    How was he not lost in his illusion?!


    Jim tried to entrap the other''s mind in his own, but he felt a feeling of it being shattered, as if the person had broken through his wall before he even started, leaving him stumped.


    At this point, there was nothing else he could do.


    He looked at the person who invaded and was instantly stunned.


    The teen was dressed completely in black, with tightfitting clothes and a similar black blindfold that covered his eyes. Only the bottom of his face was left unhindered.


    On his lips, there was a smile that was so gentle Jim almost started to doubt himself about whether or not this person really had bad intentions.


    Then, his brain came back online. Of course he didn''t have any good intentions!


    A chill went down his spine. This was a Spectre; he was sure of it! That dressing style, that style of combat¡­


    This was very important news, and he had to get it out. His determination was renewed as he threw his forehead forward, hoping to catch the teen off guard.


    But it was in vain as the intruder slammed his head against his'' causing Jim to instantly black out.


    His last thought was, ''How could his head be harder than mine¡­''


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec clicked his tongue as he looked down at the fallen figure of the supposed team leader. The man was both decisive and quick on his feet, and sufficiently ruthless, but what he didn''t expect was¡­


    Why in the world did he try and commit suicide by slamming his head on Alec''s¡­? Even now, he didn''t feel anything at all.


    Behind Alec, a figure rose from the ground, almost like a marionette with bad joints. It was almost haunting.


    She moved forward like a ghost, as if she was floating across the ground without touching it.


    She hovered over Alec''s shoulder, before she clicked her tongue. "Tsk, Boss. You couldn''t even leave any for me. I had such a good plan!"


    Alec smiled faintly, looking at her, and Rosabel felt a chill go down her spine at the unreadable look.


    She stepped back with her hands up, pouting. "Well, that''s that, then."


    Alec''s gaze rove over the two unconscious people in the room, as his eyes lingered briefly on the person who had opened the door.


    "Bring him up and detain him," Alec said, nodding at the person further away.


    Surprised, Rosabel looked at him, but didn''t say anything to contradict his orders. Instead, she just saluted solemnly as the previous humour disappeared from her face.


    She grabbed Hadrian and disappeared, while Loeri jumped down from its usual spot, landing on Jim''s face.


    "This one¡­ he''s not tasty," Loeri said bluntly, sounding sad.


    Alec''s lips twitched. "Can you use your spores on him?"


    Loeri shook its head, feeling sad. "He''s not appetizing, and he''s also not tasty!"


    Alec raised a brow. This was the first time that Loeri had ever given such a comment about someone. Perhaps it had something to do with his Magitype.


    Feeling no loss, Alec reached forward and twisted his head, snapping his neck cleanly without causing extra pain.


    Then he leaned forward and looked properly at the various screens in front of him seriously.

 Chapter 392 - Stones In The Wall

    After five minutes, Rosabel came back down alone. She didn''t know why Boss asked her to bring that person up, but she wouldn''t ask any questions. Usually, Boss would fill them in on whatever he wanted them to know.


    Alec looked at Rosabel and smiled faintly.


    This time, it carried a different meaning compared to before.


    Rosabel felt a thrill go up her spine, and her blood started boiling in anticipation of the upcoming fight. No doubt this would be a long, drawn out and messy affair. She didn''t know if there were Meisters here, but she couldn''t wait to test herself against them.


    It had been a long time since she''d been in a situation like this, and the fact that it was Boss leading them made it even better.


    Her Sin instincts were screaming out at her to go, go, go already, but she obediently waited for Boss'' instructions.


    Just looking at Boss'' smile, she could already tell that Boss had a plan. The Sin faithfully waited for his orders, almost vibrating in place as she waited in anticipation.


    Alec pointed out the routes on the map in front of him. "These are the routes that everyone can use to come down. Inform them to gather in their groups before moving out. Take out those you see, no exceptions."


    Rosabel stared hard at the map, memorizing where the people were mostly concentrated, as well as the easy to access entrances. After she was sure that the got everything, she retracted her gaze.


    "Yes, Boss!" Rosabel cheekily saluted, but she still very seriously went to carry out his orders.


    Alec listened as Rosabel left and met up with his Spectres up above.


    As he waited for them to converge and enter the headquarters, Alec checked out whether those ''higherups'' were here or not.


    They were marked clearly on the base map, which was¡­ quite frankly, to him, a breach in security. The moment this security room was breached, weren''t they all in danger?


    He found that there were three Meisters in the base, which made him frown. If possible, he wanted to avoid direct confrontation with them. After all, the only Meister that he had under him was Dominique, who wasn''t here at the moment.


    The rest of his Spectres were mostly in the advanced rank, including himself. It wasn''t that easy to breakthrough to become a Meister.


    The most important thing that he had to take note of right now was that some of the people in the company headquarters probably had that serum that would allow them to directly breakthrough into the Meister ranks with the side-effect of consuming their own vitality.


    Alec didn''t know whether or not those people knew about the side-effects, but he supposed it didn''t matter.


    If they were brainwashed sufficiently by the company, it wouldn''t matter to them at all. Brainwashing wasn''t something that would disappear just like that even if the brand on them was gone.


    It was something lifelong, something that lasted forever. It would always be there in the background.


    There was a reason why Alec disdained it so much and felt so disgusted by it.


    Alec already elevated the company to cult-like status. The brand was the perfect thing to cause that mentality.


    He studied the various plans that had been stuffed in one of the drawers at the side of the security room, and his eyes narrowed, his lips pulling into a cold smile as he realized that this one method was very useful to them.


    It appeared that the higherups rooms were very well-equipped. In order to be considered one of the ''higherups'' you needed to achieve Meister status naturally, and the benefits awarded to that status was far above what one had by being a normal member.


    But Alec wasn''t interested in that at all.


    Instead, what he was interested in was much more useful.


    The rooms that the bigshots stayed in consisted of magic neutralizing material, so much so that neither those outside nor those inside could exert any magic on the room.


    This was so that in the case of an explosion, the room would supposedly protect those so-called bigshots from even a Grand Meister.


    Alec''s lips curled into a smile.


    Checking the monitors again, the Meisters were all in their rooms at this time.


    Tilting his head, Alec noted that his Spectres were still coming down in batches, which meant that he had no time to lose.


    The arrays from the restaurant directly extended to this place, but that wasn''t the main bulk of the arrays.


    Alec flashed out of the room, running towards that area that he could faintly sense the usage of runes. It was like it was calling to him almost, with the power of the array there.


    The only thing that Alec could say was that the Array Master that had created the arrays were not here.


    Otherwise, any intrusion would have been directly sensed and dealt with. It wouldn''t have been so easy to take over those arrays up there.


    There were a few people patrolling the place, but Alec didn''t deal with them at all. Instead, he used his stealth to the fullest, misdirecting their attention and slipping past them without a single sound.


    Before long, he finally found the place where the arrays had their core.


    It was in the middle of the headquarters, and there were always a few people passing by at once.


    It was the intersection in the middle that everyone used as a shortcut, and Alec silently raised a brow when he saw it.


    How surprising.


    Then again, perhaps not. after all, the most easily defensible place was the place that people always passed through. Even if someone wanted to take advantage of it, they would first have to dodge the eyes of all the people of the company here.


    In this way, it was really quite strategic.


    The more he saw, the more he felt like there was a discrepancy between the levels of the company. At times, it was ingenious, but at other times, it was really¡­


    Alec looked around at the floating golden runes in the air, and he finally found the central rune piece.


    The entire wall looked like a mosaic of colourful stones, which was treated as a decoration.


    Perhaps, Alec was the only one who knew the true worth of the wall.


    A few people walked past him, and Alec casually leaned on the wall as he deciphered the arrays that had been built into the place.


    The core runestone was inserted in the middle of the wall. It was a yellow stone that looked just as colourful as the rest of the stones in the wall.


    Alec clicked his tongue. He had to give it to that bastard. He really was not bad at his craft, but Alec just couldn''t accept that he''d created the brand.


    He really couldn''t let it go.


    If it weren''t for this, Alec would even have wanted to exchange notes with the person who made this masterpiece here.


    Alec smiled faintly.


    He wondered how angry that person would be if they came back and realized that all their hard work had been wrecked by Alec in a single day? He wondered if they would cough blood from obtaining internal injuries.


    Alec really wanted to see that person''s face.


    Touching the core runestone faintly, he plucked it out of the wall.


    There was a faint noise as it disappeared from the wall, and a few people looked over curiously at the sound, but there was nothing there.


    With a smile on his face, Alec easily overwrote the core commands of the stone and placed himself in the highest command order.


    Now, this place belonged to him.


    With a single thought, Alec sent a command.


    Over on the other side of the bigshots, their rooms suddenly went on lockdown mode and activated the bunker system.


    It shocked the Meisters who had been doing their own things.


    Could it be that a Grand Meister was about to attack?!

 Chapter 393 - Into The Depths Of Hell

    Thinking about it now, this situation didn''t have a silver lining at all.


    The Meisters in the headquarters all changed their faces, becoming incomparably serious.


    This had to be an enemy attack! Otherwise, why would it become like this without any warning? The company was likely about to suffer a calamity.


    But, now, even if they wanted to help, they were trapped inside here. It was the first time that they felt that the ''securities'' were more of a burden than a benefit.


    One of the Meisters couldn''t sit still, yet they weren''t able to do anything since the shutters had already come down.


    Even if they wanted to break out, one had to rely on pure physical strength alone, which they did not have.


    Nowadays, everyone relied on their magic to boost their own strength, making them faster and stronger, but the downside was, their own body didn''t contain that much strength.


    While they were already Meisters, their body was only more resilient than those who were under this stage. Without magic, they couldn''t increase their body''s strength at all.


    The three of them were like ants on a hot stove. They couldn''t sit still. Yet, their hearts were itchy because they could only sit still!


    They tried to listen to the situation outside, but it was very quiet.


    Since their quarters were separated from the rest of the people, showing off their superior status, there was no sound at all.


    It only made them more anxious.


    How could this be?


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The Spectres moved throughout the headquarters like a locust plague. Originally, the people in the headquarters still didn''t know about this situation, but when more and more of them died under the black-clothed figures, someone eventually saw it.


    "Intruder alert!" that person shouted, anxiety eating up their hearts.


    This was bad.


    Today was the day that they were preparing to move headquarters again, so there were more people here, and also less alert. That was because everyone was occupied by their duties today, and there was no time for them to lose.


    Thinking of this, the person''s face could not help but become bad.


    The intruders sure picked an optimal time to infiltrate them!


    They must have planned extensively, considering how swiftly they were being cut down. It was like they were cutting down radishes instead of human beings.


    The poor soul felt a chill go up his spine, and he hurriedly ran towards the giant button in the wall.


    He slammed his fist on it, but nothing happened.


    Stunned, his mouth opened wide, his eyes disbelieving.


    He slammed the big red button a few more times, but it was true. Nothing happened. His panic was growing at a very quick rate. Things really could not get any worse.


    Then, before he could do anything else, he was already taken out from behind. The last thing he saw in his life was a big red button¡­


    Yuki looked dispassionately at the person who collapsed on the wall, staining the previously white wall red as he slumped down.


    The Sin quickly moved on together with his team, the three of them acting in perfect harmony.


    In a triangular-shaped position, the three of them swept through all the rooms, dispatching most of the people with great ease.


    There were a few of them who put up a fight, but it was short-lived.


    Their blood was pumping, boiling. Their eyes almost seemed to shine, and it was as if a fresh breath of air was given to them.


    They were on the verge of going crazy, but they danced on the line of sanity and insanity through repeated practice.


    It was something that their Boss had implemented into their training without fail, and now, all of the Spectres were able to achieve this state without losing their mind to their bloodl.u.s.t.


    Compared to the days where they were slaves to the instincts of their Societype, they were now fully in control.


    The sounds of blood splattering and tragic cries filled the place, and the smell of blood wafted through the air.


    There were more than a few of them who were running around, terrified out of their wits, yet the Spectres descended on them like grim reapers, reaping their lives without any mercy.


    More than a few people would have sucked in cold breaths seeing this situation, and it was lucky for them that the Spectres did not show their faces.


    Had this situation got out, no doubt the people who were doubting the emperor''s decree would retaliate fiercely, using this situation as an example of the crazy Sins. It would be used to start a rebel movement.


    But the Spectres were fully in control of themselves.


    Though they were feeling the bloodl.u.s.t inside them, calming it down, they were perfectly in control of their movements and could stop any time they wished.


    Boss had ordered them to clean the place out, and that was what they were going to do.


    At this moment, Hayden discovered a path that led further downwards in the headquarters, and he raised a brow.


    "Yuki. Rose. There''s a path there."


    The two turned their heads in surprise.


    "Huh. You''re right. Should we check it out?"


    "Yeah. After all, it was really well-hidden!"


    The three blood-stained figures pried open the door, and the stairs that led downwards gave them no indication of what was down there.


    Hayden paused, sniffing. "Smells stale. Stale blood, and other unpleasant things. There''s something else, but¡­ I can''t¡­ I can''t tell what it is."


    Yuki thought about it, activating his Magitype. He could see various footprints coming in and out of the place, but they all overlapped in a heaped mess. It took him more than ten minutes before he realized that some footsteps headed both in and out, while others only headed in.


    He also noted some sort of animal or creature prints that seemed rather large, but he didn''t know what they belonged to, which was strange.


    "A dungeon," Yuki said with conviction, nodding his head.


    Rosabel shrugged. "An enemy of an enemy is thy friend?"


    Yuki frowned, but he didn''t disagree either. They would have to see first.


    The three of them descended down into the depths of the dungeon, noting the dated way that this place was built.


    There were torches lit and hung at the side of the wall.


    The place was barely lit, and it was dark and damp.


    The further down they headed, the more the musty and stale stench grew, becoming almost overpowering.


    It was especially so for Hayden, who closely relied on his smell.


    They descended down into the darkness, and their vision was only lit by tiny glowing embers along the way, barely illuminating the places that their feet touched.


    It was so dark that they could barely make out the outline of their bodies, but none of them were nervous.


    Instead, a sense of excitement welled up inside them. They had a feeling that this place was going to be important, and their Boss would definitely pay attention to it.


    Time ticked on, and there was nothing but their breathing and the sound of feet meeting stairs, causing their hair to stand on end.


    If one had a richer imagination, they could even imagine that they were descending into the depths of hell.


    They continued to go down step by step for a long time, until their feet finally hit flat ground.


    All of a sudden, something lunged, causing Hayden to fall flat on his back.

 Chapter 394 - Disdain

    The three of them didn''t shriek like useless people. Instead, they instantly fell into battle mode, and Rosabel attacked the lump that had appeared on top of Hayden without a single word.


    The black figure easily dodged her attack, and her attack struck the air. But it wasn''t useless. Their teamwork was very good, born out of being on the battlefield countless times with each other.


    Using Rosabel''s opening, Yuki kicked the black lump off of Hayden without a single moment of hesitation.


    To his surprise the blob actually did get kicked back by him, but he felt as if his foot didn''t make that much contact with it.


    It was more like whatever that was had moved backwards the same moment that his foot made contact.


    Hayden climbed up from the ground and grabbed a torch from the side and waved it, causing the black blob to be revealed in front of their eyes.


    With the additional light, they finally saw what it was.


    It was a large wolf. Rather, it was large, but obviously emaciated. It barely had any muscle left, and its fur was matted and tangled. It was in a sorry state, but the three didn''t have any feelings of relaxing when they realized that it was a creature.


    Even though it was obviously in this state, the wolf-creature had a look of arrogance in its eyes, and it didn''t cower at all.


    There was a light in its eyes that spoke of its intelligence, and the group of three very seriously took precautions against it.


    Of the three, Hayden felt his heart ache when he saw how emaciated the wolf was. It was obviously starving from being in this place, but he wouldn''t trade his teammates'' safety for taking pity on it.


    But they didn''t have to, because¡­ the wolf had only jumped over seeing that there were new scents that it didn''t recognize.


    The wolf thought that the handlers had come down to ''check'' on it, but that apparently wasn''t the case.


    The scent from one of these people in particular made him feel very happy, catching him off guard as he pounced over before he realized what he was doing.


    Still, the wolf maintained the look of arrogance in its eyes, and he didn''t back away even seeing that there were three people here.


    They were only equivalent to a rank four creature.


    And he was on the top of the food chain even though he was obviously trapped down here and couldn''t get out.


    The wolf stared at them with its arrogant eyes, and didn''t attack, but the group of three didn''t let their guard down in the slightest.


    While Yuki and Rosabel kept their guard up against it, Hayden relaxed a little.


    He could tell from its body language that the wolf wasn''t planning on attacking them any time soon, almost as if it was disdainful of them.


    Hayden had seen this type of stance before when he''d been living in the forest. It was only carried by those creatures who were at the top of the food chain, looking down on any other creature or animal in the area with it.


    The Sin''s brows twitched a little as he tried to categorize the feeling he had. In the end, he trusted his experience, as well as what his brain was telling him.


    The tense silence stretched on a little, and Hayden made a move this time. But it wasn''t to attack. Instead, he said to Yuki and Rosabel. "The wolf won''t attack."


    There were frowns on the two''s faces, but they still sheathed their weapons cautiously.


    They fell back, their faces tense. Hayden walked up to the wolf, closer step by step, very slowly.


    Hayden bore his neck a little, tilting it a little, showing his submission in front of the wolf.


    The wolf''s eyes flickered a little, but it didn''t show any other signs of acknowledging him nor did it show any bloodl.u.s.t.


    By the time Hayden reached the foot of the wolf, he realized that it was a lot larger than he''d originally gave it credit for. It was more than three times the size of a normal human, but it also wasn''t as big as some creatures out there.


    Instead, the wolf was lean and sleek, made for explosive power. But with how emaciated it was right now; it was hard for it to show its prowess.


    Hayden was very surprised. Because¡­ in a situation like this, he would have thought that the wolf would have gone feral in its hunger, attacking whoever it saw first.


    Yet, the wolf was sitting here calmly, not even bothering about them. There was intelligence and clear arrogance in its eyes.


    Its restraint and intelligence was very shocking.


    Despite himself, Hayden was intrigued.


    On the other hand, Harou looked at this little human who approached him step by step, baring his neck as if he was submitting to him.


    There was a bit of a strange look in his eyes. How could he not understand that this human was sending himself to him because he wanted to make peace and didn''t want to fight?


    It was likely that this little human knew that he was stronger than them all.


    At this thought, the arrogance in his eyes flashed, but he couldn''t help but look closer at this little human in the dim lighting from the torch.


    It had been a long time since he''d met another human that didn''t stink of fear and terror while they entered this place.


    Not to mention, he smelled really good¡­


    Harou swallowed his saliva, but he didn''t give in to his urges.


    Hayden stopped a meter away.


    At that distance, it wouldn''t even take a single second for the wolf to squash him to death, but for some reason, he wasn''t feeling afraid. The wolf appeared to be very intelligent, and its arrogance meant that it wouldn''t sneak attack him.


    The Sin hesitated for the briefest moment, before he decided to take a gamble. "Mr. Wolf, can you speak?"


    Behind him, Yuki and Rosabel tensed up, ready to come to his aid at any time.


    However, before they could see whether or not the wolf would attack, there was a rumble that resonated in the area, and it was only after a while that they realized that it was coming from the wolf.


    The wolf was laughing.


    The two gaped, but Hayden just waited patiently.


    "I can. But what''s it to you?" Harou said arrogantly.


    Rosabel''s lips twitched. That tone made her want to give it a good beating, but she couldn''t hide the shock in her heart.


    The only creatures¡­ or rather, it was only magical beasts that could speak human tongue. Meaning¡­ this wolf was rank six!


    Hayden continued like he didn''t hear the mocking tone in the wolf''s voice. "My name is Hayden, and that''s Rosabel and Yuki."


    Harou eyed him, but courtesy dictated that he give his own name. "Harou."


    "Mr. Harou, are you trapped down here?"


    Harou grinned, and his surprisingly white teeth were on display. They were all very sharp. "In a manner of speaking."


    "You''re guarding something."


    The grin on Harou''s face immediately dropped, and his eyes pierced straight into Hayden.


    Hayden continued like he didn''t see the dangerous aura rising from the magical beast. "They must have been trapped here by the company. Will you help us if we manage to free them?"


    Slowly, the dangerous aura that had been lingering on the wolf disappeared, and he let out a bark of laughter, sounding a little disdaining.


    Then, the giant mass warped, and before them stood a rather handsome young man who had long black hair that cascaded down his shoulders. His eyes were a similar shade of black.


    Surprisingly, the man didn''t look emaciated at all in his human form, which was a different representation of his wolf form.


    "I''d like to see you try," Harou said with a mocking expression.


    He walked forward into the darkness.


    The three Sins exchanged glances with each other before they ran after Harou''s disappearing back.

 Chapter 395 - Darkness, Then Light

    The darkness was never something that they were afraid of, but the darkness in this place seemed a lot different from the darkness outside.


    Outside, the darkness brought a sense of comfort, a sense of relief that they were away from openly judging eyes. That they could be themselves without any trouble. Though they liked to fight, that didn''t mean that they only wanted to fight. Sometimes, they just wanted to have some peace and quiet.


    Of course, in the current times, it wasn''t as bad as before, but to the Sins, the darkness was indeed a source of comfort.


    Yet, in this place, the air was damp and humid, and the smell was stale.


    With the darkness that licked at their feet, and only Harou leading the way with a single guiding torch, they felt as if they were following a will-o''-wisp in the night.


    It felt almost sacred in a way, yet on the other hand, they felt as if they were following a guide in the lost darkness.


    Here, the darkness was not comforting.


    Instead, there was the stench of heavy despair and rotting meat. The low illumination provided from the faint torch showed scenes of rotting corpses and haphazardly strewn skeletons.


    The skeletons weren''t even in a good shape, missing bones here and there, some even missing their skulls.


    They could only see them whenever the light flashed over, but it was enough for them to get a clear idea of what was happening down here.


    These were the prisoners that the company had taken, throwing them into this place. Whether they were food for Harou here, they didn''t know, but they were all dead.


    There were no segregations in the walls to form cells, nor shackles of any kind, which was rather strange.


    It was clear that this place was meant to be a dead end. Anyone who came in here would not be leaving alive.


    It made the hair on their arms prickle, thinking about just how many people died here without a glance at sunlight. It was estimated that they hadn''t even killed that many people in their entire lives¡­


    There was barely any space for them to move without stepping on something.


    Even then, they occasionally stumbled over something, saved only by their good reflexes and balance to avoid plunging into a pile of stinking and grimy unknown remains.


    Hayden looked at all these actions with a blank face, refraining from blocking off his sense of smell.


    It made him wonder how Harou could live in this place, how he could stand this stench with his nose.


    But¡­ humans were adaptable creatures, and so were magical beasts.


    Even with the depths of this place, just looking into Harou''s eyes told Hayden that he had never compromised on his own set of morals.


    He had indeed knocked Hayden over, his instincts seemingly getting the better of him, but despite the small corner of hunger that was seen from his eyes, Hayden could only see his boundless arrogance.


    Hayden respected him for that alone.


    With his magical beast form, he was no doubt starving, but instead of attacking any of the three of them who came down, he only disdained them, as if they weren''t worthy of him.


    Now, what exactly could make Harou stay in a place like this?


    What was it that garnered such intense loyalty in him, that he was willing to wait here?


    Hayden was curious.


    With Harou''s strength, he had no doubt that the wolf magical beast would be able to break out without a single problem.


    After all, he had to be able to get food from somewhere to keep himself in shape, even if he wasn''t willing to leave this place.


    The darkness seemed to intensify as they pierced deeper into the depths of this place.


    The three of them were surprised by how deep this place went. The ground seemed to incline downwards ever so slightly, which meant that they were descending even deeper than the base level.


    It made them wonder¡­ what was it that Harou wanted to show them, that was so deep in?


    They had not seen a single other person who was alive in this place.


    There were countless number of bones from both humans and other creatures, but all of them had died.


    "How did they all die?" Hayden asked, being the only one who dared to speak up.


    Harou turned around, the torch illuminating his face as his lips curled into a sinister sneer. "Of course. I killed them all."


    "I don''t believe you," Hayden said bluntly. He could smell it from his scent alone that he wasn''t telling the truth. At least, not the whole truth.


    Harou clicked his tongue, seemingly unhappy that the Sin didn''t fall for his explanation.


    Hayden continued, "You''re too nice for that."


    Someone else might not be able to tell, but to Hayden, Harou was indeed quite nice. At least, it was obvious from the little actions like the wolf shining the light a little longer for them, and walking slower.


    Harou sneered, showing his sharp incisors. "Nice? I, the great Harou, have been described as many things, but nice isn''t one of them. Stop insulting me."


    Hayden just looked at him quietly, and Harou clicked his tongue, looking even more annoyed.


    Harou didn''t want to talk with this person anymore, feeling insulted by his call of ''nice''.


    "They died from all sorts of things, obviously. Some of them died from insanity, others from starvation. Sometimes, when there''s more than one of them thrown down at the same time, they fight to the death." Harou paused slightly, his grin becoming that much more savage. "Of course, some of them wanted to suicide by fighting against me."


    The sneer on Harou''s face sent alarm through Rosabel and Yuki. They didn''t doubt him at all.


    On the other hand, Hayden had a much stranger reaction. He nodded, as if he''d understood something.


    Bored, Harou turned back around, not finding the entertainment that he''d wanted.


    The look on his face slowly melted away as they approached the most sacred place.


    Harou''s face no longer contained the bone-deep arrogance that made up his entire psyche, instead becoming that much more restrained and reserved, as well as containing a hint of worship and loyalty.


    This deep in, the number of skeletons quickly dwindled, seemingly leaving the ground clear of their remains.


    Hayden looked at it with curiosity, but he didn''t say anything in the end.


    From time to time, they would come across neatly kept graves, looking like they''d been recently cleaned.


    The group of three all noticed the clean state considering the place, and the looks directed at Harou increased, but none of them asked, tactfully keeping silent.


    If Hayden had to fashion a guess, this place contained Harou''s master, and the graves were the other beings that had been under his master''s rule as well. They were likely here, keeping watch as well, waiting for their master¡­


    But, tragically, they died one by one, leaving only Harou¡­


    It was a sense of respect and compassion that boiled up in the face of all this, but they didn''t say anything. The silence was almost solemn, and the darkness didn''t seem as unfriendly as it was previously.


    Surprisingly, the deeper in they went, the lighter it became, and when they reached the end, it was almost like it was daytime. The place was illuminated brightly, and it was neat and clean.


    Just a single look could tell you how much effort and time Harou had put into keeping and maintaining this place.


    It was an eyeopener with how arrogant this magical beast was. How much did he worship his master, for him to be able to do it so meticulously?


    Then, there was a large flash of light, blinding them.

 Chapter 396 - I hope...

    The light felt warm. So warm that it was almost scorching.


    They felt it from inside out, warming them in a way that felt strange, yet almost comforting at the same time.


    In a dark, cold place like this, the light felt like a blessing from up above. They knew that it wasn''t the case, but for a split second, it felt like that anyway.


    Harou certainly felt that way. There was a look of reverence that crossed his face as the light dwindled a little, returning back to the normal level in the place.


    The light felt so gentle, but there was also an edge of power to it that left the three humans feeling breathless.


    "What was that?" Rosabel breathed.


    Harou smirked, but the arrogance in his eyes was a little muted. There was an edge of gentleness to it now. "That was my master''s scanning."


    Perhaps he was feeling a little more giving after feeling the might of his master''s powers, so he didn''t snap or refuse to ignore an insignificant human''s questions.


    Now, the three humans were given a chance to look around the place.


    The place was large, and circular, made in stone.


    There were various chains that started from the top of the ceiling reaching to a giant hole in the ground. Each chain was thicker than a human''s arm.


    Each chain carried various runes, and they were all painted on meticulously. They were lit with a faint golden glow, but they didn''t give off light they only reflected it.


    From the looks of it, they were all still active and working even at this moment. You could see from the way that they were lighted up that they were working overtime to keep Harou''s master sealed.


    Usually, passive arrays were not lit up, and a lot people didn''t even know that they were there.


    Active arrays like this, on the other hand, were very easy to see.


    Even laymen like the three of the Spectres could tell that they were working at this moment.


    Harou noticed where they were looking and snorted, sneering disdainfully.


    "Take a good look. If you can break it, then my master will naturally not be stingy and will repay you well."


    The three of them looked at Harou in surprise. Harou looked very serious, but he did not seem to harbour any hope that they were able to break it.


    It wasn''t so easy to break something like this. Harou had tried countless times over the years.


    But his effort was all for nought. He couldn''t break it with brute strength, but neither did he have the necessary knowledge to break the array either. It made him very frustrated, but he never lost hope.


    After all, seals and arrays were humans'' possessions. Even if they wanted to learn it, no one would teach them.


    Perhaps one day, someone with the necessary knowledge that was going against the company would come down here.


    Now, there was indeed someone here, but he didn''t know if they were the salvation that they had been waiting for.


    Harou and his comrades had been stuck here over time, unable to do anything to save their master. Each one of them had been duly frustrated since they couldn''t understand human words written on books.


    Even when they wanted to make a move against the people who checked on the array every once in a while, they were scared that they would make their master suffer, which left their hands tied.


    To Harou, who was naturally arrogant, it was a life worse than death. He was unable to live freely and make a move whenever he wanted to, and over the years a lot of his natural arrogance had faded.


    Even a stone would be grinded after being worn down for so many years. Harou, who seemed arrogant in their eyes, was actually already a lot milder than he had been at the peak of his years.


    Harou casually glanced at them, and he already knew that the humans probably wouldn''t be able to do anything about it. All three of them had looked stunned when they saw the runes on the chains earlier on.


    His master was in there¡­ but Harou couldn''t even get close to him.


    There was a sense of pain in the wolf''s heart that was very familiar, but his eyes were calm. He was already used to it¡­


    Yuki and Rosabel''s brows furrowed. They had seen such complicated arrays and seals before from their Boss, but it naturally wasn''t something that they were able to produce.


    While all of the Spectres were already proficient in breaking simple seals and common arrays by now, complicated things like this were still better left to their Boss.


    They discussed it in low voices. "Maybe we should ask Boss to come here and take a look?"


    "But¡­ what if they end up becoming enemies in the future?"


    Harou heard it with his sharp hearing, but he obviously wouldn''t correct them. Their misunderstanding was their own problem. He and his master always kept their word, which meant that they wouldn''t make a move on their own benefactor.


    If they didn''t understand it, then that was their own problem.


    Hayden shook his head. "I don''t think so. Didn''t you hear Mr. Harou say that he and his master would repay us? If he wasn''t being sincere, he wouldn''t have said those words at all."


    The two Sins thought about Hayden''s words. He was right. After all, Harou was the arrogant type that would naturally follow the words that would come out of his own mouth.


    They''d seen people like this in the Spectres as well, so it wasn''t anything special.


    Harou glanced at the little human who smelled delici- smelled decent. It seems that this human was still smarter than the other two.


    Yuki was still prone to thinking about other things. "I feel like it''s fine if we manage to break the array, but we don''t have that much skill."


    Rosabel nodded.


    Hayden, on the other hand, looked at the chains that converged in the hole leading down.


    His gaze naturally went up to the spaces where they met the ceiling.


    Harou coldly glanced at them, not saying anything. He had already tried everything that they were thinking about.


    He''d tried breaking one of the chains up there, and it had indeed been broken by his full strength. The problem was that every time a chain was broken, the array became stronger, which only led to his master being pressed even tighter.


    He didn''t dare to do it anymore after that.


    His master already suffered so much that now, he could only sleep and hibernate to retain his sanity.


    The main problem was, after causing all that trouble, the people from that damn company had eventually ended up taking him into account as well, adding him to the list of effects that were contained in the array.


    In the end, he couldn''t even stay by his master''s side faithfully.


    Yuki looked at Rosabel, who looked at Hayden.


    They could see that Hayden was very determined to help Harou''s master, whoever it was inside there.


    Hayden looked at Harou. "Mr. Harou, can we enter that hole?" he said, pointing at the giant hole in the middle of the room.


    Harou''s face tightened a little before he said lightly, "You can."


    The three humans exchanged glances again, before deciding. The three of them approached the hole in the middle of the room, noticing that Harou didn''t move a single inch.


    Out of the three, Yuki and Rosabel were suspicious, but Hayden felt no such suspicion. Instead, he directly jumped down, alarming the two.


    They jumped after him instantly.


    Harou looked at them enter with a complicated expression.


    "I hope you can save my master¡­" he said lowly.


    Then, he fell silent as he stood there, as still as a statue.

 Chapter 397 - Whos That Guy?!

    Darkness came after light.


    Although the top of the place was brightly lit, even giving them a sense of warmth, the hole that they jumped into was filled with pitch-black darkness.


    It was an inky-black darkness that lingered, filling their vision.


    It was strange, seeing how the light up above didn''t spill into the darkness below.


    Yet, even though all they did was land at the bottom, they could feel the power that washed over their bodies, bathing them in a subtle glow that came from the inside. It was a magic that wasn''t intrusive, but it was obviously probing them to make sure that they weren''t a threat.


    They couldn''t help but feel it was more automatic instead of being anything conscious. Just as the magic above had been.


    It quickly disappeared after scanning them, and they frowned.


    That should be Harou''s master, right?


    But they couldn''t see anything in the pitch-black darkness.


    Compared to before, where they could still faintly make out the outline of their arm, they could not even see anything in front of them anymore.


    They listened quietly, but they didn''t hear anything at all.


    Confused, the three split up as they wandered around with their arms spread out, acting like blind men.


    At least this way, they would be able to find a wall¡­ or even Harou''s master.


    Otherwise¡­


    Yuki suddenly stopped and smacked his face. He forgot that he''d already packed some lights that didn''t need to be lit up to be used. They all did.


    As Yuki was taking it out of the Spectre mark, Hayden suddenly tripped.


    Hayden quickly reacted to the feeling and placed his hands out to catch himself, but what he didn''t expect was to end up clutching someone''s body.


    There was the sound of rattling chains.


    Shocked, the teen tightened his grip on the body in his arms, only to realize that the person was breathing very shallowly.


    They weren''t even awake.


    Was this Harou''s master?


    At this moment, Yuki finally got the light to work, and he beamed it upwards.


    Luckily, the light was not affected by the darkness that seemed to coat this place.


    Quickly realizing what Yuki was doing was the most logical action, Hayden and Rosabel got their lights out as well.


    They suddenly realized that there were some unexpected developments in the short time that they were in the darkness.


    Yuki coughed.


    Rosabel''s lips split into a wide grin. Her eyes glinted. "Why, Hayden, I didn''t expect that you would throw yourself into someone''s arms so quickly! I thought that you liked Harou?"


    Hayden, who realized what he was doing, quickly let go of his arms that were still clutched on the man''s body, his face burning a horrible shade of red at the teasing. She knew that it wasn''t intentional, but she took every chance to rile him up.


    He wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it. He''d never been so embarrassed before.


    He quickly waved his hands. "It''s not what it looks like!"


    The three of them were stunned by what Hayden said.


    Not what it looked like?


    They obviously knew this, but when Hayden said it like this so ambiguously, it seemed like¡­ a guilty conscience?


    Cough.


    Hayden''s entire face was red, and it had even spread down to his neck.


    Up above, Harou, who heard the commotion down below, twitched his lips. What were these humans doing now?


    Also, what was all that nonsense?!


    Harou''s face darkened, then made a funny expression when he noticed that Hayden didn''t refute the thing about liking him.


    He didn''t know what he was feeling right now, so he just glared at the darkness, as if he could pierce through it with his eyes.


    Down below, the three had naturally calmed down, and they didn''t bring up the awkward atmosphere.


    Rosabel looked at Harou''s master, who was hanging in the air with his arms strung up.


    He was locked down only by the chains on his wrists, leaving him hanging there. There was also a single thick chain that was connected to a collar on his neck, causing her to sneer in distaste what she was seeing.


    It was like some sort of bad s.e.x dungeon. She couldn''t say much for their tastes.


    Now that they had a bit of light, the darkness didn''t seem as oppressing as before.


    They could at least see the runes that were connected to the chains and faintly lit up.


    After she finished observing the situation that he was caught in, her eyes widened when she took a look at his face.


    She swallowed, licking her lips. Her heart was beating hard. She''d never seen such an ethereal man before. He almost seemed like he glowed. His skin was milky white, and his long hair cascaded down his shoulders, reaching the floor.


    With a single glance, she could tell that Harou had copied his master''s hairstyle, but he couldn''t pull it off as well as his master.


    Rosabel''s throat was dry as she stared at the pretty man in front of her. She swallowed again, her mouth opening.


    She could even see his firm chest muscles and his abs since he was half-n.a.k.e.d.


    Call her shallow all you liked, but *wow*!


    Not even her Boss was this pretty!


    Boss was considered a pretty boy, but he leaned more towards androgynous. If Boss put on a dress, no doubt everyone would think that he was a girl. Er¡­ she waved the thought away.


    On the other hand, Harou''s master exuded a thick sense of manliness that seeped out from his pores even though he was seemingly asleep.


    At this moment, a voice cut into her fantasies.


    "You''re drooling."


    Reflexively, she wiped her mouth, but there was nothing there. She snapped out of it and glared at Yuki, who was giving her smirk.


    Hayden was chuckling in the background. He pressed a single finger on the chain that was connected to the man''s neck.


    "Hmph. Well, appearance wise, he''s literally perfect. My dream man," she said jokingly.


    Suddenly, she heard a low, baritone voice behind her. "Why, thank you." The voice reverberated through her entire body, causing her to whirl around.


    To her mortification, Harou''s master was now awake and staring at her with faint bemus.e.m.e.nt.


    This time, it was Rosabel''s turn to want to find a hole to crawl into.


    Her face did its best not to turn red like Hayden''s did earlier, but her cheeks were still faintly pink.


    "Er¡­" she said speechlessly. "You''re welcome," she said in the end. She decided to just be shameless. She knew no shame. What was shame? Could you eat it?


    Harou''s master chuckled again. "Are you here on Harou''s behalf?" His voice was not particularly warm, but there was something about it that spoke of power.


    Rosabel put aside her embarrassment as she seriously answered him.


    "Yes. He''s up there, and he probably can''t come down because the company made a move on him. Probably restraining where he can go," she said with a shrug.


    The man nodded his head gracefully. He ducked his head with his limited range of movement, stunning them. They thought that someone who was Harou''s master was naturally more arrogant than the magical beast.


    Yet, he seemed so warm and courteous, not as domineering as they expected.


    "Thank you for trying to unseal me," the man said. "This Illyuken Nyre thanks you. Regardless of whether or not you succeed, we will always remember your help."


    There was a clank as the chains on his wrists loosened, and all of them looked at Hayden in confusion.


    While they were conversing, the Sin had been fiddling around with the chains and runes that were still lit up.


    Since they never expected that they would be able to do anything about it, all of them were stunned.


    Even Hayden himself was stunned.


    He slowly scratched his cheek. "Uh¡­ I just tried it out. I didn''t expect it to work."


    Yuki and Rosabel quickly diverted their attention to the runes instead. There was no reason why they wouldn''t be able to combine their prowess to make some progress.


    If Hayden could do it¡­


    While the three worked busily as they studied the runes, Illyuken looked over at them curiously.


    He''d not seen such curious humans in such a long time¡­

 Chapter 398 - Short Battle

    Kacha!


    The sounds of the chains breaking sounded so liberating in Harou''s ears that his eyes couldn''t help but shake when he heard the sound.


    Did they really do it?


    Did they really free his master from the shackles that had been imposed on him?


    Did those three humans do what all of them magical beasts couldn''t do?


    His heart was beating a steady staccato, and he felt disbelief in his mind.


    He almost couldn''t bring himself to believe that the three humans had done it. Not because he thought that they were beneath him, but because it had been so long since he''d last allowed himself to harbour hope.


    When he recalled the look of determination in Hayden''s eyes, but the silence he maintained, the arrogant wolf felt grateful.


    He had a feeling that it was that particular human who had pulled through in the end. There was no basis to his feelings, but he just felt like it was that tiny human who had done it.


    Harou didn''t even breathe when he waited for them to emerge.


    Four figures flew out, and just as quietly, Harou''s heart flew out.


    His master¡­


    "Master!" Harou called out lowly, his head dipped. His voice shook, but he was in no position to hide it right now. If these outsiders weren''t here, he might even have shed a few tears.


    He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and it made him choke up, but he didn''t show his vulnerability to the humans.


    He allowed himself a brief moment of silence before he looked up. There were no tears in his eyes, only happiness and relief.


    "You''ve worked hard," Illyuken said quietly.


    Harou straightened his back, his eyes no longer had the arrogance he showed to the humans. "No, master. This was what I should do. Unfortunately, our comrades¡­"


    The two fell silent.


    "I understand," Illyuken said with a dark voice. "Don''t worry. We will take our pound of flesh from them. This one''s name isn''t Illyuken Nyre if I don''t exact vengeance against them!"


    Rosabel''s heart skipped a beat when she heard Illyuken''s bloodthirsty voice. She licked her lips, her eyes glittering.


    Just when she thought that this man couldn''t be any more perfect, he threw out something like this. Something inside her squirmed, and she didn''t know what she was feeling.


    She licked her lips again and swallowed. She really wanted to see him take his vengeance with his own hands. She wanted to go into battle alongside him and see if he was really as perfect as she saw him.


    Then, just as quickly as the bloodthirsty aura appeared, it disappeared again. She looked at him in surprise but noticed the bloodthirsty light still in his eyes. It surprised her how well he could hide his aura.


    It had reached the level where even when she was looking for it, she couldn''t find anything. If she didn''t see the light in his eyes, she would have even thought that he''d given up on his revenge.


    As she was about to swallow her saliva, suddenly, the ground above them shook and trembled.


    She almost thought that it was an earthquake before she realized that this was likely something that her Boss was doing.


    All other thoughts disappeared from her mind as she instantly perked up.


    Their shining eyes met each other, and the Spectres were immediately running down the passageway.


    They could remember the way they came from, and even if they stumbled right now, it didn''t matter.


    Right now, the only thing that was left on their minds was that they could enter battle with their Boss.


    They didn''t get to do it often, so they had to seize the chance right now.


    Harou raised a brow when he realized that the humans were running out with great excitement. He shoved down the reflex that wanted to snarl at them for being impudent in front of his master.


    After all, they were benefactors, and they treated their benefactors with the greatest respect.


    They had done what no one else was able to accomplish and free his master from the shackles that had been imposed on him.


    Illyuken looked at the three hurriedly running humans, and he took a step forward and grabbed two of them instead, shocking them.


    Harou followed quickly behind and grabbed Hayden, pulling his body towards him.


    When Illyuken and his faithful retainer raced forward, they were much faster than the humans.


    What took them half an hour to walk only took them one and a half minute to run.


    The two magical beasts leapt up, and they landed gracefully at the top.


    The Spectres couldn''t close their mouths. That speed had caused the world to blur in front of their eyes, their dynamic vision not being quick enough to keep up.


    All of a sudden, they felt the wide chasm between the ranks, and they knew that these two were definitely rank six.


    Never had they so starkly felt the difference in abilities.


    The group raced towards the place where they could sense the fight being carried out.


    One of the Meisters had managed to free themselves from the ''lockdown'' that had been imposed on him one-sidedly, and he was instantly enraged when he realized that the intruders had made use of the loophole in this system against them instead.


    There was no Grand Meister here.


    He was fighting against Alec with great gusto, his eyes shining with malicious light as they traded blows. If he didn''t manage to kill the intruders, then the kindness the company had shown him was completely wasted!


    Though his opponent was not on the same level as him, he was somehow keeping up.


    It made the Meister''s heart burn with impatience and a little respect. He was also more determined than ever to kill this seedling before he grew up.


    He could already cross such a huge gap between the two stages and catch up with himself, who was a fully-fledged Meister.


    As the three Spectres launched themselves into battle alongside their Boss without a single moment of hesitation, Illyuken and Harou quietly watched the battle from the side.


    If the two wanted to step in, they would be able to end the fight without any effort.


    However, stepping into someone else''s fight was not honourable, and they wouldn''t do something like that unless asked.


    They quietly marvelled at how far the humans had come, not realizing that it was only Alec and his Spectres who were breaking the boundaries on them so casually.


    With the addition of his Spectres, Alec and his team were pushing back the Meister now instead of being evenly matched.


    The Meister snarled, his eyes decisively flashing as he turned to flee.


    Alec slammed him from above, causing him to drop from his flight shortly before he caught himself.


    Yet, it wasn''t enough for him to catch himself. Rosabel launched herself off the wall, her blade flashing out.


    The Meister blocked it using his palm, and Hayden attacked from above, causing the Meister to fly up unsteadily.


    The Meister growled. "Annoying pests!"


    Hayden threw what looked like a seal over, and the Meister sneered as he didn''t dodge it. Seals that were made by those at a lower level didn''t have any effect on those who were on the upper levels.


    Yet, it was this type of thinking that caused his downfall.


    He was shocked to realize that he could no longer access his powers, and he rapidly plunges from the sky.


    Alec took the chance and flashed over, his twin daggers flashing out as they cut into the man''s throat like a hot knife meeting butter.


    The Meister''s eyes were filled with disbelief as his head separated from his neck in mid-air, and the light in his eyes slowly dimmed as his body crashed onto the ground with a splat, various body parts separating. Without the Meister''s lifeforce, the body was unable to uphold the damage caused to it.


    Illyuken''s eyes flashed as he looked at the daggers in Alec''s hands.

 Chapter 399 - Haphiras Friend?

    As the blood was absorbed into the blade, Illyuken only grew more certain of his guess.


    He walked forward slowly, drawing Alec''s attention to him.


    Instantly, Alec''s brows twitched. This man¡­


    This man¡­ was¡­ stunningly pretty. He almost glowed under the damn lights, and Alec felt like he was blinding everyone around him.


    Damn!


    This¡­ could it be another Main Character?!


    Speechless, Alec only stared at him.


    Why was he stumbling into a Main Character even here, down in the depths of the company''s headquarters?


    Why?


    Alec couldn''t help but complain inwardly in annoyance.


    There was no doubt something wrong with this planet. There had to be something more here that he wasn''t aware of. After all, someone had even taken Ye Sha away from him. If he wasn''t wrong, there was some sort of higher being here¡­


    He didn''t even need the System to tell him that he was right. This man was definitely a Main Character.


    He was different from the transmigrators who were under the company''s control.


    First, was the aura. Second, was the luck. Who the f.u.c.k knew how lucky he was to be able to randomly attract his subordinates there and somehow get him out?


    No doubt that it was two Main Characters meeting that triggered the luck.


    The people at the transmigrator academy weren''t Main Characters. The classifications of Main Characters were very strict, and Alec was familiar with all of them.


    Still, why was a Main Character seemingly interested in him when he hadn''t done anything to help him out at all?


    Illyuken walked forward and stood in front of Alec, staring at him with subtly judging eyes. He looked at him with intent ¨C though Alec didn''t know what he was so intent about.


    Alec''s Spectres tensed up when they saw the man that they''d rescued so close to their Boss. Even Rosabel, who was enamoured with his good looks didn''t let her guard down.


    They didn''t feel safe at all. After all, both Illyuken and Harou were leagues ahead of them in fighting prowess currently. While they might not be able to take them down, they could definitely buy some time for their Boss at least.


    They heard a scoff.


    Harou rolled his eyes at the humans'' reactions. Only the boss of the humans remained calm. As if his master would hurt their benefactors.


    Hearing his scoff, Hayden relaxed.


    He didn''t know why he relaxed.


    He just felt like he could. It went against his usual behaviour, but he couldn''t sense any bloodl.u.s.t from the two men at all. He was willing to give them the benefit of doubt.


    Alec peered curiously at Illyuken. The man was just staring at him without any anger or bloodl.u.s.t. If he was, then it was very well hidden.


    Illyuken introduced himself. He bowed relatively low, his black hair cascading down. "We are in your debt. As long as I, Illyuken Nyre remain standing, you and your lot will always be our friends."


    Harou also bowed.


    He bowed lower than his master, showing the deepest sign of respect. "I, Harou, hereby swear that as long as Hayden and his lot live, I will help to the best of my ability."


    Alec quietly raised a brow, but he used his usual smile on them since he didn''t know what else to do. He''d never had to make nice with people that his Spectres rescued before.


    Regardless, he wouldn''t shun a Main Character, after all.


    "My name is Alec. Please. Don''t stand on ceremony. As long as you are willing, my Spectres will help you should you ever need it as well. We can be considered friends."


    Illyuken and Harou straightened up. They showed no signs of weakness, and Alec quietly marvelled.


    They were the strongest people that he''d met while he was still on this planet.


    Though they were rank six magical beasts, the same rank as Loeri, Loeri was much weaker than them. Loeri was still a baby that was in its growth stage, and it couldn''t take a human form yet.


    "I''d like to speak to you in private," Illyuken said.


    Alec nodded quietly, and the two stepped aside into the Meister''s room. The Meister that had just been killed.


    "What is it?"


    "Your daggers¡­ are they made from a dragon''s scale?"


    Alec looked at Illyuken sharply. "You can tell?"


    "Yes." The admission didn''t seem fake. There were few people who knew the characteristics of a dragon''s scale, but Illyuken couldn''t be more familiar with it.


    That sheen¡­


    It reminded him of an old friend. A friend that had suffered the same fate as he had. Never had he been more regretful that the last of them had been betrayed by the very people that he believed in.


    Illyuken had been the one who persuaded his friend to give the humans a chance.


    The thought of it still filled him with wrathful anger. Anger that surged through his veins, eating at him. For him, who had been in hibernation for most of the time, it felt as if it had happened only yesterday.


    Dragons believed in fate and destiny, but¡­


    Right now, Illyuken was no longer willing to leave destiny in someone else''s hands. He would take control of his own destiny.


    It was both hot and cold at the same time, and looking at it in this youth''s hands now¡­


    He knew that it was given willingly. The magic that filled those daggers were more than enough for him to realize that.


    It gave him hope that his friend was free.


    "That scale was from Haphira, right?"


    Alec nodded. His eyes were calm. He suddenly connected something. "You must be Haphira''s friend. The one that made the crack between realms, right?"


    Illyuken''s eyes glinted. "Yes." There was more peace within him now, knowing that his friend was indeed safe.


    The dragon held out his hand to Alec. "May I?"


    Alec handed his daggers to Illyuken without any hesitation.


    The dragon touched the daggers that would never go dull, running his palm along the edge.


    Usually, no blade would ever be able to pierce his skin, but this was a blade made out of a dragon''s scale.


    Golden blood flowed freely, and Illyuken coated both daggers in his blood.


    The daggers flashed as they absorbed the blood, gaining a faint golden sheen on top of the silvery-white blade.


    Illyuken handed them back to Alec, who took them gratefully.


    He sheathed them, realizing that they were much stronger than before after drinking the blood from a dragon. All this while, the blades had been drinking the blood of various creatures and humans, but it was only with Illyuken''s blood that it was pushed to the next level.


    Alec was curious about something. This Illyuken was considered to be quite good in arrays and seals, yet he was unable to break free from the shackles that had been imposed on him by the company?


    Illyuken must have understood what he was thinking from his look, so he spoke before Alec could ask.


    "When I was sealed, all memories related to runes were denied to me," he said with a solemn look on his face.


    The words immediately alarmed Alec.


    A seal that could directly deny someone their memories? How was that possible?


    Before, it was already considered remarkable when the brand on Sekai was influenced not to have his thoughts go in a certain direction, but now, Illyuken was telling him that he was directly denied his memories.


    It was very shocking and disturbing. It also meant that the other Array Master was more than competent. It wasn''t something that he didn''t know already, but to have it confirmed¡­


    Illyuken took a look at the human who was deep in thought and left him be. He could feel the other semi-strong beings in this base, and he would wipe them out.


    A vicious glint went through his eyes.

 Chapter 400 - Sweet Affection

    The battle between the Meisters left in the base were handled by Illyuken and Harou. They took one each, decimating the two Meisters who were like sitting ducks.


    It wasn''t a workout at all. Instead, it was more like a one-sided fight. The two magical beasts wailed on the Meisters until their figures could no longer be made out.


    All that was left of them were pounds of flesh, and they were definitely dead.


    The two Meisters had suffered a lot before they died in order for the two to vent their anger.


    In the end, Illyuken and his lone subordinate didn''t make a move other than eliminating the other two Meisters who were inside the headquarters.


    While this was the headquarters of the company, there were still others who were not in the base at the time.


    This usually included the ''higherups''.


    But the destruction of the base would have lit a fire under their asses, causing them to come crawling out of the woodwork.


    It wouldn''t take very long.


    There had to be at least one Grand Meister in the company for them to run around so covertly. They would have been long discovered otherwise.


    Illyuken licked his lips, attracting someone''s attention to him.


    Alec raised a brow, seeing how his subordinate was practically drooling over the dragon.


    This little girl really¡­ well. Alright, fine. Rosabel liked good-looking men. There really wasn''t anyone who could outclass a dragon in looks of all things. There were even two subtle black horns in Illyuken''s hair, adding to his inhuman charm.


    Illyuken and Haphira were really too stunning compared to them mortals.


    Alec''s lips quirked when he saw Rosabel unable to control herself from staring at him. He suddenly wanted to see Elysia, who was running around rampantly in the base.


    At this moment, just as he was thinking about her, Elysia finally popped back out cheerfully. Her eyes were glittering as she waved at Alec.


    "Alec, Alec. I found something. I believe it should be the red alert that will cause all of them to swarm here regardless of their status."


    Alec raised a brow. This was what he''d been looking for, but they''d hidden it too well. Sure enough, using a Main Character''s luck was really efficient.


    Alec looked at the red button in her hands, and he looked at the other buttons on the wall.


    Those buttons only alerted the base, but the button in Elysia''s hands alerted the entire company.


    The alert would go out to all of the other nine bases, and the people there would flock here.


    Alec actually let out a chuckle. It was likely that they never expected that this button would one day be pressed, right?


    If it was pressed, that meant that their presence would be exposed to the outside world, which was not something good for them.


    Alec smiled ever so gently, which attracted Elysia''s attention. He beckoned at her, and she couldn''t help but stare at his gentle smile though she knew that he was likely thinking some bad thoughts.


    She was just attracted to every action of his, like she was bewitched.


    Perhaps it was because they were still in the beginning stages of their love, which made Alec that much more attractive to her.


    She walked over to him like she''d been hooked by a fishing rod, floating over.


    There were a few coughs of amus.e.m.e.nt in the background, but they didn''t register to her.


    Alec shamelessly hugged Elysia in front of everyone, staking his claim in front of the dragon and the wolf.


    After all, they were not part of his Spectres¡­


    And they were handsome. If Elysia got attracted over to them, he wouldn''t have any tears left to cry.


    If Elysia knew what he was thinking, she would have shaken her head. After all, her father was more handsome ¨C er, regardless, in her eyes, Alec was still the best!


    It was probably the words of a little girl infatuated in love, but she really thought that no one else could compare to Alec. Love was blind, and all that.


    Similarly, in Alec''s eyes, no matter how beautiful someone was, no one could compare to Elysia in his eyes.


    She was the only one that remained in his mind, and she was the only one who could enter his dreams.


    Besides her, there was no one else.


    "We''ll check this button and activate it if there''s nothing wrong," Alec said with a smile. He just blurted out a random reason, not even caring about how legitimate the reason was.


    Suddenly, Alec hugged Elysia and carried her off, causing her to let out surprised laughter, but she obediently clung to his neck, her heart feeling so sweet.


    Perhaps, nothing else would compare to this sweet and affectionate feeling that Alec inspired in her with a few simple motions.


    Alec tugged her into another room, kissing her. The adrenaline from before had yet to fade, and Elysia was just as excited as he was.


    The two of them exchanged fervent and passionate kisses, their fingers lingering, but they didn''t go too far.


    Their kisses got more and more heated. Alec took a few steps forward and Elysia took a few steps backwards.


    Ping!


    Suddenly Elysia''s foot stepped on the button, causing her to stumble as she tripped over the button.


    Surprised, the two parted, panting.


    They looked at each other in surprise before they looked at the button that was under Elysia''s foot.


    Uh¡­


    Well, it was not intentional.


    The two burst into laughter at how they''d been behaving, and Alec buried his head in Elysia''s neck, breathing in her sweet fragrance. A small smile curved onto his face. Not the practiced ones that he made in the mirror, but something smaller and more affectionate.


    He really had been planning on checking the button further before activating it, but uh¡­ they seemed to have gotten a bit carried away.


    Luckily, the control of the headquarters was under him, and because he hadn''t allowed it, the alarm couldn''t go off. Otherwise, they would have come before they finished clearing out the base.


    But they finally regained their senses after this little episode.


    Alec helped Elysia tidy up before he straightened his clothes, and the two took the button and went back hand in hand.


    Immediately after they returned, they heard a few wolf-whistles.


    The Spectres who had gathered after a while were secretly laughing at them.


    Their Boss and Elysia disappearing like that together and returning back with flushed faces, what else could have happened?


    Alec suddenly remembered something. He turned to Elysia and said, "That''s your father''s friend. Illyuken Nyre. Do you know him?"


    Elysia looked over at Illyuken, who looked at her curiously.


    Haphira''s daughter?


    Illyuken was stunned. That unfriendly Haphira, who previously looked down on humans? When the hell had this happened? From the way Alec was talking about him, he now appeared fine with him.


    Though he was stunned at this realization, he didn''t show it on his face. "Hello."


    Elysia looked at him curiously. If she looked closely, she could indeed see the dragon characteristics on him, which was mainly the slit eye, and the imposing aura of a dragon. There were also two slightly curved horns that were mostly hidden in his hair, just like the ones that her father had.


    It was well-concealed, but she could still see it if she was looking for it.


    "Nice to finally meet you," Elysia said, grinning.


    Illyuken seemed to have seen something in Elysia''s smile. It was the same smile that Haphira usually smiled.


    At this moment, the lonely dragon really felt like meeting up with his friend. But he had a feeling that he was no longer on Incantix at the moment.


    He just nodded gracefully.


    Seeing that their meeting had ended, Alec took the button out and looked at them. "Prepare for battle. I''ll be pressing it now. We should barricade the entrances."


    They all gave their agreement, so Alec simply pressed the button.


    There wasn''t any sound in the base since Alec disabled it, but the alert had definitely gone out.


    Slowly, bloodthirsty expressions appeared on everyone''s faces.


    Battle!

 Chapter 401 - Grand Meister

    Sure enough, within five minutes, there were already people pouring into the entrances from aboveground as well as those that were connected to the bases.


    They didn''t stop them from entering, and it was only when the number of people flooding into the place stagnated that they blocked off the entrances, not allowing them to exit or enter.


    The Spectres were all having the time of their lives, both indulging in their bloodl.u.s.t and sating it at the same time. It scratched an itch that had been bubbling in them the entire time. The itch that had started from the time that Boss said they were going to take down the company.


    Illyuken raised a brow when he saw how happily these humans were battling.


    As far as he knew, humans usually detested bloodshed and were rather squeamish about it. However, these bunch of humans were¡­


    Bluntly put, more like beasts than they were humans. In that they were the minority of the humans that he''d seen in his long life.


    Had the humans already progressed to such a stage while he was sealed away? Were these sorts of humans no longer oppressed and feared? How curious.


    Illyuken continued to observe while Harou threw himself into battle against the humans with glee and savage happiness.


    Now that he''d seen blood, his fur looked a lot shinier, and he actually had muscles now. He was a far cry from what Hayden and the rest had seen down underground.


    Blood and gore splattered everywhere, but it only served to make both sides exude more bloodl.u.s.t and battle cries. By now, it was obvious that there was something wrong, but the people from the company didn''t even bother to try and flee. Instead, they threw their everything into the battle with the Spectres, which wasn''t logical.


    The Spectres were laughing gleefully as they battled against the people from the company.


    Even though they were sustaining injuries, they were mostly minor injuries, and the adrenaline that pumped through their blood caused them to be more energetic than ever.


    The only person who wasn''t in the battle was Illyuken, who was waiting for stronger prey to come over.


    As soon as one of those Meisters came over, he decimated them casually before they even had a chance to make much of a move.


    He was waiting for the appearance of a Grand Meister that would tip the scales of the battle.


    Suddenly, Illyuken c.o.c.ked his head, as if he was thinking about something.


    Then, he was immediately out of the headquarters, heading aboveground.


    There was a Grand Meister coming!


    Illyuken''s blood was boiling, and his eyes became red. Finally.


    Finally, he was able to vent his frustration.


    He didn''t know if the people that had sealed him down there for so long were still alive, but it didn''t matter.


    These people were the ones who would carry on the ''flame'' so to speak.


    He would show them no mercy.


    Alec left the Spectres to deal with the small fry.


    This was a rare chance for him to see a Grand Meister fight.


    Eyes gleaming, he headed upwards, and he was met with Illyuken''s giant form soaring upwards.


    Illyuken was a beautiful onyx dragon. His scales shone in the sky, reflecting the light. In his true form, he was even more beautiful than he was in his human form. His form could cause one to feel a sense of reverence once they glanced at it.


    From its powerful figure to the beauty of his onyx scales, he could not be disregarded.


    The giant form of a dragon clashed against the Grand Meister that had come at last.


    The two of them were evenly matched in terms of power, but Illyuken won in terms of experience.


    Just the shockwaves around caused buildings to collapse, and the two were obviously holding back since they didn''t want to demolish the city.


    They were moving so fast that it was hard to catch their movements in its entirety.


    Most times, a move was blocked before it could be fully formed.


    Illyuken''s wings snapped open to their full wingspan, covering the city with his shadow. He was much larger than the Grand Meister that had come, but he was not losing out in terms of agility or speed.


    With a howl, most of the buildings that didn''t have firm foundations directly collapsed, but with a flap of his wings, most of the people were safe from harm.


    The other Grand Meister had no such compunctions.


    Alec narrowed his eyes. When the Grand Meister swooped down, avoiding Illyuken''s attack, he suddenly realized that that person was ''Inspector Fade'' that had escaped from him before. He placed a finger on the array, narrowing his eyes.


    He was shocked in his heart. The person that he''d been planning on kidnapping in order to extract information from was actually a Grand Meister. After she controlled the body of that woman, none of her power had shown.


    As the two Grand Meisters had a battle in the sky, Alec had a sudden thought. Could it be that ''Inspector Fade'' was actually the strongest person in the company?


    It would explain why their security had become so much tighter, as well as why they had pushed forward several of their projects at once.


    Alec frowned. Right now, he was able to face off against a Meister, but not a Grand Meister.


    As much as he wanted to take her out himself, he knew that he couldn''t do it at this moment.


    He never expected that they would really have a Grand Meister in the company. After all, what kind of insanity was it for someone to be able to successfully breakthrough into that rank in their lifetime?


    Compared to magical beasts, a human''s lifespan was comparatively short. In general, humans were considered weak. They needed to team up if they wanted to win in a fight against a magical beast or creature of the same rank.


    At this moment, Illyuken breathed out dragon fire, which Fade hastily dodged. Illyuken then swooped through his own fire, taking no damage as his jaws snapped at the woman''s small figure.


    Fade kicked back, but she couldn''t completely dodge it. She was mostly clear, but her hand had been caught in Illyuken''s mouth.


    Exerting more strength, the dragon cleanly bit through the woman''s arm, and half of her forearm disappeared immediately. He even swallowed it down together with one of the blades that she''d been using.


    Fade didn''t let out a sound of pain, but her teeth were grit tightly, and her eyes were red. She snarled as Illyuken devoured her arm with a grin on his face. The dragon''s eyes exuded viciousness and disdain.


    Next to Alec, who felt like he had comprehended something, Rosabel made a sound of awe.


    Alec was lost in his comprehension as he pushed his eyes to the limit as he stared at the two of them fighting viciously. No blood was spared, and both magical beast and human suffered from moderate injuries.


    Yet, the most severe injury belonged to Fade as her right arm was gone. She was only left with her arm from the elbow upwards.


    It caused a sharp decrease in her offensive abilities as she lost one arm. As a dual wielder, her combat ability decreased more than half.


    Alec quickly sat down and stared at them for a while longer before he closed his eyes. There was a sudden surge in comprehension when he saw the two fighting. Fighting a Meister properly earlier had given him some ideas, but he still didn''t know how to breakthrough.


    On the other hand, when he saw the two up there fighting, he felt like he''d been hit upside the head.


    He wasn''t the only one who had some gains.


    Rosabel and the other Spectres who had come up to watch the show after dealing with the additional people who came to the headquarter''s ''defence'' were also gaining a lot from watching Illyuken and Fade fight.


    Alec closed his eyes, breathing heavily. The bonds linked to his body shook, and he fell into a vulnerable state.


    Someone suddenly landed next to Alec quietly.


    It was Blanche. She stared quietly at the two in the air fighting.


    Compared to her fight with the Rothschild branch family member, the fight between the two were on a whole different scale.


    She''d suddenly felt the array that Alec passed to her activate. It had alarmed her when she realized that it was in the same place that Alec had told her to come to.


    Who knew that she would find her little brother here on the ground instead of fighting against that person?


    More importantly, she had been ready for a bloody battle, but someone had already beat her to it.


    She couldn''t even intrude in the battle with her skills. It frustrated her immensely, and her eyes were burning.


    She wanted to become a Grand Meister.


    There were a bunch of people who were quietly comprehending as blood and flesh rained down from the skies above.

 Chapter 402 - Entering The Meister Stage

    Alec slowly woke up, feeling the changes in his body.


    He''d finally broken through to the Meister stage.


    It was truly not a lie for them to say that everyone below Meister didn''t know about the true path of cultivating their magic yet.


    Just breaking through to Meister alone allowed him to realize that his strength previously had been a ruse that he''d used to pacify himself, even if he hadn''t realized it.


    He''d only fought those Meisters who had only broken through for a few years. They weren''t considered experienced, and with how Meisters naturally had to use their bodies to fight more, Alec had been able to meet them move for move.


    Now that he knew what being a Meister felt like, it was¡­ a wonderous feeling that couldn''t be described.


    He punched out, and he heard the deafening sound of the air parting before him. A picture that was hanging on the other end of the wall dropped and shattered, startling him.


    Even before, his strength hadn''t been that much. At least, not enough for there to be a shockwave that could cause visible movements and effects on something else.


    Truth to be told, he''d been wondering when he would break through to Meister. After all, the no one had ever heard of someone of the Awakening Magitype breaking through to become a Meister before.


    Alec''s path was entirely self-discovered. While he had faith in himself, there was no telling how long it would take.


    But the battle between Illyuken and Fade had given him insight into the path that he could take.


    Below Meister, most people used their magic abilities that they painstakingly built, but at that level that Illyuken and Fade were fighting, they were mostly using the capabilities of their bodies.


    The abilities were used on the side to enhance and weren''t the main component. That was because a lot of their abilities couldn''t keep up with the fast pace of the battle, meaning that it was mostly useless unless if affected their own body.


    Just this insight alone gave Alec great inspiration.


    It was the moment that inspiration hit him that his mind had undergone a change, causing him to break through into Meister alone.


    It was unprecedentedly quick, considering that he had only entered the advanced stage not too long ago. So many people were stuck on this stage for a long time.


    While part of it had been Alec''s determination to increase the quality of magic in his body quickly, it was also because of this miraculous inspiration that allowed him to break through.


    He wondered if anyone else in his Spectres had gains? Perhaps, soon, the Spectres would have more Meisters other than Dominique and himself.


    At this moment, someone entered the room.


    It was Elysia, who was grinning at him.


    Alec raised a brow when he realized that she too, had broken through into the Meister stage.


    She hugged him tightly. "Congratulations!"


    Alec smiled. "Congratulations yourself. Did anyone else break through?"


    Elysia shook her head. "They''re not too far off, though. They need to think about it a while longer. I think Rosabel is actually the nearest. She''s still in deep mediation now."


    "How was the battle between Illyuken and Fade?"


    "The two of them fought it out for more than two hours before Fade tried to run. Illyuken chased after her, and we''ve yet to hear back from him."


    "Illyuken will probably win. Unless Fade has more trump cards that she''s hiding somewhere."


    Elysia agreed. "It''s likely that she does, but I doubt that Illyuken will allow her to flee that far. After all, as a dragon, his speed far outstrips her."


    "That''s true. A dragon is born for flight, whereas a human gains insight into flight once they step through to Meister."


    "In the domain of the air, humans will never win against a dragon. There''s a reason why dragons were considered kings of the skies. According to my dad, the only reason why dragons left to another realm was because the humans kept bothering them, giving them no peace."


    Alec was a little surprised. Did that mean that dragons had only retreated because they were annoyed, not because they had been losing against the humans?


    He thought about it deeper and he realized that it made sense. After all, even the young of a dragon was rank five, and they increased to rank six once they reached maturity.


    And¡­ judging by Elysia''s tone, there weren''t that few dragons. In fact, there might be quite a few of them!


    He remembered that Haphira said that he was going to the dragon realm to check up on a few things. It was likely that the top existences there were dragons.


    Dragons had been the top of the food-chain back then in Incantix, but now humans ruled the planet.


    It could be predicted what kind of reaction the humans would have if they realized that the feared dragons from before that had seemingly went extinct suddenly one day weren''t actually extinct at all. If they reappeared¡­


    No doubt that they would rally troops and try to go against them, which was the most foolish move.


    There would always be fools that weren''t content to leave the dragons alone.


    They would bring catastrophe onto Incantix.


    Humans never learnt from their past mistakes.


    Alec''s brows furrowed lightly before they smoothened out again. Only the dragons, himself and Elysia knew about this.


    As long as someone didn''t discover a spatial crack to the dragon realm, they would be safe¡­


    Elysia saw that Alec was thinking hard and she tugged him lightly. She didn''t want him to dwell on bad thoughts.


    "Alec, let''s go spar!"


    Alec''s expression softened. "Spar? Alright."


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The two panted harshly, laying on the ground as all energy was drained from them.


    Overenthusiastic as they were trying out their newfound energy, they''d completely wrecked the training room in the company headquarters.


    Now that they''d killed majority of the company''s people, they casually used their space to try out their new ''upgrades''.


    A loss of control and power led to numerous dents and fissures in all parts of the room. Even the ceiling hadn''t been spared. After all, they were getting used to their newly enhanced body, and it was even more of an increase in Alec''s body, which had already been Awakened by himself more than a few times.


    Alec let out a chuckle seeing the various dents in the wall. Elysia had made those while she was first trying to fly.


    She''s slammed into it at such great speeds that it had actually fractured off.


    He didn''t know what her head was made of. Apparently, this room was supposed to be rather padded even for Meisters, but she had actually made so many holes in it.


    The other holes had mostly been made by him as he''d been learning how to control his strength again.


    The increase was too much, and it wasn''t a magic increase. Instead, it was his physical strength that had suffered.


    In the end, after quickly acclimatizing to their strength, they''d gone hard against each other.


    Blood and sweat had both flowed, but they healed at an unprecedented pace.


    Even his healing when he was in the middle of battle wasn''t this quick. It was the upgrade to Meister that did it.


    Alec couldn''t help but feel impatient.


    After seeing Illyuken and Fade battle, his blood burned in his veins. He was both jealous and envious. He''d wanted to be the one flying in the sky, exchanging blows.


    He knew that it was his Sin blood instincts talking there, but that didn''t change how he felt.


    He hauled himself up, holding a hand out to Elysia.


    "Let''s go find Illyuken. He''s probably killed Fade already."


    Elysia grabbed his hand, grinning. "Okay, let''s."

 Chapter 403 - Parting...

    The couple of lovebirds after the trail of destruction left behind as the two Grand Meisters fought against each other.


    There were charred places on the ground from Illyuken''s dragon breath, and it made it much easier for them to follow the trail.


    As they were chasing after his shadow, Harou caught up with them from behind.


    Glancing at the two humans who were following after his master''s path, his eyes flashed.


    He wasn''t quite willing, but in the end, he was about to throw Elysia onto his back.


    But before he was able to do that, he got a dark glare from Alec, and Harou''s eyebrows shot up. Alec hugged Elysia and placed her on his back, and he sped up.


    Harou''s mind went blank. Did Alec realize what he was about to do? Just how jealous could you get?! It wasn''t like he had any other intentions. He just wanted to help them out a little!


    Huffing in annoyance, Harou also sped up accordingly, and he realized that the human was actually outmatching him in terms of speed. It just served to make him more annoyed.


    Humiliation burned up within him, and he pushed himself harder, chasing after Alec with the single-minded determination that had led him to become a rank six magical beast.


    As a proud magical beast, how could he lose against a human in the area that he was the most proficient in?! He only lost to his master. That much already made him burn to catch up. But now, there was an additional human?!


    He couldn''t take this lying down.


    Alec ran along, his lips quirking up a little. When he saw how fast the wolf was trying to follow after him, he was reminded a little of Fenrir, who always pushed himself to his hardest to keep up with Alec.


    He couldn''t help but want to tease Harou a little¡­


    By the time they caught up with Illyuken''s resting form, Harou collapsed on the ground, panting for its life. Wheeze. It was so tired. All that time down there guarding his master had not done anything good for its stamina.


    Harou struggled to his feet as he maintained his pride, causing Illyuken to crack open an eye to stare at his loyal subordinate.


    Illyuken changed back to the humanoid form, and while his face was blank, Alec felt a sense of amus.e.m.e.nt from the dragon.


    Alec''s attention, however, was attracted to the body that was beside Illyuken.


    It was the familiar aura of Inspector Fade, who was now mangled and missing an arm.


    It should be her real body. After all, this body was a Grand Meister. It would be more illogical if it wasn''t her real body.


    Even if it wasn''t, this should be the strongest body that she''d taken over, so she shouldn''t be much of a threat anymore.


    Alec realized that Illyuken seemed a lot more relaxed now that he had killed Inspector Fade. His bloodl.u.s.t wasn''t as intense as before.


    Illyuken''s gaze slid over the two humans, noting that they had grown stronger. "Congratulations are in order, it seems."


    Alec smiled politely, and Elysia beamed at his words.


    "Thank you."


    Illyuken nodded at them, then looked at his sorry-looking subordinate. "Harou, you haven''t been keeping up with your training."


    Harou, who had turned back to his humanoid form, fought off the flush that wanted to appear on his face. How embarrassing!


    He couldn''t even deny it. He had certainly grown a little lax while he''d been stuck down there for days on end, leading to this situation. He''d been beaten by that human¡­


    As Harou quietly despaired, Illyuken gave Elysia a few more glances. He could see that the girl had his friend''s blood in her, making her essentially a half-dragon.


    She was much stronger than most of the humans who were at the same stage as her, but that wasn''t good enough. Even her chosen mate was stronger than her, and he knew that Alec was purely human.


    As a favour to his friend, he would train Elysia himself.


    Telling this to Elysia, her eyes sparkled, but she hesitated when she thought about how she would have to separate from Alec for a long time.


    In the end, she gritted her teeth and agreed to it. There weren''t many chances for her to grow stronger in a short period of time, and she was already feeling the burn. She wasn''t feeling good that she''d fallen behind Alec, who had grown increasingly stronger over this period of time.


    When they''d been sparring earlier, she could feel the disparity between their strength. Though it wasn''t obvious, she could still feel it. It made her feel a bad that Alec had to scale back his strength when they were getting used to the increase.


    She nodded at Illyuken with determination on her face.


    She would go with him even if it meant that she couldn''t see Alec for the time being.


    Elysia turned to look at Alec, who was looking at her with a soft expression on his face. He obviously wouldn''t stand in the way of someone else going after more power. Especially not the love of his life, Elysia.


    Who was he to stop her?


    His first reaction when he heard what Illyuken had to say was to frown, but then, he suddenly thought about how if he did that, he was limiting her and getting in her way instead.


    If he did that, then they would be in a toxic and dependent relationship instead, which was not something that he wanted.


    So, would definitely let her go. Love wasn''t meant to be restricting or restraining. It was meant to bring out the best in your partner and lifting them up higher, not chaining them down.


    It was a sudden revelation that shocked and caused him to sober up, but it also made it easier to let go a little.


    They''d only gotten into this relationship not too long ago, where he was still feeling insecure, but Alec shoved the feeling away. The feeling of weakness was not something that he liked to indulge in. Not to mention, he trusted Elysia.


    Trusting her had been something that had come after the time he spent with her but trusting her with his heart was a whole different matter altogether.


    But now¡­ he found that it wasn''t so different after all.


    Thus, he could now let her go with a peace of mind.


    He had something else that he now wanted to do.


    With the company effectively crippled, he was now able to set out and do the few things that he''d been meaning to look into.


    First was to find Ye Sha, and the other was to find his mother.


    Alec pressed a kiss to Elysia''s cheek. It was a soft, lingering kiss, and Elysia''s eyes softened. She hugged him tightly, then broke away, a deep smile in her eyes. She was a little sad, but not overly so.


    She handed him something. "It''s a little early, but¡­ happy birthday," she said softly. "I''m sorry to miss it." Elysia frowned.


    A smile spread on Alec''s face. He never put much stock into birthdays. To him, it was just another year that had passed, but she¡­ she made him want to celebrate.


    "Go," Alec said instead, the unspoken words of thanks in his eyes. He brushed his thumb across her cheek affectionately before pulling back.


    She waved at him, and Illyuken grabbed both Elysia and Harou before disappearing.


    Alec looked at them fly off in the distance, feeling a little dazed.


    He stared at the setting sunset¡­

 Chapter 404 - Not Found

    The wind rushed past them.


    Illyuken''s dragon form was made to soar in the skies, and just keeping his wings out caused them to glide without any problems. With his wings spread out, there wasn''t much wind that bothered them on his back, making it a pleasant ride indeed. It was stable and blurringly quick.


    The sun''s dying rays shone down on them, and Elysia''s figure was shadowed by the sun.


    Elysia, who looked at Alec''s fading figure in the distance felt a pang of sadness, but she pushed it aside, filling up the hole that she had left in her with determination.


    She wasn''t the only one who was going to get stronger. One day, she wanted to be strong enough to stand side by side with Alec and know that she could take on anything with him.


    She didn''t want to be a burden.


    Elysia had no plans on missing the first birthday that had come since they''d gotten together, but something deep inside her had urged her so strongly that she almost felt out of breath. So, she had left him her promise¡­


    The promise that she would forever be his. He might not have realized, but she definitely realized that there were times he acted insecurely. Though she thought that it was cute, she didn''t want him to feel that way.


    The reason why she had left so quickly and abruptly was that decisiveness had hit her. Something deep inside her made her feel like there was more trouble coming soon. And it was going to be something that she couldn''t handle at her current level.


    Meister was strong, but it wasn''t strong enough. She knew that she could reach other heights if she just pushed herself hard enough.


    Though the end of the company should have given her comfort, she could feel that there was something brewing.


    Something that would shake up their entire planet.


    And she felt it deep down in her bones that she was currently too weak to be able to withstand it.


    Alec, too, was too weak at the time being.


    If the two of them couldn''t withstand it, then they would never get to have their ''happily ever after'' so to speak.


    Perhaps this time apart from him would give the two of them a boost and urge them harder.


    Illyuken seemed to sense Elysia''s emotions and said in a low tone, "You''re probably thinking about what that deep unsettling feeling is inside of you."


    Elysia was shocked. How did he know? It wasn''t like he could read her mind.


    The dragon continued to talk. "That''s our instincts. As you already know, dragons believe in destiny. That''s why you were so hung up on your chosen mate, were you not? Well, other than that, dragons can feel the change in the air."


    Elysia thought quietly about what he said. If what Illyuken said was true, then all dragons had this type of ''predictive'' ability. Sensing destiny?


    It felt farfetched, but she was already a half-dragon. Half of the blood running through her belonged to a pure-blooded dragon, and she had inherited all the instincts that came along with it.


    She was sensitive to danger as well as the emotions of others, which was why she knew that what Alec showed on his face and what he felt inside at times weren''t exactly the same. Yet, she felt that he was adorable.


    However, what Illyuken was saying was that there was a real catastrophe coming that would shake the world''s foundations.


    How could she not be shocked?


    While she felt it deep in her bones, there had been a part of her that had been faintly disbelieving, hoping that it wouldn''t come true.


    Harou, who was also on Illyuken''s back, spoke up. "If master says it''s true, then it''s true. Even though you''re only considered a halfling, that doesn''t mean that your instincts are any weaker. They might even be stronger, considering that you''re half human as well. it means that your instincts are more in tune with what''s dangerous to you."


    Elysia nodded, no trace of her usual bright smile on her face. She was more serious than anyone had ever seen her.


    She clenched her fists tightly.


    They would definitely pass this calamity.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec felt dazed as he watched them get smaller and smaller. He felt like reaching out, but he knew that he wouldn''t be able to bring himself to force her to stay by his side.


    There was an inexplicable ache in his heart that spoke of separation. Even when he had left his mother to venture out in the world, it had never felt like this. Nor had it felt so strong when he parted from his siblings¡­


    There was a throbbing deep inside that couldn''t be sated.


    Alec never knew that he would have such strong feelings for someone else, and it still scared him a little.


    He smiled faintly. Ye Sha would have whacked him upside the head¡­


    At this moment, he remembered that Elysia had given him something before she left. He supposed that it was the birthday gift that she''d prepared for him.


    It wasn''t very big, and it was even smaller than the size of his palm.


    It was a little black box. Shaking it, he didn''t hear anything moving about inside, which made him puzzled. With Alec''s hearing, he should have been able to hear it had there been anything loose inside.


    What could it be?


    Opening it, his eyes widened with confusion.


    Inside, there was a small, silvery ring with a tiny gem the same shade as Elysia''s eyes.


    Alec fell into a daze as he stared at it lying quietly on his palm.


    She''d¡­ given him a ring.


    She¡­


    Wasn''t it usually the other way around?!


    Alec complained in his heart, but there was a small smile on the corner of his lips that he couldn''t hide.


    With great lingering affection, he pulled off his glove and wore it, staring at it quietly sitting on his fingers.


    Suddenly, his face heated up, and he jammed the glove back on.


    The only addition was that there was now a ring that lay quietly underneath.


    It was an unspoken promise that they would meet again, and it served to make him feel a lot more anchored.


    He was a little speechless. That little girl had prepared such a gift. Why was she giving him jewellery of all things?


    His fingers felt a little tingly where the ring sat, and if Elysia was in front of him, he would have pinched her cheeks, causing her to pout.


    Alec smirked at the thought, and he slowly calmed down.


    Not having any further thoughts, Alec turned back decisively once he noticed that Illyuken''s large figure had disappeared into the sunset.


    He had no idea how the dragon had flown with the sun in his eyes.


    First, he had to gather up his Spectres before they went off the rails thinking that he had ditched them or something.


    Not to mention, he had a feeling that a few of his subordinates would break through to become Meisters as well.


    Hurrying his footsteps, Alec too disappeared, but in the opposite direction.


    It was a separation that could not be avoided if they wanted to continue growing, and all that could be seen was Alec''s slightly lonely figure.


    But if they looked into his eyes, they would have seen that there was a light of firm determination that burned inside those crystalline blue orbs.

 Chapter 405 - Happy Birthday, Boss!

    The next day.


    Alec rubbed his eyes as he woke up, feeling surprisingly lethargic for once. He''d slept in, his mind filled with a strangely unspeakable gloom and depression.


    The determination had lasted him all the way until sleep, then it had sunk slightly due to the unspeakable feelings he had coursing through his body.


    Though he had already resolved himself not to get worked up over Elysia leaving, his dreams had reflected something else, leaving him in a bad mood.


    Alec hardly ever dreamed.


    But whenever he did¡­


    He got up, brushing his hair out of his face, and the touch of warm metal caused him to pause. The ring was still on his hand¡­


    He looked at it fondly, most of his annoyance dissipating.


    Quietly, he locked up all the negative thoughts behind a wall again, shoving the lid down firmly, just like when he''d been happily ignoring whatever he felt at the sight of Elysia.


    How was he going to find Ye Sha?


    He''d been looking all this time, but he still hadn''t been able to find a clue. Ye Sha should be in some place that wasn''t constrained by the boundaries of human beings.


    If he wanted to find Ye Sha, he would likely have to ask One to help him out. She should know where Ye Sha was.


    But One was somewhere on Awerk continent still, touring around with Dominique.


    Alec''s lips twitched at the thought. One always clung to Dominique, like he was her father. It was a bit strange considering she looked like a blend between himself and Elysia. He didn''t know when it had changed from One clinging to him to One clinging on Dominique.


    It always gave him funny thoughts.


    He strode out of the room, ready to run his Spectres into the ground today.


    They would be training for real this time. They hadn''t had a proper training session for such a long time. He didn''t know if their skills had regressed.


    It was especially important after going through such a battle with the company. Their gains should be quite substantial, and they would likely have a lot of bloodl.u.s.t pent up now.


    He''d have to let those wild wolves out for a bit of a hunt.


    Alec tilted his head when he heard all of his Spectres with heavily beating heartbeats, like they were holding pent-up aggression. Sure enough, he was right.


    Their heartbeats told him that they were all excited. They were probably just short of pacing around.


    He could even hear Nicholas'' heartbeat, who was surprisingly blending in quite well with them. Feral Nic had finally gone to sleep, and normal Nicholas came back out to play.


    He raised a brow when he realized that all his familiars were nearby as well. They too, seemed rather excited.


    Confused, he stepped out. He was more than ready for a good training session to get rid of all the negative feelings that were plaguing him.


    The first thing he saw was Bunbun''s face, and what followed nearly deafened him.


    His three familiars all threw themselves at him, hugging and nuzzling him cutely. He just barely managed to reach out and pat them and hug back when there were various pops and the shower of confetti rained over him.


    His heart actually jolted from the shock of the sudden loud noises.


    He looked at it blankly, the normal smile on his face freezing a bit.


    "Happy Birthday Boss!" they all shouted.


    Alec was dazed for a split second before he felt something akin to embarrassment.


    He looked around at his Spectres and his familiars, and he realized that the feelings of excitement they gave off previously was because of this.


    No wonder they were all gathering near his room.


    They all looked so happy to do this that he didn''t have the heart to stop them. Experiencing a normal occasion like this where they weren''t discriminated against was hard for them.


    His heart softened, and he decided to let them rest for a day. He would push them into hell tomorrow¡­


    Yuki seemed to have noticed the dark foreboding feeling that his Boss gave him, as if he was thinking about another hell routine, and he shoved a slice of cake at Alec in an attempt to run some damage control.


    For some reason, he felt as if tomorrow''s training was going to be very hard¡­


    "Eat up, Boss! We know you don''t like it too sweet, so we got chocolate that was a bit more bitter."


    Alec scooped a bit of the cake into his mouth, munching it. It was pretty good.


    He couldn''t help but feel that his Spectres were all just little puppies, with their tails wagging as they waited for his judgement on the cake.


    "Pretty good," he said with a smile.


    Half of the room cheered while the other despaired.


    "Haha! I knew my cooking would conquer Boss! Pay up!"


    "No! Boss, isn''t it too sweet?!"


    "Haha! Pay up! Give me my twenty right now!"


    Alec''s lips quirked as the room exploded into noise. So, they were waiting so eagerly because they''d made a bet?!


    It was a bit hard on his ears, but he couldn''t stop them when they all looked so excited.


    "You better not have gotten me presents," Alec said with a smile.


    Rosabel, who was eating cake on her own, tutted. She had shifty eyes. "Who do you think we are? Of course we didn''t!"


    Alec looked at her expression, and she looked away guiltily. He raised a brow.


    Yuki tried to deflect his attention, but only succeeded in drawing it. "Uh¡­ there might be more than one cake."


    Slowly, Alec''s eyebrows were climbing. "¡­Just how many cakes are there? Tell it to me straight."


    The Spectres nearby looked around shiftily, and they all made various excuses to run away. They all scattered like dominos.


    Alec let them be as he walked around the ex-company''s headquarters. His Spectres had all but taken over now.


    He found a cake in the corner.


    Then, he rounded the corner and found another cake.


    The cakes were all in various stages of being devoured by them, which left him a little speechless.


    No wonder they had all looked so shifty earlier. They''d gone overboard on the cakes, and now the base was filled with all the different styles and kinds of cakes.


    Still, that much was fine. At least they hadn''t gone and bought him presents.


    The moment he thought that, his eye caught sight of a big group of Spectres hurriedly dismantling the present pile that they were trying to keep out of his sight.


    The sight of his Spectres panicking and trying very hard to dismantle the present pile startled a laugh out of him, and they all whipped around, looking very guilty.


    They tried to hide it with their bodies, but obviously, there were many presents that were still visible.


    "Uh¡­ Boss, it isn''t what you think," one of them spoke up.


    "Yeah, yeah, Boss. It''s not what you think."


    "These are our presents! Uh, that''s not right. What I mean is, these presents belong to us! Wait¡­"


    Someone whacked him.


    "What he means, Boss, is that we bought presents for ourselves?"


    The questioning and panicking tone was very strong from them.


    Alec''s lips twitched. Alright, they were trying so hard to save themselves that he felt sorry for them.


    "Then¡­ why don''t you do a mystery present exchange? One for everyone?"


    "Uh¡­" The Spectres looked surprised.


    Suddenly, they felt like it was a good idea. Devious looks appeared on their faces as they contemplated how to cheat.


    "Good idea, Boss!"


    Their eyes burned. Who would be the one who gave Boss their present!? Competition suddenly emerged in their eyes. The flames could have scorched with how hot they appeared.

 Chapter 406 - Your Birthday Present: Its Me

    In the end, the one that won was one of the Spectres that weren''t considered to be part of Alec''s ''inner circle'', so to speak, but it made the Spectre beam, nonetheless.


    Alec felt very indulgent that day, considering that his Spectres were all acting like this for his birthday. The Spectres were all so happy that he really couldn''t bear to kick them out of the mood.


    The System was quietly sitting by the side with a piece of cake, eating it as his Spectres were messing around.


    He thought about Elysia, who was missing the party, and his mother, who was still gone somewhere he didn''t even know where to start finding. Was he going to comb the entire planet to look for the place where it would lead to another realm?


    His mother had gone to find his father, apparently, and it filled him with various conflicting thoughts.


    His mother was a strong person, and she wasn''t the type of person that would allow external factors to get in her way.


    Alec knew his mother well enough. She had probably already found his biological s.p.e.r.m donor, wherever he was.


    If Alec went to find her, would he be intruding¡­?


    For the time being, he wouldn''t look for her until after he found Ye Sha. It still looked like he would have to go and find One to find Ye Sha.


    He could build a teleport array to the other continent at an exorbitant price, now that he was already back. What he had to do was make another teleportation array on the other side of the continent.


    Suddenly, at that moment, the space around him warped a little, but he realized that the Spectres were all behaving as per normal.


    They didn''t seem to notice that there was anything wrong at all.


    A thought flashed in Alec''s mind. Could it be¡­?


    The System continued to munch on the chocolate cake that was still the best tasting cake out of all of them. It was light, but also fluffy with a bit of crunch, adding everything together to create a holistic experience.


    The warping space around him continued to warp, and it finally shattered into pieces, admitting a figure that he hadn''t seen in so long that he almost forgot what the other person looked like.


    A familiar sound entered his ears, and he slowly brought the fork to his mouth.


    He heard a voice that hadn''t been heard for a long time.


    "Seriously. I come back, and all you''re doing is eating cake? Can''t you show some enthusiasm?"


    Alec nodded seriously, continuing to eat the cake. "It''s good cake. My Spectres made it."


    Ye Sha sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. "Fine. I''ll forgive you on the account that it''s your birthday."


    Alec smiled, holding his other hand out. "Where''s my present?"


    Ye Sha raised a brow, spreading his arms with a smug look on his face. "What do you think?"


    Alec tilted his head, seemingly confused.


    "Me! It''s me! I''m your present!"


    Alec gave him a smile, but there was disdain in his eyes, causing Ye Sha to blow his top.


    "Agh! You''re still as infuriating as ever, old friend."


    There were two little girls that had followed Ye Sha, and they looked like his mini versions, only they were female.


    They should be Two and Three.


    "Two and Three?" Alec asked, pointing his fork at them.


    "Yeah."


    Alec looked closer at them. They certainly seemed less robotic now, and they behaved like how One was.


    He nodded at the area in the distance. "Go get some cake. If anyone asks something, you''re with me."


    "Okay," they chirped.


    "So, what have you been doing all this time?" Alec directed to Ye Sha.


    Truth to be told seeing his friend in person really made him feel relieved. While he knew he was still alive, it didn''t beat seeing it in person.


    Not to mention, Ye Sha actually had a physical body now.


    Alec reached out and prodded his friend. Mm. His skin sure was elastic.


    Ye Sha looked at Alec, dumbfounded. Why had he expected a much larger reaction from this big idiot? He should have known better.


    Ye Sha fended off Alec''s grabby fingers.


    Though the two of them were horsing around like this, they weren''t noticed by the Spectres at all.


    It was as if the two of them didn''t exist.


    "Hmph." Ye Sha sat down heavily and pouted, crossing his arms. "Well, there''s been a lot of developments. But uh¡­ well. I might or might not have taken over as the Motherboard."


    The piece of cake that Alec had just picked up dropped off the fork. "The *what*?"


    "Mm, yeah." Ye Sha scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "The uh¡­ the previous Motherboard wanted to do something nefarious to you, so I took over it."


    Alec stared blankly at him. "You just¡­ took over. Just like that."


    Ye Sha hesitated. "Yeah¡­"


    In the end, Alec just shrugged. What else could he say? There were so many fantastical things happening every day that he had grown numb to it all already. What else could surprise him anymore?"


    "Also, this world is about to be invaded."


    Alec nodded calmly, eating his cake.


    "By other Systems and the Main Characters under them."


    The fork snapped in Alec''s hand. "What?" he said with a calm expression.


    Ye She felt chills run up and down his spine. "Uh¡­ Don''t shoot the messenger?"


    Alec glared at him. "You''re only telling me this now?!"


    "Well, it''s not like I had much time! I only just managed to take over as the damn Motherboard, okay?"


    Alec ran a hand over his face tiredly. "Wait, but¡­ what''s your relationship with the Mainframe?"


    Ye Sha''s face suddenly developed a smug look. "It has to call me master now."


    "Seriously?"


    "Dead serious. I specially went back and subdued it. How dare it f.u.c.k.i.n.g treat you like this? Not to mention, the Mainframe ran away from the Motherboard''s control and started up its little ''company'' on its own illegally."


    Alec suddenly felt very tired. "Alright¡­"


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec left with satisfaction, leaving behind numerous bodies that had been run into the ground.


    They were all lying on the ground, their muscles all aching.


    Somehow, it was even more tiring than going through a battle. Their muscles didn''t even ache after the battle.


    But one round of training with the Boss made them all feel like they were on the verge of death.


    But the Sins being who they were, they only felt more fired up after they realized that they were still far behind their Boss in terms of power.


    Once, they''d been more powerful, but now, they were falling behind.


    It lit a fire in them, and they all dragged themselves upwards despite the ache in their bodies.


    Alec turned back and saw them all get up like zombies in the background, and his lips twitched in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    He couldn''t help but feel it was funny. Especially after he''d seen the real zombies that had caused a catastrophe on another planet. Even their expression was particularly alike¡­


    Still, he left.


    His Spectres were all determined people, and he knew that they wouldn''t be slacking off any time soon.


    Ye Sha had left yesterday together with Two and Three after informing of the possible way to enter the other realm that his mother had went.


    He''d been speechless finding out where the link between the two realms were.

 Chapter 407 - Quiet Inspiration

    Because the damn link between the two realms was concealed in The Great Expanse that was just outside their clan compound. Not only that, the place it was¡­


    It left him speechless.


    No wonder his mother had left so quickly without him being able to track her down at all.


    He''d checked using the Cookie Sect, but no one had caught a glimpse of her ever since she ''left'' the clan compounds.


    Originally, he thought that she just had superior stealth skills that would have allowed her to escape from being tracked down, but who knew¡­


    Alec silently looked in the sky, as if looking for patience.


    Beside him, Ye Sha quietly laughed at his friend''s face. It wasn''t every day that he got to see his friend so speechless.


    The link between this realm and the other realm was well-concealed, and it was in actual fact, inside the place that he''d called his ''hideout'' in the earlier years. The place that he came when he wanted some space to himself, where he could do whatever he wanted without anyone keeping an eye on him.


    It was also, ironically, the place where all the corrupt elders in his clan had not been able to find no matter what they did.


    That just made him feel even more like thumping his head on a wall.


    It had been there the entire time, but he had never realized. He actually never realized it¡­


    Now that he had the rune sight, he could clearly see that the place was littered with runes even without having gone down. Alec just grew more and more speechless. Why hadn''t he come back here last time he came back to the clan compound¡­?


    Alec jumped through the hole in the ground, and Ye Sha did the same.


    The place was indeed a lot more inhabitable ¨C or as inhabitable as it could get. His uncle came by occasionally to clean the dust, but that was it.


    The place still looked the same as the last time that he''d seen it. He hadn''t been back here for many years already, no longer needing it, but who would have thought that he would one day return in this manner?


    Even Ye Sha was laughing at him for having missed such a big thing.


    Alec didn''t even want to say anything now.


    Who knew that he would have coincidentally stumbled across this when he was young ¨C eh? He forgot that he was a Main Character too. Suddenly, Alec felt his head ache something fierce at the thought.


    Right¡­


    He was a Main Character too¡­


    He walked in with great familiarity, going to the deepest part of the underground cavern. The place still had electricity despite being out in the middle of the Great Expanse. It was mostly powered using solar energy.


    The deeper in he walked, Alec realized that the runes here all exuded a faint power that he couldn''t be more familiar with.


    It was his mother''s magic.


    It hummed quietly, and Alec was lost in the beauty of the runes that appeared before his eyes.


    There was a delicate sense to it, elegant yet powerful and brutal at the same time. It was a strange contradiction.


    The potency of the runes was on a whole different level than he was used to.


    It seemed like the realm that his mother had reached was even further than the one that he walked on the journey of arrays.


    All of a sudden, he felt quite eager to meet her again.


    He even ruthlessly threw aside whatever unresolved feelings he had for the father that he''d never met. He just had to ask her some questions about these runes ¨C


    Ye Sha saw Alec slowly getting more and more excited, and he smacked his back. "I say, can you maintain your excitement for a bit? No wonder your familiars are all like that. Like master, like familiar!"


    Ye Sha pointed at the three familiars who were horsing around, playing ''catch'' with Loeri as the ''ball''.


    Loeri was even making soft squeaking sounds in excitement, gleefully shouting, "Wheee!"


    Alec looked like he was about to retort, but then Ye Sha just casually shoved his friend through the damn ''portal'', not really interested in the System''s retort to himself.


    Alec instantly went through it, and his three familiars stood there, shocked. They looked at Ye Sha with wide, betrayed eyes.


    How could he do that to their master?!


    Ye Sha crumbled under their large eyes, and he coughed twice. "That, uh. That¡­ Agh, whatever. Just go through!"


    The three of them kept shooting him large, mournful eyes as they shuffled step by step towards the portal, looking at him like he was a big villain.


    They acted like he was pushing them to their deaths.


    Ye Sha''s lips twitched. Suddenly, he questioned his decision about having a physical body. He should have just obediently stayed inside Alec''s mindscape.


    After the three of them went through, he gave a long-suffering expression, then he gestured to Two and Three.


    "You go in as well. Make sure they''re not being disorderly."


    The two went in obediently, unlike Alec''s bunch of naughty familiars.


    Ye Sha was the last to step through.


    The world behind the portal was still another cave, and by the time Ye Sha stepped through, Alec was already lost in the world of runes, staring and mouthing to himself.


    Ye Sha''s lips twitched. He could almost hear the commentary that was going through his friend''s mind. But since they were already through, then that was that.


    Alec''s mother should feel the disturbance, right?


    She should come and get him, right?


    Then, Alec would naturally snap out of it.


    Ye Sha continued to look over the cave.


    Even though he didn''t have Alec''s rune sight, he could still feel the magic in the air. Perhaps it was because he was more sensitive to the elements after taking over as the Motherboard.


    The place was like a mirror image of the cave that they were in previously, so there wasn''t much for him to see.


    Two and Three had started to play around with Alec''s familiars.


    From time to time, those familiars would still shoot him wounded looks. Ye Sha returned their looks with a dry one.


    Like master like familiar indeed¡­


    Very quickly, the time passed, and in an hour, something finally changed.


    A woman appeared, and she had the typical Neil Clan characteristics.


    Crystalline blue eyes that shone under the light, and soft brown hair that seemed so common. Her features were both stunningly gorgeous as well as having a noble air to her. She exuded a quiet sense of power that Alec had apparently learned from her.


    Ye Sha took a look at her, and he instantly knew that this was Alec''s mother, Annalise.


    Just as he was about to open his mouth to greet her, Annalise shook her head, a smile in her eyes. She placed her index finger on her lips in a shushing fashion, looking at Alec with twinkling eyes.


    She''d all but flown here when she felt her son trigger the arrays that she''d left behind. Her heart had beat so fast that she immediately ditched everything, leaving Aeden dumbfounded as his wife ditched him.


    Alec was deep in thought and his inspiration was overflowing as he looked at Annalise''s work. He hadn''t felt so inspired for a long time, and he was deep within the world of runes right now.


    He couldn''t spare any of his attention for something else. Though he knew that someone had come, he couldn''t extract himself.


    As long as he wasn''t attacked or disturbed, he wouldn''t break out of this state¡­

 Chapter 408 - Wife, Who is-

    By the time Alec extracted himself from the wonderous state that he''d fallen into, it was already late at night.


    The feeling lingered on his mind as he felt wonderfully refreshed, like he''d taken a breath of fresh air after having gotten used to constantly breathing in polluted air.


    The night had faded into day outside of this place, but the space was untouched by the light outside, so Alec had no idea what time it was.


    Ye Sha, Two and Three, along with his familiars, were already deep asleep. They were softly snoring on the hard cave ground, acting like it was just as good as a soft bed. None of them even stirred at all even though there were movements from him.


    But they weren''t what caught Alec''s attention.


    Alec''s eyes lit up when he caught sight of his mother that he hadn''t seen in so many years.


    When he had gone back to find her, his uncle told him that she''d gone to find his father since he was on his journey. And now that he saw her again, she looked even more beautiful than he remembered her.


    Her eyes were softly shining, and there was a deep love held in those eyes. When she smiled, she appeared so motherly and loving that Alec''s eyes couldn''t help but soften with familial affection.


    He had not seen her in so long.


    Compared to the early days when he remembered her having a tinge of sadness to her, his mother now appeared almost radiant. She was clearly happy and joyful in whatever he was doing right now.


    There was no more unhappiness or depression that softly lingered over her magic.


    For that reason alone, he could almost forgive his biological father.


    "Alec," Annalise said softly, drawing in her mostly grown-up son into a hug.


    He''d already become a teenager when she hadn''t expected it for a few more years. She thought that she would still be able to see her childish son. Who knew that he had already become a teenager in the blink of an eye?


    It made her ache that she''d missed her baby''s childhood growing up. Instead, he had been facing challenges outside in the world on his own without anyone being there to be his rock and refuge.


    But he was still her baby boy, and he always would be.


    Alec hugged her back hard, then it faded into something softer.


    He was taller than his mother already, and she''d never felt so tiny in his arms.


    In his memories, he was the one looking up at her. Now, she was the one looking up at him.


    Alec smiled softly, and Annalise chuckled, remembering the time when he had to force himself to practice in front of the mirror in order to perfect his smile.


    Annalise pulled herself back after a while, looking deeply at her son. He showed no signs of being a Sin, and by all accounts he appeared to be an Every.


    She couldn''t even feel any bloodl.u.s.t from him. If it was there, it was indeed well hidden.


    "You don''t have to hide your Societype anymore," she said softly.


    Alec''s eyes narrowed a little.


    She continued to talk. "Originally, because in the Kaoriht continent, as well as in our clan, you being a Sin would have caused you to become hunted. However, after your uncle took care of the dissenters in the upper echelons, it''s safer for you. Also, in this realm¡­"


    Alec smiled again. He had missed hearing his mother''s worry for him though he didn''t like worrying her. "It''s fine. I''m used to it already. Besides, it''s not like I''m doing much hiding. People just make assumptions on their own."


    Annalise looked at him with surprise.


    Alec continued, "Even if I don''t say anything, I realized that humans will always judge you from how you act, according to what they think is true. The best way is just to act however you like. They''ll make their own assumptions. I''ll never be able to control everyone''s opinions, so I''ll just act however I like."


    Annalise looked deeply at her son. He had truly grown up now, and he was able to see everything so clearly. Her smile was bright and brilliant as she looked at the pride of her life.


    Her darling son¡­


    At this moment, there was an echo, as if someone had landed with a great force.


    Listening closer, Alec knew that it was a single man who was coming this way at a quick pace.


    Annalise heard it as well, and her lips quirked mischievously.


    She hugged him tightly, squeezing the life out of him.


    Alec''s lips twitched. He had a feeling that the person who was coming was ''Aeden'', the person that he was named after.


    And¡­ his mother still had her mischievous streak, it seemed. The only thing that made Vincent happy about her leaving was that he no longer had to face someone scaring him at every corner.


    Sure enough, his father rounded the corner and suffered a shock.


    His figure froze in the distance as he watched his wife hug another man. Stunned, it wasn''t long that the blood rushed to his head, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. There was instantly a bloodthirsty air to him that was so special to the Sins. They seemed to be able to use it as naturally as breathing.


    How dare that man seduce his wife?!


    Growling, he stalked forward, and Alec''s eyes met his across the room.


    His father''s eyes were a deep crimson, and his hair was the same shade of black that Alec''s was. A jet-black hair that looked as deep as the night.


    Aeden''s eyes flashed, and he looked even more menacing.


    It was the first time that Alec saw his father outside of a photo. Alec''s lips twitched. He could see where he inherited his looks, so to speak.


    Even though he looked like he had in the previous life, his father in this life was like a carbon copy of him, only with differing eye colours. It was a bit eerie. His father just looked like an older version of himself.


    Looking at him now, Alec felt like he was looking at himself in the past.


    Aeden was thinking very deeply, but his magic was already lashing out before he could think deeper into it. He felt like something was wrong ¨C like he was being teased by his wife again ¨C but that wasn''t his son. His son wasn''t that old yet.


    So, the Sin lashed forwards. A foot stomped onto the ground, leaving a deep impression in the rock, and his body flew forward.


    Just as Aeden was about to make contact, Annalise pulled back and grabbed his outstretched fist, throwing him over her shoulder.


    She glared at him. "Darling, what do you think you''re doing?!"


    Aeden growled. "He¨C"


    Annalise immediately pinned Aeden down with the angry look still on her face. Alec looked around long-sufferingly. He could see where this was going.


    "''He''? What do you mean ''he''? How dare you call him that?!"


    Aeden growled again, his eyes flashing. He wanted to take action, but with his wife''s soft body pressing him down with rather tremendous strength, he didn''t dare to hurt her.


    "Wife, who¨C"


    Annalise tutted, and Alec just spent this time while the couple were arguing crossing his arms.


    "Why don''t you open your eyes wide and take a good look?"


    Alec uncrossed his arms and smiled faintly at his apparent father. He didn''t really feel anything now that he''d seen him in the flesh. He didn''t consider this man his father at all.


    After all, he hadn''t been there when he was ''growing up''. Alec was already a whole person when he came into this world, and the man hadn''t had any buffering for Alec to get used to him.


    There was just a sort of resistance inside Alec that rejected Aeden.


    Aeden finally got a good look at Alec''s face, and he stared at him in a daze.

 Chapter 409 - Dramatic Love Story?

    This¡­ this¡­


    Was this not like a carbon copy of himself? The only thing different was the eye colour. It was exactly the same as his beloved.


    Though he had heard all about Alec from his wife, he only knew about the things that he had accomplished, as well as the things that had happened in his childhood. He''d never taken it to heart. Wasn''t it just a son?


    At the time, he thought that he didn''t regret anything, and that it was enough for him to hear about his son second hand. After all, it wasn''t like they knew each other¡­


    Yet, when he saw him now, something strange gushed out of his heart.


    Aeden was a Sin through and through, and he exhibited all the signs that Sins did.


    He came across and cold-blooded and bloodthirsty, and he was more inclined to get into a fight rather than talk things out. He didn''t make connections easily, and they were all kept behind a wall.


    The only exception to this was the soft spot he had was his wife. Even his parents didn''t inspire as much fondness in him. While he treated them well, there was still a slight distance between them even if it wasn''t the distance between him and a normal person.


    Their entire clan was like that, after all. It was considered the norm here.


    Sins who got married to each other were generally carefree and had a lot of freedom in their life, not caring overtly about one thing or the other.


    The only thing that Sins held dear to them was usually that one obsession they overtook in their life.


    As such, Aeden really expected the same situation to happen when he looked at his son.


    Even if it was his biological child, it wasn''t like he''d ever seen him before. He even expected that he wouldn''t feel much of anything, just like he was looking at a stranger.


    Little did he expect that his son would inspire such feelings in him as well.


    Perhaps it was because of his eyes. When he stared at it, he was instantly reminded of his beloved''s eyes.


    There was a sense of fondness that was instantly born when he met this teen''s eyes, and it was not missed by the sharp-eyed Annalise, who was secretly smiling at the side.


    Both father and son were both so stubborn, sharing the same temper.


    Her son was actually less stubborn than his father, and he was more willing to be flexible if you could convince him, so he was likely the easier party to deal with.


    She''d been secretly worried that her darling wouldn''t take to Alec, but that didn''t look like it was the case.


    But when she looked at Alec, she instantly despaired. Instead, it looked like the problem was going to come from Alec''s side¡­


    Still, though there was a hint of alienation in Alec''s eyes, he didn''t overly reject Aeden''s presence.


    This meant that he still had some feelings that were unresolved regarding his father, right?


    Annalise suddenly felt that she''d done the right thing when she faced her pain and sadness and showed Alec his father''s photos. At that time, Alec had also felt a connection to this man that he hadn''t seen before in his entire life.


    At that time, she had only felt relieved and nothing else, but now, she was relieved for a different reason.


    Though Alec had grown up and had his own thoughts now, she didn''t want them to be alienated from each other, so she said, "Alec, you should bring your familiars and your friends with you. Let''s go home."


    Alec gave Annalise a deep look, but he nodded.


    Aeden made as if he was about to speak, but Annalise gently stopped him. She looked at her silly husband with affection. He was still too rash at times. Now wasn''t the right time for him to hastily make introductions.


    If he did that, then Alec was more likely to lash out. Alec had always been a precocious child, and now that he was a teenager, this was the prime time for him to be rebellious against a parent''s influence.


    Things had to be taken slowly.


    Alec woke Ye Sha up, who rubbed his eyes sleepily.


    He jumped when he noticed that there was an additional person staring at him with fierce red eyes, as if he wanted to eat him alive. How did he actually not react at all to a foreign presence?


    Ye Sha hurriedly carried Two and Three, while Alec picked up his small familiars. They looked like stuffed toys in his arms, appearing small and cute. They were fluffy and adorable, and didn''t quite seem like something that a male teenager would usually carry around on his own volition.


    Aeden held back his need to get acquainted with his son and led the way out.


    Annalise smiled indulgently, hanging back to squeeze her son''s hand. "Try to get to know your father, alright? He''s a bit of a rough person, but he''s warm at heart."


    Alec shot her a disbelieving look, and Annalise covered her mouth and laughed softly.


    "It''s true. I''m not lying. At least, he''s warm to the people that he loves. Isn''t that enough?"


    Alec nodded quietly. He would wait and see.


    Outside of the cave, he could see that this realm wasn''t so different from the one that he''d just left.


    The grass was still the same colour, as was the sky.


    The only thing was¡­ he had yet to see a single soul.


    Alec took the initiative to speak up. "What''s the difference between this realm and our realm?"


    Aeden hurriedly answered, "The main difference between the two realms is that in this realm, things like Magitypes and Societypes aren''t as heavily emphasized on. There aren''t many stereotypes about them, and they just help us have a guideline about the path we should go down in cultivation."


    With anyone else, Aeden would have just kept a cold face and kept his mouth shut, but he seemed to be currying favour with his only son.


    "Ah, there''s one big difference though," he said after pausing a while.


    Alec was curious despite himself.


    "Sins here are really¡­" Aeden paused, trying to think about how to describe it. "We''re in the minority, but we''re also really revered."


    Alec was confused. "Revered?"


    People actually revered sins here? What a big difference this was. Back in the Kaoriht continent, they couldn''t have been more miserable, yet here they were revered? How in the world had that gone down?


    How in the world had it developed to this stage?


    Didn''t people think that they were too bloodthirsty, too savage?


    But here¡­


    Aeden nodded lightly, his face looking forward. But he looked at his son out of the corner of his eye. "It was a shock for me when I accidentally went through the portal for the first time and met your mother. It was even more shocking when I discovered that Sins were abhorred over there."


    Alec was truly confused. He still didn''t understand. Why was it that his mother and father had been split up before he''d been born?


    They really didn''t seem to have any problems between them at all. Was it because there were external factors that had stopped them from being together?


    It was at this moment that Ye Sha dragged him backwards like a ghost.


    "Hey¡­ so, uh. Your daddy¡­"


    Alec glared at Ye Sha. Could he not make it sound so disgusting¡­?


    "Your father¡­ guess what?"


    Alec paused abruptly. Don''t tell him¡­?


    Ye Sha looked at him with a hint of schadenfreude. "That''s right."


    Alec''s eyes almost pierced the back of his father''s head. Why?!


    The System was instantly speechless. What kind of probability was this?!


    Because the son was a Main Character, the father was also a Main Character? That didn''t make any sense!


    Alec paused for a bit. True, Dominique and his father were also Main Characters, but¡­


    That didn''t mean that it was that common!


    With the way that his parents were dramatically separated, yet their love remaining true was indeed something that seemed like a Main Character, but¡­


    It only made Alec''s face change several times in disgust. He never wanted to think about how his parents made him¡­


    Or the dramatic love story that they went through¡­

 Chapter 410 - Aedens Clan Compounds

    The place that they eventually made their way to was the place that the husband and wife were staying and enjoying their married life for the time being.


    The thing that surprised Alec was that his father, Aeden, was also part of a clan.


    The place Annalise and Aeden lived were part of the clan compounds in the city.


    Different from the Neil Clan, Aeden''s clan didn''t have much solidarity. The clan compounds were mostly made out of individual buildings that each contained their own personality. They weren''t cookie cutter houses that made one feel that the people inside had no personality of their own.


    In this way, it was quite interesting looking at it all as a whole.


    The houses were arranged block by block, with various intersections.


    Aeden pointed out where the clan compounds started and where they began.


    There was a discreet segregation where the houses started to look more uniform a few blocks down. Alec silently raised a brow.


    The rest of the houses were those people who lived in the town but weren''t part of Aeden''s clan.


    Aeden explained that while people in the clan could own buildings that weren''t part of the clan compounds, those who weren''t part of the clan couldn''t buy houses near them.


    So, really, even those houses that were relatively near all belonged to the clan as well even though it was outside of the ''boundary'' so to speak.


    When the sun shone lightly on the place, it appeared very picturesque and lively.


    The people that they met along the way also greeted Aeden and Annalise. While Aeden just looked at them coolly, Annalise smiled and greeted them back.


    These people gave the rest of them curious looks. They were all noticeably surprised when their faces landed on Alec''s face.


    With the way that his father was greeted by every person, he could see that he was considerably well respected.


    It seemed like the people here were all Sins, and from a distance, they usually had a slightly cool expression. But when they looked at Aeden, their expressions all changed immediately. His father was respected indeed.


    But it just served to make Alec more and more confused. If Aeden was so respected here, then why had he and his mother been apart for so long?


    He put it aside for the moment.


    The one thing that he noticed about Aeden''s clan that was similar to the Neil Clan was that they all had dominant genes of jet-black hair and red eyes like his father.


    It made Alec briefly speechless when he thought about how the two clan''s dominant genes had mixed together and produced himself, who took one of each side''s set.


    The jet-black hair from Aeden''s clan, and the crystalline blue eyes from the Neil Clan.


    They eventually came to a house that was three storeys high, which had the most storeys in the area. Most of the houses were only two storeys high.


    Alec looked at it with scrutiny. It was a house that was relatively modern. There was a rather large usage of glass that wasn''t so apparent in other houses. The house looked open, but when one stared closely, they still couldn''t tell what was happening inside it.


    But the thing that really blinded Alec was the usage of the seals and arrays on this building.


    Other buildings had rudimentary arrays or no arrays at all, but his parents'' house nearly blinded him with its radiance.


    Aeden assigned Ye Sha and his two followers to a room upstairs while he pointed at a door on the third floor.


    "That''s the room that your mother prepared for you."


    Alec nodded at him and brought his familiars into the room.


    The room was prepared simply, but there were a lot of books that he hadn''t seen before, which pleased him.


    Alec nodded at Aeden, who nodded back, then closed the door.


    Aeden looked hesitantly at the door, a little disappointed that he hadn''t been able to have a conversation with the son that he never cared about before now.


    While he never thought that he would be able to get close to him right away¡­


    Annalise saw her husband''s subtly disappointed face and put a hand on his shoulder, then hugged him from behind.


    "Silly fool. It''s not like you didn''t spend years away from your son while you tried to handle everything by yourself. I told you to let me help you, but you insisted otherwise."


    Aeden was silent.


    Sensing her husband''s upset mood, Annalise squeezed him harder. "You have to try and understand him. His father suddenly popped out of nowhere."


    Aeden nodded.


    Annalise continued to advise him. "Take it slow¡­"


    On the other side of the door, Alec was sitting speechlessly on the bed that still had a fresh laundry scent to it.


    Did his mother and his father have to carry out an entire conversation right outside his door? He could hear everything!


    Even though the room was soundproofed, it didn''t work too well against his ears¡­


    He really could hear everything.


    He even had a sneaking suspicion that his mother had done it on purpose. His mother was sneaky like that.


    But it worked a little because he didn''t feel the strong alienation from before¡­


    So, yes, Annalise was indeed sneaky.


    After a while, the couple left, and Alec breathed a sigh of relief.


    If they''d ended up showing their affection right outside his door, he would have¡­ he would have¡­ probably tried to drown himself in the attached bathroom.


    He never needed to know that his mother and father had a more than healthy relationship.


    Alec looked at his sleeping familiars. They''d only woken briefly while they confirmed that it was Alec who was carrying them around before falling back asleep. They didn''t feel any danger, and they were sleepy¡­


    The System went upstairs to the bedroom that Ye Sha was staying and found his friend with his hands out, flying across a virtual screen and keyboard.


    Ye Sha waved at Alec. "Hey. Sit down wherever."


    "What have you found out?"


    "There''s a lot of things. This realm is mostly the same, like what Aeden said, but the air here is a lot more concentrated with magic, and it''s also easier for the people here to cultivate and get stronger. But that''s not the most damning thing."


    Alec raised a brow.


    "The most damning thing is that in this realm, Grand Meister isn''t the limit. Those people are called Transcendents."


    "What?" Alec instantly frowned.


    While it might sound like a good thing, it really wasn''t.


    In their realm, Grand Meister was a limit, and there was a sort of force that suppressed them from overcoming that limit.


    That was the realm''s suppression that prevented them from overcoming that bottleneck and growing stronger.


    If a person came here and overcame that suppression, then went back to their realm, it was very likely that they would cause the realm to fracture and collapse.


    While Alec was thinking hard, Ye Sha spoke again.


    "You know¡­ in the other realm, we''re going to face a calamity soon. You probably noticed how your half-dragon girlfriend had been feeling uneasy lately, right? That''s part of the reason."


    "¡­How soon?"


    Alec originally thought that the calamity of the realm was referring to the company, which had grown increasingly big as of late, but after he took care of one side of the company in the Kaoriht continent, he knew that it couldn''t be the company.


    Yet, Ye Sha said that there was still a calamity coming.


    "It should be relatively soon. In that time, the limitation from the realm should weaken, allowing those Grand Meisters who are stuck at the bottleneck to breakthrough immediately."


    Both their faces were serious.

 Chapter 411 - Adorably Awkward?

    The next few days saw Aeden becoming increasingly confused, much to Annalise''s amus.e.m.e.nt.


    It was like watching a milder version of her brother that wasn''t as scared. The house had turned into something like a natural haunted house, but Aeden didn''t seem overly bothered. She wondered when he would catch on that it was his son''s doing instead of someone aiming for him.


    The things that constantly moved in the house, the doors that constantly opened and closed.


    The windows that opened or closed for you as you wished whenever you so much as gave it an order.


    Lights that would turn on the moment you entered the room and would shut once you left it.


    Annalise had missed these little luxuries, and she had definitely grown a bit spoiled while she''d been living back in the Neil Clan. She didn''t even have to worry about those things anymore and just left it to them to be taken care of.


    On the other hand, when walked into or left a room, she kept finding herself forgetting to do those things.


    What was this called?


    It was easy to go from poverty to luxury but not the other way around, right?


    Anyway, watching Aeden get confused whenever one of Alec''s bonded turned on the lights for him or whatnot was very cute. She just wanted to squish him to her. Her big bad husband was so lost that she found him adorable.


    He didn''t say anything, but he just looked around and even took apart several things, only to find nothing missing, then when he put it back together again, it continued to do those things.


    He was just totally confused.


    Eventually, Aeden caught on that it had to be either his son or Ye Sha doing those things, but he just let it slide in the end.


    The two were acting so seriously that Aeden didn''t want to incur his son''s wrath and become even further alienated.


    He could feel the wall between them, which he didn''t like, but there was nothing he could do except slowly chip on the wall with a small chisel.


    What he really wanted to do was take a sledgehammer and knock the entire wall down with his bare hands.


    He''d never wanted to do things like this before, whether it was for Annalise or his parents.


    Here he was, standing outside of Alec''s room with a plate of sliced apples in his hand, speechless at himself.


    He could feel his beloved laughing at him from behind the corner. She was definitely enjoying this a lot, which made him even more speechless.


    After all, she was the one who had chased after him in the beginning, with him showing no interest in her at first.


    In the end, now he was the one doing the something similar towards his son.


    What as this? A vicious cycle?


    Aeden made to knock on the door, but the door opened before he could, which made his eye twitch. He forgot about it briefly¡­


    He uneasily cleared his throat. "Uh, Alec¡­"


    Alec looked up from the book that he had been engrossed in, confused.


    His father had been standing there for a while, and he hadn''t made any moves to enter or make himself known.


    In the end, he waited until he got bored, so he took up a book instead of waiting for his father to muster up whatever courage he needed to knock on the door. It was only polite to wait, after all.


    He''d finally made a move. Just what did he want?


    His eyes narrowed on the plate in Aeden''s hand, confused.


    "Your mother told me to bring this plate to you," he said, handing it over.


    Alec looked at it. "Thank you," he said politely.


    It was just a normal plate of sliced apples, but for some reason, he felt a little funny at the thought that he''d been standing out there being all unsure about whether or not to enter.


    He might have said that it was his mother that had asked him to bring it, but his shifty eyes said otherwise.


    Reading people like this was still easy for Alec. There were so many stoic-faced men in his life that his skills had been pushed to a whole different level. It was almost an artform now.


    Aeden was kind of awkward with him, but there was none of that awkwardness when he was with his mother.


    Alec wasn''t particularly enthused about his father, so to speak, but he wasn''t against him either. He had a few unresolved feelings, but after spending a few days in his presence, it wasn''t so bad.


    While he knew that his mother had intentionally let him overhear a few things, it had indeed softened him a bit.


    After all they were, in the end, related by blood.


    Aeden hesitated a bit more before he just blurted it out in the end. "Son, there''s going to be a dinner banquet tomorrow. Will you come with us?"


    What he didn''t say was that this dinner banquet had been specially arranged by him to introduce his son to the people in the clan.


    Anyone who dared to bully him in the future would have to face him!


    Unexpectedly, Alec raised a brow and looked at his father''s expectant face and felt like teasing him. "I don''t really like dinner banquets¡­"


    Aeden panicked a little. His usual cool was nowhere to be seen in front of his estranged son. "Don''t reject it so quickly. It''ll be beneficial to you in the future¡­"


    Aeden listed out a long list of things just to convince his son to go, feeling awkward. Wouldn''t his effort all have gone to waste if his son didn''t attend the dinner banquet?!


    "After the dinner banquet, I''ll bring you to visit your grandparents, okay?"


    Alec raised a brow. His negotiation skills needed a bit of work but seeing that he had successfully teased his old man, he would just graciously accept.


    He did want to see what this clan was like, and how different they were from the rest of the ''normal'' people.


    "Okay," he agreed simply.


    Aeden, who had opened his mouth for the first time in his life to convince someone else, had to reluctantly close his mouth.


    He''d been kind of getting into it as his brain churned out reasons he could use to convince this son of his, yet he''d been cut off before he could really finish¡­


    This was another way that Alec gently played with the people in his life¡­


    As Aeden closed the door behind him, Alec''s lips curled a little in his room.


    Aeden left with complex feelings, Annalise had to clap her hand over her mouth as she heard the entire conversation between father and son.


    Aeden had no idea that Alec would have agreed to go anyway, and he''d been so enthusiastically convincing him. She just didn''t have the heart to tell him otherwise.


    Cough¡­


    Rather, she was having too much fun seeing her usually stoic husband try and get Alec to open up to him. It was sad, but also hilarious at the same time.


    She wheezed.


    He was so cute like this.

 Chapter 412 - Utterly Defenseless!

    Early in the morning the next day, Alec naturally got up and went to Ye Sha''s room.


    Unlike him, who was already awake and bright-eyed, Ye Sha was still snoring as he drooled on his pillow.


    The man was clutching another pillow and laughing foolishly in his dreams, causing Alec''s lips to twitch.


    This wouldn''t do.


    Alec had already entered Ye Sha''s room ¨C he was an intruder in his room ¨C yet, Ye Sha didn''t even move a single inch. He had a feeling that his friend was going to be very beat up in the upcoming dinner banquet¡­


    He''d already thought that it was bad when he didn''t stir previously while Aeden came as he was asleep in the underground cavern, but he didn''t think it would be this bad!


    Alec had even intentionally made noises and even increase the force of his presence, yet Ye Sha remained dead to the world.


    Alec looked at him coolly then strode forward and lifted the edge of the blanket that Ye Sha was snuggling under.


    Then, before Ye Sha even had the chance to react, he viciously yanked the blanket off the fool, causing Ye Sha to jolt awake as he reflexively clutched his blanket to himself.


    The fool still had the cheek to blearily blink his eyes, rubbing them sleepily. "What¡­ what do you want?" he said with a yawn after he saw who it was. It was just Alec¡­ Alec¡­


    Alec''s face was dark and foreboding, which was quickly covered up with a gentle smile.


    Ye Sha, whose brain was slowly booting up, stared blankly at Alec''s face before he suddenly shivered.


    That wasn''t right¡­ why did he feel like Alec''s smile was very dangerous right now?


    "You¡­ you¡­" Ye Sha clutched the blanket that had been half dragged off him with a stunned and shocked look on his face. He pulled the blanket a little and covered his body, looking like a shocked maiden. "What do you want?"


    Alec didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. What was he acting for?! They were both males!


    Why was he acting like a scandalized maiden!?


    "Get up," Alec said instead, deciding to just ignore him altogether.


    "Get up?" Ye Sha said, stunned. "Where are we going?"


    The System looked outside the window, and Ye Sha was stunned when he saw that the sun hadn''t even risen yet. This¡­ it should be 4 or 5am, right?


    What the hell!


    This damn morning person! Morning people were the worst!


    Alec didn''t care about the thoughts that were going through Ye Sha''s mind. He just bundled the other man up and dragged him towards the bathroom, causing him to let out a yelp.


    He obviously wasn''t going to be productive any time soon, so Alec would just speed up the process for both of them. There wasn''t any time to lose.


    Even now, they only had a few more hours left. In that time, he had to at least get Ye Sha up to acceptable standards in dodging at least.


    The dinner banquet was tonight!


    "Ah! Wait!"


    "Stop!"


    "Ah, it''s cold!"


    "It''s hot!"


    "It hurts! Be gentler!"


    "Softer a little, Alec¡­"


    All kinds of cries rang out early in the morning. If anyone heard it, their imagination would have run wild. Mainly because there were no gender boundaries when it came to love, but also because this was Aeden''s newly brought back son!


    The news had already quietly spread within those in the clan, and they all waiting to see what kind of person Aeden''s son was.


    Alec''s face was dark by the time he left the bathroom. He could see that Ye Sha wasn''t even doing it on purpose, which was the only reason why he let him off.


    Finally, the two of them stepped outside the house.


    Ye Sha still looked like he was half dead, while Alec appeared even more radiant than before.


    Annalise gave them a few confused looks as she sleepily passed them. Aeden glared daggers at Ye Sha, who trembled.


    Ye Sha poked Alec. "Why do I feel like Aeden suddenly doesn''t like me anymore?"


    Alec gave him a blank look. "Why would he suddenly not like you anymore?"


    "How would I know? That''s just how I feel. Otherwise, why would he glare at me like that? It''s not like I did anything to him."


    Alec shrugged, not caring about it.


    He just grabbed the collar of Ye Sha''s shirt and dragged him.


    "Wah!"


    The early morning air was filled with shouts that echoed down the streets.


    The sun had not yet risen, but more than a few people were roused by Ye Sha''s shouts so early in the morning.


    Alec eventually dropped him outside of the city, in a clearing where it was used for training.


    There was no one here at this time, which made it the perfect spot.


    It was secluded and far enough that hardly anyone came here.


    Alec ditched Ye Sha there for a bit before he went to the nearby stream and picked up a bunch of rounded pebbles. They were tiny enough that they wouldn''t cause too much damage if used while training.


    Then, he stalked back with soundless footsteps, and Ye Sha ¨C that idiot ¨C had actually gone to sleep.


    Alec was speechless.


    Needless to say, he definitely did not feel Alec approaching this time as well.


    He was sleeping so soundly that Alec felt annoyed. He really¡­ had no sense of danger at all!


    Alec couldn''t help but be angry about this idiot. Had he been a System for so long that he didn''t have any sense of danger at all? He was just sleeping here out in the open for anyone to just come by and kill him!


    The System flicked one of the pebbles at his friend, and it brained him in the forehead, causing him to wake up from his sleep with a flail.


    "Ouch!"


    Before he had the time to gather his wits, he was quickly pelted with more pebbles by Alec.


    "Stop, stop!" Ye Sha growled, trying to dodge the pebbles.


    But he couldn''t. Every pebble was aimed at his weak spot, and it caused him to have to try and correct his weak spots with not much accuracy.


    He didn''t know how long it went on, but by the end of it, Ye Sha was black and blue all over.


    He looked at Alec with eyes that showed how wronged he felt. What had he done wrong, exactly?


    Alec looked at him like he was disgusted. "After so long, you still can''t defend yourself from my little pebbles."


    Alec''s speech roused him, and Ye Sha glared back at him. Did he just say he couldn''t do it? It wasn''t that he couldn''t, but that he hadn''t been trying hard enough.


    The more Ye Sha thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He glowered at Alec. "Bring it on!"


    Alec curled his lips.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Ye Sha lay on the ground, staring at the blue, blue sky.


    "What''s with you suddenly torturing me, anyway?" Ye Sha asked blankly. Was there a reason why he had to go through all of this before the sun even came up?


    Alec looked at him blankly. "There''s going to be a dinner banquet later tonight."


    "So?"


    "A Sin''s dinner banquet," Alec said, letting it sink in.


    Ye Sha fell silent. "But¡­ I''m not going with you?"


    Alec looked at him.


    Ye Sha: "¡­"


    He silently despaired. Ooh, he could see it now. The Sin''s dinner banquet was going to be his last dinner. There were going to be a lot of people making a fool out of him, weren''t there?


    Ye Sha climbed up from the ground. "Again!"


    He would be damned if he got beaten up for no reason! He had to at least put one person in their place later!

 Chapter 413 - What A Fool

    It hit midday when Alec dragged Ye Sha into town, where they looked at various bookstores ¨C or rather, Alec looked at various bookstores. Ye Sha was just half-dead as he was dragged around by Alec.


    The city was having some sort of bazaar sale today, which was the perfect place for Alec to wander around to look for rare books that weren''t usually sold in bookstores.


    With Alec''s jet-black hair that was the staple of Aeden''s clan, the Klein Clan, they attracted more than a few heads to turn and look at them.


    While black hair wasn''t that uncommon, the shade of how deeply dark the hair was, was indeed uncommon. It was a shade that was black even when the sun shone on it.


    There were quite a few people looking at Alec with his black hair, but most of them lost interest when they realized that he didn''t have the signature red eyes of the Klein Clan.


    Alec was just relieved that he wouldn''t have to deal with girls or boys coming up to him bashfully, trying to attract his attention for no more than his face or his temperament.


    He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the thought. It was less than pleasant things every time something like that happened. Maybe some people liked the attention, but to him, it was like they were peeling off a layer of his skin.


    Sometimes, he even felt like he wanted to just go around with a mask on his face.


    Alec barely maintained his smile even when he felt like he was dying from the crowd around.


    They went from store to store, but there weren''t many gains to be found. Yet, it was expected. After all, a bazaar like this usually didn''t have many treasures. Most people were just trying their luck selling things that they didn''t know the use of.


    What caught Alec''s eye was instead, was a bookstore in the back that looked more like an extension of the bookstore that it was set up in front of.


    Slumped at the counter was a young lady who looked like she was bored out of her mind.


    Her eyes were blank, and her face was similar. She looked like she would rather be anywhere than she was right now, or like she was thinking of something very hard and wasn''t willing for anyone to disturb her.


    Alec briefly looked at her face, then looked at Ye Sha, who had the same dead expression on his face.


    His lips twitched.


    There were a good number of books on the table spread out in front of her, but she didn''t even lift her head when they approached.


    All she did was shift her position a little, staring blankly into the sky.


    Alec ignored her. He was more than happy to mutually ignore someone. He was just interested in the wares.


    Different from the other stores that were around, this bookstand only had himself and Ye Sha, who was also staring blankly with his eyes drooping.


    Alec picked up a book curiously.


    These books didn''t have any words written on their covers, which dissuaded most people from coming over.


    In a time like this, books weren''t that valuable as compared to before when they had not been widely publicized. Now, books were a common thing.


    Alec flipped through the various books and his eyebrows raised with pleasant surprise.


    Sweeping his eyes over the various books on the table, Alec quickly flipped through them and placed them all in a stack. "I''ll take them all," Alec said.


    "Oh," the girl said, finally stirring. She blinked blearily, her eyes seeing spots from staring into the sky for too long.


    She straightened up and looked at the books, quoting a price.


    A few passers-by looked at her in surprise when she quoted the price, shocked. The price that she quoted was enough even for some rich scions to take a deep breath in shock.


    Looking at the books that were stacked in front of her, their faces went from shocked to disdaining.


    So much for just a small pile of dilapidated books?


    She had to be crazy!


    There was a small crowd behind jeering at her and pointing and whispering at them, waiting to see a good show.


    Yet, the girl''s expression didn''t change, and she just held her hand out impatiently. "How do you want to pay?"


    The crowd waited for her to be abused verbally by the young man, yet unlike their expectations, not only did Alec not do what they thought he would do, he calmly pulled out a card and paid directly, stunning them so much that they all couldn''t close their mouths.


    Was he sick in the head?


    How could he spend so much on those broken books? How much could they be worth?


    Many people shook their heads at him, as if they were saying how foolish he was, wasting that much money on just books like that.


    Some people were curious about the books. Were they treasures? They wanted to see what was written inside that made it so ''valuable''.


    One of them was too curious and went up to Alec. They whispered, "Hey, brother, what''s inside those books? Can I take a look?"


    Alec looked at the man with his standard smile, spreading his hand out. "Of course. Be my guest. Just don''t damage it."


    The man took the book and flipped through it, his curious face turning strange then becoming bad. He put the book back down in the pile and shook his head, leaving.


    A few people surrounded him and asked him curiously, "What''s in those books? Was it worth it?"


    The man continued to shake his head. "I don''t know what he''s thinking. It''s just a bunch of random scribbles. What''s inside can''t be considered a treasure at all."


    When they heard his words, they all couldn''t help but consider Alec foolish for spending that much money foolishly.


    Inside the crowd, there were two Klein Clan members that stood there. One was male, one was female. Unlike the female, who was scowling fiercely, the male had a gentle smile on his face.


    The two had the classic jet-black hair and crimson eyes, staring at Alec''s side-profile.


    The girl scoffed loudly and flicked her hair over her shoulder. She rolled her eyes. "This is our new cousin? I say, he''s probably just a bastard, right?"


    The male looked at the girl, then turned his attention to Alec, his eyes deepening a little. "There''s probably something we''re not seeing."


    The girl scoffed. "I rather think that he''s just a fool. I don''t know what uncle was thinking, to bring back his bastard into the clan. It''s not like he even carries the full bloodline of our clan. Look at his eyes. There''s no way that he''s a Sin like us."


    The male turned his eyes to the girl, causing her to cower a little, before she stuck up her chin proudly. "Why are you looking at me like that? What I said isn''t wrong at all. Just look at him."


    The male Klein member knew that he wouldn''t be able to convince his foolish sister, so he just smiled sweetly at her.


    This caused her to tremble, but she stubbornly didn''t back down at all.


    She was the most scared of this brother of hers, yet she didn''t want to show any weakness in front of him, afraid of losing face.


    The male spoke up again just before the crowd dispersed, his smile like a spring breeze. "Don''t even think about causing trouble later on. If you do, don''t call yourself my sister anymore."


    The girl''s eyes widened in shock as her brother strode away coldly. She chased after him.


    "Brother, wait! How can you stand up for that trash! What a wastrel!"

 Chapter 414 - Missing Her

    Ye Sha grabbed Alec later when the crowd dispersed. "I think I saw some of your dad''s clan members looking at you just now."


    "Oh?" Alec said, disinterested.


    Of course, he had seen them as well, but it wasn''t like he was required to make nice with them. They were strangers anyhow.


    What did they have to do with him?


    Therefore, he didn''t take them to heart.


    Not to mention, this was another realm altogether. Unless the realms merged or something else unconceivable, their interaction in the future shouldn''t be too much.


    More than that, they were all Sins, which meant that they were more likely to fight than get along. Alec had no idea how they managed to have a whole clan of Sins in this city and keep them there.


    Even if they interacted, it wasn''t like he was going to be staying in his father''s house for long.


    Staying in a married couple''s house like this¡­ was a bit awkward.


    Especially with hearing as good as his.


    Sometimes he couldn''t look either of them in the eye.


    The only one who could sleep so soundly was Ye Sha!


    "Let''s go," Alec said with a smile. There wasn''t anything else that was likely to catch his attention, so they might as well just leave.


    With the people that still gave them glances from time to time, it would probably be a joke if they managed to attract some thieves into coming after them.


    Well, rather, it was a joke for anyone to aim for them.


    Because Alec was a Meister, and if Ye Sha could get himself to be more combat alert, he would be on par with Alec at the very least. That was a body that was made out of the finest materials one had to offer. It would have been stranger if he was any weaker.


    It was only because Alec had been infusing those pebbles with his magic that he managed to even hurt Ye Sha at all.


    The two of them made their way out of the ''downtown'' area and moved towards the clan compounds.


    Alec almost wanted to sigh when he felt the people moving ''discreetly'' around them.


    No doubt they were trying to set up an ambush, thinking that they were easy targets.


    Two, three¡­


    There were about ten of them in total, and none of them were even in the advanced stage.


    Alec wanted to roll his eyes.


    Didn''t Ye Sha say that it was easier for people to cultivate here? They obviously hadn''t been working very hard. In the other realm, they would have been the weakest of the weak.


    They continued to walk casually. Even Ye Sha noticed them since they were being so obvious and so loud.


    The duo walked to a path that wasn''t obvious from the outside, acting like they were taking a shortcut.


    The male (and some female) bandits surrounded them, their faces were not good.


    There was wretched smile on their faces, and there was a greedy light in their eyes that could not be hidden from them.


    They were obviously up to no good.


    Ye Sha and Alec were less than bothered by them.


    Even with a single strike from them, they could take them down without any problem whatsoever.


    It just so happened that it had been a while since Alec had fought anyone¡­


    Ye Sha casually leaned against the wall, looking tired. Finally, he wasn''t Alec''s punching bag anymore¡­


    One of the bandits spoke up to threaten them. "Hand over the money, and you won''t get hurt."


    Ye Sha rolled his eyes so hard that his brain hurt. That was the most original line that he''d ever heard.


    Even villains in B-rated movies weren''t this bad.


    It was so damn clich¨¦!


    Also, he should have known that hanging out with a Main Character would attract this kind of attention to them. It was more bothersome than anything else.


    The bandits circled around them tighter, leaving no chance of their targets escaping.


    Not that Alec and Ye Sha had any intention of doing so in the first place.


    The bandits saw that not only were their targets not afraid, they even seemed to be disdainful of them. It enraged them instantly.


    Some of them were briefly hesitant. Could it be that they had met some hidden experts this time?


    However, that wasn''t very likely. Even if this person had jet-black hair, he didn''t have the Klein Clan''s signature red eyes.


    He likely wasn''t a Sin anyway, so they should be fine.


    They ignored the alarm bells ringing in their heads and pressed on anyway, which was their mistake.


    In the end, Alec just played with all ten people to his heart''s content before throwing them in a pile and leaving them there, having taken off the edge to his bloodl.u.s.t. He also managed to get a bit more information from them that was considered common sense here that Ye Sha hadn''t managed to find.


    If it wasn''t because Aeden had really given him too little time, he would have gone out to sate his roaring blood before the dinner banquet with the Sins to give him more of an edge.


    In the end, he had to do it so clumsily like this, which wasn''t putting him in a stellar mood even if his bloodl.u.s.t was a bit lower.


    Now, it was finally controllable levels and wouldn''t boil over at any given opportunity.


    With satisfaction, the two left, leaving behind a pile of groaning bandits who were both stunned and disbelieving in turns, confused, and questioning their life.


    Maybe they should stop being bandits¡­


    If the target they picked this time ¨C which seemed so innocuous ¨C was such a big shot. Who knew when they would one day offend someone they couldn''t afford to offend?


    By the time they returned home, it was already mid-day, and Aeden was pacing around nervously inside their house.


    Annalise, on the other hand, was very calm. She casually wrote in a notebook of hers, taking notes as she cross-referenced a book.


    Her husband just had to burn off nervous energy by pacing. It was making her dizzy looking at his quick speeds going back and forth, so she just stopped watching him.


    Aeden suddenly stopped in front of her. "Do you think they''ve suddenly run away?"


    Annalise looked at her husband blankly. Did he really just say that? Did he lose all his braincells from worrying about introducing Alec to the clan?


    Her blank look must have conveyed something to him, because he actually took a step back to think.


    That''s right, what was he actually worrying about? That Alec wouldn''t show?


    This wasn''t like him at all.


    So, he slowly calmed down and sat down next to his wife on the sofa, taking out his sword to sharpen it.


    It was to this sight that the two of them came back to.


    The married couple looked very harmonious. Annalise was using her husband''s thigh as a writing board and Aeden''s hand was absently playing with his wife''s hair.


    Instantly, Alec felt like he''d been fed dog food, and his face darkened. Especially since he couldn''t see Elysia at all.


    It had only been a few days, but he already missed her like half of him wasn???t there.


    He suddenly felt pricked, and he gave the two a curt if politely worded greeting before heading upstairs.


    The married couple looked at him with confusion.


    "What''s wrong with Alec?" Annalise took the initiative to ask Ye Sha.


    Ye Sha looked briefly puzzled before he smirked. "Ah, he''s probably missing his little girlfriend."


    Annalise immediately sat up and dragged Ye Sha to sit down.


    She looked very serious as she stared him deep in the eyes.


    Ye Sha looked at Aeden for help, only to find the man glaring at him.


    Helplessly, he looked back at Annalise.


    "Tell us everything," she said, grilling him.

 Chapter 415 - Not Like Him At All!

    Amidst the sad pleading for Ye Sha to be let off, Alec brooded upstairs for a while before snapping back eventually.


    He made his way downstairs to see his mother grabbing Ye Sha''s collar, stunning him.


    "What are you doing, mother?"


    Annalise abruptly let go of Ye Sha, smiling at him. It was like seeing his own smile reflected.


    "My darling son," she started off. "How could you keep it from me? How could you keep it from your dear mother?"


    Behind her, Ye Sha was making crazy eyes at him, blinking, but Alec couldn''t read his mind, so he was just confused at his gestures.


    Ye Sha shook his head and make a throat cutting motion at him but Annalise didn''t allow him to decipher his friend''s meaning.


    Instead, she walked up to him and grabbed both of his hands. "How could you not introduce your girlfriend to me?"


    Alec suddenly became alarmed at the tears in her eyes.


    Why was she tearing?


    How was she tearing?


    Where were the tears coming from out of nowhere?


    Suddenly, what she said clicked, and he shot a look at Ye Sha.


    Ye Sha pretended he was dead.


    It was only then that Alec looked towards Aeden, to realize that his father looked stricken before it was quickly smoothened out when he realized that Alec was looking.


    "Tell me all about her, unfilial son!"


    That night, they made their way to the hall in the middle of the clan compounds, where all important gatherings were held.


    It was created in the grand style of a ballroom. At least, that was how it appeared on the outside.


    Yet, when Alec entered that giant ''ballroom'', he realized that the inside and the outside did not match at all.


    The walls and floor inside were sturdy and solid, while there weren''t many decorations or much emphasis on aesthetics.


    It was at odds from the appearance of the building outside.


    If Alec had to guess, it was because the people that frequently gathered here were Sins, and fights breaking out was a common occurrence.


    It was expected, even.


    Aeden had told him as such, not wanting his son to get caught unawares.


    The man had been uncharacteristically naggy on the way here, causing Alec''s lips to twitch. His mother had been laughing at the side secretly, still salty about not being able to meet her son''s girlfriend ¨C scratch that, not even knowing about her son''s girlfriend until Ye Sha let it slip.


    There had been so much information thrown at him that he felt overloaded, almost.


    Inside the gathering hall, there were already people who were there.


    One glance across, and Alec was reminded of his clan, only these people all had black hair and red eyes.


    Alec''s lips twitched as they all turned to look at their party, who just entered.


    He already thought that they were early, yet the Sins here were all even earlier than they were.


    The resemblance amongst those here were uncanny, and while there were differences, one had to really pay attention to know who you were talking to. There were a few non-Sins or non-clan members in the gathering other than Ye Sha.


    Alec felt a headache incoming.


    There were so many people¡­ and the gazes felt like they were stabbing into him.


    He was not imagining it when he saw a few people''s eyes light up when they looked at him. Whether it was the normal attention or because they wanted to fight him, he didn''t know.


    With the gathering of so many Sins in the same place, there was a general undercurrent of bloodl.u.s.t that wafted through the air. They seemed to feed off each other, amplifying and growing.


    This was indeed a Sin gathering.


    All eyes were on them ¨C or, more specifically, on Alec, who was the main star of the show today.


    "This is my son, Alec," Aeden said simply, yet there was a hint of pride in his eyes that surprised a lot of people.


    Some of them dispersed, while others continued to stare almost hungrily at Alec.


    Ye Sha looked at them speechlessly. He leaned into Alec and whispered to him. "Say, don''t you think that there are too many people here? You can''t be expected to fight all of them to gain their respect, right?"


    Alec just smiled at him silently, and Ye Sha felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.


    "What''s that smile for?"


    "No reason," Alec said, "I just think that you''re very courageous today."


    Ye Sha looked at him blankly. "Courageous? I''m never courageous," he said seriously.


    "Just by talking to me, aren''t you drawing attention to yourself?"


    Ye Sha immediately looked back at the sea of red-eyed people and instantly felt a chill. That wasn''t good.


    There were indeed some people that had started to look at him.


    Since they had never seen Alec before previously, they had unconsciously put all their attention on Aeden''s son, but now¡­ there was someone else talking to Alec.


    And that was a person that wasn''t part of their clan!


    Who was he, and why was he talking so casually to a Sin? How interesting!


    With this thought process, there were quite a few people sizing Ye Sha up, and their anticipation was bubbling up.


    Ye Sha felt like crying. How else could he tell them that it wasn''t his intention to attract their attention?


    He didn''t want to fight them!


    Could they just get along peacefully?


    Yes? Yes? No?


    Why did he feel like the answer was going to be no?


    Alec patted Ye Sha''s back before departing. "Good luck."


    Ye Sha felt like crying even more. He wanted to grab onto Alec''s pants and ask him not to leave, but that would be seen as a sign of weakness!


    So, he could only watch as Alec''s back got further and further from him.


    Then, a wave of Sins descended from seemingly nowhere¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec stood by the food table as he casually ate. There was still a faint smile on his lips as he casually ate from the table.


    He ignored the piercing stares surrounding him and ate without reservation.


    No one had come up to him yet.


    They were all waiting for something, or for Alec himself to challenge someone.


    Yet, nothing of the sort was happening, which made them briefly confused.


    Was he a Sin, or was he not?


    Aeden had not been clear earlier on, which was actually what they had all been waiting for.


    If he was a Sin, then challenging him openly was fair game, while if he wasn''t a Sin, then they had to hold back a bit.


    Generally, most people couldn''t match up against them, which meant that they had to be a bit more careful with their more fragile counterparts.


    They continued to watch him as he ate peacefully and thought to themselves that at least he showed good willpower. There were so many of them staring at him, after all.


    Of course, there were some people who weren''t so polite as they observed his behaviour. They thought that he wasn''t behaving like a Sin, and that he probably wasn''t.


    They sneered and disdained him openly.


    Alec raised a brow.


    He thought to himself that these people were quite straightforward and almost cute in a way. After all, they didn''t hide their intentions at all. Everything showed on their face, and there was no sense of fakeness.


    At the next table, next to the punch, there was a young female teen that was scowling as she angrily drank the punch.


    It was the teen from that afternoon, who had completely looked down on Alec before.


    Now that she saw him again, she was really unreconciled. After all, he didn''t behave anything like Uncle Aeden at all.


    Unlike Uncle Aeden who was cool and strong, this other teenager who was his son behaved more like an ordinary civilian with how he was smiling constantly and gentle like a lady.


    She scoffed and glared at the people around her, sparing no effort to let them know that she was unhappy.


    Most people raised their brows while others sneered back at her, not willing to take her attitude.


    Strength within the Sins was the number one respectful factor, after all, and she was just a young girl who hadn''t made herself known yet.


    The girl saw Alec pick up yet another piece of steak and couldn''t stand it anymore. Angrily slamming her cup down, her eyes blazed with flames as she stalked towards him.

 Chapter 416 - Gearing Up For A Fight

    Before she could get very far in approaching Alec, she was pulled back by her good friend, who looked a little anxious. Her friend had been her around enough to know what she was about to do.


    Le Xuan knew Katherine. While the girl''s looks might make her look amiable if she was not in one of her moods, her personality was anything but.


    If she had to describe her, this girl was like one of those domineering CEOs personified. She was usually unbridled and arrogant, charging through obstacles or trampling on people that she didn''t like.


    It was usually fine since she was part of the Klein Clan, but now she was causing trouble *in* the Klein Clan!


    "Kat, don''t."


    Katherine shook off her friend''s hand angrily. "Why not?"


    Le Xuan frowned at her, then whispered into her ear. "You don''t know whether or not he''s a Sin. Besides, it''s not like he''s done anything to you, right? Just let it go this once. The only reason why you''re targeting him¡ª"


    Katherine glared at her angrily, cutting her off. "Just look at him¡­ standing there all smug. I can''t stand it. He''s not even a Sin. I can''t let uncle face this injustice."


    Le Xuan''s brows furrowed a little as she continued to try and convince her, but Katherine wasn''t having any of it.


    She knew that it would be hard to convince this stubborn girl, but she was willing to try anyway. This was the Klein Clan, where she''d be looked down on if she lost!


    She didn''t even do any scoping of the other party''s ability, only judging him based on how he seemed.


    Le Xuan felt like she was going crazy from frustration.


    Katherine stalked over just the same, and Le Xuan looked at her helplessly from behind. She didn''t make any moves to stop her friend.


    Katherine E. Klein, member of the Klein Clan, was a Sin that had yet to prove herself, and she was already rankling at the thought that her uncle''s attention would be snatched away by someone else.


    She usually acted unbridled and without a care of the consequences that came with her actions since no one cared about her.


    The girl couldn''t stand the fact that someone new had come in and swept up her uncle''s attention just like that.


    Her uncle used to drop by every few days, but since Alec had suddenly popped out of nowhere, he hadn''t come by at all.


    Her uncle ¨C


    There were a few mocking looks that were shot in Katherine''s direction, which Le Xuan didn''t miss.


    She frowned delicately, with worry.


    Katherine had yet to come of age and prove herself, but she was already rankling at the treatment that she was undergoing. She was becoming rasher by the day, but she didn''t curb herself at all.


    It meant that more and more people were looking down on Katherine''s behaviour, but she didn''t change the way she acted at all, remaining completely stubborn down to her very bones.


    Even now, before anyone could confirm that Alec was a Sin, she had already charged up as a sacrificial piece.


    If this wasn''t showing how she was short-sighted and rash, then what did? It was only something that young Sins who hadn''t experienced much did, but she was already old enough to know better.


    Already, the way that they were looking at Katherine changed from neutral to slightly disdaining.


    Alec had lowered his head to eat when he suddenly saw a shadow fall across his plate.


    Calmly, he looked up, seeing a teenaged girl''s face that was very familiar.


    This was the little girl that had been sneering at him and mocking him in the crowd earlier, not particularly loudly, but not softly either. And she had come again to get in his way.


    Inwardly, Alec was very annoyed. He just wanted to eat in peace, and he had specially sated his bloodl.u.s.t so that he didn''t feel the urge to explode when faced with perpetually hormonally charged teenagers that would no doubt get in his way, but he hadn''t expected that the first one that would come out would be this little girl.


    She put her fair but toned arms on her h.i.p.s and glared at him arrogantly, obviously looking down on him.


    "Fight me!" she said coldly.


    Her eyes seemed to spit fire as she glared at him with heat.


    Alec just blinked, seemingly confused.


    There were more eyes on them than before, which made him smile faintly at her.


    "Fight you? Why would I want to do that?"


    What was this girl''s problem? Why was she so hostile to him, anyway?


    Couldn''t she see that the rest of the Sins were mostly adopting a wait and see attitude towards himself? He even thought that he would perhaps get out this evening unscathed.


    Katherine glared at him harder. "Are you even a Sin?" she said mockingly, "I don''t think you are. Why would a Sin from our clan not have our red eyes? You must be some other Societype!"


    Alec maintained his smile. What kind of shitty provocation was this? He couldn''t even bring himself to feel angry. It was so damn elementary. It was like a kid scolding an a.d.u.l.t.


    Katherine just seemed to get angrier.


    "My name is Katherine E. Klein, and I challenge you to a duel."


    The place fell into a hush, and more than a few people raised their brows.


    A duel?


    A duel was considered sacred in the Klein Clan, and it was taken quite seriously as they were putting their honour on the line.


    Unlike spars or battles that didn''t have consequences, a duel was something that adhered to regulations strictly.


    Alec smiled sweetly at her, which was out of the Klein Clan members'' expectations. Usually, a duel was something that called their honour into question, so it was something that was taken very seriously. In certain circ.u.mstances, it could even be seen as an insult to the other party.


    Unless¡­ Aeden''s son didn''t know about how serious it all was?


    That made more sense. After all, Aeden''s son had not grown up in their clan. Even if Aeden told him about it, how seriously would he take it?


    A lot of people were very interested in watching the duel now.


    Katherine saw that Alec wasn''t responding to her, so she prompted him. "Do you accept?"


    She looked at him, egging him on, as if she were mocking him for not daring to accept her challenge.


    Alec inwardly rolled his eyes. Her provocations really needed some work.


    "I, Alec Neil, accept," Alec said simply, sealing the deal.


    Katherine''s eyes flashed with pleasant surprise. She hadn''t actually expected that he would accept. She thought that she would humiliate him when he declined it, saying that he was too weak, but it looked like he was more daring than she thought?


    Going up against a Sin was no joke.


    At least he had courage, she thought in her heart, letting out a ''hmph''.


    Her eyes rove around and finally landed on Aeden''s form.


    Aeden and Annalise were already looking over in their direction, and Katherine''s heart skipped a beat.


    Did her uncle hear the words that she said to his son? While she didn''t know about the extent of his affections for a son that suddenly popped out of nowhere, it shouldn''t be as much as the affection he had for her and her brother, right?


    Thinking up to this point, she calmed herself down, reassuring herself.


    Le Xuan silently came up behind her and worriedly tugged on her shirt quietly, causing her to be confused for a few brief moments.


    Then, she felt quite a chill coming from behind her, and she froze directly in place.


    She slowly turned around, feeling the familiar chill, and her blood cooled when she saw her brother standing there, smiling at her.


    Her brother was standing with his friend, Gareth Hade, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.


    Suddenly, her brother''s words flooded back into her mind. Crap. She didn''t think that her brother, Regis, would come to this dinner banquet.


    After all, he hated attending things like this the most.


    In the end, the worst thing had happened!


    "Brother," she said nervously.


    Beside him, Gareth smirked. "Regis, you''re scaring your sister."


    Katherine glared at Gareth. "Who are you calling scared!"


    But she still turned to Regis nervously, seeing if he''d taken any offence to her words.


    She only calmed down a little when she realized that he still had the same expression.

 Chapter 417 - Birds of a Feather

    Then, before she could calm down completely, his smile changed ever so minutely.


    Regis'' smile was so gentle, but it felt like a thousand ice picks pricking into her, causing her vast amounts of prickling pain. They stabbed into her, as if they were physical.


    Katherine had no idea how people always commented how her brother was ''so gentle''. It was like they were all blind. Clearly, the least gentle person that existed was that brother of hers!


    Katherine''s face was instantly pale, but she didn''t want to back down at this juncture. She had already managed to successfully provoke Alec, and if she backed down here, then no one would ever respect her again in the clan. She''d never be able to lift her head high again.


    Well, Katherine was really thinking too much. Which person had never lost in battle before? They wouldn''t look down on her just because of that, but because of the way she acted. She even called out a duel with someone who hadn''t even been ''in'' the clan for a full day yet.


    But Katherine had been headstrong ever since she was young, and she lived according to her heart''s desires. She was completely straightforward in her actions. If she didn''t like it, then she would crush it, simple as that.


    As such, she really wouldn''t back down here. Not even if her brother smiled at her like that.


    Katherine stubbornly tilted her chin up, and she only saw her brother''s eyes glance dismissively at her. Her face paled further. Could it be that he was really serious about disowning her if she made a move on Alec?


    Her eyes trembled a little, but she covered it up well.


    After Regis looked away from his little sister, he locked gazes with Alec.


    Similarly, Alec was also looking at Regis, paying no attention to Katherine.


    The two of them were briefly surprised. They felt like they met their own kind. The gentle smile was obviously a fa?ade, and their real selves were hidden underneath the mask.


    It was like meeting another of his species for the first time. They didn''t quite know how to react.


    Just a single look, and the two of them felt a strange sense of kin towards each other. They just knew.


    It took a lot of words to explain the sudden connection they felt with each other, but in reality, it was only a few split seconds.


    Katherine looked around at the Sins at the dinner banquet around her and asked for someone to be a referee for them.


    The referee for their duel would determine who won and lost, and they were not required to step unless one of the participants tried to continue after one had already given up.


    Other than that, even if a death occurred, if the participant had not given up, they would not do anything.


    The referee for the duel had to be impartial and couldn''t have any relations directly to either parties.


    Honestly, they called it a duel, but it usually devolved into a life-and-death battle between two contestants because they were bloodthirsty Sins.


    Once blood was spilled, it was never enough.


    It was also part of the reason why they not many Sins initiated a duel in the first place.


    Soon enough, she managed to get someone to volunteer as a referee for Alec and Katherine''s duel.


    While the two people walked towards the separate watching space for duels, Regis continued to look at Alec''s back, thinking.


    Gareth poked his friend. "What are you thinking so hard about?"


    Gareth was rather curious. It wasn''t every day that Regis showed interest in someone. Besides himself, he didn''t even know if the other man considered anyone else his friend.


    Regis finally retrieved his eyes. His eyes were deep, and Gareth didn''t know what he was thinking. After all this time, he still couldn''t read his friend at all.


    "He''s like me," Regis said simply.


    Gareth was stunned. "What do you mean?"


    Regis turned around, no longer having any interest in the following proceedings. He already knew how it was going to go down. His foolish sister left a lot to be desired.


    Gareth chased after him. "Wait, don''t leave me guessing! Tell me!"


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The crowd of Sins gathered around with excitement, their blood boiling.


    A duel between two people who had their honour on the line was something very exciting mainly because it never usually happened.


    Even more so because this was the unknown son of Aeden, who was being introduced to them for the first time.


    Everyone was very interested in what this son of Aeden''s was like, and how he behaved.


    Although most people thought that Alec wasn''t a Sin, it didn''t stop them from feeling a burst of excitement.


    The person on the other end of the duel was Katherine, Aeden''s niece.


    The two coming together to have a duel caused chatter to start, each one of them wondering what the intention behind this move was. Was it intentional, or was it not?


    Regardless, the bloodl.u.s.t in the air was particularly thick now. Even thicker than it was before.


    One thing to note that they didn''t hold any killing intent. Just bloodl.u.s.t. But despite the bloodl.u.s.t and the way their skin itched with the urge to fight, the air was particularly quiet as they all watched on without a single sound.


    Alec, who stood in the middle of it all, felt his blood pumping hard. There was a glint in his eyes that was quickly covered up with the normal gentle smile on his face.


    Beneath it, however, was a completely different story.


    He appeared just like a gentle young master that didn''t know what he was getting into, but if Regis were here, he would have recognized what Alec was trying to hide at the moment.


    The abundant amount of bloodl.u.s.t that bubbled under his skin.


    But it was only Regis who was able to read Alec completely ¨C just as Alec would be able to read Regis.


    In other''s eyes, he appeared almost docile, and there was more than one person sneering at his docile behaviour.


    Alec just found it funny. The difference between Sins in the two realms was quite obvious.


    Here, no one bothered to hide what they were thinking at all, while back in his realm, most of his Sins had a modic.u.m of some acting ability at least, even if they didn''t like to use it.


    On the other hand, the Sins here were particularly straightforward and didn''t hide their true selves.


    Which made him more than curious. Why was it that Katherine''s brother earlier had scared her so much with just a smile?


    Everyone else was so straightforward, forthright, and arrogant down to their bones, but Regis alone hid his feelings? What happened to him exactly?


    But he didn''t ponder on it much longer. After all, some fresh meat had sent themselves to his doorstep, so why would he ignore her?


    While he wasn''t annoyed per se at how she tried to egg him on, Alec wasn''t a saint. If she hadn''t initiated anything, then things would have passed just like that. Words weren''t that important to him.


    However, once she called him into a duel, that was a whole different matter altogether.


    There was a part of Alec that was rubbing his hands inside like a stereotypical villain.


    Katherine stood in the middle of the arena, looking particularly smug and proud of herself. She started gearing up to give Alec a good beating.


    Today would be the day that she proved herself to her clansmen once and for all, that she was a proud Sin that wouldn''t take things lying down.


    If Alec knew what she was thinking, he would have shaken his head.


    After all, there were so many targets that she could choose from, but she actually chose to fight against him instead.


    While this world had more Meisters and Grand Meisters than his realm, that was out of a total, and most of the people in the crowd here could be considered experts¡­ in the area.


    Alec, however, was already a Meister.


    If this wasn''t Katherine kicking an iron plate, then what was?

 Chapter 418 - Admit Defeat!

    Katherine donned her metal gloves, pounding her knuckles together menacingly.


    While she was still a teenager, she exuded the menacing bloodl.u.s.t of a Sin, which helped her image a little. It pushed the image that she wanted to sell so desperately ¨C she''d been pushing it so long that it was already more than a part of her personality.


    It was estimated that outside her clan, anyone who saw her would feel a chill running up and down their spines ¨C unless, of course, the other person she was facing was also a Sin.


    Alec sized her up.


    She was taller than most girls her age, and she had long, slim legs that was matched with her body. Katherine Klein was almost elegant ¨C if it wasn''t for the way she glared at every single little thing.


    With her facial expressions, she appeared more like more like a feisty and headstrong beauty.


    But Alec wasn''t looking at her surface features. He could tell that she was at the advanced stage, which was quite good for her age. She was indeed qualified to act a little arrogantly, but who was Alec?


    They looked about the same age, but Alec was already a Meister.


    If they wanted to talk about who was more qualified to be arrogant, then it was Alec.


    But this girl didn''t know anything and insisted on fighting him.


    On hindsight, it was quite funny.


    Actually, maybe not. After all, Alec had an a.d.u.l.t''s mentality, so why was he competing with a child?


    "Come on!" Katherine shouted, her voice reverberating across the walls.


    Different from a normal arena, where the people watching would be cheering with excitement and exuberant, the only thing that was heard in the room was the sound of breathing and the sound of Katherine shouting.


    To Alec, however, the arena was very noisy. He could hear the hammering heartbeats and rising excitement of the clan.


    Alec stood across Katherine, looking clean and elegant.


    He still had a gentle smile on his face, and his eyes were a pool of clear water. His crystalline blue eyes were like jewels under the light, and the sight of his handsome appearance made a few girls'' hearts beat faster in the audience.


    Beauty was still a thing that made people''s hearts move no matter the world they were in.


    Alec wasn''t inclined to trade barbs with Katherine. Since she had delivered herself to his doorstep, then he would just teach her a lesson that no one else obviously had.


    Seeing how Alec didn''t even bother taking up a stance with her, Katherine glared at him even harder.


    She was going to beat him down so hard that even his mother wouldn''t recognize him once she was done.


    Thinking up to this point, Katherine launched herself across the arena at Alec, once again displaying a show of rashness.


    But still, Katherine was built for speed, and she was much faster than those of the same realm. With an explosion of speed, she reached Alec before the time it took to blink one''s eyes passed.


    She launched a series of kicks, but to her surprise, instead of any of them connecting, Alec dodged all of them with only the smallest differences.


    Katherine wasn''t discouraged. Her brain continued to spin as she tried different ways to attack him.


    She glared when she realized that she wasn''t doing any damage at all, and she backed off a little, her face unpleasant.


    "You¡­ who are you, really?"


    Alec smiled faintly, but it was like a sweet spring breeze, and for a brief moment, Katherine''s heart stuttered.


    She felt uneasy all of a sudden.


    Because she was reminded of her brother, Regis.


    Every time her brother smiled like that¡­ it was evidence that she was in for a beating.


    At that thought, her boiling blood abruptly cooled, and she started to quickly analyse the various things that Alec had done, as well as his facial expressions.


    She didn''t even dare to entertain the thought that he was like her brother, but¡­


    But¡­ what if?


    Her own thoughts scared her, but it just made her more desperate, more unbridled. Even while she was wary, she was like a cornered animal.


    But she was fighting in a smarter way now. Still, she didn''t use any outward shows of magic, which surprised Alec a little.


    All she was doing was giving him physical blows.


    With Katherine''s personality, she should have already started using her magic, but instead, she was still fighting with only her physical strength despite the impatience and growing anger in her eyes.


    Prodding her, Alec asked, "Not going to use your Magitype?"


    It just served to make the anger in Katherine''s eyes that had tempered a little flare up instead, burning even brighter.


    How dare he rub salt in his wound? There were already so many people that looked down on her for that alone, but now, even he¡­!


    The intensity of her attacks became quicker, and she actually managed to land a few blows. Her eyes had a hint of satisfaction in them, and Alec raised a brow.


    Actually, Katherine was thinking too much. Alec indeed had no idea about her at all. In fact, he didn''t even know about her existence before this, so how could he have known about her problems?


    But¡­ Alec had a theory, which was why he had prodded her.


    Alec''s lips curled up a little, and Katherine noticed it.


    Angry, she shouted, "Fight me like a man! Just dodging like a coward like that, aren''t you ashamed?"


    Her words would have made most Sins in the audience flare up, but Alec remained calm despite her taunts.


    Because¡­ her taunts were really¡­ so f.u.c.k.i.n.g clich¨¦ that he was speechless.


    But still, since he was going to let off some steam and teach her a lesson, then he would.


    Slowly, without her realizing, he controlled the pace of the battle, pushing it up so that she didn''t notice. In the end, the two of them were fighting at a pace that was almost a blur.


    Alec started to fight back, not giving her any chance to retaliate at all.


    Katherine was sweating as each time she just barely managed to dodge his blows, the strength of it made almost sonic sounds as they brushed past her, causing her to sweat.


    The times that she couldn''t dodge, she was punted across the arena was pain flaring in all parts of her body.


    One time, she even coughed out blood, but Katherine was nothing if not stubborn.


    She pressed on with a roar, the only thought in her mind was for her not to disgrace herself in front of her clansmen.


    But after a period of time passed, she suddenly realized something.


    Alec''s punches and kicks¡­ they all came in a direction that she was never prepared for, accurately hitting her weak points.


    It was only when she started to correct herself that he would start to attack a different direction.


    She was both confused and indignant.


    Katherine was actually quite talented in the area of combat, which was why so many people remarked that it was a shame that she couldn''t ¨C


    By now, even the dullest person would have realized that Alec was indeed stronger than her ¨C she had managed to realize that he was controlling the pace of the battle.


    It had the flavour of a lesson, and she didn''t like it one bit.


    Glaring at this thought, she backed away, circling him, before catching a gap that Alec directly left in his defences, and attacked that spot.


    Alec finally nodded with satisfaction, and with a wave of his hand, she was sent flying away, slamming into the wall, unconscious.


    Alec had completely dominated their battle from start to end, which opened many of the clan members'' eyes.


    They looked at Katherine''s unconscious form, then back at Alec.


    They didn''t do something like clap, but the bloodl.u.s.t in them grew stronger by a few times. They were starting to respect Alec, but to really cement that respect, they wanted to fight!


    Alec made to step off the platform, but the referee stopped him.


    "A victor hasn''t been decided yet."


    What?


    Alec turned to look at him.


    The referee just blinked. "None of you have admitted defeat."


    Alec inwardly scoffed in his heart. "I admit defeat, then."


    His words shocked the Sins, while some of the others were contemplative and appreciative.


    After all, Alec had already shown his overwhelming prowess in front of Katherine and the rest of the Klein Clan members, which proved his dominance.


    If he continued to wait for Katherine to wake up before she admitted defeat, he would almost come across as petty.


    Alec dusted off his clothes and strode off, leaving before anyone could say anything.


    The sight of his back as he was walking into the light was very cool.

 Chapter 419 - From The Heart

    Aeden hid the smirk on his face when he saw his son leave so coolly, leaving countless Sins speechless.


    He was indeed his son. His style was just like his, despite the ever-present smile on his face.


    His wife had already told him that Alec''s smile was mostly just a fa?ade that she''d asked him to keep up since he was young. Aeden reckoned that such a mask was already more like a habit, and it was probably hard to get rid of unless someone provoked him.


    He gave a second glance to the unconscious Katherine who was already being taken care of by the paramedics and felt rest assured.


    A Sin''s vitality was always the highest amongst the four Societypes, so unless they were killed directly in battle, they could always recover from their injuries if given enough time to lick their wounds.


    Other than that, he''d seen everything that happened and knew that Katherine was mostly just unconscious. She didn''t have any other injuries, just bruising. Alec had controlled his strength very well.


    Aeden held Annalise''s hand and strode off with her into the distance after Alec.


    The banquet was already pretty much over. They''d already introduced his son, and the clan members gotten a taste of his son''s prowess, so there wasn''t anything left to do.


    He could finally ditch this bothersome event and go home.


    When they were out of the building, Annalise looked teasingly at her husband. "Dear, you seem very pleased with yourself."


    Aeden grunted, turning his head away.


    Annalise laughed, poking his cheek with her index finger. "It''s been so many years, but you still think that you can hide it from me. Your ears are red!"


    Aeden let out another grunt of embarrassment. While he could hide it from other people, he couldn''t hide it from his beloved.


    Annalise suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened. "We forgot about Ye Sha!"


    Aeden looked like he was about to protest, but Alec suddenly appeared in front of them again, not looking surprised to see them there.


    The family of three met up in front of the building entrance, and Alec nodded at them.


    "You can go home first. I''ll get that troublesome friend of mine. I''ll be back in a while."


    Inside one of the other sparring arenas, Ye Sha looked truly miserable as he dodged the attacks of the Sin across him time and time again.


    He looked a sorry sight, which his clothes in tatters.


    Alec''s lips twitched in spite of himself.


    Ye Sha felt like crying. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to attack, but that his attacks weren''t quick enough to make it through to the other party.


    Ye Sha''s fleshy body was powerful enough, but he hadn''t trained in any techniques for fighting.


    Alec briefly wondered just how long his friend had went without any sort of training, and he dispelled his original plan of bringing Ye Sha back with him. If he got whacked enough, surely, he would develop some survival skills¡­


    The System??s ear twitched, and he looked towards a wall.


    Silently, he made his way out, following the direction of the sound.


    He walked in the far direction of a lake that was in the middle of a park.


    It was relatively deserted ¨C and by relatively, he meant completely.


    The soft sounds of the soothing water lapping against the edge of the banks was heard, and Alec took the chance to relax peacefully, listening to the sound of the trees rustling gently.


    The soft, gentle breeze brushed across his skin. Alec closed his eyes, enjoying it fully.


    It was a rare chance for Alec to be so relaxed in the middle of civilisation.


    Alec curled up at the top of a tree, winding down. He had truly used up most of his bloodl.u.s.t by teasing Katherine earlier.


    And ''home'' was definitely filled with¡­ erm. His parents'' ambiguous sounds. He couldn''t even block his ears, damn it.


    Maybe he would just wait until they were done before going back.


    If it were anyone else, he''d be able to block it out, but his mind kept telling him that it was his parents, and ¨C


    Alec drifted off for a bit before he heard the sounds of someone angrily stomping here, stopping beside one of the trees nearby very furiously.


    She kicked the tree, but the tree was sturdy enough that it wouldn''t fall to an average Sin''s kicks.


    However, that seemed to be the last straw, and she exploded.


    "AH!" she yelled, and her yell actually made ripples appear across the previously still surface of the water.


    She screamed a few times, and Alec twitched with annoyance.


    She punched the ground and let out a few kicks against the tree, her anger just seeming to build without stopping. It was like a faulty faucet, and everything was coming out all at once.


    Eventually, she finally let out all her anger and panted harshly, tears prickling in her eyes.


    If it wasn''t Katherine, then who could it be?


    Who else would be so aggrieved and angry on this night? No doubt that some people had a few choice words with her after her loss in the duel.


    With Katherine''s personality over the past couple of years, she made more enemies than friends, so it wasn''t too surprising.


    Alec was a little surprised that she''d run out after getting treated, but then he considered his personality and shook his head. She obviously had a complex about something, and she had taken it out on him previously.


    No doubt that other people were able to pick up on it as well.


    She didn''t hide it very well.


    Katherine suddenly broke down in tears. It was ugly and aggrieved, but it sounded very real and unembellished. It was clear that the tears came from the depths of her heart.


    Naturally, Alec wasn''t so tactless as to make himself known at this time. His EQ might not be the highest, but it wasn''t that low either.


    Especially not since he was apparently the one who had caused this state in her. Despite her acting out, she was still a young teen that was around his age.


    Then, Alec paused. He forgot that he wasn''t that young anymore, and she was a bit older than him, so¡­


    This might have been a long time coming?


    As he was thinking about it, Katherine''s eyes suddenly sharpened, and she glared up at the tree that Alec as seated on.


    "Who''s there!"


    Alec thought about it for a bit before he dropped down from the tree, and Katherine''s eyes widened resentfully.


    She wiped at her face, glaring at him. "W-what," she said pitifully. "Did you come to rub it in that you won?"


    Alec remained silent.


    Seeing him remain silent, she felt resentment building. "Did you come to make fun of me? You didn''t even try your hardest in the battle with me! Don''t even try to deny it! I can feel it!"


    As she spoke, she suddenly burst into tears again, startling both of them.


    She especially startled herself since her pride didn''t usually allow her to let her guard down against someone else. Especially not someone whom she thought was making fun of her. Katherine''s first instinct was usually to lash out before she herself got lashed at.


    But then, she couldn''t stop herself after she started again, and her cries became great heaving sobs. It was ugly and loud, but it came from the depths of her heart.


    Alec looked at her awkwardly. He patted her shoulder, not sure how to comfort her.


    He didn''t think that a single defeat would cause such a great impact on her.


    "There, there¡­" he said awkwardly.


    Katherine hiccupped a laugh as she cried, but somehow, she felt like all the poison in her heart was steadily being released at this time.


    The resentful feelings slowly drained out of her, leaving her feeling better than she had in ages¡­


    Alec eventually picked her up like a bedraggled kitten and dragged her with him.


    She weakly fought him off, but to no avail¡­

 Chapter 420 - Teach You?

    Katherine was still sniffling when Alec entered the house with her picked up, which made Aeden and Annalise, who were still in the living room pause at the unbelievable sight.


    The little miss of the Klein Clan, known far and wide, Katherine E. Klein was sniffling like a little girl. She always portrayed herself as larger than life, so it was a bit of a shock.


    Katherine looked like a bedraggle kitten being dragged back by her mother ¨C Alec was grabbing the back of her collar and lifting her up.


    She had a deeply wounded look on her face.


    "Katherine?" Aeden said blankly. "Why did you follow your cousin here?"


    Katherine''s head snapped up when she heard her uncle''s voice. Her voice stuttered. "Uh¡­ no! I didn''t!"


    If it weren''t for the fact that he was her uncle, she would have shouted at him. Couldn''t he see that she obviously didn''t come here willingly?! She was obviously kidnapped! By his son nonetheless! He couldn''t just distort facts like this because he was his son!


    The married couple stared at her blankly. No?


    Katherine made an angry sound, struggling hard in Alec''s grip. Her hands and legs lashed out, but Alec held her far away enough that she couldn''t hit him. "Let go! Let go, you!"


    Alec raised a brow but didn''t drop her. After all, a blush was starting on her face, and she looked deeply embarrassed. She even looked like she was going to burst into tears again.


    Alec sighed inwardly. Kids.


    So, he brought her up to his room instead.


    Aeden and Annalise frowned and exchanged looks.


    "What do you think Alec is going to do with her?"


    Annalise couldn''t figure it out. Why would Alec bring back the defeated person into their house?


    Katherine was even sobbing so pathetically like that previously. It seemed like the blow done to her wasn''t light, right?


    Aeden raised a brow but didn''t say anything. In his opinion, his son was quite smart, and he wasn''t rash like some of the Sins here. He had already let Alec know that he was related to Katherine as a cousin, so he shouldn''t be too excessive.


    He actually thought that it was time for Katherine to handle a defeat. While she''d been pampered previously because of her unfortunate Magitype, it had led to her becoming pricklier and more arrogant, which was why he frequently gave her lessons.


    Unfortunately, Katherine didn''t change her personality since her combat sense was actually quite good even for those amongst the Sins. It was just unfortunate that she had the Awakening Magitype.


    A defeat would have shown her that she wasn''t at the top of the world and would have possibly removed the chip on her shoulder that he hadn''t been able to remove.


    His brother''s daughter was truly troublesome, but she had a soft heart deep down.


    Deep¡­ down¡­


    Aeden was closer to her than the rest of his extended family, but she definitely wasn''t as close as his son was to him now (even if it may be one-sided).


    "Unfortunately¡­"


    A lightbulb seemed to go off in Annalise''s mind. "Ah, maybe he''ll give his cousin some pointers."


    This time, it was Aeden''s turn to look at her, confused. "What do you mean?"


    "What?" Annalise also looked at her husband with confusion. "They have the same Magitype, after all."


    "What?"


    Aeden was stunned. His son was an Awakening Magitype as well? Why didn''t Annalise tell him before this? He had never heard anything about it! And his son had even reached a higher level than Katherine!


    He was definitely a Meister, which he had never heard of an Awakening Magitype do before. And he had looked far and wide for Katherine''s sake.


    "Why didn''t you tell me before?" Aeden asked, his brows furrowed.


    Annalise scratched her cheek sheepishly. "I might have forgot. After all, Alec''s main passion follows after me and not you. He''s extremely gifted in arrays."


    Aeden fell silent for a moment. "Wife¡­ let''s have more children."


    Annalise looked at him with surprise, then her cheeks turned a bit pink. "We''re already an old couple, but you''re still so shameless."


    Aeden chuckled and pulled his wife close, kissing her. "How are we an old couple? You''re still so young, beloved."


    "Oh, you¡­"


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Upstairs, Alec''s face was dark as his parents were being lovey dovey again. He really could not stand it anymore.


    He slapped down a few silencing seals, but they only worked for so long because they weren''t part of the initial array that had been laid down in the house.


    Katherine sniffled and wiped at her face. Her face was red and blotchy now, not matching his initial impression of her, where she was cold and arrogant.


    Now, she just seemed like a wronged teenager, and she was venting out all her frustrations. She''d probably run out because she didn''t want to be seen by anyone, but in the end had been seen by him, who was the cause of her defeat.


    Alec handed her a handkerchief, and she didn''t stubbornly refuse it. Instead, she placed the whole square on her face, covering her shameful expression.


    "Are you an Awakening type?" Alec asked.


    Katherine stiffened. Her fist clenched, but she didn''t say anything.


    It seemed like she had truly taken her loss hard, and Alec wondered if it was because he had shattered her fa?ade of arrogance, not giving her time to build it back up again.


    For some reason, looking at her like this, he had a feeling that if he found her again the next day, her walls would all have come back up, showing no flaws.


    In a way, she was like himself and Regis, but instead of using a gentle fa?ade, she used one of arrogance.


    Katherine''s mind was in a mess. Did someone tell him? Did they tell him after she lost to him?


    How did he know? While it wasn''t a well-kept secret, it wasn''t like it was openly spoken of either.


    After all, Alec had only been ''in'' the clan for about a week or so.


    It wasn''t enough time for him to learn about the unspoken secrets.


    Unless¡­ Uncle Aeden told him?


    Katherine felt something choke her up.


    "No, my father didn''t tell me," Alec said, like he was reading her thoughts.


    Can he read my thoughts?


    "No, I can''t read your thoughts either."


    Then how does he know?


    "I can read it on your face."


    Katherine yanked the handkerchief off her face. "I had a damn handkerchief on my face! How is that possible!"


    Alec chuckled, his expression amiable, and Katherine froze.


    "I guessed earlier when we were fighting. With your fighting style, you would have long since thrown out whatever magic you could have used if that was the case."


    Katherine''s expression was bitter. "Yeah, you''re right. But I can''t. Because I''m a useless Awakening Magitype."


    Alec raised a brow, but that was all Katherine needed to go off on a rant.


    "It''s not like I haven''t tried. They all said that it was useless, but I tried. I tried everything. I just can''t get it to do anything! I want to prove them all wrong!"


    "Want me to teach you?"


    Katherine froze.

 Chapter 421 - Teaching a Fool

    "Teach me? How can you?" Katherine asked, unfreezing. Her eyes were distrusting.


    Alec tilted his head to the side, as if thinking.


    "I''m an Awakening type, after all."


    "You''re lying!"


    Katherine''s chest heaved up and down, and her eyes were red. She couldn''t believe that he was making fun of her after she poured her heart out to him. Didn''t he have a conscience?


    But¡­ that didn''t fit her image with Alec.


    After all, he had comforted her, even if he had gone about it in a weird sort of way.


    Unless, he really was an Awakening type like her?


    But how could it be? She could feel that he was stronger than her. If she wasn''t being conservative about it, she even guessed that he was a Meister.


    Yet, at this time, he actually admitted that he was an Awakening type?


    She heard that Uncle Aeden''s son wasn''t from around here, but where he was from, did they have different perceptions about her Magitype?


    Alec''s smile was his normal one, but in Katherine''s eyes it looked rather elegant, like he wasn''t even trying. For some reason, it made her want to believe in his words.


    Alec looked closely at Katherine''s face and said, "No, the realm I''m from doesn''t have a different perception about our Magitype either. I had to forge my own path, just like you were doing previously. But as you already know, not having anyone else leave their notes on their paths mean that we''re wandering along the road, blind."


    The girl nodded quietly. She''d been trying, and she could ''up'' her rank by acc.u.mulating magic, but that hadn''t seemed to help her, only allowing her to lash out with more strength as she used it to accommodate her muscles.


    Other than that, she really could not find anything.


    No records, no spoken tales. It was like their Magitype was so disdained that it wasn''t even spoken about. As if they were invisible.


    Katherine clenched her fists.


    Alec was igniting a bit of hope in her that she couldn''t bring herself to snuff out.


    Katherine might have been a rash person, but she still had some judgement. "You really are of the Awakening Magitype," she said. Her voice still held a trace of disbelief. She really could not believe it.


    There was no one who would *willingly* admit they had their Magitype. Just the thought made her bitter.


    All this time, she had thought that she was alone in struggling. Even when she went out of her way to find someone else of the Awakening Magitype, those people had all long since given up, and they were just struggling to get through life, wading their way through life aimlessly.


    There was no one else like her, who was still struggling desperately along the path. She was not resigned; she was not resigned!


    She took back everything that she''d said in frustration earlier.


    Katherine took a deep breath. "Tell me, but don''t teach me," she said.


    Katherine had her pride. If Alec could do it, then she could too. She refused to believe that she couldn''t.


    Alec flicked her forehead, causing her to hold it. She looked at him in surprise and confusion.


    She looked quite funny, with her mouth open and her eyes confused. She looked nothing like her usually arrogant and domineering self.


    She snapped out of it and glared at him.


    "You have someone wanting to teach you, but you instead refuse and want to forge your own path? That''s fine, but aren''t you being foolish about not wanting to learn? You can avoid all the pitfalls and traps, but you instead want to wade through them yourself?"


    Katherine glared harder. "What''s wrong with that? My path would be nothing but my own. I refuse to believe that I won''t be able to forge my own path!"


    Alec smiled, and before she had time to marvel how his smile was really like her brother''s, her forehead was flicked again.


    This time, she was flicked until she saw stars. She actually collapsed backwards and knocked her head on the ground, causing her to be dizzy. The stinging pain came in waves, and she rubbed it. She held in the hiss that wanted to come out, not wanting to show any more of her weaknesses.


    "There''s a fine difference between stubbornness and foolishness," Alec said. "There''s already someone who''s forged a path, so why be stubborn before you''ve even listened to what I have to say????


    Katherine remained silent. She didn''t agree, but she was willing to at least listen to him speak.


    Alec opened his mouth and taught her slowly, giving her a few examples.


    At first, Katherine was still a little sceptical, but the more she listened, the more she felt as if her eyes had been opened.


    She hadn''t even though about the things that he was talking about. Forget her walking along her own road, she hadn''t even stepped foot on it yet.


    It was only then that she realized the extent of her ignorance.


    The way that Katherine looked at Alec also subtly changed ¨C from the earlier slight wariness and confusion to admiration, to almost worship.


    She didn''t even feel this way for her uncle, who was the strongest person that she knew.


    Before this, she had always wanted to be like her uncle ¨C she wanted to be strong enough to make all her naysayers shut up for eternity, but now, she found that it was all meaningless.


    Her eyes had been opened.


    What did she have to care about those insignificant people?


    She had her own pride, and that shining pride would not be tarnished by mere words alone.


    The more she listened, the more she fell into a deep trance as she rapidly comprehended what Alec was imparting to her without holding back.


    She felt gratefulness for what Alec was willing to share.


    After all, she had insulted him earlier on, but he had even given her combat pointers at that time, and it wasn''t like he had humiliated her either.


    It had all been her own wishful thinking that boxed her into a corner.


    Now, her mind was open.


    She saw the world with clearer eyes, and she felt like she''d been freed from her earlier narrow thinking.


    She breathed in, and she felt like the air had never been so fresh.


    By the time Alec stopped talking, her eyes were sparkling as she looked at him.


    Alec looked at her and his lips twitched. Somehow, he felt like he''d gained a little fan¡­?


    But that couldn''t be right. The only reason why he was willing to help her out a little was because of her brash arrogance ¨C an arrogance that had been tempered and born naturally from the little girl''s soul.


    Seeing all that arrogance shatter, then seeing the process rebuild again, this time¡­ that arrogance was more like confidence now.


    She wasn''t a bad person. She was just too young. Added with a Sin''s base personality¡­ well.


    But she was his cousin after all, so Alec would give his father some face.


    The man seemed to care about her at least a little.


    More than that, seeing the world try and crush out another Awakening Magitype filled him with a kind of helpless and fury that burned from deep inside.


    So, he taught her wholeheartedly.

 Chapter 422 - The Reason Why

    Regis sat by the desk, an amiable smile on his face. He was reading through the reports seriously, no other emotion showing on his face.


    However, Gareth, who was by his side as usual, knew better.


    There was the faintest twitch on his friend''s brow, so undiscernible that anyone would have missed it unless they knew Regis. How did he put it?


    It was like his overall countenance was perfect, but Gareth had seen that perfectly maintained smiling face day in and out, and even the slightest change was able to be picked up by him.


    Inwardly, Gareth lamented about how he had developed such a useless skill. He had been single for too long if he was developing skills like this instead of something else more relevant.


    He''d definitely been hanging around Regis for too long!


    It still baffled him a little how people thought that Regis was this paragon of gentleness when they didn''t even know him. It was like they never bothered to look beneath the surface and judge him by the actions that he took in the dark instead.


    He supposed it was because most of the Sins mainly judged by what they saw ¨C they weren''t the most complex people most of the time. In general, Sins were relatively straightforward and were forthright.


    Perhaps it was because Sins were so well-respected, that most of them didn''t feel the need to scheme or plot against others.


    Regis, on the other hand¡­


    On another note, that ''newest'' clan member Alec also gave him the same feeling as Regis.


    Gareth had heard about the various girls in the Klein Clan going around saying Alec was rather dreamy, and they wanted to ''spar'' with him.


    Gareth shuddered faintly at the memory. He could definitely hear a double entendre there. ''Spar'' indeed!


    At this moment, Gareth suddenly remembered something. Having gotten lost in his thoughts, he forgot about this crucial piece of information. "Ah," he said, drawing Regis'' attention to himself. "Yesterday¡­ I saw your little sister walking with a man."


    Regis gave him a side look. "What does that have to do with me?"


    Gareth''s lip twitched. "I don''t know¡­ you may not be interested, but it looked like they were holding hands."


    The pen that had been flowing across the page while Gareth had been talking paused faintly before continuing. "So what?"


    Gareth shrugged. "If you would rather not know, then that''s fine with me. It''s just that I did all the research for you already."


    The smile on Regis'' face widened as he slowly turned towards Gareth.


    A tremor went through Gareth''s body, but he bit back the grin that wanted to surface on his face. He may act like he didn''t care about his sister, but Regis definitely cared. And he cared a lot.


    There was a reason why there hadn''t been any boys around Katherine before. While her Magitype may be considered useless in many of the Sin''s eyes, she was actually rather proficient in the art of combat, which offset that apparent ''uselessness''.


    Added to the fact that Katherine was an attractive young lady, there were definitely suitors both in and out of the clan. She wasn''t as hated as she thought she was. It was mainly the ladies who didn''t want to let her live a good life since they felt threatened by her.


    But why was it that she had never dated before?


    The first reason was: Katherine was too engrossed in furthering her combat skills


    The second reason was: Regis was always behind the scenes, getting rid of ''pests.


    The only reason why Katherine had never found out was because she had truly engrossed herself in the art of combat, always thinking about how to further her Magitype without any success.


    Yet, because of the pressure she put on herself, she never once looked around her unless someone provoked her.


    But now¡­ she was actually holding hands with someone?!


    Regis had only been away for a few days, but something so big had already happened!?


    And yet¡­ this Gareth¡­ dared to play with him like this?


    Gareth chuckled seeing Regis'' smile. He wasn''t exactly afraid ¨C since Regis would let him live seeing as he still had the information that he wanted.


    "She started dating a guy inside the Klein Clan ¨C his name is Brian, and he''s two years older than her."


    Regis actually frowned. He didn''t remember a Brian in their clan, but was he worthy of dating his sister?


    Gareth threw a file at Regis, who caught it one-handed.


    Regis flipped through it, and it only caused him to frown ¨C actually frown for once.


    This Brian had previously been dating a girl outside of the clan called Jae Lerve, and they had only broken up for a week, but Brian was already dating Katherine?


    The time that Brian took to ''woo'' Katherine was only one week, meaning immediately after they broke up, he started making a move on his sister?


    Regis red eyes were dark and foreboding, and it wasn''t covered up with his normal smile.


    The bloodl.u.s.t in the room was thick, and Gareth swallowed, eyeing Regis.


    He knew that his friend would be angry, but *this* angry? That, he had not expected. He wasn''t even trying to hide his anger and killing intent.


    "What do you want to do?"


    Regis stood up. "I need to have a look."


    Gareth nodded. "She''s been feeling happier as of late for some reason after the duel with Alec. But I don''t know why."


    Regis'' eyes narrowed. He had a feeling he knew why. It had to have something to do with Alec, and the way his sister had been following the other teen around with a look of respect and reverence on her face that was well-hidden from the rest of the clan members.


    The other clan members noticed that Katherine seemed a little softer nowadays, but they all thought it was because she had been humbled after that duel.


    Regis didn''t think so, but he hadn''t thought much about it previously.


    Now, however¡­


    He had to find out.


    The two friends made their way to Uncle Aeden''s house, knocking on the door.


    The door soon opened to reveal Annalise, who looked pleasantly surprised to see Regis.


    "Come in, come in. Aeden''s in the study. I''ll go get him."


    Regis stopped her before she got too far. "I''m looking for Alec, aunt."


    Annalise''s eyebrows rose, but she nodded. "Alright, I''ll go get him."


    Alec came downstairs with a faint but gentle smile on his face.


    Gareth silently looked between the two, and his lips curled. Really alike. It was likely that the two acknowledged each other subtly as well, otherwise Regis would never have made his way here to talk to Alec.


    There were more than a few people who had been dispatched by Regis quietly so that they would never be a threat to Katherine ever again.


    It was a shame that Katherine never knew how much she was protected. That might have pushed her arrogant mask even further, but now that it shattered and was joined back together, Regis didn''t feel that it was too good either.


    After all, she had ended up dating such a sc.u.mbag!


    At the thought, Regis leaked a bit of bloodl.u.s.t, which Alec naturally felt.


    Alec raised a brow. "Are you here to inquire about Katherine?"


    Regis silently nodded.


    "Come, then," Alec said, leading the way upstairs.


    He talked along the way. "I''m not sure if she''s told you, but she''s studying under me for a while. She''s learning some arrays as well."


    Regis inwardly raised a brow. His sister, whose first instinct was just to whack until they couldn''t move anymore, was learning arrays?


    She''d always turned her nose up at it, saying that real men talked with their fists.


    Yet, she was now obediently learning from this cousin of theirs who popped out of nowhere?


    Unbelievable!


    Alec shut the door behind them.

 Chapter 423 - Watch Over Them

    "What do you want to talk about?" Alec said, sitting down on the bed.


    Gareth gave Regis a subtle look, but Regis ignored him.


    "I heard you''ve been hanging around Katherine a lot lately."


    Gareth kept his face straight. He heard no such thing. There might have been people talking about it subtly, but no one had realized the extent of it which was what Regis had done. Regis had come to a conclusion all by himself.


    He might not have stated it expressly, but Regis somehow was able to keep an eye on Katherine''s every move.


    Gareth wondered if it was because since they were young, the two of them had been mostly stuck together.


    There were little things. Regis was mostly tight-lipped about his childhood, but he''d managed to gleam that the man hadn''t had an easy one. Apparently, he''d been stuck in a place far away without being able to see his sister for a long time before coming back stronger than ever.


    What exactly happened, he didn''t know. The man was far too quiet to take the initiative to let things leak. It seemed to hold some bad memories for him, so Gareth didn''t ask.


    As far as he had managed to deduce from Regis'' behaviour, he had a bit of a sister complex, even if no one could tell. Perhaps Gareth was the only one close enough to tell.


    Even Katherine herself thought that Regis didn''t have any strong feelings for her even though she was attached to her brother.


    But Sins fixated strongly, and it came without any warning, so Regis was used to hiding his weakness. Sometimes, it came in childhood, and other times, it appeared only later in life. But it was undeniable that they fixated, and they never stopped fixating.


    Maybe, in her entire life, Katherine would never know.


    "Katherine has been learning from me, yes."


    Regis'' smile widened a little. "You''re an Awakening type too."


    Regis said it like a statement, not a question, and Alec inclined his head a little.


    Seeing how Alec wasn''t taking Katherine''s apparent worship for him very seriously, a part of Regis relaxed. They were cousins, sure, but what did blood count for between Sins?


    People might say that Alec didn''t seem like a Sin at all, just like how Regis himself didn''t seem like a Sin to them, but Regis was quite clear that¡­ it was just hidden deep down.


    In his opinion, Alec was a Sin through and through, just like him. He just had good control over himself and wouldn''t act randomly like Katherine or the rest of them


    Part of him was wary, but the other part was appreciative.


    Many thoughts flashed through Regis'' mind, and he put down a few of his worries. In the end, it was still that Brian¡­


    Regis nodded at Alec and turned around, leaving a startled Gareth.


    "Eh¡­" Gareth looked between Regis'' retreating back and Alec''s calm figure, and he hastily bid Alec goodbye before chasing after his friend.


    "You''re not going to ask him anything else?"


    "No need,?? Regis said, "I''ve already obtained what I wish to know."


    Gareth looked at Regis in confusion. They barely exchanged two sentences with each other. What did he know, exactly?


    Regis spoke up again at this time. "Help me gather more information about Brian Klein. I''ll deal with him personally if it comes to it."


    His friend was shocked, but he still answered affirmatively. Gareth raised a brow in sympathy. He actually didn''t think that Brian was too bad. It was just that his previous girlfriend had trapped him in a relationship with her, and she hadn''t been giving into his attempts at breaking both of them up.


    Regis was probably worried that the previous girlfriend would cause some trouble for Katherine.


    This sis-con!


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec looked at them going down the stairs. He could hear their conversation outside, even, and he briefly wondered.


    Had something happened to Katherine while he was unaware?


    As far as he knew, she''d gone out on a date yesterday.


    But was the person she went on a date with someone that Regis didn''t approve of?


    Even though Regis hid it well, he could faintly sense that the other teen still cared deeply about Katherine, even coming all the way here to inquire about her and see Alec''s reactions.


    When he heard that Katherine was studying under him, he had actually loosened up a lot.


    There was a quiet strength to Regis that he couldn''t place.


    Ye Sha came down from above and leaned lazily on the doorframe, looking at him teasingly. "You must have attracted the attention of that sis-con," he said.


    Alec raised a brow.


    "Katherine. There''s always someone watching over her from the shadows. Don''t you already know?"


    Alec nodded. He had already noticed long ago. It was just that he didn''t think much of it. He always thought that it was his father''s doing, but apparently not.


    It seemed that Regis was more unfathomable than he thought.


    "That Regis isn''t so simple. I can''t get a proper read on him," Ye Sha said.


    Alec actually frowned. There was something that Ye Sha could not do? Ye Sha had already taken over as a ''motherboard'', and his authority was even higher than the damn mainframe, yet he couldn''t read Regis accurately?


    "Does he have a System?" Alec asked.


    Ye Sha spread out his arms. "I don''t know. Like I said, I can''t read him."


    "You can''t read him to that extent?"


    Ye Sha nodded seriously. "I don''t know what part he will have ¨C if he will even have a part of it in the future calamity."


    Alec looked at the wall, thinking.


    If they were back in their original realm, he would have gone to find Lily to see whether she could impart any information about the future calamity to him, but both of them had been worried about whether the future would change one she spoke.


    It was akin to a butterfly flapping its wings creating a hurricane in the future.


    While he thought that he could shoulder the hurricane, if it implicated the people close to him, he really could not bear to do it.


    However, things had come to this point. It gave him more pressure, and he found that he hadn''t been decisive enough previously.


    His eyes narrowed.


    "Fine. Ignore him first. He''s in this realm, while the calamity is back in our own realm."


    Ye Sha''s eyes were strangely unreadable. "We will never know. But I''ll still keep an eye on him. He''s rather strong, but he hasn''t noticed my probing yet. He feels like a Main Character, but I truly cannot get a read on him at all. I could even read your father, who''s at the Grand Meister realm, but I couldn''t read Regis at all."


    Alec stood up, starting Ye Sha.


    Seeing the look of intent in Alec''s eyes, Ye Sha felt a chill go down his spine. As Alec approached him, he hurriedly backed away.


    He had a bad feeling about this!


    Sure enough, Alec quickly caught up with Ye Sha, grabbing the back of his collar before he could get very far.


    "Forget about other people we have to train and do our best."


    "We?" Ye Sha said nervously. "You mean you, right?"


    Alec didn''t even bat an eyelid. "No. You heard me right."


    Ye Sha silently despaired when he heard Alec''s words. He had a feeling that it was going to be even worse this time around¡­

 Chapter 424 - Its Dangerous Out There

    Katherine held Brian''s hand as the two of them strode around the town. She had only done this because she owed him.


    There had been a time that he had helped her out before, so she was returning the favour. It wasn''t like it was anything hard either. She just had to act as his pretend girlfriend for a while.


    It was only until he managed to get rid of his ex-girlfriend who was stalking him obsessively, so she was fine with it.


    If it came to it, she could even overpower Brian, let alone a girlfriend of his.


    But so far, there hadn''t been any signs of that girlfriend of his, let alone another person.


    Instead, the news was just spreading throughout her clan that she was dating Brian Klein now, and that they were very lovey dovey, going out on dates every few days. They always held hands and looked deeply into each other''s eyes, like they were truly in love.


    Just thinking about it made her face blacken. She could only hope that her brother didn''t hear news of this.


    She shuddered to think about what would happen if he did.


    Even at the end of their several ''dates'' there still wasn''t any appearance of Brian''s ex-girlfriend. There wasn''t even a single hair out of place.


    For a while, she was suspicious that Brian had just made up his ex-girlfriend to get closer to her, but she noticed that his expression was quite genuine and puzzled that his ex-girlfriend wasn''t appearing when she had been previously stalking him almost to prevent their breakup.


    Now, there wasn''t even a shadow of her at all.


    Could she finally have accepted it?


    Brian still wasn''t convinced, so Katherine was willing to keep this fa?ade up for a little while longer.


    At least, that was how it was in the beginning¡­


    But after a while, Brian seemed to have developed genuine feelings for her, and his subsequent treatment of her became gentler and more devoted. She was uncomfortable at first, but she thought to herself¡­


    She would indulge him a bit.


    Just a bit.


    It wasn''t so bad if she was in a relationship with him. While she had not developed feelings for him yet, it wasn''t certain that she wouldn''t in the future.


    There still wasn''t any news of Brian''s ex-girlfriend, whom she didn''t even know the name of, so she just treated the dates as real dates now.


    Her training wasn''t stagnating at all. In fact, it was stronger and more vigorous than ever, and she realized now that her previous method of training had been ineffective.


    She wasn''t suited for self-cultivation without any outside help.


    Just this alone made her admire her cousin more than ever. Besides her brother and her uncle, Alec was definitely the most knowledgeable and worthy of her respect and worship.


    Perhaps, even more.


    After all, Alec had truly forged his own path in cultivation and was still charging ahead.


    She too, wanted to do that. She wanted to forge her own path, find her own niche.


    Katherine said a prompt goodbye to her current boyfriend, Brian, and went to a nearby training ground to get some training in.


    Even while she ''relaxed'' Katherine was still very hardworking ¨C much more than many others out there.


    She didn''t give herself any slack, and she didn''t complain either. It was a bone-deep confidence in herself that she would eventually be able to rise above the crowd even with her disadvantaged Magitype.


    Katherine may have come out seemingly softer compared to before, but deep down, she was more determined than ever. Right now, nothing could shake her staunch belief. It came from deep inside her, illuminating her mind.


    After all, she finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.


    And to her, that light was more precious than anything else. It was her hope, her dreams and everything that she had aspired for since she was a little girl.


    All of that made her seem softer, and her previous bad temper that was provoked with just a soft prod slowly calmed down.


    She was halfway in the middle of training hard when her ears suddenly perked up.


    There were a series of crashes through the woods, and a soft ''ow'' that she heard from a distance.


    Katherine pursed her lips, ignoring the person who had intruded on her training. She would just leave sooner or later once she saw that someone was here.


    However, the figure that emerged from the foliage caused her to pause, slightly stunned.


    It was a pretty teenager with soft, watery eyes and soft dark hair. It wasn''t as dark as the Klein Clan''s hair and instead had a bit of a brown tinge to it in the sunlight.


    Her eyes were big and watery, framed with delicate eyelashes. There were some scratches on her face, and her clothes were dishevelled. There were various wounds on pale skin, and she was barefoot.


    She looked like she was about to cry at any moment.


    At once, Katherine was stunned again, and her movements slowed down a little. She frowned, walking over to the girl.


    "What''s wrong with you?"


    The girl looked at her and burst into tears, burrowing herself into Katherine''s arms and hugging her tightly. Her body trembled a little, and it was a reaction that couldn''t be faked.


    Katherine stared over the girl''s shoulder with confusion. What was happening?


    Why had she suddenly been hugged out of nowhere by a girl who was crying and clinging to her like she never wanted to let go?


    Katherine awkwardly patted the girl''s back, and her loud cries slowly died into soft sniffles.


    Her hair was slightly dishevelled, and there was even a small twig in her hair. Katherine pulled it out and threw it away.


    Hmph. If she weren''t a girl, Katherine wouldn''t have been so nice. She would have thrown them far away.


    "Why are you like this?" Katherine said, pulling away the teen from her body by the back of her collar.


    The girl directed watery eyes at her, sniffling. She rubbed her face, swallowing. "There were some people¡­" she said with trembling lips. "They tried to¡­ kidnap and¡­" She couldn''t get the last few words out, as if she would break down if she said it out loud.


    Katherine''s eyes immediately became stormy.


    Someone dared to act while they were in the Klein Clan''s territory?!


    They were courting death!


    She gripped her fists, and stomped on the ground, creating quite a large crater as she launched off the ground.


    The girl who had previously been sniffling nonstop look at the crater that had suddenly appeared with wonder. There was a faint longing in her eyes.


    But the girl quickly snapped out of it. "Wait, you shouldn''t go! There are a lot of them-"


    She''d only talked halfway, but Katherine had already started tearing through the woods.


    The girl''s mouth dropped open, and panic filled her eyes. She quickly ran after her, but she was much faster.


    Her heart was pounding in her chest as she quickly retraced her steps. She couldn''t even see that girl previously anymore. She''d felt so safe in her arms, but now she was running after to punish those people-

 Chapter 425 - Killing Them So Easily

    While the teen who had been almost assaulted panicked as she tripped in the woods behind her, her heart pounding quickly as she thought about how she was returning to the almost-crime scene, she was instead more worried about Katherine who had comforted a stranger.


    Even if she wasn''t a stranger to Jae.


    She might not be very strong, but at least she was fast and light on her feet. She hardly made any sounds as she ran through the woods.


    Meanwhile, Katherine was charging forward, but her steps were still as silent as could be, making no sounds at all in the dense woods. She didn''t step on a single branch nor did any leaves rustle.


    It could be seen that Katherine was very accustomed to moving about in places like this stealthily. It could only be said that she had spent a long time training herself in stealth.


    She soon heard sounds of people complaining and moving around without any sense of stealth whatsoever.


    It could be seen from how the wildlife quietened down whenever they passed by, leaving the forest silent with only their loud stomps and words around.


    Katherine frowned fiercely, a murderous light appearing in her eyes. How dare they come here to her clan''s territory and make trouble?


    They even dared to try and r.a.p.e someone? Kidnap someone?


    Did they think that her Klein Clan was dead? Had they been too kind lately, that these lowly and pathetic bandits dared to enter her clan''s vicinity and make trouble?


    Or was there something deeper than what was seen on the surface?


    Anger was boiling deep within Katherine, but she hid her killing intent deep inside her. She might not be the smartest in her clan, but she had at least some judgement. The only time her judgement had been clouded was when she made a move on Alec, her anger clouding her.


    The words that she heard coming from them made her blood boil even more.


    "I can''t believe you let her get away. She was such a good catch."


    A snort. "Fourth Brother, you''re talking nonsense. Aren''t you the one who wanted to play with her the most?"


    "Yeah, Fourth Brother, weren''t you the one who wanted to play around so much that she ended up getting away?"


    Fourth Brother cursed; his face terrifyingly ugly. From the way that the other three were teasing him, they could see that the fourth brother was the one who was picked on the most.


    "Who would have known that bitch would have such good escaping abilities? No, I''m unreconciled. We have to get her back. Goods like that don''t come around often."


    Katherine didn''t need to hear anymore. Anymore, and she would directly explode before she managed to make her move.


    As she studied the strengths of the apparent bandits who were kidnapping ¨C and even raping people, her eyes were filled with a cold, murderous light.


    Her ears perked up again when she heard the sound of someone approaching. It was the girl who had thrown herself into her arms earlier, crying with such terror and helplessness.


    Katherine''s lips twitched.


    She had actually foolishly come back to look for her?


    Katherine frowned at the thought.


    Foolish girl!


    But there was a part of Katherine that bit her lips secretly, her brows furrowing. She didn''t reveal herself and instead waited.


    She could take care of all these thugs no problem, but if she had a distraction, then she would be able to take care of them with less chance of failure.


    The teen girl froze when she caught sight of the thugs who had previously tried to kidnap and r.a.p.e her, but she glared at them from a distance and turned around swiftly, running. She tried not to catch their attention.


    She could see that Katherine was not here, so she shouldn''t have encountered the thugs yet.


    They had already made it quite far from the distance that she first appeared.


    Seeing how Katherine wasn''t here, she should be safe.


    In that case, what Jae had to do now was run towards town. Once she was there, they wouldn''t be able to find her again.


    Besides, it wasn''t like she was a targeted capture in the first place. They had just stumbled across her.


    However, she must have made some sound, because the thugs'' eyes sharpened as they shouted, "There she is! Catch her!"


    "Haha! You actually came back for us? How nice!"


    They started run after the teenager with flowing hair and a tattered dress, Katherine''s eyes sharpened.


    Just as they were about to use some methods to chase up to her, Katherine''s figure flashed out, startling all of them.


    The four men were initially startled, but in that micro-second when they saw that it was just another weak-looking girl, their lips involuntarily curled into a grin.


    There was only one beauty in front of them, but now there were two!


    Instantly there were lascivious grins on their faces, but that only made Katherine narrow her eyes in disgust and contempt.


    Before they had any chance to do anything, she''d already struck out, taking advantage of their loss in control and taking two of them down at once.


    By the time the other two widened their eyes, something suddenly clicked in their mind.


    Looking at her graceful and slender figure, her muscles were firm and taut, and her face was stunning.


    But that wasn''t the thing that caught their attention.


    Red eyes and jet-black hair. Wasn???t this a Klein Clan member?!


    Panic was lit inside them. Not good!


    Without caring about the two brothers who were struck out cold, they quickly turned around and fled in different directions, no longer caring about friendship or brotherhood.


    It was clear to see that they were selfish individuals at heart who didn''t have loyalty and friendship in their mind. Their survival was number one in their mind and they wouldn''t hesitate to abandon each other.


    In their opinion, splitting up would increase the chances of their survival.


    Katherine sneered.


    She took a brief look at Jae, making sure that she wasn''t hurt, before she ran after the one that was running quicker.


    The man turned back and whipped out a few daggers, which Katherine dodged low under. The dodging didn''t affect her speed at all, which made the man swear. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself harder, but Katherine shot out and grabbed one of the daggers from mid-air, stabbing it into his calf.


    The man let out a sharp yell as he collapsed.


    Katherine sneered and turned back, dispatching the other slower running man with ease.


    He died without a single sound, his eyes filled with grievance and regret.


    Katherine went back to the other man with his calf still pierced. He''d taken out the dagger and was running again, but he couldn''t stem the blood flow, and he left a trail behind.


    The Sin knocked him out with a chop to the back of his head.


    She dragged the body of the man with her and killed all three of them, including the other two unconscious ones, in front of Jae.


    Katherine briefly felt that they had gotten off much too easily, but she still killed them in case leaving them alive would leave a shadow in the girl''s heart.


    She looked at Jae, wondering if she would start crying again, but she realized that the girl was looking at her with shiny eyes. She could practically see a flower backdrop from the brightness and sparkles of her smile.


    Katherine was surprised. "You''re not scared?"


    "Scared?" Jae repeated, scoffing. She stuck out her tongue. She tilted her chin up. "Hmph. They''ve already been taken care of you, and I''ll never show mercy to someone who wants to kill me."


    Katherine nodded with approval. This was the kind of thinking that she approved of. If she still had some reservations after she''d almost been hurt, she would have disdained her.


    "Thank you," Jae said, her eyes soft and gentle as she looked at Katherine. "My name is Jae. Jae Lerve."


    "Hm. Katherine Klein."

 Chapter 426 - Confusion

    Jae clasped her hands together pleadingly as she looked at Katherine.


    The Sin felt her defences quickly crumbling down, in a way that it didn''t usually for most people. She was even quite immune to her friend, Le Xuan''s acts of coquettishness, but in front of Jae''s una.d.u.l.terated pleading, she couldn''t resist.


    "Fine."


    Jae cheered with sparkly eyes. She grabbed and hugged Katherine''s arm, attaching herself to the other girl without another word.


    Katherine was speechless. Why was she so close? Did she still need comfort? She could let go now, and comfort herself.


    Or was this some sort of imprinting that was going on?


    "Are you a Sin?" she asked bluntly. It was a rude question, and it would have caused a lot of people to jump out and fight her, but this Jae didn''t even mind it at all. She answered like it was the most natural thing for Katherine to ask.


    "No," Jae said cheerfully. "I''m a Bright."


    "Hmph."


    Katherine glared at her and tilted her head up with an arrogant expression, turning her head away as if she didn''t care.


    Jae''s eyes sparkled and she smiled sweetly, not letting go no matter how the other party tried to throw her off. No one could say she wasn''t persistent.


    As Katherine moved forward, she suddenly had a feeling that things weren''t so simple. Who was this girl exactly?


    She was so lucky to escape just like that?


    They moved towards the market, where there were more people. Katherine thought that Jae would be more assured once there were more people and would let her go, but who knew that she wouldn''t do so at all?


    Instead, she just clung on tighter.


    Katherine was speechless.


    How had she gotten herself into this mess? Up until now, she still didn''t know.


    By right, she would have chucked Jae aside once she knew that she was fine, yet she couldn''t do that at all. Maybe it was because of her big, pure eyes that seemed to water whenever she rejected her.


    Bored, Katherine walked around with Jae hanging on her arm like a limpet.


    She was only here because the girl said that she wanted someone to keep her company for a bit to comfort her from her previous shock, but what was she doing now, really?


    She didn''t really seem to have much interest in the wares around and was instead just staring at Katherine with sparkling eyes.


    It made her a bit uncomfortable since she didn''t know how to react.


    With her arrogant and cold disposition, there weren''t many people who got close to her or genuinely admired her.


    The only one who was ''close'' to her was Le Xuan.


    Jae beamed, because though the other party seemed cold, she still awkwardly comforted her, and she even slowed her steps half a beat when she noticed that Jae couldn''t keep up.


    She was just lovely.


    As Katherine and Jae were standing in front of a shop that sold hairpins and other nonsensical things, a girl nearby c.o.c.ked her head, her eyes widening.


    She couldn''t believe what she was seeing right now.


    Was that really Katherine E. Klein who didn''t hold people in her eyes at all?


    There was someone who was hanging around her? How was that possible? She had only been away for a few days, but there was already someone else around her?!


    Le Xuan peered at the other girl closely, confused.


    The girl had dark hair and dark eyes, so she was definitely not from the Klein Clan. Who was she?


    And why was she so close to Katherine? It had been less than a week.


    She strode up to them, pouncing on Katherine and dislodging Jae. "Kat!" She quickly let go.


    Katherine turned and smirked at her friend. "Le Xuan. Where have you been?"


    Le Xuan waved her hand. "Around. I had to do a few things, but I''m finally done after so long," she said, rolling her eyes.


    It wasn''t her imagination when she caught sight of the glare on the girl who had returned to her position of clinging onto Katherine''s arm.


    ???Who''s this?" she asked instead, directing her gaze at the new girl.


    Jae shrunk back a little, but she blinked her big eyes and her eyes lost her glare before Katherine turned back to her.


    Le Xuan was instantly a little suspicious. So scheming? Was she just hiding her expression from Katherine, or had that expression been meant for her to see?


    She couldn''t figure it out in the short-term.


    But¡­ Katherine wasn''t that weak, and she should have noticed at least a little bit, so it was fine for now. If she still couldn''t see it in the future, Le Xuan would remind her.


    "This is Jae," Katherine introduced the girl to her friend casually.


    She felt the fingers on the crook of her arm tremble a little, but Katherine tried to ignore it. She couldn''t let this little setback affect her so hard.


    "Jae, this is my friend, Le Xuan."


    Jae ducked her head and looked up at Le Xuan from under her fringe, glaring at her. "Hello," she said softly.


    She couldn''t help but feel threatened at this pretty lady coming out of nowhere and acting so friendly with Katherine.


    With the previous information that she''d gathered, Katherine only had one good friend, and that was this lady in front of her.


    She didn''t want to have another rival¡­


    Le Xuan looked at Jae deeply, but Katherine didn''t seem to notice.


    Eventually, Le Xuan bid her goodbye.


    Then, just as Jae thought that they were left alone, some more trouble popped up.


    "Jae?" She heard the familiar voice that had haunted her dreams for quite a number of nights previously.


    Jae immediately frowned, biting her lip. She''d once thought that they were meant to be, and that they were fated, but apparently, the other party had not thought the same.


    She''d originally thought ¨C she gave a little guilty look to the back of Katherine''s head and pressed herself closer to the other girl, hiding half of herself.


    Katherine looked at Brian with surprise. "Brian? What are you doing?"


    Brian frowned, looking at Jae''s half-hidden form. She was trying to make herself smaller, but that was definitely his ex-girlfriend.


    Why was she here with Katherine?


    His eyes narrowed, and he stared deeply at Jae.


    "Katherine?" he asked, turning towards her.


    Katherine frowned, seeing the mix of displeasure and worry on his face. Suddenly, it clicked. No wonder it had felt strange earlier on.


    So, Jae was Brian''s ex-girlfriend, the one who was stalking him almost obsessively, right?


    Huh.


    She turned her head a little to look at Jae, who had wide, slightly panicked eyes. "Jae? You''re Brian''s ex-girlfriend?"


    Jae nodded timidly; her eyes wavering a little. "But¡­ I have nothing to do with him anymore!" she said, clinging tighter to Katherine''s hand. It was as if she was trying to covey all her belief into that one action.


    Katherine was confused. What was happening right now?


    Brian''s eyes widened with disbelief. What was she saying right now? How could she just shamelessly say that after all the stalking she did?


    "Are you serious? Do you have some sort of malicious intentions towards Katherine? I won''t allow it!"


    Jae glared at him, but with her watery eyes, it didn''t seem convincing at all. She clicked her tongue. "You''re the past! And I''ve come to a realization. Katherine is the best!"


    Brian''s eyes continued to widen. This¡­ this¡­?!


    He grabbed Katherine''s other hand. "Katherine is my girlfriend," he said, glaring at her.


    Jae clung tighter to Katherine. "So what? I know that it''s a fake relationship!"


    "Not anymore," he said seriously, looking deeply at Katherine. "Right, dear?"


    Katherine looked between the two people who were¡­ fighting over her?


    What was happening?

 Chapter 427 - Not Interested

    Alec raised his brow when he saw with his own eyes about Katherine''s messy affairs.


    He didn''t really think much about it when she told him about her fake dating, but when that fake boyfriend became her current boyfriend, he was a bit speechless.


    This worked too?


    What kind of luck was this? Getting a boyfriend when you were just helping someone out?


    It hadn''t even been that long, but she only took a week to convert the fake boyfriend into a real boyfriend?


    Alec had been torn between hilarity and speechlessness.


    Now, standing in the middle of the market, Katherine was ''held hostage'' between the two parties fighting over her, her face blank. But her eyes showed how dumbfounded she currently was.


    There was a man and a woman fighting over her, lightly tugging Katherine this way and that.


    They were attracting a lot of attention to themselves, but neither Brian nor Jae seemed to have any intention of giving up.


    Alec slowly blinked and went around to some stores to buy some snacks before munching on them as he continued to watch the show from a good vantage point.


    It wasn''t often he got to see real-life drama like this, after all.


    What was Katherine going to do next?


    Alec silently tutted. She didn''t keep an eye on her affairs and things had developed to this stage. He felt a bit of schadenfreude at this.


    Could it be that this girl who was clinging onto Katherine''s arm so adamantly was that Brian''s ex-girlfriend?


    It seemed like the ex-girlfriend had latched onto Katherine, the current girlfriend instead.


    Alec suddenly found it hilarious and his lips twitched as he continued to munch on some seeds.


    "Katherine is my girlfriend!" Brian insisted.


    "She doesn''t even like you!" Jae spat back, her eyes scorching fire.


    She didn''t really want to appear like this in front of Katherine, but she really felt like she''d met ''the one'' this time. She''d never felt like this for anyone ever before, and she wasn''t willing to give up.


    It was different from her usual ''loves'' who were the ones that chased after her first. She now knew that those were all fake. They were not meant to be. But the feelings that Katherine inspired in her were something else altogether.


    But Jae knew that she had to see about Katherine''s opinion in the end. Yet, that didn''t mean that she wouldn''t fight for it.


    Maybe her attachment to Katherine had grown very abruptly, but that didn''t make the strength of her feelings any less than Brian''s.


    Brian glowered at her. "That''s not true. Is it, Katherine?"


    Inwardly, the Sin was a bit anxious. Because he knew that Katherine really didn''t have many feelings for him. At most, it was just a bit of goodwill towards him, but it couldn''t be considered love.


    He didn''t know why he''d fallen for her so quickly, considering both of them were Sins, but it was clear that it wasn''t exactly reciprocated on the other end.


    Katherine, who was pulled this way and that felt like she had whiplash from looking between the two.


    What were they doing?


    Finally, Brian''s question caused her to lose her temper.


    "Enough!" she said, flinging the two away. They stumbled back a few steps, but they continued to look at her with pleading eyes.


    Katherine was truly speechless. Could they not make a scene here in the middle of the plaza?


    Were they crazy?


    No, this would not do. If it continued on like this¡­ with the amount of people here watching them¡­


    She felt a headache incoming.


    Not good¡­


    What if her brother, or goodness forbid, her teacher, heard about this happening? Wouldn''t she just lose all her face right there and then. One was her ''real'' boyfriend, while the other was the current boyfriend''s ex-girlfriend. Then, that ex-girlfriend was now going after her.


    What was this f.u.c.k.i.e.d up love triangle!?


    And why was she part of it?! She''d truly stumbled into it blind!


    Why her?!


    She didn''t think that she was so fatally attractive to make people crazy like this. It didn''t make any sense. She was not the heroine of some romance novel!


    Katherine''s head whipped in the direction of the crowd who was standing around watching the drama, and she glared at each of them, silently telling them to mind their own business.


    Some of them dispersed, while the others glared right back, adamantly staying to watch the drama.


    How could they give it up? If there was one other thing that was synonymous with Sins other than their love of bloodshed and violence, it was their love to gossip.


    Perhaps it was because they fixated on one or two things at a time, so it wasn''t very often when there was gossip worthy material in the clan.


    They were just naturally inclined to listen for information and use it as¡­ well. Blackmail, to put it simply.


    Whether or not they used it was another matter altogether.


    However, when Katherine was busy glaring at people as Brian and Jae fought in the background, her face abruptly changed as she caught sight of her teacher and cousin munching on seeds with a curious expression on his face.


    Oh my god, the worst thing had happened. It was even directly witnessed by Alec!


    She felt like digging a hole for her to crawl into.


    She felt so embarrassed.


    Instantly, she lost her temper again. She turned around and glared at the two before shouting out, "Brian, let''s break up!"


    Then, she stormed off quickly.


    Jae and Brian stopped fighting almost immediately before quickly running after her.


    Along the way, the two glared at each other, sparks flying in the air.


    Jae knew that she shouldn''t have reacted so strongly, but she really couldn''t hold it in when she thought that she was being threatened by Brian''s presence.


    It was a character flaw of hers, but it was hard to correct it.


    She bit her lip. She had indeed been hasty this time. They didn''t even know each other for more than a few hours yet, and she was already fixated on her?


    Any normal person would have been scared away long ago!


    But what she didn''t know was that Katherine had no thoughts regarding this, but they could have chosen a better place to have a dispute!


    It had been seen by her most respected cousin, whom she took as a teacher! She always wanted to look the best knowing that she had left a horrible first impression on her cousin, so she''d always been trying to correct it, but her shameful appearance had been seen by Alec so clearly.


    Eventually, Katherine ran back to where she usually trained in her anger, her chest heaving violently. She truly¡­


    She might not appear that arrogant anymore, but deep down, she still had her pride.


    The Sin soon heard the sounds of footsteps that sounded like they were trying out outpace each other appear.


    She crossed her arms and glared in their direction.


    Just exactly what had they been trying to achieve? Did they not care about their reputation at all?


    The two soon appeared.


    One of them had the Klein Clan''s classic looks, while the other appeared like a weak and gentle girl who had large, watery eyes.


    "What exactly are you trying to achieve?" Katherine asked coldly, looking across the two people''s faces. "Let me tell you, I''m no longer interested in pursuing a relationship with either of you."


    She did her best to throw them far away. They could fight all they wanted, but not over her.

 Chapter 428 - Unknown Ruins

    It took an entire day for Katherine to get rid of both Jae and Brian, but the two of them maintained stubborn looks as they reluctantly left.


    She was helpless about it since she''d even beaten them up, but they still didn''t want to give up on her, apparently.


    What could she do about it? It wasn''t like she was going to kill them for it. They weren''t enemies.


    She had never faced something like this before, so she was more than a little confused.


    Since then, it had been about a week, but the two of them still came by every day without fail, and they came together, giving her a headache.


    Katherine was lying down on the sofa in her home when Le Xuan burst into her house.


    "Kat!" she exclaimed, beaming. She was obviously excited about something, and she was practically dying to share it. She was running towards the Sin with her arms outstretched, as if she was going to pick her up and twirl her around.


    "What is it," Katherine said dryly. "I''m surprised you''re running in my house after my brother intimidated you so much."


    Le Xuan abruptly stopped before slowly walking over, cautiously looking around.


    Katherine snorted. "Relax. He''s not here today. Don''t you see me lying down on the sofa without caring?"


    "Oh, you''re right. You''re more scared of your brother than I am, anyway. Uh," she said, seeing Katherine''s glare. She promptly pretended she didn''t see it. "Forget your horrifying brother. There''s big news!"


    Katherine was disinterested. How big could this news of hers be? She was sure that her brother would have mentioned something to her if something world-shaking had happened.


    Le Xuan put her hands on her h.i.p.s, smiling. "Hehe, I bet you won''t be so aloof after hearing what I''m about to say."


    Katherine truly marvelled about her friend''s inner and outside persona. It was so different. One was relatively gentle and reserved in public, but the other was loud and exuberant in private.


    "Just how are you able to maintain another persona outside with this personality of yours?"


    Le Xuan glared at her for bringing it up again. "Who said I can''t do it? My mother said that a woman has to be reserved and as gentle as jade to get a man."


    Katherine rolled her eyes. "This again. Didn''t I already get a boyfriend before you?"


    The girl sputtered, unable to refute. She didn''t know what to say. It wasn''t that she hadn''t been pursued by other guys, but¡­


    In the end, this prickly and arrogant friend of hers had been the one who managed to land a boyfriend first.


    Even if she''d already broken up with him, but still!


    She had still gotten a boyfriend before her, who always proclaimed that she would find true love. She may not have found true love, but she still didn''t have a single boyfriend. If this wasn''t a slap in the face, then what was?


    ''Hmph, count yourself lucky to be my best friend,'' Le Xuan thought, ''I''ll let you off this time! I''ll still tell you, but only because I want to. Hmph, hmph.''


    "Forget it, forget it. I''ll be magnanimous. Anyway, there''s news that a ruin is going to open up soon. That''s opportunity to fight for treasures and techniques. And it''s forbidden for anyone above the Meister realm to enter!"


    Katherine abruptly sat up. "What! Really?"


    Le Xuan nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes! I''m not lying! There''s already been a few who tried. Who knew that they would all be severely injured or even directly die? How about it? It really made you sit up and take notice eh?" she said, gloating a little.


    Katherine ignored her gloating. "Tell me more."


    "Where''s my ''please''?" Le Xuan held out her hand.


    The Sin glared at her.


    Le Xuan pouted.


    "Fine. Stingy. Anyway, there''s a lot of experts supposedly going over, so it''s not going to be easy fighting for treasures and techniques. Your clan should have heard about this as well, so they might be bringing a bunch of the ''younger'' generation over."


    Katherine thought about it. What she said was reasonable.


    Le Xuan came from a good sect, and she had a decent information network, which was why she was able to get a hold of this news first and tell her. Otherwise, Katherine could only find out from the clan''s channels, which would take longer.


    There would be more people from the advanced rank going. There would be a good number of Meisters as well but compared to the amount of people who would flock to the place at the chance of breaking into the Meister rank, it was negligible.


    Katherine''s eyes lit up. She had to tell Alec.


    Her brother wouldn''t be able to go, so she could directly exclude him.


    In that case, if she stuck around Alec, they would be able to fight for more things. It ultimately depended on luck in the end.


    "Are you going to head there with your clan?" Le Xuan asked.


    "I don''t think so. Going along with a big group might have pros, but ultimately there are more cons. You''re going too, right?"


    "Of course! Why would I miss out this opportunity?"


    "Then, faster pack. I have to go and inform my teacher."


    "Oh, oh," Le Xuan said, nodding quickly. She hurried off after bidding Katherine goodbye. "Let''s meet in an hour!"


    Katherine sped out as well. There was no time to lose.


    It was a ruin that had never opened before, so they didn''t know what they would face, but there were already people going in. If they waited for too long, then there would be too many people, and a lot of the opportunities would have been snatched away.


    "Teacher!"


    Katherine stood outside Uncle Alec''s house and shouted up. She knew that he would be able to hear her without a problem. There was a part of her that was still awkward thinking about how he had seen her embarrassing circ.u.mstance previously, but she shamelessly pretended that nothing happened.


    There was figure that appeared from the upstairs window and jumped down without a second thought. He landed on the ground without another sound.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Katherine lowered her voice to the point of it being a whisper. "I found out from my friend that there''s a ruin that''s been opened. We have to fight for opportunities. First come first served."


    Alec looked surprised, and his eyebrows lifted a little. "Okay."


    Alec jumped back up and grabbed Ye Sha, who was bewildered. The System was still holding a pack of ch.i.p.s in his hand, confused.


    "Wha¨C? What''s going on?"


    "We''re going on an adventure," Alec said dryly.


    "Oh," Ye Sha said calmly, continuing to munch on said ch.i.p.s. "Okay."


    "Do you need to prepare?" Katherine asked.


    Alec shook his head. "No need. I''ve got everything already."


    Katherine nodded. "I still want to get some things, so we''ll meet an hour later at my house."


    "Okay."


    Katherine sped off, and Alec turned his attention to Ye Sha.


    "Do you know about the ruin opening?"


    "Huh?" Ye Sha said, his hand pausing. "What ruin?"


    He chucked the packet of ch.i.p.s to Alec and his fingers slid across the screen a few times. His brows furrowed.


    "Hm."


    Alec raised a brow.


    Ye Sha continued to rapidly type on the keyboard as vast amounts of information flowed into his mind.


    "This isn''t a natural occurrence. As far as I can tell, the ruin wasn''t even here before. It just appeared, as if it was a mirage."


    Alec almost frowned hearing that. If Ye Sha said that it wasn''t natural, then it wasn''t. Could it have something to do with the ''calamity'' that they were going to face?


    Would this realm face it as well?


    Ye Sha was likewise confused. "I don''t know. Something''s blocking me. I''ll have to continue searching for it."


    Alec nodded. His expression was unreadable.

 Chapter 429 - A Little Test

    The ruins were far outside of the city. It was located far away from any civilisation, and it would probably be hard to notice¡­ if only it wasn''t floating in the middle of the sky.


    Like that, it really was hard to miss. They had to travel through the forest and deal with any monsters or creatures who tried to attack them seeing as how they weren''t a large group.


    The four of them looked upwards at the apparent city floating in the sky. There was nothing supporting it from underneath, and it was truly a ''floating city''.


    Of course, in Alec''s eyes, he could see how it was being propped up by various arrays that kept it afloat.


    There were various killing arrays that would activate if someone forcefully tried to break through.


    It was described as a city, but all they could see was the giant city gates that prevented any methods from spying inside it or deducing what hidden dangers there were inside.


    Katherine felt her blood boiling when she looked up at it.


    What would they find inside? Treasures? Techniques?


    More than that, she was looking forward to testing her mettle in battle. She''d never been ''allowed'' out to more dangerous places.


    Her brother kept a tight leash on her, and she''d never managed to give him the slip.


    There were more people starting to come. After all, a floating city in the sky wasn''t exactly inconspicuous.


    Alec looked at it more closely and found that there were indeed restrictions on strength.


    No one above the Meister rank could enter without being killed.


    He was extremely interested in the killing arrays that were on the floating city. They were strong enough to kill those above the Meister rank instantly. Wasn''t that exactly what he needed for them to face the calamity?


    But the more he looked at it, the more unfathomable he found it.


    He currently could not deduce much from it due to his achievements in the path of arrays. He still had to grow stronger before he could remember everything.


    Alec tried to memorize it, but he couldn''t do so as it just left his mind after memorizing a part of it. It was clear that it had to be memorized in a single thought before it could be used.


    Other than them, there were a few groups, but almost none of them could enter the ruin.


    One had to get there by jumping up, and the height from the ground to the top was vast. Meisters had it easier compared to those in the advanced rank, but it wasn''t impossible.


    Since flying was restricted in the area, even Meisters would plummet once they crossed the boundary line. It was a funny scene when Alec saw a few Meisters abruptly drop to the ground.


    "Can you make that jump?" Alec directed at Le Xuan and Katherine.


    Le Xuan shook her head, while Katherine nodded.


    Katherine said, "It''s easy to make a jump of that height. I''ll carry Le Xuan with me. My strength has improved a lot."


    Alec inclined his head.


    They were being watched by the various people who were here curiously, but no one made a move due to their apparent young age.


    Alec grabbed Ye Sha like a rag doll while Le Xuan climbed onto Katherine''s back.


    Ye Sha was speechless. "Can''t you let me onto your back like her? Anyway, I think I can do it myself¡­"


    "No. This way it easier."


    Alec had a feeling that if he just left the other System, Ye Sha would just fake not being able to make the jump and laze around outside while trying to crack the control over the ruins up there.


    Ye Sha just hung there limply and desolately, while Le Xuan and Katherine laughed at him.


    Katherine and Alec jumped up, landing perfectly on the entrance of the ruin, leaving behind countless jealous and envious people down below.


    But what could they do if their strength wasn''t good enough? Once you entered, you couldn''t leave, unless in death or being permanently expelled.


    There had been someone who tried to bring his juniors up later while he made it up there, but he had been forcefully expelled, and when he tried again, he was directly blasted into smithereens.


    At the entrance of the ruin, it was deserted. Clearly, those who had made it up here quickly entered. Time was of the essence.


    "Go. We shouldn''t split up. I read from the runes that the more people are together, the more the danger. Of course, the rewards also increase as the danger increases."


    The other three agreed with Alec and thought about how useful it was for them to have someone who was proficient in reading runes.


    Of course, the real cheat here was Ye Sha.


    The other System was rapidly digesting the information about this place, and he could find the places that were the most valuable. Whether they could obtain it, on the other hand, was up to them entirely.


    "This way," Ye Sha said, leading them towards the right.


    The ruin looked like a giant city, and there were various skyscr.a.p.ers that appeared in excellent condition.


    The place didn''t look abandoned at all. Everything was in its prime, and it was almost sparkling.


    The only thing was the deathly still silence and the absolutely empty city. There wasn''t a single soul.


    The only people that they would see here would be the people who entered from the outside.


    Alec listened as they ran, and his expression fluctuated a little before stabilizing. There were other monsters in here, as well as creatures, but they had yet to see any.


    These monsters and creatures were all well-hidden and lurked in the shadows. They were assassin-type beings that would only act once they had the certainty that they could take down their prey.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    As Katherine was feeling relieved that she didn''t have to see the two who were still fighting over her for a few days at least, the two left behind didn''t feel so good.


    Jae glared at Brian with her arms crossed. "I really should have just disregarded you."


    Brian narrowed his eyes in displeasure. "Are you serious? You''re the one who ended my relationship with Katherine. But I must thank you, because if it wasn''t for your pestering, I wouldn''t have entered into a relationship with her in the first place."


    Jae''s lips curled a little, but she didn''t refute. After all, she had only discovered what a stunning individual that Katherine was after she originally wanted to chase her away.


    But why should she do that now?


    Katherine truly made her heart move in ways that no one else ever had, and she had done it in only a few minutes.


    Jae calmed down. What she should be doing right now wasn''t to find fault with Brian, but to deepen and try and win Katherine over.


    She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said to him, "The relationship between you and I is over, and apparently, yours with Katherine is too. I''ll be treating you as a rival from now on."


    Brian narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Same. Let me tell you, I won''t go easy on you just because you''re a girl."


    Jae raised an eyebrow. "I wasn''t expecting you to. All''s fair in love and war," she said sweetly, a small smile gracing her lips.


    Just as she turned around to leave, she bumped into someone''s chest. "Ah, I''m sorry," she said reflexively.


    When she looked up, she was stunned. Wasn''t this Katherine''s brother?


    Likewise, Brian was also surprised, but then his face returned to usual. Katherine said her brother didn''t usually meddle in her relationsh.i.p.s, so there shouldn''t be a problem.


    He nodded at him and turned around to leave, but then he was abruptly dragged back by the collar of his shirt.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Regis said with a soft smile. "Do you really think you can date my sister just like that? You should pass my test first if you want to date her."


    Brian looked at Regis'' smile, but why did he feel so cold?


    Jae''s eyes brightened. "A test? Me too, please."


    Regis looked at Jae. "Naturally," he said, "I won''t let anyone who hasn''t passed my test date my sister."


    As he said that, he dragged the two of them to the bas.e.m.e.nt beneath their house.


    He smiled gently at them, but there was no warmth in his eyes at all.


    "Welcome to hell," he said softly.


    Chills ran up and down the two competitors'' spines.

 Chapter 430 - Nine-Storied Pagoda

    The Shadow Panther was a being that was made for assassination. It was half in the illusory realm, and half in reality.


    One could hardly tell that it was there if they weren''t paying enough attention. Even then, 95% of the people were never able to tell before it was too late.


    The panther quietly melded into the shadows, remaining incorporeal and invisible from plain sight.


    The Shadow Panther never acted unless it had certainty, and it didn''t like to act against the strong ones. Instead, it liked to lurk around in the darkness and strike at the most opportune time.


    Compared to most creatures and monsters, the Shadow Panther was smart and cunning, and it would run away when it thought that it no longer had a chance of winning, and it would not obstinately stalk its prey.


    This particular Shadow Panther was currently following a group of four without any problems.


    None of them had discovered its presence yet, and it had tried phasing in and out several times.


    Of them, there was only one of moderate strength, and the other three could be disregarded.


    The way that the Shadow Panther measured its prey''s strength was by its bloodl.u.s.t and killing intent.


    Other than the tallest figure, the other semi-notable one was a human with black hair and red eyes.


    The other two could be ignored altogether and dealt with leisurely.


    The Shadow Panther crept along, stalking its prey as they flew from place to place.


    They were searching for something, and the Shadow Panther felt unease rising as it realized that they were heading towards the hidden grounds that none of the beings felt comfortable with.


    It was guarded by the Supreme Being, and that was its territory.


    The Shadow Panther''s eyes flashed, and it made up its decision. It had already stalked its prey for a good amount of time, and if it did not act now, then it would be losing the prey to the Supreme Being.


    Thinking of this, it melded even more securely with the shadows and crept up on the four at a speed that was faster than what they were using.


    Alec''s eyes flashed as he noticed how the creature that had been stalking them the entire way and dispatching those other lower-ranked creatures and monsters that had ''designs'' on them start to make its move.


    The Shadow Panther didn''t know that it had already been long discovered by the four of them. If they didn''t have Alec, they would have been hard-pressed to notice its existence, but with Alec''s disgustingly powerful ears, how could they be in the dark?


    Clang!


    A small but powerful dagger shot out and targeted the Shadow Panther''s eyes, but the creature quickly shut its eyes, causing its metal eyelids to slide over and prevent the dagger from doing any harm.


    The moment the Shadow Panther made its move, it had to fade back into reality, which meant that it was fully corporeal.


    Shocked, the Shadow Panther retreated a little before melding back into the shadows.


    The creature had a lingering fear as it was shocked out of its wits before becoming enraged. How dare those humans scare it?


    Once again, it circled them before attacking Alec, who fought it off with some difficulty.


    Seeing how its attacks weren''t working, the Shadow Panther went for one of the weaker ones ¨C being Le Xuan.


    Le Xuan revealed a big grin and she stuck out her tongue and faded into shadow as well, causing the panther to miss.


    The Shadow Panther let out a silent growl as it continued to try and assassinate the various members of the team.


    At first, Katherine and Ye Sha were a little overwhelmed, but with time, they grew steadier and accustomed to the Shadow Panther''s tactics.


    Before long, the Shadow Panther narrowed its eyes as it realized that something was wrong.


    He couldn''t exactly deal damage to them, but they couldn''t do damage to it either.


    With a yowl, it decisively left, melding back into the shadows.


    It would look for other, less deceptive prey. It knew that there were many humans who had come in alone. They would be easy pickings.


    Alec watched it go without doing anything. Hmm. It realized so fast that Alec was hiding his strength? After all, they were just using it to temper Katherine, Ye Sha and Le Xuan.


    There would be stronger opponents in the future that would have the same abilities.


    Of the three, Le Xuan was relatively better off, and she seemed to be developing and furthering her control over the shadows as well as her body.


    In this place, Le Xuan would be like a fish in water, which delighted her greatly.


    Not only did her survivability skills increase, she was also increasing her control.


    The four of them made their way deeper into the city unmolested after the Shadow Panther fled.


    The deeper in they headed, the more they realized that the originally modern city started to have some discrepancies.


    There started to be different styles of buildings that didn''t seem to come from the same era, or perhaps it was just from a different culture altogether.


    It made Le Xuan and Katherine marvel, but to Ye Sha and Alec, they narrowed their eyes.


    They could recognize some of these styles across the eras, and throughout the different worlds.


    This ruin seemed to be a mishmash of the various times, across various civilisations. It just made the two of them more certain that this had to be done by someone else that was either stronger or more powerful than Ye Sha.


    Judging by how they could block Ye Sha trying to look into the ruins, this was also certain.


    But still, there was not yet any outside interference, which meant that things were somewhat autonomous. Otherwise, they would have already made a move on Ye Sha.


    They turned into an area that had very Asian-style buildings. There were paper lanterns hanging around each building, and the lights were lit, but not a single person could be seen on the street.


    Even the shadow creatures and monsters that had designs on them previously all fled once they neared the area.


    It was eerily quiet, and even their normally silently footsteps seemed to echo.


    It could be seen that there was an even stronger monster inside here, preventing them from entering its territory.


    An unknown sense of fear washed over the four of them, and they grew more solemn, watching their footsteps.


    Alec had the feeling that whatever was here was slumbering, and it didn''t particularly care about them as long as they didn''t make too much noise.


    Le Xuan spoke quietly, but it still seemed to echo. "I''ve never seen anything like this before," she said, her eyes were wide and curious.


    Katherine nodded as well. "It feels very magical. We won''t find anything like this back on our land."


    Alec smiled quietly. Of course they wouldn''t. This place was born from a different culture, and as different cultures and civilisations emerged, their styles of buildings would change over the years.


    "This way," Ye Sha said, leading them onwards.


    They headed towards the towering building in the middle of the region that looked like a nine-storied pagoda.


    The pagoda was stunningly beautiful, painted in reds and gold, and it exuded a sense of elegance and class.


    Ye Sha pushed the doors open.

 Chapter 431 - Nine-Storied Pagoda Part 2

    The inside of the hall was quite empty. Compared to the luxurious and elegant outlook that the place had, inside was practically barren, which surprised them.


    Ye Sha, in particular, was quite puzzled.


    Where were the treasures? The opportunities?


    Why did the place look like this? Normally, people wanted to portray the place with grandeur and make those other people awed, but this place?


    Empty!


    Barren!


    In fact, they had not been attacked by anything in the moment they entered this territory.


    But was it really as safe as it seemed?


    Ye Sha was frustrated. He could only measure the ''value'' of the place, but he could not see what kind of dangers they would face ¨C if there were any at all. From the outside, this place appeared like a reward palace instead.


    It was clear that the other party had a level up on him, and he would need more time to break through the walls set around the information.


    Thinking up to this point, Ye Sha sat down in a corner of the hall. To the other three, he said, "You guys continue up. This place might look empty, but there should be sufficient opportunities for you."


    They nodded.


    "Are you planning on trying to break through their firewall?"


    Alec sent the other two up first while he gave Ye Sha a look. However, he didn''t miss how Katherine and Le Xuan''s figures disappeared from plain sight the moment they stepped onto the stairs.


    In that moment they stepped on, the arrays naturally started, and Alec could even see the illusions descending for a brief moment before it returned to its barren state.


    Ye Sha scoffed. "Do you even have to ask? I wasn''t even going to come up here until I managed to get all the information, but you dragged me up here," he said helplessly.


    Alec''s lips curled into a smile, which scared Ye Sha.


    "Well, about that¡­ it''s not that I wasn''t trying hard enough. Really. I just can''t do anything with Katherine and that Le Xuan here as well."


    "Why can''t you? It''s not like they''d understand anyway."


    Ye Sha held his forehead. "Because then they''ll all think that I''ve lost my marbles?"


    "Have you not?" Alec asked, his face completely serious.


    Ye Sha looked at his friend''s face, and he realized that Alec wasn''t teasing him. He genuinely believed that.


    He threw the pack of ch.i.p.s that he''d just taken out at the other System. "Get out! Who said that I''m crazy! I''m perfectly sane, alright?!"


    "I never said that you were crazy."


    Ye Sha glowered at him. "Just go!"


    Alec gracefully turned around and headed up the barren stairs.


    The place was truly empty. There was no wallpaper, no furniture, and even no lights in the place.


    It looked almost like an unfinished building.


    The only thing in this place that seemed to be particularly taken care of was the stairs.


    The stairs spiralled upwards, from the sides of the building, and it appeared very grand. There were rooms on every half-level, which led to somewhere different.


    The wooden railings were lacquered, making it glossy, and each step was inlaid with gold, creating a strange contrast in the place.


    Alec wondered¡­ as a building in the middle of the ''region'', this should arguably be the most eye-catching and important place.


    But¡­ something felt wrong on another level. It was as if it wanted to be found. As if they were afraid that no one would find it after searching.


    Or was this called ''hiding in plain sight''?


    Upstairs, Katherine and Le Xuan were nowhere to be seen, which did not surprise him.


    He could see the various arrays inside here, and there was a bit of a bewildering effect inlaid in it. It also created illusions that would draw you into another world.


    More than that, the inner space of the pavilion was a lot larger than it appeared.


    Alec continued walking up the stairs, having to take various detours.


    This was because the array formed a natural formation that caused those who stepped onto the stairs to get lost. That was¡­ unless they could navigate the array!


    But stumbling around in the array had fortune of its own.


    Therefore, Alec did not seek out either Le Xuan or Katherine deliberately.


    They were strong enough not to die inside, so he was rest assured.


    Alec stood still as he quietly comprehended the various parts of the array that appeared in front of him.


    It was a very useful array since it was a giant array that contained many smaller parts within it.


    The linkage was the thing that held everything together. If it weren''t for this one giant interlinking part, everything would fall apart, and one could easily break through the array.


    It was strange and wondrous, and Alec felt like he was a fish returning to water.


    This array was tremendously helpful to him, more so than him burying his head and studying books.


    It even came to the point where Alec didn''t want to leave this place at all. At least, not until he had thoroughly understood everything within.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Meanwhile, Le Xuan was very, very confused.


    She was walking around the gorgeous and luxurious room curiously. She couldn''t find anything at all.


    She''d lost Katherine, but there was a strange sense of serenity in her, and she wasn''t worried like she usually would be.


    She suddenly realized that there was something wrong with her mental state when she walked past a mirror. There was a strange, bizarre smile on her face that frightened her so much that she startled out of it.


    Le Xuan patted her chest in fear. "What was that?"


    For once, the fear of god that her mother put into her helped her out. When she thought about how she was wearing that strange smile in public, she felt complex. That was actually the thing that allowed her to break out of that state¡­


    Just how deep did her strange fear go?


    Her mother''s theory about a gentle girl being able to find a man in public was so deep sated that it startled her out of that deep illusionary realm?


    She was feeling complex indeed¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    On the other hand, Katherine was already punching out. The punches caused various shock waves to appear in the air.


    She was in a room that was wide. It looked like a training room, with a few dummies by the side that she hadn''t yet touched.


    She followed a series of instructions that appeared in her brain, closing her eyes as she repeated the moves again and again until she ultimately inched closer to perfection.


    It was a shocking training technique, and every punch or kick of hers generated so much force that it could shake the world.


    The Sin was wholly engrossed in it as she comprehended the strikes and how to move.


    She didn''t have the extra mental capacity to think of anything else.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Ye Sha''s fingers were flying across the various screens in front of him. This would go a lot quicker if he had Two or Three with him, but they''d gone out to ''temper'' themselves and experience more things.


    They had their own fortune. Though they had been made by the previous motherboard, they were still living beings in the end.


    Ye Sha was racing against the clock as he cracked the code.


    Finally, he pressed the last key, and the screen went blank.


    The System breathed out and rested his head against the pillar he was leaning against.


    "Finally done¡­"


    He quietly studied the information that was given to him, not disturbing the rest of them.


    This place didn''t hold danger ¨C in fact, it was rife with hard-met opportunities, so he would instead be disrupting their fortune if he acted.


    Ye Sha looked up towards the staircase that seemed to spiral upwards endlessly deeply.


    He slowly put a chip in his mouth.

 Chapter 432 - Nine-Storied Pagoda Part 3

    There were more and more people entering the ruins, and the occasional person would pass by the nine-storied pagoda. They didn''t give it a second glance.


    That was because none of them realized that it was there in the first place.


    To Alec and the rest of his group, it just appeared like the nine-storied pagoda was there in plain sight. Alec even thought that the people behind it were deliberately allowing people to find it.


    In actual fact, however, that so-called ''hiding in plain sight'' really wasn''t there to most people at all.


    If they were not fated with the pagoda, then they would never be able to get in.


    It was only because the group of four each qualified to enter the pagoda, meaning that none of them realized how extraordinary it was.


    A few days passed, but none of them felt any hunger or thirst at all, and they were each engrossed in their own cultivation.


    Their training pace and cultivation was deepening at a frightening pace ¨C it would have startled those outside if they ever realized, but since they were the only ones in this place, it was never revealed to the public.


    Very soon, Katherine broke through to the Meister realm without doing much of anything at all.


    She had been wholly concentrated in her art, and she didn''t even feel any joy when she broke through like she would have normally.


    Instead, she remained wholly engrossed, kicking harder, punching faster. It seemed like a blissful experience, and she couldn''t extract herself from it.


    With her breakthrough to Meister, she found so many more flaws, and she kept working on them without realizing how time passed.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Le Xuan, on the other hand, walked without rest. She witnessed, and viewed all manners of things, and her eyes unknowingly deepened. She felt like she had opened a whole new world to herself ¨C a world that she had wilfully ignored before.


    She felt like she was tempering herself in the vicissitudes of life.


    Each step she took was like another world, another illusion, and while part of her mind was aware that this was only an illusion, she could wholly experience the various things inside the illusion world, tempering her mind and mental fortitude.


    Unknowingly, the girl''s analytical skills had developed to an extremely profound degree, and she remained in a half-illusory state, keeping her separate while allowing herself to experience things there.


    As she witnessed various people going about their paths, she experienced what they were experiencing with their crafts.


    Her realm deepened unknowingly¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Ye Sha quietly closed his eyes as he thought over the things that Alec had been teaching him.


    He''d fallen into a state of quiet and frantic comprehension like the other two girls. He could have extracted himself from this state at any time, yet he remained inside it as he took on the challenges that the pagoda was throwing at him inside the illusions.


    He''d already determined that inside here, nothing would harm them beyond what they could bear.


    In that case, he would be a fool not to throw himself into his training as well.


    After all, the reason why he so desired a body was to help Alec out, and he could not help much at his current level.


    He didn''t like falling behind Alec. He didn''t want to be delegated to just support while Alec was the vanguard, charging head on.


    Therefore, he grasped this opportunity ¨C though it may have come from the enemy, but there were still rules that the pagoda followed.


    This was a place of opportunity, while outside held many dangers.


    Because of him, they''d managed to ''cheese'' their way to the pagoda without much danger, which most likely had not been in the enemy''s expectations.


    The thought of it made him smirk lightly, even in his state of comprehension.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec''s eyes sparkled as he wrote down whatever inspiration in his notebook, writing frantically.


    There were so many flashes of inspiration that it was practically overflowing. He had never reached this state before, where the inspiration was like a gushing waterfall that never stopped.


    Between the four of them who were wholly engrossed in furthering themselves, Alec had his mind completely awake.


    While it would be much easier for him to completely sink into it and let whatever mysterious force in this pagoda guide him, he didn''t like it.


    He liked thinking and confirming that what he was inspired to do was true on the spot, not just think about it.


    There were various sheets of paper on the ground, almost littering the entire pathway.


    The place was not quiet at all, but instead, he heard various harmonies in the air as the runes sang to him in a way that they never had before.


    Previously, Alec had only been a spectator, but now, he was like an honoured guest.


    He''d taken a step that he''d always been stuck at, and if Annalise saw him now, she would have been shocked, because just seeing how he reacted to the runes alone already told her that Alec had surpassed her.


    And in such a short time, too.


    It was clear that this pagoda was a guiding treasure left behind as a reward to those who had the opportunity or fortune to see it.


    The ''sweetness'' after facing ''bitterness''.


    Slowly, Alec''s pen slowed to a stop as he silently sat down on the ground.


    He looked over his notes again and again, and crossed out various points before filling others in.


    He maintained his rationality and didn''t immerse himself blindly in the world that the pagoda kept trying to craft around him.


    It was not on purpose, but rather, the way his mind worked was inclined to do so rather than obediently follow.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    At this moment, while the four of them were the only ones inside the pagoda, the outside had more and more people that came in from outside.


    They had already discovered that this territory seemed to be a safe haven from those assassin-type monsters and creatures outside which would ambush you suddenly and cause you to lose your life.


    They discovered that this place held no monsters, and that none of them dared to intrude.


    At first, they were wary that this place held an even worse monster or creature that was an overlord in here, but when a few people survived inside without anything happening to them, more and more people flocked here.


    Yet, none of them could see the nine-storied pagoda that was in the middle of the territory.


    At least¡­ no one until a certain young girl looked at it curiously.


    "What''s that?" she said, pointing to the pagoda. "Why isn''t anyone going in?"

 Chapter 433 - Nine-Storied Pagoda Part 4

    "What do you mean? Go into what?" her brother said, next to her, puzzled.


    The sister looked at her brother, doubly confused.


    "Uh¡­ that giant nine-storied pagoda in the middle of the region?" She pointed directly at the red pagoda, not comprehending why everyone was avoiding that place.


    The people all seemed to flock towards the other buildings, going in and out, as if they would find something of note. Yet, they all avoided that giant red pagoda in the middle of the region? That made no sense at all.


    "What?" The brother looked harder, but he saw nothing there. He was deeply confused. "Sis, are you sick? Do you have a fever?" He touched her forehead.


    She slapped away his arm in annoyance. "No, I''m not sick! There''s a pagoda there! Don''t tell me you don''t see it? It''s the tallest building!"


    The male looked at the place. He really didn''t see anything. There was nothing there even when she pointed it out.


    A nearby man heard what she said. He had also been looking at the blank space in the middle of the small city, and he''d been confused.


    Were they just ignoring that space without trying it out? For all they knew, it could be hidden in plain sight.


    After all, why was there a giant blank space there?


    But when the people walked over, they could indeed walk over it like there was nothing there.


    Some of them had thought that it was some opportunity that they had not activated yet, but this girl said that she saw a nine-storied pagoda there?


    It was likely that her words were not false.


    Then, if they weren''t false, and she could truly see it¡­ there was indeed fortune there!


    The man hurriedly made his way to the blank space and felt around, but his hands met nothing. There was only air. He looked like a crazy person to the people around him, but he didn''t care.


    He even traversed the entire space before he concluded that there was nothing.


    He headed back to the siblings, who were still arguing with each other.


    "I''m telling you, I''m not crazy! There really is a pagoda there!"


    The man stepped in. "Is there really?"


    The girl whirled around, crossing her arms. "Yes!"


    The brother tugged her and gave the man an apologetic look. "I''m sorry. I think she''s sick¡­ she''s been sick for the past few days."


    The sister rolled her eyes so hard that she saw stars. "I''m not sick! I''ve already recovered! Look, I''ll prove it to you, alright?"


    Before the brother could stop her, she strode forward with a look of anger on her face. She couldn''t stand being doubted by her brother of all people, and especially not in front of a stranger who was seemingly doubting her as well.


    Her brother hurriedly chased after her with the man in tow.


    But, to their bafflement, the girl disappeared after coming into contact with the empty space in front of them.


    The brother let out a shout that drew attention.


    "Where did she go?" he asked, visibly distraught.


    The man was likewise surprised and walked around again, but there was no one there.


    A person had disappeared in plain sight.


    He went back and patted the brother on the back. "Relax. She should have met some good fortune. Too bad for us, we can''t meet anything."


    The man''s voice wasn''t loud, but it wasn''t particularly soft either.


    Soon, people from everywhere swarmed the place, but they nothing happened to them.


    They asked the brother, "What happened? What did she see?"


    By now, the brother had already visibly kept his worry, and was rather calm. He just smiled but didn''t answer their questions, causing some of them to look at him with less than friendly intentions.


    The brother just shrugged and walked away, looking at the place where his sister disappeared one last time before leaving. Anyway, they were not able to find his sister for the time being, so he should go and temper himself.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec quietly closed his eyes. He finally finished studying all the arrays and runes that were inside the pagoda, and he felt like he''d reached a whole new level.


    The world of arrays seemed to have opened up to him, and there were so many more possibilities that he had previously ignored ¨C or had simply no way around it.


    Now, it was like his eyes had been opened.


    He knew that he''d been a frog in the well previously.


    Alec opened his eyes, in a good mood. He could tell that he''d taken a leap forward in battle prowess, and he quietly condensed a seal with nothing but his magic.


    The seal formed in a split second, and he flicked it, causing it to fly towards the wall and stick there, activating.


    The pagoda quickly snuffed it out, and he smiled genuinely.


    At this moment, the doors of the pagoda opened once again, and Alec quietly looked down, surprised.


    There were other people who reached this place already?


    What Alec didn''t know was that information had gotten out, and people all rushed towards this territory that was like a safe haven.


    A teenager rushed in, an angry look on her face, and she looked backwards smugly, like saying ''see, I''m right'', only to be startled when there was no one outside.


    She looked blankly.


    Where were all the people? Her brother?


    Alec kept his gaze and looked upward.


    He''d been walking up and down the staircases, and even into the other rooms.


    He''d thoroughly explored the place already. The only place he had not yet gone was the last room.


    Now, it was about time for him to go there.


    The other three of them were still deep in cultivation.


    "Hello?" the girl shouted, her voice echoing. "Is anyone inside?"


    Alec heard her, but she wasn''t able to see anything from the entrance, and though he was standing there in plain sight, she couldn''t see him due to the arrays.


    The girl heard no answer, so she just looked around curiously.


    She walked around the barren first floor before turning her attention to the obvious stairs.


    Before she stepped on it, Alec had already started to casually walk upwards towards the top, casually avoiding the various illusions and pitfalls that could have befallen him.


    The light got brighter at the top, and he finally reached the end, where there was light shining in from the various windows at the top.


    It bathed the last door in an almost holy gleam, lighting it up.


    The other doors were still illuminated, but not as brightly, nor were they as big.


    It was the main reason why Alec had delayed so long until he finished everything.


    On the off chance that he was booted out before he managed to finish studying all the arrays, Alec would possibly die with deep regret.


    Those arrays were the source of everything and his main source of strength when he fought.


    Arrays did a lot of things, and seals even more.


    Now that he was able to create seals on the fly, it was going to be a very large addition to his fighting strength.

 Chapter 434 - For Just a Chance

    Jae wheezed. She hugged the log training post in a daze as she lamented about what she was doing right now.


    The training post was such a poor thing¡­ It had to be abused by her every day¡­ She felt bad for it.


    How was her Katherine''s brother a kind person? He was obviously a demon.


    The reports that she''d managed to gather were all lies.


    Lies¡­


    She would have gone to complain, if not for the fact that she barely had the strength of a newborn calf. Her legs couldn''t even keep her up right now, causing her to have to depend on her friend the log that had caused her to be in this very situation in the first place.


    However, when she looked over at the other person who had collapsed weakly to the ground, she felt a vague and hazy sense of happiness.


    After all, misery loves company¡­


    And she was definitely still holding on better compared to that idiot there, who looked like he was about to pass out at any given moment. His breathing was laboured, and his gaze looked hazier than hers was.


    At least she could still think properly. Brian looked like he wasn''t even in the realm of reality right now.


    She still felt happy no matter how much her body felt like it was giving up on her right now.


    She clutched the thought of being able to obtain the chance of chasing after Katherine to bolster her strength and continue her assault on the log.


    She even but Brian out of her mind.


    She cheered herself up. ''You can do it, Jae! For a chance at true love, you can do anything!''


    As she cheered herself inwardly, repeating it as a mantra. She felt the earlier depression of not being able to see Katherine (who was off on an adventure ¨C seemingly to avoid them) fade a little.


    Regis already (gleefully) told them that Katherine had went to adventure in the newly opened ruins, and that by the time she came back, if they still didn''t pass his requirements, then he would block them at every turn.


    The thought of it made her burn brighter and more intensely. She had to do it. She had to hang on before Katherine came back.


    She put more kick into it, gathering what little magic she had inside her.


    Katheirne was an Awakening type, and she was too! She refused to be left behind.


    If Katherine could become that strong, then she could too!


    She thought about what else she could use to bolster herself. Since Katherine said that the Awakening Magitype wasn''t a dead path, that meant that there had to be something that she could do.


    But just what was it¡­


    Brian, on the other hand, was dying as he lay on the ground, spread eagle.


    His eyes had stars, and the blue sky was so clear that it almost felt as if it were mocking him.


    When had he ever endured such hardship in the past? As the only son of his parent''s house, he was always treated well and pampered.


    Even when he went out to train, he never pushed himself this hard. To him, training was like a hobby and not something serious. When he went out on ''adventures'', it was never far away, and he always went with a group of friends.


    When had he ever pushed himself so hard that he felt like he was going to die? Every muscle in his body ached, and his head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton.


    His eyes struggled to stay open, and he was completely dazed.


    What was he doing right now?


    Why was he aching so much?


    Was it worth it?


    But he thought about Katherine''s small smile. Her cold eyes that seemed to look down on people when she hid her softness underneath. He hauled himself up with much difficulty. His arms trembled.


    He staggered a little before continuing to assault the post.


    He didn''t understand why this was so hard. It was just that the repetition they had to cycle through made his body feel like it was filled with lead.


    They apparently were not even supposed to use a post in later stages, which made his head swim.


    Unlike Jae, his motions seemed very choppy, and though he was trying, it was obvious that he had reached his limit without being able to stop.


    From a position that was hidden in the nearby area, Gareth whistled as he looked at them going at it.


    They''d managed to last this long in Regis'' hellish training routine. He had to give them kudos for that. Compared with the rest of the cowards, they at least had the determination and the willpower to power through the training no matter how much they looked like they were dying.


    Too bad that it didn''t look like Regis was going to give in at all.


    Once they met the requirements, there would be another round of hellish training for them¡­


    Based on his observations, Brian really didn''t seem like a bad guy, and Jae seemed to fixate and obsess over something ¨C that thing being Katherine now.


    He had no idea whether that was good or not, but Regis'' rose-coloured glasses where it came to his sister was concerned, they would never be good enough.


    Gareth had a feeling that the sis-con would only stop once Katherine had become dead-set on someone that she was willing to go against him to be with them.


    But seeing them half-dead, if filled with fighting spirit, he wanted to give them some advice at least.


    He strode out from where he''d been silently observing them for a few days and drew their attention.


    Jae stood by vigilantly. "Who are you?"


    Brian also stopped, looking at Gareth with half-lidded eyes. He looked like he was about to pass out at any moment, but he kept his guard up, nonetheless.


    Gareth held his hands up before tucking them back into their pockets. "Relax. I''m not here to hurt you. You should know me, right? You''ve seen me with Regis a few times. My name''s Gareth."


    This made the two of them pause and look at Gareth''s face more closely. This seemed¡­ to be true.


    But they had always been paying attention to Regis when he had been there. Gareth was actually quite handsome, but when he stood next to Regis, it was like all the attention had been concentrated on Regis ¨C he was just there like air.


    Gareth had dark brown hair and dark chocolate eyes. He actually looked a little similar to Jae, but none of them noticed it.


    If Gareth knew what they were thinking, he would have acted like he was wounded with a hand over his heart and a dramatically hurt expression on his face.


    But he was used to it since he was always in Regis'' shadow when the other man was around. He even preferred it that way ¨C he''d seen those crazy fangirls. No thank you.


    Gareth slung an arm over the two of them, standing in the middle, and he instantly regretted it. Because they were sweaty ¨C disgustingly sweaty, and they had yet to take a bath.


    "Anyway, if you wanna increase your chances, you better listen to what I have to say. Do you even know how many people Regis has chased away with his hellish training routine?" Gareth shook his head mockingly.


    The two of them looked at him sharply. They definitely wanted to hear what he had to say.


    Gareth quickly let go of them and chuckled. "Anyway, there''s no chance that Regis will take it easier on any of you, so you should give up on that hope."


    Just as their faces fell, Gareth leaned in conspiratorially. "The worst part of it is that this is Regis'' own training regime, so he doesn''t see anything wrong with it."


    Seeing that he had caught their attention, Gareth leaned in and whispered to their ears, not realizing that there was a gently smiling figure standing near enough that he could hear him¡­

 Chapter 435 - Unpleasant Mood

    After he finished telling them everything, Gareth leaned back with a look of satisfaction on his face, only to jump when he saw Regis in the distance, smiling faintly at him.


    The two rivals looked at him in confusion when they saw Gareth''s smile go from something kind and sympathetic to slightly panicked and horrified.


    His face changed so fast that they hadn''t even gotten a chance to react to it yet when Gareth ditched them.


    "Uh¡­" Gareth smiled at them. "Well, that''s all for now. I''ll leave you to it. If you don''t want to suffer for long, then you better give up right now! But if you have the guts to continue, then you should stick to it¡­"


    Wait, what? This was different from what he was saying just now? Previously he had been encouraging them to hold on, and that it wouldn''t be too hard. He even described some of the methods that Regis would use in the future, allowing them to prepare themselves.


    Little did they know that it was because of his ''kind intentions'' that made Regis amp it up a notch, causing the two of them to bitterly curse Gareth in their hearts in the future.


    Under their combined confused gazes, Gareth darted off in the opposite direction that he saw Regis.


    Of course, they remained confused until they saw Regis running with his standard smile after Gareth. Then, they suddenly understood.


    The two quickly went back to their training routine and pretended that they didn''t see anything while they mulled over Gareth''s words to them, preparing for the future.


    Meanwhile, Gareth was trying his best to escape from his best friend''s wrath. He knew that the other man was coming. He could feel the cold air coming from behind him.


    He almost cried.


    He hadn''t done anything wrong at all! He just wanted to help them out a little, seeing as they weren''t as bad as the usual lot.


    Was that so wrong?!


    Apparently, it was in Regis'' book.


    Gareth didn''t make it far before Regis caught up to him.


    "Ouch!"


    "Wait! Softer! Softer!"


    "Don''t hit so hard!"


    "Mercy! Mercy! Can you really bear to hit your best friend?"


    "Ah! I know I was wrong! Forgive me! I won''t do it again!"


    After a few rounds of ''sparring'' with the Sin, Gareth picked himself off the floor, looking worse for wear. His hair was messy, and his clothes were dishevelled.


    Gareth brushed himself off. "Do you have to do this every time?"


    Regis turned to look at him, slightly raising his arm, and Gareth instantly caved and tried to change the direction of Regis'' thoughts.


    "Okay, okay, no need to get physical. I''m just saying."


    Regis just smiled, which sent a chill up the man''s spine.


    "If they prove they''re not worthy, then they''re not worthy."


    "Do you have to be so hard on them, though? It''s not like they''re doing anything wrong. Katherine is an attractive young woman, and there''s bound to be suitors for her. Heck, I would have gone after her myself, if¡­"


    Gareth trailed off when he saw Regis'' smile widen, and a faintly murderous air started to develop.


    He hastily backtracked, knowing that he had dug yet another hole for himself unwittingly. He seemed to do that a lot, unfortunately. "I was just saying it! You don''t have to take it so seriously each time! She''s not my type, anyway."


    Regis just grew more murderous.


    How dare he say that he wasn''t attracted to his sister?


    If Gareth knew what Regis was thinking, he would have cried. Bro, can you not be so unreasonable? You don''t want me to be with your sister, but I can''t say that she''s not my type either?! What do you want, exactly?!


    "Why don''t I introduce you to a nice girl," Gareth said hesitantly, seeing how strong the murderous air on Regis was. He probably needed to get laid or something. Why was he so uptight all the time?


    Regis gave him a piercing look. "I think you need more training instead."


    With that said, he dragged his friend away, causing Gareth to be shocked. "Wait, no. What was it that I said?!"


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Alec pushed open the door, finding himself in a brightly lit room. The flooring was parquet, and there were some pieces of furniture in the room.


    This didn''t look like a reward hall, but instead looked like someone''s room.


    There was a single bed behind curtains, and a bathroom that was attached at the side.


    Alec was surprised, but he quickly regained his calm.


    His eyes sharpened when he heard heartbeats in the room. There was someone or something here.


    Sure enough, behind the curtains, there was a hazy dark figure that could be seen on the bed behind curtains, though they showed no signs of awakening.


    They had deep breaths, and Alec realized that it was not a human at all.


    Instead, he made the conclusion that it was a magical beast.


    Alec tried the door to leave ¨C he was many things, but he wasn''t rude. Unless, of course, they provoked him. That was another matter altogether.


    The door did not budge.


    Frowning, Alec turned to look at it, but he realized that it was not shut with arrays at all, which meant that it was out of his expertise, outside of knocking down the door.


    How did they do it exactly? He was interested.


    More than that, Alec wasn''t rude enough to do that with someone whom he had not met before.


    So, Alec approached the translucent curtains around the bed, and he realized that the size of the bed was a lot larger than he realized upon entering the room.


    The quicker he approached it, the bigger it grew.


    Likewise, the figure on the bed grew bigger in proportion, and he was surprised to realize that it was because of the way the room was designed that the bed that wasn''t that far away looked like it was much smaller.


    By the time he stood next to the bed, he realized that whoever was sleeping on the bed was at least ten times larger than he was.


    The being was likely in a deep sleep, and this was probably the reason that all those monsters and creatures avoided this place.


    Strangely enough, Alec didn''t feel anything menacing coming from this magical creature at all. He didn''t even feel any of its power.


    It was like it had returned to the origin, and its magic was perfectly blended into the environment.


    Alec waited politely for the other party to wake up. He sat down next to the bed, not calling out at all. He continued to close his eyes and go over his various findings and learnings, consolidating his strength.


    He ran over various battle scenarios in his mind, and he created a few seals on the fly, testing his creation speed.


    He kept doing it until he could form it with barely a thought, reaching the pinnacle.


    Unfortunately, the being continued to sleep deeply on the bed.


    Even after a whole three days, they didn''t stir at all, nor did they reveal any signs that they were about to wake.


    Alec had gone around to see whether there was another exit, but there wasn''t one at all, which was rather surprising.


    He supposed that this magical beast had to wake up before they did anything.


    At this moment, while Alec was debating whether or not he should call out to the other party to wake them up, the figure sleeping heavily on the bed suddenly moved, causing Alec''s eyebrows to rise.


    Then, twin golden eyes opened, and the startling intensity could be seen even behind the translucent curtains.


    The figure let out a snort, and coldly said, "Wait here."


    Having said that, the figure disappeared instantly, causing Alec to just stare blankly at the place where he or she previously stood.


    He could feel the other party''s unpleasant mood just before they left.

 Chapter 436 - Disciple?

    Marsiel had suddenly woken up because of her senses triggering. She had previously been in a light daze as she curiously looked at the person who had intruded into her room ¨C something that had never happened since the day she was trapped in these ruins.


    The arrays around her region told her that someone had brought live creatures into her territory, and it made her snarl.


    Even though they did not understand her rules, that did not mean that they were exempt from the consequences.


    They already knew that none of the monsters or creatures would come into her territory, yet what did they do? Capture a few and bring them in?


    There were always a few people who thought that they were so much smarter than the rest of the people. They thought that they could find some loopholes to exploit in a get-rich-quick scheme, or that they wanted to go against the previously set traditions and ''challenge'' it.


    In her book, that was the epitome of stupidity there and then. These dumbasses would never change, and they would always be some in each batch that would take it up on themselves to challenge her authority.


    She had already been lenient enough in not chasing away the humans who invaded her territory, yet what were they doing?


    As she was snarling, she thought back about the human who had been in her room, politely waiting for her as she cultivated, and she had a good enough impression about him.


    "Hmph."


    She appeared before all the human''s eyes in her glory.


    Her cold golden eyes pierced those who were below her. Just by hovering there, she was distinctly inhuman, and the way she looked at them was like looking at ants. They were all below her. Granted, her being disturbed from her light sleep did not put her in a good mood.


    But the only thing that Marsiel saw was the ones who were handling the creatures in front of her.


    She looked down at them like a god in the sky, her eyes cold and ruthless.


    With a single lift of her hand, the people and the creatures in the cages were instantly smited from existence, and she disappeared into thin air, missing the chaos that erupted in the wake of her disappearance and her actions.


    Many people hurriedly looked at the place where the men had been bringing in the creatures previously.


    They had all been stood to the side curiously, watching as crate after crate of creatures were shipped in.


    Apparently, they were planning on selling them later on, but who knew that before they could enjoy the harvest of their catches, they would be wiped from existence so thoroughly that not a single molecule of them had been left?


    "What just happened?"


    "I don''t know! What happened! Too scary!"


    "What was that thing just now? A creature? We should leave-"


    They were all in chaos now that they knew that this place wasn''t a safe haven at all. Safe? They must have been dreaming!


    This place contained a creature or monster that was even stronger than any other, which was why none of the others dared to come by!


    Back at the top of the pagoda, Marsiel re-appeared on the bed that she had just left.


    Alec looked at the figure on the bed curiously.


    The only thing that he could currently see was those glowing golden eyes, as well as an expanse of black.


    Suddenly, the translucent curtains were flung back, and Alec could see the figure sat regally on the bed.


    She was ten times his size, but what drew the most attention was that though she was undoubtedly powerful, there was nothing about her that led one to that conclusion. He had no doubt that if she were placed in a group, there would be some people who had ungentlemanly intentions which would lead to their downfall.


    She controlled her magic so well that if Alec couldn''t hear the sound of her breathing and her heartbeats, he wouldn''t have known that she was there at all.


    She had two horns from her head that swept back, almost like a ram''s curl. Where humans had whites in their eyes, hers were instead black, and her irises were a stunning golden shade that reminded him of Haphira and Elysia, hers had flecks of dark blue.


    Behind her, there were a pair of dark bat wings that curled around her. Instead of clothes, she had what appeared to be black scales that covered her body, only leaving the upper part of her chest bare. It was the only part that revealed a faint milky white of her skin. Everything else was completely covered, leaving no gaps or weaknesses.


    Behind her, there was a long tail like that of a lizard. It appeared thick at the base, and tapered off near the end, sort of like a dragon''s tail.


    It was sensual, but at the same time, it covered everything without allowing anyone to catch a glimpse.


    The only thing that appeared in Alec''s mind that this was a personification of a devil.


    Her gaze was cool and indifferent, and she appeared as if she did not care about anything or anyone.


    "Name," she said bluntly. Her voice matched her expression. It was like cold silk wrapping around him.


    "Alec Neil."


    Marsiel inclined her head. "You may call me Marsiel."


    They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them sizing each other up.


    "You have been waiting as I cultivated. For your patience, I commend you."


    "Thank you," Alec said politely. He could not tell how strong she was, and her control was more exquisite than his.


    More importantly, she had not made any moves against him or his friends who were still in the pagoda, so he would not be hostile towards her.


    "For coming this far, you may choose a reward. Weapon, technique, or something else within my power. Choose one."


    Alec thought about it. "Are you the one who created this pagoda?" he asked.


    Marsiel''s eyes flashed. "I am."


    "The arrays that are laid down in this place are created by you as well?"


    Marsiel changed position lazily, lying on her side. "They are."


    "Do you have anything else above this level of arrays?"


    Marsiel''s half-lidded eyes blinked, and there was a bit of interest that she showed. She eyed him with surprise. "Do you have rune sight? Can you understand everything I have created?"


    "Yes."


    "Show me," she demanded. She had seen a bit previously, but it wasn''t enough for her to make a decision.


    Alec raised a brow, smiling faintly. He wasn''t one to be commanded, but he held some respect for someone who was able to create this place.


    Every array was intricate and delicate, but they were almost impossible to break.


    Without moving a single muscle, various arrays formed in the air as a show to her, whose eyes lit up.


    The magical beast almost leaned forward in approval, but she stopped herself.


    "Very good," she said approvingly. "You have mastered it indeed. You did not make it up here through sheer blind luck alone."


    She paused, as if considering something. "Would you like to be my disciple?" she asked, her tone friendlier compared to the previous indifference.


    Alec was surprised, but he didn''t let her words fool him. "What else can you teach me?"


    Marsiel gave a light laugh, and she casually flicked her take. Within Alec''s mind, various arrays and inscriptions appeared and disappeared, and the Sin felt his blood boil.


    "Student greets teacher," Alec said, bowing his head.


    "Good," Marsiel said, a smile brightening her face. She flicked her fingers and a strange seal appeared and flew towards Alec.


    Alec''s heart tightened, but the seal landed on the back of his hand before disappearing. He managed to catch a glimpse of it and deduced that it was a seal that allowed her to keep track of Alec''s life force, so it obviously wasn''t anything harmful.


    Marsiel stood up and shook her wings.


    She shrunk and appeared almost human. Her extra appendages disappeared completely, which surprised him.


    "Come," she said.

 Chapter 437 - Heaven

    Alec could feel his teacher''s good mood as she taught him patiently, which made the System surprised.


    After all, with how strong Marsiel appeared to be, she should not be lacking in students, and she would be able to find students with a flip of her hand. What was harder was meeting her standards.


    Of course, what Alec didn''t know was that she had been trapped in this ''ruin'' for a long time, and she was only able to find students from those who entered the ruins.


    Was it hard to find a student?


    Not hard.


    But picking one out of all these people who randomly entered the ruins? Most of them were old, or their potential had already been squeezed out.


    Finding a student in these circ.u.mstances? How could it be easy?


    It was hard!


    It was tough!


    So many of these people already had more than a dozen teachers, and they were already set in their ways.


    Not only did they have to make it past all the assassination-type monsters and creatures, they had to accurately pass her pagoda, as well as decipher everything within a set amount of time.


    If any of these conditions could not be met, then the only thing that happened was that they were kicked out of her home.


    There were many things that she could do, but she refused to compromise on her standards! If they couldn''t do it, then they were useless!


    Alec''s doubts must have shown on his face, because Marisel stopped after imparting what she wanted to him. There as a comfortable look on her face, as if she had finally found a method to vent after being trapped for all those years.


    "Are you interested in why I only have you as a single student?" she asked. She was in a lovely mood. Right now, she would even be willing to accept a random student as her disciple since her first disciple slot had already been filled up. And one that was so full of potential, no less.


    Alec nodded without hesitation, and the dragon demoness laughed.


    "Hmph, my student is really bold," she said, but there wasn''t a trace of dislike on her face. Instead, she appeared naturally delighted. "Well, it''s not too hard to tell you. I was confined here by an unknown entity, and I couldn''t escape."


    Alec was surprised, but he didn''t show it on his face. He could tell¡­ his teacher was strong. She was even stronger than his father. "You didn''t manage to find out who it was?"


    Marsiel shook her head. "Naturally, I tried to find out who was the one who was moving against me, but it was like nothing was there. Not a single scrap of information was left behind. The most frightening thing was that there were hordes of people who were sent to fight against me, each only a bit weaker than me."


    As she spoke, there was a deep, hidden anger and resentment that surfaced in her eyes, but she quickly put it away.


    After all, it had been so many years since she was first stuck in this place that she got a student ¨C someone that she could talk with.


    Naturally, Marsiel was delighted from the bottom of her heart.


    The most important thing was that such a disciple was to her liking. He wasn''t rash, nor was he impolite, and he knew how to work hard.


    To Marisel, this was like a pie falling out of the sky. Even if he could not learn anything, he could learn it slowly. One day, she would manage to get out of here and be free.


    "Well, I''ve tried to get out of here, but it can only be broken from outside."


    Alec concealed the sudden understanding in his eyes. No wonder this dragon demoness accepted him so easily. He was still a little doubtful of her intentions before this, but he understood now.


    It was probably a mix of loneliness as well as hope that she could get out if she taught her student everything that she knew.


    While his doubts about her reasons cleared up, he still didn''t know what she would do when she got out. Why was she trapped here in the first place?


    Marisel saw through everything, and she grew more satisfied with her little student. Not trusting her blindly was the right choice. Marisel was a demoness for a reason. Before she had been trapped here, her word could not be trusted at all.


    Lying, scamming, cheating, seducing¡­ she did everything. Since the time she was a little character, all the way to the top of the food chain, that was her bread and butter.


    She''d been a proud and aloof dragon once, but she fell to the depths of hell and was reborn as a new being.


    But time alone had changed her.


    What was it worth? What was pride worth? What was deceiving people worth?


    It was all useless in the face of loneliness.


    Time had ground away all her rough edges, leaving her shiny and smooth, and even the slightest touch could cause pain.


    She was all alone here with no one else for company. The only thing she could do was train bitterly and sleep.


    There was no entertainment here. Everything that she found fun before was reflected on by herself, and she grew ever so jaded.


    By the time she was about to give up on herself, this little disciple of hers came¡­


    And she suddenly realized that she didn''t want to do anything else. She just wanted to travel the world, living free and unfettered without anyone or anything holding her back and chaining her down.


    She didn''t think much of the humans out there, but as long as they didn''t go against her, she would never touch them. To her, they were disposable. Even being trapped here for a long time had never changed that belief of hers. But with one glance at her little disciple, she knew that he would rather go against her if she ever said it out loud.


    That was fine.


    It was delightful, even, knowing that he held a strong belief and stayed true to himself.


    If one could continue to follow their heart, then the road of cultivation would never be too long.


    Marsiel pricked her ring finger and solemnly drew out a blood oath, which formed in mid-air beautifully. It was like the work of finest art, so beautiful that it took your breath away.


    "I know you won''t be rest assured, so here''s my oath. I, Marsiel Bloodbringer, swear that I will not make a move on any humans so long as they leave me alone. I will treat my student, Alec Neil, as my family and shall not hurt him in any way, shape or form. In return, my student has to do his best to get me out from this ruin."


    Alec looked at her deeply.


    To be honest, he really wasn''t as good a person as Marsiel thought that he was. He just wanted to make sure that the people whom he held close to him would not be harmed by his newest teacher.


    Alec followed suit and pricked his finger. The blood flew out and joined the blood oath that was already hanging in the air.


    "I, Alec Neil, swear that as long as my teacher upholds her oath, I will treat her as my family, and will do my utmost best to ensure that she leaves this place unscathed."


    The blood oath transformed in a swirl before shooting back to both parties, burrowing into their bodies.


    Alec could faintly feel the presence of the oath that had been taken by them.


    If any of them broke this oath, then it would not cause death but instead inflict grievous pain constantly at every moment of the day. It was a pain that would never disappear for the rest of your life.


    Marsiel beamed at him, all her previous depression flying away. She was incomparably excited.


    "Come, come, come," she said, tugging Alec.


    The two of them approached a door on the side that was hidden underneath a portrait. Alec raised a brow.


    Inside was like¡­


    Heaven.


    That was the only way that Alec could put it.


    He was dazzled by the number of books and numerous sealing and array manuscripts inside.


    Alec walked forward like he was possessed, and Marsiel laughed at the side, her eyes bright.


    It wasn''t this often she managed to find someone who was so besotted by her art, and it seemed like her student was the same type of person as her.


    It made her incomparably delighted, and she knew that she had not chosen the wrong student.


    She started introducing various manuscripts to him one by one. "Look, look. This is your teacher''s hard work over all these years. I wrote all these books. They''re one of a kind, and you won''t find them anywhere else!"


    "Look, look, look! This one! This ink! I made it myself. Using this ink lets to imbue more magic into the array!"


    "Look, look¡­"

 Chapter 438 - Grand Master

    Katherine stopped after she went through the entire set again.


    She breathed in and out, her thoughts in a daze. Her eyes were hazy as her mind flashed through everything that she had gone through in that undetermined amount of time.


    So many days, and she had not slept nor rested a single bit, yet her body remained in its peak condition. She was indeed a little tired now.


    Anyone else would have collapsed long before this, even though their bodies did not fatigue nor hunger in this strange pagoda.


    If it weren''t for her strong mentality, she would not have been able to overcome the mental strain that this caused.


    However, she had been wholly immersed in her wonderful bout of learning that had finally come to an end.


    She clenched her fists and felt shocked and delighted. How could her strength increase this much?


    The state that she had been in had been so wonderfully addicting that she knew she would never be able to obtain something else that would cause of her have bursts of inspiration continuously.


    She was overjoyed.


    She had broken through to Meister, and she''d finally achieved what she had set for herself since she''d been a little girl.


    Her heart beat frantically as she delighted in the feeling of strength. Perhaps this time, she would be able to hear her brother say that he was proud of her.


    She looked around and found that in the room, there was no one else beside her.


    Where was Le Xuan and her teacher?


    Ye Sha who had been forgotten just like that could only blame his lack of presence in the team. Who told him to be mainly interested in eating? He didn''t even offer Katherine any!


    Hmph, she would definitely not become friends with anyone who did not bother to offer her any.


    Thus, she set off looking for Le Xuan first.


    Her teacher would be fine, of that she had no doubt. But Le Xuan¡­ well. Sometimes she was a bit ditzy, which made her¡­ not so much worry, but a bit concerned.


    Even a person like Katherine wondered how she could be like that sometimes. The other girl was a good friend, and a good informant, but¡­ she had zero life skills! She couldn''t cook, clean, or do any housework at all. The only good thing was that she wasn''t lazy or a slob.


    Compared to Katherine, she was even more of a pampered princess.


    Katherine found Le Xuan in a room a few floors up.


    The arrays that had confused and bewildered her naturally parted for her when she finished her training session.


    Unlike her, Le Xuan was still deeply in that state, but she didn''t look any worse for wear, so Katherine looked in the other rooms, wanting to find her teacher.


    She didn''t find him next but instead found Ye Sha (who did not offer her any ch.i.p.s).


    She made a disgusted face, and Ye Sha''s eyes opened.


    "Hey, I saw that look."


    Katherine''s look of contempt increased even more, and Ye Sha spread his hands helplessly.


    The reason for her look was because Ye Sha had obviously been eating nonstop while he was here even though their body did not need any food or water.


    There were various packets lying around on the ground, making a mess.


    Ye Sha stood up and brushed his pants, dusting off all the crumbs.


    "You''re finally done?" he said lazily. He''d been done for a while.


    He attributed it to his body being made out of the finest materials, which meant that he literally had no bottlenecks when it came to his own cultivation. It was very smooth, and magic kept pouring into his body.


    However, when it entered Katherine''s ears, it sounded like he was mocking her.


    It became something like ''I finished long ago and had all this time to eat ch.i.p.s, but you still weren''t done. There was nothing else for me to do, so I resorted to eating while I was waiting for you.''


    Katherine glared at him, but she didn''t say anything.


    "Where''s Alec?" Ye Sha asked.


    "I''m trying to find him," she said grudgingly. "Le Xuan is still downstairs in cultivation."


    "Oh."


    Before Katherine could open her mouth, Ye Sha continued to speak again. "I''ll go down to look for him. You go up."


    Ye Sha''s eyes were shifty. Why would he go up when they all needed to meet at the bottom to get out again anyway?


    He could save some effort by going down first!


    Katherine didn''t say anything. She just turned around and left, heading up the stairs. She was too lazy to exchange more words with this person.


    She looked in every room, and she found another two people ¨C one was a teenaged girl while the other was a middle-aged man.


    She didn''t disturb them and just left without another word.


    The only one that she was unable to find was her teacher.


    Where was he?


    At last, she finally reached a room at the top floor, which was obviously different from the other rooms, and she raised her brows with admiration.


    Her teacher really entered what appeared to be the best room. That was great! She opened the door, but there wasn''t anyone inside.


    Katherine blinked, but she still entered.


    This place look like a bedroom, and she looked around, confused. Where was he?


    She went towards the balcony, and she looked outside, only to be stunned.


    Why were there so many people now?


    Her eyes rove around, but she could see an endless amount of people who were walking around, making the previous ghost town seem like it was just her imagination.


    Now that there were various people, they all seemed to be walking around and doing trades and other things.


    It had completely turned into a lively city.


    If Katherine didn''t know better, she would have thought that it was an illusion.


    But¡­ she spotted a few Klein Clan members that she recognized!


    She stared closer at them, trying to discern if they were real or not.


    "They''re real." A voice spoke behind her, causing her to jump.


    She turned around, only to be greeted with a gorgeous woman. Her figure was full, and her face was delicate but s.e.xy. She wore clothes that covered herself up, but they could not hide the fullness of her figure, and she was undoubtedly alluring.


    Katherine was wary. "Who are you?"


    "Me?" the woman said, her lips curling. "Who are you? This is my bedroom," she said playfully.


    Katherine paused. She hid her embarrassment. "I see. My apologies about intruding. I was looking for my teacher, and this is the only room that I have yet to search through."


    Marisel c.o.c.ked her eyebrow. "You may call me Marisel," she said, "I believe your teacher is now my disciple. That makes me¡­ your grand master?"


    Marisel''s tone was playful.


    Katherine was startled before she quickly responded. "My name is Katherine Klein."


    Marisel looked at her curiously. "You''re also an Awakening type? That''s great!"


    Katherine frowned, her eyes narrowing. How did she know that she was an Awakening Magitype? Had she peeked during the time that she was training?


    Before she could think further about it, Marisel grabbed her hand before she could react.


    Katherine was stunned. She''d already become a Meister, but this woman was even quicker than she was!


    Marsiel dragged Katherine to the wooden door at the side before Katherine could even blink.


    "Let''s go," Marisel said with excitement.

 Chapter 439 - Leaving

    One month later, Marsiel suddenly stood up, drawing both Alec and Katherine''s attention to herself. Usually, whenever she did this, it meant that there was something that she wanted to excitedly show off to them.


    This time, however, her tone was solemn.


    "It''s time," she said. Her voice was very calm. It was too different from her excited self when she spoke about seals and arrays. It was also different from the her who was indifferent when she looked at other living beings.


    There was a faint tinge of loneliness and reluctance in her tone, but it was covered up well by her.


    The ruins were about to close.


    The two of them had spent the entire time inside the pagoda, accompanying Marisel to learn more about the craft.


    Alec was naturally like a fish in water in this place, but Katherine had to painstakingly learn all the basics.


    Katherine was almost dying here. When had she ever cared about the precision of her handwriting, not mention practicing it over and over again until there wasn''t a single stroke out of place?


    But boring as it might be, she persevered after learning from the two that those who had the Awakening Magitype would soar in the skies after learning the art of arrays.


    And Katherine, prideful down to her bones, would never give up.


    Since both her teachers said it was useful, then she would learn it even if she died trying.


    Marisel took both Katherine and Alec with her out of her pagoda and teleported to the end of the boundary.


    Without giving them a chance to react, she threw both of them off the edge and waved goodbye at them, laughing at their indignant faces. She could see the plain indignance hidden behind Alec''s smile, and the plainly indignant one on Katherine''s face, and she laughed even harder.


    "Goodbye dear students! Don''t forget about me~" she called out teasingly as she watched them drop below.


    The ''no fly'' ban was lifted after they neared the ground, and the two naturally saved themselves from the plummet.


    In front of a group of stunned people, the two of them slowly descended from the sky like gods.


    Katherine slammed onto the ground in a crouch, her eyes sharp and cool. She flicked her hair, and her long black hair fluttered from the surge of wind as the dust settled around her.


    The ground cratered from where she landed, but she was without a single scratch on her.


    Her deep red eyes and black hair caused a stir in the people as they realized that she was a Klein.


    It was one of the most powerful landings that they had ever seen, and not to mention that it was cool as hell.


    Unlike Katherine''s flashy and direct entrance, Alec slowly controlled his descent and walked down like he was walking on stairs in the air. Until his foot touched the ground, the people were still wide-eyed in shock and awe.


    Combined with the gentle smile on his face and his stunningly good looks, he sent many hearts fluttering then and there.


    At this moment, he appeared otherworldly and untouchable, which was just how he liked it. If they all rushed at him¡­ well, Alec had no scruples about kicking some people out of the way.


    The two departed under the eyes of the stunned crowd, none of them reacting in time.


    The crowd was originally looking for people to back them after they departed from the ruins, but Alec and Katherine''s entrance stunned them so much that none of them could react in time.


    By the time they started to react, the two were already far away.


    It took a lot of words to describe it, but in actual fact, only a few seconds passed.


    Leaving the crowd far behind, the two of them headed home.


    Marsiel had sent Le Xuan and Ye Sha out long ago, and the two of them didn''t know what they had encountered in the ruins, but seeing as the ruins were about to close, they should return on their own.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    The next day, Alec, Ye Sha, and his familiars all left Aeden and Annalise''s house.


    They''d already been inside the city for too long, and Alec felt like he was growing roots into the ground.


    Now that he''d met Marsiel, he felt the urgent need to push himself even harder and faster. Not to mention, he should get used to using arrays and seals in direct combat. He had to redesign his entire style of combat and work out any kinks.


    Elysia was already out there training and he couldn''t allow himself to fall behind her now.


    He felt the pressuring date of the calamity pressing closer, and even though Ye Sha didn''t say anything, he could feel it coming closer at an alarming rate.


    Ever since the appearance of the ruins, he knew that things were going to speed up even quicker now.


    Aeden and Annalise stood by the door, seeing them off.


    Once they left, the house would be very quiet again. They were left with Two and Three, who were learning from Aeden and Annalise about their different crafts, but it still wasn''t the same.


    Annalise''s eyes were a little red. She felt like she wouldn''t see her son for a time again.


    Aeden quietly held her hand, and she calmed down.


    She smiled at him, and he didn''t smile back, but his eyes were full of affection.


    Alec, who hadn''t walked that far away, and turned back to say something, quietly turned back again.


    Even when he was leaving, he still had to eat dog food¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Katherine struggled with two leeches clinging onto her ankles as Le Xuan watched with schadenfreude at the side.


    Le Xuan laughed silently, holding her hand up to her mouth. ''Hmph, didn''t you show off that you got a boyfriend before me? Now, you''re troubled by relationship problems!''


    Katherine glowered and stared deeply into her eyes, her expression seemed to say, ''if you don''t help me, I''ll kill you!'' which made Le Xuan shiver.


    The girl reluctantly strode forward and tried to dislodge the two leeches.


    "You should let go now. You don''t want Katherine to hate you, right?"


    Her words made them reluctantly let go.


    Before Katherine could heave a sigh of relief, Regis and Gareth appeared, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.


    Regis'' appearance made both Jae and Brian blanch as they respectfully kept their hands to themselves, acting as if they had never acted so disrespectfully towards Katherine.


    Regis gave them a cold glance, which almost made them step back. But they stood strong, not wanting to appear weak in front of the one that they were trying to win over.


    "Don''t trouble cousin," Regis said.


    Katherine''s face fell and Regis turned his face away.


    Beside him, Gareth rolled his eyes. "What he means, is don''t get yourself into any trouble you can''t get yourself out of."


    Katherine looked towards Regis, who didn''t refute, and she had a small smile on her face that was very different from her normal ones. "Okay."


    Brian and Jae were dazzled.


    When Katherine and Le Xuan left, Brian and Jae followed after like they were possessed, only to be pulled back by the back of their collars.


    A voice that sounded like it came from hell flowed into their ears. "Where do you think you''re going? You''ve only passed the first round of assessment¡­"


    The two wanted to cry but had no tears.

 Chapter 440 - Traps!

    The four of them plus three familiars, did not go into any towns or cities.


    Instead, they completely lived in the wilderness, which almost caused Le Xuan to die.


    Her earthly comforts¡­ gone.


    Her delicious food¡­ gone.


    Her soft, soft bed¡­ gone.


    She felt like crying. Who were these beasts that she was living with? How were they all so used to it?! Especially Katherine! Wasn''t this girl just like her?!


    But the girl still bore with it because she didn''t want to be a burden. She felt like her three worldviews were constantly being refreshed from how naturally Katherine, Alec and Ye Sha acted in the wilderness. It just made no sense to her at all.


    It was as if they were born in the place and were completely at ease. It was so different from herself who was dying every single day, faced with inconveniences in and out.


    Sure, she learnt a lot of things from them in the past couple of weeks, but¡­ she really¡­ wanted to trade it all for a night of comfort!


    Alright, maybe not. But she still longed for those comforts!


    When had Le Xuan ever been in such a sorry state? Even when she travelled, she was always going between cities and towns and staying in at least an inn at night.


    She was a city girl through and through, and her specialization reflected that. She dealt in intelligence, so her contacts were all in the city. When did she ever need to live outside in the forest on the hard ground?


    But the three other people ''politely'' turned away when they saw her plight, as if they were sparing her from the ugliness of how she looked right now.


    She felt like crying.


    Le Xuan didn''t even know why they were living out in the wilderness in the first place!


    They never answered why they couldn''t go to a town to stay in the inn for the night.


    Maybe she sounded like a spoilt brat, but she just wanted to know the answer, damnit!


    Was it combat? Was that it? Or were they training their survival skills or what?


    Somehow, only Alec and Ye Sha had a tent, so each night, each gender took one tent and huddled together. originally, the tent was made for one person alone. When there were two people inside, it was even smaller!


    Le Xuan lost track of the number of times that Katherine whacked her in the middle of the night. She wanted to cry but she had no tears.


    Le Xuan picked up a bunch of dry sticks ¨C making sure they were completely dry ¨C the last time she picked up freshly fallen branches, she''d had a hands on demonstration which showed her that they could not be lit at all.


    She tried to hard to light the fire, but it could not spark at all! She was still vaguely resentful at the thought of how Alec did it in a split second with the other two laughing secretly at the side.


    Bunbun and Fenrir were playing around, running circles around her, which made her dizzy.


    "Stop, stop," she said, "I''m dizzy. What if you make me trip and fall down?"


    Saying that, she took a step forward and was prepared to trip to tease the two familiars, only for the ground below to truly give way.


    She let out a scream in shock as she plummeted from the solid ground into a hole that had been hidden underneath.


    "Ah! I was just joking! My life is a cosmic joke!"


    Her shocked scream and angry cries drew the attention of the rest of her group. None of them hesitated to chase after and jump in after her, which made her feel a bit funny and warm as she saw their figures up above descending towards her.


    She rolled on the ground and was in a sorry state, but she wasn''t harmed at all. Le Xuan stood up and dusted herself off with a blank look on her face.


    The rest of them landed much more gracefully, and Alec''s two familiars sniffed around.


    They darted off towards the right, and the rest of them quickly followed behind.


    "There should be some level of danger in this place," Alec said quietly. "This looks like a treasure cave."


    They agreed with his assessment. The place that Le Xuan had literally stumbled across was probably someone''s cavern before they died. With the person''s death, any arrays or seals that were laid down were faded, which created a bit of a gap for them to enter.


    That person was most likely trying to break through into the next rank before their death, only to fail, which lead to this situation.


    Bunbun and Fenrir acted like they were stimulated, likely sensing treasures or what not.


    Unbeknownst to them, Alec c.o.c.ked his head as he listened carefully.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Chantelle carefully disabled whatever traps she saw along the way.


    She would take no chances with her safety, and if she were right ¨C and she knew she was ¨C this place contained at least the remains of a Grand Meister who was trying to break through into becoming a Transcendent.


    She could tell just by the quality of the things lying around and the defences that this place had.


    As a professional tomb raider, she was extremely clear about matters like this. There was no one better than her.


    Still, Chantelle would never neglect any aspect when it came to her safety.


    She could do it quicker, but that would mean a loss in her safety measures. There was no one around, so she didn''t have to take the risk and could leisurely do it.


    She skilfully disabled a trap and stepped over it, moving forward.


    She dodged under the spears that appeared above head and jumped onto the spears to avoid the floor giving way.


    Chantelle went through things like this various times, and it kept increasing in difficulty.


    But she didn''t show any impatience, enjoying it even.


    They were life threatening to other people, but to her, as long as she paid a bit more attention to her personal safety, there was no trouble at all.


    It wasn''t often she managed to find a tomb worth raiding, and alone, no less.


    There were many traps, so many that she felt like she was in a dream.


    She stopped before a door that held a puzzle, and she raised a brow. This Grand Meister truly didn''t want anyone to get the treasures that he left behind. How stingy!


    Still, she enjoyed the process nonetheless, and she was looking forward to what was left behind if there were this many traps to drive people to madness.


    If she weren''t extremely gifted in the area of traps, as well as having caution not to lose her head, she would have died long before.


    Finally, she reached the end of the road, and with a pull of the door, the cave rumbled.


    In the middle, she saw a corpse sitting in the middle.


    Even though the Grand Meister was dead, his body still exuded the aura of splendour and grandeur. It would have awed all the people and made them marvel, but Chantelle wasn''t interested in him at all.


    She looked around, only to frown when she realized that this place was incredibly barren.


    It was too far from her imagination. She knew that he was stingy, but who would have thought that he wouldn''t even have a single treasure in sight?


    She didn''t believe it.


    There must be a secret mechanism somewhere that led to another place with all the treasures.


    In any case, she would not leave here empty-handed. If she had to, she would bring away this corpse and sell it!


    That was, of course, the last resort, but it wasn''t like she hadn''t done it before!


    She walked around the room, her sharp eye keeping an eye out for any mechanisms.


    Finally, she found something. It was so small and so subtle that she would have missed it if not for her ample amount of experience.


    She stabbed a thin dagger into the hole, and suddenly, the ground gave out from under her.


    Chantelle didn''t shout as she disappeared into the hole, and the moment the dagger left the crack in the wall, the hole closed back up¡­

 Chapter 441 - Dont Touch!

    The group of four plus familiars reached the end, and some of them were more puzzled than the rest.


    After all, they had not encountered a single trap along the way, which made no sense logically speaking. There was a faint suspicion in their heart. The traps were already all activated, and they didn''t face a single moment of danger.


    There were two confused people, one with a standardized smile that gave good feelings, and finally, Ye Sha, who silently cursed a Main Character''s good luck inside his heart.


    This had to be a case of taking advantage of someone! He didn''t believe that it was all ''luck''. Well, it was indeed luck, but this was directly plundering someone else''s ''luck'' instead!


    There was probably some poor soul in front who silently and valiantly took care of all the dangers along the way, only for Alec and the rest of them to benefit in the end.


    Ye Sha silently lit a candle for the other person in his heart. Poor soul.


    They reached the end, to find a slightly more spacious cavern. It was barren and empty, different from the fancy designs along the way.


    With a rumble, the passage from before closed, which caused them to turn around to look at it.


    Alec tested the integrity of the wall, but it didn''t give way at all. The only way out should be located in the mostly empty cavern.


    There was a single corpse in the middle of the room, seemingly surrounded by nothing but what he was wearing on his body.


    Alec looked more closely when he saw a spark of golden light. Obviously, there were runes around the corpse, which meant that they should not touch the corpse at all before he managed to figure out what it was.


    Whatever array there would only spark to life upon contact of life on the dead body. One didn''t need to think too hard to know that there should be nefarious intentions behind it.


    "Don''t touch the corpse."


    The group looked around the place, each of them stepping carefully.


    Katherine and Le Xuan seemed even more confused in this place. They thought that there was someone up ahead, but upon reaching the end, there was no one in the end.


    Could it be that all the traps were triggered upon the owner''s death, thus posing no harm to them?


    How could it be?


    They didn''t believe that someone who had the time to make all those ingenious traps would fall into such a pit.


    Therefore, there had to be someone here. Or was there some other path that would lead them somewhere else?


    Unlike the other three who were walking around trying to find something, Alec stood in front of a blank piece of wall.


    The only thing that was different was the faintest indentation in the side of the wall.


    The others couldn''t hear anything, but to Alec, he could hear the faint sounds of anger and extremely angry curses from the bottom.


    Just as he was thinking about if he should allow them out, the floor suddenly moved, and out popped a mature woman who had fiercely angry eyes. She was faintly covered in dust, and there were little tears on her clothes.


    She looked both annoyed and miserable.


    She was stunned when she saw the lot of them, just as they were stunned to see her.


    After all, there was now a live, breathing person who suddenly appeared out of nowhere from a hole that suddenly appeared in the ground.


    "Who are you?" Chantelle demanded with shock, then she changed her tone just as quickly. "You must have come in after me!"


    Chantelle stood up and brushed herself off, her eyes filled with hostility. "How long have you been following me? Days? Months? How f.u.c.k.i.n.g sly! How did you get past my blockade at the entrance?"


    She started launching accusations at them without giving them any chance to react. She was talking to both them and she herself as her mind worked quickly.


    The more Chantelle spoke, the angrier she got. After all, people were benefiting from her hard work, so how could she feel good?


    She continued to speak angrily. "Well? How does it feel to be riding on my coattails?"


    Le Xuan was staring at her blankly. Lady, we don''t even know who you are, not to mention following you around? For months? Are you delusional? Who would spend that long to follow someone around?


    Katherine didn''t just stare blankly. She snorted and lifted her chin. "Are you delusional? Are you crazy? Who has time to follow you around? Who do you think you are? Are you worthy to be followed around by me? We''re not crazy. Why should we follow a little no-name woman?"


    Le Xuan silently cheered from the side.


    Chantelle was pricked in the heart, and her face grew red ¨C whether it was from embarrassment or from anger, no one knew.


    She gave a sarcastic laugh as her eyes swept over the lot of them.


    Chantelle saw that the group were all handsome and beautiful, but how could they have such a bad heart? She was unreconciled.


    She was incredibly angry. How could these people force their way in?


    The woman was even angrier when she saw the gentle smile on Alec''s face. Fake. This was all fake! How could they take advantage of an innocent woman like this?!


    How could there be a good person who wanted to snatch her things?


    Not only had she been dropped under there, where it was full of dust and other disgusting stuff, she returned only to find people who had been following her all along.


    She almost outright attacked them but held back when she thought to herself that there were more of them than her single person.


    In particular, the smiling one seemed quite powerful. It was better not to cause them to try and kill her. If she didn''t compromise, she would have worked hard for nothing at all.


    Chantelle bit her lip, and her tone suddenly changed. "If you want the treasures in here, fine, but I get to have first pick."


    Katherine was stunned by Chantelle''s nice tone ¨C it was completely different from the angry tone earlier. "What tricks are you up to?" she said, eyeing her distrustfully.


    Chantelle lowered her stance. "I''m not up to anything. I just want to have the first pick."


    Ye Sha finally spoke up. "Are you done? We fell in from a hole in the ground," he said, his tone and expression lazy. Even at this time, he was still eating something.


    Katherine eyed him with resentment.


    Chantelle''s brows furrowed, then she understood, and her face was red. Turned out that she had wrongfully accused these people¡­ but so what?! In the end, she still had to share!


    Her heart was bleeding.


    Alec suddenly spoke up, having ignored them before this.


    "The other array is active now," he said, drawing their attention.


    Chantelle frowned. "What? I already disabled all the arrays."


    Alec gave her a brief glance, then looked away, continuing to look about the room.


    Chantelle puffed up in anger, and Le Xuan placated the crazy ¨C ahem ¨C she placated the woman. "Don''t worry. Alec has rune sight, so what he says definitely cannot be wrong."


    The grave robber fell silent at her words. If what she said was true, then¡­ could it be that they were trapped in here? She had already long noticed that the previous entrance was gone.


    She frowned and turned her attention towards the corpse in the middle.


    Perhaps the Grand Meister would have some clues for them.


    She reached forward to touch the corpse.


    "Stop!"

 Chapter 442 - Resurrection

    Chantelle''s hand was abruptly stopped before she managed to touch the corpse of the Grand Meister.


    "What?" she said, drawing back a little. She was surprised and slightly shocked. Her heartbeat had elevated because of his sudden words.


    She eyed Alec, who had reached out to grab her, rather unhappily.


    The other man had not been paying attention to her at all, but now he suddenly stopped her? What did he think he was doing, exactly?


    She didn''t understand what he meant by this.


    Alec made sure that the idiot who was going to so carelessly touch the corpse wasn''t going to continue her action and let go, resisting the urge to dust off his hands. She was dusty from head to toe and looked rather sorry.


    "Don''t touch the corpse," he said with as much patience as he could. "There''s an array on it that will activate once you do."


    Chantelle quickly took a step back. "You should have said so earlier!" she said, feeling a lingering sense of fear. "Thanks are in order, I suppose," she said grudgingly, "so thanks."


    Generally, no one was mad enough to lay an array on their body, which had made her careless, but at his reminded, caution flooded back into her. A person on the verge of death¡­ what did they not dare to do?


    "What''s the array?"


    Everyone remained silent as Alec''s eyes traced over blank space, patiently waiting for him to speak.


    Alec then turned his attention towards the walls that were surrounding them. To their surprise, they noticed that there were now faint words written on the wall behind them where the entrance used to be.


    It was apparently the inheritance left behind by the Grand Meister for those who entered this place and managed to find the ''hole'' that Chantelle had dropped into previously.


    The words wrote, "If you wish to be the owner of my inheritance, then accept me as your master and pay your respects."


    Instantly, the five of them were suspicious. Alec had already said that the array would start once they touched the Grand Meister and acknowledging them as their master meant that they would have to touch the corpse.


    In that case, it was obviously a trap!


    Thinking up to this point, Chantelle sucked in a cold breath, feeling the lingering fear from before coming back with a vengeance. At this point, she wholly believed in this gently smiling man''s words.


    She was no longer blinded by her anger and knew that they were telling the truth. She was relatively calm now, and her logical processing went back to normal.


    If that man had not stopped her earlier, she would have something bad befall her already.


    Chantelle cursed loudly. "Damn this old man! This is obviously a trap! Accept him as a master? What need does a dead man need someone to accept him as a master for? There''s obviously sinister intentions!"


    Katherine agreed with her. "Hmph. You should count yourself lucky that teacher saved you and stopped you from activating the array even though you were impudent earlier."


    Chantelle put her hands on her h.i.p.s and glowered at Katherine, who remained unphased.


    It was true that she was grateful to him, but she also knew that part of it was because if she had activated the array, then all of them would be in trouble.


    Still, she wasn''t a person who didn''t know how to be grateful, but her gratefulness didn''t mean that it extended to this arrogant woman in front of her!


    Le Xuan stepped in before the mood got too rough. "Okay, just calm down for now. This could potentially be a life and death situation, but all of you are still in the mood to joke around?"


    The two females turned their faces away in opposite directions with a huff, causing Le Xuan to twitch her lips.


    Ignoring the females in the room, Ye Sha moved closer to Alec, talking to him in a voice that only Alec could hear clearly. To the others, it just looked like Ye Sha was moving his lips without making any sound.


    "This place isn''t as simple as it seems. But it shouldn''t be too dangerous either."


    Alec nodded quietly. He was still engrossed in the array that he could see before his eyes.


    This wasn''t a normal array. In fact, it contained a lot of either forbidden or banned knowledge, and the people from nowadays did not transmit or circulate this information anymore.


    It was similar to what that Inspector Fade had used earlier to change bodies at will, only this one was directed at the departed.


    This was classified under lost knowledge of the previous eras and deemed as sinful.


    Alec finally retracted his gaze for a moment before he looked towards Bunbun and Fenrir, instructing them to check out the hole in the ground that wasn''t big enough for a grown man to stand up straight.


    The two familiars jumped in, and Alec held out his hand, summoning Loeri from outside the cave.


    He had left it there so that they would have a failsafe, but at this point, there wasn''t much point, so he called it back now.


    "Loeri, can you map out this place. Every nook and cranny cannot be missed. Go with Fenrir and Bunbun."


    Loeri rubbed its mushroom cap on Alec''s finger before it hopped down into the hole together with Bunbun and Fenrir.


    Alec called attention to himself. "Don''t move around randomly. I figured out what the array does. It''s supposed to bring the dead corpse back to life."


    Hearing his words, they were subconsciously startled.


    "Resurrection?" Chantelle blurted out; her eyes wide with shock.


    Ye Sha dispelled their thoughts instantly. "Resurrection is impossible in our current world. It doesn''t matter what realm you go to. It goes against the laws of nature. It should be something else."


    Alec nodded in agreement. "Resurrection is impossible, but stealing a body is completely within the limits."


    Katherine had a look of disgust on her face, while Chantelle took a step back in alarm. They were appalled.


    Luckily, Chantelle really had not touched the corpse. All her hair was standing on end when she thought about how she had nearly met her end. She could imagine it now¡­ a stinky old man having taken over her bomb of a body?


    That was a f.u.c.k.i.n.g disgrace!


    Chantelle''s features morphed to reflect disgust like Katherine''s, before the two looked at each other and realized that they were wearing the same expression.


    "Hmph!"


    "Tch!"


    Le Xuan ignored the two prideful idiots, continuing to question Alec. "Is there a way to deactivate it? How else can we get out of here?"


    Alec inclined his head. "I cannot deactivate that array since it was made with an exchange in lifeforce. But there should be a way out. If that person comes back to ''life'' then they need a way out. With the passage closed, the way out should be in the hole that Chantelle emerged from earlier."


    The tension in the cavern calmed a little at his words. The situation wasn''t as bad as it previously seemed.


    Alec''s calm demeanour obviously had a calming effect on this group of people, and Ye Sha had never been nervous in the first place. Even now, he was still eating something.


    Katherine looked at him disdainfully, while her eyes lingered on the snacks in his hand¡­


    Chantelle''s eyes followed Katherine''s gaze and she didn''t have any such reservations. She strode forward and slung an arm over his shoulders. "Little boy, why don''t you share some with me?"


    Ye Sha paused briefly, confused, but he obediently handed over his snacks.


    Katherine could have exploded in anger.


    Le Xuan looked at their hilarious behaviour from the side and her lips twitched.


    Could they not be so childish at this critical moment¡­

 Chapter 443 - Boom!

    At the same time that Alec and his bunch of untrained house cats were trying to figure the way out from that cavern¡­


    Dominique glanced at the ruined building in front of him and finally felt some satisfaction.


    The smell of blood and ash converged in the air. It caused one to feel suffocated and stifled, but Dominique had no problem with it at all. In fact, he was rather used to it.


    Just because he had not done this in recent times didn''t mean that he grew unused to it. It was in his blood.


    The instincts of a Sin, that was.


    He had been away from Boss for a long time, but now he was finally done with his task.


    The youth beside him seemed to feel Dominique''s satisfaction, which also made him happy. Elias smiled faintly and lightly held Dominique''s hand, causing the man to look at him.


    When Dominique got the news that Alec and the rest of the Spectres had taken care of the Kaoriht continent''s side of things while he still had not achieved anything here, Dominique had felt very repressed and doubled his efforts.


    He even met up with that idiot, Sekai, along the way who also aided their plans. The man''s need for vengeance was probably stronger than his own need to complete his mission.


    At last, after a solid month or two of hard work, they were now standing before a completely destroyed castle. There were bodies that lay smoking on the ground, charred beyond repair.


    Honestly, it was a horrendous sight, but Elias didn''t feel any repulsion when he looked at the scene at all. He had no idea if it was because of his rose-tinted glasses or what, but he actually felt a bit satisfied being able to help Dominique out.


    Dominique lightly took Elias'' hand out of habit and was prepared to leave when One suddenly spoke up from behind.


    "Mini, I won''t be leaving with you."


    Dominique paused, and Elias looked back.


    One calmly continued to speak even though Dominique wasn''t looking at her. "I know you''re going back to find Alec now, but I still have things I want to do and other things that I can''t experience with you. So, we''ll be parting ways here."


    Sekai pulled One into a hug and princess carried her up. She didn''t even weigh anything. Her tiny body didn''t have any resistance at all. One clung onto Sekai''s neck.


    "Yeah, just relax. She''ll be fine with me. It''s no trouble for me to bring around a small person."


    There was more continued silence as they all waited for Dominique to speak.


    Finally, the Sin spoke up, his voice somewhat lower and hoarser than usual. "¡­Do what you want."


    One smiled faintly, knowing that she had obtained his permission. Just as the two of them originally left because they didn''t want to get in the way of Alec and Elysia''s happiness, now that Dominique had Elias, she would similarly not get in the way of their relationship developing.


    They were all very good to her, and she could feel it even though she had been created not to have any superfluous emotions like humans. She had been made to optimize efficiency and logic, but¡­ being in close contact with humans over these months, she had slowly but surely changed.


    What was so different from her than the rest of the humans?


    Logic said that she should have avenged her master when Ye Sha took over as the motherboard, but in her heart, there had only been a faint relief when she thought that she wouldn''t have to harm those that she cherished.


    One poked Sekai in the neck, spurring him on. "I''ll see you later," her voice rang out faintly as they slowly moved away.


    One clutched Sekai''s neck a little tighter, but the Sin didn''t complain. The little girl wasn''t as unaffected as she appeared to be while parting.


    Sekai may not be the most tactful of people, but there were times when he knew that he should shut the f.u.c.k up and let nature take its course. This was one of those times.


    A few hours passed before One regained all of her previous liveliness, having silently put her burdens down.


    One laughed quietly. "It''s alright to talk, you know? Don''t hold yourself back for my sake."


    "Oh, thank god. I was dying keeping my silence."


    One laughed brightly, familiar with the heating of her computer chip now. She''d felt it a lot over the course of these months. Now, it was stranger not to feel it.


    "I knew it! How could you be so calm? A blockhead like you wouldn''t ever be able to keep your silence for long."


    Sekai faked offence. "Hey! I''ll have you know that I can take on whatever stealth and infiltration missions without ever failing. I''ve never failed a mission before!" he said proudly.


    "Really?" One asked with disbelief. "Why did I hear from Alec that you failed the mission to protect the crack between realms?"


    Sekai: "¡­" Damn system! Could he not leave him some dignity in front of a small child!?


    A few hours passed as One left with Sekai, and the two people holding hands had been standing there motionless the entire time.


    It was only after Dominique got a grip on his emotions that they started moving towards town as well.


    Elias looked silently at Dominique, who was holding his hand tighter than usual. He''d slowly boiled the frog in warm water, and they were finally at the hand-holding stage. He took advantage of it in any way that he could, so he could feel Dominique''s fluctuating emotions.


    He likened it to a parent losing their child to someone else, so he just stayed there silently. He didn''t give any pressure, nor did he ask for the man to speak his mind. He just stayed by his side.


    Their pace was a slow stroll, as if they were taking in the scenery instead of heading to a destination.


    Elias spoke up after he noticed that Dominique''s emotions weren''t calming down any further.


    "Everyone has their own fortune. Just because we part doesn''t mean that we won''t meet again. A path isn''t just a straight road. There are countless detours, and paths that will intersect in the future."


    Dominique was silent as he digested Elias'' words.


    Elias smiled faintly seeing that Dominique was listening to him. "Of course, I hope that our paths that have converged will never part again in the future. I hope to walk down the path together with you."


    Dominique''s voice was extremely hoarse as he spoke. "Good," he said faintly.


    Then, without any warning, he leaned down and pressed a faint kiss to the top of Elias'' head.


    Elias stared at him blankly as his free hand reached up to touch the place that Dominique kissed.


    Seeing his dazed and cute look, Dominique smiled faintly.


    Dominique felt a stirring of his emotions that he still didn''t know how to put a name on. It was too different from the usual emotions that went through him.


    But if he went according to his logic, he had to say¡­ this was¡­ love? He was obviously fumbling around in the dark, but he didn''t think that his IQ was so low that he wasn''t able to figure out what this fluffy feeling should be.


    He was quite happy to take their relationship slow. They still hadn''t even reached the six month mark, but he had a feeling that he wanted to keep him¡­


    Boom!


    At that moment, while the two of them were letting go of their pent-up emotions, the ground suddenly exploded not too far away, the shockwave rippling over them.

 Chapter 444 - Bring Upon Death

    Alerted by the noise, Dominique and Elias'' heads instantly whipped in that direction.


    Without needing to exchange any glances or words, the two of them sped off in that direction.


    The ground was still trembling from the aftershocks of the explosion, but there were no loud noises nor the sounds of any humans.


    The place was a void of silence, which confused them.


    Within the range of ten meters, everything had been obliterated in the area, only leaving behind a large crater.


    As the neared, they noticed that it wasn''t an explosion at all, but instead some sort of capsule-like device that was firmly planted in the ground.


    The ground was shattered all around it, and it seemed to have come from outer space.


    There was a patch between the trees, and something was smoking still, giving off a faint burnt smell and the scent of the earth. The animals and other creatures had all been scared off by this thing that had suddenly appeared.


    Dominique frowned but didn''t feel any threatening vibes coming from it. He threw a rock at it with some killing intent, but nothing else happened, so he stepped forward and pressed his ear against it. There was a faint whirring sound coming from it, but nothing else.


    The Sin looked at it with deeply focused eyes.


    "What is it?" Elias questioned, confused.


    Dominique didn''t reply. He just walked around in a circle looking for something on the capsule, knocking on it.


    There was no reply or any other sounds besides the mechanical whirring.


    His intuition told him that there was something or someone inside it, but there was no reply at all. How could they open it?


    Dominique stepped back and kicked the capsule, but it didn''t even shake a single bit. He even used his Magitype to slam it, but nothing happened.


    By all accounts, it appeared untouchable and unbreakable. He''d already used all of his strength but there wasn''t a single dent.


    Elias stepped forward and said, "Let me try instead."


    Elias walked around the capsule like Dominique had done previously and eyed it discerningly.


    But what startled him was that this capsule that had appeared out of nowhere had apparently been made in a single go. There were no signs of welding or any other techniques at all. It was as if it had been created in this shape.


    Even the ''door'' that was really a sheet of frosted-like glass didn''t show any signs of it being connected. It appeared natural and not synthetic.


    It shocked the Cher.


    But still, Elias had a go at it, trying to pry the edges of the ''door'' with the tools that he''d pulled out, but to no avail.


    Elias frowned, then he placed his hand on the giant metal capsule and made it ''harder for it to withstand blows'', then he took his hammer and slammed the frosty glass in front of him.


    The glass shook a little, but nothing else happened. There were no dents or cracks at all, astounding him.


    Despite his failure, Elias felt himself growing more excited. This was the first time he met something that didn''t correspond with his worldview, and it was something that he would never be able to smith.


    The couple stepped back and looked at the capsule that was big enough to fit a humanoid being inside.


    The more Elias looked at it, the more he felt as if something had come from outer space into their planet. It looked like some sort of alien technology. It definitely was not from their planet.


    Saying as much, Dominique agreed with him completely.


    Dominique could feel danger spreading in the air. Whereas before, there was nothing, now, his instincts were pawing at him, as if warning him that whatever was inside was dangerous.


    By right, Dominique would have stopped at nothing to see what was inside the capsule, raring up for a fight ¨C especially since it didn''t appear to be made by the humans on their planet. However, he had Elias with him. And that made him hesitate for the first time in his life.


    Something in him wasn''t willing to put the other man in danger just for him to satisfy his craving of fighting.


    Elias seemed to see the conflict within him, so he spoke up. "Why don''t we get the Spectres to keep an eye on it?"


    Dominique frowned. "The Spectres are all in the Kaoriht continent."


    Elias nodded. "Should we bring this capsule back? We might not be able to break it open to study what''s inside it but bringing it back should be of no trouble."


    The moment Elias said as such, alarm bells rang in Dominique''s mind, causing him to become incomparably serious. "No," he said, surprising Elias.


    "No? Why not?"


    "No."


    "What should we do with it, then? We shouldn''t just leave it here where anything can happen."


    Dominique nodded faintly. "We don''t have to leave it out in the open like this."


    "What do you mean?"


    Dominique looked at Elias. "Do you have a shovel?"


    Elias was briefly surprised before he caught on. "I do."


    Elias pulled out two shovels and the couple got to work, quickly shovelling the dirt. The two of them dug down for more than twenty meters before they were satisfied with their work.


    Between the two of them, they dragged the capsule over without much difficulty and dumped it in the hole. They then moved all the soil back over it until the ground was flat yet again.


    For a finishing touch, Elias used his Magitype on the ground, making it ''hard to break through'', ''hard to tunnel through'', and ''hard to move''.


    The couple was finally satisfied that they had taken care of whatever latent dangers there were inside ¨C at least for now. They would be able to return in the future and take care of it more ''finally'' later.


    Elias pulled out a bottle of water and washed his hands before passing it to Dominique, who also washed his hands.


    After keeping the bottle, Dominique hooked his pinky on Elias'' pinky as they continued their walk back.


    Elias didn''t startle this time, smiling slowly.


    They might have just left a time-ticking bomb behind, but if whatever was inside there required food and water, he didn''t believe that they wouldn''t die from their body''s needs.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Mechanic whirring was all that they could hear. A faint light flickered above head, and the filtered air of the place was at a regulated temperature.


    Inside a sealed space, the being within moved slightly, their eyelids moving before they sank into a deeper sleep.


    It was not time yet¡­


    As the being continued to go into hibernation mode, several signals were being sent back up to outer space, where it was picked up by a large spaceship.


    "Reporting on MC01, they have landed and made contact with natives. No visible signs of distress, and the fluctuations are normal."


    A lady with a military cap on tapped her fingers slowly. "Good. Continue to monitor it. Ensure MC01''s safety."


    "Yes, sir!"


    As the subordinate left, the lady looked out into the vast expanse of space deeply. Her lips curled into a cold smile, which quickly faded away ¨C almost as it had previously been an illusion.


    "Soon," she said faintly, and the word lingered in the air, causing a few subordinates who were standing behind her to feel a chill.


    She was the devil¡­ and she wanted to bring upon them death.

 Chapter 445 - Cant Leave Him Alone

    Chantelle breathed deeply, the fresh air flowing into her lungs like a shot of adrenaline. She placed her hands on her h.i.p.s, laughing gleefully. She instantly forgot all her worries.


    The hole they had to crawl through was truly too small to be able to even stoop. It was undignified, and there were even traps along the way, which she had to get rid of with much difficulty.


    But, at this moment, she didn''t care about anything else.


    "Haha, this lady is finally out!" She tilted her head up for the sunshine to hit her delicate, if dusty, skin. "The air is so fresh; the sun is so warm-"


    She hadn''t finished speaking yet when she was unceremoniously booted from behind, causing her to flail and plant her face in the dirt without being given a chance to flail.


    "''Sun is so warm'' my foot! Stop blocking the way with your big behind!"


    Chantelle clawed herself off the ground with a look of rage on her face. "Youuu-!"


    The two untrained house cats fought each other in an almost playful manner. Behind them, Le Xuan crawled out of the hole, her face long-suffering.


    Behind her was Ye Sha, who looked quite happy to be out as well.


    Finally, Alec came out, looking no worse for wear compared to the rest of them.


    Ye Sha eyed his friend. Why the hell did he look like he came out from a photo shoot instead of having crawled through the same space as the rest of them? The heavens were truly unfair. He looked sparkling clean compared to the rest of them who looked like grimy street rats.


    The System glanced at the rest of the group, then back at Alec, and concluded that it must have something to do with seals.


    Ye Sha pawed at Alec, trying to find something, only for Alec to bat away his hands. Alec smiled. "What are you doing?"


    Ye Sha shrunk away. Alec could almost see his ears and tail drooping.


    Alec''s lips twitched.


    "What do you want now?" Alec asked again.


    "What did you use to keep yourself looking so pristine? Hand it over!" Ye Sha''s words might have been threatening and angry, but his tone was anything but.


    Alec''s lips twitched again. He handed over a single seal, and Ye Sha happily pasted it on his face.


    A second passed.


    Nothing happened.


    Ye Sha looked at Alec with betrayed eyes, actually causing Alec to crack a smirk. "You''re supposed to paste it on your clothes, not your body."


    "Oh."


    Ye Sha pasted the seal on his clothes.


    Nothing happened.


    Once again, the System slowly looked at Alec with betrayed eyes.


    Alec spread his hands; his face serious. "Seals are a one-time use thing."


    Ye Sha glowered at him, then held his hand out. "Hand it over."


    "I don''t have any more."


    "Argh," Ye Sha said, sinking down into a crouch. He clutched his head.


    At this time, they had attracted the three females over.


    "What''s this?"


    "It''s a seal that repels dirt, apparently," Ye Sha said in a sad tone. He slowly pulled out a packet of ch.i.p.s, eating sadly.


    Katherine held a hand out towards him. "Hand it over."


    Ye Sha slowly put the bag of ch.i.p.s in his hands on her hand.


    Katherine''s forehead throbbed. This was the time that he was going to share ch.i.p.s!? She wanted the seal, not the ch.i.p.s!


    Wrong time!


    Ye Sha seemed to feel that Katherine was about to explode. He hurriedly took the ch.i.p.s back and shoved the seal at her.


    She looked at it curiously, her mind sifting through her theoretical studies about seals in the past month. "How interesting¡­"


    As she said that, she actually pulled out a bunch of talisman papers from somewhere and started seriously drawing under the others'' eyes.


    Alec raised an eyebrow. He could actually have drawn it in a few seconds, but it looked like Katherine wanted to try it, so he didn''t say anything.


    "Done," Katherine said smugly. She whipped the seal and stuck it on Ye Sha''s clothes, only for the shirt to explode into smithereens.


    Their faces were all stunned.


    Alec hastily smothered his laugh, turning it into a light cough. He had to bite down on his teeth to stop himself from smiling.


    "No, I don''t believe I can''t do it!" Katherine said, her face dark. She hurriedly drew another one, then stuck it on Ye Sha''s pants before he had time to do anything.


    This time, the pants directly slid off his frame like there was no friction at all.


    The females politely turned their eyes away. Ye Sha''s face started to flush, and he hurriedly grabbed his pants.


    Alec struggled, blinking rapidly.


    "Wait, wait, stop!" Ye Sha said, "This is equal opportunity. How can you only use it on me?"


    "Oh," Katherine said, "you''re right."


    Ye Sha heaved a sigh of relief, ignoring the two glares coming from Le Xuan and Chantelle.


    "Why aren''t you using it on Alec as well?"


    "How can I bear to use my experiments on my teacher?"


    "But aren''t we your friends too!?"


    "Good friends help each other out," Katherine said faintly.


    There were various cries and pleadings of mercy, which were promptly ignored.


    After a few more disastrous rounds, Katherine finally managed to complete a proper seal.


    The two ladies and a system were fighting to keep their dignity and they were in tatters.


    Suddenly, Ye Sha froze. "Alec could have checked the seals before application¡­" he said faintly, his gaze vacant.


    Katherine looked thoughtful as she thought about what she did wrong previously.


    "No," Alec said peacefully, his tone calm, "she has to see the results of her failures before she can ponder about what went wrong. Of course, I could have pointed it out, but this is better for her growth."


    Still, what he meant was ''he could have done it''. The three of them wanted to cry but had no tears to shed. Their energy had all been used up by Katherine.


    By the time Katherine managed to produce three proper seals without any errors, the two ladies and a System looked like they were deeply grateful ¨C grateful that their fate of being human guinea pigs were over, that was.


    Alec came back with a mutated slug, causing Le Xuan to lean back in disgust.


    "Why did you bring that back?"


    Alec glanced at her. "Naturally, there is a use for it."


    "What use?" Chantelle said blankly. She clutched her clean clothes to herself, feeling drained. She didn''t know why she was still hanging around these psychos. She was already free from that place¡­


    "Naturally, we cannot just leave that Grand Meister alone."


    As Alec''s words fell into their ears, it suddenly sounded very pleasant, and they all regained their energy.


    "What are you waiting for? Let''s go!"


    "Let''s go, let''s go!"


    "Let''s f.u.c.k up that bastard!"


    Katherine smirked. "Then I can test some seals on his corpse later¡­" she whispered in an evil tone.


    The three of them ''normal'' people hurriedly took a step back, eyeing her with great caution.


    Alec patted Katherine''s head. "Okay."


    He ignored the three people''s look of horror directed towards him, screaming that he was an enabler inside.


    Then, they went back inside the hole that they just crawled out of¡­

 Chapter 446 - Your Father Is Alive!

    The five people stood before the deceased man, staring at his corpse. The body was withered and wrinkly, showing none of the grandeur that he carried before in life.


    Chantelle had to resist the urge to kick him. She almost wanted to spit on the ground. "Disgusting stinky old man. He''s such a miser. He wants to come back even in death. He doesn''t have the dignity of a Grand Meister at all!"


    Katherine rolled her eyes. "As if you wouldn''t want another shot at life if you were reaching the end of your lifespan?"


    "Not like that, I wouldn''t," Chantelle said proudly, tilting her chin up. "That''s deplorable, having to depend on someone else''s body for your own gains. Not only that, he won''t even leave a way out for the future generations? When I become as strong as this, I''ll definitely go out gracefully or die in a moment of splendour. I won''t cling to life like this. It''s so ugly."


    Katherine was silent. Truthfully, she agreed with Chantelle''s words, but it didn''t make her feel good at all, much less feel like agreeing, because it was Chantelle!


    Alec took the mutated slug and placed it on the ground in front of the corpse.


    He would have dropped it on, but then he was a bit worried about the Grand Meister following his life aura and coming into his body instead.


    Due to mutation, the slug was particularly large ¨C it could be considered a monster. It was about the size of half an a.d.u.l.t male''s arm, which was quite large for a slug. Alec had thoroughly checked every part of the slug and discovered that its inner functions were different from normal slugs.


    On the other hand, unlike Alec''s indifference in handling the slug, Le Xuan felt disgusted just looking at it from afar. Her skin crawled as she looked at its tentacles waving about. She shivered.


    Alec placed a few fresh leafy greens before the corpse, and the slug moved forward very, very slowly.


    They felt tired just looking at it.


    It was a snail''s pace.


    By the time the slug neared the greens, Alec picked the greens up and threw it directly onto the corpse''s body.


    The slug''s tentacles waved as its eyes locked onto the new position of the leafy greens. It continued to move forward slowly, its body rippling as it moved along the ground, leaving a trail of slime behind.


    The slug¡­ well. It wasn''t the smartest thing out there. In fact, there were no thoughts going through its mind at all besides the need for food. It was just existing without any extraneous thoughts.


    Finally, the slug reached the body of the corpse, and instantly, there was a reaction.


    The entire cavern became as still as could be, before it started shaking, rumbling.


    The lights that had been installed above head previously flickered and shone in various directions.


    Then, a golden beam came downwards, and it would have appeared almost divine if this long-deceased Grand Meister were truly looking for a disciple to pass his craft along to in his death.


    However, when they knew that it was only done so that they could take over someone else''s body, it was just laughable looking at it.


    What were you being so pretentious for?


    What a joke!


    Slowly, the trembling in the cave died down, and the golden light beam intensified.


    Perhaps it would have appeared grander¡­ if the one being illuminated was not a slug.


    As it was, the lot of them couldn''t help their mouths from twitching, and Chantelle directly laughed out aloud. Her laugh was mocking, but also contained strong schadenfreude. Someone was going to suffer today, and it wasn''t her.


    Alec''s lips curled up even more. "A body transfer is a one-time thing. He won''t be able to do it again unless his body reaches the end of its natural lifespan."


    They nodded to show they understood, only for Alec''s gentle smile to widen.


    "How long do slugs live for?" Le Xuan asked absently from the side.


    Ye Sha looked at Alec. Based on his knowledge, Alec would never let someone off so easily. There had to be something else. Just looking at the curl on Alec''s lips, there should be a hidden pit for that person. Alec was nice¡­ but never to someone that dared to try and harm him or those that he liked.


    "About the same lifespan as a Grand Meister''s lifespan."


    His answer stunned them, and they looked at him with blank faces, before breaking out into laughter.


    Even the proud Katherine was snickering.


    Ye Sha curled his lips. That poor soul was going to suffer undoubtedly.


    Alec had secretly Awakened part of the array towards the corpse and increase its affinity with slugs, meaning that it could inherit the Grand Meister''s lifespan capability. As for what else he would be able to do in that body, it would have to rely on the Grand Meister''s own capabilities.


    Then, before Alec''s eyes as the golden light''s intensity started to die down, a ''spirit'' reached out towards where it had been touched, and it instantly entered the new body that had been prepared for him.


    The spirit was only visible to Alec''s eyes, which had been Awakened more than a few times. His vision was much better than most people''s, and he could see what they could not without a problem.


    When Ye Sha and the rest were staring at the slug, Alec was looking at the wisps of black smoke that appeared like hands that reached for the slug.


    The slug was trembled violently as all of the spirit was shoved into its little body, then remained motionless.


    The light from before cut off abruptly.


    "Eh? Is it done?"


    "Must be. After all, that gaudy light beam from before has cut off."


    Alec reached forward and picked up the stationary slug. He then drew an array on the ground and placed the slug inside.


    "What does that array do?"


    "Mm. I''m sealing off his skills so that they can''t be activated at will. Anyone want to be his master? He''ll be able to use skills if you give permission. This array can do that as well. You just have to introduce a drop of your blood. He''ll be loyal to his master."


    Le Xuan and Chantelle openly showed their disbelief. "You can do that?"


    "Hmph. What can''t my teacher do? Cousin is the best besides master," Katherine said smugly. It was almost as if she took more pride in his work than she did her own. Then, she rejected ownership of a Grand Meister slug. "I like to rely on myself."


    Chantelle also rejected. "Doesn''t seem that useful in my line of work."


    "Looks like a bother to take care of," Ye Sha said.


    Alec already had three familiars and even more Awakened that he had no desire for another one.


    That left¡­ Le Xuan pointed at herself. "There''s only me left?! But I don''t want it! It''s disgusting!"


    Katherine looked at her. "Haven''t you always wanted a familiar?"


    "Yeah, but not one like that! It should be cute and fluffy, but dangerous, not that-!" Le Xuan gestured towards Bunbun, Fenrir and Loeri who were playing around in the corner of the cavern by themselves.


    She liked them a lot. But this slug? Forget it!


    "But it''s a Grand Meister inside."


    Le Xuan hesitated and struggled inside. Grand Meister¡­ if he could really listen to her, and she had control over it¡­ no, what was she doing?! Why was she wavering?!


    Katherine took her silence as consent. "Silence means consent," she said, and pricked Le Xuan''s finger without giving her time to react.


    She then flicked the blood and it landed in the array circle, causing Le Xuan to make a sound of horror.


    But it was too late. The drop of blood already made its way to the slug''s body.


    It merged into the slug, and the slug''s tentacles shook.


    "Hahahah!"


    They heard the slug start to laugh in a deep voice.


    "Your father is finally alive again!"

 Chapter 447 - Klyse Evans - Slug Extraordinaire

    Instantly, the slug was pelted with small pebbles, causing the Grand Meister to hurt so much that he flinched ¨C he had not expected to be attacked from the moment that he entered a new body. "Ouch, ouch! Who is the one who is bullying this father! Just wait-!"


    Even if there were people besides the body that he had entered, he had full confidence in taking care of them without any problem, so he had not expected this pain.


    Theoretically speaking, the array should have transferred everything he had achieved previously over, while leaving behind any flaws. Only then could the new body be considered perfect.


    However, he was met with a round of jeering snickers from the people who were gathered behind him at the side of the array circle.


    Finally, he realized that something wasn''t quite right.


    The joy of coming back to life again had faded, and he rapidly realized that he was looking at his corpse in the distance ¨C a corpse that appeared very large. Unlike what it should look like¡­ if he was in a human body¡­


    For a brief moment, he thought that he was a child, only to realize¡­ he wasn''t a human at all.


    There was a sound of horror that came from the ex-Grand Meister now slug, and familiar of Le Xuan.


    "Ah!" the Grand Meister made a sound of disbelief.


    Alec''s little group was watching the slug with both schadenfreude and lingering amus.e.m.e.nt. After all, this fate could have befallen any of them had they been the slightest bit careless. Now, the Grand Meister had his divine retribution in the form of Alec''s brand of humour.


    "Who are you?" the slug demanded, its tentacles waving wildly as its eyes rove around.


    It wanted to quickly turn around, but its body felt so heavy and slow¡­ It tried to use magic, but nothing was happening.


    The Grand Meister could only slowly turn around bit by bit, but it was already feeling exasperated. Just what had happened to him!?


    In the end, he couldn''t take it anymore and just moved his eyes around. He knew that he no longer had any hands, but he could still see. Finally, he realized that he¡­ was a slug.


    "Ah!" he screamed again.


    There were a few laughs from the peanut gallery, and the Grand Meister burst into anger. "Don''t laugh! You''re not allowed to laugh at your father!"


    But not only did the snickering increase, it also became more mocking, which just made the Grand Meister angrier. How infuriating!


    But being able to make it all the way to Grand Meister, his IQ wasn''t always offline, and he knew that he was in a disadvantageous situation at this point. He knew when he should bow his head under the eaves.


    He couldn''t anger any of them right now. He still wanted to live, and he knew that if he died from anything other than a natural death, he wouldn''t even have a chance at that.


    It had been channelling its magic this whole time, but only he knew that it seemed to have been blocked by something.


    He thought that it had something to do with this new body, but that didn''t appear to be the case.


    "Who are you, and what do you all want?" the slug said as it continued to turn around. He was truly cursing this body now. So damn slow! As someone who previously specialized in speed, this was almost torture to him.


    Finally, he managed to see the face of the people who had landed him in this situation.


    There were two males and three females.


    Each of them appeared extraordinary, carrying a different sort of charm to themselves.


    The Grand Meister was a bit surprised, but not overly so. What kind of people had he not seen over the years? There were too many. Humans liked to think that they were special, but in actual fact, many of them were very similar. It all came down to the baser instincts in life when they were threatened by life or death.


    "What do you want? I admit it. I have fallen for your ploy, just as you would have fallen for mine should you have been less knowledgeable. This master does not hold any grudges against you. State your demands," he said very magnanimously.


    Klyse Evans, Grand Meister, who had always acted unbridled and had been unmatched, knew that he was currently not their match. However, one he got his hands on¡­ his methods¡­


    Klyse''s thoughts stuttered when he took a closer look at the girl on the right.


    The more he looked, the more he felt a sense of undying loyalty and reverence for his master.


    Wait.


    His master?


    No!


    Impossible!


    Klyse Evans had no master in his life!


    "What did you do to me?" Klyse said seriously. His eyes were grave.


    The lot of them really couldn''t bear to look. A slug was acting all serious, but they couldn''t take him seriously at all.


    Chantelle smiled with glee, and she happily enlightened him. "Apparently, this girl here has been looking for a familiar all this while, and you''re it."


    Klyse felt like he''d been struck by lightning. Master? Familiar?


    What!


    The Grand Meister tried to calm himself down. He spoke in a very deceptively calm tone. "Do you mean to tell me that this girl is my master?"


    "You don''t believe it? Le Xuan, order him to do something."


    "Oh. Roll on the ground."


    "Do you really think that this father would do something so undignified-!"


    Even as Klyse spoke those words, his body was already rolling several times on the ground, causing him to lose all face.


    "Damn it, damn it!" He flew into a rage out of humiliation. "Don''t think that this father will take this lying down!"


    "Jump in the air."


    Klyse jumped up.


    "You-!"


    "Play dead."


    Klyse slumped on the ground, unmoving.


    The Grand Meister felt like crying, but he was also antagonistic towards the people who were watching him make a fool of himself. He felt extremely stifled.


    Even though it had already reached this point, he couldn''t hold any negative feelings against his master. The slug felt humiliation at the thought that he had degraded from a lofty Grand Meister into becoming someone else''s familiar. He felt like he was going crazy.


    Le Xuan actually started to have some fun when she saw that her new familiar obeyed all her orders unquestionably. Perhaps him being under her control like this was a little dubious, but this person had been someone who had no scruples about taking over someone else''s body.


    As such, she lost whatever reservations she had.


    After all, he was a slug now, not a human.


    Le Xuan smiled, a little more pleased. "What''s your name?" she asked.


    "Klyse Evans," Klyse replied almost immediately, then felt like bashing his head onto a rock. His dignity¡­ his image¡­ all gone.


    Meanwhile, the natives of this realm felt like they''d been greatly shocked.


    Klyse Evans, the legendary Grand Meister who was said to have become a Transcendent before disappearing! How come he was now here, in a cave, not yet a Transcendent?


    Everyone said that he was a Transcendent and had grown tired of world affairs, but in actual fact, he was still a Grand Meister?


    Didn''t the Evans Sect claim superiority due to the presence of this Grand Meister?


    "Are you not a Transcendent?" Le Xuan asked, frowning.


    "No, I''ve been stuck at Grand Meister for a very long time. I failed to breakthrough, which ended with my lifespan depleting."


    At this point, Klyse had already given up. He may as well accept his fate now. After all, a lifespan of a slug wasn''t that long. He could still endure it.


    The few of them exchanged glances with each other.


    Le Xuan reluctantly reached out and picked up Klyse, shivering at this feeling. The body of the slug was cool¡­ unlike human skin¡­


    Klyse felt like coughing up blood. How dare his master disdain him when she was the one who had forced him into a contract?! He felt like he was going insane.


    "If you set me free, I will tell you how to get out of here. Otherwise, just obediently wait for your deaths." He made a last-ditch attempt. It was feeble. After all, Le Xuan could just order him.


    Katherine, who had not said anything all this time, sneered at him. "Take a good look," she said, pointing at the hole in the ground.


    Klyse fell into despair.

 Chapter 448 - The Marshals Orders

    Le Xuan closed the door behind her, leaving Klyse behind with the orders not to do anything that consisted of escape, making trouble, or using his powers.


    Klyse was left helplessly inside. He couldn''t even go against his master, but he couldn''t harbour any bad feelings about her either. How annoying! How stifling! How hateful!


    He couldn''t even describe the feelings roiling inside him properly, so he decided to just go to sleep. He had been dead for so many years, so he had to rest a bit to console himself from all his mental anguish.


    The group of them looked at Le Xuan, who looked like she was keeping a mask of calm, like the rest of them, but her eyes were anything but.


    They''d heard everything that Klyse had been forced to reveal to them. He couldn''t even lie or omit any truths because of Le Xuan''s command. It could be said that the slug was rather miserable.


    As a Grand Meister that had previously been free and easy, it was now living a controlled life. It couldn''t even escape because of Le Xuan''s orders.


    She sighed. "I can''t believe he really is a Grand Meister. He was able to fight on par with all those Transcendents even though he himself has never been able to cross over into the Transcendent ranks. But the Evans Sect has been relying on the presence of this ''Transcendent'' to oppress a lot of the other sects in this realm."


    Alec listened to her as he thought about the information that they''d managed to gather from the slug, his thoughts spinning rapidly.


    Transcendents were scarce. They were even scarcer than finding a Grand Meister back in his original realm. As far as he knew, the only ''active'' Transcendents in this realm right now was limited to two, and one of them were supposed to be from the Evans Sect.


    Yet, they now heard that Klyse Evans had been dead ¨C dead for a long time, even!


    The natives of this realm didn''t look very good. They tried to keep calm, but the information kept knocking against their heart like waves. It was because the Evans Sect was considered the top sect of their realm.


    They had real power, and they had produced many outstanding Grand Meisters over an extremely long period of time, which could be proof of their strength, but this also meant that their strength might not be as good as they claimed.


    Or¡­ they had another Transcendent that no one else knew about. With Klyse Evans supposedly dead, who exactly had they been relying on to maintain their superiority?


    Both possibilities had pros and cons.


    Many of those supposed Grand Meisters that they had produced had already perished, which had always set off waves in the world periodically, but now¡­


    Finally, Chantelle spoke up. "Who cares? It''s not like the sects fighting are a new thing. Just let them be. After all, we''re the only ones who know about this. Even if it''s found out, I''m sure the Evans Sect will be able to stabilize the situation without a problem, just like they always have before."


    Katherine glared at her. "Do you think it''s that simple, blockhead? I really wonder what your brain is made out of."


    Chantelle glared back, blowing her top. "What do you mean by that!? I''ll have you know that I''m very smart, alright?"


    The person who couldn''t stand their frequent fights cut in lazily. Ye Sha''s tone was lazy. "There''s something more serious about this. If the Evans Sect truly doesn''t have another Transcendent, then it''s estimated that this paper tiger will eventually be exposed. Then, the realm will be plunged into chaos. Everyone wants a piece of this fat sheep, and the wolves around are starving."


    As he spoke, the System crunched on a chip. His expression was contemplative, but not overly worried. It was as if it had nothing to do with him.


    This allowed the women who were fighting out of a need to rid themselves of anxiety to calm down and think more clearly about the situation.


    Ye Sha was right.


    However, they were also safe for the time being. In this case, as long as they did not deliberately spread out matters, the realm''s stabilized power rankings would not suddenly undergo an upheaval.


    If the sects all really started to fight against one another, it was likely that even the common citizens would be implicated.


    Most sects and clans were located within a city, so it wasn''t strange.


    The last time something like this happened before the Evans Sect consolidated their strength was the slaughter of the masses.


    Blood had stained the ground red, dying the streets with the blood of many innocents.


    It had been recorded in the history books, and it had only been fifty years ago. If they underwent that upheaval again¡­


    It was estimated that this time would not be any less bloody.


    Even though Le Xuan was part of a sect that specialized in infiltration and information gathering, she knew the seriousness of this matter. She would not leak any of it out. There would always be people who had less than pure intentions, and her sect was no different.


    The group of them discussed some alternatives. They should not reveal Klyse Evans in any shape or form¡­


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Marshal Kisaragi Shilivia looked coldly at the screen in front of her. The data shown was not conducive to them at all.


    Yet, she had already embarked on this journey, and she would see it through.


    This was the last mission.


    After this, she would be granted freedom ¨C whether it was freedom in death or freedom in life, she did not know, nor did she truly care about it.


    So many years had passed in the same manner, and all she had to her name was bloodshed and death.


    She had already long grown numb and cold to it all. The life and death of them did not matter.


    They were but puppets dancing on a string.


    "Sir!" A man saluted to her very seriously, following protocol.


    The marshal remained indifferent to it all. She had long since gotten used to all these tedious things. But she could not deviate from the route of conduct.


    Anyway, it would all be over soon.


    "Report."


    "We are preparing to jump to planet Incantix. Receiving your orders, sir"!


    "Proceed."


    The subordinate quickly left, and she returned her gaze to the screens in front of her.


    No one knew what she was thinking about, and none of Marshal Kisaragi''s subordinates dared to disturb her.


    While the marshal''s temper wasn''t that big, and she was rather cold and unfeeling, she still treated them rather decently ¨C at least, compared to other commanders.


    The marshal only had one rule. They could not touch her. However, that was something that was moot because as a superior officer, none of them dared to touch even the corner of her clothes.


    Not to mention that Marshal Kisaragi was a well-known combatant and could kill them without a single blink.


    Rumour was that the last person who touched Marshal Kisaragi on accident had an untimely ''death''. No one knew for sure whether or not that person had been captured by the marshal and ''disposed'' of instead.


    With the rumours, the people under her were naturally more careful, and they would pay attention to their tone as well as how they stepped whenever they were near her.


    Otherwise, if one day, the spaceship abruptly jumped or encountered turbulence, and they fell and touched the marshal, they wouldn''t even know how they died.


    The spaceship that they were riding tore through a black hole of space, and they entered and exited it smoothly, coming out from the other side without a hitch.


    Marshal Kisaragi looked at the planet that was shown in front of her.


    There was a hazy atmosphere around the planet, preventing most devices from piercing through to look from space. They could only see the faint colours of the planet underneath it, but it wasn''t too special.


    With the proper technology, they could pierce through the veil without any problems.


    The marshal gave her orders. "Send Team 1 down to scout the situation on the planet. If possible, track down MC01 and get a reading on their coordinates. Make sure that MC01 is not yet awake."


    "Yes, sir!"

 Chapter 449 - Orbital Strike

    Shilka hopped into the driver''s seat, and Mik slid into the seat beside him, being the co-pilot.


    They didn''t exchange any glances since they already knew what they were supposed to do. They were more than used to it, and any novelty that they might have previously felt whilst driving a shuttle had worn off.


    How long more would this life continue on, they did not know, but they were making the best of their situation. They had friends and family, and they would not give them up.


    Mik flipped the switches that they needed for take-off.


    She turned on the announcement system and her voice echoed throughout the shuttle, filling the ears of the members inside the shuttle. "T-minus five minutes."


    Shilka checked the control panel of the shuttle in controlled and repetitive motions. It was obvious that he was an old hand at this, but he still looked very serious about it. There was no carelessness in his meticulous checking.


    "Systems are a go."


    "Everything is fine here as well."


    There were three more minutes left, and the two partners could hear the hive of activity in the back as things were being locked down and loaded.


    The rest of their team had already strapped themselves in and were waiting for the launch.


    The hatch closed, and the sounds that were previously abundant previously died down. There was only a quiet silence left, and a not quite nervous energy, but instead a suspenseful energy.


    Behind, there were members of the team bowing their heads as if they were in prayer. Others were getting some shut eye, not nervous at all.


    This time, their team had a newbie and veterans. Mik and Shilka were captain and co-captain, respectively. They were a tight-knit team, and good at their line of work. The marshal would not have sent them otherwise.


    "Launching off in five, four, three, two, one. Take off."


    There was a rumble, and the shuttle trembled, before launching out of the port.


    The members looked at the spaceship that grew further and further away from them, and some of them felt a sense of relief as they distanced themselves.


    One of the veterans thumped the newbie behind. "Relax. You''ll get used to it whether you like it or not. As part of the scouting team, you have to remember one thing ¨C don''t get complacent. The moment you fall into complacency, that''s the moment you lose your life. We''re all walking on a silver wire, about to plunge down into the abyss at any given moment."


    The newbie looked at the veteran, engraving his words in his heart. "I understand," he said solemnly.


    The veteran nodded, then closed his eyes for some shut eye. This newbie was going to be his partner for the time being. His partner had recently died, so he was assigned a new one. He even had to train him up himself.


    The newbie looked quietly at the spaceship that was far away in the blink of an eye, and there were unspeakable emotions churning within him.


    "T-minus five hours until reach."


    The newbie, Lance, looked around the holding space of the shuttle and noted that everyone had already shut their eyes to get some rest.


    His fingers twitched, and he made some motions in the air, as if he were tapping on something, before he closed his eyes. His eyelids flickered, and he looked as if he was having a conversation in his mind.


    Five hours passed very quickly, and the distance between the planet and the shuttle was rapidly closed. They could have done it in a quicker amount of time, but they didn''t want to alert the will of the world, which was why they were moving at a moderate speed.


    The will of the world was something that existed ever since the planet had been created.


    A planet would try its best to raise favourable conditions for the inhabitants of the planet, and this one was no exception. It would know when outsiders entered, and unknown forces would befall it.


    Alarming the will of the world was a quick way of suicide. Anyone who wanted to continue their operations on the planet would have to ensure that they did not do anything too drastic.


    However, once 75% of the planet was wiped out, the will of the world would no longer have any strength to resist. The people were what gave the planet its lifeforce to continue thriving. With their deaths, the planet could be overthrown and then forced into submission.


    This was a quick and sure-fire way of obtaining ownership of a planet and expanding territory.


    This was the army''s goal in coming this time.


    Mik and Shilka''s team was just a scouting team here to check out the strength levels of the inhabitants.


    While Mik directed her attention towards an inconspicuous place, she decided that there was where they were going to land.


    She gave Shilka the coordinates, and the shuttle proceeded smoothly, unhindered.


    Though they were flying in plain sight, none of the people below could see them at all.


    Mik noted down their observations. The people of this planet did not have the proper technology to detect their stealth mode.


    Technology seemed primitive in this planet, and its people utilized a source of magic, likely from the will of the world. Their technology was quite backward, so they should not have any trouble taking over this planet.


    It could be considered a C-Class planet.


    Mik pressed a button on the side and made her report along with her observations, reporting back to their main spaceship. No interception.


    She nodded.


    Behind, the members of the scouting team all woke up. They finished up their preparation and adjusted their gear, as well as adjusting their state of mind. It was work time.


    The newbie, Lance, woke up as well, and his eyes shot out a sharp light before it died down. No one else in the team seemed to notice.


    With a whirr, the shuttle landed at an uninhibited plot of land. It was a great canyon, and it seemed devoid of life signs. There were no people living nearby, which surprised them.


    It wasn''t that often that a planet would have a space like this that had absolutely zero signs of habitation at all.


    Mik soon discovered why. "This place has been drained of its energy, and it will not produce any living creatures here again."


    Shilka took a look and nodded. "This is the perfect space."


    There was the sound of the air depressurizing as the hatch opened.


    Thump!


    A team of twenty people exited from the shuttle with their stealth mode activated. They were invisible to the n.a.k.e.d eye, and the giant shuttle that carried them here was similarly invisible.


    They quickly split apart and checked the perimeter, securing it before reporting back.


    Shilka quickly made a decision. "Mik, report back to the marshal. This is the most optimal piece of land for them to land. No one comes here, nor is there any signs of life at all. Order an orbital strike a bit further away."


    "Sir."


    The orbital strike would allow them to scout the planet more clearly and see what level of strength they had reached. Some C-Class planets had strong fighters even though their technology was weak.


    A few moments later, on the other side of the planet, a sudden beam of light came from outer space and hit a town, instantly causing massive damage. The most shocking thing was ¨C not a single thing in that area survived. Everything had been wiped out without fail.


    This news sent an uproar amongst the people who had seen the beam of light.

 Chapter 450 - Cleaning The Casino

    Lance followed the leader of his team to infiltrate the nearest civilization to them. By shuttle, it only took ten minutes. If they were to walk by foot, however, it would take up to a month.


    The place was a lot less technologically advanced than Lance though, and he had to quietly give up many of his ideas.


    The team of ten had split up to acquire supplies and information about the place. They were split into pairs, and Lance was paired with the veteran who had given him some advice previously, Andrew.


    "Come one, newbie," Andrew said, jerking his head in another direction. "Let''s go make some money."


    In the middle of the crowded streets, people were walking around hand in hand, some on dates, others just accompanying each other. There were people who were drunk, and people who were sober.


    At this time, it was dipping from evening into the night, and there were more than a few people who had been drinking already at this time.


    Andrew slung his arm over the newbie''s shoulder, then the two of them staggered around.


    Luckily, while people were disapproving, and they didn''t look out of place at all. Even though their clothes didn''t exactly fit the natives here, they were plain enough that no one gave them a second glance. They just thought that the man had drunk himself into a stupor while his poor nephew had to take care of him.


    Lance''s eyes flit around, and Andrew smiled sloppily, singing in a loud but drunkenly broken voice. It sounded like he was just slurring his words and singing nonsense, but to Lance''s ears, he was singing a proper song.


    It was just that they had to do this for longer as their translation devices studied the language on this small planet.


    Finally, it was done, and the translation device gave a few vibrations. However, instead of stopping the drunken act, Andrew instead lurched to the side, and Lance went with him.


    Lance looked like a student, and he appeared very weak, so when Andrew used his entire voice, his whole person went together with him.


    The two of them crashed into a couple. The couple were dressed relatively well, but they didn''t look overly lavish.


    "Sorry! I''m sorry! My uncle didn''t do it on purpose!"


    Lance repeatedly ducked his head in apology, his eyes seemingly filling with tears and he looked completely upset.


    The man reared back and looked like he was going to lose his temper, but his hand was gently tugged by the woman next to him.


    "Don''t do this, dear," she said softly.


    "Whatever," the man said, pursing his lips. The couple walked hand in hand as they were walking off.


    Andrew laughed foolishly as he pointed at the ground. "You''re just going to leeeave without your wallet."


    This stopped the couple in their tracks. Sure enough, when they turned around, the wallet that had been on the man had been dropped to the ground. The bump must have done that.


    Or¡­ it could have been the work of thieves. They must have seen that they were quite rich from the way they dressed. His face darkened at this thought.


    The man quickly snatched up his wallet again, and his sharp eyes looked at the young man and older man, but they were gone.


    "They must have been thieves!" the man hissed in both shock and indignation.


    The woman''s brows furrowed, and she frowned delicately. "Perhaps your wallet just fell off in the bump? I''m sure they didn''t mean any harm. You should check it first."


    "Are you kidding? They clearly disappeared after pointing out my wallet. What else could it be!" As he spoke, he hurriedly checked through his wallet.


    Fortunately, there didn''t seem to be anything missing. He counted the bills, and they were the correct amount.


    The man was confused. Could it be that he really had been mistaken? He scratched his head, feeling a bit guilty, before throwing it to the back of his mind.


    "See, everything''s fine," she said soothingly.


    "You??re right," the man said, holding the woman''s hand. He kissed her cheek. "I shouldn''t have doubted you."


    As they continued walking, the man inwardly thought to himself that he should stop showing off next time. He wasn''t rich enough to carry a wallet around like the truly lavish. Who knew what other trouble he might invite? This time, he was lucky that they weren''t thieves. He should just stick with his crystal.


    Around a corner, Andrew let go of Lance, and he flicked the coin up in the air. The coin sparkled in the light, and he smirked, catching it as it came down. "Okay, let''s go."


    Lance inwardly raised his eyebrows. Andrew had done that in a very smooth manner, and it was not something that he could do right now.


    However, what were they going to do with a single coin?


    Andrew caught Lance''s doubtful expression. He laughed loudly and thumped Lance on the back. "You must be thinking about why I only took a single coin, right? You wonder why I''m not taking the bills in the wallet instead, right?"


    Lance nodded.


    "Let''s go. I''ll show you the best proof."


    Lance followed curiously, and they ended up standing in front of a casino.


    "A casino?"


    Andrew chuckled. "This is the quickest way to make money."


    "But will one coin really be enough?"


    "It''s enough." Andrew gestured in the direction of all the passer-by. "Look at them. They''re all using some kind of crystal. It should be like how our credits work. But this man was carrying around a wallet. In that case, he''s probably acting pretentiously or someone truly rich. In that case, even a single coin should be worth quite an amount."


    Lance took in his words and showed an admiring expression, causing Andrew to feel smug.


    "Okay, less chitchat. Let''s go."


    As the two of them walked in, Lance asked, "Do the rest of the team do this as well?"


    Andrew shrugged. "There are a lot of different ways to go about getting money, but in my experience, going to a casino is still the quickest. That''s because you can rely on your light brain to help you."


    Lance was surprised. "The light brain also has this function?"


    Andrew laughed. "Not the standard ones, but our scouting team''s light brain has this function. It was modified by our captain himself."


    "So powerful?"


    "Yeah. Shilka is the best!"


    The casino was a mass of flashing lights and sounds. It was bright and colourful, and there were the sounds of clashing coins.


    It made one have the intention of playing along and joining in on the fun.


    Andrew took the single coin and went up to the counter, where the person there received the coin. There was a look of concealed disdain in their eyes, but they were still able to see it. They probably thought that they were beggars who were given some money, or that they had stolen it.


    But neither Lance nor Andrew cared about that person''s opinion.


    Andrew threw the single token into the slot machine.


    He pulled the handle casually, and it started spinning.


    They didn''t encounter any trouble at all as they took the small win, taking a few coins.


    Andrew handed Lance half the coins. "Let''s have a little bet, shall we? The winner is the one who makes the most from the casino before they kick us out."


    "Okay!"


    Andrew grinned.


    Lance took the five coins and headed to a nearby roulette, whereas Andrew headed to the poker table.


    Half an hour later, they were seen out of the casino by a manager with a bright smile on their face. Their smile was perfectly courteous, but inwardly, they were putting the two people on the blacklist already.

 Chapter 451 - Two Poor Kidnapped Victims

    "Marshal, report! Orbital strike ordered by Captain Shilka from the scouting team has been deployed. Results are shown to be optimal. The planet is confirmed to be C-Class."


    The subordinate handed over the reports about the follow-up procedures as the people in power flocked to the site where the beam struck. Many of them had been fearful, and they had sent over the strongest people to check it out.


    The marshal looked over it with a sharp eye before she handed it back to the subordinate.


    "Proceed as planned."


    "Sir!"


    The marshal would have loved to continue on like this with the orbital strikes and wipe out the 75% of the population that was required, but she was under explicit orders not to, so she could only continue on this way.


    Had she been allowed to do so, this would be over a lot quicker than it was right now.


    But she could not do that, nor could she even make a move herself.


    Unfortunately, her wish for that thing to be foiled in its plans¡­ would probably never happen. Especially now when it was so close to completion¡­


    Still, she sent three more orbital strikes at highly populated areas, which helped wipe out about 5% of the total population.


    Her eyes were completely emotionless as she did so, as if what she did was nothing more than wind passing by. It didn''t stir any emotions within her at all, which made some people feel a chill.


    Their marshal was emotionless as the beams descended from their spaceship.


    What had she not seen? She had seen entirely too much. And she was ruthless to herself and others.


    What would pass would pass.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Andrew and Lance entered a large shop that sold a lot of necessities. Whether it was food or supplies, they had it all in decent amounts, which was suitable for the team''s needs.


    They had split up the various goods to buy amongst them previously, and the team of two were in charge of securing food supplies.


    While they had those that were brought by them, it wouldn''t last forever, and they were here for the long haul.


    "You grab the food items, I''ll get the water," Andrew said.


    Lance nodded.


    While Lance was quickly filling up the trolley with various food stuff, Lance moved towards the far end of the section.


    He quietly talked to the person in charge of the store, ordering many more things that they required periodically. He even ordered for it to be dropped off in a certain location in time.


    Though the clerk looked confused about the location, he didn''t say anything. After all, they were paying customers ¨C and they were willing to pay a premium for the shipping and the secrecy.


    What they needed it secret for, he didn''t know, but he didn''t care either. With this much money, the man could do whatever he wanted.


    After he was satisfied, he walked by a person in a black cloak who was also picking up a few things.


    "Okay," Andrew said to Lance. "We''re done. Let''s go back now. I''ve arranged for monthly drop off, and we won''t have to come back here again next time."


    Lance didn''t have much to say. He just nodded again to show he understood.


    They left with a lot of bags, which attracted attention, but the people soon lost interest when they saw that it was just food.


    However, they also came under the attention of a bunch of more unsavoury sort of people who lived in the city, and they were quickly marked as prey.


    People like this¡­ should be rather rich, even if they were trying to be ''lowkey'' in their appearance.


    The two partners rented a creature that would allow them to travel quicker, which made the thieves'' eyes gleam.


    As they headed out of the city, they were subsequently kidnapped quickly.


    They were surrounded by a bunch of bandits who were about to kill them.


    Lance quickly fell to his knees, holding his hands up to show that they didn''t have any weapons.


    "Wait, please. Please don''t kill us! My parents are rich," Lance said quickly, his face full of fear and worry. His face was pale, and he had good features. Even the clothes that he had on now looked refined.


    On the other hand, Andrew held up a knife menacingly. He inwardly thought to himself that this time''s newbie was rather quick. He knew how to act immediately. "If you dare to touch a single hair on the young master''s head, the old master won''t let you rest in peace!"


    The bandits were half threatened, and half enticed.


    If what he said was true, then it was a windfall that had fallen into their laps without any warning at all.


    The bandits exchanged glances between each other before discussing it in hushed voices.


    Of course, they didn''t know that they could be heard by the two partners, who were very satisfied with this exchange.


    In the end, the two of them were brought to the bandit''s base with sacks over their heads and their wrists tied together.


    After being locked in a dark room with poor ventilation, Andrew quietly tapped the light brain on his wrist in a set code.


    The holographic image of his captain appeared on the screen, and his own appearance was shown to the other side of the line.


    "Reporting to the captain, we have been captured by bandits." Andrew''s voice was muffled by the sack that was still over his head.


    He could have removed it, but¡­ well. Where was the fun in that?


    On the other end of the call, Shilka, who received the call, fell speechless before deciding that this was probably another one of Andrew''s strange moments of having ''fun''.


    Seeing the sack over his subordinate''s head, his lips twitched a few times.


    "What are you doing? Are you trying to get more information this way?"


    Andrew rejected this speculation. "No, I want to take over the bandits here."


    "¡­" Take over the bandits? Then why did you need to act like you were captured? Couldn''t you just directly beat them down like most of them did? They were usually obedient after a good beating. But whatever. It had no impact on their plans, so he could afford Andrew a bit of fun. "Do what you want. Report back in 24 hours."


    "Okay, captain."


    After ending the call, Andrew lightly spread apart his arms, and the ropes that had been binding his wrists previously broke apart just like that. He ripped off the sack that was over his head, and blinked.


    The bandits sure were considerate. The room was dark, so after he took off the sack over his head, he didn''t need to adjust his vision at all. Very considerate indeed.


    Andrew was quite happy with the standards of the bandits. He decided that he wouldn''t beat all of them down quite so badly.


    If the bandits knew what he was thinking, they would be speechless. After all, they were here as victims, not guests, alright? They had to instil some sense of fear and hopelessness in the kidnapped victims before they released them.


    After all, if they were released and came to get revenge, they probably wouldn''t even know how they died.


    Yet, how was this man behaving right now?


    "Still not taking it off?" Andrew said as he fiddled with his communicator.


    Lance struggled a little, but he couldn''t break out of his bonds like Andrew had so casually.


    Andrew was speechless as he remembered that this was a newbie, not his dead partner.


    He ripped the bonds apart and took the sack off him.


    "Let''s go cause some trouble," Andrew said as he stood up, a mischievous smile on his lips.


    This time, it was Lance''s turn to twitch his lips. Why did this veteran that he was assigned to seem kind of unreliable¡­?


    Still, he obediently followed the other man without any fuss.


    They walked to the bandit''s main building.


    When Lance thought that they were going to sneak in from the back, Andrew instead kicked down the front door, stunning both Lance and the bandits who were lounging around inside.

 Chapter 452 - Taking Over

    "What! Who-!"


    The bandits got a good look at the people who had barged into their space, and their faces darkened immediately. They clearly weren''t thinking properly.


    "What do you think you''re doing?"


    "You better be obedient if you want to continue to live!"


    "Don''t think that just because you have a rich daddy, you can do whatever you want around here!"


    Andrew looked at them disdainfully his lips curling up into a mocking sneer, which just infuriated them even more.


    "You want to look down on us, huh? Why don''t you check who you''re looking down on first?"


    As he spoke, the bandit charged up to the two with his knife brandished.


    "Watch as this daddy takes care of all of them!"


    The bandit had a savage grin on his face, as if he were about to take a bite out of this fat piece of meat in front of him. He was relatively strong, at the advanced stage.


    Behind him, there were several bandits who had looks on their faces that said they were looking at two fish on the chopping block, just waiting to be killed. They seemed to believe that


    On the other hand, a few of the smarter bandits hung further behind, a feeling of apprehension coming over them.


    For some reason, things just didn''t seem quite right.


    Would someone who had been kidnapped by them for ransom act like this in such a brazen manner? Why would they charge into their base instead of stealthily running away if they didn''t have the strength to go against them?


    Thinking up to this point, they were scared by their own thoughts. Could they have kicked an iron plate today?


    Just as they were thinking about it deeper and deciding whether or not they should take the split second to run, the bandit that had sent himself to Andrew''s doorstep had already been slain.


    His entire head slid off his neck, and his body collapsed on the ground just in front of Andrew.


    Blood spurted out from the bandit''s neck, painting Andrew''s face red. The man chuckled, and it sounded so sinister in the bandit''s ears.


    "I love the colour red," the man said smilingly.


    The bandits paled and looked at the man with a horrified expression.


    Many of them in the front looked at each other. The man that had charged up just now¡­ had been their fearless leader. Now, their leader was dead so quickly¡­ what should they do?


    But those who had their brain not working at the shocking sight quickly rallied up with just a few words from the back.


    "I don''t believe that so many of us can''t take him down!"


    "Brothers, charge!"


    "Go, go, go! There''s only two of them!"


    Andrew grinned widely at the bunch of men who were charging at him, a sneer painted on his face. He looked like he was enjoying himself a lot, which left Lance speechless.


    Lance noticed that the few men who had rallied up the others in the front were quickly trying to slip away while Andrew''s attention was on those who had charged up at him with knives and other things.


    Lance inwardly raised a brow. Seems that those people weren''t as stupid as the rest. In that case, regarding Andrew''s plan on taking over control of the bandits, they could likely use them.


    People like this who abandoned their comrades without a second thought weren''t good people, but they could be controlled, which was exactly what Andrew wanted.


    While the veteran was playing around, Lance darted over and closed the other exit, stopping the few men in their tracks.


    Their faces changed at his sudden appearance.


    "What do you want? Quickly move out of the way!"


    The few bandits pretended to attack Lance, planning on just slipping past him and running away, but they miscalculated.


    The moment they took a step forward, Lance had already knocked them down to the ground, planting a foot on them.


    This shocked them.


    They thought that Andrew was a guard that had been hired by this young master to protect him, but who knew that the strength of this supposedly helpless young master was so great?


    Even though some of the bandits who had been trying to run away were quite weak, there were a few who were in the early advanced stage, which had allowed them to run rampant.


    This time, they had truly offended someone whom they could not deal with.


    It made them bitter.


    "We surrender," they said quickly. They had already weighed the pros and cons instantly from the moment that Lance took them down without a problem.


    With the added Andrew at the side who was still playing around, they didn''t have a chance at all.


    Lance blinked and didn''t say anything. Because he was silent, the bandits didn''t dare to say anything either.


    It took another five minutes before Andrew grew tired of playing around. He dusted off his hands and walked over to Lance casually.


    Andrew looked at Lance appraisingly. The newbie did better than he expected. He actually thought that the newbie would have lost a few bandits and allowed them to escape, but the strength of Lance was stronger than he thought, and his mind seemed to work rather quickly.


    "Good job. Now round up the bandits."


    Lance nodded.


    He prodded the bandit he had planted his foot on in the side, causing the bandit to flinch.


    "Go gather everyone up."


    The bandit quickly clambered up from the ground, not caring about the flares and aches in his body at all. As long as he was alive, he didn''t mind doing anything.


    After all, it wasn''t like they could win in a fight against the two of them.


    The bandits who were still alive had already cautiously appraised the two as Meister or higher, so they didn''t have any arrogance left.


    A raggedy group stood in front of Lance and Andrew. There were only about a hundred of them left.


    They had been a group of about three hundred earlier, and their base had been rather packed.


    There were long tables and other things that had been overturned in the fight, and the place looked like a mess.


    "I''m your leader now," Andrew said lazily. "This guy here is also your leader. Now, does anyone have any objections?"


    The bandits wanted to cry as they nursed their wounds, but they didn''t have any tears left. Asking such a thing¡­ wasn''t he just rubbing salt in their wounds?


    Would they still dare to resist?


    Most of them adapted quickly. After all, their competition was usually cutthroat, and Andrew''s style of fighting previously had been even fiercer than their old leader.


    "No, boss!"


    The moment the first person shouted it the words were quickly echoed by the bandits around him.


    Lance had to stop his lip from curling in distaste.


    Bandits really had no principles¡­ but he had to say. They were quite smart, knowing that they were outmatched.


    Lance didn''t have many feelings for them. He just wondered how they were going to be useful.


    "Okay, listen up. What you''re going to do is rob all the people who come out of the city."


    Andrew''s words shocked everyone there.

 Chapter 453 - Blood and Ash

    The entire city of Cosmia was thrown into chaos.


    They weren''t a big city, but they were at least bigger than towns that only had a few handfuls of people. Cosmia City was out of the way, but it had scenic routes and people liked to come here for vacation or holidays.


    The citizens of Cosmia City were proud of their city, and they were peace-loving. They didn''t like to fight, nor did they like to stick their nose in other people''s business.


    But a month ago, that was the time when everything started going wrong.


    Somehow, they had started to be come preyed on by the bandits that had previously lived outside of the city.


    It had started without any rhyme or reason, and people could come in, but they couldn''t leave.


    Because once they left, they would be besieged by the bandits that came out like c.o.c.kroaches. The bandits seemed to be endless, and they multiplied over time.


    Chaos.


    Compared to before, it was like night and day. The citizens of Cosmia City never hated the fact that they had never taken military merits seriously so much. If only they had, things would have been so much more different¡­


    Not just the citizens, but those who were stronger tried to fight back as well, going up against the treatment of the bandits. But they had never been seriously besieged like this, and even the adventurers who came at times could not face up against all the bandits together.


    In the beginning, though some people had been accosted by them before, they didn''t go overboard, so the city had been happy to ignore it.


    Now, however, their negligence came back to bite them in the ass.


    They couldn''t regret it any more than this time where they were slowly being cut off from the outside world.


    Had they known that this would have happened, they would have thoroughly stamped out every single bandit before they got it into their heads that they could become lawless in their city. They would have done it regardless of the price.


    Now, it was too late.


    A single misstep caused everything to come crumbling down.


    They didn''t know when, but the bandits had started to replace the guards who once guarded them without them ever realizing it. Instead, the people who took up the ''posts'' obviously didn''t have any good intentions.


    Even if they were blind, they could tell that the bandits had infiltrated the city.


    It was shocking.


    It was unbelievable.


    It was completely and utterly¡­ useless for them to fight back.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The sounds of explosions filled the air, and folks cowered as they lowered their heads, hiding under quilts, as if they could ignore reality for the time being.


    Most of them had already lost all hope long ago. They had waited for reinforcements for so long, but there was still no sign of hope.


    Any effort to get a message out had been shot down. Nothing could go out.


    The barrier that had once protected them now instead kept them enclosed in its cage. What irony.


    The deafening sounds were no longer something that was strange to them. They could even start to tell how much explosives were being used, and how spread out it was.


    The citizens of Cosmia cowered. If the guards could not take care of them, then what could they, as ordinary citizens, do?


    Repeated fear slowly chipped away at even the most strong-minded, and the entire city was thrown into chaos. The atmosphere was more than depressing ¨C it carried a strong feeling of tension and oppression.


    Every day seemed like a year.


    While the citizens were cowering, the bandits were having the time of their lives.


    They looted, plundered, and killed without anyone stopping them.


    In the beginning, the guards who patrolled the city went up against them, fighting back valiantly.


    But as time went on, there emerged those that had secretly joined up with the bandits instead, and once that happened, things started to crumble at a much quicker pace.


    Andrew coldly smiled as he looked at the bandits who were having the time of their lives. His true thoughts were unknown. He put his left hand into his pockets, but his posture was relaxed.


    On the other hand, Lance wasn''t as casual as he was.


    There was agony and conflict in his eyes, something that was not caught by the bandits who were making merry.


    As a newbie, this was the first time that Lance had ever witnessed such a tragedy. Having to take part in this all left him with a bad taste in his mouth, and his face was ashen.


    "Andrew¡­ do we really have to do this?"


    "Yes," Andrew said emotionlessly. There was no trace of joy in his eyes, but he spoke as if it was an everyday thing. "If it''s not us, then it''ll be someone else. But if we ever have to hand it over to someone else, then you can kiss the safety of your loved ones goodbye."


    "¡­"


    Lance could act. He could act well, in fact, but when it came to this¡­ no matter how hardened he portrayed himself to be, seeing the loss of human life like this¡­ seeing how they suffered under their oppression, made him feel stifled and repressed.


    Something choked him from deep inside.


    This¡­ was a lot worse than he originally thought.


    He thought that he knew what he was signing up for, but¡­


    Were they not originally a scouting team? Why had things progressed to this state?


    Another veteran patted Lance lightly on the shoulder. Her voice as kind. "Newbie, things like this¡­ they''re hard to swallow, but orders are orders."


    Andrew looked at the ground.


    Lance tightened his fights even more, before he let the tension drain out of him. He closed his eyes, but he could still hear the lingering cries and mourning wails that haunted him day and night.


    His eyes were bloodshot, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes.


    "Please, I beg you, lord! Not my son! Take me instead!"


    A woman begged as she clutched onto the boot of a bandit.


    The bandit sneered and stomped down on her hand, fiercely shaking her off.


    He grabbed a six-year-old boy in his other hand, shaking him in her face. "Your son? This?"


    "Please, lord, please-!"


    "Leave my mother alone!"


    The boy struggled in the bandit''s hand, but he was unable to throw him off.


    Then, before the tearful mother''s eyes, the bandit drew out a knife.


    Lance took a step forward involuntarily. Andrew grabbed him by the back of his shirt, stopping him in his tracks.


    "No-!"


    The woman''s wail seemed to linger in the air, but the deed was done.


    The boy''s throat had been cut in front of her very eyes, and the swing so violent that blood splattered onto her face.


    The mother froze, her eyes wide and blank as she watched the life go out from her son''s eyes. Those bright, brilliant eyes, that clever glint¡­ they slowly faded until there was only glassy blankness.


    The look of fear would forever be etched onto his face.


    The bandit dropped the boy on the ground, like he was bored of it, but the mother''s eyes continued to stare into blank space, her mind utterly shocked. The warm, slick feel of blood dripped down her face, as if they were the tears that she was too numb and disbelieving to shed.


    The bandit moved on, leaving the woman there¡­


    She was alive.


    She was alive, but¡­ was this any better than being dead?


    Lance shook off Andrew''s hand and closed his eyes, unable to watch any further. He heaved, and his eyes stung.


    It felt like there was an extremely heavy stone that blocked his heart and blocked his throat. He regretted¡­ coming here.


    Why had he allowed that thing to threaten him with what he held dear the most?


    Why should he¡­ have to become a demon?


    What difference did he have, compared to the people who had sent him here in the first place?


    A few tears dropped down, unhindered. He wept.


    The mother of the lively boy, who was now dead, stared blankly into space, unable to accept reality.


    Andrew grabbed him by the back of his collar, forcing him to look. "Don''t look away," Andrew said, his voice hoarse. His eyes were dull.


    "Don''t ever allow yourself to forget. The people we hurt to save ourselves¡­ this is what happens."


    The breath filled his lungs choked him.


    The scent of blood and ash lingered in the air.

 Chapter 454 - The Consequences

    A tremor seemed to go through the young man''s body, and the words from Andrew sunk in like a heavy stone. His feet were rooted to the ground, and he felt like he would be unable to move even if someone pushed him from behind.


    His face was instantly ashen, and the words that Andrew said to him echoed in his mind incessantly.


    The other veteran that had patted Lance on the shoulder previously glared at Andrew, dissatisfied.


    Andrew saw her glare, but he didn''t care. This was his philosophy. What could the other do? If others didn''t want to listen, okay, fine. He didn''t care, but it was his right to speak however he wanted.


    Moreover, it wasn''t like he was spitting curse words at the other party. This was truly what he felt and what he considered sound advice to the other party. If he was like him, then they would feel the same way.


    The other veteran, Keiko, comforted Lance. "Don''t listen to him. We were all like you first. Some of us end up numbing ourselves, while others end up going crazy and dying just like that. Others, like Andrew, don''t numb themselves at all. They want to take on the entire responsibility of the loss of life. But even then, I don''t think he''s quite sane."


    Andrew returned Keiko''s glare at her provocative words, but he didn''t deny it. He curled his lips and remained silent. It didn''t matter to him what the others thought, and it didn''t matter to him that the newbie wouldn''t listen to him either.


    "Andrew don''t lead the newbie astray with your words," she said to him with a bad tone.


    Andrew snorted. "I can say whatever I want. Whether he wants to listen or not, if he has a conscience like me, then these words are the best advice to him. If he''s like you, who doesn''t have a heart, then he can listen to you."


    "You-!" Keiko''s inner fire was instantly ignited, and she felt her heart burn.


    Because Andrew''s words had poked a sore spot in her.


    Andrew sneered. "Why? No words? You''re speechless, right? Because you know that deep down, I''m right."


    Despite his provocative words, his tone was rather calm, which was what made the fire in her burn that much more ¨C it felt like it threatened to eat her up whole.


    His eyes were ice cold, and she couldn''t like him no matter how hard she tried.


    Her eyes shook, and Lance could see that she was shaken, yet his eyes remained rather blank.


    Andrew''s words continued to echo in his mind, and he could not choke down the emotions that came together with it. He had been ignoring it all this while, trying to tell himself that he could¡­ sacrifice these people for the good of his family, but Andrew''s words had blown a giant hole in the ship that was his mind.


    Now, that ship was quickly filling up with water, and threatening to sink into the murky waters below.


    How many people had already died?


    How many people had been sacrificed in such a bloody and painful matter for them to save their own families from the same fate?


    As he thought about it, his stomach churned.


    Lance lurched to the side as he spat up bile and vomit, his face pale.


    The self-loathing that he''d been ignoring surged up like a tidal wave, sweeping him along with it. Yet, he did not cry, unlike before.


    The words that Andrew said really resonated with him. What right did he have to cry when he was part of the reason why people were suffering?


    He didn''t deserve to cry. Not with everything that he had stood by and condoned. Even though his hands were supposedly clean¡­


    Heh.


    He would never be clean again.


    Lance would never be able to look at his family and feel proud of himself. They didn''t know¡­ what he had done. The blood that landed on his hands to keep them safe.


    Even now, his family did not know what they did. What price was paid.


    But Lance couldn''t tell them. If they knew, what kind of eyes would they look at him with?


    Fear? Hatred? Sadness?


    Or¡­ acceptance?


    The thought of it made him choke a little inside even more. It slowly chipped away at his sanity, and he breathed hard, heaving.


    The rough cobble under his palms scratched him, and he felt like¡­ the abyss was about to swallow him whole.


    At this time, both Andrew and Keiko had noticed the effect that their words were having on the newbie.


    Keiko glared harder at Andrew. Her eyes were anxious. This was not the first time that Andrew''s words had driven a newbie to insanity.


    She had already lost track of how many newbies had broken down in the same way, which was why she was particularly anxious. This newbie as well¡­ looked like he was about to go down that path as well.


    Just looking at his expressions and his face, she could tell that he had suddenly come to terms with the things that he had stood by and watched over the past few days. Though he didn''t have any blood on his hands yet, they were already stained beyond what a normal person would go through.


    Yet, what could they do?


    Could they leave their family, for their souls to be damned for eternity? They couldn''t reincarnate, they couldn''t die peacefully either.


    If they didn''t follow *his* orders, then their souls would all be¡­ obliterated.


    She couldn''t help but try and pull the newbie out of the fog.


    She gripped his arm and pulled up him. "Wake up! Think about your family. Will you condemn them for all eternity? You have to know¡­ once they die in *his* hands, then they will never again be able to return."


    Andrew curled his lips at her words. These words¡­ what use did they have? "Yes," he said, "think about everything that you''re doing for your family. But never forget the blood that''s already on your hands. You''ve sacrificed them for the good of your family, so you should remember them. Even if you have nightmares every single night, you should never complain."


    As soon as Andrew finished his words, Keiko immediately punched him in the face.


    "Shut up, bastard! You''re not helping! I know that! We all know that! But do you think we have a choice? We don''t have a choice! With *him*, we will never have a choice!"


    "Do we not have a choice? Ha. You''re sorely mistaken. We always have a choice. It''s just whether or not you can handle the consequences of that choice, that''s all."


    "You-!"


    This time, the two of them got into a fist fight, but they weren''t that serious. Though they were trading blows, none of them were meant to kill. They were just venting their anger and emotions.


    Though they were part of the same team, this was very normal, and it wouldn''t affect their teamwork.


    After all, they had all made choices that brought them to where they were today. For the sake of their families and loved ones, all of them had sacrificed so much that killing someone else who was also going through the same thing¡­


    Well.


    They all bore the consequences on their own.


    None of them were able to share the burden of it, and it sat like a heavy weight upon their shoulders, like they were holding up a world on their own. A world that was the weight of their loved ones'' lives.


    Some went mad, others grew numb, and the rest¡­ made a different choice.


    What that choice was made remained to be seen.

 Chapter 455 - It Must Be Fate

    Alec grunted.


    He finally found some enlightenment regarding his newest master''s case.


    He was one part relieved, one part apprehensive and eight parts satisfied.


    In the one month that they had been travelling outside camping in the wilderness, the group of them had ended up pitting themselves against monsters and creatures that were supposed to be stronger than them.


    There had been solo fights as well as group fights for them to improve their teamwork.


    But the most important part of Alec''s growth was that he could use his newly mastered rune usage skills to craft arrays and seals on the fly.


    Combining it with his combat skills, it was like adding wings onto a tiger.


    Well, regardless of the fact that Alec could fly like all Meisters could after his advancement.


    Alec had taken Ye Sha with him as the two of them went back to the location of the ruins that had suddenly appeared previously, leaving Katherine with Le Xuan and Klyse the slug.


    Chantelle had long since ditched them, which was just as well. Kathrine didn''t particularly want to have anything else to do with that annoying woman. The only thing that the two of them ever did was argue. She just couldn''t bring herself to like her no matter what.


    Le Xuan said that they were too similar, which just made Katherine dislike her even more.


    Katherine was equally as pleased that Alec had some idea about how to bring down the floating ruins in the sky and free their master, but she inwardly lamented about how she was too weak, so she had been putting in four times the effort that she had been previously.


    Any thought about Jae or Brian had long been thrown to the back of her mind.


    That was¡­


    Until they showed up.


    The leaves rustled in the woods, and Katherine, who had long since heard the sounds of people moving about, was finally alerted.


    It appeared that they were not, as she first suspected, someone who had gotten lost inside, or someone who was coming to forage.


    She and Le Xuan had been fending off against some assassins the past couple of days ever since Ye Sha and Alec left. It appeared that there was something else at foot.


    Instead, she heard some rather familiar voices.


    Her face blackened instantly.


    Luckily for the two who had chased her all the way here, she did not even once consider that they could be part of the assassins that someone had sent after them. If it wasn''t these two, she would have long since attacked.


    "You really haven''t been able to find her yet. Could you really not be fated with her? Perhaps I really should split off from you. I could be the fated one instead."


    "Stop following me!" A female voice lost her patience and interrupted the first voice. "I told you to stop following me around! If you''re so unconvinced, then you should just make a move and leave instead of nattering day in and out like a naggy old woman!"


    "No, what if you manage to find her instead?"


    There was a sound of frustration.


    Katherine frowned and crossed her arms, standing still.


    What in the world were these two fools doing? Were they still chasing after her?


    Had she not made her rejection very clear already? The thing she hated the most was someone constantly hanging around her and trying to do something that she already explicitly said that she did not want to happen.


    The two, who were fighting even after coming to this point, froze when they saw Katherine appear in front of their eyes.


    Brian rubbed his eyes, thinking that he''d seen wrong. Had he been dreaming about her so often that he had ended up seeing a mirage of Katherine?


    On the other hand, Jae had no such reservations. She charged up and suddenly stopped in front of Katherine with sparkly eyes.


    "Katherine," she said sweetly, the previous voice full of anger completely gone.


    Katherine didn''t even blink. She just looked away coolly.


    Jae wasn''t discouraged. "I really found you,?? she said with a beaming smile.


    Katherine''s brows furrowed a little. What nonsense was she talking about now?


    By this time, Brian suddenly broke out of his stunned state and walked forward happily. "Katherine, it''s been so long since I last saw you."


    She ignored him. She turned her attention to Jae. "How did you find me?"


    Katherine''s face wasn''t good. Her expression was cool and expressionless. Her eyes contained the arrogant disposition that she had long since made a part of her true self. Katherine''s crimson eyes gleamed under the sunlight.


    Just by standing there, her good looks could cause one to think that they were looking at god''s masterpiece. Her features were delicately crafted, but there was a sense of confidence and pride in her bones that didn''t take away from her attraction ¨C it just increased it even more.


    But what attracted them wasn''t her outer looks in the first place. They''d only started to grow to like her after knowing what her personality was like.


    Perhaps, before Regis'' hellish training session, their feelings were just at the stage of infatuation. That was the stage of puppy love, where their feelings would cool down eventually after setbacks and other situations happening. Even the period of time with nothing happening could cause those feelings to wither and fade away.


    What Regis didn''t realize was that with him doing this, he might have scared away the riffraff, but towards those who had even that bit more of perseverance, his actions were only like adding oil to the fire, causing it to burn brighter and hotter.


    By giving them a goal, not only did it cause them to become more persistent, but they were constantly reminding themselves day in and out that they were doing this for one reason only.


    And that goal only pointed to one person. Katherine Klein.


    "There''s no method," Jae said happily, causing the Sin to be inwardly dumbstruck.


    Just looking at her face, she could tell that she wasn''t lying.


    She glanced at Brian from the corner of her eye. He didn''t seem to have any thoughts either.


    She was confused. Just what was happening here? The world was so big. How did they find her?


    "You''re telling me that you found me through no external means?" she asked, disbelieving.


    "Yes." Jae nodded like a chicken pecking rice.


    Jae must have noticed how suspicious Katherine looked, because she spoke up again quickly. "It''s true. Regis sent us out on a mission ¨C to find you without using anything else. If one of us managed to find you this way without relying on external help, that meant that we were meant to be."


    As she spoke, Jae''s face filled with pride. After all, she was the one who chose all their directions. Brian had only been following her around.


    Brian seemed to realize it as well, because his face became sullen.


    On the other hand, Katherine had inwardly facepalmed, because from what it sounded like¡­ Regis was just messing with them and sending them off. Probably because they were too annoying? Or he couldn''t get rid of them?


    Who would have thought that they would actually end up stumbling across each other?


    She suddenly had a bad feeling.


    When she looked up, she saw two people staring at her with sparkly eyes.


    Katherine: "¡­" What should she do now?


    At this time, Le Xuan came out, dragging along a person. "Katherine, I found that person who''s been hanging around and trying to kill us-"


    She paused. "Eh. Why are they here? Did you call for them?"


    Katherine snorted, then turned around. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 456 - Qingxuan Part 1

    She ignored them, but they still followed behind her obediently. Katherine''s brows furrowed a little.


    Well, she would leave them be for now. As long as they didn''t get in the way.


    Le Xuan raised a brow, but there were more pressing matters at hand.


    Who was this, and why were they trying to kill her off? Had they been sent by someone?


    Le Xuan didn''t know, but she knew that this person should have been employed by someone at least. Though, who it was remained to be seen.


    She had a feeling¡­ it had to do with Klyse. Though Klyse had never left her sight for the past month or so, and she had already given him orders¡­ there was either a loophole or something else that was going on here.


    She had a feeling that it had to do with the Evans Sect rather than herself.


    She dragged the unconscious person without any problem. He wouldn''t be waking up so soon.


    She''d just knocked him out a few minutes ago.


    But strangely, though she''d gotten stronger, she shouldn''t have been a match for this ''assassin'' here. It had been sloppy in comparison to all the others that had appeared.


    She wondered why.


    It was only because he gave away his positioning at the beginning that she was able to subdue him so quickly.


    Le Xuan dropped the person away from their campsite and opened his mouth, sticking her fingers into her mouth.


    Her actions startled Jae and Brian, who wondered what she was doing.


    Katherine, on the other hand, was more used to it. These days, they had been besieged by various people who tried to kill them, and this wasn''t the first one that was sent.


    However, the most startling thing was that after capturing them, these people would all quietly die from either poison or killing themselves.


    This was not normal behaviour. They were either from an assassins'' guild, or they were the death soldiers from some family.


    Right now, Katherine leaned towards it being a family operation. An assassins'' guild would not throw away the lives of their members so hastily ¨C how much would it cost to raise up an assassin?


    The costs outweighed the benefits if they were all throwing their lives away.


    So, it should be a group of death soldiers. Death soldiers¡­ were much easier to raise, and they were considered disposable. She just didn''t know which family or sect had sent them after her and Le Xuan.


    The people that had been sent after them had no discernible clothing or articles that could be led back to the source, and they apparently refused to talk no matter what.


    The question about whether it was her or Le Xuan it was that they were after had already been solved.


    They had split apart for a period of time, and this man had instantly attacked Le Xuan.


    Just what was it that she had done that had incurred such a situation?


    This time, she didn''t have any time to pay attention to the two people who were chasing after her.


    Le Xuan pulled out a poison capsule, then checked through all of his clothes to make sure that he didn''t have any hidden weapons to kill himself with.


    She then tied him up tightly with expert motions, throwing away his boots and removing his socks.


    She even changed him out of his clothes into a set of clothing that she had, which meant¡­ Well. It wasn''t like she would keep around a set of male clothing for herself, was it?


    This buff death soldier was wearing dainty female clothing.


    Katherine''s lips twitched at this sight.


    Jae and Brian were silent, seeing how this wasn''t the time for them to make any fuss, but the image of the man in tight female clothing was really¡­ special.


    The two seemed to be doing something serious, so they obviously wouldn''t act up now.


    Klyse sighed with annoyance as he saw what they were doing. "You really don''t have to do this, you know? You should just listen to me. I know who he is."


    "Who is he, then?"


    "I already told you, f.u.c.k!" The slug exploded in anger. "I told you that they were all from the Evans Sect, but you didn''t believe me."


    "Hm."


    Katherine didn''t say anything more. It wasn''t that she didn''t believe Klyse''s words, but she was more curious about why he had told them this information. She had a hunch that they were here for Klyse, which was why they were coming endlessly.


    Could it be that they had something that allowed them to track down the whereabouts of Klyse? That seemed plausible.


    But why was Klyse telling them? As they were part of the same sect, should they not have some feelings for each other?


    No matter. Once they interrogated him, they would have all the answers.


    Le Xuan took out a herb and waved it under the man''s nose, which caused him to stir.


    The man didn''t look around groggily but instead snapped to attention. Though he looked like he was entirely focused on Le Xuan, his eyes were subtly trying to see if there was anything that could help him.


    His magic spread out through the area, and they didn''t do anything to stop him.


    When the death soldier tried to use his magic, his magic was redirected back into the earth, causing him to furrow his brows. However, he was quite calm. Apparently, this did not come as a surprise.


    He looked for the poisoned pill in the false tooth, but there was nothing there.


    All his weapons and other things were not on his body as well.


    He would not have a chance to suicide, but he was determined that he would not say a single word.


    "Who are you? Are you from the Evans Sect?" Le Xuan asked.


    There was no reply.


    Katherine crossed her arms and thought. "Are you looking for Klyse Evans?" she said slowly, her eyes lingering on his expressions.


    His expression remained blank, but there was the slightest hint of disturbance in her eyes.


    "You should already know, right? We killed him. He won''t even have a chance to revive again, nor will his soul enter reincarnation this time."


    The death soldier didn''t say anything, but there was a subtle anger in his eyes.


    For some reason, Katherine didn''t think that this man was the same as the other death soldiers.


    The others that they had seen appeared almost dead, and they were more than willing to kill themselves as the slightest possibility that they would not succeed.


    However, this man¡­ he still retained most of his mental capacity, even though he was a death soldier.


    His acting skills should be quite considerable.


    Yet, why was he cultivated into a death soldier?


    Not only that, his reactions towards Katherine''s words suggested that he should have something to do with Klyse.


    So, not only did Katherine give a cold smile, she even said, "Don''t worry. The decline of the Evans Sect is near. Klyse Evans dared to try and harm us, so we will definitely not stop at taking revenge."


    Katherine said these words with killing intent, but the man didn''t flinch at all. His fluctuating emotions in his eyes seemed to grow more serene, as if he did not care about the sect at all, which surprised her.


    Le Xuan was also studying his expressions this entire time, and she¡­ had a feeling.


    This man¡­ should have something to do with Klyse Evans. He didn''t care about the sect at all, but he should have some lingering feelings for Klyse Evans. Was he his student? Or someone related to him?


    "Qingxuan," a low voice said, coming from the slug on Le Xuan''s shoulder. "How have you been?"

 Chapter 457 - Qingxuan Part 2

    The death soldier jerked. He seemed to have heard a familiar voice ¨C a voice that had haunted his dreams and nightmares.


    For years.


    Decades, even.


    It had been¡­ such a long time. He was even starting to forget how his master sounded and looked like, yet he heard his voice now.


    Everyone in the sect said that his master was dead, but he refused to believe it.


    His master was strong and wise, and he had never once done a single thing that caused him to feel that he couldn''t rise against the current. He might not have been the best person ever, but to Qingxuan, his master was¡­ like a father.


    Qingxuan controlled his breathing.


    Though he might have said that he refused to believe his master was dead¡­ he knew. He knew deep down that the likelihood of him being alive was as close to zero as possible. It had been so many years. He should have come back much earlier if it had really succeeded


    He knew that his master''s lifespan had long since come to an end.


    Otherwise, why would he not have come back at all this whole time?


    There were many things that his master had not finished, leaving it all in his hands before he departed for solitary cultivation, and they had been finished in his hands as well.


    Qingxuan had seen almost everything.


    There were miraculous techniques and magic spells, and people who seemingly went against the laws of nature, but there was one thing that they had yet to conquer.


    Lifespan.


    More than that, he''d been tricked numerous times already over the years, and he no longer believed just anything.


    This should be a trick.


    Besides the slight flinch that happened in his eyes, which went away just as quickly as it appeared, nothing else could be discerned from his expressions or his posture.


    His body had not even moved since the first time that he woke up.


    Honestly, he was just tired of it all already. But if there was a chance for him to get away, he would still take it.


    "Qingxuan."


    Qingxuan remained unmoved. His master would not call him in such a voice.


    His master had always been impatient and irascible, unlike how the Evans Sect portrayed him to outsiders.


    He didn''t believe that this was anything other than an illusion showing him his heart''s greatest desire.


    As he ignored the voice, his eyes darted around as he looked for a way out.


    He was different from the other death soldiers.


    Even if the Evans Sect had prospered because of his master''s reputation, but they had long since become rotten from the inside, disgracing everything that the sect once stood for.


    "Qingxuan."


    The two who were sending doe-eyed looks towards the Klein Clan member should be easier to deal with.


    If he could break through them, then they probably wouldn''t react until it was too late.


    He had been struck by a mild case of insanity earlier when he actually allowed himself to get captured by someone who wasn''t even in the Meister stage yet.


    If his master knew, he would probably have shamed him.


    "Qingxuan, you little idiot!"


    Qingxuan flinched, breaking out of his trance.


    That voice¡­ that microtone, that inflection of anger.


    It all sounded exactly like his master.


    Could he truly be alive?


    He didn''t think that an illusion could be so very accurate, down to the very point.


    Dazed, the death soldier Qingxuan appeared rather clumsy and lovable to the people who were looking carefully at his reaction.


    On the other hand, Klyse had no such reservations.


    He jumped from Le Xuan''s shoulder and landed on the death soldier''s face, then he slowly slid down until Qingxuan could see all of him.


    "Master?" he said, his voice cracking.


    If he had not seen this slug, then perhaps he really would not have believed it no matter what. After all, what kind of enemy would try and befuddle him with something as fantastical as this?


    He was more inclined to think that this was all real.


    Qingquan''s breathing sped up.


    Meanwhile, Klyse had started to scold his one foolish disciple.


    In his entire life, he only had this one disciple, yet now?


    Now?


    He had even become a death soldier, of all things!


    What a travesty! What a disgrace!


    How could he dare to call himself the great Klyse Evans'' disciple!?


    This foolish disciple of his really lost his entire face for him! How could he show his face now?


    Oh wait¡­ he was a slug now.


    Le Xuan and Katherine exchanged looks while they saw the assassin that had been sent after them meekly listen to the slug that was berating him nonstop. He didn''t even take the time to breathe.


    But seeing the two react like this, they probably really were student and master.


    Katherine was surprised. What were the chances of something like this happening? What were the chances of the sole disciple of Klyse Evans having been sent after them?


    But if she thought deeper about it, it wasn''t so surprising. Since Klyse Evans was supposed to be dead, then¡­


    Theoretically, the one who should go the furthest length and means to kill the people who supposedly killed off Klyse Evans'' reincarnated body¡­ would be his disciple.


    Yet, looking at it, it didn''t seem like this Qingxuan was aware that his master had been ''resurrected'' into another body.


    Katherine cut off Klyse''s ranting. "Did you know that your master has ''resurrected''?"


    Qingxuan didn''t say anything. He just stared at his master with wide eyes.


    Le Xuan kicked the large slug in the side, causing Klyse to make an annoyed sound.


    Qingxuan''s resulting glare could have buried Le Xuan six feet under, but she just crossed her arms, unworried.


    Klyse, "¡­Answer her."


    "No, master, I didn''t know that you had been resurrected," he said respectfully.


    "What orders did they give you? Why the f.u.c.k are you a death soldier now?" Klyse exploded. His one and only disciple should have been treated like a gem. He had his teachings, and with time, he would have become the brightest star in the sky.


    Yet, what had happened instead?


    He was a death soldier!


    The death soldiers that were meant to take on suicide missions with no chance of survival!


    What the f.u.c.k had happened?!


    He was even forced to wear tight female clothing now! It was truly¡­ too beautiful of a scene to look at! Klyse felt like it was funny, yet it was also equally as despairing. The little boy of the past had become a big man, but he was wearing this type of clothing¡­


    Their first meeting after so long had truly taken on a strange style.


    "Two years after you¡­ left the sect, Jess Evans took over as sect master, and she slowly started driving out all those people who previously supported you. Without your support and power, your faction declined almost instantly."


    Klyse exploded again. He had really raised a white-eyed wolf (1)! Truly worthy of being his cousin! She sure was ruthless! She couldn''t even let off his only disciple!


    He had treated her well in vain.


    He took a deep breath.


    Qingxuan continued on. "A few days ago, they gave me orders saying that you had resurrected somehow but was then killed again while you were still weak, so I had to go and avenge your death."


    "Stupid boy!" Klyse roared, "They told you to avenge me, so you actually wanted to avenge me?"


    "I was wrong," Qingxuan cried, sounding like a child. It was completely different from his stern and solemn look. In front of his master, he was truly just like a child admitting his wrongdoings.


    While the two were having their ''conversation'', Le Xuan was analysing things. It seemed like the Evans Sect really was treating Klyse as dead. Otherwise, why would they send out the man''s disciple to ''avenge'' him?


    It was likely so that in the future, when people found out that Klyse was dead, they could say that they had avenged him, whilst at the same time, getting rid of this time-ticking bomb called Qingxuan who was the last remnant of Klyse''s faction, killing two birds with one stone.


    Previously, they had been more than willing to ignore the power struggle between the Evans Sect and the rest of the sects, but now¡­


    It was likely that news of Klyse Evans'' death was going to leak out.


    Soon, chaos would be coming.

 Chapter 458 - Betrayal

    Klang!


    Clash!


    Kacha!


    The sounds of various things breaking sounded in the room without any reservation. There wasn''t a pause or any hesitation whatsoever between each throw.


    Until everything that could be broke in the room had been broken and thrown onto the floor, shattering into pieces, the noises didn''t stop for a single moment. It was as if the person inside would not be at ease if they didn''t throw the most precious things that they could get their hands on.


    The noises stopped just as abruptly as they started, and the guards who were guarding the sect master did not show a change in their expressions at all.


    They were all loyal to the sect master without reservation, and they knew her true personality. They had all been cultivated since they were young.


    The sounds of heavy breathing spread through the room, filling the silence, and the hunched over figure straightened up, looking at the pile of debris on the ground with no emotions.


    What had been broken were all treasures, and it would have made anyone''s heart ache had they seen it, but the woman didn''t show any signs of heartache at all. Instead, there was a vague sense of satisfaction when she saw everything being ruined.


    Her expression morphed into a heavy scowl a moment later.


    She took a deep breath, then the scowl that had been on her face melted away like it had never been there in the first place.


    ''Smile, smile,'' she told herself, pressing her index fingers to the edges of her mouth.


    She smiled very naturally, then softened her eyes, allowing the fire that burned inside her to die down.


    Jess Evans walked out of the room, wearing her signature smile.


    The guards didn''t change their expression from the start to the end. They were more than used to it.


    Jess was still in a bad mood, and she had been ever since that night two weeks ago.


    First, she''d been woken up from her beauty sleep, then she was informed that someone had been leaking sect secrets. Not only that, it had been leaked by her trusted companion, who had been with her through thick and thin.


    Now, everything had been leaked by her.


    She walked down the steps to the dungeon, her high heels clacking against the stone floor.


    Downstairs, many prisoners who had been locked up started to shiver.


    Jess'' footsteps were very distinct, and each time she came down, someone would suffer terribly.


    They almost couldn''t believe that someone like this who had such sick hobbies was the sect master of the Evans Sect, which had always been seen as honourable and just.


    They felt their belief and pride in their sect take blows. Had they been disciples who were framed, or they had otherwise truly done something against the sect, they all held the same belief ¨C Jess Evans was not a good sect leader, and she was corrupting the sect from inside out.


    The sadistic pleasure she took when she tortured them let them know that not only was this all real, they would never have a chance of getting out ¨C that was, unless they were lying down horizontally.


    The sounds of high heels meeting the floor was like a demon knocking on their door, and it caused them to shudder endlessly, mostly in anticipation and disgust, wondering who would be the ''lucky'' bastard today.


    But still, most of them were filled with hate and sarcasm, and they wouldn''t be scared even if they were visited by her.


    In the depths of the dungeon, there was a figure that didn''t move at all.


    Jess'' figure stopped in front of the cell.


    The floor was cold and wet, and the place was damp. The air was stale, and there was hardly any proper ventilation in the place.


    It made everything just smell like wet dog.


    Charuru didn''t even look up when she heard the sound of footsteps stopping in front of her cell.


    "Well, well, well, look who''s been caught, huh?" Jess said, smiling mockingly.


    Charuru didn''t raise her head, and Jess grew angry.


    "Look at me when I''m talking to you!"


    "Zzz¡­"


    Jess'' voice echoed loudly in the dungeon cell, and she frowned when she received no response.


    Looking at the shackled form of Charuru, she took her key out and unlocked the cell door.


    She stepped in, her heels clacking on the ground deliberately.


    There was still anger burning her, but when she took another look at her once confidant, she felt better.


    The woman was dressed in worn and tattered clothing, and her four limbs were chained and shackled to the wall. She couldn''t even use the magic that she was so proud of, a fitting end for a woman like her.


    Her hair was matted and dirty, and she emitted the smell of a wet dog like the rest of the prisoners here in the sect.


    She was no longer like the high and mighty woman that she had been previously, and it gave Jess some solace in her heart.


    But any satisfaction she might have felt abruptly fell away when she realized that Charuru was sleeping. She hadn''t even had the dignity of keeping herself awake when Jess entered.


    There was no way that she was still asleep, yet she was, so it could only be seen as a form of her mocking her, spurning her.


    The flames of anger started to lick at her heart again, and she breathed heavily.


    The thing that made her even angrier was the mocking sounds of laughter from the cells around, and soon enough, the sounds echoed all around her, coming from every cell in the dungeon.


    They were all mocking her, and it just made her sadistic desire grow.


    She lashed out, her whip landing on the ground, creating a large sound, which made them quieten down.


    Charuru was still asleep.


    Angry, this time she whipped the woman instead of the floor.


    Instantly, white skin was exposed, before the skin suddenly split and blood welled out, pouring down.


    The sight of the blood made Jess calm down a little, sating her blood.


    "Hmph."


    Jess circled Charuru, who was still suspended in the middle of the room. Two weeks in a prison had really done a number on her.


    She was visibly skinnier than before, and she was filthy. Yet, she didn''t achieve the sense of pleasure that she wanted to.


    Charuru blearily blinked her eyes, tired. The moment she woke up, all her wounds healed, and Jess pursed her lips.


    Jess took her short whip and lifted Charuru''s chin, looking into her bleary eyes.


    "Why did you do it?"


    Charuru just blinked, uncomprehending.


    Jess whipped her across the face, watching as the wound appeared and disappeared.


    "Why did you do it?" she demanded again.


    Charuru grinned, revealing white teeth.


    Jess whipped her more severely this time, but Charuru didn''t make a single sound.


    "Why did you betray me?!"


    All of a sudden, Charuru started laughing. She leaned on her suspended arm and looked at Jess with a pitying look. "Betray you?" she drawled, "I''ve never been loyal to you in the first place."


    Jess heaved from anger, feeling it surge through her like a tidal wave. Its flames were so hot that it threatened to melt her from inside out. But she truly could not understand.


    Charuru was someone that she had taken to heart. She would not have been so angry otherwise. To find out that someone she trusted so much, betrayed her?


    How could her pride take it?


    "Have you forgotten why I''m by your side in the first place?" Charuru said mockingly.


    Jess took a step back, suddenly paling. "No¡­"


    "That''s right. I was sent to help you out by your cousin ¨C Klyse Evans. The esteemed Klyse Evans. But you, what did you do? You caused his downfall. You knew ¨C you knew that he was my benefactor. You knew that I held him in high esteem. That''s why you did it behind my back, going through all the motions to discredit him. Now, I''ll return you all the suffering that he must have gone through because of you."


    Charuru smiled, her eyes brightening, lips curling beautifully. Even though she was in chains, she appeared more dazzling than anyone else.


    "I will never forgive you," she said lightly, then she closed her eyes and didn''t respond anymore no matter what Jess did to her.


    Jess whipped her a few more times, but she couldn''t get another reaction out of her.


    Her eyes darkened, and she left the place. No matter. In captivity, sooner or later, she would break¡­


    She would not forgive the people who deemed it right to betray her.

 Chapter 459 - White Moonlight

    Rumble!


    The ground rumbled, and even the air seemed to carry a trace of the strong vibrations that came from the ruins above them crumbling down.


    There were shouts of alarm from the people nearby, but their shouts were drowned out by the sounds of the rumbling.


    The floating ruins above their heads that had been there for quite an amount of time was suddenly crumbling. Some of them had previously had the illusion that the ruins would stay here forever so that they could benefit from it, but now, it looked like their hopes and dreams were about to be shattered.


    It shocked them, but none of them made any moves to charge towards the ruins at this time. None of them even entertained the thought that they may be able to benefit from the ruins crumbling at this time.


    Instead, there were vast amounts of people who were fleeing from the place. The set amount of time that one could spend in the ruins was only one and a half months.


    After that, they were forcefully expelled regardless of their cultivation or means to stay behind.


    There had been none who successfully left themselves behind after the time was up.


    Suddenly, a figure shot out of the sky in a beam of golden light, and regardless of how shocked anyone was, their eyes could not help but be attracted to the light.


    However hard they tried to see through it, they could not see anything at all besides the hazy figures inside.


    Regardless of how they couldn''t see anything, one could imagine from the faint silhouette that the person inside was a beauty. Though there were other figures inside, none of them caught the eyes of the people watching.


    The light hovered in the air for a few moments before darting away, shooting across the sky like a shooting star in the night.


    Visibility was low, but the light that spread across the night sky in a bang lasted for more than half an hour.


    For that half an hour, it appeared as if it was daytime, and it would go down for generations to come as the night that had become day.


    Marciella was laughing joyfully as she felt the air blowing through her hair, sending it flying everywhere. People thought that flying through the sky was glamorous and elegant, but it was anything but. Especially when you flew at high speeds.


    But she didn''t care. This was the first time in her entire life that she felt like she was truly free. She had her disciple with her, and his little pals, and her heart was so full that it felt like it could spill everything out.


    Behind her, Alec smiled faintly as he looked at how happy and sincerely she was acting. It was like a child''s happiness, something one seemed to lose as they aged.


    Yet, at this moment, his master seemed to have reverted back to her childhood. He couldn''t see her face, but her entire body exuded joy. It was almost infectious.


    Unlike him, Ye Sha wasn''t thinking that much. He was just happy to eat and watch the scenery go by. For the past couple of days, he hadn''t been able to eat peacefully with Katherine staring a hole into him every time.


    Since they were travelling with Alec''s master, he was free to do as he pleased. He could tell that this demoness, Marciella, was definitely a Transcendent ¨C at least, in the terms here. Where she was from, it was probably another name.


    Soon, they descended and landed on a lake. The lake was large and round, and its water was so clear that you could see the fish swimming underneath without a care.


    Marciella waved her hand and a lily pad that was at the side suddenly grew, floating gently on the lake.


    The three of them landed on the lily pad, but it didn''t even shake. Even with Alec''s familiars running around, it was spacious enough that it didn''t feel squeezy.


    Alec quietly raised an eyebrow.


    Marciella caught his look. "Interested?" she said happily. "Come, let me teach you."


    The demoness grabbed Alec''s hand and tugged him forward towards the edge of the lily pad.


    She pointed at one in the far distance and said, "Now, reach it with your magic. After you do that, you should not ''Awaken'' it but instead encourage it to grow. Later on, this lily pad won''t have anything to do with you and will exist independently."


    Alec narrowed his eyes and smiled, seriously thinking over her words.


    While the master and disciple were having a spontaneous lesson, Ye Sha studied the two of them quietly. They truly appeared only like master and disciple, and they had no extraneous thoughts.


    He didn''t know why, but he felt a little relieved at the thought. It wasn''t the first time that a person had fallen for Alec''s ''heroic'' deeds of saving them.


    While he knew that Alec wasn''t the type of person to stray, if this master of his had harboured some other intentions, it wasn''t likely that Alec would have been able to escape with his current strength.


    Marciella lay down on the lily pad, feeling the drifting feeling of water. Her heart was filled with boundless joy, and she was so at peace.


    She even felt like the little things that she had thought were annoying before were so beautiful and wonderful now. She felt like she was living.


    She stared up at the full moon in the sky. It was round and bright, and the stars twinkled in the night sky.


    As she was delirious with joy, Alec was quietly mastering the technique that Maricella had taught him.


    Ye Sha lay down on the lily pad and stared up at the moon as well, feeling nostalgic.


    Soon, Alec''s familiars dragged him by the sleeve, causing Alec''s practice to become disrupted. But instead of being angry, he smiled faintly at them and picked them up, pressing them against his chest.


    They nudged him, and he also lay down next to his master and his friend.


    Two humans, one demoness, and three familiars looked up at the same moon, feeling a mix of different emotions, and they soon drifted off to sleep, rocked gently by the lake under them.


    The night of peace passed without anything happening, and the next day, Marciella stood up gracefully.


    Her heart had settled down, but her face was much brighter than before, and her eyes were gentler.


    "I''ll be going now," she said, bidding farewell to the two of them.


    "Take care, master," Alec said with his signature gentle smile.


    "Have fun." Ye Sha passed Marciella a bunch of snacks for the journey, and she didn''t reject him.


    Before she left, she took a bit of the two''s blood and it entered her body. She would be able to find them at any time even if they were separated by realms or even worlds.


    Her technique was first-class.


    "Okay, I''m going," she said, shooting off into the sunrise.


    There was a sense of relief in the two of them, knowing that Maricella would not be make a move first on the humans should she ever be provoked.


    If they provoked her, then they should face the consequences.


    "We should return. I have a feeling that something''s going to happen very soon," Alec said.


    Ye Sha felt shivers go up and down his arms. "¡­Can you not raise a flag?"


    "¡­"

 Chapter 460 - Intimidating

    Alec parted the bushes, only to find that there were weapons aimed at him from Katherine, Le Xuan, Katherine''s two suitors, and a rather buff man wearing tight female clothing.


    The first four instantly relaxed when they saw who it was, but the buff man wearing female clothing continued to eye him warily.


    Alec''s lip twitched seeing this unfamiliar person.


    "Picked up a few strays when we were gone?" he said in a gentle tone.


    Katherine wanted to scoff but held it back seeing that Alec was her teacher. If it were anyone else, she wouldn''t have been so polite. She sheathed her dagger. "More like they attached themselves to me without letting up."


    Jae and Brian didn''t even refute and didn''t even have the shame to look sheepish. Instead, they looked rather happy because it meant that they really had been ''picked up''.


    Alec''s lip twitched again. At least he wasn''t the one with various love troubles. He only had Elysia for him while Katherine was stuck with two butterflies flying around her. They didn''t seem like they were going to give up any time soon either.


    Judging from her expression, she was completely annoyed.


    "Who is he?" Alec inclined his head towards the man who didn''t look embarrassed wearing the female clothing at all.


    "Ah, he''s apparently Klyse''s disciple. His name is Qingxuan."


    Alec raised a brow, and Ye Sha looked him up and down.


    Ye Sha poked Alec and whispered in his ear. "MC."


    Alec turned his attention towards the man again. "That slug''s disciple? Hasn''t he been dead for a long time? Wouldn''t'' his disciple be really old right now?"


    Qingxuan flared up. He didn''t even care about the slight towards himself, skipping it altogether. "Impudent! How dare you speak about my master like that!" As he spoke, he made as if to take out his weapon again, only to be slapped across the face by Klyse''s flying slug body.


    "Silence, idiot boy!"


    Qingxuan immediately shut up obediently.


    This stupid disciple of his had never been good at keeping cool whenever it came to him. Goodness knew how many times the same situation had happened because someone spoke badly about him.


    And now, when he couldn''t even defend him, he was making trouble!? This boy didn''t know good from bad!


    Klyse couldn''t even protect him right now.


    Qingxuan held his master''s body helplessly, but still gave them the stink eye. Klyse wanted to pretend that he didn''t see it, but he really couldn''t.


    "Don''t give them the stink eye either! If it wasn''t for this master being willing to wrong whoever came across my cave first, then this master wouldn''t be in this situation."


    By saying this, he was admitting his guilt ¨C something that he hadn''t been willing to do before Qingxuan came around.


    Qingxuan kept his emotions to himself, but he still felt a little unwilling. His master had always been high and mighty in the sect, but he had actually fallen so low after he failed to locate his master. He had truly failed him.


    Klyse suddenly jerked. "Move! They''re coming! The other death soldiers are closing in!"


    No one wasted any time. The moment Klyse had finished speaking, Alec had also felt the sudden appearance of many enemies surrounding them.


    They had been fully encircled, but they had only started closing in after the circle had been closed.


    "Once we manage to take down the person who''s controlling them, the death soldiers will just continue to follow their previous orders and won''t pose us any threat."


    Neither he nor Ye Sha had picked up on anything previously, nor had his familiars.


    "Bunbun, Fenrir, change forms."


    Excited, the two familiars rapidly grew in size as they charged up ahead, their speed far surpassing the humans who were running behind.


    Alec jumped, landing on Bunbun''s back.


    "Get on!"


    Katherine jumped onto Fenrir, Jae joining her with Le Xuan, while Brian, Qingxuan and Ye Sha joined Alec.


    Loeri had remained small as it hid in Alec''s hair. The small mushroom could grow bigger, but it didn''t have such a quick running speed.


    The enemies that surrounded them had not yet realized that they had been discovered. In this situation, it was better to break out of the encirclement first before taking care of the people.


    As reluctant as he was, Qingxuan quickly filled Alec in. After what the sect had done to this master, he no longer had any faith in them. He had already been on the verge of betraying them, which was why he had been inducted to become a death soldier. They wanted to use him one last time before getting rid of him permanently.


    The familiars charged forward so quickly that they were even quicker than Meisters.


    Alec was not surprised. He had been Awakening the two for such a long period of time, and they had trained together. The familiars probably thought that he didn''t know, but they were always ''playing'' in the disguise of training. Now that Loeri joined them, their ''playing'' was even more intense than before, which made them seem like rowdy and playful familiars to those that didn''t know.


    However, their combat strength didn''t lose to his.


    Alec rapidly wove a few seals and threw them down. They would come in handy later.


    As they charged forward, Alec never stopped producing seals in the forest they were in.


    Most of the other living creatures had already been disturbed by the encirclement.


    "They''re definitely from the Evans Sect. Once they discovered that I didn''t die, they would not hesitate to send people in to my last known location."


    Klyse swore at Qingxuan from Le Xuan''s shoulder. "Foolish disciple, you did not deactivate your tracking seal?!"


    Qingxuan fell silent. How could he say that he had been planning on going out in a double suicide with the people who had killed his master?


    Klyse must have felt something from Qingxuan''s silence because he grew even angrier. "I will be having some words with that bitch," he said angrily.


    "They shouldn''t know that I''m still alive since my body makeup has already changed significantly. The only thing that they know is that my corpse has withered away and completely lost all signs of life. Me resurrecting had a brief blip on the stone previously, then disappeared again, so I should still be dead in their eyes."


    Alec didn''t say anything, but he thought to himself that secrets could never remain secrets forever. The world was a wide place, and there were always strange techniques that were being discovered every day.


    "Talk less," Alec said, and Klyse shut up.


    In Klyse''s opinion, out of everyone here, the most intimidating one was still Alec, who was the clear leader of the group. He appeared amicable and gentle, but as time went on, Klyse realized that he really was anything but.


    The one who foiled his plans previously had been Alec. Without him, he would have succeeded without a doubt.


    On the other hand, Klyse rather felt that Alec¡­ was more ruthless than he let on.


    Suddenly, Bunbun charged forward even quicker than he did before, and the death soldier that had barely appeared within their line of sights had been ripped to pieces by the familiar.


    Fenrir wasn''t far behind and killed a few others with a tear of his claws.


    "Keep some alive," Alec said quietly.


    The two familiars worked together to round up three death soldiers before Loeri sprayed them in the face.


    "Go group up with the rest, report that we have broken the encirclement, then take the chance to kill the rest of the death soldiers.


    The death soldiers reacted like they were receiving orders from their superior, saluting before heading off.


    Klyse grew inwardly alarmed. He had been right not to make an enemy out of Alec.


    His familiar actually had mind control powers¡­

 Chapter 461 - Brainwashing

    Now that the encirclement was growing smaller even after they''d broken out, the group of them split into twos, with the only group of three being Alec, Qingxuan and Le Xuan.


    They were technically a group of four since they had Klyse with them.


    The three of them made their way to what Qingxuan spotted as the person giving the orders.


    This entire time, Klyse kept silent as he took in the changes that his disciple had gone through, assessing him on his growth.


    The leader was dressed like the rest of the death soldiers, and the only difference was that their expression wasn''t as dead as the real soldiers'' eyes. But his acting was on point, and he obviously had a lot of experience acting like the rest of the group.


    However, Qingxuan picked him out without a problem.


    Qingxuan''s eyes glinted, and he snuck up behind the man, slitting his throat quietly while he was unaware. This man was the one who had been in charge of his ''orders'' previously, ordering him to kill himself after the deed was done.


    Of course, his brainwashing had been so thorough that the sect had no illusions he would be able to keep his thought process, but Qingxuan had been more resilient than they could ever imagine.


    Not only that, the thought about his master''s death had infuriated him so deeply that he was unable to rid himself of his emotions fully.


    This in turn allowed him to keep most of his logical reasoning¡­ now that he had a chance, why would he not take revenge?


    More importantly, it seemed important to his master that they were trusted by the group, so of course Qingxuan would take the chance to demonstrate that he was no longer loyal to the Evans Sect.


    The deaths soldiers didn''t even care about their supposed leader''s death at all, continuing to close in on the encirclement. They already had their orders, and they were just mindlessly following it.


    They had no individuality, and no other thoughts about anything else.


    Without a leader, they were effectively crippled.


    There was more than one leader, and Alec could hear the sounds of fighting in another part of the forest. A gurgle came from the other leader, and they were dead.


    Alec raised a brow and whistled, but they didn''t look back at all. He nodded. This was indeed the problem with death soldiers. They had already been long since devoid of their ability to think, having been brainwashed to only follow orders.


    This was the main reason why none of the death soldiers ever made it back, yet people still insisted on cultivating death soldiers to use as disposable tools.


    Alec''s lips curled.


    There was the sound of bloodshed and metal clanging in the forest, but there weren''t any shouts or yells at all.


    No doubt that the slaughter had already begun.


    They dragged the bodies to the centre, where they piled the bodies together and burned them after making sure that there was nothing else on them.


    The death soldiers only had simple weapons and plain clothing, nothing that could allow themselves to be traced back to where they came from.


    The death soldiers'' minds could not be recovered since they were already broken beyond repair, but they still deserved a proper send off.


    The choking scent of burning human flesh filled their nose, and Alec felt as if he was choking on ash.


    Deep down, he felt the anger inside him ignite strongly ¨C something that had not happened for a while. The last time he felt this deeply apoplectic was when he saw the injustice that was happening due to the company''s seals.


    Now, it felt like d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Except it was literal brainwashing and breaking them beyond repair.


    While his ''mind controlled'' people were technically under him, they had just switched loyalties.


    Even Loeri could not bring their minds back.


    Alec felt stifled. He didn''t kill the three death soldiers that had survived the confrontation with the rest of the death soldiers. Instead, he sent them to town with daily missions. He ordered them to interact with at least three people a day, and to make their own decisions.


    It might not help, but it was better than not trying at all.


    The group was sombre in the face of the death of so many death soldiers.


    They had all seen how the death soldiers looked.


    Even in the face of death, there was no flicker of emotion, not last desperate attempt at survival. Most of them had gone down without a fight, and they didn''t retaliate at all.


    It felt sickening, like mowing down grass.


    They were no better than puppets following orders blindly.


    Le Xuan leaned to the side and vomited, heaving. She felt terrible having done that to a bunch of people who had their minds forcefully broken. She felt as if she had killed an innocent, though most of them probably weren''t.


    Brian broke away from the rest of the group and comforted her awkwardly, handing her a bottle of water.


    "Thanks," Le Xuan said, her voice hoarse. She was different from how she normally portrayed herself, but Brian felt as if the girl that was Katherine''s best friend appeared much more delicate like this.


    Her eyes were red-rimmed, but behind the show of vulnerability, there was a strong core of determination that spoke about how she was going to kill whoever had made these death soldiers.


    Brian nodded at her, then returned to watch the cremation with the rest of the group to give their proper respects.


    Death soldiers were never a glorious thing, and even if people had them, they never boasted about them.


    How much brutality and inhumanity had gone into creating a single death soldier, let alone so many of them like they saw before them now?


    No, the cancer that was the Evans Sect had to go.


    Klyse knew what Le Xuan was thinking. "My disciple and I are no longer part of the Evans Sect. Do as you wish. Should you want it, we would be willing to fight as well."


    "Really?" Le Xuan asked, surprised. "Isn''t your last name Evans as well?"


    "It is. But I have already died once. Any sense of responsibility has also been passed along with my body."


    Le Xuan hummed, straightening herself as she returned to the rest of her team.


    "How about Qingxuan?"


    "I have no loyalty to a bunch of ungrateful dogs that have betrayed my master."


    Le Xuan raised an eyebrow. "But surely not all of them have betrayed Klyse? Are you just going to let all the innocents perish as well?"


    Qingxuan looked at her quietly. "To prevent similar occurrences from happening in the future, you must eliminate it from the roots."


    Le Xuan fell silent. She knew intellectually that what he was saying was the truth, but she couldn''t accept it without any struggle on her part. The Evans Sect was a giant sect, and their reach and connections spread out far and wide.


    To truly eliminate it from the roots was too hard.


    Even if the core part of the sect was rotten, but other parts were still pure.


    She closed her eyes, then opened them again, and they were filled with determination. "Then, I will do it. No matter what people call me in the future, this is my responsibility."


    For the first time, Klyse felt a stirring of admiration for this young girl in front of him that had become his master by chance. She was strong-willed and was willing to take actions that could be seen as ''evil'' in the eyes of others in order to prove her ideals.


    Not everyone could do that.


    Whether she could accomplish it, on the other hand¡­


    They would have to wait and see.

 Chapter 462 - Cookie Sect

    Alec split apart the group of them. They were growing a bit too large for them to be efficient moving around together, so he split apart Katherine, Jae, and Brian to form a team while Le Xuan, Qingxuan and Ye Sha formed a group with Klyse.


    Katherine''s group was going to be spreading false rumours about what happened in the forest here with the death soldiers, before moving on to see the general situation while Alec and his group were going to try and get as much information as possible.


    Unfortunately, this realm did not contain the Cookie Sect. Otherwise, he would be able to obtain much more comprehensive information.


    Alec wanted to find another information group or guild that dealt with information in this realm. First, they had to be trustworthy and not leak information back that he was looking at the Evans Sect.


    However, it would probably be hard. The Evans'' Sect reputation and widespread reach was something that would be hard to defend against.


    But just by being around Klyse, who was ''resurrected'', they already put a target on their back. In this case, they should do some damage control or strike back first.


    Alec nodded at Katherine goodbye, ignoring her reluctant look.


    Jae and Brian were out of his hands, and they only seemed to want to listen to Katherine''s commands. If he took either of them, no doubt that they would end up pining without being able to contribute anything.


    Also, well¡­ Alec wasn''t completely heartless. Katherine may or may not experience something else other than training if she hung out with the two of them more. How far it went, however, was up to them completely.


    Honestly, the best thing would be for them to just ditch the two ''lovebirds'', but Katherine was softer than she looked, and she said that she would take them despite the obvious reluctance on her part, which told Alec that she at least had some bare minimum of feelings for the two.


    Alec''s group made their way to the nearby city, eliminating any trails that they had left throughout their forest escape.


    Then, they gathered some supplies and moved onwards to another town.


    In the next town, suddenly, someone caught Alec''s eye in the crowd. His eyes widened minutely as he thought he caught sight of a familiar face.


    The person had already passed him, but that person had slipped something into his hand as he brushed by.


    He thought back about that person''s face, trying to remember where he met that person before recalling.


    His eyes flashed, and he didn''t give anything away. Who knew if anyone was watching them right now?


    He slipped his hand into his pocket before trailing behind the rest of his group.


    Surprisingly, Le Xuan was doing rather well. She was calmer than he expected, and there was a light of determination that filled her eyes that weren''t there before. It was likely that she had some sort of enlightenment yesterday when they were paying their respects to the death soldiers.


    Previously, she had mostly been coasting along life without having any goals other than finding a boyfriend, but now, it seemed that there was something to push her forward.


    Alec looked at Klyse, who was still sitting on her shoulder, and he felt that Katherine had made the right call previously.


    Klyse Evans wasn''t a good person, but neither was he a bad person. People weren''t so black and white, falling into shades of grey.


    Klyse was the kind of person that fit perfectly in the middle, aligned with both sides.


    If it suited him, he could commit all kinds of atrocities, but on the other hand, when he was kind, he truly went all the way.


    They had only interacted for a short while, but Alec could already tell what kind of person he was. He gave away a lot in his unguarded moments.


    The group got two rooms in an inn near the middle of the city, and they split up to obtain various things while they were in town.


    While he was alone, Alec opened the note that had been passed to him and raised a brow.


    There were only the meeting location and the time. He checked the time, and he realized that they were supposed to meet in half an hour.


    Thinking about it, he went there early to scope the place out first.


    The place was another inn in the city that was converted into a pub at night.


    It wasn''t anything high-class, but it wasn''t doing too badly either. During the day, there were a lot of people ordering food and eating lunch.


    It appeared like the stereotypical building in the city and didn''t appear out of place at all. The people coming and going all seemed like foreigners who were visiting this place. Other than that, there were those who seemed like they had come to the inn just to grab a bite to eat.


    Alec entered, and he immediately found the person he found so familiar. But he didn''t make his way there immediately. Instead, he looked at how he the person that he was here to meet observed the people around him, as well as the calm and smooth way that he carried himself.


    It was a far cry from the sorry state he had been in previously.


    Now, Mason Woods seemed far more settled.


    But why was he in this realm?


    And how had he managed to find Alec so quickly?


    Alec took note of the various escape routes before he made his way over to Mason.


    The other man looked largely the same, but there was a bit of makeup on his face that made him appear more forgettable to the crowd, which was different from Alec''s eye-catching looks.


    Alec sat down on the bench, Mason across him.


    Mason smiled faintly. "Alec," he said, studying the man.


    Alec likewise studied him back. "You''re looking well."


    Mason''s smile widened. "Indeed. But I''m not just looking around. I''m here on business."


    "What business?"


    "Well," Mason drawled, his smile widening, "I seem to have joined a sect."


    Alec raised a brow.


    "It''s called the Cookie Sect. I''m sure you''ve heard of it."


    Alec was surprised. Mason had joined the Cookie Sect?


    The news came as a surprise to him, but he wasn''t overly surprised. After all, it wasn''t like he was in charge of matters over in the sect. All he had was just a co-founder in name. He enjoyed the benefits but didn''t contribute anything other than manpower and money.


    Alec''s lips ticked up briefly before smoothening out into his normal smile.


    "Are you planning on opening another Cookie Sect here in this realm?"


    "Planning?" Mason raised a brow. "No, we aren''t planning. It''s already started. And we''ve already spread quite far."


    "How far?"


    Mason smiled faintly, not answering. But the look in his eyes said everything.


    Despite himself, Alec really had to admire Hong Jun''s capabilities in choosing the people who joined the Cookie Sect. Even though it had already grown so big and so fast, the people still remained loyal to a cause.


    Information gathering.


    Just managing his Spectres alone already gave him a headache ¨C perhaps because they were mostly Sins.


    Getting them to work together was no easy feat.


    "So, what information are you looking for?" Mason asked, and he finished off the pint of beer in front of him before standing up.


    Alec did the same.


    The two of them walked out of the place before heading nearby.


    "We shouldn''t speak outside."


    They stopped in front of a very familiar looking store. The storefront was the same as the others back in his realm. Alec''s lips twitched.


    Mason pushed the door open, and the door chimed.


    He spread his arms out. "Welcome to the Cookie Sect."

 Chapter 463 - The End

    The Cookie Sect appeared as an exact replica. Even the furnishing was the same. Alec was mildly surprised, even as he was impressed.


    The people that Hong Jun found to take care of the expansion did their work well indeed.


    However, he wasn''t here to check out how the Cookie Sect was doing. He was here to find out if they had any information about the Evans Sect.


    The two of them sat near the back and activated the silencing seal in the middle.


    "What''s the information you''re looking for that can''t be said in public?"


    "The Evans Sect."


    Mason nodded. That wasn''t anything hard. There was a lot of information about the Evans Sect that was available to the public.


    "I want information about how the current sect master took over the Evans Sect from the previous sect master, as well as everything relevant that she''s done ever since. Also, what sort of people she''s ''disposed'' of."


    Mason''s eyes widened minutely. He stared at Alec??s face, but despite the gentle smile on the man''s face, he could tell that he meant every word. It surprised him. His image of Alec in his mind was someone who hated injustice¡­ but it seemed like this person''s guts were bigger than he thought.


    He was impressed.


    "Are you sure?" Mason said seriously. Alec hadn''t even blinked before he asked.


    Alec nodded.


    Mason frowned as he unconsciously tapped on the table. "Okay. But I need some time. Our sources aren''t as deep as it is back in the other realm."


    "How long?"


    "About three days."


    Alec was mildly surprised. "So fast?"


    Mason snorted. "There''s many means of obtaining information. Rest assured, we will complete the task before the time is up."


    Alec nodded, standing up. "Then, I will see you three days later. I presume you know where to find me."


    Mason smiled faintly, leaning back in his seat, his eyes flashing. "Of course. I''ll send you a message."


    The two nodded at each other, then Alec left the shop, leaving behind the sound of a door chiming.


    Mason looked deeply at Alec''s back, then moved his attention away. He strode into the manager''s section before starting to give out orders.


    This was going to push them pretty hard, but this was also a good opportunity to test the newest admittances into the Cookie Sect. It would decide whether or not the Cookie Sect would keep them later on.


    Mason smiled faintly, and his subordinate felt a chill go up and down his spine. Mason only ever did something like that when he was going to do something crazy.


    And they were all going to suffer.


    The poor subordinate could already feel his hands cramping. Thinking about the information that he had to write down the last time Mason smile like this¡­


    He shivered.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Jess Evans smiled gently at this disciples that were staring up at her were with reverence and awe. The feeling of it gave her a strong rush, and she felt satisfied despite the anger that she felt inside.


    The anger was slowly abating the more worshipful gazes she received. It allowed her to forget about the sting of betrayal.


    "Go back and practice well," Jess said gently, smiling at them.


    Though her eyes were cold, somehow none of the disciples seemed to feel that anything was off about her at all.


    Her acting skills had long since reached perfection, and she was charismatic enough that she could draw in disciples from all walks of life. They were all her willing slaves, and for that, she was very happy.


    Still, the happy glow faded a bit when they all left, and she felt a strange emptiness inside her.


    She wondered why.


    Jess'' brows furrowed a little before they smoothened out again. What did she have to be unhappy about? She was already at the peak of her life and her career. Cultivation wise, she was already near the top, and she had the admiration of the disciples as well as the elders.


    Honestly, she had nothing to complain about.


    So, why did she get betrayed?


    Just for a Klyse Evans?


    Charuru had been by her side for so long, yet her loyalty had never been with Jess the entire time?


    She couldn''t accept it!


    She really couldn''t accept it. There had to be something that she was missing. The other woman''s loyalty¡­ she didn''t believe that she hadn''t at least obtained some of it from her.


    Suddenly, the happiness that filled her before was gone, leaving her with only gloom.


    The sect master''s face was a carefully painted smile, and she nodded in greeting to the people that she met along the way.


    "Sect master, can you give me some pointers?" A mature-looking woman hesitated a long time before she blurted out these words, her face bowed slightly. It seemed like she regretted asking the sect master immediately after saying those words.


    Jess smiled gently, but with regret clear in her eyes. "Ah, Miss Riis, right? Unfortunately, I have something to do today¡­ I''ll make it up to you next time."


    Luna Riis flushed in embarrassment. She ducked her head, murmuring, "Thank you. I''m sorry to trouble you!" As she spoke, she ran off shyly. The way she acted so shy didn''t fit in with her mature and busty look at all, but somehow it didn''t seem out of place for her to act like that.


    Jess'' words didn''t allow people to feel bad about their question, and she was gentle enough that they all admired her instead.


    It was clear that Jess'' people skills were well-managed and thought out. She didn''t incur hatred for whatever reason and left herself a way out each time.


    She walked slowly, but with purpose, for once not setting aside time to talk to the disciples as she made her way to the secret dungeon where all the traitors were kept.


    As she walked down the stone stairs, her high heels clicked as usual down the spiralling stairs.


    There were a few jeers that echoed inside the dungeon, but they weren''t any sounds that leaked out to above.


    This place was just an abandoned weapon storage in the eyes of the others.


    Jess quickly made her way in front of Charuru, not taking the time to play with any of the other prisoners.


    Her eyes were filled with Charuru''s form, and her eyes flashed.


    There was a part of her that was uncomfortable seeing Charuru like this, and so dispirited, but a larger part of her burned with indignation and hurt pride. She couldn''t fathom why.


    She just could not understand her decision at all.


    Jess had always treated Charuru well, but the loyalty in the other person''s heart remained steadfast without wavering.


    Why?


    Why?!


    Without saying a single word, she picked up a blade and cut at her ex-best friend.


    Charuru groaned, then woke up blearily. She just blinked seeing Jess'' familiar face, before closing her eyes again.


    This made Jess bite her lips, and her eyes narrowed.


    She cut.


    She cut, slice by slice, as if she were possessed.


    She cut endlessly without stopping, and the blood flowed like a river without any signs of stopping.


    "Why?" Jess murmured, not even noticing that she was saying anything.


    "Why¡­ why¡­ why¡­"


    Jess'' murmurs continued to echo in the cell, and her eyes were wide and crazed. She had long since lost any form of reasoning as she continued to cut into Charuru''s blood and flesh.


    She didn''t even notice that Charuru''s wounds had stopped healing after the magic that was stored in her body was all used up.


    Charuru had already woken up a long time ago, and she continued to stare at Jess'' crazed expression.


    There was a hint of softness and a bit of heartache in her eyes that was not seen by Jess at all.


    Slowly, the blood that was in her body seemed to dry up, and Charuru was dizzy, but she continued to hold her eyes wide open, not wanting to¡­ close her eyes and sleep forever.


    Charuru smiled faintly just before all her consciousness slipped away, her eyes losing all signs of life. Despite that, she didn''t feel much heartache as she left the world quietly. She only regretted that she would never be able to see the end to their story.

 Chapter 464 - Lost

    Jess breathed harshly, her pants echoing within the silent walls.


    Her hands started to shake.


    Suddenly, all the blood drained from herself as she came back into self-awareness.


    She found herself staring into blank black eyes.


    They were devoid of any life.


    She felt like she was being choked by an invisible hand. For a moment, she even thought that perhaps it was Charuru''s ghost that had come back to take retribution on her for the unjust death that she had suffered.


    Shaken, Jess stepped back, her knife clattering on the stone floor.


    The world turned, and she found herself down on the ground, having slipped on the blood that flowed out from Charuru''s numerous wounds.


    Jess'' heartbeat sounded so much louder in her ears, and the silence rang loudly in place. She felt like her entire world had focused down on the sight of Charuru''s lifeless body.


    Never before had the silence felt so mocking towards her. Even when she had killed the other prisoners here before, there was always the sounds of jeers or sneers and cursed shouts towards her.


    This time, however, the silence was all around. Even their breathing was hushed, as if they knew what kind of sin she had committed.


    The silence¡­ it was incomparably harsh.


    She couldn''t breathe.


    She pulled at her clothes, but even when her shirt collar was unbuttoned, the oxygen didn''t seem to want to enter her lungs.


    Jess never thought about the what would happen to her if Charuru ever left her side permanently ¨C she hadn''t meant to go that far.


    The only thing that she had been planning to do was to vent her anger, yet in a fit of madness she had accidentally killed the person who had been by her side the longest.


    The ache that overtook her forced what remaining breath in her lungs out.


    Her eyes shook, and she felt like each breath she breathed in like a dagger to the lungs. It felt like she was filled with icy cold water.


    Jess suddenly laughed ¨C her laughter started small, then grew louder and louder, until the only thing that filled her ears was the harsh sound of her maniacal laughter.


    She clutched at her face, her eyes wide and crazed.


    It was a good thing that no one could see her now, because they would have all their views of her shattered.


    The only thing heard in the dungeons was the sound of Jess laughing to herself madly.


    The prisoners could all hear her maniacal laughter, and they wondered if Jess Evans had finally lost her mind.


    It seemed that she had accidentally killed the person whom she had been paying so much attention to.


    However, none of them had any sympathy for the crazy woman. She was just simply¡­ too evil. Most of them who were locked down here was because they couldn''t accept the way that she had started to run the sect.


    When they tried to do something about her, they were all slapped with the label of ''traitors'' of the sect, landing them down here.


    In the cell opposite Charuru, Jonath Evans looked coldly at the scene. While his heart chilled a little, he was filled with incomparable coldness.


    The gentle Jess Evans had always been a fa?ade, and they were deceived by her gentle face.


    Jonath Evans was Charuru''s cousin, but they had grown up like siblings. When Charuru told him about her plan, he had also been willing to go along with her.


    Klyse Evans had been his benefactor as well, and the thought that he could have been wronged by Jess Evans and her ilk made him sick to the bone.


    How could they turn on each other just because of a position of power?


    Klyse had already been willing to step aside for the sect master position ¨C in fact, he had been travelling around the world precisely because he did not want to encounter such a thing.


    He had always thought that it was fishy that Jess Evans had been the one who stepped up to become the sect master in the end, but he never thought that the things that happened went so deep that he couldn''t even see it.


    Actually, even if he ignored everything, he really couldn''t believe that Jess went as far as to kill Charuru, even in a fit of anger. He didn''t believe that she was really blind to everything that happened while she was ''angry''.


    Did she really not see that expression in Charuru''s eyes before she died?


    Jonath closed his eyes briefly, feeling the pain. His heart ached for his poor sister.


    Truly, she had loved in vain. She wasn''t willing to see Jess go down this route anymore after she found out the whole truth, which was why she had made a move. She didn''t want Jess Evans dead, but she did want her out of the position of power.


    ''Absolute power corrupts'' was not a saying without reason.


    Jess had been relatively kinder before she had ascended into her current role. Now, she was stone-cold and unwilling to have anyone acting outside of her interests.


    She couldn''t tolerate a single grain of sand in her eye.


    But Charuru had been in love with the woman despite that. Not for the first time, Jonath wondered really love was truly that blind.


    Perhaps, Charuru had long since seen the signs, but she had convinced herself that she was seeing things, being lied to over and over again.


    Once the illusion shattered, Charuru could no longer bear it.


    Now, even after Charuru had her life given away, Jess was still behaving like a lunatic. He wondered if she even regretted it.


    Then, ridding himself of any extra thoughts, he closed his eyes, acting like how Charuru had before. A single tear slipped down; his sister''s face burned into his mind for all eternity.


    Jess did not deserve Charuru''s love. She probably did not even know why Jess had been so disappointed in her, and she was blind to the fact that she had been loved so deeply that it was practically a physical pain.


    How much anguish had Charuru gone through the day she decided to go through with her plans?


    Seeing how Charuru hadn''t even said a single word in defence after being hit so harshly by Jess, he knew that she was, in a strange warped way, trying to atone for her sin.


    Jonath breathed harshly, gritting his teeth.


    The maniacal sounds of laughter echoed loudly in his brain, like they were bouncing off and around his skull. The shrillness and madness of her laughter seemed to suit her more than her gentle fa?ade of innocence.


    All of a sudden, the laughter stopped just as abruptly as it started.


    At this time, Jess forced herself to stand up even though her limbs all felt weak. She didn''t blink as she looked at Charuru''s blank eyes and the faint smile that was left on her lips, as if she were satisfied before her death.


    She didn''t understand.


    Her heart clenched tight in her chest, she turned around and her eyes slipped close of their own volition.


    Then, she opened them again and strode out.


    She couldn''t bring herself to look back.

 Chapter 465 - Junior Disciple Sister

    Luna Riis rubbed her tired eyes. She had developed eyebags by now, and she was sorely lacking sleep.


    She had not slept for three days already, and she was dead on her feet.


    She tied the note to a pigeon before rubbing her tired eyes again. She was so dazed that she was practically floating on the ground.


    Throwing the pigeon up, it left with quick beats of its wings.


    As she stumbled back to her residence, she seemingly didn''t notice as someone noted her movements, reporting it.


    Since she had suddenly sent a pigeon out, she was a little suspicious. After all, most people didn''t send a pigeon out in the middle of the night looking like they were half dead.


    The black pigeon flew for quite a distance before it was suddenly shot down with a tranquilizer.


    A person masked in black took the pigeon and flitted back to the sect''s camp before entering through a secret door.


    The hidden guard dropped to one knee before his master, presenting the flapping pigeon that still had a letter tied to its leg.


    Lac looked at the hidden guard who had intercepted one of the suspicious target''s messenger. This disciple had never made any suspicious movements, but her background was something that they couldn''t find out.


    They had still allowed her to enter the sect with the mindset of ''keeping your friends close and your enemies closer''.


    Now, this person had finally made a move.


    Lac took the tied-up note from the guard''s hand after he made sure that it was free from poisons as well as other substances, opening it.


    His eyes scanned over the letter before he concluded that it was just a letter that had been written to some sort of secret lover.


    The paper was full of mushy writings as well as pledged love, which made Lac''s lips curl slightly.


    He threw the letter back to the hidden guard, who swiftly tied the letter back onto the pigeon''s leg.


    The hidden guard grabbed the still slumbering pigeon before disappearing from Lac''s sight.


    Lac tapped the table, thinking.


    However, his suspicion of Luna Riis had decreased a lot.


    This disciple of his could be nurtured a little more.


    Thinking up to this point, Lac was a bit more settled. It seemed that his suspicion of Luna Riis was wrong. Since she was his disciple, then he would have to make it up to her regardless of whether she knew it or not.


    Back in her residence, Luna Riis, who had hit the pillow, covered herself with a quilt, and her lips curled into a strange smile before smoothening out again.


    She had already sent the real letter a long time ago, and it wasn''t through something as flimsy as using a messenger.


    Now that her work was done, she could finally rest.


    She closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep, not realizing that the hidden guard had suddenly appeared inside her residence.


    The hidden guard looked her over but didn''t find anything wrong. However, unlike Lac, who had put his suspicions aside, the hidden guard felt like there was something wrong¡­


    But he couldn''t put his finger on it.


    He had read the letter that Luna Riis had written after it had been thrown aside by his master, but¡­


    Did this junior disciple sister of his really have a lover outside? He just couldn''t imagine it at all. It didn''t seem quite in match with her personality. Was he thinking too much about it?


    Regardless, he still felt that something was wrong.


    Frowning, he looked at this junior disciple sister of his and fell deep into thought.


    Unlike before, when he was in his masked uniform, he had changed into the sect clothing as he spied on his junior disciple sister. But she made no strange movements nor did she seem to realize that he was here at all.


    Surely a spy would not be this careless if someone had intruded into their room?


    Judging by this junior disciple sister''s breathing, it seemed like she was truly asleep.


    He hesitated a little before going closer to his junior disciple sister. His master had told him to leave her alone, but there was a niggling suspicion that he could not put down no matter what.


    Even if her letter seemed innocent enough, he still thought¡­ she was a spy. He trusted his instincts.


    With cold eyes, he eventually slipped back out again before anyone caught sight of him.


    After he left, Luna Riis opened her eyes and narrowed them thoughtfully.


    It seemed that her little act had not convinced this senior disciple brother of hers just yet.


    Then, she closed her eyes and slipped back into sleep.


    Three days awake was truly a little too much for her to handle, especially when she had to go around and gather information and write it down.


    However, she had done it.


    Now, she could rest for a bit while she dispelled the suspicion that her senior disciple brother had about her.


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Mason held the information that had been passed to him from their informants in the Evans Sect and raised his eyebrows.


    Truly, there was a lot more information than he expected.


    When he looked through it, his expression grew serious.


    Things were a lot worse than it seemed on the outside, and the informants had done a good job this time.


    He would have to reward them heavily, as well as directly promote them to disciple status in their sect.


    It was both comprehensive and detailed and gave everything that one needed to inquire about without leaving a blank.


    Mason gave the order to one of the Cookie Sect disciples. "Go and find our co-sect leader," he said.


    "Yes sir," the disciple said, hurriedly gathering the information.


    Alec Neil was staying with his team in a decent inn near the city centre.


    The disciple made his way quickly to the inn and didn''t go and find Alec. Instead, he passed a message to Alec''s familiar and left before the co-sect leader came out.


    Within half a minute, Alec emerged from the room that he was in and made his way to the Cookie Sect caf¨¦.


    The bell chimed, signalling his arrival.


    Upon seeing Alec''s face, the Cookie Sect disciple led him into another room that was specified for private meetings.


    Inside, Mason was already seated with a pile of cookies and tea inside the room.


    The moment the door was closed, the silencing array was placed up, and no one else could hear them from outside.


    Mason passed over an earpiece, which Alec then put on calmly.


    The information that was revealed to him didn''t make him frown, so much as feel disgust.


    He didn''t understand why they would behave in this manner.


    Well, in the end, Klyse had been avoiding the sect master''s position but had been unwillingly pitted by his cousin, whom he had trusted.


    That cousin was now wreaking havoc from inside the sect while putting up a good front. There had been people who tried to go against her, but most of them were either captured or dead now.


    Alec listened to the voice telling him about the list of the deceased. The newest one who had died in the line of fire was Charuru, Jess'' right-hand who had betrayed her.


    Alec''s smile was maintained, but his eyes were a little cooler.


    Hm?


    He caught sight of something else and fell deep into thought.


    More than an hour passed before Alec finally stood up, done absorbing the information.


    He placed the earpiece down on the table. "Thank you," Alec said politely.


    Mason stood up and smiled at Alec happily. "No need for thanks. You''re our co-sect leader, after all. You''re the highest on the totem pole."


    Alec''s lips twitched. "I''ll see you around."


    Mason ducked his head a little. "Hopefully not too soon," he whispered as Alec left.

 Chapter 466 - Drunkards

    Gareth leaned on the doorframe, looking at his friend being so hardworking even early in the morning.


    When would this ghost ever rest? It seemed like the only things he ever saw Regis do was work, train, eat and sleep.


    Besides that, it was taking care of his sister whom he had a bit of a complex over.


    Gareth tutted with a tinge of glee in his tone. "Tsk, tsk."


    Regis ignored him.


    Gareth tutted more loudly, shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk. It''s already become like this, yet you''re still so carefree. What a bad brother you are."


    This caught Regis'' attention. "Say what you want to say. Don''t dally around like this."


    Gareth rolled his eyes in both fondness and exasperation. He wondered how he ended up with this stiff person as his best friend. He must have been blind back then, but he couldn''t take it back now.


    "Your sister has already been sandwiched by the two lovebirds in a pub, but you''re still here without a care."


    "What?" Regis finally looked up from his paperwork. He stood up abruptly, his face going completely cold. "Say it clearly!"


    Gareth snickered. He could never keep his cool whenever it came to his sister. But he didn''t play around seeing as Regis was truly growing angry. "They somehow managed to stumble across Katherine while they were randomly making their way through the woods."


    Regis'' face darkened even further.


    Don''t tell him that the two had truly found Katherine relying purely on luck?! Impossible!


    The world was so wide, and with Katherine following that cousin of theirs that had popped out of nowhere around, it meant that they weren''t likely to stay in the same place for long, which was why he had taken the chance to get rid of the two with a flimsy and implausible excuse that they would have seen through had they been thinking about it harder.


    But the two were lovesick, and it had apparently burned all their braincells out because they believed that if they were truly fated, then they could find Katherine without relying on external forces at all.


    Regis immediately ditched all his work. "Go!"


    Gareth couldn''t stop laughing along the way. "Go where? You don''t even know where they are right now."


    Regis didn''t stop his footsteps at all. He looked at Gareth from the corner of his eye, expressing his displeasure. "Don''t I have you?"


    Gareth was speechless. Okay, he lost. He really did know where the three of them were right now.


    The two of them got onto an avian creature, and Gareth controlled it, steering the way.


    Suddenly, Gareth was struck with a though. Why did he just go along with the other person''s wishes? He had wanted to take the chance to tease him more, achieving satisfaction and gratification for all the bullying he had faced under Regis'' hands in the past, but he had actually listened like that without a brain.


    He regretted it. What a loss!


    Behind him, Regis was deep in thought.


    How in the world had Jae and Brian managed to find Katherine even though they didn''t have any external help? Could it be that they were really fated?


    But Regis had never believed in fate, so how could he believe it that easily?


    There must have been something else. Perhaps someone had been guiding them to the destination? Or did they have a Magitype that helped them out in this aspect? He was quite sure, seeing the way they trained, that they didn''t, but he could never be one hundred percent certain.


    In two hours, the creature descended outside a city, and the pair quickly entered.


    The city wasn''t a large one. It could barely be considered one, a single step up from a town, but it wasn''t that poor either.


    It looked decent enough to live in.


    "Where are they?"


    Gareth shrugged. "At the pub, most likely."


    "At¡­ the pub¡­ Katherine¡­ in a pub¡­"


    Gareth felt a chill from the cold air coming from this person beside him. He inwardly sweated for Jae and Brian. He hoped they knew what they were doing. Having to face this sis-con was truly¡­ not for the weak-hearted.


    Even chasing after Katherine needed Regis'' approval, let alone dating.


    However, Gareth secretly smiled.


    Regis had actually dug a pit for himself previously. He had told the two of them that if they managed to find Katherine without resorting to any external means, then he would approve of them chasing after her.


    It wasn''t to the point of dating yet, but that meant that Regis couldn''t interfere with them chasing after his baby sister.


    It looked like Regis had not yet remembered about the words that he said previously to get rid of the two who had become obsessed with his hellish training routine.


    Since he couldn''t get rid of them, he had sent them on a wild goose chase, but they had actually managed to procure results!


    Gareth didn''t know how they managed to do it, but he was thankful for the entertainment. And the fact that this idiot???s baby sister wouldn''t die alone because of his overprotectiveness in the future.


    In the end, they found the three people inside a bar, chatting and drinking.


    Jae and Brian were loud and rowdy while Katherine was drinking with a smirk on her face.


    The sight of her smirk made Regis feel complicated. It had been a long time since he''d seen that supposedly arrogant-looking smirk look so soft.


    Regis didn''t say anything. He just sat at the next table, maintaining his usual smile despite the chill in his eyes.


    Gareth rolled his eyes. He went up to order some drinks before plonking it down on the table in front of Regis. "Why don''t you drink a bit? Loosen up. It''s not like you''re going to be able to control her forever. Let the girl have a life."


    Regis smiled brightly but Gareth only felt a chill. He didn''t make a move to take the drink in front of him.


    Gareth sighed, tipping his mug back. "Even your sister is drinking¡­"


    Regis had a reaction this time. He distastefully picked up the mug on the table and slammed it back, drinking it in one shot.


    Gareth''s eyebrows shot up, then he whistled. He had never seen the other seemingly gentle man drink at all, but he started off so strong.


    He was impressed despite himself.


    At this time, Katherine had suddenly caught sight of Regis and Gareth, and her eyes widened in surprise before fading. They were still playing a role right now, and there were obviously people eavesdropping on them, so she couldn''t break character.


    Gareth looked at Katherine and wriggled his eyebrows before turning his attention back to Regis.


    But what he saw made his jaw drop.


    Regis'' face had become flushed red, and he was obviously drunk. But he looked and acted very sober. He kept drinking, and even finished off Gareth''s beer when he obviously had mysophobia.


    Gareth didn''t know whether to laugh or cry.


    It turned out that the reason why he had never seen him drinking was because he was a complete lightweight.


    No wonder!


    At this time, the trio next to them stood up wobbly and made their way out of the pub.


    Gareth also pulled Regis with him, following after the trio who were acting like drunkards.


    Three people acting like drunkards, but the really drunk one was the one who looked sober in Gareth''s hands.

 Chapter 467 - Give Them A Chance

    Katherine shooed Brian and Jae off into their respective rooms before looking at her wasted brother that Gareth had plonked on her bed.


    She felt a complicated mix of emotions that she didn''t know how to describe. Seeing her brother look so vulnerable, unlike his usually composed self, made her feel that he was more human. His usual perfection was nowhere to be seen.


    She had never imagined that one day he would be like this in front of her.


    Regis had always been composed and gentle to outsiders, and to her, he was strict, but she could feel his care most of the time even if it was subtle.


    This was a side of him that she had never seen before.


    She felt a little complicated when she thought that her brother had allowed Gareth to see him at his weakest, eyeing Gareth.


    His motions were entirely too natural.


    If Gareth knew what she was thinking, he would have cried out ''injustice''. This was the first time that he had seen the walls on his friend go down this much, while Katherine probably saw it even less because of the way that Regis wanted to look his best in front of his sister.


    Katherine put her superfluous thoughts to the side and cut to the chase, not wanting to waste any more time. They had barely gotten started with their sabotage techniques, but her brother and his friend had suddenly appeared. She would be lying if she said that she wasn''t upset.


    "What are you doing here?"


    She didn''t forget Jae and Brian''s words about the wild goose chase that her brother had sent them out on. They might not feel that way, but with her understanding of her brother, she knew that they had likely annoyed him beyond his threshold, and he made a move to get rid of them.


    Gareth shrugged carelessly. What could he say? That his sis-con friend had been worried about his sister being in the company of two people who liked her while they were in a pub?


    Katherine frowned. "You wouldn''t randomly come here, so it must have been my brother who dragged you here."


    Gareth raised a brow. He clapped slowly, which annoyed her.


    She continued, "What does my brother mean by coming all the way here?"


    "It wouldn''t be good for me to say it. You can ask your brother yourself."


    "Tell me," Katherine demanded. She knew that the weak link in this situation was Gareth. Her brother would never tell her. He would clam up of a shell. From the past till now, she had never managed to get another word out of her brother the moment he decided he wouldn''t speak.


    Gareth usually never said anything about her brother''s matters, but apparently, this time was different.


    "He heard that you were drinking in a pub with the two people you had rejected previously."


    Katherine was speechless.


    How? And why was he so worried that he had come all the way here after hearing that information? It didn''t make any sense!


    Gareth was about to dig a pit for his friend but at that time, Regis suddenly sat up from the bed, startling the two of them.


    "R-Regis, I wasn''t going to say anything-"


    "Brother, I wasn''t prying into your secrets-"


    Regis face was slightly pink, but his eyes looked serious and strict. This made the two of them quieten down. It was a bone-deep fear that they had to his frown. It was almost as if they had been conditioned to quieten down any time they saw it.


    "Katherine," Regis said slowly, causing Katherine to stand at attention, "you can''t hang around them."


    "Ah?" Katherine was stunned but she still answered with perfunctory words. "Yes, brother¡­"


    Regis lurched forward and grabbed Katherine''s hand, startling her.


    Behind them, Gareth had started to secretly laugh. He judged that Regis was still flat out drunk and was speaking his true thoughts for once. Then, when he sobered up the next day, he couldn''t blame Gareth for it at all.


    "You can''t¡­ let those lecherous fools trick you-" Regis said with the most serious face that he had.


    Katherine could only hold onto her drunk brother and nod her head continuously like a chicken pecking rice.


    She didn''t know whether or not he would remember it the next day, but regardless, she would still agree to whatever he said, even if it was nonsense.


    Regis let out a whole string of nonsense for about five minutes before he finally passed out again and fell back down on the bed.


    Gareth wheezed, finally seeing Regis go down again.


    Regis sat back up. "You''re not allowed to laugh at me!" Then he fell down again.


    Gareth couldn''t hold it back and broke into laughter, pounding the floor with tears in his eyes.


    He had never seen Regis so long-winded and stern, like a mother hen protecting his chick. He had said everything that he wanted without a single filter at all and blurted it out without a care about the consequences of his words.


    Even if his sis-con behaviour made Gareth roll his eyes countless times, he knew that Regis secretly wanted to connect with his sister more.


    This was the perfect chance. Gareth whistled and left the room cheerfully. Regis couldn''t say that he''d never helped him out, alright?


    Katherine was left behind in the room, dumbfounded.


    What would she do with her drunk brother?


    And what did those words mean?


    Katherine''s brows furrowed, and she moved forward to roll her passed-out brother onto the side, scared that something bad would happen if he vomited in his sleep.


    As Regis slept and even snored, breaking her elegant image of him in her heart, she was full of turmoil as she went over the words that both Regis and Gareth had said.


    People who had consumed alcohol and became drunk often spoke without inhibition, which meant that it was more likely their true feelings. However, being drunk could also cause them to do things that they usually wouldn''t do.


    Then, was this real or fake?


    From what she had gathered, it seemed like Regis had been protecting her from the dark all the while, chasing away the boys and other girls that had wanted to approach her before.


    Then, he had even tried to chase Brian and Jae away, but in the end, they found her instead of being sent on a wild goose chase.


    The little things added up, and her previous image of her brother completely shattered. This should be the truth, right?


    Her brother loved her as much as she respected and revered him, but he never knew how to show it at all.


    Instead of being stifled by his actions, she actually felt a little warm in her heart. Their parents may be gone, but the two siblings could depend on each other.


    However, she would not stand by idly when she thought about how Regis had chased off every one of her pursuers.


    Perhaps she would¡­ give Jae and Brian a chance?

 Chapter 468 - Do A Good Job

    Regis suddenly sat up from the bed, startling Katherine.


    She blinked before calming down and eating her apple.


    Unlike his usual calmness, Regis face was blank right now, and his eyes seemed to be full of question marks.


    It seemed like he did not remember anything from yesterday.


    "Katherine?" Regis had his normal smile on his face.


    But it just looked funny because his hair was sticking out in all directions.


    Katherine turned around, resisting the urge to laugh. This was the first time that she actually found her older brother quite cute, unlike his usual self. She must have lost her marbles from seeing him drunk yesterday.


    She couldn''t quite take him seriously anymore.


    "Older brother, good morning."


    "Why am I here?"


    "Last night, you came into the pub and sat at the table next to us together with Gareth."


    Regis looked blank. He indeed remembered it, but¡­ what happened after¡­?


    Suddenly, the memories all flooded back into his head, and the hand that was lifting the blanket off his body paused.


    This was¡­ not the first time he wished that he didn''t have such great memory retention. He remembered everything in such clear detail.


    But his face was still as usual as he got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes.


    "Think about what I told you last night. However, you aren''t a child anymore, so you can bear the consequences yourself."


    Then, Regis left the room with calm strides.


    Katherine''s lips continued to twitch as she looked at the closing door. For some reason, she had the feeling that he was embarrassed. Yet, instead of showing anything, she had the imagery of a cat flicking its ears and tail as it pretended that nothing happened.


    Katherine let out a short laugh.


    Someone knocked on the door and Katherine absently called for them to let themselves in.


    "Was that your brother? Did he give us his blessing?"


    Katherine looked up and snorted. "Blessing? What blessing. Need I remind you that we don''t have a relationship?"


    "Aw," Jae said as she pouted. "But¡­ you won''t oppose if I chase you this time, right? Your brother said that he wouldn''t get in the way if I managed to find you without relying on any external means."


    Speaking of which, she still didn''t believe that it was that coincidental. "Tell me, did you really not rely on any external means to find me?"


    "Of course not! Since it''s a test of fate, then I have to rely on fate, right?"


    Katherine frowned lightly. Something still wasn''t adding up¡­ but looking at Jae''s eyes that practically sparkled as she looked at her, Katherine couldn''t bring herself to say anything.


    They''d been together for a few days¡­ and the two of them had grown on her a little.


    She wouldn''t be completely opposed if something really happened between them.


    Katherine shook her head. "Let''s go, then. We should gather some supplies."


    "Yes!"


    -Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-


    Gareth snickered. "Are you really going to let them be just like this? You, the great sis-con? You weren''t even at ease when your sister went out to the forest to train her skills!"


    Regis glared at Gareth.


    Gareth interpreted his glare. ''Of course not, are you crazy? Why would I leave my sister in the hands of those bastards? Gareth, my best friend, you have to help me keep an eye on them!''


    As Gareth was thinking nonsense, Regis had already walked far away.


    "Wait for me!" he called out as he chased after his best friend.


    Honestly, did Regis really need to stalk them in person? They had agents and other people that they trusted to do something like this.


    Was it really fine for Regis to leave his post like this? There was probably a lot of work piling up.


    Well¡­ not that it was his problem, anyway.


    Gareth whistled as he followed behind Regis.


    Regis slapped a hand over Gareth''s mouth. "Quiet!"


    Gareth rolled his eyes, more than a little annoyed at his sensitivity. Did he really think that Katherine and the rest would realize that they were being trailed in a town like this where people came and went?


    Especially in the busy city centre.


    Regis suddenly pulled Gareth into an alleyway, startling him. His heart even beat faster before his face blackened. No doubt that he was overreacting.


    Gareth pulled Regis'' hand away. "Seriously? Aren''t you overreacting?"


    "No. I saw her look back."


    Gareth peeked out and noticed that Katherine was looking around, then he ducked back inside.


    "Oh, you''re right. I underestimated her. Should we just give up, then?"


    Regis glared at him, and wow ¨C he had been glaring at him a lot today. Look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, huh?


    Then, he paused. He forgot that he was probably in a horrible mood since his sister saw him making a fool of himself in front of her.


    No wonder he was in a foul mood.


    "Well, do whatever you want. But don''t you have to go back soon and do some work? I know you hate it when work piles up like that."


    Regis frowned. He did indeed hate it when work piled up like that. It made him feel like there was work left unfinished.


    Yet, he couldn''t quite trust his sister to those beasts who were after her just yet. He might have given his word that they could pursue her, but that didn''t mean that they could marry her!


    So, for the first time in his life, Regis¡­ delegated.


    He solemnly put a hand on Gareth''s shoulder, stunning Gareth so much that all he could do was gawk at him with his mouth wide open.


    "I know you''ll do a good job."


    Then, Regis left before Gareth regained his senses, chasing after Katherine''s shadow.


    Gareth was indeed stunned there for a long time as Regis'' words echoed inside his mind.


    Then, he took the hat that was on his head and threw it on the floor in anger. "Did he really just pass on all the work to me?! Why?!"


    In the first place, he wasn''t even part of the organization that Regis had made! He was just there as a secretary sometimes, and other times to keep an eye on Katherine for him.


    Did this make any sense!?


    But no matter where he looked, he couldn''t find Regis anymore, so he went back angrily.


    He sat down in the chair and angrily started sorting through the paperwork.


    He couldn''t even vent because the paperwork was filled out meticulously. It just made him angrier.


    He slashed through a few stacks before pausing.


    "Hm? What''s this? The Evans Sect''s movements? Why is this here?"

 Chapter 469 - Your Master

    Alec nodded in thanks to the messenger that had come for him, letting him know that there would be one chance to get into the Evans Sect.


    Through their recruitment process.


    It looked like the time had come around so coincidentally that it was almost absurd.


    Alec narrowed his eyes in thought.


    He then looked at Klyse, Qingxuan and Le Xuan whom he had with him.


    "On a scale of one to ten, how likely is this to be a trap?"


    Qingxuan was silent. He never cared about things like this in the past, remaining detached and aloof from the sect. He had no idea about the minds of the upper echelon.


    Klyse thought about it, then spoke. "It''s definitely either a nine or a ten. The recruitment process is always like this, and this time is likely no different. Opening the sect doors is to recruit talent far and wide to pick out the future generation. However, there will always be other sects and clans slipping their spies in. The Evans Sect is a place that is rife with both spies and those who are genuinely loyal to the sect."


    Alec nodded.


    Klyse continued, "They don''t have something that can determine whether or not someone will betray them in the future, so all the disciples who are taken in are watched by their senior disciples and their masters if they are chosen."


    This surprised Alec. Unlike the Heavenly Ascension Sect, who was talented in arrays and seals, the Evans Sect, which was a top sect, did not have such a thing? They didn''t even have a simple array that could help them weed out the spies? Or was it all intentional?


    But then he thought about it again and it made some sense. After all, if they couldn''t make it themselves, could they trust others to make it for them? If the array master who made the array had a vendetta against the sect, it would be disastrous.


    But¡­ was such a big sect really unable to nurture an array master of their own? It felt a bit strange.


    Klyse refuted him. "Do you think array masters are so easy to find? Not only do you have to have the aptitude for it, you have to have the diligence and talent for it to advance. Most people are stuck in the early stages no matter how hard they practice."


    Alec still felt that it was inconceivable. There had to be something wrong. Even if it was forcefully without innovation, raising an array master through the sect''s resources wasn''t anything hard.


    "Are array masters that hard to meet? With your sect that''s at the top of the list, you should at least be able to nurture out one or two by force."


    Klyse shook his head, but it just looked like his body was jiggling. "There have indeed been a few, but they always die mysteriously whenever they need to go out on missions. Not to mention, they are never able to acc.u.mulate and grow to the stage needed-"


    Alec looked at Klyse meaningfully, and Klyse felt as if he had been struck by lightning.


    The truth had always evaded him for years. Perhaps, it was his subconscious thinking that prevented him from acknowledging the truth.


    He had indeed investigated the deaths of the sect members before, but he had always concluded that it was due to an array master''s weak cultivation skills. The other members of the team had not been able to protect them before they died.


    However, now that he was thinking about it more deeply, he felt very cold inside.


    It was the reason why he had always stressed that the people who were talented in arrays needed to take at least two hours a day to practice their combat skills.


    Yet, they had continued to die.


    There was no doubt about it now. There was enemy action.


    Klyse thought back about every situation, and his face changed a few colours.


    Finally, he spat out a word. "F.u.c.k."


    The rest of them fell silent as they considered the implications.


    "How long has it been since the sect has not had an array master?" Alec asked.


    "Qingxuan, does the sect still not have an array master?"


    Qingxuan shook his head. "Master, I have not heard any news about it. Had we managed to procure one, it would have been wildly celebrated in the sect."


    Klyse was silent. "The last time we had an array master was when I first broke through to the Meister stage. That was more than four hundred years ago. That array master mysteriously died, as well. We were unable to determine the cause of death."


    Klyse felt very cold in his heart. How long had that person who wanted to harm the sect been lurking inside? Had that person started to move ever since he saw the potential that Klyse had?


    But then, why would they keep the Evans Sect in the top position? He didn''t understand at all.


    He thought about it deeper then came to a conclusion. They said that tall winds attracted strong winds, and this wasn''t without meaning to it. The sect that was in the top position would attract the most attention.


    Then, the other subtler movements made by the other sects would not incur much suspicion.


    Klyse shook, frustrated. "I have to see that wayward cousin of mine," he said, his tone cold. "I distinctly remember that she wasn''t this kind of person. Originally, I doubted it, but then when I think about it¡­ I don''t think her personality can change so much. Even if she had some sort of life-changing experience¡­"


    Alec and Le Xuan didn''t know about Jess Evans personally, so they couldn''t interject.


    Qingxuan frowned a little. "This disciple knows that¡­ Jess Evans'' personality changes drastically from when she''s in public and when she''s in private. Could that be caused by someone else?"


    "It''s possible," Alec said slowly. "You just have to be a seal master to create that kind of seal."


    They fell silent.


    Alec continued, "Klyse, who gave you your ''resurrection'' seal?"


    He might not have known at first, but the more he interacted with Klyse, the more he felt like Klyse was not an array master. First of all, not practicing every day meant that their skills would inevitably decline after a period of time. Secondly, most array masters had some sort of obsession with text.


    However, Klyse never even took a second glance whenever they passed by any books, nor did he practice at all.


    Klyse face changed a few more times before he finally squeezed out, "My master."


    "Recall back. When did he give it to you, and what were his instructions?"


    Klyse truly tried to think back, but his memories were a blur. He shook his head. "I can''t recall anything other than a hazy memory."


    Alec nodded. "Your memory has been compromised," he said.


    They fell silent again.


    Being able to change a Grand Meister''s memory¡­ the strength of Klyse''s master likely went beyond the strength of a standard array master.


    Qingxuan spoke up this time. "However, master''s master¡­ has been dead for a long time."


    "The question is¡­ is he really dead? Who was the first person who discovered that Klyse''s master was dead?"


    Suddenly, Klyse''s face warped hideously. "His name is Jin Evans. He''s Jess Evans'' father."

 Chapter 470 - Just What Happened?

    The group of them fell deep into thought.


    Jess Evans'' father, who was also Klyse Evans'' master. Klyse''s master who had supposedly died¡­ and was now using Jin Evans'' body.


    It meant that Jin Evans had been dead for a long time, but no one had even noticed. This implied that by taking over a body, they would be able to access the previous memories of the body.


    Just how long ago had this plan all started? Four hundred years ago, Klyse had only just become a Meister, but this plan had already started.


    How old was Klyse''s master, exactly? And what were his motives for this? Klyse didn''t particularly think that there was any sect or clan that had benefited from the Evans Sect''s movements.


    Klyse was in a low mood right now. The master that he had always respected¡­ was likely the source of all the bad things happening inside the sect.


    How could he not feel disbelief? How could he not feel unwilling? He felt like a fool who had been blinded the entire time. However, the facts really spoke for themselves, and he had been indeed the one who planted the idea of Klyse resurrecting by stealing someone''s body.


    Klyse, who had no knowledge in things like arrays or seals, would naturally not think of something like this. Therefore, someone had to be the one who first introduced the idea to him.


    That person was his master. At that time, he had never stopped to think. His master was supposed to be just as unknowledgeable as he was with regards to arrays and seals. Yet, he had managed to produce something so miraculous?


    He hadn''t thought much about it, truthfully. Klyse had thought that perhaps his master had found it in some ruins or some obscure place. He could have even found it in an auction or traded it for treasures.


    He had not needed to think about it deeply at all. But now that he was here, he couldn''t help but turn over every action, word, and body language of the memory that time.


    Klyse thought about it, but he could not find any other gaps in his memories. Could it be that it was truly his master and not some impostor that had used his master''s appearance? Or altered his master''s personality like it happened for Jess?


    He was both confused and lost.


    The ex-Grand Meister had a complicated expression.


    They said that the memories of those who were dead were beautified countless times over, which was perhaps the main reason why he had been unwilling to think back about it too deeply.


    Unfortunately, Klyse''s master¡­ was not truly dead.


    Perhaps his true goal all along was to expel Klyse from the sect and kill him.


    He just didn''t understand. Why?


    If his master truly wanted to kill him, there were many ways that he could do it. Klyse had never been on guard against his master, treating him like a father. Anything that came from his master''s hand, he had trusted unconditionally.


    In the end, something like this had happened.


    Klyse took a deep breath before pushing out all other superfluous thoughts. "This is my problem. Let me solve it. I want to ask him¡­ why did he do all of that."


    Before anyone could say anything, Qingxuan interjected. "Master, please reconsider!"


    Klyse shook his head. "As a master, you are responsible for the actions your disciples do. However, as a disciple, if your master goes down the wrong path, you also have a responsibility to stop your master."


    Qingxuan''s expression was unconvinced.


    Klyse spoke again. "If I, your master, was completely evil, would you or would you not stop me?"


    His stupid disciple spoke without any hesitation. "This disciple will join master!"


    Klyse smacked him across the face with his slug body. "Stupid disciple! Did you not just hear what I said!?"


    Qingxuan was stubborn this time. "Your disciple heard you, master, but this disciple knows that master will never truly be evil!"


    The ex-Grand Meister didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry. He had never realized how stubborn his disciple was until now.


    But there was a small current of affection within him. His disciple was simple and straightforward, and he abided to righteousness. While he had been willing to overlook some of Klyse''s more morally ambiguous actions, Klyse knew that Qingxuan secretly went back to give help most of the time.


    Klyse felt sad that he didn''t have a human body anymore. He wouldn''t be able to pat his disciple on the head like he did when Qingxuan was young.


    Le Xuan seemed to feel some of Klyse''s feelings, patting Qingxuan on the head gently, smiling at him.


    Even thought Qingxuan was much older than her, she felt a sense of belonging when she looked at him. Perhaps it was something like¡­ family.


    Surprisingly, Qingxuan didn''t bristle like he would if someone outside of his master patted him.


    It surprised both the person himself and Klyse, who had never seen his disciple so close to someone else.


    Alec took this time to speak up. "It doesn''t matter if that person is your master or not. What''s important is finding out what he plans to do with the Evans Sect. Since your disappearance, the sect''s standing in the world remains the same, and they appear just as righteous as usual. However, with Jess Evans at the head, it''s likely that they''re now involved in some shady business."


    Klyse nodded. "I know. Relax. I''m not the type of person who''s sentimental. Since that person wants to kill me, I surely won''t be forgiving against them. I just want to know the reason why."


    Alec nodded.


    To be honest, he really didn''t need to participate in the sect''s matters at all. After all, this wasn''t his realm.


    However, it was estimated that the Klein Clan would at least take some damage if a full-scale war broke out on the surface.


    If there was ever the chance that his parents would be hit hard, then he would do his best to eliminate the problem from the roots before it even began.


    "Here''s what we''re going to do. I''ve found numerous things wrong with Jess Evans, and she apparently keeps around a lot of those people who have ''wronged'' her before."


    Klyse frowned. "Where would she ¨C ah. It''s probably the abandoned weapons storage."


    Alec confirmed his guess. "Yes. It''s there. It''s been remodelled as a prison, and she keeps them all locked up inside there. Since there''s a sealing array around it, no one can hear their cries once they enter as well."


    If Klyse had fists, he would be clenching them. As it was, he was gritting his teeth to stop himself from doing something rash.


    "We should be able to get information from Jonath Evans."


    "Jonath?" Klyse frowned. "Will he be willing to help us?"


    "He should. Considering that the person he considers to be his sister just died at the hands of Jess, he''s likely more than eager. He''s inside the prison as well."


    Klyse was shocked. Jonath''s sister? That was Charuru, wasn''t it?


    He sucked in a cold breath. Just exactly what had happened in the time that he was dead?!