《Digitize: Rebirth of the Silver Death God》 Chapter 1：A Sorrowful End Fifty years ago, the world experienced a great change; the sky changed color as it rained down strange tiny bits into the world. They were later known as ''Digitize Bits,'' peculiar objects that shone with 0''s and 1''s in the form of spiritual cards. Each Digitize Bit had a kind of consciousness, a mysterious will that beckoned a master from which they chose amongst a select group of human beings, imbuing them with a ''Digital Mark'' on their flesh. Unaware to the regular masses, this change had given the chosen humans the gift of ''Digitization,'' the power to digitize from reality to fantasy with special abilities, and access to a digital world, a place known as the World of Promise. As if it had summoned them, a voice sounded from the universe, echoing in the minds of all chosen. "To those who seek the greatest of all power, travel these lands and explore its endless boundaries." "To those who desire wealth beyond your imagination, venture this earth to unravel its endless riches." "To those who seek the unknown and universe''s greatest mysteries, enter this realm and your answers will be found..." "Whatever you desire, so long as you venture this world and find my treasure, then all your wishes will come true..." Ever since then, the world as we know it had changed, countless chosen amongst humans from all walks of life, rising to the task, each filled with the desires and dreams of wishing to explore the limits of these unknown lands for the ultimate treasure with the power to make their dreams a reality. It was the ushering of a new era, with powerful entities later known as Digitizers. Yet, though it seemed to be one of promise, what humans didn''t realize was that they weren''t the only ones with such a privilege, but only a portion of those who had joined a major game that spanned the entire universe. *** Year: unknown, Area: unknown. In a cold and dark-looking temple with pillars that rose beyond the limits any eyes could reach, and ground paved by ancient stone with various markings. A single object floated at its center above a stone platform, illuminating all things in its surroundings, casting a holy blue light in all directions that shone upon the various surfaces. Some being sculptures of ancient beings, looking human and nonhuman, with tails, claws, gigantic weapons, and other peculiar traits. Looking around carefully, one would even notice that this room had stone steles that had cryptic runes engraved on their surfaces, some of them were even shining. A handsome man who seemed to be in his early 30''s with a height of 1.9 meters, chiseled facial features, a straight nose, fine lips, and deep red eyes below his uncommon silver hair stood within this gigantic temple of unscalable proportions. He carried a character far beyond that of the common man, as his eyes shone in a cold, ruthless light. Looking at his attire, one would notice that he held a brilliant silver scythe with complex marking; some of it was coated in an unusual material. He wore a special looking black robe with unique engravings, one that was torn at the edges creating a sinister style as it flowed down to the ground below his feet as it cascaded over itself. Beneath it was an ancient armor, of a unique design the shimmered due to the nearby lights. A red-colored draft blew from the distant entrance of the temple with an exceedingly long opening with reddish lights on its outside, lifting the corners of the black robe from the ground, causing it to flutter from behind him, pushing itself forwards before his tall and well-toned body. As his hair brushed forwards due to the wind, the strands flickered before his red eyes that flashed with excitement as he thought to himself, ''I''ve finally found it, the final clue to the Treasure of Wishes... my journey wasn''t in vain, I can now achieve that promise...'' The silver-haired man said as his voice carried traces of recollection, his eyes shining in a reminiscent light. It recalled a few figures, some being beauties and others witty and peculiar men, even a sickly-looking lady with similar features to himself. He took a step forward, instantly vanishing from his location as he arrived within the direct visibility of the glowing object. Looking at it more carefully, one would notice that within the floating ball of blue lights was a square-shaped card, with many different runes on its surface. Many different 0''s and 1''s moved about its surface as if calculating all things in the world. He smiled and reached his arms out, grasping the card in his hand, once this happened, a stream of intricate runes flowed from the bit into his body as a few images began to appear within his mind, the scenes of a series of mysterious realms. As more details popped up, right before the card was about to merge with his soul, a sharp sound was heard as if something had bolted through the wind at high speeds. Though the silver-haired man had sensed the danger, before he could react and pull his mind from the card, the sound of flesh being pierced resounded, following by a cold feeling in his chest and weakness. Cough! With a cough, the silver-haired man dropped the card from his hand, making it fall onto the stone ground, making clanking noises like metal. The lights on its surface still glowed brightly, as the man coughed, his trembling arms grabbed his chest, covering a large hole that was the size of his hand. Golden-red blood gushed out repeatedly as his eyes grew hazy when he slumped over and fell onto his knees with his other arm on the ground, his blood further forming a pool around him, giving him a pitiful look. ''Who? Who could do this to me?'' The man thought with shock on his face; he knew just how strong he was, while he started weaker than most due to his lack of battle experience, upbringing, and other factors. Once his talents had awakened, and he trained himself, there weren''t many who could defeat him, especially after he had advanced to Level 799, achieving the peak of the Master Ranking, earning his title as the Silver Death God. If anything, those who stood above him were only the strongest beings and experts of the world, and none of them should''ve known his current location as well as the extremely secret mission that he had chanced upon. While his life was slowly fading away, and he felt his strength falling by the second, the silver-haired man turned his head and stared at the entrance behind him. There, a figure stood in silence, a person that had no presence as though he stood there, it seemed as if he didn''t exist. The person wore a golden mask that covered the upper portions of his face and had long shining purple hair that flowed before him due to the draft. His eyes were narrow and slender like that of a woman''s as they looked at the world with arrogance. In a flash, he had appeared at the silver-haired man''s side, looking down on him with contempt as he took up the card from the ground with a smile and spoke, "You''ve done well Silver Death... or rather, Nero Valstine. Rest in peace, as I''ll take care of the rest." Nero was shocked at he looked at the man that stood over him, never in his life did he think such a character would appear. He had never seen this man before in his life but had heard rumors of his existence, a pinnacle being that was even more famous than himself despite starting in his generation of Digitizers. A prodigy known as.... "Golden Spear Diyamite... how do you know my name? How did you know of this place? How did you know of this secret?'' Nero cursed as if he was descending into madness. Diyamite seemed to love this scene; he chuckled and replied, "The dead needs no such knowledge; as such, you shall only wallow in your despair. Now, let me send you on your way to the real ''Death God.'' Come to me, my spear!" In an instant, after his words, a bright golden light formed from nothingness, its light soon after condensed into a giant golden spear which hovered right above Nero''s body. Nero looked at this with a cold expression, he stared at death in the face and welcomed it. Despite his sad feelings and regret, his face showed an odd smile as he spoke one last time, "Diyamite, even if you kill me, no matter what happens. Someday, sometime, I will have my revenge, and this karma will return..." Diyamite stared at the glowing card in his hand and smirked at those words, as he spoke, "Haha, we will see..." Not bothering to say anything more, the golden spear descended once more, shrouding all things with its light. Soon, the temple was enveloped by this light that covered all things, leaving nothing behind. The battle here never being told to anyone, as one of humanity''s five rising talents, had faded not only from the present but history itself. ______ Author''s Note: Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 2：The City of Rambruck, Nero Valstine It''s been roughly 50 years since the ''Great Shift'' had occurred on Earth, ever since that rumored day so long ago hardly recallable by those even in that year. No one even bothered to overthink things after years of being fed false information, as life had continued as the norm. Well, mostly norm, for if one investigated the sky of any city, in any sector of the world, they would see a giant golden ring that had enveloped a fraction of the sky. It shone in a mysterious ray and gave those who look at it a feeling of wonder and uniqueness; most even took it to be a sign of good things for the present and future. Ever since that day, years ago, the world had changed in a way that science couldn''t even describe as time had normalized for the entire planet, with every continent now merged into one super large landmass. Night and day were now the same everywhere, and with everyone collected into one place, all major powers could only conform to one major government being the United Earth Government, or for short, UEG. Because of this merger, with the unity of human beings, since and technology that had been seeing slow signs of progression could finally show leaps and astounding breakthroughs. More and more geniuses came together and collected their thoughts, analyzing the unknown to make practical advancements to society. It didn''t take long for humankind to expand to other nearer planets such a Mars, building nearby space bases, and other things. While most found it to be incredible, many believed that these advancements came from the strange ring that hovered above their planet. Yet, as the media always influenced the majority''s opinion, they were quickly drowned quietly over time. What of those special chosen amongst humans rumored to have appeared in the remote past? Beings with special abilities and unique gifts along with various stories of another, more peculiar world. No one knows, in fact, no one even remembered¡­ *** United Earth Calendar, 2070, Rambruck District. Rambruck District was a common area within the Levier Sector on the Earth Continent, a region governed by the Levier Family, which elected as head by the governing body of the municipality. It was home to tens of millions of lives with more than five major cities, many different rural areas in its domain. Rambruck City was its most bustling metropolis of the entire district, filled with concrete for miles with towering buildings and skyscrapers for as far as one could see. Although the era was off into the future, one could notice that there were no such things as flying cars. Rather, there were electric vehicles that drove across the highways, each of a sleek, angular design as some of them carried similarities to old models for the past age. Some people walked about their own business; some dressed in formal wear, others more loosely and freely with few individuals covered in trendy expensive wears with bright, happy, positive, and even spoiled expressions on their faces. They walked by various towering signs that floated in the sky by drones, with others placed on buildings, some even advertising video games, commercial products, and other things. Yet, while though this city seemed bright and full of promise like most would present themselves, much like all others that existed in any Era, they had their dark sides. In the darker regions of Rambruck, a sector known as the Gutter Zone, the smelly scent of the drains wafted through the streets, trash tossed about everywhere as shabby-looking individuals dressed in dirty, worn-out clothing ruffled back and forth almost like zombies. Some of them sat down with empty liquor bottles, seemingly unfazed by the scent as they slumped over in drunkness to forget their life''s torments. Even what used to be beautiful women, had dark shades under their eyes, with their lips dried, dressed in scanty clothes at various corners with their hair like a mess, and suspicious stains on their bodies. They gazed towards the far-off dividing wall of the Gutter Zone from the Prominent Sector, guarded by stern-looking militia with an emblem of an ''RM'' on their right chest and high-powered weapons in their hands. These soldiers were a part of the Rambruck Military, positioned here to keep the order between those deemed as ''Gutter Trash'' from ordinary civilians. The only exception of those who could venture beyond the wall were those with exceptional children¡ªyouths who had gotten scholarships for schools within the Prominent Sector. Currently, the sounds of a beaten-down engine were heard from the distance, causing not only the soldiers but some of the locals behind the wall to look forward. There, they saw an old school bus slowly throttling its way from a far off-street, as it drove it shook from side to side as if at any moment it could break down. The soldiers looked like they wanted to laugh, but they were well trained, capable of holding it without breaking their facial expressions. Not long after, the school bus arrived at the checkpoint, and the door open after struggling for a moment. Soon, a fragile-looking 15-year-old youth began making his way out of this bus; his back was hunched as he held his backpack in his arms like it was his life. Taking a closer look at him, one would notice that while his face was a bit chiseled despite a young age, he wore thick glasses over his strange red eyes, and had unwashed silver hair, including a torn T-Shirt and Jeans with stains of paint over it. Right as he was about to make the final step downwards, the faces of the dirty, fat middle-aged bus driver, along with the soldiers, changed to that of a sneering look. "Hey, Gutter Trash!" As if on cue loud and boisterous voice sounded from behind the youth followed by the appearance of a much large young man, muscular and fat, with a black jacket over his white T-Shirt with ''I am the King'' written on it in red. He had short black hair, a plump face, and savage-looking sunken eyes. The young man hearing this sighed as he turned around knowing full well what would happen if he didn''t, he stared at the giant behind him with a look that didn''t show fear but only tiredness. If one paid even more attention to him, they would notice that he elevated the backpack a bit, holding it in a safer posture. "What do you want, Benson?" The silver-haired young man asked in an apathetic tone. "Ho, you''ve got guts to say my name like that, this is the first! I always didn''t like you, Nero. You know how it goes, we''ve arrived at the ''Dividing Line,'' and there''s only one way to send off trash..." Benson said as he cracked his knuckles. The others on the bus looked at this scene with laughter as they spoke; only a few remained silent, staring at Nero with hints of pity on their faces. Nero had grown numb to the years of pain, though this was bad, it was nothing compared to what he grew up facing. Benson knew Nero''s character well, so he didn''t waste time, he grabbed him tightly and raised him to his chest, showing a great deal of power for a 15-year-old before he tossed him as hard as he could over the checkpoint. With a smack, Nero fell on the ground about a meter or so a distance away from the bus, with his bag held behind him to mitigate the damage. Benson laughed and spoke, "Haha, I''m getting better, see you later, trash!" Following his words, a few more Gutter Folks, exited the bus before it drove off once more, leaving behind the somewhat excited guards that spoke to themselves while letting the other students pass. "That kid is getting stronger by the month, he managed to toss that brat by a meter, you don''t think he''s..." One of the guards was about to say something, but before he could finish, the other soldier grew serious and spoke. "Idiot, watch your words; you know that those are only rumors, nothing else. Besides, it can get you in trouble these days I hear, if you keep spouting nonsense like those fools, who knows where you''ll end up." The other soldier''s face turned a bit pale as he hurriedly nodded and spoke, "Haha, you''re right, my bad-my bad, I''ll keep my mind from straying to those old fantasies." The other soldier gave him a look again as he spoke, "You better." At this time, Nero had already picked himself up from the ground with great efficiency, the blood that flowed down his knees and elbows was ignored as if he didn''t even feel the slightest pain. Looking at his expression, one would see a rich amount of coldness as his eyes were lifeless. He took a step forward, ignoring everyone else as if they didn''t exist. In his eyes, the world was gray, and before him, the only place with color was far off into the distance, a place that left a trail of smog visible only to his eyes that wafted to his nose, filling him with a tinge of vigor and purpose. He walked for an extended period, bypassing the fierce-looking men that glared at him from the corners of the streets, and those that mocked his bloody appearance. After a good while, he arrived at a compound filled with uncut grass, a broken fence, and a small house. Now arriving at the place filled with color, he walked up to the door and gave it a knock a few times before his lifeless eyes shone with color once more and a bright, cheerful smile came on his face as he spoke, "Mother, I''m home..." **** Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 3：Hersa, An Unexpected End Nero''s home was a small one being roughly 70 square meters, obviously unmaintained for years due to the overgrowth on the outside lawn. Yet, though it seemed to be a mess on the outside, upon entering the crooked wooden door, a simple scene of any ordinary flat appeared before his eyes, as an old carpet lined a path over the planks which paved the ground. Many different trinkets such as a small TV, radio, and other things were arranged on top of a standard mahogany TV Stand with two draws. A small couch stood before them, and a bit further behind everything was a small kitchen with a portable electric stove on its surface. Carefully looking around this room, one would see a few pictures hung atop the walls and two square-shaped windows that were loosely open, with the curtains gently swaying backward. There was a boarded stairway that led to the two bedrooms upstairs, as the door downstairs led to the storage room. However, right at this time, Nero''s eyes were currently fixed onto the windows. ''Mother left the windows open again, this isn''t good, she can''t keep doing this not after what happened last time...'' Nero said inwardly as his eyes recalled a dark scene, a time when they were almost robbed of everything including their lives. Not being bothered to dive into those memories, Nero hurriedly walked up the window and bolted it tightly. As he looked outside, he couldn''t help but notice a few rough-looking silhouettes who were walking by the lawn, one of them even boldly looked towards Nero for a moment before walking away. Nero didn''t tremble or show fear like most teenagers; he stared at the back of the man in a cold way, far different from the ordinary youth as he knew how to deal with such type of folks. If anything, he only lacked the strength and combat effectiveness that comes with growth. Cough! While Nero was staring at the direction the man went, a series of coughing sounds resounded, waking him from his mood. "Mother! Don''t worry; I''m here now," Nero said in alarm as he hurriedly grabbed the backpack and ran towards one of the doors; he promptly opened it without a second thought and entered. Here was a simple room with white walls, a small bed with blue sheets, and sky-blue curtains that had rose patterns. Pictures were mounted on the wall, with roses in a vase resting on the dresser and a mirror. On the bed near the windows, a beautiful woman with thin almond-shaped eyes and goldish-brown pupils was resting. She had an elegant nose and delicate lips, and long silver hair that loosely hang down her chest. She wore a white dress of elegant making, and if one looked at the slender frame, it would be more than enough enamor one''s vision. Yet, from a simple glance, one would also notice that she wasn''t only gorgeous, but gravely ill. Her skin was pale white, and underneath, her eyes were a shade darker as if she couldn''t sleep properly. This woman was Hersa Valstine, Nero''s most important person ever since the disappearance of his father, the man who he now hates more than anyone else in the world. No one in the world could take her place, as no one else was worth it in Nero''s mind. Currently, she leaned her back against the bed frame with her palm covering her mouth as she stared out the window with a lost look on her face. However, as Hersa heard the door open, her eyes regained a bit color when she turned and faced Nero. Usually, she hid her flare-ups, especially when blood came out of her mouth, but things weren''t so easy this time around. "My sweet little Nero, you''re back early, h-how was your day?" Hersa said as she removed the bloodstained cloth from her mouth and made a warm smile. Nero seeing this felt like crying, he hurried over to her side and grasped her arms as he spoke with misty eyes, "Mother, my day was fine, I did my best to study no matter the distractions." Hersa smiled and rubbed his head like he was still a kid as she spoke, "That''s my Nero, you are always smart and hardworking, just like your father..." Nero frowned as he heard this, he clenched his fists and spoke with a serious look on his face, "Mother, forget about him, to someone who can abandon his family I will never acknowledge him as my father. Don''t worry, one day I''ll make you better again and get us out of this place, one day we''ll be able to live a life more suited to us, I promise you!" When Hersa heard those words, she looked at Nero deeply with a wide smile on her face, as she grew even gentler and laughed. "Haha... I always can''t get over, just how similar the two of you are, you truly are your father''s son..." Hersa said while pinching Nero''s cheek, ignoring the pouting expression on his face. She smiled and wanted to speak once more, but suddenly. Her face changed, forcing her to hurry and put the cloth at her mouth again as she coughed even more. Nero seeing this grew panicked, he now remembered that he still hadn''t given her the medicine, it happened every time his mother spoke about his father, the one person who can distract his mind. Not wasting any time, Nero took out a vial from his backpack, with a serial number on its surface. He hurriedly held his mother carefully, waiting for her to finish coughing before he spoke, "Mother, drink, I got the medicine again..." Hersa seeing Nero''s expression sighed as she took the flask, she knew that this medicine was only a temporary relieving agent and could in no way treat her illness. Nothing in this world can heal her, and her path was already fated, but as she knew his mind wasn''t ready for such news despite his current early maturity, she kept it to herself. Gulp! With a single sip, she down the contents, soon after feeling better as a wave of drowsiness came over her. Nero nodded and fixed her properly, placing her head atop the pillow, before covering her with the sheets. Hersa struggled to open her eyes but couldn''t as she was now weakened, she could only open her cherry red lips to speak, "My son, you should stop blaming your father... h-he has his reasons, as for me, you must... you must learn... that I.. will someday..." Hersa wanted to say more, but the medicine was far too potent. Before she could even finish her words, she fell into a deep slumber, making light noises. Nero wasn''t foolish, he knew what she wanted to say, and knew full well what her illness was, and where its state would eventually lead. However, he didn''t want that; he didn''t want anything to take away his mother. "Mother, I won''t give up, never! As for that man, I will never call him father. If I ever see him again, the first thing I''ll do is hit him in the face," Nero said before turning around and leaving the room. After closing the door, Nero looked at the clock and saw that it was roughly 6:50 pm, approaching the dark hours, which started at 7:00 pm. He thought to himself, ''It''s still a bit early, and if I hurry now, I can get mother''s favorite snack before that store closes, after all, it''s only a few blocks after the checkpoint.'' Having made up his mind, Nero made an innocent smile as he wanted to see her expression later when he gets her that cake, even if it will affect his savings, it doesn''t matter to him as he knew what was most important. After a bit of preparation, Nero, once more locked up and headed outside. By the time he arrived at the Dividing Wall''s checkpoint, it was already 7 pm, and the sky was dark. The soldiers pointed their guns towards him as one person walked forward. "Halt! All unauthorized personnel will not be allowed entry into the Prominent Sector! Return to your domain!" The soldier said as it seemed that the others who were here had already changed shifts. Nero didn''t want to waste time arguing, he tossed his identification card, which had a special symbol of RA on it. The soldier seeing this, nodded as he spoke, "He''s authorized." Not wasting time, Nero promptly left the Gutter Zone and walked a few blocks down the now bustling night-time scene of Rambruck. There were lights everywhere, as cars drove by the street, illuminated by the lampposts, and people still moved about in bulk, enjoying the nightlife. Some of them couldn''t help but notice Nero''s attire, they whispered to themselves with looks of mockery and disdain. Still, Nero didn''t care about these busybodies; he had more important goals and a mission to achieve, which was to feed his mother her favorite treat. After arriving at the cake shop, Nero entered and purchased a slice of Strawberry Cherry Cake that was listed for 5 EU Dollars. EU standard for Earth Union, which is the standardized currency for all humans in the modern age. Nero felt pleased that he didn''t encounter any hassles like his previous times, he was about to head back home, but right at this moment, he felt a strange feeling. The feeling one would get if they felt that someone was watching them, Nero turned around and looked at the people passing by curiously, but he still didn''t see anyone. While Nero was well matured and had experienced all kinds of things such as bulling, mugging, attempted ****, assault, and other various hazards of mankind; he was but a youth. He would naturally grow anxious for things he didn''t understand or have under his control. Nero''s heart rate increased as he hurriedly picked up his pace, at regular times he would continue walking out in the open, but he felt that every one of them was a potential enemy, especially when they stared at him with mock and contempt. It was as if the world had suddenly turned against him, causing his head to spin due to his current state of panic. He quickly turned off the streets and entered an alleyway, where he began to, ran as fast as he could with the cake held in his arms, he ran as fast as the wind, causing his heart to beat faster and faster. Every now and then, Nero would turn his head to look behind him, but no one was there; it was like a shadow trailing him, a shadow that beckoned his death. "Who is it? Who''s chasing me?" Nero thought as his mind was in a state of panic, but no matter how he racked his brains, he couldn''t find any clues. Soon though, Nero had arrived at an empty street, which was on the opposing side of the alleyway. It was an unusually quiet area with no individual around, giving one an odd feeling as this was typically impossible in Rambruck. Nero wanted to question it as he had only now stopped to take a breather. Still, right before he could even catch his breath, a truck had appeared within his field of vision, no one knew where it came from, it was as if it spawned out of the air, with its two taillights shining as it illuminated his vision, eclipsing his entire world. In moments, his eyes which reflected the speeding truck that raced towards him sunk in horror, but the resonant sound of a roaring engine followed by a harsh breaking noise sounded far and wide before a loud boom. Soon, the smoke had begun to rise from a nearby corner shop, as the truck was seen tumbled over within it, with a cluster of flames around it. If one looked at where Nero once stood, they would see a pool of blood, and an arm that now laid lifelessly on the cold ground of this silent street. A chilly wind blew the flames from the building, following a trail of oil that moved from the truck to Nero''s body, blazing everything in sight. **** Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 4：One’s Will To Survive, Metamorphosis It was a dark scene, an alleyway shrouded by the gloom of the night, here a young boy who didn''t look a day beyond 13 years of age was being brutally beaten by a team of thugs. They stepped on his back and bashed him with metal pipes, which caused his bones to make cracking noises, laughing at his weakness and ill fate. Yet, despite their attempts to break both his body and spirit, the boy didn''t yield, his eyes shone with firmness as his tears dried up, while even his cries faded when he absorbed the blows while gritting his teeth. Why would such a child undergo such a maddening life endangerment and not call for help? It''s simple, the child knew no one would come, and thus, only he could protect that which was most important to himself. Yes, a child''s most important thing, the first being he came in contact with since birth, his mother. At this moment, below this child was an unconscious beauty who seemed as if she''d fainted from some illness. She laid unaware of his torment, unaware of his pain, as he silently shielded her body with his own. Ptooey! One of the thugs ushered as he spat a blob of spit onto the child''s back and cursed, "Bah! He''s so boring, look he''s not even crying anymore. Let''s go, since he''s willing to die to shield some sick bitch, let him die on her corpse, plenty of finer chicks to play with anyway, so I''m outta here!" "Haha, you''re right, we''ve done him in quite harshly, I''m beginning to feel sorry for this Gutter Trash, I''m out too!" Another thug said. Clank! Soon after, the sounds of metal pipes falling onto the ground resounded as other thugs grew tired as well, leaving along with the other men. Now, only the silent and dreary alley filled with bloodstain and a struggling boy were left behind; he panted heavily before gritting his teeth and resisting the urge to faint due to the immense pain all over his body. "Mother... I... I will not fall; I will protect you..." The child said as he struggled, he slowly rose to his feet and grabbed his mother, placing her over his shoulder. Once this happened, a sharp pain forced him to halt, as his eyes turned over. His body was only moments from falling to the ground, but suddenly, he heard the sick mother''s voice, "My... sweet... Nero, don''t burden yourself over me, f-focus on your life. Remember, no matter what you face, you must never give in, n-never give up... even at the last second..." Right as he heard those words, it was as if a switch had gone off in his head, power that he never knew he had sprung up from the depths of his body, gifting him the strength to do the unthinkable. Instantly, his body which fell backward halted as if defying gravity, balancing his form with his feet spread wide and crouched, he gritted his teeth and forced his torso upwards with everything he had despite his turned over eyes. "I-SHALL-NOT-FALL! Ahhhhh!" With a beast-like roar, the child managed to recover his posture, following which he continued to carry his mother towards their home that was far away from this location. If one looked at him carefully, they would notice that though he moved, his eyes were blank, seeming to have lost sentience, for what carried him was no longer conscious thought, but overwhelming willpower. Much like this old memory, another scene was unfolding, a scene in which this very same young man had found a way to do the unthinkable, cheating the hands of even the very God of Death himself. *** Within the empty streets of Rambruck, one would notice a section shrouded by flames which formed a circle around a fatally wounded silver-haired youth that laid in a pool of blood. Not too far away from his location, if one followed a line of fire, they would see a turned over truck which had not too long ago exploded after crashing into a nearby shop. Oddly enough, there were no signs of life in the truck, as if it were driverless. Yet, despite that truck''s strangeness, there was something even stranger. The youth who should have already been dead had suddenly opened his eyes, his blurry vision catching sight of his current predicament that seemed no different from death itself. His body felt cold and lifeless, with no strength to even move a single muscle, even his bones felt as if they all shattered as he was nothing more than a bag of skin and disjointed organs. Yet, even in this state, the young man felt as if he wouldn''t die, no... the young man firmly believed and told himself that he would never die. ''I... must live, I can''t die and leave her alone in this world...'' Nero thought as he bit his lips tightly, trying to feel pain in his cold and numb body, it was the only way to keep his brain active and alive. While thinking, Nero''s eyes grew a bit better; he was able to see things more clearly despite his weakness, his eyes shifted to the right where he saw his mangled arm that was crushed to bits by the heavy-duty wheels of the truck, even the precious cake was grounded to nothing along with his hard to earn glasses. When Nero saw that scene, though he had long since grown out his tears, his eyes couldn''t help but run as he cursed as if he lost his mind, "Damn! Damn! Damn! Why? Why me? Why us? Why must we suffer like this? Whyyy? What the hell do you want from us?" Despite his shout, however, it only caused his grave wounds to worsen by a mile, he coughed out a chunk of blood, and his eyes grew dim, the world around him fighting to turn dark despite his overwhelming willpower that struggled to resist. "Is this it? Is this my fate?" Nero said in a weak voice, as he found that no matter how he struggled, the coldness grew more, and now he couldn''t even see anything around him as if he''d gone blind. "How... how... meaningless..." Nero ushered once more, his eyes lost all light as his head slanted to the side, finally releasing his last breath. At this very moment, Nero had died, it seemed to be a complicated thing, but in fact, there was nothing more straightforward. Those who struggle against it, and won, were those who had earned the right to live, freeing themselves from its untimely jaws. However, while Nero might have died, he was not among those who had lost their right; with his superior willpower, even in death, his body had refused to accept its fate, forcing a metamorphosis. Suddenly, a strange scene occurred around Nero''s broken corpse; a silver light glowed around it, slowly rising his figure from the pool of blood, which then hovered roughly a meter''s distance from the ground. His silver hair danced upward, and his clothing fluttered wildly as if some wind influenced it. Just by looking at his current appearance, one would mistake him to be akin to a divine being. [Connecting to the Universe Ring: connected!] [New Host Type confirmed!] [Searching genes: complete!] [Detected: Grade??? Digitize Bit Inheritance!] [Commencing transference, Commencing awakening...] A resonant mechanical female voice said one that carried a trace of aloofness as it sounded in Nero''s mind. Soon, a marking had formed on Nero''s forehead, a symbol which first appeared as a square-shaped card that flickered with 0''s and 1''s. Nero''s head tilted upwards, facing the starry heavens of the night sky, where the gigantic golden ring loomed over the world. As if it sensed Nero''s change, the ring shimmered in a bright ray that bolted down from the sky, falling into the card-shaped marking on Nero''s forehead. Moments after, the card faded as the mark of a silver scythe had appeared. The instant this happened, Nero''s hovering body experienced an even greater transformation. An eruption of dazzling silver energy blasted from his body into the sky at alarming speeds reaching the very ring in the heavens before vanishing. [Inheritance complete!] [Host Awakening has been successful!] After the voice''s words, Nero''s floating body once more fell onto the ground, but as his feet touched the floor, his eyes opened, shimmering in a reddish ray before it faded as if never appearing. Nero, who now seemed to be in an even better condition than before, felt that he could even see better than the time he wore glasses. He narrowed his eyes and showed a puzzled look on his face as he gripped one side of his head as if in pain when he thought, ''This... what was that voice? What are these memories? Who is this Diyamite? I... I can''t understand what''s going on?'' As Nero saw the memories of him dying to some guy called Golden Spear Diyamite, followed by many different random scenes of places he didn''t know and strangers. His mind was beginning to grow crazy as if it was moments from exploding, but right at this time, a strange ripple came from the center of his mind, erasing every memory, leaving only the scene of him dying from Diyamite. A voice then sounded at the depths of his mind, shaking his very core, "Never did I think that such a thing would happen, I must truly be ill-fated. Haha, no matter, such is fate''s working. Everything should happen in its natural order... and as such, your fate is yours to decide. Young Nero, I ask of you only one thing, never let your guard down... ever, and do not die to that bastard, Diyamite again!" Nero was alarmed at this voice, it almost sounded like his own but coarser and heavier, he questioned, "Who are you? How did you get in my head?" The voice remained silent for a while before a loud sigh sounded followed by his words, "All will reveal in time, but for now... let''s just say that I''m you..." Nero''s eyes widened as he heard this, he wanted to question some more, but right at this time, the sound of a siren resounded in the distance along with the rumbling engines of multiple vehicles. Nero knew that he wouldn''t be able to explain his current miracle to anyone. He didn''t even understand it himself, and would only get into serious trouble if anyone noticed him, assuming no one saw him already. ''I have to get out of here and think things through!'' Nero said inwardly as he hurriedly ran away in an opposed alleyway from the street, vanishing a speed that was two times his previous rate, unknown to even himself. The scene here destined to be one of mystery, as no one knew of its occurrences, or even why it was blocked off from travelers. No one but a solitary shadow that lurked in a distant corner garbed in an overcoat that shrouded their features. This person looked at the direction Nero left in silence, his shades refracting the lights from the blazing flames. Soon, he turned and vanished into the night scene, fading into the unknown. **** Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 5：Odd Cases, Nero’s Change The area soon became a rowdy one, as tractors moved the previously turned over truck towards a different location. The fire had already been quelled by a fire truck, and a large group of police cars with flickering sirens were parked at the chaotic scene. Looking around, one would see a few uniformed policemen who stood within sections blocked off by barricade tapes along with those dressed in more plain attire. One of the plain dressed individuals was a middle-aged man with a messy beard, droopy eyes with a hook-shaped nose, broad forehead, and thick eyebrows. He wore a simple jacket over his black T-Shirt and dark pants, as his messy black hair had loose strands while he held a lit cigarette between his two fingers raised at his mouth while he inspected the human-shaped marking on the ground. The man''s eyes narrowed, as while the marking implied that someone had been in that location, there were no signs or traces of a corpse, no blood, or even a shoe, as if everything that occurred here was but an illusion. If anything, the skid marks left by the truck, which trailed towards the ruined shop, was the only source, but even it was odder as no traces of a driver were found in the truck. "And another of these darn cases appears... godammit..." The man cursed while rubbing his temples with his fingers. The smoke from the cigar brushed across his face towards his side. Following this smoke, one would see a fine lady garbed in formal wear; her hair dark brown hair neatly fell to her sides as her straight face and stern-looking deep-set eyes gave one a capable feeling. "Inspector Osbon, what do you think of this case?" The woman asked with puzzled eyes as she stared at the middle-aged man. Osbon glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and teased, "Here you go again, Sara. How many times must I tell you to call me Ossy? Stop being so formal all the time." Sara still carried her straightforward look as she spoke, "Sir, you are the senior inspector, and I am but only a rookie, I cannot show disrespect." Osbon shook his head and spoke, "Fine-fine, do as you wish. As for this case, it''s another dead end; you know what always happens when we try to push it. Everything just gets called off in the end. With no clue, there is no way to find a victim, much less a culprit. Let''s just pack up and go... I''m getting tired of this shit." After Osbon said this, he turned around and cracked his back while walking away with his arms behind his head at a casual pace. Sara frowned at this; she shifted her eyes back onto the crime scene''s location, looking around carefully. Right as she was about to turn away, her eyes caught traces of something flashing, as if it were glass. Sara''s eyes flashed as she promptly walked over and stooped down, using a tweezer to pick it up, when she carefully inspected it she couldn''t help but ponder, ''That''s odd, there''s no way for a glass of the store or the truck to reach this far. While there is a slight possibility that the truck''s windshield was cracked before the crash, resulting in a shard falling here, I''ll take it with me just in case; maybe I can find something from it.'' While Sara made up her mind, Osbon''s loud and impatient voice sounded from a parked car, "Sara quit stooping down like a child in a playfield and come on, let''s get moving!" "I-I''m on my way!" Sara said a bit flustered as she didn''t like to be rushed or distracted, for it can easily break her stern police character. The scene here continuing like the norm, as everyone tried their best to make sense of the mess before them. The story here soon made its way to the media, but no one overthought it as there were many similar cases. *** Far away from that scene, within the Gutter Zone, Nero had already made his way home. When he passed the guards, no one even questioned why he had bloody clothes and a shabby appearance as they full well knew what usually occurs to those termed as Gutter Trash. After carefully closing the door and ensuring that his mother didn''t wake up, Nero hurried to the washroom to clean himself. Nero looked at his skin, which seemed no different from a baby''s new flesh, it looked tender, but as he rubbed his hand over it, he felt an uncommon sturdiness. He knitted his brows and once more inspected his body, noticing that he had firmly defined abs. Even Nero Jr had undergone an ''average'' man''s dream, achieving a metamorphosis. ''No, shit! I awake from death, and I can suddenly defy the laws of biology, what the hell?'' Nero thought to himself. Not wanting to waste time, he quickly finished up and got out of his shower before he looked at the mirror before him. There, he saw his features more clearly, his body slightly taller by about a few inches, as his once skinny frame seemed more muscular. His bright silver hair grew longer while his previously childish red eyes narrowed by a small section, even his face looked even more chiseled as if carved by a god showing his defining facial structure. Nero looked at his new fond body in awe; he wasn''t a timid youth by nature and felt that this appearance was suited to him by all aspects. Still, despite his current surprise, Nero also knew that this wasn''t the time to gawk at himself. He promptly put on his clothes after drying and went into the living room. Quickly, he turned on the TV and set it at a low volume. Nero soon saw that a broadcast was showing the accident that took place and was a bit worried, but when he heard the report saying it was one among a string of similar cases that had occurred over the years with no clue, he began to calm down. He turned off the TV and sat in silence while thinking, ''They say that there''s no clue, but it''s also possible that they''re lying. Even that accident didn''t seem normal, how can a truck like that appear out of nowhere? What of that strange feeling I had of someone chasing me? I won''t take their word for it and prepare myself for any circumstance. Other than that, I have to understand my current changes and that nonsense about a Universe Ring, and the fellow in my mind.'' As Nero thought here, a chuckle was heard in his mind as a voice spoke, "I''d almost forgotten how I was back then..." When Nero heard this, his eyes narrowed, he didn''t show any surprise for he knew that the strange voice was still there, he only didn''t understand it. Nero interrogated in his mind, ''Who are you? How did you get in my head? Explain to me what''s going on?'' The voice chuckled as it spoke, "So fiery, but that''s good, keep that flaming spirit you''ll need it. As I said before, you can think of me as yourself, for we are no different from one entity. You''ll naturally come to understand things, but I think other than myself, you should be focusing on more important things..." Nero knitted his brows at those words; he questioned inwardly, ''More important things... you mean that strange voice that spoke about some Universe Ring and Inheritance? What is it? What does this all mean?'' The voice spoke again, "It means what it means, if you summon the will at the core of your mind, it shall guide you to your destiny." Nero was puzzled; he was a bit suspicious, but for some unknown reason, he felt that his head''s voice was unusually familiar to himself as if he could trust his words. He questioned with his mind, ''How do I summon this will?'' The voice remained silent as if it was no longer there, Nero seeing that there was no reply didn''t bother to continue asking, he naturally knew that it meant he should figure it out for himself. Though it''s a bit troublesome, he didn''t like asking others for help either. ''The conscious will at the core of the mind... I''ve learned that in ancient cultures, such as the Chinese and others, can achieve a state of harmony with themselves and their surroundings through meditation. Maybe I can give it a try and see if I can figure things out...'' When Nero thought to here, he took up an older generation tablet, which ran an old Android OS and connected to the Earth Network, or for short the E-Net. Soon, he found a few videos, articles, and documents that gave a detailed analysis and explanation of meditation. He sat himself down on a cushion in a crossed-legged posture and closed eyes as he thought to himself, ''Breath as one with nature, focus on achieving serenity...'' Following his words, the windows blow a soft nightly wind across his body, rustling his hair and his clothing. At first, it was distracting, but after who knows how long he sat in meditation, all feelings vanished, and he found himself in a unique state as if he merged with the wind. Suddenly, a voice sounded at the depths of his mind, as a stream of text appeared before him. [Awakening of Consciousness: cleared!] [As you''ve awakened your consciousness at a much faster rate than the initial expectations, you shall be awarded a special privilege!] [Opening the door to the World of Promise: commencing digitization...] "This..." Nero was surprised, but before he could do anything, a strange scene had occurred. His body began to glow in multi-colored lights, which looked no different from digits before he broke apart into colorful cubes that faded from existence. In moments, the scene in Nero''s living room return to the norm, as only silence prevailed. ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 6：The Transmission Zone, The All-Seer Nero had awakened to a sight like no other, a scene he couldn''t even describe with words. Here, was an endless zone of colorful lights that stretched beyond an endless horizon, there were stars that hovered in the heavens, each of a myriad of colors carrying a hidden charm. The largest of these stars were at the farthest distance, giving off a hint of aloofness. As Nero floated to nowhere in the boundless space, he couldn''t help but exclaim, "What the hell is this? Where am I?" He turned his head looking around in a flustered manner, but no matter which direction he turned, everything looked the same, as if his position was relative to all things. Nero was a bit worried, but he soon calmed down, he knew that acting in such a manner would get him nowhere, so he quickly arranged his thoughts. ''I... I really can''t understand anything that''s going on, how could I have suddenly appeared in such a strange place? From the looks of it, it doesn''t even seem to be a dream...'' Nero pondered while pinching his cheeks with force, but no matter how he tried, the pain couldn''t wake him up. He thought for a bit before concluding, ''Could this be what that strange person in my head was referring to? I reached into my consciousness, but those words only claimed that I was being digitized or something of that sort. If I recall correctly, I should have been sent to some World of Promise... why would I appear here?'' Nero frowned as he couldn''t make sense of everything, but as if it had done enough waiting, the largest star in the heavens glowed in bright white lights as it beamed from the firmaments towards Nero''s location. Nero looked at this in surprise and remained guarded, but the light merely stopped a few feet from him before it morphed into the figure of a being which was less than half of Nero''s size. Looking at it carefully, one would notice that though this creature was small, it gave off an overwhelming presence; it had one large eye that glowed in a holy light underneath the hood of its divine-like robes that flutter about due to the energy that shone around it. As it looked at Nero, its eye seemed to be a window of its expressions as it made an upside-down curve narrowing by an extreme degree as its red pupil stared deeply at him. Nero felt uneasy by that stare, but the entity soon spoke in a tone much like that of an elder, "A curious one you are, or rather... a curious duo indeed, haha." Nero was shocked at this as he thought, ''How could this thing tell that someone was in my mind?'' While Nero pondered, the person in his mind remained silent as if he expected this to happen. The entity once more spoke as its eyes returned to normal, "Come out, don''t waste time trying to hide your presence, your immaterial soul can manifest itself in the zone of this Universe Ring." As if he didn''t like the tone, the person in Nero''s mind snorted as a gust of wind blew followed by a flash of silver-reddish light. Suddenly, the figure of a much older Nero appeared, clad in his sinister-looking coat with even longer silver hair that flowed behind him as his red eyes shone in a cold ray. He glared at the being and spoke, "Why don''t you get on with it?" Nero looked at his older self, feeling a bit startled as from one glance, it felt as if he was staring at death itself, a being with a cold, ruthless aura. ''Is he really me?'' Nero thought with puzzled eyes, he''d didn''t believe the person''s words initially, but the looks were spot on and only more matured. If anything, what made Nero feel unsettled was the coldness of the man, as if he would kill over the slightest grudge, slaughtering all lives with no care. Adult Nero naturally felt Young Nero''s thoughts, but he didn''t care, only he knew what he experienced to get like this, and what Young Nero will eventually have to grow and accept. At this time, the strange entity looked at the duo with his eye curving again as if he were expressing a smile as he spoke, "Fascinating, your case is truly a unique one, but I''ve seen far too many other ''special cases'' to concern myself with yours. Now then, let us begin shall we." When both Nero''s heard this, Adult Nero closed his eyes and sat down in the void showing no care in the world, but as for Young Nero, he looked at the being with serious eyes; everything for him so far had been a shock, and he was trying his best to make sense of everything. The entity upon saying his previous words waved its hand as a 1.5-meter staff appeared before he stomped it in the void. As a loud knock sounded, the area changed as the gigantic door of over a hundred meters with a card on its surface had appeared behind him. Soon, a small cube had materialized in the entity''s hand which glowed in bright rays as it spun around. The existence stared at the two Nero''s and spoke, "Welcome to the Transmission Zone of the Universe Ring, I am the eyes that watch over this domain, Guardian of the door to the Origin Star, otherwise known as the World of Promise. You may call me the All-Seer, usually you''d have been transferred to the World of Promise upon successfully awakening your consciousness, but as you''ve done so beyond the standard time, I have summoned you here to not only teach you but to grant you a special gift." Young Nero, who was listening keenly, marked down the various names he heard to avoid asking pointless questions. The All-Seer nodded in satisfaction, he didn''t like to repeat himself so meeting people like Young Nero was a blessing, he pointed his staff towards Nero. Moments after, the cube that glowed before him showed a series of numbers at various locations. It spun at an alarming rate before it settled on number 104. Upon seeing the number, the All-Seer''s eye flickered with surprise as it spoke, "Well now, it turns out your luck isn''t too bad, haha. Take it, may it do you well..." Following his words, a glowing object emerged from the cube, which moved a ray of light towards Young Nero, landing into his body. Young Nero was surprised, as he felt his chest, but didn''t know what had happened, he looked at the All-Seer and spoke, "What is this?" The All-Seer''s eye curved, expressing a smiling look as he spoke again, "All shall be known in due time, now, I am sure you are a bit confused about everything, and I doubt that ''sour face'' is going to explain anything to you. Haha, let this elder guide you..." Adult Nero opened his cold looking eyes to stare at the All-Seer for a while, but he didn''t say anything, he merely closed them and kept silent. Young Nero once more became attentive, as he felt that things might just turn out to be quite interesting. The All-Seer turned around and pointed his staff towards the door behind him, causing it to open, when this happened, a bright light flashed for a while before receding showing a grand scene. Beyond the door was another world, one akin to fantasy, as one could even see mysterious creatures roaming the high skies, beauties like no other in grand palaces, and even warriors doing battle with incredible powers and special abilities. Most were of a myriad of races, as though many looked like humans, they had far too many strange features. Nero looked at the scene in shock, he was a bit attracted but that interest soon after faded as he saw the blood and violence occurring, people slaughtering each other like wild animals. He soon began to feel that this might be far more dangerous than he''d imagined. The All-Seer looked at Nero''s changing expressions smiled and spoke, "I believe that you had encountered some strange occurrence in your world, from then your fate was destined never to be the same again. You are a Digitizer, a rare person amongst your kind to have genetically inherited a power that can only come from a Digitize Bit. These are chips that are stored in every Universe Ring, each with the gift to awaken the sleeping potential within Digitizer''s allowing them to show powers like none before through a symbol that forms on their bodies, a Digital Mark. How does one go further in awakening this ability? The answer is simple; you must fight and grow as a Digitizer. If you venture into the world beyond this door, you can aspire to become the greatest warrior there is, and with that power, you''ll be able to achieve any desire." Young Nero ruminated the All-Seer''s words carefully before he spoke, "Let me get this straight, you say that this so-called inheritance is something that can grant me power and that I must travel to a strange world and risk my life against others, simply for power, right?" Adult Nero hearing this made a vague smile, not saying anything, but the All-Seer looked at Nero with a puzzled look and spoke, "Correct, is not power the desire all lifeforms seek? What could be more important than having all the power in the universe?" Young Nero hearing this frowned as he turned around and spoke, "Then I don''t need it, I don''t need such a thing..." The All-Seer was shocked; it looked at Nero deeply and spoke, "Huh? You''re saying that you''d reject the path to ultimate power, why would you do such a thing?" Young Nero turned around and spoke in a matter of fact tone, "Why else? What in this world could be more important than my mother? I don''t have time to play around in silly games; I only need to take care of my mother and see her well again, that is the only wish I desire... send me back!" Adult Nero''s smiled widened further, but it soon turned into a frown as he looked at Nero and sighed helplessly. As he expected, the face of the All-Seer changed, from shock to the very first look it showed Nero when it formed before him, the odd and someone dark look of its eye curving in an upside-down manner showing a red pupil that looked at Young Nero. After making a resonant chuckle, the All-Seer spoke in a voice that sounded into Nero''s mind, "Then tell me boy, what will you do if this world and all of this fighting can grant you the power to save your dying mother?" The moment Young Nero heard this, his eyes went wide as he turned around and looked at the All-Seer in shock. His body showed an emotion that he hadn''t experienced in a very long time, as he trembled with excitement like no other. Adult Nero looked at this with indifference, but the All-Seer expression changed to that of a smiling look as he spoke in a voice that beckoned Young Nero''s fate, "Allow me to explain..." **** Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 7：Nero’s Choice, The World of Promise Adult Nero watched in silence as the All-Seer spoke to the Young Nero about the World of Promise, his eyes cold, and indifferent to everything as no one knew his thoughts, and he seemed no different from an observer in the passing. "There is a treasure, an object left behind by a fallen being that roamed the universe. It was sealed within the Origin Star, a place that was later termed as the World of Promise. In memory of his existence, he created the Universe Rings, objects that allow for a myriad of races scattered across the distances galaxies of time and space to connect by Digitization, even to this world unreachable by even the most advance technological species. It is there you must do battle, and fight in the ultimate contest for supremacy. Only with strength can you find this treasure, and so long as you claim it, any desire or dream you may have will come true," The All-Seer said with a smiling expression shown by the curvature of its eye. Young Nero''s eyes beamed in excitement, but he wasn''t foolish, he carefully pondered before he spoke, "You''re saying that this treasure, this thing... can save even those like my mother? How do you find it? What is the cost of acquiring a miracle from this kind of divine object?" The All-Seer smiled and replied, "It''s at no cost at all, everything is just, and as such, you merely need to search these lands with your power. So long as you grow strong enough, you can face anything; you''ll accomplish any goals you desire. I trust that finding the treasure will be no hassle at that time." Young Nero looked at the ''smiling'' All-Seer deeply as he thought to himself, ''I don''t trust him one bit, but... he is the only lead I have to my mother''s well-being. I have to take this chance. If science can''t cure her, then there''s a method if I were to rely on things once thought as fantasy. Hmm, he mentioned Universe Ring, then I think I already know what that is, and if it''s as he says, then it''s more like a server connecting to the network being the World of Promise. Since I''ll be battling with alien lifeforms, there are more risk factors to consider; I''ll at least confirm a few more bits of details...'' After saying this, Nero spoke, "Fine, I agree, I''ll venture into these lands, and I''ll do my best to find this treasure. However, I need confirmation for a few things." The All-Seer made an ''ambiguous-smile'' once again but showed surprise when he heard Young Nero''s latter words. He spoke, "Hmm, questions? Sure, speak, and I shall answer." Young Nero didn''t hold back anymore, "What is the name of the treasure I am seeking? Can the beings from other worlds connected to the Universe Ring affect my daily life on Earth, and finally, what happens if I die in that world?" The All-Seer looked at Young Nero deeply before its expression became friendly again as it spoke, "The treasure you''ll seek is a treasure of many names, when you venture the world you''ll have to use your own chances to find clues regarding its existence and whereabouts. As for your second question, let''s just say that there are appropriate means for interaction, huhu. Lastly, in answer to your final question, you won''t die through normal means, especially as a ''Novice Ranked Digitizer.'' But as you progress, things will become more dangerous. Now then, Nero, do tell me of your decision? Shall you partake in this grand undertaking?" Nero looked at the All-Seer deeply as his mind rapidly processed everything, considering his advantages and losses. Soon, his eyes shone in a determined way, causing Adult Nero to look at him in silence as he sighed. The All-Seer made an ''ambiguous-smile'' once more as he spoke, "I take it that you''ve already made that choice..." Nero nodded and spoke, "Correct, grant me passage." "Haha, excellent, excellent! Nero Valstine of humankind, I officially welcome you to the World of Promise, congratulation on becoming a Digitizer! May your quest be fruitful!" Following his words, the All-Seer waved his staff, causing the door behind him to glow in bright lights that slowly enveloped everything within its vicinity. Soon, Nero had vanished, as Adult Nero slowly began to fade away, the All-Seer looked at him in silence, as Adult Nero did the same, the two seemed as if they were in a faceoff. Suddenly, the All-Seer spoke, sending off Adult Nero with a few resonant words, "Who will it be the next time we meet? The old or the new, huhu¡­ I look forward to your choice..." Not long after those words, Adult Nero, who remained silent, merely showed an indifferent smile as his body vanished into the lights. Soon, the lights faded, and the door closed. Now, only the All-Seer remained hovering in this boundless space. It looked at the door in silence, but if one stared at it, they would see a look that would cause a chill to any who witnessed it, as its eye vanished, revealing a set of sharp jagged teeth that curved upwards. *** The World of Promise was an endless land filled with grand opportunities and equal dangers. Its mystery shrouded to all due to its sheer size and hidden realms, creatures of all walks roamed about bringing life to any fantasy. Legend says that though large, this world was split into quite of few sections called Zones. Each Zone had its master and secrets that may lead to grand revolutions. As such, if one wanted to make it far in these lands, they must start from the beginning, a place known as the Novice Zone. The Novice Zone was a broad area that spanned hundreds of millions of kilometers, filled with many different towns, secret regions, and other factors. Here, many different races from all walks of life were spawned into separate towns. Races with the highest status were spawned in the most extensive areas occupying more than one town, but as for races such as humankind, they were spawned in smaller areas, no from different villages. One such village was about to welcome its newest arrival, a simple looking settlement with wooden fences, and stalls set up at street corners on an unpaved ground of soil and trimmed grass. A white light beam shuttled from the heavens, crashing at the center of this village in what seemed to be a magic circle. Looking around it, one would notice that there were a few individuals garbed in simple village patched up armor with spears. Behind the portal was a large wooden building, with an old lady seated on a chair with a staff in her hand. Occasionally, a few humans in simple-looking armor and wears with hurry over to her to discuss something before rapidly leaving the village, other than human''s however, there were beings that had furry tails and cat ears, along with other humanoids with unique features. It didn''t take long for this light that fell at the magic circle to reform into Nero, who stood at its center in simple linen clothing. Even with such standard garments due to his handsome face and uncommon makings, such as the silver hair and red eyes, he instantly attracted a few girl''s attention. "Ou, who''s this young hotty?" A cat-eared young girl said as she looked towards the magic circle. "Oh, so handsome!" Another strange species lady said. "Little brother, come over here, let this sister show you the ropes!" A more mature voice said it could be seen that this was a grown woman trying to act young, and it caused a few of the other women to look at her in disgust. A gorgeous 15-year-old human girl with long chestnut brown hair, large rounded eyes, small nose, and red lips and a small frame looked at this scene in silence and shook her head as she muttered, "Such idiots, Big Brother, let''s go." As she said this, she turned and walked away from the scene while swinging her slender arms that wore shiny gauntlet as her well-shaped body was clearly defined in her violet dress-like armor. It''s lower hems fell a little below her supple thighs as black stockings were shown below her leg armor. Behind her was a sturdy-looking brown-haired man in his twenties, he gave the impression of a rock, giving off an overpowering feeling. His sculpted jaws, square-shaped head with thick eyes brows above his deep-set eyes and broad straight nose, further added to his character giving him an unyielding air. He glanced at the young girl with a smile and spoke, "In such a hurry? Well, fine, I guess you want to hurry and mass level before you transfer schools tomorrow. In truth, I only have about a day or so to guide you, so I''ll do my best little sis." As she heard his words, the girl smiled and replied, "Hehe, brother is the best as always." The man rubbed her head as the duo walked by the crowded street, bypassing the onlookers who spoke in whispers. "Hey, isn''t that..." One person ushered while nudging someone''s shoulder. The other person upon noticing the sturdy-looking man and young girl nodded in shock as he spoke, "Indeed, he''s a Guider, definitely not from our Novice Zone. Must be one of those who''ve transferred to a higher-level Zone whose guiding beginners for money. Che! Those bastards sure know how to reel in coins..." While this scene quickly died down, the commotion caused by the women around the magic circle only grew more intense. Nero, the target of these women''s affection frowned, he didn''t think he was a celebrity. He snorted as he walked away, leaving them behind. Yet, despite his rude and dismissing behavior, the women behind him seemed to found it even more attractive as some also went as far as to say, "Oh, he''s so fiery, such is the way of a true man!" Nero ignored everyone else as he stood at the village entrance, gazing at the broad plains and forests before his eyes as he took a deep breath. He soon gripped his fists and spoke in a voice only he could hear, "This is where my struggle begins... mother, watch me rise and change our fate. I shall become the strongest in this world to make your dreams come true..." Chapter 8：Winfrey Village, The First Quest The village that Nero had arrived was merely one of the countless others used to welcome races of low status in the universe. Its name was Winfrey Village, one of many others managed by the administrative power that governed not only the Novice Zone but all other Lower and Major Zones. Typically, if Digitizers of powerful families and societies in the ordinary world would like to have some region, their powers would only be constrained in their territories claimed in Major Zones. Digitizers have many different ranks, some of these are the Novice, Warrior, Expert, and Knight Rank, each of which is divided by 100 levels. Many other ranks exist above these, but they can be focused on at another time. All within the Novice Zone are none other than Digitizers ranging from level 1 to 100. Hence, limiting them to ranks of a Novice Digitizer. The moment some achieves the peak of level 100, they will be able to transfer to the more distant and higher-ranked zone. However, to do so, one must face a test and overcome it. Much like people trying to arrive at a stronger zone, those from the upper zones can also similarly arrive at the lower zones, but this is typically at a costly price. Even if they do arrive, they can only display the powers comparable to that of a level 100 and are incapable of partaking in grand events, dungeon raids, or any other special activities of the Novice Zone. Typically, people like these would only descend to train their juniors who have recently awakened or initiated as a Digitizer. As such, they are termed as Guiders, people who can only guide and offer direction. At this very moment, Nero was seated at a corner of the restaurant as he listened to Adult Nero speak about specific topics and concerns. ''Do such people have the power to attack novices?'' Nero asked with his mind as he calmly sat around a table with his back leaned up against the chair, his current appearance drawing the eyes of a few roaming Digitizers. Naturally, those who stared at him the most belonged to the group of the opposing gender, as there were already hushed discussions about adding him on some mysterious ranking list. At this time, Adult Nero, who sat within Nero''s consciousness, spoke once more, "No, they cannot; they are each limited by their actions. At most, you can challenge them to a duel, and if they accept it, the battle will lead to no particular loss other than the standard victory and defeat." Nero hearing this paused for a bit before he spoke with his mind, ''I see, I suppose that answers what I need to know for now, what should I do to move forward?'' Adult Nero''s cold face made a slight smile as he replied, "It''s simple, you train..." Nero hearing this frowned, he asked within his mind, ''So you''re saying that I should just wander out into the fields of this unknown village and start a fight against any random creature I see?'' "Pff..." Adult Nero almost laughed when he heard this, but he quickly reigned in on his mood and returned cold and severe once more. He spoke again, "Your current objective is to begin your Inheritance Quest, but before you can do so, you''ll need to achieve level 10. For now, the only thing you need to do is focus on leveling up and gaining actual combat experience, and the best way to achieve this is by taking Standard Quests. Now then, with that said, I leave the rest to you, don''t ask me any more pointless questions." Nero hearing these words gained a better idea of what he should do, but as he recalled the final bit of words, he snorted and replied inwardly, ''Hmph! You should be lucky I''m even asking you anything in your position.'' Not hearing a single word from his ''adviser,'' Nero shook his head and stared at his arm as he said in his mind, ''Good with this, I have a better idea, now, check status!'' [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - None] [Level 1 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 55] [Current EXP: 0] [Influence: None | Prestige: None] [Health 100/100] [Magic Power 100/100] [Combat Power: 30 stones] [Body Tenacity: 10] [Spiritual Awareness 10] [Speed: 50 km/h] [Genetic Trait:] [Grade??? Digitize Bit - Inheritance: locked (Level 10)] [Skills:] [Passive techniques: none] [Combat techniques: none] [Items:] [???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10)] .... When Nero saw his stats, his eyes went wide as he was shocked, he was expecting to see an extremely complicated sheet filled with calculation typically found in video games. However, the UI screen shown before his eyes was nothing less than strange. Though Nero was surprised about the sheet, something else soon caught his attention, as he pondered, ''My speed, when the hell did I get the speed of a car?'' As Nero thought here, he recalled the strange scene of him being brought by from literal death, and the surprising speed he ran with when he left the scene. Only now did he realize that his appearance not only turned for the better, but his body''s condition was of a different scale. ''Combat Power of 30 stones, is that roughly 420 pounds of force? Hmm, and that special gift should be that item that I got from the All-Seer, everything else is pretty much self-explanatory, but as for Body Tenacity, I am not quite certain of it. If it is meant to test my durability, how much damage can I receive from attacks?'' When Nero thought to here, he rose to his feet, and began to leave the area, heading towards the direction of the village chief as he concluded his thoughts with firm eyes, ''I suppose I''ll find out in actual combat...'' As Nero walked, he bypassed a few individuals that looked no different from him, garbed in simple linen clothes within even so much of a weapon to fight anyone. This made the spectacle of him being at the center of attention to fate by a bit, but as he was still the best-looking male, he naturally caught some individual''s attention. One sinister-looking young man with a red mohawk, large round nose, and slender eyes, wearing simple-looking armor stared at Nero''s location and frowned. He then turned to his friends and whispered something before walking away. The friends of his then walked towards two different corners, vanishing from the public eye. Yet, even though they disappeared, Nero felt something he never did before, a strange feeling as if he could sense that he was being observed from two areas. Nero frowned as he thought, ''Strange, I never had this kind of skill, is this the effect of that stat called Spiritual Awareness?'' As Nero thought, he focused on it more and could even clearly tell their directions, though he didn''t know who they were or how they looked. ''I don''t care who you are, but I won''t stand for being dominated ever again... with strength, I''ll shape our destiny,'' As Nero thought this, he couldn''t help but recall the reason he stopped fighting and resolved only to take a beating. As an eight-year-old child, Nero once hit a boy that provoked him about his mother''s illness, but it turned out that the hit was too severe due to him not holding back, using more force due to his past of being roughed up by thugs daily. It resulted in his mother and him being sued by the family in the Prominent Sector, resulting in a hefty fine. After personally watching his sick mother kneel on the ground to beg for forgiveness to the boy who provoked him, the opposing side''s family gave them a way out. Originally Nero''s family wasn''t as miserable as they had lived in a slightly better area beyond the walls of the Gutter Zone. However, on that day, they lost everything, and could only take what they had left to make do with a shabby house. Since then, Nero had matured even more and reigned in on his mood, far more than adult, he became even more silent and didn''t speak or care about anyone other than his mother. Nero clicked his teeth in dissatisfaction as he recalled the lousy memory. Eventually, he made his way through the crowd of humans and non-human individuals, arriving at the older woman dressed in a white hooded robe with markings. She carried a bored look as if she grew tired of everything, but the moment she saw Nero, her eyes brightened, not waiting for Nero to speak and question her, she prompted the dialogue, "My dear young man, can you help this old lady with a favor?" Nero was surprised by this, but he promptly replied innocently, "Grandma Chief, tell me your concern? I would like to help?" The Village Cheif nodded at his manners and spoke, "Good child, you see, I''ve been having trouble with a stubborn tyrant at the east of the village. It''s already beaten down ten of my villagers, beating them to an inch of their life every time they venture to get water from the riverside. Do this lady a favor and bring an end to its tyranny." Following the granny''s words, was a notification UI visible only to Nero''s eyes. [Compulsive Beginner Quest: Tyrant Slayer] [Difficulty:?] [Description: Defeat the tyrant who guards the riverside of Winfrey Village.] [Rewards:] [200 EXP, Prestige 50, Common Iron Sword] [Village Chief Pan of the Winfrey Village has offered you a Compulsive Quest. If you reject it, your prestige will sharply decline with the entire village. Do you accept the Quest, Yes or No?] Nero, upon reading the Quest, details found it a bit strange, but he didn''t over ponder it. He only wanted to get strong as soon as possible. He spoke, "You can count on me!" [Quest accepted!] Following the announcement, Village Chief Pan smiled as she tossed Nero a small white box and spoke, "You are a very obedient child, here take this with you and equip them, you''ll need it for your Quest. Be safe now!" Nero looked at the small white box and smiled as he saw the items in a menu, he promptly replied, "Thank you, Grandma Chief, I''ll do my very best!" Following his words, Nero then hurried off from this area, towards his quest destination, but as he moved, a few individuals couldn''t but help but sneer as they had overheard the Quest he just took. They chuckled as they knew full well, just what kind of trouble he was about to face. Chapter 9：The Tyrant of the Village, Nero’s First Battle A distance away from the Winfrey Village, Nero was walking within the track of soil and dirt, the fresh air blowing across his face, rustling his hair along with his new black martial uniform and simple sandals. Just by looking at him, he''d seem akin to a fighter from a martial fiction film, or the arch-nemesis of a hero due to his cold eyes and long silver hair. Yet, though his appearance was even better than before, Nero''s face was currently sullen as he grumbled, "Such a mean old hag, I thought she''d at least give me a simple armor or something, but what is this?" Following his words, the details for the items he received popped up in front of his face. [Simple Novice Stick: Combat Force +4, Indestructible] [Simple Novice Robe: +4 Body Tenacity, Indestructible] [Simple Wooden Sandals: +1 km/h, Indestructible] Nero glanced at the long wooden stick in one of his hands and sighed, shaking his head, but as he looked around noticing a few straggling individuals that looked like him, he didn''t press the matter. Nero was now growing suspicious; the Old Lady said the tyrant was troubling the village for quite some time; there should have already been people who were able to take care of it. Yet, the way she spoke implied that no one can defeat it. The more he walked towards the east, the more he saw wounded beginners like him, ranging from young human girls and boys of a similar age to himself. Looking at them closely, he noticed that some of them had been beaten harshly with swollen faces and dirty robes. The only thing that looked promising about them was that their eyes shone with spirit as if they achieved a hard-fought victory. Nero shook his head and continued forward; he noticed that for some reason, there weren''t any random encounters with mobs on the path he walked as if it was akin to a type of safe zone. However, he didn''t overthink it, as he still didn''t know much of this world. Soon, Nero arrived at a region where the trees looked a bit strange, forming an arc-like shape at the end of the path, almost like a gateway. Looking on the other side, one would see a clear river with large stones and pebbles scattered within, as a lush field stood before it. Nero looked at the tree formation with one of his brows raised, but right at this time, the space between the tree rippled like a water surface as a few more beginners appeared. They each wore a defeated expression and didn''t even bother to look at Nero as they walked past him. One Digitizer who stood with his back on a nearby tree jeered as if he loved seeing others in misfortune, "Ha, the weak have no right to roam these lands, pack up and go home!" The other beginners gritted their teeth and didn''t dare to complain as they knew his words were the truth, Nero on the other hand, showed a pondering look before his eyes turned firm as he boldly stepped between the tree passage while thinking, ''Hmph! I refuse to believe I''ll end up like them,'' Nero soon vanished from this location through ripples, appearing within a shut-off point as if he went to a different world, even the path behind him was closed. However, while Nero was shocked, he didn''t let it disturb his mind. He saw that he was in a wide field of green grasses and flowers as the river still stood before him. There were rabbits prowling about eating some fruit, and other adorable and harmless critters. Nero frowned, as no matter where he looked, he didn''t see his target, the tyrant. ''Hey, where is the tyrant? I don''t see anything here that is any kind of danger,'' Nero asked while speaking inwardly. "..." Adult Nero only remained silent, refusing to say anything. In fact, if one could see his current expression, they would realize that his coldness thawed a bit as his eyes had a layer of excitement. While Nero was complaining about Adult Nero''s lack of conformity, a scene soon caught his attention. Suddenly, a creature that rested on the largest boulder jumped onto the fields, startling every other critter, as they ran away in bundles. When Nero saw the creature, he chuckled and stooped down as he spoke, "Hey, little guy, are you the tyrant?" Looking at the creature before him, it''s no wonder he felt at ease, it was merely a small green slime with a dull expression and a smile. He spoke, "Show status." [? Slime] [Level: 1] [Health: 100/100] [Combat Force: ?] [Special Skill: ?] Nero thought it was a bit cute, he was a bit puzzled by the question signs and Special Skill details, but right before he could even think, an announcement popped up before his eyes. [You have discovered the Tyrant Slime of the Winfrey Village, as this is a Beginner Quest, no penalty shall be given if you are defeated. However, if you choose to cancel the quest, your prestige with Winfrey Village will sharply decrease.] [Commencing battle in... 3¡­2¡­1, begin!] The instant the announcement sounded, the Tyrant Slime had transformed itself, becoming exactly like Nero, it wore the same clothing and had the same height, with a stick in its arm. However, if one paid closer attention to it, they would notice its differences. Its arms were a bit more muscular, even the manner it took on was a bit bolder as if it was mocking Nero based on its sneering look. It even patted the wooden stick in its palm as if it was telling him what will come in a short while. [Tyrant Slime] [Level: 1] [Health: 200/200] [Combat Force: 40 stones] [Special Skill: Mimic+] [Description: A unique slime with power to imitate anything it sees, adding to their abilities by a small fraction. Be careful, for though it seems innocent, it is but a clever creature that looks down on all things.] Nero was alarmed by this, but he didn''t dare to treat his foe lightly again, quickly adopting an awkward combat posture. He stared at the Tyrant Slime while speaking towards it, "Hmph! I''ve been through more than enough hell since childhood; I won''t be beaten by a mere imitation of myself!" As Nero shouted, he made a wild charge that was akin to a car moving at average speed towards the Tyrant Slime with his wooden stick raised above his head, his eyes showing a fierce look. "Pff..." Adult Nero chuckled in his mind as he watched this scene, he couldn''t help but think of the old days as he murmured, "Things weren''t so easy back then... you''ll learn it the hard way." The Tyrant Slime stared at his opponent who didn''t seem to know a thing about fighting in disdain. He calmly waited for Nero to arrive, watching as the stick was swung towards his head in a half hazard way. With a simple turn of his body, he easily avoided it, causing Nero to lose his balance as he almost toppled over from his frontal charge. "Shit!" Nero cursed, as he tried to recover his posture, his torso which fell forward, halted as he used every power, he had to keep his center of balance. Yet, as if mocking him, the Tyrant Slime merely took a step forward and kicked him on his but, forcing his face to smash into the dirt. Looking at Nero now, he seemed no different from a suicidal ostrich, with his face pressed against the ground and but high in the air. The Tyrant Slime had never seen someone so weak, it momentarily forgot to attack and started laughing by grabbing its belly. "Kikikikiki!" With the resonant laugher sounding across the area, Nero felt embarrassed, he pushed himself off the ground showing his dirty face that had bits of blood as he roared, "Baaaastaaaard!" It had been a long time since Nero felt this kind of anger; he was determined to unleash his full wrath. He jumped from the ground and ran towards the laughing Tyrant Slime while he cursed, "If I don''t beat you today, then my name is not NERO!" Swish! His body moved like a rock sent from a catapult, swishing towards the Tyrant Slime like a gust of wind. Yet, even so, his steps were clumsy, posture was poor, and he still held the stick like a child holding a club. The Tyrant Slime wiped the corner of its eyes, as it rose to his feet and lowered his head towards Nero''s direction with a smug look on his face. It even went as far as to point its finger towards its chin while touching it repeatedly as if inviting him to hit it. Though Nero was mature for his age, he was still a young teenager. His eyes turned bloodshot in his fierce charge as he swung the stick while shouting, "Eaaaat Thiiiiiis!" The stick moved through the air, like an arrow shot from a longbow, it screeched through the wind with force like no other as Nero used his entire body force. Heck, even himself, was thrown along with his mighty swing that went towards the Tyrant Slime''s head. The Tyrant Slime merely smirked as with a popping sound, it reformed into a regular slime again, causing Nero''s attack to miss by a wind margin. Nero''s face sunk as his body spiraled in the air due to the previous all or nothing swing, he had no way to get back balance. Pop! With another popping sound, the Tyrant Slime formed back into Nero and looked at him with his arm raised, and eyes shining as it winked at Nero and swung the stick towards his head. Nero seeing this was furious, but he knew he couldn''t do anything, he opened his mouth and cursed, "Son of a..." Yet, before Nero could finish, a loud smack was heard, and Nero''s field of vision turned into one of blackness. The events here destined to remain as an eternal memory¡­ Chapter 10：Raynas and Elly, Nero Wake’s Up The battle was over in an instant; nothing about it could have been considered a fight from the perspective of this world''s inhabitants. When Nero was fighting, two figures stood back and observed in silence, as they saw how the Tyrant Slime knocked him unconscious they couldn''t help but show disdain as they left the area ignoring the unconscious Nero that laid on the ground. The Tyrant Slime couldn''t even be bothered to do anything more, it reformed into slime again and jumped from the ground back onto the stone resting at the center of the clear river. "Pssh! That guy is trash, the master was right he''s nothing more than a useless bum with good looks, I don''t even want to waste my time to rough him up. He''s not worth it," One of the men said. "Haha, I couldn''t say it any other way, man, the guy sucks, he doesn''t even know the basic core combat styles of any schools, is he even a part of a society? How could someone from a society awaken with no combat knowledge? Unless he''s some commoner, but we all know how nonsensical that is..." The other guy said. "Indeed, let''s forget about him, once we show the recording to the young master of the family, I''m sure his jealousy will be appeased," The other man added with a smile. "Yeah, you''re right," The other individual said. Soon, the duo had left this region, vanishing behind the ripples of the arched tree entrance that appeared once again. Time passed, and a few other beginners would occasionally come to challenge the Tyrant Slime; some would win easily, and others would after a fierce fight, but each of them did the same thing, staring at the sleeping youth in disdain. Eventually, a different party had appeared; they were the brother-sister duo that wore refined-looking armor and equipment. The sturdy-looking brown-haired man in heavy armor looked around and sighed as he spoke to the petite girl with long chestnut-colored hair garbed in a dress-like armor. "Elly, why are you bothering to rechallenge it? Haven''t you beaten it enough time''s already? You should know you won''t be getting any exp to level up again," The man said while shaking his head. Elly looked up at her brother with her large rounded eyes and shook her slender fists as she spoke, "Big Brother Raynas, I want to join that ranking list, I have to prove myself on each of them before I take on my Inheritance Quest." "Hmm? You want to compete with those rising monsters from the Digitizer Union, those who''ve recently awakened, haha, my little sister, you sure are ambitious, but I love it! Fine, I''ll let you have your way, don''t take too long, we need to hurry and level you up," Raynas said with a smile as he looked at her. "Hehe, as if I''ll even need ten seconds," Elly said as she cheerfully went forward towards the Tyrant Slime''s direction, but right at this moment, her eyes shifted to the side as she noticed a somewhat familiar face. Elly knitted her brows before she spoke, "It''s that pretty face from the village, humph! He''s so useless!" "Hmm?" Raynas also noticed the Nero. He couldn''t help but shake his head as he spoke, "Poor guy, he must have given it his all, I wonder just what kind of fierce fight he must have had to end up like this?" Elly hearing this spoke out, "Brother he''s no expert, he just arrived today and barely has any weapons. It''s highly likely that he''s doing the beginner version of the Quest, and for him loose against that Tyrant Slime, he''s no different from trash!" Raynas eyes widened as he heard this, he couldn''t help but shake his head and spoke, "Such a pity..." Elly no longer paid Nero''s corpse any attention; she pulled out a shortsword and stood at a spot in silence. Soon, her action had triggered the Tyrant Slime''s combat routine. The Tyrant Slime then appeared before her and transformed into her. It carried a stern look, far different from the kind shown to ordinary people and Nero as if it knew this would be a fierce battle. A cool wind blew across the lush field, rustling the grass and plants as it swayed the dress on their bodies and hair, as they faced each other in a classic standoff. In an instant, Elly and the Tyrant Slime blurred as they charged towards each other at speed no different from a car driving on the highway, achieving 80 km/h. "Sword of Blossoms!" The two shouted at the same time, invoking a special skill. Instantly, a sea of blossoms formed around them, swirling around as if it was guided by a storm. Their figures became indistinct as if the buds had shrouded them from sight. Ting-ting-ting! The sounds of metal hitting each other resounded as if one could perceive the scene more clearly. They would even see a few flashes of white arcs and sword sparks. Occasionally, one would see Elly and the Tyrant Slime shifting positions as they attacked each other over and over with their swords hitting the same spots each time. Eight seconds after this battle had begun, Elly, who was ready to finish this battle, hid behind a sea of buds at the flank of the Tyrant Slime. Suddenly, she frowned as her feet tripped over something. The instant this happened, her small body fell on top of the youth on the ground. The Tyrant Slime didn''t let this chance pass it. It sneered as it swung its sword towards her stopping it at her neck, as the notification of quest failure sounded in her mind. Ignoring the shock on her face, the Tyrant Slime merely jumped back onto its rock as it returned to its slime form. Raynas wanted to laugh, but as he saw his sister''s look, he held it in and spoke, "Elly, come on, it''s okay, you can always try again another day." Elly, who seemed to be a bit tearful, rose from the ground brushing off the dirt from her buttocks and pointed at Nero. "Brother, it''s all his fault, this darn pretty-faced pervert!" The moment Elly said this, she took a step forward and gave Nero a hard kick in his stomach, sending him flying towards the corner of the field as he smashed into a rock. Elly seeing this came to her sensed as she shouted, "Oh no! I... I hit him too hard," Raynas blurred and appeared at her side, smacking her head with his fists as he reprimanded, "Elly! You should learn to take that anger of yours into control; it is for this very reason why you are transferring schools. Sigh... plus, what does he have to do with your loss? You lost because you weren''t aware of your surroundings." "I... I... I''m sorry brother, I didn''t mean to hit him so far, I only wanted to vent a little," Elly said while lowering her head. Raynas sighed and rubbed her head as he spoke, "I know, I know... my little sister isn''t bad, but you have to remember that temper of yours is the biggest issue. You have to change it or you won''t be able to function in society, now come, let''s go check on his condition." When Raynas said this, he began to walk over to Nero, Elly also nodded and spoke, "O-Okay," She naturally knew her faults, but after being this way since young she was unable to control her impulses, it was something she can only do her best to outgrow in time. At this time, the duo was only moments away from arriving at Nero''s side, but right at this moment, Nero had suddenly jumped up, looking around in shock and alarm as he spoke, "Who, what, where?" Nero didn''t seem to be in the right state of mind, as everything looked blurry in his eyes, it seemed that the blow to his head was far more damaging the hit to his body. Nero shook his head, gripping it as he felt a surge of pain, far beyond the kind he used to face against the thugs in real life. "Damn! I... I can''t believe I lost to that darn bastard!" Nero cursed out loud while grasping his head in pain. Raynas and Elly looked at him in surprise, Raynas asked with a concerned look in his eyes, "Hey there kid, you okay?" "..."Elly remained silent, only standing by her brother''s side as she peeked at him with a hint of embarrassment. It seemed that she thought that she was the one who caused him to lose common sense. Nero, whose eyes were still blurry, couldn''t make out anything; he only saw two silhouettes, one which seemed like a square-shaped giant, and the other had a slender petite form. As the pain had now fallen a bit, Nero could think better. He knew that these must be challengers of the Quest, so he spoke, "I... I''m fine. I only, I..." Nero felt a bit embarrassed, he recalled that he shouted out he was defeated just now, he didn''t want people to know of such a disgraceful thing. Yet, he knew that he couldn''t hide it from them, nor anyone else who must have seen him when he was unconscious. Raynas knew Nero''s worry. He spoke, "Ah, that''s good; that''s good, as long as you are fine. Kid, we''ll be taking our leave, may we meet again, someday." Raynas then began to leave the area, Elly looked at Nero deeply before she snorted and turned around. Though she knew her faults, she was still feeling uncomfortable about her previous experience, her soft voice sounded in his ears, "Pervert..." Nero had never heard a voice like this in his life; it sounded akin to the calling of charming spirit in a pure lake of roses. If anything, only Nero''s mother could let him sense that kind of soothing atmosphere, However, the feeling didn''t last long as he recalled the latter''s words, Nero frowned as he spoke, "Who are you calling a pervert?" By this time, Nero had recovered his senses, he slapped his head and closed his eyes before opening them again. Yet, by the time he did so, no one was there but himself. Nero didn''t feel good, he got trashed by a slime, and mocked by some girl he didn''t know. He sighed as he spoke in his mind, ''You could have at least told me this was going to happen?'' Unlike usual times, Adult Nero replied, ''I could, but that would spoil my only means of entertainment. I trust that you already know of your weakness..." At this time, Nero had recovered his usual mental faculties, he replied with a firm look in his eyes, "Correct." Adult Nero then spoke, "Good, the day is still young, and it typically takes 24 hours before you get sent back to the original world. You should use the rest of this time to defeat this creature by any means necessary. If you can''t beat it, then forget about being the strongest there is, you won''t be able to fight anything in these lands." Nero gritted his teeth at those words, he balled up his fists and sucked up his pride as he asked, ''Please teach me.'' Adult Nero hearing this smirked and replied, ''Good, let the training begin...'' When he said this, the world within Nero''s mind started to glow in bright lights as a new road appeared, one that would lead him to the path of becoming strongest of all. ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 11：The Door of Memories, New Techniques Nero had arrived in a white space filled with endless mist and a sky with no boundaries, before his eyes was a region of doors that stood tall amongst all things. There were seven doors in total, each wrapped by sturdy chains with unique markings. At this very moment, Adult Nero stood in silence a few meters distance before him, gazing at the various doors with a cold, but a complicated expression on his face. Nero looked at the callus version of himself for a while before he spoke, "Is this... my mind?" Adult Nero remained indifferent as he replied, "Correct, it is the space within your mind known as the Core Consciousness. While you wouldn''t be able to reach here at your current level, I can bring you here at will..." Nero looked around at the doors with strange markings, but he felt his eyes hurt if he stared at them for long. A series of images flashed around them, each of a strange unknown picture that he couldn''t understand. As if he couldn''t withstand them, Nero clenched his teeth and looked away, but as he did this, he realized there was one friendly door. Looking towards it, he saw that it was the first door that had only a single glowing rune on its surface. He asked, "What are these doors? Why do I feel attracted to only one of them?" Adult Nero made a faint smile as he answered, "They are the door of our memories, each constrained and distilled. While I''ve gotten rid of the unnecessary bits, what remains here are our major combat techniques used over the past 16 years of venturing the World of Promise. Naturally, you will only be given access to the first door, as it is linked to your current stage as a Novice Rank Digitizer." "The doors of my memories... it seems that you, no... we''ve accomplished a lot, were we the strongest?" Nero said with a look of fascination on his eyes; he wondered just how powerful the callus version of himself had been. Adult Nero chuckled at those words as he replied, "That we did, but sadly, we were far still from the peak, and though we were strong, it wasn''t enough. Even with power, a slight moment of careless is enough for you to suffer death." As Adult Nero spoke to here, his body emanated a dense amount of killing intent, but it soon faded as he reigned in on his emotions. Nero was shocked when he heard that they weren''t the strongest, he was a bit curious, but he didn''t ask anything on the topic anymore. He knew who killed him; it was the only memory that Adult Nero had imprinted in his mind clearly, so he didn''t need to ask what Nero called, pointless questions. Adult Nero withdrew his distracting thoughts and turned to face Nero as he spoke, "This is where your training begins!" The instant Nero said this, he waved his hand, causing the first door with a single rune to break its chains and open it with a loud bang. Instantly, a bright light shrouded the space before fading as what was behind it was a sea of floating manuals. Nero seeing this sight, was shocked, Adult Nero enjoyed his current expression as he spoke, "What you lack right now is a foundation, as unlike those children from the major families and societies from the Digitizers Union. You don''t have any; you have no talents, no gifts, no knowledge of actual combat, nothing. The skills here are meant to guide and enlighten your future path, but as your brain has yet to develop to the standard of my old one, you won''t be able to accept everything all at once. Let''s start by teaching you these... they will aid you in defeating the Tyrant Slime." As Adult Nero said this, he pointed his finger towards Nero as three manuals flew out of the open door. Soon, the door had closed, returning the scene to its normal state. At this time, the three manuals hovered before Nero, as if waiting on him to grab them. Nero looked at them carefully before he reached his hand outwards and took one of them, the instant he did this a series of knowledge exploded within his mind. ''The first-way of practice is the foundation of the body, for it is only with a solid body, can one achieve mastery of the myriad things. The sturdiness to block attacks, the balance to achieve harmony, and the flexibility needed to overcome one''s foes by performing complex combat techniques.'' Following those words that rang through his mind, a sea of training techniques for the body rain through Nero''s head, showing him all kinds of methods, eventually his head started to sweat before the transference ended. [New Passive Technique learned, Foundation Body Refinement!] Nero felt strange, as he opened his eyes and spoke, "This... it feels as if I''d known these things all my life, how could this be possible?" Adult Nero looked at him and smiled as he spoke, "It''s basic knowledge transference, nothing complex, this is the same way you''ll learn combat skills in the future. Now that you''ve learned the Foundation Body Refinement Manual, quickly learn the others so we can begin your training." Nero nodded at those words; he didn''t continue to waste time and grab both remaining books with his two arms. Instantly, a sharp pain swept across his head, showing various experiences before he learned the skills, followed by two notifications. [New Passive Technique learned, Foundation Weapon Control!] [New Combat Technique learned, Foundation Footwork!] Nero sensing his newfound knowledge felt ecstatic; he was already a little scholar and loved to learn new things. If not, he wouldn''t have gotten a scholarship from his extremely poor standing to a fairly top-notch high school. After calming down, Nero saw that Adult Nero was still standing, looking a bit dazed. He decided to ask a question that had been on his mind, "Hey, about mother... is she...?" ''GET OUT AND GET TRAINING!" Adult Nero yelled fiercely, causing the space to warp around Nero, sending him out of his Core Consciousness. Only after Nero vanished, did Adult Nero realized what happened, he grabbed his forehead and gripped his fists while cursing, "Shit, I still haven''t outgrown it, damn..." Outside of his mind, Nero was currently standing like a fool in the field, looking like one of those people who lost hope in the eyes of all who walked past him. Some of them couldn''t help but show looks of pity, as they whispered, "Hey, look at that guy, it looks like he''s given up since he can''t beat the Beginner Quest. Poor guy, I wonder which society he''s from, there probably going to throw him out." "No idea, no point thinking it over," Another person said as they left the area. "Hehe, such a weak human," A furry eared human girl said, who looked no older than 14 years, mocking Nero as she passed by him. At this time, Nero had only just exited his mind, being expelled by Adult Nero. His eyes grew clear as he gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, ''Such a bastard, if he didn''t want to talk about mom, he didn''t need to act like that...'' Nero said as if he couldn''t understand his behavior, but what he didn''t realize was that he was the same himself. Soon, he cleared his distracting thoughts and inspected himself by ushering softly, ''Check Status.'' [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - None] [Level 1 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 55] [Current EXP: 0] [Influence: None | Prestige: None] [Health 1/100] [Magic Power 100/100] [Combat Power: 30(+4) stones] [Body Tenacity: 10(+4)] [Spiritual Awareness 10] [Speed 50(+1) km/h]: [Genetic Trait:] [Grade??? Digitize Bit - Inheritance: locked (Level 10)] [Skills:] [Passive techniques:] Low-grade Skill: [Foundation Body Refinement: Stage 1 (0/50) | 3 Stages ] [Description: This is a body art that can increase the body''s capabilities and allowing one to have further strength, flexibility, and better fitness.] [Effects: Technique is limited to 3 Stages, and each stage can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by a total of +5.] --- [Foundation Weapon Control - Stage 1 (0/50) | 3 Stages ] [Description: This is an ability to control any weapons, the more one practices this style, the more adept and versatile they will become at the weapons practiced.] [Effects:] [Technique is limited to 3 Stages, and each stage can increase the Combat Power used by any weapon +5 | Current Stat Boost (0/5)] --- [Combat techniques:] Low-grade Skill: [Foundation Footwork - Stage 1 (0/30) | 3 Stages ] [Description: This is a speed-boosting art that can increase speed allowing graceful movement and superior reaction capabilities. Each stage can grant the user and increase of 3km/h in speed.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 20] [User can increase speed by 3km/h] [Requirement: Use must at least have Stage 1 fitness.] --- [Items:] [???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10)] [Simple Novice Stick: Combat Force +4, Indestructible] [Simple Novice Robe: +4 Body Tenacity, Indestructible] [Simple Wooden Sandals: +1 km/h, Indestructible] .... Nero was pleased by his changes; he felt as if right now, with a bit of training he could take on the world and literally wanted to lift his head up and roar. However, he didn''t as he only smiled and thought, ''Perfect, now I can start my training, I refuse to believe I won''t be able to beat that bastard after I master these skills.'' When Nero said this, he glared at the innocent slime resting on the rock, the time was still morning, but it was approaching noon. He prepared to take a step forward, but right at this time, Nero felt a severe pain coming from his stomach, causing him to widen his eyes in alarm. Blarg! Nero spat out a gush of blood, as his arms trembled when he asked himself, ''Who? What? How am I this... injured? When did I take a hit to my stomach?'' When Nero said this, only now did he see his HP bar at 1 point, he glared at the Tyrant Slime as his consciousness seemed as if it was about to slip away as he cursed once more, "Bastard, you... dare to attack me... even in... my... sleep..." Soon, Nero fell on the ground, looking like an actor doing a one-person play to everyone else who was passing by. At this time, a dark brown-skinned youth in beginner martial robes with his hair sporting locks sat... or rather, laid silently in the fields as if he was sleeping with a strand of grass in his mouth. He seemed like a free spirit, as if he didn''t care about anything in the world, his face slim, body well-toned, with a straight nose, long forehead, and broad lips. Suddenly, he turned and looked at the fallen Nero and spoke with flashing eyes, "Oh, such a curious fellow..." Chapter 12：The Youth Called Avollo, Body Refinement When Nero had awakened, he had found himself in a corner separate from his previous location. His nose twitched as the scent of meat wafted towards his nose, and the sound of a burning fire was heard from nearby, Nero shifted his eyes towards the source seeing a small firepit with a large piece of meat being barbequed on a piece of stick. Growl~ Nero''s stomach began to rumble as he only realized that he had to eat in this world as well. His stomach was growling off the charts, but Nero was a youth of pride, he will never ask anyone for help, he doesn''t want to owe anyone favors. "Oh, seems that you''ve awoken, how do you do? My name''s Avollo," The dark brown-skinned youth said as he glanced at Nero from the corner of his eyes. Looking at him now, he didn''t seem to be much older than Nero himself. He sat by the firepit, holding the stick as he turned the meat over the flames, the fat from the meat dripping into the fire, making sizzling sounds. Nero snorted and remained silent, not saying anything, Avollo merely smirked with so much of word, humming as he sheared the meat. Soon, the meat was ready, and he sprinkled some spices on it while he spoke out loud, "Ohhh yeah, this is what I''m talking about, the earth as my home, the sky as my sheet, cooking in nature is just so sweet..." He was about to take a big chunk out of it, but he heard Nero''s grumbling stomach once more. He peeked at him from the corner of his eyes and wrinkled his nose as he spoke, "Still not going to say hello?" Nero gritted his teeth, seems to be struggling to hold onto his pride. However, as if he made up his mind, Nero spoke, "Why did you help me?" Avollo hearing this was a bit surprised, he lifted his head staring at the blue sky as he spoke, "No reason, mother said help those in need, and father said a good man knows when to offer his aid. You looked like you needed it, pal..." Nero hearing this paused for a bit, as his eyes became a bit lost when he spoke, "Mother and father, huh... you''ve got great parents," Avollo felt Nero''s words to be a bit strange; he tilted his head and stared at him before asking, "Yes, I do, but don''t we all?" Nero shook his head, his eyes showed a trace of gentleness when he thought of his mother, but when he tried to recall his father, only hatred came in his eyes. He rose to his feet and brushed off the dirt from his body before he looked at Avollo and spoke, "Not really, thank''s for giving me a hand, I''ll be heading off to training now." When Nero said this, he walked off, not bothering to even say his name. Avollo looked at Nero''s back with a curious gaze as he muttered, "Well, he really is a curious fellow." As Avollo said this, he took up a piece of the meat and shouted, "Hey!" Nero was a bit surprised by the shout, he turned around, but when he did, he saw an object whizzing towards him through the wind at high speeds. Normally, Nero wouldn''t be able to avoid this, but as he now had Spiritual Awareness, his perception of the world had changed. Nero was able to see that it was meat on a stick, he hurriedly grabbed it from the air, barely catching it as he wasn''t used to doing these kinds of highspeed maneuvers. "You..." Nero was about to question his purpose, but Avollo merely rose to his feet and walked towards the exit. He spoke while leaving, "Consider it a gift from me, pal..." Nero, hearing this, shouted, "What gift? We aren''t even friends?" Avollo paused his steps and laughed while speaking, "Haha, you''re right, then how about we become friends." As he said this, Avollo waved his hand, and a notification popped up before Nero''s eyes. Ding! [Avollo would like to be your friend, do you wish to accept?] When Nero heard Avollo''s words and saw the word friend, his eyes changed as he fell into a momentary daze. He recalled his first time trying to get a friend, but that didn''t turn out well, everyone ended up betraying him the moment he was forced to leave the Prominent Sector to the Gutter Zone. Ever since then, Nero had hated the very word; he would usually react in a manner no different from someone provoking him and his mother if he heard it. Yet, for some reason, Nero felt strange around this person called Avollo, they never met before, but he couldn''t help feeling connected. Nero quickly regained his senses staring at the option before him as he gripped his fists, Avollo seeing this was worried as he thought, ''EH? What''s he doing? Does he not know how to accept it? Odd, I felt that he was new, but that should be the simplest thing.'' Just as Avollo was about to explain how it works, Nero''s hand moved as the confirmation popped up in Avollo''s eyes. [Nero has accepted your friend request!] ''Nero? So that''s his name...'' Avollo thought to himself, he then spoke with a smile, "Haha, Nero, thanks for accepting, let''s meet up some other time! Bye!" As Avollo said this, he once more continued on his way, leaving the area. Nero looked at him deeply before focused on his thoughts, ''A friend, huh... mother, I made a friend...'' Upon saying this, Nero took a bite of the fragrant meat, as he did this, the taste was rich that it caused his eyes to drip with small bits of tears. Currently, Nero felt slightly different, as if his world of gray had finally gotten another tinge of color. Adult Nero, whose face was ever so cold and indifferent, made a slight smile as he saw this scene, he muttered to himself, ''Avollo... seems that you came here at the same time again... it''s good that there aren''t any changes.'' As Adult Nero said this, he closed his eyes no longer paying attention to anyone around Nero on the outside. Not long after, Nero had finished his meal, his body felt fresh, and his HP was maxed. He felt as if he could take on the world, so he slapped his cheeks to build his fighting spirit as he shouted, "Let''s do this!" Luckily for him, no one else was around to mock his act of madness, so Nero could act as he pleased. He promptly cracked his joins as he stretched while thinking, ''The Foundation Body Refinement requires me to regulate my breath in a certain standard. In doing so, I can gather what is known as ''Qi'' or ''Magic Power'' from the environment and use it to empower my physical traits. Based on the memories I''ve seen of the practice; I should be able to perform it; I only need to figure out its rhythm.'' As Nero thought this, he sat in the remote corner, merging himself in the fields becoming one with nature. He slowly regulated his breath, breathing in and out a slow and drawn-out pace. Soon, Nero had managed to find his state of serenity once again, during this state, the air around him changed as rather than taking in just oxygen, strands of semi-transparent blue energy began to seep within his pores. Nero''s mind then arrived at a location he saw in his memories of the manual, here there were five significant points to be activated, each cantering around his chest like a diagram of a star. Nero pushed these energies into one of the edge most points, causing the bundle of blue power to travel through his meridians for these hidden acupoints. In an instant, this energy arrived and quickly surrounded one of them, following this the point began to glow bright and brighter until finally with a ''pinging'' sound it lit up. Adult Nero, who had his eyes closed, made a smile as he spoke once more to himself, ''If it is wealth, status, influence, luck, power, and all the other things in this world we''ve never had it. However, when it comes to natural talent, there are only a few who exist that can exceed us.'' Ding! [Foundation Body Refinement 1st Meridian has been activated! Mastery has increased by 10, Combat Power and Body Tenacity has increased by +1] At this time, Nero, who had finished his first session, opened his eyes, causing a bright light to flash before fading away. His shining silver hair danced about due to the winds as his lips curved into a smile as he spoke, "I believe I am ready..." Upon saying this, Nero rose to his feet, staring at the Tyrant Slime; he knew that this was only the beginning the rest of the challenge would be trying to master his other skills in battle. Nero took a bold step forward, cracking his fingers muscles as his red pupils gleamed in a sharp ray as he walked to rechallenge his first major enemy. Chapter 13：Mastering One’s Senses, The Ultimate Trainer The Tyrant Slime was bored, it had taken out quite a few challenges in the day, and only a few of them had been worthy enough for it to use its actual strength. It was now moments away from taking a nap, but suddenly, it sensed that someone had stepped within the area that triggered its Quest. With a discontent sound, the Tyrant Slime left its rock with a single leap and appeared on the fields, but as it looked the opponent, the Tyrant Slime''s expression changed as it felt its day had gotten better. Nero saw that the Tyrant Slime had a look of joy on its face before it sneered, he didn''t like that look, he adopted a clumsy battle stance and shouted, "Let''s fight again you bastard!" The Tyrant Slime chuckled as the Quest activated again, causing it to be freed from its limits as it transformed into Nero. The two staring at each other in silence, as one showed disdain and the other showed rage, a blast of the afternoon draft swept across their surroundings, rustling the grasses as it sent its loose strands and colorful leaves across the field, some even falling into the nearby river. Despite Nero''s clumsy battle posture, the Tyrant Slime that sneered removed its expression a bit as it felt that there was something different about its opponent. It felt a bit uneasy, so it decided that it would end fast by taking the initiative. Swish! Instantly, the Tyrant Slime had blurred across the distance of a few meters vanishing from Nero''s field of vision. Nero was shocked, as he had lost sight of his foe, hearing only the sound of something moving through the wind at high speeds. Yet, as Nero became filled with panic, Adult Nero''s voice sounded from the core of his mind, "He''s faster than you, rely on your senses to feel his presence from your surroundings." The instant Nero heard those words, his mind calmed down, he closed his eyes, and the world around him felt different. Nero was starting to feel a vague presence from behind him, but before he could even sense it clearly, he felt a sharp pain across the side of his head. Pow! With a harsh hit, the Tyrant Slime smacked Nero''s face with the stick from his right side, the force behind it causing his face to distort before he flew into the air for a few meters and toppled over on the grassy ground. "Ouch! That stinking bastard!" Nero cursed as he lifted himself from the ground with one hand on his cheek. Surprisingly, he didn''t lose consciousness, but only felt a slight amount of pain and dizziness while his HP fell by a quarter. Adult Nero''s voice then sounded, "Are you a pinata or training dummy? Learn to defend!" Nero felt angered at these words, but he had no way to complain, he still hadn''t gotten used to moving while using his Spiritual Awareness. He snapped back inwardly, ''Hey, it''s not as easy as you make it sound!'' As Nero was complaining, the Tyrant Slime looked at him in shock as it never thought he would be able to stand. Soon, it grew a dark look on its face as to the arrogant Tyrant Slime, for someone as weak as him to resist his blow was nothing but a stain on his honor. "Kiiii!" With a resonant roar far beyond its previously cute slime noises, the Tyrant Slime fired itself by warming up like a Muay Thai fighter in a ring, assuming a martial posture. It had one arm before it, as its body slanted forward with its head facing Nero as its eyes had an icy glint. With the sound of drastic muscle growth, its arm that held the wooden stick bulged by a section as it waved the stick a few times behind its back, causing it to make whooshing noises. Nero''s eyes shrunk as he saw this, especially the cold icy look of the Tyrant Slime. He gritted his teeth, not willing to back down as he adopted a similar posture to the Tyrant Slime and shouted, "Come at me!" The two acted simultaneously, their eyes flashing when they pressed their feet against the ground and pushed themselves forward with everything they had. As they ran with swift movements from their legs, the rushing wind pushed their hairs backward in a disorderly manner along with their clothes due to their charge. They were like two arrows from a bow, pushing through the wind at alarming speeds before they arrived at each other once more. As if he was waiting for this moment, Adult Nero spoke once more, "In fighting against a superior foe, you can''t rely on direct combat. You must draw on your senses to catch his movements and strike his weakness." Nero hearing this didn''t complain this time, he quickly raised his wooden stick before his face holding it with two arms as he closed his eyes again. The instant the Tyrant Slime saw this; it sneered as its body swayed vanishing from Nero''s front like a blur appearing at his back. At this moment, it made an arc with its back pulling back its arm which held the wooden stick by as far as it possibly can, achieving the perfect form, superior to an athletic stretcher by many degrees. As he drew upon the power of his entire body, the Tyrant Slime''s body made the ''peng'' sound much like a plucked bowstring from a longbow, leaping forward with its arm waving the wooden stick with immense force towards the back of Nero''s head. Nero, whose mind was in a world of darkness, experienced a new change. The world around him seemed different as if he would sense things by picturing them of a different color. Harmless and weak creatures had a bluish hue, but dangerous foes and threats that targeted him glowed in red lights. Suddenly, Nero sensed a wave of startling red light coming from behind him. He didn''t need to look back, but he could feel the light had formed into a stick that was reaching for his head. He had originally wanted to practice the Foundation Footwork technique, but if he was knocked out, the training itself would become pointless. Not wasting any time, Nero made a dive and rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the raging strike of the Tyrant Slime, which swept over his head with a brush of violent wind. "Kii?" The Tyrant Slime expressed in shock, as he looked at Nero, who dived and rolled away for a little beyond two meter''s distance. Nero didn''t hesitate as he pushed himself off the ground with one hand, and stood on his legs, at this moment his posture seemed a bit more natural, adopting a stance he felt was more comfortable for him to do battle. One of his hand rested on the grassy ground as his other arm held the wooden stick at his side; his body was crouched as he seemed as if he was in a running posture, facing the Tyrant Slime with a slightly confident smile. Adult Nero smiled as this as he spoke, "Good, now that you''ve learned how to sense, you should next learn how to dodge appropriately by practicing the Foundation Footwork technique. Only when you have achieved 10 Mastery will you be able to activate it and use its initial speed boost." Nero was happy at his current small but sure progress, he answered with a smile, ''Right!'' The Tyrant Slime had calmed down; it knew that it had let its bored mood influence its emotions and actions previously. Now that it had calmed down, it decided never to treat Nero like a newbie again. Suddenly, the Tyrant Slime took a deep breath and exhaled for an extended period. The moment it did this, the looks in its eyes changed as there weren''t any traces of disdain but calmness. Nero felt a bit nervous seeing this, but he felt confident about his progress, he was determined to defeat it before the day ended and nothing would stop him from accomplishing that goal. Soon, the Tyrant Slime''s body grew a bit slender, as it adopted a nimbler posture. Its body began to shift from side to side doing a strange but familiar movement, even the stick in its hand began to spin and twirl as if he was a master of blunt object combat, a cheeky smile soon after came on its face. When Nero saw those movements, his previous confidence waned as his face sunk, he knew that those were the recorded stances for the Foundation Footwork technique and Foundation Weapon Control method. Nero knew that the battle from now on would never be the same again, and unless he achieved a real breakthrough, he would be destined to lose again. Unaware to Nero, Adult Nero, who sat within his consciousness, smirked as he saw the scene outside as he chuckled and spoke, "You think it''s so easy, haha, that was only the warm-up, I had to go through shit just to beat this creature. It even took me fifteen days of hard work, now you''ll do the same... the best way to train is to battle against once self, and who better to enlighten you than that which was famed as the Ultimate Trainer." Following Adult Nero''s words, the scene outside grew colder as if it was about to welcome the next stage of the battle between man and slime, or in this case¡­ himself. Chapter 14：Peculiar Faces, Overcoming the Tyrant! In an area far away from Winfrey Village, a group of newbies was hunting a herd of three-meter tall beasts with a length of five or so meters in the wild plains. They were dark reddish boars with two massive swirling horns, and savage-looking teeth exposed from their open mouths. These beasts were known as the Swirling Horn Boars, each of a cruel and brutal nature as they would attack in a frenzied manner upon contacting any humans. They were Level 5 creatures found only in a greater plains area of the Village. While these newbies fought, some of them moved as a group, while only a few of them battled as lone individuals. If one looked closely at their attire, they would notice that some belonged to different famous parties who had long since left their legends in the Novice Zones. A young man with a red mohawk, sizeable round nose, and slender eyes, fought against a Level 5 Swirling Horn Boar himself with a pair of axes in both of his arms. The two charged straight towards each other like tanks, but as they collided, a strange scene occurred. As if metals crashed against each other, a ''clanking'' sound resounded, following this noise the axes that the young man held parried the two horns of the boar, forcing it to halt its charge. "Up!" The youth then roared as it raised his arm, lifting the boar into the air; he then tossed it upward before he jumped towards it, spinning his body before he cut the ax into its flesh, severing its head in one swing. As he landed on the ground, the headless boar fell before him, crashing on the ground as blood spewed about the area. It soon vanished after a flash of light, leaving behind what looked like copper coins and a single shining item. The young man smirked at this and was about to pick them, but right at this time, two individuals walked over and spoke politely. "Young Master Weizer, we''ve come to report," One of the individuals said. Weizer turned and looked at the duo indifferently as he spoke, "So, how was it? Did you teach that pretty face a lessen?" One of the men laughed and replied, "Haha, young master, we didn''t even need to; once you watch this clip, you will understand." Weizer frowned at this reply, he looked at his HUD interface and saw that a message icon had appeared. Upon opening it, he saw the scene of Nero getting mistreated by the slime, which caused his face to shift to one of mock as he spoke, "Hmph! Daring to act so popular when you are nothing but garbage, tsk! Alright, don''t pay attention to this thing anymore, right now I am focusing on getting on the rankings." As Weizer said this, his eyes shone with ambition as he didn''t want to be just one of the young geniuses of his clan, he wanted to venture far and search for the treasure himself. Right as he was about to continue his leveling, one of the lackeys spoke with hesitancy, "Y-Young Master, there was one more thing we noticed." "Hmm? What is it?" Weizer asked an annoyed manner. "It''s the girl from Balkras Family, the recent young miss; it seems that she''s awakened not so long ago..." The lackey said. "What? You mean that detached clan that stands apart from our Digitizers Union, how strong is their young miss already?" Weizer asked with a hint of worry. "I-I''m not sure, but the famous Iron Wall Sword Knight had descended to guide her," The lackey said. Weizer frowned as he thought, ''The Iron Wall Raynas¡­ if it''s him, then power-leveling her to my level or higher wouldn''t even take a few days. Darn! I refuse to let myself be bested by these talents. Not that Grass-Root Sword Kid, not that Genius Spear Boy, nor the Rising Fox, or the Flaming Haired Freak! No matter those rising geniuses from which race or sector, I will be the one to stand at the peak!'' After making up his mind, Weizer turned and walked towards the distance as he shouted, "Let''s go, we are headed to the Level 6 area..."'' "As the young master wishes," The lackeys said as they followed along behind him. Soon, their figures had vanished from this region, as they headed much further into the plains, into more dangerous quarters. *** Back in the Tyrant Slime area, a few individuals were gathered chatting and laughing while observing a spectacle. "Ouuu! Look, he got hit again, how much has it been?" A young girl said as she looked before her. "I think this was the tenth time, darn I can say he sure is sturdy, that body of his is just as good as his looks," Another girl said with starry eyes and a mouth-watering expression. One girl looked at her this and mocked, "You idiots, what''s there to get mouth watery over, he''s getting his ass kicked." The previous girl snorted as she spoke with a snappy comeback, "What do you know? The true man is the man that walks through all obstacles, climbing from the ground with nothing as he earns his victory from a hard-fought battle. Hmph! I guess you''re the type who likes the pretty and useless men..." The other girl wanted to snap back, but she glared at her and no longer paid her any mind. Unlike those girls, there was another that stood nearby, seated on the branch of a tall tree; it was a beauty with orange hair and puffy looking orange-white tail, garbed in a red battle dress. Her skin was pure as snow, with long eyelashes from her bright but slanted orange eyes, resting above her small nose and pinkish lips. As she sat in silence, the girl stared at Nero as she thought, ''Hmm, am I hallucinating, or is he getting better?'' She had arrived here before everyone else, wanting to test her current limits before heading to do her Inheritance Quest. However, upon seeing Nero, she could only wait for him to finish or fail his quest; never did she think that he would still be engaged in the same fight for over six hours. Every time he lost; he would challenge it again after a few seconds of catching his breath. Now, even the sky was growing dark as night was already beginning to descend. ''He truly is a stubborn guy, hehe, I''ll guess have to come back tomorrow,'' The girl thought as she gave Nero a deep look once more before she jumped from the tree and left. "Eh? Wasn''t that fox?" A guy who was previously bored said as he looked up. Someone else hurriedly followed his sights but was disappointed as he saw no one, he looked at the guy and spoke, "Che! If you want to fantasize about women, do so in your dreams," "You... say that again!" The other man cursed in anger. As the two men started to fight, the battle occurring between the main duo seemed to be entering its final act, causing the eyes of many observers to light up. *** At the center of all onlookers, two figures darted about at high speeds as they attacked each other. One being a slime that could mimic a person and the other a human. The Tyrant Slime was superior in experience, technique, and overall capabilities, giving the human a warm time. No matter what he did, how he fought, he could not defeat it. Still, as he was human, he was naturally more resourceful than the slime, and because of his latent talent, he was slowly evening the odds through experiencing violent combat. Suddenly, the two clashed against each other in a frontal assault as the wooden sticks in their arms moved like a living creature. They swung their hand at various angles, clashing the sticks against each other, causing it to bend at times as if it was defying physics. Pow-Pow-Pow! With the sound of wood colliding, the Tyrant Slime had an expression of ease, but Nero seemed to be exhausted. He drew his arm back and twirled the stick before he struck it at the Tyrant Slime, who mimicked his actions. POW! With a loud collision, both were forced to retreat, the Tyrant Slime fell back by 1.5 meters, while Nero flew back by 2 meters, his foot sliding on the ground before he stabilized at 2.5 meters. Nero, whose face, neck, arm, shoulders, knee, and just about everywhere was battered black and other colors, took a moment to gather his breath. He stared at the Tyrant Slime that didn''t seem to be phased as he cursed inwardly, ''This is my fiftieth time fighting him, and I''m running out of Magic Power again. I still can''t properly activate the Foundation Footwork technique. Why is it so hard compared to activating the Weapon Control technique?'' At this time, Adult Nero, who watched Nero from his consciousness, smiled as he spoke, "Of course, the Weapon Control Skill is merely a simple technique. However, the Foundation Footwork skill that I''ve given you is a distilled version of the High-grade skill, known as the Four Point Unity Steps." Nero was angry that he didn''t tell him this before, but he didn''t have the energy to complain, Adult Nero knew this, so he decided to help out once more, "The essence of the Four Point Unity Steps is to move as one along four points connected to a single road. Each is responsible for a given task; one is the road to advance, the other is the road to retreat, the final two are the roads to evade, both are connected and are traversable in one motion. Hence, you must be certain of your choice when you make your steps. Now listen carefully, you''ll have only one chance, and that is to grasp the core of this Foundation Technique in your next clash to catch him off guard. It''s all or nothing..." Nero carefully listened and nodded his head; he knew that Adult Nero was correct. The Tyrant Slime didn''t take the initial charge as it was similarly low on stamina but didn''t show it; however, its a carbon copy of Nero, and his Magic Power and HP aren''t that far off. Nero knew that he must strike him now and end it before it gets any more complicated; his body felt weak, as his muscles were sore, all the bumps and bruises on his skin hurt like hell. Yet, Nero stomached the pain; he had been through much worse and wasn''t going to back down because of these little injuries. ''I cannot lose!'' Nero shouted in his mind as his eyes shone in a firm light as he adopted a combat posture, holding the stick with both arms as he leaned his body forward and crouched his legs. As if he could sense Nero''s fighting intent, the Tyrant Slime knew that it must finish Nero off once and for all with its next attack. Crack! Its muscles and bones made cracking noises as its body grew larger by a section, it seemed that it was planning on using its primary advantages in power and physique to crush him. The audience was in silence as they knew the final exchange was here, the evening wind blowing a single blade of leaf towards the duo, this leaf glided in the air passing between them before it touched the surface of the lake. Drip! As if they heard the ripple, both Nero''s and the Tyrant slime''s eyes shimmered in blue lights. With a ''whoosh'' they moved like the wind charging towards each other. Nero was the first to act, as he quickly arrived before the Tyrant Slime and swung his wooden stick towards his face. The Tyrant Slime looked at this with a sly glint in its eyes; it shifted its body to the side at a speed that was a notch faster than usual before he shifted once more arriving behind Nero. His entire motion was like drawing half a diamond shape from one side, starting from the front of Nero, then at his right side, and ending at the point at his back, easily avoiding the attack. The instant it arrived at this position, the Tyrant Slime wasted no time in attacking by spinning its body, using the build-up force to attack Nero from behind. Its face now contorted, showing a savage-looking as its veins were visible and teeth were clenched, indicating that it was using its full power to flourish the wooden stick. Nero was filled with sweat as he sensed this danger behind him, but he quickly calmed himself and focused, causing his eyes to glow in blue lights as he pushed his senses to his limit and gathered the power to his legs. At this moment, the world around Nero started to slow down in his eyes, and he felt as if he could maneuver more efficiently. Soon, Nero recalled the scene of the Tyrant Slime dodging his attack; his eyes had a sharp gleam as he now perceived the image of a diamond-shape in his head, one with each of its four points marked by a glowing light. As he saw this, Nero''s thoughts sounded, ''So, that''s how it is, that''s what it meant, four points, one motion...'' Adult Nero smiled as if this was what he wanted, he pointed his finger, causing another manual to fly into Nero''s mind. When that happened, the comprehension that Nero had from the Foundation Footwork technique had assimilated into this new technique. Instantly, Nero felt as if he had learned a myriad of things as if the technique he knew before, and these four points were more complicated than he''d thought, filled with an inexhaustible amount of change. Ding! [You''ve learned the Four Point Unity Steps! The Foundation Footwork Manual has been assimilated!] [Mastery has achieved 10, Four Point Unity Steps has been activated!] Nero ignored the notification and imagined himself as the starting point of the edge of a diamond shape, not long after his figure shifted from this point on an imaginary line and arrived at a point at the side of the assaulting Tyrant Slime. Not even wasting his single chance for victory, Nero spun his body like a spinning top before he leaped from that point and brandished the stick towards the neck of the Tyrant Slime with everything he had. "Faaaalllll dooowwwnnn!" Nero shouted fiercely as his stick whistled through the air. The Tyrant Slime couldn''t even react to the sudden change, as the stick had already smashed into its neck with a loud sound. POW! Instantly, the head of the Tyrant Slime flew into the air, leaving behind its body. Soon, the body of the slime reformed into its usual self, as its head flew back to it and was absorbed. Although all of this took time to describe, it happened in a few seconds, as by the time the Tyrant Slime''s attack had reached Nero. He had already vanished, arriving at his flank as he hit his head off, resulting in the current scene. Currently, Nero had already landed from his previous attack; he turned to look at the slime that glared at him for a while, the two looking at each other in silence. It then jumped from the ground and landed on the rock with an expression of defeat. Nero seeing this sighed as he felt relief and a feeling of pride as he managed to overcome his limits against this previously impossible slime. Now, he was feeling exhausted to the point that he didn''t know if he would be able to do anything. "Well done," Adult Nero said, with a rare tone of warmness, it seemed that the way he looked at younger Nero changed a bit. There was a lot of noise coming from the female crowd and other beginners waiting to do the quest, but Nero didn''t pay them any mind, he felt happy being praised by his older self. Nero was about to lay down for a bit, but a sound came in his mind. Ding! [You have completed the Beginner Quest: Tyrant Slaver in one day. Return to Winfrey Village to claim your reward!] Nero felt overjoyed as he saw this, a small shiny slime token appeared before him which quickly put in his inventory. He then hurriedly jumped to his feet, forgetting his pain and exhaustion as he smiled in excitement while thinking, ''Finally, I can get something for this darn quest, that old hag better give me extra for all that hard work.'' Adult Nero chuckled as he heard those words, he thought to himself, ''Ah yes, I keep forgetting, he''s still a kid...'' Soon, Nero had left the area, moving through a sea of excited women and angry looking males. Now that the quest was free, anyone could have it, but with so many gathered, a massive brawl had taken place. Sadly, the cause of the tragic event had now left the chaotic scene. Chapter 15：Gaining Extra Rewards, Becoming A Novice It didn''t take long for Nero to arrive within the region of Winfrey Village, the sky was already dark and night had fallen. As he moved through the grass filled track, he saw bright fireflies dancing about along with unusual flowers that had glowing leaves. The stars of the boundless heavens painted a cosmic brilliance across the night, giving breath to the distant silhouettes of tall mountains, sparse night clouds, and other regions that shone with a nightly light. Nero could even hear the sounds of insects, along with the vague but distant sounds of the fighting occurring a distance away. ''It''s so beautiful here, so much prettier than that Gutter Zone... I wish mom could be here too,'' Nero thought to himself as he fell in love with the scenery. "..." Adult Nero remained silent as he recalled having these same thoughts many years ago, but he knew that what seemed beautiful in the open, had the greatest ugliness underneath it. Soon, Nero had arrived at the front of the village, the village now had a different kind of atmosphere. It shone with warm lights from many different lanterns from poles firmly rooted in the soil streets, and those that hung from nearby buildings. Many individuals were currently walking about, but most of them had an air of leisure, far different from the hurriedness of the morning were everyone scampered off to do quests. Looking around, one would notice that women were standing at corners garbed in more revealing types of armors as if trying to capture the interest of those who caught their attention. While Nero didn''t want anything to do with strangers, it wasn''t the same for those who saw him. "Hmm? When did we get such a handsome boy?'' A pretty woman in armor said in a strange accent; she completely ignored his beaten down appearance as if her eyes could easily see beyond the bruises and swellings. From this alone, one could tell just how experienced this woman was in hunting prey. "No idea, I''ve never seen him before, it looks like he might have just gotten back from some terrible quest. Was it a dungeon? Or was it a field monster? Oh well, let me check the lists..." A young girl said. Soon, the girl who viewed a strange list had wide eyes as she spoke, "Wow, he''s a newbie! Guess what, he''s been ranked in the Novice Zone''s top five handsome men. Hehe, my sister, we can''t miss this chance!" The older female''s eyes shone as she asked, "What''s his affiliation? What''s his name?" The younger girl hesitated for a bit before she spoke, "Err? Umm, I, I don''t know," "What? How could he be ranked without a name or affiliation?" The woman asked with puzzlement. "Don''t ask me, you''ll have to ask those who put him on the list," The girl replied with a shrug. "..." The woman became silent, as she was speechless. Nero heard a few similar commotions like theirs, but he paid them no mind, he was well aware of his current appearance. After a bit of walking, Nero had arrived in the vicinity of the old lady that sat lazily before the village chief building; she seemed at ease in her chair as if she would feel content watching the world around her. After moving through a line of other Digitizers, Nero finally stood before her with only a few others waiting behind him. As if Nero''s charms were always in effect, he didn''t need to speak as the old lady had spoken for him with her eyes flashing upon seeing his wounds, "Oh, little one, have you finished your quest?" A few others couldn''t help but look at Nero in shock as they never knew the Village Chief would speak in such a tone, she even went as far as to start a conversation. Nero, on the other hand, made an innocent look of a young boy returning from chores as he replied, "Grandma Pan, I did my very best to defeat that wretched monster. I was beaten black and blue, my body hurts, and I haven''t had anything to eat, sigh... but after remembering Grandma Pan''s wishes, I had decided then that I would never back down, I would defeat it at all cost!" As Nero said this, he took out a token in the shape of a slime to show as proof. Village Chief Pan waved her hand causing the token to fly to her; she scrutinized it before she smiled and replied, "Very good, you''ve done well, for working so hard for this old lady, I''ll give you a little more extra on your reward." The persons behind Nero looked slightly tired, some looking to have gone through a great ordeal. When they heard those words, their eyes flashed as they looked at each other knowingly. One youth with green eyes was even more excited as he thought to himself, ''Perfect, like this, I too can achieve favor and grate things!'' Nero was excited, but he kept a humble and innocent appearance. Not long after, a notification sounded as a bright light shone over his body. Ding! [You have completed the Compulsive Beginner Quest: Tyrant Slayer in one day! Village Chief Pan is especially pleased with your performance and honesty, she has decided to double your rewards and increase your EXP.] [Rewards:] [(X2)200 EXP, (X2) Prestige 50, (x2) Common Iron Sword] Ding! [You have leveled up! All stats have increased as follows HP: 20, MP: 20, SA: +5, CF: +10, BT: +3, SP: +3km] Ding! [You have leveled up! All stats have increased as follows HP: 20, MP: 20, SA: +5, CF: +10, BT: +3, SP: +3km] Ding! [Village Prestige has achieved 100, you have achieved the status: Good Villager.] Ding! [Congratulations for defeating your first monster, you have unlocked the Tier System, you are now an official Novice Rank Digitizer.] Ding! [Now that you are a Novice Rank Digitizer, you shall have access to these features, Ranking Lists, Dungeon Raids, Event Auction, Battle Arena, Traveling Permit, Trading License, and Digitize License. To learn more about these functions, please visit the Guide at the center of the village or view them in your menu. Digitizer Nero, may the glory of promise find you.] Nero took in all of the previous details in awe, he wanted to check everything out, but he also knew that people were waiting behind him. He bowed to Village Chief Pan and thanked her before running off. Not long after Nero left, A skinny youth with pale skin, sly-looking eyes, and short green hair flowing over his freckled face stepped forward. He wore a beginner robe as he handed over his Tyrant Slime Quest Token. He tried to use similar words, but Grandma Pan snorted and spoke, "Hmph! Do you think I''ll believe those words from a person like you? Shameful, because of this behavior; I will deduct your reward by one portion!" The youth''s face turned pale as he shouted, "Nooo! That''s unfair!" As the other''s heard his shout, they halted their thoughts and looked at him with pity. Some were a bit grateful that he tested the waters for them, so they didn''t jeer at him. After leaving in disappointment, the skinny youth turned and looked around with cruelty in his green eyes, but sadly, he couldn''t find Nero''s trail. He cursed out loud with a venomous look on his face, "I don''t know who you are, but mark-my-words, I''ll have my revenge!" Far away from this scene, Nero didn''t know that he had made a new enemy, he was happy about his achievements and went to the place he found most comfortable to arrange his thoughts. In a pub, Nero sat with his leg placed on a tabletop when he smiled and spoke in his mind, ''Hehe, I never thought I''d level up so much! Hmm, if it''s like this, won''t I be able to reach Level 10 quickly?'' Adult Nero chuckled at those words, Nero hearing this frowned as he spoke inwardly, ''Hey, what''s so funny?'' Adult Nero decided to speak at this time, but on a different topic, "You''ll find out in time, I think you should hurry and try to understand your current state, from this point on you are no longer a simple beginner, so you''ll have to treat this world more seriously." Nero nodded at those words; he changed his mood and command in his mind, "Check status!" [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - None] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 3 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 495] [Current EXP: 125] [Influence: None | Prestige: 100 - Good Villager] [Health 140/140] [Magic Power 140/140] [Combat Power: 60(+4) stones] [Body Tenacity: 16(+4)] [Spiritual Awareness 20] [Speed 56(+1) km/h]: [Genetic Trait:] [Grade??? Digitize Bit - Inheritance: locked (Level 10)] [Skills:] [Passive Techniques:] Low-grade Skill: [Foundation Body Refinement: Stage 1 (10/50) | 3 Stages] [Effects: Technique is limited to 3 Stages, and each stage can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by a total of +5.] --- [Foundation Weapon Control - Stage 1 (10/50) | 3 Stages] [Effects:] [Technique is limited to 3 Stages, and each stage can increase the Combat Power used by any weapon +5 | Current Stat Boost (+5)] --- [Combat Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 1 (10/50) | 9 Stages] [Description: This is a speed-boosting art that can increase speed allowing graceful movement and superior reaction capabilities. Each stage can grant the user and increase of 5km/h in speed.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 30] [User can increase speed by 5km/h] [Requirement: User must at least have Stage 1 fitness.] --- [Items:] [???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10)] [Simple Novice Stick: Combat Force +4, Indestructible] [Simple Novice Robe: +4 Body Tenacity, Indestructible] [Simple Wooden Sandals: +1 km/h, Indestructible] [(x2) Common Iron Sword] [Trading License] [Digitize License] .... Nero felt joy seeing his power, but his eyes soon fixed on the items called [Trading License] and [Digitize License]. He moved his finger and pressed them, opening a broader menu, but what he saw caused his expression to transform into a shock like no other. ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 16：A Startling Revelation, Returning [Trading License - An item that allows the user to perform acts of trade within the World of Promise and any others connected to a Universe Ring. Currency used is the standard Digital Coins, each of which is exchanged at as such: 1 gold = 10 silver = 100 copper.] [Digitize License - An item that grants the Host Digitizer the right to use their Digital Mark to summon their true abilities in a world connected to a Universe Ring. Please note that performing this requires that the Host is in good condition; otherwise, it can lead to potentially dangerous side effects.] As Nero read these details, his mind was filled with alarm as he spoke inwardly, ''This... are you kidding me? We can use these things in the real world, then... wouldn''t that mean...'' Before Nero could finish his words, Adult Nero spoke, "Correct, the world outside is a world you''ve never truly experienced, so many things are not as you''d expect it. You must heed my words, never... dare to underestimate those who live in the real the world." Nero''s face turned solemn as he heard those words, he answered in agreement, "I understand." Adult Nero nodded as he saw this and said nothing more. Nero didn''t spend too much time studying the other options in-depth, as he pretty much had an idea of what they were, such as Ranking Lists, Dungeon Raids, Event Auction, and the Battle Arena. It seemed that in this sense, he was already somewhat like his older self, not wanting to overthink about pointless things. He focused a bit more on the Traveling Permit, which was exactly as its name, an item that gives one the right to roam the Novice Zone as a Novice Ranked Digitizer. After going through all the necessary bits, Nero then commanded with his mind, ''Check Coins!'' Ding! [Total Coins: 0] When Nero saw this, he frowned as he felt as if he''d been ripped off by Village Chief Pan, but when he thought about the double EXP and other items, he didn''t complain. As Nero''s thought ran to the double items, his eyes flashed as if he got a sudden idea when he thought, ''That''s it, since I have two swords, I can just sell one of them, and try to buy armor or some herbs.'' Adult Nero nodded at his choice; he looked at the sky for a bit before he spoke, "A wise choice, I need to rest as my soul is weary. When you are done shopping, if you would like to leave this space before the time ends, just say ''exit,'' and you will be transferred back to the real world." ''Time? Oh yeah, you did say that I could leave after 24 hours, I had no idea there was a timer that I could view...'' Nero thought as he came to another realization, he checked the time and saw that it was 8 pm Game Time, while in real-time it was 5 am. From this, he could already tell that this game was roughly at a time ratio of 1:4, and since it he people are only able to enter at a particular time, being midnight, he must have more or likely taken that long to awakened his consciousness. Nero then decided, ''I''ll get some copper first, then I''ll just leave as I can always get an equipment tomorrow. I also need to check on mom''s health...'' After finishing his thoughts, Nero moved from this area hurrying through the still crowed night scene of the Winfrey Village. Soon, Nero had arrived at the market district, where many locals from the World of Promise as well those belonging different races of the humans, catlins, and others had set up stalls. "Hey, hey you there... want to take a look at my... goods?" A grown woman said in a suggestive manner as she sat beside a suspicious tent. Nero didn''t even look at her and continued, a few others called out to him, he even saw a suspicious-looking middle-aged man standing in a corner eyeing him. Nero didn''t like that look, so he hurriedly moved towards the trustworthy native blacksmith shop. Clink! As Nero opened the door, there was a loud bell that alerted the owner. Nero then walked towards the counter where a small bald man with strong-looking arms sat, he looked at Nero up and down as he spoke, "A newbie, eh...? What do you want?" Nero glanced around a bit before tossed one of his Common Iron Sword''s on the counter and spoke with an experienced air, "I don''t need this trash anymore, give me the standard price." The blacksmith looked at Nero deeply before looked at the Common Iron Sword in silence for a while, causing its stats to pop up in his eyes. [Common Iron Sword] [Grade: Common | Tier: Rank 1] [Type: Weapons | Subtype: Sword] [Usable by All | Close Range] [Requirements: Level 1] [Attack Force: 6] [Durability: 5/5] The blacksmith narrowed his eyes seeing that it was Common Grade, he stared at Nero again deeply, but the confidence on his face made him think a little. Nero was a bit worried his current act wouldn''t fool the blacksmith but decided to remain firm and unyielding. The blacksmith smiled as he saw this and spoke, "Since it''s in good condition, I''ll be generous, I''ll give it to you for two copper." Nero knitted his brows and spoke, "Do you take me for a newb? I want five copper and not a coin less!" The blacksmith''s face turned ugly as he heard those words, he gritted his teeth and spoke, "Four Copper, I''ll pay no more than this price!" Nero vaguely made a sly smirk as he heard this, but he soon returned to a solemn look. He pretended he was thinking it over before he replied, "Fine, it''s only common grade trash, I won''t haggle you." The blacksmith smiled as he placed the four Copper Coins on the desk and spoke, "A pleasure doing business with you." Nero took it up and placed it in his inventory before leaving as he waved his hand, not bothering to say anything. After Nero left the blacksmith, his face was full of smiles, but as he walked past a nearby stall, he saw the same Common Iron Sword being sold for 6 Copper. Nero gritted his teeth and cursed out loud, "That darn blacksmith! Just you wait, I''ll pay you back surely..." As Nero wasn''t rich, he wasn''t one to see even a dime wasted; being cheated like this, to him, was no different from proposing to the girl of your dreams, only to have her ditch your wedding to marry another man on the same day. A few people looked at him as if he was turning mad, only now had he realized his mistake. Nero felt a bit embarrassed, so he hurriedly left the eyes that were scrutinizing him. Nero soon arrived in a quiet area; here, there were roses scattered about as if it was some garden. Looking around, one would even hear the sound of running water as a lake was nearby, a fresh scent filling the air, giving it an even more pleasing atmosphere. Nero felt here was a good place; he sat in a corner and lifted his head to stare at the brilliant night sky as he spoke, "Exit..." Not long after, Nero''s body glowed in a multi-colored light before he broke apart in digital cubes that beamed towards the sky, vanishing into a portal that faded into nothingness. The very instant Nero had vanished, a shuffling was heard as a familiar chestnut hair beauty appeared. She looked around carefully before sitting herself a little distance from where Nero went as she spoke, "Brother, I feel that this is a good place, so I''ll be leaving here." Raynas who only now appeared nodded as he spoke, "Fine, I''ll leave a marker here as well, when you get back after school tomorrow, send me a message, and I''ll teleport over. Elly, make sure you get to sleep the moment you leave; we can''t have you being late for your new school. Also, you''d best remember to act with grace and manners tomorrow, I don''t want a repeat of what happened at that school..." Elly had a slightly embarrassed face as she heard his words, she nodded her head and replied, "O-Okay brother, I will not let mother, father, and you down again!" Raynas smiled as he saw his adorable little sister''s face, he nodded as he spoke, "Good, that''s my sister, now go on," Elly then spoke the exit command before vanishing in the same manner Nero did, but Raynas pointed at the ground leaving a white mark before teleporting from this space like a ray of light, beaming towards a distant part of the world. *** When Nero had returned in his house from the World of Promise, it was only a little after 5 am, he went up to his mother''s bedroom and saw that she was still sleeping, After fixing her blanket and wiping the sweat from her head, Nero slowly left the room and checked the house. Only after seeing everything as okay did Nero climbed back into his bed, and rested, but as he did this, he found that he was in no way tired. Nero narrowed his eyes and muttered, "It looks like I''ll need to occupy my time..." After saying this, Nero grabbed an old model tablet and hand began to do some self-learning. The night soon after fading, as the day once more rose anew. Chapter 17：Mother’s Words, Going to School As the new dawn rose on the City of Rambruck, its light showered the streets with a brilliant hue as the clear sky gave one a feeling of brightness for the day''s activities. Much like those in the Prominent Sector, the many different citizens who lived in the Gutter Zone started their day rather early; they knew how hard one had to work to keep living, even more so than those better off beyond the Dividing Wall. Like everyone else, Nero was up early; he was currently in the kitchen, making omelets with bacon and various vegetables. A kettle was also nearby with boiling water. Soon, Nero had emptied the contents of the frying pan into two plates, even placing some slices of avocado as well; he then turned off the kettle and pour two cups of tea. After placing the dishes around the table, Nero was about to call his mother. However, as he turned around, he saw that she was already staring at him with her thin almond-shaped eyes with goldish-brown pupils, her long silver hair seeming a bit unrefined as if she''d just got out of bed while her elegant looking dress was a bit crumpled. "Mother, you''re up early, that''s good," Nero said with a happy expression. Hersa made a warm smile as she saw his expression, she walked over and gently pinched his cheek as she spoke, ''Who am I to say in bed while my adorable child is doing all the work? Hehe, you''ve made my favorites; I''m already feeling famished, so come on, let''s eat.'' Even at 15, Nero could never outgrow his feeling of satisfaction when praised by his mother. He smiled as he helped her sit down, and the two began to eat and chat about various things. "Nero, you seem to be in good spirits, how is your school life coming along?" Hersa suddenly asked while looking at him with a gentle gaze. As his mother, she would naturally notice every detail of her son. She obviously noticed that he wasn''t wearing his glasses, and had a sturdier and refined appearance, but as if she didn''t care she only questioned about his school life. Nero was a bit surprised by the sudden question, but as it only focused on his school life he calmed down and spoke with a slightly forced a smile, "It has been okay mom, I''ve been studying hard. I think that after I graduate, I''ll be able to qualify for another scholarship." Hersa nodded and replied, "That''s good; my Nero has always been smart; I wouldn''t expect anything lesser. Hmm, but though that''s good, what about your classmates? Have you made any friends?" Nero was a bit depressed when he heard the term classmates; he knew that ever since he provoked that individual, he was no longer a classmate in their eyes. As far as Nero was concerned, he didn''t care about them, but he didn''t want his mother to know, especially when he recalled the scene of her kneeling in the past. Suddenly, Nero remembered that he made a friend last night, his eyes brightened as he spoke, "Mother, I forgot to mention, I made a friend last night." Hersa was observing Nero''s face, when she saw his initial look of coldness, she felt a bit hurt as she didn''t want him to be alone, but as she saw his eyes brightened and heard his words, her eyes flashed with surprise then satisfaction. "Good, what''s his name? Does he attend your school?" Hersa asked with a smile. Nero hesitated for a bit before he spoke, "Mother, he is a friend I met online, he is similar in age to me, and we also study together..." Nero didn''t like lying to his mother, but he knew that he could only do so in this case, it would be sheer madness to expose her to the world of the Universe Ring. "Online? I see..." Hersa said as she looked at Nero deeply before placing down her spoon and speaking again, "Nero, I''m glad that you were able to find a true friend. I want you to remember these words; no one in this world can ever truly live alone. It is the people we meet and the bonds we form that allows us to be who we are, no matter what happens in life, you must treasure your friends and never allow yourself to wallow in solitude." Nero was a smart boy, who listened to her words carefully noting her serious expression, he nodded and replied, "Yes mother," Hersa smiled as she heard his reply; she then looked at the time and saw that it was nearing 7. Not wanting to keep his time, she rose from her seat and spoke, "It was good talking with you, my son hurry on now, you don''t want to miss the bus for school." "Oh, no!" Nero said as he was a bit startled, only now did he realized that the time had grown late. He jumped up and got his backpack before kissing his mother''s forehead as he runoff like the wind, leaving a few words, "Okay, mother, I''ll see you later, make sure to keep the house locked up." Hersa stared at his back and smile as she spoke to the wind, "Hehe, he''s so much like his father, even now he''s still thinking about my well-being." However, after saying this, Hersa''s eyes showed a trace of sadness as she muttered, "His father..." When she ushered those words, a silhouette of a broad back and strong-looking man flashed in her eyes, but before she could even clearly picture it, her eyes shrunk as she hurriedly placed her hand at her mouth to cough. After coughing, Hersa saw black spots in her red blood; her arms trembled slightly as her eyes showed sadness when looking towards the Direction Nero left. She was about to close the door, but at this moment, Hersa saw that someone was looking at her. It was a man that wore a thick black overcoat, with a large had, shades, and black gloves with red patterns. Hersa looked at this man in silence, as he did the same to her, the two seeming to carry a strange synchrony. Suddenly, the man lifted his hand, placing it on the tip of the hat as he nods his head before turning and leaving. Hersa looked him before she sighed and closed the door, heading back to her resting quarters with a lamenting look on her face. Not aware of the scenes at home, Nero had already arrived at the Dividing Wall. He saw that a few family''s children from the Gutter Zone were gathered after passing the checkpoint and standing beyond the wall. As Nero appeared, no one seemed to look his way; Nero didn''t mind as he felt more at ease this way. While he wouldn''t reject his mother''s wish to find friends, he wouldn''t do so with those that have explicitly betrayed him. Still, though Nero was ignoring everyone, some were looking at him and discussion in silence. "I-Isn''t that Nero? W-When did he get so... so... good looking?" A girl asked in shock. "For real, I didn''t think it was him, look, he''s even stopped wearing glasses, his eyes... they are so different without them..." Another girl said as she dreamily stared at his face. A few of the guys noticed this; they stared at Nero with ugly looks on their faces. Nero paid their responses no mind; his eyes were fixed onto the bus that approached in the distance, unlike the final bus that waited for students in the evening, this one was in much better condition. He already decided that he wouldn''t act in such a weak manner anymore, with strength, he will claim what he needs for his mother to live a better life. Not too far away from Nero, was a silent Asian youth in glasses, and short yellowish hair. He seemed to be busy playing with a smartphone, but if one looked at him carefully, they would see that his narrow slanted dark brown eyes were staring at Nero. Soon, the bus came, and Nero, along with everyone else had entered. It then drove into the distance, moving through a crowd of early morning traffic as it went to the more central sections of Rambruck. Looking around, one would see a variety of tall buildings and core facilities; one area had a large campus capable of holding over a thousand students. It was filled with many different structures and even had an artificial river running through its compound. Many different school buses were parked neatly, as groups of students from distant places began to make their way across the compound headed for their classrooms along with those who were coming from the hostels. This place was the Rambruck Academy of Excellence; a prestigious academy ranked within the top ten high schools of the Levier Sector. Nero''s bus soon arrived on campus; it parked itself in an orderly manner by the sides of other school buses. Following this, Nero and the others departed and headed towards different directions. However, only the silent Asian youth trailed behind Nero at a far enough distance, casually playing with his smartphone. Nero felt a bit strange, but he didn''t overthink it, while he walked, it didn''t take long for him to be a center of attention, it''s only natural as his looks had undergone a drastic change. "Hey, Velmon, isn''t that fellow the one from that time?" A hook nose youth with hawk-like eyes said as he sat in the open areas, by his side was a handsome young man with short black hair, a straight nose, and slender purple pupils with long eyelashes. Velmon narrowed his eyes when he looked at Nero, noticing his change, he frowned as he spoke, "So it seems..." The hook nose youth looked at Velmon and spoke, "He''s acting so bold, do you want me to send Benson to rough him a bit?" Velmon shook his head as his eyes flickered when he replied, "No, let him be, no need to do such foolish acts from now on..." The hook nose youth made a puzzled look as he spoke, "Odd, you''d normally enjoy such a thing, why the change? You''ve even gone and dyed your hair?" Velmon smiled as he replied, "All new eras start with change, don''t you think so, Jason?" Jason looked at Velmon deeply before he shook his head and replied with a laugh, "Haha, fine-fine, whatever, but even if we don''t say anything, that Benson is only going to act as he please..." "Let him be; we have more important things to focus on..." Velmon said no longer paying the topic any mind, he rose to his feet, preparing to head to class. Jason looked at him deeply before he followed along in silence. Unaware of them, Nero had already arrived at his classroom, with the title A2. He looked at the number, which was a representation of the elite numbers in every year group. Nero took a deep breath while thinking, ''A new day begins...'' Following his thoughts, he opened the door, and the lights from the open windows shone brightly for a while soon after revealing its interior. Chapter 18：The New Transfer Students? As Nero entered the classroom, a few individuals cast their sights towards him, but as they saw his look, their eyes flashed as some couldn''t help but feel shocked. "Huh? What the hell?" Someone said as they looked at Nero''s direction, "Is he really...?" Another person was about to speak, but a graceful voice sounded before him. "N-Nero? Is that you?" One voice said from a female who sat near the front; she was a good-looking girl with natural wavy hair wearing a trendy dress and had round eyes with brown pupils, staring at him with an astonished look. This girl was known as Kailyn, one of the prettiest girls in Nero''s year group. Naturally, the two used to talk a lot in his early years of school and he felt a slight amount of goodwill towards her. However, nothing went further than that as his only emotions to her was only a slight interest. He didn''t value her more than his mother, especially after what happened when he was isolated due to offending Velmon''s family. Nero would never forget how she called him a spineless loser''s son, the first day he returned after the shaming scene of his mother kneeling. Nero calmly headed to his seat, which was naturally as a book worm the front corner of the class. He didn''t even spare a glance towards her, as his icy demeanor gave rise to unusual emotions to some of the female''s hearts. "Oh... so cool..." One girl said as she peeked at him from her desk. A few others had similar reactions as the males cursed to themselves. "Tch! What''s with this little shit? Does he think he''s hot shit now that he''s cleaned his dirty hair and drop his glasses?" One youth said as he slammed his desk and gritted his teeth. "Let him be, Benson doesn''t like him; I''ll see if he can keep this up when Benson gets to the daily routine, hehe!" A skinny youth said. Kailyn looked at Nero with a frown on her face; she didn''t like being ignored, especially when she made the initiative to call him out. As proud as she is, she won''t go over to speak to him again, but she definitely won''t let his actions slide. Kailyn sat down with a vicious look in her eyes while lowering her head and thinking, ''Poor little bastard, I gave you respect by calling you out, and you ignore me, just you wait...'' As Kailyn thought this, she glared at Nero once more, but as she saw how he casually leaned back his chair with both of his legs crossed over, and his flowing silver hair moving with the wind, she couldn''t help but gulp slightly as her legs crossed over. Her breath grew unsteady as her arms trembled when she cursed in her thought with a flushed face, ''This... this... this bastard, how dare he? How dare he? How could I... I to him? Damnit!'' Not even paying attention to Kailyn or anyone else for that matter. Nero was busy staring out the window, his red pupils showing a deep gaze as he pondered, ''While I can use my abilities in the real world, I don''t know if anyone dangerous has found out about that accident. I''ll need to find a chance to practice these skills after my part-time work...'' While Nero thought to himself, the class grew even louder, as even Benson had arrived. He looked at Nero in shock as a group of guys talked to him from the back of the class, but he did nothing as he knew the class was about to start. As if the teacher heard his thoughts, the door opened, and a curvy lady with a medium length dark brown hair and glasses, covering her thin, beautiful eyes as her lips had red makeup. She wore a typical female teacher''s attire, a black skirt, and a formal shirt, with black stockings and high heels. While walking, her heels would resound in the now silent room as she made her way towards her desk and stared at the class while speaking, "Good morning, everyone.'' Nero and the others rose to their feet before greeting, "Good morning Miss Garnet." Miss Garnet smiled as she looked at them and nodded before she spoke, "Please be seated.'' The student sat down after those words, as they looked at her in silence, Miss Garnet then spoke with a wide smile, "Before we begin our lessons, I''d like to point out that today will be a little special, as we''ve received two exceptional transfer students." "What?" The students said in shock. Nero knitted his brows as he thought, "Transfer, at this time of the year? Especially in this type of top-class academy, they must certainly be far more than ''exceptional'' individuals. Oh well, not my business¡­" After thinking here, Nero shifted his eyes towards the scene outside once more. Following his thoughts, Miss Garnet turned her sights towards the door and made an inviting gesture as she spoke, "Please do come in and introduce yourselves." Not long after, two individuals walked from behind the open door. As everyone looked over, their eyes beamed as they saw a pretty girl with long chestnut-colored hair, large rounded eyes with long eyelashes, and a small nose. She had cherry red lips and a petite but well-shaped body visible from her simple thigh-length red skirt and a long sleeve shirt with a heart marking. As for the other individual, he was a similarly short but silent-looking Asian youth wearing a technology patterned black shirt and blue jeans, with Earpods in his ears. He had short yellowish hair of an undercut hairstyle and glasses over his sharp-looking eyes that were perpetually fixed onto the screen on his smartphone. His fingers tapped away like mad as if he was playing some video game. The chestnut-colored hair girl made a graceful posture as she spoke, "Good morning, everyone, my name is Elishia Balkras, but you can all just call me Elly. It''s my honor to be among your class, so please take care of me in the future..." After Elisha spoke, the Asian youth finally shifted his eyes upwards and spoke with a sharp gaze and an icy accent, "Kojima Ryo..." Not long after the two''s introduction, the class became filled with noise as everyone began to speak. "Wow! Such a gorgeous girl," One of the males said as they looked at the petite beauty. "Haha, our class now has another flower," Some other guy said. As all of the men became excited, the girls looked at the beauty with flashing eyes as they were thinking of making friends later. Kailyn looked at Elly for a while before snorting as she felt a bit uncomfortable at her appearance. Benson, on the other hand, had bright eyes as he declared to his friends, "That''s it, I''ve decided on my wife." A few of his friends laughed at him, but he glared at them and spoke, "Huh? You think it''s funny?" The guys around trembled a bit before cheering him on, Benson felt better at that and didn''t act out. While the commotion started because of Elly, Ryo had returned his attention to his phone; no one bothered to pay him any mind; his presence seemed even more fleeting than the previous Nero''s. Soon, Miss Garnet clapped her hands, returning an order to the room as she stared at Elly and Ryo as she spoke, "That''s good, now then Elly, Ryo, while both of your grades are top class, we are still midway into the semester. I recommend sitting nearby the front to catch on to things more quickly. Go, find a seat nearby; we''ll begin class with history." "Okay," Elly said with a smile as she moved ahead. Ryo also nodded as he began walking to the side while playing with his phone. Elly began looking around for a decent seat; she noticed that a fat ugly youth was winking towards her from the back of the class with an inviting gesture. Upon seeing that, a frown came on her face as her attitude was about to flair-up immediately, but suddenly, she took a deep breath and repeat to herself in her mind, ''Calm... graceful.... calm... graceful...'' As she continuously repeated this while looking around, her regular demeanor returned as she turned her head to the side. There she saw a seat beside an odd individual with silver hair, just by looking at this person she felt a strange feeling as if she''d seen him somewhere before. Not bothering to overthink, she sat herself down in the seat beside him, causing everyone to look at her with disappointment in their eyes. Benson''s eyes were ablaze, as Kailyn felt sour for some reason, the two looked over at the scene with awful looks on their faces. As for Ryo, he had found the seat behind Nero to be empty, so he sat down while continuing to play with his phone. Soon, Miss Garnet had prepared to begin her class, taking out her teaching items as she connected a tablet screen to the board. Elly was a bit excited in her new environment, but she still felt a bit concerned about the young man beside her. She turned and looked at him, noticing that he had one arm on his cheek, and he faced the window, making his profile difficult to recognize. However, from this glance, she felt he was rather pleasing to look at least from a glance. Elly grew curious, so she spoke with a tone of greeting, "Hello, my name is Elly, what''s yours?" Nero only now noticed that class was beginning, he heard the charming voice that could soothe his soul once more and was a bit puzzled as he wondered where he heard this voice before. As he turned and faced her, the girl''s eyes changed as she opened her mouth in shock, before ushering in a loud and alarming tone, "It''s you!" Chapter 19：The World’s History, An Open Target The class was in surprise when they heard the sudden outburst, each of the student''s eyes, along with Miss Garnet''s shifting towards Elly in shock and curiosity. Benson gnashed his teeth as he snapped the pencils in his arms and cursed in his mind, ''That damn bastard! What did he do to such a find girl for her to react like that?'' Kailyn also bit her lips and gripped a few strands of her natural wavy hair as she stared at Elly with a sinister look on her face, her thoughts unknown to the world. Nero, the target of the shout, was similarly in surprise, even more so when he saw the pretty young girl seated by his side. He thought she was the prettiest girl he''s ever seen, but that didn''t mean she could shout at him in such an oddly suggestive manner. After being dazed by her beauty for a short moment, Nero frowned as he asked, "Excuse me, but do I know you?" When the students heard Nero''s words, they looked at him in even more surprise as they didn''t think that a girl would react like that if there were no story between them. Elly, hearing Nero''s words, looked at him in astonishment before shame and embarrassment as she realized that she lost her cool, negatively affecting her image. ''You bastard... this is the second time you''ve caused me to make a mess. Hmph! Just you wait, I won''t forgive you!" Elly shouted in her mind as she glared at Nero with a mean look. Soon, she snorted no longer staring at him, trying her best to recover her graceful and refined appearance. Nero felt her actions to be a bit strange, as he saw how she turned away from him with pouting cheeks. He thought it was a bit cute, but her attitude seemed to be a significant problem. As if a warning signal went off in his head, he decided to leave her alone. No longer paying her any mind, Nero focused his attention to Miss Garnet, as everyone else was in a state of whispers. Miss Garnet wasn''t like other teachers; she found that a good class time drama was quite entertaining, so she was kicking back, waiting to see if some romance plot would have unfolded. However, it was a pity, as the result left her disappointed; she shook her head, not bothering to pay these kids any mind as she spoke, "Okay, let us begin with history!" Once they heard those words, regardless of talking, or laughing, everyone in the class had grown serious as they paid attention to Miss Garnet. Even though they acted no different from regular students in a similar setting, one mustn''t forget that they were one of the elite classes. Soon, Nero began to pay more attention to the story of their world, as Miss garnet had begun to speak about the event following the irregular changes of the half-century. It was said that after the massive ring appeared in the heavens, the entire world had undergone a drastic change, continents merging as one due to some unusual tectonic phenomena termed as the Great Shift. Previously, the world had been one with seven continents, with a few significant powers having total control of the world''s resources. These were the United States of America, China, Japan, Russia, Germany, and others. Because of the sudden changes, such as the Sky Ring that towers above our planet, the major powers united as one body. After merging as one, they became known as the UEG, dividing the Earth Continent of the world into four large sectors, each with their districts connected to a central governing body. These sectors were known as the Levier Sector, Maxim Sector, Kailua Sector, and the Vermeulen Sector. The reason for these names was primarily to represent the core governing family behind each sector, regardless of each change of leadership. These four major powers worked in tandem with the United Earth Federation''s central governing body. As Nero sat and listened to the lecture, he couldn''t help but ponder, ''If it''s been like such since that time, I wonder how many other Digitizers are out there, could there even be a few among them in my class that I don''t know about?'' Nero waited for a while but didn''t hear so much of a reply from his older self. He snorted and spoke inwardly, ''Hmph! Fine be that way; I''ll figure it out on my own... let''s hope I don''t die before then since someone didn''t want to say anything.'' As Nero was complaining to himself, he noticed at the strange girl was peeking at him with a slightly mean look, causing him to feel a headache as he thought that things wouldn''t be simple anymore. ''Just my rotten luck, to be marked by a girl I don''t know...'' Nero thought as he shook his head, focusing his attention back on Miss Garnet''s lecture. Elly saw that Nero shook his head when she peeked at him; this made her felt enraged as she thought he was looking down on her. She decided to double her punishment the moment she found the right opportunity. Not long after, the class had ended, along with a few others, by this time everyone had left for lunch. Nero had only now left the classroom, moving towards the dining hall. However, when he left, he didn''t realize that he was being eyed by Benson, Elly, Ryo, and of course, the ever so fawning females that liked his current appearance. Elly wanted to go and deal with Nero, but she was soon surrounded by a swarm of females, causing her to be trapped as she spoke with them about various things. Ryo, on the other hand, followed soon after Nero left while still playing with his phone, Benson looked at a few of his friends a nodded as they set out similarly. As for Kailyn, she had long since left the class; no one knew where she went or what she was hatching. It didn''t take long for Nero to get himself something to eat from the cafeteria; he hurriedly brought it to the roof of the main campus building finding a corner beside the fenced off edges to sit down and eat. A few others were eating here as well, grouped up in corners as they chatted, some of them couldn''t help casting him glances, thinking he was new as they never saw him before. Heck, there was even a dark-skinned youth who was sleeping on a chair, his back faced everyone as he had a straw hat covering his head, and even his loud snores were ignored as if they were as pleasing as the wind. While eating, Nero stared around at the campus grounds as well as distant city buildings, observing the vehicles and people that moved by the street as he asked in his mind, ''Have I already been discovered by others?'' A soft wind blew across the roof, resulting in Nero''s silver hair gently swaying as he sat silently, awaiting a reply. Soon, Adult Nero gave him a response, "Of course you were, after all, no man... or rather, no Digitizer can hide from certain eyes, especially after awaking in the modern age. The only question is when they will make their moves..." When Nero heard this, his heart rate increased as he felt a bit anxious; he hurriedly asked again, ''I... what do I do?'' Adult Nero replied, "There''s nothing else you can do to change the inevitable, only by seeking power will you be able to preserve your self from those that prey upon the weakest, and those with hidden agendas. My only advice for you is to be more mindful of your surroundings, but as for what you''ll decide when that time comes, I will not interfere, for you will be the one to make your own choices." Nero''s eyes grew stern when he heard those words; he knew that things are only in its brewing period and yet to unfold truly. He''ll need to keep his head together and become more cautious about those around him. ''If it''s as he says, then even right now, I''m probably being observed...'' Nero thought as he looked around the roof, noticing that a few other students were eating and minding their own business. Nero had a suspicious look on his face, even more as he saw that right now, the strange transfer student Ryo was similarly, eating not too far away from him. His face was buried in his phone, as he casually ate a home prepped meal from a lunch box. Nero narrowed his eyes at this, but before he could even take his eyes away from him, Ryo had suddenly looked up towards him with a smile on his face. His glasses shining in a strange light as his eyes had an unusual glint within them. The two stared at each other for a moment as the wind blew their hair, causing a strange aura to fill the surroundings. A few students found this sight odd and were beginning to feel a bit anxious, but right before anything unusual could happen, there was a change. Chapter 20：Benson’s Shame, A Familiar Face Bang! The door to the roof was opened in a wild manner, slamming against the walls of the structure that led to the roof. Benson had appeared with four other students that carried a mean look on their faces, and as everyone saw them appear their faces changed as they knew full well that these were the famous Four Kings of the campus, renowned for their acts of violence towards other students. "Nero, get the hell out!" Benson called out savagely, the husky youths behind him laughing as if they found something funny. Benson''s eyes shifted as he looked around and saw Nero, who was oddly staring at Ryo in silence. When the students heard Benson''s words and saw the direction he had turned, only now did a few of them realize that the person on the roof was Nero. A few were surprised as they wondered what he had gone through to adopt such a change, while some girls had flashing eyes. Still, regardless of what elixir he might have had, it wouldn''t change him at his core, as they knew full well that whenever Benson came, it would lead to the usual harsh beating. The brisk wind blew across the compound, sending scattered leaves from nearby trees everywhere as if it felt the change in the atmosphere. Despite it, however, Nero didn''t even spare a glance at Benson, causing everyone to look at him in shock as he was only looking at Ryo with suspicion. "T-this... h-has Nero gone mad, how long is going to ignore him?" A timid looking youth said as he glanced at Nero''s direction. Some of them who came from Nero''s class were also on the roof; they knew that this would happen sooner or later, and they wanted to see him get bashed in, especially the boys that were jealous of his newfound look. "Haha, good! This Nero is arrogant, look at him acting all tough and shit just because he got some money for a makeover," A straight-faced youth said with large teeth. "It serves him right, who knows what he must have even done to that female classmate? An angel like that shouldn''t be classed with poor trash," Another jealous youth said, recalling the scene in the classroom moments ago. The tension seemed as if it was nearing its limits, as Benson was boiling in fury, but right before he could do anything something happened. Ah-chu! Ryo sneezed as his glasses became a bit out of place, and his nose was runny. He reached for a napkin and blew his nose, causing the noise to resound across the silent scene as he spoke in an accented voice, "Oh, it seems my allergies are acting up again such a bummer." Nero knitted his brows, taking his attention from Ryo, who had now stopped paying attention to him. He lowered his head and scratched his chin as he thought while staring at the scene below the roof, ''Was it just my imagination? Is there something unusual about this fellow?''" Nero waited for a while but didn''t hear anything from Adult Nero; he clicked his teeth, not bothering to question him again. At this time, the extremely enraged voice of Benson sounded from behind Nero once again, "NERO, I''M SPEAKING TO YOU!" Due to the place being quiet, the shout was loud as it sounded far and wide. As Benson wasn''t any threat, only now did Nero found that he was here as his Spiritual Awareness didn''t even sense him, he looked at him in an annoyed manner as he spoke in an indifferent tone, "Benson, can''t you see that everyone''s eating? What do you want?" Benson''s eyes widen in shock as he had never heard Nero speak to him in such a tone, even a few others couldn''t help but usher. "Haha, this Nero is cool! Not even afraid of Benson, even if he gets his ass kicked, I''m going to be his fan!" A girl said as she looked at Nero. "Hehe, I was thinking the same thing, poor Benson, I bet he didn''t think he would have such a day," Another girl said. A few other students also chuckled at his misfortune, but Benson didn''t take this occurrence lightly. His face became filled with veins as he glared at Nero as if he saw an enemy, he shouted, "Nero, today I''ll teach you a lesson you''ll never forget! LET''S BEAT HIMMMM!" Following Benson''s savage battle cry with spit flying from his mouth, he charged towards Nero with his fat and muscular figure no different from a bull; the other youths also looked eager for a fight. "Be careful!" A faint-hearted girl said as she saw them run over, she originally never knew of Nero, but as she saw how his small figure compared to the others, she couldn''t help but worry. Nero''s new fans also had similar expressions, but he didn''t'' pay them any mind. In fact, he didn''t even pay attention to Benson and his friends, he rose to his feet and packed up his lunch as he spoke, "You guys don''t even know your priorities¡­ why are you even in school? To learn or to act like criminals?" Following Nero''s word, Benson was the first to arrive before him; he struck his meaty fist towards his face causing a few girls to make ''Kya!'' noises and close their eyes. Yet, no matter how long they waited with their eyes closed, they didn''t hear the expected bashing of a fist meeting a face or anyone screaming in intense pain. They opened their eyes to see that Nero had blocked Benson''s fist with his finger, causing them to open their mouths wide, unable to say anything. Much like everyone, Benson was similarly in a state of panic as he saw what happened to his fist, he trembled as he spoke, "You... you... how did you do it?" Nero didn''t pay him any mind; he swept his other hand forward and used his finger to smack Benson''s forehead causing him to retreat a few meters as his back hit the wall. The other bullies that saw this had already halted their steps, they trembled as they shouted in a panic while running off, "He''s a freak!" Benson, who now held his forehead gritted his teeth in pain as one of his eyes remained closed, he tremblingly stared at Nero who looked at him with cold eyes as his voice sounded at his core, "Don''t provoke me again..." As Nero said this, he lifted his backpack and left the roof, heading towards the classroom. Everyone was still in surprise, but it only took a few moments before they recovered as they too began to leave the roof while speaking. "Incredible, when did he get so badass? It''s as if he''s a different person!" One person said. "I don''t know, but right now, I can only say that someone has lost their right to claim themselves king on this compound!" Someone said with a mocking tone. "Hehe, so indeed," Another voice said while giggling. Soon, the noise had faded, and only a few individuals were left on the rooftop. A snoring noise still resounded as the person sleeping had yet to awaken, while Ryo had only now packed up his lunch box, before leaving the area and heading to the classroom, his face having a faint smile. Benson, having recovered from his daze, felt anger, but he knew he could do nothing to Nero from this point. Suddenly, his eyes flashed as he recalled a few figures, a hawk nose youth, and the handsome black-haired teen with purple pupils, and a few others. He trembled as he thought to himself, ''How is this possible? When did Nero become as freakish as those from that class?'' As Benson thought this, he gritted his teeth as he rose to his feet, his eyes showing a fierce look as he decided in his mind, ''That bastard, since I can''t do anything about this, then what about your personal enemy. Hmph! I''ve had enough! I won''t do another man''s dirty work anymore.'' The moment Benson finished his words, he left the roof in a huff, not even wasting any moment of time, he had to hurry and pass on the news before the next classes start. Now, the roof only had the snoring fellow that seemed to have no care in the world. It seemed as if he was a free spirit that roamed the modern world, finding a temporary resting ground. Suddenly, the snoring stopped, and the youth made a slight utterance, ''Uh, what was all that racket? Nero? I didn''t think there were so many people with that name. Maybe it''s only a coincidence...'' After saying this, the youth scratched his chest and slowly picked up the straw hat that covered his head, revealing a slim face with a straight nose, long forehead, broad lips, and hair done in a locks style. As he rose to his feet and brushed the dirt from his casual trousers and hooded shirt, he then left the roof with a lazy yawn as he spoke his thoughts out loud, "Ah well, time for the next set of classes, school is so darn booooring." As the youth left the roof and went to his classes, the blue sky soon shifted from its vibrant azure hue to more of a soft orange-ish blue, as today''s school''s activities finally came to an end. ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 21：A Sinister Plot, Being Stalked As the day''s classes ended, Nero didn''t waste a single moment as he left the campus in a hurry, moving towards the city. The moment he vanished, the refined and calm looking Elly had only now made her way outside with a few females, though they were talking and laughing, her eyes were scanning the surroundings like a hawk. Still, as she didn''t see Nero, she could only clench her slender palms as she cursed inwardly, "Pervert, just you wait!" A few girls saw her look had changed a bit and question, "Elly, are you okay?" Elly, having returned to her usual demeanor, spoke with a smile, "Yes, I am; I''ve only been feeling a little nervous lately. Plus, I have to get to private tutoring in a while, so it''s been a weight on my shoulders." The girls made an understanding expression as one of them who was an innocent-looking girl, with curly hair and large blue eyes spoke, "Elly, don''t try to push yourself, it''s not good to always be studying. Tell you what, why don''t you join us for a treat? There''s this good place that we sometimes hang out after school." Elly made a hesitant look, but the others showed a thumbs up when they looked at the innocent-looking girl. A different girl with black hair in a pigtails hairstyle fixed her glasses and spoke, "Oh, Claire is right, we haven''t gone in a while now that I think of it. Elly, you should come, it''s a really nice place to hang out!'' The other girls remained silent as they looked at Elly for an answer. Elly looked at them for a while, but as she was about to speak, a black car pulled up. Soon, a man in a suit walked out and spoke with a hand at his mouth, "Ahem! Miss Elishia, please come with me. Your parents are waiting." Elly sighed as she saw this, she looked at them and saw that they were a bit stunned as she spoke, "I''m sorry, but I am currently on a strict curfew. How about this, we can go visit this place of yours on the weekend, how does that sound?" "O-Okay Elly, that''s even better," The girls replied a bit flusteredly as they didn''t expect for her to have such a status. Elly nodded and left while saying goodbye as the car drove off with her. Now, only the girls remained while staring off at the distant car, moments after they began to separate. Claire looked at the blacked hair pigtailed girl and spoke, "Kara, is there a reason you wanted me to invite Elly? Isn''t it a bit too soon? We''ve, after all, only met her for a day." Kara who heard this made a smile as she spoke while texting, "It''s fine, I want to get to know her more, don''t you think it''s nice to make new friends, Claire?" Claire hearing this made a strange look as she knew Kara wasn''t so friendly to strangers, but she didn''t want to press it and only nodded and replied, "Um, okay, I don''t mind it either." Kara smiled and nodded as she tapped Claire''s back and spoke in a lively manner, "Great, now come on, let''s get going we can''t keep dallying here." Clarie nodded as she allowed herself to be pulled by Kara towards the city. Unaware to Claire; however, Kara, who led her along, had a strange smile on her face; the phone in her other arm had only just forwarded a text message. Far from this scene, in a dark red luxury car that was driving along the highway, Kailyn was currently seated with her legs crossed over. A poisonous look was on her face, every time she recalled how close Elly had sat near to Nero, her chest grew blazing, even more so when she heard her shout and reaction. As she thought of Nero, a strange look came over her face; her legs kept fidgeting as she bit the bottom half of her lip tightly while gripping her palms. ''He dares to ignore me; he dares to disturb my emotions? No-no-no! No one can have him; he is to be mine, my little slave, my tamed pet, my trash! I''ll have him kneel below my skirt and do my bidding for the rest of his life!'' Kailyn thought while biting her lips. Her mind right now, already falling into a stage of madness. Just by thinking of those thoughts, her face turned every stranger with a hint of flush as her breath grew erratic. Suddenly, she noticed that her phone had beeped, she cleared off her thoughts and stared at the screen seeing a text that caused her to smile as she spoke in a soft but sinister tone, "Don''t blame me..." The scene here remaining one of silence as the car sped towards the distance, preluding the forthcoming event of a later time. *** After walking through a crowded street, Nero had arrived at this part-time. It was a large bar that was very popular with the locals of Rambruck, a place known as Heaven''s Paradise. As Nero entered, the first to notice him was a classy, handsome bartender with glasses; he couldn''t help but rub his eyes as he spoke. "N-Nero?" He asked a bit hesitantly. Nero seeing his reaction, shook his head and replied, "Yes, it''s me, not someone else." The bartender made a confused look, but he soon recovered as he spoke, "You look good, you should try keeping that appearance from now on, we can''t always having you come here looking like a bum." "Whatever," Nero said as he made his way past him to the backroom. The bartender didn''t bother paying him any mind and continued his tasks, flirting with the women who sat around his counter. Nero''s job wasn''t anything too important; he was merely the runner who catered to the various guests around at their tables. In a few minutes after arriving and changing, Nero had already gotten work; he went back and forth carrying liquor, water, and whatever was required of him to earn his short few hours of pay. There were many things one could do here, be it partying, drinking, singing karaoke, playing games, finding hosts, or directly hooking up with prospective partners in the Hook-Up lounge. Hence, this was why this place was so popular amongst many, and one would find students from the senior years in high school here, mingling amongst others that got off from work. A few female hosts and lady guests couldn''t help but show him suggestive looks, but Nero didn''t want to waste time with them. By this time, it was already nearing 5 pm; he had to hurry and get back to the campus to catch the last bus, the ever so run-down thin can that was unmaintained for years. Nero hurriedly cleaned up and changed his clothing before he went to the bartender to cash in his daily hours. As Nero''s case was a bit special due to his impoverished background, he had applied for this job under the Special Category, allowing him to get his pay daily. While many businesses still didn''t support this type of procedure, there were quite a few like this business facility that had already adopted it. The only problem was that Nero wouldn''t earn the typical hourly amount for an hourly wage and would earn only a dollar or more shoulder than the rest, dependent on the owner''s benevolence. After earning 13 EU Dollars, Nero then started to leave the pub, but as he was leaving, he couldn''t help but notice from the corners of his eyes a few strange faces, men seated in a corner that hats shrouding their eyes. Nero''s face sunk as he saw them, but he didn''t consciously pay them any mind, quickly he left the area and headed back for the campus. Not even waiting for a second, he jumped on the bus, ignoring the fat bus driver as he sat near a window seat and stared out of the window. There, Nero saw that a few men in black clothes had stood nearby the school gates, but as they saw him enter the bus, they hesitated before turning around and leaving. ''Whew! That was scary; I need to be even more careful when getting back from work. It seems that their actions are limited, and they are not privy in taking strange actions before the public eye. This is good; it''s better that way... it looks like I''ll need to stop somewhere after I enter the Gutter Zone to train my skills in real life...'' Nero thought to himself as he couldn''t help but feel slightly anxious about his current state. A few moments passed before the bus began to drive off, and Nero felt a bit better, he was about to close his eyes to rest, but couldn''t help but notice that on his left side in the opposing seat of the bus, was Ryo. Ryo sat comfortably, idly minding his own business as he played a mobile game on his phone. Nero was surprised as he saw him here, he grew suspicious once more as he didn''t think Ryo would still need to wait so long to leave school. He wanted to confront him but also knew that it was a foolish move. Hence, Nero decided to keep silent and pretend he saw nothing. ''The most important thing is strength, only with power can I no longer act like fish on their chopping block,'' Nero thought as his eyes shone with firmness. The scenes of the Prominent Sector passing by his eyes as the beaten-down bus throttled its way towards the Gutter Zone. Chapter 22：The Power to Digitize, Those in the Background Time passed, and Nero had already arrived at the Gutter Zone; after leaving the checkpoint, he quickly made his way home before entering like normal. Only after greeting his mother and making an excuse about going to get groceries did he leave stealthily, asking Adult Nero to check if he was safe. Yet, though Adult Nero gave the go-ahead, Nero didn''t realize that Adult Nero had no powers, he couldn''t sense things as clearly as he once could, and his remnant powers aren''t usable in the real world. Still, Adult Nero made a smirk as he thought, ''Somethings are better off experiencing the hard way...'' Unaware of the thoughts of his older self, Nero had arrived at a remote area with an abandoned factory; hardly any people ever visit here, even the thugs had long since marked their territories in distant abandon buildings. After looking around for a bit, Nero then made his way inside and closed the door. The hours were now nearing 6, so it was getting quite late, but the dark had yet to fall. As such, the evening sunlight still beamed through the cracks of the ceiling made of zinc and disorderly blocks. Nero now stood at the center of this factory, around a series of old rusted machines, and chains loosely hung from above. ''Okay, I''m ready, how do I go about this?'' Nero questioned inwardly. Adult Nero, who was meditating, opened his eyes, causing it to flicker as he spoke, "It''s simple, all you have to do is to reach your consciousness into your Digital Mark, and it will tell you how to invoke its power." ''Realy? It''s so easy, I''ll try right away,'' Nero replied in his thoughts as his eyes flashed in excitement. He quickly closed his eyes and controlled his breathing, causing his consciousness to sink towards his mind. As this happened, Nero soon felt a sharp pain in his head as something rejected his conscious mind trying to eat away at his spirit. "Ahhh! Darn, what''s going on!" Nero cursed as he gripped his head with both arms, his teeth fiercely clenched. At this moment, Adult Nero spoke in a satisfied tone, "Life isn''t meant to be easy, so how could invoking a thing that defies the nature of our world be so simple? You are trying to break the natural laws, so they will most certainly fight back." ''You bastard, you could''ve at least warn me about this!'' Nero cursed while gritting his teeth as the pain in his mind grew even sharper. "Enough yapping, focus through the pain, fight through hardship, and claim the power you seek!" Adult Nero coldly said. Nero was angered, but he knew he could do nothing else at this time as he had already mounted the tiger, now his only option was to ride it to the end. "I will not give up!" Nero shouted out loud with an unyielding will, unable to hold himself back due to the sheer pain, he couldn''t care about anything else at this point. His veins grew prominent; as his face contorted into an ugly sight, even his body was pulsing with his veins. Soon, a strange air began to form around him, as he lifted his head and roared like a beast. The instant he roared, his forehead shone in a bright ray as a mark of a scythe had formed, it glowed in a silvery light before a voice sounded in Nero''s head. [You are not qualified to receive my power as you have yet to awaken my inheritance. However, for your efforts, I shall grant you the right to call on a portion of my strength¡­] [I am the Reaper of Dawn, a Dweller in Darkness. Say this name, and bring forth my carnage...] As if Nero instinctively knew what he must do, his state of pain faded as he became calm. Instantly, his hair rose above his head the marking shone even more intensely when he raised his arm, lifting it at the side of his face. He opened his eyes, causing his red pupils to shine in bright light as the marking on his forehead turned into speckles of light formed on the back of his palm. When this happened, Nero then shouted in a resonant tone, "Come to me now, Mazello!" Instantly, the scythe mark on the back of Nero''s palm seemed as if it was about to come to life. However, as if it was blocked by something, it remained the same. Soon, a different change occurred as Nero''s silver hair grow longer, flowing behind him as if guided by a strange wind, and a silver mask appeared on the top half of his face. His body even grew a step taller, and a semi-transparent cloak appeared over his body. If one looked closely, they would see that his arms had an unusual semi-transparent gauntlet as his face had grown even more appealing. If before Nero could charm any lady he sees, at this time, he was able to bewilder the world. Nero feeling the surge of power felt alarmed, as he had only now come to his senses, he gripped his fists tightly as and couldn''t help but get the feeling as if he could do anything. ''Incredible, this... this is simply beyond anything that I''ve ever imagined, and you''re telling me that it''s only a small portion?'' Nero thought in surprise as he felt a terrifying power coursing through his veins. He could even tell that it had amplified his power from the World of Promise. Nero was about to try out his strength, but right at this moment, he felt dizzy, as his body started to stagger by a bit. ''This... what... what''s... going... on...'' Nero thought as he wanted to understand his current predicament, but he was too weak to do anything; he soon fell onto the ground, losing consciousness. As this happened, his body, which glowed in dazzling silvery lights, returned to normal as the energies scattered before gathering back into the marking on his palm. Adult Nero, who was calmly watching from within Nero''s mind, nodded and smiled as he spoke, ''It''s to be expected, our Digitize Bit is of ''that'' grade after all. So it''s certain that you wouldn''t be able to properly manifest it and keep conscious at such a low level. It''s good, though; it seems that my nudges earlier have inspired enough of a crisis within him for him to awaken sooner, this has its advantages.'' After speaking to here, Adult Nero then made a sly smirk as he continued, "As for that crisis, it''s true that we are being watched, but that doesn''t mean we aren''t protected. Our family isn''t so simple as you believe...'' Not long after Adult Nero''s words, a cold accented Asian voice sounded along with footsteps, "So careless, and here I thought he was a bit smarter than this..." As the voice resounded, the person who appeared was none other than Kojima Ryo, his manner seeming different from his previous leisurely look. His eyes showing a deep look as if filled with untold secrets, he stared at Nero''s unconscious body before his eyes flashed as he spoke again, "Still, though he may be a bit careless, he''s quite gifted, to think he''d figure out so much so fast. From the looks of it, he''s even managed to awaken a portion of his Digitize Bit, but even then, how could he know of his genetic level? His awakening will naturally be far more painful and tiring that those of ordinary Digitizers." As Ryo said this, he couldn''t help but shake his head, and he grabbed Nero from the ground with one arm and began to carry him away while speaking, "Oh well, regardless I hope that once I bring him home, he will have at least learned from this mistake." Not long after, Ryo had left the abandoned factory in silence as he vanished, leaving behind the ordinary scene. Yet, what might have seemed ordinary at a glance, was actually far more frightening underneath. If one stared at a particular area, they would see bodies of men that wore black cloaks. Looking at them closely, one would see that sparks were coming from broken wires connected to them, as an oily liquid formed a pool around them. Soon, a black van had pulled up, followed by the scene of a few men in black suits and dark shades walking around with wires in their ears. They moved towards the location of these bodies and placed them into large bags, cleaning up the scene soon after, as no trace was even left behind. After doing the clean-ups, the van drove off, as only one person remained, he was a skinny man in his thirties with a ponytail, neatly trimmed beard, and red shades over his sharp-looking eyes. He wore a black suit and had a scar across his nose, as his lips curved into a frown as he thought, ''Who is it? Who is protecting him? We were the first to discover his Bit Reading, and after observation, we were certain that he had no connection to that DU. So, how? How could he be protected? Is it bait sent out by the DU force our hands?'' As he thought to here, he couldn''t find any clues, he clicked his teeth and turned away from the factory as he walked away while mourning, "Count yourself lucky brat, for now, we can''t do anything to you... but sooner or later, I''ll get you back for those losses." He said recalling those machines they lost today, his figure soon after vanished from this region, as the sun fell, bringing darkness once more to the world. Chapter 23：Waking Up, DNA Verification When Nero opened his eyes, he found that he was already at home, lying down on a comfortable sofa, he even noticed that his mother was in the kitchen doing something. ''This... how did I get here?'' Nero thought to himself, as he didn''t recall coming home. He pondered for a moment, and finally recalled the massive surge of power he felt after he Digitized, assuming the power of Mazello. However, he had soon after losing his consciousness, as if the power was too great to withstand. "Ouch..." Nero muttered as he felt a slight wave of pain in his head; it seemed that he hadn''t fully recovered even now. He thought for a bit and spoke in his mind, "Check Status: Health and Magic Power." Not long after, the notification details popped up before his eyes after a ''ding'' sound. [Health 140/140] [Magic Power 10/140] Nero''s eyes went wide as he saw this, he thought to himself, ''My Magic Power has fallen sharply, it seems that it''s even more taxing for my current self, maybe I''ll need to be at Level 10 to use this strength without repercussions. It''s no wonder that the Inheritance Bit is locked at that level.'' After Nero thought this, he arranged his thoughts before concluding, ''I was brought back by someone, but the question is who? Who would do this? Am I just a pawn, or are they people I can trust as allies?'' While thinking, Nero wanted to ask Adult Nero, but he already knew that he wouldn''t give him a reply, anything that doesn''t have to do with immediate danger or influence to his life will not be a concern to him. Maybe he thought that it would be better for him to experience life for himself, rather than having it placed before him on a silver plate. "Cheap bastard..." Nero whispered under his breath. "What was that?" Adult Nero said in a sharp and icy tone. "N-None of your business..." Nero snapped back as he tried to pick himself up from the bed. "Hmph!" Adult Nero merely snorted and said nothing in return, he knew himself well and understood that it''s not easy to curb their pride even at his age. While both Nero''s were giving each other the silent treatment, a gentle voice came over that soothed both of their souls. "Is my little Nero okay?" Hersa said as she walked over with a bowl of soup. Just by taking in the whiff, even Adult Nero, whose senses were connected to Nero''s couldn''t help but feel at ease, the scent of mother''s rare meal made him a bit warmed. Nero hadn''t eaten his mother''s cooking in a long time, especially after she got sick, she didn''t have much strength to run about the kitchen. He looked at her in joy as he spoke, "Mother, I''m fine, do you know who brought me home?" Hersa placed the bowl in Nero''s hand and sat nearby while checking his temperature; she soon replied, "It was a friend of yours, he said his name was Ryo. He saw you collapsed on the way to the grocery store and picked you up before gathering the stuff we needed. Such a good child..." Nero''s eyes flashed, but he didn''t say anything about him, he merely took the spoon and began to drink the soup as his eyes grew teary, and he didn''t taste this in a long time. "Mother, your soup is still the best," Nero said, changing the topic. Hersa''s eye''s brightened as he spoke, "Realy? Then I''ll try doing it again on special days." Nero looked at his mother and smiled as he spoke, "That''s good mother, but you have to remember to do it only when you are in good condition, don''t push yourself too hard, I can still do most of the chores for you." "Hmm, I suppose my Nero knows best," Hersa said as she rubbed Nero''s head while watching him eat, as she did this, she couldn''t help but remember doing this as he was a small child. However, her eyes soon showed a trace of sadness when she thought of Nero''s father. Her face soon after turning a bit pale, but she easily fixed her expression before rising to her feet and speaking, "Nero, mother''s going to take a little rest now, I''ve been up and about too much today." Nero put down the bowl and stood on his feet as he spoke, "Then, I''ll tuck you in mother." Hersa shook her head and left for the stairs as she spoke, "No need, your mother can still put herself to sleep, you know, besides, don''t you want to meet with that online friend of yours. Go on, rest up, and have a good talk with him." Following those words, Hersa went up the stairs, as Nero stared at her from behind, he noticed her arm was slightly trembling, causing him to grip his fists tightly. His eyes shone in a firm ray as he thought, ''Mother, don''t worry, I will certainly help you,'' After thinking these thoughts, Nero then shook his head and finished his soup. He then washed the dishes and locked up before heading upstairs and putting himself into meditation. Soon, Nero started to do the same breathing methods for the [Foundation Body Refining Method]. Still, even after performing it for a few minutes, he didn''t notice any peculiar effects. He asked inwardly, ''Could it be that I can only practice these techniques in the Word of Promise?'' Adult Nero replied this time, "Correct, you can practice combat skills and gain a little experience in reality, but it is more effective in the World of Promise. As for skills like this, which are cultivation oriented, you can only do it in a world with Magic Power, Qi, and various kinds of energy; only in this way can you see actual results." ''I see, so that''s the case,'' Nero replied in his mind showing a look of understanding. Adult Nero seeing his look, nodded and spoke, "Although you can''t practice those skills, you can boost your Spiritual Awareness with meditation over long periods. Take this chance to tap into your consciousness once more and grow more attuned with nature, once the time arrives you will naturally Digitize into the World of Promise while using this Secondary Training Method as a boost." Nero''s eyes flashed as he didn''t think of such a thing; he promptly closed his eyes and entered meditation once more. Unlike his first time, he tapped into his consciousness much quicker this time as the wind swept across his form, brushing his hair to the side. He now seemed unphased by anything, as if he became apart of the room and the world. Adult Nero smiled as he saw this, a rare gentle look showed in his eyes as he spoke, "He is even more quick to learn than my previous self, is this the result of having proper guidance? If so, then I can hardly wait to see what this fellow will achieve, shall he take that step and step into the rank that eluded me? I suppose only time will tell..." When Adult Nero spoke, his eyes showed a strange glint before he closed them and sunk into meditative silence, no longer concerning himself with the matters outside Nero''s mind. Soon, the time had arrived at the requisite hour, and Nero''s body began to transform into particles of small multi-colored cubes that beamed towards the sky in an instant before vanishing from this world. *** Far away from this scene, within a professional facility that was located in the central areas of Rambruck. A familiar duo was seen standing nearby two individuals dressed in white clothes, with gloves on their hands and many different devices before them. Looking at the duo, one would notice that one of them was a middle-aged man with unruly black hair, messy beard, droopy eyes with a hook-shaped nose, broad forehead, and thick eyebrows. He wore a simple jacket over a black shirt and sported dark trousers. Standing nearby was a beautiful lady that wore formal wear; she had dark brown hair that neatly fell to her sides, and a straight face with stern-looking deep-set eyes that had pretty eyelashes, her luscious red lips were currently frowning. The middle-aged man looked at her and spoke, "Sera, you dragged me out for this at these hours? You expect me to believe that a shard that could have been from any kind of glass is your best bet a figuring out some lead? Tch! Girl, you''d better make sure that it''s worth it." Sera sighed as she replied, "Inspector Osbon, why be so gloomy about it? We don''t have any other options now, do we? I could only try this case from an unconventional route..." Osbon wasn''t feeling too good, he was about to get laid with some beautiful chick he met in a bar, but who would have thought that Sera would give him an urgent message, calling him over to this facility used to test DNA prints. He was about to snap, but right at this time, a few sounds were heard from the duo who were working hard before them. "Ah... so it does have a few matches," A female in glasses said. Both Osbon and Sera were surprised, they hurried over and looked at the woman, who pointed at the screen and spoke, "We''ve managed to find a match to all DNA samples on this shard, take a look." When Osbon and Sera looked at the screen, two faces popped up, one being a young youth with silver hair and red eyes, and the other being a gorgeous woman with similar features. The two looked at each other for a while, before Sera spoke with a smile, "You see, nothing is impossible..." Osbon shook his head as his eyes flickered when he spoke, "Indeed so..." Chapter 24：Awakened Trait, A Harsh Encounter Within the World of Promise, inside of the beautiful garden of roses and clear waters. A beam of colorful light had suddenly bolted down from the heavens forming into the previously seated figure of Nero. As he smelled the fragrant air around him, his eyes even caught sight of a few small semi-transparent beings with wings that fluttered around the flower buds, some of them even yawned as they laid down at its center with cute appearances. Nero found it cute, so he touched one of their cheeks causing its face to puff a bit as it stared at him sleepily. Soon though, it showed a comfortable look as it wrapped around his finger with its small arms. Initially, Nero thought they would have run away, but oddly, these strange little semi-transparent beings seemed to have thought he was more appealing than the flowers. They changed their targets from the flowers and began to fly around his body, nestling themselves into his hair. Nero was a bit alarmed he asked inwardly, "What are these?" Adult Nero didn''t ignore him this time, he spoke, "They are known as World Spirits, peculiar little creatures that are born of the world, they thrive in nature and are typically docile and peaceful beings. However, if one were to provoke them, they would certainly have no good end; for you see these small beings are capable of wielding the elements..." Nero hearing this was startled, he asked once more, ''Huh? So dangerous, then why are such mystical things attracted to me?'' "You have partially awakened a tiny fraction of your Inheritance Bit. Naturally, it would lead to certain changes. Check your stats and refrain from asking things you can learn yourself," Adult Nero said, no longer saying anything more. Nero, hearing his words, didn''t bother to curse at him; he was too excited at the sudden changes, so he spoke in his mind, "Check Status." Ding! [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - None] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 3 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 495] [Current EXP: 125] [Influence: None | Prestige: 100 - Good Villager] [Health 140/140] [Magic Power 140/140] [Combat Power: 60(+4) stones] [Body Tenacity: 16(+4)] [Spiritual Awareness 20] [Speed 56(+1) km/h]: [Genetic Trait:] [Grade??? Inheritance Bit (Mazello(Level 10)) - A powerful Spiritual Being of an ancient era, as you''ve earned his recognition, you have awakened a small portion of his strength. Your awareness of spirits has risen, you will naturally attract the love and care of goodwill spirits, but those of a dark nature shall view you in a manner no different from their mortal enemy.] [Reaper''s Eye - A talent that allows one to see the origin of nature. It enables the living to see those that exists between both realms of reality.] ¡­ [Skills:] [Passive Techniques:] Low-grade Skill: [Foundation Body Refinement: Stage 1 (10/50) | 3 Stages] [Effects: Technique is limited to 3 Stages, and each stage can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by a total of +5.] --- [Foundation Weapon Control - Stage 1 (10/50) | 3 Stages] [Effects:] [Technique is limited to 3 Stages, and each stage can increase the Combat Power used by any weapon +5 | Current Stat Boost (1/5)] --- [Combat Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 1 (10/50) | 9 Stages] [Description: This is a speed-boosting art that can increase speed allowing graceful movement and superior reaction capabilities. Each stage can grant the user and increase of 5km/h in speed.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 30] [User can increase speed by 5km/h] [Requirement: User must at least have Stage 1 fitness.] --- [Items:] [???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10)] [Simple Novice Stick: Combat Force +4, Indestructible] [Simple Novice Robe: +4 Body Tenacity, Indestructible] [Simple Wooden Sandals: +1 km/h, Indestructible] [Common Iron Sword: Combat Force +6, Durability: 5/5] .... Nero was stunned as he saw the details, he didn''t think he would have undergone such changes, his eyes narrowed as he read the details paying keen attention to the bit about ''those of a dark nature.'' ''So while others have good will towards me, the rest are more likely to target me... I don''t like how that sounds,'' Nero said inwardly. Adult Nero chuckled as he spoke, "You shouldn''t, it wasn''t one or two times I had to run away from dangerous spirits. But don''t worry, I am sure that if you play your cards right, you will survive..." Nero was frightened at those words, and Adult Nero enjoyed seeing that expression, but as if he didn''t want to tease Nero any longer he spoke, "Okay, it''s time for you to get moving, we have a long day ahead of us." Nero hearing this came back to his senses, he remembered that they only had 24 hours, and he didn''t want to waste a single moment to get stronger. He was about to leave the area as he took a step forward, but right at this moment, a bright light appeared before him before his head smashed into something hard. "Ouch!" Both Nero and the person said as they held their head. Nero looked at the person before him with anger, as did the opposing party, but right at as the two saw each other, they reacted similarly. "IT''S YOU!!" The shouted at the top of their voice. Nero felt alarmed that he would see this girl here, the very new transfer student Elly from his class. He wondered why she knew him on earth, but never would he imagine that they had met in this world. He thought for a bit and recalled yesterday he was called a pervert by a girl. He recalled that the blurry image also had similar colored hair, and the voice was the same after thinking it over. ''Why didn''t you tell me that it was her from that time?'' Nero cursed in his mind; he was really beginning not to like Adult Nero''s methods. Adult Nero chuckled and replied, "And ruin such a typical encounter? You must be joking, you need to understand that I have to get my own form of entertainment, I can''t always be sitting in meditation like some monk. It''s your duty to keep me entertained..." Nero gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, "Well, that''s your fault for being reborn in such a half-assed manner." Adult Nero frowned as he spoke coldly, "Oh, so you want me to reincarnate properly?" Nero trembled a bit as he realized his mistake, he hesitated and replied, ''I... I''m sorry,'' Adult Nero hearing nodded and spoke, "That''s more like it," While Nero had a literal internal conflict, Elly looked at him in rage, seeing that he didn''t even apologize for bumping into her forehead. She was about to act out in a violent manner, but right at this time, she remembered what her mother had forced her to recite when she had returned home. ''Be calm... be graceful...'' Elly said in her mind as she controlled her breathing, bringing her anger down by a notch. Soon, she had calmed herself to a level where she could speak in a refined manner, "Hey, it''s not nice to bump into a lady and not apologize, you do know that its rude, right?" Nero, who had only now awakened from his internal feud, looked at her deeply. His eyes flashed as he couldn''t help but find her appearance appealing in her dress-like armor, her sparkling chestnut brown hair, and sweet fragrance, giving him a warm feeling as it tickled his nose. Nero shook his head and cleared those thoughts, he made a strange look as he could have sworn she was angry just now, her manner of change was rather too quick. As Elly saw Nero''s suspicious look, her face turned slightly red as she didn''t know if he saw through her act, she hurriedly spoke again to consolidate her standing, "Excuse me, are you deaf? I believe you owe me an apology?" Nero was unusually smart even as a child; he could see things many found difficult. He smiled as he rose to his feet and brushed off the dirt as he casually replied in a look of confusion, "Umm? Apology, what for?" Elly seeing Nero''s confused look puffed her cheeks and clenched her fists tightly, she seemed no different from a boiling kettle. Nero didn''t like her at first, but as he saw this change, he couldn''t help but find her fascinating, as if he discovered a new continent he muttered, "How cute...'' "Eh? What was that?" Elly asked with widened eyes as she looked at Nero suspiciously. Nero having realized his slight outburst was alarmed, he hurriedly cleared his thoughts and spoke while walking off, "You are Elly from my class right, it''s a pleasure to meet you. With regards to earlier, I believe that we are both at fault, and as such, I do not need to send you an apology, now if you''ll excuse me, I need to get training..." Not even waiting for a moment, Nero ran off towards the town, leaving behind Elly, who had a dumbfounded expression. After a while, she regained her senses, and stared at where he went before she cursed, "You think this is over, no it''s only just beginning, I''ll follow you to the end of the world until you apologize!" Like the wind, she blurred and ran towards Nero''s direction, leaving behind the now silent and empty garden. Soon though, a ray of light beamed down, reforming into the husky figure Raynas. He waited in his spot for a few minutes but saw that Elly wasn''t here, he frowned as he spoke with eyes that showed a helpless look, "That darn little sister of mine..." Chapter 25： Owing a Favor, Learning A Combat Art As the day started a new, the bustle of Winfrey Village was ever so vivid, as newbies and Novice Digitizers hurried about to get a start on this day''s activities. Some would form parties as they grouped up nearby corners before heading off into the unknown wilds, each with an air of adventure and eyes that shone with aspiring dreams. Nero, having entered the village hurried and went to the potion store where he saw a stack of small to large bottles of different colored liquid was placed on shelves. There were different kinds of herbs stored in baskets, each emitting a pleasing medicinal aroma that wafted across the tip of his nose. A simple looking woman sat in this store, she had two small eyes, and short hair, dressed in simple garments as she read a thick book. Nero paid the lady no mind as he swept his eyes across potions on the shelves, knitting his brows as he focused on the small bottles. [Simple Healing Potion] [Type: Potion] [Subtype: Rejuvenation Potions / Elixir Powder] [Restore HP 50] [Price: 3 Copper Coins] ''Darn, such a damn rip off, I can''t even afford two, are you telling me that I need to pay almost everything I have to get a single bottle?'' Nero cursed inwardly with a look of displeasure on his face. Adult Nero chuckled in silence, not saying a word, but right when Nero was facing this dilemma; his day got even worse. "What''s with that look? Don''t tell me that you can''t even afford such a simple thing?" Elly said as she looked at him with mock in her eyes. "What''s it to you?" Nero asked rudely; he noticed that he had gotten a tail since he left the garden, and it was a tail that was quite stubborn. Elly didn''t like his manner, but she finally found a weakness she could exploit. Her eyes flashed in a sly light as she thought, ''Just you wait, you''ll apologize even if your pride is as big as the sky.'' She looked at Nero and spoke in a tone of pity, "You really don''t know how to speak to women, do you? It would help if you learned how to be more respectful, humph! To think I was considering giving you a hand. Hmm, maybe I''ll just forget about it..." Nero was trying to ignore her at first, but as he heard the final bits of her words, he couldn''t help but twitch a little as he knew he had too little on hand, and venturing out into the unknown with his no potion and readiness was madness. He knew full well that after struggling against what seemed like a standard slime was a mere test for beginners, who knows just how monstrous these creatures are in these lands? Nero gritted his teeth and tried to swallow his pride this time, as he spoke, "I... I didn''t mean it that way, and I do realize that I was a bit harsh. I''m only a bit on edge; if you wish to help me, I''d greatly appreciate it." Elly wanted to tease him a bit more before asking him to apologize, but after hearing his polite manner of speech, she felt different. She didn''t know why, but it left a bad taste in her mouth as if she was the one who did something bad. She glared at Nero knowing that she couldn''t take back her words at this time, with a snort she tossed a small bag of coins towards him and spoke while turning and leaving, "I really don''t know how someone from the DU cannot have money or skills; you''re acting like your some commoner or something. There, I helped you, so let''s just say that from now on, you owe me one." Nero was a bit surprised when he saw her action, he hurried to catch the bag from the air, but the moment he did so, he got two notifications. Ding! [You have received 25 Copper Coins!] Ding! [Elly has sent you a friend request, shall you accept it?] ''Wow! She really gave me that much; she''s much better than I thought. Hmm, fine, since you were so nice to help me, I''ll accept you as my second friend,'' Nero thought as he pressed the button before his eyes. He felt a bit strange, as he didn''t know why he was beginning to find the word friend so different from the past, as if they weren''t such bad things. However, Nero didn''t want to over ponder such matters, he cleared his thoughts to get back at the task on hand. He was about to take up a bundle of potions, but Adult Nero''s voice sounded in his mind. "I''d like to advise you that while you do need health potions, you are also going to need an attack skill. Otherwise, how will you be able to deal with stronger foes?" Nero was a bit surprised by this, he questioned inwardly, ''Huh? But don''t I have the amplified damage boost given by my [Foundation Weapon Control] skill?'' Adult Nero replied, "A foundation skill is still a foundation skill, true offensive power comes from active skills. I imparted on you the [Four Point Unity Steps] merely to increase your survivability. The rest is up to you to learn, as for what remains behind the door, only once you are deemed worthy will it impart on you a new set of knowledge." Nero was disheartened by those words; he thought he would have been like those heroes in fiction that get everything on a silver plate. He sighed while cursing under his breath, "Cheapskate..." "...." Adult Nero pretended he didn''t hear anything; he felt that it was above him to argue with this child. Nero thought for a bit reviewing some of the details he learned yesterday before bringing three potions to the store owner. After buying them for 9 Copper Coins, he was now left with 20 in his inventory. Nero then left the inn and headed towards the Combat Temple, here was a small temple that had a monk-like man with a bald head and sharp looking eyes seated inside. He sat with a stack of manuals around him as a calming scent filled the room. As this man saw Nero appear, he smiled and spoke, "Oh, a novice and already of such decent standing. Good, tell me, young one, what arts do you wish to learn?" Nero took this chance to browse across a list that popped up before him, showing many different weapons styles. [Spear Weapon Art] [Sword Weapon Art] [Ax Weapon Art] [Chain Weapon Art] [Halberd Weapon Art] .... Nero thought for a moment before he spoke, "I''ll go with a sword art for now," "Excellent, as you are a Good Villager, the prices you will be discounted to the standard of regular villagers with good standing, " The man said with a nod and waved his hand, causing a different list to appear before Nero''s eyes, showing a few Low-Grade and even Middle-Grade Sword Skills. [Spiral Sword Art - Middle Grade | Price: 2 Silver Coin] [Stone Shatter Sword Art - Middle-Grade Price: 1 Silver Coin] [Wind Cutter Sword Art - Middle Grade | Price: 50 Copper Coins] [Cutting Leaf Sword Art - Low-Grade | Price: 25 Copper Coins] [Flash Cut Sword Art - Low Grade] | Price: 20 Copper Coins ''So expensive, darn I really hate being poor in both worlds,'' Nero''s cursed, he didn''t even bother looking at the details on the more expensive skills focusing on the very cheapest on the list. [Flash Cut Sword Art - Low-Grade Combat Technique] [Description - This is a sword style that allows the wielder to rely on the momentum of the sword as it leaves its sheath, furthering it with Magic Power as cut apart its foe in merely a flash.] Nero, despite feeling dissatisfied really liked the idea behind the technique. He thought that it had a kind of resonance with his spirit as he couldn''t help but think, ''A quick and concise kill... nothing overly flashy. It may be weak against frontal clashes, but it''s perfect since I have an advantage in speed...'' Adult Nero hearing his thoughts, nodded as he knew he didn''t need to explain anything; most things could be learned and understood by his younger self. He thought to himself, "It seems that even if guided in this life, he will still ultimately end up making the same choices I did in most areas..." The monk seeing Nero''s look was curious, he spoke, "Young one, I take it that you''ve made your choice?" Nero finally regained his senses as he heard the monk; he smiled and spoke, "I would like to purchase the [Flash Cut Sword Art]" The monk smiled and replied, "Great, that will be 20 Copper Coins!" Nero handed over the copper coins with a bit of heaviness on his part; he gave each coin to the monk separately and had even held on to the final coined for a bit longer. The monk didn''t like that, so he used a bit of power to pull the coin from his finger causing Nero to clench his teeth. After putting away the coins, the monk cupped his hands and spoke, "It was my pleasure passing down knowledge to the young one." Nero didn''t even bother to say anything and left with manual as he cursed under his breath, "Yeah right, you darn greedy monk..." After Nero left the area, he headed towards the village''s direction, while quickly tapping on the skill to learn it. Ding! [You have learned the Low-Grade Combat Technique [Flash Cut Sword Art!] Nero smiled at this and stared at the nearing Village Chief as he spoke in a voice only, he could hear, "Time for my first real quest." ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 26：A Spark Between Roses, A Brand New Quest When Elly left Nero behind, she had hurried off to find her brother Raynas, but while moving, she noticed that her friend request was accepted. She smiled as she thought to herself, ''Hmph! So he did accept it, I may have given up for now, but that doesn''t mean I''ll keep this loss... I''ll challenge him in the arena when I get my Inherence. Plus, he now owes me a favor; it looks like I''ll need to come up with something hard.'' Elly was so busy scheming; she didn''t notice that someone had appeared before her, walking along with a similar kind of dazed look. Bang! The two collided into each other, almost falling onto the ground, they held their heads and glared at each other, but as they saw their features, they couldn''t help but become a bit alarmed. Other than Elly''s refined and petite features, the other party was of a similarly gorgeous girl with a taller stature, with orange hair and cute looking orange-white tail, garbed in a red combat dress. Her skin was pure white, and she had long eyelashes over large slanted eyes. Both were initially upset, but as if they were sizing each other up in silence, they didn''t lash out as the first to show anger would lose out in feminine charm. Suddenly, the orange-haired girl with fox ears made a gentle smile, reaching her hand forward as she spoke, "Hello there, you should be a bit more careful, spacing out while walking is quite dangerous. Are you okay?" Elly hearing her lecturing tone was angry, but she didn''t want to lose her image, she stared at the girl deeply before grabbing her hand and replying with a gentle look, "Yes, I am fine, since we were both distracted this couldn''t have been avoided, let''s both try to be careful from now on, okay." The other girl frowned at those words; it implied that she was also not paying attention. Both Elly and this girl looked at each other in silence as a vague spark flashed between them, but the other girl stared at Elly up and down, noticing their difference in height and body features. She smirked and walked away while speaking, "Hehe, I''ll also keep it in mind, but we ''grown women'' sometimes find it hard to keep a degree of awareness, there are far too many troublesome things on our minds." Elly had a warm smile on her face, but her eyes soon turned cold, she no longer thought about bullying Nero, her mind was filled with hate for that girl as she heard her use the word - grown. She knew that she was implying more than just her current petite stature; unlike the other, she didn''t have ample and abundant features in core areas. However, Elly calmed herself while thinking, ''It''s only for now, mother always said those good things sprout last. I shouldn''t be concerned about some cow on the street.'' Not bothering to overthink that girl''s words, Elly once more continued on her way to the garden. Soon, she had arrived at its outskirts, but right then and there an angry voice sounded, "Elly, get over right now!" Elly trembled for a bit before answering, "Yes, brother!" No matter how much of a troublemaker she would be, there were those in this world that could curb her when needed. Unlike this scene, the orange-haired beauty continued her way with pride, as she moved her large breasts would bounce as it swayed the eyes of many male novices roaming in parties or as lone wolves. As if she didn''t care about this scene, she stepped with pride as she recalled the coldness from Elly. She smirked while thinking, "Hmph! I wonder how she must be feeling by now?" She was feeling proud that she could curb the other party, but right now, due to her distraction, she had collided into another individual, falling onto her rear as she looked up in anger. At this time, Nero was the victim of this stranger, he was already in a bad mood after leaving the greedy monk, and this was the second time a scatter-brained girl had collided with him. He coldly looked down and spoke, "Why don''t you watch where you''re going?" After Nero said this, he didn''t even wait for a reply, he continued on his way, moving towards the Village Chief''s abode. The girl stared at Nero''s back in shock, as she didn''t think she would have received such a statement, she was boiling with anger, but soon found that he looked somewhat familiar. ''Hmm? Isn''t he that handsome newbie who struggled against the slime? To think we''d bump into each other, hehe, I''ll have to pay him for this sometime real soon...'' The beauty said with a smile as she licked her lips, her orange pupils flashing in an odd light. "That girl¡­ she''s fox, right? That newbie talent on the Rising Novice List..." Someone who noticed her asked another. "Hmm, now that you mention it, you''re right, the description seems on point, especially that tail of hers and the red battle dress," Another replied as they looked at her. Fox seeing that she had become the center of attention, shook her head. After staring at Nero''s distant back for a moment, she got up from the ground and dusted off her clothes as she made a jump and vanished from their sights. "Ah, she''s left, I wonder what she was doing just now?" Someone asked with a puzzled look on their face. "Like heck I''d know..." Another replied with a shrug. A distance away from this scene, Nero had continued on his way to the Village Chief. At this hour of daylight, the area before the reasonably crowded teleporter was busy. It flashed every once and a while as injured and none injured individuals would appear now and then, some with dark looks on their faces while others looked around curiously. Nero knew that this teleporter was both used to summon newbies, and as a respawn point if one were to die in the deep wilderness as a novice. Naturally, the rules will be much different when one reaches a higher rank. Not paying them any mind, promptly join the line to the Village Chief, and waited for a fair amount of time before he had finally arrived before her. As usual, Village Chief Pan''s eyes brightened when she saw Nero, and spoke to him with active interest, "Little one, you seem ready, that''s good, I''ve prepared a fine quest for you." Nero''s eyes flashed with excitement as he looked at her in anticipation, Village Chief Pan''s mouth curved into a smile as she spoke again, "Novice Nero, there are troublesome creatures in the wild plain''s Bamboo Grove. They have been harassing the local travelers hindering their movements to the nearest town. I would like for you to demolish every one of them..." Soon after her words, was a notification that popped up into Nero''s eyes. [Quest: Slay the Pests of the Bamboo Grove] [Difficulty: Normal] [Description: Defeat the pests that lurk around the passageway through the Bamboo Grove!] [Rewards:] [400 EXP, Prestige 100] [Village Chief Pan of the Winfrey Village has offered you a Normal Quest. There will be no penalties if you choose to reject it.] [Do you accept the Quest, Yes or No?] Nero was a bit suspicious when he read the term ''pest'' and recalled her words, ''creatures,'' but as this was his first Quest, he didn''t think it would be that bad, or to be more accurate, he hoped it wouldn''t. He promptly accepted by speaking in a firm tone, "Grandma Pan, you can count on me!" Village Chief Pan was happy at his determination, she smiled and replied, "Good, now go on little one, do your best." [Quest accepted!] As Nero heard those words, he promptly left the area and headed towards the village entrance. While moving, he couldn''t help but ask inwardly, ''Hey, do you know anything about these creatures?'' Adult Nero remained silent, not ushering a word, Nero seeing this frowned as he complained, ''Fine then, you can keep it to yourself, it''s not like I''ll just die out of the blue...'' Adult Nero chuckled causing Nero to feel a bit nervous, but he didn''t bother with him, he quickly went along a path of soil and grass, headed towards the plains. Soon, he had taken a step which caused him to feel a strange feeling. With a buzzing sound, he found that he suddenly arrived in an even wider open field, with many kinds of monsters scattered about sparsely. Looking ahead, he even saw teams or lone Digitizers, fighting against them as they made their way towards different places. Nero was a bit surprised, he turned around and saw that a semi-transparent yellowish light that cut off the area of Winfrey Village was behind him. ''Oh, that''s pretty neat, so I''m guessing if I didn''t have a Traveling Licence, I would have never been able to leave that barrier,'' Nero thought with flashing eyes. "Correct, there are more areas like these, but we''ll get around that in the future, for now, my advice to you is to do your very best to practice with these simple monsters while you make your way over to the Quest Zone," Adult Nero said in a serious tone. Nero hearing this had a bad feeling, he didn''t dare to reject the idea as he stared at the vast field ahead of him and summoned his Common Iron Sword while ushered in a soft tone, "I''ll do my best..." A cool wind blowing across the field as it shook the grasses and swung his hair, sending leaves and bushes about as his sword shimmered in a cold ray, prepared to draw new blood. Chapter 27：Silver Boy, Neros Limit Training! Within the wild''s plains outside Winfrey''s protection zone, many different battles were occurring between various novices and nearby monsters; some of these monsters seemed no different from mindless goblins and strange wolves and other lifeforms. Currently, the day was in full bloom, and most of the already powerful novices had already traveled towards farther and more substantial leveling grounds. Those who remained here were none other than the weakest of the newbies, even within their distinctive backgrounds. Suddenly, an individual fighting against a goblin barely claimed a win by smashing its head in with an iron ax. He then slumped over on his feet and wiped the sweat from his forehead while speaking to a nearby friend, "Whew! I shouldn''t have skipped those combat classes; it''s taking me too long to kill these things." "Pssh! You think! If I were you, I''d just give up; the society had a reason why it didn''t give you any resources. Maybe you''re just not suited for this life," The person nearby said in mock. "Hmph! Like hell I''d do that, I awakened for a reason, it can only mean that I was destined for great things!" The other person yapped back as he jumped up with a fierce expression. The friend of this individual merely shook his head before staring in a different direction. There, the sounds of a fierce fight between two foes echoed, as if one looked beyond the verdant fields, they would see the figure of a young silver-haired boy fighting with his life on the line against two goblins. "Hmm, who''s that guy over there?" The guy said while looking at the battle with a bit of surprise. "Oh, that guy, I''ve heard rumors about him since yesterday, he is the handsome newbie on that female list. They are even calling him the Silver Boy, he is quite popular, but it''s a pity that his strength is so weak. Not even comparable to..." The other party was about to say something, but as he looked at the battle more in-depth, his eyes couldn''t help but widen in shock. "He''s taking on two goblins by himself, has he gone mad? "The person said in alarm. The other person shook his head and spoke, "There are all kinds of strange people in this world, it would seem that he''s one of those rumored fast-growing types. Who knows, he might just grow comparable to that Gold Spear Boy, or Grass-Root Sword Kid, let us see how he holds his own." "Hmm, this should be interesting..." The other person said with flashing eyes, as he watched intently. At this moment, the two goblins that were fighting against the silver-haired youth had been separated by a fair amount of distance. They each had green skin and were less than a meter tall, each with large hard and savage red eyes with warts all over their face. They wore shabby cloth with different items strapped onto their bodies as a rusty and chipped sword was in their hands. As for the silver-haired youth, he wore beginner combat robes, and had a Common Iron Sword in his arms, he had pulled one of the goblin''s apart from the other as he fought against it with all of his might, but it seemed his battle wasn''t an easy one. Every time he leaned his body forward and pressed his front-most foot against the grassy ground. His surroundings gave off a strange illusion as if he was standing at the edge of a diamond shape. His figure would then accelerate at a reasonably fast speed as if he was a standard car driving on a highway at a rate of over 60 km/h. The goblins were only a fraction slower, as one of them which held its chipped sword jumped forward with a mean look on its face, it opened its mouth and made a battle cry before chopping its sword at an angle. With a hum, the sword cut through the wind, leaving behind an arc of light that trailed towards Nero''s head. However, right before it arrived, Nero''s eyes, which were staring forward, shifted towards its blade, his red pupils flashing with a sharp glint as he skillfully raised the Common Iron Sword and parried it from the side. Ping! Sparks then scattered about as the goblin''s sword hit Nero''s blade edge, the force pushed Nero to the side a bit as the goblin which had jumped to perform its sword swing was momentarily suspended in the air. Nero seeing this shifted his eyes to the right, noticing the other goblin was still a little distance away from reaching him. When he saw this, he once again looked at the suspended goblin whose sword was clashing with his own before he made a spin pushing the sword of the goblin towards the side. The goblin''s eyes went wide due to the change, but as it was a creature of sharp combat senses, it promptly reacted in this position by twirling its body, using the rotation force to swing its sword again towards Nero''s neck. "Darn!" Nero cursed as he was a bit stunned by its sudden maneuver, he was prepared to chop it apart with his advantage, but now he found that these goblins were more experienced than him in combat. Not even wasting time, Nero once more utilized his [Four Point Unity Steps] standing at the opposite end of the imaginary diamond shape. His body then began to retreat as if he were sliding backward at the same speed as before. Shing! The goblin''s sword narrowly missed his neck, as it quickly did a flip and landed on the ground with one arm holding the soil as it glared at Nero with its head facing him. Soon, this goblin sneered, as it didn''t charge after Nero but picked itself up and readied itself for combat once more. Nero, who had fallen back by a three-meter distance, halted his retreat while firmly holding his sword with both arms as he stared at the goblin''s face with a dark look as he thought, ''What''s its sneering about? I am not in its range... and neither is its partner.'' As Nero pondered here, he noticed that the other goblin had only now arrived at his friend''s position; the two of them looked at Nero as if they were staring at a fool. While Nero was confused, Adult Nero''s voice sounded in his mind, "In battle, one must never let loose of their senses, let this be a lesson..." When Nero heard those words, his complexion turned pale as he suddenly felt a dangerous intent from behind him, coming at a rapid speed. One of the guys who were watching couldn''t help but exclaim, "He''s finished!" The other guy shook his head while adding, "Truly a pity; he shouldn''t have gone so overboard. Even one of these things is enough of a hassle for normal beginners." Feeling the incoming threat, Nero couldn''t help but curse, "Oh shit! How did they get behind me?" He was flustered, but it didn''t stop him from turning around and placing his sword in front of him to block. It was a good reaction, but it was already too late. Bang! Following a gut-wrenching sound, and the sound of bones cracking, one of the goblins that held a club struck Nero''s underbelly with full force, easily avoiding the sword. The blow was so heavy that it sent Nero hurling into the air as he left behind a blood trail that sprayed from his mouth. "Son of a..." Nero was about to curse but couldn''t stop himself from spitting blood. [You have suffered a critical blow; your HP has fallen sharply by 70 points!] He wanted to try and move but found that his ribs were aching too much as if they shattered. Yet, even in this circumstance, his luck only turned for the worse. Right below Nero, the two goblins that were patiently waiting at the three-meter mark looked up at his falling figure in excitement. It seemed that the other goblin had deliberately struck him towards his comrades for the finishing blow. ''This training is madness, how am I supposed to fight three of these things at the same time?'' Nero cursed in his mind as his body was in too much pain to move or talk. Nero felt a tinge of despair, but right at this time, Adult Nero spoke coldly, "Hmph! Prodigies from the DU''s various societies and families are more than capable of annihilating these monsters easily. If you seek to be the strongest and accomplish your desire, you must take the harshest roads to strength possible. Now, enough yapping and focus on your breathing. You don''t have time to sit down practicing like anyone else; you must refine your body while in battle, honing your senses at the same time as you try to push each of your skills to mastery. This is what it means to limit training." Nero wanted to complain when he heard Adult Nero''s words; he felt it was a bit too harsh, but he also knew that what he said was right. Not daring to waste another second, Nero closed his eyes and sharpened his senses by his maximum degree. Soon, the world around him had begun to slow down as even the threatening images of the goblins below him seemed to have started to move in slow motion in his mind. Nero then took a deep breath, drawing on the Magic Power from the surroundings, which regularly entered his body. These powers began working on his body, trying their hardest to refine it while slowly fixing his wounds. While Nero''s HP didn''t increase, in but three seconds, he felt that he could move slightly. Nero didn''t even hinder a moment as he thought that the slow-motion effect was fading, he promptly took out a potion from his item box and gulped it down, and by the time he tossed the bottle away his sharpened sense dulled to the point where time returned to normal. Ding! [50 HP restored!] Nero hearing that notification felt his body recovered by a great deal, he could feel that he was descending at a rapid pace as by now, the two sword-wielding goblins that stood below him had already taken action. The air once more changing as if it knew that the end of this battle was nearing... Chapter 28：Grasping the Flash Cut, Defeating the Goblins The battle between Nero and the goblins had entered its final act, as the moment he started to fall from the air, the two of them looked at him with sinister glints in their eyes as they raised their swords and jumped. Swoosh! Instantly, they had arrived at both of his flanks and chopped their chipped sword towards his body. Two piercing sounds resounded, as two dazzling sword arcs swept out at alarming speeds, ready to end his life. Nero didn''t want to die without a fight, he twirled and faced the sword attacks with a sharp look in his eyes as he shouted, "I won''t die to the likes of you!" In an instant, Nero had sheathed his sword, staring at the two swords that were approaching him, his eyes flashed and the world had turned quiet at this moment as if all sounds had faded, leaving only the hums of the two chipped swords. The two sword-wielding goblins had sinister smiles on their faces as if they were picturing the scene of slicing Nero apart. However, that was it, neither of the two could move, nor did their swords, everything had fallen in a state of stillness. Adult Nero, who was observing from Nero''s consciousness, nodded as he saw this change. He murmured, "In the life and death critical moment, we can temporarily heighten our senses, this is another of our talents..." Shing! Instantly, Nero, who had fallen into this unknown state, pulled out his Crimson Iron Sword and cut horizontally, leaving behind a flash of white silvery light due to its sheer speed. In this one motion, Nero''s sword had struck both goblin''s swords, causing them to fly out of their hands. His blade had even drawn an arc across both of their necks. By the time the two goblins realized what happened, Nero''s body had already fallen onto the ground as they continued their aerial assault. Soon, their faces turned into surprise as they saw that they no longer had any swords in their arms. They wanted to figure out what was going on, but it didn''t take long for their eyes to turn lifeless as their heads flew into the air, shocking not only the club-wielding goblin but even the two spectators that were idly watching from afar. "This... he actually survived? How did he pull off such a cool recovery?" One of them said in shock. "Silver Boy... I thought that his name should be different," The other guy said. "Oh, and what do you think would be better? That name was given to him by his female fans; you''d best be careful not to provoke their wrath," The other guy said with mock. The previous individual shook his head while looking at Nero, holding the sword at his side with the blood dripping from it, as one of his arms was placed only in the grassy field with his head held down. He thought back to the resplended sword flash just now and spoke with flashing eyes, "It''s better if he''s called, Bright Silver..." The person felt it appealing, but he no longer had the interest to continue watching Nero fight. The two then looked away, continued their training. As for the other side, Nero had only stood up from his previous posture; he looked at the sword in his hand as his eyes twinkled when he thought, ''I don''t know what that state was, but it has done me a great deal in learning how to use the [Flash Cut].'' When Nero said this, the stats for the skill popped up before his eyes. [Flash Cut: Stage 1 (30/50) | 3 Stages] [Effects: Technique is limited to 3 Stages. Each stage can allow for the user to deal an additional damage power. Current damage boost: +5.] --- Nero felt pleased as he saw how quickly he jumped from 1 to 30, but at this time, he knew his battle wasn''t finished as one more opponent was left. Bang! With a loud sound, the two headless goblin corpses had only fallen on the ground behind Nero; their necks spewed blood about the area dying the grasses in a deeper shade of green. Ding! [You have killed two Inferior Sword Goblins, 14 EXP gained.] As Nero heard the notification, he felt pleased, but his attention was focused on the club-wielding goblin that didn''t seem phased by its friend''s death; it was a savage creature by nature and wouldn''t back down for such a little thing. Nero and the goblin glared at each other from a meter''s distance, the wind guiding their clothing seemed as if they were determined to end it in one attack. The goblin raised its club above its head, as its arm grew more muscular, its body adopting a stern combat posture. Nero, on the other hand, had his sword at the ready, he had already placed it back into its sheath and was now holding its hand by his side. He leaned his body forward, pressing his foot against the ground, ready to charge again with his Four Point Unity Steps. Suddenly, the wind grew silent, and as if instinctively, they both knew that the hour had arrived. In a flash, Nero''s body dashed forward at crazy speeds, charging towards the goblin. The goblin merely looked at Nero however, in calmness, though it had more Combat Force than it''s fallen comrades, it lacked a great deal when it came to speed. It was only natural that it used sneak attacks or wait until its opponent entered its attack range. Swoosh! With a sound like that of the wind, Nero''s figure soon appeared in front of the goblin, but as this happened, the goblin that was previously less than a meter tall had grown to a size one head larger than himself. Nero was shocked by this change, as he could even see a sneer on the goblin''s face when it fiercely swung the club towards his head in a downward blow with both of its bulky arms. ''Such a sneaky bastard, it''s a good thing I was ready for any sudden changes,'' Nero thought as his body shifted to the side, sliding away from the attack as he used the Four Point Unity Step''s evasive method, bringing him at the flank of the goblin. Bang! With a heavy sound, the ground was smashed sending chunks of dirt into the air as the goblin, which was sneering, looked in front of it with confusion. However, before it could even react, Nero didn''t hesitate as he leaped forward and swung his sword at fast speeds. His blade flashed in bright silver light for a moment before he arrived at the goblin''s opposing end. Not surprisingly, the goblin carried a confused look as its head flew and fell on the ground near its corpse. Ding! [You have killed one Inferior Strong-Arm Goblins, 7 EXP gained.] Nero only let his guard down when he heard the notification, his slumped down on the ground as sweat rolled down his forehead. He was now completely exhausted after spending such a long time to defeat these goblins. ''These guys were so troublesome, their teamwork and battle experience were far too great. I really don''t know how I managed to beat them in this bout. If I didn''t achieve a higher understanding of the [Flash Cut], I would probably lose terribly,'' Nero thought as he glanced at the corpses with a trace of fear, causing their stats to appear before his eyes. [Inferior Sword Goblin] [Level: 3] [Health: 300/300] [Combat Force: 65 stones] [Body Tenacity: 10] [Spiritual Awareness 25] [Speed 60 km/h]: [Skill: Sword Chop] [Description: A weak but savage creature in the lesser plains of the Novice Zone. Though its combat power is of the average standard, it has high battle awareness and loves close quarters combat.] --- [Inferior Strong Arm Goblin] [Level: 3] [Health: 300/300] [Combat Force: 80 stones] [Body Tenacity: 20] [Spiritual Awareness 15] [Speed 50 km/h]: [Skill: Growth - A skill that allows for the caster to grow by more than double its size, increasing Body Tenacity by 10 and Combat Force by 10.] [Description: A weak but dangerous goblin that likes to use brute force to smash apart its foes. It is especially cunning and keen, loves to perform sneak attacks by relying on its higher attack power to crush its opponents to bits.] .... Nero felt like he was lucky to come through that battle in one piece, but as he was thinking, he could hear Adult Nero''s words. "You''ve done well; that was merely a battle meant to force you to exceed your limit. These monsters are weak, and the quest you are doing though normal, isn''t going to be so simple for your current degree of strength. Hurry and recover! We don''t have any time to lose; you must fight even harder to achieve better combat awareness and skill mastery. This will be your first hurdle in becoming barely comparable to a Ranked Talent..." Nero didn''t like those words, he couldn''t help but a curse inwardly, ''Barely comparable? Am I this weak?'' Adult Nero chuckled, not saying anything, Nero gripped his fist as he spoke, "Hmph! I won''t fall behind anyone!" Nero, now filled with a fighting spirit, was ready to move after calming his mind, but right at this moment, he saw a notification that caused him to halt everything. [Avollo has sent a message, would you to read it?] Chapter 29：Avollo’s Invitation, Adult Nero’s Choice The day was as bright as ever, but it soon felt better when Nero saw the name of the person who sent him a message. While he was a prideful youth who didn''t like strangers, deep down, Nero always wanted someone he could call a friend. Though he was a bit surprised by Avollo''s sudden message, he promptly opened it and read the details. [Avollo -"Hey pal... or rather, Silver Boy. Huhu... I just got on; how are you holding up?"] Nero seeing this message frowned as he thought, ''Silver Boy? Where did he get that name from?'' Not liking the name, Nero promptly replied with a message of his own as the two then started to converse. [Nero - "Where did you get that name? I''m called Nero, N E R O, don''t forget it."] [Avollo - "Haha, I know I know, cool your flames, Silver Boy. That title wasn''t something I came up with, it''s a curse brought to you by women. I think that sometimes it''s not that good when you''re popular with their kind.] Nero reading this reply felt angry, but he didn''t bother paying it any mind. He recalled his previous question and answered. [Nero - "Women? Humph! Let them do as they wish; it doesn''t bother me. As for how I''m doing, I''m fine, I am training a bit before I do a Normal Quest."] [Avollo - "Oh training, sounds like fun. A Normal Quest? You might want to refrain on that for a while longer."] [Nero - "Huh...? What''s that supposed to mean?] [Avollo - "Nothing... nothing... oh! I know, right now, I''m about to go leveling for a good while, but I''m going to be free by 4 pm. Why don''t you join me at that time? I want to give you a few pointers at the Battle Arena?] [Nero - "Pointers, tch! Like I need it, but as for the Battle Arena, isn''t that in the nearest town, Birgime?] [Avollo - "Yup! I can take the chance to increase my score on the [Ranking List] and offer you some proper advice with training. I don''t know if you''re speaking out of pride or something else, but yes, you do need it. What''s wrong? Are you scared?] Nero felt annoyed by those words, though he couldn''t hear him, he thought that it was written in a teasing tone. Not wanting to seem like a wimp, Nero replied with a message. [Nero - "Fine, I will be there!"] [Avollo - "Great choice, see ya later then, pal."] Tink! Following the end notification sound, the texts faded from Nero''s eyes as his previously firm mood turned a bit downcast. He knew that getting to the city wouldn''t be easy; he would have to pass through the region for his quest to get there. He bit his lips and asked inwardly, ''Hey, if I were to try and pass the quest grounds, what are my odds?'' Adult Nero replied in an icy tone, "0%" ''You can''t be serious! How could I still be so weak?'' Nero inwardly exclaimed as his face turned red in anger. Adult Nero chuckled and spoke, "Such is the fate of the weak, we weren''t born of high bred clans, every single one of them has been trained since birth. When they enter this domain, it doesn''t take them long to achieve mastery of a Low-grade technique, which typically has 3 Stages. Even for more prominent prodigies, they can grasp Stage 4 or even 6 of one or two Middle-Grade technique. While the best of geniuses are either nearing or have already achieved Stage 7 of High-Grade techniques." Nero hearing all of this clenched his fists tightly, feeling that it was unfair, he thought, ''Darn it, I don''t want to lose to any of them, how can I hope to save mother if I can''t beat them? There are likely those who have already become masters in this world. If I hope to surpass them and find this treasure, then I cannot stay at the level of the weak.'' Adult Nero looked at him in silence for a while as he recalled some old memories. He recalled the worlds Avollo said to him when he couldn''t make it, ''Nero, it''s okay, I''ll come to pick you, I should have known better,'' Adult Nero frowned when he recalled that scene, he was teased over and over again for years because of it. As such, it was his most vivid memory. ''That darn Avollo and his scatterbrain, like hell I''d let that happen again...'' Adult Nero thought as his eyes flashed in a firm ray as if he decided on something, Adult Nero spoke again, "Do you really wish to enter that town?" Nero replied with a firm look in his eyes, "Not like I have a choice; I certainly can''t let him come pick me up like some child now can I?" Adult Nero felt a bit awkward hearing that, he shook off the feeling returning to his usual demeanor as he spoke, "Okay, then I''ll help you at that time, but remember this, I will only do it once. For now, focus on your training. Right now, you haven''t properly understood your advantages. People from special families or societies have been training since birth. Still, you... you are different, despite your lack of training, there is a way for your increase your mastery other than relying on regular training. I was a bit reluctant at first, as I fear it may hinder your mindset for training, but right now, let''s just say it''s needed." ''Hmm? You mean that there''s a way I can train faster?'' Nero asked in excitement. Adult Nero smiled at his look before he spoke, "Correct, you have been given memories, but did you ever stop to think and ponder upon those memories for each technique?" When Nero heard this, his eyes widened as he spoke inwardly, ''Oh right, I had completely forgotten to inspect them, I was so busy, and with all that information recently I couldn''t focus on one thing.'' Adult Nero knew that this was his fault for wanting him to develop a sense of crisis, but he didn''t point it out, he cleared his threat embarrassedly before he spoke once more, "Let''s not think about that, now where were we, memories. Yes, memories are more than just a series of images and information. It is an accumulation of my... no, our experience. As such, not only will your mind slowly remember, but your body will also show signs of recollection. The muscle memories of each movement are encoded within our bodies, and only by pondering upon them can you bring it out, further increasing your understanding and speed of mastery. By doing this, you would be no way inferior to prodigies of prominent families or societies, and your mastery will increase. If anything, the only weakness is the grade of your techniques and actual battle experience in the short term. However, this is something that can easily be rectified with time and constant training." Nero felt enlightened as he heard this, he didn''t want to waste any time as he spoke in his mind, ''To think I never saw it this way, I have to try it right now!'' Adult Nero seeing this, spoke, "Wait!" Nero was puzzled, he questioned inwardly with a frown, ''What is it now?'' Adult Nero replied, "You don''t have time to sit around, training is better of done through live-action. From here on out, you will continue using the limit training methods that I''ve imparted you, refining your body as you fight against foes on your way to the Bamboo Grove. You can use your enemy''s openings in a battle to draw up any of the memories of the technique. Doing so will further increase your mastery. As for that sword art, we are not swordsmen, and that art is only a temporary substitute until we awaken our Inheritance Weapon since I have no memory of sword techniques. You will have to depend on yourself to bring it to mastery, but remember, it is only but a temporary skill to amplify your damage power, as well as a means for you to kill more efficiently." Nero thought for a bit before he replied, ''Fine.'' Adult Nero hearing his confirmation had a sharp glint in his eyes when he stared at the distance and spoke, "Good, now begin, our day is still young, and there''s plenty of monsters out there for you to kill." When he heard those words, Nero felt a bit of chill; he could sense a dense amount of killing intent that Adult Nero had unknowingly released. However, rather than being repulsed, as if something inside of him was attractive to it, he couldn''t help but feel a tinge of battle lust as his red pupils shone in a sinister ray when he ran forwards and shouted, "I will be stronger!" A few others looked at him because of his sudden outburst, showing looks of strangeness, but as everyone was of a similar age, such antics were considered usual for teenagers. Soon, Nero had bolted from this field towards the direction of the Bamboo Grove. He battled wildly against any creature that came into his path, leaving behind a road of blood and carnage. Chapter 30：An Unexpected Face, Arriving at the Bamboo Grove Time passed quickly and was now nearing the peak of noon. By this hour, many of those who ventured out earlier were beginning to return from their morning quest. One such group was the party led by the mohawk youth known as Weizer; he was currently in a good mood and was humming while strolling across the fields. His two lackeys that saw this couldn''t help but smile as they conversed amongst themselves. "The young master has finally achieved Level 6; with this, he should be one step ahead of this new batch of brats and only behind the Gold Spear Boy and that Child of Blaze..." One of them said with a joyous expression. "Indeed, so long as the master achieves Stage 6 in his Mountain Axe Style, then I dare say he might even grow comparable to those freaks," The other lackey said with a smile. Weizer felt proud when he heard his lackeys bootlicking. He knew that he was approaching the stage where he could officially rise to fame. He thought with a smile, ''Just a bit more, a little further and I can strive and overawe the world in a single flash!'' Weizer then gripped his fists as he spoke with firm eyes, "Hmph! For daring to look down on me I''ll let my family see that they were wrong! I Weizer am a true genius, and no one should be better than me!'' The lackeys hearing his words nodded and bootlicked, as they spoke separately. "Haha, Young Master Weizer is right, you are guaranteed to make it!" "If our young master can''t, then no one should!" Weizer, who felt good, was about to say something, but soon, he couldn''t help but frown as he saw a familiar figure moving towards the Bamboo Grove. His body was covered in bits of blood and a sea of corpses was behind him, some of them even belonged to strange looking wolves, while the majority were goblins. Weizer frowned as he spoke his thoughts out loud, "Hmm? Isn''t that the pretty face bum from yesterday? Did he kill those Inferior Grade monsters by himself?" The two lackeys knew of Nero''s strength; they shook their heads as one of them replied with a sneering expression. "Young Master, that''s impossible; his strength was absolutely meager when battling against the Initiation Slime, there is no way that he can currently stand in front of an Inferior Grade monster much less kill them! I feel that he was more or likely on the brink of death, and some kind soul must have helped him out of pity," The lackey said. Weizer frowned as he heard these words, he carefully eyed Nero, noticing that he was holding a bloody sword as he limped while walking away from the carnage. He thought, ''It doesn''t make sense, then why is he still heading into the woods? He should have already known of his limitations, che! Fine, it doesn''t matter, this kind of trash isn''t worth paying attention to, even if he did kill them, they are, in the end no more than mere Inferior Grade monsters.'' The lackeys thought he wasn''t pleased with Nero appearing; their faces turned cold as one spoke. "Young Master, if you''re not feeling well around him, then shall we go slap some sense into him?" Weizer shook his head at this and replied with an annoyed look, "What do you take me for? Do I look like some third-rate young master from fiction? Stop yapping and let''s go!" As he said this, he once more continued on his way, only this time he wasn''t humming. The lackeys didn''t dare to dally, and promptly followed while speaking, ''A-As the young maser wishes!'' While walking, Weizer was thinking about how to practice his technique to the next stage. But at this time, a figure had appeared not too far from them. He was a simple-looking youth with sharp eyes and short yellowish hair that was of an undercut hairstyle. He wore decent looking leather armor instead of the beginner martial uniforms as a bow and a quiver was on his back. Weizer glanced at this youth and narrowed his eyes, but he didn''t say anything and only continued moving with his lackeys. After a short while, Weizer''s party had left the new person''s vicinity, as only the sounds of the flowing winds and distant battling sounds broke the silence of these plains. Suddenly, this youth turned his sights towards his surroundings, but after searching for a while, he frowned as he thought, ''So troublesome, father has only made my life more burdensome, how am I to watch over someone that''s all over the place?'' After saying this, the youth shook his head and murmured, "They said that he was fighting here, but I have no idea of where he''s gone, it looks like I''ll just need to check at random. Tsk! All this hassle!" After saying this, the youth then looked at the path Weizer''s party had come from, leading into the Greater Plains. He shook his head and continued onward, soon after leaving this region, unaware his target had traveled elsewhere. *** When Nero left the Lesser Plains, he had vanished into a semi-transparent wall that rippled like water; behind it was an image much like that of the endless forest of bamboo shoots that rose high into the air with no end. A track of dirt trailed towards its farthest ends, as many of these shoots grew around its edges. Looking around, one would even notice that though it was the peak of noon, a slight mist still lingered about the area, carrying an uncanny atmosphere. The cries of insects and other peculiar creatures sounded across the area, capable of filling anyone with a dark mood. At this time, Nero, whose body seemed injured, limped as he walked through this area while drinking a potion. His steps taken on the track would make a rough sound echoed in this silent abandoned pathway. While walking, Nero soon heard a few notifications sound as a text box appeared before his eyes. Ding! [You''ve entered the Quest Zone, proceed to the point of the previous incident, and slay the pests that lurk these paths!] As Nero heard this, his eyes flashed when he finished gulping down his potion and tossing it to the side, causing it to crack apart as it hit the ground. [Ding!] [You recovered 50 HP! Your health is now fully restored!] "Perfect, I feel much better now," Nero said while gripped his fists, his injuries were now gone, and he was no longer limping as he walked. Nero couldn''t help but feel better at his current state, as when he recalled his previous hours of hellish training. He couldn''t help but think it was a miracle he could even survive, he thought to himself, ''I don''t want to go through that shit again!'' Following his thoughts, Adult Nero, who was listening, spoke out, "Oh, and if you didn''t do so, how would you even come close to reaching your current stage? I''ll have you know that right now, though you might be able to trounce those of the Inferior Grade, it will be an entirely different story against those of the Common Grade found in Normal Quests. Not to mention, your adversaries in this Novice Zone are each on the verge of being capable of battling those at the Greater Grade." When Nero heard this, he woke from his senses and shook his head, not bothering to refute it. He called upon his stats, looking at his recent growth. [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - None] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 3 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 495] [Current EXP: 350] [Influence: None | Prestige: 100 - Good Villager] [Health 140/140] [Magic Power 140/140] [Combat Power: 96 | 60 + (21+15)] (See authors note: 1) [Body Tenacity: 35 | 16 + (4+15)] [Spiritual Awareness: 20] [Speed 56(+1) km/h]: [Genetic Trait:] [Grade??? Inheritance Bit (Mazello(Level 10)) - A powerful Spiritual Being of an ancient era, as you''ve earned his recognition, you have awakened a small portion of his strength. Your awareness of spirits has risen, you will naturally attract the love and care of goodwill spirits, but those of a dark nature shall view you in a manner no different from their mortal enemy.] --- [Reaper''s Eye - A talent that allows one to see the origin of nature. It enables the living to see those that exist between both realms of reality.] ¡­ [Skills:] [Passive Techniques:] Low-Grade Skill: [Foundation Body Refinement: Stage 3 (140/150) | 3 Stages] [Effects: Technique is limited to 3 Stages, and each stage can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by a total of +5 | Current (+15)] --- [Foundation Weapon Control - Stage 3 (135/150) | 3 Stages] [Effects:] [Technique is limited to 3 Stages, and each stage can increase the Combat Power used by any weapon +5 | Current Stat Boost (+15)] ... [Combat Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 3 (101/200) | 9 Stages] [Description: This is a speed-boosting art that can increase speed allowing graceful movement and superior reaction capabilities. Each stage can grant the user and increase of 5km/h in speed.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 20] [User can increase speed by 15km/h] .... Low-Grade Skill: Low-Grade Skill: [Flash Cut: Stage 2 (40/75) | 3 Stages] [Description - This is a sword style that allows the wielder to rely on the momentum of the sword, leaving its sheath and furthering it with Magic Power, allowing it to cut apart its foe in merely a flash.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 25] ¡­ Initially, Nero had felt proud of his current stats, but as he heard Adult Nero''s words, he came back to reality. He cursed as he looked at the details once more, ''Che! I know that! It''s not like I don''t know what I''m up against, it''s easy for you to say that they''re strong, but you should know that I''m doing my best here, it''s not easy to level up these skills. Look, even that Four Points Unity Steps is giving me a hard time, it was hard enough to get it into the 3rd stage, much less achieving mastery.'' Adult Nero replied, "What do you think? It is a High-Grade skill for a reason, the fact that you could even take it into Stage 3 should be an accomplishment itself. Hmph! You should stop wasting time by pondering useless things and focus on the path before you; it will only get more troublesome from here on out." Nero sighed as he didn''t bother to complain anymore, his eyes looked at the head of him at the misty pathway as he put more force into his steps as he spoke with determination, "Hmph! No matter what, I will grow even stronger." Adult Nero smiled as he said nothing, but while they moved, his eyes were fixed around their surroundings. They soon faded into the mist traveling towards the depths of the Bamboo Grove, but as they vanished, so did a few silhouettes whose eyes gleamed in a cruel red light. ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 31：The Pests of Bamboo Grove, Beginning of a Fierce Battle A cold mist saturated the air, blanketing everything with this region as a series of soft footsteps echoed from its boundaries. If one looked carefully through a sea of towering bamboo shoots that grew to incredible heights, they would see an indirect thing figure moving through a vague track. Occasionally, this individual would bypass a few corpses of humans and non-humans as even the soil below his feet showed tracks left behind from a carriage''s wheel. Nero frowned as he halted his steps, he looked at the tracks below his foot as well as the corpses and found that their blood was fresh. He pondered, ''These tracks are recent, much like these corpses... since it''s so, then I can only assume that I''m already within the quest initiation zone.'' As Nero began to look around more carefully, he found that the mist was slowly beginning to recede for a small section of four meters. Soon, the sight of a ruined carriage was revealed along with many bodies of villagers. Their arms were ripped from their bodies as their guts were torn open, scattering their organs about the ground. Nero didn''t like this scene, but as he had killed so much during his training, he slowly became numb to it. At this time, Adult Nero''s voice sounded in his head, "You were right, the quest should start soon, be careful, these monsters aren''t like those of the inferior breed." Nero grew even more solemn at those words, firmly gripping his Common Iron Sword in his arm as he slowly sheathed it by his side. He stared past the broken carriage and fallen villagers, carefully inspecting the surroundings. Soon though, a notification had sounded at the core of his mind, showing him a series of text in from of his eyes. Ding! [You have discovered the grounds of the massacre, kill the pests that lurk about these woods, and restore honor to the fallen villagers of Winfrey; failure for this quest will result in a loss in prestige.] [Commencing battle in... 3¡­2¡­1, begin!] As the announcement sounded, Nero''s pupils shrunk when he saw the mist that previously receded by a section growing denser once again. "Damn, do I have to fight these things in low visibility, when am I going to get a break!" Nero cursed as he hardened his grip on his sword handle and sharpened his senses with his spiritual awareness. Eventually, the mist clouded over everything in sight, as by now, Nero couldn''t even see his hands before him. Instead, he could only push every ounce of his concentration into his senses as he listened to his surroundings. Adult Nero nodded in praise as he spoke, "That''s it, focus your senses and use it to guide you through battle, the more you hone it, the clearer your battles shall become." Nero had already tuned out everything, he was now in his most focused state to date, as despite having his eyes open, his world had fallen into darkness. Drip! The resonant vibration of the dewdrops falling from leaves sounded clearer in Nero''s mind, as now, he could hear things he couldn''t normally. Eventually, the shuffling of small creatures brushing through the underbrushes and a few other nimble and agile steps were heard. Initially, those steps wouldn''t be heard by even the most experienced warrior. However, as Nero grew more focused not only sounds, even the vague images had begun to appear within his eyes, as the mist seemed to have become clearer. Nero''s eyes then grew sharp as he slanted his body forward while glaring at the figures approaching him from three different angles. They were apes with adorable pink colored fur, with clothes wrapped around their foreheads like headbands and combat wrappings around their slender arms and legs. They each stretched their arms out behind them while running with their torso forward with their tail swaying behind them. ''What are these apes? Ninjas?'' Nero questioned in a puzzled way, but he didn''t lose his focus and kept his eyes on his foes, for they were a notch faster than him. Swish-swish-swish! These apes had instantly surrounded Nero from three separate angles; their appearance became even more clearly at this range despite the mist so thick no one could see anything. As they stood silently, their headbands made flapping noises due to the soft wind as despite their cute appearance, they each looked at Nero with sneering looks as if pondering how to toy with him to death. It appeared that they felt confident as they knew no one could identify them in this misty scene. Nero snorted as he saw this, he thought to himself, ''Hmph! Well, since they''re giving me a chance, I can at least inspect their stats before they attack.'' As Nero thought this, he shouted with his mind, ''Check Status!" Ding! [Martial Ape] [Level: 3] [Grade: Common] [Health: 350/350] [Combat Force: 100 stones] Normal [Body Tenacity: 20] [Spiritual Awareness 30] [Speed 80 km/h]: [Skill: Ape Fist Style] [Description: These apes are of a common breed, born in the wilds of the Bamboo Grove, each are naturally gifted in the ways of martial arts. One must be very careful around their kind, for, despite their seemingly harmless nature, the savagery is like no other.] --- ''Jeez, are you kidding me, what kind of speed and strength is that? It looks like I really am going to have a warm time...'' Nero thought to himself in shock as the sword in his arm trembled slightly, but he knew that this wasn''t the time to dally. The Martial Apes seemed to have already noticed his movements; they shifted their eyes onto each other before nodding. Swish! Instantly, without even so much of a sound or battle cry, the ape standing behind Nero struck its fist as it dashed towards him at full speed. Nero was expecting this attack; with his heightened senses, he could even see it a few notches slower, allowing him to perform his Four Point Unity Steps at the right moment. Swoosh! With a sway of Nero''s body, he slid to the side, arriving at the Martial Ape''s flank, which had now swept past his previous location. Not even wasting a moment, Nero took a deep breath as the Magic Power in his body gathered in his sword that was held in its sheath. He leaped forwards employing the assault movement of his Four Point Unity Steps, causing him to dash forth at over 71 km/h, arriving at the ape no sooner than it halted. The Martial Ape was a bit surprised that Nero avoided it, especially in this kind of hazy scene. However, its eyes promptly shifted to the side, quickly sensing Nero''s presence with its superior awareness. It sneered as it adopted a combat posture, very much like a horse stance as it lifted its hands to its sides with its palms facing Nero. "Die! Flash Cut!" Nero shouted in anger due to being provoked by the Martial Ape; his arm moved like a blur as he unsheathed the sword in a flash. Shing! The sword''s cry sounded across this section of the Bamboo Grove, as a bright silvery light shone about the area before promptly receding. If it were in a typical fight, this would lead to the enemy''s end, but much to Nero''s surprise, it would appear that he had far underestimated the ape''s abilities. Currently, before a stunned Nero who stood with wide eyes, was a scene he had never seen before, his eyes zoned in on the palms of the Martial Ape that were calmly and firmly clasping the edge of his sword like it was holding a piece of paper. "How... how could this...?" Nero was about to question this mad scene, but right now, his eyes shrunk as his pupils shifted to his left and right. Knowing that he didn''t have much time, Nero ignored the sneering ape before him and pushed all of his Magic Power into his legs to dash forward. "Kikikiki!" The Martial Ape laughed as it thought Nero was prepared to fight it head-on, it let go of his sword and clasped its two palms into a fist to pulverized him. But sadly, the opposite of its expectations had occurred. Nero seeing his sword released, used this chance to slide under the body of the Martial Ape and jumped into the air. While the Martial Ape was surprised and furious of being made of fool of by a weaker being. The area where Nero once stood exploded with bits of dust flowing about, as now, the two other Martial Apes were standing in Nero''s previous location with their arms pressed against the ground, forming deep fist impressions. Nero gulped as he saw this while thinking, "If those punches had struck me, I wouldn''t have ended up as a simple corpse..." The Martial Apes didn''t mind that Nero escaped, as to them it was only a game and eventually, he would break once they were determined to catch him. They dusted off their fists and looked at him while fixing their posture. Their eyes shone in a sharp ray as the cold air exhaled from their mouth was swept by the soft wind, carrying both it and the dust to the side as it gave them an imposing air. Nero felt anger as he knew they were looking down on him; he didn''t know how to fight these creatures. Adult Nero seeing this spoke once more, "What''s wrong? Can''t handle it?" Nero gritted his teeth as his eyes shone in a firm ray as he once more sheathed his sword, adopting a battle stance as he spoke inwardly, ''I won''t accept defeat so easily...'' Adult Nero smirked at those words; he closed his eyes while speaking, "Haha, then good luck... prove to me that you are worthy of your pride." As Adult Nero''s laughter resounded in Nero''s mind, he saw that the apes were cracking their fingers and joints, causing them to make horrifying noises; the atmosphere then grew colder as the battle was about to change anew. Chapter 32： Nero’s Struggle, A Dazzling End! Somewhere within the Greater Plains was an area filled with savage-looking creatures, monsters that were more than thrice the size of their variety seen on Earth. There was a sea of four-meter giant wolves with dense silver fur and tree eyes, each of which was bundled together as a pool of blood spread out for a vast region. Looking at these wolves, one would notice that they had each died from the same wound, a large gaping hole that was visible at the center of their head. A blond-haired youth stood silently within this crowd, at the top of these creatures as if he had stacked them together to form a lookout platform. Those nearby who saw him while venturing towards different quests couldn''t help but shrink back in fear as they hurriedly scampered off. "Aaaand... I''m lost, I have no idea where to find him?" Ryo said with a helpless look on his face; he sighed as he thought, ''So troublesome, I am supposed to be focusing on my Inheritance Quest, I really can''t keep wasting my time in these lower leveled regions. Che! Maybe I should head back to the nearest town and try my luck there instead...'' As he made his decision, Ryo then no longer hesitated; he jumped from the mountain of wolf corpses and had begun to leave the Greater Plains, venturing towards the closest town from these regions. **** A distance away from that scene, within the ever so quiet but uncanny Bamboo Grove. The sounds of clashes between different individuals were heard, as if one peered through the mist, they would see a spectacular scene. Shing! A flash of sharp white lights would flicker now and then as it seemed as if it were dancing around the region of mist. Wherever this light went, it was followed by the whooshing of the wind, and footsteps, as if something big dashed about at high speeds. Looking closer, the silhouettes of three of apes would become more clearer as their actions were simply amazing. They bounced from the ground, narrowly avoiding the flurry of sword attacks from a haggard young man, as some duck and rolled while others swayed to the side as the sword cut apart tiny strands of their hair. As these apes avoided each fast sword swing, they would retaliate violently. The ape, which ducked and rolled, used its rapid reflexes and speed to try and grasp the sword, but as if the young man sensed this action before it was made, his feet tapped the ground as his body slid backward avoided its range. While sliding backward, the young man''s eyes shifted to the side as he hurriedly fastened his grip on his sword with both arms and chopped his sword once more, leaving behind the trailing arc of white light. Fwoosh! As if it something was hurled through the wind, a hairy fist which was as large as his face struck towards him like a blurry shade. His eyes, which had shifted to the side, could barely even catch its trail as at this moment, everything around him was solely reliant on his senses. The sword that made a graceful arc chopped against this fist, but as if the other party expected it, a sneer came on the ape''s face as its arm blurred, creating a series of after images. "Oh shit!" The young man exclaimed as he saw his sword had only cut an afterimage; before he could even react, the ape''s fist had struck him in his torso four times, causing his body to bounce back as he spat out blood. "Ouff! Damn!" Nero cried out as he rapidly stabilized himself, by doing a backflip and crashing his feet into the ground to reduce the impact force. After sliding back and leaving a trail for a few meters, Nero held his gut with one of his arms and vomited out a bit of blood while trembling. ''Shit, this isn''t good, I''ve been injured too badly, and my Magic Power is similarly running low. Not to mention that I am still not their match,'' Nero thought to himself as he panted heavily, his core stats showing before his eyes. [Health 40/140] [Magic Power 70/140] ... As Nero thought this, he checked his time and saw that its already 2 pm as he had been fighting against these Martial Apes for no less than two hours. His face was covered in sweat as he was panting heavily, with one of his eyes closed. The blood from his wounded forehead seeped down as it fell onto his wounded torso, shown beneath his torn martial uniform. If one even looked further, one would also see areas that had multiple bruises and bloody wounds. Nero wanted to find a way to escape, but right at this moment, a change occurred. Suddenly, the tree Martial Apes looked at each other before their playful expression changed. They now carried a look of coldness, as they spread out surrounding Nero from all corners. OOH- OOH-OOH--OOH! Following a resounding battle cry by all apes, they adopted a martial stance, as both of their arms were placed before them at different heights with their palms clenched into fists. A long breath came out of their mouths, leaving a visible mist trail. When this happened, a vague power gathered over their bodies. Nero''s eyes shrunk as he saw this, his arm holding the sword trembled as he thought, ''Is this it? Am I going to be defeated like this? I haven''t even made it to the boundary of Birgime. This really sucks...'' He knew that he wasn''t their match before, but now that they''ve gotten severe enough to warm up such a technique, it is evident that they have grown tired of him. Adult Nero watched in silence, before shaking his head and speaking, "Is this your limit? Has your pride ended here? Or were your previous words only for bravado?" When Adult Nero''s words sounded in Nero''s mind, his eyes flashed as he recalled his earlier words, the image of his sick mother became prominent in his mind causing him to grit his teeth. He conjured all of his remaining Magic Power into his body, causing his eyes to glow in a silvery light. "Hmph! Like hell I am, I''m not finished yet!" Nero yelled as fighting spirit reignited, he slanted his body and readied his sword by sheathing it as he pushed every ounce of magic power into it to use his [Flash Cut] as his last attempt at victory. The Martial Apes didn''t seem to mind Nero''s outburst, they were already dead set on finishing him off. In merely an instant, they had acted at the same time. Swoosh! They bounced from their position and flipped, appearing at each of Nero''s flanks in a few seconds. Not long after, a sinister red glow shone from their eyes as they struck their arms towards Nero, leaving behind many fist remnant shades, some being too fast for his senses to catch. Nero acted in the very instant the apes did, his eyes showed a ruthless look as his blade shimmered in a cold ray. "DIE!" Nero yelled as he ignored the many fists coming from all directions and cut his sword with a full swing leaving behind the brightest silver flash he could ever release. The sword''s cry echoed as the world around him grew slower, every ounce of his actions was visible to him. He could hear his unique breathing method from the [Foundation Body Refinement] technique, as he could even sense the way he used his sword, knowing all of its previous imperfections and its flaws. In this instance, he became capable of understanding many things, including the very difficult [Four Point Unity Steps]. Nero ignored everything else, as his moment, he became his entire world. He thought to himself with a look of realization on his face, ''I... I understand now, these techniques, and the way they were meant to be comprehended.'' Ding! [You have achieved full mastery of the Foundation Body Refinement Technique!] Ding! [You have achieved full mastery of the Weapon Control Technique!] Ding! [You have reached the 4th Stage of the Four Point Unity Steps Movement Technique!] Ding! [You have achieved the 3 Stage of the Flash Cut Skill!] ... Following those notifications, the silver glow was beginning to recede, and Nero could even see the fists that were slowly coming towards him. He thought to himself, ''They''ve grown slower? No... I''ve grown faster... much too fast... and strong.'' As Nero came to that conclusion, his slow-motion senses were rapidly fading, but he knew that his battle was already at its end with that uncommon swing he used previously. With a swooshing sound, his body blurred and vanished from the Martial Apes attack range, appearing a meter away. The scene once more returned to normal, but the Martial Apes were now standing in front of each other with confused looks on their faces. They turned at saw that Nero was standing not too far away from them, but before they could even react in shock or anger, something happened which caused them to feel another emotion. A line that wasn''t there before had slowly started to form around their torso, by the time it made a full circle around their entire body, they had known their fates. Nero looked at them with his back turned as he spoke in a cold tone, much like his older self, "Death is a wonderful thing, it is the only place the weak can find salvation. Quickly be off on your way to the netherworld¡­" "Hahaha, now that... was splendid!" Adult Nero said as he laughed like hell as he recalled himself being like this early before growing it out, or so he thought. However, unlike him, the apes now had to face their fate with dying lights in their eyes, bringing an end to the previously impossible this quest of the Bamboo Grove. Chapter 33：The Ranking List, Returning to the Village Ding! [You have completed the Normal Quest: Slay the Pests of the Bamboo Grove!] [Return to the Village Chief to claim your rewards!] Nero stood silently within the Bamboo Grove, staring at the corpses in the mist that was slowly beginning to fade away, leaving the surroundings. Adult Nero smiled as he thought to himself, ''He''s a lot better than I thought, it seems that I won''t need to help him get to Birgime. It''s better this way, he can use the chance to further hone himself after I award him with those things.'' As Nero saw that the corpses had vanished and all traces of the carriage had fadeaway, he couldn''t help but speak his thoughts, "Odd, why is it that they''ve suddenly disappeared? Is it like those instances I''ve heard about in video game dungeons?" Adult Nero replied, "Correct, within the Novice Zone, before you reach Level 10, all quests are going to be Instance-Based. However, this will change once you grow to that level. This is done to act as a training method for beginners, slowly preparing you for the harsher Inheritance Quest and other challenges you will encounter at those levels." When Nero heard those words, he couldn''t help but show a firm look in his eyes as he spoke inwardly, ''That''s great, the more challenging, the better.'' Adult Nero chuckled at those words before he spoke again, "Good, it''s nice to see that you are in fine spirit, at your current strength, you should be considered as a Middle-Class Talent. Or rather, barely comparable to one due to your movement skill having reached the Fourth Stage. What you lack right now is Middle or High-Rank Skills, so long as you also achieve Stage 4 mastery on stronger Body Refinement Arts and Weapon Skills. You''ll have truly entered that stage. By then, you can strive for a shallow position on the [Ranking List]." As Nero heard this, his eyes beamed as he questioned inwardly, ''That ranking list, how strong are the talents?'' Adult Nero made a faint smile as he spoke, "Check it for yourself." Nero didn''t waste any time as he spoke inwardly, ''Show Rankings!'' Ding! [Ranking List: Rising Talent | Region: Novice Zone] [First place - Title: Child of Blaze | Level: 9 | Battle Rank:8] [Second place - Title: Gold Spear Child | Level: 9 | Battle Rank:8] [Third place - Title: Chasing Arrow | Level: 8 | Battle Rank:7] [Fourth Place - Title: Grass Root Sword Child | Level: 8 | Battle Rank:7] [Fifth place - Title: Rising Fox | Level: 8 | Battle Rank:8] [Sixth place - Title: Thunder''s Daughter | Level: 7 | Battle Rank:7] [Seventh place - Title: Crazy Blade | Level: 7 | Battle Rank:6] [Eighth place - Title: Rampant Ax | Level: 7 | Battle Rank:5] [Ninth place - Title: Bramble Child | Level: 7 | Battle Rank:5] [Tenth place - Title: Red Rain| Level: 6 | Battle Rank:5] [Eleventh place - Title: Swift Hands | Level: 6 | Battle Rank:5] [Twelve place - Title: Poison Boy | Level: 5 | Battle Rank:4] .... When Nero looked at the details, he was shocked at their levels, but as he saw the other details, he couldn''t help but knit his brows as he asked, ''They''re are all so strong, but what does Battle Rank mean?'' Adult Nero replied, "Battle Rank is the number used to access your comprehension of combat skills and technique mastery, by the Battle Arena. While there is more to this, I won''t go into it for now, as you''ll naturally figure everything out when you arrive at that town. As you have already mastered the first stages of those foundation techniques, I shall impart the final versions of those techniques. Bring them to complete mastery, and you will reach the rank of a Top-Class Prodigy." Nero was a bit excited at those words, but before he could say anything, Adult Nero had already pointed his finger forward. Following this, the large door in his mind glowed and opened again as two manuals flew out like rays of light as they soared towards the depths of Nero''s mind. Ping! At this moment, Nero felt a harsh pain in his head as countless memories flashed before his eyes, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. "Ack! Such pain, why does it get even worse?" Nero complained while gripping his head that now rolled with sweat. Adult Nero snorted as he spoke coldly, "Stop whining! You are already stronger than before; as such, you should be able to handle two High-Grade Manuals at once." "That doesn''t mean it wouldn''t hurt! Damn!" Nero shouted again, but after a good while, the pain had started to fade. Soon, Nero had begun to understand the two techniques more, and once he grasped basic knowledge of them, two notifications sounded in his mind. Ding! [You have learned the High-Grade Skill - Core Body Refinement Arts!] Ding! [You have learned the High-Grade Skill - All Weapons Mastery Skill!] Nero gripped his fists feeling engrossed by his newfound skills; he had the urge to practice them but knew that right now wasn''t the time. He was about to check his stats, but once again, Adult Nero has spoken. "You can check your stats later, hurry and pick up those drops from the monsters, after that, you should hurry up and turn in this quest before heading to the town." When Nero heard those words, he was a bit surprised by one aspect as he spoke, "Drops?" Following those words, he looked at the corpses of the ape and saw that on the ground were a few copper coins and two potions, as well as one unique furry martial robe. "Wow, there really are drops! To think I thought they didn''t exist!" Nero said in excitement as he recalled that no matter how many of those goblins he killed, he didn''t get anything in return. He hurried over and picked them up. [You have received (X2) Simple Healing Potion!] [You have received 3 Copper Coins!] [You have received a Furry Ape Martial Robe!] Nero smiled as he received these items, placing them into his storage space. His eyes shone as he viewed the details for the Furry Ape Martial Robe. [Furry Ape Martial Robe] [Grade: Common Tier: Rank 1] [Type: Armor] [Subtype: Cloth] [Usable by: All] [Requirements: Level 3] [Body Tenacity: 10] As Nero saw this, he laughed as he spoke in joy, ''Finally, I can ditch this shitty beginner robe and wear some decent equipment!'' Not even wasting time, Nero took the chance to change into the new robe, feeling the increase in his body sturdiness, he could help but to grin as he thought, ''So much better, I wouldn''t mind getting a full set, but these things are too darn hard to find.'' Adult Nero hearing this spoke, "It''s no surprise, those goblins were Inferior Grade monsters. This world doesn''t reward the weak. Only those who are strong have the right to receive gifts, now that you have joined the ranks of the barely capable things will only get more interesting." Nero didn''t'' mind his older self''s words; his eyes glowed as he gripped his fist and spoke, "For now I might, but it won''t last forever!" Adult Nero remained silent, allowing him to keep his confidence; he earned it after all. Not long after, Nero had left the Bamboo Grove, exiting through the area he entered as traveled through the Lesser Plains. *** Roughly half an hour had passed, and by now it was nearing 2: 30 pm. Nero, who was now walking through the familiar village outskirts tracks, had a smile on his face as he couldn''t help but look at his surroundings differently. He saw many other beginners running towards the Tyrant Slime''s location, while some had bruises while others had better expressions. He even saw that strange fellow who mocked the others last time, standing at the corner while leaning on a tree, Nero wondered if this guy didn''t have anything better to do than talk down to beginners. The guy obviously remembered Nero from yesterday, he felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to curse him, but as he saw Nero wearing a brand new furry robe, his eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed, ''You... you''ve actually killed a Normal Grade monster?'' Nero didn''t even spare him a glance as he continued onward to the village entrance, the guy felt humiliated but angered at the same time. However, he knew himself; he was no different from the trash that couldn''t properly master skills, so he was stuck there trying to break the spirits of others. "That darn little shit!" The guy said as he no longer had the mood to stay, he lifted his head and turned into rays of light before leaving the World of Promise. As Nero was nearing the village, he could hear the loud bustle and smell the freshness of bread being baked from nearby homes. He was far too hungry, as he didn''t have anything to eat during his battle. While rubbing his belly, he thought to himself, ''I should get something to eat while I''m at it...'' Nero looked around and saw a small stall nearby that was selling buns, he hurried over and stood beside a towering guy in armor as he spoke, but just as he opened his mouth, it resounded along with another''s. "Give me two buns!" Both Nero and delicate voice said in synchrony. Nero frowned at this, but as he turned and looked at the hulk nearby, he noticed that the petite Elly was staring at him in surprise. "Ohhh, crap..." Nero thought to himself, as he knew it wouldn''t be easy to get rid of her this time. Not to mention, the towering hulk that was now looking down at him with sharp eyes. Chapter 34：The Dreaded Female Horde, The First Title! The scene at the stall was ever so typical for not only the vendor but any hungry soul that came to purchase steamed bun. Despite this, however, three individuals were currently in a world of their own. Elly looked at Nero in surprise, she was initially going to tease him, but as she noticed his unique martial robe as his somewhat confident appearance, she couldn''t help but exclaim, "You... did you actually kill a Normal Grade monster?" Raynas was also a bit surprised, as he didn''t expect someone who couldn''t even defeat the initial Tyrant Slime could grow to this scale so quickly. Nero hearing her words pushed down his feelings of initial surprise and uncertainty, as it didn''t seem that she was going to make things difficult for him due to the previous money lent. He replied with the straightest posture a man could have, and he felt the utmost pride of his current achievement, "That''s right, it took me a while, but I finally managed to complete my first Normal Quest." Raynas hearing nodded as he heard this, he spoke, "Well now, that''s good, which monsters did you fight against?" Elly also looked at Nero keenly, not wanting to miss any details. Nero smiled and replied, "They were a tricky bunch; I believe they were called Martial Apes." "Pff!" Elly was about to burst into laughter after hearing those words, but Raynas gave her a stare causing her to hold back and reassume a graceful image. Raynas then looked at Nero and spoke, "Oh, no wonder, though they aren''t too strong, they are still at the base of a Normal Grade monster. It''s still quite the feat that you manage to grow this quickly from your previous state, you have earned my respect, Nero¡­" Nero felt strange hearing such praise from people other than his mother, he was a bit embarrassed, but he didn''t show too much of it on his face. He replied calmly with a slightly awkward smile, "Thanks, I did my best," Elly looked at Nero while thinking to herself, ''He''s still a bit weak, but I suppose he''s worthy of his title as a pretty face...'' When Elly thought to here, she blushed slightly and shook her head as she spoke to change her thoughts, "I''ve been hearing a lot of rumors since the day started, about a silver-haired pretty boy that was fighting in the Lesser Plains, ranked even on that shitty list made by dummies. I didn''t think it was you at first, but now that I see your equipment, I know for certain that you are that Silver Boy." When Nero heard this, he frowned, he looked at Elly and spoke, "Hey, I have a name you know, and it''s Nero, so stop calling me by that silly name." Elly didn''t like his tone, she looked at his somewhat embarrassed face and shouted, "You owe me, so I''ll call you whatever I want! Silver Boy-Silver Boy-Silver Boy!" Raynas sighed as he saw this; he knew that she had already entered that phase again. Not surprisingly, a few others heard their commotion, and naturally, only the women had reacted to it. "Em? Silver Boy?" A mature-looking beauty said as she looked over the stall curiously, but as she saw the handsome silhouette, her eyes beamed as she jumped from what she was doing and ran over. "Look, it''s Silver Boy!" A few girls said as they started to hurry over, creating a horde that would typically be a pleasurable sight to any deemed as a man. Nero didn''t hate women, just as though women are instinctively attracted to beautiful things, so are men. His face turned red when he saw so many charging his way, especially those of a delicate kind, as he was now unable to keep his typical poker face. The scented wind from the female horde, wafting across the nose of nearby male bystanders, causing them to feel not fear, but excitement. Nero glared at Elly and shouted while running off, "It''s all your fault! Elly, I''ll remember this!" Not even daring to waste time, Nero ran with all his might, employing his movement technique before he vanished from the town. "You won''t get away!" The mature lady shouted as she charged after him with her own technique, the others also followed along while shouting his nickname. As the horde vanished, the men looked at the somewhat sparse village of females and sighed as some had shown looks of pity towards Nero''s direction, while others showed mockery and scorn. Elly looked at this scene in delight, but right at this moment, Raynas smashed his knuckle on her head, causing her to grasp it and cry out in pain, "Ouch!" Elly grew angered, but as she saw Raynas glaring at her, she spoke with an embarrassed look, "B-Brother, I''m sorry, I... I only felt a little bit annoyed by the name, I hated them collectively calling him that as if he''s their property." Raynas, who was angered, soon looked at his sister in shock; he spoke with a strange expression on his face, "What? Then if he''s not theirs, who does he belong to?" Elly hearing this had a slightly red face as she lowered her head and mumbled, "H-He is my property because I bought him, and he has a pay off the debt before anything else." Raynas hearing this felt a headache coming on, he made a deep sigh as he rubbed his sister''s head, causing her to look up at him with her innocent eyes as he spoke, "Listen to me now. Elly, no one is yours because you lent them money. If you don''t fix this act, then I''m sorry, but I''m going to have to send you to see my mother. Now come, let''s get going, you want to join the Ranking List tonight right, then we have to leave now to get to Birgime early." After Rayna said this, he began to walk towards the town entrance. Elly trembled as she heard those words, she bit her lips before replying as she followed him, "Fine, I''ll try to be more conscious of my behavior." Raynas shook his head as he heard this; he knew that she wouldn''t change so easily and would need more time to mature much like her petite stature. He looked at her and saw that she had a slightly sour look on her face as she walked by his side, causing him to think to decide in his heart, ''I''m sorry, Elly, but it''s for your own good...'' The brother-sister duo soon left the town that was now a bit lifeless due to the disappearance charming souls, but suddenly, from an obscure area, the culprit of this crime had popped up out of nowhere. "Whew, that was close; if I didn''t hide, they would probably have caught up to me by now," Nero said softly with a look of helplessness on his face, he knew many in that bunch were probably at a high level than him. Adult Nero spoke from his mind, "You''re talking like it''s such a bad thing. Maybe you should let go and let nature take its course..." Nero, hearing this snapped back in his mind, ''Hmph! Like I''d ever do that, I won''t fall prey to just any woman, they have to be worth it. You better stop trying to talk me into strange things, I am a man of honor...'' Adult Nero chuckled at those words; he spoke, "Honor takes you nowhere, but I suppose you''ll learn in time, a man must know when to let the beast out from the inside. You must grow up quickly and find partners. Plus, I also need to see a little entertainment, it''s quite boring here..." Nero snorted as he thought, ''Tsk! You darn strange uncle...'' Not bothering to continue conversing to ''himself,'' Nero began to head towards the village chief in a hurry as he didn''t want the horde to return and trap him in the town. However, right before he could reach his destination, a sound was heard, followed by a notification. Ding! [Congratulations! After the collective thought and passion of many, the world has bequeathed you a Title!] [Congratulations on receiving your first Title! Titles are the unique identifiers granted onto a Digitizer by the collective will of many. Only one Title can be equipped at any given time, and they can be used to hide their real name if they choose when sending friend requests or taking part events or trials.] When Nero heard this, his face was filled with shock, as he hurriedly looked at these stats, causing it to pop up before his eyes. [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - Silver Boy] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] .... Nero felt so angry he was about to lift his head up high and yell, but he gritted his teeth and calmed himself down by breathing in and out. After a short while, he sighed and spoke inwardly, ''Dammit! Since it''s like this then I can only try to make a better image, there is no way in hell that I am going to be called Silver Boy!'' As if he made up his mind, Nero''s eyes shone in a firm ray, dashing from this area over to the village chief''s abode, moving with heavy steps as he prepared for a new struggle. Chapter 35：Old Monk Nalud’s Special Quest? Nero soon arrived at the village chief who seemed to always be in a decent mood, and like always whenever she looked at Nero, her eyes brighten as she engaged in conversation. "Child, I take it that you''ve successfully completed your quest?" Village Chief Pan asked. Nero showed her the quest completion token causing her smile to widen as she spoke, "You''ve done well-child, not many can defeat Normal Grade monsters during their first attempt. I was originally planning to send you on another warm-up quest, but now I see that you are almost ready to start accepting more serious tasks." Nero''s face grew excited when he heard this; he thought to himself, "Yes, I''ve been recognized, this has to be some kind of hidden quest or special mission." Nero looked expectantly at Village Chief Pan as if expecting a grand mission, but sadly, the latter merely waved their hand and spoke, "That being said, you are still a bit weak, come back once you''ve achieved Level 7. As for the current Quest, here are your rewards young one." The moment she spoke, a series of lights flowed into Nero''s body, causing a bunch of notifications to sound. Ding! [You have completed the Normal Quest: Slay the Pests of the Bamboo Grove!] Ding! [You have been rewarded 400 EXP and 100 Prestige!] Ding! [You have leveled up! All stats have increased as follows HP: 20, MP: 20, SA: +5, CF: +10, BT: +3, SP: +3km] ... Nero was both happy and sad, on one side, he felt pleased that he got a power-up, but on the other hand, he didn''t like that he had to try to level up some more before he got another quest. ''Darn, it looks like I''ll have to check around and see if there''s anything worth doing, if not, then I suppose it''s really as my older self said, I can only strive to increase my mastery while leveling in the fields,'' Nero contemplated as he made smile to the village chief and spoke. "Grandma chief, thank you, I will definitely return when I am stronger!" Village Chief Pan laughed as she spoke, "Hoho, good young one, go on now, I still have to take care of the rest." Nero nodded and hurriedly left, noticing that the line was growing, the men stared at him with hatred in their eyes as if they saw an enemy. However, he didn''t even spare them a glance and continued moving onwards. While leaving, Nero didn''t notice that a familiar green-eyed, green-haired youth with freckles was in the crown, he wore a simple cloak with a staff in his hand. He glared at the direction Nero left as if poison were in his eyes as a person standing by his side spoke, "Eh? Isn''t he that kid you''re always talking about getting revenge on, why aren''t you doing anything?" The other person who spoke was a young girl with narrow green eyes that held two daggers; she had blackish-green hair styled into two pigtails and wore a sexy type of female armor. "Sister, a gentleman gets his revenge only at the best moment, I can wait, besides it would be much more fun to see his despair, only after he tried his best and thinks he''s reached the peak." The green-haired youth replied with a menacing look. "Hehe, brother, you''re always so cruel, I love it¡­" The girl said with a smile. The green-haired youth then smiled before both he and his sister went towards the village chief to turn in their quest. A few others couldn''t help but notice them as one person spoke with a hint of shock, "Hey, isn''t he that rising rookie who startled everyone yesterday?" Someone nearby nodded and spoke, "Yes, I think he''s the one that''s now called Poison Boy, if I''m correct, truly a talent indeed, he might have a shot at catching up to the Child of Blaze." "Haha, you''re speaking nonsense, you and I both know how much of a fruitful dream that is¡­" Another person said in a light tone. The other person shook his head, he wore a wistful look as if he too knew that it was wishful thinking. Unaware of those scenes behind him, Nero did a quick search around the village, but no matter which individual he conversed with, none of them were interested in giving him a quest. At this time, Nero had arrived at the small temple with the monk that sat in mediation, the moment Nero saw him, his face turned dark as he didn''t like the sight of him. ''''This darn greedy monk... to think I have to come and ask him for a quest..." Nero murmured as he slowly made his way over to him. As expected, the moment Nero neared him, the monk opened his eyes and stared at him, scanning his equipment first before his eyes beamed as he made a warm smile and spoke, "Oh, I didn''t think I''d see you here so soon young novice, it seems that you''ve gotten quite the haul as of late. Do tell this old monk what it is you wish to purchase from our temple?" Nero tried his best to push down his mood before he spoke, "Dear elder, I am about to venture into the wilds while traveling to Birgime, and I thought that I might give a helping ahead where necessary. Do you have a quest that I can do?" When Nero said this, he had a look of hope on his face, as he was hoping that this greedy monk would be his breakthrough. Yet, at this time, the monk''s precious smile changed to one of pondering. "Hmm, a quest?" The old monk said in surprise. "That''s right; I would like to receive something that can grant me suitable rewards," Nero said while looking at him. The old monk looked at Nero up and down before a shifty look appeared on his face. He spoke with a strange smile, "Hehe... a quest, well, I have to say young one, you''ve truly come at a good time, I indeed have a matter I''d need to handle... but the only question is, can you do it?" Nero felt a bit hesitant as he saw his expression, he contemplated, ''I don''t like his look... but I have no other choice, by what I''ve seen questing is the quickest way to catch up to those talents as leveling is only getting harder as I progress.'' As he didn''t have options, he spoke with a firm spirit, "No matter the quest, I will do it!" When the monk heard Nero''s words, his smile grew eider as he spoke in a vague manner, "Good, then since you are so brave this is my request, I am in need of a special creature''s blood, one that can only be found at the depths of Blackfern Hollows. Go there and bring it to me, and I shall grant you a few special rewards." [Special Quest: Retrieve the blood of the ???] [Difficulty:?] [Description: Defeat the ??? and retrieve its blood from the Blackfern Hollows, only by returning with one jar will this Quest be considered a success.] [Rewards:] [??? EXP, Prestige ???, Old Monk''s Special Gift] [Old Monk Nalud of Winfrey Village''s Combat Temple has offered you a Special Quest. If you reject it, your prestige will decline, and you will never be able to purchase another combat technique from his temple.] [Do you accept the Quest, Yes or No?] ''This darn, dirty monk! What kind of Quest is this?'' Nero cursed in his mind, he didn''t like the old monk, but as he saw that Quest would leave a pretty troublesome penalty, he could only grit his teeth and accept it. Monk Nalud smiled as he saw Nero''s conflicted look, he spoke, adding fire to the flames, "Hmm? What''s this? Are you not interested in my Quest? If so, I can take it back..." Monk Nalud was about to say something, but Nero promptly spoke and cut him off, "I accept the quest!" Monk Nalud as a bit surprised, he chuckled while speaking, "Oh, well now, I didn''t think you''d still have the guts in you boy. Fine, go and be done with it, I shall look forward to your return..." As Monk Nalud said this, he flicked his sleeves and closed his eyes, returning to meditation. Following this, a notification sounded in Nero''s head. [Quest accepted!] Nero didn''t even bother to say goodbye, he hurriedly left the temple and carefully made his way towards the village entrance. He sighed while walking on a hidden track, avoiding the sights of potential hazardous women as he questioned his older self, ''Hey, what are my odds in even passing this so-called Special Quest?'' Adult Nero gave him an immediate reply, "Not to mention at your current level, even if you achieve Level 5 with stage 5 mastery, it will be less than 10%. Huhu, I must say, you truly are brave and daring to accept such a quest like that and still have the mood to press on with pride. I wonder what gave you so much courage?" Nero hearing this knew that he didn''t have the slightest chance, but he still spoke with confidence, "In life, there is no eternal absolute, if it''s something that can be conquered then, by all means, I shall find a way to overcome it." When Adult Nero heard those words, his eyes flashed when he thought to himself, "No eternal absolute... heh, well I''ll be damned, I never thought I could say such things at this age. So fascinating, I truly want to see what he can accomplish in my stead." As Adult Nero wandered off into his thoughts, Nero had already arrived at a remote section of the Lesser Plains. He looked around and saw that no one was around and couldn''t help but sigh as he muttered, "These women truly are troublesome, I''ll need to find a way to deal with this soon..." Adult Nero snickered in silence, not saying anything; Nero ignored his older self and prepared to move forward. However, right at this time, he heard a notification. [Avollo has sent a message!] Nero quickly opened it up and read the details, but as he saw it, not only his own but even Adult Nero''s face turned dark. [Avollo - "Hey, it''s almost 3, it looks like I''ve made it to the town a bit early, I just remembered that you''re at a pretty low level, do you need me to come and pick you up?"] Both Adult and Young Nero''s eyes blazed when they shouted in their minds as of in synchrony, ''This must never happen!'' Not even wasting a moment, he replied by typing a message on a virtual keyboard. [Nero - "As if I''d need it, I''ll be there in an hour the latest!"] [Avollo - "Haha, if you say so, then I''ll be waiting."] Adult Nero sighed in relief as he saw this, he also recovered his usual mood, closing his eyes as he didn''t bother to pay attention to the world around him. Nero had also calmed down; he looked at the distant path before with firm eyes, he quickly called out his sword from his personal storage space and equipped it at his side as he dashed forward at full speed. "Hmph! I won''t fall behind, not to you or anyone else," Nero said as he bolted across the plains, vanishing towards its depths. **** Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 36：Arriving at Birgime, Meeting Avollo Birgime was the nearest town in the boundaries of the Lesser Plains and the Greater Plains, acting as a sort of division between novices and mainstream digitizers. It was a fairly wide area with a broad river flowing between its center, traveling towards more distant mountainous grounds. Looking at it from a glance, one would see a towering wall and a wooden gate that was wide open, filled with many different people who were entering and leaving. A majority of them were of nonhuman race, while others came from humanity. Those who came here were at the very least at Level 5, and each had already mastered a low-grade combat technique, only a few of them had grasp those of the middle grade arriving at the fourth stage, giving them a low standing on the Rising Talent Ranking Lists. As such, the person who roamed here was powerful, especially showing the apparent gap between the village''s standards and a town. Beyond this sight, many different buildings were laid neatly above a ground paved with stone as some of them shone with strange lights. A giant magic circle, much like that found in Winfrey Village, was engraved at its central square. Now and then, people would arrive from it, and leave by it towards more distant reaches and major cities. Naturally, the very few who could do so we''re on an entirely different level, be it their equipment, presence or appearance. At this time, at the town entrance, a silver-haired youth in a furry robe had appeared from the distant region of towering bamboo shoots. His appearance seemed somewhat haggard as if he had been through a hellish journey, but if one looked at his eyes, they would notice they were shining with spirit as a smile was on his face. "I finally made it, and right on time..." Nero said while checking the timer on his system; there, he saw that it was 3:50 pm. ''Hmm, I should go check to see if he''s over at the arena now, or waiting somewhere else," Nero thought, having made up a goal in mind. He then promptly began to make his way through the crowded streets, bypassing strange-looking humanoids that had bulky muscles, with a few having heads of odd creatures. ''Are these the stronger races of the Novice Zone?'' Nero inwardly asked his older self while walking and looking around him with curious eyes. Adult Nero promptly replied, "Yes, and no, they are fairly decent beings at the lower level amongst the alien kind. Those at the farther ranks are far more powerful and dangerous to our kind..." Nero narrowed his eyes at those words; he questioned, "Dangerous to our kind? How so?" Adult Nero remained silent for a moment as his eyes showed a recollective look, but he soon cleared it away and replied, "You''ll come to know in time, for now, don''t ponder such affairs." Nero sighed at this; he thought, ''It seems like I can only wait for now.'' While Nero said this, he had unknowingly arrived at his target destination. Here, was a massive round-shaped building, built in a manner much like that of a colosseum. The sounds of fighting echoed as one could even hear bones breaking and people screaming. Nero felt a chill just by standing on the outside as if he could feel a savage bloodlust from behind its walls. Yet, it was only a chill; he didn''t feel the urge to run away or cower in fear. Instead, Nero''s eyes flickered in a reddish light as he felt a slight tinge of excitement. Not wasting a single moment, Nero hurried to enter its domain, passing through its corridors at a brisk pace. While walking, he saw a few metallic armors arranged at the side, along with tablets that had old markings. ____ [Record of Heroes] [First place: Name: Dark Reaper, Level: 9, Occupation: Assassin] [Second place: Name: Diamond Hands, Level: 9, Occupation: Mage] [Third place: Name: Mage Crusher, Level: 9, Occupation: Warrior] ____ ''What are these?'' Nero asked his older self while walking past a few more similar texts. "It''s as its name implied, a record of the best novices within a given period. They have all grown and advanced from this zone years ago. By now, they would all, or rather some of them should be considered as true experts across these vast lands," Adult Nero replied as his eyes fixed onto the board, his face showed a sophisticated look as if thinking about something. Nero didn''t say anything more, pushing those names into the back of his mind as he continued forward. Soon, he had left the corridor and arrived at the recreation hall. Beyond this area and the scene of natives garbed in uniform behind counters, as well as different novices that were chatting and laughing, was the audience stand that surrounded a series of broad arenas. Some of these arenas were shrouded by an unknown power, hiding all scenes from within it, but most of the other stages were quite open with people fighting against each other or strange beasts. Nero looked around curiously while thinking, ''It''s a lot broader than I''d thought, now it looks as if I might need a while to find that fellow.'' Nero was feeling a bit annoyed, but right at this moment, a familiar voice sounded from behind him. "Eh? Nero, so you''ve finally made it here, why didn''t you send me a message?" Avollo said as he walked over from a nearby corner. Nero looked at him with a look that seemed to be trying to hide his embarrassment as he thought to himself, ''How could I dare to let you come and pick me up at the gate of the town? Hmph! A man should have his pride...'' After fixing his thoughts, Nero spoke with a smile, "Well, I was in a bit of a rush, I came here without thinking, it''s a good thing you found me." Avollo looked at his expression with a suspicious look, but Nero took this moment to change the topic, "Oh yea, how was your attempt to raise your rankings? Did you climb again?" Avollo looked at Nero and replied with a weak expression, "It was wishful thinking on my part, I guess, even though I''ve had a great increase in strength, it looks as if my competitors had increased at a similar standard." Nero, hearing this shook his head, he looked at him and asked something that was on his mind, "Oh, by the way, what''s your Ranking Position? I can''t tell as I don''t know your Title." Avollo, hearing this smirked as he replied mysteriously, "Haha, I''ll tell you only if you can fight me to an acceptable standard, Silver Boy." Nero''s face turned ugly when he heard that; he snorted and replied, "Hmph! I''m not so easy anymore, if you''re thinking of treating me as a weakling, then you can forget it." Avollo chuckled at this and spoke, "Huhu... sure, I can see that you''re wearing some fine equipment. You''ve truly exceeded my expectations; it will be my honor to fight a rising talent such as yourself. Come now, let''s go register for a friendly match." Nero rolled his eyes at those words as he followed behind him, they soon arrived at the counter where the register was waiting, slender woman who spoke with a smile. "Good evening Ranker, are you looking to try your hands once more in the Battle Room?" The woman said while looking at Avollo with a warm smile Avollo then spoke, "I would like to have a friendly spar against this guy." The woman then looked at Nero in surprise, from a single glance it was as if she could see through all of his details. She asked Avollo with a hint of hesitancy, "Esteemed Ranker, are you certain about this challenge?" Nero didn''t think such a hassle would occur; he looked at her with a strange look. Avollo smiled and replied, "I am certain. Also, I would like to use my real name in this match other than my Title. Now, if that''s enough details, quickly sign us up time is going!" The woman shook her head, giving Nero a look of pity before she waved her hand and spoke, "Understood, friendly match for Ranker Avollo against novice Nero confirmed!" When the woman spoke, a blue light flashed over Nero and Avollo before getting the same notification. Ding! [You have received a combat token for Arena B, please proceed to the battle arena to begin your match!] Nero looked at the shiny token in his hand with a hint of excitement; this will be his first official PVP match since he started. He turned and looked at Avollo with confidence, but he soon found that the easy-going and pleasant Avollo had changed, for, at this moment, he had a different aura. His eyes seemed sharper, and his back looked straight like a sword ready to come out of its sheet. Nero was a bit startled by this change, he was about to say something, but Avollo turned and glanced at him with a grin on his face, and sharp eyes as he spoke in an icy tone, "Real men talk with their fists and swords, let''s not waste any more time..." The two moved on from this area, as Nero felt that this match wouldn''t be as fun as he''d imagine. Chapter 37：Rising Talents, The New Ranker! Nero and Avollo soon made their way over to Arena B, here many other persons stood idly by the side awaiting their turn. A few of them noticed Avollo and Nero, but no one paid them too much attention as for one, Avollo always fought with his battle''s hidden, and Nero was just a new face. At this moment, the familiar green-haired youth and his sister were somewhere nearby in the crowds. They looked over and saw Nero before speaking amongst themselves as on another corner was Weizer, along with his companions. "So he did come here, after all, I truly must have underestimated that pretty face boy, humph!" Weizer said in a serious tone. The lackeys made an awkward smile as they shook their heads, while on the other side, Poison Boy glared at Nero before removing his eyes. Avollo looked at the arena and saw that it was still shrouded by mist, he spoke, "Ho... I wonder who''s fighting right now; they even went as far as to use to a private function." Nero also looked up at the stage with a curious look on his face as he spoke, "Hmm? Do you mean that this mist is a result of the options you choose for battle?" "Yeah, whenever you initiate a match in the Battle Ring. You will typically be given the right to choose your preference of battle; one will be regular battle were spectators can view your fight, and the other will be a private match, which is what you see before you. Naturally, you will also have the right to use your real name or your Title," Avollo replied while looking at the arena. ''Well now, this is quite interesting,'' Nero thought to himself while looking at it similarly. While both Nero and Avollo had their own thoughts, the mist had begun to clear up as a few persons shouted in relief. "Finally, that darn girl has been in there for so long. You''d think she was putting on makeup!" One person said with a sigh; it seemed he had been waiting for quite a while. "Hahaha!" A few guys laughed at the person''s outburst, while the girls in the area glared at him with dark looks on their faces. However, as if the person who left the ring heard, with a swoosh a nimble and blurry figure jumped from the arena and landed a kick on the individual''s back. Crack! The sounds of bone snapping resounded along with the pitiful yell of the man, who flew into a nearby wall and passed out. Once this happened, everyone looked at the petite female with chestnut brown hair in shock as she turned around and spoke with her slender fist raised, "Hmph! I don''t care who you are, but next time you should think about the consequences when you try to shame me again!" The crowd was in shock by her violent manner, as a few of them started a commotion. "So, it was her, I didn''t know that the Emperor Zone''s Balkras Family''s rumored Graceful Tyrant would have already awakened. Huhu... Miss Thunder, looks like you''ve got some competition other than that Fox," A bulky looking youth said with strange markings over his body, garbed in fine armor. He had spikey white hair, a bandana around his forehead, and a blade on his back. He looked human at first glance, but it was apparent that he was of an entirely different breed from the vague scales on his flesh and sharp shark teeth. "Crazy Blade, you are right, it''s quite the astounding news, hehe, these humans are quite talented, to think the little devil of the family has finally arrived to make a mess. I must say, those informants aren''t doing their job..." A strange-looking blue-skinned beauty said, dressed in scanty armor with her hair flowing above hair head, flashing with bright thunder lights. "Hmph! It''s best not to rely on those useless ones, hmm... this should have been her first attempt, I wonder, how far did she get on the Ranking List?" Crazy Blade asked curiously. "No idea, but it should come out anytime now," Thunder''s Daughter said with a smile. Weizer looked at Elly with a firm look as he gritted his teeth while speaking, "I will grow better than all of them, only I am the true prodigy..." Poison Boy and his sister, however, merely smiled as he showed a look of self-confidence. Nero who saw Elly''s appearance was a bit amazed, he gripped his fists while cursing in his mind, ''Everywhere I go, she is there, darn!'' Adult Nero chuckled and spoke, "Don''t fight it, it''s fate..." Avollo noticed Nero''s expression; he couldn''t help but tease, "Hmm? What''s wrong are you getting second thoughts about our match?" Nero hearing this temporarily flushed down his thoughts about Elly as he glared at Avollo and spoke, "Hmph! As if, I''m ready when you are! Avollo smirked at this but as he spoke, "So am I, but we''ll have to wait until the next batch finishes," When Avollo spoke, he hinted towards the ring once more, causing Nero to look as he saw a few persons from before were now preparing the fight. "Che! Not good, if it''s like this, then she''s certainly..." Nero was muttering something, but as if Elly had heard him, she suddenly appeared by his side, drawing the eyes of many spectators as she spoke out loud. "So you''re here, Silver Boy!" Elly said with a smile on her face as she looked at Nero. Nero frowned at this, he really didn''t like the name, but before he could even reject it, everyone looked at him in surprise. "Eh? He''s that Silver Boy? How handsome!" A young girl said with starry eyes. A few other women had similar looks, causing the faces of the males in the area to turn bad. Nero didn''t like those looks, his attempt at temporarily staying low key was destroyed yet again. "Hmph! I say he''s only good for his looks, so what if he''s handsome and have made it here, it could have been that fellow by his side protecting him," A guy said in a meaningful manner as he pointed at Avollo, who was looking at Nero in surprise. A few others shared the same opinion, but only a few persons keenly focused on Nero. Poison Boy, Weizer, and oddly enough, the two nonhuman Rankers Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade. ''Hmm, he was brought here by that fellow, he must be someone special,'' Crazy Blade said as he looked at Nero and Avollo. "Maybe, I''ll try to get more details on his background," Thunder''s Daughter said with flickering lightning bolts in her eyes. Not caring about the commotion around them, Nero, Avollo, and Elly were now focused on each other. Nero had an ugly look on his face when he stared at Elly and spoke, "Classmate Elly, I have told you before that my name is Nero, do not call me by that silly name!" Elly giggled and replied, "Why should I? It is such a cute name and unless you can convince me of a reason not to, I will call you like such forever!" Nero hearing this and seeing her look knew nothing would change, he sighed and turned his head as he spoke, "Well fine since you''re going to be like that, I won''t care anymore!" Avollo looked at them in surprise as he spoke, "Eh? Wait for a second; you said, classmate? Are you two classmates?" Both Elly and Nero replied at the same time, "That''s right!" Avollo chuckled when he saw this; he was about to ask something about the school, but there was a notification right then. Ding! [Congratulations for Novice Digitizer Graceful Tyrant, and her successful entry in the Rising Talent List!] "Eh? Graceful Tyrant?" Nero asked with puzzlement. Elly''s face turned ugly at those words, as Avollo tilted his head to the side before he smirked. "Haha, so that''s how it is, it truly is a fitting name," Nero said with a laugh when he saw Elly''s appearance, he knew he had something to use as leverage now. "You---!" Elly glared at Nero before turning away in embarrassment. Nero felt it funny, but when he looked at her position in the Ranking List, his eyes widened in shock as he spoke, "This... so high!" [Tenth Place - Title: Graceful Tyrant | Level: 6 | Battle Rank:5] Avollo had already inspected the list; he spoke with a hint of praise in his voice, "As expected of a Balkras, you''ve only been here for such a short time, and yet you have already pushed Red Rain down from the Tenth Rank. Ha, I have to say your talent is uncommon. Maybe if you had arrived the same day I did, we might have been at a similar rank." Elly, though prideful, looked at Avollo with a hint of fear as she spoke, "You overpraise me, even if I did, it''s highly unlikely, who doesn''t know who you truly are?" When Nero heard her words, he had already pushed the shock from her ranking position down in his mind. Instead, a different look came over his face, he turned dark as he saw Avollo made a warm smile and gesture towards the battle area, "Haha, my fame is nothing special, come now, Nero, it''s our turn..." When Avollo said this, the arena once more grew quiet as the previous battles had ended, now all eyes were on Avollo as he walked towards the stage with steady steps. Nero swallowed the dark mood as he followed behind, but as if she didn''t want him to have an easy fight, Elly looked at him with mock as she spoke, "You truly must have a death wish but don''t worry, I''ll do my best to root for you Silver Boy. Good luck..." The air grew cold, as it beckoned the start of a battle Nero will never forget in his life. Chapter 38：Prelude to Harsh Fight, A Startling Difference As they mounted the battle arena, the scene around both Nero and Avollo changed, becoming saturated by a dense mist, it seemed that neither of them wanted their battle to be witnessed by anyone. Elly, along with the curious onlookers, watched this with disappointed expressions as some clicked their teeth in silence. "Hmph! I suppose it doesn''t matter; I didn''t want to see him get beat up anyway..." Elly said in a self-convincing manner as if she was trying to talk herself into it. However, while she was lost in thought, a bright ray of light beamed from a distance arriving by her side, reforming into the bulky Raynas. The moment the crowd saw him, a few with more knowledge couldn''t help but start a minor commotion. "That... isn''t that Iron Wall Raynas!" One of the novices said in alarm. "Y-your right, it''s him, I didn''t know he was her Guider. It looks like the little miss is certainly well pampered," Another person said with envious eyes. Crazy Blade and Thunder''s Daughter looked at each other before they focused their eyes ack onto the ring, they were anticipating the results of this fight against Avollo and the unknown Silver Boy. Elly looked at Raynas in joy as she spoke, "Brother, what took you so long? I thought you said you''d arrived back before my match was over." Raynas shook his head and replied, "It''s not easy to get down here, you know, plus I had a minor affair to deal with..." When Raynas said this, his eyes flickered as his face turned a bit complex, Elly seeing his look frowned, she wanted to ask him something, but Raynas changed the topic. "So, you''re finished here, right? Now that you are on the ranking list, we can continue focusing on leveling you up to do your Inheritance Quest. Come, let us..." Rayna was about to say something, but he was soon cut off. "B-Brother wait, I want to stay here for a while longer," Elly said a bit embarrassedly. Raynas looked at her in surprise as he spoke, "Hmm? What''s wrong?" Elly fidgeted for a while before she spoke, "I-I want to see the results of this match; after that, we can continue on training." Raynas glanced at the hazy arena with a frown, he thought for a bit before he spoke, "Alright fine, I don''t know what''s so special, but I''ll wait for a while longer." "Yay," Elly said with a victorious look on her face, Raynas glanced at her with a smile before his face once more showed a complicated look, as if he recalled a troublesome thing. Not privy to the details outside the ring, Nero and Avollo stared at each other from a few meters distance across as the sounds of the ring resounded in their minds, followed by a notification. [Friendly Duel between Digitizer Nero and Digitizer Avollo shall commence in 20 seconds! 20, 19, 18....] The two remained silent as if they didn''t even hear the countdown before Avollo smirked and spoke with flashing eyes, "Huhu, I want you to come at me with all you have, Nero, this battle is meant solely to wake you up." Nero snorted at those words as he spoke, "Hmph! I won''t lose so easily!" Avollo said nothing in reply and only stretched his arm to the side, causing a simple sword to appear, he didn''t even adopt a sword posture and just stood calmly like a leaf that could flow through the wind. Nero felt a tinge of danger looking at Avollo; he didn''t know why, but each of his senses was warning him of a danger. He frowned while thinking, ''Is he really that dangerous? I want to see just what makes him so special - Inspect Status!'' Following Nero''s command, a notification popped up with Avollo''s details, appearing directly before his eyes. [Name: Avollo] [Title - Hidden] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 8 | Class: None] [Influence: None | Prestige: ???] [Health 240/240] [Magic Power 240/240] [Combat Power: ???)] [Body Tenacity: ???] [Spiritual Awareness: ???] [Speed: ???] .... Nero''s mouth went wide as he saw those details, especially Avollo''s level, cursed in his mind, ''What the hell? Level 8, are you kidding me?'' Avollo seeing his look, couldn''t help but show a sly smirk as he spoke, "Haha, what''s wrong Nero? Did you finally inspect my stats? It''s a pity; it''s already too late to withdraw from this match of ours." "You... you darn bastard! Why would you challenge me when theirs such a difference in power between us?" Nero cursed in anger, but as he knew he couldn''t change anything and that the timer was almost finished, he gritted his teeth and held onto the sword by his waist. Avollo chuckled as he looked at Nero with flashing eyes and spoke with a cool tone, "Nero, father always said that the best way to cement one''s new friendship is through actual combat and harsh exchange. In our case, I am merely killing two birds with one stone, both by training you and establishing our friendly bond. Don''t worry, I''ll limit my strength to the exact amount used by a normal Level 4 Novice and fight you only with my current level of combat skills and refinement arts. Now then, it appears that our time is up, be careful..." Following Avollo''s words, Nero''s face sunk as the timer for the battle hand finally ended. Ding! [The countdown has concluded, let the duel commence!] The moment the system spoke, a toweringly sharp power rose around Avollo; it was a sharp power that covered everything within his surroundings. Even the gravel on the battle arena started to behave strangely. Nero looked at his face with a deep look as he firmly gripped the handle of his sword and bit his lips, his eyes had a hesitant look as he questioned his older self, ''Can I beat him?'' "...." Adult Nero remained silent, not giving him any reply; he decided to let Nero learn from his own experiences. Nero not hearing any reply knew his situation wasn''t too good, but that didn''t mean he was about to give up, he commanded with his mind, "Check status!" [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - Silver Boy] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 4 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 880] [Current EXP: 275] [Influence: None | Prestige: 200 - Good Villager] [Health 160/160] [Magic Power 160/160] [Combat Power: 106 | 70 + (40+15)] [Body Tenacity: 38 | 19 + (20+10)] [Spiritual Awareness 25] [Speed 59(+1) km/h]: [Genetic Trait:] [Grade??? Inheritance Bit (Mazello(Level 10)) - A powerful Spiritual Being of an ancient era, as you''ve earned his recognition, you have awakened a small portion of his strength. Your awareness of spirits has risen, you will naturally attract the love and care of goodwill spirits, but those of a dark nature shall view you in a manner no different from their mortal enemy.] --- [Reaper''s Eye - A talent that allows one to see the origin of nature. It enables the living to see those that exist between both realms of reality.] ¡­ [Skills:] [Passive Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Core Body Refinement: Stage 4 (2/400) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Technique is limited to 9 Stages, and current stage can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by +20] --- [All Weapons Mastery Skill- Stage 4 (1/400) | 9 Stages] [Effects:] [Technique is limited to 9 Stages, and current stage can increase the skill and Combat Power used by +20] --- [Combat Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 4 (3/400) | 9 Stages] [Description: This is a speed-boosting art that can increase speed allowing graceful movement and superior reaction capabilities. The current stage can grant the user and increase of 10km/h.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 30] [User can increase speed by 25km/h] [Requirement: User must at least have Stage 3 fitness.] .... Low-Grade Skill: [Flash Cut: Stage 3 (50/100) | 3 Stages] [Description - This is a sword style that allows the wielder to rely on the momentum of the sword, leaving its sheath and furthering it with Magic Power, allowing it to cut apart its foe in merely a flash.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 25] ¡­ [Items:] [???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10)] [Furry Ape Martial Robe: Body Tenacity: 10 / Durability: 4/4] [Simple Wooden Sandals: +1 km/h, Indestructible] [Common Iron Sword: Combat Force: 6 / Durability: 5/5] ... Nero viewing his stats felt a little better about his circumstances, though he knew he would be hard-pressed to win since Avollo stated that he would not be using his advantages in level and equipment; it meant that he might somehow hold a fighting chance. Nero''s eyes flickered in a bright ray as he leaned his body forward and pushed every ounce of his Magic Power into his sword handle. The sheathed sword then began to glow in bright silver lights, as Nero''s body became shrouded by the dazzling radiance. Follow his manner was now stern looked at Nero with a sharp look, his sword calmly held in one hand at his side as he quietly stared at him and spoke with a tease as he gestured with his finger, ''Come on now, show me what ya got!'' Chapter 39：An Overwhelming Victory It happened in a flash, a bright ray of silvery light beamed across the short distance of a few meters, traveling to meet its stationary foe. It was a speed few could even catch with their eyes, as it left only a trailing line of light in its wake. Yet, the target of this ray was even swifter compared to its movements. In merely a second, this individual had not only avoided this ray of light by shifting his body to the side; he even counter-attacked by using the hilt of his sword to hit the ray of light that swept by his side. Ting! The sound of metal responded as the ray of light vanished, revealing the unstained metallic edge of a simple looking sword. The sparks from the collision swept across the area, showering two figures. During this silence, both Nero and Avollo looked at each other as the sparks swept across their faces. Their expressions varied as Nero carried a look of shock on his face when he stared at the edge of his sword resting against the hilt of Avollo''s sword. Avollo merely showed a cheeky smirk as he whistled before speaking, "Wow! Now that was a good Flash Cut, I must say, Nero, you''ve mastered quite the skill in these short two days. I am amazed by your progress, but... even so, it''s still not enough. The quality of this technique was too low, and while your mastery is extremely high, reaching the third stage... you are still quite limited." Nero hearing Avollo''s words only now recovered from his shock, he quickly cleared his thoughts and retreated by kicking the ground with his feet leaping backward by two to three meters. ''Damn, even when he deliberately suppressed himself to my level, his skill is vastly superior to my own. At such a level he should be high in the Rising Talent Ranking List, but the question is just who is he on the list...?'' Nero thought rapidly, trying to analyze his situation and his opponent, his arm trembled slightly as it even felt a bit numb. Avollo, upon seeing Nero retreat shook his head as he once more lowered his sword to his waist and held it in one hand, still carrying a free and natural look, looking no different from grass in the verdant field capable of flowing with the rising winds. As he assumed his natural state, a sharp aura rose around him, making him seem no different from a peerless sword that was pointing towards Nero. It even seemed as if this sword was one with nature, assuming unity with all things. "Nero... you are talented, but your gifts aren''t suited for the sword. Allow me the wake you from this false path before you trod its limits to no return," Avollo said with a piercing glint in his eyes as he tilted one side of his body, making it seem as if it was weightless. As if Nero felt a terrifying amount of danger, his awareness which was already exploding in full slowed everything down by a drastic degree. Yet, even in this state, Nero knew that Avollo''s suppressed strength was far from he could imagine. ''Tsk, I can''t afford to go down like this, not before giving it all I have...'' Nero thought with a firm look in his eyes as he lowered his stance and leaned his torso forward with his arms by his right side. Not even wasting any time, he sheathed his sword once more and pushed even more Magic Power into it while simultaneously channeling power to his feet ready to use his Four Point Unity Steps. "Have a taste of my Cutting Leaf Sword..." Avollo said in a resonant voice that reached towards Nero''s ears, causing his eyes to narrow as he was now ready to unleash the attack. In an instant, after Avollo''s words, the slow-motion world of Nero''s heightened perception encountered something strange. Avollo blurred as he left behind a brilliant green-ray while moving towards Nero''s direction. He didn''t even move like someone who was running, as he seemed to have jumped from his position at a low angle, blasting towards Nero like a rocket. In this posture, he still kept one side of his body lower than the other as if pushing all of his weight into the side, holding the now dazzling sword that shone in green lights. In Nero''s eyes, he only saw Avollo rapidly flashed from a distance before arriving directly before him at a low angle. ''I mustn''t take any chance; I must face him with all I have and strike him before he strikes me!'' Nero shouted in his mind, feeling a dense amount of fear towards Avollo''s lowered arm. The sweat from his forehead ran down his cheeks as he revolved his Magic Power, invoking his [Four Point Unity Steps] at maximum as he unsheathed his Crimson Iron Sword in a flash and attacked. At this moment, following the shrill cry of his sword, Nero''s eyes shone with a rich killing aura, as they glowed in a reddish light, looking to be similar to the eyes of a Death God. Avollo seemed to have perceived his movements, he was a bit surprised by Nero''s change, but he merely smirked while twisting his body and swinging his lowered arm that held his sword. Swingggg! The two ringing cries of their swords echoed, as a dazzling silver light flashed before being encompassed by a radiant ultra-thin green light. Nero, who was moving at extremely high speeds, cut a straight silver line towards Avollo''s body, the sword cut directly through him, causing Nero''s eyes to shine with happiness. However, not long after, Avollo''s body vanished as only the thin green light remained. ''Oh, crap!'' Nero shouted inwardly as his eyes showed a panicked look; he tried to keep aware of the light, but as the green light moved, the illusion of a leaf being cut in half flashed before his eyes and everything returned to normal. At this moment, both Avollo and Nero were standing two meter''s distance apart. Their backs facing each other as the wind blew across their battlegrounds, swaying their hairs and battle wears. The swords in their arms shimmered in a cold ray as a slight haze swept between them, adding even more atmosphere to their surroundings. Adult Nero, who watched this in silence, shook his head as he thought, ''Now you know, now you understand the difference between a true prodigy and common talents...'' Following Adult Nero''s thoughts, Avollo waved his hand, causing his sword to vanished back into his storage space as he turned around and faced Nero, who still had his back turned. Avollo grinned and spoke, "You should have learned by now why you aren''t suited for the sword? Even with your mastery of the Flash Cut, you still didn''t invoke its essence. With my mastery of the similarly Low-Level Cutting Leaf Sword, I was able to naturally invoke its ''True Intent,'' creating the illusion you previously witnessed." As Avollo said this, he began to walk towards Nero at a steady pace with his eyes shining in a bright ray. He then continued to speak, "You also have astounding perception and awareness, but your aura emanates a dense will to slaughter. I couldn''t help but notice this stain that lies deepest in your mind in our previous exchange. How do I know this? It''s simple; it is a trait from my family and a gift related to my eyes. I believe because of this stain; you are more attuned to the Killing Path for warriors. You would do well with a saber as a partner, or maybe a weapon more like a spear, killing multiple foes in a single sweep. As for your foundation, I was planning on helping you learn a few things, but I didn''t think you''d already grasp such a perfected foundation. It seems that I was wrong to think that you were someone with no backing. Huhu... Nero, that''s all I have to say, for now, let us retreat from here, I hope that you can learn from this defeat." After finishing his statement, Avollo tapped Nero on his shoulder and stood before him with a smile as the mechanical system notification sounded. [Duel finished! Winner Avollo!] [Terminating the Private Duel Ring!] As those notifications sounded, the mist began to fade revealing the scene on the arena, as everyone looked at the stage in surprise. Most of them didn''t think the battle would end so quickly, as those who knew of Avollo''s true identity looked at the arena with expected eyes. Elly looked at Nero with a gloating look, but as she saw his current expression, her expression changed as she felt a tinge of pain. Raynas only now recovered from his shock as he never in his dreams thought that Nero would have the guts to challenge such a character. He spoke while looking at Nero on the stage, "I must say, I never thought it would''ve been him in that arena, but he truly has a lot of guts, to be defeated by that Grass-Root Sword Kid, should be his honor." A cold wind blew, sweeping by everyone including Nero as he stood on the stage. He had a long line across his body that spewed out a gush of blood before his hazy consciousness faded into the unknown and he slumped over on onto Avollo''s shoulder. "Oto~, shall we get going?" Avollo said as he grasped Nero and carried him away, ignoring the eyes of the crowd as he soon after vanished through the halls. Chapter 40：Thought’s After Defeat, Merely A Caretaker Time passed quickly at it was nearing 7 PM, Nero who had lost consciousness, had awoken in a garden. Here, one would see a fountain of pure water with structures of humanoid creatures holding bowls to pour it. Looking further around, one would see chairs and benches made of wood, artfully arranged at different locations with a scanty number of Digitizers and locals chatting in a lively manner as they rested. "I must say, the talents that made an appearance today are something else. I didn''t think so many hidden talents had awakened during this recent Ring Resonance," One man said. "Indeed, I had a feeling that the young miss from that Balkras Family would awaken around this time, though it was a bit later than that sword boy from the Mendez Family. Even characters such as this rising Poison Boy and his sister, along with that child Weizer, were quite stunning," A woman replied with a smile. The man nodded in agreement, but as he thought for a bit recalling something, he spoke, "Hmm, well, I can understand it being them, along with that Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade, but what about that new brat called Silver Boy?" The woman paused for a bit before she replied with flashing eyes, "Silver Boy? He is quite handsome, but a bit too young, did you not see who he fought against a few moments ago?" The man scratched his head and spoke, "Huh? Wasn''t he some random guy in a low position on the list?" The woman scoffed and replied, "Humph! You dummy, it was Grass-Root Sword Child, Avollo Mendez, no matter how handsome and talented Silver Boy is, his strength is limited due to him arriving a few days later. Maybe, if that boy given another week or so, he might be able to narrow the distance, but I think by that time he''ll only arrive at the level of Poison Boy, or if he''s lucky that Balkras girl." "I see... it makes sense, he''s not up against ordinary fellows," The man said with understanding. By now, Nero had recalled his previous battle. He held his chest, but much to his surprise, he didn''t even see so much of a scar. ''Ouch, the wound is gone, but the pain has yet to fade, tch! That bastard Avollo, he really is a sneaky one, hiding his identity like that to teach me such a lesson...'' Nero thought with an angry and helpless look on his face, as he recalled the shame he couldn''t help but feel bitter, causing him to grip his fist tightly. Soon though, he calmed down as the details became clearer; he didn''t ponder the bits about him not suited for the swords as he already knew that from his older self. Instead, Nero considered how Avollo had used his weapon. ''It was like an extension of himself; his technique seemed bizarre at first but also fitting. He loosened the weight on the right side of his body, allowing part of him to shift into an ultra-relaxed state; this, in turn, increased the speed and flexibility of which he used his sword. In fact, the power behind that technique was even weaker than my flash-cut, but because of his superior control and mastery, he could use it at a much faster speed. I lost not only due to talent but to technique...'' Nero thought with self-reflective eyes. Adult Nero nodded at this time and spoke, "Precisely, what you need to do now, is not only focus on improving your mastery of the remaining techniques but gain a deeper comprehension of how to utilize them. It would be best if you also acquired a weapon that is suited to your gene, I could impart it onto you, but that would ruin the fun. Instead, you shall do it before you head off to accomplish your current quest." When Nero heard those words, he was a bit curious, he asked inwardly, ''A weapon? What kind?'' Adult Nero chuckled and replied, "The kind that only a reaper could use..." Nero felt a tinge of anticipation at those words, but right at this time, a slight noise was heard behind him, as a cheeky voice sounded, "So how is it? Have you learned anything? Or are you still bearing a grudge over that defeat?" Nero didn''t even need to look around to know who it was; he clicked his teeth and replied, "Tsk! Like I''d ever feel upset over such a simple thing, what is this, wuxia? I''m not some protagonist that gets angry and swears revenge over pointless things..." Avollo, hearing this laughed out loud, "Hahaha!" After falling on his back and holding his belly, he wiped his eye corner and replied, "You... ha... Nero, did anyone ever told you that you''re a funny guy?" Nero rolled his eyes at those words, and stared off into the distance, gazing at the colorful starry night sky as he answered, "Yes, only one person," Avollo felt something odd about Nero''s expression; he asked, "Oh, and who was it?" He then jumped onto the chair and leaned back; his straw hat covered his face as he felt that the cool night breeze was a rather soothing atmosphere. Nero thought for a bit as he recalled the scene of his mother laughing at his poor attempts at making a joke, he felt a bit teary-eyed, but as Avollo was next to him, his expression turned a bit mysterious as he spoke, "You don''t know? I guess she didn''t tell you, well, I guess she might have been shy, it was after all your mother." When Nero said this, he made a victorious look, but Avollo''s eyes widen into surprise as he looked at Nero deeply. He spoke in an odd tone, "It looks like you''re still a bit lacking in training, how about it? Shall we do a rematch?" Nero''s face turned ugly at those words; he looked away from Avollo pretending not to hear anything as he thought, ''Tsk, like I''d let that happened again, just you wait, I''ll get back at you real soon..." While Nero claimed he didn''t hold a grudge, it seemed that his youthful instincts would always get the better of him, there was no youth that would always want to feel inferior and ashamed of their peers. Avollo chuckled, saying nothing more and two rested in silence, relaxing in the cool night atmosphere, a few colorful and adorable world spirits flew towards them nestling themself into Nero''s hair as he at this time, felt extremely comfortable Avollo stayed quiet for a while and spoke, "Hey, I''ve wanted to ask you something? I heard that the little miss from Balkras had transferred to my school, you know, but just now she had said you were her classmate, are you from her previous school? Or are you attending the same school?" Avollo waited patiently for an answer, but no matter how long he waited, he didn''t hear a reply. He frowned and lifted his hat with his finger, glancing at Nero, but as he did, he couldn''t help but curse out loud, "You''ve got to be kidding me? Did this bastard fell asleep? Che! Darn!" As he cursed, Nero''s snore soon became audible, causing him not to know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head no longer caring about anything, prepared to sleep too. However, right at this time, as if Avollo felt something, his eyes widen in shock as he turned around and looked behind him. There, he saw an Asian youth with blond hair, leaning back against the wall as he looked at them silently. Avollo was shocked, but his eyes shone with battle lust as he spoke, "You are that Chasing Arrow! What''s wrong, did you come to fight me?" As Avollo said this, his dreads rose above his head, as a ripple of towering sword energies had erupted from his body, startling a few of the others. Ryo looked an Avollo indifferently before he pointed at Nero and spoke, "Fighting you? Hmph! I have no time for such things; I am merely his caretaker..." "You are what?" Avollo called out in alarm, never would he have thought to hear such a thing, from this kind of character. Ryo smirked as he turned around, walking away, his voice drifting in the wind as it reached Avollo''s ears, "You heard me, huhu... just a caretaker. However, now that he''s all tired, what I came here for can''t be done today, I''ll have to meet with him another day, I''ll warn you, don''t try anything funny now..." As Ryo''s words resounded in Avollo''s mind, his figure soon vanished from his location, as if he faded into the wind. Avollo looked at that direction for a while before he looked at the sleeping Nero, clueless to all around him as he slept in peace. He shook his head and spoke, "You, my friend, are far from the norm..." The scene here returning to normal as the night only pressed onwards to the peak, bringing an end to this day''s adventure. Yet, though the events had ended here, another was only moments from occurring elsewhere. ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 41：A Hindered Investigation, UEG High Command The night pressed onwards, and dawn was only a few hours from arriving, the scene within the Gutter Zone is now one of silence as even in these desolate districts the people needed a good night''s rest to deal with the day''s activities. As the colorful lights of the bright stars, dazzling moon, and mysterious Universe Ring loomed over the night sky, their radiance beamed down onto even these rejected neighborhoods, shining down in full splendor upon all reaches. At this hour, the streets were typically empty, filled with only a few disordered bottles that rested in pools of liquor and other liquids. A foul stench wafted through the nightly air, capable of turning off and leaving a mark on all who ventured from a more refined background. Nevertheless, despite these factors, there were those brave enough to roam these streets, a party of two who drove in a simple-looking black car. As this car drove through the streets, its headlights gave off a luminescent ray, bringing most of the road before. Occasionally, they would bypass a few vagrants that slept openly in the chilly winds, lying down on cardboard boxes with newspaper covering their coarse bodies. Sera looked at the scene from the corners of her beautiful deep-set eyes that stared through the windows, her expression one of pity as she muttered, "It really is unfair to treat them like this..." As if he heard her mutterings, a slight puff of smoke came towards her direction as Osbon spoke while driving and smoking, "Tsk! What do you know? This is how society works. They''ve been given their opportunities just like many have, the reason they like this is because of their own bad decision." Sera frowned at this and replied, "Inspector Osborn, while your statement holds some truth, I''ll have you know that this isn''t the same for everyone. What happens to those who strive for better but simply can''t do so because of their background?" Osbon hearing this shifted his eyes to the corners of the street, his expression shown an odd look, as if recalling scenes from the past as he saw an image of a skinny weak youth, struggling to rise from a harsh life. After a short while, Osbon replied, "Sera, destiny isn''t as simple as you make it. Luck is another factor of life; without it, one can never achieve a certain standard. It would help if you always remembered that not everyone is born equal, and not everyone who works hard can catch up to those born with a superior livelihood. It''s like trying to compare the son of a king and a malnourished child of a low-income family, even if they put in the same amount of work, the one who will rise highest will naturally be the son of the king." Sara fell silent; hearing those words, she snorted, not saying anything as while she knew his words held through, she had her own beliefs. ''Hmph! Even if so, there are miracles that can only be achieved by those who rise from the grounds up, I refuse to believe that no one can climb to a higher standard than a king''s son...'' Osbon glanced at her pretty face that was now pouting with a smile as he chuckled while in thought, ''Haha... such a stubborn little lass, I guess it''s children like her that have the personality needed to rise above all challenges... heh, just like he did...'' As Osbon said this, he began to recall another figure, a friend he hadn''t seen in a very long time. Soon, he shook his head as he noticed that they were already arriving at their target destination. "Get ready; we''re here..." Osbon said as the car slowly pulled up near the destination and came to a stop. "Right," Sera replied as she cocked her standard-issue Glock with a sharp look on her face. It was a small compound with a similar small two-story house with a broken wooden fence and untrimmed grass. Looking at it, one would even see vines growing around its walls and posts. As Osbon and Sera left the car, they looked around the compound with interest as Osbon spoke, "We''ve finally found our first lead to these strange Vanishing Victim cases. We absolutely must not let it slip away this time..." "Yes, Inspector," Sera replied with a firm look in her eyes. Not wasting any more time, the two then entered the compound and slowly made their way towards the door. While doing this, Sera looked around cautiously as she spoke, "Inspector, does anyone really live in a place like this?" Osbon looked at the windows and saw the small amount of light coming from within; he even noticed that the overly grown grasses had depressions forming a pathway to the door. He replied with certainty, "It''s a fact, not only are their obvious signs, they''ve even gone ahead and registered this as their public address to the City Center. Now come, save the questions for when we bring them in for..." Osbon was about to say something, but right at this time, from the corner of his eyes, he saw someone leaning against the edge of the house. Osbon was so shocked he jumped backward, as did Sera who almost screamed, but covered her mouth while retreating a few steps as she shakily pointed her gun towards the figure. "You... who are you? What are you doing on these premises?" Sera asked a bit flustered. Osbon also recovered from his shock, he held the gun on his waist and spoke in an icy ray, "You there, I''ll have you know that you are interfering with an official case, report your name and I''ll consider letting you off." "..." The person who heard this didn''t even say anything; he slowly made his way from the darkness revealing his shrouded features. It was a familiar-looking man that wore an overcoat with a hat over his head and dark glasses. His figure was towering as he looked even larger than Osbon as both of his arms were in his pockets. Both Sera and Osbon felt a bit intimidated by the man''s size, but before they could even say anything, the man''s hand flashed like a blur before returning to normal. "Hmm? What was that just... eh?" Osbon was a bit confused just now, but soon, he made a surprised expression as his arm, which held the gun in its holsters, felt lighter. "What the hell?" Osbon said as he looked down and saw that his gun had vanished, not only himself, even Sera was in a shock as she saw her gun similarly vanished from her hands. ''How could this even be possible? What the hell just happened?'' Sera asked in her mind that was now in chaos. Suddenly, as the two were in a state of confusion, a light chuckle sounded from the man nearby, causing both Osbon and Sera to look at him. As they did this, their eyes widened yet again when they saw that their guns were held in the man''s hand, he even held them out towards them as if handing it back to them. While they couldn''t see his facial features clearly due to his garments, they noticed that his mouth on his chin that had a stubble of beard was curved in a smug smile. Osbon and Sera were both frightened as they shakily took their weapons away and looked at the man in silence. The man seeing that they finally understood their position looked to the house''s door and gestured at it with his thumb by slanting his palm sideways as if saying - you see this door? Osbon and Sera seemed to understand this man''s words even if he didn''t say them; they concluded that he was a man who spoke few words. They nodded while looking at him fearfully. The man nodded in delight, seeing that they were smart, then made a different gesture with his hand, by making a thumbs up expression before placing it against his neck and sliding it across as if using a cutting knife. As he did this, his shades shimmered in a cold ray that reflected from the lights in the surroundings, filling both Osbon and Sera with a hint of dread as they know the exact meaning. The man did nothing more but turned his eyes towards their car parked nearby as if awaiting their decision. Osbon looked at Sera, who looked back at him, the two staring at each other before sighing as they turned and walked away. Osbon was about to reach the car, but he heard a finger-snapping noise behind him right then and there. He turned and saw that the man was looking at him as he tossed something over. Osbon caught the object in a hurry, but when he looked at it, his eyes couldn''t help but shrink as he saw that it was an exceptional looking badge with a star inside of a diamond and the letters UEG. "This... this is a Special Emissary Badge of the United Earth Government''s High Command! How did he get this?" Osbon exclaimed as he hurriedly looked towards the man, but as he did so, he noticed the man had already vanished. Osbon felt the chilly feeling in his heart as he gritted his teeth while thinking, ''Damn, this shit is far over my head, it looks like I''ll have to find a more peaceful solution to get what I want...'' "Inspector?" Sera asked as she saw Osbon''s complex expression; she wasn''t feeling good herself now that they had encountered such a thing. Osbon looked at her and shook his head as he spoke, "It''s nothing, let''s go..." Sera nodded as the two then got into the car and drove off, but as they did this, little did they know, that at the topmost floor of the building, a slender silhouette stood quietly at the window, her thin almond-shaped eyes gleaming with a cold ray as she muttered, "So they were non-threatening... that''s good; I can rest at ease..." As the woman said this, a strange card that flickered with 0''s and 1''s vanished as she faded from the window, returning to dark as the night slowly transitioned to the dawn. **** Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 42：Nero’s Travel Companion, A Strange Red Haired Youth Nero had awakened with a fresh mind, having rested up for the remainder of the time in the World of Promise, his spirits felt a tinge of fullness. He looked around at the room and noticed that the morning sun had light up a vast majority of it. ''Fridays are always good days, let''s make the best of it,'' Nero said inwardly as he slapped his cheeks and looked at himself in a nearby mirror, his toned body and bright silver hair shining brightly due to the sun rays. Having pep himself up, Nero jumped from the bed, nimbly landing on the ground after the light flip. He hurriedly cleaned up his room and went to check on his mother. After lightly opening the door and noticing that she was sleeping soundly, Nero heaved a sigh of relief before closing it and heading to the shower at the end of the hall. A few moments later, he had already finished dressing for school and was now fixing the kitchen plates. As always, he was about to call for her, but as if on cue, she had already arrived. "Mother, come and sit," Nero said with a smile as he hurried over to Hersa''s side and sat her around the table. Hersa smiled as she gently pinched Nero''s cheek and spoke, "Always so kind to your mother, when are you going to let me do stuff for myself?" Nero shook his head and spoke, "Mother, as long as I''m around you don''t have to, it is my duty as a son to make life easier for you." Hersa felt touched hearing this, her eyes turned slightly red but no tears came out, she patted Nero''s head and spoke, "That''s my good Nero; as your mother, I will always take pride in your care, come now, let''s eat, the food is getting cold, and you have to leave soon..." Nero was a bit puzzled at this as he sat himself down and spoke, "Leave soon? Mother, it''s not yet 7, I still have a few more dozens of minutes." Hersa tilted her head and made a silly look as she spoke, "Oh, I had forgotten to mention it, but your friend said he''d be walking with you to school from now on," ''''Friend?" Nero ushered in confusion, but soon, his eyes shrunk when he recalled their discussion yesterday evening. ''You don''t mean that guy? What the hell is he thinking?'' Nero exclaimed inwardly, he knew he was being watched after being briefed by Adult Nero, but he didn''t think his watchers would be so bold as they actively invited themselves into his life. Not knowing what to do, Nero asked his older self in a flustered manner, ''T-this... what should I do?'' Adult Nero looked at him from within the core of his mind as he replied in an icy tone, "Don''t ask me? Your choices are yours to make." Nero made a disappointed expression at those words as he cursed in his mind, ''Your no help at all, tsk! Fine!'' Hersa smiled as she saw Nero''s changing faces, she always took pleasure seeing his various expression, not only was it adorable, but he also reminded her of his father. ''The more he grows, the more they become alike...'' Hersa thought while showing a warm smile. Nero, having recovered, shook his head and spoke to his mother, "Mother, you''re dazing off; let''s finish eating first." Hersa promptly stabbed a piece of fried meat with her fork and spoke with a sweet expression, "Alright, I cannot afford to waste even a single bite of my son''s handiwork." Nero felt happy hearing this; he hurried to wolf down his own food finishing up in less than a minute. After cleaning up the dishes and chatting with his mother a while longer, Nero had prepared to leave as it was now 6:30 AM. "Mother, I''ll be going now, please do your best to take care of yourself, I''ll try getting some more medicine this afternoon," Nero said as he looked at his mother that sat in the sofa and watched the TV. Hersa looked at him and replied, "Okay, have fun today Nero." Nero smirked and waved as he walked out the door, "Yes mother!" After closing the door, Nero took a breath of fresh air; he then looked ahead of him at the long streetway that trailed towards the remote Dividing Wall. He took a few steps forward, leaving the compound of his house, but as he stepped out of the gate, he saw a familiar blond-haired youth leaning against the gate. Nero was a bit stunned at first, but he soon calmed down and stared at him as he spoke, "Ryo... I don''t know what you''re up to, but I''ll tell you now that if you are doing this to threaten me with my mother, I will destroy you..." Ryo chuckled at those words as he spoke, "Haha... worry not Nero, I am merely an observer, if you wish, you can also treat me like air, but there will come a time when you''ll have to make a choice." Nero''s eyes narrowed at those, he looked at Ryo carefully before he asked, "You mean a stalker? Tsk, you must have some profession, what is it do you even want from me?" Ryo walked a bit closer and looked him in the eyes before he spoke, "It''s not what I want, but what others will desire when they find out who you are..." "Hmm? What''s that supposed to mean?" Nero asked with a puzzled look in his eyes. Ryo didn''t say anything, he merely took a few steps backward and halted, crossing his arms in silence as if he was waiting on Nero to lead the way to school. Nero snorted at this sight while thinking to himself, ''Hmph! Another bastard appears, does he think he''s cool or something by acting silent and mysterious?'' Adult Nero didn''t stay silent hearing this; he spoke coldly, "Oh, so I''m a bastard too?" Nero hearing this didn''t even say anything, he used a similar manner of staying silent as he ignored his older self''s words and headed towards the Dividing Wall. Adult Nero merely shook his head as he saw Nero''s actions, while Ryo followed behind Nero at a casual pace, his attention seemed to be focused on his phone, playing some video game. Nero and Ryo walked across the walkway calmly, moving past the various beggars and filthy surroundings, filled with scattered liquor bottles and other kinds of trash. The rancid stench seeming not to have affected them in the least bit as they moved through it in a tranquil manner. While walking past a few more haggard individuals that had set out to do early work, Nero noticed that a few of them gave him a bad look. Not paying them any mind, Nero shook his head and focused forward, but it was at this time, as he was about to step past an alleyway, he noticed a peculiar scene. There, he saw a few thugs gathered around a single youth; it was a malnourished looking young man with spikey red hair who was of a similar age to Nero. He wore ragged up clothing, and his arms seemed bony and bruised. He had pale looking skin and dark red eyes as he stared at the men around him with coldness as if a vicious beast resided at the depths of his soul. The men were about to attack him together, but as if they noticed something, they turned and saw that Nero was looking at them from a distance. One of them felt uncomfortable; he walked forward and shouted, "Hey! What the **** are you looking at, huh brat?" Hearing the loud shout of the man and seeing his icy glare, any normal youth would have run off already. However, Nero didn''t even budge; he was used to this scenery; what made him stop was the young man; he felt odd seeing such an individual, a strange feeling. Ryo also noticed the youth, who seemed as if he didn''t fear death even facing such a crowd of men, his eyes narrowed as he looked at him in silence. The thug grew angry that Nero ignored his words, he looked at his friends and gestured towards Nero. As if understanding his intent, two of the thugs that surrounded the red-haired kid walked with him towards Nero and Ryo. It only took them a few seconds to reach before them, they looked at Nero as if he was a dead brat as the one who had spoken prior, spoke again, "Hey kid? Are you deaf? I said, what the **** are y..." The man was about to say something, but suddenly, Nero, who seemed to have ignored him blurred and vanished, all the man saw was a fist growing larger in his eyes. Soon, the thug''s left eye was smashed by Nero''s fist, causing him to fall backward by a few meters as he smashed into a trash bin, losing consciousness. "This... what on earth?" "Holy hell?" The thug''s exclaimed as a few took some steps back in shock, Nero looked at them and spoke with his fist raised before him, "I''ll give you five seconds to scram! Five, Four, Three..." The thugs hearing this scampered off like fleeing animals, not daring to face that fist which sent a man hurling. Nero left out a breath of relief as he saw this; he looked at the young man who seemed indifferent to all things. He was about to walk over, but he noticed that the red-haired young man turned and looked at him coldly before speaking, "I didn''t ask for your help, I owe you nothing..." As he said this, the young man walked in a different direction, each of his steps having an odd rhythm as if one looked closely, the ground below his feet seemed as if it was burnt by something. Nero looked at this youth deeply as he asked his older self, ''He''s odd, very odd, do you know him?'' Adult Nero also found him to be peculiar; he spoke, "No, I don''t, but I find his aura to be quite familiar..." Nero asked inwardly, ''How so?'' Adult Nero''s eyes flashed with a red-haired figure before he shook his head and spoke, "No one that you should concern yourself with at this time, now come, the bus should be arriving soon..." Nero rolled his eyes at those words; he stared at the direction the young man left before continued on his way, moving along with Ryo through the trash-filled streets. **** Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 43：Troublesome Encounters, Elly’s Concerns? After a few minutes of traveling, Nero had now arrived back on campus, though he was a bit curious about the strange young man he encountered, because of his attitude, Nero didn''t want to pay him too much attention. Of course, Ryo was at a typical distance behind him, playing with his phone as the duo made their way towards their classroom. It didn''t take long for others to notice them, but as expected, most of them had their eyes on Nero. A few girls were whispering strange things as they gave Nero a star like look, one of them even worked up some courage to walk over, but as if she saw something, she hurriedly fell back, not daring to move further. At this time, Nero frowned as he noticed that cutting off his path to class was his Ex-Friend, Kailyn, who was staring at him with a new look, a gentle and refined image that she had not shown him in a long time. "Nero, you''re early today, shall we go to class together?" Kailyn asked in a sweet tone. Her friends looked at her in surprise; they didn''t think she''d suddenly act like this out of the blue. Nero shook his head at this scene; he didn''t know what she still wanted from him when she was the one who terminated their friendship. "Is there something you need, Kailyn?" Nero asked in a cold tone. Kailyn knitted her brows at those words and clenched her fists tightly; she was about to say something. However, Nero took a few steps forwards brushing past her shoulder along with Ryo as his voice trailed behind in her ears, "It seems that there''s nothing, please excuse me, I have to hurry to class, us ''spineless folk'' don''t have the leisure of wasting time." As Nero left this area, a few of the girls looked at Kailyn''s ugly expression as they shook their heads, saying nothing, many of them were there when she had said those things in the past. A few of them even gloated at her as some whispered amongst themselves while leaving. "Hehe, serves her right, I never did like her, does she think she can get with Nero simply because she''s pretty and talks nicely?" "Hmph! She doesn''t know her place; I feel she even thinks of herself as the number one beauty on campus. Ha, she should go look in the mirror, how can she compare to our new transfer student?" As more and more harsh words tried to beat down Kailyn''s psychology, Kailyn gritted her teeth and stared at the girls with a cruel look. This look caused many of them to freeze up and quickly scamper off in a hurry, even though they spoke harshly, that didn''t mean they didn''t forget about her family background. Kailyn then shifted her eyes to the direction Nero went off, her mind exploding as she thought to herself while biting her lips, rubbing her legs together as if she was feeling hot and bothered, "Nero... Nero... what I want I will get? You hear me. You will never have a day of peace so long as I don''t have you! As for that bitch, I''ll get to teach her a lesson tomorrow!" As Kailyn said this, her breath grew unsteady as though she didn''t want to admit it, Nero had a pretty good look today, making him seem more handsome than usual. Kailyn looked around before hurrying off to the girl''s restroom. She needed to clear her ''burdens'' before class. Not even carrying about that bothered beauty a distance behind him, Nero was now within the hallway. He was about to reach the classroom, but at this time, Nero noticed two fellows leaving his class. One of them was the person he hated the most in the entire school, as the other was his right arm, always acting in concert with the actions of the former. "Velmon Marfield..." Nero coldly muttered under his breath, his eyes shining in a sharp ray as he was unable to forget the scene of his mother kneeling, Adult Nero also had a similar icy look, but he frowned as he thought, ''Odd, I didn''t pay attention yesterday, but now that I look at him, this Velmon... why did he dye his hair? Is this a butterfly effect?'' Adult Nero was confused; he recalled Velmon''s hair being of a different color, now it was pitch black as his pupils remained purple. Velmon noticed Nero, he looked at him and smirked as he spoke, " Nero Valstine¡­ it''s good that you''re in big spirits, isn''t it a beautiful thing to have endless possibilities? We can both strive for a greater future, together..." As Velmon said this, he went towards the classroom marked as A0. This class was known as the most prominent class of each year group, only the best and most elite would be sent there. Even if one had the most excellent academic records and athletic skills, they would still need to have a certain level of societal standing to step within its boundaries. Nero looked at Velmon who left with Jason, after staring at him for a while he shook his head not bothering about him, though he was a bit upset a while ago, the fact didn''t change that it was partly his fault for his mother kneeling in the first place. ''Hmph! It seems as if he''s trying to end our grudge, I''ll least humor him for now and let it go, but one day I''ll have their family apologize to my mother, that is the only way I can be appeased,'' Nero thought before entering the classroom. As for Ryo, he stared at the direction Velmon went, shaking his head as he followed Nero. Benson snorted as he saw Nero, but didn''t do anything, it seemed that he had learned his place after receiving that last beating. The two then took their seats, but even so, the classroom seemed to be in some commotion. Elly, who was early today, was surrounded by a bunch of female students that spoke out loud about something that happened previously. "Elly, how do you know Velmon? I hear that he''s from that Marfield Family. They are huge group; such characters aren''t so easy to interact with as you can see, he''s even in the topmost A-Class," Kara asked with flashing eyes. "Yes, that''s right? I''ve heard a lot of rumors about them from my parents. They are apart of the UEG..." Clair said with her innocent expression. A few other girls also made curious looks, as they recalled Velmon coming to speak to Elly just now before leaving. Elly shook her head at this as she replied, "Oh, he''s just a friend I knew from my elementary school, we aren''t really close, and I don''t really pay much attention to his family..." "Oh, no wonder, then it makes sense now," Clair said with a smile, as a few other girls showed understanding looks. Kara, however, had a fake smile on her face; her eyes shone in a cold ray when she thought to herself, ''Hmph! Lying little bitch, I bet you look down on us just like them, and all those other rich folks. Such an obvious lie won''t be enough to fool me...'' As Kara said this, she hesitated a bit preparing to text Kailyn. However, right at this moment, Kailyn had entered the classroom. Once Kailyn appeared, the atmosphere changed as some girls gathered near her while the others around Elly didn''t pay her much mind. Kailyn snorted at this, as she and what remained of her lackeys went towards her seat, the two parties minding their own business. Looking at the scene, a few of the guys couldn''t help but gulp, as they didn''t think the subtle war between women could be so indicating. Yet, though it seemed like war, Elly wasn''t even paying attention to Kailyn. She didn''t even know that the latter hated her guts, as her thoughts were on her conversation with Velmon. ''There''s going to be Grand Event between all the new rising talents of the DU and other associates? Such a thing, why didn''t mother and father tell me of this? Are they preparing for something big?'' Elly thought to herself for a while, but she couldn''t find an answer. By now, she recalled that she was speaking the girls, she was about to say something. However, she noticed that Nero was relaxing at his seat, with his feet on the desk. His eyes and attention focused on the scenes outside of the classroom. ''This fellow, he came without even saying a greeting, humph! So much for me worrying about his state after such a savage defeat,'' Elly thought while giving Nero a bad look. The girls noticed this and smirked, thinking Elly was interested in Nero. Clair, the most innocent, spoke with a smile as her eyes brightened, "Elly, are you interested in Nero too?" Elly was a bit alarmed by this; her face turned red in embarrassment as she replied, "I... I am not!" However, though Elly said this, she did indeed find him appealing, especially when he stood on the stage with a bloody figure after suffering defeat. It had roused a few strings in her heart, she wasn''t sure what she was feeling at that time as she had fallen into a slight daze. Clair and the others giggled at this, but Kara merely rolled her eyes and spoke in a soft tone, "Liar..." Elly thought she heard something, she looked at Kara and was about to speak, but the door once more opened and Miss Garnet appeared. "Good morning everyone, it''s such a wonderful Friday, come on, let''s hurry and start class. I''m sure you all have plans for this afternoon..." Miss Garnet said with a smile, today she was dressed in slightly looser clothing and wore more makeup. ''Looks like she''s out dating again...'' All classmates thought to themselves, but no one dared to point it out. Moments after, everyone arranged themselves, as the classes for the day had begun in full. Chapter 44：Elly’s Weakness, An Unexpected Encounter The class was in session, and by now, they had already arrived at the last period before lunch break; this class was the worse course for many students, the every so dreadful Mathematics. However, as this was the A1 Class, there was no one here who had such problems, as each was exceptional in their own right. "The Log of a logarithmic function is essentially an exponent, so if we take the notion of Log to the base four of sixteen. We are practically asking what is four raised to the power of X that results in the solution of sixteen. Take a look at this answer..." As the old teacher spoke in an incredibly dull and long-wind manner, slowly drawing a formula on the board, he looked at the students who were paying keen attention. He smiled, seeing some students like Benson, who were writing with deep, thoughtful expressions on their faces. Despite this learning atmosphere, however, he frowned every time he looked in the direction of one student. The person who seemed distracted was none other than Nero, who was the brightest in the class, but even so, he was always able to claim first place. The old teacher couldn''t help but sigh as he no longer looked at Nero, he already knew that it was better to leave him as is, but as he was turning his eyes away from him, he couldn''t help but notice that the new transfer student was acting a little strange. Her face seemed to be in a daze as she stared at the board with a confused expression. He even noticed after staring at her notes that she hadn''t jotted down anything. ''Hmm, could it be?'' The older teacher was about to make an assumption, but as if logic took over, he shook it off by thinking, ''That''s impossible, she''s a Balkras after all...'' Clearing his thoughts, he didn''t focus on her but concentrate on class. "The answer, in this case, is two, now I shall show you a few more problems. Take this, for instance, being the Blah Blah Blah... of Blah Blah Blah..." The teacher''s voice rendered to Elly''s mind, as she had no idea of what he was saying. Though she had come from high-class standing and went to a prestigious academy one level above even this school, the reason she had transferred was apparently not only due to her impulsive nature. ''I... I can''t understand even this, what should I do? Mother will be angry again!'' Elly thought as she began to worry about the future; she knew how her mother gets when she''s angry. ''That can''t happen, I must find a way around it!'' Elly though with firm eyes as she bit her lips and gripped her pencil, her appearance because of her petite stature, looked like an adorable little girl struggling to make a grand choice. Nero, who was listening to the teacher while staring outside, turned his eyes towards him as he was beginning to wrap up the class. However, in doing so, he noticed that Elly had a strange appearance. He found it a bit cute, but he didn''t want to comment on it, what caught his interest was the fact that her maths problems were jumbled, even the simplest equations were a mess looking like some type of drawing. Pff! Nero couldn''t help himself; he almost laughed out loud, doing his very best to keep himself from breaking the flow of class. Elly, being very sensitive naturally heard his laugh, she glared at him in an embarrassed manner as she cursed under her breath, "Bastard, what are you laughing at?" Nero, who wiped the corner of his eyes, glanced at her and spoke in a matter of fact tone, "You, of course? Why I didn''t think that the ever so dominant young miss would have such poor knowledge? I''m glad you actually managed to count out the correct amount of coins you lent me earlier..." "You..." Elly glared at Nero and pointed her finger at him in anger, she was speechless and embarrassed at the same time, as he dared to mock her. She was so upset that her face began to turn red, but as she recalled what would happen when she went home and hand over her notebook for inspection, her eyes turned fearful as she began to show teary eyes. ''Hmm? What''s this? Was she always so weak?'' Nero thought to himself as he saw her slightly tearful expression, looking as if she was about to break down. Being a child who was overly affectionate towards his mother, Nero didn''t want to see her break down into tears, so he decided to stop teasing her. Nero had an idea of what she was feeling; he sighed and stretched his hand out towards her. Elly seeing this frowned, she looked at him angrily and spoke, "What do you want now?" Nero shook his head and spoke, "Pencil, give it." "Huh?" Elly was a bit stumped, but before she could even react, Nero had taken the pencil from her palms, causing his finger to brush against her for a slight instant. "Hey, that..." Elly''s face turned a bit red on the tiny skinship, but Nero didn''t care. He promptly took her notebook and rubbed out the rubbish she had written. Soon after, he began to scribble at a rapid rate, the pencil in his hand moved no different from a master using a peerless sword to perform swordsmanship. Elly''s eyes winded at this as she stared not at the mathematics being solves, but the graceful charm of the elite student at work. "Wow! You''re writing so fast; how can you solve so many so easily?" Elly said with a hint of excitement on her face; she now noticed that he was helping her out and felt touched. Nero snorted and spoke in a manner much like his older self, carrying a tinge of arrogance, "Such simple problems, who can''t do them?" Adult Nero chuckled at his daily source of entertainment, not saying anything as he watched the scene with ease. When Elly heard this, her expression turned sour as she cursed in her mind, ''It''s obvious that I can''t solve them, you mean, cruel, cold, pretty-faced, bastard! Hmph!'' Though Elly said this, however, she still found his timely help appealing, she decided in her heart not to beat him too hard in the future if they fought. Her eyes now showed a fascinated look, as she even began to imagine looking down on him after showing him her strength in an arena, causing her to giggle to herself strangely. Nero looked at this in surprise, though it seemed cute, it also felt strange, as he thought to himself, ''It seems she''s not only a bit unlearnt, she herself might also be quite the oddball...'' Not long after, Nero had already finished up all her problems, he neatly placed the pencil in the book and handed it over to her as he spoke, "There, done... next time, learn to do these problems, you need not only strength but brains to function in reality." Elly was a bit touched by his words, but as she heard his last bit of words, she couldn''t help but shout, "Can''t you at least say it more politely?" Nero snorted, not replying, he found not only her happy expressions adorable, but her angry faces also had a bit of charm. Naturally, he wouldn''t tell her this to her face. Elly was speechless as she saw how Nero ignored her, but before she could say anything, she noticed that they had become the focal point of the class. "Miss Balkras? Might I ask you for your reason for such an outburst?" The math teacher said politely. Elly lowered her head in shame as she replied, "I... I''m sorry teacher, I had some problems, and Nero helped out, but I was a bit excited, so I overreacted." The other hearing this nodded before she replied, "Oh, then that''s good, just be more careful next time." "Mm," Elly ushered with a nod. The other students also snickered at they looked at her, while Clair smiled at her, Kara looked on with a somewhat mocking gaze before returning to normal, but Kailyn seemed icy as if the area around her was in deep winter. Elly blushed at their looks before glaring at Nero and thinking, ''Hmph! It''s all your fault! Just you wait... '' Nero didn''t pay Elly any more mind; he stared at the teacher who now officially ended the class after giving them homework. The instant he left the classroom, the lunch bell rang out loudly as everyone began to chatter. Nero then rose to his feet and prepared to get his lunch; he wanted to eat at his usual spot on the roof. Elly stared at Nero''s back for a while but did nothing; however, Clair, Kara, and a few other girls walked over. They asked, "Elly, do you want to eat lunch together today?" Elly looked at them and hesitated for a bit before she took out a large refined lunch box, she smiled as she spoke, "Okay, I brought a bit of extra food; I don''t mind sharing." The others hearing this smiled as they showed there''s and spoke, "Really? We always bring extras as well; most times, we always swap lunches!" Clair spoke, "Elly, that''s awesome, I can''t wait! My mother packed a lot for me today too!" Elly smiled at this and began to speak to the Clair and the others, but as for Kara, she merely remained silent. She looked at her tiny lunchbox, tattered and worn, even if food was in it, it didn''t seem like enough for a hearty meal. Kara bit her lips, not saying anything as she hid it away and followed Elly and the others, her eyes staring at Elly with a tinge of jealousy. By this time, Nero had already left this class with his tail Ryo of course. He headed towards the roof by the side of a few fellows, one being a black individual who wore a straw hat. Soon, they had climbed the stairs arriving at the door to the rooftop, but as they were about to open it, the two of them bumped into each other. Nero was angry at this, he glared at the person prepared to shout at him, but as he did, both he and the other party stared at each other in shock as they exclaimed in unison, "You are...!" Chapter 45：Youth’s of Culture, Eyed by Strangers Nero stared at the skinny and tall, dark-skinned youth with dreads before him in shock; he would have never believed that he would bump into him on his way to lunch on the roof, most specifically in his own school. Avollo looked at Nero in surprise, before his expression returned to normal, he smirked as he spoke, "Nero, I had a hunch that you were attending here and eventually we''d ran the same course, but I never thought I''d crash right into you. Huhu... talk about a fateful encounter." Nero, having removed his stupefied look, stared at him before speaking in agreement, "Indeed, the world is a mysterious place, so large yet at times with such small boundaries." Avollo looked around before pointing ahead and speaking, "Come, let''s hurry up, we can''t stay chatting in the hallway, and I need to eat before I get my lunchtime nap." After Avollo spoke, he promptly opened the door and went out into the bright rays from day''s sunlight. Nero shook his head and followed along while thinking, ''Sleeping at school? He truly is a strange one...'' The roof was already sparsely filled with a few students from different groups; they sat and ate while chatting and laughing. Avollo and Nero soon went towards a corner where a bench was before they sat down and took out their food. They were about to each, but Avollo soon looked towards Nero''s side in shock as he saw someone else eating at a leisure pace. "You! You''re here as well?" Avollo exclaimed as he looked at Ryo. Nero was surprised; he didn''t know Avollo knew Ryo, he gave Ryo a suspicious look as he pondered, ''For someone like Avollo to even know this stalker, he certainly can''t be of the average standard in that world. I need to observe him a bit more...'' While Nero was thinking, Ryo, who was sipping some cup noodles, glanced at Avollo with a cold look, causing Avollo to glare at him for a while before looking away. ''Hmph! Darn fellow, he thinks I''m afraid to challenge him? I''ll let him watch and see how I surpass his rank tonight!'' As Avollo thought to here, his eyes flashed in a firm ray before he glanced at Nero and contemplated, ''To think he could be so indifferent around Chasing Arrow, I really don''t know what kind of status he''s hiding.'' Nero, naturally, didn''t know of Avollo''s misunderstanding, he pushed the encounter just now behind his head and started to wolf down his food. Avollo glanced at him and asked, "Hey, Nero, what are you planning on doing when you login tonight?" Ryo who seemed to be idle, looked over curiously, Nero, who was eating a piece of meat, swallowed before he replied, "Login? Oh, you mean Digitize, I am planning on doing an errand and a quest, though I''m not sure if I''ll be able to do them all at once." Avollo had a curious expression as he asked Nero, "Oh, what are they about?" Nero didn''t bother to hide them as he spoke, "Well, the errand should get me a more suitable weapon, one more fitting to my style of fighting. As for the other, it''s just some old quest from that darn monk in Winfrey Village." Avollo''s eyes beamed as he heard those words, with a hearty laugh he spoke, "Haha, Nero, I didn''t think you learned from my beating, you''re actually taking my advice by changing weapons. Good job, man!" Nero rolled his eyes at those words and clicked his teeth as he spoke, "As if... I''ll let you know right now; I had already known of my weapon''s incompatibility. Our battle only taught me of how weak I truly am..." Avollo made a nonbelieving look as he placed down his lunch box and leaned back as he replied, "Yeah-yeah, sure..." Nero grew angered when he saw Avollo ignore his words and place his straw hat over his head, but he didn''t say anything, he didn''t want to come across as a sore loser bickering. Ryo snickered at this before returning to his usual stern facial expression, ignoring all things but his smartphone. At this time, Avollo seemed to have realized something. He slanted his head to the side, lifting his hat a little as he looked at Nero and asked with a curious look in his eyes, "You said that you got a quest from some monk in Winfrey Village, right?" Nero nodded and replied, "That''s right; he is a really sneaky and greedy little bastard too." Avollo had a dark look as he asked again, "Last time I checked there was only one monk in Winfrey Village, could it be that Combat Temple''s Monk Nalud?" Nero felt a bit uneasy now that he heard Avollo''s tone and saw his expression, but as he already knew of the dangers of the quest, he replied, "Yup, that''s the one." When Avollo heard Nero''s confirmation, he looked at him as if he was crazy as he spoke, "Are you out of your mind? Do you know how dangerous that quest of his is?" Even Ryo was surprised, as he didn''t think Nero would be so foolish, he thought to himself, ''Che! Now, look at this, already doing something of such madness. Must I really look after him when he''s like this?'' Not knowing Ryo''s thoughts, Nero made an expression of understanding as he thought, ''As expected, it seems like my older self wasn''t kidding, I would have little to no chance at my current level.'' Still, despite his self-knowledge, Nero didn''t back down as he looked at Avollo and spoke, "Of course I do, but that''s what makes it interesting, what man would I be if I back down from a challenge?" Avollo and Ryo looked at Nero in surprise when they heard his words; they gave him a different look as they didn''t know what to say about his confidence. With a sigh, Avollo looked at Nero deeply before he spoke, "My friend, I have to say that you are one brave fellow. Fine, since you are willing to challenge the unknown, I won''t try to convince you otherwise; after all, as a man, I too like the feeling of exceeding my limits." When Avollo said this, he looked at the sky feeling a tinge of warm-bloodedness. He once more looked at Nero with a sly look as he spoke, "Huhu... Nero, I''ll just say that while you''re on your way to suicide, don''t forget to send me a message, maybe if I''m feeling good about the portioning of the rewards, I''ll help out." Nero scoffed at those words, "Pssh, as if I''ll need it, the only time I''ll be requesting something of you is when I want the official rematch." "Haha! Sure, anytime," Avollo said no longer looking at anyone, placing his hat back over his face, ready to get his lunchtime nap. Nero shook his head at those words; he packed his empty lunchbox and stared around the roof. However, he soon noticed that Elly was also eating with a few girls, as if she sensed his stare, she glared at him before wrinkling her little nose and turning away with a cute snort. Nero thought she was no different from a spoiled child, but she acted in a way that he didn''t find annoying. He made a faint smile before looking at the scenes of the city while thinking, ''Since its Friday, I''ll likely have to deal with a lot of clients at the Paradise Palace. How troublesome, it will be a longer evening than usual...'' When Nero though to here, a cool wind blew across the roof, flipping the skirts of many inattentive girls causing them to cry out with red faces as he leaned back, taking in the sights in silence. Avollo, who pretended to sleep, glanced at Nero from a small crack in his straw-hat and snickered as he spoke, "I see now that you are also a youth of culture..." Nero leaned back and spoke in a matter of fact tone, "I may not be interested in relationships for now, but that doesn''t mean I''m gay." Avollo chuckled, saying no more, as the daytime wind continued to create a feast to the eyes of many. **** Far away from the campus compound, within an ordinary coffee store. Two individuals sat by each other''s side, one of them as one being a mature beauty of charming grace with bangs, and the other was a slender man with a long face and straight features as if like a stick. They both wore casual wear and seemed no different from a couple dating. As they sat, the two seemed to be reading a paper, but if one paid close attention to their eyes, they would notice that their strange contact lens flashed with vague digital numbers every once and a while. Not long after, the slender man shifted the paper revealing another set of paper underneath it with Nero''s face as he spoke, "Ma''am, he should be the one we''re looking for, based on the energy readings we got two days ago. Are we going to meet him today?" The woman shook her head as her eyes stared fixedly at Nero before she spoke, "No, he should already be under watch by a few other powers in the union. Let''s wait and see, for now; we also have to use him if necessary, to draw out those darn Bit Hunters, I refuse to believe they won''t try to attack him..." The slender man sighed before he spoke, "Ma''am, it''s already been two days, it''s not in their style to wait so long, what if he''s already been attacked but is merely protected by another force from the union?" The woman hesitated before she bit her lips and spoke, "Alright fine, we''ll wait two more days; after that, we''ll contact him directly. Now go make notice of our preparations..." "Understood," The slender man said as he got up from his seat, leaving the store. The woman stared at Nero''s form, which was clearly magnified in her lens as she smirked while thinking, ''Such a handsome little fellow, he almost reminds me of someone...'' As if she recalled a sullen memory, the woman shook her head, not bothering to think about it as she got up and left the store. The scene here remained indifferent to their presence as if from the very start, no one was there. **** Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 46：A Maiden’s Request, Departing School As the classes ended for the day, Nero immediately prepared to head off to work. He looked at his side and saw Elly talking to a few of her friends, so he didn''t bother to say anything. However, when he stepped out of class, a flurried set of footsteps was heard behind him as the petite Elly appeared. Her lengthy hair bouncing around while her dress shook from side to side, showing bits of her pure white and soft looking legs as she ran to his position. Nero was puzzled; he thought she wanted to say goodbye, so he looked at her and spoke, "You were busy earlier so I didn''t say anything, but it seems that I was mistaken. I''m heading off now, so see you later Elly." Elly looked at Nero confusedly; she obviously didn''t come because of some simple goodbye statement. Elly placed her two index fingers together and lowered her head as she fidgeted while speaking cutely, "W-What goodbyes? I-I''m here to ask you about something." Nero, who was prepared to leave paused as he looked at her, he saw that she had a tinge of red on her face as if she was a bit hesitant and began to speculate. ''Could it be that she''s got a crush on me.?'' Nero felt strange as his heart sped up by a tiny fraction, but as he thought a bit more based on her personality, he merely shook his head and concluded, ''No that''s impossible, or at least not with that mindset of hers.'' Adult Nero chuckled as he heard not saying anything, but Nero snorted inwardly ignoring the old pervert. After quickly wrapping up his thoughts, Nero looked at her feeling a tinge of softness as he spoke, "Okay, say what this issue of yours is and if I have the time I''ll try to help if I can." Elly grew excited at his words; her eyes beamed when she lifted her head and spoke, "Really?" Nero didn''t have resistance to such a cute face, he turned his face away and spoke with a snort, "Hmph! What man would I be if I were to reject the request of a girl?" Elly gave Nero a sheepish look as she as puckered her lips and thought in a mean way, "Tsk, look at him, talking like he''s all grown and big! He''s trying to look down on me because of my size!" As Elly somehow arrived at an unusual conclusion, she bit her lips and clenched her fists in anger. However, as if recalling her mother''s mantra, she took a deep breath to calm down. Elly shook her off her previous mood and stared at Nero with a pleading and embarrassed look as she asked again, "Nero, c-c-can you help to t-t-tutor me?" "What? Tutor you?" Nero asked in surprise as he''d never thought someone who was as prideful as himself would ask him such a thing. Elly looked at his stupefied look with a hint of anger as she spoke, "What else does it mean? As you naturally know, I... I''m not that good at some subjects, so I thought that since you''ve helped me before, you would be willing to aid me." Nero thought for a bit as he looked at her and replied thoughtfully, "I''m sorry, but I can''t do that, I have to work at a different job every evening of the week and weekends." Elly was a bit surprised by this; she didn''t think he was such a busy person. After thinking for a bit, she spoke again, "What if I say that I''d be willing to pay you?" Nero hesitated at those words; he looked at her carefully before asking, "Hmm, how much money?" Elly bit her lips and thought for a bit before she opened her ten fingers when Nero saw this his eyes beamed as he thought, ''Ten dollars per hour just to teach, I''ll be a fool if I didn''t take this, I could even ditch that shitty job and avoid those wretched people!'' ''Is my one hundred dollars too low?'' Elly thought as she looked at Nero nervously, awaiting his decision. Soon though, Nero had made a warmer smile than the usual and spoke in a softer tone, "Elly, I didn''t know that you were so generous, that should be more than enough to cover the costs. Just let me know of the days later tonight, and I can make a schedule around it." When Nero said this, he hurried off in a jovial mood; he knew that with this job, he would be able to spend less time out and more time with his mother while earning even more money. Elly looked at Nero in surprise, watching as he left the hallway as she thought to herself, ''He accepted it for such a low amount? Could it be that... that he''s got a thing for me?'' Elly''s face turned red as she thought to her, recalling his handsome and cold appearance, but as she pondered a bit more, she frowned, rejecting these thoughts, ''Hmph! As if that pretty-faced bastard can have such feelings...'' After wrapping up her thoughts, Elly prepared to leave, but soon, Kara, Clair, and a few other girls appeared. "Let''s go, Elly," Clair said as she grabbed Elly''s arm, towing her along the hallway with the others as they headed towards the campus entrance. As they all vanished from this area, the door of the classroom made a slight creaking noise, as one more person stepped out in silence as if forgotten by everyone. Kailyn looked towards the direction Elly left with fire in her eyes; she bit her lips while darkly muttering to herself, "That bitch, I''ll get her soon... I''ll let those bastard deal with her tomorrow at the Playground." As Kailyn unconsciously blurted out her wicked thoughts, she left the hallway using the opposite route as she didn''t even want to stay near Elly. However, Kailyn didn''t realize that despite her cautious nature, someone who was even more forgotten had stepped out behind her, the fat and muscular youth that wore a black jacket. ''So it''s as I''ve thought, she really does keep grudges with that girl... hmm, what should I do?'' Benson thought to himself, as he made a complex expression. His thoughts rand through many scenarios, but each didn''t seem feasible for the current him. He naturally knew of his limits as a person. Benson gritted his teeth as and sighed before his eyes showed a firm look as if he made a choice. ''I guess I can only seek a compromise...'' As Benson thought this, he took a step towards the school entrance, soon after leaving the gloomy-looking hallway. Away from this scene, Nero had long since arrived at the front of the campus, he saw only a few students heading off, and Avollo was standing out in the open as if waiting on something. Nero didn''t ask him anything but proceed to go about his business, but Avollo seemed to have noticed him, he turned towards him and shouted, "Hey Nero!" Because of his shout, a few others couldn''t help but turn to look at him, but Nero didn''t pay them any mind as he glanced at Avollo and spoke, "I''m headed to work, what''s up?" Avollo, hearing this made a curious look and spoke, "Oh, I didn''t know you were working, how about I give you a lift?" Nero thought for a moment before he nodded and replied, "Alright, that should be handy." Avollo laughed and tapped his shoulder as he spoke, "It''s nothing, that''s what brothers are for man!" Nero smirked, not saying anything. A short moment later, a modified Porsche drove into the campus grounds. Many were already used to seeing it, so no one reacted in a major manner. "That''s our ride; let''s get going," Avollo said as he walked towards the car. Nero promptly followed behind him, as they entered the back of the car, Avollo looked at Nero and asked, "Which place is it?" Nero replied, "It''s that hub called Paradise Palace," "Eh? Haha, Nero, I didn''t think you were a male host!" Avollo said with a laugh as his face turned to surprise. The driver was a simple-looking man with a hat and a blue suit, he glanced through the rear-view mirror and couldn''t help but feel a tinge of surprise as he hadn''t seen Avollo in such a good mood in a long time. Nero shook his head and replied, "I''m merely a runner," Avollo chuckled at those words, not saying anything more on the topic, he glanced at the driver and spoke, "Uncle Ian, you heard him, to the Paradise Palace, please!" Nero was a bit surprised when he heard Avollo''s form of address, he looked at the man at the front and saw that he was white, with a puzzled look Nero stared at Avollo. However, as if the man solved Nero''s current musings, the man replied, "As the young master wishes!" Nero''s eyes then flashed in realizations and shook his head in embarrassment for his silly thoughts, following this short scene, the car drove off from the campus headed into the town. Chapter 47：The Paradise Palace, A Crowded Scene As Nero and Avollo left the campus, Elly, who had been pulled away by her new friends, had arrived at the campus entrance. She stood, awaiting her ride as usual while listening to their discussion. "Everyone, it''s finally Friday, so let''s go and have fun at the Paradise Palace before going home!" One quirky girl with a cheerful spirit. Clair''s eyes beamed, but she showed a trace of hesitancy as she spoke, "The Paradise Palace, I''ve always wanted to go there, but isn''t that a place for you know... adults..." The girl who spoke before giggled as she answered, "Hehe, Clair, you''re too innocent, you should know anyone can go anywhere, it only depends on how much you are willing to spend." Clair''s eyes flashed when she heard this, showing a look of understanding. The girl then looked at Elly and Kara noticing that they were silent, she asked, "Kara? Elly? Are you coming too?" Kara looked at her small thatched up purse with loose threads, she thought for a bit before saying, "Who''s going to be paying?" The girl shook her head and spoke, "Me, of course! Now hurry and make up your mind!" Kara, hearing this no longer had any thoughts to reject it, she smiled and spoke, "Yay, then I shall graciously accept it." The girl looked at Elly, but Elly hesitated a bit as she spoke, "Guys, I... my family..." Clair didn''t want to miss this chance, she grabbed Elly''s arm and spoke, "Elly, you can''t always keep to yourself, it''s a Friday! No different from the weekends, I say we do it now instead of tomorrow. We must hang out at least once!" Elly bit her lips and thought for a bit, but looking at the hopeful looks of Clair and the others, she sighed while thinking, ''I guess since they asked, maybe I can try it once, besides I want to know them a bit better. Maybe¡­ maybe I can also make real friends this time around¡­'' Having arranged her thoughts, Elly then spoke, "Okay, fine, but we can''t stay any later than 6 PM." "Yay!" Clair and the other girls cheered out loud as they promptly pulled Elly by her arms, deciding to walk towards the Paradise Palace. Kara, who walked a little slowly behind them, hesitated a bit before texting a number and closing her phone. Soon, the figures of the girls vanished from the compound. However, right as this happened, Elly''s driver had walked out from a corner, a smile on his face as he spoke as if speaking to someone over a phone. "The young missus has finally found a few friends, should I still take her home by force, Madam?" The middle-aged man said while tapping an earpiece, his curly mustache giving in a refined edge. "..." The person along the other line remained silent before they spoke in a soft and elegant tone, "No need, Screwgelman, please follow them and make sure she''s safe." "Understood!" Screwgelman replied as he ended the call, his look then turned sharp as he glanced at the side and commanded as if speaking to the air, "Drive the car the Paradise Palace, I will follow behind the young miss." "Yes, sir!" A voice said as a flurried set of footsteps were heard, Screwgelman then walked in Elly''s direction, his figure fading away as if he blended with the surroundings. As if by some domino effect, another individual appeared from a longer route. Kara looked at the text on her phone as her face turned ruthless as she giggled menacingly, she hurried to get into the luxury car that waited on her before it drove off the campus. Yet, following her, Benson, who took the same route frowned as he thought, ''If I recall he worked at that place, I''ll speak with him there if I can...'' This strange series of connected fates, hinting towards a long afternoon and even more unusual night, come. *** The time was now 2:09 PM, and Avollo and Nero had just pulled up in the Paradise Palace''s compound. Nero then opened the door and spoke while leaving, "Thanks for the lift, take care." As Nero was leaving, however, Avollo promptly exited the car and shouted, "What the hell are you saying? I''m coming too!'' Nero made a puzzled look at this, but didn''t say anything, he made it early today, and since he would be quitting, he wanted to make the best of his hours to earn what he can. Nero waved his hand as if saying, ''do as you wish,'' while he hurriedly walked into the building. Avollo shook his head at this and walked towards the building''s entrance. However, the door opened behind him and the driver Ian, stepped out and spoke, "Young Master Avollo, I do not think that entering such an establishment is suitable for your current standing, what would you do if your parents were to find out?" Avollo chuckled and replied, "Uncle Ian, I''ve been very bored as of late, and you know better than I, what I do when I''m bored, I''m entering today no matter what!" As Avollo said this, he didn''t even wait for a reply hurrying into the building. Uncle Ian shook his head as he saw this; he knew that deep down, Avollo was still a spoiled brat and only showed his mischievous side to him. ''Oh heck fine, so what, I''ll just hide it from them this time...'' Uncle Ian said as he closed the doors and followed along, but as he was moving he couldn''t help but notice a blond Asian youth who was playing a pinball game on his phone, the teen didn''t even spare him a glance as he cut him and entered the building rudely. ''Rotten little brat, no manners at all!'' Uncle Ian cursed in his mind as he gritted his teeth, but as if he felt his blood pressure rising, he calmed down and proceeded along. The scene with the Paradise Pub was rather crammed today, as many different individuals had already arrived and were being tended to by both handsome men and sexy young women. Others, however, were doing karaoke as a few others were playing games in the gaming quarters. Naturally, each of these sections was cut off by noise-canceling glass walls, all except for the Hook-Up Lounge, a pinkish-red wall with an alluring woman and sturdy man''s silhouette capable of stirring one''s passionate senses. The usually lively bartender seemed to be in high spirits as he flirted with many girls around the counters, ignoring Nero as he walked by him and clocked in for his daily hours. ''It''s packed today; I might be able to get tips if I''m lucky, and since I''m quitting later, I might as well spend an extra hour,'' Nero thought as he went to the dressing room, after preparing, he quickly began to work. Yet, as he came out, he couldn''t help but notice a few familiar faces. There, in the same corner as the last, the strange men that wore hats hiding most of their face sat down in silence, giving off a suspicious vibe. Nero even notices that other than them, were a few other usual individuals, each seeming to have some hidden agenda as they weren''t even playing girls, nor accepting orders. In fact, a familiar-looking middle-aged inspector and young beauty associate were also in the pub; they sat staring at the documents as if nothing else was necessary. ''Hmph! I don''t care who any of you are, you better not get in my way!'' Nero said in his mind as he no longer paid them any mind and went about to do his job. Still, though Nero said this, one mustn''t forget he was still but a youth, feeling a bit nervous Nero heart rate sped up by a bit as he tried to focus on his job. Adult Nero watched his in silence, he knew what was going on and didn''t say anything, this was Nero''s life to live now, he must learn to face his problems and mature by himself. While Nero worked, Avollo sat in a corner, laughing as his arms were wrapped around young girls waist, the girl giggled while staring at and playing with his dreads as she spoke, "Oh my, such beautiful hair you have, so long and hard, I wonder... is ''young master'' also like this?" Avollo, hearing this girl''s suggestive whisper, smirked as he was about to say something, but he noticed that Uncle Ian was disapproving of his behavior. Avollo sighed, but he soon got an idea, he snapped his finger at a distant waitress who came over. He then whispered something to him and send her off. Not bothering to pay him any mind, Avollo then began to chat with the beauty by his side. Uncle Ian snorted, feeling out of place, but soon, his eyes widened as a thick mature lady, filled with curves at the right places, walked over from somewhere. "Mister, you look tired, do you need some advice?" The woman asked in a gentle tone as if like a harbor beckoning the sailor''s lonely spirit at sea. Uncle Ian glanced at Avollo who was staring at him vaguely as he gave him a thumbs-up, Uncle Ian then made a similar action as he thought, ''All shall be forgotten...'' The scene here continued to grow more exciting as more and more individuals gathered, preparing for the activities of the later hours. Chapter 48： Bit Hunters, Danger on the Way Time flew by quickly, and the sky was slowly growing darker, it was already nearing the hour by which Nero had planned to leave the Paradise Palace. However, this was the time that the crowd only grew more active and clustered, but even this was still far from this place''s peak activities. Uncle Ian was currently bored, he now sat alone with a kiss mark on his cheek and a paper with a number in one hand, he already sent away the lady after playing for a while, but he still knew of his most essential duties. Glancing to his right, he saw Avollo laughing away with two girls, with no care in the world, Uncle Ian smiled while muttering, "It''s good, at least with this he can forget about those problems..." As Uncle Ian said this, he made a weary look, not bothering to think about it. His eyes then wandered about the different tables, eyeing the various guests, soon, he noticed a few peculiar and suspicious-looking individuals. "''Hmm? Those three? Aren''t they from that bunch within DU? I wonder, what''s brought them here?'' Uncle Ian thought as he noticed the three men that wore coats and hats that covered most of their faces. He pondered for a bit, but his eyes notice a few other characters, these were rough-looking individuals with tattoos and multiple piercings. Based on the stereotype, they seemed like delinquents due to their manner, but sadly, if anyone were to mistake them, they would undoubtedly be in for a big surprise. As if one of them sensed something, he turned to look at Uncle Ian, but as Ian had quickly acted, turning his sights elsewhere, the person only raised an eyebrow in a confused manner before looking away. Uncle Ian frowned, but he didn''t look at them again, he glanced at Avollo and spoke, "Young Master, did you..." "I know," Avollo, who had only now sent away the girls, said, lying back in a fulfilled manner. He had covered his head, but if one peered at him closely, they would notice that his eyes were staring through its cracks at the thug-like men. "Bit Hunters... and such poorly disguised ones at that, they might even be amateurs. I don''t know who they are here for, but they don''t even realize that they are far too many big faces in this pub," Avollo said with a smirk. Uncle Ian chuckled as he replied similarly, "Indeed so..." When he said this, his eyes fixed on a few locations, picking out a few faces before he locked onto a butler-like middle-aged man with a curly mustache. ''Oh, a Balkras? I''d have never thought that even the Graceful Swan''s EX Bodyguard would come here off duty, the world sure is a strange place...'' Uncle Ian thought, before shifting his eyes from Screwgelman. Avollo didn''t know his thoughts, his mind was somewhere else as if he decided something he spoke, "I''ve made up mind, I am going to wait until Nero is finished with work, I think it''s better to take him home from this mess, who knows what kind of shit is about to go down?" Uncle Ian nodded and replied, "A wise choice, hmm... by the way, where does this Nero live?" Avollo made a thoughtful expression before his face turned awkward as he spoke, "Eh? Ummmm... I... hahaha, you know, we only recently met, and I think I''d forgotten to ask." "...." Uncle Ian was speechless; he made a strange look before he sighed and spoke, "I''m taking this down." "..." Avollo remained silent, not saying anything as the two no longer conversed. At the opposing side, Screwgelman had felt as if he was being watched. He narrowed his eyes and looked towards their direction, but there he saw someone that made his eyes widened, he exclaimed inwardly, ''What? That Mendez fellow, he''s here on his time off? Or is it that he''s out for those inexperienced Bit Hunters?'' Screwgelman contemplated as he shifted his eyes from Uncle Ian onto the thug-like group in silence. As he thought for a bit, he no longer paid attention to them and looked towards the gaming sector, noticing that Elly was smiling and chatting with her friends. "It''s great to see the young miss like this, so much different from that other school and even her younger years...'' Screwgelman thought as he recalled the image of a lonely little girl, misunderstood by everyone else but her family. As Screwgelman thought to himself, the thug-like individuals were speaking to a person who hid their features in a robe, but judging by their shape and tone; one could tell it was a young girl. Naturally, this person was Kailyn, who had formed some simple disguise before entering the building. Her eyes were glaring at Elly in a ruthless ray. The leader of this group of ruffians was none other than a man with colorful hair, obviously dyed to look like some rainbow. He had pierced ears, a hooked nose, full lips, and brown eyes. His muscular arms rippling through his sleeves shirt as he wore black jeans and steel boots. He glanced at Kailyn and spoke, "You said you wanted us to deal with that girl?" The man asked while gesturing towards Elly with his eyes, Kailyn nodded and spoke, "Yes, you can do anything you want, just don''t kill her. Here''s the first payment..." When Kailyn spoke, she placed a card down on the table; it flashed with a digital number showing a unit in the tens of thousands. The man didn''t even glance at the money, and one of his lackeys picked it up and stored it away, he then took out a picture from his pocket and showed it to Kailyn before he spoke, "You said that she''s also connected to this guy, right?" When Kailyn saw the photo, she hesitated for a bit while she thought, ''This again... he keeps asking about Nero, what the hell is wrong with them?'' As Kailyn was silent for too long, the men started to show her dark looks; she trembled for a bit before she spoke in an extremely naive manner, "Y-yes, she''s related to him, but that''s because she''s trying to ensnare him. He isn''t into her; w-will you be bullying him?" As the leader heard her words, his face changed from a serious look to a more joyful one, as he laughed and spoke, "Haha, of course not, I used to know this brat''s father, we worked in the same line of business. I''ve searched for him for quite a long time now; you have no idea how happy it is for me to find him, you say this girl is trying to use her looks to ensnare him, hmph! We''ll certainly teach her lesson; just make sure to come to that spot we told you about to give us the last payment, understood?" Kailyn, who was typically smart, wasn''t in the right state of mind. She only heard Nero wouldn''t be hurt, and Elly would be taught a lesson, she heaved a sigh of relief as her face shone with delight when she spoke, "Y-yes, I most certainly will, thank you!" After saying this, Kailyn hurriedly walked away, traveling to a distant corner as she wanted to watch as Elly is humiliated personally. When Kailyn left, the smile on the man''s face vanished, as his look was one of coldness. He stared at the photo and smirked when he muttered, "That fool Scarface, because he failed one mission, he doesn''t want to make a follow-up. Ha, what could be so hard in taking a Digital Bit? Even more so for a rookie whom the Digital Union has yet to initiate, tsk, he doesn''t deserve to be high in the rankings." While the man mumbled to himself, one of the thugs around him spoke, "Boss Perm, what do we do with that chick?" Perm showed a slightly playful expression as he spoke, "Hehe, what else? That foolish little girl was nothing more than dessert, so when we''re done with this mission, we need good fresh women to celebrate with, hehe, doing what even Scarface couldn''t, we''ll be likely to rise to the top." "Haha, the boss is right," The other Bit Hunters said as they laughed in agreement. Perm''s eyes shifted to eye with a bright ray as he licked his lips, and spoke, "Huhu, let the games begin..." The other Bit Hunters had a strange look on their faces as they slowly began to make their way over to Elly, planning to use her to bring Nero out. By this time, Nero, who was serving in the game sector, was preparing to wrap up his day''s work, but at this time, he noticed that a little distance away from him, Elly and her friends were playing. "Hmm, Elly? What''s she doing here?" Nero thought as he looked over, but as he saw how she was much different from the usual, showing a side he never saw before, he found it a bit cute. ''So cute, heh, if she''s always like this, she''d make a good wife. Mother was right; sometimes one can''t judge a rose by its thorns...'' Nero thought to himself, he decided to observe in silence a little longer than while working. He still had a bit of time before 6 PM. However, while doing this, he was unaware of the trouble heading their way. Chapter 49：The Meaning of Friendship, Prelude to a Grand Display Within the gaming room of the Paradise Palace, Elly, Kara, Clair, and a few other girls were chatting and playing. They each stood before a machine with a fighting game that had girls dressed in adorable costumes and uniforms battling each other in an extremely violent manner. Bang! A loud boom sounded as a bunny girl jumped from the side of the screen, somersaulting above a big breast''s female garbed in a nurse uniform with a giant syringe. Her feet then danced, leaving a series of remnant shades as each hit landed onto the nurse''s face, a final kick launched her into the other corner of the screen where she smashed into a panel and disappeared. The bunny girl having been victorious made a V sign with her fingers and a sexy pose. "Hehe, my win, looks like you''re just a loser like always Kara!" The leading girl of their group said having beat Kara horrendously in the game. "Haha, Big Sister Lia, she always sucks at times like this, why can''t she learn how to dodge such a simple move?" Another of the girls said in mock. Kara lowered her head and clenched her fists angrily; it happened every time, no matter where she went with these girls, they singled her out like this to do sport. Lia noticed that Kara wasn''t saying anything, in truth, she, as a wealthy student amongst those attending their school, had always looked down on Kara. The poorest of the girls in their group, one who she had to lend money to every time they went out. Even today, when she made that dirty look before asking who would be paying, she felt like cringing deep in her stomach that a cheap girl like her could be her class. "Kara..." Lia said with a strange grin. Kara looked up at her and saw that she was smiling as she spoke again, "Kara, if you lose this time, then you''re going to have to pay me back for all I lend you those times." Kara bit her lips at those words; she knew full well what the latter was talking about and her debt incurred to sustain this ''friendship.'' The other girls laughed as they saw Kara''s look and they jeered. "What''s with that look, Kara? You''re acting like it''s too much to pay back such a low sum, how long has it been? We''ve been friends since school started and your parents must have earned it back a long time ago," One girl said. Kara looked at them feeling ashamed, as she thought to herself, ''How could they? They''ve known about my situation for years; how can they not realize that my parents are now separated? How can they not understand that I am a child left to fend for myself? I hate every single one of them... I hate! Hate! HATEEE! These rich and dirty bastards!'' Whiling taking in Kara''s silly look, Lia noticed that Clair and Elly weren''t participating in Kara''s mockery; they saw that Elly and Clair were chatting and laughing. "Clair? What do you think?" Lia asked. Clair made a puzzled look as she asked, "Huh? About what?" Elly also looked over with a confused look on her face, the other shook her head and pointed at Kara, Elly and Clair frowned as they saw Kara holding her head down. Lia spoke again, "We were thinking of making a bet, Kara owes me a lot of money but refuses to pay up every time I ask her. Don''t you think that''s shameless of her? So, I''ve been thinking, I want to try and give another chance, I want to make a bet with her over this game, and if she, or anyone she chooses, can defeat me in a single round, then I will give up on the debt." Clair frowned at this; she knew that Kara had always had trouble with these girls but didn''t say anything. Never did she think that they would act out today. Elly, having been in somewhat similar experiences, understood Kara''s plight. Kara looked at Clair and Elly with emotionless eyes as she spoke, "You guys don''t need to do anything, I already have enough of a debt... I can..." Kara was about to say something, but Elly snorted and spoke, "Hmph! Enough of that nonsense!" The other girls were surprised by Elly''s sudden change; her character now seemed a bit different from her usual image. Kara too looked up at Elly in shock; she pondered, ''What''s she even doing?'' Elly walked from where Clair was and stood before the machine, staring at the girls directly, she most hated these types of girls, which is one of the main reasons she was forced to leave that prestigious academy. "Are you even fit to call yourselves friends? You should have already known that she would not be able to pay up if she asked for help in the first place, so why are you forcing her now? You''re all acting like some greedy whores!" Elly snarled, but she was now calm enough not to act with violence like in her old school. Lia and the other girls were shocked, as Clair and Kara looked at Elly, not expecting her to use such words. Lia frowned, she spoke, "Elly, you... you''re acting like some uncouth wretch from the lower rugs, how can you speak like this?" "That''s right! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Another girl said, like some echo. Elly plainly looked at them and replied, "I don''t care! You disgusting wenches are the kind I hate the most; I''ve seen enough of your kind and it''s already a good thing that I haven''t smacked you all in your faces. Since you want to make a bet with Kara, I will fight in her place; you will leave her alone if I win, and never show your face again!" Lia was stumped, even Kara, who hated everyone''s guts and didn''t like Elly, thinking she was the same as everyone else, had a different look in her eyes. She stared at Elly standing before her with moist eyes, as she pondered, ''Was... was I wrong? Have I also become blinded ever since they left me? Is this¡­ the true meaning of friendship?'' Kara''s eyes flashed with images of her parents, but soon it shattered apart, throwing her into darkness. Suddenly, a warm hand that seemed to stretch from the light tapped her shoulder as Elly ignored everyone else. She made a sweet and adorable smile as she spoke, "Kara, you shouldn''t befriend people like this, from now, let''s try to be friends, okay?" Elly wasn''t an idiot; she had naturally sensed that Kara had some vague amount of ill will towards her. Thus, she wanted to take this chance to let her open up more. Kara trembled, but she didn''t reply, she knew... deep in her heart, she knew she was past the point of redemption. Clair walked over with a smile, and spoke, "Come on, Kara, cheer up, you don''t need to mind their mockery, with us here, we can beat them and push off that nonsense debt!" Kara had always been with Clair; she knew that Clair was genuine, which was why she felt a sting from Clair''s words. She was about to say something, but right at this time, Lia snorted and spoke, "Ha, Elly, I never really mind that bitch Kailyn, but it seems now that she was right about you. Mark my words Elly, I will certainly let everyone know what kind of girl you are... hmph!" Elly scoffed, "Just a silly excuse from an aspiring lapdog, come on; I don''t need to hear your shit; let''s get the match started!" Lia glared at Elly in a menacing way but didn''t say anything. Soon, the scene grew tense as the girls began another round of battling in the violent but cute video game. Nero, who had been observing from a distance, shook his head as he thought, ''Mother was right, girls sure are scary, a man''s place doesn''t belong in their conflicts, I better get out of here right now.'' As Nero thought this, he hurriedly left the area, but as for Adult Nero, he chuckled before thinking back in an embarrassed manner, "Jeez, that mother of mine... che! To think that I was always such a stupid brat." Nero had only stepped out of the Gaming Quarters, he prepared to head to the resting room and wrapped up. However, right at this moment, his shoulder smashed into another person. Nero was angry that someone could be so clumsy, he glared at the individual and saw that he was doing the same as they shouted the same thing, "Hey, watch where you''re going?" After they finished, they didn''t even bother to recall the other''s faces as they hurriedly walked on to handle their affairs. Perm, having left behind that rude brat, entered the gaming lounge before he glanced at his men and nodded. Soon, the group began to fan out preparing to surround the girls at the center, while at the same time not drawing too much attention. Adult Nero narrowed his eyes as he saw Perm''s group, but he shook his head while sneering, "As stupid as ever I see, huhu... I wonder, what will he do when he realizes it was me that past him?" He said nothing to Nero, as the events thus far occurred in the natural order, though some sections had bits of a butterfly effect. ''Tsk! Darn thugs, since when did people of that character go to the gaming section?'' Nero thought as he recalled how the men looked and act, but he no longer paid it any mind. He quickly got himself changed in the resting room and clocked out. He then walked up the bartender and tossed a letter to him while picking up his 20 Eu Dollars. The bartender didn''t even ask what the letter was, he tossed it into a drawer and continued flirting with the women. Nero, who was ready to leave, went towards the exit, but he couldn''t help but notice that Avollo was still around. He pondered, "Eh? Was he waiting for me?" Nero was about to walk over, but right at this time, Nero saw someone unexpected walking from the different sections of the room towards him. He frowned in discontent, but he didn''t do anything, as it seemed that the party had a matter to discuss. Benson soon arrived in front of Nero; he hesitantly looked at him while gritting his teeth before he sighed and spoke, "Alright, I''ll make it quick, I am not here to apologize or anything like that either so hear me out." Nero made a curious look as he thought, ''Hmm, what''s going on here?'' Benson stared at him and spoke, "I''m not sure if you noticed this, but Kailyn has always been a girl of awful character. When she''s angry, you''ll never know it, but she''ll always find ways to fight back." ''What the hell is he even going on about? Do I like I give a shit about Kailyn?'' Nero thought as his eyes flashed with discontent. Benson shook his head, seeing his look before got directly to the point, "My meaning is, Kailyn is jealous of yours and Elly''s relationship, she has sent thugs to try and deal with her. While I might not like you and want to help Elly, I realize that I far from being able to do anything. Plus, if I were to report this to the police, it would be easily solved due to Kaylin''s family, and I''ll only end up in trouble. So, Nero, I have come to you, the person who did the unthinkable during our last scuffle, I request that you ensure her safety." As he spoke his words, Benson then turned and left; he didn''t want to spend another second talking to Nero after all, they weren''t really close, and based on his previous manner, it didn''t even seem that he was willing to accept an apology. ''She''s being targeted?'' Nero thought, thinking that it was madness, with her strength who could beat her. However, as Nero thought here, he knew that girls might also fall prey to hidden traps, especially someone with a temper like hers. He imagined what would happen if men targeted her by using advantage and frowned. Nero then thought about her adorable appearance. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist before he turned around and hurrying to the Gaming Quarters. His mind tried to convince himself, ''I''m only going to look, what could happen? Besides, even if something happens, I can''t just sit back; after all, I did accept that friend request...'' Avollo who noticed Nero when he came out was ready to leave, but he frowned as he saw him head back, he pondered, "What''s he up to? It seemed like he was about to leave just now... hmm, he might have forgotten something." When Avollo said this, he prepared not to pay anything attention. Still, suddenly, he saw an unexpected scene, many different individuals that were seated minding their own business began to inch towards Nero''s direction slowly. "This... Uncle Ian," Avollo said in shock. "That''s right, Young Master, something is most certainly about to go down... and the funny thing is, I feel that your friend is right at the center of it," Uncle Ian said with a sharp look in his eyes. "Then I must..." Avollo rose to his feet prepared to go and help, but suddenly as if a terrifying force held him back, he sat back down, looking at Uncle Ian with anger. "Uncle! Why did you pull me back?" Avollo cursed. Uncle Ian stared at him and spoke, "This isn''t a matter just anyone can meddle in, with so many DU societies and secret groups making a move, we must observe and see what''s happening." Avollo gritted his teeth and lowered his head, knowing that even if he wanted, he was no way a match for an expert like Uncle Ian, especially if he were to Digitize. He spoke in a complacent tone, "Alright fine," The scene within the Paradise Palace taking a new turn, as startling debut like no other was about to unfold. Chapter 50：Righting Ones Wrongs, Overwhelming Killing Intent Warning: You may feel emotional ;) *** The scene within the gaming room of the Paradise Inn was a seemingly normal one, but if one were to pay attention to a small congregation of girls, they would find that it had accumulated an incredible amount of tension. Looking at the group that stood on Lia''s side, one noticed that each of the girls watched on with tense expression as they observed the battle between Elly and Lia, the sweat running down their foreheads. Clair and Kara, on the other hand, had surprised expressions as they watched the battle with belated feelings, Kara was even feeling even more ashamed. "Beat her up, Elly!" Clair said in an extraordinarily appealing but violent manner, contrast to her innocent nature as she shook her fists. Currently, both Elly and Lia skilfully maneuvered their characters on the video game screen with the joysticks. Bam! Suddenly, Lia''s character being the bunny girl had dodged and jumped around with stylish movements, dodging a myriad of attacks narrowly. Yet, her attempt for grandeur soon met its end; her face was smashed into by the extremely brutish looking woman with the muscles of a man, garbed in a military uniform. Lia''s face turned pale as she shouted, "Oh no!" She wanted to escape, but Elly sneered as her hands move fast, mashing the punch button as the eyes of the brutish military woman flickered in red light. As if possessed by an evil spirit, the woman began to launch a flurry of punches towards the cute bunny girl''s face, as she shouted, "Atatatatata! ATA!" With the last punch smashing onto the bunny girl''s face, she cried out pain in before her head burst to pieces, as she then disappeared from the screen. Truly a finish of the utmost level of brutality. "Game!" The machine prompted as the victor was determined to be Elly, who stared at Lia with contempt. "Hmph! You''ve now been defeated in a fair match, now hurry and get lost! Don''t you dare to bother Kara again!" Elly shouted as she looked at Lia. "You... Elly, I''ll remember this, you''d best believe me!" Lia said as she glared at Elly, not daring to stay any longer, she hurried off with her friends. When Lia and her friends left, at a few corners of the gaming room, the Bit Hunters who seemed like they were playing games glanced over vaguely. Perm looked at them and nodded as he gave the okay signal with his hand, he then began to make his way over towards Elly directly, reaching for something in his sleeve. Now, only the three girls were left behind, Elly looked at Clair, before fixing her eyes on Kara as she made a thumbs up and spoke with a smile, "Hehe, Kara, see they won''t bother you anymore." Kara seeing this felt something she hadn''t in a long time; her eyes turned moist as tears shimmered down her cheeks. She started to bawl like a child as she fell to her knees, not knowing what to say. Clair seeing Kara''s reaction also felt teary-eyed, but though she seemed innocent and weak, she was actually a tough girl. Clair tapped Kara''s shoulder causing her to look up at her, she then smiled and wiped her eye corners and spoke, "Kara, I''ve always known you were a nice girl, you never did anything nasty and always helped me when I needed it. Even if you were a bit at times mean, I knew your situation, that is why I always chose to follow you. I chose to stay by your side so that I could one day be your truest friend..." Kara, hearing this even felt more surprised, tears flowed like an endless stream as she spoke incoherently, "But I... I... I''m not worth..." Kara wanted to say something, but Elly also came and tapped her other shoulder and spoke, "I don''t know much about you, but I am certain you''re not a bad person. So, Kara, never have doubts about yourself, and stop trying to push away those who want to be with you. When Kara heard this, it was like the last chain that bound her mind had shattered, she finally felt what it was like and knew what it meant to have friends, people who truly cared about her. She wanted to express her joy and pain, she wanted to speak of her wrongs, but it was at this moment that Kara''s eyes widened as she saw the thing she most feared, she saw her past most foolish mistake. Time froze for Kara at this moment; the only person visible was Perm, who slowly pulled out a gun, aiming it towards Elly''s position. At this moment, Kara''s thoughts were different; she knew what she had done wrong, and she knew what she had to do to the right things to its natural order. "Elly..." Kara said with a strange look on her face. Elly and Clair looked at her in surprise; they didn''t think Kara would show such an expression out of the blue. Kara didn''t bother to explain; she slowly rose to her feet and took a step forward, placing her directly before Elly as her voice sounded, "I''m sorry..." "Kara?" Elly asked in confusion, but it was only now that she took her focus from Kara, did her Digitizer instincts fired off a warning. She was about to hurry and dodge, but her mind went blank when she saw the next scene. Bang! It was a loud sound that shook the minds of all the others having fun on this good night, causing them to cast their eyes into the gaming room in shock. On the outside, Screwgelman and Nero, who were making their way over to the gaming area, had dark looks. But on the inside, Elly''s eyes widened in shock. "Ka....ra...?" Elly said slowly and dimly, her mind in complete shock as she had never experienced before, causing her to fall into a dazed state as she saw Kara''s body fell backward, slumping on the floor when a pool of blood formed around her. Clair''s eyes showed horror as she saw this, she hurriedly grasped Kara''s shirt and screamed, "KARAAAA!" Despite the current scene, Perm only frowned as he thought, "Shit, I aim for the target''s arm, but this dumb bitch stepped in the way, tsk, oh well, it looks like the shock has her immobilized." When Perm thought to here, he glanced at the men and shouted, "Hurry and knock them out, then grasp the target! Once we have her, we can use a means to ensure that Nero doesn''t run away!" The men didn''t hold back; they hurried moving like rapid cheetahs as they quickly appeared by the dazed Elly''s and Clair''s side. With two sharp noises, they fired two small guns that shot an injection in their necks. Not long after, both of their eyes rolled over as they lost consciousness. One of the men picked up Elly, but the other looked at Clair and Kara as he spoke, "What should we do with these two, boss?" Perm shook his head and spoke, "Nothing, let''s hurry and go; we don''t have time to waste here!" "Right!" Perm and the others thugs began to run towards the back door, but it was right at this time, that Nero entered the room, his eyes filled with an endless amount of rage as at terrifying killing intent scattered around the room. It was to such an extent that even the tempered glasses had begun to vibrate, making cracking noises as fissures formed on their surfaces. Nero, whose eyes glowed in a blood-red light, shouted like never before, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Perm and the thugs looked around in surprise, but as they took a good look at the person bold enough to confront them, their faces changed to the excitement. "Neroooo! To think that I didn''t have to use this bait to call you out, hahaha! Hmm¡­ are you angry with us? Huhu¡­ if so, then come and catch us, for if your too late... who knows what might happen to this beautiful young loli!" Perm said in a provocative and lustful manner as he licked his lips while looking at Elly in his arms. He waved his hand and rapidly left the gaming room with the other Bit Hunters through the back door, hurrying towards the pre-planned location. Nero glared at this in anger, even more so when he saw Kara''s body on the ground, He gritted his teeth while running off without even thinking as he shouted, "You damn thugs, don''t think you can get away!" Swoosh! Nero''s body swooshed like the wind, rapidly utilizing his Four Point Unity steps, which, though limited, allowed him to leave the room quickly. The moment Nero left, Ryo had entered right after him, he looked at the two girls on the ground and frowned as he thought, ''Damn, I can''t leave them behind, I guess I''ll have to leave the rest to father, he shouldn''t be too far away after all.'' After Ryo arranged his thoughts, he hurriedly picked them up and brought them out of the room in a hurry. As Nero''s pursuit began, the scene behind was one of panic, as many different civilians started to run out of the Paradise Pub while screaming. The civilians ran away, but oddly enough, only a few persons stayed behind, some even rapidly moving towards the back exit as they hurried to catch up to Nero. Looking around, one would notice that even Avollo and Uncle Ian had vanished. Now, only two persons and a few stragglers hiding in corners were left behind, Screwgelman, who was the most angered about Elly''s situation, didn''t move; it wasn''t that he couldn''t, but rather his path was blocked. In front of him were the three grey cloaked individuals that wore a simple grey hat with cool design patterns. Looking at them more carefully now, one would notice that though dressed similarly, they were quite unusual. Each of them had the same brown eyes, same short dark-colored hair, square-shaped face, hook nose, and broad and scarred lips. Heck, even the watch on their hand was the same brand, it was as if each of them were the same person. "Get out of my way... Doppleman," Screwgelman said with an icy tone. The three men chuckled at the same time and spoke in synchrony, ''Huhu... I am sorry, Mr. Vondelez; it is with my sincere regret that your family''s young miss had become a part of the DU''s recruitment test. Please do remain calm, I can assure you that she will be safe, but for now, you must not do anything foolish...'' Screwgelman''s hair rose above his head as a terrifying pressure spread out from his body as he spoke again, "I will speak one more time, Doppleman Newz of the DU''s Hatman Society, get out of my way!" Doppleman sighed, he shook his head and spoke to his communicator watch, "Eagle, Bull, I am going to be tied up for a while. Please ensure that after you evaluate Nero''s strength, you secure him before anyone else. You better not let that woman get her hands on him, hmph! Also, do take note of the Balkras''s young miss''s safety." "Understood, sir!" Two voices said from behind the communicator. Screwgelman narrowed his eyes as a rich amount of killing intent came from his body, which glowed in brown lights. Soon, an earthen colored card with 0''s and 1''s flashing on its surface appeared in his hand. Doppleman shook his head as his three bodies scattered and surrounded Screwgelman, he spoke with a smile and a sharp glint in his dark eyes, "Well then, let''s dance for a bit..." Following Doppleman''s words, the tension here rose to a whole new level as a series of shocking events were only one step from unfolding. ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 51：The Special Services Division, False Digitizers The streets were crowded despite the hour, and the sky grew darker as the night was beginning to fall. Currently, a group of individuals had scattered from the Paradise Palace, scampering away like frightened animals. It didn''t take long for a timely police force to arrive sectioning off the area, but sadly for even them, another power was in the mix that seemed to be of even higher status. Looking within the police unit, one would notice that they had two familiar faces belonging to Osbon and Sera. "Hmph! I knew something strange would happen, and since we can''t directly interrogate the kid, there''s nothing stopping us from silently observing him," Osbon said with a smile. Sera that stood by his side, looked at him and replied with a slightly disappointed look, "You''re right, but Inspector Osbon, though we''ve encountered this event, it''s still hard for us to glean the full details." Osbon frowned as he knew what she said was the truth, even right now, their police task force was hindered at the exterior as those who wore high-class combat suits with high powered weapons had blocked them from taking any further actions. Suddenly, a man dressed in a simple suit with a hat logo appeared from behind them, he stared at those from the police force and spoke, "I''m sorry, but we will be taking it from here, return to your stations..." The police unit had looks of discontent as some of them cursed out loud. "Hey! We were the first to arrive, how can you suddenly just drive up here, and send us back?" "That''s right; you need to prove the weight behind those words, pal!" Osbon frowned at this as did Sera who looked on with dark expressions, but as if the man wasn''t disturbed he flipped a card with SSD on it as he spoke, "I believe this will suffice as enough explanation." When the leading officer, at the foremost, saw the card, his face sunk as he hurriedly bowed and spoke, "Y-yes sir, we''ll be leaving right away. All units and officers withdraw immediately!" The others had discontented looks, but as the leading officer looked at them, no one complained as they orderly went back to their vehicles and started to leave the area. ''Dammit! Not again, darn that Special Services Division; I cannot let this past me by again!'' Osbon gritted his teeth while cursing with his mind. Sera who was about to leave, turned and saw that Osbon was moving towards a different direction, she frowned and spoke, "Inspector? Where are you going?" Osbon placed his finger at his mouth and spoke softly, "Shh... I cannot accept this loss; we must get whatever they''re hiding out into the public; all those previous cases, we must slowly expose them and their agendas. Follow along; I''ll try to get as much footage as I can..." Sera was confused; she cursed in her mind, ''What is he thinking? Is he a reporter now?'' Sera frowned, but she didn''t really have much better to do, and Osbon was still her superior, she shook her head and followed along as the two stealthy made their way towards a different area. *** Away from the previous scene, Nero had arrived at a distant and an unusually quiet alleyway. He chased the Bit Hunters for a little over half an hour, and by now night had descended. One could even hear the sounds of their footsteps as an old broken lamp dimly lit a portion of this path due to the silence. "Get out here!" Nero shouted as he knew that they were still around, not having gone too far. As if they heard Nero''s voice, a bright light flashed as multiple lights came from all angles, fully illuminating his position. Not long after, Perm and his men, along with a few more individuals, had surrounded Nero. Their figures a bit indistinct due to them standing in front of the various light sources, one of Perm''s men who stood outside of the lights guarded the unconscious Elly that was placed on a chair as he stared over with a mean look. Perm looked at Nero and smirked as he spoke, "Boy, do you know how hard it was to find you? Tell me, how did you escape from the last team?" Nero didn''t even know what the man was talking about, but he knew one thing based on his words, his thoughts went wild, ''Did some group attack me? When the hell did this happen?'' As if Adult Nero thought it was the right time, he spoke casually, ''Naturally, you were targeted the very same day you awakened your Digitize Bit.'' ''What? Why didn''t you tell me this?'' Nero cursed, but even though he did so, he didn''t take his eyes of the men, or rather, from Elly. Adult Nero spoke again while leaning back with his hand behind his neck as he floated in their consciousness, ''Well, you weren''t in danger, and another thing, you must learn to be more cautious by using your awareness to sense more from your surroundings.'' When Nero heard this, he felt like punching Adult Nero in the face, but he didn''t bother to complain, right now, he had a different matter. ''Shit! To think that I was the one to get her involved, I even got that girl killed! Damn!'' Nero cursed while gritting his teeth, his killing intent rising steadily. Perm smirked at this and spoke in a cold tone, ''Kiddo, it seems you''ve gone deaf, don''t worry, you will certainly be dying today. Once you''re gone, I''ll be certain to pay that mother of yours a visit; I''ll then take good care of her, even more so than that missing papa of yours... hehe!'' "Hahaha..." The other Bit Hunters laughed in a lewd way while they prepared to start the hunt, each of them giving off dreadful dark power as a red mark with the number 3 came onto their forehead. Perm took out a strange device and a knife as he licked the blade with his tongue and spoke, "Well then, shall we?" As Perm spoke, his hair rose above his head as a dark power grew around his entire being. A similar mark appeared on his head, but it only grew brighter and had the number 4. When Nero saw this and sensed the changes around him, he felt a bit flustered, but he knew this wasn''t the time to panic. Though he felt a wave of anger when he heard Perm''s words about his mother, he pushed himself to calmed down; he didn''t want to act rashly, so he tried his best to hold back his anger as he sized up the situation. He commanded with his mind while looking at Perm, "Inspect Status!" Ding! [Name: Perm] [Tier - Novice Rank False Digitizer] [Level 4 | Class: None] ... Nero frowned at those details as he questioned inwardly, ''This power... it''s different from what I''ve felt in that world? Who are these people?'' Adult Nero gave him a direct reply, ''It is as you''ve seen, the power of those termed as False Digitizers, otherwise known as Bit Hunters. They are a group of persons who have somehow acquired knowledge of awakening using a method that goes against the Universe Ring''s laws, hunting down other Digitizers and forcibly binding with their Digitize Bits.'' When Nero heard this, he was shocked, but he didn''t dare show it on his face, ''A bit can be stolen? Damn!'' Adult Nero replied, "Of course it can; it falls upon the true death of a Digitizer..." Nero''s heart grew cold at those words, he had forgotten before, but he recalled the All-Seer saying that it was only in the Novice Zone that he didn''t have to worry about true death, he felt his back runny with sweat as he remembered that this wasn''t some simple game. After collecting his thoughts, Nero still stared at the men around him and frowned, he questioned once more, ''''You say that they are after my Digitize Bit, right? Then why aren''t they attacking? Why are they standing around like idiots?" Adult Nero replied, "It''s not that they won''t attack, they are waiting for you to display your strength in a wild rage, that way they can scan your bit potential level." Nero''s heart rate sped up as he hurriedly asked, ''But... my bit, isn''t it¡­?'' Adult Nero know what he was going to ask, he nodded and replied, ''Correct, it is far from the standard, and any who find out about it will hunt you down to the ends of the world to take it from your body. Being a False Digitizer has its downsides, but it''s not really that hard to deal with; still, you do not need to worry about such things, with me here no one will be able to grade it accurately, at least not until you reach a certain level. So, fight without worry. Remember that once you summon your power, it will only last for 5 minutes, so make them count, I don''t think I need to tell you what must be done to these men...'' When Adult Nero spoke, he looked at Nero''s face, but as he did this, he noticed that Nero''s previous calmness had vanished as if he a caged animal had finally lost its chains. ''''Heh... I was right, the constant killing these past two days were enough, he won''t be hesitant like I was in killing bastards like these. Plus, it should make for an excellent debut..." Adult Nero muttered with a smile as he noticed the hidden figures on distant buildings, and other areas, watching from afar. Perm was a bit worried when he didn''t see Nero attack in a wild rage, he thought to himself, ''Damn! What''s taking this brat so long to lose it? I even used the name of his mother, or was that information wrong?'' Perm pondered what other methods he could use to get him to break down, but right at this moment, he saw that Nero had a sudden change. His previous calmness that seemed no different from a still lake had erupted like a furious volcano, as if all his bottled-up anger had come fort, scattering bright silver Magic Power from his entire body. ''Haha, finally! His Digitize Bit will be mine, I will do what that bastard Scarface cannot!'' Perm thought as his eyes beamed with excitement when he pressed the button on the Bit Scanner, causing it to flicker with a myriad of numbers, but at this time, Nero had stretched his arm to the side, as a bright scythe mark appeared on his palm. Nero''s pupils then glowed in red lights as his silver hair seemed to have a tinge of blood on it as he spoke in a voice that seemed to travel from hell, ''You want my Digitize Bit? Then here it is, remember it on your way to hell! Come to me, Mazello!'' With Nero''s loud shout, the alley became filled with brilliant silver lights, as an epic battle was about to unfold. Chapter 52：Parties in the Dark, A Single Move When Nero shouted, a bright silver ray illuminated this section of the alleyway, brightening everything within his immediate vicinity. The scythe mark on Nero''s arm brightly glowed as if it was trying to manifest something, but it failed. ''What''s going on? I feel a bit limited...'' Nero questioned in this state, as he carefully observed his change. Adult Nero replied, "Your Digitize Bit is trying to summon your Inheritance Weapon, but you are only partially awakened. Hence, the summon has failed..." As if Adult Nero''s words were right, Nero observed that his hair started to grow longer; a silver mask appeared on his face covering only the upper portions as his body even became a step taller. Eventually, a semi-transparent cloak had covered his body, as if one looked on his arms, they would see two similar semi-transparent but shiny silver gauntlets. Suddenly, as if Nero''s world changed, his eyes shone in a spooky light that caused everyone around him to feel a surge of pressure, Nero even noticed that connected to the bodies of each Bit Hunter were a series of red lines and spiritual entities that were wailing. His eyes then glowed further as their bodies turned into silhouettes showing only a small clump of light at the center of their forehead. ''I already knew my power would show a great increase, but this is different... is this another trait of the Reaper''s Eye?'' Nero inwardly asked as he looked at the scene in surprise. Adult Nero promptly replied, "The visions before you are the sights only viewable to entities with the Reaper''s Eyes. As time is limited, I won''t go too much into the details, but you can think of it as seeing life and death in its truest sense, much like how you see the World Spirits in that realm." When Nero heard this, he no longer asked any questions, he knew his time was limited, and he was dead set on killing every single one of these Bit Hunters. Bang! His silver magic power exploded, causing a chill to any others in the area, he then summoned his Common Iron Sword that shimmered in sharp rays as he stared at the Bit Hunter''s with his sinister glowing eyes. Not only Bit Hunters, anyone within the vicinity had a chill upon seeing his eyes, regardless of their strength level. They felt as if they were being stared upon by a God who oversaw death, as if he could peer through their very souls, giving them a slight sense of oppression. By this time, those that stood in the dark were observing in surprise as a few had a look of strangeness when they saw Nero''s change. Looking at each of them, one would notice that some of them had strange devices, ranging from sci-fi goggles to tablets or modified mobile phones, pointed towards his direction. If one paid attention to the data displayed on their screens, they would see that a series of digits flickered before stabilizing, showing his rating. ____ [Grade 3 Inheritance Bit (Unknown)] ____ "Impossible! Although it''s a level above the standard amongst typical talents, how can a mere Grade 3 Digitize Bit, used by a beginner brat at the initial stages of Novice Rank cause me such an amount of oppression?" One bearded individual with a bull mark on a hat said as he stared towards Nero''s direction. "Bull, I don''t know, but even if it''s a bit above standard, I still feel that there might be more about this child that it appears. He''s worth every ounce of effort to recruit to our Hatman Society," A skinny individual said with an eagle symbol on his hat, and a long face. "Indeed, che! Eagle, take a look, that bitch Yullia and her attendant ''Stickman'' has already shown up, Doppleman was right, we definitely can''t let them take him for themselves," Bull said as he glanced towards the nearby corner. Eagle followed his sights and noticed that a mature black-haired woman with bangs, garbed in a business suit with small eyes and delicate facial features, stood at the side of a slender blond man with a long face and a straight body as if like a stick. "Hmph! Even if she tries, she''ll have to get through us first," Eagle said with a sharp look in his eyes, glaring at them from a distance. As if Yullia noticed their gaze, she stared back at them with a gentle smile and sent a kiss with her palm that transformed into a middle finger before looking away. The Hatman duo snorted and looked away, not paying her any mind. Other than this scene, Uncle Ian and Avollo were watching from afar. They noticed that two considerable powers within the DU had gathered, and as such, no matter how much Avollo wanted, Uncle Ian hindered him from interfering. "Damn! Can''t we do anything?" Avollo cursed while being in a frozen state as if something was binding him. Uncle Ian sighed and spoke, "Let it be Young Master; besides, even if he fails, nothing will happen, not with these many experts around." Avollo clicked his teeth and sighed; he knew he couldn''t resist Uncle Ian''s power; he only watched from a distance with a hint of worry. Away from this group, no one seemed to realize, but two more parties were well hidden. On one building, was a man whose features were wrapped with cloth, as he wore a cloak covering his entire body. Beside him was a familiar-looking spiky red-haired youth, his body as malnourished as ever, but his dark red eyes carried a wild intent as he looked at Nero and spoke, ''A Grade 3 Digitize Bit? Father, he isn''t worthy of my time?'' The man beside the youth chuckled and spoke, ''You don''t know whose son you are dealing with, never underestimate your rivals, as overconfidence is nothing but a prelude to one''s demise...'' "..." The red-haired youth remained silent as he continued to stare on in silence, his eyes flickering with blazing flames. The man looked at his son before shifting his eyes away towards a far-off building. On that building were two other persons; one was a tall man in an overcoat wearing a simple hat and dark glasses, while the last was a silver-haired woman that wore a spiral mask. He narrowed his eyes when he saw them, especially the woman, but said nothing as he focused back on the battles below. At this time, the towering man with the hat frowned as he spoke, "Odd, I shielded his bit to Grade 4, how is it showing Grade 3?" The woman by his side chuckled and spoke, "Hehe... you''re losing your touch, old friend." "Huhu... maybe so, it happens when you get too old, I suppose..." The towering man said with a sigh, but his eyes flashed as he stared at Nero who was readying to attack, he spoke with praise, "He truly is amazing, there isn''t even a trace of hesitation that I can feel from him. It''s as if he is already grown mentally enough to handle killing people." The woman spoke with pride, "Well, of course he is, he''s his child after all... besides, this child has been through more than enough hardship to understand the world." The towering man remained silent, not saying anything; the word''s ''his child'' was enough to make him halt any further statements. When all the other powers were shocked, there was only one party that seemed ignorant of the threat before them, and it was none other than Perm and his lackeys. Perm didn''t seem able to hold back his excitement; he glanced at Nero and shouted, "Kill him!" The Bit Hunters were obviously inexperienced. They charged towards Nero like wild thugs, though they were moving at a speed nearing 40 km/h, they weren''t even capable of using a proper movement skill. Nero sensed the movements of each man that were approaching from all angles; he could feel the beat of their hearts as sense the meager amount of life force from the soul in their bodies. He even felt as if they were nothing more than ignorant lambs charging towards a tiger that hadn''t eaten in a long time. In this instant, Nero adopted a posture that he never did before; it was as if it was encoded within him by instinct. His stance became low, and the sword in his outstretched arm that was placed behind his back seemed to give the impression of the scythe. Adult Nero smiled at this as he thought, "Well, I''ll be, I never thought that he would enter this state so soon. Excellent..." Nero didn''t hear Adult Nero''s words, his mind was now elsewhere, seeming no different from an edge ready to bring an end to its ill-fated foes. "Allow me to send you all on your way..." Nero cold voice sounded across the alley filling each of the men with shock, as it was unknown when, but Nero had vanished. Swing! With the sound of something cutting through the wind, a bright silvery flashed of light had appeared, cutting circularly before fading away. Once this happened, Perm looked with wide eyes as the bodies of his lackeys were split into two halves. Each had an expression of fear as they looked at Nero, who once more stood in the same posture with a calm look. His eyes shining in a cold ray, as he stared at the clumps of lights that flew away, being the first of humanity to be sent by him to the netherworld, and certainly not the last. Chapter 53：A Tragic End, Startling the Onlookers Perm looked at the scene before him in utter shock; his pupils shrunk as his mouth opened wide, the men that previously charged at the presumed weak brat, were now lying in a pool of their blood. Carefully observing, one would notice that they had each been separated into two halves, the looks on their faces being of utmost terror as their eyes were rolled backward. "S-such a devilish brat, b-boy, how could you do this? Taking the lives of so many people?" Perm exclaimed in a rage, trying to hold back his fear, even now he was trying to attack Nero''s psychology. Yet, though Perm seemed as if he was in grief over his men''s death, he was, in fact, calm, as Nero''s strength had woken him up from his previous delusions. He was naturally a cunning man, but his arrogance was his greatest weakness. ''Blast! How could this darn brat be so strong, he''s no different from me in terms of mastery of skills, likely averaging all three core arts to the Fourth Stage. I cannot let my guard down again... I can use that other method if things go south,'' When Perm thought to himself, his eyes focused in on Nero again, he was hoping that his words earlier might have stirred his mind causing him to show weakness, but right at this moment, Perm''s face sunk as Nero had once again vanished. ''Where did he...?'' Perm was about to think something, but as if he recalled another matter, his complexion changed as he hurriedly turned around towards Elly. "Noooo!" Perm shouted as he then noticed that Nero had appeared behind the last standing member of his unit. As if the man was still in shock by the carnage before him, he didn''t even notice that Nero was standing behind him. Nero made a dark smile as he swung his sword in a downward manner, easily cutting the man into two before he kicked him towards the other men''s bodies. It wasn''t that he wanted to pile them up, he merely didn''t want any of the blood to spill on either him or Elly, Nero was a youth of cleanliness. ''Hmph! You think I''d be foolish enough to allow your lackey to use Elly as a scapegoat, not today; I won''t be making such mistakes.'' Nero inwardly thought as he sneered at Perm, who was looking at him in a manner that stated he wanted to sheer his flesh to pieces. Adult Nero made a faint smile at this as he thought, ''Well done, he is a bit more cautious than how I was, it seems that my subtle attempts are working much better than I''d anticipated.'' "NEROOOO!" Perm shouted in a manner unfit for a professional, his stance now filled with slight openings as he adopted his combat posture with his danger held behind him. "What?" Nero spoke back indifferently; he wasn''t in a hurry, as he knew that the latter was as strong as himself. His time was limited, so he only needed to strike when he was sure he could kill him in a few moves. "WHEN I CAPTURE YOU, I WILL SHEER THAT DIGITIZE BIT FROM YOUR..." Perm was about to say some typical villain line, but before he could even fully express his intention, his eyes flashed when Nero vanished again. "Oh shit!" Perm cursed as he hurried adopted a defensive mindset, but this time Nero had appeared at his flank in the same strange posture with the sword held behind him as if he was using a scythe. ''That posture again, I won''t fall so easily brat!'' Perm said in his mind that as he recalled Nero''s usage of this method, he patiently waited for Nero''s blinding fast attack as his body erupted with his magic power, causing the marking of the number on his head to shine brightly. Suddenly, Nero twisted his body as if making a wide swing, his figure blurred and vanished, leaving behind only a bright silver arc in place of his sword that swept towards Perm at crazy speeds. ''Now!'' Perm shouted in his mind, his awareness pushed to its limits, causing him to catch its trail barely, he tapped his feet against the floor and did a backflip in the air, narrowly avoided this arc of light that tried to sever his body. As Perm''s body made a graceful arc in the air, he positioned himself in a diving posture with his dagger now held before him as one arm was raised at his side, his pupils showing a sinister glint that left two trails as he fell downwards. Perm then invoked a skill, "I''ve got you now, Piercing Dagger Dance!" Following his resonant yell, the magic power around his body channeled towards the dagger, his arm then slashed the dagger a myriad of times, leaving an illusion of multiple arms cutting, stabbing, and striking downwards. By this time, the silvery arc of light made a full circle arriving back at its previous position as it formed into the sword. Nero''s body then appeared once more, standing in the posture with his body arched, and one handheld the sword in an outstretched position behind him. Nero lifted his head, gazing at the incoming dagger storm but didn''t show panic; his eyes coldly shone as if he could already see his opponent''s end. Though Perm acted swiftly, with Nero''s senses, he seemed to move in slow motion, even his flurry of rapid dagger assaults was nothing to Nero''s eyes. Adult Nero smiled as he saw this; he knew Nero''s thoughts and spoke to push him, "Do it!" Not wasting any time, Nero''s posture changed, the sword that was stretched behind him was swiftly sheathed as Nero held it, much like how a samurai would hold a sword for Batt¨­jutsu. Nero''s magic power then grew even fiercer, as brilliant silver lights erupted from his sword. He unsheathed his sword in a flash, leaping towards Perm as his sword left behind a line of silver light. "Flash Cut!" Nero''s icy voice sounded as if a glacier was born in the world. The chilliness seeping into the bones of not only Perm who was facing the danger but the audience watching this scene from afar, each shook their heads as some sighed and spoke out loud with looks of shock on their faces. "It''s over..." Uncle Ian said as he stared at Nero with a deep look, Avollo was also surprised as he laughed and spoke, "Haha, that fellow, he didn''t show that stance last time we fought, but in the end, he ended up using that trusty sword flash of his, not bad..." Unlike them, Bull and Hawk looked at each other with surprised looks as they conversed. "This kid... are you telling me that he could acquire this much battle experience without guidance, in a mere two days of awakening?" Bull said in alarm. "I find it hard to believe, there is no way a kid his age from his kind of background, especially from that Gutter Zone, can achieve this kind of power without guidance. I have a feeling there''s another party at work here," Eagle said with solemn eyes. "..." Bull said nothing more as he stared at Yullia in the distance. At this moment, Yullia''s beautiful eyes flashed when she stared at Nero and spoke in a soft tone, "Hmm, this handsome little boy has spunk, he really does remind me of that bastard." The slender man by her side shook his head and spoke, ''Ma''am, we''ve got more to be concerned about, the Hatman''s are willing to get involved." Yullia snorted as she glanced at the two in the distance and replied, "Hmph! As if those two idiots can win, we know much more about this brat than those two fools. Plus, I believe that our offers will be far more enticing... hehe..." The slender man seeing her sighed, as he knew he was going to have to do a lot of work again, he said nothing but began to text a few numbers from his mobile phone, his eyes shining in a sharp light. At this time, the battle between Nero and Perm had finally met its conclusion. When the flashing light swept past Perm, he had no way to avoid it, he looked at the brilliant silver ray and found that as it inched nearer to him, his view of the world was changing. ''Oh... how foolish of me... maybe this was my fate all along,'' Perm thought to himself, it was as if he found himself in a moment of contentment; he didn''t struggle, he knew that it was hopeless, and only one result awaited him. Death, the true end to all things, the ultimate fate of any lifeform, and the eternal rest for the weary, Perm''s thoughts ceased forever, as his body and mind faded from reality. Splat! A moment later, Perm''s corpse fell onto the ground as blood started to gather around him, leaving behind a tragic mess. On the other hand, Nero landed on the ground behind him, his posture straight as his blood dripping sword was slanted to the side, his transparent reaper robe fluttering much like his flowing silver hair that gently swayed with the wind. At this moment, Elly woke up, finally viewing the image of the dominating youth before her, her eyes wide as she had no idea what happened, but the picture at this moment would forever be imprinted in her soul. **** Author''s Note: Hey guys, this book is apart of the Spirit Award Contest, other than supporting with reviews of your and owns and power stones, if you would like to vote for it to win, remember to sign up and vote in the WSA Weekly. Thank you all for your interest in this story, I greatly appreciate I and will continue to do my best to you all entertained. Chapter 54：A New Conflict ''Wha...what happened? Where is Kara? Who is he?'' Elly thought as she looked at the handsome, mysterious man before her, his dazzling silver hair flowing gently in the night winds as the lights from the surrounding lamps causing each strand to sparkle like stars. She thought for a bit and remembered that she was knocked out by thugs, now that she observed the surroundings a bit, she noticed that the hateful face of the one that killed Kara was lying in a pool of his blood. ''I... I was careless, was he the one who saved me? I... I have to thank...'' Elly was about to make up her mind, but right now, a familiar voice was heard. "Oh, so you''re finally awake, that''s good; you should leave here now, Elly," Nero said as he turned towards her with a smile. Elly was a bit started that the stranger knew her name, but as she recalled the voice, she pointed at him in surprise before she spoke, "N-Nero? Are you Nero?" Nero chuckled as he stretched his arm out to the side, his body glowed in a bright silver light before it receded towards the glowing style mark on his palm''s back. Not long after, his body, which was once again revealed, had returned to its usual look, but as he had exhausted a lot of his magic power to use the Digitize Bit, he now had a slight look of fatigue. "Of course it''s me, now hurry along, the matters after this will only get more troubling," Nero said, he didn''t want her to get involved in anything that might happen next. Elly, upon seeing his appearance felt better, but as she recalled how Kara died, her young heart still couldn''t bear it, her eyes started to grow misty as she spoke, "I don''t want to leave! Kara was murdered!" When Nero heard this, he sighed, he knew that even if she was strong, she was still a young girl his age, how could she bear the death of someone close, or even someone that they had slowly begun to form a bond with? ''Oh hell, from one thing to the next, I really hope these guys will let me go home,'' Nero thought as he felt as if he was being watched by a group of hawks in the surroundings, he pretended not to notice them and walked towards Elly. "Elly, come on, it''s time for you to leave this place," Nero said as he stooped down and looked at the crying Elly. Elly stared at Nero with a pitiful look as if she''d been wronged, the petite beauty with her large rounded eyes had traces of tears that fell down her flawless skin. Her chestnut-colored hair fully illuminated by the bright night lights, basking her in a tender brightness that could soften the souls of any hot-blooded youth. Just by staring at her for a moment, caused even Nero''s firm heart to move. Not to mention Adult Nero, who had a slight jolt, even more so as he superimposed her current form to her stunning ''grown-up'' image from his past. He shut his eyes and took a meditative posture while repeating in his head, ''I am a grown man, a child will not move me! It will never happen! I will not! I will not!'' Naturally, Nero didn''t know about his older self''s dilemma; he felt his heartbeat sped up before it returned to normal as he calmed himself. ''She''s more decent looking than I''d thought... maybe if with a little tweak to her personality...'' Nero was about to think something, but right then, his ponderings were cut off. "I won''t leave without Kara!" Elly shouted as it seemed she was reluctant to accept that Kara had died, the psychological strain manifesting itself as it brought out her innate stubbornness. ''I spoke too soon...'' Nero sighed as he thought for a moment before his eyes flashed, he gritted his teeth while thinking, ''I''m sorry Kara, but it seems that I might need to use your name for a bit, please forgive me as your soul rest in peace.'' Having made up his mind, Nero made a warm smile as he stretched his hand out and spoke in a gentle tone, "Elly, you might be mistaken, the bullet didn''t hit her vitals, it was a bad wound, one such that it forced her into a state of unconsciousness. By now, she should have already been sent to the hospital..." Elly looked at him in surprise, her watery eyes fading by a bit as her expression turned to one of joy, "Really? Are you sure?" Nero nodded and spoke, "That''s right; you can check on her tomorrow after speaking with your parents." Elly thought for a bit before biting her lip and nodding her head. Nero looked at this while in thought, ''Ah, that''s so cute...'' When Nero thought to here, however, he shook his head, clearing those thoughts, he spoke with a smile, "That''s right, now come on, we''ve been here for too long, and I also have things I need to take care of at home." When Elly heard this, she nodded and acted more cooperatively; she saw that Nero''s hand was still stretched out, waiting for her to grab it. She hesitantly grabbed on it with small and slender palms, feeling the sturdiness behind it as her cute little face turned a bit red as she went off into her own thoughts, ''T-this pretty face bastard, h-he''s definitely doing this to tease me, hmph! Fine, I''ll let it go this time, s-since he came to save me...'' Elly took a peek towards Nero''s face, but she soon frowned as she says that Nero had an ugly look as he stared directly before them. When Elly turned to look, she saw that two men in hats were standing silently; one was a bearded individual with a bull mark on a cap as the other was a skinny man with an eagle symbol and a long face. ''These guys... aren''t they from the DU, what are they doing here?'' Elly pondered with complex eyes; she knew that the situation right now was certainly not the norm. Nero felt anxious, but he didn''t show it, he talked to himself, ''Calm down! Calm down! Nothing could happen, If I am not wrong, Elly should have status, they wouldn''t do anything strange with someone like Elly around, and if they wanted to harm me, they would have done so while I was fighting that bunch.'' As Nero calmed down, he was able to analyze the situation more clear, Bull then took a step forward and made the most amiable expression a fierce-looking man like him could as he spoke as if trying to cheat a child. "Little friend, it''s a pleasure to meet you, I''ve been watching you while now, and I think that you are most suited for our society. How about it? Would you like to join the Digitizers Union''s Hatman Group? Our group is one of the five most prominent in DU; each of the members is of a high standard. You will even get a fixed salary every month, and after you ascend from the Novice Zone to the Upper Zones, based on your contributions to humanity against our rivals, you will earn an equal share of rewards." Elly hearing this was stunned, she only now realized which group it was, the hats were a dead giveaway, but as she had only woken up from a shock, she didn''t pay it much attention. ''The Hatmans? So that''s how it is, they''re recruiting him... then doesn''t this mean he was really and truly not apart of the DU since the beginning,'' Elly thought to herself in surprise as she looked at Nero wit wonder, though she had her suspicions, she never thought someone from nowhere without guidance could have grown to his stage. Nero frowned; it seemed that the opposite party was direct enough, getting straight to the point of the matter at hand. However, as he didn''t know much yet, he still wanted to try his luck and avoid making any choices, he made an innocent look and spoke, "Big Beared Uncle, I''m sorry, but mother told me not to talk strangers, I have to go home right now." The onlookers were a bit silent, but soon, a startling amount of laughter sounded off in the area. Even on the rooftop of nearby buildings, the father of the red-haired youth chuckled before shaking his head, while red-haired youth snorted. On the other roof, the man with the coat and the hat was dying with laughter. However, the silver-haired beauty with the mask glared him and made a snort, causing him to halt and make a forced smile before returning to normal. By this time, Yullia, who had only now appeared blocking Nero''s path backward, was laughing as she spoke, "Hahaha, Mr. Bull, it looks like the little handsome isn''t interested in joining your Hatman''s, maybe today you wore the wrong hat, the color looks a tad green. Now please make way, our Blood Steel Society was the first to discover him," Yullia said in an unbridled manner. After saying this, she glanced at Nero and spoke in a warm tone, "Little handsome, I couldn''t help but notice your vigor and strength, you are most suited to joining our Blood Steel Society. People in our ranks are all hard bred warriors that live for battle, we don''t get things handed to us on a silver plate but carve what we need through blood, sweat, and tears. If you are real man, join us, and carve the path for your future..." Nero felt a bit curious listening to this, but Bull frowned as he heard this, he glared at Yullia and spoke, "Dark Witch, I''d advise you to keep your darn little comments to yourself, Nero is coming with us today!" Yullia was a short-tempered woman, she shouted back in anger, "Who are you to talk to me like this? No one is getting little handsome except for our society!" As the two went back and forth, Nero was beginning to feel a head ache; it didn''t even seem that they were going to give him the chance to speak. Avollo looked at this with anger, but Uncle Ian spoke with a smile, "Let it be, they won''t go too far, they''re only trying to test each other''s limits." Avollo then calmed down, not doing anything, but his eyes still stared at the scene curiously. Soon, the duo had gotten tired of verbal slurs, Elly, Nero, and the others who watched knew that it was about to enter the real act. Bull and Yullia glanced at Nero and spoke at the same time, "Little one, tell us which of our groups would you like to join?" Nero sighed, knowing it would come this, he paused for a bit and pondered before his eyes flickered as if he gained an idea. Everyone looked on in silence, as they wanted to see what he would choose, even Nero''s older self, who had finally managed to calm himself from his previous dilemma. Nero then stared at them and spoke in a voice that carried weight behind it, "I have a suggestion..." Chapter 55：News of a Grand Event, Howl of a Poor Soul The mood within the alleyway was a tense one as everyone looked towards the silver-haired youth in silence, each of their eyes flashing with curiosity as others showed eagerness. Elly stared at Nero in silence, her eyes carrying a hint of worry as though it never happened to her, she had heard rumors about the conflicts between the various societies and forces of the Digitizers Union. Typically, they wouldn''t even be this polite and would directly force the newly awakened Digitizer to join. Thankfully, it would seem that rather than all forces acting, only two were showing interests; as such, Nero didn''t have to worry about such a scenario. Soon, Nero didn''t even waste a moment and continued with his words, "Sir and Ma''am, both of your offers are quite tempting, but I''ve only recently awakened as you''ve all noticed. I am not ready for any major responsibilities or duties associated with your societies, so I will need time to consider before I give you all an appropriate answer." Bull, Eagle, and Yullia, who heard Nero''s words, paused as they intently looked at him wanting to see behind his expression. Yet, Nero''s appearance seemed no different from that of an inexperienced youth''s causing them to be unable to read his thoughts clearly. Nero looked at the two that stared at him silently, not saying anything, his manner akin to a child waiting for his parent''s permission, but if one were to look deep within his eyes, they would see that it shone with a sly ray. When the others heard this, they all nodded as they thought it was within reason. The faces of Eagle and Bull contorted, but as they know that they were being watched by quite a few influential individuals, any actions taken would have certain consequences. Yullia, however, made a thoughtful appearance as she contemplated, ''Hmm, this boy, he truly is rather cautious... hehe, I suppose this can be considered a good trait.'' Bull''s face sunk, but he didn''t say anything, Eagle, who was silent for a while frowned as he spoke in a sharp tone, "Boy, what do you mean by your not ready to accept responsibilities? A human Digitizer must fight for the benefits of the human race; it doesn''t matter whether you want to or not; it''s a duty that is entitled to you as an awakener!" Nero frowned hearing this; he didn''t like the tone by which Eagle had used to speak with him, nor his words. However, he was the party at a disadvantage as such; he didn''t need to open his mouth to get himself in trouble. Still, though Nero choice to remain quiet, it would seem that the adorable loli at his side wasn''t interested in seeing him being forced by others. "Hey, who are you to force him to do anything? If he doesn''t want to, he doesn''t want to! You can''t tell him otherwise!" Elly said in a snappish tone. Eagle frowned as he saw Elly spoke, he shook his head and replied, "Miss Balkras, I am sorry, but this isn''t the place for a detached family to speak, this is the affairs of the DU, so I request that you refrain from speaking out here." "You!" Elly grew angered at Eagle''s words, she was about to act out, but Nero gripped her hand and shook his head. Elly sighed when she saw Nero''s look, she knew what Eagle said was true; their family is powerful, but it is not an official DU division and is only an independent force; at most, they could only be considered as partners. ''Damn, these stubborn bastards, it looks like they''re really not going to let me go, will I truly have to make a choice today? I don''t even know anything about their groups in detail...'' Nero inwardly cursed while trying to find a way out. However, at this time, Yullia who silently made a thoughtful look smiled and spoke, "Little Handsome, I accept your request." Not only Nero, but even Bull and Eagle had turned towards her in shock, Nero couldn''t help but think to himself, ''Huh? What''s she up to now?'' He tried to ponder what was going on, but as if Yullia knew his dilemma, she spoke once more, "Little Handsome, you don''t need to be so worried, no one will be forcing you today. Even if that foolish hawk had a bigger beak, he could only peck at you from afar. As long as we want to, no one can force you to do what you don''t want. Besides, what our Blood Steel Society embodies is freedom, how could we recruit you and force you into complying with a series of difficult conditions? Hehe... if that''s so, then we''d be no different from a group of certain individuals wearing hats..." When Eagle and Bull heard her words, they glared at her with dark looks on their faces, but neither of them said anything, even if they wanted to act unscrupulously, they would have to keep the audience around in mind. "Hmph! Boy, I repeat this, the duty of humans is absolute, do your best to remember than when making your decisions, joining some ragtag group of ruffians that acts as they please, is in no way an act for the betterment of humanity!" Eagle said with a snort as he turned around left the area, vanishing like a hawk. Bull gave Yullia a deep look before glancing at Nero as he too left after vanishing. Now, only Yullia and her attendant were left behind with Nero and Elly, who sighed in relief. ''Thank goodness, it seems that I at least have a little room to breath...'' Nero thought with a relieved expression, his eyes that stared at Yullia now a trace of interest, as he somewhat liked that condition of theirs a bit. "I thank Miss Yullia for accepting my request," Nero said in a polite tone. Yullia made a faint smile and replied, "Hehe... good, not only handsome but filled with manners. Boy, do take care now, this is our card, be sure to contact us once you''ve made up your mind. Also, if possible, try and do so within one week. Otherwise, you might miss out on a great opportunity..." When Nero heard this, his eyes flashed as he thought, ''A great opportunity? What does she mean?'' Nero wanted to ask questions, but by the time he focused his attention before him, he noticed that Yullia and the tall man that stood before them had vanished. "They''re so fast..." Nero spoke out loud, his voice having a tinge of regret in it. At this time, Elly seemed to have remembered something; she exclaimed, "Oh, that''s right, the Grand Event!" Nero frowned as he looked at her and spoke with a puzzled look, "A Grand Event? What''s that all about?" Elly looked at Nero recalling that he wasn''t from any group, she shook her head and spoke, "I only now remembered, but it''s something that I was informed about by that Velmon. In a week or so, there''s going to be an event at the Digitizer''s Union. One meant for all rising Digitizers that have achieved Level 10 and have already begun their Inheritance Quests." When Nero heard this, his eyes showed surprise as he narrowed it while in thought, ''Velmon... hmm, I can think about him later.'' Nero then looked at Elly with curious eyes he asked, "Oh, then what''s that all about?" Elly looked at him and shook her head; she then replied, "It''s in preparation for Major Event in the Novice Zone, but I''ve only heard rumors of it, I don''t know of its exact details. All I know is that this event is one that occurs every ten years, and you''d have to be at a fairly decent level and skill in the Novice Zone to claim any rewards from it." When Nero heard this, he felt a feeling of hot bloodedness, he didn''t know of its exact details, but anything to do with rewards could be considered a good thing. His eyes shone with excitement as he thought to himself, ''There might even be a medicine that can heal mother... I must enter this at all costs!'' Elly seeing Nero''s look was curious, she didn''t think his manner would change all of a sudden, she wanted to ask him about it, but right at this moment, a shout was heard. "NERO!" Avollo''s voice sounded as he rushed over like an arrow in flight, arriving only a few seconds after. Elly looked at him a bit confused at first, but she soon exclaimed, "You are... the Grass-Root Sword Kid! What are you doing here?" Avollo shook his head with a weary smile as he spoke, "It''s a long story, but let''s just say that I was waiting on Nero for a while now, because of the previous affairs, I couldn''t interfere due to clan rules." As Avollo said this, he glared at Uncle Ian, who was standing behind him and snorted. Yet, Uncle Ian paid it no mind as he looked at Elly and spoke with a slight bow, "Young Lady Balkras, it''s a pleasure to meet you." Elly being from her family knew who this man was, at this moment she finally showed some refined ness, she made a noble-like bow and spoke, "Likewise, Sir Ian..." Nero glanced at Avollo and snorted as he spoke, "Hmph! I bet you were having a good time, watching me get bullied by those adults." Avollo chuckled and replied, "Of course not, I was rooting for you all the way; besides, after seeing you fight with that new stance of yours my hands had even started to grow a bit itchy, I think we''ll need to do a rematch again to solve this issue." "Hmph! As if, when I''m ready, I will be the one to challenge you, so until then, you''d better wait!" Nero said quickly, dodging another pointless beatdown. Avollo chuckled at this not replying; he knew he wouldn''t be able to trick him into another fight so easily. Elly looked at the two thinking they were quite funny, she glanced at Avollo and thought to herself, ''I''ve heard that he was quite aloof, but it seems that those must have only been rumors.'' At this moment, no presence could be felt from the surroundings, as if everyone had already left. Nero noticing this sighed as he knew that he was at peace, at least for now, he wanted to go and immediately see his mother. As if Uncle Ian read his thoughts, he spoke, "Well then, the matters here are finished, shall I take you all home?" Nero smiled and spoke, "Thanks, I will greatly appreciate it." Elly hesitated for a bit thinking about her butler, but as she didn''t see him around she also replied, "Thank you!" Not long after, they left this region headed towards the parked car''s direction, which soon after drove off into the distance. Yet, while this scene had entered its conclusion, a shocking battle had only now ended in another area. *** Bang! A loud explosion sounded, as the entire top floor of the Paradise Palace had burst into rubble, the clouds of dirt then scattered about making everything within indistinct, but if one looked closely, they would see two individuals. One was the refined-looking Screwgelman Vondelez as the other was the strange Doppleman, the two staring at each other as if this was the last faceoff. Yet, before they could make the final moves, something happened, Doppleman shifted his eyes to a watch as if he could see some information that caused him to frown. However, his expression returned to normal as he smiled and spoke, "Mr. Vondelez, it would appear that our bout has come to its end, may we meet again..." Following his words, his body flickered and vanished from the room. Screwgelman frowned, but he didn''t want to chase after him, his priority was securing Elly, but right at this time, his phone rang with a familiar ring tone, causing his face to sink. Screwgelman gulped as he hurriedly answered the phone, "G-Greetings, Madame!" "..." The person behind the phone waited for a bit before she spoke, "Where is my daughter?" Screwgelman felt as if his heart was in his mouth; he tried to explain, "Madame, I-I can explain, there was an inci-" Screwgelman was about to say something, but his words were soon cut off by the woman, "No salary for six months..." Not even waiting a moment, the phone hung up, leaving Screwgelman on the dial tone. Screwgelman was embarrassed, but his anger was far more than that as it exploded when he lifted his head and roared, "DOPPLEMAAAAN!" A savage battle cry sounded across this sector as if an angry beast called out the heavens, as the night''s chaos ended with one poor soul''s agony. **** Author''s Note: Feeling generous? Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 56：A Blank Moment? Neros Thoughts The night was getting late, and by this hour, the scene within the Gutter Zone was a harsh one. It was during these hours the gangs and the most violent side of the community would bare its truest fangs. Suspicious people were wandering about the street, each with a harsh aura as if they would do the unthinkable by the slightest provocation. One such person with a skinny frame and sly features looked around with shifty eyes. He stared at the only looking two-story house with a small compound, gazing beyond the broken gate at the slightly open window at the top his eyes flickered in a lustful ray. As if he made up his mind, the man licked his lips and started to climb the fence; he stealthy made his way towards the door, placing his ears on it only to hear few light coughing noises that cause his face to show excitement. ''Haha, look''s like I''ll be lucky tonight! Even that brat is not...'' The man was about to think something, but right then and there, he felt a cold feeling all over his body, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. ''This.. what the hell?'' The man thought in shock, but before he could look around to identify the problem, the danger had already arrived. Grip! The sound of something being grasped tightly sounded, one that grew tighter with each passing second, not long after the vague sounds of someone being choked and struggling to speak was heard. "No... ple...ase... spa...re..." The man tried to say something, but sadly, it was too late; the sounds of bones snapping echoed before everything returned to silence. A ruthless air now blew along with this violent night scenery, even the moon grew weary of witnessing its brutality, shifting away from its luminescent lights by means of the floating clouds. Two brutal-looking red pupils that gleamed in an indifferent ray gazed at the man''s corpse that was firmly gripped by his neck. Following these eyes, one would notice a youth''s face with short silver hair, gently flowing with these odd winds as this boy calmly walked with the dead man for a good distance before tossing it into a sewer. Splash! The body made a loud sound as it fell in the sewage waters, before being swept away towards another location, the scene here being withness by a few shifty individuals. Still, they acted as if it was normal, even more so as the person wasn''t observed clearly and vanished soon after. By this time, Nero had once more found himself at the door of his abode; he frowned as he felt strange, causing him to think to himself, ''What was that just now? My head felt a little strange, did I black out?'' Nero was expecting an answer, but Adult Nero seemed to be focused on other things, so he only no longer paying it any mind. After entering the house, Nero closed the door and promptly began to close up firmly. He then went to the kitchen and saw that food was covered on the table, Nero smiled as he spoke to himself, "Ah... mother cooked today, she must have been feeling better." As Nero spoke, he felt happy; he didn''t bother to think about making her food. He filled up a cup of water before going towards her room while shouting, "Mother, I''m home!" When Nero said this, he was expecting a quick reply, but he didn''t hear anything. He felt a bit worried, so he hurried up and climbed the stairs reaching her door in a few seconds. He then opened the room door and saw the beauty with silver hair that rested on the bed in an exhausted manner, her skin as pale as ever, looking as if she couldn''t handle much at all. Nero felt sad as he saw her like this; he knew that she must have had severe symptoms during his time outside, causing her to enter this state. ''Those damn bastards, I hate that they wasted my time!'' Nero inwardly cursed as he hurried over towards her side. Having arrived at his mother''s side, Nero lifted her gently, feeling the heat coming from her back and even noticing that her breath was a bit unsteady. "Mother, wake up, look I''ve brought medicine today," Nero said as he gently shook her. As if she heard his words, Hersa''s eyes slightly opened as she looked at him warmly, she placed one of her palms on the side of his face and spoke, "Nero, welcome home, did you see it? I made you dinner today... see, your mother isn''t useless..." Tears ran down Nero''s cheek as he heard this, he knew she must have struggled hard to make dinner just to let him feel good. "Mother, don''t you worry, you''ll never be useless, even if you can''t move, you will always be my brightest light," Nero said with firm eyes as he stared at her. Hersa smiled as she wiped his tears and spoke weak giggle, "Hehe... my boy is turning into the sweet little talker, be careful, you might lead those innocent ladies astray" Nero blushed sightly before he shifted the topic, he didn''t like how weak she looked, he hurried to place the medicine he bought while coming home to her mouth and spoke, "Mother, take this pill and use this water to gulp it down." Hersa looked at the medicine again, noticing that it was the usual pain relief that could even strengthen the body''s functions. She sighed, knowing full well that he was still holding onto a futile hope, but she didn''t go against his wishes, she swallowed the pill and gulped down the water from the cup in his hand. Only after seeing his mother swallow the pill, did Nero felt slightly better, he noticed that she was growing even more sleepy, as her eyes were droopy. Nero tucked his mother in gently as he spoke, "Mother sleep well, I''ll spend all day with you tomorrow." Hersa sighed as she looked at Nero weakly and spoke, "My... son... don''t mind me... go out... have... fun... with... your... friends..." As Hersa struggling spoke to here, her eyes closed as she fell asleep, it seemed that she had done some really strenuous activities today, causing her flairs up to be worse than the norm. Nero gripped his fists tightly as he stared at his sleeping mother, he murmured under his breath with a firm light in his eyes, "Mother... don''t you worry, I will certainly heal you, no matter what cost I have to pay or deed I have to do!" Following Nero''s words, a chilly wind blew through the crack window, rustling the curtains and his hair. Nero shook his head, he knew full well that it was her habit to leave it open, and was only glad nothing happened while he was gone, and he came home quickly enough. After closing the window and leaving the door slightly open, Nero hurriedly went to eat his food before he sat down in meditation in his room while thinking with a sigh, ''So many events in a single afternoon, to think that a classmate of mine would suffer such a consequence. Damn! It was primarily my fault for being targeted, I really do hope she''s at least able to make it, maybe my own lies were on point and she wasn''t shot in a vital, but even so, who would have had the time to take her to the hospital in that kind of chaotic setting?'' After thinking about the scene of Kara being shot, Nero pushed it to the side of his head, thinking back to the group of False Digitizers that called themselves Bit Hunters. ''These Bit Hunters are far too dangerous, the longer I stay unaffiliated to no group, the more I''ll likely be targeted by them, though it would seem that I''ve been protected by some other group so far. I have yet to know of their intentions, but based on Ryo''s manner, I can at least assume that they aren''t of any threat. They didn''t even seem to interfere in today''s affair; it''s likely that they aren''t thinking of blocking me from choosing to side with some other force. Since this is so, why would they go through the trouble of protecting me in the...?'' Nero was about to come at a conclusion, but his eyes flashed when he remembered something. ''Wait, to protect me? Could it be that they also know of the true grade of my Digitize Bit? If that''s the case, then it would make sense, but if it''s as my older self says and many would hunt me to take it away, why would they offer themselves to protect me in secret?" Nero pondered for a while and was unable to find an answer. Nero sighed, not bothering to think about such things, his eyes narrowed as he shook his head and wrapped up his thoughts, ''It doesn''t matter, I shouldn''t care about those Hatmans and the Blood Steel Society for right now, I can maybe speak with that woman at some other time after I clear my head. What matters at the end of all things is strength, overwhelming personal strength that crushes all things.'' The night soon after growing darker, as it soon arrived at midnight, Nero, who was in meditation had a bright flash when he opened his eyes and commanded, "Digitize..." His body then glowed with multicolored lights before he vanished from his room towards the World of Promise. Chapter 57：Special Weapon Quest, Birgimes Graveyard Today was especially bright in the World of Promise, all the recent newcomers and various regulars amongst Novices were already up and about, being either humans, beast people, or other special and unique races. They each scattered about hurrying towards various areas to partake in today''s questing, or other activities. Nero who spawned within the park where he had logged off, looked around before he hurriedly left the area, he noticed that the scene in the town was by far more lively compared to the small village, but he didn''t stay dazed for long. ''So, what''s this thing about getting a weapon? I don''t have a lot of coins, so I certainly won''t be able to afford it, where do I go to claim it?'' Nero asked his older self while he glanced at his current amount of copper coins. ____ [Total Copper Coins: 12] ____ Adult Nero, who was quiet for a while, replied in a mysterious tone, "It is called a Special Weapon Quest, these are the kinds of the quest you can do to more affordably earn a weapon. However, though affordable it doesn''t mean that it will be easy; each has its own risk, equating to an equivalent reward." When Nero heard this, he felt a bit uneasy, but before he could even say anything, Adult Nero made a dark smile as he spoke, "Yes, that''s right, I just remembered the name of this one, it''s the [Challenge of the Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe]. Huhu, it was fun..." Nero''s face sunk as he heard this, but as if he didn''t want to show it, he gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, ''A Cursed Scythe? Of all the darn names, this bastard, he only wants to watch me suffer...'' Adult Nero snorted as he heard those thoughts, he inwardly decided to choose some harder quests in the future and help him only after he''s suffered to the very brink. Not knowing of those bad thoughts, Nero continued on his way in a somewhat bad mood. Soon, Adult Nero had guided him towards a very spooky area of Birgime. It was here that an eerie mist had filled the streets, a large metal fenced had blocked off a section of land, filled with many gravestones and black structure that stood at its center. Nero felt a chill seeing this area as he read the finely printed words above a tall metal entrance, "Welcome to Birgime''s Graveyard - may your weary soul find peace in eternities resting grounds." Nero frowned as he thought to himself with a bad look on his face, ''I really didn''t think I''d have been forced to find a weapon in such a place...'' Adult Nero chuckled and spoke, "Well, where else would you find a more fitting weapon for a reaper?" Nero clicked his teeth, not bothering to argue with himself, he sucked him his foul mood and hurriedly entered, but as he did so, he noticed that quite a few individuals were walking back and forth, garbed in cult-like robes. "Hey, you... come over here," A shady person said, their entire being emanating a truly disgusting and suspicious air. "Handsome Boy... shall I teach you about your fortune? Or, something else...?" A seductive voice said as a woman whose attire suggested that she wore nothing else but a thing cloak beckoned Nero, her legs fully revealed carrying a startling amount of temptation. Nero gave her slender legs a second look before looking away, other than those strangers; Nero saw a few people dressed as witches and wizards, with some acting like they were celebrating Halloween despite being far away from the month. He thought those people were quite strange and didn''t want to associate with them, or at least, not in this setting. "Hey you, human kid, I''ve never seen you here before, are you also aiming for that scythe?" A skinny looking youth with pale skin, glowing purple eyes, a mark of a purple claw on his forehead and chains hanging from his body said as he glanced towards Nero. Nero turned and glanced at the boy that similar to his age, noticing that he had dark shades under his eyes, giving him a gloomy emo-ish look. Though Nero found his more prominent features a bit odd, somewhat nonhuman, he spoke, "That''s right, is there a problem?" The youth gave Nero and up and down look before sneering, "Ha, as if someone like you can even claim it, a mere human at that, the one who claims this scythe is none other than me, Frazel the Phantom Child," Nero didn''t even pay attention to the youth anymore; his name wasn''t even in the top twelve of the ranking list; he felt it beneath himself to argue with someone like this for no reason. Not even hesitating, Nero hurried along towards the black stone building, walking past the stone-paved track as well as the various stalls set up nearby the sidewalks. Frazel glared Nero feeling angry as he was ignored, but he soon snorted and convinced himself, "Hmph! Arrogant human prick, I''ll show you who''s boss real soon..." Following this, he quickly moved along, hurrying towards the main area as well. Unlike him, it didn''t take long for Nero to reach his destination. He looked and noticed that before the door of the black stone structure, an odd-looking old man sat on top of a wooden crate, he had a scythe tattoo on his forehead, and his eyes were round like circles gleaming in a strange light. As if he didn''t mind Nero, the old man held a scythe over his shoulder as he calmly ate a black colored apple with a suspicious smile. ''I don''t like this man...'' Nero thought to himself, feeling a striking amount of danger from him; he didn''t even want to stand near him. However, it was too late, the man''s attention shifted from his apple towards him, he made a broad smile on his wrinkled face showing a few missing teeth as his eyes curved downwards when he spoke, "Little One, do tell this old grave keeper, what brings you to the door of death?" Nero took a deep breath, trying to convince himself that it was necessary, and nothing terrible would happen. He spoke with a firm tone, "Mister, I would like to try my hands at your Special Weapon Challange, more precisely, the Challenge of the Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe." When Nero said this, a few onlookers couldn''t help but show looks of shock as they didn''t think a rookie would be so brave. Before they could say anything or react to the scenario, another voice sounded as if it was Nero''s echo. "I Frazel would like to partake in this trial!" Frazel said as he soon after arrived at the old man''s location. "Frazel? You mean that 15 ranker rising talent from the Grim Race, a Halloween dressed human amongst other races, said he stared at Frazel. "Ha, these new brats surely are something, from ever since this trial came about, only one person has ever cleared it, they don''t know their own limits," Another person said in mock. Nero was calm, he ignored everyone else and stared at the old man, but as for Frazel, he acted differently as if everyone''s words provoked him. "Hmph! You''ll all see, I will prove that I am the only one worthy of that scythe!" Frazel said in a loud manner. The crowd chuckled at this thinking of it as only the ramblings of a child. By this time, the old man made a slight laugh as his smile grew wider when he spoke, "Oh dear... you little ones are quite brave. Fine, since you are both so willing, then I shall allow it. I shall grant you both passage to the trial space, do you best your best now..." When the old man said this, Nero felt a bit worried, but before he could say anything, the old man''s eyes glowed in a green light as a bright green ray enveloped Nero''s body as he vanished from this part of the world. The old man''s eyes flickered in a strange ray as he looked at the empty space before him, his mouth curving in a devilish smile as he spoke to himself, "Funny... he reminds me of another brat, his scent oh so familiar..." The scene here soon after returned to normal, as no one paid the old man too much attention, or rather, no one dared to interfere in his affairs Chapter 58：The First Test When Nero had awoke, he found himself in a different setting, around him was a chamber of old and hard looking stone, each with a few plants growing through their cracks. He smelled another type of scent, a smell he was all too familiar with in some regions of the Gutter Zone. ''It smells like death here...'' Nero thought to himself as he looked around with a frown, but though the foul odor was immense, it didn''t seem to do more than slightly disturbed him. "Hmm, what do I do now?" Nero spoke to himself as he stared around, noticing that other than an endless passage of darkness, only within his chamber was a few wall-mounted candles that burned in spooky green lights. "..." Adult Nero remained silent as this was Nero''s test, he should face it by himself and learn the ways of these kinds of trials. ''Tsk! Fine, be like that, I can solve it on my own...'' Nero cursed inwardly, as he began to observe more carefully. Looking on the stone-paved ground, one would notice a few bones from unusual creatures and a few sticks wrapped by what seemed like flammable material on one end. A dreary silence filled the area, leaving only the sounds from the burning candles that sent a wave of gloominess to all souls. Nevertheless, Nero didn''t mind this as he paused for a moment to think, ''There are no instructions as to what I should be doing, so it''s highly likely that this phase is a part of the trial itself. I''ll just grab a torch and make my way through...'' Not wasting any time, Nero grabbed a torch and lit it from one of the mounted candles, causing its end to ignite in a green flame. He cautiously made his way through the dark hallway, traveling towards the unknown with a brave heart, the small radius of light slowly pushing away the dark as it revealed some sections ahead. After walking for a while, Nero soon noticed another light source ahead, he smiled and spoke, "Finally, it''s about time I got to the end," Following his words, Nero picked up his pace, arriving at that sector in less than a minute. Currently, the light from his torch was overwhelmed by the newfound red light that illuminated both Nero and the surrounding dozen or so meters. Nero looked and saw that this area was nothing more than a slightly large circular chamber, with the only difference being its statue that shone with bright lights at its center. It was a statue of a reaper, his robe obscured his face, but his skeleton arms, which had an exquisitely detailed scythe were showed from its well-carved sleeves. Nero stared at this with a frown as he thought, ''Che! To think it was nothing more than a dead-end, what do I do now?'' As if the statue heard his thoughts, two circular red lights shone from underneath its hood, Nero sensing this change stepped back in alarm as he exclaimed, "Darn! I really hope this thing won''t be some monster to defeat!" However, though he said this, Nero still assumed a battle stance, calling out his Crimson Iron Sword. Moments after, the walls shook as three different pathways had appeared on the walls behind the statue. Before Nero could even react in surprise, a voice soon sounded in Nero''s head along with a series of information that appeared before his eyes. ____ [Commencing First Test!] [You have 1 minute to choose the correct path of the doors behind you, otherwise, you shall be transferred from this Trial Zone.] [Human Novice, listen to the riddle, and choose wisely!] [The truth lies beyond salvation, but courage is the way to victory.] ____ Nero frowned as he saw this, he placed the sword away while thinking to himself, ''A riddle? Is this old grave keeper playing a game... tch! I guess it can''t be helped; let''s take a look at these doors.'' As Nero thought, he hurriedly shifted his eyes from the statue, noticing the three doors. One of them had a dense blood aura, as just by looking at it, he saw illusions of a skull and wandering souls. The second door had a feeling of calmness as if nothing was behind it, it was as if it would lead one to an internal world of emptiness. Lastly, the final door was even more unique; it had a holy and divine aura as if it could lead one to the heavens. After inspecting the doors, Nero''s eyes took on a strange look as he recited the riddle, "The truth... lies beyond salvation, but courage is the way to victory. Hmm, such an interesting choice of words¡­ could it be¡­?" When Nero thought here, his eyes flickered as he stared at the doors carefully, his mouth curved into a smile when he thought to himself, ''Heh, you underestimate me old man...'' Following this, Nero took a step forward with a confident expression, heading towards one of the doors. However, while Nero did this in another room, Frazel was currently looking at the three doors before him with a panicked expression. "Darn! What the hell kind of riddle is this? How do I choose?" Frazel said while feeling anxious, his expression one of a struggle. He looked nearby the statute and saw that an hourglass was quickly running out of sand, as he now had roughly 30 seconds left. "I won''t lose to some human brat!" Frazel said as he closed his eyes and ran towards a random door, not even bothering to think about the consequences. Both Nero and Frazel make their own choices, but unaware to either of them, within the Birgime Graveyard, the old grave keeper sat calmly on his crate with a peculiar smile on his face if he was enjoying something. "Hoho... well now, such interesting choices, one found out by luck and the other with intelligence. Still, I wonder, what will they do in the second test?" The old grave keeper said in an odd tone, his squinted eyes glowing a dim green light as he slightly opened them. The air here still carrying a dark spooky vibe, as it once more shifted towards the unknown chamber were both Nero and Frazel were still undergoing his tests. *** Nero had taken the door with blood-red auras, his face filled with confidence as he stepped through it without a strand of hesitation. Having warped and arrived at a new location in moments, Nero felt proud as he thought, ''I knew, it could only be inferring that the true path was the path that required courage, how could the others even make sense?'' Though Nero felt proud of his success, he didn''t forget to inspect his new surroundings. He soon noticed that he was in a broad room, one in which a myriad of reaper statues was arranged uniquely. A giant statue with a crown rested at its center as it glowed in bright lights, one that carried a dangerous presence causing Nero to frown as he sighed while thinking to himself, "It seems that this might take a bit longer than I''d anticipated..." The scene here soon after undergoing a drastic change as every statue glowed with brilliant lights, beckoning the start of a more ominous and troublesome test. Chapter 59：The Test of Strength As the lights had faded, the scene revealed was no other than a sight of marvel. A platform had risen at the center of this room, one surrounded by a series of sharp spikes, Nero stood at the center of this platform, gazing at the myriad of statues that now surrounded himself. As he inspected the area, he saw no pathways beyond the sights of these statues and spikes, but the scenery of wall-carved sculptures with moss and grass growing over both of them and the high walls. The very spooky candles burning with green flames illuminated quite a few sections, as an even more dismal mood could be felt from the surroundings. Nero shifted his sights onto the area where the giant statue had once been, after erupting in a series of bright lights, it had vanished transforming into a small ball with two rings around it. It hovered above the center of this platform, giving one a mystical feeling. ''What''s going to happen now? Will it be another riddle of sorts?'' Nero thought to himself as he observed the sphere that floated above. Soon though, the sphere seemed to have shown some reaction towards Nero''s ponderings. It glowed in blue lights as the notification sounded as text appeared before Nero''s eyes. ____ [Commencing Second Test - The Test of Strenght!] [You have 2 minutes to defeat your enemy! Failure will result in death and a loss of one level!] [Defeat the Death Guard of the Strength Platform and you shall be transferred to the final testing grounds!] [Commencing Test!] ____ When Nero heard this, his face sunk as he cursed, "Darn, what kind of penalty is this? A loss in level, you''ve got to be kidding me!" As Nero said this, he saw that the ring around the floating sphere had begun to spin around it rapidly. He gritted his teeth and said inwardly, ''Tch! I can''t afford to lose since it''s already sending me into a combat test, looks like I''ll need to get even more serious.'' As Nero finished contemplating, he quickly held his crimson iron sword in the sword draw stance as his eyes stared around intently. Soon, the sphere from above glowed in a menacing red light, creating a giant that was roughly four times Nero''s size. It was a bare-skinned warrior, with rippling muscles and chains that hung from cuffs around his arms, his face was covered by an executioner mask as he hoisted a large ax in one arm. Nero gulped, seeing the intimidating figure before him; never in his life did he saw a man so big. He felt a bit worried, but as he recalled the penalty, he sucked up his worries and increased is grip on his sword handle while inspecting its details. ____ [Death Guard] [Level: 4] [Grade: Common (Quasi Middle Class)] [Health: 400/400] [Magic Power 100/100] [Combat Force: 125 stones] [Body Tenacity: 40] [Spiritual Awareness 30] [Speed 58 km/h]: [Skill: Beheading Chop] [Description: These are monsters born of darkness in the Nether Regions. A being that has learned from the experiences of its past soul and awakened its talents as an executioner.] ____ Upon seeing the Death Guard''s details, Nero felt like cursing, but as he knew that the situation was now of one of utmost danger, he didn''t dare to let his guard down and pushed his senses to the peak. ''I didn''t even think I would have to face such a thing here, darn... the only bright side is its speed is much slower than mine. It''s no wonder why it''s Quasi Middle Class, I''ll need to take it down in the shortest time possible,'' Nero thought with sharp-looking eyes, he knew he wasn''t a match for it in frontal combat, so he didn''t dare to attack reckless but find an opening. The Death Guard seemed to have finally focused his attention on Nero, his eyes from the two holes on his executioner mask had a cold glint as he raised the ax in battle posture. Bang! A towering amount of Magic Power was instantly released from its body, causing a small number of cracks to appear on the platform below its feet. "Die! Beheading Chop!" The Death Guard shouted without even showing any intentions to hold back his strength. He jumped from his position, looking no different from a lion pouncing on a rabbit. The savagery of his battle cry, capable filling anyone with a wave of terror as it swung the ax in his arm, was swung down violently with its edge shimmering in baleful rays. Nero was calm, his senses were pushed to the peak, and as this fellow was already slower than him, he could be more patient and observe his attack more carefully. As the ax swept towards his head, Nero saw as the Magic Power of the Death Guard was slowly conjuring around its edge. He even saw his airborne figure, was slowly descending as well as the angle of the swing. Suddenly, Nero''s eyes flickered as if he saw an opening, he shifted his body to the left side, narrowly avoiding the ax that cut across his neck in a horizontal right slash. Swing! The cut leaving a line behind in the air, as a harsh gush of wind blew due to the force of the Death Guard''s swing. Now that his attack had narrowly missed Nero, the Death Guard had landed on the ground with one leg; his body also slanted towards the direction his hand had swung the ax. ''Now''s my chance, take my Flash Cut!'' Nero shouted in his mind as after balancing himself at the side angle, he pushed himself forward and rapidly unsheathed his sword, cutting a dazzling but swift silver ray towards the Death Guard''s neck. The sword seemed to be lost in the silver lights, as it rapidly near the Death Guard''s neck. However, it was right at this time, the Death Guard showed a sly look in its eyes, as its body, which seemed to be unbalanced, had continued to spin one leg. From this angle, he carried the momentum from this previous swing, using it to twist his body at alarming speeds. It didn''t even take two seconds for his body to rotate at an angle where the ax was once more swung toward''s Nero''s head. "Damn!" Nero cursed out loud, he hurriedly changed the angle of his sword attack, using it to cut towards the edge of the ax from an upward angle. Ting! The two metals clashed against each other, but only one person was pushed backward. Nero was blasted towards the edge of the platform, hurled backward with his sword held before him, his arm feeling numb as he was having trouble holding the sword. Nevertheless, this was only a small part of Nero''s worries, as the force had knocked him outside of the battle platform, pushing him directly above the sea of spikes. "This isn''t good!" Nero exclaimed in alarm, as his body faded into the darkness and fell towards the inevitable doom. The Death Guard watched this in silence, as he held the battle-ax over its shoulder with a victorious posture. He sneered while gazing towards Nero, but soon, his eyes narrowed as he saw an unexpected scene. *** PS: If we can make it into the 100 of power rankings today, I shall gift you all an Extra Chapter. Chapter 60：Defeating the Death Guard, The Victors Reward Nero was about to fall prey to the sinister spikes scattered around the battle platform, his body falling in a backward manner due to the shocking blow from the previous exchange with the Death Guard. ''Darn! I-I have to do something!'' Nero thought in a hurry as his senses were pushed to the peak. In a moment, the area below him started to become imprinted in his mind, appearing as sharp objects of a red color. As if something shifted within him, Nero soon felt strange, as if he had experienced countless scenarios filled with similar kinds of danger. Without even a slight moment of hesitancy, Nero''s body began to twist instinctively, doing a skillful backflip as his foot kicked against the side of an upraised spike. Using the force from this maneuver, he propelled himself into the air, bouncing towards the direction of the battle platform as the somewhat surprised Death Guard stared at him with an angry look in his eyes. Bang! With a surge of power, the Death Gaurd once more prepared to unleashed its [Beheading Chop] skill. It''s large eyes glowing in red lights as it hoisted the battle-ax, causing its edge to shimmer in a baleful ray. Nero''s face grew stern as he noticed its actions, but as if the strange feeling was still influencing him, his mind became sharper as even his fear faded by a large section, causing him to feel surprised. ''This... why do I feel like this? I feel as if I understand it even more than myself...'' Nero thought to himself, as his eyes had an odd glint. Still, despite his questioning thoughts he didn''t dare to distract himself, he had a hunch it was related to Adult Nero, but now wasn''t the time to press for answers. Swoosh! In a flash, Nero had arrived at the edge of the battle platform, his arm firmly gripping the handle of the iron sword as he glared at the Death Guard awaiting his attack. "Raaahhh!" The Death Gaurd made a savage roar, no longer using common language as he swung his ax fiercely towards Nero''s neck. Looking from his assaulting stance, and Nero who had yet to recover his posture after landing, one could tell that there was no way to avoid it. Its ax left a trailing arc of light as it cut through the void. Yet, even within this kind of peril, Nero didn''t seem to be phased. He made an odd smirk, a bit different from his usual character as he invoked his [Four Point Unity Steps], allowing himself to duck at high speeds. With a whooshing sound, the ax cut across the void, slicing directly above Nero''s head while his remnant shade was still visible. The Death Guard was alarmed at this, but it didn''t take long to react as it was fully experienced in combat. It looked down with its two red pupils, glaring at Nero that stood below him as it continued its previous attack, using the momentum of the swing to rotate its body for a stronger and faster assault. Nero glanced up at the Death Guard as he was still in a crouched position, his red pupils having a sly look as his arm firmly gripped the iron sword''s handle. ''Hmph! That won''t work twice, especially now that I can see your weakness...'' Nero thought with a cruel look as he stared at a glowing crest that appeared at the back of its head, which was now visible due it rotating at high speeds. Nero''s world was one of slow motion, as he pressed his feet against the floor and invoked his [Four Point Unity Steps] a second time. In less than a second, his body had moved like the wind, as he jumped towards the positioned of the Death Guard''s head. However, as if the Death Guard''s twisting motion was simply too fast, by the time Nero had reached its head, the ax was once again only one step from cutting him into two halves. "Che! As if I''d let you!" Nero shouted, using one hand to grasp the broad side of the ax, not even wasting a moment his arm pushed his body further upward as he narrowly avoided the second horizontal swing. The Death Guard, realizing that its second swing had missed, showed a shocked look, but sadly, this was the last emotion it would have a chance to express. Nero, now directly above its head, didn''t even hesitate to strike with the iron sword that now glowed in dazzling silver lights; his arm swept out like a snake, blurring as it cut the sword towards the crest as it left a bright silver light trailing behind it. In almost a flash, Nero''s sword had lodged itself firmly into the head of the Death Guard, his cold looking red eyes watching it raised both arms in a struggle, its body trembling as even the ax had fallen from its grasp, crashing onto the platform. "Arrghh!" With a painful cry, the Death Guard''s body began to turn into black smoke that faded away into the surroundings. Soon, it had vanished entirely, leaving behind a single item that was shining brightly on the ground. Nero heaved a sigh of relief as he landed on the platform and spoke inwardly, ''Whew, that was a tough one... I suppose you''re not going to let me know how the hell I found its weakness now, aren''t you?'' Unlike Nero''s thought, however, Adult Nero gave him a direct reply, "It''s simple, you merely accessed a few bits of memories relating to the creature from the first door. The more creatures you fight against that are of a certain scale, the more chances you will have to access more details, even if your brain can''t process it all at once your body will instinctively remember its movements." ''So in the end, it all amounts to the level of intensity, and my efforts. It looks like I''ll need to start challenging a variety of monsters once I reach a stronger enough scale,'' Nero thought as his eyes shone with a determined look, his fist clenched as he stared at the scene ahead. While Nero was in thought, however, it was at this moment that he heard a notification in his mind as text began appearing before his eyes. ____ Ding! [You have defeated a Death Guard! You''ve gained 22 EXP!] Ding! [You have completed the Test of Strength, commencing the Final Test in ten seconds!] [10... 9... 8...] ____ Nero looked at his EXP in surprise, as he thought, ''Ah... that''s a lot more than even those Martial Apes, maybe its because its a Quasi-Greater Digital Monster. Hehe... I''m looking forward to defeating one and seeing just how many exp I can get...'' As Nero had such thoughts, he made a somewhat childish look which was more fitting for his age. Adult Nero looked at this in silence, his cold and ruthless look taking on a slight amount of warmness; it was many years ago that he saw himself made such an innocent smile. The time was running out quickly, and it was then that Nero had noticed the shining object on the ground. He looked down and spoke in surprise, "Huh? I didn''t even realize that an item had fallen, I wonder what it is?" As Nero said this, he hurriedly picked up the object, which was revealed as one of the sinister-looking chain cuffs wrapped around the Death Guard''s wrists. ____ Ding! [You have received a Judgment Cuff!] ____ Nero''s eyebrows raised as he heard the notification, he this wanted to inspect it, but sadly, it would seem that the timer had run out. ____ Ding! [Countdown has ended, commencing transference!] ____ Following this notification, the sphere began to glow in bright lights soon after, enveloping Nero''s body before it beamed him away towards a different location. Yet, though the scene here ended in a climactic victory, another watched on in silence. The old grave keeper''s pupils shone in an eerie light as he floated above like a ghost that blended into the surroundings. "Fascinating, he''s even a bit faster than that brat from the Grim Race. Though he isn''t by any means a startling genius, for him to defeat this Death Guard when none of his core techniques are even at the Fifth Stage is enough to make him a peculiar brat amongst those human kids. Huhu... I wonder, what choice will he make in that last test... oh so exciting," The old grave keeper said as his eyes flickered, before vanishing into nothingness, as the scene here remained one of silence. ______ Author''s Note: Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Twitter -https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Patreon-https://www.*******.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 61：The Final Test Within a dark room with a battle platform surrounded by spikes, a shockwave had just sounded as the figure of a similar-looking Death Guard that Nero had faced had finally met its demise. As this happened, a thin youth with pallid skin and glowing purple eyes was noticed panting for breath in a lightly exhausted manner as he held onto a simple poleaxe. "Finally, I beat that wretched thing... it took even someone with my skills quite a while, heh... that human is most probably dead," Frazel said with a victorious smirk on his face. After catching his breath, he collected his reward as the timer finished and the blue sphere shone in bright lights as it beamed him away from this area. *** It didn''t take long for Nero to appear within the final testing area; his body beamed down from the sky like a ray of blue light that reformed at the center of a large magic diagram. When Nero looked around, he noticed that surrounding him was nothing more than a small palace room, one with roughly six different towering pillars that formed a circle around him. A giant green scythe with cryptic markings that was a few dozen meters long and had a blade that shimmered in cold rays hovered beyond these pillars at the central position of this room, illuminating most of the dark scene. ''Is that the famed scythe of this challenge?'' Nero asked with wide eyes as he stared at the glowing green scythe. Adult Nero replied, "Yes, that is the Scythe of Grezelor... this test is tricky so do your best to make the right choice." Nero''s face turned stern, as this was the first warning he had gotten from his older self in a while. He calmly inspected the room before checking the scythe''s details. ____ [Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe] [Details: Unknown...] ____ ''Huh? Why isn''t it showing me anything? Is it because I have yet to finish the challenge?'' Nero thought with a puzzled expression on his face, but sadly, his questions would have to end. Ping! With a sharp sound, another ray of light beamed down from the ceiling, landing in another area a few dozen meters away from Nero''s location. As Nero looked over, he noticed that the area was very similar to his own, with six pillars surrounding a magic circle. ''So, he finally made it, it looks like this test will be done in the same area...'' Nero thought while looking at Frazel in silence. Frazel at this time, let out a hearty laugh as he saw the room and glowing scythe before him, he spoke, "Hahaha! I did it; I finally made it! The Cursed Scythe of Grezelor is mine!" In his moment of splendor, Frazel didn''t even notice that Nero was nearby, he hurried to try and leave his diagram, but as his foot reached its edge, a shocking scene occurred. Buzz! Following a loud sound, a barrier pushed him back with great force, causing him to smash against one of the upraised pillars. The instant this happened, a shocking amount of lightning had zapped him from all angles. "Ahhhh!" Frazel cried out before the changes stopped, his body fell on his face as he collapsed on the magic diagram while twitching. Nero shook his head as he saw this, he thought to himself, ''I sure am glad I didn''t leave this circle, I could tell that it wasn''t such a simple thing from the start...'' Frazel didn''t know Nero''s thoughts, but that could also be considered a good thing. He soon lifted his injured body from the ground as his hair was in disarray and face was covered in a beaten-down look. "This damned thing!" Frazel was about to curse, but he soon noticed that Nero was standing on the other side. His eyes went wide in surprise before his look turned to one of anger when he spoke, "You... why didn''t you warn me of the dangers?" Nero snorted and replied, "Do I look like your mother?" Frazel''s eyes shrink at those words, he glared at Nero and spoke, "You... I''ll have you know that I''ll remember those words." Nero didn''t pay Frazel any mind, in a short while, another buzzing sound was heard as the room began to shake. Both Nero''s and Frazel''s eyes became stern as they knew the test was about to begin. Not long after, a bright green ray flashed as a spectator had appeared. It was a man wearing a green robe, holding onto a simple scythe with sinister green eyes. He glanced at both Nero and Frazel as he chuckled before speaking, "Huhu... welcome to the final test, I can tell that you are both fairly talented, but this test isn''t an easy one. Many greater talents had arrived here, and majority of them had failed at this final step." When Nero and Frazel heard this, they looked on with sharp eyes, neither of them was willing to back down from this test. The reaper smirked seeing this; he didn''t bother trying to use his psychological tactics to cause them to falter. He decided to get to the point, "Huhu... intriguing, fine then, I see that you''re both quite determined, since it''s so then let us commence with the test." The instant he finished his words, his body erupted with a towering amount of green energy, this power causing the faces of Nero and Frazel to sink as they felt a chilling oppressing even within their souls. ''Such power... there''s no way that I can fight him, I sure am glad this test isn''t related to combat,'' Nero thought with a somewhat relief look, but as he knew that it wouldn''t be so simple, he clenched his fists with determination to face any unknown. The reaper made a sinister chuckle as it spun its scythe before catching it with one palm, positioning its blade in attacking posture as its edge shimmered coldly. "There are three paths to Grezelor''s Artifact, choose one and find the answer for your sincerity. The first is the path of suffering, the second is the path of death, and the third is the path of treasures... you have one minute to make your choice, failure to comply will result in your rejection of the challenge," The reaper said in an icy voice, as he stared at both Nero and Frazel. Nero listened to this surprised, as was Frazel, the two remained silent for a while as they made pondering looks. ''How troubling... this seems simple, but at the same time it''s not that obvious, what do I choose?'' Nero thought as he began to ruminate the reaper''s words carefully. Frazel, on the other hand, made a sly smirk as he glanced at Nero and spoke, "Haha, human boy, it looks like I''ll be the winner of this challenge, see you around." When Frazel said this, he stared at the reaper and spoke, but when he opened his mouth, Nero didn''t hear anything he was saying as if his choice was blocked from his ears. The reaper''s eyes glowed as he stared at Frazel, who then showed a puzzled, then an alarmed expression as his voice finally returned when he shouted, "Nooo! I won''t accept---" Before Frazel could finish his words, in an instant, the reaper''s body vanished, appearing directly before him as he cut the scythe across him in a horizontal slash. Frazel then disappeared from the room as the last thing shown was the regret and hatred in his eyes. With another flash, the reaper once more returned to its previous positioned as if it never moved. It''s body emanating with a dense amount of spooky green Magic Power. Nero gritted his teeth at this, not because Frazel failed, but that he didn''t even hear his choice. He cursed to himself, ''Darn, such an awful test, and that bastard seem as if he''s having fun too...'' When Nero thought to here, he noticed that the reaper''s face was a smug one as he winked at him with his glowing green eyes and spoke, "One down, only one to go... time is ticking. Huhuhu..." Nero felt angered a by his laugh, but he took a deep breath, diving deep into his thoughts to ponder, the room growing silent as a spooky mist formed. The mood becoming a tense one as Nero''s final struggle began¡­ Chapter 62：Nero’s Choice, End of the Challenge The atmosphere was a tense one, as the room became clouded by a dark haze. The reaper silently stood as if counting down the seconds while he glared at Nero with his glowing green eyes, his sinister scythe now gleaming sharply at its edges. By this time, Nero stood still gazing at the hovering green scythe as his mind was rapidly processing the reapers words, ''There are three paths to Grezelor''s Artifact... if I choose one, I will find the answer for my sincerity. The first is the path of suffering, the second is the path of death, and the third is the path of treasures.'' When Nero recalled those words, he began to analyze them, ''If I take the first sentence, then it''s likely referring to some kind of offering, each path in this sense is one kind of way to prove my sincerity. However, which do I choose? Out of suffering, death, and treasures which would be the most effective offering for claiming an artifact belonging to a reaper?'' As Nero''s thoughts ran wild, his forehead began to run with sweat as he knew he didn''t have much time left. He was starting to feel anxious, which hindered his thinking ability. The reaper looked at him with a smirk as he thought to itself, "Huhu... he''s still too young, he''s not able to figure out something that simple so easy..." Time passed and only 10 seconds was remaining, Nero who forcibly calmed himself down, pondered even more as his eyes had a look of surprise as if he realized something. ''Hmm, wait... the ways to show one''s sincerity to a reaper... if I choose the path of treasures that would in no way work, and if I choose the way of suffering, while bearing the burnt of a harsh torture through sheer will is viable, its still lacking essence of what a reaper desires. In that sense, a reapers desire should be the most obvious thing which is death, how could I not see it?'' As Nero''s thoughts ran here, the reaper smiled and began to countdown, "Five, four, three..." Nero seeing this hurriedly replied, "Wait, I found the answer, I choose the Path of Death!" The reaper laughed in a sinister manner as he blurred and appeared directly before Nero. As he saw this, Nero was alarmed, he tried to parry, but he was in no way a match for the reaper. Swing! With a wide slash, the reaper sliced Nero into two halves, causing him to feel alarmed, he could feel his entire world collapsing as if everything had come to an end. The life in his body was slowly leaving him as his world started to grow dim. Nero, having encountered death before knew full well what this hopeless feeling was, he even felt as if this was true death and not some simple video game result. ''Am I dying for real... or is it just game...?'' Nero, having now confused his current state from reality to nonreality thought with blank eyes. However, as he felt the familiar coldness and numbness much similar to that time with the truck, no matter how hard he tried to move, he couldn''t even move his fingers much less breathe, he thought it was certainly not that simple. ''Noooo! I can''t die like this, who will take care of my mother?'' Nero cursed in his mind as he began to feel despair. Soon though, he began to see his mother''s images, recalling her sickly state and how hard she tried to raise him all on her own. His poor mother stood in the rain at the pharmacy just to get him medicine from a store owner who just closed business. His mother, who no matter the struggle they went through, did her very best to put food on the table and feed him his favourite meal during his younger years, even dragging her body in her sick state. "Nero, do your best now..." His mother''s voice said as she looked at him from his memories as if cheering him on regardless of his issues. Suddenly, as if something in Nero changed, his lifeless body found power as he finally moved his fingers, he gripped them tightly and shouted inwardly, ''I REFUSE TO DIE!'' Nero didn''t care if it was actual death or fake death; he only wanted to live regardless. The world around him had changed as his severed body began to glow as it started to reconnect. Each of his muscles wriggled as they tried to stitch him up in one piece, during this process, Nero felt an ungodly amount of pain that seemed to have traveled all the way to his soul, causing him to scream, "Ahhhhhhh!" The reaper who held his blood dripping scythe looked at Nero in surprise as he spoke his thoughts aloud, "Well now, I never thought that you''d not only select the correct choice but also pass the hidden test within it. Huhu... did you even know the specialness of making the right choice? Dying at this point would be no different from death in your world, but even this knowledge, you could easily overcome it. In all my years here, no matter the countless talents I''ve witnessed, your willpower is amongst the finest for your age. This trial is your victory..." As the reaper spoke, a bright light shone from his eyes as the scythe behind him floated towards Nero, who wailed in pain. Soon, Nero''s body had fully healed as he began to fall towards the ground. However, the reaper waved his hand, causing Nero to float in the air while being unconscious. He looked at him with a smile as his body reformed into the image of the old grave keeper when he spoke, "Young boy... I want to see how far you will grow..." As the old grave keeper said this, he pointed his finger, causing the green scythe to shrink rapidly and fly into Nero''s body like a ray of green light. Once this happened, the old grave keeper waved his hand once more and spoke, "May we meet again in the Higher Zones brat... teleport!" Following these words, Nero''s body became engulfed by a bright ray of lights that slowly started to transfer him out of the room. Yet, it was at this time that the old reaper''s eyes narrowed as he stared at Nero''s direction. Swish! Nero turned into a ray of light that vanished as he was transferred to the town. As the old grave keeper looked at where Nero vanished, he made a puzzled look as he spoke to himself, "How odd, first I smell a familiar fellow''s scent on his body, but then I smelled another odor. But it''s not right, why would he have such a smell? A smell that can only linger on the dead¡­" The old grave keeper placed one arm on his chin with a confused expression, but he soon shook his head and no longer pondered it. He smirked while thinking, ''Huhu... he might prove to be quite the fascinating rookie amongst those humans...'' As he finished his words, his spooky laugh sounded as his body began to fade away, merging into his surroundings like an actual ghost, thus bringing an end to Grezelor''s Challenge. Chapter 63：The Difference Between Weapons When Nero woke up, he found himself at the position of the old grave keeper, he held the side of his head as if he was still shaken up by the previous experience, but as his mind slowly cleared up, he noticed that the old man was no longer at his position. ''Hmm, did I pass the test?'' Nero thought as he finally recovered enough to look around and scrutinize the area. However, right at this time, a sound had gone off in his mind. ____ Ding! [You have completed the Special Weapon Quest!] Ding! [Because of your outstanding performance, you gain an extra reward! 300 EXP has been awarded!] Ding! [You gained the Rare Weapon Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe!] ____ When Nero heard those details, he felt ecstatic as he gripped his fist and pumped it into the air, he wanted to yell Heck Yeah! However, he soon found that just that simple action was giving him strange looks from the others in the area. ''I guess I should go celebrate and check out this weapon in private...'' Nero thought as he made a slightly embarrassed look and began to hurry away. While leaving, he looked around for traces of that Frazel fellow but as he didn''t see him, he no longer pondered about him. Soon, Nero had left Birgime''s Graveyard and was now wandering on the bustling streets. The time was now 8 am, as the challenge didn''t really take up that much of Nero''s time, so he still had plenty amount remaining to level up and start his other Special Quest While walking past a few humans and other beings, Nero had a happy expression as he tried to stir conversation with his older self, ''Hey, I didn''t think the rewards were so good, it even gave me a lot of EXP. I''m curious about one thing though, how strong is a Rare Weapon compared to a common one?'' Adult Nero glanced at him as he sat in a crossed-legged posture in his mind, he then replied, "A Special Quest is at the end of the day, still a quest, if you meet its conditions to a certain degree you will gain an equivalent amount of EXP. As for the weapon grades, they are like this, each weapon in this world is divided from Common, Superior, Rare, Sub Epic, Epic, and a few others that are currently far beyond your reach." Nero had curious eyes when he heard those details; he calmly listened as he continued to walk. Adult Nero then continued to speak, "In this Novice Zone, in particular, the best weapon you could ever find would be a rare grade, which was solely up to the luck and talent of the person seeking that weapon. You see, rare weapons, unlike common and superior, aren''t just limited by the increase in stats, but they are considered growable type weapons that grow to a certain standard once bounded to their master. Much like Inheritance Weapons, but let''s save those details for later¡­ your Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe is naturally amongst this category and is even more special because of its accompanying gift. However, I won''t say much here; once you check it out you will understand it yourself." ''A gift? I must see what this gift is to make a little special from that other rare equipment. I''ll test it out on my way to deal with that darn monk''s quest,'' Nero thought with beaming eyes as he picked up the pace, he once more spoke to his older self, ''Where is the Blackfern Hollows?'' Adult Nero hearing this smirked as he spoke, "Head out from the northern exit of Birgime and travel towards the north-eastern ends of the Greater Plains. I highly advise you to at least level up once more before you go there; otherwise, it''s your fault if you lose a level..." Nero was already thinking these thoughts, he nodded his head and replied inwardly, ''Fine.'' The two no longer spoke, as they were already clear about the rest of the day''s objectives; they calmly proceed onwards, ignoring everyone else as they went about their day. *** A ray of light flashed within one of Brigime''s resting spots, moments after Avollo had appeared in the spot he had fallen asleep. He yawned as he looked around and spoke, "Huh? I logged in a bit late, and he''s already gone..." When Avollo said this, he checked the time and knocked his forehead with his knuckles remembering the time difference as he thought to himself, ''Che! I always forget these kinds of things, truly annoying. Oh well, I''ll just head off to level up, I might as well start my own preparations for that DU meet up.'' As Avollo wrapped up his thoughts, he noticed that Ryo had also logged in as if he had only just arrived home. He stared at him and saw that he only looked his way once before vanishing like a blur as he left the area. Avollo shook his head and spoke under his breath, "This guy... good luck finding Nero, that fellow has already gone to court death with that quest..." When Avollo recalled dangers he heard about, he didn''t try it in his first week simply because he wasn''t interested, but those who attempted it all failed and lost more than just a level. He shook his head from side to side as a smirk came on his face when he left the garden with a single thought in mind, "May the force be with you... huhu..." *** In a pub, a large fellow with a square-shaped face was seated beside a petite girl with large eyes, but a sulking look. The large fellow looked at the girl with a slightly funny look in his eyes as he spoke as if teasing, "Elly, why are you sulking?" Elly looked at her brother with angry eyes as she complained, "Brother, mother bullied me! She said I didn''t solve those math problems on my own!" Raynas snorted as he replied, "Elly, who did you think was going to be fooled by such tricks? We all know your grades! Most importantly, as the one to check over your notes single the day you started writing, how could mother not know your writing style?" Elly hearing this made an embarrassed look on her face as she lowered her head, she tried to counter, "But that''s unfair..." Raynas ignored her words as he spoke, "Come, tell me, who did you bully to solve your problems?" Elly hearing this trembled slightly, she didn''t look at his face but knew that Raynas would only get angry if she didn''t reply. She sighed and spoke in a mosquito-like voice, "I... I didn''t bully anyone, I only asked for help," Raynas hearing this was alarmed, he never thought she would do something so mannerly, he spoke, "Oh, and who did you politely ask for help?" Elly started fidgeting at those words, and her fingers placed together as her face was now completely red, she spoke in an even smaller voice, "I-It was... that... S-Silver Boy..." Raynas was initially thinking of teasing her, but as he saw her expression, his mouth opened with shock. As a man of his age, how could he not know what this type of flustered behavior meant? ''How can this be? I... I must share this with my mother at all costs!'' Raynas thought with his mind, sounding off alarms like a base camp. However, his expression on the outside remained normal, as if he didn''t bother him he smiled and patted his sister''s head while speaking, "Haha, that''s good Elly, I''m glad that you are finally learning to curb that anger of yours keep this up and maybe mother will change her mind..." When Elly heard this, she spoke in surprise, "Really?" "Yes, she most certainly will," Raynas replied with a warm light in his eyes, hiding his other thoughts. Elly was excited, she wanted to shout but she calmed herself, reciting her mother''s mantra of calmness and gracefulness. Having cleared her thoughts, she looked at Raynas with beaming eyes and spoke, "Brother, let''s go, I want to hurry and level..." Raynas nodded his head at this and spoke, "Alright, let''s head to that special region for now..." Not long after, the two then left the pub as they began their day''s adventure for mass leveling. The sky grew brighter and brighter as the day pressed onwards. **** Author correction: So I made a mistake, but this happens when you are doing too much at once lol, that Death Guard wasn''t a Quasi Greater monster, it''s monster at the middle levels of common grade. Please, forgive this large mistake, I have already updated it. Chapter 64：Grezelors Curse, A Special Gift A distance away from Birgime, Nero had already ventured towards the Greater Plains. Here, there was a long trail that led towards the ranges, branching off towards multiple directions. The grass was of moderate size as rocky protrusions had formed a rather artistic design across the various slopes. Other than passing by a few furry ears men and cute girls that looked at him with beaming eyes, Nero saw no one else on his lone journey. ''Eh? Who''s that? He looked pretty handsome?'' A furry eared girl asked. "How would I know? Ha, it must be a rookie, I mean look at him, daring to travel these plains without a party, he must be a clueless one," One of the furry eared males dressed in armor said with mock. "Haha, indeed, the poor fellow is in for a lesson," The other guy added as he glanced at Nero, his eyes had a bad look as he didn''t like how the girls looked at him. The girls giggled, not saying anything about the topic, but one of them made an odd look as she spoke, "Hey, did you guys hear that rumor?" The guys in the party looked at her curiously as they asked, "Which rumor?" The girl frowned as she spoke, "Tsk, how can you now know? I''m talking about that recent act of banditry done by that darn bunch of rookies..." The others hearing this made a look of realization as one of them spoke, "Ahh, you mean that so-called Swift Bandit Alliance created by that infamous rookie... what was he called? Swift something..." The girl wrinkled her nose and spoke, "It''s Swift Hands, the previous number eleventh, I think right now it should be rank twelve." "That guy has been a lot of trouble; if he had focused on his training he wouldn''t have fallen behind Rising Fox or the others, oh well, I guess everyone has their way, let''s not waste brainpower thinking about him..." One of the guys said as he dismissively waved his hand. The others nodded as the party continued on their way while chatting and laughing. Nero seemed to have heard their words, but he didn''t want to put such concerns on his mind right now. His robes fluttered with the gentle wind from the surroundings, causing him to close his eyes as he found the colorful sights and air to be rather pleasant. Though Nero wanted to stay like this a while longer, he knew he didn''t have the time to waste. He wanted to find some monsters to level up and test out his sight and learn of its so-called gift. Suddenly, Nero opened his eyes, showing a sharp look as he felt that the atmosphere around him had a slight change. As he became more familiar with his Spiritual Awareness, Nero began to use it more to scan his surroundings continually. As such, he knew that danger was only a few moments away from reaching him. ''Well, at least I didn''t have to wait long... let''s give it a test,'' When Nero said this inwardly, he reached his hand to the side as a dazzling green light flashed before the shrunken version of Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe appeared, being roughly 170 centimeters long. The moment Nero called out the scythe, he promptly inspected its details as he spoke with his mind, ''Show details.'' ____ [Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe] [Grade: Rare Tier (Growable)] [Type: Weapons] [Subtype: Scythe] [Usable by: All] [Close & Mid-Range] [Requirements: Level 4] [Combat Force: 30] [Description: A weapon left behind by an extremely sinister reaper of the ancient era; his weapon is cursed with the powers of soul erosion to those of the unworthy. It is a growth type weapon and will grow along with its wielders increase in strength.] [Passive Weapon Skill: Soul Erosion - The bane to all lifeforms with a living soul, any life cut by its power will gain the erosion effect onto their being, further weakening their life standard along with combat abilities.] ____ ''Amazing! I didn''t think it would give me this much of a boost in Combat Force; with this much strength, I should be able to crush that Death Guard in pure power, maybe I might even compare to High-Class Common Grade monster,'' Nero said in joy as he looked at the weapon. However, it didn''t take long for his mood to fade a bit as he read the description, Nero frowned as he spoke inwardly, ''What? Are you saying that it will erode the strength of your soul if you''re not worthy? What kind of terrifying curse is that?'' When he said this, the scythe glowed in black as green lights began swirling around his hand at a rapid rate, Nero was already alarmed at this, he tried to act but much to his shock found that he could not let go of the scythe. "This... oh no! How do I let it go?" Nero said in alarm, as he started to panic at this change. Adult Nero merely chuckled as he spoke, "Why are you worried? It''s not going to kill you; besides, with your talent and specialty, it is a far cry from being able to curse your soul..." When Nero heard this, he felt a tinge of relief, but he was a bit weary as the black lights hadn''t faded yet. In moments, they swallowed his entire body causing him to feel strange. Adult Nero only looked silently and smirked while muttering, "Now, the true prize has arrived..." As if his words were correct, Nero soon heard another notification in his mind as a screen popped up before his eyes again. ____ Ding! [Because of the host''s exceptional compatibility to the Path of Reapers, Grezelor''s Ego has honored you as the Chosen Master, gifting you his High-Class Combat Art, the Myriad Specter Cut.] ____ When Nero heard those words, he was baffled, even more so as the black lights faded from his body, following this change he now felt more comfortable with it as he could also hear its edge humming as if it were a child that found its mother. ''To think it would teach me a High-Class Combat Art! Damn!'' Nero inwardly exclaimed, momentarily forgetting about the dangers he had previously felt around him. As Nero''s gripped increased around the handle of the scythe, he didn''t even notice, but the level of familiarity he felt was almost like a second limb. Nero wanted to inspect the technique, but right at this time, a few shrubberies shook from around him as he felt a dense amount of killing aura from all directions. Adult Nero smirked while watching this; he didn''t bother to warn him as he didn''t feel any threat. On the other hand, Nero remained composed; his joy faded, or rather, it was suppressed into another emotion as a deep amount of eagerness was shown in his eyes as he looked at his opponents. Around him was a herd of Swirling Horn Boars that glared at Nero menacingly, each of them growling in a low tone as their mouths seemed to drip with saliva as if they found the perfect candidate for breakfast. Nero snorted at this scene as positioned himself in battle stance and held the scythe with its blade angled at one side of his body, as it faced the ground. His eyes are shone with a cruel glint as he spoke, "Hmph! Hungry? It looks like you''ll be the first to let my weapon taste blood..." The wind now seemed disturbed as it carried a chilliness that seemed to beckon the end of the poor pack of boars who targeted the wrong enemy, as the blood bath ensued. Chapter 65：Slaughtering the Boars, Unknown Eyes With the verdant and rocky meadows of the Greater Plains, Nero was only moments away from combat against a herd of Swirling Horn Boars, each being a naturally ferocious creature that prowls in the open lands. The brisk wind blew across the plains, scattering plants and dust across their positions as it swayed Nero''s robes and it rustled the fur of each boar. The two sides glared are at each other, their eyes shining in cruel lights as if waiting for the right moment to charge. At this moment, Nero had a sharp glint in his red pupils as he held his scythe at his side while scanning their stats. ____ [Swirling Horn Boar] [Level: 5] [Grade: Common] [Health: 400/400] [Magic Power 100/100] [Combat Force: 127 stones] [Body Tenacity: 49] [Spiritual Awareness 29] [Speed 65 km/h]: [Skill: Horn Dash] ____ ''It''s a little more tenacious than the Death Guard and being a Level 5 Common Monster pushes its stats to a stage where it''s pretty much like a Middle-Class Common Grade Level 4 monster,'' Nero thought as he saw their details. He leaned his body forwards preparing for an attack, but as if the boars took this stance as a means of provocation, they each roared before charging towards him from all sides. Whoosh! The Swirling Horn Boars swept across the grass like an accelerating vehicle, their twisted horns gleaming in a sharp ray as they were angled at a level where they can easily pierce into Nero''s body. As they were faster than Nero by a few km/h, he had to push his awareness to the peak to keep track of them, he was about to jump in the air to avoid getting impaled, but at this time, Adult Nero spoke. "Why even dodge? For straightforward and simple creatures like these, you are already more than capable of dealing with these beasts, a reaper kills in one motion¡­ so remember the stance that you took to fight that Bit Hunter and kill them..." As Adult Nero''s voice sounded in Nero''s mind, his eyes flashed with realization; he no longer tried to dodge, nor did he keep track of them with his eyes as he focused purely with his senses. It didn''t take long for them to slow down, moving at a speed that seemed no different from slow motion, Nero then recalled the scene of fighting Perm. The stance that felt natural when he had Digitized. In a few moments, Nero adjusted not only his posture but his breathing, taking longer breaths as his body arched even further as if his torso was trying to touch the ground. His legs were crouched and spread apart as one arm was stretched far out behind him as it held the scythe with its edge facing inwards. While in this pose, Nero''s other arm was placed in front of him with his palms spread wide, he then made an okay symbol as if locking onto the first Swirling Horn Boar that made its way into his zone. Adult Nero smile as he saw this, his eyes lit up when both he and Nero said the same thing as if by instinct, "In Zone..." A cold voice, unlike the norm coming from Nero''s mouth as just by assuming this pose, he knew how to use it to gain an advantage. Suddenly, time speeds up, and the first Swirling Horn Boar had lunged from the ground towards Nero, its body rose into the air before it made a graceful downward arc as it dived with his horns striking towards Nero''s forehead. Nero didn''t even blink, his eyes staring at it as if it was already a corpse, in moments his body seemed to have become indistinct as he twisted his body with such force that he vanished from sight. In this instant, the only thing visible was the edge of Nero''s scythe that now drew a sinister arc, cutting through the body of the airborne Swirling Horn Boar with no effort. Moments after, Nero had appeared directly behind the boar that fell from the sky onto the ground, its entire body now split apart horizontally as its blood and organs littered the fields. Nero''s stance remained the same as he held the scythe in the same manner; the only exception was that it was now dripping with blood. ____ Ding! [You''ve killed a Swirling Horn Boar, gained 28 EXP!] ____ Unlike the more intelligent monsters, Swirling Horn Boars were mostly famed from brutal intent and wild nature. They ignored their fallen comrade and charged towards Nero in a frenzy. From this stance, Nero glanced at the second Swirling Horn Boar that got into his range from the corner of his eyes. He then invoked his [For Point Unity Step] as his body swayed to the side, swiftly arriving at the creature''s blind spot before he twirled and used his entire body''s weight to swing his scythe once more. Swing! Puff! A similar scenario played out as the scythe''s edge left behind only a dazzling arc that cut apart the second beasts. It didn''t take long for Nero to start flashing about the field like a ghost that left behind only a few arcs of lights wherever he appeared. Eventually, the ten-strong herd of Swirling Horn Boars had turned into cold corpses, their blood now staining this sector of the fields, leaving nothing behind. ____ Ding! [You''ve killed 10 Swirling Horn Boar, gained a total of 280 EXP!] Ding! [You have leveled up! All stats have increased as follows HP: 20, MP: 20, SA: +5, CF: +10, BT: +3, SP: +3km] ____ Currently, Nero stood at the center of this scene of carnage. He didn''t even bat an eye at the blood as he held the scythe over his shoulder while looking at them. "I''ve grown stronger..." Nero said as he now felt a bit like a particular white martial robe protagonist from a specific fighting game. Nero was feeling confident, but sadly, this mood didn''t last as Adult Nero spoke, "Hmph! What are you feeling confident about? They are the weakest Level 5 beasts, and now that you''re at their level, you''ll need to hurry up and up your Combat Techniques to the Fifth Stage. Only then, will you be able to fight a Middle Stage Level 5 beasts properly." Nero frowned at those words, but he didn''t want to talk back, so he thought to himself, ''Jeez he''s such a Grouchy Uncle... I certainly won''t grow up like this¡­'' Adult Nero''s face turned cold, a stifling chilliness coming from Nero''s mind soon swept over his body. He was about to check his stats, but as he felt the chilliness, his face sunk. He gulped, no longer thinking about doing unnecessary things as he spoke inwardly, ''Fine-fine, I''m sorry, I''ll also try to increase the mastery of at least one of them before I reach the Blackfern Hollows.'' Upon saying this, Nero hurriedly picked up the fallen coins and any random items that fell from only three of the corpses, before he dashed across the field not even lingering for a second. Adult Nero took back his icy intent, his face having a smirk on its as he watched Nero ran, it was as if he was floating behind him like a specter as he muttered, ''Cheeky runt...'' As Adult Nero said this, however, he shifted his eyes to the side of the open field as a smirk came on his face as if he noticed something. In a few moments, Nero''s back had faded from sight as he rapidly made his way towards the distant and dangerous lands of the Blackfern Hollows. Yet, as Nero had left this area, on a stone that was a few meters away from his position was a blanket and a basket. The basket was toppled over with the fruits scattered on the ground as even the blanket seemed to have dust on it because of Nero''s battle. At this time, two gorgeous cerulean eyes with long eyelashes that floated in the void as if attached to an invisible body ruthlessly glared at Nero''s direction. Suddenly, the eyes closed, and a series of indistinct steps sounded as if something moved at a rapid pace towards that direction as the vague sound faded into nothingness. **** Author''s Note: Feeling generous? Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Digitize - https://www.webnovel.com/book/17048424205270405 Chapter 66：The Blackfern Hollows At the north-eastern ends of the Greater Plains was a valley covered in blackness, its plants were of a dark hue, giving it a strangely gloomy air as at its center was a cavern whose depths were unknown. Hence its name the Blackfern Hollows, others say that these grounds were the nest of a peculiar breed, a savage kind even amongst common monsters found in these parts of the Novice Zone. A breed that one poor soul is about to get slowly acquainted with on his quest within their domain. ____ Ding! [Welcome to the Blackfern Hollows, proceed to the cavern to commence the quest!] ____ Nero, who had only arrived within the Blackfern Hollows, looked at the scene before him as he hung from a ledge using a dark gray vine, much like a rope. His eyes flickered as he saw the system notification and the sights of the cavern, resting at the center of the valley below him. Oddly enough, there were no monsters around it, as only a fresh river flowed nearby. ''It took me a while, but I still managed to get here within four hours... that was quite the bloody journey,'' Nero thought as he recalled how many Swirling Horn Boars he had to cut down to get here, by now, he was nearing the middle of Level 5, even his skills were only a small distance away from ranking up. ''I only hope this quest will prove to be the same,'' Nero concluded as he once more fixed his attention on the cavern, as he slowly slid down the vine. Adult Nero, who floated within Nero''s consciousness, smirked while leaning backward with his arms behind his head as he spoke, "This is your first real challenge, do this, and you''ll almost be ready to face a Novice Zone Dungeon..." Nero''s eyes flashed at those words, as he thought, ''A dungeon, it should have special rewards, maybe..."'' He was about to thinking something, but as if Adult Nero knew what he was thinking, he spoke to cut off his thoughts, "And no, it won''t have anything that can cure mother. Enough wasting time, hurry and go down there, you''ll likely not even finish the quest today even at your current stage." Nero was upset at his former words, but as he heard the latter, he soon forgot about those thoughts and focused on his task. "Fine!" Nero replied as he gnashed his teeth and jumped from the vine, he swiftly grabbed another and used it to swing towards the position of the cavern, not long after he had landed at its entrance. Nero''s feet had landed on the rocky floor with a light thud, surrounded by a few patches of dark grasses. In this instant, he felt a dark presence within the cavern as if his Spiritual Awareness was warning him of great danger. "Sssssss...." As he narrowed his eyes, a snake-like sound was heard from its depths, its distance unknown from this position. "A snake? Is this a den of snake monsters?" Nero spoke out loud as his face showed a mix of curiosity and caution. As Adult Nero didn''t answer, he didn''t continue to waste any time and entered the cavern. Nero walked through its narrow and rocky pathway, but as he moved along, he felt that the sinister presence was growing stronger as he could even hear some rapid footsteps a few dozen meters ahead of him. He inspected the walls around, noticing how narrow they were and frowned as he called out his common iron sword instead of his scythe. Adult Nero shook his head and spoke, "What are you doing?" Nero spoke inwardly in a matter of fact tone, ''I am using a weapon more suited for these kinds of narrow spaces,'' Adult Nero chuckled and shook his head as he spoke, "A reaper uses one weapon, and that is his scythe... if the environment doesn''t conform to its usage, then you simply have to make it do so." Nero frowned as he spoke to himself, ''What? How the hell am I to even accomplish that?'' Adult Nero shook his head as his eyes stared before them, there a few silhouettes were rapidly making their way towards Nero''s direction. Nero also noticed them and was prepared to act, but suddenly, there was a notification. ____ Ding! [You''ve entered the Quest Zone for the Special Quest!] [Requirements met, revealing quest details!] [Special Quest: Retrieve the blood of Snalard King!] [Failure to compete for this quest will result in a loss on 1 Level and 100 prestige!] [Commencing quests: 3, 2, 1... begin!] ____ ''Darn, such a mean penalty! I really am beginning to hate this system!'' Nero cursed inwardly, but now wasn''t the time for such things, he had to focus on the rapidly nearing opponents. Unknowingly, the exit behind Nero had vanished as now only a large wall had blocked off his path backward, a series of wall torches now began to lit the path ahead at alarming speeds, as it revealed the features of the nearing creatures. The bodies of these creatures were familiar, yet strange, each having the head of a large snake with the torso of a lizard that stands upright and walks with its two legs. They wore coarse armor around their bodies and held onto a sword and shield in each arm, their snake-like tongue dancing as they charge from the long path towards Nero''s direction. Due to their swift charge, Nero didn''t even have the time to inspect their stats and prepared to use the sword to battle. However, Adult Nero spoke in reliance on his previous complaints, "Put away the sword, as I''ve said before a reaper uses only his scythe. The reason you think you can''t fight them in such a narrow space is merely due to your lack of experience." With his eyes sharply locked on the swift Snalards, Nero gritted his teeth as he held the sword firmly, he didn''t want to follow, but he also knew that the path he was walking was different from the conventional routes. In the end, he was going to have to face all the weaknesses of his class and its advantages, and the only person who knew how better to guide himself was, ironically, himself. ''Alright, I''ll do it,'' Nero replied with a strained expression, the iron sword vanished from his hand as Grezelor''s Curses Scythe once more appeared. Nero was about to hold it in the same posture as he used before, the one where he stretched his arm far out behind his back. However, at this time, Adult Nero spoke to guide him, "Good, do not use that posture, follow your instincts and it will guide you to the correct stance for the current circumstances. You are battling swift and nimble creatures within a narrow setting; their awareness and combat capabilities are even a notch above yours. The best way to defeat them is to use their strengths against them, unearthing their flaws. Remember, a scythe is more than an offensive weapon; it is also a tool to perform defensive counters..." ''Understood...'' Nero replied without an ounce of anger or stubbornness, he knew this wasn''t the time for pride and any other emotions. Instantly, Nero dug into his feelings as he held the handle of the scythe firmly, but as if his Digitize Bit sensed his focus, the marking of the scythe appeared on the back of his palm as the mood around him changed. Soon, Nero''s stance changed as he leaned his body to one side and crouched with his arms holding the handle of the scythe, he then pointed the forward with its coldly shimmering edge facing the ground. Swoosh-Swoosh-Swoosh! By this time, the Snalards had already arrived within range, though it seemed to have taken up a lot of time, truth be told only a short moment had passed between them. "Sssss!" The leading Snalard said as it pushed itself towards Nero with its shield raised, it seemed as if it was trying to do a shield bash. However, Nero''s eyes flickered as he lifted the scythe and struck its head towards the shield. With a bang, the force of the shield bash had pushed Nero back, causing even the scythe to be lowered as he chopped its edge into the ground to reduce the recoil. As he saw Nero''s weapon punched into the ground, the Snalard sneered as it moved even quicker, rapidly making its way past the scythe and followed up with chop of its sword, aiming to cut off Nero''s head. Nero, however, didn''t show fear, his lips curved into a smile as the sword only grow larger and larger in his pupils, but as if he didn''t see it, he focused on the muscles on his arms causing them to swell slightly as his grip on the scythe grew firmer. With a sharp pull of the scythe, Nero twisted his body in a lower stance, causing the scythe''s blade to rip out of the ground. It cut towards the unguarded back of the Snalard at even faster speeds than the sword chopping at Nero. Swing! With a sinister hum, the sword narrowly cut right above where Nero''s head once stood, cutting a tiny portion of his hair strands. However, as for the Snalard that now had a shocked look, its luck had run out due to the speed of Nero''s scythe that made a perfect arc. Pu-chi! The sound of flesh being cut sounded, as the scythe''s edge easily bisected the Snalards head from its body as Nero, who had pulled and revolved his body, had arrived behind its back with the scythe once more pointing before him, its only difference was that its blood-stained blade now faced the side. He held it with one hand as his posture remained that of crouching, but if there was any difference it was the smirk on his face as he stared at the other Snalards that were one step late as he spoke in a cold tone, "So it''s true that it was once a tool for farming... heh, that was no different from cutting grass. Come, there''s much more I can learn... your lives shall not be wasted." "Sssssss..." Each of the Snalards made a low hiss as their eyes turn stern, they glanced at each other before glaring at Nero with a vicious look. A dark mood filled the air, as the entire carven seemed as if it was about to enter a new phase of the battle. Chapter 67：Reaper Stances, A Mysterious Thief It was a violent display, a massacre of immense proportions as with each movement of a silvery silhouette, a lizard-like corpse would join the ranks of its slain kin. Swing! With a sound of a humming blade, a cold silvery light would flicker from left to right at alarming speeds, crossing in and out of the narrow cavern pathway. Wherever this light went, a severed body part would fly across the pathway or fall onto the coarse ground, dimly lit by various mounted torches that hung from the walls of the cavern. As this happened, a silver-haired youth garbed in furry martial robes would appear and disappear as the scythe in his hands danced around his body as he revolved it in a vertical manner. Suddenly, the youth halted his actions as he twirled the scythe before gripping it firmly in his two arms, lowering his posture as he held the scythe at a sideways angle with its edge facing forward. Nero narrowed his eyes as his pupils looked from left to right, in moments, two swooshing noises sounded from nearby as two even larger Snalards arrived at his sides. "Sssss!" As if they had invoked a technique, both Snalards chopped their swords towards Nero''s torso, leaving behind a series of blade lights. At this instant, both of Nero''s eyes had a calm look when reflecting the two rapid slashes of the Snalards swords. The world before his eyes growing slower as his grip on the scythe became tighter as if he was waiting on something. "Do it now," Adult Nero said in an icy tone. Nero, hearing this didn''t hesitate, as his body erupted in dazzling silver energies. In moments, a strange scene had occurred as his body split into two ghosts like shades, one moved at an incredible speed utilizing his [Four Point Unity Steps] to accelerate forwards arriving behind the backs of the Snalards. However, as for Nero''s other body, it remained standing in regular position as the two rapid sword assaults bisected his body into multiple pieces. In a flash, these two Snalards had landed a step behind Nero''s body; their faces seemed delighted as they held their swords before them. However, it was at this moment; both lifted their heads in confusion as if they sensed that something wasn''t right. They wanted to jump and avoid the incoming danger, but it was too late. The other ghost-like Nero that had arrived behind them, twisted his body at an incredible speed. Before they could even react, the scythe''s edge, which was resting on the ground between the two Snalards tilted upwards as it vanished, leaving behind a cold arc of silver lights. The arc of light rapidly moved before it stopped at an upwards angle, looking at it more closely one would now see that it was connected to the handle which Nero now held in one arm as he rested it on his shoulder. He stared at the fake Spector-like body of his, which was now vanishing before he looked at the two corpses with his gleaming red pupils as he spoke out loud, "I''m slowly getting the hang of this new skill..." Adult Nero hearing this spoke, "Yes, the Myriad Spector Cut, a truly useful maneuver, it was one of the beginner skills that made even that Phantom Brat a force to be reckoned with at the early stages. Other than that, your techniques have all achieved Stage 5, and your level is nearing the later parts of Level 5. As for your combat style, you are performing nicely with your Reaper Stances, reaching a decent level of competency with the first and most basic stage, the Mowing Twist. Once you reach the state where everything is in one motion and the flow of your scythe resembles the dance of a flowing snake, then and only then will you achieve the second level, otherwise known as the Dancing Reaper. Work harder..." Nero, hearing this nodded with a smirk as he inwardly replied, "Alright, I''ll start making my way to their boss after I check their gear." Nero had begun to make his way towards the corpses, but suddenly he heard a notification. ____ Ding! [You''ve have killed two Snalard Elites! 70 EXP gained!] ____ Not paying any mind to the notification, Nero looked on the ground and saw that all the Snalard Elites dropped were nothing more than a few copper coins, they didn''t even drop an armguard. "Tsk! I really hate this stingy system..." Nero cursed under his breath. Adult Nero chuckled at this as he spoke, "It''s life, besides, where will you find such easy means of powering up in the Novice Zone? This entire zone is a grinder mean for young pups to train and fight to earn what they desire, heh... even once you advance from here, things will still get harder, treasures are found in places where you face all sorts of challenges." Nero didn''t bother saying anything, he grumbled silently and stooped down to pick up his coins. However, as Nero did this, his face sunk as he noticed that the coins had vanished. "MY COPPER! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Nero exclaimed as he saw in unthinkable phenomena, he questioned himself, ''Did this shitty world had timeouts? I refuse to believe that my coins would vanish over some shitty rule!'' It''s understandable why Nero would get mad, he wasn''t like those well off, and every single copper counted towards the goal of his first silver. As if he couldn''t bear it, Adult Nero started to laugh out loud in his mind as wiped the corner of his eyes, Nero didn''t like his behavior, so he cursed at him inwardly, ''Hey, why didn''t you tell me anything? Can''t you realize my situation?'' After calming himself down, Adult Nero took a deep breath and spoke, "Of course I do, have you forgotten that I''ve once lived it? Hmph! As for your coins issue, there''s no such nonsense time out rule, objects in this world are the same in ours. If the coin suddenly vanished, then it can only be for a logical reason, someone needs to start paying more attention..." As Adult Nero said this, he grew silent no longer saying anything else; his eyes were fixed on a certain distant part of the narrow cavern, his smile grew wider as if enjoying himself. Nero had a dark look on his face; he still wasn''t feeling any better after those words. However, he gritted his teeth while thinking, ''No time out rule... then it could only mean one thing...'' As Nero thought to here, an astonishing murderous intent clouded the cavern''s passage as he glared around while wrapping up his thoughts, ''Someone took them...'' Nero''s murderous will developed everything, but no matter how hard he used his senses, he couldn''t pick up a trace of any person. Nero frowned as he saw no results, he shook his head as his eyes showed a regretful look as he spoke inwardly, ''Hmph! You better not let me find you...'' After saying this, Nero no longer concerned himself with the thief and indifferently continued on his way. Yet, if one were to look at him more carefully, they would see a stern and cautious look on his face as if he would attack even if a mouse made a slight movement. A pity for Nero, however, for the moment he carried on, two familiar pair of beautiful blue eyes appeared staring at his direction with a teasing light as a slight voice that no one else could hear said, "Hehe¡­ serves you right¡­" The eyes then faded from reality, as the scene here returned to one of silence. Chapter 68：The Snalard King The cavern only grew darker as Nero descended further into its depths, filled with even more torches that kept the passage lit. Oddly enough, however, no matter how far he traveled he didn''t see any more signs of those Snalards or Snalard Elites. Nero felt a dark feeling in his heart; he not only had to worry about some mysterious thief lurking around him but the danger he was supposed to face in a few moments. Not long after, Nero saw light coming from ahead, his eyes brightened as he hurried forwards soon after exiting the narrow passage as he arrived at an open space. When he looked around, he noticed that the ceiling was missing as a giant hole was up above, showing massive branches from a dark tree. Before Nero was a crystal-clear lake with a few flower petals on is surface, a large rock rested at its center, illuminated by the bright god rays that shone from the opening in the rocky ceiling. ___ Ding! [You have arrived at quest destination, commencing quest in 3, 2, 1...] ___ When Nero heard the system notification, his eyes grew even sterner. He held onto his scythe carefully, switching back to his former stance where his handheld it behind his body while he crouched forward and faced one palm in the direction of the lake. ''I don''t know how strong it''ll be, but for it to be called a Special Quest, it''s almost certain to not be an easy task. I must face it with everything I have while looking out for that darn thief...'' As Nero wrapped up his thoughts, the scene before him changed as the ground began to shake. Rumble! Not only Nero himself, even the hidden figure that stood at the edge of the room looked at the now turbulent water in shock, knowing full well that what was coming wasn''t of a simple scale. Splash! In an instant, the lake formed massive waves that splashed about the open space as a majestic entity had risen from its depths. It was two times larger than its lesser kin; a giant Snalard garbed in a bit sturdier armor with a big sword that had a chipped edge in one of its arms. It had an extremely long and thick tail that rose towards its face, its end having the head of what seemed no different from a large cobra head. Its snake eyes shone cold ray as they shone from a strange greenish mist that blew from the mouth of the cobra head, positioned above its body. "Ssss¡­ human, I hope you''re ready to die!" The monster said in a human tongue as it lifted its head and roared sending a wave of energies across the area as if building up its momentum. Nero said nothing, his eyes shone in a cold ray as he inspected its stats, causing its details to appear before his eyes. ____ [Snalard King] [Level: 5] [Grade: Common (High Class)] [Health: 700/700] [Magic Power 250/250] [Combat Force: 160 stones] [Body Tenacity: 60] [Spiritual Awareness: 45] [Speed 85 km/h]: [Skill: Sword Dance, Blinding Chop, Venom Breath] [Description: The ruler of all Snalards within the Blackfern Hollows, a ferocious creature with extremely dangerous toxin and astounding swordsmanship. Rumors say that those who drink their blood can acquire a special trait, but only a few have ever found out.] ____ Nero looked at the beast standing a few meters away with a dark expression on his face as he cursed inwardly, ''I knew it would be strong, but I didn''t think it would be to such an extent... darn!'' Adult Nero snorted as he spoke, "Enough blabbering and stay focused, your stats aren''t far from it. With the addition of the scythe, you''ve even acquired Combat Force nearing its own; you should be grateful that it wasn''t a Quasi Greater Monster..." ''Hmph! You speak like it will be an easy fight, tch!'' Nero inwardly said as his flickered when he compared his stats with the Snalard King''s. ____ [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - Silver Boy] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 5 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 1400] [Current EXP: 1202] [Influence: None | Prestige: 200 - Good Villager] [Health 180/180] [Magic Power 180/180] [Combat Power: 150 | 70 + (50+30)] [Body Tenacity: 54 | 19 + (25+10)] [Spiritual Awareness 30] [Speed 62(+1) km/h]: [Genetic Trait:] [Grade??? Inheritance Bit (Mazello(Level 10)) - A powerful Spiritual Being of an ancient era, as you''ve earned his recognition, you have awakened a small portion of his strength. Your awareness of spirits has risen, you will naturally attract the love and care of goodwill spirits, but those of a dark nature shall view you in a manner no different from their mortal enemy.] --- [Reaper''s Eye - A talent that allows one to see the origin of nature. It enables the living to see those that exist between both realms of reality.] ¡­ [Skills:] [Passive Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Core Body Refinement: Stage 5 (5/600) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Technique is limited to 9 Stages, and current stage can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by +25] --- [All Weapons Mastery Skill- Stage 5 (5/600) | 9 Stages] [Effects:] [Technique is limited to 9 Stages, and current stage can increase the skill and Combat Power used by +25] --- [Combat Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 5 (5/600) | 9 Stages] [Description: This is a speed-boosting art that can increase speed allowing graceful movement and superior reaction capabilities. The current stage can grant the user and increase of 30km/h.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 30] [Requirement: User must at least have Stage 3 fitness.] .... [Myriad Spector Cut: Stage 1 (10/50) | 9 Stages] [Description - This is a scythe style that allows the host to use Magic Power to condense two phantom clones with the host''s body. Both phantoms can attack their opponents or change positions.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 35] ... Low-Grade Skill: [Flash Cut: Stage MAX (100/100) | 3 Stages] [Description - This is a sword style that allows the wielder to rely on the momentum of the sword, leaving its sheath and furthering it with Magic Power, allowing it to cut apart its foe in merely a flash.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 25] ¡­ [Items:] [???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10)] [Furry Ape Martial Robe: Body Tenacity: 10 / Durability: 4/4] [Simple Wooden Sandals: +1 km/h, Indestructible] [Grezolor''s Cursed Sythe: Combat Force: 30 / Durability: 35/35] .... [Judgment Cuff] [Grade: Common] [Type: Weapons] [Subtype: Treasure] [Usable by: All] [Close Range] [Requirements: Level 1] [Description: A treasure with the power to bind its foes for a fixed duration based on power difference.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 20, 15 seconds duration, 1-minute cooldown.] ____ While Nero was comparing himself with the Snalard King that had only just appeared, a distance behind him, the mysterious thief looked at this in shock as the beautiful pair of eyes that stared at this direction showed traces of fear. Not even hesitating for a second, the person began to escape from the cavern, but sadly it would seem that they would never have this chance. BOOM! The pathway behind was blocked by a sturdy boulder that spawned out of nothingness with an explosive sound. Soon after, a dust cloud formed which vaguely formed an outline of the mysterious thief, showing a slender figure with a catlike tail that wore thief''s clothing with a curvaceous form and long hair. "Nooo!" A pleasant but somewhat sad female voice cried out as the outline now stat before the closed exit in a pitiful manner. As if they were disturbed by the strange cry, both Nero and the Snalard King turned their heads to the side with the same expression, raising one eyebrow as they carried a curious look. ''Hmph! So now you show yourself, serves you right!'' Nero inwardly sneered as he saw the girl behind him, but as for the Snalard King, it''s attention immediately turned back to the distracted Nero. Swoosh! In a flash, its body swayed, moving as rapidly as the wind as it charged towards him with a sinister glint in its eyes as it raised its large chipped sword. Nero sensed that death was only a few steps away, without even wasting time, he took his mind away from his previously hidden nemesis and focused back on his target. By this time, the sword of the Snalard King had already struck him. It made a strange but graceful series of arcs in the air, leaving behind a blinding series of sword rays that chop from all angles. "Hmph! I won''t fall so easily!" Nero said as his face grew solemn, his body glowed in silver lights as his red eyes flashed brightly. Ushering the start of the Blackfern Hollow''s climactic battle... Chapter 69: Completing the Special Quest, A Bold Declaration The scene within the cavern''s wide-open space was an epic one as a youth and a beast fought in a fierce struggle against each other. A sight so devastating that its only spectator being an invisible girl gawked while observing with a solidified expression from her outlined face. ''This... how is he so strong?'' The female thief said as she stared at Nero''s direction, observing how he fought against the Snalard King. Though she had observed Nero''s fight against the Snalards, and Snalard Elites, she didn''t think they were that powerful and thought that Nero only beat them due to using some tricks and better technique. Nevertheless, the scenes shown before her was enough for her to reevaluate her opinion of him. The beauty''s blue eyes shone as she showed a firm look when she thought, ''Hmph! It doesn''t matter how strong he is; since he dared to disturb my nap, he must prepare to lose his most precious thing...'' As this female made up her mind about her duties, the battle between Nero and the Snalard King only grew more intense. Shing! The sword danced through the air as if it was drawing art as it cut through Nero like a series of flashes. However, each time this happened, Nero seemed no different from a ghost, his body split apart as the countless sword rays chopped apart his unusual phantom before leaving scars on the ground. The other phantom twisted itself as the scythe in Nero''s hand moved at high speeds, his body vanishing leaving behind the sharp edge of the scythe that chopped a trailing line in the void. As if the Snalard King sensed a threat, it frowned as its large snake eyes shifted towards the moving arc as it jumped doing a backflip, narrowly avoiding the blade which made a 360 swing before halting. A moment after, Nero''s figure once more appeared with the scythe held behind him, his body still crouched as he lifted his head to look at the airborne Snalard King. The Snalard King glared at Nero before it sneered, "Ssss... human, that''ssss not enough to besssst me, let me sssssee what you do againssssst this one!" Upon finishing its words, the Snalard King''s cobra-headed tail moved forward and took a deep breath, conjuring a large number of energies. "Shit! This isn''t good!" Nero cursed as he rapidly employed his [Four Point Unity Steps] to retreat. Fwooosh! Instantly, the cobra opened its mouth and spat out a toxic cloud that spread out at a rapid rate, the corrosive powers causing even the rocks on the ground to melt into a green liquid. Nero, who escaped its range heaved a sigh of relief as he saw that while thinking, ''Such a troublesome guy if that toxic breath had hit me then...'' He was about to think more, but suddenly, Nero heard a scream and saw that his invisible spectator had fallen into a dilemma. Previously, the invisible female was staring at the scene in a slight daze as if distracted, but as if she only noticed now the danger headed before her, she opened her mouth in shock and shouted, "Oh no!" The poison cloud continued to spread in her direction, and at any moment, she could be overtaken. "For crying out loud, if you''re going to stalk me, then at least in these circumstances, you should show a little more help!" Nero said with a frowned as he rapidly charged towards her direction, arriving in a few seconds. After randomly gripping about, Nero felt as if he held onto something soft; he didn''t even have the time to enjoy the circumstances as he jumped from the ground and tossed the girl to the side. Swoosh! The girl flew towards a different corner of the room, but as if Nero''s touch had a strange effect, the cloaking ability she had previously used had started to fade. By the time she fell onto the ground, her entire body was revealed, showing a furry eared girl garbed in a thief''s leather cloak with blue ears, blue rounded eyes, short blue hair, and a striped tail. "Ouch! Hey, you could have been nicer!" The furry eared girl said while grabbing her plump rump. "Tsk!" Nero clicked his teeth no longer looking at her as the Snalard King had already repositioned itself for another attack. "Ssss... you little human brat, sssssuffer death! Blinding Chop!" The Snalard King yelled as it dashed towards Nero at over 85 km/h, moving no different from a car on the highway. It then raised its sword above its head as a startling scene occurred, the entire cavern had lit up, becoming filled with the brilliant sword rays that came from the Snalard King''s sword. It seemed like an attack that could strike all directions, causing Nero to feel a tinge of despair as he cursed, ''Damn! Why the hell would an area of effect attack have that kind of name?'' The world grew dark as if it was foretelling the soon to come end, but Adult Nero chuckled and spoke, "Many techniques are far from what you''d expect, you might have had a little trouble getting out of this one, but you made the right call a moment ago..." "What?" Nero asked in confusion; Adult Nero said nothing as the scene was about to play out itself. Nero, soon after looked forward with wide eyes as he saw that the silly furry eared female was standing before him, she snorted and spoke, "Hmph! Consider this as me paying you back, but as for before, I won''t stop until you lose everything!" Following her words, the furry eared girl lowered her posture before dashing forwards, her speed even a notch above Nero''s. In moments, she had vanished and appeared behind the charging Snalard King, who merely scoffed with disdain, "Haha, a mere Furrykin thinks that it can face me? Truly naiv... eh?" The Snalard King was about to say something, but suddenly, its eyes widened in shock when it saw that its heavy sword was no longer in its hand. "What?" Both Nero and the Snalard King exclaimed, but as if Nero picked up on things much faster. His eyes beamed as his body swept forward at high speeds, even faster than the Snalard King. At this time, the Snalard King didn''t pay Nero any mind due to its shock; it glared at the furry eared female behind it as he revealed an astonishing amount of brutal intent when it spoke, "Where have you hidden my sword feline?" The furry eared female smirked as she waved her palm causing the large sword to appear by her side, she teased, "Hehe, I''m not confident in fighting, but if there''s something I want to steal no one can stop me," The Snalard King was so angry its veins showed over its face as he charged towards her while shouting, "You damn Furrykin! Prepare to die!" The furry eared girl shrank back due to his vicious intent, but right at this moment, a ray flashed before the Snalard King''s eyes as an edge of a scythe had appeared right before its neck. "Oh cr-" The Snalard King was about to say something as it tried to defend itself, but now that it had lost its weapon, it was no different from fish on a chopping block. A series of chains wrapped around its body, sealing its arms in place as now it could only look in despair as the scythe swept towards its neck. Puff! With the sound of a blade cutting through flesh, Nero''s scythe easily severed the head of the Snalard King, causing the headless body to crash onto the ground with blood spewing out from its neck. As if Nero didn''t want it to waste, his body swiftly appeared before it as he opened a Quest Item. Moments after, the jar was full, and a notification sounded in Nero''s mind. ____ Ding! [You have defeated the Snalard King! Because of the Special Quest, EXP awarded from a Common Class High-Grade monster is triple the usual amount!] Ding! [You have received 120 EXP!] Ding! [The Special Quest: Retrieve the blood of the Snalard King has been completed! Return to Monk Nalud to claim your quest rewards!] ____ Nero had a look of joy on his face as he saw this, he firmly gripped the jar as he thought, ''Yes, I didn''t think it would be this easy, heh, it seems that encountering strange individuals aren''t that bad of a thing...'' Adult Nero hearing this scoffed as he replied, ''Count yourself lucky that you met this girl, otherwise you would have had to struggle in a hard-fought battle and breakthrough to win...'' Nero snorted as he heard this, he snapped back, ''You must take me for some kind of hero or something, I''d rather things be easy if possible...'' Adult Nero shook his head at this, he thought to himself, ''I''m afraid easy never comes cheap...'' As Nero no longer paid his older self any mind, he recalled his chains from his Judgement Cuffs with a please smirk on his face as he muttered, "Truly a handy little thing¡­" As he shifted his attention from it, he prepared to leave, but suddenly, his eyes narrowed as the mood turned dark. Instantly, his body shifted to the side as he flipped his arm holding the jar, causing it to be transferred to his inventory. After doing this, his other hand that held the scythe rapidly moved as the blade of the scythe flashed and appeared before him at an angle. Soon, a trace of blood appeared at the edge of his scythe as the furry eared girl appeared directly before him. His scythe''s edge was now resting on her neck as he coldly gazed at her. "What do you think you''re doing?" Nero asked in an icy voice, even if she helped him just now, he wouldn''t forget about his copper coins. The girl didn''t seem to mind the slight amount of blood flowing from her neck, she glared at Nero and smirked before she spoke in a judgemental manner, "First, you disturbed my nap, ruin my food, touched my body, and now you''ve gone a injure my fair skin. Remember these words, human boy; I will certainly pay you back and steal your most precious thing!" Following those words her body exploded, leaving behind a cloud of smoke. It didn''t take long for this scene to clear up, but once it did she was nowhere to be seen. Nero frowned as he looked at this, he thought to himself, ''I really don''t know why I always find myself with these kinds of troublesome girls... tch, so annoying...'' Not bothering to overthink it, Nero left while shaking his head, but unlike himself, his older self was laughing at the scene at the core of his mind. In a moment, Nero had vanished from this gloomy area as he headed back towards the distant Winfrey Village. Chapter 70: Receiving the Rewards The sky was now of an orange-red hue as the evening was slowly setting in, the plains now filled with crowds of individuals headed back their long day''s quest. Amongst these individuals were those who branched off to grind against the surrounding mobs while others continued about their business. Nero was also within this group; he casually bypassed the crowds as he occasionally sends a chop towards any nearby monsters that lurked about the open fields. ____ Ding! [Monster is too weak, no EXP gained.] ____ Nero clicked his teeth at this as he put away his scythe while inwardly complaining, ''So he was right, Inferior Grade monsters no matter their levels won''t even give a tiny amount of EXP if you ''ve already surpassed their levels.'' As Nero thought to himself, he shook his head before focusing on the scene before him, staring beyond the vast open plains where the woods that led to Winfrey was nearing. ''Finally back to this beginner place, I wonder if that strange fellow is still there?'' When Nero thought to here, he hurriedly picked up his pace soon after arriving at the coarse path surrounded by trees. He looked at the usual spot where the novice was always standing as he berated the newbies, but it seemed that the person had left to unknown quarters. ''I guess he''s finally learned...'' After thinking this, Nero continued his way, and before long, he had finally arrived at the village entrance. Currently, a few beginners were leaving the area, they looked at him with a hint of eagerness as they saw his gear, but none of them said anything as ultimately went on their way. "Finally, I''m back, after this quest I should be able to rank up to Level 6, but I''ll only need one more level to start accepting quests from Grandma Chief again," Nero said with a smile on his face. Adult Nero took this chance to speak, "Indeed, but other than that you''ll also need to start preparing yourself." Nero was now making his way towards the Combat Temple, but when he heard Adult Nero''s words he asked with a puzzled look on his face, ''Hmm? Prepare for what a dungeon?'' Adult Nero''s eyes had a profound look as he stared out from Nero''s consciousness into the distance as he replied, "No, your Inheritance Quest..." When Nero heard this, he showed a look of understanding. He gripped his fists as he had a sharp ray within them as he thought, ''I''ll take things one step at a time...'' Adult Nero looked at this with a slight smile as he said nothing, returning to meditation as moments later, Nero had arrived at the Combat Temple. When Nero saw the red nose old man that lazily sat outside of the temple, his previous mood sunk as if he couldn''t stand a bone in this individual. Old Monk Nalud was currently feeling bored; he leaned his body to the side while using one finger to pick his nose as he flicked the booger away. However, as if he sensed something, his eyes shifted towards Nero''s position before showing traces of surprise as he exclaimed, "Huh? You''re back already? Did you even complete that quest of mine?" ''Darn old bastard, I guess he was thinking of sending me to death... pssh,'' Nero thought inwardly, but as he had yet to get his reward, he made a dutiful look as he replied with a slight bow, "Senior, I have done my best against those vicious monsters and..." Old Monk Nalud frowned at Nero''s introductory speech waving his hand as he spoke in a hurrying tone, "Yeah-yeah, blah-blah, hurry up and take out the jar!" Nero bit his lips as he heard those words, he knew that he wasn''t even going to give him a slight amount of preferential treatment or EXP boost just from his tone. Not wasting any time, he didn''t act on ceremony as he tossed the jar towards him and gave him an indifferent look. As Monk Nalud caught the jar, he looked at the greenish-red blood and shook it from side to side with a scrutinizing look before he unplugged the wooden cork. A strange scent wafted towards his nose, causing his expression to brighten as he laughed out loud and spoke in a manner unfitting for a monk, "Hahaha! It really is that thing''s blood, good brat; now I can finally extract the last batch for delivery." Following those words, he drained the blood in a container and aimed his finger at it as a strange ray fired into the blood. Soon, the blood vanished and a skill book appeared, Nero''s eyes widened in surprise as he saw with his eyes, [Sword Dance] written on the surface of the book. Monk Nalud smirked as he placed the book beside a bundle of other skill books and put them away before he waved his hand, tossing the jar beside a pile of others bundled in the same place. Looking at them closely, Nero noticed that the same scent was coming from them, and it even seemed as if they weren''t used not so long ago. ''This son of a...'' Nero was about to swear, as his eyes turned redder with veins appearing over his face. However, before that could happen, there was a change. "Huh? Why are you still here? Oh right, the reward, take it and go..." Old Monk Nalud said as he waved his hand as if sending away a fly. Nero glared at Nalud with violent intentions, but the reward that followed had pushed all anger away from his mind. ____ Ding! [You have completed the Special Quest: Retrieve the blood of the Snalard King!] Ding! [You have been rewarded 600 EXP and 300 Prestige!] Ding! [Congratulations, your Prestige has ranked up!] Ding! [You have leveled up! All stats have increased as follows HP: 20, MP: 20, SA: +5, CF: +10, BT: +3, SP: +3km] Ding! [You''ve received the Old Monk''s Special Gift, Rare Item: Sky Walker Boots.] ____ Nero felt happy at the reward, but as he didn''t like Nalud, he hurriedly left without saying a word of thanks or goodbye. Monk Nalud chuckled as he watched Nero left, his eyes showing a strange look as he muttered to himself, "Pff, such a brat, takes only that little to get his head all riled up, he''s too inexperienced..." While he said this, however, he still looked at Nero''s back with a favorable expression, he clapped his hand once, and a swallow appeared from the sky. He then placed a small note in its mouth and watched as it flew off into the air, Monk Nalud had a faint smile as he spoke as if speaking to the wind, "His improvement is good, he should have by now caught the eyes of those human groups. Huhu... for someone who obviously had no background to grow at this speed, I''m curious about the nearing Event." Nero didn''t know what occurred behind him; he was currently feeling excited at the chunk of EXP the level up. ''Haha, that old bastard though a bastard isn''t that stingy with his rewards, I have to test these boots out and see my current strength increase... maybe I should join the rankings tonight,'' Nero inwardly said with a look of excitement on his face. Adult Nero, however, spoke in a cold tone, "There are no benefits on the ranking list if you''re a Level 6 with only step 5 mastery in your core skills. Typically, you''d need to have the same level of mastery as your level or have trained it to be higher than your actual level itself." Nero frowned at this as he spoke, "Che! How troubling, it''s going to take me a while to rank up again; it''s not so easy to train these skills. Is the [Ranking List] even that worth it?" "Of course it is, now that you are nearing Level 10, you will have to prepare yourself for your Inheritance Quest with more skills and better armor. Naturally, you can find some of these from Dungeons, but that depends on the dungeon rank and your luck. The choice is yours to make, which is it, Dungeon or Ranking List?" Adult Nero replied. Nero remained silent as he heard this, he thought for a moment before his eyes shone as he spoke, ''I''ll just do both..." Adult Nero chuckled at this as he thought, "As expected... still the same as myself," Nero didn''t dally any longer as he wanted to try out the new equipment, but as he made his way to the exit of the village, he received a notification. ____ Ding! [Elly has sent you a message! Would you like to read it?] ____ Nero looked at this is in puzzlement, but as if he recalled something, he hit his head and spoke, "Oh crap! I forgot about that meeting..." As Nero said this, he looked around before he hurried away from the current location as he went to a more reserved area to read what she sent him. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 71: Changes in the Ranking List, The Sky Walker Boots Somewhere within the Novice Zone, a region of colorful plants and rich greenery, a tall and bulk square-shaped man garbed in rare looking heavy armor was currently picking a pile of dropped items from the ground diligently. Looking at his movements, one would notice that he would have to slap his hand on his back each time he bent down to straighten himself, making cracking noises as his face carried a bitter look. Around him were a series of dead oddities, giant plants that had many different vines cut apart as green liquid oozed from their bodies as if they were corpses. Other than this sight, a young petite beauty with long chestnut-colored hair sat atop of a large rock while fiddling with the space before her with bright eyes, a smile rose on her face as if she read something good. ''Hmm? I wonder what''s going on? That little sister of mine is smiling and is behaving in such a happy mood,'' Raynas thought with a puzzled look on his face, but soon, his eyes flashed as if recalling something as he thought with a shocked look, ''Could it be that boy again...?'' As Raynas thoughts ran to here, he noticed that Elly''s smile grew wider as she pressed the space before her and jumped down from the rock. He made a note to himself, ''It looks like I''ll really need to inform mother of this news, I can''t keep delaying it...'' After determining his thoughts, a firm look came into his eyes as he hurriedly continued his tasks picking up the rest of the drops from these strange monsters. Despite noticing her brother''s pitiful movements due to having bent his back for so long, Elly remained at ease as she walked over and spoke, "Brother, we''ve made a date, he''s going to come over and teach me starting this Monday!" Raynas trembled as he heard, ''come over,'' but he pretended that he wasn''t perturbed and as he straightened his posture and spoke while looking at her, "Huh? That''s good, see my little sister is special. I knew you could get help if you only asked and acted nicely. Mother will be proud..." When Elly heard the words mother, she grew a bit hesitant as she stared at Raynas''s face and spoke, "Really? Will mother not mind it?" Raynas smiled and rubbed her head as he spoke, "Of course not, mother has always wanted Elly to have friends. Don''t worry too much; she will be proud that you are making progress, even... even if that friend is a boy... I... I''m sure of it." When Raynas replied the latter parts of his words grew softer and unclear, Elly only heard the first parts of his words, causing her face to beam with excitement as she spoke, "Yay, I will certainly not disappoint mother!" Raynas looked at her innocently cute smile and couldn''t help but pinch her cheeks with his large fingers; it caused her cheek to turn a bit red as she cursed, "Ouch!" With a slap, Elly hit his arm and pointed at him as and spoke in an annoyed manner, "Brother, stop treating me like a kid!" Raynas chuckled as he rubbed her head and spoke, "Fine-fine... now come on, help me pick up the rest of this loot, your level is now nearing Level 8, after a bit more grinding we can head back to the town and call it a night. But, while your level is one thing, your mastery is falling behind. I had to power level you to barely catch up to the strongest of the rising geniuses, but you are still a bit backward. After achieving a battle rank of 9, Gold Spear Boy has vanished, as did the Child of Blaze, who was the first to even leave the Rising Talent List. They have most likely achieved Level 10 and are now waiting for that Special Event to pass before they invoke their Inheritance Quest." When Elly heard this, her eyes showed a fierce look as glanced at the new Rising Talent List that appeared in her mind. ____ [Ranking List: Rising Talent | Region: Novice Zone] [First place - Title: Chasing Arrow | Level: 9 | Battle Rank:8] [Second Place - Title: Grass Root Sword Child | Level: 9 | Battle Rank:8] [Third place - Title: Rising Fox | Level: 8 | Battle Rank:8] [Fourth place - Title: Thunder''s Daughter | Level: 8 | Battle Rank:7] [Fifth place - Title: Crazy Blade | Level: 8| Battle Rank:7] [Sixth place - Title: Rampant Axe | Level: 8 | Battle Rank:7] [Seventh Place - Title: Graceful Tyrant | Level: 7 | Battle Rank:6] [Eight place - Title: Bramble Child | Level: 7 | Battle Rank:6] [Ninth place - Title: Red Rain| Level: 7 | Battle Rank:6] [Tenth Place - Title: Swift Hands | Level: 6 | Battle Rank:5] [Eleventh place - Title: Phantom Child | Level: 6 | Battle Rank:5] [Twelveth place - Title: Poison Boy | Level: 6 | Battle Rank:5] [Thirteenth place - Title: Mohawk Wannabe | Level: 6 | Battle Rank:5] ____ Elly smiled seeing her rise in the lists as she spoke, "Brother, I won''t lose to any of them, I will rise higher before that event and once it begins, I shall claim one of the best Top Class Skills and a Special Profession..." When Raynas heard this, he smiles as he spoke, "Of course you will, you aren''t our clans favored talent for nothing. However, it would help if you never grew complacent, other than us humans and the allied and neutral races. Those hostile civilizations are naturally going to be partaking in this event..." Elly nodded as she heard those words, her eyes showing a firm look as she thought to herself, ''I know brother, I''ll strive to get the best results...'' Raynas seemed to know what she was thinking, he sighed and lifted his head, staring at the sky that transitioning to night time as he contemplated, ''Top Class skills are another thing, but Special Professions are only auxiliary to Combat Classes gained from Inheritance Quests. She''ll have to overcome both human and non-human talents from both hostile and non-hostile backgrounds to find a truly notable Special Profession... it will be a bloody challenge just like last time...'' As the evening slowly transitioned into the colorful scenery of the night-time hours, a cold wind blew rustling the petals of flowers and grasses as both brother and sister continued about their task. *** The sky was dark, and the colorful stars and brilliant Universe Ring were looming above the open skies. By this hour, Nero, who had only tested out the effects of his new boots, was smiling as he made his way through the forests as he traveled towards Birgime. Each time his boots would glow in blue lights whereby he would bounce from the ground to a few meters into the air and bounce a second time as if walking in the sky, after a few seconds the glows vanished and he would rapidly descend before gracefully landing on the ground. "Perfect, not only have I successfully arranged a better source of income with Classmate Elly, but these boots are convenient, no wonder it''s a reward from a Special Quest..." Nero said in a soft voice as he recalled his discussion with Elly and looked down on his equipped boots, causing their stats to appear before his eyes. ____ [Sky Walker Boots] [Grade: Rare Tier] [Type: Armor] [Subtype: Boots] [Usable by: All] [Close Range] [Requirements: Level 6] [Agility: +36 km/h] [Passive Weapon Skill: Sky Walk - A unique item ability that allows the user to walk on air for a limited time.] [Effects: 10 seconds | Cooldown: 1 minute] ____ After checking out their stats, Nero''s face was beaming, but right at this time Adult Nero spoke, "Items are one thing, but personal strength is the most important, you still have a long way to go as your mastery is still a ways off from Stage 6." Nero, hearing this sighed as he spoke, "I know, I know, I want to trade for some more potions before I use the rest of the night to grind." Adult Nero nodded at this and no longer said anything, he returned to silence while looking upwards as if he could peer through Nero''s consciousness at the stars. Suddenly, his eyes showed a stern look as he thought to himself, ''It''s nearing that time, I should begin to teach him about the incoming event... and a tiny bit about our kinds enemies...'' As Adult Nero thought to here, his eyes had a cold look as if he could peer from this world towards the distant stars in the galaxy were a myriad of worlds reside. Chapter 72: Special Event Notice, Novice Tier Stages As the night had fallen, most individuals had already called an end to today''s adventures as the bustle of the town and villages now carried with it a vibrancy like no other. Nero, who had only moments ago purchased his potions was about to head out training, but right as he was about to pass by a crowded area, he couldn''t help but grow a bit distracted by their conversations. "Ho... it''s that time again; I wonder how many amongst our generation will rise?" One person said with a curious tone. "Hehe... I bet I can make it to the highest ranks; I''m so glad I only awakened last week; I am more than qualified to participate in this year''s event," A person eagerly. "Tsk, what do you know? Do you even realize just how many Novices had suppressed themselves to Level 10? Most haven''t bothered to gain a tiny bit of exp as they only refined their skills and mastery for this event," The other individual said. "Blah! Why should I be worried? It''s not like everyone can be a genius like that Child of Blaze or those past top tier fellows, I bet most others are stills stuck at Stage Five of battle power, not to mention those from the weaker races, in this scenario, recent newbies like myself still have a fighting chance so long as we get to Level 10..." The person said. The other individuals said nothing as he snorted, knowing that part of what he said was the truth, talent is talent after all, and those humans who can break past certain limits of comprehension are considered as superior talents. However, with regards to the aliens and different lifeforms that''s an entirely different story. ''Oh, what are they talking about?'' Nero pondered with curious eyes, he soon made his way over and noticed that the crowd gathered before a large notice board. ___ [Don''t miss out on the annual Special Event of the Novice Zone!] [The Gate of Legends - Time: 1 week] [Limits:] [1 - All participants must be less than 17 years old] [2 - All participants must be at Level 10] [3 - All participants must not have a Combat Class.] [4 - All participants must have at least achieved a Fifth Stage Master] [5 - All participants must have at race token] ___ When Nero saw those details, his eyes grew wide as he spoke inwardly, ''Huh? A Special Event? Just look at these rules, is this what Elly was talking about before?'' Adult Nero made a faint smile as answered, "Indeed it is, the Gate of Legends, it''s a Special Event that takes place once every year in the Novice Zone. Curiously you had awakened just in time for it, but enough about that, this event is something that you will need to participate in if you want a better chance of passing your Inheritance Quest." ''Oh, and why is that?'' Nero asked back in his mind as he continued to observe the notice board. Adult Nero replied, "It''s simple, you have High-Class Skills, but at the end of the High Class will only take you so far, while you could still progress and roam across the remainder of the Novice Zone''s boundaries with its boost in power. You will ultimately fall behind true talents that have mastered a Top-Class Combat Skill. Every Top-Class Combat Skill, along with an accompanying Inheritance Core Art of a genuinely high level, gives its wielder enough power to jump a minor realm depended on their grade." When Nero heard those words, he was puzzled as had questioned, ''What''s a minor realm?'' Adult Nero thought for a bit as he said, "You''ve read cultivation novels in your free time, you can think of it as Early Stage, Middle Stage, High Stage, and the Peak Stage of the Novice Rank for all Digitizers. In essence, Level 1 - 30 is the ranks of an Early Novice Digitizer, while Level 31 - 60 and 61 - 90 are the ranks of Middle and High Stage. From 91 - 99 is considered a peak strength of Novice Levels, and they are divided in the same manner for the following Tiers." Nero was shocked hearing this; he could not even control his previous indifferent expression causing a few people to look at him. However, as they saw that he was facing the notice board, they naturally assumed that he was surprised the event. ''Are you telling me that these skills with the combination of whatever art we acquire from our Inheritance Quests can allow us to fight dozens of levels beyond our standard? That''s so frigging OVERPOWERED!'' Nero said to himself in alarm. Adult Nero chuckled at this as he replied with a calm tone, "No, that''s only normal, you must understand that we aren''t the only beings in this universe¡­ especially after coming to this world and seeing those various alien races." When Nero heard this, he nodded his head even more, especially as he recalled the variety of strange lifeforms. Adult Nero continued to explain, "Good, then I can get on with the point, some of these races comprising of Class 2 and even Class 3 races are Neutral Races meaning that they aren''t willing to interfere with anyone else. While a small amount mostly comprising of weaker Class 1 and lesser races are our allies. Naturally, amongst these myriads of races in the endlessly expanding universe, we are similarly enemies to a lot of them, majority of then falling to the ranks of peak Class 3 races as the most dangerous enemies of them all are a few peak Class 4 races." As Adult Nero said this, his eyes grew a bit distant as his words continued, "The only reason we are still fine is because of the vast expanding universe which has always pushed their kind further away from our domain in the cosmos. However, enough about that, my point here is that these races are all born powerful. They don''t need to bolster their foundations by practicing High-Class Techniques as the average amongst them inherently have Stage Four Levels of fitness, while the strongest amongst then are born comparable to Stage Nine Levels. These races upon claiming Top Class and Other skills are easily able to show that kind of minor realm leaping battle power with the strongest prodigies amongst them being able even to leap multiple minor realms." Nero was even more stunned at this, he asked, ''Crap, then you''re saying that most of these freaks are our enemies rather than allies. Hmm... wait a second, you mentioned this right after I''ve spoken about this event, don''t tell me that they''re also planning on entering it? If they do take part, won''t that mean trouble for us humans and any other weaker races?'' Adult Nero replied, "Correct, but also not correct, firstly, even if hostile races partake, we don''t need to worry about major losses as this event occurs in the Novice Zone. And secondly, our most troublesome and dangerous enemies won''t be joining as their prodigies already have access to such methods with their eyes set to higher places. You won''t have to worry about facing them until in much higher Zones such as the Emperor Zone." As Nero heard this; he heaved a sigh of relief. He thought for a bit and inwardly asked, ''I''m curious, who are our enemies?'' Adult Nero looked at him and spoke, "You can learn about them at another time, let''s get back on topic, in regards to the weaker races that are more comparable to our kind, they will be taking part in this Special Event. The reason for this is because they are always trying to find an advantage while simultaneously pressing down our race. You see, the more they suppress our talents the easier it will be for then to dominate the higher zones, taking them one step closer to finding the treasure of treasures." When Nero heard this, his heart soon felt cold; he now knew that events in this world were far more than they seemed on the surface. He gripped his fist and spoke, ''I¡­ I don''t want to fall behind anyone, nor do I want to lose against some darn aliens letting them have their way. I want to claim that treasure in the end and help mother¡­'' Adult Nero made a faint smile when he heard those words, his eyes showed a slightly sad look, but it soon faded as he spoke, "If you don''t want to fall back and be suppressed by them, then you will have to fight for what you want and grow stronger. However, for you to even join these events and gain this privilege, you will ultimately need to make a choice and join a Digitizer Society to earn a human race token." Nero narrowed his eyes at those words; he thought for a bit recalling the Hatman Society and the Blood Steel Society of the Digitizers Union. ''So, it turns out I really need to join one in the end¡­'' Nero thought with a slightly disappointed look on his face as he sighed. "Indeed, you do," Adult Nero said coldly. Nero ignored him as he stared at the board once more before turning and leaving; his eyes showed a firm look as he had already made up his mind on who he will be joining. Adult Nero seemed to have read his thoughts; he smirked as he thought to himself, "Heh, of course, in the end, you''d still choose that rowdy bunch... it only makes this more entertaining...'' As Adult Nero thought to himself, Nero had already left the notice board area as he headed towards the outskirts of the town to finish his night training. Chapter 73: Hersa’s Invitation, A Mother’s Worry A new day rose within the City of Rambruck, bringing a cool warmness that washed away the cold night. Nero had already woken up and had entered the kitchen on this bright new Saturday, one of the best days of the week in his opinion, until recent years. There was a time when Nero used to enjoy his weekends as it was the only moment he had to spend as much time as he could with his mother. However, ever since he had to mind the house and take care of her, his job at the Paradise Palace had taken up those pleasures. Nevertheless, Nero was feeling joyful today as he no longer needed to work in that low paying and deadbeat job. "They are the prey and we are the hunters!"???? Nero sang as he hummed a tune from a song he heard from his mother''s old laptop, he didn''t even know what it was called or where it came from, he only knew it was rather old. As Nero made some special oats with a banana mixed within and sweeteners, he placed two bowls on the table and hurried to his mother''s room. "Mother, hurry and get up, the food is ready!" Nero said as he stood at the door. Nero waited for a while, but he didn''t hear any answers, he hurriedly opened the door and entered, but as he did this, he saw that his mother was staring out the window in a daze as she rested her back against the bed head. "Mother...?" Nero called out with a hint of worry in his voice. Hersa only now awoke from her daze; her pale face gained a bit color as she turned and looked at him with her red eyes. She smiled, causing the rays from the morning sun to shine across the silver hair as her beauty seemed capable of moving all souls. "Oh... my little Nero had to come and see me, looks like I had forgotten the time... go on now, I''ll be down in a jiffy," Hersa said with a gentle look as she lovingly stared at Nero. Nero looked at his mother before he nodded his head and left the room, he hurried downstairs to finish some preparations around the table. When Hersa saw Nero left, her radiant face soon grew dim; her eyes now had a hint of pain in it as her face seemed a bit paler than the norm. Cough! As she coughed, she covered her mouth with her palms, but despite doing this, she was unable to contain the contents that had spewed within it. Tsss... a hot sound as of acid burning through something sounded as when Hersa opened her palms, she saw that black blood was flowing down from it. It was a very unusual blood; one that would certainly spell doom from any other as the moment this blood touched the sheet; the area touched had begun to burn away. ''So, it''s reached this stage... my dear husband, I hope... I hope that you can forgive me for I won''t be able to keep our promise,'' Hersa said to herself as she sighed, she knew this couldn''t change, but even so, she wanted to do her best and enjoy the company of the second person who meant the most to her in this world. When Hersa finished her thoughts, she cleaned herself up and fixed her clothes before heading downstairs. Nero was a bit worried as he didn''t see her make any movements for a while, but as he saw her appear, his worried faded by a tiny bit. When Hersa finally sat down around the table, Nero looked at her and asked, "Mother, how are you feeling today?" Hersa looked at Nero and made a thumbs-up as she grinned and replied, "I''ve never felt better! Come now, eat up, I want to take you out today." When Nero heard this, he was hesitant, but as he saw that her manner seemed a bit livelier than this morning, he felt that she was genuinely feeling okay. "Mother, you want to go out? Where do you want to go?" Nero asked with a tinge of excitement on his face; it had been a long time that he went out with his mother. Hersa smiled as she placed one finger on her lips and spoke word for word with a cheeky wink, "That''s-a-secret..." Nero had a frustrated look as he heard this, Hersa giggled as she pinched his cheek and spoke, "Come now, none of that look, keep scrunching up your brows and you''ll end up looking more like your father than me. Hehe¡­ as for the tip, you''ll find out later, now hurry and eat!" Nero pouted, he didn''t like being compared with his father, he sighed as replied, "Fine," No longer complaining, Nero hid his curiosity as he hurried to eat his meal. Hersa stared at him warmly before she also started to eat, only, if one looked closely at her, they would notice that deep within her eyes was a look as if she was hiding something. The scene now one of calmness, as mother and child continued to feast on their morning breakfast as the day continued along. *** Far away from Nero''s house, within the core regions of the most high-class residential areas of Rambruck. One region had a mansion so large it occupied a vast region of land, ranging to a few dozens of acres. It was a building that was roughly nine thousand square feet large with a pile of ornaments in certain areas, a large swimming pool. Outdoor garage packed with luxury vehicles and butlers and stern-faced guards dressed in black suits positioned in various areas. Looking at the center of this building, one would notice that around a particularly appealing water fountain with the sculptures of a fierce-looking man and divine-like woman, the words Balkras was written in stylized writing on a large gold plated sign. In the largest room of this building, a beautiful resting quarter with a queen-sized bed. A beauty garbed in a long and decorated dress that looked very much like the sculpture of the divine-like woman was seated on a calm and graceful posture. If one paid close attention to her features, one would notice that though mature, she shared features found on Elly. Her long chestnut brown hair was well maintained, glistening in bright lights due to the cheerful morning rays, her eyelashes were long as they rested above her almond-shaped brown eyes as her fine nose fitted perfect with her small red lips. In regular times a beauty such this would typically be seen with the most attractive smile, but at this moment, this woman had a dark look on her face. Her forehead filled with veins as she bit her lips, showing an extremely unpleasant look. ''Be calm... be graceful... be calm... be graceful...'' The beautiful woman inwardly said as she closed her eye and meditated in silence. Not long after, her mood seemed a little better as her facial contortion had vanished, showing her usual refined appearance. "My daughter has been acting strange as of late... her smiles are more tender, and during our family dinner and bedtime talk, her eyes seemed a bit distracted. Oh, I wonder, whatever could it be...?" The woman said as if speaking to the wind as a look of uncertainty appeared in her eyes. Yet, oddly enough, the wind seemed capable of replying, "Dear Madame Balkras, it would appear that she''s grown fascinated by the opposite sex..." When Madame Balkras heard those words she frowned, her hard to keep graceful appearance was threatening to break loose, she sighed, calming down with her mantra once more as she spoke cold tone, "Tell my son Raynas to come here..." "Y-yes, Madame Balkras!" The wind replied in a hurry as it left with gust. When the woman turned around, no one was there, and the room seemed to be only to herself. Her mesmerizing eyes shone in an icy race as she spoke as if declaring to the world, "To move my daughter... hmph! It won''t be easy..." The picture in the room here unknown to anyone, but rumors say that those servants who had stood near the doorway could feel an astonishing amount of iciness, with many having nightmares filled with hostility for days to come. Chapter 74: A Day with Mother, A Mysterious Man The weekends of Rambruck were especially lively as the people crowded about at various locations to idle away their time. Years ago, there was a time where this wasn''t even possible, an age where the world was set back due to a strange pandemic that oddly enough, was capable of somehow spreading across the globe. However, let''s not get into that, the day remained quite a peaceful sight. As pedestrians moved about in colorful wears with a cheerful look on their faces, a few somewhat poorly dressed individuals were walking about with hesitant looks on their faces as they continued about the Prominent Sector. Usually, only those with exceptional talents will be granted passage to their region. However, every weekend a person with a token can carry an extra individual with them into the core of the city. Naturally, Nero and his mother were amongst these individuals, having entered the city''s core together before they went their separate ways. Today, Nero was especially excited as he walked by his mother''s side, though he knew most of the areas he calmly listened to his mother speak, enjoying the lively look she had on her usually ill face. "Nero, look over there, that arcade has been around for ages, and it was there that I used to play games with your father, those were such great times..." Hersa said as she pointed at a shabby looking store that seemed a bit dated, yet the people outside of it were quite up in their age, holding onto video game relics from the past. Nero was a bit curious, as a new generation teen, he wouldn''t know about some things, he asked, "Mother, are we going there?" Hersa showed a mysterious smirked before she spoke, "No, we''ll be visiting a better place for now." Nero tilted his head with a confused look; he was curious about just where she wanted to take him. However, he didn''t ask and just followed with a happy expression. Hersa glanced at him from the corners of her eyes and made a warm smile as she thought, ''It''s good that he''s happy...'' The two continued until they finally arrived at Hersa''s mysterious destination, a gigantic gallery of incredible proportions. It had a massive globe at the front of the building with a few terminals placed around it. Behind this globe, one would notice a series of tall lanterns that lined a well-paved pathway towards the building''s interior with trimmed grasses and flowers at its sides. Many different people were walking about as in different parking lots were a dense collection of cars, each of a sleek, angular design. The atmosphere here was almost as lively as the streets as couples, families, and friends walked around while speaking. When Nero saw this, his eyes turned a bit red as he recalled that many years ago. One of his deepest wishes was to visit the largest museum in the world, but due it being far away, he simply didn''t have the chance with his mother falling ill. While this wasn''t anything compared to the museum in the central sector of the Earth Continent, he was happy as he didn''t have the time to visit it due to his previous job. Hersa saw Nero''s expression and couldn''t help but to show the look of a mother teasing her child as she spoke, "Nero, what do you think? Haven''t you always wanted to visit a museum back then? Your father wanted to be the one to take you here, but let''s just say I''ve stolen his personal wish, hehe..." When Nero heard this, he tuned out the bits about his father from his mind and smiled as he spoke, "Mother, thank you." Hersa clicked her teeth rubbed his head as she replied, "Come on, no acting like a brat, let''s hurry and explore, I haven''t been here in ages so there might be some new sightings." "Okay," Nero replied as the two went into the building after walking through the path. As they entered they saw a grand scene, there were giant constructs, life-sized models, and other peculiar objects. Hersa''s eyes lit up as she looked at a giant machine that stood at the museum''s center; it had a glossy metallic shine as it''s body armor was a mix of greyish-blue. A massive wing that seemed like two diamond-shaped shields rested on its back as it held a giant metal sword at its front with its edge touching the ground. "Ouu! Nero look, that statue over there was a commemoration of the first-ever mech built by humans, the M1; it was the leading unit that had guided all terraforming vessels to mars," Hersa said with bright eyes, it seemed that she was a wild fan of mech units. Nero surprised by this side of his mother, he stared at the machine and somewhat found it appealing to look at, it seemed that deep down he was also a fan of them. Before Nero could even react, Hersa grabbed his arm like an excited little girl as she brought him about the place and pointed out many things she didn''t see before. Nero didn''t even have a chance to react most times, as she pulled him across the entire museum. It didn''t take long for them to arrive at the top section where a replica of the Universe Ring was made with a few descriptions below it. "Nero up ahead is the strangest phenomena of all; I''m sure that we''ll learn quite a few things from it..." Hersa said as she pulled Nero towards it. "Right," Nero said with a smile, but deep down, he had already known quite a bit of this odd object that literally connects the various species scattered across the endless universe. At this time, a small crowd formed around this replica, they each had looks of curiosity on their faces. Yet, if one were to look within their ranks, they would notice that a few amongst them had different eyes, each seeming to have a solemn air as they wore white suits with white glasses. These men and women surrounded a single individual, a handsome man with neck long white hair with blue eyes. He wore a white suit with a purple coat that had a high collar as he stood with his hands in his pockets, showing an indifferent look as he gazed at the replica. When Hersa pulled Nero over, they both seemed to notice this individual at the same time. Hersa''s eyes shrunk as they flickered in a white ray before she hurriedly turned and stared at the replica. Nero''s eyes grew strange, as the moment he glanced at this person, he felt as if the world had changed, and he was only moments from being swallowed by a devastating storm. ''Who is he?'' Nero thought with a hint of weariness as he had never felt this kind of feeling before. Suddenly, this man''s blue eyes shifted from the replica onto both Nero and his mother. His eyes showed an odd look as if confused about something as he contemplated, ''How peculiar... these two, why do I sense a kind of familiarity from them? Odd, no matter how I look at them, I can tell that they are regular humans, but I can''t help but find them strange.'' As this odd man thought to himself, one of the guards walked nearby and spoke, "Sir, it''s time to leave," The man nodded at this before turning and leaving with the bodyguards, his eyes still locked onto Nero and his mother as he walked by them, his nose twitched as he furrowed his brows while thinking, ''So normal, yet, so strange that even the scent of death is so rich here... quite interesting...'' As man thoughts ran to here, he soon left this section with his group as he vanished into the museum''s lower parts. Nero stared at the man''s back with a deep look on his face, but as he couldn''t find any answers he didn''t say anything, he turned around and looked at his mother only to notice that she had grown silent. He asked, "Mother, are you okay?" Hersa snapped out of her daze as she smiled and spoke, "Yes, I was only a bit distracted, come now, let''s take a look at this replica." Nero stared at her for a bit and then nodded as they continued about their day''s activities, pushing everything else in the back of their minds. Chapter 75: Chairman Xu, A Dark Feeling As the strange man left the museum, his mind couldn''t help but wander towards the encounter with Nero and his mother. The guards noticed his complex expression, but neither of them spoke and only did their duty, they knew full well that they weren''t of the status to provide counseling to such an individual. ''That woman... I can''t put my hands on it, but... despite that dying stench, she truly does carry a tinge of familiarity... so much like her...'' The man thought with slightly fascinated eyes as if recalling a figure of peerless beauty that was strong and prideful. As the man compared the two, he shook his head as he knew such a pale and sickly-looking woman that was on the doorway to death could in no way be his fantasy. Eventually, this man had arrived before a black Limousine, one though similar to its old era counterpart, carried differences through its stylized and angular design. A group of men and women in suits stood before this limo with stern faces, but as they saw that white-haired man arrive, they each lowered their heads and made a court bow while speaking, "Welcome back Chairman Xu," Chairman Xu didn''t even notice them as he walked into the open door and sat down in his usual corner, a few other bodyguards followed along. They secured him from different sides as the others went into different black cars. A few moments later, the limo drove off with the company of these black cars as they traveled a particular route towards the exit of Rambruck. While seated in the vehicle, Chairman Xu remained a bit distracted as the limo proceeded along very smoothly. Yet, it was at this moment, as if someone was already there, a voice sounded from Chairman Xu''s opposing side. "Mr. Xu, for such a high government official like yourself, to have personally arrived at my Levier Sector, I truly must wonder what might have caught your attention..." The voice said in a cool tone. "Who goes there?" The bodyguards shouted in alarm as they quickly pulled out their specialized guns and pressed a few buttons at their earlobes, causing their shades to shine in neon lights. Chairman Xu shook his head as he saw this and spoke, "Put those away; it won''t do any good against this fellow..." The bodyguards hearing this looked at each other before complying, Chairman Xu then glanced at the opposing seat. A man dressed loosely appeared, he wore a simple sporting t-shirt with shorts, sandals, a conical hat, and had curly black hair that flowed down his oblong-shaped face. "Reil Levier, I''d have never thought that the Levier Family''s newly appointed head would be so keen to my whereabouts, I must commend you on that information network of yours..." Chairman Xu said with a calm look on his face. "I thank the esteemed Chairman Xu for his praise," Reil said with a smirk in reply to his words, he then shifted his eyes from Chairman Xu as he looked towards the tinted windows, gazing at the passing scenery on the private route used to leave Rambruck. Chairman Xu looked at him for a while then spoke, "Reil, if you came to see me off, you could have done so from outside the car. So tell me, why are you here?" Reil''s eyes then turned from the surroundings onto Chairman Xu, his eyes now carrying a sharp light as he spoke, "I know what... or rather, who you''re here for, but even if you are amongst the peak of the government, you should know that some things are beyond your reach..." Immediately following Reil''s words, his body burst into a series of multi-colored lights that vanished from the limo as they faded into nothingness. Chairman Xu looked at this with sharp eyes as a cold aura filled the entirety of the car, even those bodyguards in the other cars were a bit shaken as they trembled slightly. "Hmph!" With a snort, Chairman Xu calmed down as he closed his eyes while thinking to himself, ''Reil, to think he''s learned so much, tsk, that boy will be ours and no one can tell me otherwise.'' When Chairman Xu thought to here, the images of a familiar red-haired child that carried a blazing presence became prevalent in his mind. He knew that this boy''s background was huge, but it wouldn''t stop him from recruiting him to the number one society of the DU, no matter the odds. The scene here remained one of solemnness as the cars drove off into the distance, venturing towards the ever so distant reaches of the central sectors. *** Not minding the strange scene that occurred a few minutes prior, Nero and his mother had continued about their day. Having already left the area of the replica, Nero and his mother continued to tour the museum, they idled about until it reached the peak of noon before they left and headed back to the core of the city. After kicking Nero''s butt in some old school arcade fighting game, a relic sought after by many known as Street Boxer. They left the arcade with different moods; Nero had a sullen appearance as he didn''t even get a single hit with the busty girl that kept kicking. Hersa, on the other hand, had a victorious smile as she beat that girl down with another thick girl with blond hair. She looked at Nero and teased, "Hehe... ah, come on now, my son, why so sullen? Can''t you even accept losing to your mother? "Hmph! I... I only lost because of inexperience, I-I will beat you next time easily," Nero said with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. Hersa smirked at this and didn''t bother to push his limits; the two then went to the cake store where he bought her favorite cake before they started to wander the street during the evening, arriving in a gorgeous central park. By this time it was already late afternoon, nearing the nightly hours, the bustling morning had faded as the cool wind brought about a change to the atmosphere. "Yum-yum! Oh, I just love Strawberry Cheery Cakes, I haven''t eaten this in such a long time!" Hersa said with a bright and cheerful smile, her mood now one of happiness. Nero smiled while eating as enjoying his mother''s pleasing appearance; he thought to himself, ''Don''t worry, mother, now that I am getting a better job, you''ll be able to eat more of what you like from now on...'' As the two ate, they spoke about various things until the stars had begun to show up. Nero checked the time and knew that they should start heading back, he was about to suggest leaving, but right at this moment, Hersa''s face turned a bit melancholic. ''It''s time...'' Hersa thought as she finally hardened her resolve, her fist clenched as she swallowed the last bit of sweetness from her favorite snack on her lips. Adult Nero, who was quiet for a while, also sighed as he spoke to himself, ''Here it comes... the true beginning... I wonder, will this too flow in the same pattern?'' Nero was a bit confused by his mother''s look, but Hersa soon spoke, "Nero, did you know that there was something a peculiar about the Earth Ring?" Nero now had a look of surprise on his face as he heard his mother speak about the Universe Ring, or rather, what went by a different name through Earth''s standards as the Earth Ring. He answered while avoiding saying what he knew from the World of Promise, "Yes, mother, I''ve heard a few bits about it during our history classes at school, though not enough is said about it in detail..." Hersa made a strange smile on her sad looking face as she spoke, "Of course it is, the Earth Ring is truly a mystery like no other, an object that came to our world during an unprecedented event. There were many rumors of peculiar happenings, stories of superhuman individuals, and other wild notions during those days. However, in time all of that faded, and everything has remained a secret from all eyes..." Hersa said with a somewhat distant look in her eyes as she stared at the Earth Ring''s replica. Nero looked at her deeply as he felt that her mood was different, he thought to himself, ''Why is mother saying this? Could it be that...?'' Nero was about to think something, but suddenly, Hersa, who had a slightly complex look on her face, stared at him and spoke, "My dear son, I shall tell you of a secret..." Nero felt his heart race as he had a bad feeling in heart, the nightly wind growing chiller as the park''s mood had entirely changed. **** Author''s Note: Feeling generous? Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Chapter 76: Mother’s Last Secrets A cold wind blew across the city of Rambruck, filling most who wandered about its night-lit streets with a surge of unease. The sky now suffused by brilliant stars and the glamorous Universe Ring as it carried a tinge of redness that glowed around the looming moon. "Whew... it''s rather cold tonight..." A young woman said as she walked by the side of a man. The man nodded as he too shivered when he spoke, "Indeed, this draft is rather chilly, let''s hurry on out... eh?" The man was about to say something, but his eyes couldn''t help but be drawn towards a scene before them. The woman also noticed the peculiar sight, staring dazedly at two individuals who stood and faced each other, a handsome young man around 15 years of age and a beautiful but sickly-looking woman who had similar features to the youth. "Who are they?" The man asked in a hushed tone. The young woman gave them a good look, noticing their silver hair and red eyes, she nodded before she replied in a soft tone, "I... I think that they might be relatives, either brother or sister, or mother or child, either way, I think we should head off, let''s not disturb them." "Right," The man answered as the two continued about their business, ensuring not to disturb the duo. Currently, Nero and his mother Hersa were staring at each other as the strange mood only grew stronger; the tension in Nero''s heart rose by the second as he calmly awaited his mother''s words while in thought. ''What''s mother saying? Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?'' Nero asked inwardly to get an answer from his older self, but sadly, Adult Nero remained silent, as if he didn''t exist. Nero clenched his fist tightly as his arm started to tremble; he didn''t like that his older self was not replying, adding further to his feeling of unease. Nevertheless, he didn''t have to worry for long as Hersa who had finally gathered her emotions had begun to speak, "My dear son, there''s so much that you''ve experienced, but yet so many things that you don''t understand... I even wonder if I''ll be able to tell you everything." Nero tilted his head in confusion, not getting at what she''s trying to say, but Hersa merely made a light smile with complex eyes as she continued to speak, "I suppose I''ll start a bit with things you don''t know. Nero, many years ago, our world was one that could be considered as a somewhat normal planet, but all this changed due to the arrival of the Earth Ring, or rather... what you should now know as the Universe Ring." When Nero heard Hersa said this, his eyes widened in surprise as he''d never imagined hearing the term Universe Ring from his mother''s mouth. It immediately led him to assume many things, sending his mind in a temporary state of chaos. Hersa sighed when she saw his look, but she continued her words, "Nero... my son, pay attention there isn''t much time left..." Nero hearing this gritted his teeth as he looked at her and nodded, Hersa then continued, "Back then, the world had undergone an upheaval as countless oddities had sprung out onto the open. People were given special abilities from objects that rained down from the sky, and a mysterious voice told us to strive for a mystical treasure in an unknown world. For a while, there was no order as man sought to pursue a myriad of agendas, leading to a period of intense conflict." Nero hearing this couldn''t hide his expression of shock as he thought to himself, ''For my mother to know all of this... could it be that she''s a Digitizer? If she is, then why... why would she...?'' Hersa stared at Nero who remained silent, his arms shaking as if he pieced together many things, she took a short breath and spoke again, "Like you''ve guessed, your father and I had taken part in this endeavor. We awakened as second-generation Digitizers during our younger years, much later than our parents, who have inherited different bits more directly as First-Generation Digitizers. Our awakening was the start of an entirely new generation of Digitizers, later classified as Naturals." ''What? So mother isn''t the only one but he... he was also a Digitizer? If he also had this kind of power, why would he even leave us behind? Why would he leave despite knowing her sickness?'' Nero cursed inwardly, as his mind grew even more confused. He couldn''t think straight due to the sudden information that clouded his mind. Hersa seemed to know what he was thinking based on his current expression. She pretended not to see and spoke again, "As Naturals, we ventured the World of Promise together to accomplish great things and in hopes of acquiring the greatest treasure of all. Traveling to many lands, experiencing many battles, and fighting alongside comrades as we similarly made powerful adversaries and rivals alike. It was a fascinating journey... but much later, we had to halt our travels..." When Hersa spoke here, her face turned a bit regretful yet joyful at the same time as if she recalled the most painful, yet beautiful thing. Nero calmed down his emotion and asked, "Mother, was it because of the sickness?" Hersa smiled and shook her head to decline his words; she then answered, "No, I wasn''t sick back then, the reason we had decided to retire was that we had realized that the greatest treasure wasn''t some object in a foreign land... but something much unexpected, it was you our unborn child..." When Nero heard this, his eyes turned red as he looked at his mother, he always knew that his mother loved him, but he didn''t think his father considered him like such. He took a moment to calm his racing heart and spoke, "Then mother... if I was so precious to him, why would he leave us behind? Why would he do what he did when you are in such a state?" Hersa stared at Nero profoundly before she shifted her eyes onto the Universe Ring in silence, Nero remained calm, though he had a hard time accepting her words regarding his father. He instinctively knew it was the truth, and it caused him to feel a surge of pain in his soul. Hersa sighed before she spoke but with an even more complex expression, "Nero¡­ there will always come a time when you''ll have to learn to make hard choices, he made his choice, and I being his wife decided to accept it. It was when we had decided to leave the world, we had already delved too deeply in a terrifying Special Region of the highest order, and because of that, we couldn''t call upon the powers of the Universe Ring to exit. We battled against the core alien powers and in that battle I was grievously wounded, it was a power from an ancient artifact, one that had the power to destroy all living things... because of this, there was nothing that could be done by either magic, treasures, or even our primitive use of science..." Nero hearing these words knew what she was saying, his eyes widened as he spoke, "Mother... are you saying that he actually went to..." Hersa promptly spoke, finishing his words, "Correct, after successfully retreating from that area, your father then spent a few years at my side before he left to find a way to save me, traveling towards a fabled land with countless greater dangers, but as you can see, despite his efforts he never returned. His wish was to find a cure for the curse that no one had the power solve, and the only way to do so is through..." "The Treasure of Wishes... so that''s why it''s like this," Nero said finishing Hersa''s words, his eyes shining as his mind came to complete realization. At this moment, Nero felt a different feeling; he finally understood why his father did those things and why no matter how many times he bad mouthed him, his mother never cursed him. Hersa, upon seeing Nero''s look smiled as her face showed a look of relief, she thought to herself, ''Finally, I''m glad he at the very least he learned his father''s efforts...'' As she finished her thoughts, Hersa looked at her palms, which were even paler now; her eyes seemed a bit unfocused as the surroundings became a bit blurry. She sighed as she spoke, "Nero..." When Nero heard this, he woke from his thoughts seeing her look, which had fallen by a section, he had a bad feeling. Still, before he could say anything, she spoke again with a smile, "Nero, my dear son, there is so much you should know, but it would seem that I won''t have that chance to tell you. So, I want you to remember, remember your father''s sacrifice. Remember that you are never truly alone in this world, no matter what happens, and always¡­ always keep a close company with your friends. Lastly, remember that I no matter what... shall... always... love... y...." Hersa wanted to say something, but right at this time, the sparse clouds shrouded the moon as if it was trying to prevent it from witnessing the following sight. Blarg! Hersa, who was trying to speak suddenly halted, her expression transforming into one of utmost pain as she opened her mouth and spewed out a bucket load of black blood. As she did this, her body stood upright in an unsteady manner as by now; she found that she couldn''t say any words, the world around her slowly began to fade into darkness as her mind began to lose focus. Nero was alarmed; he never thought something like this would just happen out of the blue. Shocked by the sudden change, he stretched his trembling arm forward as he opened his mouth and uttered, "Mo-Motheeeer!" Following his tragic cry, Hersa barely managed to turn her dim eyes towards him, forcing a warm smile once more from her blood-stained lips. She moved her mouth as if saying something, but no words came out, not long after, she had started to fall. Her fall seemed to be in slow motion, as Nero dully looked at this scene. He couldn''t think, as his mind had gone blank, the clouds that shrouded the moon soon after left as the cold light graced his figure with its luminance, painting a sorrowfully but slow picture. Chapter 77: A Temporary Measure, The Man Known As Grail The scene within the park was a gloomy one, as a single luminous ray illuminated a sole figure that now stood a short distance from what seemed like a corpse. It was a solitary looking youth whose eyes emanated a profound sense of sadness as he trembled while staring at the woman. "Mother... mother.... motheeeer!" Nero repeatedly said while his mind seemed as if it was about to descend into madness. He fell onto his knees, bashed his hands against the ground that left behind spiderwebs like cracks on the concrete. Tears now fell from the corners of his eyes as he didn''t know what he should do in this circumstance; he lost all reason and was now unable to think correctly. Suddenly, an audible sigh sounded from a nearby location as a voice spoke, "So you still chose this route in the end... such a pity, Hersa..." Following those words, a light series of footsteps followed. Not long after, a familiar-looking man who wore a thick black overcoat with a large had appeared from the darker sections of the park. His figure now illuminated by the lights from the lamps as his shades reflected the cold lights. He stared at Nero, who didn''t even turn to look at him before he walked towards Hersa and picked her up, Nero who had now noticed this, suddenly felt a surge of rage towards this stranger. He jumped to his feet as his body exploded with a dense amount of killing intent as he shouted, "Let go of my mother right now!" The man glanced at Nero as he held Hersa, looking at him with pity from his eyes hidden behind his shades. He noticed that Nero''s expression was madness, the same look of a lost child in the wilderness. "Nero Valstine, your mother has yet to truly pass away, calm yourself, let us speak where there are few disturbances..." The man said as he turned away from Nero and calmly walked away. When Nero heard this, his anger faded by a section as his face became filled with surprise. He stared at the man deeply as he thought to himself, ''Who is he? Can I trust his words?'' Adult Nero remained silent, saying nothing nor giving any form of advice, Nero gripped his fists tightly as he decided not to ask anything more. Now that he had managed to regain a few his senses; he recalled that though Hersa had collapsed, there was still a tinge of life in her body, a tiny amount that wasn''t easily noticeable. ''If what this man said is true, seeing that he knows my name, he''s probably a friend to my parents...'' Nero concluded, not wasting any time he hurried along after the strange man. Swoosh! Nero rushed after him, but much to his shock, the man who was casually walking grew more distant with each step until he vanished from his sight. "What? So fast!" Nero said he exclaimed, but soon his eyes only grew calmer as he knew that such a character if they wanted to harm him, could easily do so without giving him the slightest chance to react. Eventually, Nero had caught up, but as he did so his eyes widened when he saw a series of black vans and cars. At this time, a medical team was now securing Hersa''s body on an ambulance stretcher while a group of men and women with vast auras spoke amongst themselves. ''These guys, they even have such facilities... I... I shouldn''t think about this, I need to confirm mother''s health,'' Nero thought as hurriedly cleared his mind went over to his mother''s side. The individuals noticed Nero''s arrival, but they merely continued to handle their various tasks as if they saw nothing. When Nero arrived at the stretcher, he saw that the cardiac monitor was beeping low but steady beeps. His mother was even breathing, but her consciousness had faded in entirety. A few bags with special-looking blood were currently connected to her body, as her skin''s paleness faded by a tiny section. Nero''s eyes turned red as he saw this, he looked at the medical grew that were finishing their emergency adjustments before he spoke, "Is my mother okay? Will this...?" Nero wanted to say something, but the strange man that he lost sight off had appeared at his side as he spoke cutting off his words, "It will not be enough, this is only a temporary measure to at least ease her pain and restore her to a minimal condition before that time comes..." When Nero heard this, his face sunk; he clenched his fists, knowing that it was true; he only wanted to believe in a fantasy. After sighing, he tried his best to calm down, his mood still a bit low as he stared at the man at his side and spoke, "Thank you for giving her even a little more time... I truly thank you." When Nero said this, he even dropped his pride and made a polite bow to the stranger, not even bothering to ask his name, the very fact that he was willing to do this, meant that they must have been close. The man had a sad look in his eyes when he stared at Hersa, he sighed before waving his hand and speaking, "You can take her to that place, I will fill him in on the details..." When he spoke, the medics nodded and spoke, "Understood, sir." Moments after, they pushed Hersa into the back of the medical van and closed it before it drove off along with the congregation of other individuals that rode in the black vans and cars as a form of escort. Nero didn''t move; he merely watched as the van drove off with his mother to unknown quarters, even if she stayed here, he wouldn''t know what to do with he wasn''t a surgeon. Another factor was that the strange man would more or likely fill him in on the details, as expected, the man then turned his attention from the leaving vehicles onto the Nero. By now, his sad look had faded by a bit as a light smile came on his face when he spoke, "I know that you might want to know a lot of things, but there are only a few that I can tell you. Or rather, only that which I am entitled to speak upon..." Nero remained silent as he calmly paid attention to him, consciously pressing down his sad and hateful feelings. The man nodded at Nero''s manner as he spoke in praise, "As expect of his son, you truly are not like the average man. My name is Grail, but as the child of my past comrades, you can address me as Uncle Grail. As for my other identities, those are things I am not obliged to disclose. There was a time when I, along with your parents had once journeyed to the lands of the World of Promise as a team. However, we had each retired for our separated reasons..." When Nero heard this, he nodded in silence while listening to him, Grail looked at him and no longer wasted time as he spoke directly, "The reason I am here today is that I came only to secure your mother after she succumbed to that ancient curse. Likely, she won''t survive for long even with our treatment, so you should take this time to prepare yourself to more easily shoulder her eventual departure." Nero took a moment to process this before his eyes coldly shone as he spoke, "Uncle Grail, there are only two things that I''d like to know, the first is the identity of the Alien Race who attacked my parents? And the second is if there''s any way to save my mother?" Grail looked at Nero deeply, feeling the astonishing amount of bloodlust that was hidden at his core, he sighed as he replied, "For your first question, you are not at the level to acquire such information, for now, just focus on increasing your strength. As for the second question, yes, there are ways to save her, but those methods are radically impossible for even myself to achieve, even your father, who ventured to a fabled land had never returned. As such, you will need to make your own choices for the future, whether it is in seeking out that mystical treasure that is fabled to grant any wish or walking a different path, everything is your choice." As Grail said this, he turned and began to leave as he flipped his thumb, causing a small chip to fly towards Nero''s position. Nero quickly caught the chip, but when he looked back up, he noticed that Grail was no longer around as only his voice sounded in his mind, "Child, for now, you should go home, when you''ve calmed down your emotions, you''ll find your mother at the private hospital listed on that chip, do take care until the next time." As the voice faded, Nero stared at the chip for a long time, his manner seeming a bit different. He didn''t seem as childish as before as he now carried a different kind of atmosphere. His eyes had a sharp and ruthless look as he tucked away the chip and turned, leaving this area in silence as if dreadful storm destined for the future was in the making. Chapter 78: Adult Nero’s Choice, A Slight Disturbance It was a lone journey back to the Gutter Zone districts, the nightly winds brushing across the desolate streets as the gloomy air of poverty was in full splendor. Nero was now walking through the silent street, his eyes of a cold, darkened hue as he seemed as if he had lost all signs of emotions. All except for a budding rage at the core of his soul... Adult Nero watched this in silence and sighed as he thought, ''It''s different... back then I had reacted in a blind rage and was forcibly knocked out by Grail. But now, it would seem he''s grown much too calm for his age, while it might be good, he will need to let out these bottled emotions for him to proceed further.'' As Adult Nero pondered to here, his eyes flashed as he stared towards a different section of the city while muttering, "Mother..." Nero didn''t know what his older self was thinking; his mind was currently preoccupied with today''s events. The scenes of him playing with his mother repeatedly played over his head before finally showing her collapsing into stillness. Each time it happened, Nero''s aura would grow one section colder as he thought to himself with a terrifying glint in his eyes, ''I don''t care how long it takes, I don''t care what I have to do, no one... no one will take my mother away from me and live to tell the tale! I will slaughter their entire race and leave no one behind!'' At this point, Nero''s body began taking on a diabolical air, as oddly enough, a strange change had begun to occur. "Hahahaha...." A spooky laugh sounded from the wind, as a light gust blew, though nothing appeared; if one were spiritually inclined, they would see a myriad of dark shadows, each with glowing red eyes that stared joyfully at Nero. In moments they had begun to swirl around his body as if trying to merge with his being. Yet, before this could happen an even more sinister shadow had risen, one which had countless dark spirits gnawing against it. In this instance, the shadow had appeared behind Nero, forming into the image of the handsome but icy and indifferent Adult Nero whose long silver hair flowed through the wind as his red pupils shimmered in a baleful ray. As if frightened by Adult Nero''s aura, the shadows rapidly flew into the darkness of the night, fading in obscurity as the scene returned to normal. Adult Nero clicked his teeth as he stared sinister shadows that chew against his dark cloak, he then looked at his palms that though solid, had slowly started to fade off into the surroundings, the edge of this finger turning into a small blob of smoke. ''My path isn''t for you to walk, I won''t let it be such... even if I have to pay that price...'' Adult Nero thought with a look as if he had made up his mind, he gave Nero a slightly gentler look as his pointed his finger towards his pocket. An indistinct ray bolted into the old generation smartphone, which activated the messaging function before it returned to normal. Adult Nero made a satisfied look as he saw this, but his finger seemed to have paid the price as the very tip of it had faded into nothingness. Swoosh! With a rapid movement, Adult Nero had vanished from the outside world, entering back into Nero''s consciousness. Naturally, Nero didn''t notice any of the previous proceedings and only continued onwards, fading from these districts towards the direction of his house. However, as Nero left this area, in a remote location a familiar man had sensed something. Reil had only now arrived within the city as he felt something strange, he halted at the top of a building and looked towards the direction of the distant Gutter Zone. He narrowed his eyes while muttering, "Odd, it''s faint, but I am certain that I can sense the aura of a Master Class. Hmm, there should be no new Master Class in this generation... not unless another has successfully broken pass that limit... it looks like I''ll need to get that lass on the lookout, things might get troublesome." After saying his thoughts aloud, Reil shook his head no longer paying the Gutter Zone any mind as his body vanished once more, leaving towards the core quarters of the city. However, very much like Reil, a few characters had been disturbed by the tiny ripple of power. *** In a dark and gloomy location, a familiar man in his thirties that sported a ponytail, neatly trimmed beard, and red shades stood silently in his black suit, his face carried a prominent a horizontal scar. At this time, a man''s pitiful cry could be heard from nearby as this individual shifted his eyes toward that direction while smoking, his glass reflecting the dim lights that shone before him as it showed a beaten down form of an individual on the ground. If one looked closely, they would see that other than the man, two individuals held him down as another individual had placed on a strange glove that glowed in ominous lights. He pressed this arm that wore the glove onto the man''s chest were a glowing mark was visible and made a gripping motion as his arm vanished into his flesh as if it went into a separate dimension. "Ahhhhhhh!" The man wailed as if something was being ripped out of his body, following this, the other individual''s arm that was moving as if it grabbed something from inside him made a harsh tug as it instantly dragged out a glowing card that flashed with 0''s and 1''s. As this happened, the man who cried out in pain suddenly stopped as his entire body became pale. A few moments later, his body began to break down into 0''s and 1''s that flowed towards the looming Universe Ring. Without even a hint of emotion, the lackey that took out the object placed it in a container that held a few others as he walked over to the man with the scar and shades as he spoke while handing it over, "Sir, we''ve extracted the final Digitize Bit for tonight''s quota." The man looked at this and waved his hand, causing the container to vanish before he turned around and spoke, "Get ready, we''re headed back to the base!" "Yes sir!" The others replied as they hurried to clean up the area, wiping up the blood and fixing the excess damages of some hard-fought battle. The man looked up at the looming moon and the Universe Ring with a profound look on his face, he then turned around prepared to head into a van, but at this moment, his earpiece had begun to flash causing him to halt as he tapped it and spoke as if answering a call, "Scarface, reporting." "...." The person on the other line remained silent before they spoke, "Scarface... we have identified a new reading, one that is of a significant thread level in your assigned sector. I need you to inspect it thoroughly and carefully..." Scarface frowned for a moment, before he spoke, "Understood, where should I focus my search?" The person spoke again, "If our coordinates were correct, it should be in that district known as the Gutter Zone. Also, do please be mindful of your actions; sources say that the rumored Sector Head and Chief of the Blood Steel Society has been highly active in his domain as of late..." "Hmm, the Twilight Fiend? Well, now, this should be quite interesting. I will do my best," Scarface muttered in a strange tone, his eyes showed a hint of dread. The line soon closed as the conversation stopped and Scarface faced the direction of the Gutter Zone with strange eyes unknown to all. *** In a large mansion, one that was surrounded by a vast amount of greenery, a familiar-looking dark brown-skinned youth of African descent sat on a veranda with a bamboo pole rested on his legs like a sword. His dreadlocks hung down from his head as the cool night winds blew it from side to side, with his eyes closed he seemed to be no different from nature as if he were a part of the world. Suddenly, a leaf glided from a nearby tree, flowing towards his direction, the moment this leaf arrived in front of him, the youth''s eyes opened as his arms which held one end of the bamboo pole moved. Shing! Following the sharp cutting sound, the leaf was split into two, as the youth now held a sword in one of his arms with its handle made from a part of the bamboo. He sheathed the sword which now looked no different from a regular bamboo pole as a smile appeared on his face when he spoke, "Great, I am one step away from learning it, that legendary sword state..." Avollo smiled at his progress, but it was at this point, his eyes flickered when he noticed his phone had received a text message from an unknown number. After opening it and going over the message, Avollo''s face turned pale as he spoke in alarm, "Who sent this? Is this true?" After thinking for a bit, Avollo gritted his teeth as he closed the phone and hurried to the calmer area while thinking, "I don''t care if it''s fake, there''s only one thing that I can do, and it is to go and meet him in that world..." The scene here returning to calmness, as the night slowly pressed onwards to its peak. Chapter 79: Nero’s State of Mind, A Bloody Massacre It didn''t take long for Nero to arrive at home, the atmosphere now still as if the small house had lost all means of livelihood. He stared at it from the rusted gate for a moment as if in a daze before he slowly reached his hand forward, pushed open the gate. His steps made coarse noises as he trod the path, crushing the somewhat moist grasses beneath his feet as he slowly made his way towards the door. As Nero walked, his mind would flash with memories from his childhood; he recalled the scenes of his mother playing with him in the yard, she would chase after him as he hid in the bushes, or even play an old sport called cricket. Unknowingly to himself, the corners of his dried up and raged filled eyes were still leaking bits of tears, he spoke to himself, ''What am I to do without you mother? How can I persist? Must it truly be through vengeance...?'' As Nero thought to here, he had already arrived at the door, he saw his reflection in the mirror as his handsome face now had a different look, as if he was a broken down youth with no goals. Nero clenched his fists tightly as he stared at his reflection with his thoughts made up, a dense killing intent rising as he decided to take vengeance even if it costs him his life. The door opened with a creak and close with a loud slam, as Nero entered the house, the first thing he did was hurried to his room, he didn''t have the will to enter his mother''s room, not after what had previously transpired. One inside of his room, Nero''s eyes wept towards the desk where he saw the Blood Steel Society; his eyes were still emanating a cold light as he thought, ''Maybe once I join them, I can get information on those who are my enemies... I must kill all of them, none of them can survive!'' When Nero''s thoughts reached here, he said nothing to Adult Nero; after what happened, he didn''t want to say anything to the one who told him nothing of his mother''s status. However, even with his current state of rage and boiling killing intent, he understood just why his older self said nothing to him, as such, Nero only wanted to try to get his mind out of rage before he spoke to him again. After taking up the card and looking at the contact information, Nero narrowed his eyes before he placed it down and sat in meditation. Time quickly passed as the hour for the Universe Ring''s activation period had arrived, Nero''s body then turned into a series of multi-colored blocks that sped towards the heavens as he faded from the world. *** Inside the World of Promise, inside the Greater Plains, a ray of multiple colored lights bolted down from the sky into a patch of grass. In moments these lights formed into blocks that reformed into the image of Nero, who coldly gazed around his environment. His manner now one of iciness as if he was itching to taste blood, Nero licked his lips as he saw the strange goblin lurking in the field. These goblins were much different from the Inferior Sword Goblins that Nero had encountered in the wilds of Winfrey Village. They each had a stealthy and cruel air as they wore torn up cloaks with patched-up leather armor and a single dagger in one arm. Nero''s eyes flashed as he murmured with a cold glint in his eyes, "I must kill every one of these Bandit Goblins, only then can I soothe this wretched pain..." As Nero spoke those words, his silver Magic Power emanated from his body had transitioned to a black hue. In this instance, a rick killing aura filled the air as the colorful World Spirits that flew around in the surroundings seemed to have noticed something as they looked at him in fear. Usually, these joyful little sprites would fight to cling close to him, but due to his current change in nature, they had each began to grow distant. "Kreeh?" One of the Bandit Goblin''s uttered as it lifted its head in confusion, its large ears twitched as its nose sniffed the air before it turned its sights to Nero''s direction. The instant it saw Nero, the Bandit Goblin''s eyes showed excitement as it dashed towards him with alarming speeds, showing the strength of a Level 6 Digital Monster. In only a few seconds, the Bandit Goblin had arrived before Nero, it ducked its body and chopped its dagger towards his feet as if it wanted to break apart the tendons in his legs before torturing him. Nero was indifferent, the actions of the Bandit Goblin to him were no different from slow-motion due to his heightened senses. He raised a hand to the side as his scythe appeared with its edge shimmering as coldly as his eyes, not even wasting a second Nero struck the scythe downward and plunged its blade into the ground as the dagger''s edge was blocked sending sparks into the air. While the Bandit Goblin was surprised by the scythe''s edge that had blocked its dagger, Nero promptly reacted by jumping over the goblin as he gracefully landed behind it. The Bandit Goblin rapidly turned and prepared to stab Nero''s unguarded back, but Nero merely smirked in a blood thirty manner as arms were still holding the handle of the scythe. His wrist then spun the scythe, causing its gleaming edge to face the back of the goblin, he then twisted his body and made a harsh pull. Instantly, a gruesome cutting sound resounded as a bloody arc had formed, Nero now stood with his body twisted at an angle as his scythe was held at his side, the blood of the Bandit Goblin now sliding down its blade as it dripped onto the grassy ground. By this time, the Bandit Goblin was severed into two halves, his torso separated from his lower body as it lifelessly stared at Nero in fear. ____ [You''ve killed a Bandit Goblin, 36 EXP gained!] ____ Nero felt strange when looking at this; his smile grew wider as he licked his lips, ignoring EXP and the coins he had gained. "Haha! I will kill even more!" Nero shouted in a crazed style as he stared at the different Bandit Goblins that were a distance away, dashing towards them within a wild manner, no different from a madman. In an instant, he began to slaughter the Bandit Goblins, cruelly cutting through them, his body spun like he was dancing as the edge of scythe left behind twirling arcs that cut apart anything in the area. Blood splashed about as not only himself, but even the surroundings became stained by it, giving the environment a savage hue as only Nero''s sinister laugh was heard. The Bandit Goblin''s lucky enough to begin far away to scatter and run away as even in a fairly distant area, a few humans and non-humans couldn''t help but notice Nero''s wild and cruel actions. "I-I-Isn''t that the Silver Boy? WHAT THE HELL?" One beast-like man said as he looked at Nero with shock. "I know right, this guy... I think the persons who gave him that name didn''t even know of his manner, he looks no different from a beast..." Another individual said with fearful eyes. The two individuals stared at each other before they hurried and leave the area, the rumors and clips of this event bound to make the start of an interesting legend. Adult Nero sighed at this while in thought, "Tsk! What''s taking him so long? It took me a long time to get out of this phase, that brat better hurry up and..." Adult Nero was about to say something, but suddenly, Nero, who was slaughtering a brutal manner halted as he stared at the screen before him. ____ Ding! [Avollo has sent you a message, would you like to read it?] ____ As if he had suddenly come back to his senses, Nero looked at the message with a complicated gaze as he gritted his teeth and sighed. Moments later, he calmed down to a certain extent; he then went to a more peaceful location to read the message, but the previous massacre would ultimately make the start of an interesting legend. Chapter 80: The Scene at the Pub Nero had already left the open plains towards a quieter area; his eyes showed a complex look as he read the message that Avollo had sent him, uncertain of how to reply. ____ [Avollo - Hey pal, I''ve heard that things aren''t going so well for you, why not come and meet up? There''s something I want to tell you...] ____ Nero looked at this with a hint of confusion as he had no idea why Avollo would as that question. As he thought for a bit, he wrote it off as either Ryo or that man called Grail sending the information to him. ''Since he''s sent me a message then there''s no point sitting here doing nothing,'' Nero thought with a slightly pained look on his face, he felt a bit a lost and only wanted to fight and fight, only then could push away those thoughts. "I might as well just hurry on over that meeting place of his... after that; I''ll focus only on fighting until I can''t fight anymore..." Nero thought as his red eyes gleamed in a murderous light, the World Spirits from the surroundings rapidly flying away from him as they kept him a distance. Nero notice their actions, but he didn''t understand why they acted like such due to his current state, he made a weak smile as he murmured while leaving, "So even you guys have abandoned me, maybe this was destiny..." Nero''s back soon faded from this region, leaving behind a scene of blood and corpses that had already started to make its way across the Novice Zone''s grapevine. **** Within the town of Birgime, the day had only just begun as it bustled with activity. Currently, a few Digitizers were gathered around a large table within the popular pub, eating and chatting as they prepared to go questing. Looking around, one would notice a few familiar and new faces that were currently seated at different locations; one was the ever so stealthy Poison Boy who sat with his sister while the other none other than Weizer that sat with his lackeys. Other than these persons, another were two other individuals, both that seemed a bit nonhuman, one seemed to be a male that wore wrappings all over his body with a conical hat that covered his eyes and nose. The other individual had green skin and wore a hooded mage cloak that shrouded most of their features. Strangely enough, a series of vines with spikes had pricked out from the openings of the mantle. A few individuals gazed at the final two and spoke in hushed tones as one man spoke, "Hey, do you know who they are?" Another person looked over and was startled, he lowered his head and replied, "I don''t know about that wrapped up fellow, but I can tell that he''s strong, as for that cloaked up guy, he''s on the ranking list, one of this rising rookies I hear that go by the title of Bramble Child..." "Ah... so he''s Bramble Child, what luck, I didn''t think I''d see such a famous ranker here..." The other person said. The other man chuckled as he then pointed towards Poison Boy and spoke, "There''s another over there but the most disappointing being that mohawk fellow..." After speaking, he pointed his finger towards Weizer; the other individual sneered as he looked at Weizer saying nothing, he naturally heard of his rising fame. Weizer was currently seated with a frown on his face, seeming to be displeased by something. The lackey at his side stared at him while sweating as he spoke, "Young Master, don''t worry, I''m sure that you''ll be able to advance in your ranking soon..." "That''s right, if our young master can''t, then who can?" The other lackey said with bright eyes. A few others hearing this, however, looked at them as if looking at fools, some even snickered as they spoke with loud voices. "Haha, did you hear that? That fellow dubbed as the Mohawk Wannabe is so talented that no one can accomplish what he can''t, talk about being special!" A big-bodied guy said as he laughed at the top of his voice. "Hahaha! It''s no wonder he got that name, truly fitting..." The others in the pub said with a laugh, not long after many others also joined in filling the pub with the sounds of laughter. Weizer''s eyes shone with hatred as he glared at his lackeys, causing them to shrink back in fear, he bit his lips while lowering his head as he thought to himself, ''DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! No one can speak to me like this, NO ONE! I will exceed everyone else; I am the only one deserving to be a genius!'' As Weizer had his breakdown, the crowd''s laugher soon faded as they began to discuss other things. Poison Boy sneered as he looked at Weizer from his table and spoke to his sister, "Such a loser, Ivy, remember never associate with such a failure from the Finely Family." The sexy young girl with slender green eyes and blackish-green hair styled into two pigtails nodded as she looked at her brother and replied with a giggle, "Hehe, brother, you should know that I''d never stoop so low," Ivy then began to ground her sharp green nails with her daggers as she smirked, showing an odd smile. The Poison Boy stared her in silence before he shifted his eyes around the room, but soon, he began to hear a piece of strange news. "Hey, did you see that clip yet?" A bunny-eared girl said. "Huh? What clip?" An elf-like eared girl replied. "You mean to say you haven''t seen that video that''s blown up, some guys had shared it across the private network..." The bunny-eared girl said with a somewhat baffled look. "No, I haven''t, what''s it about this time?" The elf-like eared girl asked curiously. The bunny-eared girl rolled her eyes as she spoke, "It''s about that handsome Silver Boy..." "What?" Not only the elf-eared girl, both the Poison Boy and Weizer, who were originally listening uttered as they looked over, they both looked at each other in shock before they snorted. A few others also heard the girl''s words and couldn''t help but speak, "Huh? You girls talking about that new brat on that so-called [Handsome Men List]? What about him?" The pub''s scene turned strange as everyone looked at the girls, even the two silent individuals who stood at the corner paid attention. The man who wore wrappings with a conical hat glanced towards the girls, as the Bramble Child shifted his head in that direction with two strange-looking circular lights shining underneath. At this moment, the girl who spoke finally stared at everyone and answered, "Everyone, I''ve got a shocking piece of news about this rising genius, just take a look at this clip." When she spoke, she waved her hand, causing a large virtual screen to appear as the images of Nero widely slaughtering the goblins in the field with a savage appearance as he laughed was played. The instant they saw this, everyone became stunned as they started a commotion. "Holy shit! Aren''t those Level 6 Bandit Goblins? Are you frigging telling me that this newbie is slaughtering those goblins in such a manner?" One humanoid said in alarm as he slammed his tablet, spilling his drinks. "Look at that technique, his scythework is amazing! This guy definitely has what it takes to join the ranking list, why hasn''t he joined it yet?" Another person said. "Such a savage intent, I don''t know who called him such a gentle name, I think he''s better off known as the Silver Blood Fiend..." A random voice said. As if the crowd heard the words, they couldn''t help but nod their heads in agreement as some of them spoke, "Haha, Silver Blood Fiend is truly fitting, this guy looks like he wants to eat their flesh and swallow their bones..." As the crowd chattered on, both the Poison Boy and Weizer gazed at the video in shock, as they never expected Nero of all persons to grow so strong, they both clenched their fists tightly as their eyes emanated hostilely. One was angered at the fact that he had lost face and the other mostly burned with jealousy, they both decided to crush him if they got the chance. The scene here in the pub was destined to spark another chain of events as Nero was about to achieve one of his dearest wishes unknowingly. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 81: Eyed by Familiar Faces, Arriving at the Town The pub wasn''t the only place that formed a commotion over the recent news. Many other Digitizers in resting areas with those scattered about the wilds were similarly engaged in idle discussion, some showing looks of surprise, others curiosity, as few scoffed at it in disdain. In one distant forest area, a girl with pretty orange hair and a puffy orange-white tail fought against a giant creature larger than her by four times. It held a massive club with spikes that slammed down towards her with repeated swings. However, as if this girl thought nothing of it, she quickly shifted her body at the last moments while twirling. Her fox tail and dress revolved around her as if she was dancing as she dodged each strike. As the monster''s club attacks missed, it smashed into the ground, leaving behind a few depressions. Yet, each time the girl had narrowly avoided an attack, the wind from each blow would push back her hair as her red battle dress swayed with the winds. Suddenly, her slanted orange eyes narrowed as she jumped from the ground as if floating on the wind, arriving directly before the creature''s face as she struck her palm towards it in an aggressive manner. The monster roared as it tried to react, but much to its surprise, it couldn''t move as a clump of wavy amber-colored energies formed around it that illuminated both her and the monster. Bang! The instant her glowing palm touched the monster''s face, there was a loud booming noise as these amber-colored energies covered everything in sight, sending wavy energy strands across the area. Eventually, the lights faded, and the scene grew visible, the monster now had a headless body that spewed blood across the area as the beauty now stood on a branch of a fairly tall tree behind its position. "Hehe... I''ve finally killed this ogre; it was such trouble during the past week, looks like I''ve grown even stronger, if I keep this up I might I just be able to earn a high position after the Gate of Legends appears," Rising Fox said as her eyes beamed with excitement. After clearing up her thoughts, she glanced down at the corpse of the ogre checking for its loot, but right at this time, she suddenly got a notification. "Huh? What''s this about? Why did big sister send me this video?" Fox uttered in surprise, but she didn''t waste time and hurried to check out the content. A few moments later her eyes showed a strange look as she smiled while licking her lips as she thought to herself, ''Hmm, so that handsome fellow again, I still have yet to pay him for that last encounter, but he''s gone and gotten famous. Hehe¡­ the Silver Blood Fiend... hmm so bold, manly...'' Not wasting another moment, Fox hurried to loot the ogre''s corpse before she jumped and vanished into the trees as she continued her training. *** Back within Birgime, a few minutes had passed in a remote alleyway since the commotion at the pub, the humans and different races had left to handle their daily quests, either as parties or lone wolves. Currently, the individual that wore wrappings all over his body with a conical hat was walking through the alley. His manner calm and indifferent to all things; he walked until he came to the dead-end where no one was around. However, as if someone was there, he spoke as if speaking to the wind, "Come on out, you know you can''t get the jump on me lass," As if someone heard it, a familiar female voice sounded, "Hmph! Enmon, I can''t do it now, but someday I will exceed you," The strange man addressed as Enmon smirked at this, but it couldn''t be seen due to his wrappings, he glanced behind him with vaguely glowing blue eyes as a familiar girl appeared. She stood behind him with her slender body, ample chest and furry blue ears that shook slightly, garbed in her thief''s leather cloak with rounded blue eyes, short blue hair, and a striped tail. After being stared at him for so long, the female thief grew a bit hesitant. Enmon seeing this shook his head and questioned, "So, what brings you to me this time, Swift Ha... no, Lily?" Lily showed a hesitant look before she waved her hand and played a clip showing Nero, she then spoke as if pointing out a bully, "Him!" Enmon looked at this with a puzzled glance as he spoke, "Huh? And what is it must I know about this human?" Lily bit her lips before she glared at Nero in the video as she spoke to Enmon, "Brother Enmon, this fellow had ruined my picnic, touched my body and cut my skin, I... I have to get back at him, but... h-he''s too strong..." Enmon frowned at those words, he didn''t want to spoil her too much, but as he saw her pitiful look in her large blue eyes, he couldn''t help but sigh as he spoke, "Fine, I will let you borrow what you need from the alliance..." When Lily heard those words, her eyes brightened, but before she could run away in joy, Enmon glanced at her and spoke in an icy tone, "However..." Lily stared at him in silence, awaiting his next words, Enmon glared at her and spoke, "You must remember that our Bandit Alliance isn''t an association of pushovers. If you set sights on someone, you must see it through to the very end, now tell me, what is our motto?" Lily didn''t even hesitate to reply as she spoke while doing a salute with a dagger at her chest, "If our enemies take one, we take two, and if our enemies take another, we take their most precious thing..." Enmon smirked at this before he vanished in the void, Lily then set her eyes onto Nero''s video, she gripped her fists tightly before turning around as her body slowly turned stealth once again. As this scene faded, at the edge of Birgime, a handsome youth was currently arriving. He walked with a heavy air around him as any who went by him didn''t dare to stare at him for too long, only those who were significantly more powerful gave him a curious look as their eyes lit up. Nero gazed at the town before him with his cold red pupils, at this moment, he didn''t care about anything else, all he saw before him was a path of greyness, he moved past the crowd and entered the districts of a familiar area. Eventually, Nero had arrived before the Battle Arena; he frowned as he thought to himself, ''Why did he call me all the way here? Tsk, no matter, I''ll just get this over with...'' His manner now seemed even colder, as if he couldn''t wait to cut off all forms of distractions and ties, he took a heavy step forward, stepping towards the Battle Arena with a sinister air that lingered about the streets, beckoning the start of a brand new scene. Chapter 82: Prelude to a Grand Rematch Nero had already arrived within the Battle Arena; he walked around towards the areas of the Battle Rings, but as he did so, he couldn''t help but take notice of those who were looking at him. "Hey, that guy... doesn''t he look like that brat?" A youth whispered to someone with a curious glance. "Yup, he''s definitely that fellow, just look at him, the fellow is wreaking blood all over as if he just came from a slaughterhouse," The other person said while glancing over. "After that much killing, how would he not have such an appearance? Heh... he truly is worthy of that name..." Another person said as he looked over. "He''s almost like that Red Rain; in fact, I think both would match quite well..."Another said, a few others also nodded their heads in agreement. Some male and female Digitizers couldn''t help but cast sharp glances towards Nero, many of them sizing him up as they emanated battle intents. However, even with his current blood-soaked and icy expression, there were still those females that stared at him with starry eyes. "Ouu~ he''s even better up close, truly deserving of that handsome man list," A beauty said as she looked at him as if there wasn''t blood over his body but candy. Nero frowned as he saw he was the center of attention, but he merely snorted not paying them any mind as he continued on his way while thinking to himself, ''I don''t know why they''ve retaken an interest in me, and I don''t care, soon I''ll be out of this shitty place...'' Following those thoughts, Nero soon stood before a Battle Ring; there he saw that the loosely armored Avollo was seated at its center with his back turned and a sword resting on his legs, his long dreadlocks hair flowing down his back as he wore a simple straw hat. As if he sensed that Nero arrived, Avollo opened his eyes, emanating a sharp pressure which faded before he stood and faced Nero. The moment Avollo looked at him, Nero felt as if a sharp sword was stabbing him, a strong feeling of oppression came over that caused him to tremble a bit, but as if Nero didn''t like this, his range and murderous intent rose by an astonishing degree. "Bastard! Did you call me here to bully me?" Nero shouted in anger as his murderous air grew so rich that he formed a red-colored Magic Power over his body, one that swayed the clothes on his body as it rustled his hair. Despite his sharp look, Avollo stared at Nero with a slightly worrisome gaze while thinking, ''So it''s true after all, I don''t know who that person was, but I guess he was truly looking out for his well-being. Tsk, the only trouble now is actually waking his fellow from this emo phase...'' Avollo thought for a moment before an idea came to his mind, he made a slight smirk before he gripped the handle of his sword and spoke, "Hey pal, I called you here to test your growth, is this the limit of your strength? Since when did you become so wishy-washy and fully of negative feelings? Ha, I bet that you won''t even last a single strike again..." Nero hearing this grew even more anger, due to his current state of mind, he could be easily provoked by a bunch of random goblins, how could he not take offensive to Avollo''s words? "I was thinking of paying you back in the future, but it looks like I''ll have to carve you up today!" Nero said with a sinister intent in his eyes as he jumped onto the stage. Avollo smirked as he glanced around and saw that a few others were slowly noticing what was happening. He quickly commanded for the battle area to active its private function, shrouding their conflict from prying eyes. The moment the arena became covered by mist, a few others stared at this while clicking their teeth as they complained. "Tsk, and here I thought I would get to witness something good, that Grass-Root Sword Child versus that savage Silver Blood Fiend..." One person said. "No point complain, we''ll still be able to see the outcome in the end..." Another person said. "What''s there to guess? It''s obvious that only that guy will come out after an overwhelming victory," Another party said. The others nodded in agreement, other than them, a strange individual was patrolling around; this person had peculiar features shrouded by a red hooded robe with odd markings with a pendant of a skull around their neck. Immediately, one could tell by their slender makings and fine skin that it was a female. Her gorgeous red pupils stared from below her hood at the stage in a curious manner, but as if she lost interest, she turned and left in silence. As she was leaving a few noticed her and could not help but make looks of shock as a small commotion formed. "Hey, wasn''t that Red Rain?" One male asked with shocked eyes. "Hmm, I don''t know why someone from that major Novice City is here, but then again, we''ve seen characters like Thunder''s Daughter to Rampant Ax, I won''t be surprised if the next person I see is Child of Blaze..." Another person said with a sigh. "Indeed..." The previous male who spoke said in the reply. As Red Rain left, the scene here and continued to grow crowded, but the battle within the Battle Ring had only just begun. *** Nero, who emanated dense murderous lights had reached his hand out to the side, a bright light flashed as his cursed scythe appeared in his arms. Once this happened, Nero began to hear some strange noises in his mind, "Kill! Kiiiillll! Kiiiiillllll!" As if he couldn''t even control himself, Nero''s entire eyes even his sclera turned red as it glowed in a red ray, his entire body then erupted another dense amount of red energies as he lifted his head and roared, "Haaaaaaaa!" Avollo frowned as he saw Nero in this state, his worrisome eyes grew sharper as he slowly unsheathed his sword and gazed at him while in thought, ''It''s grown even worse, I must break this festering spirit at its core...'' Most people wouldn''t see this, but Avollo had a different kind of eye, in his sights, he could see that behind Nero was a strange-looking shadow, it stared at Avollo while laughing in an extremely menacing manner. Suddenly, the scene here grew chaotic as both parties were only moments away from clashing, one being calm sharpness and the other of a savage and murderous intent. The count down soon ended as the bell sounded a few seconds after, thus beginning the unexpected rematch between rival and friends. Chapter 83: A Fight Between Friends The scene within the obscured Battle Ring was one of chaos as both berserk Nero and the calm Avollo erupted dazzling but destructive amount of Magic Powers. Avollo calmly stood as he held onto his simple-looking sword, his eyes having a hint of sharpness as he stared at Nero. Unlike his friend, Nero was the complete opposite; his manner was now one of endless rage as if he lost all signs of thought; he held onto the scythe in one arm as he glared at Avollo preparing for an attack as he leaned his body forward. Suddenly, Nero held the scythe behind him as he adopted the regular posture for the Mowing Twist stance. Avollo''s eyes narrowed at this as he slowly held his sword before him and adopt a slightly serious posture while in thought, ''It''s that stance again, a curious one indeed... I wonder, even while he''s in this state, can he even use it to the extent he did prior?'' As Avollo thought to here, the murderous intention around Nero''s body only grew richer, as his blood-colored Magic Power began to give a slight oppressive air. He then shook his head to clear those thoughts, ''This isn''t the time... I need to wake him up, only when he''s clear of mind can this rematch be worth it.'' Bang! The instant Avollo finished his thoughts; his manner became solemn as the sharp sword energies that emitted from his body became even more condensed. Nero seemed to have sensed this change, but it didn''t stop him from launching his attack. He pressed his feet against the ground as his arm which held the scythe behind him gripped it firmly, causing his dazzling blood-red Magic Power to swirl around his body. "Death!" Nero yelled as he made a lung forwards pushing his body ahead with his [Four Point Unity Steps], the world around him seemed to dim as now only the illusion of a flat diamond shape with for points were below his feet, surrounding his body. He stood at its center with his forward leg pressed against the frontmost point that caused him to accelerate towards Avollo at incredible speeds. Avollo didn''t move, he wanted to wake Nero up, and the only way to do so is first to defeat him with clear and overwhelming power. In only a few seconds, Nero had arrived within range of Avollo; his frontmost leg stomped the ground bringing his body to a halt as he made a twisting motion at alarming speeds. In roughly a second, his figure had vanished, leaving behind the edge of the scythe that gleamed in a sharp ray as it chopped towards Avollo''s neck in a threatening manner. ''Such a vicious move...'' Avollo thought as he stared at it, but he didn''t seem phased; he merely smiled as he took a light step back, causing his body to instantly shift backward by enough distance to narrowly avoid the scythe''s edge that went by his neck. "Haha, Nero, if you want to kill me, that''s not enough, you need do better than that friend!" Avollo said as he stared him with a smirk on his face. Nero seemed to become even more enraged at this; he recalled his weakness and inability to cure his mother, feeling utterly helpless and angry that he can''t even find out the names of her foes. ''Why is it like this? Why must I be in this mess? So darn useless! I can''t even do shit to help my mother, WHYYYYY?!'' Nero yelled in his mind as his eyes were now bloodshot, his manner grew even fierce. As if his scythe could sense his rage, it began to emit a series of vicious intent. The sinister shadow around Nero started to laugh even more as Nero''s body twist in a strange away as this time he used the next level of the Mowing Twist, his body vanishing, leaving behind only the scythe''s edge that spiraled around like a streak of light. Avollo knitted his brows as he stared at the shadow then at the sharp light coming towards him, he thought with a tinge of sternness in his eyes, ''That scythe is no the ordinary thing, I may be many times stronger, but I better not take a hit from it.'' As he made up his mind, Avollo''s move changed as his entire many became strange, he began to phase in and out of the surroundings as a sea of leaves had formed around him. Nero''s scythe left a series of spiral arcs of silvery and blood-red lights, the sound of the blade cutting through the winds, and the strange leaves resounded as both individuals vanished, creating a strange scene. Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh! A series of rapid footsteps echoed as flashes of spiraling lights scattered around the entire Battle Ring, a large number of leaves even observed everything in between and if any were to view it they would think it to be some kind of illusion. Suddenly, Avollo, whose body was hidden behind a cluster of leaves a distance away from Nero, glared at a specific direction in a sharp light as he spoke softly, "Let''s see how you handle this one friend, Flash Cut..." In an instant, Avollo''s body moved forward like a bright ray of sharp light, this version of the Flash Cut was much different from Nero''s as it just by staring at the bright green rays one would feel as if they were only moments from being severed into halves. At this time, Nero, who was wildly chopping his scythe in a revolving manner as he barely sensed Avollo''s rapidly changed positions halted as he felt an intense amount of crisis. This danger woke him from his previous berserk state as his mind became a bit focused, he hurriedly spun the scythe around his body as he gripped it firmly and pointed is edge towards the direction of the threat. Ting! A metallic collision sound echoed as sparks flew into the air along with stray blood-colored and green colored Magic Power. Nero, who had resisted Avollo''s sword, was currently pressing against it with the edge of his scythe as Avollo pressed down with his sword. The two looked at each other as the edge of their weapons continued to send sparks and energy about the Battle Ring. Nero had a savage look on his face as the shadow around him seemed all-encompassing, but soon, Avollo smirked as he put more force in his hand that held the sword while he spoke, "Got you¡­" A bright sword ray cut apart the sinister shadow causing it to cry out in a painful wail; Nero felt as if he had lost something as he was repelled with a bloody bruise. Swoosh! He fell backward by a few meters hurrying to do a backflip, but as he landed, he chopped the scythe into the ring to counter the force that made him slide back a little more distance. Avollo saw that the sinister shadow was fading away and smiled, he then glanced at Nero himself and whistled as he spoke while waving the sword, "Wow, that''s some good shit, Nero, you''ve been training hard, I didn''t know you learned such scythe handling skills," Nero, who was now wholly awakened from his previous exchange, gritted his teeth as he glared at Avollo; he didn''t feel the past murderous desires but rather a different mood. He lifted the style from the ground and angled it to the side as he leaned forward while slightly bending his knees. ''I... I can''t lose again, not like this, I won''t be weak and useless!'' Nero thought to himself, his eyes showing a fierce look as he prepared to use his strongest skill. Avollo knew that he could end it here, he had already beaten him from the murderous state, now he only needs to point him to the right path. He held the sword more seriously as he looked at Nero and spoke, "Come, show me the next level of your skills," "Hmph! With pleasure! Taste my Myriad Spector Cut!" Nero replied as he dashed forward with his movement technique once more; he made a swing of his scythe, which caused a strange scene. Swoosh! Instantly, Nero split into two ghosts like shades which charged towards Avollo from two angles, each using his same movement skill as they rapidly arrived nearby and cut the scythe towards him. Avollo was a bit surprised by this as he thought, ''Incredible, they are both the same, I can''t tell which is real and fake... humph! Nero, you did well, but even so, it doesn''t matter against this technique of mine...'' A strange wind formed around Avollo''s body as all of the leaves in the surroundings gathered around him. In moments, his body erupted a dazzling amount of green energies as he cut his sword in a circular swing while shouting, "Hurricane Leaf Slash..." Whoosh! A cyclone of razor-sharp leaves scattered about the entire Battle Ring, as green lights developed everything. Moments after, the lights faded, as Nero and Avollo stood behind each other, the two in a state of silence as the cloths on their armors made flapping noises due to remnant winds. Avollo''s eyes twitched as blood leaked down from his face, his lips curving into a smile as he slanted his head, gazing at the figure that stood motionless as if he was as sturdy as a mountain. "Well done..." Avollo''s voice sounded across the Battle Ring as if bringing an end to this unexpected rematch. Chapter 84: Avollo’s Advice, Nero’s Determination As the battle in the ring came to its end, Avollo looked at Nero, who stood behind him in silence as he wiped the blood from the slight wound from the side of his face. Nero, who was standing, fell backward as his entire body had countless cut marks that spewed out a few gushes of blood. Swish! With a quick movement, Avollo arrived at his side and used one arm to help him up; as such, Nero managed to stand upright while leaning on Avollo''s shoulder. As this happened, the Battle Ring''s mechanical voice sounded, "Match over; victory goes to the Grass-Root Sword Child!" Following those words, the mist faded from the ring revealing it to those on the outside, when the others looked above, they didn''t show any signs of shock as they had long expected such results. Key individuals such as Red Rain and a few other curious eyes had long since left towards various areas, each heading off to handle their objectives. While they walked down from the arena and left the crowded scene, the two remained silent for a while before Nero sucked up the pain he felt as he glanced at him and asked, "I''m pathetic, aren''t I...?" Avollo looked him right in the eye and spoke with a teasing smirk, "Yup, you most certainly are... huhu," As Nero heard those words, he gritted his teeth before sighing, he no longer felt anger but rather a bit at ease as he started to laugh as well. Nevertheless, his condition wasn''t good, the moment his laughter reached a particular scale, he closed one eye and cried out in pain, "Ouch! You damn bully, you didn''t need to use such strength, look at my wounds!" As Avollo heard Nero''s complaints, he nodded while speaking, "Good, since you can curse like that, it means you''re feeling much better, now quit acting like a little bitch, the pain will fade pretty quickly." "Psssh," Nero uttered while rolling his eyes and held his belly as he gulped down a potion. A few moments later, his wounds vanished as the duo soon arrived at a resting area. They sat down in a simple wooden bench and leaned against its backrest, gazing at the passing crowds of humans and different races who prepared for a full day''s worth of activities. Nero was a bit lost; his eyes wandered from place to place before fixing onto the open skies, Avollo, who now wore a straw hat over his head glanced at him with his arms and legs crossed before speaking, "So, speak up, how are you feeling after that incident?" Nero frowned at this as he replied, "So you did know, after all, spying on someone''s personal life isn''t a good way to make friends, you know." Avollo chuckled as he replied, "Tsk, like I give a shit, hurry and speak up." Nero shook his head and stared at the distance before calming himself down and spoke, "I don''t know how to feel, I don''t know if there''s even a point continuing, I only entered this dark world to save her, but now... now I''m not so sure anything can be done. I can''t save her, nor can I figure out the names of her enemies, all of which have come down to one key factor, strength. I lack the power to venture to unknown lands to find any cure, and I lack the power to kill her adversaries even if I do learn their identity, so tell me, how do you think I feel?" As Nero said this, he turned his sights onto Avollo, who sat in a relaxed manner as if sleeping. Avollo thought for a moment before he shrugged and replied, "Weeelll you must feel like shit, I don''t know what I''d do in that situation," Nero hearing this felt a wave of anger boiled within him; he was about to lash out. However, Avollo used one finger to lift his hat, revealing his eyes that had a serious look as he spoke again, "I don''t know what to do in that situation for a few simple reasons one. I had lost my mother since young, and ever since my father remarried, things were different. Two, I have learned how to move on, things in life will never go the way you wish it, as such, you must always strive to adapt and accept the way things are, only by moving forward will you find the road to progress. Third, even if I''m weak and cannot change most things, I still know that I will eventually reach a level where I can find new answers so long as I strive to improve myself continually. In essence, what matters it''s not the variety of trails that you will experience in life, but rather what you do to face and overcome them." When Nero heard Avollo''s words, his eyes widened in shock; he didn''t hed hear such profound words from this such a simple going fellow. Avollo stared at him with a smirk before he rose to his feet and stretched as he spoke, "Nero, your life is what you make it, and nothing in the end is an impossible feat, but sometimes, a man must learn how to let go to strive for even greater feats..." With those words resounding in Nero''s ears, Avollo left towards the distance as he went on his way to handle his daily quests and objectives. He didn''t say goodbye or see you later; such words weren''t necessary. Nero ruminated those words as he closed his eyes while thinking, ''He''s right, so what if I am to lose my mother? Life and death are synonymous things, everyone should be ready to accept or face death at some point, and only through death can there be new life. Even after my mother dies, I don''t need to despair because her memory will exist within me; if I do grow strong enough one day, stronger than I can imagine, then all answers can still be discovered from that so-called Treasure of Wishes.'' After finishing his thoughts, Nero''s eyes opened, and his look was different from when he was wallowing in his grief. He now carried an air of confidence as he gripped his fist tightly determined to rise to the very summits at this world, no matter the cost, he would overcome all obstacles every step of the way. As if he sensed his change, Adult Nero nodded in satisfaction as he pondered, ''Hmph! He figured this out much earlier than I did, by the time I had awoken I had already embarked on a path that had no turnback''s, I wonder... just how much will his change affect the current timeline?'' When Adult Nero pondered to here, he looked at Nero carefully. Still, as he saw his bright and spirited appearance, he couldn''t help but show a gentle smile as he concluded, ''It doesn''t matter, even if there''s an unexpected change, I''ll be here to handle it, at the very least I can aid him until that time comes...'' At this time, Adult Nero was still in his thoughts, Nero, who hadn''t heard from him in a while, finally decided to speak, ''Hey, old bastard, are you going to keep ignoring me? What are my training plans for today?'' Adult Nero chuckled at this; he was naturally the one who was ignored. Still, he decided not to say anything; he replied, "Good, you achieved Stage 6 on all your Combat Techniques yesterday, today we will have a very special goal, you need to rank up by one more level or increase your skills to Stage 7 so we can do your first major quest." Nero was a bit curious as he asked, "Eh? What kind of quest?" Adult Nero stared into the distance as he spoke once more, "A Dungeon Quest..." As if the world sensed his words, the air grew heavier as the harsh wind blew, Nero gulped at those words, before his breath became unsteady, he clenched his fists tightly as he replied with eagerness in his voice, ''I look forward to it...'' "Huhu... me too," Adult Nero said as the two then set forth from the city, venturing into the wild unknowns to begin another round of training. Chapter 85: A Peculiar Training Area, Being Trailed The day was in its full brilliance as the open fields were brightly lit by the moist grasses, each reflecting the bright lights from the morning sun. While crowds of different races set traversed the coarse paths, Nero, who had already set out for the day''s adventure, had already arrived at crossroads with a few tall trees around him. At this moment, a few individuals gazed at in dark areas; their eyes showed a trace of coldness before they vanished, reporting to their respected sides. Suddenly, one of the individuals appeared in an open field filled with roses and spoke in an odd tone, "The silver bird has taken flight..." As if someone heard it, two beautiful blue eyes opened out of nowhere before a pleasant voice sounded, "Good, begin the operations, we will steal everything that drops from his monsters..." "Understood," The other party said as they vanished. The blue-eyed girl snorted as she thought, ''I won''t stop until you apologize, humph!'' After saying this, she soon after faded away as if acting as the precursor to a stunning event. On another side, Weizer was looking at one of the lackeys that had reported to him; his eyes coldly shone as he spoke, "Let''s get ready, today I want to see if he will be praised as superior to myself!" ''Yes, young master!" The lackey replied as they vanished, Weizer also hurried followed as he didn''t want to miss the exchange. Much like Weizer and Lily, Poison Boy was currently speaking with his sister as a person walked up to him and spoke. "That kid has already left, the details are on that note, now hurry and give me my payment!" The person said while tossing a paper to them. After catching the paper and looking over it, Poison Boy nodded as he tossed a few coins over to the man who then left in satisfaction. Ivy stared at her brother and spoke, "Big Brother, are you sure this is even necessary, isn''t this fellow just some simple character? Why bother to challenge him at all?" Poison Boy gritted his teeth and spoke, "He''s acquired fame, If I can beat someone like this, then I might be able to grow more on the radar, I also want to be noticed by a few top figures before the Gate of Legends..." Icy rolled her eye at those words as she gave him a mocking look and replied, ''Hehe, brother, I say you''re only acting because you''re still upset over that time..." Poison Boy made an awkward look as he hurriedly replied, ''I-I-I most c-certainly am not! Hmph! Now enough jabbering, let''s hurry and catch up to him!" Following those words, he grabbed Ivy''s hand and pulled her along despite her attempt to play no part in his act of vanity. By this time, Nero had already left the sphere of Birgime for quite the distance. He looked around at the various paths on the Greater Plains that lead to different areas in confusion as he asked himself, ''So, where do I go now?'' Adult Nero looked at the routes before scratching his chin and replying, "Hmm, I believe that there was a pretty good hunting area to the north-western direction from here, it should lead to some woods, as for its name I can''t remember, I didn''t venture there before..." Nero rolled his eyes and snorted; he didn''t say anything because he knew that even if he were some strong figure, he wouldn''t remember every detail of his past life. Nero just took his first step on the coarse pathway, moving through a network of trees, but right at this time, he couldn''t help but knit his brows as his sharp senses felt a few prying eyes. Not looking with his eyes, he used his Spiritual Awareness to scan his surroundings without alerting anyone. As he did this, he saw a few figures following him from different corners. Nero frowned as he didn''t know who they were, though he managed to calm his mood and was no longer malicious, it didn''t mean that he would easily forgive those who came to provoke his wrath. ''Hmph! I want to see just what they''re really up to...'' Nero said to himself with a cruel glint in his eyes, his suppressed bloodthirst began to rise as his hair danced up and down slightly. Not wasting a single moment, he didn''t even halt his pace as he continued towards the area of training, prepared to face any unexpected circumstances. Adult Nero watched Nero from his consciousness as he floated in silence. He murmured, "Hmm, he''s mostly recovered his state of being, but the previous event has still somewhat influenced his nature. I don''t mind this at all; rather than having a complete change in personality, it''s better to balance his current state and innate murderous desires." While Adult Nero was in thought, Nero had already left from this area, vanishing beyond the distance through the long path that leads to a peculiar hunting ground. **** In a private outdoor area of Birgime, a connection to the high-class building, a bright beam of light had fallen from the sky, forming into the figure of a petite beauty with long chestnut-colored hair. Her face carried a sullen look, as at this moment, she looked no different from a small loli that had been wronged. Suddenly, another light source beamed from the sky, forming into a sturdy built man garbed in armor and excellent gear. As he gained his ground, he looked at her and sighed before speaking, "Come one now, Elly, it''s not like it was that bad..." Elly, who was only one step from tears glared at Raynas as she snapped, "Brother, I hate you! Why did you tell mother those things?" As Elly said this, her sullen face turned slightly reddish, recalling the strange accusations from her mother, but she soon recovered her anger as she glared at him. Raynas sighed at this; he recalled how their mother had first cursed him out for not doing an excellent job of keeping an eye on her. Then he remembered how she grabbed eyes and lectured her on the matters of men and women. "Elly, I... I didn''t mean that way; mother was the one who overreacted about everything," Raynas said shamelessly, trying to pin the blame on her. Elly, who appeared to didn''t know which was right or wrong, made a puzzled look, after a while, she asked, "Really?" Raynas bit his lips as his face turned a bit red due to his embarrassment as he forced out these words, "O-Of course, will your big brother ever lie to you?" Elly gave him an in-depth look before she lowered her head while thinking, ''Hmph! You big liar, I''m going to tell mother on you!'' While Elly though this, however, she gave an innocent look and spoke, "Okay, I''ll believe you brother," Raynas felt that her look was too adorable, he couldn''t help but poke her cheek, but Elly snorted as she ran from the area while speaking, "Brother, let''s go, we have to hurry and finish training. I want to participate in tomorrow''s dungeon..." Raynas made a deep sigh before he followed along as he replied, "Fine-fine... we''ll go to that area," The brother and sister pair hurriedly left the town, but their path was curiously none other than the direction that Nero and his hostile company had traveled. **** Author''s Note: Feeling generous? Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Chapter 86: The Crimson Blade Mantis Zone There was a land that was home to a few extraordinary creatures, a refuge for a sinister breed that couldn''t exist in a standard ecosystem. It was said that those who ventured here were all subject to their whim, but if they defeated them, the rewards would be more than worth it. Looking at it more closely, one would see a land that was divided from the Greater Plains regions by a massive wooden bridge that created a path over a giant chasm. A massive sign was also erected above the wooden bridge with the fine words - Warning: You are approaching the Crimson Blade Mantis Zone, proceed with caution! At this moment, Nero and had already ventured to the edge of this sector. He stood at the summits of a cliff as he gazed into the distance beyond the bridge. The wind rustled his hair along with his furry martial coat. ''Crimson Blade Mantis? I really don''t like that name...'' Nero thought to himself as he felt a bad feeling, even when looking at the long bridge that connected to the land which seemed to be in isolation, a bloody and murderous aura could even be sensed at the distance end. As his mood wasn''t bad enough, Adult Nero seemed to have recalled something after reading the sign, he spoke with a sigh, "Ah yes, I remember now, this place was quite dangerous, those mantises aren''t the playful kind, and their strength and skill are at a level where few can face. It''s perfect for your training..." When Nero heard the worlds of his older self, he rolled his eyes and complained, "Tsk, you only want to see me get into trouble, I bet that you''re not even going to help!" Adult Nero snorted and replied, "That''s enough complaining from you, now hurry and enter, we don''t have all day to stand at the bridge!" Nero bit his lips and clenched his fists before sighing, in the end, he began to venture across the bridge that made creaking noises with each of his steps. In one instance, the entire bridge shook as if it couldn''t support his weight, Nero''s face sunk as his heart felt like it was about to come out of his mouth, when he looked down into the bottomless chasm, he couldn''t help but gulp. ''T...t...this bridge won''t break right?'' Nero asked in a hesitant tone as he stopped walking and carefully held onto the ropes used as railings. Adult Nero smirked before keeping silent, only after a fair amount of time did he replied teasingly, "Hmm, you know I don''t remember, but the longer you stay on it, the more will there be chances of something unexpected happening." Nero knew that he was only trying to scare him, but even if one knows such things when faced with the actual situation, it''s not so easy to shrug off. "Hmph! Like hell, I''ll believe you!" Nero said in a non-believing tone but based on the speed at which he moved across the bridge; one could tell that he wasn''t going to take any chances. Puff! Adult Nero tried to hold back his laugh; he found his younger self quite entertaining to watch; he had long since forgotten he used to have such aside. As both Nero''s went onwards, behind them in the darkness of a few hidden areas, were a myriad of prying eyes, one set of blue eyes glared at Nero''s direction as the figure of a young furry eared beauty appeared. She gazed at the warning sign in fear as she thought, "Is this fellow insane? What gave him the gall to travel into such a dangerous zone?" Lily uttered in alarm; she knew full well of the danger here as she heard from that strange colleague called Enmon. Swoosh! Suddenly, a Digitizer dressed like a bandit appeared and knelt as the spoke respectfully, "Madame Swift Hands, what should we do?" Based on the person''s tone, it could also be noticed that they held a great fear for that zone, Lily made a pondering expression as she didn''t want to lose any levels, she was already low in the rankings. As she thought, her eyes wandered about until she finally noticed a different set of individuals in other areas. One was the familiar Poison Boy who moved along with his sister Ivy, while the other small group was none other than Weizer and his lackeys. Both groups had met out of the blue, and after a moment of surprise, they fell into conflict. A sneaky smile came on her face as she spoke, "Hehe, I have a perfect idea; we''ve found the best bait there could be..." The bandit looked at her with a somewhat worried look, but as she was his leader, he said nothing, two too then faded into bushes as if they were non-existent. At this point, Weizer and Poison Boy were already locked in a conflict of words. "Hey, what do we have here? Isn''t this Mohawk Wannabe? Ha, what are you thinking of by following us to this area?" Poison Boy said with mock in his voice. Weizer grew angry at those words, he glared at Poison Boy and snapped back, "Tsk, well look who it is? Do you think that you''re any better than me? Trash like you can only rely on that sister of yours; maybe she should be the one in the ranking list..." "You... bastard!" Poison Boy was rather sensitive about this issue, for although he was gifted, his little sister was many times better. Still, because of her playful and strange personality, she didn''t want any part in the ranking list and only treated this world as a game. Ivy didn''t seem to mind the two''s arguments, she giggled while observing from the side, but soon, she narrowed her eyes and glared at the forests. Ivy''s eyes went to where Lily had vanished; she made a puzzled look before she thought, ''Hmm, must have been my imagination...'' At this moment, Poison Boy was about to attack Weizer, but Ivy glanced at him and spoke while grabbing his arm, "Big Brother, let''s not waste time, he''s already entered the forest and I want to see the monsters!" Poison Boy felt a little better at those words; his manner once more became arrogant as if he viewed Weizer with disdain as he spoke, "Hmph! Count yourself lucky Mohawk Wannabe, my sister needs to play, and I don''t have time to waste with the likes of you!" Immediately after those words, Poison Boy left with his sister as they hurried began to cross the rattling bridge, a trace of fear was in his eyes as he felt the bridge shake, but he sucked it up as he saw his sister Ivy running across it in excitement. Weizer was so angry that he huffed and puffed for a while with a red complexion, he then cursed out loud, "That dirty little bastard! Acting all high and mighty, he''s no different from those shitty third-rate characters in books, got I HATE HIM!" The lackeys around Weizer gave each other a look and rolled their eyes, Weizer seemed to have noticed this, he looked at this coldly, causing them to gulp, but did nothing, With a snort, Weizer turned and around and walked towards the bridge as he spoke, "Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and follow; we must pursue that bastard along with the pretty-faced boy, let''s teach them both lessons they will never forget!" The lackeys heaved a sigh of relief, but one of them hesitated before they spoke, "B-b-but young master, that.... that place is..." Weizer didn''t even let the man finished his words; he looked at him in annoyance as he spoke, "But what? Hurry up and follow along! What can a few little mantises do to the likes of me, a true ranker on the ranking list?" The lackeys sighed as they looked at each other before staring at Weizer and replied, "T... that''s right; the y-young master is the best talent there is..." Weizer turned up his nose and nodded in satisfaction as he began to cross the bridge, the lackeys followed behind, as not long after, they had each left this area. However, the moment they left; a familiar golden-haired Asian youth appeared. He stared at the direction Nero and the others left and sighed before he followed along. In moments, he vanished into the distance as if each of his steps were as light as a feather, leaving behind the quite but somewhat ominous scene. Chapter 87: The Price of Arrogance The earth carried a tinge of red, as even the very soil seemed as if it were stained with blood. Looking around this woodland, one would find that though it seemed no different from a typical area, its interior had a vastly different vibe as if deep within its looming trees and overgrown underbrushes were a myriad of baleful intents. Nero was currently pacing through a coarse path of grass and soil, his manner now exceedingly solemn as he could sense danger from all directions. As if he was prepared for any unexpected changes, his eyes keenly scanned the area as his spiritual awareness was pushed to its peak. ''There''s so much murderous intent, I feel as if I''ll be attacked at any given moment...'' Nero thought with sharp eyes, he was a bit alarmed by the dark mood. Still, it didn''t hinder him from progressing further through the land; he knew that one had to take an equivalent amount of risks to achieve great things. He jumped from the ground and decided to travel by the trees, carefully moving across the land by the massive branches that snaked a series of paths into the unknown. Adult Nero nodded his head as he observed his younger self''s actions, he thought with a smile, ''Good, he''s applying a bit of sense in his actions, even if strong, when faced with the unknown its best to apply caution...'' Following Adult Nero''s words, Nero slowly made his way further into the Crimson Blade Mantis Zone''s depths. However, as he vanished from this sector, a few glaring red eyes had lit up in the shrubberies. Suddenly, one of them shifted their eyes into Nero''s direction with a slightly puzzled look, but as if it was disturbed by something, its eyes turned to the opposite side. There, a few distant shuffling noises were heard along with the sounds of footsteps, the creature''s eyes flashed as it made a low grunt before vanishing into the bushes. Immediately after, the bushes shook as if a few creatures had begun to move towards the same direction. *** In another sector of this zone, Weizer''s and Poison Boy''s groups were traveling without a care in the world. They each moved through separate routes, combing the forests boldly and confidently. Currently, within the direction that Poison Boy had traveled with his sister, a spooky mist had formed out of nothingness. Ivy shivered as she sensed the sinister air from the surroundings that caused her to grow a bit worried, she looked at Poison Boy and spoke, "Big Brother... I-I think that we should be a little more careful." As Ivy said this, her eyes wandered around at the shrubs, noticing that a few of them seemed to be swaying slightly; even a few of them had strange red lights shining from within the dark patches. If it were any other time, Poison Boy would have heeded his sister''s words, but after the previous tussle with Weizer, he had found that he was a bit too overly reliant on his sister. ''As a man, how can I let myself fall behind? I am a ranker after all....'' Poison Boy thought with a firm look in his eyes, he puffed out his chest momentarily forgetting their main objective for coming here as he spoke, "Haha, my sister don''t fret, I''ve recently had a few results in practice. As such, I am confident that I can face anything that pops up out of here." Ivy gave Poison Boy an angry look as if she was about to curse at him, but right now, her face turned pale as a series of shuffling noises sounded from around them. Both Poison Boy and Ivy grew alert as they cast their eyes around them, the air turning a tinge darker. "This... what in the...?" Poison Boy uttered in shock at the strange scene, he was about to say something, but suddenly a change had occurred. A few silhouettes had charged out of the bushes, each being a few times larger than the duo, as they emanated a savage and brutal power. The moment they saw these beasts, not only Ivy, even the previously confident Poison Boy knew that he had made a big mistake this time. The scene now destined to transform into a tragedy... *** In a less clustered section of this land, Weizer traveled with bold steps ahead of his two cautious and flustered lackeys that tried to keep up with him. He hurried as if he didn''t fear anything that might pop out of the woods to face him. As he sped along, he couldn''t help but recall the words of Poison Boy, causing him to snort now and then as he clenched his fists tightly. He then glanced at the lackeys behind him and shook his head while thinking, ''Darn useless losers!'' After thinking this, he looked ahead of him and saw that a few footprints were on the ground, but they soon vanished after arriving at a particular section of a coarse pathway. Weizer''s eyes brightened as unlike Poison Boy, his objective remained clear, the moment he halted his steps he inspected it before he spoke with a cheeky expression, "Ha, I''ve finally found that wretch''s trail, humph! Just you wait, Silver Boy..." The lackeys had only now arrived, and they panted for breath as it took them a while to catch up to Weizer. Weizer snorted as he glanced at them and spoke, "It sure took you long enough you useless things, now hurry up and find his trail!" The poor lackeys that tried to catch their breath sighed as they gave each other a pitiful look before they hurried over and started to inspect the scene. After searching for a while, one of the lackeys came back and replied in a respectful tone, "Young Master, after thoroughly inspecting the path, we didn''t see any more traces of movement on the ground. We''ve come to believe that the target has taken the route through the shrubs or trees..." Weizer frowned at those words; if it were the former, it would be easier to find him as all one would need to do is trace the with crushed grass. However, if it were later, then it would be hard to pinpoint his location. "Which method did he take?" Weizer asked with a dark look on his face. The lackeys sighed as one of them replied again, "He likely took the second method..." When Weizer heard this, his face turned livid as he balled up his fists tightly, causing veins to appear on his neck as he cursed out loud, "DAMNIT!" As the lackeys heard his sudden shout, their faces turned pale as they hurriedly spoke, "Young Master! You can''t shout like that, what if we encounter those creatures?" Weizer, who was angry, glared at the two useless lackeys, he was about to curse them out for belittling his strength, but right at this moment, he noticed that they had their mouths opened wide in shock before their faces turned to one of utter terror. Weizer frowned as he saw them staring at him in fear, or rather behind him, he spoke, turning around, "Tsk, such useless fools! I don''t know what you guys are so scared..." Weizer wanted to curse at them, but when he turned around and saw what stood behind him, his mind went blank as he had never seen such a beast before. It was a giant and slender silhouette, which was four or five times his size. Each of its arms looked no different from sinister blades that dripped with blood as a dark and bloody aura filled the air. As if Weizer''s notice angered the creature, it lifted its head and made a savage roar that sounded across this sector, one that caused not only the lackeys but even Weizer himself to shiver uncontrollably. At this point, Weizer finally learned his life''s first real lesson, the lesson that came due to the price of arrogance. Chapter 88: Nero’s Training Unaware of the dangers behind him, Nero had continued through these lands at a steady pace. He jumped from tree branch to tree branch, moving no different from a nimble ape in its home grounds. Suddenly, Nero had come across an open field, he perched on top of a tree branch and glanced down at peculiar sight before his eyes. There, a creature which looked like a praying mantis was prowling about, its eyes glowing in red light, with dark-colored skin and its front arms looked no different from two sharply shimmering crimson blades. From a glance, one could tell that these beasts were roughly one to two times Nero''s size, and based on its intimidating presence, its battle power was guaranteed to be no way inferior. Around this beast was a series of corpses belonging to various types of monsters, each of them was split into multiple segments of body parts as their entrails scattered about the field. The air here had a dark and gloomy scent as if death was only a hair''s distance from reaching any lifeform. As Nero stared at the mantis, he couldn''t help but get a dark feeling even more so as he saw the blood dripping from its two blade-like hands. He thought to himself, ''So this is a Crimson Blade Mantis, I wonder how strong it is?'' When Nero pondered to here, his eyes flashed as the creature''s details had appeared before him on a wide virtual screen. ____ [Crimson Blade Mantis] [Level: 6] [Grade: Common (Middle Class)] [Health: 700/700] [Magic Power 250/250] [Combat Force: 170 stones] [Body Tenacity: 65] [Spiritual Awareness: 50] [Speed 85 km/h]: [Skill: Mantis Chop] [Description: A fierce beast by nature, it lives for slaughter and thrives in an environment where killing is the only the rule.] ____ Nero''s eyes widened in shock after seeing those details as he thought to himself, ''This... are you telling me that a casual Crimson Blade Mantis is already stronger than that Snalard King? What the hell kind of zone is this?'' Adult Nero chuckled at this as he spoke as if he was waiting for this chance, "It''s a training zone..." Nero clicked his teeth at those words and rolled his eyes, he was about to complain, but as if the Crimson Blade Mantis sensed something, it took an alert posture as it raised its glimmering blade-like arms and glanced towards the branch Nero was hiding above. ''What? How did it sense me?'' Nero inwardly cursed as he continued to suppress his presence. Adult Nero spoke, "You might not have noticed, but its Spiritual Awareness is many times above yours... I advise you to prepare for battle." Nero didn''t even have time to complain as the Crimson Blade Mantis seemed to have determined that someone was directly above it. It jumped from the ground at alarming speeds, nearing the branch at a rapid pace. Though Nero was a bit surprised, he was still stronger than it; as such, he didn''t react in fear, nor waste time to curse his older self. "Hmph! I''m not so weak that you can strike preemptively." Nero said with a snort as he manifested his scythe and jumped down from the tree faster than the mantis. Swing! A sharp cutting sound resounded the moment Nero jumped, as the mantis chopped apart the thick branch into many pieces of wood. However, as if it only now noticed that Nero had vanished, it made a confused sound, "Crek?" Before it could even understand what was going on, a sharp curved blade was already positioned around its neck. Nero, who was already behind it, made a cruel smirk as he yanked the scythe''s handle, causing the blade to cut down with full force as he continued to fall from the air. With a puffing sound, the Crimson Blade Mantis''s head went flying into the air as its green blood spattered about while its corpse fell from the sky. ____ Ding! [You''ve killed a Crimson 39 EXP!] ____ Nero had now arrived a meters distance from it with his back turned as he landed on the open field, he held the scythe in a backward grip with its edge facing his direction from behind him as it dripped with green blood. As if he didn''t like the mess, Nero twirled the scythe and made a full swing, which splashed the blood from its edge before he held the handle over his shoulder. A strange bloodthirsty look came into his eyes as he slightly licked the corner of his lips while glancing at the corpse behind him as he spoke, "So weak, it looks like I over anticipated its strength..." Adult Nero said nothing, his eyes had a strange light as he found it amusing, he thought to himself, ''Huhu, if those old rumors were correct, you''ll be taking those words of yours back quite soon...'' Nero naturally didn''t know of his older self''s thoughts; having killed his first monster, he felt a bit more confident, so he lessened his caution by a notch. Nero then walked towards the corpse and saw that the mantis had dropped a few copper coins with nothing else. He frowned while thinking, "So stingy as always..." After putting away the coins, Nero then glanced around at the shrubs but as he prepared to move from the area, a few shuffling noises were heard. Moving his eyes towards the source, he noticed that a group of similar leveled Crimson Blade Mantises had appeared. The moment they arrived; they each emanated a murderous aura as they dashed towards Nero without even a slight amount of hesitation. Nero seemed as if he didn''t care about their actions, his eyes still having a cruel look as he positioned himself in the Mowing Twist stance. "Come, I''ll use you all to level up my Myriad Spector Cut and other skills..." Nero uttered as his eyes gleamed in a red light that left trails as his body started to spin. His figure vanished with a swooshing sound leaving behind his scythe''s edge that created a series of circular lines. The line started to twist as if it had a life of its own, slanting as if it were a snake dancing, but this only lasts for a while before it returned to the circular pattern as it flashed back and forth the field. Adult Nero''s eyes flickered when he saw the change; he couldn''t help but make a satisfied look as he spoke to himself, "Ohh... his Reaper Stance is beginning to find its correct flow. If he can consciously realize this, then he might be able to achieve the Second Level, but I suppose he''s still quite a distance from achieving it..." While Adult Nero pondered, Nero''s scythe had already made quick work of the mantises that had attacked him from all sides. Their bodies fell to the ground as now only their corpses remained in a pool of blood and copper coins. A few more shuffling was heard, but Nero didn''t seem to mind it as he quickly looted the corpses and jumped into the trees. ''These batches are too weak; I need to find stronger foes to increase my rate of mastery and experience points...'' As Nero concluded his thoughts, his eyes had a sharp look as he proceeded onwards to further his training. However, while Nero was having a wonderful time, those who ventured here were having a horrible experience that they would remember for the rest of their lives. Chapter 89: The Struggle In the Wilds In another area of the Crimson Mantis Zone, the corpses of the lackeys belonging to Weizer could be seen sprawled about the verdant ground, looking as if they were chopped into two by two blades. Their blood stained the lush earth, as the looks on their faces was one of peril. At this moment, Weizer was fleeing for his life with his two axes in hand, his entire body covered in a series of wounds that gave him a pitiful appearance. Even his glamorous armor had worn areas and breakages due to the violent onslaught that almost took his life. If one looked behind them, they would notice that the towering silhouette of a Crimson Blade Mantis was in hot pursuit. Its red eyes having a sharp glint as its crimson-colored blade-like arms were protruded before it, chopping away madly at any obstacle in its path. Looking at the many different vines and branches than were cleanly cut through by the mantis as it sped up behind him, Weizer knew that he would long have since been eradicated if he were fleeing in open land. ''Damnit! Damnit! WHY DID I COME HERE?'' Weizer cursed in his mind while hurrying away, not even daring to halt with the slightest step; his movement style was even a tad bit unique as use it to skillfully maneuver through the woods. Nevertheless, it was a pity, for the Crimson Blade Mantis had still managed to catch up to him. With a loud swoosh, the Crimson Blade Mantis made an exquisite maneuver; it jumped from its previous distance, leaving a myriad of crimson arcs across the void as its arms rapidly cut apart all obstacles, arriving directly behind Weizer. Weizer noticing this felt as if death was only a hair away, he hurriedly raised his two axes to defend while complaining, "This isn''t good! Bastard, I won''t lose my level so easily! Take my Crushing Blow!" Upon saying this, his dual axes glowed in bright lights as his body spun rapidly, using the momentum to chop towards one of the Crimson Blade Mantis''s blade-like arms. Bang! In that instant of collision, a thunderous noise resounded as the resulting clash sent sparks into the air along with clusters of Magic Power. Being the weaker amongst the attackers, Weizer was forced back due to the difference in power. With a bang, Weizer crashed into the trunk of a tree and spat out a bit of blood, his already low HP was now one step away from the final digits. "This darn critter is too strong! How can I be so weak against it with my Stage 5 Skill mastery and Level 6 strength?" Weizer cursed while wiping the blood from his mouth corners. However, as he complained, the Crimson Blade Mantis didn''t seem to care about his burdens, it promptly followed up its attack with another charge. "Shit..." Weizer uttered as he had a pale look on his face; he wanted to react but soon found that his body was even weaker from the previous shock. Before he could even do anything, the Crimson Blade Mantis had already arrived upon him and chopped its blade across his neck, leaving a long crimson line that not only cut his from his body but even the tree behind him. Weizer''s corpse then fell the ground with a look of hatred and regret in his eyes as he stared towards the distance while thinking, ''Damn you, Silver Boooyyyyy!" After a short while, his body turned into a series of bits that vanished into the air as the Crimson Blade Mantis pushed onwards. Much like the pitiful Weizer, Poison Boy, who was also fleeing with his sister was only moments away from suffering a similar fate. "Poison Cloud Fist!" Poison Boy shouted as a green colored miasma shrouded his arms. He struck his fist forward as a poisonous fist manifested before spreading out rapidly, eroding most of the surroundings. However, though it was effective against the plants and shrubberies, it was in no way useful against the dozens of Crimson Blade Mantises that had attacked him from all sides. A few Crimson Blade Mantis charged through the poison mist, as they rapidly arrived within his range, launching a flurry of blurry like blade attacks with their blade-arms. "This isn''t good! Ivy, don''t just stay there, hurry and run!" Poison Boy yelled at his sister, who was standing a distance away from him. "But... I can fight brother!" Ivy said with a firm look in her eyes, but as Poison Boy knew what she meant he replied with a louder tone, "Ivy, even if you can fight there''s no way to battle against this many, hurry and get out of here, I don''t want to see you lose a level!" Ivy frowned, she didn''t want to leave her brother behind, but she also knew that she couldn''t fight so many of those mantises by herself. Not bothering to pay her any mind, Poison Boy''s attention once more fixed on the approaching mantises, he sneered as he spread both of his palms and spoke as if making a sacrifice, "You think you can kill all of us? Well, guess again! Poison Blast!" The moment he yelled, both of his arms were covered in a dense cluster of poison mist, which he then struck towards the ground. Following a loud explosion, a gush of poisonous mist even stronger than the last scattered about quickly eroding more of the environment. Not long after, the Crimson Blade Mantises that were previously unaffected seemed to be influenced as their charge halted. Looking at them more closely, one would notice that their bodies began to show signs of corrosion as if they''d been poisoned to an extent. Poison Boy seeing this glanced at his sister and spoke, "Go now!" Ivy bit her lips before turning around and vanishing as she rapidly sped through the woods, Poison Boy watched as she left with a sigh on his face as he turned around once more. As he saw the scene around him, he couldn''t help but laugh in a foolish tone as he spoke with a look of regret in his eyes, ''Haha... who would have thought my blunder would lead me to such a state? Sigh...'' Following Poison Boy''s words, it didn''t take long for the poisonous smog to start fading, revealing their glowing red eyes that shone underneath its cover. The scene of the dozens of Crimson Blade Mantises steadily walking towards him firmly imprinted in his mind, as he gulped looking at their vicious blade-like palms that glistened in a cold ray. Chapter 90: Newfound Friends, A Terrifying Threat A distance away from the earlier scene, Ivy was now fleeing through the woods. While running, for every mantis that had appeared before her, she fought them in a fierce battle before escaping. "Poison Whiplash!" Ivy yelled as she waved her slender palms, causing a greenish whip to lash out towards one Crimson Blade Mantis at alarm speeds. If one looked at it closely, they noticed that this whip was coated with green-colored poison energy, one that was so condensed that a few droplets of green liquid fell from it onto the grassy grounds, eroding anything it touched. The Crimson Blade Mantis that stood before her had flashing eyes as it shifted its body, dodging most of the attack as it waved its palms clashing against the whip. A series of metallic collision noises and crackling sounds of a whip sounding across the area, as their blurry attacks continued for a short while. Ivy frowned as she thought, ''This can''t continue, or I''ll be surrounded in no time; I have to escape somehow.'' As Ivy thought to herself, a little distance away from her position, the furry eared and blue-eyed Lily garbed in her thief garments watched this scene with a look of anger on her face as she complained. "Darn it! Why are these woods so dangerous? How am I to steal that bastard''s items if I can''t even maneuver through this land?" Lily cursed with an angry expression on her cute face, her furry ears and tail bounced up and down along with her chest as she hyper-ventilated. The subordinates sighed as they looked at her, one of them replied, "Young Miss Swift, it''s as we''ve said before, this is the fabled Crimson Mantis Zone, if you aren''t at least at the level of a Stage 6 ranker on the Ranking List, then coming here is no different from suicide. You should already understand that there aren''t many who can even achieve such levels of core mastery¡­" Lily grew angered at those words; she pointed at the subordinate who also had furry like ears behind his hooded robe as she complained, "How dare you lecture me? Just you wait till we get back, humph!" The subordinates sighed as they knew she only gets like this when she''s frustrated, they were about to say something, but right at this time, the battle before them seemed as if it was only a moment away from turning into a desperate situation. Lily looked at this and spoke, "I''m going to help her out, so come with me!" The subordinates sighed and replied, "As you wish, ma''am!" With a swoosh, Lily and her subordinates vanished from this hidden location as they made their way over to help Ivy who was now battling against two Crimson Blade Mantises. Her appearance now sweaty as she struggled to fight them back, lashing her whip about in a furious manner as it left behind invisible blurs due to its speeds. ''Not good, I can''t hold on for long!'' Ivy thought as she was approaching her limit, as if proving her right, her whip accidentally missed its mark and was repelled by one of the Crimson Blade Mantises. However, as if it was looking for this change, the other mantis quickly charged towards her with its immense speed arriving upon her in only a few sections as it chopped its palms towards her neck. "Noooo!" Ivy cried out loud, seeing this incoming attack, but it was when the blade was about to connect with her body, she noticed a startling scene. "Back off!" A tender voice said as Lily appeared at the Crimson Blade Mantis''s flank, her arms nimbly danced as she quickly caught the blade-like palms of the mantis and deflected it to the side. The Crimson Blade Mantis was surprised at this, it wanted to follow up, but as if she expected it, Lily sneered as she twirled her body and kicked its chest. It fell back by around a meter''s distance with a bang, but just as it wanted to recover and attack, Lily was already ahead of it as she spoke, "Do it now!" Without giving a reply, her two subordinates promptly attacked, stabbing both unguarded Crimson Blade Mantises in their vitals at their backs. As the two corpses fell to the ground, both Ivy and Lily heaved a sigh of relief. The subordinates then went ahead to loot the bodies while the two girls stared at each other. "Hello, my name is Ivy, thank you for saving me," Ivy said with a polite gesture and a warm smile, her face a still a bit tired. Lily smiled and replied, "Hehe, don''t worry about it, us girls have to stick together, these woods are quite dangerous, you see..." Ivy showed a thoughtful look before asking, "Are you the group that''s been following us for a while now?" Lily was surprised at this; she gave Ivy a deep look as she spoke without hiding anything, "Yes, that''s right, I originally only wanted to follow you guys for a while and safely find a way to an enemy of mine. However, I never thought that we''d end up in such a mess." As Lily said this, her eyes flashed with hatred as she recalled Nero''s handsome face, looking as if she would steal everything he owned if she caught up to him. Ivy looked at Lily with a pondering look as she spoke, "Could this enemy of yours have anything to do with that Silver Boy?" Lily was once again surprised; she found that Ivy was rather sharp, far different from her brother, she gave her a look and spoke, "Miss Ivy, I have to say that you are far different from your brother. Maybe it''s as that fool Mohawk Wannabe said, you should be the one whose human clan''s prodigy." Ivy made a strange smile as she replied, "Hehe, I really don''t understand why you''re all so hooked about that person. Still, I have no interest in fame or playing the leading role I only want to have fun, there aren''t many who enjoy my ideals, but for some reason, I can tell that you''re very much like myself, Miss Swift Hands..." When Lily heard this, her face turned different, she didn''t dare to look down on Ivy as her intelligence, and quick wits was more than enough for her to pick up on things far too quickly. The two girls sized each other up before they smiled and laughed as they spoke again; only this time, their tone was more friendly. "Hey, why don''t we become sisters? I''ve always wanted to play with a girlfriend!" Ivy asked while looking at Lily. "Sister? You mean like those who are blood kin?" Lily asked with a puzzled look on her face. Ivy gave her a look and replied with her slender arm stretched out, "It''s more like close friends that are no different from sisters, so... what do you say?" Lily gave Ivy an in-depth look; she hadn''t had close friends in a long time, even more so after what happened to their world, the war that spanned across their entire race. Lily''s eyes turned a bit red as she spoke in a softer tone, "Um, okay... l-let''s be friends." Ivy gave a good look as she hurriedly held her hand with a smile, she didn''t know why, but she couldn''t help but want to draw close to her for some reason. The two subordinates gave Lily a look; they both sighed, knowing how her life''s been, the very fact that she could make a friend in this world should even be considered a good thing. The two girls were having a friendly moment, but right at this time, the two lackeys that were about to speak to them, showed frightened looks on their faces as they trembled. Ivy was the first to notice their look; she couldn''t help but ask Lily, "Sister Lily, why are your allies like that?" "Huh? What do you mean? They should be loot..." Lily made a puzzled look as she turned while speaking, but before she could even finish her words, she halted due to their scared appearance. "Hey, what are you guys doing?" Lily shouted at them. The duo seemed to have been awakened from their fears as they spoke, "Ma-Ma-Madame Swift, w-we have to get out of here, right now!" Both Ivy and Lily were confused, but they noticed that the two were still staring in a particular direction in fear. A bad feeling came over the duo as they looked at each other and gulped before slowly turned to the direction. There, they saw that a giant shadow in a nearby area, it was a massive figure belonging to a Crimson Blade Mantises of the likes could never imagine. From the appearance of this monster, both Ivy and Lily knew just by one glance, that their luck had finally made its end¡­ ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 91: The Second Level of the Myriad Spector Cut Unlike everyone else, Nero was enjoying himself on his training expedition. Time flowed onwards and he had already been in the Crimson Blade Mantis Zone for most of the day, the sky was growing warmer as the morning had already transitioned into the hours of the afternoon. At this moment, he had already arrived at the depths of this land. His training left behind a group of mangled corpses in his wake as if he were a hungry devil on the hunt for lost souls. Within a broad field surrounded by towering trees and rocks, a battle took place against four peculiar-looking Crimson Blade Mantises, each of which was no less than four meters large, with giant crimson blades attached to their palms and even darker shell-like skin. These creatures were none other than the Elite Crimson Blade Mantises, each being a High-Class monster of their right with power that vastly exceeded the others of their kind. ____ [Elite Crimson Blade Mantis] [Level: 6] [Grade: Common (High Class)] [Health: 700/700] [Magic Power 250/250] [Combat Force: 200 stones] [Body Tenacity: 75] [Spiritual Awareness: 60] [Speed 99 km/h]: [Skill: Mantis Chop, Mantis Blade Ray] ____ These four creatures had a mean light in their eyes as they moved as rapid as the wind, each of their steps seeming no different from the lightness of a feather as they swooshed about at incredible speeds. They would each attack in synchrony as they chop down and across with their massive blade-like palms that left whooshing noises as they cut through the wind towards a blurry silver-haired youth. Nero didn''t seem to mind their attacks as his body easily dodged to the side, choosing only to avoid at a hair lengths distance. He seemed as if he was dancing, flexibly twisting his body to avoid each attack with each of his steps. As Nero watched the blade-like palms of the mantises pass his body in slow motion, the scythe positioned at his side would also dance with his movements, leaving arcs of silvery lights as it clashed against the palms sending sparks across the area. Following this, the eyes of the Elite Crimson Blade Mantises flickered in red lights as their crimson blades glowed in a sinister ray. They each waved their hands at double the speeds as a series of baleful red arcs flew out towards Nero from all sides with a grunt. "Oh, so that''s there Mantis Blade Ray technique, It''s strong but not good enough..." Nero muttered as his eyes showed a sharp look, he twirled his scythe around his body that glowed with his dazzling silver Magic Power as it blocked each of the energy attacks. It took only a few moments for a look of exhaustion to appear of the Elite Crimson Blade Mantises'' faces. Still, as if Nero noticed this, he quickly lowered his posture and stretched out the scythe behind him before making a circular swing. The Elite Crimson Blade Mantises sensed the danger, as such, they rapidly crossed their massive blade-like palms before them to parry his fast attack. Ting! A loud metallic collision sound resounded as Nero had used one circular spinning motion to parry each of the Crimson Blade Mantises attacks simultaneously. The force behind his body knocked back each of the mantises, forcing them to step back as they lifted their arms above their heads. As if this was what he was waiting on, Nero''s eyes flashed in a bright ray as he took a step forward and spit into four ghostly bodies that had adopted his Mowing Twist stance once again. In a single motion, these bodies blurred due to the rapid turn as he swung his scythe that left a flashed of circular silver light in an instant before returning to normal. Following the previous scene, Nero''s four ghostly bodies had appeared behind each of the Crimson Blade Mantises. A few seconds later, the bodies of the four mantises began to slide apart as they were now chopped into two halves. As if he had accomplished enough, the ghostly bodies started to fade, leaving only Nero''s main body in the field who stood upright with his scythe held at an angle as he stared at the corpses behind him. ''Hmm, I''ve finally ranked up my Myriad Spector Cut; I don''t know why, but it''s difficult to learn compared to the other skills...'' Nero thought while coldly gazing at the corpses. As if Adult Nero heard those words, he replied, "Of course, even if it may seem to be a High-Grade Combat Technique, its applications are far beyond most, not all High-Grade Combat Skills are of the same league." When Nero heard this, he nodded his head as he uttered, "I figured as much..." Adult Nero paid his utterances no mind; he once more spoke again, "At this point, your base stats have achieved the peak of a Middle-Class monster, and with the aid of your equipment, your strength has already surpassed many High-Class monsters. At your current rate, you''re only a little way off from achieving Stage 7 in your core techniques, and only a bit distant from Level 7. By that time, you should be able to return to the village and do your final villagers'' quest, which is, of course, a Dungeon Quest. However, these dungeons aren''t just set in a particular location..." Nero felt confident that he could achieve Level 7 before the evening ends, but he was also curious about the dungeons, and what his older self-mentioned, he asked, "They aren''t set in a location? If that''s the case, then how do you even find them?" Adult Nero shook his head and replied, "Let''s talk about it after we''ve finished with the days training..." Nero nodded as he hurried to loot the corpses, taking up a few copper pieces with an annoyed expression on his face. Adult Nero resisted the urge to chuckle, but as if he sensed something, his eyes turned towards the side as a blood-red hue had appeared over the distance. "A Greater... no, Quasi-Greater aura...." Adult Nero muttered as he could clearly feel the strength behind the approaching threat, he didn''t warn Nero as by now, Nero could already sense the danger. "This... such power! What the hell is coming this way?" Nero said in alarm, as he had never fight such power from any creature in these lands, he was a bit worried and cautious, but other than those feelings, he was also feeling a tinge of excitement. With his scythe in hand, Nero retreated by enough distance to allow himself to escape or act if necessary, fixing his eyes towards the direction of the rapidly approaching blood-red hue. Yet, as Nero did this, a few footsteps were already heard from that direction of two individuals running from something. Soon, Nero''s eyes made a strange look as he only now recalled that another group had followed him. He prepared to make a quick attack, but as he saw the two familiar young girls that ran out of the bushes with flustered looks, he couldn''t help but shake his head while thinking, ''I really do hope they aren''t going to get in my way...'' The scene here transitioning to one of a dark mood, as the conflict against the most powerful creature Nero had ever faced, was only moments from arriving. Chapter 92: Meeting One’s Foes, A Dangerous Encounter When Ivy and Lily appeared from the bushes, they noticed soon Nero who stood in the distance with his scythe. The two girls had a complex expression as they glanced at each other before nipping their lips as they continued to run at high speeds while shouting. "Hurry and run away!" Lily yelled while pressing onwards. "Don''t just stand there, run away now, Silver B... Death Fiend!" Ivy said as she also ran with all her might. The two looked a bit haggard as sweat rolled down their foreheads, dripping down their bodies that wore different kinds of battle armor, one being the thief''s uniform while the other was a more common type of semi-revealing female armor. Ivy''s green hair danced up and down along with her large chest, much like the furry blue eared and haired Lily who kept pace with her. As for Lily''s two subordinates, neither of them had been able to escape with them. Nero, who was a bit angry at the two, was a bit surprised at their words, he had thought they would directly just run past him and allowed whatever that chased them to fight him. However, it seemed he''s been biased towards his perception of all kinds of women. After giving the two beauties another look, finding their running posture a bit appealing, he shook his head while thinking, ''They should count themselves lucky that I want to test my current strength against this beast. But since they did warn me, I suppose I can accept their kind gesture for now.'' By this time, both Ivy and Lily had already arrived in Nero''s vicinity; they were only moments from passing him, but when they noticed that Nero didn''t seem like was moving, their faces showed strange looks. With a swish of her body, Lily appeared beside Nero, gazing at him with her cerulean colored eyes as she spoke, "Hey, are you deaf? That thing is almost here! You have to hurry and leave!" Ivy didn''t know Nero personally, and only knew of her brother''s one-sided grudge against him, as such, she only looked at him silently with a pensive appearance. Nero seeing the two girls stop by him sighed and spoke, "You two go on ahead, I''ll be taking care of this..." Both Ivy and Lily were shocked when they heard those words, they didn''t know if he was being brave or stupid. They glanced at each other before shaking their head and staring at him more seriously. "Hey, you only defeated that big lunk last time because of luck, if I didn''t steal its weapon, what did you think would have happened? Stop being such an idiot and run!" As Lily said this, she grabbed Nero''s arm, trying to pull him away. However, Nero frowned at this and shrugged his arm, causing her to lose her grip, as she saw her grip so easily escaped by Nero, Lily grew angry, but deep down, she was quite surprised as she had held him firmly. ''This... did he get even stronger?'' Lily thought to herself with a flash of surprise in her eyes. Ivy took this chance to speak as she gave him an in-depth look with her beautiful green eyes, "Silver Boy... or rather Silver Death Fiend... I''ve seen your strength in that video, but even so, you are no match for the beast that coming, I''d advise you to leave with us..." Nero sighed as he was wondering why these girls were taking so long to leave him behind, he stared at them carefully before he replied, "You girls don''t need to worry about me, besides, aren''t we supposed to be enemies? Since when do enemies go around helping each other. Besides, I said that I would be fine on my own, now go and escape, let me take care of the rest..." When Ivy heard she gave Nero an even deeper look, unlike her brother, she could see things more clearly, noticing the confidence in Nero''s eyes. ''He... he''s so much different from big brother... hmm, such a strange fellow...'' Ivy thought with a curious glance, after staring at him she no longer pestered him but glanced at the troubled Lily and spoke, "Sister Lily, let''s get going, he said that he''d stay, so then let him..." Lily frowned, for some reason she had a bad taste in her mouth when she found that she was being saved by Nero again, she glared at him and snorted as she replied, "Hmph! Fine, but don''t think I''ll owe you one again, I''ll only cross off your previous misdeeds!" After saying this, Lily looked at Ivy, and the two dashed towards the opposite direction, but before they could leave, Nero shook his head and muttered, "Tsk! They took so long to move, now it''s already too late..." Following his words, the blood-red hue had already enveloped this sector, painting the environment in its gloomy radiance. The instant this happened, a terrifying voice sounded from all directions, "Hahaha! Humans, where do you think you are going? Today, none of you will leave!" Nero frowned as he heard those words, he pondered, ''A monster that can speak again... I feel that this will be troublesome...'' Adult Nero made a faint smile at this, as he spoke to himself, "Huhu... this should be fun, let''s see how you face this one with your current strength..." Following both the older and younger Nero''s ponderings, a loud whooshing sound was heard as if something massive was falling from above. Moments later, a massive shadow fell from the sky into the open field, crushing the ground with its feet as it sent clouds of dust across the area. Lily and Ivy were startled as they had encountered a field that was blocked by a reddish power, sealing off all forms of exit. They stared at each other with worried looks as they knew that it must have more likely been toying with them during the entire chase if it had such an ability. "That darn bastard!" Lily cursed as she glared at the giant silhouette behind the cloud of dust, her palms tightly clenched as she knew she''d be likely to lose a level today. Ivy also didn''t feel good, she thought to herself with a look of regret in her eyes, ''Maybe mother was right, I should have taken training more seriously...'' Lily also had similar thoughts, as she didn''t like to train or compete with others, she only wanted to have fun and enjoy her time in this unknown world, even if it was only until the time of her clan''s movements. At this time, the dust was clearing, revealing the figure of a massive eight-meter large praying mantis, its entire body had a dark shell-like armor with its two giant crimson blade-like palms held before it in a crossword manner. Its large eyes glowed in a menacing red light as it stood within the dust cloud, its mouth even emanated a dark haze that gave off a bloody flavor. Just by looking at its eyes, one could tell that they seemed no different from that of a predator''s. Nero gazed at the beast in silence; his manner didn''t show fear, but rather, curiosity as he licked his lips and firmly gripped his scythe while his red pupils flickered in bright rays. ''I wouldn''t back off even if you were ''Atlas,'' so let''s see if you are truly as strong as you look...'' Nero thought, prepared to fight a grueling battle against this dreadful beast... Chapter 93: The Crimson Blade Mantis King The scene was one of silence as the different parties stared at each other as if sizing each other up, the eyes of the sinister-looking Crimson Blade Mantis was glaring at Nero and the two lambs with a playful but ruthless look. "Haha, humans, did you think that you could enter my territory and exit as freely as you wish? For such a foolish act, none of you will leave here alive!" The monster said while it lifted its head and roared with a towering Magic Power erupting from its body, sending menacing energies across the open field. Nero stood silently before it; the terrifying power was even influencing him by a bit as if felt as if standing before him was a mountain of endless energy. "Just its Magic Power is already this strong, I might have been a bit over my head in trying to challenge this beast... but there''s no going back, let''s see what makes it so tough...'' Nero thought with a bright light in his eyes as he wiped the sweat from his face. He quickly inspected this Crimson Blade Mantis''s stats while firmly holding onto his scythe, preparing to strike at a moment''s notice. ____ [Crimson Blade Mantis King] [Level: 6] [Grade: Quasi Greater Class] [Health: 800/800] [Magic Power 350/350] [Combat Force: 250 stones] [Body Tenacity: 75] [Spiritual Awareness: 70] [Speed 115 km/h]: [Skills:] [Mantis Bladework - A skillful style of blade arts useable by only the master''s in among the Crimson Blade Mantis race.] [Mantis Shadow Step - A speed-boosting skill that increases one''s speed by 30 km/h for a limited time.] [Killing Field - A half domain type skill the creates a field killing energy by using the host''s Magic Power. The area can be used to trap as well as influence all within its range...] ____ ''What the heck? This guy... if I didn''t have those recent strength increase then I wouldn''t even stand a chance, even now, I''m not certain if I can win,'' Nero thought in alarm as he saw the stats of the Crimson Blade Mantis King. He couldn''t help but compare it to his own by quickly recalling his stats details. ____ [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - Silver Boy] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 6 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 2010] [Current EXP: 1930] [Influence: None | Prestige: 600 - Reputable] [Health 200/200] [Magic Power 200/200] [Combat Power: 212 | 80 + (60+30+42)] [Body Tenacity: 62 | 22 + (30+10)] [Spiritual Awareness 35] [Speed 65(+36) km/h]: [Genetic Trait:] [Grade??? Inheritance Bit (Mazello (Level 10))] [Reaper''s Eye] ... [Skills:] [Passive Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Core Body Refinement: Stage 6 (785/800) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Technique is limited to 9 Stages, and the current stage can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by +30] --- [All Weapons Mastery Skill- Stage 6 (791/800) | 9 Stages] [Effects:] [Technique is limited to 9 Stages, and the current stage can increase the skill and Combat Power used by +30] --- [Combat Techniques:] High-Grade Skill: [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 6 (779/800) | 9 Stages] [Description: This is a speed-boosting art that can increase speed allowing graceful movement and superior reaction capabilities. The current stage can grant the user and increase of 35km/h.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 30] [Requirement: User must at least have Stage 3 fitness.] .... [Myriad Spector Cut: Stage 2 (5/120) | 9 Stages] [Description - This is a scythe style that allows the host to use Magic Power to condense two phantom clones with the host''s body. Both phantoms can attack their opponents and change positions] [Effects: MP Consumption: 35] Low-Grade Skill: [Flash Cut: Stage MAX (100/100) | 3 Stages] [Effects: MP Consumption: 25] ¡­ [Items:] [???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10)] [Furry Ape Martial Robe: Body Tenacity: +10 | Durability: 4/4] [Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe | Level 6] [Grade: Rare Tier (Growable)] [Type: Weapons] [Subtype: Scythe] [Usable by: All] [Close & Mid-Range] [Durability: 35/35] [Combat Force: 42] --- [Judgment Cuff] [Grade: Common] [Type: Weapons] [Subtype: Treasure] [Usable by: All] [Close Range] [Requirements: Level 1] [Description: A special artifact that has the power to bind its foes for a fixed duration based on power difference.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 20, 15 seconds duration, 1-minute cooldown.] .... [Sky Walker Boots] [Grade: Rare Tier] [Type: Armor] [Subtype: Boots] [Usable by: All] [Close & Mid-Range] [Requirements: Level 6] [Agility: +36 km/h] [Passive Weapon Skill: Sky Walk - A unique item ability that allows the user to walk on air for a limited time. [Effects: 10 seconds | Cooldown: 1 minute] ____ After recalling his stats, and clearing his thoughts, Nero''s body began to emit his silver-colored Magic Power, clashing against the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s towering energies. With a loud bang, the forces seemed to have entered a stalemate before canceling out as both Nero and the Crimson Blade Mantis King silently looked at each other. A distance away from them, Lily looked at this in shock as she spoke, "T-they canceled out¡­ just how did he get so strong?" ''Incredible! He''s far stronger than the time in that clip, maybe my brother was wrong about him!'' Ivy thought as her eyes lit up as she saw the scene, her eyes locked onto Nero''s back as if she finally saw hope, she seemed a bit dazed by his dazzling silver hair and attacking posture while he held his scythe. The Crimson Blade Mantis King shifted its eyes towards Ivy and Lily that stood in the distance before firmly locking onto Nero as it spoke, "Human, you are different from those weak lessers, but all the better, I shall kill you then finish those little pests!" Nero didn''t seem to care as he slanted his scythe at a low angle before him and turned his body slightly to the side, he then crouched his leg as if he was setting to dash towards his foe. "Hmph! You talk too much nonsense..." Nero said as his body once more erupted with his Magic Power, each of which rustled his silver hair as it spiraled around the edge of his scythe. "You insolent wretch, prepare to die!" The Crimson Blade Mantis King yelled in anger as it raised its two massive crimson blade-like palms and exploded with its incredible Magic Power. The forces sent ripples about the area once more, forcing back both the dazed Ivy and Lily, who hurried to found shelter behind a sizeable tree trunk. "It''s finally starting..." Ivy said as she looked at the scene with a hint of hope but mostly a worried look on her face, her eyes were locked onto Nero''s back as if no one else existed. "Hmm, let''s hope he can face it," Lily added, though she didn''t like Nero in the slightest, she knew better than to wish badly at such times. The tension here grew more robust, as the battle between man and beast was only moments from taking its place in this gloomy and dangerous land. Chapter 94: A Fierce Battle! Lost in the Woods A chilly wind blew across the evening sky as the dazzling clash between two separate energies was visible across this region of the forestland. Looking towards the area, one would see ripples of power that soon after faded. Suddenly, one silver-haired youth that held a sinister-looking scythe dashed towards his opponent fiercely. His speed reaching well over 101 km/h as he shuffled across the open fields. A giant dark armored praying mantis nearing the heights of nine meters stood proudly before the youth, its eyes gleaming in red lights as its entire body was coated with its murderous Magic Power. As it saw the youth''s movement, it held its two gigantic crimson blade-like palms in front of its body, both of its edges glistening cold ray as it prepared to launch and counter assault. "You foolish human, I''ll show you our difference in strength, taste my Mantis Bladework!" The Crimson Blade Mantis King shouted with a baleful light in its eyes as it glared at the rapidly approaching Nero. It didn''t even bother to wait anymore as it lowered its stance and dashed towards Nero with a speed that was a few notches above him. Its blade arms glowed with a sharp red aura as they left trailing after images with it brandished them. With two swooshing sounds, both Nero and the Crimson Blade Mantis King had already arrived within each other''s range. Before Nero could even react, the Crimson Blade Mantis King chopped its arms skillfully at blinding speeds, leaving another trail of afterimages behind each swing. Nero''s heart grew cold as he saw this; he knew that it was far more powerful than himself, even its speed was superior to his own, as such, fighting with his usual style wouldn''t work out to his benefit. ''Myriad Spector Cut!'' Nero said in his mind, invoking the powers of the skill that allowed his body to split into four different ghostly clones that rapidly dodged the onslaught. With a series of swooshing noises, a series of crimson lights flashed about in the location Nero once stood, giving the illusion of more than a dozen crimson blades chopping at the same time. Each of Nero''s ghostly shadows danced about in a flurry as they nimbly, and skillfully avoided each attack by a hair''s length. As each blade moved, a baleful crimson blade beam would fire off in the targeted direction, cutting apart anything it touched into the immediate vicinity. Lily and Ivy, who watched this battle from the edge of the zone that had blocked their exit, observed with shocking appearances as they didn''t even think it was so strong. Suddenly, one of the stray blade attacks flew towards their direction, causing their faces to turn pale as they hurriedly acted. "Sister Lily, we can''t avoid it in time, so hurry and attack! Poison Lash!" Ivy said as her green shone brightly, she twisted her body and used her entire momentum to make a swinging motion with her right arm. Following this motion, a green whip formed out of nothing as it smacked towards the incoming blade beam. Lily, a bit dazed by the fight, also came to her senses; she bit her lips and acted, "Right, Piercing Blow!" Following her words, she held an upraised dagger in one arm that she raised at her ample chest, her blue hair and thief robes rustling due to the winds as her entire body erupted with her blue- colored Magic Power. In an instant, she dashed from her location, moving at an immense speed as she stabbed her dagger forward, leaving only a trailing line of bright blue lights. Both girl''s attacks had oddly enough, struck against the blade ray at the same time. The resulting collision had created an explosion that had knocked them back for a few meters. Cough! The two girls coughed up a bit of blood as their backs smashed into the red energy wall that trapped them; they wiped the corners of their lips while glaring at the Crimson Blade Mantis King. "Darn, he did that on purpose! Sister Ivy, we should help that Silver Boy take him out!" Lily said in anger as she held her dagger firmly, her eyes glaring at the Crimson Blade Mantis King, who oddly enough sent them a mocking glance while fighting against Nero. Ivy, though angered by the monster, shook her head as she stared in the direction of the chaotic battle and replied, "No, at our current stages, we''ll only become more of a burden than help... it''s best that we sit this one out..." Lily clenched her fist and showed a helpless and unwilling look; only now did she understand what everyone else had been trying to tell her since the beginning. As if Ivy and Lily fell in harmony, they both stared at the battle while thinking with a firm look in their eyes, ''I won''t be as weak as this again!'' Unaware of the girls and their peculiar butterfly effect, Nero, who battled against the Crimson Blade Mantis King, was having an exceedingly warm time. The blades that chopped towards him seemed to grow faster and faster over time, leaving a few minor cuts and bruises across each of the four ghost shadows; though he could alternate between any he wishes, they weren''t able to completely avoid the rapid attacks. Sweat rolled down Nero''s forehead as his eyes moved from left to right as each of his ghostly clones twisted and turned. He didn''t dare to overuse his Magic Power on his movement skill. He was already wasting a considerable amount on his Myriad Spector Cut. ''Damn, I need a chance, he surely can''t keep this up all day!'' Nero thought as his eyes frantically followed the blades of the Crimson Blade Mantis King. Soon, the world around him grew much slower as the two arms of the Crimson Blade Mantis King, which were once a blur, became visible. They moved at a slow rate as they swung their blade-like palms, but right at this moment, they seemed to have jerked as if they had reached a limit. Nero''s eyes lit up as he shouted inwardly, ''Now!'' Suddenly, Nero''s four ghostly clones had glowing eyes. They jumped in the air to avoid what seemed like a set of sloppy blade attacks before they revolved and swung their scythes towards each of the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s limbs. The sharp sounds from the scythe''s cutting through the wind resounding across the area, as Nero''s eyes showed a cruel and bloodthirsty look, ready to sever its limbs. However, as Nero thought that he had found an advantage in this fight, the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s eyes flickered with a playful look. Nero, who had sharp senses, felt that something wasn''t right, he was about to pull back his attack, but it was already too late. "Hmph! Foolish human, suffer death!" Following those words, the Crimson Blade Mantis King smirked as his jerky arms straightened as they flourished their blades at speed more than double. "Damn! "Nero cursed out loud as he tried to resist, but a blinding series of crimson lights flashed, enveloping Nero''s sights as all of his ghostly clones were chopped into bits of pieces. "Nooo!" Ivy and Lily cried out as they watched from afar, their hearts sunk when they saw Nero being diced to pieces, the scene of the dazzling blade energies crashing across where the four Nero''s once stood prominent in their eyes, as everything soon after exploded into bits of rubble. However, while the scene here seemed no different from one of despair, someone else was having a pretty bad evening. *** In another location of these wildlands, a familiar-looking Asian youth was seated on top of a tall rock. Around him was a sea of corpses, each of which belonged to Elite Crimson Blade Mantises. A few even had physiques much larger than the standard monsters, capable of filling any who saw them with dread. Suddenly, this youth frowned as he stared at the distance with an annoyed look as he spoke out loud, "And yet again, I''m lost..." A cool wind blew across the area as the Ryu sighed at this predicament before turning towards a random direction and leaving, vanishing beyond the sea of trees and grass. Chapter 95: A Desperate Struggle, A Single Bolt Within the Crimson Blade Mantis Zone, the violent scene at its core regions in the battle against Nero and the Mantis King had already begun to clear up, revealing the chaos to all eyes. Ivy and Lily looked on with grim looks on their faces; they both knew that no one would have been able to survive after such a move. "Damn, we''re finished!" Lily said with anger, losing her womanly demeanor as she fell to her knees; she didn''t cry tears but gripped the grasses in anger, knowing that she would lose a level today. Ivy had much better control of her emotions; she sighed while looking ahead as she thought with pitiful eyes, ''Did he really lose? Sigh... I guess I''ll also get scolded for today''s loss. Hopefully, the family won''t curse brother too much...'' The Crimson Blade Mantis King''s looming figure stood in the dust cloud that had formed from its onslaught, gazing before it with a sinister grin and glowing red eyes as it laughed. "Haha, foolish human boy, did you really think that I Mantis King would be so weak that... huh?" The Crimson Blade Mantis King spoke his stereotypical speech after victory, but suddenly, his eyes widened as he stared at the ground before him with confusion. There, a few large splits were formed, looking as if the earth itself was chopped at many areas by giant blades, but despite this disaster, Nero''s severed corpse was nowhere to be seen. "What the hell? How did this little wretch...?" The Crimson Blade Mantis King was about to say something, but as if his sharp senses picked up on a dangerous element, he hurriedly backed away at immense speeds. Shing! The sound of a blade chopping into the ground resounded as Nero''s figure had appeared from above, his arms held onto the scythe that had just chopped into the earth, forcing him to balance himself on the shaft. With a flip, he stood on top of it with his legs that now crouched as his arms firmly gripped the upraised handle. His eyes now glaring at the Crimson Blade Mantis king with rich killing intent as his entire body was a bloody mess, he looked as if he had gotten wounds from an army that used knives. ''Curse this bastard, he nearly got the best of me; if I didn''t somehow figure out the next stage of my Four Point Unity steps, I would have already lost this battle...'' Nero thought with a stern look on his face as he glanced at his skill while keeping an eye on the dazed Crimson Blade Mantis King. ____ High-Grade Skill: [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 7 (1/1000) | 9 Stages] [Description: This is a speed-boosting art that can increase speed allowing graceful movement and superior reaction capabilities. The current stage can grant the user and increase of 45km/h.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 35] ____ When Nero saw it, he contemplated, ''It''s increased by over 10, and the amount of MP has reduced by the same amount, it seems that every three stages are akin to a major boundary and will roughly provide a large boost in some way.'' Nero felt happy at this breakthrough, but he knew deep down that this wouldn''t help him change anything, his HP was now less than half, as was his Magic Power, and any other battle would ultimately lead to his end. ''Shit, while I can now match him in speed, I''m still not his match in strength, and my energy is lower than his; I won''t even be able to break out of that barrier that he has surrounding all of us... how troublesome...'' Nero thought as he vaguely glanced at the reddish dome that trapped everyone within it. At this time, Ivy and Lily noticed that Nero was still alive. The two became filled with joy again, but unlike them, the Crimson Blade Mantis King merely sneered after recollecting his thoughts. "Hmph! Human boy, I don''t know how you survived my last assault, but I can assure you it won''t happen a second time. It''s time for this battle of ours to end..." The Crimson Blade Mantis King said as his Magic Power erupted in full, showing a prestige that was more than double the previous amount that filled the two girls with a hint of dread. Nero knitted his brows in the face of this pressure, his balance on top of his scythe handle was beginning to lose its stability as his furry martial robe fluttered wildly behind him. ''All this thinking won''t help, it doesn''t matter if he''s stronger than me, as long as I can rely on my movement skill I will only need to find a chance and it''s over,'' Nero thought with a firm look on his face, his body erupted once more with his silver-colored Magic Power. As his energies rose, his pupils showed a cruel look as his grip on his scythe grew firmer, the edge of this menacing weapon shimmering coldly as if it was ready to taste blood once more. A brisk evening wind blew, sweeping the blades of various grasses and other flora across the battlefield as both sides seemed ready to attack at a moment''s notice. Suddenly, both Nero and the Crimson Blade Mantis King moved, the mantis king''s body flowed in black lights as its speed increase immensely. As he now used his [Mantis Shadow Steps] skill, his figure became hardly visible as he charged towards Nero at a speed of 145 km/h. On the other hand, Nero jumped from the handle of his scythe, the force pulled it from out of the ground, sending chunks of dirt and rocks in the air. In one swift motion, Nero''s feet had touched the ground a meter away from his previous position, the scythe now stretched out behind him with one arm as he slid forwards using his Four Point Unity Steps, moving at a speed of 146 km/h. Like two speeding bikes, both Nero and the Crimson Blade Mantis King arrived in front of each other, almost as if they were about to make a ''head-on'' collision. "Not good, he''s fighting it head-on!" Lily cried out in alarm; she thought Nero had lost his mind to pull this move after what just happened. However, Ivy remained silent; she looked at Nero with flashing eyes that showed traces of hope as she thought, ''You can do it, Silver Fiend...'' At this moment, the Crimson Blade Mantis King upon seeing Nero in front of him was a bit surprised due to his rise in speed, but it didn''t hinder him for he had decided to end everything. "Die! Mantis Bladework!" The Crimson Blade Mantis King yelled as its massive blade-like palms chopped towards Nero like a series of blurs; due to his rise in speed, his attacks were many times faster, the blades left a myriad of trailing red lines as the cut from all angles. Nero, who was at the front of this danger, felt as if death was upon him; his senses where pushed to the peak as he tried his best to slow everything down. Yet, despite this, the weapons were still moving at the speed of a regular punch. With a series of swooshing noises, Nero narrowly dodged a few by twisting and swaying at the right moments, but many of the blade attacks still ended up cutting his body, drawing more HP as it left more wounds on his flesh. The two girls who watched from afar held their breaths as all they could see was a series of flashing red arcs as well as a silver blur that danced between them. This onslaught lasted for a little less than a minute before Nero jumped from the ground, pushing himself a few meters into the air. With the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s height, Nero''s airborne position was no different from a little distance above his head. He sneered as he raised his blade-like palms prepared to attack again, "Haha, you''ve sent yourself to death! Killing Field!" Nero, who was twirling in the air, started to blur as he built up a shocking amount of momentum for his scythe swing, but the moment the Crimson Blade Mantis King invoked his skill, the red dome that trapped everyone began to contract. Instantly, it passed through Ivy and Lily''s bodies, who looked on in shock as it formed a red cage around Nero. Soon, Nero felt as if he was trapped in quicksand as he began to feel pressure from all sides. Even his spin was a bit hindered, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn!" The Crimson Blade Mantis King didn''t even hesitate as Nero''s spinning figure started to fall from the air while in the cage. He jumped towards him and chopped his arm while under the effects of his Mantis Shadow Steps, moving almost like a blur as he arrived upon him in less than two seconds. Nero, who saw the blade coming for his neck, felt death at this moment; he knew that he was in big trouble now, and there was no way out of it; he cursed while making a risky swing, "Damn, it''s now or never! So, let''s die together!" The two girls watched this in shock, none of them breathing for they knew that it was this moment that would determine their fate. Or rather, what they had assumed as they didn''t even seem to realize that they could escape after the domain focused on trapping Nero. The battle looked as if it was hopeless, but a distance away, Ryo had just landed on top of a tree. He glanced around with an annoyed expression on his face while thinking, ''Where the hell did that guy went off...?'' As Ryo was about to curse, he couldn''t help but notice Nero in the distance, looking at the blade about to chop off his head. "Why the hell do I have to find him when he''s always in trouble? Che!" Ryo cursed with a frown as he hurriedly grasped his bow and aimed it. He prepared to fire an arrow towards the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s head, but as if the branch was weak, it snapped, causing Ryo to fall as he cursed, "Come on! What the hell?" Even though he fell, and the leaves obscured his vision, Ryo still fired his arrow, a bolt so fast it seemed as if it was chasing time itself, swooshing through the forest with the will to end all... **** Special Announcement I have decided to award the whoever is in the TOP Three Fan''s Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the end of this month with a full purchased copy of my Amazon Series! I am thinking of doing this once, per month and variety the prizes after that, if you all would like to participate, then Send Gifts, Join Privlledge and Vote Powers Stones, good luck to the winner! Author''s Note: Feeling generous? Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Chapter 96: The End of the Mantis King As the battle between Nero and the Crimson Blade Mantis King was at its final moment, everyone within the vicinity held their breaths as they knew everything relied on the final exchange between both party''s killer moves. The air blew steadily as everything within the world seemed to have slowed down, during this moment, both Nero''s scythe and the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s blade-like palms cut towards each other in unison. As the cage of the Crimson Blade Mantis King suppressed Nero, his scythe seemed as if it was cutting through mud, moving at a much slower pace than expected. Nero could only stare at the blade that was only one pace from cutting off his head in anger; he knew from this scene that he had already lost the battle. He was about to close his eyes in defeat, but right at this time, a streak of light flashed from the distance before a startling change occurred. Screech! An arrow that didn''t seem to be hindered by the distance cut through the sky as it instantly arrived before the duo. Without even the two parties noticing, this sinister bolt''s metallic head crashed into the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s blade before exploding and fading away. With a loud sound of metals crashing into each other, the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s arm was hurled to the side due to the arrow''s shocking force. Time once more returned to normal, and the Crimson Blade Mantis King looked on with shock on his face as his arm swung by Nero''s side, narrowly missing him. Because of his sudden surprise, even the Killing Field that had trapped Nero was canceled. "This... what the hell?" The Crimson Blade Mantis said in confusion, but without even understanding the situation, he didn''t hesitate to twirl his body as he used his second arm to cut towards Nero again. Yet, despite his skillful actions and experience, Nero wasn''t the kind to give up on this chance. ''I don''t know what happened, but I won''t miss this opportunity... bind!'' Nero said in his mind as he used the skill of his Judgment Cuff. Following Nero''s thoughts, a series of chains burst out of the cuff on his arm that quickly bound the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s movements. As if it didn''t expect this, the Crimson Blade Mantis King glared at Nero in alarm, its eyes glowed in a sinister red light as it prepared to use a different skill, yet Nero was one step faster. "Die! Myriad Spector Cut!" Nero yelled savagely, his eyes gleaming in a cruel ray. In moments, Nero''s body had split into four ghostly clones that swept out at high speeds. At this instant, the Crimson Blade Mantis King had already used his attack, "Killing Field - Suppress!" Following its resonant cry, another red dome conjured around Nero''s body, but as the four clones had separated at four angles, the Crimson Blade Mantis King could only secure two of them. "Hmph! I''m not so easy to defeat human boy! Break for me!" As the Crimson Blade Mantis King yelled, the chains that bound his body shook as they shattered due to his superior strength. "Mantis Bladework!" He yelled again as his blade chopped towards the ghostly Nero at his side, creating a red blade energy line that even continued towards the final ghostly Nero attacking from above. In a flash, both of them were split into two halves, they each showed panicked looks on their faces as the Crimson Blade Mantis King sneered; he then shifted his eyes onto the two Nero''s trapped in his Killing Field and chopped once more. "Haha, you''ve lost human!" He yelled savagely as his blade easily cut through his Killing Field and bisected the final two of Nero''s clones, sending their heads flying into the air. The Crimson Blade Mantis King had a look of satisfaction on his face, while Ivy and Lily, who watched from afar, had a pale appearance. The battle seemed as if it was over in that instance, but suddenly, the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s faces and the girls shifted into surprise again as Nero''s ghostly clones disappeared like smoke. "What? How could---?" The Crimson Blade Mantis King wanted to express its shock once more, but its sharp senses picked up on danger again; just as it was about to use its quick movements to maneuver, a chilly feeling came from its neck as an even much colder voice sounded from behind him. "It''s my win..." Nero said in an emotionless manner as his scythe was now firmly locked around the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s neck. Knowing that the situation wasn''t right, the Crimson Blade Mantis King prepared to counter-attack, but sadly, it was already too late. Puff! The sound of the blade cutting through flesh resounded as the giant skinny head of the Crimson Blade Mantis King went soaring. As this happened, a gush of blood splattered from its neck, painting the area akin to the effects of rain falling. Nero, who stood behind the corpse, hoisted his scythe on his shoulder with a bright red gleam in his red pupils; the blood from the mantis king stained his features, giving him a dangerous presence as if he was no different from the former beast. Lily, who was a bit dizzy gulped as she saw Nero''s change; although she had seen his wanton slaughtering of the Bandit Goblins, it was vastly different from the murderous intent when shown up close. "I... maybe... maybe I shouldn''t bother with him after all...'' Lily though with a look of hesitation, but as she recalled the Code of Bandits, she gripped her fists tightly and snorted, not bothering to look at him. Unlike Lily, it seemed that the young sister of Poison Boy had finally encountered a young woman''s first hurdle, falling prey to the ''poison'' of a handsome and strong man''s charms. Ivy held her chest, trying to calm her beating heart as her eye stared at Nero while she thought, ''Such strength, such skill, I... I must speak to the family about him; maybe I won''t need to go that route after all...'' As Ivy''s thoughts reached here, her eyes flashed with a slightly deep look as if she had a burden, but that soon faded as she noticed that Nero had looked her... or rather, their way. Ivy''s face turned red as Lily twitched a bit, the two uncertain of what to say. Nero seeing this sighed as he tried to phase out Ivy''s strange behavior, he spoke, "Since I''ve defeated him and that barrier field has already vanished, this counts as me saving your life. Let us just use this moment to right of all previous actions or grievances." When both Ivy and Lily heard this, they both showed embarrassed looks on their faces; one had a silly little grudge of pride against him while the other was merely influenced by her brother. Not wasting a moment, Ivy spoke towards Nero with a red face, "I... please don''t worry about it, I can assure you my brother won''t trouble you again, I have no issues with you S-Silver Fiend..." Nero nodded his head at this, he then glanced at Lily, but as if Lily didn''t like his look, she clenched her teeth and spoke, "Hmph! Fine, since you''ve saved my life again, I won''t press you for that last time. However, I still won''t end it like this, I will defeat you in the Gate of Legends, only then can I truly forget about our matters." Nero sighed as he heard those words; he gave her another look before shaking his head and looked towards the corpse again. Nero''s eyes brightened as he did this as he hurriedly took up a few shining items and placed them away. With a jump, his figure rapidly traversed the trees and headed towards another area. Both Ivy and Lily stared at his back before he faded from their sights; after thinking unknown thoughts, the two girls looked at each other before leaving with odd smiles. A distance away from the two girls, Nero now had a smile on his face as he checked over the system notification. ____ Ding! [You''ve defeated a Quasi Greater Monster, 85 EXP earned!] Ding! [You have leveled up! All stats have increased as follows HP: 20, MP: 20, SA: +5, CF: +10, BT: +3, SP: +3km] Ding! [Congratulations on achieving Level 7! You are now permitted to join Dungeon Raids! Please return to your Initiation Village and report to the Village Chief to receive your duties!] ____ ''Heck yeah, I didn''t think I would have gotten so much from this beast, even the loot wasn''t too bad!'' Nero thought with eager eyes as he looked at the item he got. ____ [Crimson Mantis Band] [Grade: Common] [Type: Weapons] [Subtype: Treasure] [Usable by: All] [Close Range] [Requirements: Level 1] [Description: A special artifact that can suppress or trap its foe for a fixed duration, so long as the user calls upon the Killing Field power.] [Effects: MP Consumption: 20, 15 seconds duration, 1-minute cooldown.] ____ Nero was currently in a good mood; he didn''t even have the time to ponder how the Crimson Blade Mantis King''s blade had fallen off course. However, unlike him, Adult Nero merely shook his head while thinking, ''Tsk, this brat, it took him so long to realize that he could have simply relied more on the power of his artifacts, but I guess it can''t be helped, I trained him to focus more on his fighting power, not his weapons. I''d rather he fight like this; reliance on treasures will ultimately lead to a bad end; if anything, I can only let him use them when he''s in a bind and more carefully.'' After thinking those thoughts, Adult Nero shifted his eyes towards the direction behind Nero, as if he could see far off in the distance the angry-looking face of Ryo who once again found himself lost. He chuckled while thinking, "Poor guy, I must have been quite a trouble back then..." The forest returned to its usual mood, as Nero headed off to finish his day''s training with the distant and lost Ryo on his trail... *** Special Announcement I have decided to award the whoever is in the TOP Three Fan''s Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the end of this month with a full purchased copy of my Amazon Series! I am thinking of doing this once, per month and variety the prizes after that, if you all would like to participate, then Send Gifts, Join Privlledge and Vote Powers Stones, good luck to the winner! Chapter 97: Leaving the Crimson Blade Mantis Zone Time passed quickly, and the night had just fallen onto the land; the nighttime scene within the Crimson Blood Mantis Zone was quite the sight to behold, its colorful flowers and plants capable of tricking one''s senses despite the savage aura that laid at its core. Nero, who seemed to have only now finished his day''s training now stood on top of a large branch. He glanced at a few large corpses below him before he gazed into the distance while speaking, ''''Phew, finally done, that was a long day." As Nero muttered those words, his eyes couldn''t help but be drawn by the stars, noting all of the unusual constellations as he questioned inwardly, ''Where was this place again? How far is this world from ours?'' Adult Nero made a strange look before he gave an answer, "No one knows for sure, but it''s likely that this world is at the center of all others, though impossible due to science and the laws of our kind. We can only assume it as such for now, even if that All-Seer wasn''t directly honest..." Nero''s eyes flashed when he recalled the unusual-looking All-Seer, he asked again, ''That guy... do you trust his words? Is what he said even worth pursuing?'' "...." Adult Nero said nothing, causing Nero to feel a trace of worry, but after a brief moment, he spoke again, "That is a problem you must face yourself..." Nero clenched his fist as he heard those words; he no longer asked anything but clenched his fist in silence as his eyes showed a sharp look. Adult Nero gave his younger self a look before he sighed and spoke again, "Alright, you''ve perfectly advanced to Level 7, and even successfully achieved Stage 7 Mastery in your core techniques. Right now, you are ready to take on a dungeon as your combat power with your current equipment should roughly be comparable to those with Stage 8 mastery. Let''s head back to the village and sign up for that Dungeon Quest..." Nero nodded in agreement before he arranged himself and set out for the Crimson Blade Mantis Zone''s exit, moving across the trees like a swift ape. While leaping from tree branches, Nero''s eyes showed curiosity when he spoke inwardly, ''You said before that dungeons have no set location, what did you mean by that?'' Adult Nero seemed to have expected those words; he spoke again, "Exactly as I''ve said, the dungeons in this world aren''t as similar to the ones we create in video games. Each of them can spontaneously appear and disappear at will within any random location. They also have a rank with the higher ranks having stronger monsters. While the Novice Zone is only a place with low-rank dungeons, their monsters aren''t to be taken lightly as even the weakest kind is laden with High-Class Common Tier Monsters." Nero''s face sunk as he heard those words; even now, he had only acquired the power to properly fight High-Class common Tier monsters with his base stats due to his Stage 7 accomplishment. If it were before where he had to rely on his equipment to push his battle power far above his rank, then he would have been in quite the mess, not to mention anyone else. Still, Nero''s expression didn''t stay dark for too long; a confident look came into his eyes as he smirked while thinking, ''The stronger, the better, I will be able to grow even further with more pressure...'' Adult Nero made a satisfied smile as if he heard those thoughts; the two then hurried across the zone, rapidly nearing the exit. The moment Nero left, a familiar-looking beauty that wore a red hooded robe and unique pendant appeared from a nearby tree; she looked at Nero''s direction with a pensive look on her face as she thought, ''Is he the one I''m searching for? He couldn''t be... his strength is too high for someone who''s only just started... I''ll observe him for a while longer.'' As Red Rain thought to here, she prepared to leave, but as if she sensed something, her eyes shifted towards a few different area locations. A deep look appeared on her face as she left while in thought, ''Even if he''s not the one I''m searching for, it would appear that he isn''t any inferior with regards to his fame...'' Following those thoughts, Red Rain soon after leaving this area as Ryo''s silhouette, along with a few other familiar faces such as Elly and Raynas, were visible from different areas. "How troublesome..." Ryo murmured as he saw Red Rain left, his narrowed as he stared at her intently before returning to normal. He then glanced at a different direction, staring at Elly and Raynas, who just so happened to be heading in this direction; he didn''t mind Elly but her older brother, who seemed to have noticed him. With a swoosh of his body, Ryu vanished as he left this part of the woods, leaving behind the somewhat curious Raynas who accompanied Elly while in thought. ''Hmm, the current top rookie of the Rising Talent List, and that strange girl from the ninth rank, what were they doing here? Were they similarly observing that boy after stumbling upon him, or did they follow him from the start?'' While Raynas pondered to himself, Elly''s face seemed a bit red as she seemed a bit lost in her thoughts; though they had only just arrived, they still saw Nero''s killing a few dozen Elite Crimson Blade Mantis. Raynas seemed to have only now noticed his sister''s expression; he sighed and asked with an oblivious look on his face, "Elly, what''s wrong? Your face is a bit red, are you coming down with a fever?" Elly was initially distracted, but as she heard his words, she couldn''t help but twitch as she hurriedly returned to normal. She then replied, "I-I''m fine big brother, I was just a bit distracted, after all, I didn''t think he''d get so strong..." Raynas hearing her excuse sighed, he decided not to say anything about it as he replied, "Indeed, he''s come a long way in these few days, if he keeps this up, he might be able to get a spot in the Gate of Legends." When Raynas said this, Elly seemed to have fallen distracted; Raynas shook his head as he spoke, "Oh well, let''s head back to the village, I''ve raised you to be one level about the requirement for that dungeon quest, as tomorrow is Sunday, you will be able to enter a Dungeon Zone." "Mm, okay brother," Elly answered with a smile; she looked forward to dungeons she''s always heard so much about from her mother. The brother and sister pair traveled across the shrubs and open fields, vanishing behind the sea of trees. *** It didn''t take long for Nero to leave the Crimson Blade Mantis Zone; he had only just made his way across the long wooden bridge and had already begun to travel across the Greater Plains the direction of Birgime. Adult Nero naturally knew his younger self''s thoughts, but he couldn''t help but speak, "Oh, so you''re headed there already..." Nero smirked as he inwardly replied with firm looking eyes, ''Yup, I want to test my luck and see if I can get a better kind of armor before that dungeon.'' Adult Nero nodded as he spoke, "A smart move, I suppose that even if you don''t make it to the top ranks, since you will have four more tries, it won''t be much of a problem." Nero nodded; he had already been informed of the details of the Ranking Method. As such, he wasn''t worried about not reaching the highest rank in his first try. After that moment of conversation, Nero continued on his way, ignoring the weaker mobs that appeared before him. He had already approached the vicinity of Birgime, but soon, a familiar orange haired girl had appeared from another path. The beautiful young girl with orange eyes, plump and seductive features, and a fluffy fox tail, Nero was a bit drawn by her appearance as unlike Elly, who seemed like a budding rose, she seemed no different from a flower in full bloom. Nevertheless, as Nero had grown around a peerless beauty since young, he wasn''t that much affected; he gave a good look before turned away and continued onwards while thinking to himself, ''Hmm, she seems a bit familiar... have we met before?'' Fox, who was returning from her day''s training, was in a good mood; she gently took in the fresh air from the world as the moon''s light illuminated her graceful figure, painting her with the appearance of a charming spirit. As she hummed a strange tune in high spirits, her eyes soon glanced to the side as she noticed Nero, who only gave her a look before continuing. "Huh? Aren''t you that newbie?" Fox said out loud as she looked at Nero curiously. Nero pretended as if he didn''t hear her words, focusing only on the road ahead of him. However, despite his attempt to keep distance, it seemed that Fox wasn''t going to let him have his way. "Hehe, you''re not running away from a girl now, are you Silver Bo... no, Silver Blood Fiend?" Fox said with an enchanting laugh as she flashed an appeared in front of Nero, who despite his surprise had continued walking. With each step taken by him, she would take a step backward while staring at his face in an enchanting manner. Nero, who saw this stubborn looking girl sighed in his heart as he thought to himself, "I really have bad luck with women..." The night continued to grow darker as the stars continued to grace the world with their lights. *** Special Announcement I have decided to award the whoever is in the TOP Three Fan''s Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the end of this month with a full purchased copy of my Amazon Series! I am thinking of doing this once, per month and variety the prizes after that, if you all would like to participate, then Send Gifts, Join Privlledge and Vote Powers Stones, good luck to the winner! Chapter 98: The Enchanting Fox, Encountering Elly Nero soon arrived within Birgime; the view was the same as usual, with the night being one of bustle and activity. Its nightly air had a lively vibe, capable of uplifting one''s mood, yet Nero wasn''t quite able to attune himself as his attention was drawn to the beauty beside him. Despite the speed of which he walked and his indifferent expression, the young beauty didn''t seem to mind as she walked nearby him with a bewildering smile, her face carrying a teasing expression as she chatted on endlessly. "Oh, look over there, that''s Spirit Rabbit, a native of my home world, hehe, I say they are docile, but the truth is that each of their kind carried within them a wild passionate spirit, if there''s a partner they''ve taken a fancy with, they will stop at nothing to make him their own..." Fox said with a smile as she stared at the bunny haired human that walked by, her eyes flashed in a strange light Nero had never seen before as she glanced at him soon after. Nero remained silent, trying not to pay her any mind, but he still glanced at the Spirit Rabbit that passed by with a slight complex look in his eyes as he could tell that it was related to Lily''s race. ''I sure hope she doesn''t have strange feelings for me...'' Nero thought with a slight look of worry on his face; even if he wanted to be a woman''s first choice, she wasn''t on his core list of fated partners. Pff! Adult Nero tried to hold himself back, but he couldn''t help but laugh out loud; he really enjoyed his younger self''s mind. Nero snorted, not saying anything, but Fox, made a sly smile as she saw him glancing at the Spirit Rabbit; she spoke teasingly, "Hehe... you''re not interested, are you? That''s not good, what am I to do? It''s not good to ignore me because of other girls..." With an annoyed expression, Nero finally gave Fox some attention as he asked, "Excuse me? What does that mean?" Fox snickered at his scrunched-up face and poked his cheek, causing Nero to frown even more. Still, before he could react, she replied with a knowing look on her face as she looked him in the eyes and licked her lips, "It means what it means, we''re all intelligent lifeforms, are you trying to make a girl say embarrassing things out loud?" Nero was a bit startled at this girl''s bold manner; he took a step back, causing her to smile even more as she spoke, "Hehe... hmm~ so shy... I likey." As Nero heard those words, his face turned dark as he thought, ''Just what the hell is wrong with these girls? Are you telling me that she''s interested in me after seeing me just once?'' As Nero stared deeply at Fox, she similarly stared at him with her hypnotizing and confident eyes. When Nero saw her look, he knew full well that she wasn''t the type to change her mind; he sighed and spoke, "Listen here, umm... whatever your name is? I''m sure we don''t know each other, so I won''t even mention your interest in me; my only question is, why are you following me?" Fox didn''t look at Nero after hearing his words; her eyes turned to the starry sky as she gazed at the bright moon and hovering the universe ring. After a short while, she then glanced at him and replied with a smile, ''Do you need a reason to like someone?'' When Nero heard this, he showed a stunning look as he couldn''t find an answer for it; a petite figure flashed in his mind for a bit, causing him to shake his head with wonderment before he looked at her. Now that he stared at Fox again, he found her to be even more dazzling due to the night-lit streets, the colorful lights dousing her with a cheerful but somewhat seductive radiance. Yet, even so, her current expression and mood seemed a bit different, carrying a tinge of sadness. After if she sensed his look, Fox glanced at him and smiled before she spoke, "It''s Mia..." Nero was a bit confused at this; Fox rolled her eyes and spoke again with a sly smile, "My name is Mia, there... now you know my name, so we aren''t strangers anymore." After saying this, Mia gave Nero a charming smile, showing a look only a few could ever dream to witness, a dazzling face that could swallow the hearts and souls of any who deem themselves a man. Despite his strong will and mind, Nero found himself in a daze as he stared at her. Adult Nero, who seated in his consciousness sighed as he spoke, "As expected of this Little Demoness, a Charming Spirit Fox is nothing that just anyone can look past, even if it was my younger self..." However, despite saying this, Adult Nero didn''t dare to look at her for too long, seating himself in crossed-legged posture as he indulged in meditation. As she saw Nero lost himself, Mia felt pride; her race wasn''t the kind that showed shyness, nor did they appreciate being rejected by those of the opposite sex. Now that she finally touched his mind, she felt there was hope in capturing his spirit, but sadly now wasn''t the time; she looked again and jumped away towards a different sector as she sent a message to his mind, "Let''s meet up and have fun on another day, okay, Silver Boy..." A while passed, and Nero returned to his senses; he sighed while clenching his fists as he muttered, "It looks like I''ll need some mental training..." Nero shook his head after saying those words as he continued towards the Battle Arenas, but a notification popped up before his eyes as he moved. ____ [Mia has sent you a friend request, shall you accept it?] ____ Nero looked at this with a bit of hesitancy; he wanted to cancel it, but as he recalled his previous state and that smile of hers, he sighed and accepted it; he then continued onwards while thinking, "Since I can''t control fate, it''s best to let nature take its course." After saying those words, Nero no longer thought about the previous affairs but went towards the arena; a few moments later, he had arrived before its entrance, noting that it was a bit crowded. ''Oh, it looks like many are thinking to boost themselves before the Gate of Legends Event,'' Nero thought as he saw the clustered scene, but it didn''t stop him from pressing onwards. He was about to make his way inside, but suddenly, he was disturbed. "Hey, Nero! Wait for me!" A soft but loud female voice said. When Nero heard it, he sighed, knowing full well who it belonged to, he slowly turned around to look at its source, but as he didn''t, his eyes couldn''t help but widen. There, Elly now stood behind him with a joyful expression and a sweet-looking face that seemed as if it was dripped in honeydew, her petite figure giving off a strange power that would make one feel the urge to grasp her and keep her safe. Her long chestnut-colored hair loosely hangs below her back as some parts of it had accessories; she now wore a new kind of female battle dress fitted with shiny armor at key areas as she held a sword heroically. ''So cute...'' Nero thought to himself as he didn''t know she could show such a side. However, while he thought this, Nero didn''t want to let such thoughts be discovered. He quickly returned to his usual manner and spoke, "Classmate Elly, it''s been a while, have you been well?" Elly looked at Nero with a strange look, she played with her fingers and lowered her head as she spoke, "Of course I am, m-mother scolded me, but I''m fine now, are you still coming to tutor me?" When Nero heard the word mother, his face turned a little distant, as he fell into a silence for some time. Elly looked at him curiously, noting his expression; for some reason, she felt a bit remorse as she thought, ''Huh? What''s wrong with him?'' As she pondered, she noted that he still hadn''t spoken yet; she soon started to panic a bit, thinking that she said something wrong as her face became filled with concern as she spoke, "Nero, you seem a bit down, w-was it something I said?" Nero, who recovered his demeanor after hearing her words, looked at her and spoke again with a smile, "Ah, sorry about that, I just fell a little distracted, yes I am going to be tutoring you so don''t worry about it." While Nero wasn''t too happy about his mother''s state, after meeting Avollo and suppressing his negative emotions, he was at least levelheaded enough to not ditch a previous arrangement. Elly walked up in front of him and bent her body forward before looking at him in the face as she asked cutely, "Really?" Nero found this side of her to be even cuter; he sighed and answered, "Yes, really, so don''t fret over it, by the way, you said your mother scolded you, what was that about?" Elly didn''t notice it, but after hearing his words and recalling the ''conversation'' with her mother, her face turned sightly red as she grew conscious of her closeness to him, she looked away from Nero and backed up. Nero gave her a suspicious look at her behavior as he started to have strange thoughts but didn''t confirm them. After a short while, Elly recovered her usual manner and spoke as if changing the topic, "I-It''s nothing, let''s talk about it later. Oh yeah, I noticed that you were heading for the Battle Arena. Are you joining the Ranking List tonight?" Nero gave her a good look before he turned and faced the building with sharp eyes as he spoke, "Yup, today I make my name known..." Elly smirked at those words and spoke, "Oh, so you''ve finally come to terms with Silver Boy, that''s good to hear." "Hmph! Like hell I have!" Nero said with a snort as hurried into the building. Elly looked at this with a laugh on her face; she stared at his back with a warm smile as she followed him into the building. Yet, as the two vanished, Raynas, who had returned after buying something, watched this from afar before sighing as he turned around and left to do other things. His figure vanishing in the crowd of Digitizers as the night seemed to have finally entered its most bustling hours. *** Special Announcement I have decided to award the whoever is in the TOP Three Fan''s Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the end of this month with a full purchased copy of my Amazon Series! I am thinking of doing this once, per month and variety the prizes after that, if you all would like to participate, then Send Gifts, Join Privlledge and Vote Powers Stones, good luck to the winner! Chapter 99: The Center of Attention The Battle Arena was even more crowded than the norm due to the influx of Digitizers who strived to achieve a rank up, each of them being novices that had only just arrived within two weeks. Curiously, a few of the top tier rankers were also around, characters such as Thunder''s Daughter, Crazy Blade, and even that strange Bramble Child were seated in different corners. Currently, both Crazy Blade and Thunder''s Daughter were having a conversation as they ignored the cluster of noises from all around them. "Miss Thunder, it seems to me that you''re pretty much ready to rise on the rankings list, haha, I can see your fighting spirit," Crazy Blade said with a set of sharp-looking eyes on his scaly-looking square-shaped face with shark teeth. "Hehe, maybe, but I don''t think I''m the only one who''s filled with confidence," Thunder''s Daughter replied with as she played with her flowing hair that sparkled with lightning bolts and glanced at him from the corners of her slender eyes. Crazy Blade merely grinned without saying anything, showing a smug look on his face; he was about to say something. Still, as if his eyes spotted two persons, they showed surprise before delight as he spoke, "Well-well, looks like we''ve gotten ourselves the company of the two most popular rising stars." Thunder''s Daughter was a bit intrigued by his words; she glanced in the direction he looked and noticed Nero, who was making his way through the crowd with Elly nearby him. "Ah, indeed we do, haha, the little tyrant of that family, and that boy who''s apparently of no major influence," Thunder''s Daughter said with flashing eyes. "Crazy Blade made a puzzled look as he glanced at her and asked, "Oh, you''re saying that after checking his background, that boy isn''t from any of those major powers belonging to humankind." Thunder''s Daughter licked her blue lips as she nodded and answered, "Correct, from those sources of mine, it turns out he was merely a common brat a few days ago from the lowest grounds." Crazy Blade showed a look as if he didn''t buy those words; he frowned and spoke, "Tsk, you''re telling me to believe that nonsense? Maybe it''s those sources that are wrong, after all, we both know just how difficult it is to get clearance in their domain, and even so, those who go will be greatly limited..." "Hehe, your Sharkian Race might not have the means, but we Thunder Eels aren''t so incompetent; if we didn''t have such methods, how would we have even survived the conquest of that troublesome Zerax race?" Thunder''s Daughter replied with a mocking smile as she turned her attention to him once more. "You... hmph!" Crazy Blade uttered in anger, but after a moment, he decided to say nothing, any conflict with her wouldn''t even be worth it. Unlike the duo, the mysterious Bramble Child seemed to have taken a keen interest in Nero, the hood from his enchanted mage cloak that shrouded most of his features, as a series of vines with spikes had pricked out from its openings. As his head shifted towards Nero''s direction, two rounded sharp green pupils lit up as a sniffing sound was heard when he pondered to himself, ''It''s different from that video, he reeks of death yet his soul carried the charm of a Life Spirit. It is rich to the extent where he can even bond with the spirits of this world... such a fascinating human...'' Bramble Child''s eyes only glowed brighter as he stared at Nero, but as if Nero sensed something, he turned his sights towards him at this moment. The two stared at each other with neither saying a word before they both turned away and minded their own business. "Heh! Quite sharp..." Bramble Child murmured as a slight mouth formed below his hood, curving into a smile. Nero had already taken his sight from Bramble Child, but as he listened to the discussions, he already learned the name of his stalker. ''So he is that Bramble Child, I wonder, just what did he want from me?'' Nero pondered as he recalled the look he gave him, he wanted to think more, but there was a new commotion right now. "Huh? Isn''t that the Silver Boy and the Graceful Tyrant I didn''t know they were a pair?" "Wait a minute; I think you''ve got it wrong, it''s Silver Fiend now." "No, you''re the one who''s wrong, I saw the title myself, they''re calling him Silver Handsome..." "Nonsense, how can you know it better than I do?" A large commotion started a few Digitizers started to curse when they noticed Nero''s arrival; it would seem that there were many who knew of his recent berserk phase. Nero felt a bit embarrassed at this, now that he was of a calmer mind, he really didn''t like the video of him that was up and about the Digitizers Network, causing so many to view him differently. However, Nero soon shook his head while thinking, ''Hmph! It doesn''t matter; if they can change that shitty name Silver Boy, I wouldn''t mind slaughtering another batch of those goblins...'' As Nero''s had such violent thoughts, his red pupils shone with a slightly ominous light, causing those who watched him from afar to shudder slightly, a few even gulped as they whispered to their friends with fear. "He truly is as the video portrays, such a violent and strong boy..." A voluptuous beauty said as she stared at Nero with flashing eyes. "Hehe, sister is right, it''s a pity though, he''s already taken," One of her female friends said with a hint of sadness on her face as she looked at Elly. The voluptuous beauty snorted and spoke, "Hmph! So what? Real men are those who can take more than one wife..." The other girls'' eyes lit up as they knew this fact to be true; while human culture was a bit strained due to things called morals and ethics, the various races thought differently. ''Me and him? Why... why do mother and everyone keep saying that?'' Elly thought with a puzzled look on her face; she stealthy peeked at Nero but saw that he was indifferent to all things. ''Hmph! As if that will ever happen,'' Elly thought with a snort, but as if she liked it a bit, her face turned a bit crimson. Nero pretended not to hear any of their words, but his eyes couldn''t help but glance towards Elly at his side, who was being oddly quiet. With a suspicious glance, he asked, "Elly, what''s wrong?" Elly, who was still a bit dizzy pondering the previous words, had a red face; she originally wanted to forget them, but couldn''t. As if she only now heard Nero''s words, Elly soon returned to her senses, even if she had slight thoughts about such things, there was no way on this earth she would expose such thoughts to Nero. "I-I''m fine, I was only just thinking about the rankings," Elly said while trying to keep a straight face. Nero wasn''t blind or stupid; from his initial understanding of her character, he could infer a few things, but Nero didn''t want to think about such topics right now. With a smile on his face, Nero spoke to shift the mood, "Ah, no wonder; it looks like you''ve leveled up again; that''s good, if you keep at one stage, you never know when even I''ll pass you out." Elly, who wasn''t expecting this conversation, gave him a dazed look before her face turned to anger; she shook her slender palms that curled into a fist and pointed one finger forward before she snapped at him, "Hey, I''m not called a genius in my family for nothing! Do you think that just anybody can surpass me? Humph! I''ll tell you right now that it won''t happen... not today, not ever!" At this time, Elly, having been moved by her easy to change mood, had apparently forgotten about Nero''s battles against the Crimson Blade Mantises. Nero made a sour look at her current state; his face crumpled up into an expression that showed regret for the peaceful mood that was now ruined as he thought, ''Yeesh, looks like I drew her out in full, maybe I should have stayed quiet and enjoyed that atmosphere...'' As Elly saw Nero turned quiet, she pouted, saying nothing before taking the lead as she moved forward towards the Battle Rings, Nero sighed as he followed behind her, not saying a word. The crowd looked at the two and chuckled silently as few had looks of envy on their faces, Crazy Blade clicked his teeth as he glanced at Thunder''s Daughter from the corner of his eyes, but as if she noticed him, her hair flashed with lightning as she spoke in a cold voice, "Not happening..." Crazy Blade''s face turned ugly as he snapped back, "As if I''d want that soggy flesh..." A crackle of thunder sounded as Thunder''s Daughter grew enraged at his words, making a few looks over towards their direction with interest. However, it would seem that another party was about to do something more alarming. With a bang, a table was smashed to pieces as a figure stepped out from a corner. His eyes glared at Nero, who was walking with Elly as if he saw his greatest nemesis. "Huh? Isn''t that...?" One person said in alarm. Bramble Child looked over in silence as he smirked while thinking, ''Ho, looks like we''re in for some entertainment..." Following his words, this large silhouette began to make his way towards Nero with heavy steps, as a tense mood filled within the entire room. *** Special Announcement I have decided to award the whoever is in the TOP Three Fan''s Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the end of this month with a full purchased copy of my Amazon Series! I am thinking of doing this once, per month and variety the prizes after that, if you all would like to participate, then Send Gifts, Join Privlledge and Vote Powers Stones, good luck to the winner! Chapter 100: A Meddlesome Admirer The atmosphere was now a tense one within the Battle Ring''s quarter, as every Digitizer that was once idle now cast their eyes onto the sight of a handsome, black-haired hair youth with a polearm axe hoisted over his shoulder. His heavy armor made each of his steps seemed no different from a giant, shaking the room with every motion forward. The different parties now watched as he quickly made his way over to Nero and Elly with a burning fire in his eyes. "Heh, I didn''t think it was this fellow Delkan, that talent from the Newman Family." "Huh? You''re not talking about that family from the Vermeulen Sector, are you?" "Which else could it be? Unlike the Balkras and Mendez, they aren''t unassociated with the UEG; in fact, they are a subsidiary force to the Central Government''s association in the DU." "Oh crap, then doesn''t this mean that this boy is in for some trouble? I mean, this Rampant Ax isn''t anything to scoff at all." "Ha, trust me, I know, that silver whatever is more likely going get a good thrashing, but I think he''ll at least give Miss Balkras some degree of face, it''s no rumor whom he held a long-standing affection for..." A few digitizers from the DU and other human societies chatted out loud as they watched from afar. By now, Delkan had already arrived before Nero and Elly, blocking the way forward. Nero, who was very keen on his surroundings, had long since noticed when this individual struck the table and started making his way towards them. He didn''t speed up his pace because he wanted to see just what this stranger wanted to accomplish. Elly, on the other hand, had a look of surprise in her eyes as she looked at Delkan''s fuming face, she thought to herself, ''What''s this guy doing all the way here? Shouldn''t he be in another town of the Novice Zone?'' As Elly looked at him, she had an annoyed look on her face as she thought, ''Hmph! Unlike that Velmon, this guy has always been quite annoying; it looks like he''s here to cause trouble this time.'' While Elly tried to reason out the circumstances, the exchange between Nero and Delkan had finally started. "Is there something that I can help you with?" Nero asked while sizing up the blacked haired youth who had a nasty look on his face. Delkan felt even more angered at this as he glared at Nero and spoke, "Do you know who I am?" Nero gave him a good look before he replied with a calm gaze, "Hmm, I think I do, you are... a stranger." After saying this, Nero then continued to walk, making his way past the stunned Delkan that was a bit dumbfounded by Nero''s words. Elly, who was a bit distracted, snickered and hurriedly followed along, forgetting that she was previously angry. ''Hehe, this fellow, he''s so horrible! Treating him like that,'' Elly thought as she looked at Nero, who moved onwards with a calm expression before she glanced at Delkan with a hint of pity in her eyes. The audience was stunned, but as they saw the result, a wave of laughter soon erupted from all corners, filling Delkan with shame. Delkan gritted his teeth as he turned around and looked at Nero with lava in his eyes while thinking, ''This little shit! Talking to my woman as if she were his own, and then disrespecting me, if I don''t teach him a lesson then I am not a Newman!'' With a loud bang, Delkan''s magic power erupted from his body, causing most of the others who were laughing to quiet down. However, those who were much stronger only observed with calm gazes. "Punk, stop right there!" Delkan yelled at Nero as his body dashed forward; he then made a jump and skillfully flipped over both Nero and Elly as he landed before them. The boots of his heavy armor clanking against the ground as the room shook, but oddly enough, even such force wasn''t enough to cause it to fissure. Nero knitted his brows as he thought to himself, ''Tsk, this guy, so annoying, who the hell is he?'' Adult Nero seemed to be thinking for some time as he leaned back and floated; he made a slightly puzzled look as he replied, "Hmm, I really can''t remember this g¡ª oh¡­ wait..." As he was speaking, Adult Nero''s eyes flashed as if he just remembered something insignificant. He smirked and gave a proper response, "I believe this fellow was who they call Rampant Ax, he''s not bad, but not enough for me to remember in full." When Nero heard this, his eyes flashed as he gave a reply, ''I see, then I know what to do.'' Following his thoughts, Nero once more focused on the situation before him, Elly was now glaring at Delkan, and she shouted, "Delkan, why don''t you just back off and get lost? Can''t you see you''re wasting our valuable time?" Despite being shouted at by his love interest, it seemed that Delkan had quite the thick skin. His face showed a warm smile as he looked at Elly as if she was the purest gem in the world. He soon replied, "My sweet Elishia, you don''t have to shout, we''re already family, if not for our parents, how would we even come to know each other?" Elly''s face scrunched up as she felt like vomiting after hearing those words; she pointed her finger at him that trembled due to her rising anger as she spoke, "You..." She wanted to speak, but Delkan soon after shifted his eyes to Nero and countered her words, "Hmph! I refuse to believe that you''ll be interested in a fellow like this, a man who hides behind a woman''s back. Listen here, pal, you two are of different worlds, I don''t know which hole you crawled out of, but make sure to check what''s on the surface before you come out. Hawks don''t dance with worms." The air grew chilly as everyone knew that the big moment had arrived; no man on this earth could take those words and back down. Crazy Blade grinned, revealing his jagged shark-like teeth as he chuckled, but Thunder''s Daughter had lightning flashing in her eyes when she stared at Nero. Not only them, everyone else, including Bramble Child, had their focus on him, wanting to see just what he''ll do this time. Finally, the tension broke as Nero, who was quiet for a while, indifferently stared at Delkan and spoke, "Alright, you''ve got my attention, now tell me, what is it do you really want, Mr. Rampant Ax?" Delkan had a smug look on his face when he replied, "Oh, you didn''t get it, let me break it down, I¡ªwant¡ª you¡ªaway¡ªfrom¡ªElisha, do you understand?" When Elly heard this, her face turned dark; she was only moments away from lashing out against Delkan, but Nero touched her shoulder and shook his head. Elly didn''t she''d suddenly be touched by Nero, his palm that rested atop of her shoulder seeming as if it carried a soothing air, giving her a tinge of comfort far unlike that felt when hugged by her mother and patted by her brother. Suddenly, Elly''s face turned red as she lowered her head in silence, not daring to show Nero her current face. Delkan frowned as he saw Nero''s hand on Elly''s shoulder; if she weren''t around, he would have long since taught Nero a lesson, especially when he noticed Elly''s unusual manner. Yet, as if Nero didn''t care, he looked at Delkan and smiled as he spoke, "I understand; clearly, you see me as some rival for Elly''s affection; as such, you want me to back away and give you face, is that it?" Delkan''s face soon changed for a better after hearing Nero''s words; he thought to himself, ''Well, it appears he had more sense than I''d thought...'' As his face brightened, he made a gentlemanly look and answered Nero, "Mr. Silver is correct, I am glad that we could easily reach an agreement and I¡ª" Delkan was about to continue his speech, but Nero merely shook his head and walked past him while speaking, "If you want to pursue her, then do it, what does your petty little affection has to do with me? Even if I was in love with her, so what? It''s not of your damn business." The crowd was but startled and humored by this as another commotion started. "Hahaha, that Delkan probably didn''t think he''d meet a guy like this for a rival!" Someone said in laughter. "That may be true but this guy, where does he get off telling him off like this?" A youth said with curious eyes. "No idea, I think he''s setting himself up for death, even if he''s strong, how can he withstand the ire of the Sixth Ranker?" A different person replied with a look of mock. Not minding the commotion around them, both Delkan and Elly looked at Nero in shock as he walked towards a nearby Battle Ring as they exclaimed, "Hey, stop!" Started by each other''s words, both Delkan and Elly looked at each other with a strange look before they rapidly rand towards Nero. Delkan blocked the path ahead again as Elly ran up to Nero''s side with a menacing look on her face, she was about to lash out at him, but Nero turned to her and winked as he spoke, "Come on now, don''t tell me you can''t take a joke?" Elly, who was initially angry, felt slightly better at those words, but she soon snorted and spoke, "Hmph! Even if so, you better not say that again!" Nero shook his head and answered, "Sure-sure," Both weren''t stupid and naive, they could naturally infer certain things about the other, and even if they weren''t going to acknowledge it out of the blue, they certainly wouldn''t let some outsider get in the path. Delkan no longer had any form of gentlemanly bearing; he looked at Nero as if he stared at a poisonous tumor. Soon though, as if he thought of something, a cruel smile came on his face. The mood once more, shifting to a dark one as everyone watched on silence... _____ Special Announcement I have decided to award the winner of Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the end of this month with a full purchased copy of my Amazon Series! I am thinking of doing this once, per month and variety the prizes after that, if you all would like to participate, then Send Gifts, Join Privlledge and Vote Powers Stones, good luck to the winner! ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 101: An Unfair Bet? Meeting One’s Adversary Nero watched as Delkan glared at him sinisterly while he pondered to himself, ''What''s he up to now?'' Elly also grew a bit concerned as though she wouldn''t admit it; he was still once stepped above her position in the Ranking List. ''This guy... I bet he''s going to try and challenge him to some silly little duel, hmph! Such a darn busybody!'' Elly said to herself as she glared him. The room was silent as the crowd observed, but it didn''t take long for Delkan to speak to Nero with a strange smile. "Mr. Silver, since you refuse to back down, then how about a challenge?" "Pssh, I knew it," Elly muttered with a look of discontent. The others looked on curiously, wondering what he was up to; Nero didn''t seem to be interested in this fellow and his antics, but as if Adult Nero found something amusing, he spoke, "Accept it." ''Why should I? I have to get to training; I don''t need to take part in some this guy''s drama,'' Nero said with annoyance. Adult Nero smirked as he spoke, "Just do as I say and accept it, trust me it will be worth your while." Nero had a suspicious look on his face, but in the end, he sighed and stared at Delkan as he replied, "Fine, but only if the terms are good." Elly gave Nero a surprised look as she thought he wouldn''t even speak another word with Delkan, but Delkan''s smile grew wide as he chuckled. A sinister light shone in his eyes as thought to himself, ''Hehe, I will first break your spirit then make you beg to die...'' Having wrapped up his wicked thoughts, he glanced at Nero with a fake-looking smile and spoke, "Good, so you''re a man of spirit, don''t worry, this challenge won''t be hard. We don''t even need to fight as I won''t lower myself to bullying a non-ranker. We will keep it simple by doing a fair competition. If you can rank a level below or similar to me, you would have won, but if you can''t accomplish even that you''ve lost, how does that sound?" When the crowd heard these words, gasps could be heard as many of them looked at him with looks akin to staring at an idiot, who didn''t know he was top tier ranker? "Delkan... you''re so shameless! Isn''t this competition still beyond the limits of non-rankers? How is this any different from you using your high rank to oppress another?" Elly snapped as she pointed her fingers at Delkan. Delkan frowned at this; he knew that it was risky, but he didn''t have any other ideas; he kept his eyes fixed on Nero, trying to ignore Elly''s anger. Nero remained silent for a moment as if he was pondering, but soon, he smirked and spoke, "Oh, and what prize does the winner get?" The moment Nero spoke, not only Elly, even Delkan was shocked that he was so ready to accept it. He gave Nero a good look while in thought, ''Huh? Is he just a plain fool? Or is he up to something?'' Delkan made a troubled look before he smiled, thinking that even if he had other plans, he wouldn''t be able to do anything. "It''s simple, if you win, I will never bother you again and gift you 50 Silver Coins, but if I win, you must lick my shoes and shout that you will never bother Elisha again; how does that sound?" The crowd felt this to be ruthless enough and thought that no one would be so reckless to take this bet, but Nero merely stared at him with flickering eyes as he raised one finger and spoke, "100 Silver, you will give me 100 Silver and make a public apology to Elly if you lose." Everyone who heard those words looked at Nero in surprise, even Elly, who was a bit angry that he made such a choice, looked at him strangely. Her face turned slightly red as she spoke, "Hey... y-you don''t have to take up such a silly bet to do something so foolish." When Elly spoke, she rubbed her fingers together in a fidgety manner and pouted her lips. A few others who know her personally stared at this side of his wonder. "Ahh, so even the Graceful Tyrant has a such a side..." One youth said with a smile. "Mm, indeed, I guess it depends on the type of man, only a fierce tiger can sway the heart of a sleeping dragon..." Another person said with wisdom as he made a cheeky smile. When Delkan heard the onlookers'' words, he gripped his fists tighter as he ruthlessly stared at Nero, but after taking a deep breath, he returned to a gentlemanly smile and spoke, "I accept your terms! Let''s begin!" Not waiting on Nero, Delkan hurriedly jumped from this area towards one of the Battle Rings. He then activated the Ranking Challenge causing his ring to transform as he was shrouded by a hazy mist. Nero didn''t even seem to pay Delkan any mind; his attention fixed onto Elly, who was acting cutely. He then shook his head after recovering from his momentary daze, he tried to hide his previous action as he spoke, "Don''t worry, I''m not only doing for you but also myself, I could use the extra coins..." When Nero said this, his eyes seemed to be replaced with Silver Coins as he licked his lips, it appeared that he had already believed that he would be the victor. ''Che! I just knew it...'' Elly thought with a slight look of disappointment, but as she recalled his words state she was a part of the reason, she felt a little better. Nero didn''t waste a moment; he walked over to the other Battle Ring and prepared to start his Ranking Test. Elly wanted to go and test, but she decided to watch and see the results because this event was concerning her. The onlookers watched him with curious eyes as they wondered what kind of rank he would get; even Bramble Child, Crazy Blade, and Thunder''s Daughter were observing with keen eyes. "Haha, the show''s about to get started, it sure took long enough... who do you think will win?" Crazy Blade said as he looked at Thunder''s Daughter. "By all rights, it will be Rampant Ax, but I can''t help to expect unusual things from that fellow." Thunders Dauther replied with curious eyes, her lips curved into a smile. Crazy Blade also nodded in agreement; he thought Nero was quite interesting. At this time, Nero had already mounted the empty Battle Ring; the moment he stood on it, a notification sounded in his mind. ____ Ding! [Welcome Digitizer Nero!] [Please Choose A Battle Mode:] [1 - Duel] [2 - Ranking Challenge] ____ As Nero saw the details, he spoke, "I choose the Ranking Challenge!" Following his words, the system soon after replied with its mechanical voice. ____ [Mode Requested!] [Initiating Ranking Challenge in 3, 2, 1!] ____ The instant the countdown finished, a hazy mist enveloped the Battle Ring, shrouding Nero''s entire figure from all outside eyes. Nero smiled at this as he stretched his palm to his side and called out his scythe, a green light flashed as he spun the scythe that formed and lowered his posture adopting the Mowing Twist stance. With sharp eyes he glared at the mist, as the notification once again sounded in his mind. ____ [Ranking Challenge has initiated!] [Commencing the First Stage, defeat your opponent to proceed to the next level!] ____ As the notification ended, a part of the mist before Nero cleared, revealing a familiar silhouette, a small rounded shaped creature that was even smaller than his knee. Yet, the looks in this creature''s eyes were one of ruthlessness as if it was looking at an enemy he hadn''t met in a long time. "Is you!" Nero shouted in alarm as he saw the entity, his grip on his scythe growing firmer as a dense killing intent came from his body. Adult Nero had a sneaky smile on his face as he watched from afar, his pupils reflecting both Nero''s figure and the rounded shaped entity. ''Huhu... I said that you should take the challenge, but I didn''t say it would be easy, nor that you wouldn''t encounter old adversaries...'' Following his thoughts, the creature''s figure became more revealed; it was the Tyrant Slime with its blue jelly-like skin and cute little eyes glaring at Nero. Suddenly, the Tyrant Slime snickered in a cute tone as its body transformed into Nero''s; it adopted a similar posture and faced one arm forward that beckoned him to attack with a smug look. Nero''s eyed boiled with rage, but after taking a breath of fresh air, he calmed himself down while thinking, ''Why am I so worked up? Even if he''s back again, I''ve defeated him before, and this is only the First Stage, humph! From this point, I''ll crush him until I reach the Eight Stage, I''ll make it so that he will never look down on me again!'' Nero''s magic power once more erupted as a murderous will enveloped the entire Battle Ring with those thoughts in mind. His hair rose above his head as his eyes shone in dim red lights. The Tyrant Slime that had a smug look soon had a change in expression as it saw Nero''s shift. A stern look came in its eyes as it knew his former punching bag had grown even more formidable. It prepared itself to lose a few times before they could have their decisive battle, as the air within the Battle Ring between boy and monster grew tense by the passing of each second... Chapter 102: Crushing the Fifth Stage, Acquiring Insights Within the Battle Arena, the crowd watched silently as the misty arena''s had two glowing icons above them. The bet between Nero and Delkan had only begun a few minutes ago, but they all wanted to see if the newly rising Silver Boy could even contest someone as famous as Rampant Axe. At this moment, two glowing icons were shining above both battle rings. One of them had number six, while the other was stuck on the fifth number. Suddenly, the icon above one of the two Battle Ring''s flashed as a number 7 appeared, and a notification resounded in his mind. ____ Ding! [Challenger Rampant Axe has ascended to the 7 Stage!] ____ When everyone heard this, they didn''t show signs of alarm as they had long since expected this result; what mattered for him was whether he could break past his limits and achieve the 8 Stage. What caught everyone''s attention was that Nero, who entered the challenge a bit later, could so quickly rise to the Fifth Stage. ''Oh, he''s much better than I''d thought, even more interesting...'' Bramble Child thought with a smile on his face as he stared at Nero''s battle ring. Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade stared at this with sharp eyes as they were pretty much at this level, making it a step further would put them into the ranks of that ever so fleeting but overwhelming Rising Fox, bringing them one step closer to the Grassroot Sword Child and those before him. Elly had a hesitant look on her face; though Nero was in a favorable position, she still didn''t know if he could win in the end, causing her to show a tinge of worry. However, it was at this moment a few light steps were heard behind her. "Eh? Miss Balkras, what''s going on here? It looks like a lively scene," A familiar voice said. Elly turned around and saw Avollo sporting his straw hat over his dreadlocks. His dark chocolate colored skin melded perfectly with the room as his white teeth became more prominent due to his smile. A few others noticed his arrival, and their faces sunk as they knew that this seemingly at ease youth was none other than the current Number Two Ranker. ''So even he''s come, looks like he might have made some progress...'' Thunder''s Daughter said with eyes that flickered with thunder. Crazy Blade also had similar thoughts, as did the silent and low-key Bramble Child, who merely looked on with shining eyes. Elly made a complex look before she spoke, "Well, it''s like this..." Following those words, she began to explain that situation that happened prior and how it led to the current bet. "You said, Nero, what? Hahahaha!" Avollo said before he laughed at the top of his voice, unable to control himself as he wiped the corners of his eyes. A few others cast looks at him, but no one did anything; they knew better than to provoke a tiger; besides, the current bet was more interesting. After a while, Avollo soon calmed down and spoke after taking a deep breath, "Phew, oh man, you guys are something else, you sure know how to create drama, I''d almost believe this to be some script for some serial on the Miki Drama Channel. Hmm, I have a bit of advice, would you like to hear it?" Elly''s face a bit ashamed at his laugh, but after hearing his latter words, she rolled her eyes and looked at him suspiciously and asked, "And what kind of advice do you have to give?" Avollo snickered before he bent closer and spoke in a soft tone as he winked, "I think you two should just confess your little puppy affection; it will speed up the drama and bring closure to everything." Upon hearing those words, Elly had a red face as she lowered her head before she is shouting, "Y-you, don''t speak such nonsense!" Avollo looked at her shy manner and chuckled as he thought to himself, ''Nero, you lucky little devil, only you can transform a tyrant into this manner.'' As Avollo heard this, he couldn''t help but recall the rumors he heard in the upper society''s grapevine, those connected with the youngest miss of the Balkras. After thinking for a moment, Avollo shook his head and cleared his thoughts; he stared at the location of Nero''s battle ring and sat himself down with his sword on his legs with a look on interest on his face. "Huhu... come now, Nero, it hasn''t been that long since our rematch, so let''s see how you''ve progressed," Avollo said in a soft voice as his eyes flashed in a competitive light when he gazed at the ring. Suddenly, a bright light flashed as the icon above Nero''s ring started to change. Everyone who saw this had surprised expressions as they knew he was more or likely transitioning to the next rank; they stared at Delkan''s stage with looks of mock as based on this already, Nero had already one that bet of theirs. Avollo chuckled at this as Elly also stared in silence, her thoughts now unknown to the world. *** In a sea of haze, a battle between four indistinct figures was currently fighting a fierce battle. They both had glamorous silver hair and a handsome making. With every movement of their bodies, one would see a myriad of ghostly shadows that flashed about, each using a long and sinister-looking scythe to do battle against each other as they left sparks with every collision. Nero was currently facing off against three of himself, ever since his first victory against the Tyrant Slime from the First Stage, he had found against them in increments. The Fifth Stage had 16 versions of himself, each with Level Five Mastery in his core skills, making for a decent battle. However, after slaughtering most of them and narrowing their numbers to three, Nero felt that this battle was quickly beginning to bore him. ''Well, I''ve practiced long enough; I should finish these others and prepare myself for the next phase. I''ll likely be able to advance my mastery a little more against that bunch,'' Nero said with a sharp look in his eyes. Following his words, Nero gripped his scythe tightly as he stared at the clones of himself that surrounded him from all angles. With an angry shout, they each charged at him once more from the hazy mist, each using the power of his Myriad Spector Cut to send out ghostly shadows of themselves to confuse him. Yet, Nero didn''t seem to mind this; his thoughts at this moment seemed clear as if he knew that the scythe was meant to battle against numerous foes of this standard. As if drawn by his instinct, his Mowing Twist posture changed slightly as he rotated his body to swing his scythe. The moment this happened, his figure vanished, leaving behind only the edge of the scythe itself spiraling across the void. However, it was during this movement that the blade''s twisting motion soon changed, as if it had come to life. It began to dance around the battle ring like a snake, moving like an S shape before reverting to the typical motions, which left trailing lines of spiraling silver lights. Within a few seconds, this movement had ended as the scythe''s edge halted a positioned behind each of the ghostly shadows. Not long after, Nero''s figure appeared, holding onto the handle that connected to the edge. His robe fluttered behind him as his back faced his enemies, who oddly enough, didn''t even seem to notice what had previously transpired as they continued to attack. Suddenly, the ghostly shadows vanished into nothingness as the three Tyrant Slime clones had startled appearances. They looked down and noticed that their torso was severed from their bodies. Their corpse soon after joined the other ranks of the others that laid on the ground lifelessly with a thud. ____ Ding! [You have completed the Fifth Stage of the Ranking Challenge, transference to the Sixth Stage shall begin in 1 minute!] ____ When Nero heard the notification, he had only just awoken from his previous state as he stared behind him in surprise. ''Just now, that feeling... is this the doorway to the level that my older self was always mentioning?'' Nero thought with a look of curiosity on his face. His eyes flickering as he recalled how he vaguely melded with the edge of the scythe and had started to twist it in strange angles. Adult Nero stared at him and spoke, "You are correct, you''ve touched the doorway, but whether or not you can master it depends on your efforts." When Nero heard this, he felt excited; he knew that even if it didn''t increase his actual power, this would be a big boost to combat effectiveness. Power, in the end, is but only one aspect, learning how to transfer that power efficiently, is what defines the masters from the amateurs. Nero tightly clenched his fist as his eyes had a firm look when he spoke, "I will do it! I will master the second level before this Ranking Challenge ends!" Adult Nero smiled at his attitude, he said nothing as the time soon ran out, and a bright light flashed transforming the entirety of the ring, preparing for a brand-new battle. Chapter 103: Delkan’s Rank, Being Humiliated A startling bang resounded as two figures were fighting a fierce battle like no other, their bodies shifting through the haze as they moved at speeds well over 100 km/h. Both fighters used a polearm to trust at each other from a distance repeatedly, the sharp-pointed tips much like that of a spear sending sparks about as they clashed against each other point for point. With every blow of the polearms, a wave of energy would scatter from that collision as metallic noises sounded, sending small ripples about the entire battle ring. Suddenly, both individual''s polearm shone as they clashed against each other once more, creating an explosion. The force of this explosion pushed both backward by the same distance as only one of them had a look of discomfort. "Tch, I''m not finished yet! I have one more technique!" Delkan shouted as he spat out the blood that welled up in his throat and drew back his arm that held the polearm''s handle. With a bang, his body erupted with even more magic power, conjuring a slight wave of energy within his vicinity as it swirled around his polearm. Following this change, the other party, which was a much sturdier looking clone of himself, showed a look of smugness as it performed the same maneuver, crouching as it drew its arm back, gathering a cluster of energy for the attack. Time quickly passed as a brisk wind swept across the stage, rustling the air on their bodies as the haze swept around them; the energy that swirled around the polearm now seemed similar to that of a cyclone that was ready to unleash a destructive attack. As if they both knew it was the right moment, both Delkan''s and the clone''s eyes flashed as they dashed forward at the same time and struck out their polearm. "Eat this, Raging Tempest!" Delkan yelled as a menacing amount of energies around his polearm bolted towards its foe and the sharp tip. The clone also performed the same movement, but oddly enough, its power seemed to be a step higher than even Delkan''s. A loud explosive sound was heard as the moment both attacks collided, two terrifying cyclones formed by magic power clashed with each other as two the polearms at their center met in a front on clash. After clashing for a brief period, the forces repelled both sides while scattering waves of magic power across the stage, pushing away most of the haze. "Damn! I''m still not there yet," Delkan cursed as he stared at the scene before him with regret in his eyes as the opposing cyclone still had another powerful strike towards him even after clashing against his attack. The last thing he saw was the sight of the clone''s polearm stabbing towards his head with the whirling energy scattering from it, completely enveloping his view. *** Within the Battle Arena''s main challengers room, the onlookers watched on with varying expression as Delkan''s arena started to show signs of change. Suddenly, a notification sounded across the room as the mist that covered the stage started to fade away. ____ Ding! [Challenger Delkan has failed to complete the Seventh Stage, calculation battle perforation, the Ranking List has been updated!] ____ The instant everyone heard this, no one paid Delkan any attention as they only focused their minds onto the Ranking List. Delkan, who had now finished his challenge, wiped the sweat from his forehead and checked his current position. ____ [Sixth place - Title: Rampant Axe | Level: 8 | Battle Rank:7] ____ Delkan was a bit happy thinking that his ranking would increase, but as he saw the result, a frown came on his face as he cursed inwardly. ''What the hell is this? Why haven''t I exceeded Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade? I even fought to the final clone, and even that battle was a close one. How can they still rank above me?'' Delkan was perplexed, but he couldn''t figure it out no matter how much he thought about it. He didn''t realize that each stage''s difficulty was vastly different for one based on the abilities they''ve mastered. He sighed while glaring at the Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade from the corners of his eyes, noticing that they weren''t even looking at him as if he was air. "Bastards..." Delkan murmured, but he no longer focused on them. He remembered that he also made a big bet with someone and was eager to break his spirit. His eyes wandered about the room as he sought Nero''s form, but soon, he narrowed it, showing a puzzled look as he didn''t even see the latter around Elly. Thinking for a bit, Delkan smirked as he concluded, ''Haha, that fool must have left early to hide his shame, even filth like him doesn''t deserve to be around the upper class, much anyone I deem to be mine. I''ll deal with him later, but for now... my Elishia is most important.'' With his current thoughts utterly free from the bet and even the Ranking List, Delkan took enormous strides towards Elly''s direction with an even straighter posture than before, as if having the highest confidence. Yet, while walking, he couldn''t help but notice that a few others showed looks of mock and disdain towards him. ''Huh? What''s going on? They''re acting like I lost something precious... humph, such idiots!'' Delkan said inwardly, not hiding the rich amount of scorn he held for the onlookers as he continued over to Elly. Soon though, he noticed that a new individual sat nearby Elly with his attention focused on a battle ring. With Delkan''s status, there was no way he wouldn''t recognize such an individual''s identity. His eyes went wide as he almost exclaimed. ''Wha... what''s this guy doing here? Is he also interested in Elly?'' Delkan pondered with a tinge of anger and worry on his face. He knew that though his background was high, any Mendez was not to be taken lightly. However, he also knew of certain rumors regarding Avollo, and as such, it didn''t take long for him to remove this thought as he concluded. ''No, that''s not possible, he wouldn''t be interested in her in the first place. If anything, I suppose he''s here to test his new ranking.'' Having wrapped up his thoughts, Delkan continued on with his confidence reinstated. It didn''t take long for him to arrive within their vicinity, as both Elly and Avollo glanced at him as if they only now took notice of his existence. Avollo chuckled, not saying anything as his eyes went elsewhere; this caused Delkan to frown as he didn''t like how Avollo ignored his presence. Still, none of that matter; the essential thing was Elly. He could already imagine the scene of her hugging him tightly as he let her understand just why it is that someone like Nero couldn''t be a suitable partner and why he, Delkan, was the only man for her life. A foolish look appeared on his slightly dazed face, causing Elly to look at him with disgust. However, she soon snickered as she spoke, "Oh, Delkan, I didn''t think you''d still have the face to say around and laugh with that silly look of yours. A loser like you wouldn''t typically have to guts to pay out such a sum from that bed of yours." Delkan, who was still confused, looked at Elly and spoke, "Huh? Elishia, what are you saying? I''ve already won the¡ª" "Excuse me, but I do not remember having such close relations with you, do not directly call me by name. Also, there''s one more thing you should understand; you''re not the winner of that bet." After Elly snappily spoke those words to cut off his statement, she didn''t even pay him any mind as she focused on the same battle ring as Avollo. "Me, defeated?" Delkan uttered in an incomprehensible tone. He stared at Elly again and thought she must have made some mistake. However, his stupid expression soon drew the mockery of those in the room. "Hahaha! Oh my, this human sure is funny, he can''t comprehend his loss!" "It''s no wonder. He''ll have to pay up that huge sum and even make a silly apology, after all. If I were him, I''d rather bury myself into the earth." "Pssh, such a loser!" "Hehe, hey, stop saying that, can''t you see he''s about to explode." A myriad of voices said from all directions as the idle digitizers jeered at Delkan without remorse for his emotions. Delkan''s mind went blank as only now did he understand that he must have somehow lost. He hurriedly looked around the room before fixing his eyes onto the battle ring next to his own. There, he saw that a mist had covered the area with ''Challenger Silver Boy'' as the title. However, the number above the Battle Ring wasn''t Fourth, Fifth, or even the Sixth Stage. Instead, he saw a number that made him tremble, not in fear, but due to his extreme anger and humiliation. "Siiiiiilveeeer Booooy!" Delkan shouted as his rage as he reached his peak. He couldn''t imagine how someone as lowly as that fellow could have climbed to such a rank on his first try. A few others gave him looks filled with pity, but others merely continued to jeer as they broadcasted his current roar to the Digitizers Network. Most others only kept their eyes onto Nero''s ring, patiently awaiting his final rank. "Hehe, this Silver Boy sure is a ''wild one,'' causing so much trouble with others in this brief time, maybe he''s better off with wild in his name..." A quirky voice said. A few others in the room could not help but ruminate it as some even began to speak under their breaths, beckoning a new change. Chapter 104: Mastering the Second Level Unaware of the circumstances outside of his ring, Nero now stood with his eyes closed, and the scythe held at an angle before him within his battle ring. Following his completion of the Fifth Stage, he had only moments ago completed the Sixth Stage, further consolidating his understanding of the Reaper Stances'' second level. Suddenly, Nero''s eye opened, as he stared at the hazy scene around him, listening to the rustling sounds that came from all directions. He could vaguely see a few silhouettes shuffling about at speeds no inferior to his own with ominous lights from their eyes. ''They''re coming.'' Nero thought as his grip on his scythe''s handle grew tighter, its edge shining in a cold ray as a solemn look appeared on his face. "Kiiiiiii!" The violent sound of the transformed Tyrant Slime resounded once more from all sides, as within moments, dozens of its clones rushed towards Nero at incredible speeds. They each used Nero''s Four-Point Unity Steps to bolster their acceleration by over 100 km/h. Nero''s eye remained calm as the world around him slow down, his Spiritual Awareness pushed to the peak as he made sure to keep track of each of their movements. Nevertheless, it didn''t take long for a dozen of the clones to arrive within his range; performing his combat stances as they twirled and utilized the Mowing Twist style of his Reaper Stances. Instantly, a series of spiraling silver rays swept at him from every angle, forcing him in a perilous position. Nero, who seemed as if he was one step from death, rapidly invoked his Four-Point Unity Steps as he prepared to evade the attacks. The ground below him has the illusory image of a flat-shaped diamond with him at the center of four points. As if one of the attacks had already arrived, a bright ray swept from behind his neck, but as if Nero saw it coming, he merely took a step onto the left point, which caused his body to slide to the side, narrowly avoiding the scythe''s edge that cut a few strands of his hair. Without even a moment to catch his breath, the other flurry of scythe attacks arrived in full, but Nero seemed to have eyes all over his body. He narrowly dodged each of them by taking one step in each of the four directions, sometimes moving forward, backward, right, or left. Eventually, his body became indistinct due to the rapidly short distant movement. Dozens of flashes silver blade lights spiraled around his form, creating a terrifyingly wonderful but also devastating scene. Adult Nero nodded in satisfaction as he pondered, ''Not bad, his mastery of his Four Point Unity Steps is way ahead of his other techniques. It is good to have battles like this that can test his limit. Furthermore, the stronger opponents he faces, the mightier he can become.'' While Adult Nero thought to himself, the battle only continued to grow more heated and dangerous with each passing second. The Tyrant Slime''s main body watched from afar with cold eyes, but as it saw Nero narrowly avoiding the onslaught, it''s gaze became even more ruthless as it shouted. "Kiiiiiii!" As if they heard his command, each clone''s eyes glowed as they stopped their previous assault and adopted a different posture. Nero seeing this change, had a serious look as he lowered his stance, readying himself again. Following his movement, each of the sixty-four strong clone army bodies split up into multiple ghostly figures that charged towards Nero once more. If it were any other man, they would have long since lost the courage to face off against such a number, but Nero merely snorted. "Hmph! You may have my abilities, but you don''t have weapons and their effects." Upon saying those words, Nero raised his arm with the Crimson Mantis Band and invoked its skill. "Killing Field!" Following his invocation, the band around his wrist glowed in a crimson light before it created a domain-like field around Nero for roughly ten or so meters. The instant each of the clones got caught within it; their movements became slow and jerky as if they couldn''t withstand the pressure. Nero knew that this wouldn''t last long, so he hurried and utilized his own Myriad Spector Cut, splitting into four ghostly clones that went towards four angles. In a flash, Nero had used his Mowing Twist stance to leave behind a flurry of silver blade lights as his scythe''s edge swirled around the area, chopping apart dozens of clones at a time. Time passed quickly, and the Killing Field soon faded. As this happened, the hundreds of strong armies of clones had fallen to less than twenty. However, even this would prove to be a difficult number to fight in direct combat. ''My magic power is running out, and there are still too many of them. It won''t be easy to finish this, not unless I can achieve another meaningful breakthrough in my skills,'' Nero thought as he looked at his magic power. Nero wanted to find a plan, but as if the Tyrant Slime knew what he was up to, it showed no relent as it mercilessly commanded for another assault while joining the fray. A series of whooshing noises sounded as all clones charged once more, intending to finish Nero off for good. A brutal look showed in each of their eyes as the scythes in their hands glistened with baleful lights. ''Damn, I''ve got no choice, I have to use this to get more time!'' Nero inwardly said as if he made up his mind. The clones didn''t need long to approach Nero once again, and as they did they, they hacked the scythes from all of his angles once again, ensuring that he wouldn''t be able to avoid even a single one. The Tyrant Slime had a menacing look in its eyes as if it could see Nero chopped to pieces, but suddenly its eyes shrunk as Nero did the unthinkable. With a few resonant stepping sounds, Nero jumped from the ground into the air, swiftly avoiding the scythe attacks. The Tyrant Slime was initially surprised, but soon after it sneered as it lifted scythe and commanded each of the others to do the same, it laughed because Nero was now in an unfavorable position. However, as one would expect him to fall to his demise, his figure stood floating in the heavens as if he were standing on an invisible platform. As if it didn''t matter, the Tyrant Slime made a mean look as it roared at Nero as if proclaiming that it will eradicate him as soon as he fell. The other clones also did the same as they hoisted their scythes and calmly waited. Nero frowned at this as he cursed while looking down, "That darn slime, so darn persistent!'' Nero cursed at his bad luck but knew he couldn''t do anything about it. He could see the seconds fading as he knew that he didn''t have long left, causing him to feel anxious. Soon though, he rapidly calmed himself and took a deep breath, slowing his breathing as he tuned out the world, pushing his thoughts to the maximum. ''I have to master the next stage of my Reaper Stances or I will lose, but just how do I accomplish it? What am I missing? I can swiftly wield the scythe using the force of the momentum brought from rotating, but how does that carry onward to the second level?'' While Nero pondered, he didn''t notice, but the timer for the Sky Walk skill had already run out, and his figure had already begun to fall from the sky. The Tyrant Slime made an expression of victory as it raised its scythe and commanded the other clones to finish him the instant he fell in range. Seconds passed, and Nero''s body soon arrived within their range; without even a moment of hesitancy, all clones used Nero''s Mowing Twist and transformed into series of spiral blade lights that swept forward to end his life. The situation seemed dire as if at any time, he would be diced to pieces. Yet, it was at this moment that Nero had a change in his mind. ''Wait... all that was necessary to proceed to the second level was to reach the state where everything is in one motion. One motion, but the flow of my scythe should resemble the dance of a flowing snake. If one motion is the origin of force, then the flow is the movement, and as for the dancing snake... that should more or likely be referring to its path, a path with no set rhythm or monotony, one of constant change. In other words, I don''t need to change anything; one force equals one motion, and one action can lead to a myriad of shifts.'' As if a new dawn came onto Nero, his enlightenment brightened the world around him. Within Nero''s mind, the First Door of Memories with a single glowing rune burst open as it sent a series a sinister-looking manual titled - Dancer Reaper Stance towards Nero''s core consciousness. Adult Nero watched in excitement as he thought to himself, ''Excellent, to think he''d truly accomplished this feat in such a short time, truly wonderful.'' Following his thoughts, the scene outside soon started to change, Nero who experienced his sudden change, soon after opened his eyes, his red pupils glowed in a sinister light as if read to unleash havoc to all around him. The Tyrant Slime shuddered as even though its scythe was only moments away from chopping off Nero''s head, it felt that its world was about a change, and this battle of theirs had already ended¡­ Chapter 105: An Astonishing Result It happened in a flash, a speed that even the Tyrant Slime had failed to notice. Yet, by the time it did, its head had already long since soared from its body. Now, it could only stare at the inverted view around it in confusion, gazing at the twenty strong clones bisected into multiple pieces with each passing breath. With every flash of brilliant silver light in the shape of a scythe''s edge, more and more would fall as the blades light danced around the area like a snake striking at unexpected angels. Eventually, no clones remained as only a handsome silver-haired lad had stood in the field after the silver rays had halted an angle before reforming into a sinister-looking scythe. The youth''s red pupils had a murderous glint despite his calm and indifferent appearance. He gazed at the Tyrant Slime, whose head was still flying as if it was an ant a nothing more. Noticing this, the Tyrant Slime''s look soon transformed into fear. A dreadful kind of fear of a prey akin to its predator, for deep in its mind, it knew that boy it once thought as a punching bag was now an utterly incomprehensible monster. Before long, its consciousness soon started to fade, and the world before it transitioned into darkness. Nero watched as the Tyrant Slime faded in the dust, his cold-looking face started to smile as his eyes flickered with excitement when he glanced at the scythe in his hand. "I did it! Haha, I really achieved it. What do you think about this now, huh, old bastard?" Nero said as if talking to himself. Adult Nero shook his head; usually, this would be the time where he tried to undermine his progress, but he decided to act his age for once and not argue with his childish self. ''Yes, looks like I''m in control today; I must have shocked him with my performance,'' Nero thought with a smile, but it didn''t take long for him to clear it; he knew that even if he had mastered it, he was still a far cry from comparing with the strongest of talents. Suddenly a notification sounded in Nero''s mind announcing his victory. ____ Ding! [You have completed the Seventh Stage of the Ranking Challenge, transference to the Eight Stage shall begin in 1 minute!] ____ When Nero heard this, his face turned stern as he hurriedly calmed himself and prepared for battle once more, his eyes having a firm look as he contemplated. ''I wonder, can I truly handle the Eight Stage as I am?'' Adult Nero, who heard Nero''s thoughts, shook his head with a sly smile as he murmured, "Heh, it''s time for you to curb that arrogance with a brand-new lesson." As if Adult Nero''s words held through, the moment the timer ended, the entire mists began to change as a profound aura was felt from all directions. Nero, who postured himself for combat once again was alarmed by this energy, especially as he saw the large amount of menacing red eyes that glared at him from all sides. "Oh, sh¡ª" Nero was about to curse out loud, but sadly, he didn''t have the chance as the world before Nero transformed into a sea of silver lights that enveloped all things. *** Back within the main room, the atmosphere soon changed when everyone who idly chatted saw a sudden change on Nero''s battle platform. The lights around the icon that hovered above it soon changed as the number transitioned from seventh to eight. In an instant, their eyes widened in surprise as waves of alarm sounded. "OH MY GOD! Are you kidding me?" "This... this has got to be a joke; how can this even be possible?" "A newbie''s first-time ranking can easily take him to the Eight Stage? I wouldn''t take this even as a joke!" As more voices sounded around the room, those were even more surprised where those other rankers. Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade had astounded appearances as they both contemplated with stern-looking eyes. "Hmm, I''ve underestimated this human; his growth potential should be no way inferior to Grass Root Sword Child''s or that Chasing Arrows," Thunder''s Daughter said with flashing lightning bolts in her eyes. "Heh, such a human, I''m itching to test him myself," Crazy Blade uttered with his shark teeth curving in a smile. He wasn''t frightened or scared; he knew of his current power and was only waiting to do the test to confirm it. Like them, the low-key Bramble Child also had a tinge of surprise, but that was it. He didn''t show fear, but only curiosity as he stared at Nero''s platform with a smile on his face, his eyes narrowing slightly with his thought unknown to all. Avollo''s mouth curved into a smile as he played with his words while thinking, ''Huhu... Nero, you never cease to amaze me, I suppose you''re going to be trying your best to catch and teach me a lesson, but sorry, I''m going to double my training efforts from this day forward.'' Unlike Avollo, Elly''s mouth was wide open with shock. She never thought that Nero would have grown to such a level out of the blue. ''No, I''ve actually been surpassed? This can''t happen. I have to get stronger!'' Elly said in her mind as a strange thought suddenly overtook her emotions, she didn''t know why, but she felt that if she kept a bit complacent, he would only keep walking farther away from her. With a whooshing sound, Raynas suddenly appeared by Elly''s side, it seemed that he was watching the affairs for a good while now. When Elly saw her brother appear, she grabbed his sleeve and spoke with her adorable but firm eyes, "Big Brother." Raynas sighed as he knew what she was thinking, his eyes fixed onto Nero''s battle platform once again while in thought, ''Truly astounding... I didn''t think much of him before, but if it''s like this, then maybe mother wouldn''t think so bad.'' After finishing those thoughts, Raynas glanced at Elly, who was still looking at him with a pleading look. He rubbed her head and spoke, "Okay, don''t worry, I will double. No, triple the effort in your training from this point onward, remember you not only need to be at Level 10 for the Gate of Legends, but all Level 10 have differences in personal strength due to many factors, especially those of the varying alien races. So, worry not about Nero, he won''t be able to leave you behind." When Elly heard this, she sighed, showing a look of relief on her face as she once more stared at Nero''s battle platform with unknown thoughts. Unlike Elly and Avollo, however, Delkan, who seemed to have been forgotten by the world, trembled as he stared at Nero''s platform. ''Why? Why can he have this achievement but not me? You''ve even stolen my woman and now you brought me to shame! Damn-damn-damn! Silver Boy! You better not forget this, for the shame you''ve given me today will be returned in full!'' When Delkan thought to here, his eyes shone with rich killing intent as he glared at Nero''s platform, but soon, he hurried and left the area. A few noticed when he left, but they merely chuckled and said nothing, thinking that he was only a sore loser that couldn''t live up to his bargains. By now, everyone''s attention was cast onto Nero''s battle platform. They wanted to know if he would pull off the unthinkable and achieve the Ninth Rank. However, there wishes proved wrong as a few moments after the Eight Stage appeared, the mists on the platform began to fade, and the icon vanished. "Ah, so he didn''t survive even three seconds. Well, it''s to be expected, the eighth and ninth stage is on an entirely different class after all," Raynas thought as he looked at the scene with a bit of pity in his voice, but his eyes still kept its respect. ''Nero, I won''t stay behind you for long, just you wait; I... I certainly won''t let you get away so easy,'' Elly said her mind with firm eyes, her manner slightly different from the norm. Raynas caught a glimpse of Elly but felt her look to be familiar, somewhat like their mother. He had a bad feeling but pushed it down as he concluded, "Nah, she wouldn''t show such signs. Father made sure never to let her learn of our mother''s true habits. Still, she did inherit her overwhelming emotions to an extent..." Avollo smirked before he rose from his sitting posture and glanced at Elly and Raynas, he then spoke, "Well, I''ll be heading off now; I''ve decided to call it a night, tell Nero I said Hi." After saying this, Avollo slowly made his way out of the room with steady steps, his eyes showing a sharp competitive look as his smile only grew wider with each step forward. Elly gave Avollo a look but said nothing. It seemed that the two of them had similar thoughts in competing with Nero. At this moment, the mist on the platform cleared as Nero stood silently. However, as this happened, a notification soon resounded everywhere. ____ Ding! [Congratulations to Challenger Silver Boy and his triumphant ascension to the Eight Stage! Calculating battle performance, the Ranking List has been updated!] ____ When everyone heard this, though they expected it, they all looked at him without saying a word as after seeing his current ranking, a startling commotion soon followed once again... **** Author''s Note: Feeling generous? Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Chapter 106: Nero’s Rank, Earning a New Title When Nero appeared on the battle ring, his arms were crossed behind his back as his scythe was long since placed away. Typically, after accomplishing such a feat, one would expect to see a look of excitement on the challenger''s face. However, if one looked closer, they would notice that his face had a tinge of disappointment as he sighed while thinking to himself. ''Such a terrifying test, I must have been crazy to think I could do it in one go. I couldn''t even withstand three seconds... such a bummer,'' As he thought here, he couldn''t help but recall the rain of attacks that killed him in an instant, causing him to shiver slightly. Adult Nero chuckled at this and spoke, "Oh, quit whining, you did good enough as is, we still have time before the Gate of Legends. After tomorrow''s dungeon raid, let''s amplify your training speed in the following week." ''I suppose that''s the only choice. But, I have a few matters to deal with this week as well,'' Nero nodded while thinking about visiting his mother, teaching Elly, and the Blood Steel Society. Adult Nero nodded as he knew his thoughts; Nero soon cleared them before looking down at the prying eyes with a calm look. He saw that many of them had reverent looks on their faces, but then he recalled that they were shocked by his Eight Stage attainment. ''Oh yeah, I should have my official rank by now, ha, it should more than be enough to shame that fellow who made a bet and earn me some silver, let''s take a look,'' Nero thought with curious eyes as he willed for the ranking to be displayed. ____ [Fourth place - Title: Silver Boy Level: 7 | Battle Rank:8] ____ When Nero saw this, his eyes went wide, but he soon calmed himself down as he thought, ''Wow! It''s way beyond what I thought it would be; it-it looks like I truly must have shocked them this time.'' "Indeed, you did, but don''t get complacent. You''ve only touched the threshold of the Eight Stage because of your scythe mastery. After all, your combat techniques are still quite a distance from reaching the Eight Level," Adult Nero added with an indifferent tone. Nero knew better than to believe he could challenge someone with an Eight Stage Battle Rank at this time, as such, he nodded in agreement with his older self''s words. By now, Nero had already walked down from the battle platform, but as he walked amongst the crowd, many persons began to whisper amongst themselves, as others shared his image on the Digitizers Network. Soon, a startling commotion had started in the online platform as many individuals began to post and comment. ''This guy''s so wild, he forced Rampant Axe to retreat like a beaten dog, and even directly jumped from no rank to such a level. whoever suggested that name is truly a god!" A person with the username Brute Guy said. "I know, right, look at him, so handsome, so cold, hehe, I likey." The username Bloody Rose said with heart emoji. "What name are you guys talking about?" An anonymous username said. "Huh? You don''t know? Where have you been during the entire chat?" Brute Guy said. "....in a quest," The unknown username said in reply. "Oh no wonder, well, you''ll find out later," Bloody Rose said as more discussion followed out on the forum. Back in the battle arena, Nero soon arrived by Elly''s side, he first noticed that Raynas was standing by her with a welcoming smile, but as for Delkan, he was nowhere to be noticed. Nero frowned as he thought to himself, ''That sly bastard...'' As if Elly noticed Nero''s discomfort, she giggled and spoke, "Nero, are you worried about that Delkan fellow? Hehe, how could a coward like him ever go out of his way to live up to a bargain?" Nero clicked his teeth and spoke, "Che! I''m not worried about him; I just hate that he ended up wasting my time." Elly rolled her eyes and spoke while pointing at the arena," Hmph! What time was wasted? Can''t you see that you made a considerable commotion with that rank you''ve attained; you should be happier!" Nero sighed, knowing what she said was the truth. He shook his head, not speaking on that topic anymore. "Oh, are you going to check your rank as well?" Elly made an embarrassed look before she replied, "I... I''m thinking of not doing it today. I still have to finish up some affairs. Maybe tomorrow or on Monday, I can test it." Nero gave a strange look, but as he saw Raynas shrugging his shoulder, he finally understood, she felt a bit jealous and ashamed because of his current ranking. ''Haha, she''s so silly sometimes,'' Nero thought to himself, thinking it was a bit cute. Elly seeing Nero''s smile pouted her lips, but she soon recalled Avollo words, she looked at Nero and spoke, "I just remembered, Avollo was here just now, but he left when you finished, he told me to tell you Hi." Nero''s face turned down when he heard this; even if Avollo helped him, he still didn''t like how he was easily beaten down a second time. He snorted while thinking, ''Avollo, I will catch up to you soon enough, then we can settle the score.'' As if Elly knew his thoughts, she snickered, not saying anything, she knew full well how hard it was to catch up to someone like that, especially now that he''s going to be working harder. Raynas saw that the time was getting late he looked at Nero and spoke, "Nero, I have to say your rank had surprised me this time, you''ve done well to come this far, but from now, I''ll be training Elly with even more effort." Elly gave Nero a competitive stare as she looked at him while saying nothing. Nero''s lips curved into a smile as he answered, "Well, I don''t mind it, if I get too far ahead of someone, who knows what might happen?" As Nero said, he laughed before he turned around and walking towards the exit, Elly''s face burned with anger at his teasing statement, but as if she recalled mother''s mantra, she chanted in her mind and calmed down. Raynas stared at Nero''s back and nodded before he glanced at Elly and spoke, "Elly, it''s time to go. We''ll need to discuss tomorrow''s dungeon raid; after all, I can''t take you there." "Okay, brother," Elly said with a rare look of obedience. Raynas nodded as he led her towards a different area as they soon after exited the Battle Arena. When Nero left, he wandered across the night-lit streets, taking in the atmosphere in a calm manner. Soon though, his eyes became a bit sad as even though he tried to suppress, he couldn''t stop thinking about his mother. Adult Nero sighed at this; he knew it would take a very long time to heal. As such, he could only overcome the rest in time. Nero stared at the moon and colorful sky with a thoughtful expression as he pondered to himself. ''Mother, I miss you...'' As Nero said this, his eyes grow moist as a slight amount of tears fell down his cheek, but he soon wiped it away and clenched his fists tightly as he muttered. "I miss you... but I will also avenge you, no matter how long it takes..." A cold wind blew as if carrying Nero''s thoughts with it towards the dark heavens, Nero''s cold eyes seemed to be even chillier than the wind, as the passerby''s ensured to keep their distance. Nero then went towards a decent enough location to call it a night. He saw that it was a lovely little terrace with a lake and flowers. A few world spirits were flying about, as one seemed to have fallen behind, Nero hurried over to it and picked it up. Looking at the tiny spirit in his hand, Nero felt a bit at peace as it rubbed its cute little cheeks on his palm. "There you go, little guy," Nero said as he placed it on top of a flower; the little spirit then tucked itself into the plant before it shrunk into it. Nero felt that his mood was good enough and was about to log out, but before he could utter the words, a notification sounded in his mind. ____ Ding! [By the collective will of many, you''ve earned a new title - Wild Silver!] ____ The instant Nero said this, his eyes when wide as Adult Nero chuckled, his laughter sounding at Nero''s mind''s depts echoed through the rest of the night. Chapter 107: A Gloomy Day The sky was a tad gloomy, as today was a chilly overcast day for the residents of Rambruck; the people who scurried about the streets for various activities wore thicker clothing than the usual and had ruddy complexions. Yet, like always, those within the Gutter Zone continued life like the norm. The weather didn''t change much in their life as every day for them was a new struggle. Like many others, Nero had only just awoken from his night''s adventures across the World of Promise. He stretched and yawn before dully staring out of his small window as he rubbed his hands while speaking. "I always hate rainy days." Nero said as he continued to peer out the window, the chilly draft causing him to rub his hands together and pull his sheet tighter to keep warm. As if the heavens heard Nero''s words, a few slight rumblings sounded in the distance as if rain wasn''t too far away from his current environment. Nero shook his head and got down from the bed; he then opened his door, preparing to head to the restroom. However, as he did so, he only just took notice of his mother''s room. There, he noticed that the door was open, even the window in the room had yet to be closed. ''Ah, it seems I had forgotten about it,'' Nero inwardly said as he hurried towards the room. He entered it and felt the tiny area was a bit more spacious. "It feels a bit larger now," Nero muttered with a complicated look in his eyes, but he soon shook his head and closed the windows before making up the bed. After doing this, he then arranged his mother''s things before turning to leave. However, right as he did this, his eyes caught sight of a picture frame, one of two individuals hugging each other. Nero hesitated for a bit before he walked closer to it and touched the desk. His fingers ran atop the desk before he finally grasped it and inspected it. On the photo, he saw a younger frame of his mother who was even more charming and graceful than the present, along with a stalwart looking man. This man had firm features, with sharp-looking eyes, black hair, a chiseled face like that of Adult Nero''s, and a stubble of beard. As Nero stared at this, his mind turned blank as his eyes grew a bit hazy. He soon began to vaguely recall the broad back of this man who took heavy steps towards a door without looking back. The noise of the door closing resounding in his mind as that very man faded from his world. "Father..." Nero muttered unconsciously as a few streams of tears fell from the corners of his eyes. Adult Nero didn''t stare at this; he merely closed his eyes and leaned back as he floated in Nero''s mind. His long hair covered his eyes as he remained silent for an unknown time. ''Now¡­ now isn''t the time for tears, I have to focus on present affairs,'' Nero thought to himself as he wiped the corners of his eyes and showed a set of firm-looking eyes. Following those words, Nero placed down the photo before leaving the room and closing the door. He then took a quick bath and ate his breakfast before he took out a piece of paper and started to jot down his most important tasks. "I need to first meet with those of the Blood Steel Society and join them now rather than later, then visit mother." After Nero concluded his plan for today, he grabbed an umbrella and then left the house. However, right as he went outside, his eyes narrowed as he saw someone standing at his rusty gate as if waiting on him. "So, you were waiting as usual," Nero said with a calm tone. Ryo idly stood as he stared at him in silence, Nero seeing this shook his head, not bothering to say anything more, he continued on his way, and like usual, Ryo merely followed behind him as his tail. **** Within the compound of the Balkras Family, Elly had awoken rather early today; her puffy little cheeks pouted as if she just received another scolding as she stamped her feet towards the restroom, garbed in a simple nightie that fell below her slender legs. With a bang, Elly slammed shut the large bathroom door and went over to the face basin. She then stared at her sullen-looking face in the mirror as she complained. "Why did mother say those things? We are not in any relationship, so I do not need to give that bastard face!" When Elly shouted this, she couldn''t help but recall the silly-looking Delkan who ran off, not even upholding his bet. It seemed that Delkan had complained to his family, who later called hers. ''Hmph! Such a little wussy.'' Elly thought with mocking eyes, but soon after, she erased him from her thoughts as she pondered today''s activities. ''I couldn''t go yesterday because of mother''s lessons, but today, I can finally go and check on Kara; I hope she''s okay.'' When Elly thought to here, her large rounded eyes showed a trace of worry and hope before she shook it off and started to wash her face. She then took a bath as she began to prepare herself for a trip to the hospital. While Elly was readying herself, within a garden, the beautiful Madame Balkras stood at the side of a fountain-like a deity in human form. She currently seemed to be at peace with the environment as she sipped tea from an exquisite cup, basking in the fresh morning air from the city. Soon though, her brows knitted as she thought to herself, ''That daughter of mine... even if she didn''t like that spoiled brat from the Newman''s, she could have at least behaved more appropriately. Hmph! I want to see the backbone of that boy that has bound my daughter''s spirit.'' While Madame Balkras complained about her daughter''s manner inwardly, a maid appeared nearby and whispered something in her ears, causing her calm face to contort slightly. "Hmm, and where is my daughter going at this early hour?" Madame Balkras asked. The maid trembled as she hurriedly replied, "Madame, the young miss is planning on visiting a friend." ''A friend? What kind of friend?" Madame Balkras asked with a hint of suspicion. The maid knew what she meant by what kind, she replied, "A girl." Madame Balkras''s face soon turned a bit better; she placed down her teacup and shouted, "Attend to me, Screwgelman!" "At your service, ma''am!" Screwgelman said as he appeared in front of Madame Balkras. Madame Balkras looked at him coldly, causing him to tremble a bit, but soon she spoke, "You will guide my daughter today, and do, please ensure that she gets back home on time." "As madame wishes!" Screwgelman said with a bow before his figure vanished. Madame Balkras stared at the direction he vanished for a while before closing her eyes, continuing to drink at peace as she returned to the state of one with the world. *** Far away from the city of Rambruck, within distant Vermeulen Sector of the United Earth Government. There was a city that was more than five times the size of Rambruck, its scenery filled with even higher skyscrapers of peculiar designs as floating instruments such an odd-shaped drones satellites patrolled vital areas. Traveling beyond the site of endless concrete buildings, people, and vehicles, one would arrive in an area that seemed like a paradise. Many different statures of old-era legends were erected across the well-trimmed grasses lined with wide paths leading to other areas. Following one path, one would eventually arrive at a giant mansion with a large pool and an artificial forest behind it. Many different luxury cars were parked in various areas with people of different walks moving about its domain. Inside of this mansion, within a large chamber that seemed like its main room. Delkan was currently kneeling before a figure that sat in a chair with his legs crossed. It was a man with similar features with Delkan; only his face had a mature look with a mustache and beard, his finger tapped the armrest as he silently gazed at him with anger on his face. "Useless! How dare you make such a scene? Now you''ve made our family no different from a laughingstock!" The man cursed in anger. Delkan trembled a bit with his head held down. He clenched his fists tightly before he spoke, "But father, it was that bastard''s fault, I am not to blame!" "Hmph! You really think so? Then tell me, who was the one to provoke him? That boy isn''t even an official partner of that Balkras child; even I could learn this detail through simple discussion. Now, not only did you not use your head, you even went on and turned down a personal pledge, the face of our family has taken a drastic downturn due to your foolish shenanigans!" The man yelled in anger once again. Delkan sighed, not saying anything; he knew his father was right. He could only stay quiet and accept his punishment. The man looked at Delkan in anger, but after a moment, he sighed and spoke, "Get out of my sight, the Gate of Legends is nearing, but before that, you''ll need to attend the DU''s meet. If you fail to live up to my expectations again, you can forget about doing anything else in the future!" Delkan sighed at this as he hurriedly left the room, his eyes showing a cold look as if he would not let this grudge down easily. The man stared at Delkan''s retreating figure before shaking his head as he glanced in front of him. A cloaked man soon appeared as if he was waiting and hand him a tablet before vanishing. Soon, the man glanced at it before he sighed and lifted his head, his eyes locked on the looming Universe Ring that towered over the world as he spoke, "Nero Valstine, Valstine... such a strange coincidence, I don''t know why, but it seems that I''m always destined to be at odds with that name." As the man said this, his eyes turned cold as he remembered an enemy he hasn''t seen in a long time, one who was now presumed dead, the scene here turning a bit dark, but the brand new day pressed onwards. *** Hello guys, so the month has ended and we are in October, the small event I held is novel over and the winners of this event are none other than those listed below. To those who won, to get your prize which is a mailed copy of the Dual Sword God series, simply comment your email address in the comment section, or send me a private message on my discord which can be found in my series description. To everyone else, stay tunned for the next event and have a nice day. Winners. Maian, kery2000, DChester | Top Fans Chronoxz246 - Filiusel219 - ContesaRubia | Top Power Stone Voters Chapter 108: A Lurking Storm, The Blood Steel Security Bureau The day continued as the norm, but the sky over Rambruck only grew darker with each passing second. Occasionally, a flicker of thunder would light up the skies from nearing distances as the chilly draft wafted across the city. Currently, within an ordinary pub, a familiar duo was seated around a counter. On closer inspection, one would see a middle-aged man with a messy beard, droopy eyes, and a hook-shaped nose, he wore a thick leather jacket and jeans. At his side, was a fine-looking young lady who wore formal wear, her hair neatly falling to her sides, adding a bit of flavor to her stern-looking face with deep-set eyes. Suddenly, this man smoked a lit cigar as he stared a video clip on a tablet screen with a smirk on his face; the fair lady looked at it with a flicker in her eyes before she spoke. "Inspector Osbon, what do you think will happen if the world was to learn of this detail?" "What else, lass? It will be... a disaster." Osbon said as he looked at the screen with a more solemn look, the images flickering on and off his sclera. Sara sighed and said nothing more, her attention once more focused on the video feed, which showed scenes of a battle like fiction, a series of multiple colored lights that smashed apart everything in an attempt to kill a man that had endless clones. Yes, this was the very clash between Screwgelman and Doppleman. Osbon chuckled with a hint of nervousness and excitement in his worn look eyes, he thought to himself. ''We were lucky to have recorded this from a decent distance, who knows what would have happened if we were noticed? So long as I have this, it will explain a lot of things. All those past disappearances, the so-called acts of terrorism in certain sectors, and even those strange rumors from so long ago that faded from existence. Hmph! I will let everyone know of this, regardless of the dangers!'' When Osbon finished his thoughts, his eyes had a sharp glimmer; he clenched his fists that held the cigar, crushing it into bits before tossing it away. Sara looked at this and sighed to herself while thinking. ''So, this is what the Inspector was after, but even if he does spread it, it will only lead to an age of disorder.'' Following her thoughts, Sara''s eyes shifted towards the pub''s windows, wandering towards the cloudy skies that seemed as if they were about to rain at any second. ''The dark clouds still loom over, but the storm lurks beyond its cover.'' As if her words affected the world, a bright flash flickered across the sky as a thunderous bang followed. Not long after, a few drizzles began to drop from the sky as the thundershower had finally descended on Rambruck. *** The pelting waterdrops from the cloudy heavens doused the earth, forcing those beneath it to shield themselves with umbrella''s or seek out shelter. The vehicles that drove across the streets had their lights dim, lighting up both the soaked ground and the water showers as they moved by the various pedestrians. At this time, a bus had stopped at a nearby bus stop before letting off a few individuals; following this, it drove off rapidly, splashing up a few pools of water from the street''s puddles with its wheels as the nearby pedestrians screamed in surprise and anger. "Hey! What the hell, man?" "That son of a¡­" "This is my new dress, god damn I hate commuting during such weather!" Unlike the voices of anger and the raging individuals that pointed and shook their fists at the departed bus, two individuals seemed perfectly calm and unaffected. Heck, if one looked at them, they would notice that they didn''t even have soaked clothes as if the splash of water was unable to affect them. ''That darn driver, he''s lucky I''m in a better mood.'' Nero thought as he took away his eyes from the bus and walked towards the direction of a tall building; he currently had his umbrella unfurled in full. Ryo didn''t seem to mind as he calmly followed behind Nero; he held an umbrella in one arm as his other actively played with his smartphone, it seemed as if nothing else in the world was more important than his games. Nero glanced at him and shook his head; he didn''t bother to disturb him but paid attention to the building ahead. It was a skyscraper with many storeys, and a giant emblem of two blades crossing each other on its surface, underneath it was the large written text - the Blood Steel Security Bureau. Nero looked at the blood-red business card with the same symbols on it but the name Blood Steel Society; he shook his head with an expression of bewilderment as he inwardly thought to himself. ''Isn''t this a bit too open? To think I believed it was some hidden base underground or someplace behind a special set of magical brick walls.'' "You think this is one of those books you''ve already read?" Adult Nero said with a light laugh as he knew Nero''s thoughts; Nero shook his head to clear his mind, he then ignored his older self and continued into the building. Ryo''s eyes shifted up from his phone, a sharp glint flickered within them as he stared at the symbol with unknown thoughts while calmly following behind Nero. As Nero walked closer, he found it odd that no one left or entered the building, but before he could question it, the moment he entered through the spinning entrance, the world before him changed as his body vanished. Suddenly, Nero had found himself in a vast field with sparse white clouds in the open sky. Ahead of him was a series of structures that seemed more like fantasy. A large stadium was in the distance, and people who wore distinct kinds of wear from business suits, regular clothes, and even fantasy-style garments chatted and laughed they moved about the area. ''Wh-what the hell is this? Is this the fabled cosplay festival from mother''s generation?'' Nero thought as never in his life did he believe he would encounter such a peculiar scene. Ryo seemed to have noticed the look on Nero''s face; he chuckled before he spoke, "So you''re only surprised by this? Tch, so inexperienced." Nero knitted his brow and glanced at Ryo as he snapped back. "Shut it." Not even bother to see Ryo''s reaction, he walked ahead towards the crowd as Ryo shook his head and followed behind him. A few individuals couldn''t help but notice them; they cast them curious glances as they spoke amongst themselves. "Oh, it looks like we''ve got some new recruits, hehe, this should be fun," A bulky guy with sharp eyes, a square-shaped face, muscular arms with the tattoos of a panther said with a smirk. He had a camo-styled band over his forehead and wore camo-pants with a black marina. "Jack, don''t tell me you''re going to do it again?" A slender woman in a seductive suit said she held a long wooden staff in one arm as she used a knife to carve its surface. Looking at her closely, one would notice that she had curly brown hair in a perm style. "Haha, you know me best, Bera." Jack replied with a laugh as he fixedly stared at Nero and Ryo; Bera said nothing as she curiously inspected the two with a strange light in her eyes, her lips curved into a smile as if she had the same thoughts as Jack. Soon, Nero and Ryo had arrived around what seemed like a reception desk in the open field. They didn''t pay attention to any of the noises in the surroundings nor the interested individuals who observed them. At this time, a pretty woman that sat behind the counter looked at them in surprise as she thought. ''Oh, newcomers. Hehe, things should get lively around here...'' Following her thoughts, she vaguely gave a few old-timers a look before fixing onto Jack and Bera. As if she was only casually distracted, she promptly stared at Nero and made a warm smile as she spoke in a greeting tone. "Good morning, and welcome to our Blood Steel Society! I see that you two are new here, shall I take that you''ve come to register as a member?" Nero gave the woman a good look before he glanced at Ryo; Ryo showed no trace of emotion as he fixed his attention on his phone. ''Tsk, always so caught up with his phone. I suppose that since he followed me here, he''d likely be joining as well. Talk about next-level stalking...'' Following his thoughts, Nero clicked his teeth before he focused his attention on the woman and replied. "Yes, I was recently given this card by someone called Yullia, and now that I have made up my mind, I am here to join along with this fellow here." The receptionist had a look of shock on her face when she heard Nero''s words and saw the card, not only her even the few individuals who noticed Nero and Ryo were caught by surprise. "They were recruited by that fabled Dark Witch! You''ve got to be kidding me!" "No shit, if it''s like this, then they aren''t your average brats." A few onlookers said, Jack and Bera even had surprised looks on their faces, but soon, their faces turned similar, showing a strange and sinister smile. Nero felt that the air was strange; he stared at the receptionist before looking at the people around him. He soon noticed Jack and Bera, who stared at him with fire in their eyes as he frowned. Suddenly, he had a dark feeling, as if things weren''t going to be so smooth, a strange atmosphere soon lingered about the field. Chapter 109: Registering for the Society, Ghostshade Within the Blood Steel Security Bureau, Nero watched the others in silence as a weird mood lingered about the field, especially when he saw the looks on both Jack''s and Bera''s faces as if both him and Ryo were nothing more than entertainment. ''What''s with that damn uncle and auntie?'' Nero thought with discomfort; he didn''t like the looks they were sending him; Ryo''s eyes narrowed as he glanced at a few areas before returning to normal, his attention once more fixed on his phone as he continued to play games. Adult Nero had a fond look on his face as if he recalled old times; he stared at them while thinking back to his past. ''Jack, Bera, it''s been a fairly long time; it looks like they''re about to do that Initiation Ritual again, haha, this should be fun to watch as an outsider.'' While everyone behaved strangely, Nero soon put himself together, paying them no attention as he shifted his eyes onto the receptionist. He was also annoyed by the fact that she had zoned out in an unprofessional manner. As if only noticing her mistake, the receptionist soon returned to her senses; she pretended that nothing happened as she took the card from Nero and placed it in a slot. "Good, I shall take care of the details, please tell me your names." The receptionist said with a business-like smile. "It''s Nero Valstine," Nero said. Following those words, the receptionist typed a few things on a virtual keyboard before she looked at Ryo, but as if he sensed her gaze, Ryo replied without even looking at her. "Kojima Ryo." The receptionist then smiled and swiped her palms towards the duo after a few more typing sounds, sending two virtual documents before them. "Great, please fill out that information, and you will receive your membership tokens." Not saying a word, both Nero and Ryo signed up the documents which soon turned into two rays of light that fell into a desk. Moments after, another pair of red lights had shot towards the duo that formed into two red blood tokens. Looking at each of them, one would notice that these tokens had unknown power emanating from within as the society''s symbol was engraved on its surface. ''Such an interesting little trinket, I can feel a slight comfort with my Spiritual Awareness.'' Nero thought as he held his token in his hand and played with it. On the other hand, Ryo tossed his token into his pocket before focusing on his cell phone. Moments after, the receptionist then handed over the tokens to them and spoke, "All done, on behalf of everyone else, I would like to officially welcome you both to our society, and I hope that you will both do your best for the sake of humanity. Please proceed to the Blood Steel Temple; there you will learn all the necessities of a member along with a few key information." Nero nodded his head at this before he left towards the specified area, but as they both moved, he noticed that the individuals that stared at them had odd smiles on their faces. Before he could even say anything, Jack''s towering figure soon appeared before them as Bera stood behind them. "Looks like the show''s about to start." "Haha, a good little entertainment on such a cloudy day, I couldn''t have it any other way." As a few others chattered, the receptionist also looked on from her desk with a strange glimmer in her blue eyes, her neck long blond hair flowing with the wind as her slender fingers played with a deck of odd cards. "Diane, I didn''t think we''d get rookies at such a time. Looks like the society has been recruiting again," A strange figure said as they walked over from a shady looking area; he spoke in a voice that seemed cold and indifferent, his voice muffled by what seemed no different from a gas mask that covered his mouth. Looking at him more closely, one would notice that this stranger wore a tattered looking cloak with his face shrouded behind its hood and a mask on his mouth. His bandaged-up arms held onto a simple set of knives that he casually spun around his fingers. Diane looked at him in surprise as she spoke, "Ghostshade, what are you doing here? Last I heard you were on that mission, shouldn''t you be¡ª" "That mission... is already over." Ghostshade replied coldly, interrupted her words; if one looked at his hood, they would notice a slight flicker of two red lights at the positions of his eyes before they returned to normal. Diane shook her head at those words, her attention once more focused onto Nero and the others as she spoke, "Good, I shall update your mission profile, as for these kids, we''re expecting a lot, they''re after all the Dark Witch''s kids." "Oh, well this is interesting news, huhu, I should pay her a visit now that I''ve returned." Ghostshade replied with a light laugh before he walked from the field towards a different area; the onlookers also promptly gave way, each knowing full well of his reputation. By this time, the confrontation between Jack and Bera against Nero and Ryo had finally started. Nero frowned as he spoke, "What are you doing?" Jack smirked as he spoke, "Brat, I''d like to welcome you to our Blood Steel Society. You''ve only just joined as such; you don''t know of our customs, for every new member there is an Initiation Ritual, so please allow this senor member to guide you." Nero had a dark look on his face; he wanted to tell him to scram, but as he used his Spiritual Awareness, he sensed that the energy within his body was on an entirely different level compared to his own. Naturally, Nero had a hunch about what they wanted to do, which made his expression turned a bit sour. Ryo said nothing as if it didn''t affect him; after a short while, Nero shook his head and replied. "Fine, but only after we''ve been to the Blood Steel Temple. We don''t have time to play with both uncle and aunty." As if they didn''t care about Nero''s use of words, both Jack and Bera smirked at this as they replied, "Hehe, of course, follow us." Following this, they started to guide Nero and Ryo towards a towering building made from ancient stone, standing on the opposing side of a Battle Stadium. As they carried them along, they even went ahead and introduced most of the other buildings and themselves. It didn''t take long for them to arrive before the Blood Steel Temple, a large white building that looked no different from an ancient construct at the summits of a broad flight of stairs. Bera looked at Jack, who nodded before he pointed at the door and spoke, "Kiddos, the door is ahead, but before I send you off, heed these words. As you''ve now joined us, you will come to learn that the world which you''ve ventured into isn''t like what you''ve expected. While things may look peaceful on the surface, there are far more dangers than you can imagine underneath it. Try your best not to lose your sanity after learning the truth of the world." When Nero heard this, he remained indifferent, like Ryo, who showed no expression changes. Nero glanced at them and spoke while walking off. "I thank Uncle Jack and Aunty Bera for your advice. I''ll keep it in mind." Jack and Bera were a bit surprised by both Nero''s and Ryo''s response; they glanced at each other before they looked at their figures, which mounted the steps, each having smiles on their faces. "Ha, these brats are something else, they didn''t even seem scared just now, truly an interesting pick from that Dark Witch." Jack said with a bright shimmer in his eyes. "Yes, but that''s not enough; once there finished, we''ll take them to the stadium for the final initiation," Bera said in a combative tone. The scene below the Briefing Temple was now one of strangeness as if slowly building up to the soon to come Initiating Ritual. Chapter 110: The Blood Steel Temple, The Various Races The Blood Steel Temple was even more massive when viewed from its inside, seeming no different from a world itself. The floor was a pure white color, as everywhere else was mostly of a blood-red color, many kinds of weapons were erected about the vast space, each giving baleful energy. Nero looked around in curiosity as he moved about this space with Ryo following idly. Ryo, unlike before, now had his attention on the surroundings. Noticing his change, Nero glanced at him before he took this chance to converse. "What do you know about this place?" Ryo didn''t say anything but only continued to look around at the various weapons before his eyes fixed onto a specific direction. "Nothing, but you should be able to learn some things from over there," Ryo said as he kept his attention on an object that seemed to reside at the center of all weapons. Nero frowned not liking the answer, but he said nothing. He promptly walked over towards the area referred. They soon arrived before what seemed like a giant blood-red cube at the center of five different spears with blood on their surfaces. The cube gave off a dark feeling, but it seemed somewhat capable suppressing itself, unlike the different weapons. ''What kind of trinket is this? Could it be another one of those weapons, or is it something else?'' Nero thought while looking at the cube with a pensive look on his face; Ryo narrowed his eyes but said nothing. It seemed that he knew more than he was letting on. Suddenly, while both were distracted with their thoughts, a voice sounded across the entire space. "Welcome to the Blood Steel Temple; you must be the newcomers." A bit stunned by this; Nero looked around the area in surprise as he called out. "Who''s there?" Ryo also took on a more solemn posture as it seemed as if he was going to attack at any second. As if the person who spoke grew interested, the voice sounded once more. "Huhu... such interesting children, fine since you''ve asked, allow me to reveal myself." Following those words, both Nero and Ryo looked before them in surprise as the cube began to glow in ominous lights that shrouded the entire area. Not long after, the lights faded, and the scene soon cleared up before their eyes. A figure had unknowingly appeared before the floating cube, a man who wore blood-red robes with a book in one hand. He had a slim face with a long nose, and delicate lips like that of a woman''s, his black hair well-trimmed as his dark brown eyes gazed at Nero and Ryo with interest. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am the core of the Blood Steel Temple, the spirit you might say who oversees the passing of knowledge to those in every generation. I have quite the many names, but you may address me as Cubeman." ''Cubeman? Such an odd name.'' Nero though with a puzzled look on his face, but he didn''t say anything to provoke the stranger. On the other hand, Ryo had a flicker in his eyes as his lips curved into a smile; it seemed he knew a bit about the person behind the name. Cubeman paid their reactions no mind; he held his hand before him, causing a small semi-transparent red cube to appear before it as he spoke again. "Now that we''ve gotten introductions out of the way let''s get started. You''re both here because of a member handing you an invitation card. These cards are assigned only to Novice Rank Digitizers that have recently awakened. As a Digitizer, you should have already learned about the wonders of the World of Promise, knowing that its ultimate goal is to find and seek out a mystical treasure." Both Nero and Ryo looked on in silence as they knew full well about this, plus even more, or rather, Ryo himself knew about the entire situation. Cubeman nodded as he saw their manner and continued his words. "Good, you''re both updated on most things. Let''s get more on topic, despite the great opportunities of the world. It is both a blessing on one side and a disaster in another. Why do I say this? It''s simple, not only our kind; there are many other races in this broad and endless universe''s searching for opportunities, and most importantly, that special treasure in that world." As Cubeman said those words, the cube in his hand began to spin as the world before Nero and Ryo transformed into a starry world with many planets. Soon, the images belonging to rabbit-eared persons, persons with tails, and even familiar alien-like figures with green skin and strangely shaped heads began to appear. "There are many races in the endless universe, so much that we could never quantify their total numbers. All races are divided into classes based on their innate qualities and overall strength in the universe. As such, they all range from Class One to Class Four. The like of which you''ve more or likely acquainted yourselves within the World of Promise are our allies, races much like the Earth Giants, Spirit Rabbitian, Sharkian, Iron Blood Wolfian, Thunder Eelans, and a few others. Amongst them, most are at the ranks of a Class Two Race with the strongest amidst them being a Class Two Race." When Nero heard this, his eyes flickered as he recalled seeing a few of them before, most of the Spirit Rabbitian, Thunder Eelans, and Sharkian based on his encounters. ''That thieving girl must be from that Spirit Rabbitian Race, but as for the other two, I''m guessing that Crazy Blade and Thunder''s Daughter should be amongst either category.'' Nero thought to himself with a bit of interest in his eyes. He suddenly recalled that fellow who identified himself as Phantom Child and began to ponder his origin. But as if Cubeman heard his thoughts, his next words answered his issue. "The Grim Race, Cyber Kind, True Light Race, and Origin Race are neutral races, wanting nothing to do with any other kind. They are typically amongst Class Two to even peak Class Tree, with the strongest being the Origin Race ranking at peak Class Four. Still, while we are safe from these races, our threats come from the other dominant clans, both within our world and outside of it. The threat from our world is those humans that have allied with forces unknown, titling themselves as Bit Hunters. Since you''ve both been recruited, you should have more or likely encountered them. However, as for the other threats outside, they are the various hostile Class Three Races along with the even more dangerous peak Class Four Races, more specifically the Mind Spirit Divinities, Soul Devouring Golorats, and the Celestial Zerax Race." Nero narrowed his eyes at this, he knew of the Bit Hunters and had heard a bit about most races from Adult Nero, including the general classifications, but he didn''t know their names. ''Hmm, so it was one of those races that ruined my family, which is it? Which one of them cursed my mother to her current state?'' Nero thought to himself as his eyes flashed with a hint of killing intent, but as he knew he wouldn''t get any answers from his older self, he tried his best to calm down and calm his state of mind. Ryo had a similar iciness in his eyes at the mention of those races, but he said nothing. It seemed that there was more to his story than his duty to his father and Nero. ''Huh? Well now, I didn''t think they''d still be able to keep such composure even after hearing such news. Huhu, they''re quite the peculiar brats now, aren''t they?'' Cubeman thought to himself, but he soon shook his head and focused once more. With a wave of his hand, the scenes vanished, and the cube in his hand faded into nothingness. Moments after, he smiled at the duo and spoke. "Good, I''ve pretty much spoken of the basics, our Blood Steel Society is a group formed on the foundations of the blood of our First-Generation Masters. Along with the founders of other DU groups, they sacrificed themselves to carve out a place for humanity on the front lines in the World of Promise. Their efforts had even protected our kind from the dangers that now lurk in our world. You, as members of humankind, and our society must henceforth take up our sworn duty. Once you have arrived at the higher-ranked zones, you must each partake in missions against our enemy races, but that can be addressed at another time. Other than this, you are free to do whatever you wish, we won''t take any of your treasures gained on solo expeditions, nor are you required to meet a daily quota like in those Hatman''s and other societies." Nero had flashing eyes at those words as he thought to himself. ''So, despite our duties, there is truly an advantage to being in this group, we aren''t on tighter leashes.'' Cubeman smirked as if he knew Nero''s thoughts; he spoke one more. "Nevertheless, you must also promise to act if there ever so rises a danger in our Earth World, especially against those Bit Hunters that are actively threatening our kind." When Nero heard those words, he made a curious look as he asked a question. "I''m confused, with our current advances in technology and our surveillance networks. I find this issue to be pointless. If you all know of the danger behind these Bit Hunters, why haven''t you taken it into your hands to crush them?" Ryo shook his head at Nero''s words as Cubeman gave Nero a look before showing a more serious face when he replied. "It''s simple." As he said this, he snapped his finger, causing a brand new scene to appear, one that caused even someone of Nero''s mind to fall back in shock as he saw the most startling scene in his entire life. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 111: A Shocking Revelation, Mind Larva Before Nero''s eyes was a sight like no other, the images of many different humans with their bodies open, usually this wouldn''t be alarming to someone like him based on his fantasy world experiences. Still, as Nero looked closer, he saw that within each of their bodies was a strange creature that lived in their brains. Looking closer, one would notice that each of these ''brain critters'' was somewhat translucent, each with a worm-like body that wriggled about with odd limbs that seemed no different from pincers. "This... this... what the hell are those things?" Nero said in shock as despite venturing the World of Promise, such a sight would be more than enough to spook anyone. Ryo narrowed his eyes at this; he knew what they were and had already learned these details from his father. Cubeman gave Ryo a sharp look before setting his eyes onto the strange critters as he replied to Nero with a solemn voice. "Boy, what you see before you are the larva of the Mind Spirit Kind. These are nasty little bloggers that tend to merge with the souls of all whom they''ve come in contact with." As Nero heard this, he felt shocked; he looked at Cubeman and asked, "Huh? How can this be? Shouldn''t any lifeform from that world be unable to enter our world?" "True, but also not in entirety, the fact is there are ways to connect to all worlds, but only through the use of the Universe Rings and consent from both parties on each potentially connectable surfaces. Most races only do so with their allies, forming vast networks in their galaxies, further enhancing their civilizations'' strength and potential. On the other hand, despite making allies, we are only newly joined into this vast universe space. We can''t easily grant passage to even those we respect as allies, only accepting a bare minimum for interconnection and exchange. Naturally, some use secretive methods by forming deals with certain societies and humans to connect to our world. Still, they are only able to do so through communication devices." Cubeman said as a strange look appeared on his face. Nero made a stern look as he said nothing more, hearing all of that was a lot to take in, and he was slowly processing everything. ''Incredible, to think that such a thing was even possible? That All-Seer, he truly is a sneaky fellow with his words. I wonder, just how many of what he said was the truth from falsehood?'' While Nero pondered, he soon cleared his mind as he knew that this wasn''t the time to overthink, and most importantly, he had yet to hear a proper answer from Cubeman; as expected, Cubeman spoke once more. "On a different note, and more back on topic, as I''ve mentioned before, these Mind Larvas can connect with any they make contact, they do so by attaching themselves to the other party''s soul. Do you know what this means?" When Cubeman spoke to here, his eyes narrowed as he showed a grim look when he continued speaking. "It''s simple; this means that they can each transfer bits of themselves to other worlds, even when the opposing party has left from the World of Promise into their native lands. Hence, forming a partial influence in that particular world. It is in this way that the Mind Spirit Race has formed a bond in our world, many have always wanted to know of how Bit Hunters came into being, but the very truth is that we were the ones who''ve unknowingly, or even intentionally brought them to our world." Ryo remained calm and indifferent to all things, as he knew these details, but as for Nero, he had a surprise on his face as his thoughts went wild. ''So that''s how it is, that''s how they were able to get here, and that''s why humans have such a sinister and cruel method of empowering themselves. That merit is likely one that does more harm than good meant solely to create discord amongst humanity, yet most of them probably haven''t even realized that there were many amongst them infected by these things.'' "Right, but also wrong," Adult Nero said, finally speaking after a long while of silence. ''Hmph! So only now you decide to say something on this matter, you truly are a bastard.'' Nero complained inwardly towards his older self. Adult Nero didn''t seem to mind his words; he merely stared at the images shown from Nero''s eyes in the space of his consciousness as he continued speaking. "I said that you were right in that you had correctly guessed the enemy''s intention, but you were wrong about one thing." ''Oh, and what might that be?'' Nero asked with a curious expression on his face, though he only seemed as if he was sizing up the images on the outside. Adult Nero looked at him and replied, "You were wrong about the tendencies of humans." When Nero heard this, his eyes turned colder as he spoke inwardly, ''You mean to say that the leaders of those Bit Hunters and their upper executives are likely knowledge of the enemy''s intentions and even the Mind Larva?'' "Correct." Adult Nero said in reply as he no longer said anything else, fading back into quietness in Nero''s consciousness. Cubeman had been observing Ryo''s and Nero''s reaction. He found Nero''s initial surprise within reason but grew a bit of admiration as he saw him recover to curiosity. He also noticed that Ryo remained indifferent; he couldn''t help but feel it strange. He had peculiar thoughts, but he didn''t over ponder it as there were more important things he had to concern himself on. With a loud clap, Cubeman drew both Nero and Ryo''s attention onto himself once more as the scenes had vanished. "Good, with that, I should''ve already addressed all core subjects. You can find out more from your Blood Steel Tokens and your comrades. I officially welcome you both as new members, for now, you can tour the rest of the temple and learn of the various particular areas for members. Take care now, kids, and until the next time we meet." As Cubeman said those words, he gave both Nero and Ryo a peculiar smile before he faded into the world, leaving behind the giant cube that stood at its center. A passageway appeared behind the duo, who looked at each other with a loud rumble before they walked towards it and left the space. They had vanished behind the door in moments, which then burst into specks of lights across the now silent space. As if he was waiting for this moment, Cubeman soon after appeared at the side of the giant cube, staring at the direction they left with a fascinated gleam in his eyes. ''Interesting, I can''t say for sure about that Asian child, but that silvered-haired boy, he reminds me of someone, they''re so different, yet so similar, that face, that aura. Huhu, I truly look forward to seeing another rise in this generation...'' When Cubeman finished his thoughts, the scene before him rapidly changed as he vanished again, and the world here once more returned to its stillness. *** Within a small building inside the Blood Steel Temple space, a familiar-looking black-haired woman with bangs garbed in revealing mage-like wear was seated around a desk. Naturally, this was Yullia, who was currently residing in her private quarters, but her face was now one of anger, unlike her last appearance. "How annoying. Why did the leader force it upon my shoulders to check out that zone? What is he expecting me to find there?" Yullia complained about an annoyed expression, she really didn''t know what that leader was thinking, but as he had given her the command, it wasn''t her place to reject it. After sighing deeply, Yullia put down a stack of papers and prepared to leave for today''s inspection duties, but as she rose to her feet, another familiar individual appeared. A slender blond man with a long face and a straight body, garbed in a business suit, walked from nearby with a lively expression on his face. "Stick... no, Felick, what''s the matter?" Felick, widely known to many as Stickman, stared at Yullia with a smile as he spoke, "You wouldn''t believe who''s made it here." "Who?" Yullia asked with a hint of curiosity on her face. "Come with me to find out," Felick said, not saying anything in a straightforward manner, very much unlike his nickname and appearance. "Pssh, I want to see just what''s got you so eager," Yullia said as she hurried along. The two quickly vanished from this part of the temple as the day festivities within was about to enter a new phase. Chapter 112: The Devil’s Game The Temple Arena was rather lively today as Nero and Ryo left the Blood Steel Temple. Jack and Bera had already escorted them towards what they termed as the Initiation Grounds. Naturally, the Blood Steel Society''s idle member that sauntered about the area had all come to enjoy the show, including those that carried a bit of fame. They had all been through this phase, and no one was going to pass up a chance to see it fall onto their juniors. Looking around this area, one would notice that the arena seemed no different from an ancient battle colosseum; there were many war instruments scattered about along with a variety of weapons. However, by carefully observing, one could see that the floor paved with hard stone had a few areas with odd lines that formed a squarish pattern for a few dozen meters. ''Hm, there''s more to this ring that it seems, I wonder, just what are they planning for this so-called Initiation.'' Nero thought while he looked around the arena field, his manner taking an on a cautious appearance, which caused a few of the onlookers to chuckle as a few spoke in suspicious whispers. On the other hand, Ryo remained at ease as he played with his phone; it seemed that nothing else was worth his attention other than the Blood Steel Temple. ''Tsk, this guy. He''s not even showing any interest in addressing our current predicament.'' Nero thought as he clicked his teeth in discontent, he wanted to curse at him, but before he could do so, a new change occurred. "Bring out the chains!" A resonant voice said from somewhere amongst the crowd of onlookers, following the voice, the eyes of all members flashed with excitement as they all started to shout. "Chains! Chains! Chains! Chains!" As if the shouts of the dozens of onlookers were no different from the battle cry of an army, the arena shook as if it were undergoing a quake that brought alarm to Nero. Even Ryo narrowed his eyes at this as he stared at the onlookers, noticing that their eyes gleamed in well hidden, but terrifying rays. "They are all of the Expert Tier..." Ryo murmured, but as Nero was nearby, his eyes grew even more solemn when he heard this; he knew just what Ryo meant by being experts. ''No wonder they could create such an effect by simply shouting, I''m afraid that we won''t be having it easy, especially against that darn duo,'' Nero thought as he looked at Jack and Bera, who seemed to be held in high esteem by those monsters that surrounded the arena. At this time, both Jack and Bera stood a few feet apart from each other as they stared at Nero and Ryo. They gave each other a look before Jack clapped his hands, causing a loud sound to scatter everywhere, bringing silence to everyone that gather to watch the show. "Since our comrades have requested it, then it will be done! Today we will welcome our new brethren with our favorite challenge by chains!" The onlookers went wild as she shouted in joy upon hearing Jack''s words, causing a dark mood to fill the air. Nero frowned as he looked at Jack and spoke, "Hey, I don''t know what you''re doing, but I think that you owe us an explanation? What''s this nonsense about chains?" Jack smirked as he replied, "Huhu... boy, you''re a bit anxious, but don''t be, it''s all apart of custom, I did it, they did it, and as such, everyone must do it. You might not understand now, but trust me, someday you will and when you do, you shall naturally come to respect today''s session." Bera giggled at this as she gave Nero a teasing smile, but if one looked deep down, they would also see a tinge of pity. ''What the hell is all that nonsense? He didn''t even answer the question!'' Nero inwardly cursed angrily; even his eyes shone with a tinge killing intent. "Heh, I''d advise you to save your anger, the test will be starting soon," Adult Nero said after another while of silence. Nero wanted to say something, but suddenly, the entire arena began to shake again as the ground started to split; looking at it more closely, one would notice that the floor lines had started to part, revealing what seemed like a bottomless pit with a network of rattling chains. "This... what the hell?" Nero complained as Ryo looked down with a deep look on his face. In moments, the entire ground below their feet had vanished, forcing both Nero and Ryo to act quickly; they both employed their movement styles to land on top of two different chains. Nero promptly calmed himself down and asked, ''What kind of test is this?'' Adult Nero snickered before he replied, ''Okay, I''ll at least not let you suffer too severely, they normally don''t explain much, and you have to figure everything out by yourself. You''ll have to defeat that duo in a competition, but it''s not by fighting as you know how that would end. These chains will link together with you and Ryu as a team, but you won''t be able to move or utilize their functions unless you invoke your Digitize Bits. This is a team-based challenge, and your only goal is to try and get one object past your opponents, so long as that object reaches its target, then no matter what method you use, it will be your victory. However, if the opponent side counters and performs the same task, then you will have lost the challenge." Nero had a sour look on his face and spoke, ''Hey, that''s not enough, what object are you talking about? I still don''t know the rules. How do you expect me to win by simply giving me such bland information?'' "I don''t know, that''s your and that kid''s problem." Adult Nero calmly said as if it had nothing to do with him. He broadened the screen showing all of the outside scenes before him as he leaned back, ready to enjoy some entertainment. Nero gnashed his teeth in anger, but he knew he couldn''t do anything as he said. He would have to figure out the rest on his own, or at least, with his unlikely teammate, Ryo. After adjusting his footing on the rattling chain below him, Nero glanced at Ryo, who had a look that didn''t even seem like he would discuss current affairs. He frowned, not even bothering to say anything to him. Suddenly, a loud clap was heard, bringing everyone''s attention back onto Jack and Bera; the duo was currently standing on intersecting chains that, oddly enough, met at what seemed like a circular convergence point. "Haha, it''s finally begun, I want to see what these little runts are capable of." "Me too, maybe they''ll be comparable to those rookies from last month." "No way, those guys were already of a decent class; by now, they should even be more than ready for the Gate of Legends." "I don''t know, who knows we might just see something good this time?" A few people observing couldn''t help but converse amongst themselves, but one person watched with flashing eyes as he pondered. ''This should be a fun bout...'' Ghostshade murmured as he watched from a nearby corner of the colosseum, his figure shrouded by part of the shadows. By now, Jack had seen that everyone was at attention; he smiled as he looked at Ryo and Nero and spoke, "Kids, I''ll be generous and tell you a few things, this game of ours is called the Devil''s Chains, and all you have to do is one simple task." When Jack said this, he snapped his finger, causing a bright light to shoot up from the ground, forming a golden ball at the center of the stage; four different sources of lights flew up from the abyss once more that latched onto one of Jack''s, Nero''s, Bera''s and Ryo''s arm. The moment this happened, it formed into cuffs with illusory chains that linked the two parties together. Two stone pillars rose from behind the two parties with a rumbling sound, positioned at the very opposing ends of each side; the statues were of two savage-looking devils holding a bucket towards them. Nero didn''t like the looks of things, but Jack didn''t give him time to think as he spoke once more. "The task is to hit the ball into that bucket, so long as one side does it, the game will be over. There are no real rules to this game, and you can use any methods. Of course, we won''t be using our full power and only limit ourselves to our abilities; I trust that you know what that means. Now then, huhu, let the games begin!" The instant Jack spoke, the air within the room changed as only silence remained, Nero narrowed his eyes as even Ryo had a tinge of solemness on their faces, the tension rose, beckoning the start of a dreadful game. Chapter 113: Digitize Bits, The Start of the Games The games started instantly, as, without a word of notice, Jack and Bera smirked and made unique hand signs with their arms at different postures before shouting. "Sheer the wind, Alisif!" "Bewitch the world, Elsha!" Following their invocations, a bright light shone from their arms as two bright flowing card-shaped objects appeared, they shone in two different colors with one having the symbol of a knife in the shape of a ring and the other being a decorated flute. The crowd watched this in excitement as even Ghostshade nodded while thinking, ''The Wind Cutter Alisif and the Bewitching Flute Elsha, good Bit Artifacts, I haven''t seen these two act in quite a while, even if they are suppressed, this should be quite entertaining.'' Not long after the weapons appeared, Jack and Bera held onto them as they adopted different battle postures, Jack held his knife in a crouched stance like a ninja as Bera had her flute by her bosom in a vertical manner. When this happened, their bodies glowed before returning to normal, but the only difference this time was their attire. Jack now wore what seemed like a hooded dark brown assassin''s robe with a ninja''s mouth cover while Bera wore an even more revealing dress as if she were a performer from an ancient era, her face hidden behind a veil with music patterns. "Huhu, this should be good!" "So sexy! BERA, show those kids how it''s done!" The audience made a variety of shouts, but Jack and Bera remained unphased by this. They looked at each other before speaking at the same time. "Let''s go." Moments after their words, Jack charged towards the center of the field, comprised only of chains. His footwork was light and swift, far different from his bulky and brutish manner; thus, one could tell he wasn''t such a simple character from the surface. Unlike Jack, Bera merely stood where she was in silence; she held onto her flute in a suggestive manner as she crossed her legs and winked towards the audience. The crowd''s males send whistles and cheers as their eyes lit up, but as for Nero and Ryo, they merely stared at their actions with contemplative looks on their faces. ''The rule is straight forward, but I feel that there''s more to this than they''re letting on; what is the purpose of this chain that binds us to each other.'' Nero thought as he glanced at the illusory chains that had unknowingly appeared from cuffs formed around their arms. He saw that as Jack dashed forward, he didn''t even jump towards other chains as if he was bounded to the chains below his feet. However, the illusory chains that connected Jack and Bera extended as if it had no end or limits. "These are called Linker Chains, products used to bind two members of a party together, it can function as a communication tool, or a means of switching place with the opposite party." Nero was surprised when he heard the voice. He glanced to the side and saw that Ryo wasn''t eager to move either and was calmly analyzing the situation. Feeling a bit better knowing that Ryo had some foreknowledge, he inspected it in detail. ____ [Linker Chains] [Abilities:] [1 - Communicate - Allows one party to speak to the other.] [2 - Link Switch - Switch placed with the other party that exists on a separate chain.] [3 - Empower - Channel magic power into the body of the other party.] ____ After inspecting the Linker Chains, Nero then spoke to him through the message channel. "Based on what I''m seeing, these guys are using the powers from their fully awaken bits, can we even win against them if we digitize? Won''t we even be subjected to our limited time frames?" Ryo gave Nero a look before he stared at the duo once more and replied, "That''s the challenge, we have to take into consideration the limited time we have in our Digitized States and try to beat them. We don''t have to worry about them utilizing their full strengths. They''ll more likely be limiting themselves to only their most basic abilities. As such, so long as we work together, we can win this; besides, it''s not a battle, we only need to get that ball into the statue''s goal point and ensure that ours is well protected." Nero looked at Ryo deeply as he thought, ''He''s a quick thinker, but that''s expected since he''s stalking me like some spy, he must have trained that way since young. No matter, this will work in our favor.'' After wrapping up his thoughts, Nero spoke again, "Good, you know a lot, what do you suggest we do about the current game?" Ryo didn''t even hesitate, his eyes locked onto Bera, who stood far behind Jack with a sharp glimmer within them as he spoke, "It''s simple, I''ll take the defensive, and you take the offensive. You might not know about my capabilities, but that''s unnecessary, for I know yours. So long as you keep that big fellow busy, we will be able to find an opportunity as for that woman, leave her and her abilities to me." "Fine," Nero said, not wasting any time to argue about why he knew about his abilities. As if they were both in sync, Nero and Ryo moved their arms to the side as their bodies glowed when they quickly invoked their Digitize Bits. "Come to me, Mazello!" "Come to me, Archiak!" Following their shouts, a bright silver ray and a yellowish-brown light ray erupted from their marks on their palms, respectively. Nero''s scythe mark glowed, forming into a card as Ryo''s bow mark followed suit. Moments after, the lights faded as Nero stood in the field with a silver mask with scythe patterns that shrouded the upper portion of his face. His body now coated by his semi-transparent cloak as his long hair fluttered behind him. Ryo also changed; he wore a mask that covered his eyes with wings at their edges, he waved his arm, causing a strange bow to appear as he adopted a combat stance. The audience looked at this curiously as they found their Digitize Bits to be interesting. In fact, the receptionist, Diane, was currently focused on a screen that showed a series of rising numbers. Eventually, the numbers halted a particular scale but even so, her eyes narrowed as she spoke in a surprised tone. "Huh? What''s going on here? These brats both have Grade 3 Inheritance Bits, I get that their talented, but why would the Dark Witch even be interesting recruiting such standard?" Diane was a bit confused as even the recent batch of recruits from a month ago had two members with Grade 2 Inheritances, only people like such were worthy of being personally recruited by Upper-Level Members of the society. "Well, I don''t think that''s any of your concern now, is it, Diane?" A soft but icy voice said, carrying both a tinge of gracefulness and brutally at its core. Diane shivered as she heard this, but she soon recovered to her normal state as she made a friendly smile and spoke, "Fellow member Yullia, you''ll have to forgive my blunder, I didn''t mean any offense at all. I was only curious about these two little fellows..." Yullia was in a slightly bad mood, she was about to complain why no one else but Felick told her that the person she had recruited had arrived, but as she heard those words, she only realized that there might have been a mistake. "Two? What do you mean by two? Shouldn''t there be only one?" Yullia asked with curious eyes. Diane made a puzzled look as she waved her hand, causing Nero''s and Ryo''s face to appear. She then made a puzzled look and spoke, "What''s the matter? Didn''t you recruit these guys?" Yullia frowned as she spoke, "Of course I did, but I only recruited one of them." Feeling angered, Yullia glanced at Felick. He was in the distance, hurrying off towards the arena without even turning his head back. ''That darn fellow! Hmph! I''ll get to the bottom of this myself.'' Yullia thought with an angry look on her face before she hurried towards the arena, vanishing from the area. Diana gave her a strange look before shaking her head, not bothering to overthink her affairs. Back within the arena, the crowd only grew more excited. They looked at both Nero''s and Ryo''s transformations; a few experts with Bit Energy Readers even felt their energies that were uncommon far beyond the norm for their current ratings. Currently, Nero, whose eyes were glowing in an eerie light, noticed that other than the brightly shining balls of lights at the center of Jack and Bera''s foreheads. There were ominous red lines that formed around a few areas where multiple chains intersected. Jack was unknowingly or even intentionally dashing towards one of them, directly before the hovering ball at their center. Nero''s face sunk as he sensed a dark power from the red lines. He waved his hand, causing his scythe to appear as he twirled it and firmly gripped its handle. He then lowered his stance and dashed forward at high speeds before he yelled, "Ryo, get ready, something''s coming!" Ryo had a stern look as he knocked his bow, but as if Jack didn''t care, he sneered as he struck his knife onto the chain before him, landing onto the position where the cluster was visible only to Nero''s eyes as he spoke. "Ha, too late!" The instant this happened, a sinister power rose from the abyss below everyone, one that could cause a chill to anyone. Moments after, a sinister-looking devil-like ghost bolted from the darkness as it struck its long nails towards Jack, but as if he expected this, jack chuckled as he aimed his dagger while positioning himself before it. "Alisif, Wind Repel!" Jack shouted as his knife glowed in a green light followed by a gush of wind that blew the devil towards Nero''s direction. Jack then shifted his eyes onto the hovering ball that had illusory chains binding it; he readied himself to break it from its bindings. As the devilish ghost fell towards Nero''s direction, it grew angry, not even caring about its foe; it decided to take out its anger on Nero. Soon, the towering figure of the devil ghost had overshadowed Nero, who faced it with cold looking eyes, as the Devil''s Game finally began in its truest sense. *** Hello guys, so the month has ended and we are in October, the small event I held is novel over and the winners of this event are none other than those listed below. To those who won, to get your prize which is a mailed copy of the Dual Sword God series, simply comment your email address in the comment section, or send me a private message on my discord which can be found in my series description. To everyone else, stay tunned for the next event and have a nice day. Winners. Maian, kery2000, DChester | Top Fans Chronoxz246 - Filiusel219 - ContesaRubia | Top Power Stone Voters Chapter 114: Jack’s Skills, Being Played The arena now carried a spooky air due to the devilish ghost''s appearance, but as everyone who observed these proceedings were experts, none of them showed any looks of concern. Rather, all onlookers watched on in excitement as the devilish ghost swept towards Nero with malicious intent. "Haha, it''s that same old trick again, using the arena hazards to take down and hold back their opponents, I wonder, what do you think will happen to the kid?" "No idea, he doesn''t seem all that strong, but then again, there''s always one or two surprises. Maybe if he uses his head, he might just be able to change its course." The onlookers discussed the current proceedings with glee, many of them thought it would be too difficult to come out of the present circumstances, but sadly for them, the scene was about to play out differently. Nero firmly gripped his scythe as he calmly stood on the rattling chains beneath his feet, his red pupils glaring at the devilish ghost not with panic, but a confident and sharp look. ''If I can''t deal with a simple ghost, how can I call myself a reaper?'' Nero thought to himself, he didn''t know where this confidence came from, but as if it was instinctive, he felt an innate superiority whenever he saw the evil ghost''s appearance. Suddenly, Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe began to pulsate as if it had a beating heart, sinister greenish energies then formed around it, merging with Nero''s silver magic power. Not wasting any time, Nero decided to act now and finish it; he knew that he only had a limited time in his transformed state. "Die!" Nero roared as his body shifted forwards at immense speeds, using the boost from his Four Point Unity Steps. Jack, who had had only now smashed apart the chains which bounded the game ball, looked at Nero and smirked as he thought, ''Ha, this kid is bold, to think he''d charge at it directly, the only way to defeat this in head-on combat is if he had stage seven combat power, but what kind of rookie can so easily accomplish this feat?'' As Jack finished his thoughts, his attention was about to turn on to the ball once more. However, right at this moment, a series of alarming cries sounded from the audience. "Huh? What the heck?" "Well done, brat!" As the voices sounded, Jack frowned as he wondered what the commotion was for, but as his eyes glanced at Nero''s direction, they widen in surprise before they narrowed. "This boy... he''s more than I thought," Jack said as the scene on Nero''s side underwent a turn. With a whoosh, Nero''s figure had swept by the devilish ghost that struck its long nails towards his previous location, but as if this didn''t faze the ghost, it shrieked before it spun its body and slashed out a wild flurry of attacks. Nero, who faced this sudden change, had already lowered his posture with the scythe held behind him. His eyes flashed in reddish rays as he twisted his body at high speeds leaving behind only an oddly sinister greenish trail of light in the positioned of the scythe''s edge. With a sharp cry, this greenish light danced across the chains, easily curving through the flurry of rapid attacks by the devilish ghost''s long nails. It then drew a series of lines around the devilish ghost body before it halted at a positioned behind it, forming once more into the scythe''s edge along with Nero, who held it. The devilish ghost was a bit alarmed; it felt a strange feeling around its body, it wanted to flee, but it was a pity, for it was too late. The moment it turned to flee, the ghost''s body started to show strange green lines in various areas; with a painful shriek, the ghost lifted its head in utmost horror before its body vanished behind a series of green mist which soon after faded. ''The Soul Erosion passive skill is truly a deadly technique to these kinds of lifeforms. I need to make use of it some more,'' Nero thought as he glanced at the shimmering edge of Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe before he turned his attention towards his front. Now, the ball that floated at the center of the arena had transformed, forming into a mischievous sprite with a holy barrier around it. As if it didn''t like anything in the world, the sprite waved its hand, causing the ball to move towards another of the chain''s intersections with unknown dangers. Jack snorted at this as he hurriedly spoke, "Bera, do it now." "Elsha: Bewitching Dream," Bera, who seemed to have been waiting for a while spoke as she blew her flute, causing a strange melody to sound across the arena. The sprite had been directing itself towards an obstacle halted as if it was under a trance; it then began to float idly. Jack smirked at this as he spoke, "Haha, well done, I''ll do the rest." Following his words, Jack jumped in the air towards the spirit, prepared to hit it towards Nero''s and Ryo''s goal points, but Nero had already arrived by this time. "Flash Cut!" Nero said as utilized the Flash Cut with his scythe; the edge gleamed in bright silvery lights as it swept towards Jack at alarming speeds due to the momentum from an even stronger spinning force. "This shitty kid, humph, I show you not to mess with grownups." Jack cursed under his breath as he was forced to turn his attention from the ball. He then swung his knife down towards the brilliant streak of light. With a loud clinking sound, the tip of the knife accurately stabbed its edge of Nero''s scythe, forcing the scythe to appear from the previously bright cluster of silver lights. Nero wasn''t shocked at this; he stared at Jack with a grim look as he thought, ''He could see through it so easily, these guys are well beyond me in combat. But even if so...'' As Nero pondered to here, he then smirked as he spoke, "It''s still my win." Following Nero''s words, a ghostly shadow was noticed rushing towards the spirit at high speeds, Jack looked at this with a bit of surprise, but he soon made a sly look and spoke, "Oh, a clone? Interesting, an excellent method, but are you sure you''ve won, kid?" Nero frowned at this as he didn''t know why Jack was still confident even after seeing his phantom-like clone that was far ahead, but before he could even figure out the plot, Jack had already acted. Jack switched his knife to reverse grip with a twist of his wrist as the blade glowed in a bright green colored light. "Alisif: Reverse Wind Edge," Jack said as an arc of green wind pushed Nero away towards the distance. This arc seemed no different from an actual knife''s edge as it sent out sparks while clashing against the edge of Nero''s scythe. As this happened, Jack snickered as his feet touched the chains pushing himself towards the front at alarming speeds. He swooshed by like a blurry shade arriving before Nero''s clone. "Huh? He''s so fast," Nero said in surprise as he tried to counter Jack, but before he could even react, Jack leaped over his body and made a roundhouse kick across Nero''s face, the force of the kick smashed the head of the clone before causing it to disperse into a puffy mist. Jack then gracefully landed onto the chains, causing it to rattle slightly, as if he was light like feathers. He then glanced at Nero''s real body, which was still being forced back by the Wind Edge as he smirked and taunted by waving his finger. "Trying to outplay me, you''ve got a long way to go, brats." After Jack said this, he then charged towards the sprite once more, moving like a blurry figure. Nero looked at this and gritted his teeth as he tried to resist the wind edge''s force. After pushing a large amount of magic power into his scythe, he managed to change its trajectory to the side, giving himself room to breathe. ''Darn, how can he be so strong even when suppressed?'' Nero inwardly cursed as he stared at his numb arm. Adult Nero chuckled and spoke, "Experience." Nero rolled his eyes, not bothering to say anything. He knew time was limited and didn''t want to waste a moment bickering. ''Looks like we''ll have to use that method after all,'' Nero thought was his eyes flashed as if discussing something with Ryo, his body then rapidly sped across the chains as he chased after Jack. By now, Jack had once more caught up with the sprite; he lifted his knife that once more glowed in bright green lights as if he was about to unleash a powerful skill. "Ha, I''ll send you flying straight into that bucket," Jack said with flashing eyes, he was only moments from using the skill, but suddenly, there was a change. A bright golden arrow smashed into the ball from an unexpected direction, blasting it towards an opposing side. Jack, who was surprised, looked at this in shock as he saw that in that direction, another of Nero''s clones standing still, as it had been waiting for a long time. "Oh, crap!" Jack said, as he knew at this moment, he had been played by the duo from the very beginning. Chapter 115: Skill Versus Schemes The crowd of onlookers within the Blood Steel Arena looked at the current change in shock; it didn''t take long for a commotion to start among their ranks. "Incredible, to think I''d see the day that brute gets outplayed, that brat is truly something." "Haha, indeed, he is, but don''t forget that archer isn''t bad himself; their synergy is at a pretty decent level." "Right, heh, it looks like this game might just get a bit more interesting." While the members discussed amongst themselves, Ghostshade had intrigued eyes as he stared at the ring. He thought to himself, ''Such an interesting cloning technique, from what I see its almost as comparable to his actual self. It might likely have other functions that he''s yet to reveal... as for that archer child, his precision with his bow is at an exceptional level, I''m curious to see his true skills." Upon thinking such thoughts, Ghostshade eyes focused on both Nero and Ryo, but they soon glanced at Jack and Bera as he murmured with a sly smile, "Looks like they''re going to have to take this game more seriously." As if they heard his thoughts, both Jack and Bera had strange looks on their faces; their manner changed from the previous mood of ease and relaxedness as they now changed as they carried a solemn and overwhelming presence. By this time, Felick and Yullia had already arrived at the arena. They found themselves in a decent area before inspecting the stage. Felick looked at the current scene in surprise as he spoke out loud, "Well now, these brats pushed to buttons of those two fellows, huhu, they''re in trouble now." Yullia frowned at this; she also knew that what he said was right, but rather than the current affairs, her eyes were more focused onto Ryo''s form as she thought, ''Who is this kid? I''m going to need an answer as soon as that brat is finished.'' While everyone on the outside of the arena had their thoughts, the scene within had once more entered a new act as the Devil''s Game became more intense. Like a spirit, Nero''s ghostly clone charged across the chains at an alarming speed, utilizing the power of his Four Point Unity Steps. In moments, it had caught up with the sprite that had barrier around its body. Not daring to waste a single moment, Nero switched placed with his clone and conjured a dense amount of energies over his scythe before he swung it towards the sprite. With a loud bang, Nero''s attack smashed onto the barrier, but rather than destroying it; the sprite was only blasted towards the opposing direction like a rocket in flight, bolting towards the stature of the giant devil that held the bucket. "Ha, I got it," Nero said with excitement as he stared at the current scene. Ryo also smiled when he saw this from a distance, he felt a bit excited when they played the duo, but soon, he had an ominous feeling. Jack looked at Nero''s fading clone not too far from his position before turning and looking at Nero that had hit the ball from a distance away. His previously playful demeanor now stern as he spoke over the communication channel with sharp eyes. "This brat, he''s not only able to spontaneously making these clones switch positions, but this skill should also be in no way his Inheritance Ability as he has yet to awaken fully. Interesting, it should be a special skill from some weapon; it seems we might need to take them more seriously." "Indeed, for now, I''ll stop the ball, get ready to receive it as you pay more attention to the kid, as for that archer brat, I''ll handle his arrows." Bero said as she fixed her fingers onto her flute, preparing to play a new tune. "Huhu... fine, let''s start the second round," Jack said as he nodded with sharp eyes as he licked his lips with a tinge of bloodlust. At this moment, the sprite hit by Nero had traveled across the various chains before arriving directly in front of the devil''s statue. Both Nero and Ryo had delighted looks on their faces as they knew this was where it came down, but sadly, there was change. "Elsha: Song of Arms," Bera said as she played an even stranger tone. Following this, her body began to glow in a dense magic power that caused her flute to shine even more brightly as a strange scene occurred. As if something held it, the sprite that was only a few meters from entering the devil statue''s bucket halted. It then blew backward at the same speed by which Nero had hit it as if it had received a replicated amount of force. "What the heck? Such a cheat like a movie," Nero cursed as he saw this, his eyes strangely glowed as he noticed that behind Bera was an invisible arm that others couldn''t see. Not wasting any time to complain, Nero promptly acted with quick movements, pursuing the sprite as he shouted across the message channel, "Ryo, be careful of her ability, she''s..." He was about to say something, but soon, his eyes shrunk as Jack had appeared in front of him with a smirk as he spoke, "Kid, I want to see how you''ll get past me this time. Alisif: Cruel Wind!" When Jack spoke, his dagger shone in radiant green lights as he held in front of his chest. Following this, a giant cyclone blasted towards Nero''s direction, threatening to blast him towards the abyss. ''Darn, I can''t hide my skills, I''ll have to use everything to find a chance.'' After thinking here, Nero then held his glowing scythe as he invoked, "Myriad Spector Cut." Following this, his body separated into three clones, which oddly enough, could switch chains as if the rules of traveling on one chain didn''t bound them. ''Huh? So he could split into three, such a troublesome brat,'' Jack thought as he saw how Nero escaped his attack. He looked at the three separate chains that Nero was using to travel towards sprite as he spoke in a teasing ton, "Boy, you can forget about changing anything, so what if you have three clones, it won''t make a difference for I''m faster and stronger than you." Following those words, Jack''s body blurred as he swooshed across his chain at incredible speeds, quickly catching up with one of Nero''s clones. Before Nero could even react, he smashed his fist into his chest, causing the clone to dissipate. Jack didn''t let up; he once more charged after the second clone, catching up with it in a few seconds. After destroying it easily, he changed his attention to the final clone and sneered before rushed towards it with menacing eyes. Nero felt the danger rapidly approaching from behind him, but rather than fear, Nero only carried a slight smile as he thought to himself, ''That''s right; keep chasing me.'' As he thought those words, Nero pushed his Four Point Unity Steps to the maximum as he charged after the sprite without pause. Ryo glanced in Nero''s direction with a thoughtful look on his face before observing the sprite; his eyes then flickered as he nocked his bow and fired a bright golden arrow towards it. The arrow swept through the void like a ray of light, but before it could even crash into the sprite''s barrier, there was a sudden change. As if a pair of invisible arms held it, the arrow halted in mid-flight before turning around and firing itself towards Ryo at the same speed used prior. Ryo then narrowly avoided it by jumping and doing a flip before landing on the chains. He narrowed his eyes while in thought, ''So, I was right, that ability from her Digitize Bit can truly replicate and counter any force applied to a given object. Nero can likely see what''s the actual cause, but since I can''t, it only makes it an annoying skill.'' While in thought, he looked towards Bera and noticed that her eyes had a teasing look as she continued to play her flute. Still, unobservable to anyone else but Nero, a series of semi-transparent hands had appeared around her body. As Ryo finished those thoughts, his eyes flickered with a competitive look as he smiled while nocking his bow once again. Only this time, his body glowed with his magic power. ''Hmph! Even if annoying, the game has already been decided,'' Ryo thought as eyes glanced towards Nero, who had a smirk on his face, despite the rapidly approaching Jack on his tail. After nocking his bow in full, Ryo then released his arrow while invoking his skill, "Rapid Fire Bolts." Instantly, a series of red arrows bolted towards the sprite, moving like rays of lights across the arena; Bera snorted at this as she spoke, "Hmph! Your arrows aren''t fast enough, boy." The tune on her flute grew even louder as those invisible hands of hers quickly grabbed the arrows and threw them back at Ryo without pause, creating a chaotic clash between arrow and arrow. As each collided, they exploded, sending mini shockwaves about the sky that rattled the nearby chains. Ryo looked at this with a smirk as he glanced at Nero, who nodded while escaping at high speeds. Ryo then invoked the skill on the Linker Chain, "Empower." Instantly, a batch of silvery energy swept across the chain from Nero to Ryo, whose body soon became enriched by an immense amount of magic power. Ryo then wasted no time; he erupted those energies in full and fired one more of his Rapid-Fire Bolts skill before quickly knocking his bow and firing another more unique skill. "Illusory Arrow!" Following those words, a bright golden arrow fired once more through the sea of red arrows that crashed with each other. Bera looked at this in alarm, as she cursed, "Darn!" Not daring to hesitate, she played her flute louder, causing another invisible arm to condense behind her that grasped towards Ryo''s golden arrow, but as it tried to grip it, a strange scene occurred. With a puff, the arrow vanished as if it didn''t exist, causing Bera to look at this shock, she wondered if she saw things correctly, but sadly, her thoughts had distracted her from the reality. With a harsh collision sound, the sprite was hit by Ryo''s supposedly vanished arrow, sending it towards the opposing direction once again at twice the speed from before. Bera looked at this shock, preparing to try and stop it, but as if Ryo expected this, he nocked his bow and aimed it at her, firing an endless amount of Rapid Fire Bolts while speaking, "Checkmate." Bera''s eyes shrunk as she saw the devastating arrows gathering towards her as she knew she could no longer shift her attention. "Jack, I leave it to you," Bera said, as she played a new tune, prepared to engage with Ryo''s arrows, shifting the tide of the entire game onto both Nero and Jack''s shoulders, as it all came down to this final act. **** Author''s Note: Feeling generous? Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Chapter 116: The Game’s End The onlookers watched with eagerness as they saw how everything changed in an instant, never had a pair of rookies been able to push these two seasoned veterans so far. Bera and Ryo were stuck in a deadlock as Ryo crazily fired many arrows towards her, forcing her to counter with her invisible arms that blurred and send back each arrow. Her hair was dancing up and down due to her rising energies as she played her flute. Other than this, the final struggle was also occurring between Nero and Jack, causing everyone to shout with excitement. "Go go go, don''t lose kid!" "Bera, how can you struggle against a kid? Hurry and take him down!" "Jack, you better not lose face to us senior members!" The senior members shouted as some pumped their fists to root from the newbies, while others gnashed their teeth and cursed at their fellow comrades; they didn''t want others to succeed at what they had failed at in their past recruitment. Ghostshade watched with curious eyes while Felick and Yullia observed with sharp glints, it seemed that they had not anticipated such a tough game. Currently, Nero had already stopped fleeing from Jack; his figure dashed towards the direction of the sprite the moment Ryo had blasted it away, forcing it towards their foe''s Devil Statue. Jack was alarmed at this sight as he never anticipated that Ryo could so easily hold up and counter Bera; he frowned while thinking, "Eight Stage Battle Power, darn, that little brat is so cunning, for him to hide such a thing. I can''t even borrow her energy as she''s now forced to focus on that boy''s relentless arrows. It looks like I''ll need to kick it in high gear.'' After wrapping up his thoughts, Jack''s eyes shone with a sharp ray as his body emanated a dense amount of magic power; he then adapted the posture of a runner about to start a race, bringing the rattling chain underneath his feet to complete stillness. Instantly, his body darted forward like a shell shot from a cannon, swoosh by at such high speeds he seemed no different from a distorted shade. ''He''s coming...'' Nero thought as he heard the sound of something passing through the wind at alarming speeds from behind him, he knew that so long as they arrive at the intersection point, he wouldn''t be able to survive a direct conflict with Jack. Yet, Nero only smirked as if he didn''t care; he rushed towards the point of intersection with the full power of his Digitize Bit as he shouted, "You won''t take me down easily." The instant Nero arrived at the points where chains crossed, Jack''s blurry figure had appeared beside him, his face serious and stern as he no longer carried a playful look. Not even wasting any time, Jack struck his fist towards Nero''s face, preparing to knock him out and quickly make his way towards the sprite. However, right when Jack''s fist had contacted Nero''s head, his eyes widened when he saw a familiar scene. As if Nero''s body was illusory, he split apart into three clones once more, each which had positioned themselves around Jack''s body. Before Jack could even recover his attacking stance, their eyes shone in reddish ray as she each revolved with their scythes and vanished. Instantly, the three clones left behind a myriad of silvery lights that danced towards Jack''s body from all angles, curving and moving in complex ways as they sped up with each passing second. "Oh, such advance sycthework, you cheeky brat, even if skilled you''re far too young to fight me in direct combat!" Jack said as he saw the current change. Before Nero''s attacks could even reach him, he had pulled back his arm used to strike a fist adopting a martial stance with his palms held forward. Suddenly, his manner changed as his eyes shifted from left to right as if the blinding fast silver lights that attacked him from all sides were clearly observable. With a swoosh, his arms them blurred as he used his finger to firmly grip the lines as if a pair of plyers were used to clamp metal. A metallic sound resounded as two of Nero''s clones had appeared with their scythes blade firmly held by Jack. However, rather than being surprised, the two Nero''s had cold looks as the final silvery blade light struck towards Jack''s back. Nero smirked upon seeing this, but Jack merely snorted as he jumped and did a backflip, using the tip of his shoe to now balance the third Nero''s scythe, forcing him to appear. At this point, Nero was greatly surprised by Jack''s skills as he thought, ''Such incredible skill, he certainly is well above my class." "You think? He''s called an Expert for a reason," Adult Nero said as he observed with interest. "I know, I''m not stupid," Nero inwardly said as he no longer pays his older self any mind. Jack, who now had the advantage, smirked as he glanced at one of Nero''s clones and spoke, "Kid, you''ve done well, but this..." As Jack said this, he increased the gripping force of his fingers, causing the scythes in Nero''s hand to crack apart before bursting into fragments. He then used his foot to kick the Nero below him into his face, causing the clone to vanish before he stretched his arms outwards and grasped the two final Nero''s necks. Following all of this, Jack then brought the two Nero''s before him and continued to speak with a smile, "Is where our game ends." After he said those words, Jack tossed Nero upwards before clenching both of his fists and smashing him into his gut; the two Nero''s flew back due to the resulting force. Jack looked at this with a smirk as he was expecting one of them to vanish, as the other collapsed in an unconscious state, but as if something changed, Jack''s eyes winded in shock as he stared at the current scene. With a loud puff, both Nero''s vanished as if they were nothing both clones; Jack''s mouth opened wide at this as he exclaimed, "This... how? They were all clones, then where the hell is¡­?" Jack wanted to say something, but as if he realized something, his eyes shifted towards the direction of their Devil Statue. There he noticed that a shadowy figure had slowly made an appearance from its corners. As if he had been waiting for a long time, calmly staring at the sprite that was hit directly in his path. As if he sensed Jack''s vision, Nero looked at him as he put away his scythe and prepared to receive the sprite while speaking, "Uncle, I''m sorry, but my cloning technique isn''t limited to just three clones." When Nero spoke to here, his body emanated his entire magic power as he jumped into the air and spun like a famous footballer. He then used the gathering force to kick the sprite that had only now arrived in his range, blasting it into the bucket in one go. While airborne, Nero smirked as he once more glanced at the surprised Jack and spoke again, "This game is our win." As if something agreed with Nero''s words, the status''s eyes shone in bright red lights as loud voice resounded. "The Devil''s Game is over, victory goes to the newbies!" Nero''s eyes twitched as he heard the familiar voice, his eyes flashed as he recalled Cubeman from the Blood Steel Temple. While Nero was in his thoughts, Jack stared at this with his mouth opened wide, he raised his hand, wanting to say something, but as if something held him back, he couldn''t say anything in the end. Soon, Jack lifted his head and closed his eyes before laughing, "Hahahaha!" His laugher sounded across the entire arena, as even Ryo and Bera had ended their battles; noticing the result, Bera clicked her teeth as she complained, "To think we''d be the ones to make such a history, these darn brats.'' Ryo smiled and ignored her animosity, his eyes watching Nero as he thought, ''He''s even more reliant than I thought, I shall pass this detail on to father." Unlike those on the stage, those on the outside were alarmed as no one knew what to say. Who would have thought that two rookies would break an age-old custom? "Truly an interesting bunch of brats... huhu, I look forward to their future," Ghostshade said as he stared at this before his body turned illusory and vanished from the shadows. Felick looked at Nero and nodded as he stared at Yullia and spoke, "Miss Yullia, shall we go greet them?" "Of course, that brat has some explaining to do," Yullia said as she stared at Nero. At this time, Jack had already finished clearing his foul mood through his laugh, he calmed down and stared at Nero and Ryo before he shook his head before speaking, "Brats, you''ve done well, this game is our loss," Following those words, the arena began to shake, Nero, and the others jumped from the chains towards the surface. Moments after, the ground closed, and the scene returned to normal. Nero looked at Ryo, who gave him a look before nodded; it seemed that he was satisfied with the current victory; Nero smiled while muttering, "Oh, I can tell he doesn''t like to lose either, I guess we have our similarities." At this time, Jack and Bera had already gathered, scratched the back of his head while Bera looked as if she were scolding him. After a short while, the duo stopped their conflict before they stared a Nero and Ryo. "Kids, you''ve done what no one else could do since the beginning of our Blood Steel Society; as such, we can only gift you both a surprise, follow us and claim your rewards." Nero was a bit surprised as he didn''t think this compulsory event had such things. His eyes flickered as he couldn''t help but wonder what they might get, he was about to follow along, but Nero''s eyes shifted to the side as he noticed two parties'' arrival. Chapter 117: The Rewards, A Special Skill? The commotion had already died down as many of the senior members went along to handle their various affairs as they chatted about the Devil''s Game. A few of them had sour looks on their faces as if they were the ones who lost, while others showed looks of excitement. Jack and Bera were about to escort Nero and Ryo from the Blood Steel Arena, each having now returned to normal states after canceling their Digitize Bits. Soon though, their eyes shifted towards the figure of two persons that were walking towards their direction. In moments, the duo had arrived, causing Jack and Bera to smirk while greeting. "Miss Yullia, so you were in the base, I didn''t think that you were here, I have to say, you sure have an eye for recruitment, haha, these brats made a legend," Jack said with a light laugh as he stared at Yullia. "Hehe, it was quite fun, though we ended up underestimating them," Bera added with a smile. Felick gave the duo a look while in thought, ''To think that the famous Wind Cutter Jack and Bewitching Charmer Bera would have been the one to lose the age-old custom, it makes me wonder how these brats would have fared against regular members.'' While Felick thought to himself, Yullia stared at both Jack and Bera. She gave Nero a quick look before fixing onto Ryo for a moment as she looked at Jack and replied, "So it would seem, I''ll need to chat with them a bit after you''ve finished handing out their prizes, so carry on, I shall return to my quarters." Jack and Bera made curious looks before they replied, "Sure." Not wasting any more time, Jack and Bera then started to escort Nero and Ryo towards a different location. Nero glanced at Yullia while he was leaving and nodded. Yullia then glanced at Ryo, showing a sharp look in her eyes, but as if the latter didn''t care, he merely played games on his phone while moving behind Nero like a tail. Yullia frowned at him as she thought, ''What''s this brat up to? Hmph! He''s lucky that I don''t want others to learn of this mistake, I''ll get my answers as soon as they''re finished.'' After saying this, Yullia glanced at Felick, who shivered a bit due to her cold stare as she spoke, "Bring them to my residence, I will be returning right now." Not even waiting for Felick''s reply, Yullia waved her finger like she was using a wand as her body glowed in dark lights before bursting apart into multiple fragments of black lights that swooped towards a deeper part of the space. Felick looked at this for a while before his look of fear vanished, showing an unusual look as if he was annoyed; he clicked his teeth while speaking under his breath. "It doesn''t look like she''ll buy into his identity so easily, especially after I fizzled with the system; how troubling that I have to do all this work for that man... it seems I''ll need to tinker a bit." After saying those words, Felick then left the arena as he went towards a different area, fading from all sight in but only a flash as the arena turned into a field of silence. *** Much further into the Blood Steel Space, one would see a series of large ancient buildings of peculiar designs; Nero''s eyes flashed as he saw that one of the buildings even had a large sculpture of a book over its roof. Jack seemed to have noticed Nero''s stare; he glanced at the building and spoke, "That is the Book Repository of our Blood Steel Temple, there you can learn many different techniques, but of course, you''ll naturally need to enter the World of Promise to master it truly. I shall be taking you both there for your rewards; simply choose any of the listed skills at random for your prize." Following those words, Jack and Bera brought Nero and Ryo into the building. The moment they entered; they saw a vast room with many books inside of various shelves. A single book rested on top of a podium, positioned at the center of the entire room. Nero looked around in curiosity as he thought to himself, ''Hmm, so large, it would take an era to sort through all of these books.'' Ryo had similar thoughts, but his eyes soon fixed onto the book at the center as he seemed to have come to a realization. Bera looked at the duo and spoke, "Go on, use that book at the center to choose a skill, don''t worry, we''ve already sent the request to the upper command, so you won''t need to worry about authorization." Nero nodded as he looked at Ryo before the two went ahead; after a short while, they had both arrived before the book, looking at the ancient-looking pages Nero then went and placed his palms on top of it. As if it sensed his touch, the book instantly glowed in bright lights. In moments, Nero''s mind went to a different place; there, he saw many collections of manuals hovering before him with their names listed on a virtual screen following a notification. ____ [Welcome to the Blood Steel Repository!] [Choose from the skills below:] [Blood Field Sword Art] [Killing Pulse Palm] [Murdering Edge] [Four Point Unity Movement] .... ____ Nero looked at all of the skills with curiosity and surprise, even more so when he saw Four Point Unity Movements, he inwardly asked, ''Hey, so you had gotten this skill from here?'' ''Correct, it had taken me quite a long time to get this chance, so choose wisely,'' Adult Nero replied. Nero nodded at those words, as he once more focused on the lists, his eyes soon came onto a peculiar technique. ___ [Blood Reaper''s Dance - Special High Grade] [Description - A skill that requires one to have mastered the second level of the Reaper Stances. It is a combat skill most suitable for scythe users meant to not only disorient one''s foes but also overwhelm them with a myriad of baleful scythe attacks.] ____ Nero''s eyes shone when he saw this skill; Adult Nero chuckled as he spoke, "As expected, it seems we were truly destined for this skill." Nero made a curious look as he inwardly questioned, ''Oh, what makes you say that?'' Adult Nero made a far-off look as he replied, "I didn''t get this skill until a few months later; I had to complete quite a difficult task to attain it, but it''s also one of the skills that have made me who I am." Nero thought for a bit before he inwardly asked again, ''I see, it says that it''s a Special High-Grade skill, what does that mean?'' Adult Nero''s eyes had a strange glint as he answered, "A Special Skill is different from others as unlike many common grade skills, they can evolve into higher grades based on the users level and current mastery." ''What? Amazing, I didn''t think such a thing could happen, how strong is a skill that''s beyond the rank of high class?'' Nero asked in his mind. Adult Nero chuckled as he replied, "After advancing into the stage beyond high-class, battle power will be judged much differently. These can either perform unusual feats or boost power through amplification methods. It is in this way that one can jump multiple levels and attain absurd amounts of combat power, but it is the only way we humans and weaker races can even hope to compare against the likes of Class 3 and Class 4 alien talents." Nero''s eyes flashed with interest as he heard this; they boiled even more as he looked at the skill before him; Adult Nero chuckled as he spoke, "Enough wasting time, quickly learn it, after you leave here I have something to tell you." ''Something to tell me. I wonder what it is?'' Nero thought to himself as he no longer dallied, he looked at the skill and spoke, "I choose the Blood Reaper''s Dance." Following his words, a bright red light shone that formed into a red manual which then bolted towards Nero''s mind, looking very much similar to the method''s Adult Nero used to transfer his memories. Soon, Nero felt different, as if he learned a series of unusual techniques, but the only way to gain actual mastery would be to try it out in the World of Promise. Nero smiled as he looked at this while thinking, ''Perfect, with this, I''ve made up for one of my greatest weaknesses.'' Moments after, the images around Nero faded as he found himself back in his previous posture with his hand on top of the book; Ryo, Jack, and Bera were looking at him with patient looks. Nero smiled and then made way for Ryo, who walked up and tapped the book, but only a minute later, Ryo had removed his hand with an utterly indifferent look, his attention once more returned to his phone''s mobile game. Jack and Bera gave Nero and Ryo a good look, they originally thought they would have looks of joy on their faces, but they couldn''t help but think to themselves upon seeing their calmness. ''These brats, did they even choose anything?'' Unable to figure them out, the duo sighed as they stared at them; Jack then spoke, "Good, with this you can say that our initiation is over, haha, kids, I hope that we can see you both on the battlefield in the future, take care now." Following those words, both Jack and Bera blurred and vanished, leaving no traces; Nero clicked his teeth at this as he muttered, "Hmph! They only wanted to make a cool exit to try and make up for their embarrassment; this uncle and aunty are amusing." Pff! Ryo snickered at this, as he didn''t Nero would say something like that out of the blue, but he soon shook his head and returned to normal. Nero looked at him and said nothing as the two then left the building, but right as they went outside, they saw Felick was standing nearby, waiting on them. ''Jeez, what is it now?'' Nero complained as he wanted to hurry and see his mother, but his time at the Blood Steel Society isn''t quite finished. "Follow me," Felick said, not explaining anything. Ryo''s eyes flashed as he was the first to move ahead, Nero looked at this in surprise, but he soon shook his head and followed behind them, making their way towards an even deeper location within the Blood Steel Space. Chapter 118: Life Retinue, Yullia’s Words After following behind Felick for a while, Nero and Ryo arrived within a spacious outdoor garden with neatly carved wooden chairs and a small table. The fragrance of roses wafted through the open air as the colorful flowers painted a calm, refreshing scenery. Felick smiled at this before he turned around and looked at Ryo; his eyes had a strange glint as he walked by him and brushed his shoulders, as if Ryo sensed something, he stealthily took something into his arms and didn''t watch as Felick left the area. Nero didn''t notice the subtle change even though he stood behind them; as he had arrived at this area, his attention was more on the surroundings and the decorated door from a nearby building. ''This place is good, mother always said a woman''s heart rest at her home, maybe she''s not a bad....'' Nero was about to make an assumption, but before he could finish his words, the door of the nearby house opened with a slam as Yullia walked towards them with a cold look on her face. "Boy, you''ve got some explaining to do. Otherwise, you can forget about leaving today!" Yullia said in a somewhat angry tone as she stared at Nero. Nero looked at her a bit puzzled as he reassessed his previous thoughts, ''Mother might have been wrong...'' As he recalled her words, he couldn''t help but make a contemplative look while he pondered, ''Hmm, what does she want me to explain? I''m sure that I''ve done nothing to... wait...'' Nero was about to make an assessment, but as if he only realized, his eyes widened as he glanced at Ryo while thinking, ''Is she angry about Ryo? Crap. I had forgotten that I was the only person invited; this darn stalker had somehow managed to join alongside me.'' As if Yullia knew his thoughts, she gave him a deep look as she spoke, "Little Handsome, you are going to have to explain why you''ve brought an unknown person with you? I don''t recall handing him a..." Yullia was about to say something, which caused Nero''s face to turn dark. He had no idea how to clarify this situation; he certainly couldn''t say Ryo was his stalker from an unknown party. Luckily for him, though, Ryo seemed to have been prepared. He stared at Yullia and cut her speech off by holding out a card as he spoke, "I trust that this card is enough to explain my purpose, so there is no need to over-analyze the current situation." Ryo''s sudden interference angered Yullia; she was about to teach him a harsh lesson. Still, as her eyes ran over the card, they narrowed as she saw the letters UEG along with a strange symbol of a ring along with two human silhouettes connected by chains at its center. ''UEG High Command, and that symbol, could he be that child''s Life Retinue? If so, how could this boy have such status?'' Yullia thought with a more stern look on her eyes as she shifted them from Ryo to Nero, Nero having no idea of what the card meant, made a confused look which caused Yullia to frown even more. Her thoughts were now unknown to all. ''What''s the card all about?'' Nero thought as he looked at the card in Ryo''s arm, but he couldn''t figure anything out despite observing it. Not long after, Yullia seemed to have calmed down as she had a more gentle look on her face; she stared at Nero and spoke with a smile, "Little Handsome, I didn''t know you were such a man with status, it looks like I''ve been hoodwinked, you''ll definitely need to take responsibility for this later. As for now, let me officially welcome you and your friend here to our Blood Steel Society." When Nero heard this, he looked at Yullia and Ryo in shock, he didn''t know how that cards caused her to change her manner, but after thinking a while, he decided not to let it get to him. Yullia nodded at Nero''s ability to adapt and focus; she continued to speak, "I trust that you''ve already heard of your duties as a Blood Steel Society member, but as newbies, there are a few things that I should impart onto you. Now that you''ve joined us, you can be regarded as Junior Members; these are personal that are at the Novice Rank as Digitizers. There are no more than a hundred plus novices within the current generation of our society with the addition of yourselves but as novices. You aren''t entitled to major obligations. Instead, this is a period by which you should all focus on improving yourselves and growing as strong as you possibly can using every opportunity in the Novice Zone." When Nero heard this, he clenched his fist tightly as he had to claim any opportunities he can get; strength is the most fundamental rule in all society. Ryo seemed unphased by this, as he had long since put away the card and focused once more on his mobile phone. Yullia at the duo strangely as she continued speaking, "Now, I''ve told you of what you need to do as novices, but you have yet to learn how to even go about it. I shall enlighten you both on a few secrets; the Novice Zone though large by many times compared to our world, is still just a small space within the boundless World of Promise. There are many different Secret Zones, Dungeons, and Digital Quest Relics looming in unknown areas. Each of these things can gain you lots of experience, weapons, and even unique skills. However, a few Special Events in every zone can allow Digitizers to see a rise in strength much more quickly. These are known as Special Legacy Events; while the upper zones have more than one, the novice zone has only one Legacy Event, which is the yearly trials known as the Gate of Legends." Nero listened keenly to Yullia''s words, as though he knew some of these details, he didn''t have an in-depth understanding. Yullia once more continued to speak, "Generally speaking, after novice arrives at Level 10, they would immediately accept their Inheritance Bit Quest. Only by doing so could one quickly achieve a rise in power, allowing them to venture from the beginner''s area into the Novice Central Lands. By traveling those regions and overcoming all obstacles, can one truly achieve the peak of Novice Rank and accept the trail of Ascending to the Upper Zones. If luckily, your path will be smooth, as some people even found traces of rare chain quests that can lead to unique discoveries in the Upper Zones. However, most times, that path can be one of the difficulties with nothing gained despite exploring and struggling for extended periods. Hence, it has become an unspoken rule for all novices of a certain generation to limit themselves at Level 10, even pushing back their Inheritance Bit Quest for the sake of entering the Gate of Legends. After all, doing so will save them a lot of trouble and make their path to ascension much easier." When Nero heard this, his eyes flashed with realization as he thought, ''Interesting, so that''s how it is, it''s no wonder why I haven''t seen any person at the levels beyond 10 in even the town. The rest must have more or likely advanced to the Novice Central Lands, but as for everyone else, they are likely waiting on the Gate of Legends.'' Not wasting any more time, Yullia then wrapped up her words, "So, as you could have pretty much realized, the Gate of Legends for this year is at the end of the coming week. To be granted access, one would need to attend the DU Meet. You will need a race token to show signs of allegiance, and only members of a society or from powerful families can earn such a thing." Nero frowned as he heard those words; he looked at Yullia and asked, "Wait, so this DU Meet, what is it that we''re going to do there? Do we have to compete for that token?" Yullia smirked as she replied, "Hehe, you''re quite sharp. Indeed, you''ll need to prove your mettle against each of the other talents, but... there are cases where you won''t need to fight at all, for instance, if you are qualified in the Novice Ranking List. You will be given a token directly, but that will still be up to everyone to decide, anyone can challenge a Ranker to claim their token, many persons prefer to keep a low profile and rise without showing their names on rankings." ''Hmph! Even if they do challenge me, I''ll make it such that they''ll never think such thoughts again...'' Nero thought with a cold look in his eyes, unknowingly releasing a slight amount of murderous desire. Ryo looked at Nero and nodded as if he liked his current change; Yullia smirked at this while in thought, ''Oh my, this handsome boy is bold, huhu... I can''t wait to see his results.'' After wrapping up her thoughts, Yullia stared at them and spoke close off, "Good, I''ve said what I needed to say. You are both free to go about your business, but do please remember, the date for the DU Meet is Friday next week, so please strive to prepare yourselves as much as possible by then, following it is the Gate of Legends, which is on Sunday." When Nero and Ryo heard this, they both gave Yullia a look before nodding. Nero smiled and spoke, "Great, Aunty Yullia. I''d like to thank you for the details provided. I shall ensure to do my very best at that DU Meet, take care." After saying those words, Nero then left as Ryo followed along with a moment''s hesitation, as expected of a tail. Yullia stared at Nero''s back with flashing eyes as she murmured, "Heh, such confidence, I''m eager to see his results..." Following those words, a soft wind blew across the surroundings, rustling her dress along with her hair, as she soon after faded in the surroundings. Chapter 119: The Fortune Medical Center After finishing his business in the Blood Steel Society, Nero had left the building along with Ryo. As they went outside, they noticed that the rain was still in effect as if it was going to fall for the entirety of the day, the harsh downpour soaking everything within their field of vision wet as a chilly air swept across the streets. ''It almost feels strange, as if the world is crying, how funny it is that it''s on this very day.'' Nero thought with a cynical look in his eyes before he cleared his thoughts and moved forward, he opened his umbrella and began to make his way towards the so-called private hospital caring for his mother. Ryo followed along with one arm holding his umbrella as the other played with his phone, the two figures slowly vanishing beyond the street through the rainy mists. *** On route from a highway, a sleek black car was driving towards the central areas of Rambruck. Within this car, the familiar face of a middle-aged man with a curly mustache garbed in a black suit sat behind the driver''s seat as he drove steadily. While driving, his pupils occasionally looked up at the rearview mirror, staring at the petite young beauty that sat at the corner seat. Her long chestnut-colored hair gracefully fell to her sides as she played with its strands, wrapping it around fingers. Yet, while this action made her seem at ease, and adorable, if one paid closer attention, they would notice that her large rounded eyes had traces of worry as they gazed at the rainy scenery from outside the window. ''I wonder, is Kara alright? Will she really be fine after being exposed to such a thing?'' Elly thought as her eyes flashed with worry, she wasn''t feeling all that sure, but as Nero''s face that carried a look of certainly flashed into her mind, she didn''t know why, but she soon felt a bit more at ease. "If... if it''s him, he won''t lie to me, would he? He would never, I''m sure of it." Elly murmured to herself in a soft voice, lowering her head slightly. Screwgelman frowned as he saw this, he decided not to wait any longer as he spoke, "Young Miss, are you feeling well today? Do you need me to stop by your favorite restaurant to pick up something nice?" Elly hesitated for a bit before her eyes flashed as if realizing something. ''Hmm, that''s right; I''m visiting, so I should get gifts, hehe, I know the perfect the choice.'' After making up her mind, Elly then hurriedly spoke, "Uncle Vondelez, I''m feeling okay, I was just a bit distracted by the weather. Speaking of treats, I want some ice cream, lots of it, cookie and cream, maybe raisins and cherry flavored." ''Oh, it seems that I''ve whetted her appetite, its good, now she won''t have that sour look on her face anymore.'' Screwgelman thought with a warm smile looking at Elly akin to a father looking at his daughter. He spoke in reply, "As my young miss wishes." Not hesitating for a moment, he floored the automobile''s pedal, which caused the car to speed across the highway as it vanished into the distant rainy scene. *** In the central areas of Rambruck, there were many different important corporations and facilities, each owned by major business players from various backgrounds. Other than these buildings which towered over as huge skyscrapers, a very famous hospital was even more extensive than many different facilities, known as the Fortune Medical Center. Some rumors stated that this building directly relates to the United Earth Government, but many had yet to learn of its precise details even today. At this moment, at the facility entrance, many came and went by despite the harsh weather, vehicles parked and let out passengers as occasionally, one or two ambulances drove by with emergency cases. This facility''s response team was relatively quick as they promptly surrounded each ambulance and extracted the patient, which was then brought to the emergency room. Though it seemed a bit dramatic, it was merely an ordinary scene of a typical day. As such, no one paid it too much attention and only went about their way. Currently, an innocent-looking young girl with curly, orange-colored hair that sported a simple shirt covered by a jeans jacket and a skirt had left a taxi. She hurriedly unfurled her umbrella and quickly went into the entrance of the medical facility. After closing her umbrella and putting it in a bin used to store them, she fixed her hair and went over to the counter where a male receptionist stood and greeted her. "Welcome to the Fortune Medical Center. What''s the purpose of your visit?" The girl looked at the man and replied, "I... I came to check on a friend of mine. She''s been shot recently and should by now be recuperating." The man looked at her and spoke again, "So you are visiting a recuperating patient. What''s her name, and who are you to the patient?" The young girl took out her ID card and showed it to the man as she answered, "My name is Clair Braggart, and I am a classmate of the patient; her name is Kara Ilson." The man typed a few characters on his keyboard as his glasses reflected the lights from the pc monitor while he spoke, "Ilson, Ilson... okay, I''ve found her, she''s in room 236, please don''t do anything that might affect the well-being of the patient." As Clair heard this, she nodded before taking back her card as well as a visitor token from the male receptionist. She was about to head towards Kara''s room, but right at this moment, a familiar voice sounded from nearby. "Clair! Over here, it''s me!" Elly said in a loud tone, causing a few others to look at her. Clair was a bit surprised, but as she saw Elly, her eyes lit up, she hurried over and greeted, "Elly, I didn''t think I''d see you today, are you here to visit Kara as well?" Elly smirked as she replied with a thumbs up posture, "That''s right; how can I forget a friend?" "Elly..." Clair said softly with slightly wet eyes; she had known Kara for a very long time; while she had always viewed her as her closest friend and Kara was a bit skeptical, she knew of her situation the best, she never had any true friends but herself. Hearing Elly said such a thing made her unable to hold back emotions. Elly looked at Clair and tilted her head before making a teasing look as she spoke, "Hey, why are you such a cry baby? Hurry up, let''s go see what''s she''s up to, I''ve also brought gifts." Clair hearing her words then rubbed the corners of her eyes as she nodded and replied, "Okay." She noticed that a man held a pile of boxes from nearby, watching them with a gentle look on his face. Not long after, Elly soon got her visitors token from the counter; both girls, along with Screwgelman, then made their way through the hallways before arriving at an elevator. After a good while, they finally arrived on the floor Kara was being held. They then made their way towards the door, bypassing a few nurses that gave then friendly smiles as they moved about the floor. However, while walking along, Screwgelman couldn''t help but knit his brows as he stared at a nearby door, he felt a strange feeling coming from behind it, almost threatening. As if it could sense him, the feeling vanished, as Screwgelman stared at the door in puzzlement while thinking, ''Odd, something that can threaten me here? Could it be as those rumors have stated, or am I simply hallucinating?'' Screwgelman thought for a bit but couldn''t find an answer. He soon noticed that Elly and Clair had arrived in front of a different door. Not bothering to waste time here, he shook his head and hurried along towards their position. Moments after Screwgelman left, the door seemed to have open with a slight crack. Still, if one looked carefully, they would see an indistinct figure behind it, his eyes staring at the direction Screwgelman went with a cold look before returning to normal as the door closed once more. By now, Elly and Clair had arrived at the edge of Kara''s room door, which was slightly opened for some reason. They were about to enter it in a loud manner, but as if they saw something the two remained quiet as they peeked through the crack. There, they saw a grown woman, one with a busty figure, ample bosom, and similar but mature facial features compared to Kara''s. Suddenly, as if awoken by this woman, Kara''s eyelids trembled a bit as she opened them bit by bit. Still, as this happened, the scene in the room had an unspeakable kind of air, filling anyone with a strange sort of tension as if foreshadowing the things to come. Chapter 120: Kara’s Experience, True Friends It was a world of emptiness, one in which nothing existed, nothing but the sole wandering spirit of a young girl which floated aimlessly into the unknown. Here, time seemed irrelevant, as if at any moment, there could be no time or a hundred years in a flash. Yes, it was a confusing space, one that could very much reflect the opposing party''s state of mind. "Where am I?" Kara asked as she found herself in this strange world, her eyes flickering with fear as she soon realized that she couldn''t move her body. Suddenly, her pupils shifted down as if trying to see her chest, but as she couldn''t even tilt her head, she had no way to clearly observe anything. ''Am... am I dead?'' Kara thought it was the only logical reasoning for her current state; she recalled Perm aiming the gun towards Elly before she jumped into its path; she knew that she had more or likely died. "Maybe... maybe this was for the best, I am, after all, an unwanted soul," Kara said as the scenes of her mother and father giving her cold looks flashed before her eyes. "If only... if only you hadn''t been born," Two cold and utterly remorseless voices said as the couple then turned around before walking towards a towering door of light, fading from her world in entirety. Kara made a self-mocking smile as she saw a younger version of herself, one that had eyes stained with tears as she stretched her palm towards the door of light, screaming and begging. "DON''T GO! MAMA! PAPA! DON''T LEAVE MEEEEE!" Her innocent voice resounding throughout the empty void, but as if it was destined for nothing, no reply was heard. Kara looked at those scenes with blank eyes; her heart had long since died out regarding her parents; she had no interest in seeking them out again. Yet, though she might have thought it to be so, her body knew of her most genuine feelings. Hence, it was unable to lie when faced with her greatest desire. Suddenly, a stream of tears flowed down her cheeks, causing Kara, who roamed about in emptiness, to descend into sadness. "Pathetic..." A strangely familiar voice said, sounding at the very core of her mind. Kara had a puzzled look as she heard the voice; she spoke, "You... who are you?" The voice remained silent before it spoke again, "You truly are something, to have forgotten even yourself merely because of failed affection. You are undeserving of my blessings, though I can''t help it, since we are both distinct, yet the same." Upon hearing that voice, Kara had a flicker in her eyes as if she recalled something. The image of a familiar silhouette flashing in her eyes, a long-forgotten entity from her early childhood. She then spoke, "Yes, it was you wasn''t it, that voice in my head, that vision in my mind, the very reason why I was left behind. No, maybe it was us, we were at fault because of our difference." As if the voice in her mind heard her, it spoke once more but in a much softer tone, "It''s good that you remember, but you can''t stay here forever, your problems will never leave you if you keep avoiding them, no... our problems, so it''s time for us to wake up, we still have people out there who believe in us." As if in sync with this mysterious voice, both Kara and the voice spoke once more, "Yes, that''s right; it''s time for us to awaken." Following this scene, a bright light shone from the center of this world of nothing; it instantly enveloped everything, blanketing everything in sight as Kara faded from its confines. Yet, as Kara vanished, a strange object appeared; it was a multi-color card that floated through the void, its surface filled with a series of 0''s and 1''s, flashing on and off. "My dear self, we don''t have long; you must hurry, hurry and wake up before our forgotten visions become actuality." The strange voice said once more before it to with the card vanished from reality. **** ''I... I''m alive, was that a dream?'' Kara said as she finally awoke from her slumber, she slowly sat from a bed resisting the pain from her chest as she held onto the side of her head with her hands. "Ouch! So painful, I... I can''t remember much, but that voice... I can''t believe I had forgotten such a thing, when did I forget?" Kara was about to ponder some more about her strange dream, but as if she noticed something, she looked around the room and saw that she wasn''t at her home. ''Where is... ah, that''s right, I was shot, so this should be the hospital.'' Kara muttered as she saw the room and medical instruments, she was about to close her eyes, but suddenly, they went wide as she caught sight of a form she didn''t think she''d ever see again. A figure burned in the core of her mind''s deepest place. "Mother..." Kara said unconsciously while looking at the mature woman who now stared at her with a stern look. As if she noticed her waking up, the woman frowned as she looked at Kara''s face and spoke, "You couldn''t do anything else but to take more from what little we have, falling into such an accident knowing full well we would have to pay your expenses. When are you going to disappear from our lives? You should have just died; maybe then we''d be free to move on in peace." When Kara heard this, her arms trembled as she didn''t think the first thing to come out of her mother''s mouth would be something like this; she stared at her, unable to say a word. ''So that''s what she still thinks of me, I was so foolish, did I really have hope that she had come here out of concern? I''m so stupid-stupid- stupid!'' Kara''s mind went blank as she cursed her stupidity, having slights amount of hope that her parents had still wanted her deep down. Looking at Kara''s current state, the woman scoffed before turning around and leaving. Not even saying a word as she made her way towards the door. The door opened with a loud creak, but as the woman was about to leave, she saw two young girls the very same age as her daughter staring at her coldly. Startled, the woman took a step back as she raised her voice, hoping to scare them off. "Who-who are you? Don''t you know this is a patient''s quarters? How dare you block the door?" Though they heard her shout, the girls didn''t pay her any mind; one of them ran over to Kara''s side. Still, as for the smaller looking girl, she glared at the woman and spoke in an icy tone, "You truly are a dirty old hag, hurry and get lost! I hope that you never appear before Kara again, or God helps me, I''ll report your conduct as a mother to certain authorities!" When the woman heard Elly''s words, her face turned pale as she tightly held her bag and rush out of the room, storming pass Screwgelman, who stared at her with an indifferent look. Screwgelman then looked at Elly and spoke, "Young Miss, should I?" "No, let''s leave it as is, for now, I''m sure that Kara wouldn''t want us to do anything like that either," Elly replied as she looked at Screwgelman. "Understood," Screwgelman answered as the icy look in his eyes faded by a section. Elly no longer stood at the door and hurried into the room, making her way over to Kara''s and Clair''s side. By now, Kara had already realized their arrival, her eyes flooded with tears when she saw Clair and Elly came to visit, even more so when she saw how Elly stood up to her mother. "Elly, Clair, I... I don''t..." Kara wanted to say something but didn''t know how to say it. Clair touched Kara''s lips with her fingers and spoke with a cheerful smile, "Hehe, Kara, you don''t need to say thanks, after all, we''re friends, aren''t we, and like real friends, that''s what we''re supposed to do." Elly smirked and made a fist-pumping action as she spoke, "That''s right, now enough of this sappy talk, come I''ve brought cake and ice cream, lets hurry and eat before the nurses arrive." When Kara heard this, her eyes lit up; Clair''s eyes also had a similar look of excitement as Screwgelman opened the boxes and placed down various items. The room now filtered with color as the gloomy scene now transformed into one of life and laughter. Outside of the very same hallway, at its very edge, Kara''s mother had run towards an elevator that had only just opened; with a thud, she had collided into the chest of a handsome silver-haired youth who had only just walked out. He looked at her and spoke coldly, "Hey, watch where you are going; you''re a grown woman for crying out loud!" "Y-Yes," Kara''s mother said with a hint of shame, but if one looked at her face, they would see a slight flush as she didn''t dare to stare into his eyes, as if she found him too attractive. With a loud sound, the elevator''s door closed, sending her to the base floor as the silver-haired youth frowned in discomfort as he continued onward. ''Mother should be on this floor. Tsk, some so-called private hospital, I didn''t think they''d send her to a medical center that was wide open to the public.'' Nero thought as he slowly made his way towards one of the doors, oddly enough, it was the very door Screwgelman had felt a strange air from; he stood behind in silence, taking a deep breath before he reached his hand towards the knob and turned it slowly. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 121: Visiting Mother, An Unexpected Scene This room was a well-kept one, filled with a variety of roses that gave off a soothing scent, such that it could calm the mind of any who ventured into its domain. The windows were cracked, causing the curtains to sway as a chilly wind blew from the room interior''s rainy weather. ''These roses, I''ve heard that they are quite good for the benefits of one''s mind and spirit, it seems that the rumor holds true,'' Nero thought as he felt that his Spiritual Awareness was a notch sharper than usual. After thinking such thoughts, his eye shifted from the roses by passing a series of medical instruments onto what seemed like a mechanical glass chamber with blue liquid. Within this chamber, he saw his unconscious mother with a respiratory mask over her mouth, her long silver hair floating above her head as her eyes were closed. At every second, he would hear her heartbeat on a Holter monitor, showing that for now, she was still alive and well. "Mother, I''ve come to visit," Nero said as he walked over and sat down on a nearby chair, positioned at her side. Nero remained silent for a moment before placing his palm onto the glass, feeling a tinge of coldness from its surface. "Mother, it must have been hard trying to keep that curse within you at bay for such a long time, but for my sake, you rejected any idea of getting some kind of treatment knowing full well of the outcome. I can''t imagine what kind of pain you''ve been going through for the entirety of my life." Nero said while staring at her for a good while with slightly reddish eyes, but soon, they turned sharper as they carried a cruel gleam when he spoke again. "Mother, fear not, I shall do my very best, no matter how long it takes, or even if in the end I still failed to save you, I will do whatever it takes to find that treasure and make things right again. Your enemies will also fall to my hands, so, for now, please rest easy, and hear my stories." Nero then made a warm smile after saying those words as he started to speak about many things as he slowly passed the time. *** Within a private sector of the Fortune Medical Center, was a large door closed off with two sturdy-looking men in black suits standing before it in silence. They both ensured that no one would even venture a meter close to the doorway, but soon, their eyes flickered as they noticed the arrival of a blond Asian youth. Ryo walked up to the guards and held out a token with a symbol of the UEG, the guards seeing this then quickly made way as they bowed and spoke in unison. "Welcome, Young Master Kojima." After hearing their words, Ryo walked through the door, entering a clean looking hallway that led towards a far-off room. He moved steadily through the path across a simple carpet with many pictures hosted onto the walls. He soon arrived before the door at the very end of the hallway, but as he reached his hand forward, he hesitated a bit before he gripped it and turned and doorknob. After a creaking noise, the door opened as the scene within was revealed. It was a circular space with a simple looking desk in the shape of an arc and a leather chair. Behind these objects was a large window by which a solitary figure stood in silence; he wore a simple coat with a hat over his black hair as he gazed out into the distance through his shades with a set of sharp-looking eyes. At this moment, Ryo''s eyes fixed towards a man whose back was turned, staring at him silently for a good while, neither of them spoke as if they didn''t need any words. After a long while of silence, Ryo finally turned around a walked away while speaking, ''I''m headed out." Not long after, the door behind the man closed once more, but when this occurred, the man finally spoke, ''Cheeky boy, he''s certain inherited everything from that mother of his, from her attitude, to even her name...'' Grail said as he shook his head and glanced at a small pendant in his hand, he saw the images of a blond-haired woman along with an even younger Ryo. He shook his head and placed it away while gazing into the gloomy sky, shrouded by thunderclouds. ''They did take more from us than we could from them, but soon, very soon we''ll all be able to pay them back...'' Grail thought with a cruel look on his face, his eyes having a bloodthirsty ray which flashed before returning to normal, his figure once again carrying a solitary air as he peered through the window at the stormy scene. *** After a long time, Nero finished recounting his experiences with his mother. Having realized that time was getting dark, he gave his mother a warm look before saying goodbye and leaving the room. Nero wasn''t feeling such a good mood, for even though he poured his heart out to his mother, he felt a bit empty on the inside, she was no longer there to eat his dinner, nor would she be there to cheer him on for school, or make witty comments. At this time, Nero finally realized that other than his mother, he had no one to truly rely on, filling him with a heavy feeling of loneliness. After leaving the hospital, Nero wandered about with his umbrella sheltering himself from the rain in an empty area; the time grew dark as the street lanterns were already lit, adding bits of color to his now gloomy world. Ryo watched this from a distance and sighed, he was about to walk over, but as if he noticed something, he made a curious look before turning and walking away. Elly had only just finished her visit to Kara; she had a happy smile on her face as she had never enjoyed herself in another''s company in a long time; for the first time in her life, she truly felt what it was like to have people that she call friends. Screwgelman smiled as he walked behind her while thinking, ''It was a good thing that the young lady visited this hospital. I''m proud that she could make such friends. I suppose that now, the Madame should be able to put her worries¡ª'' Screwgelman was about to think something, but he soon noticed that Elly had halted, her attention now cast onto a distant and lonely figure of a youth. A handsome young boy with silver hair and deep red eyes staring off into the distance pondering the unknown. ''This isn''t good, such makings, this child is certain to be a lady killer, I have to try and¡ª'' Screwgelman was about to take action, but suddenly, Elly looked at him and spoke. "Uncle, I''ll be checking on a classmate. Can you please wait for me in the car?" "Eh? I, well," Screwgelman said, he hesitated a bit but as he saw her large round watery eyes that looked at him hopefully. He couldn''t help but sigh as he replied with a nod, "I understand, hurry back soon, young lady." "Yay, uncle is the best," Elly said as she hugged Screwgelman''s waist before running over towards Nero''s direction. ''The Madame is certain to grow angry at this news, looks like I''ll be in for it again,'' Screwgelman thought as he looked at this and shook his head, before turning around and walking to the car. By this time, Elly had arrived right under Nero''s nose, who seemed way too distracted to even notice her. Elly stared up at him with a curious look on her face, noticing the sad look in his eyes. As if she felt his sadness, Elly showed a worried look as she thought to herself, ''What''s wrong with him? He''s never acted like this before; did he lose someone important?'' She pondered, assuming this to be the only logical fact due to him suddenly appearing at the hospital. Elly stared at his face once more and bit her lips as if making a hard choice; she then spoke inwardly, ''This cheap fellow, I''ll allow you this advantage only once.'' After thinking such thoughts, Elly then did an unthinkable act, wrapping her arms around his waist as she placed her head against his chest; due to her small stature, it almost seemed like a hug from an adorable little sister to her elder brother. A few passersby couldn''t help but look at this with warm and gentle looks as they spoke. "Awww so cute, what an adorable brother and sister pair." "I know, right, I''m taking a picture for reference." "If only my kids were like that, all they want to do is fight and play games." After the various individuals expressed their thoughts, they went about their business, leaving behind the duo. Nero, the target of this exchange, felt a feeling he never had before, the soft and supple body of a young girl holding him tightly, stirring his senses and spirit, pulling him away from depression. ''This... wh-what the hell? Elly?'' Nero thought in alarm, as he looked down at the little beauty that held onto him with a squeeze, his arms trembling as his mouth opened wide, unable to say a word. As if sensing his state of mind, Elly blushed a bit when she heard his racing heartbeat, she lifted her head and looked at him with a cheeky smile as she spoke, "Hey, I''ve given you an advantage, so no more acting like some sad bloke, you hear me?" When Nero heard those words, his heartfelt warm, he knew what might have happened just by hearing those words, and as such, the look he gave Elly had transformed entirely. A look that any normal man should have when faced with a beauty in arms. It caused Elly to gulp as felt that this transformation was destined to bring out strange changes... Chapter 122: Teasing Elly, A Peculiar Change The air remained chilly due to the stormy weather, yet even despite its influence in the entire city, there was one place that seemed to be building up a fiery air. A warm mood lingered around a duo standing a distance from the Fortune Medical Center, as a strange mood began to rise. Nero stared at Elly with flame in his eyes, being provoked by a woman in such a manner, it''s only natural that a man, no... a youth, would find it hard to contain his true nature. ''You think it''s funny, huh? That you can waltz on over here, and put me in a hold as you like, did you know that such actions had its prize?" Nero asked with a cheeky smile on his face as he stared down at Elly. When she heard his words and saw Nero''s intense stare, Elly felt a feeling she hadn''t quite understood herself. Her face turned crimson red as she lowered her head, not daring to look at his face as she spoke. "I... I... meant no such thing, You... You''re exaggerating." Elly said stutteringly. "Really, then what about now?" Nero asked with a cheeky smile as one of his arms wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her closer to his being. When Elly felt his arm around her, her small body trembled as if it was undergoing a quake; she started to speak as if confused. "My, I... I..." Nero seeing this felt it to be even more adorable; he lowered his head and placed his mouth right up to her ears, lightly blowing a warm wind that caused her ear to redden as he spoke in a deeper tone that his usual teenage voice. "Don''t know how to speak? It''s fine, I''ll ''teach'' you today." The instant Elly heard those words. Her mind went blank as her face turned even redder. It seemed that despite having an innocent and adorable outlook, she knew more things in this regard. "You pervert!" Elly said in a loud voice, somewhat regaining her strength as she pushed herself away from Nero with all the strength she could muster. Nero looked at this with a smile and let her go, causing her to fall back by a few meters. When this happened, Elly looked at Nero begrudgingly, she felt a bit lost now that they weren''t as close anymore, but she certainly didn''t want Nero to know about such thoughts. "You... humph! Y-you dare to take an extra advantage, I''m going to tell mother!" Elly said while pointing her finger towards Nero, her manner seeming like a bullied little girl. Nero smirked and replied: "By all means, please do so." Elly balled up her fists tightly as she stared at his smug look with her reddish face while thinking, ''This brute, he dares, how dare he act like this? Errr... I-I should have never given him that chance. Hmph! Just you wait, I''ll get you back.'' After thinking such thoughts, Elly''s eyes flashed as she hurried off through the rain in a different direction. Nero seeing her like this, shook his head; he decided to tease her one more time. "See you later, Elly, oh, and be prepared for tomorrow''s private lesson." When Elly heard this, she trembled to flatter a bit as she only now remembered that she will be home taught by Nero after today. With her thoughts unknown, Elly picked up her pace and hurried from the area like a frightened rabbit, causing Nero to chuckle. ''How cute... maybe, maybe it is not so lonely after all.'' Nero thought as he stared at the direction Elly left, he now felt a bit better, as he was stirred from his earlier state of mind after seeing his mother. ''Yes, I was sulking for no reason. I still have Avollo and Elly.'' Nero concluded with a sharp look in his eyes; he then shifted his eyes towards a different direction while smiling as he spoke to his older self. ''And I have you too.'' Adult Nero, who had been idly watching with a leisure appearance, smirked as he heard Nero''s words; he then spoke in reply, "You might be mistaken, I''m just a ghost." ''Hmph! As if you are!'' Nero said back to his older self in a snappish manner as he no longer spoke to him. ''Still just a brat,'' Adult Nero said, as he watched as Nero left, moving towards a bus stop to catch a ride home. The moment Nero left, Ryo seemed to walk out of nowhere, staring in his direction as he sighed while thinking. ''I suppose that I can end today''s session; tonight will be a special one after all,'' Ryo thought as he recalled that today is a dungeon raid, he knew just how dangerous monsters like these could get. After wrapping up his thoughts, Ryo vaguely glanced at the upper floor, recalling the wounded girl he brought here. ''At least she too is fine,'' Ryo thought as his eyes showed an unusual look as he shook his head before wasted no time in leaving, the scene here doused by the gloomy rain that continued even through the night. *** When Nero had left the hospital, there was a subtle change in the Fortune Medical Center, a doctor was looking over a series of data on his clipboard that a nurse had just brought him. "How could this be? This person''s brain, it''s undergoing a metamorphosis." The doctor said in alarm, looking at the strange data along with the images of a person''s brain, he fixed his glasses and stared at the nurse before speaking once more. "Nurse, hurry, and take me to this patient!" "Yes, Doctor Dalton." The nurse replied as she hurriedly brought Doctor Dalton towards the upper floors by elevator; it didn''t take long for them to arrive on the Kara''s and Hersa''s floor. The nurse then brought Doctor Dalton towards Kara''s resting quarters while he was stuck in his own thoughts. ''With this finding, I... I''m certain that I can climb high in the society, so long as I can understand this brain''s transformation, I am sure that I will be granted a Nobel Prize!'' Doctor Dalton''s eyes burned with ambition, showing a look typically found on most people in this world. While some would actually be genuine, some would do anything to get what they want, be it a rise in social standing or another; people, or in this case, patients for them, are nothing more than obstacles or tools to accomplish specific agendas. Doctor Dalton felt especially happy that he discovered this first, he stepped forward at an even faster pace behind the nurse, but he noticed an odd scene right at this. A group of men wearing black suits stood outside of Kara''s room door, each with a wire around their ears and the markings UEG on their shoulders. ''The government special forces!'' Doctor Dalton thought in alarm, but his eyes soon narrowed, as he noticed that they were missing a certain symbol, he frowned while thinking. ''No, it''s a private special force, but who do they respond to? Are they really trying to interfere with my studies?'' Doctor Dalton though with complex eyes as he stared at the men before him, he gritted his teeth and decided to try his luck by walking over. "Halt, no one is to approach here." One of the men said in a cold tone. Doctor Dalton clenched his fist as he knew that his plans were in trouble. Not wanting to give up, he stared at the man and spoke with a raised voice, "Excuse me, but what do you think that you''re doing? My name is Dalton Philnez, a renowned brain specialist in the field of medical science, that room has a very important patient, so I request that you¡ª" "That''s enough; no one can enter, not even the director of this sector. You can take your leave now, Sir Dalton," One of the men indifferently said as they flashed a golden badge with UEG on it. The instant Doctor Dalton saw it; his face turned pale as he thought in alarm, ''UEG High Command! To think such high up forces would come here and for that girl no doubt, darn!'' While this fact angered Dalton, he knew better than to oppose such a force. He shook his head before turning around and leaving, not daring to look back. The man who sent Dalton away sneered as he no longer looked at him but stand at guard, soon though, his face turned respectful as he saw Grail walking from a different part of the hallway, moving towards them with steady steps as his arms where placed within the pockets of his coat. "We salute the High Commander!" The man said as he made a respectful military salute and the other guards, each showing an in-depth look of respect on their faces as they stared at him. Grail looked at his and shook his head before speaking, "How is the girl?" The hesitated before he spoke, "She seems a bit confused, sir, but other than that, her condition is as expected." Grail nodded at those words as he spoke, "Good, then I''ll go." The man looked at this in shock, since when someone of his stature needed to tend to such affairs. Grail said nothing as he walked past everyone and opened the door to Kara''s room while thinking, ''Let''s see just what kind of miss could let my son grow so caring.'' Grail thought with an unusual smirk on his face as he recalled Ryo''s strange movements at the hospital; he even checked over his video feed and saw scenes of him spying on Kara''s room even after meeting up with him. ''A sneaky brat, indeed," Grail said as the sound of the creaking door resounded, following by the bright lights that shrouded his vision as he revealed its scene. Chapter 123: A Sudden Encounter, Irak Ashville The rain still fell, adding a hint of gloominess in the night scene; the streets now empty as everyone had long since turned in from their daily activities. This was even more so for those who live within the ever so famous Gutter Zone. Trash scattered about the asphalt, with dry paper and cardboard scattered at random areas. Nero walked through these quiet and dismal streets unaffected by the stench, for this to him was home. He moved by the sideways with his umbrella unfurled and one hand in his pocket, the puddles below his feet splashing with every step taken forward. While moving, Nero''s eyes swept around the different alleyways he used to fear at one point, his eyes carrying a recollective look as if recalling in his early childhood years, terrible years by which he had to struggle with thugs. Ka-Bang! Suddenly, a bright thunderbolt flickered across the sky, lighting more of these dismal areas compared to the dim and broken streetlamps. Nero was unphased by the lightning, but his attention soon shifted towards a peculiar figure in a nearby dark alley due to its light. It was a man garbed in black wear, a long sleeve shirt, long dark trousers, along with a black hat over his head and dark-colored shades. He currently held onto what seemed like a butterfly knife that he casually played with, flashing its blade about the rain in an unusually skillful manner. Usually, Nero wouldn''t even spare a glance to a man like this, especially now that he''s grown much stronger than any normal human being, having powers that could crush the logic a few of modern science and its various weaponry. However, his eyes still fixed onto the man, noticing his peculiarities in the very instant he saw him. Swing! With a sharp sound, followed by the noises, this knife''s blade danced through the void, leaving behind arcs of white light that cut apart each droplet from the rain that fell around this individual. Yet even stranger was the fact that this man was dry. It was as if the heavy downpour was but merely an illusion. ''Who is this man?'' Nero thought with a solemn look on his face; he didn''t dare to take another step further, nor did he dare to take his eyes away from the man before him. Upon seeing the knife technique used to create a no rain zone, he knew that this man was far beyond his current self. Adult Nero narrowed his eyes at this; he sat up from his typical lazy posture as he stared at the man from within Nero''s mind. ''It looks like I''ll need...'' Adult Nero was about to think something, but as if he noticed someone, he glanced toward a different direction before returning to normal. ''Or maybe not, heh, I didn''t think I''d see this fellow so early,'' Adult Nero said to himself with sharp-looking eyes as he no longer did anything, sitting himself down silently as he observed. By this time, the man had finally finished playing with the knife as the rain began to soak his figure. When this happened, the man''s aura changed as he lifted his head from the blade and stared directly at Nero, his cold looking eyes slightly revealed from below his shades. Nero gulped as he saw the change; his forehead ran with sweat as he slowly removed his left arm from his pocket and cricked his fingers, his torso leaned forward, taking on an offensive stance. ''I don''t know who he is, but he''s definitely not here with good intentions.'' Nero concluded in his thoughts, his eyes carrying a sharp look as he readied himself. "Don''t blame me, kid, blame yourself for provoking the wrong party," The man uttered with a light smile as he licked his lips; the hand which held the knife soon tightened its grip before his smile turned into a cruel grin. ''Hmm, what''s he talking about? Wait, could it be...?'' Nero was confused as he didn''t know what the man was saying, but his eye widened in surprise as he recalled something recent. He wanted to hurry and act, but sadly, it was already too late. Suddenly, the man''s eyes glowed in a cruel ray as his body erupted a new power. Time seemed to have stopped as the rain within a few meters was repelled by an unknown force. In this instant, the strange man had arrived directly before Nero''s body that stood in stillness, unaware of the changes around him, the knife in his hand stabbing towards his heart in slow motion. The man''s eyes showed an excited look as if he could envision the scene of Nero''s chest being pierced. Yet, right before the blade could reach Nero, there was a sudden change. With a sound of something gripping tightly, an arm that wore a black glove had appeared from out of nowhere and grabbed the man''s knife. One would see a stranger with spiky hair, garbed in a stylish coat with high collars. He had an ''x'' shaped scar on his left eye with an eyepatch covering his eye socket. "What? Who the hell are you?" The man asked as he looked at the newcomer in alarm, he tried to move his arm, but no matter how much force he applied, it was as if the hand which gripped him was a no different from a mountain. ''Such strength, he''s certainly not of the standard class; how did I fail to notice his presence?'' The man thought, but as he tried to inspect him, the sole remaining eye of the stranger now glared down at him, causing him to feel an indescribable will, one that conjured a deep fear within his soul. "Who sent you?" The spiky-haired man coldly asked as he increased the grip onto the man''s arm, causing a few bone-breaking noises to resound. "Aaargh! Bastard, like I''ll tell you! Take this and die!" The man said as he hurriedly reacted by reaching his other arm for a hidden weapon and stabbing it towards the unknown party. A powerful energy conjured around the weapon, showing that this was no ordinary skill, it was a powerful method that could only be done by a veteran, but sadly, it was in vain. Splat! The sound of something blown to pieces sounded as the man''s head exploded. His corpse then fell onto the ground in stillness with a pool of blood around his neck. "How meaningless, if you don''t say, I can always figure it out through other methods." The unknown man said with a mocking look in his eye. He then glanced at Nero, who was stuck in stillness before he stared at his watch, which had a slow-moving clock handle. "Time out..." The man said as the corpse below him rapidly eroded as if it had been there for years. Even the bones and blood had vanished into dust, leaving no trace on the ground. The man then nodded before the clock handle once more started to tick at normal speeds as his figure flickered and vanished. At this moment, the rain fell like the norm as Nero looked around in confusion; his face had a solemn look as he thought to himself. ''Just now... I could have sworn that I was about to be assassinated. What happened to that man, or rather, who stopped him?'' Nero asked inwardly, hoping to get an answer from his older self. Adult Nero chuckled and replied, "No one you should concern yourself with at this time." ''Hmph! Fine, be that way!'' Nero snapped back, not bothering with him. Adult Nero shook his head as he watched Nero left the area; his eyes shifted towards the roof of a nearby building where the spikey hair man stood in silence with his coat fluttering due to the crisp wind. ''Irak Ashville, it''s good that he''s still alive and kicking.'' Adult Nero said with a smirk on his face, no longer paying him any mind. At this time, Irak watched Nero''s vanishing figure in silence as his eye showed a reminiscent look. It was as if he could see another figure superimposed with his form, a tall man with a stronger figure and black hair. "Like father like son, even in such a situation his manner shows no fear, I should keep an eye on him a little while before I visit that Grail, tsk, he truly is doing a poor job at protecting his legacy." Irak murmured before he removed Nero''s eyes and jumped from the roof, vanishing into the dark and rainy night scene. Chapter 124: Nero’s Thoughts, Delkan’s Rage It didn''t take long for Nero to arrive at his home, after doing a bit of cleaning and washing himself off. He quickly cooked whatever he could find in the refrigerator, making himself a light meal for dinner before he sat himself down in the living room, awaiting the time required to enter the World of Promise. While seated at ease, Nero''s eyes stared at the rain from his windows illuminated by the dim lamps at the street corners. His face had a thoughtful look as he spoke to his older self. "That assassin, was he sent by those Bit Hunters, or is it really from that time?" Adult Nero, who was currently filing his ghost nails with a semi-transparent file, glanced at Nero and spoke, "What do you think?" Nero hesitated for a while before his eyes glowed with a red glint as he answered, "I feel as if it''s related to that Delkan, even if not directly himself, it''s related to his family." Adult Nero smiled at those words as he questioned, "Oh, and what led you to that conclusion?" Nero made a look of certainty as he narrowed his eyes and replied, "It''s simple, despite the flaws of that Perm fellow, from what I''ve learned at the Blood Steel Temple, I feel that those Bit Hunters are more organized. Even if they send assassins, they would more than likely be focused on taking my Digitize Bit; they wouldn''t say such nonsense mentioning that I''ve offended some third party." Adult Nero nodded at this before he spoke again, "Oh, that''s well founded, but how do you know if it wasn''t a Bit Hunter in disguise as a normal assassin? He could even say such nonsense and directly point you towards some family as an attempt to protect his identity upon failure of his mission. While you''re right this time, some things aren''t so easy, you''ll need more than facts to find a conclusion, and this can only come from experience." As Nero heard his older self''s words, he thought for a bit before answering in reply, "I understand." Adult Nero made a satisfied look as he stared at his younger self, his eyes showing a proud face as he thought, ''So much better than I was even at this stage, it''s good that he can keep his senses; even back then, I couldn''t do anything but fall to my rage.'' When he thought this far, a few scenes flashed into his mind, the scenes of a lonely youth in his house, seated in silence, his entire figure emanating a dense murderous air as if one carefully looked they would see a swarm of evil spirits that lurked around his being. As if roused by his thoughts, a series of black mist started to gather around his body, followed by a sinister laugh, one that could seep in the soul of any man. Adult Nero frowned at this; his body erupted a blood color magic power as he stared at the mist and commanded, "Begone!" "Aaaahhhh!" Influenced by his will, the dark entity screamed in pain as two ominous red eyes glowed from the mist before shutting tightly, the mists then faded as it was swallowed back into his shadow. Following this change, Adult Nero had a deep look as he stared at his finger, noticing that more than half of it had faded away, leaving a trailing ling that slowly continuously dissipated into the nothingness. ''All beings have their fate, and no matter how one tries to escape, it will eventually catch up.'' After thinking these thoughts, Adult Nero then sat into meditation. Time quickly passed as Nero, who rested, quickly opened his eyes as they shone with expectation when he thought, ''It''s time for my first dungeon; I''m curious to see how my new skill plays out.'' Adult Nero chuckled when he heard this. He thought to himself, ''Huhu... that''s not your only surprise; things should be quite amusing.'' Moments after, Nero entered the World of Promise, transforming into a series of colorful digital blocks that swept towards the heavens at high speeds, leaving behind his quiet house. *** Within the Newman Family, inside of a private courtyard, Delkan sat in lotus posture on top of a luxurious mat. His attention was fixed on his cellphone with a hint of impatience on his face. "That father of mine, never is he interested in my affairs, since he doesn''t want to help, what''s to stop me from killing this bastard myself? I, Delkan, am a proud elite of the DU, my standing, my looks, everything is superior to that low born filth. I refuse to accept such humiliation, he will never have my woman, and as for my strength, he doesn''t deserve to exceed me ever in that regard.'' Delkan thought with a set of cruel eyes, born in his standing; he had never experienced such shame by another, now that he had suffered such a thing. It''s only natural that his pride would force him to annihilate the source of discomfort at all costs. At this time, the phone began to vibrate, stirring him from his cruel thoughts; Delkan then pressed the button and answered it. "Speak, what are the results?" "Y-young master Delkan, I''m afraid I have some unwelcome news." "Huh? What kind of news? Hurry up and tell me the results; I have to log in and don''t have time to waste!" Delkan said in a snappy manner. The person on the other line replied in a flustered tone, "Ah, yes, right away. It would appear that the assassin had failed, but that''s not the only thing; it turns out that the kid you were after isn''t as unprotected as he appears; he''s now a member of the DU''s Blood Steel Society!" "What? HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?" Delkan exclaimed in anger; he wasn''t surprised by the assassin''s death, but the fact that Nero had suddenly joined the ranks of society. "Damn! Damn! Damn you, Neroooo!" Delkan cursed in anger as he crushed the phone in his hand, causing it to shatter into pieces. After venting for a while, Delkan smashed his fist onto the ground shaking up his room as he tried to calm his breathing. He took a deep breath before growing silent as he glared at the glowing golden universe ring that loomed above in thought. ''It doesn''t matter; I don''t care how you did it? I will certainly get rid of you one way or another, even if it takes me a lifetime.'' Following those thoughts, Delkan no longer cursed as he focused on logging into the World of Promise, vanishing from his courtyard as a ray of colorful lights. Yet, the moment this happened, unaware to Delkan a figure had stood silently in his room, he turned and left the courtyard walking towards the main room where the Family Head was stationed. After knocking a few times, a voice sounded from inside, "Come in." The figure walked into the room and bowed politely before speaking to the middle-aged man that sat on his chair, "It''s as you''ve suspected, leader." The man frowned at those words before he waved his hand and replied, "I see, you may leave, continue to keep an eye on that brat." "Understood, sir." The figure replied as he back away and closed the room, leaving behind an odd silence scene as the middle-aged man gripped his armrest tightly as if angered as he spoke as if speaking to the wind. "That foolish kid." Chapter 125: Newbie Rewards, Nero’s Change Today was a grand day for those within the Novice Zone, even more so for those newly arrived, they would gain the chance to partake in the fabled Dungeon Raids. The fresh morning air capable of instilling the adventurous spirit of any who basked under its grace, much like the handsome silver-haired youth that stood within an open field surrounded by trees and flowers. With a deep breath, this youth made a warm smile before he exhaled and spoke with sharp-looking eyes. "The wind is good today; it might just be a good day." As Nero said those words, he gripped one of his fists tightly and prepared to head towards the town, but right as he took a step onto the grassy earth, a notification sounded in his head. ____ Ding! [Congratulations on completing your first week as a Digitizer! Evaluating your performance!] ____ When Nero heard those words and saw the details before his eyes, his mouth opened wide in shock, he didn''t think such a thing would occur. "Huh? What? Just how..." Nero said in confusion, especially when seeing the flickering digits on the screen before his eyes. He had no idea what was happening. Adult Nero chuckled as he spoke, "Quit acting so surprised. You''re just getting a few rewards for your efforts as a beginner. Why did you think I let you work so hard during the past week and even told you to join the Ranking List?" After listening to his older self''s words, Nero''s eyes flashed as he had a look of realization. He muttered, ''So that''s how it is; It''s no wonder I didn''t get any weapons or gear despite entering the top ten ranks.'' However, despite thinking such thoughts, Nero soon snorted as he cursed his older self inwardly, ''Bastard, you could have at least told me beforehand.'' Adult Nero said nothing as he pretended not to hear his younger self''s thoughts; Nero wanted to complain but couldn''t as the list had finally finished. ____ Ding! [Evaluation complete! You have been evaluated as a First Tier amongst this week''s newly arrived Digitizers! Now listing your rewards!] Ding! [Congratulations, you''ve earned a system title, The First of Newbies!] [Congratulations, you''ve earned 100 Prestige!] [Congratulations, you''ve earned 10 Silver Coins!] [Congratulations, you''ve earned Superior Item, Ironscale Underarmor!] ____ After seeing the series of notifications that popped up on the screen, Nero''s eyes showed excitement as he gripped his fist, resisting his urge to shouted out loud, ''Hell yeah!'' He knew that there were quite a few people around and didn''t need that kind of embarrassment this early in the morning; after taking a deep breath, he smiled while thinking. ''Finally, I got something good from this mean world and its system, to think that it not only gave me a special title, I also got silver coins and an armor. Haha, I can''t help but get the feeling that today might be my luckiest day yet.'' As Nero''s thoughts were filled with excitement, Adult Nero remained quiet, his face carrying a sly smirk as if he couldn''t wait to see Nero''s face much later. Unaware of his older self''s thoughts, Nero promptly inspected his change along with his new items. ____ Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - Silver Boy, Wild Silver(Active), The First Newbie(System: Cannot Equip | +40 Health and MP)] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 7 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 2765] [Current EXP: 21] [Influence: None | Prestige: 700 - Reputable] [Health 260/260] [Magic Power 260/260] [Combat Power: 190(+48) | 90 + 100] [Body Tenacity: 85 | 25 + (50+10)] [Spiritual Awareness 40] [Speed 68(+36) km/h]: [Genetic Trait: ??? Inheritance Bit (Mazello(Level 10)), Reaper''s Eye] --- [Passive Combat Skills | High-Grade:] [Core Body Refinement: Stage 7 (200/1000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by +50] [All Weapons Mastery Skill - Stage 7 (110/1000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Can increase the skill and Combat Power used by +50] --- [Active Combat Skills | High Grade:] [Blood Reaper''s Dance (Special) Stage 1 (0/100) | ? Stages] [Effects: Increase of 10% total damage, MP Consumption: 40] [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 7 (425/1000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Increase of 45km/h, MP Consumption: 25] [Myriad Spector Cut: Stage 2 (55/100) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Conjure 2 Phantom Clones, MP Consumption: 25] --- [Active Combat Skills | Low Grade: Flash Cut: Stage 3 MAX (100/100)] --- [Coins: 12 Silver 42 Coppers] --- [Items: ???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10), (NEW)Ironscale Underarmor - BT: 38, Furry Ape Martial Robe - BT: 10, Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe (Level7 Growable) CP: 48, Judgment Cuff, Sky Walker Boots, Crimson Mantis Band, Trading License, Digitize License] ____ As Nero looked over his details, he shook his head at the title name even more so when he saw it stated - can''t be equipped. He thought, ''As if I''d equip such a humiliating name...'' After brushing down such thoughts, Nero looked at HP and MP, nodding in satisfaction. He was a bit worried about his lack of Magic Power, but now with this change, he would be able to fight with more of his skills. Speaking of skills, Nero''s eyes soon landed on the Special High-Grade Skill, Blood Reaper''s Dance. He made a curious look as he inspected its details and thought to himself. ''To think that it can increase my attack power by 10%, I wonder just how far I can advance it?'' Nero thought as he recalled the conversation he had with his older self about Special High-Grade Skills uniqueness. No long pondering such things, Nero''s eyes then fixed onto his newest item, bringing up the detail view for the Ironscale Underarmor. ____ [Ironscale Underarmor] [Grade: Superior Tier] [Type: Armor] [Subtype: Underarmor] [Usable by: All] [Close & Mid-Range] [Requirements: Level 7] [Body Tenacity: 38] [Durability: 40/40] ____ After finally inspecting all his changes, Nero nodded as he started to leave the open field, venturing towards the direction of Birgime. Yet, while doing this, Adult Nero soon distracted him. "Wait, there''s something I need to tell you." When Nero heard those words, he halted at a nearby tree, making a puzzled look as he inwardly asked, "Huh? What are you talking about? What''s left to discuss?" Adult Nero made a slightly embarrassed smile as he spoke, "I did say I have something to tell you that time in the hospital; now that you''ve logged in, I''ll quickly say it here." Nero made a suspicious look as he thought inwardly, ''I bet he just forgot about it.'' Adult Nero snorted but cleared his throat, pretending as if he didn''t hear his younger self''s thoughts; he then made a stern look as the air around him change when he finally spoke again, "It''s like this..." **** Congrats to the winners of last month''s event, you can send me a message on discord to get your prize. Thank you all for continuing to support the series :) Dstep24, DChester, Fusilier66 Author''s Note: Feeling generous? Support the series by reviewing it on Webnovel and voting power stones. Chapter 126: Adult Neros Words A soft gale blew across the open field, rustling Nero''s combat robes as he stood behind a towering tree, basking in the atmosphere as blades of leaves fluttered around his figure. Despite this, however, his eyes were serious as he calmly waited for his older self to begin his words. Adult Nero soon materialized behind him, his semi-transparent figure visible only to Nero himself, standing back to back with his younger self as he spoke. "Previously, I had told you that you would need to go to a dungeon to acquire more power before the trials of the Gate of Legends. However, I did not explain to you the true hazards of a dungeon..." When Nero heard this, he frowned as he spoke, "What kind of hazards? Wouldn''t it just be a place with digitize beasts, traps, high-grade equipment, and a final creature to be annihilated?" Adult Nero shook his head and made a cold laugh before he replied, "If only that were true. Listen here, a dungeon is far more dangerous than that, for you see, it is a very place in the World of Promise that ignores the rules." When Nero heard this, his face turned dark as he asked, "Wait, you don''t mean?" "Correct," Adult Nero said, cutting him off as he continued to speak with a cold look in his eyes. "A dungeon is typically a place where one will experience death, but... as the Novice Zone is a bit more special, the penalty of true death has been constrained, limiting it to only the loss of one''s lifeforce. In other words, so long as you die in a Novice Zone dungeon, you would have essentially left behind a piece of your life within it, further reducing your overall lifespan." When Nero heard this, his face turned pale; he had no idea that things would get like this so soon. Yet, despite his discomfort, Adult Nero continued to speak with indifference. "I know that it might be discomforting, but you''ll need to get used to it; the one thing that you do not want to do in any dungeon, especially those after the Novice Zone, is perishing. This is why there are special methods available for each dungeon raider. It is also this very reason why all dungeon raids are especially brutal; digitizers will stop at nothing to acquire a second life or means to escape from its confines." When Nero heard those words, he drew in a breath of frigid air while thinking to himself, ''It looks like I was making light of this event for too long. I''ll need to take this as seriously as if it were in real life.'' Adult Nero nodded as he heard Nero''s thoughts; he then stared at the bright sun in the distance that illuminated this mystical world''s azure sky. His eyes seemed capable of viewing through the myriad of towering trees and high mountains that loomed behind the distant scenery of buildings and structures from the nearby Birgime. "All dungeons are set in a special place that generated by random, the only thing constant is its rank. Hence, while no one can ever truly be ready for one and should always go in with the expectation of meeting the unknown, you can only prepare yourself for the expected level of dangers." Adult Nero said again as he took his sights from the distinct, fixing it onto Nero before tapping his shoulder and vanishing within his body. Nero wasn''t surprised that Adult Nero could touch his shoulder. He had already recalled the scene from his encounter with the All-Seer. After clearing his thoughts, his eyes showed firmness as he took a step forward with his fist tightly clenched. ''I will be ready.'' Nero thought with a firm look on his face, no longer dallying in the open fields, he took a step forward, moving towards the distance as his silhouette faded beyond the coarse pathway. *** Time passed, and it was already nearing the peak of the morning; many digitizers were already gathered within Winfrey Village, as the slower ones were still on route. It was a well-known fact that the new digitizers would each have to speak with the Village Elder to acquire the quest for the first dungeon raid; only after doing this could one enter a dungeon portal by normal means. As such, the scene within Winfrey was a crowded one, filled with all of the recently arrived newbies, very much like the scenes in the other Novice Villages scattered about the entire Novice Zone. The heavily armed Raynas was currently moving through a sea of humans and nonhumans, carrying in his arms a large crate filled with a bundle of different types of equipment. His face was a bit sullen as he looked at the petite Elly in front his him that walked with a joyous expression on her face, moving without a care in the world. ''This sister of mine...'' Raynas thought as he heaved a deep sigh, shaking his head as he accepted the bag boy''s role. As if Elly heard his sigh, she looked around and spoke while pointing ahead, "Brother, hurry, we have to get over there now; I don''t want to be late for accepting the quest." ''Tsk! Whose fault do you think it is that we''re late in the first place?'' Raynas cursed inwardly, his eyes flashing with images of scenes before now, recalling as Elly led him across the entire markets purchasing everything she needed and didn''t need. Elly seemed to have sensed his discontent; she knitted her brow and looked at him as she asked, "Brother, aren''t you happy?" Raynas gritted his teeth before making a warm brotherly smile as she spoke, "Haha, my little sister is my life; how could I not be happy?" When Elly heard this, she snorted and said nothing, turning around as she ran ahead while thinking, ''Hmph! Brother, just you wait, this is only the beginning of the punishment for what you told mother about that time.'' Raynas shook his head, seeing Elly run ahead, he naturally didn''t know her thoughts and only followed along, but soon, his eyes shifted to the right as he saw a familiar silver-haired figure. ''Oh, it''s him, huhu... I have a perfect idea.'' Raynas thought with a set of cunning eyes, far different from his usual look as he saw the innocent and naive looking Nero walk towards his position, unaware of his plans. Chapter 127: Encountering Raynas, An Unexpected Scene When Nero arrived at Winfrey, he couldn''t help but bask in the overly crowded scene, taking in the sights of various Digitizers hurrying to purchase last-minute supplies. Most of them had similar features to humans but others were more bizarre. A few characters with giant-like builds had a strange symbol on their forehead with bare upper torso covered in markings. Looking amidst them, one would catch a few sightings of those with scaley flesh and shark-like teeth, along with girls and boys with thunder flickering in their hairs and blue-colored skin. ''It''s a lot more crowded than I''d thought, from Earth Giants to Sharkians and even Thunder Eelians. I didn''t so many persons were newly arrived just like myself.'' Nero said to himself as he slowly walked through the crowd at the center of the street, brushing by a few others. Due to the time constraint, many individuals were a bit on edge; they glared at Nero wanting to fight to him because he bumped their shoulder. "Hey, damn brat, why don''t you watch where...?" One fierce-looking Sharkian was so angry that he grabbed Nero''s shoulder and glared at him while speaking. Yet, when he saw the stern look on Nero''s face, especially the sinister blood-colored glint in his eyes, his scaly forehead rand with sweat as he gulped. "I... excuse me, I must have found the wrong person," The Sharkian said as he didn''t bother to follow through with it, hurrying away like a dog with its tail between its legs. Nero snorted, saying nothing as he calmed down his murderous intent; he clenched his palm tightly as he thought, ''It looks like I''m still not a hundred percent. I''ll need to be careful not to lose my senses...'' Adult Nero looked at this in silence; he said nothing as he knew just how hard it is to suppress his current self, even more so at this age. The fact that his younger self could recover from his previous state was a miracle in itself; even he didn''t think the current Avollo, who didn''t know him for too long, would have pulled off his last-minute gamble. After looking for a while, Nero didn''t continue to dally and promptly made his way towards the village chief''s direction, but right as moved along, he soon noticed Raynas that was carrying a large number of items. ''Hmm, Elly''s brother, why is he carrying so much stuff?'' Nero thought with a set of puzzled looking eyes. Raynas, on the other hand, had a warm smile on his face as he spoke, "Nero, you''ve arrived on time; how are you feeling about your first dungeon raid?" Nero, hearing those words, made a similar smile as he responded, "I''m not sure yet; I want to say I''m confident, but I think its best I go in with a surge of caution." Raynas''s eyes lit up upon hearing Nero''s words; he stared at him with even more respect as he thought to himself. ''Good, he''s free from rashness and arrogance, I have to say, that little sis of mine sure knows how to fall for a good one, even though she is... heh, I best not think on it. I need to focus, hmm¡­ since he''s so well-mannered and capable of charming my little sister, he needs to bear the weight.'' After concluding his thoughts, Raynas''s eyes strangely flashed as he spoke to Nero. "That''s good; it''s great that you''re cautious about the unknown; it''s a very handy mindset to have when faced with this world, especially for places as unpredictable as dungeons. Hmm, tell you what, I''m supposed to bring these items to Elly, but as you can see she''s gone off ahead and I''ve lost track of her, I also have to take care of some private matters, can you take these items to her for me as a favor?" When Nero heard this, he frowned as he thought to himself, ''Lost track of her, isn''t he at an exceedingly high level, he should be able to find Elly easily. Hmm, could it be that he''s trying to pass on that luggage?'' As Nero thoughts reached here, he carefully looked at Raynas and the items before he inwardly snorted and concluded, ''Hmph! That must be it! You want me to carry that, sorry not happening!'' After clearing up his thoughts, Nero smiled and replied, "I''m sorry big brother Raynas, but I don''t have that much space; I also need to purchase a few items on the way. I''ll go now, so see you at the village chief." After hurrying and ending the conversation in a one-sided manner, Nero promptly continued onward without even looking back. Raynas, who felt that he had everything under control, was shocked at this. He glared at Nero''s back while gritting his teeth and thinking with a helpless expression on his face. ''These little runts!'' Knowing that he couldn''t trick anyone else, Raynas sighed as he carried the heavy load forward at an even faster pace. At this time, before the village chief residence, all of the participants of today''s dungeon raid gathered. Person''s such as Ivy and Lily, who were newly found friends chatting away at a nearby corner as Poison Boy and Weizer, glared at each other before snorting and looking away. Those who registered were standing idle, much like Elly, who had a bored look on her face. But that soon changed as she noticed Nero from nearby. "Hey! You''re so late; what took you so long?" Elly said with a loud voice hurrying over his direction. Nero shook his head and replied, "I had to get some supplies; give me a sec. I''ll go register and come back." "Fine," Elly said as she watched Nero walked away, her face slightly reddish as she recalled their last encounter, but she soon recovered, acting as if it did not happen. "Ahem!" A cough sounded from behind her, causing her to look around with a tinge of anger in her eyes. "Brother, where did you run off to?" Elly said as she looked at Raynas who, oddly enough, arrived after Nero left. Raynas shook his head and did his very best to hide his embarrassment as he placed down Elly''s goods and spoke, "Little Sis, I had to stop and check out something, but enough about that, you should know that today won''t be so simple, a dungeon raid is a place I can''t follow you due to the Novice Zone''s rules. So, do your best to take care of yourself, and try your best not to die; the price is too great.'' When Elly heard this, she gulped before clenching her small fists tightly, showing a firm look in her eyes as she answered, "Okay, brother, I''ll do my best." Raynas nodded at this and pointed at the items on the ground before his body started to glow when he spoke, "Okay, it''s time for me to return; try getting someone to carry these items since your inventory is..." Raynas was about to say something, but Elly only glanced at the items and waved her hand, causing them to disappear. When Raynas noticed this his eyes widen in shock, it didn''t take long for him to realize what was going on. A surge of anger rose in his being as he glared at Elly, but before he could punish her, his body turned into a ray that beamed across the horizon, leaving behind his faint but furious voice. "Elllllllyyyyy!" Elly made a sly smile as she saw her brother left; she snorted while murmuring, "Hmph! Who said my inventory was full? Serves you right..." A few persons noticed this from afar and shook their heads, some having pity for the famous Iron Wall Raynas. However, as for Nero, he had only now arrived before the village chief. Currently, the old and lazy Village Chief Pan didn''t have her usual look. She wore more serious attire with a wooden staff in her hand as she stood before a platform before her residence. Noticing Nero, Village Chief Pan looked at him with a bright flicker in her eyes as she smiled and spoke, "I was expecting you, child." Nero made a curious look as he didn''t think he''d hear such words from her, he wanted to say something, but right at this time, Village Chief Pan made a mysterious smile as she spoke in a voice filled him with a strange foreboding. "Will you accept this quest?" Chapter 128: Unique Dungeon Quest, The Start of the Raid Nero was a bit surprised as he heard Village Chief Pan''s words; he knew that the mission she wanted to give would certainly not be of a common standard from the look on her face. He thought for a moment before he looked at her with firm eyes and spoke, "Grandma Chief, please do tell me of its details, I''ll do my very best." Village Chief Pan''s eyes flickered when she heard Nero''s words; she looked at him profoundly for a while before she spoke again. "Good, you are as brave as you are capable little one; I won''t keep you here as the dungeon will soon surface. Now then, my task for you is simple; there is a treasure stashed away in the Palace of Horrors. Find it and bring it back to me." The instant Nero heard those words, the space before his eyes glowed as a screen appeared before him. ____ [Unique Dungeon Quest: Palace of Horrors] [Difficulty: Very Hard] [Description: Find the treasure with the Palace of Horrors.] [Rewards: 1500 EXP, Prestige 400, Special Item] [Village Chief Pan of the Winfrey Village has offered you a Unique Dungeon Quest. If you reject it, your prestige will sharply decline with the entire village.] [Quest has been received!] ____ The moment Nero accepted his quest, he stared at the village chief and nodded before turning around and leaving. Village Chief Pan looked at his back and made a gentle smile as she thought to herself. ''I''m curious to see how he performs during this raid.'' After thinking such thoughts, her eyes shifted towards the entire crowd waiting for the right moment. Nero, who had only left her position, halted his steps once he arrived near Elly. "Nero, what do you think about the quest? Can you face that monster?" Elly asked as she walked over. Nero looked at her with puzzled eyes as he spoke, "Huh? What monster?" Elly made a strange look as she spoke, "What do you mean by what monster? It''s the dungeon quest that everyone got to defeat that Master of Horrors." When Nero heard this, his face suddenly changed as he thought, ''This... what the hell? Is my quest different from everyone else? I really have a bad feeling about all this...'' As Nero pondered to here, his face turned pale, Elly seeing his look felt a little worried, she looked at him with her large eyes and spoke, "Hey, are you okay? You look a tad bit pale." Nero gulped at those words, using this time to calm himself as he hurriedly fixed his manner and returned to his usual state. He stared at Elly and replied, "It''s fine Elly, it must have been the rain; maybe I''m coming down with a small flu.'' Elly gave him a suspicious look but seeing that he had turned his head away, she frowned and only thought to herself. ''Hmph! He''s acting strange; I better keep an eye on him just to be sure.'' Not knowing of Elly''s thoughts, Nero''s attention was on his quest and its differences from everyone else; he pondered for a moment before shaking his head as he couldn''t find an answer. At this time, he looked around the area, only to notice faces belonging to Thunder''s Daughter, Crazy Blade, and a few others mixed into the crowd of newbies. Even the fabled Rising Fox, also known as Mia, was visible as if she sensed Nero''s stare; she glanced over at him and smiled before sending him a suggestive wink. Nero shook his head at this; though he was a bit charmed by her beauty, he knew this wasn''t the time nor place to think such thoughts. A pity for him, however, the keen and observant Elly had noticed that brief exchange, her eyes turned cold as she glared at Mia like she was looking at a corpse. Mia naturally sensed Elly''s gaze: after a moment of surprise, her lips curved into a smile as she proudly stood taller as if emphasizing her chest. Elly looked down at her undeveloped bosom and bit her lips before shifting her gaze, no longer paying her any mind. Mia snickered at this but said nothing as she too focused on other things. A few characters looking around noticed this exchange before staring at Nero with various expressions, some showing looks of respect, while others showed envy and hate as a minor commotion formed through various whispers. "Haha, that Silver Boy is something else." "Indeed, but you''re mistaken, it''s Wild Silver now." "Oh, right, he sure rises fast when it comes to fame, first on that Handsome Men List, and now as a wild man, che! This bastard was born to steal all the women in the world." "What can we do about it? It''s genetics; we don''t have any right to complain about such things." As few others whispered amongst themselves, there were a few that looked at Nero with strange looks. Poison Boy had a conflicted look on his face as he sighed and stared at his sister Lily, seeing the bright look in her eyes as she just now noticed Nero. However, Weizer and Delkan, who stood at different areas, glared at Nero as if they wanted nothing more than to chop his limbs and eat his flesh. Naturally, Nero felt both of their killing intent; his eyes flickered in a murderous ray but did nothing in the end, he was a bit surprised as he didn''t even recall the mohawk fellow, but when he glanced at Delkan his eyes had a cruel glint. Soon, he no longer paid them any mind and showed a look of indifference as he once more focused his attention onto Village Chief Pan. ''Bastard, just you wait¡­'' Weizer thought as he glared at Nero. Delkan, on the other hand, said nothing as he menacingly stared at Nero without even blinking his eyes. After changing his focus, Nero noticed that everyone within the nearby vicinity had quieted down as they too stared towards Village Chief Pan in silence. She smiled as she saw this; she knew that it was about time for the dungeon to appear; she took a step forward, drawing everyone''s attention before speaking. "Greeting''s everyone; I''m proud of the growth that all of you have shown during this week of initiation. Today, I shall officially welcome you as true digitizers as you shall now embark on your very first Dungeon Raid. Please be warned, while some of you are quite powerful in your own right, the place that you''ll be going is of no ordinary magnitude, you''d do best to form parties with any companions you can find. Huhu... so children, do have a safe trip." The instant she said those words, the world started to shake with a loud rumble as the sky shone in brilliant golden lights. If one looked at the sky, they would see that the towering Universe Ring was emitting bright rays as a massive portal had appeared directly above not only Winfrey Village but in all core villages and towns in the Novice Zone. Nero lifted his head and looked at this in surprise, but he didn''t have long to express it as a sound resounded in everyone''s mind. ____ Ding! [The weekly time for the Dungeon Raid has arrived! Commencing transference!] ____ Following those words, the bright light shone even more soon after enveloping everything within reach of the towns and villages as it tossed them into portals, sending them to a brand-new realm. Chapter 130: Strength of Prodigies In a relatively distant area of the city, within an alley filled with fresh corpses that were being chewed on by these very same crows, a group of Digitizers was currently fighting a desperate battle against the flock of enemies. "Argh!" A pitiful wail sounded as one Digitizer was helplessly surrounded by a dozen of these crows; they quickly pierced his body from all directions with their sharp beaks, chewing upon his flesh and organs before leaving nothing behind. A few others who saw this helplessly fell onto the ground as they cried out in horror. "Run! Quickly escape!" "Such devils!" As many fled, others struggled to release a myriad of skills to combat this horde of enemies. These individuals were typically the strong amongst the weak; they fought with brave spirit, showing that they were not of ordinary standards, be it in shape or mind. "Furious Shark Blade!" A familiar voice said fiercely. Instantly, a series of blade energies scattered about the entire area, crashing into the bodies of a few dozens of Man-Eating Crows before they severed them into mangled pieces of flesh. Following this voice, one would see a muscular looking youth with strange markings over his scaly bluish skin clad in heavy armor. His spikey white hair swung due to his magic power as the bandana around his forehead flapped in the wind. Currently, he held onto his massive upraised jagged blade, which look like some creatures fang as he smirked revealing his shark teeth and spoke, "Heh, we''ve only just started, and they sent us these kinds of monsters, truly a brutal dungeon indeed." Crazy Blade felt a bit excited at the promise of such a challenge. He once more lowered his sword at an angle and jumped from the ground towards the many different crows that swarmed from the sky. Much like Crazy Blade, characters such as Thunder''s Daughter and Bramble Child were similarly taking action within this vicinity. Thunder''s Daughter had sparks of lightning that shrouded her entire body covered by her scanty armor, her blue-skin enveloped by its radiance as her hair, which typically flashed with bolts of lightning, started to glow in bright white light. Suddenly, she struck one of her palms forward, aiming it towards the seemingly endless flock of Man-Eating Crows as she yelled, "Thunder Crash!" Instantly, a bright thunderbolt blasted towards the sky, crashing onto the bodies of a few dozen Man-Eating Crows; they then fell towards the ground like burned corpses, adding more to the carnage of this gloomy city. In another corner, Bramble Child''s hooded mage cloak started to flutter as his body glowed with a greenish power. His eyes then shone with green lights as his voice sounded across the area. "Thorn''s Curse..." In this instance, the vines with spikes that pricked out from his robes'' openings scattered towards various areas. They moved faster than any arrow shot from a longbow as they promptly wrapped around many of the Man-Eating Crows and crushed them into bits. Curiously, if one paid attention to the crows crushed, one would notice that the blood from their bodies seeped into the vines causing them to show an even livelier luster. The other Digitizers that fought in nearby areas, struggling to best the crows, looked at them as if looking at monsters while others sighed accepting their inferiority. ''These guys, such monsters, I really can''t imagine what extent they''ll all grow." "Indeed." A few others said as they fought their crows one by one and took them out after a little bit of effort, most even bonded together using teamwork to cover their blindsides. Thunder''s Daughter and Bramble Child seemed to have noticed each other, but neither said anything to the other as they shifted their eyes elsewhere. ''Such a sneaky fellow, even now he''s still hiding the greater portion of his strength...'' Thunder''s Daughter thought as she recalled Bramble Child''s technique, her eyes narrowing as she made certain mark him for the Gate of Legends. Bramble Child had a strange flash in his eyes while looking in a particular direction, his thoughts unknown to the world. The battle continued for a good while, but in a nearby area, another familiar voice sounded. "Sword of Blossoms!" The delicate voice said as a sea of blossoms scattered about the area; they swept through a bundle of these Man-Eating Crows, cutting them apart into multiple pieces of flesh and organs before gathering around a central figure. A small but graceful figure stood with a slim sword in her palms, looking very much like a rapier that she held in an upright fashion with her eyes closed. A few of the other strong Digitizers that held their own looked over at her and nodded with praise as they fought; some even had room to speak to their fellow comrades. "The Plum Blossom Sword Style of the Balkras Family truly lives up to its fame; I wonder just how far she''ll improve it before the Gate of Legends." "No idea, but one thing is certain; she is not to be underestimated; otherwise, she wouldn''t be renowned as the young miss of the Balkras Family." "Certainly." A few persons said while they fought a fierce battle, even the overwhelming Crazy Blade, Thunder''s Daughter, and Bramble Child couldn''t help but give Elly a second look. However, as each had their agendas, they didn''t dare to waste any more time here as they promptly pressed onward through the flock of monstrous crows, annihilating each that came in their paths. Unlike them and everyone else, another famous individual had been observing from a nearby area. A beautiful figure in a red hooded robe that looked at this scene in silence. For some odd reason, the crows that indiscriminately attacked everyone didn''t even seem to notice her presence as if she was nothing but air. Not long after, she shifted her sights towards the palace in the distance before taking a step forward and vanishing. Elly seemed to have sensed the person''s gaze; she opened her eyes and glanced towards her direction, and frowned while thinking, "Red Rain... what''s she up to?" Thinking for a bit, Elly shook her head, no longer paying her any mind as she looked around and chose a random direction forward, beginning her true start of this arduous dungeon''s quest. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Discord - https://discord.gg/ffVV7cV Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Want to show some support? Drop by a Gift or Paypal Me :) https://www.paypal.me/shadowsfinge Chapter 131: The Dungeon’s Special Effect, Adult Nero’s Concern The grim night air continued to thrive as the flock of Man-Eating Crows ravaged all beneath the sinister moon of the gloomy skies, casting its bloody hue onto the dark city beneath its reign. As the chilly mist-shrouded most sights, even the nearby buildings constructed from antique stones, a ghostly figure flashed left and right as it rapidly danced through the streets. Looking closely, one would notice that the entity that moved like a ghost was in no way a departed being, but a handsome youth with silver hair who performed as a dancer in the field. His body twisted before transforming into four different ghostlike shadows that scattered towards the four directions. Instantly, each of the shadows had revolved before leaving behind a remnant sparkling silver line that swirled across the street, moving at strange angles as it easily bisected any of the crows that dared to charge towards him. As the blood of these creatures filled scattered around the misty asphalt, the corpses fell from the sky in abundance as the youth''s dominating figure once more appeared. He stood at the center of the carnage holding onto his trusty scythe that emanated baleful greenish energies as he stared before him with stern eyes, peering through the misty scene into the distance at the nearing palace in his path. "Che! These crows are so annoying, so numerous, yet they can only give so little EXP," Nero muttered to himself, but as if someone heard him, a voice sounded in his head. "Ha, what do you think? You are not even in the heart of the dungeon as your only at its entrance. Besides, there''s no harm in this either; if no one can pass this phase, they wouldn''t have even been worthy to enter the core of the dungeon. That and the fact that anyone who was lagging behind in skill mastery could use this chance to catch up to the others. After all, if you leveled up without having a decent amount of mastery, it would be pointless." Adult Nero said as he lazily sat down in a random part of his younger self''s consciousness; he looked outside at the scene with a hint of boredom on his face. Nero shook his head at this and complained in his mind, ''Hmph! So what? If the monsters are too weak, what good will that do with my mastery of skills? There''s no challenge if they can''t even last one hit!'' Adult Nero chuckled at this as he spoke, "So you want them tougher, huhu... fine, crawl further into the dungeon, there you may find the challenge you seek. However, I must warn you; it''s best to bring up your skill mastery by at least one more level before jump in like a wild beast; this is your only chance to increase your mastery speedily. I''m not sure if you noticed, but these sections have quite a special effect." When Nero heard his older self''s words, he made a curious look as he didn''t realize it prior; he thought for a moment, recalling that he had indeed felt a little more clear-headed during his previous fights. ''Interesting, I didn''t notice it, but I guess you might just be right; I''ll check my progress to be sure.'' After concluding his thoughts, Nero willed for his stats to show once more, focusing only on his skills and their individual mastery. ____ [Passive Combat Skills | High-Grade:] [Core Body Refinement: Stage 7 (895/1000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by +50] [All Weapons Mastery Skill - Stage 7 (827/1000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Can increase the skill and Combat Power used by +50] --- [Active Combat Skills | High Grade:] [Blood Reaper''s Dance (Special) Stage 1 (0/100) | ? Stages] [Effects: Increase of 10% total damage, MP Consumption: 40] [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 7 (950/1000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Increase of 45km/h, MP Consumption: 25] [Myriad Spector Clones: Stage 2 (91/100) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Conjure 2 Phantom Clones, MP Consumption: 25] ____ As Nero saw his details, his eyes lit up as he thought to himself, ''Perfect, it hasn''t even been half an hour since the battles started, and yet I have already reached such a high amount of mastery. If I spend a few more minutes, I might push everything to the Eight Level. Not only that, but my Blood Reaper''s Dance could also level up. Using these monsters to test it is probably a good idea; as for my level, I can still level up by fighting the stronger monsters on the inside.'' After wrapping up his thoughts, Nero made a faint smile as he gripped the handle of his scythe even higher. He stared at the sinister palace obscured by the hazy in the nearing distance before he turned around and walked towards a different area, one which had sounds of intense fighting. Adult Nero didn''t ask anything as he already knew Nero''s decision after listening to his mind. He leaned back and paid no attention to his following actions, fixing his eyes towards the palace''s direction as a sharp look came into his eyes. ''I''ve never come to this dungeon before; during my novice time, it was that strange marshland. Hmm, from this, I can already understand that each of these words are indeed randomly generated passages. Heh, things should get quite interesting, experiencing the unknowns should have its own thrills...'' Adult Nero thought himself with a flash of expectation in his eyes; he wanted to see just how far he could push his younger self to grow in a short time. After wrapping up his thoughts, he was about to close his eyes to rest his spirit, but as if he sensed something strange, Adult Nero knitted his brows as he stared at the palace in the distance. At a glance, there was nothing unusual about it. However, Adult Nero had a dark feeling as he saw that the sinister eyes from the looming moon had shifted down towards Nero''s position, they seemed to be staring at Nero himself, but Adult Nero knew those very eyes were locked onto his soul. "Hahaha..." A sinister laugher sounded at the core of his mind as the eyes that stared down vanished, leaving behind only the ominous blood-red moon that watched over the shadowy world. "Hmm... there''s something different about this dungeon; it turns out that I might need to be a little serious after all..." Adult Nero muttered as he peered at the eyes in the sky; as Nero continued on his way to train, fading into a sea of haze. **** Congrats to the winners of last month''s event, you can send me a message on discord to get your prize. Thank you all for continuing to support the series :) Dstep24, DChester, Fusilier66 Chapter 132: The Gathering at the Gates Time passed quickly, and more than an hour had gone since the beginning of the dungeon raid. Many Digitizers had fallen prey to the flock of monstrous Man-Eating Crows, but those who thrived were the mighty amongst all, each having a strength that vastly exceeded the weak. By now, the strongest of this batch were already within the palace gate''s vicinity, each excluding a superior bearing as they faced the distance. This area was at the core of the entire city, built around a small hill with the sinister palace resting at its peak, one surrounded by its high stone walls and grills that showed traces of age due to their texture and the dried up black vines that entwined it. Looking at the palace''s towering arched black iron gate, one would even see traces of rust and wane as similar colored black vines tangled about its surface. These regions were unusually free from the Man-Eating Crow''s influence with the distant sounds of those battling behind them as if here was safe ground. However, those gathered here knew better than to doubt a dungeon; what might seem simple on the surface could be more dangerous than anything else. "I really don''t like this spooky castle; it''s giving me a bad vibe." A female garbed in leather armor said. "Me too." A skinny looking male said as he held a sword with trembling arms. A few others gulped as they stared at the gates that had an uncanny silence; some of them even started to run with sweat. Bang! A loud noise sounded, drawing everyone''s attention towards their rear; there, they saw a sizeable, jagged blade plunged into a crack in the asphalt with dust and mist flowing around its edge. Crazy Blade''s muscular figure stood atop of its hilt as crouched and stared at the scene before him with curious eyes; his shark-like teeth made a grin as he spoke with an excited tone of voice. "Oh, looks like I''ve made it, all that training wasn''t too much a drag, hmm... that gate sure is huge, haha, maybe I should try and break through it." Hearing his brute-like manner of speech, a few Digitizers couldn''t help but shake their heads as some complained inwardly. ''This guy... always like this, why doesn''t he exercise some more caution.'' Delkan thought as he appeared from another direction; around him were a few men and women novices who seemed to have come from his family. As Delkan appeared, he also drew some of the Digitizers'' attention, but they only looked at him mockingly before turning their attention elsewhere. Delkan''s eyes flashed with a menacing ray as he looked around for Nero''s form, but as he couldn''t find him, he clicked his teeth and complained in his mind. ''That dirty little hoodlum from that trash of a home, he better not let me catch him off guard, for even if I can''t kill him at this time, I will certainly impede his rate of progress.'' It could be seen that Delkan was a youth who wouldn''t easily let go of minor grudges, very much like another character that came in the company of two others with fawning expressions as if worshiping him like a king. Someone noticed the other party''s arrival and couldn''t help but snicker as he whispered to a friend nearby. "Haha, look, it''s Mohawk Wannabe, he came right on time, I say, both that Delkan and this guy are truly something else." "Huhu... indeed they are; one can''t hold onto his own words, and the other thinks he''s at the levels of a prodigy, such a pity." Weizer naturally heard a few of the whispered; his eyes had a dark look as he muttered while clenching his axes tighter, "Silver Boy..." One of the lackeys hearing his words trembled for a bit before he swallowed and spoke, "Young master if I may, I believe that the kid is now called Wild Sil..." The moment the lackey was about to say something, Weizer''s eyes shifted towards him, glaring at him with a cruel look as he was waiting on him to finish his words. The lackey gulped as he lowered his head and said nothing in the end; Weizer snorted, no longer paying him any mind. While everyone discussed the current scene and the new arrivals, a sound like an electric stream resounded. Thunder''s Daughter soon after appeared; she slid across the ground, leaving behind a lightning trail on the stone-paved streets. As she stopped, the lightning bolts flashed before vanishing in entirety as she stared at Crazy Blade and spoke, "It''s a good thing I also hurried along, don''t go doing something so foolish; I''d rather not lose my life because of your stupid blunders." Crazy Blade snorted as he glanced at her before looking away and replied, "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Thunder''s Daughter felt helpless in his manner, but as they knew each other since childhood, she knew better than to start an argument with him; unlike on Earth, women weren''t usually the victors of verbal spars in their world. Elly arrived no later than Thunder''s Daughter; she looked around with a puzzled look on her face as she pondered, ''Hmm, where is that fellow? He can''t be avoiding me now, could he?'' When Elly thought to hear, she couldn''t help but show a disappointed look, but soon her face turned determined as she spoke her mind out loud. "Hmph! I''ll teach him later..." As if someone heard her, a playful voice sounded from behind her, "Teach, who?" When Elly heard the voice, she looked around only to notice a particularly hateful form, a hateful set of ample chest, buttocks, and allure. Without even the slightest hesitation, she yapped in a mean manner, "It''s none of your business!" Mia looked at Elly with a teasing look as she leaned her head close to her ears and spoke, "Maybe not now, but hard to say later." After speaking, without even caring for Elly''s reply, Mia jumped from the ground onto a nearby pillar, her battle dress fluttering in the wind as she took on her usual manner, detached from everyone else. "Hmm, it''s Fox." "Wow, as pretty as ever, that fox race truly has an innate allure. Heck, if I can fight to protect her, I don''t mind dying anymore." "Hehe, you foolish men, no different from moths to flame." A few male voices said as some women Digitizers mocked as they looked at Mia with raw jealousy. Elly was no different, but she once more repeated her mother''s mantra to calm down, "Be calm, be graceful..." After a little more rounds, she finally calmed herself, but by this time, she noticed that the air had changed; Poison Boy and his sister Ivy along with her new friend Lily had also just arrived and felt the change in the air, they frowned as it felt like someone was watching them. ''What''s going on?'' Elly thought to herself as she sensed the feeling too. Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade, along with the other famed names, also narrowed their eyes as they looked ahead with more serious looks. However, unaware to everyone else, the red-robed beauty Red Rain stood atop of a nearby building, watching in silence, her eyes reflecting hints of the blood-red moon as if peering towards something others couldn''t perceive. "Caw!" A resonant cry came from a few crows perched on top of the high walls of the dark palace tickled one''s senses as they stared down at the intruders with an ominous glow in their eyes. Suddenly, these crows lifted their heads before their wings fluttered as they flew from the gates into the distance as startled by something, leaving behind a few bundles of feathers that fell from the sky. "What the hell?" Someone uttered as they looked at the scene, but not long after, there was a loud droning sound as the large gate had started to open, filling everyone before it with a surge of even greater caution. The moment the gate opened in full, the sinister laughter of a strange being sounded once more as a path had formed leading towards the core of the palace on the mountain. Yet, if one peered at it, they would notice something strange, as five large silhouettes that were previously shrouded by the mists had started to unveil themselves, their eyes glowing in red lights as if ushering the start of the new phase. **** Congrats to the winners of last month''s event, you can send me a message on discord to get your prize. Thank you all for continuing to support the series :) Dstep24, DChester, Fusilier66 Chapter 133: The Mighty Palace Gargoyles Bang! An explosive noise resounded across the dark city''s central areas as many different lights shone from beneath the hazy streets. Peering beyond the gloomy mist to the scene behind the ominous gates of the cruel palace, one would see a fierce battle in progression. Following the previous explosion, chunks of rocks and soil scattered about the area as a three-meter large greyish blue creature with a beast''s head and broad wings had struck the earth with its massive fist. A few Digitizers within the range of its attack hurriedly jumped backward to avoid the danger, but the weaker turned into crushed piles of meat due to the attack''s force. "This darn Gargoyle, hurry and kill it!" One of the Digitizers yelled as he stabbed his weapon towards it that glowed with brilliant lights; a few others reacted in the same manner, some casting magic attacks as others tossed projectiles such as knives. Each of these attacks was only moments from striking a fatal wound to the Gargoyle, but as if it sensed it, it sneered before closing its gem-like eyes as its body instantly stiffened before taking on a texture of an ancient type of stone. Following this change, the front-most Digitizer''s dazzling weapon had stabbed onto the surface of its skin. But as if it was too hard to pierce, the weapon only left behind a spark of light before halting; even its energies had vanished. The Digitizer looked at this in shock; he even noticed that the other attacks at the different parts of the Gargoyle''s body did not affect it as even the spells merely exploded before fading into nothingness. "Damn! It turned itself into stone; if we can''t break it, then how the hell do we defeat it?" The Digitizer complained as he looked at the Gargoyle statue before him with helplessness, but sadly for him, it would be the last thing he remembered in this dungeon. Suddenly, the Gargoyle''s body returned to normal; the moment this happened, before any of the other digitizers could react, it opened its mouth and spat out a blast of energy that eradicated all of those who failed to react. "Ahhh!" A few who managed to barely resist the attack to watch their HP rapidly dwindle called out in immense pain before they finally lost consciousness. "Kikikiki!" The Gargoyle laughed as he saw its handy work, noting the craters that had leftover corpses, which soon faded from the world of the dungeon with a series of lights. After laughing, the Gargoyle shifted its sights onto Delkan, who was trying to skip ahead of the others. With a sinister look, it charged at him, forcing him to halt with anger as he yelled to his subordinates. "Darn, it saw us, hurry and spread out; we''ll have to crush it and catch up!" "Yes, young master!" His companions said as they hurried to form a battle formation and began to clash with the Gargoyle. A few other weaker Digitizers thinking of passing through the route to the palace looked at this with pale faces as they didn''t even dare to pass the open gates. Instead, their eyes focused on the other battles occurring with the four other Gargoyles waiting for a chance. "Break!" Crazy Blade shouted on one side as he chopped his savage-looking blade towards one of the Gargoyles, his blade emanating a dense amount of his baleful magic power. The Gargoyle''s gem-like eyes flashed as he saw this scene. It wanted to turn into stone, but because Crazy Blade''s attack was much faster than the weaker Digitizers, it could only use a different method, turning only part of its arm into stone as it parried the blade. Clank! The blade crashed onto the arm as sparks flew into the air, followed by an explosion of rubble. "Kiiiiiiiiiii!" The Gargoyles cried out in horror as it waved its now petrified hand left and right, watching as it shattered to bits before turning to normal, spewing out chunks of blood. "Haha, serves you right!" Crazy Blade said with a mean look as he grinned with his shark-like teeth. As if provoked by him, the Gargoyle didn''t even hesitate to counter-attack, as it roared and opened its mouth, conjuring a ball of ominous light. Crazy Blade snickered at this as he looked at it unphased; he was about to attack. Still, suddenly, a figure flashed by his body at great speeds, leaving behind trails of lightning before she arrived below its unguarded underbelly. The Gargoyle looked at the newcomer in panic, but sadly it was too late to react. Thunder''s Daughter halted right before its belly before placing her slender finger onto its skin as she spoke in a soft voice, "Lightning Spark!" With a buzzing noise, sparks of electric lights shone from her finger, instantly spreading across the Gargoyle''s massive body. With a painful scream, the Gargoyle could only meet its painful demise by electrocution. Crazy Blade frowned as he looked at this scene; he glared at Thunder''s Daughter and spoke, "Hey, why''d you go and do that? Can''t you see that it was my kill?" Thunder''s Daughter rolled her eyes at him and picked up the loot it dropped as she replied, "Hmph! Then be faster than me next time." Following her words, her body erupted more dazzling electric light before she dashed forward, almost like a blur. "That bitch... tsk," Crazy Blade muttered as he too hurried along, not wasting any more time outside the palace. Though their battle ended quickly, the others who battled against the remaining Gargoyles noticed this and decided to move faster. "Spirit Light..." "Spear of Thorns..." Both Mia and Bramble Child said in unison as Mia''s fired a blast of wavy, amber-colored magic power from her finger, which exploded one of the Gargoyles. However, this was followed by Bramble Child''s attack, which was a spear that conjured from greenish light before firing off and shattering the heart of another. Both looked at each other in silence before moving towards the palace at the summits of the mountain. Not long after, Elly''s combined attack with the additional efforts of Weizer, Poison Boy, Ivy, and Lily, they had managed to crush their Gargoyle. "Wow, she''s strong; I don''t even know how long it would have taken to crush this beast if it were just us," Poison Boy said, showing a rare look of humility when he stared at Elly, who was at the lead. Weizer snorted, not agreeing or denying his words; without even saying any word of thanks, he moved along with his lackeys at full speed. "He''s such a bastard," Ivy said. "It''s no wonder, those rumors aren''t far from the tree," Lily said as she too looked at Weizer, who stormed off. A distance away, Delkan had also just wrapped up his battle with his Gargoyle; he and those who survived from his group glanced over at Elly before they moved along. Elly didn''t seem to mind Weizer''s actions, not to mention Delkan whom she treated like air. She looked at Poison Boy and the girls as she spoke, "Alright, you guys can get going now; I''m going to be waiting on someone." Poison Boy thought for a bit before he spoke, "Is it worth it? From what I could gather, these Gargoyles only spawn the moment someone new enters through those gates; if you wait for that person, then you might just have to fight another tough battle again. Why not just move with us?" Ivy and Lily also thought the same; it seemed that after their previous battle, they had grown a bit attached to Elly. Elly looked at Poison Boy with a bit of a red face as she lowered her face and spoke with a muffled voice, "It''s fine, my friend is... cough... strong." Poison Boy made an odd look as he asked, "He''s what?" Elly realizing her words returned to normal as she spoke, "It''s nothing; anyways, I''ll be fine." Poison Boy seeing her insistence, thought for a moment before he stared at his sister Ivy then onto Lily. As he saw the hard to part look on their faces, he sighed and spoke to Elly, "Hmm, Miss Balkras, tell you what, we''ll wait with you; after all, we made a good team just now." When Elly heard this, she looked at them in surprise; she asked, "Are sure you want to do this? If you stay here, you''ll be wasting a lot of time." "Hehe, who cares? Since we''re all here, we should at least try to have some fun," Lily said as she played with her thief''s knife, her bunny ears danced left and right. "I think so too," Ivy said with a smile. Elly looked at them carefully before she made a hearty smile as she spoke, "Okay, fine, we can party up." "Yay," Lily said in excitement; even Ivy had a brighter expression. Poison Boy also smiled, seeing his little sister''s expression, there weren''t many things in this world that could let him compromise, but his sister was the main one. Thinking for a bit, Poison Boy made a curious expression as he looked at Elly and asked, "Hey, I''m curious, who''s this friend of yours?" Ivy and Lily also stared at her with an interested look, Elly stared at them and was about to answer, but suddenly, her eyes shifted towards the gate as she smiled and spoke, "Hehe, you''ll find out soon." Chapter 134: Nero Appears The entrance of the Palace of Horrors filled with sounds of complaints from those didn''t dare to venture behind its gates; they each looked at each other with helpless looks while trying to figure out how to bypass the summoned guardians. "Blast! I don''t care anymore; we only have one chance per week to enter a dungeon, and the penalty of death isn''t all that bad; I say we just team up and push through together." "That''s right; we should keep dallying here; the others will get the advantage if we keep wasting time." Two voices said from the crowd of Digitizers at the gate; when the others heard this, more and more voices began to sound with words of agreement. The eyes of the Digitizers soon after changed as some became bolder and filled with a bit more confidence, readying themselves to make one swift charge through the wide-open metallic gates. However, right at this time, one of the persons who spoke couldn''t help but notice that another individual was standing directly before the gate. "Hmm, who''s that?" The Digitizer asked with puzzled eyes. A few others also had similar looks, but suddenly, one female''s eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Kya! It''s Wild Silver!" When the others heard this, they looked at Nero with varying expressions mostly of curiosity, with a few showing signs of jealousy as a new commotion started. "What? Do you mean that rising badass who managed to climb so high in the rankings for his first try? Damn!" "Hmph! I say he only got there by luck, pssh! What''re all these props for? that Handsome Man List and that Ranking List must be a hoax! "You''re one to talk; I bet you''re not even at the middle levels of the Rising Talent Ranking List, so shut the hell up!" The discussion between the various Digitizers was currently growing more heated, but as for the person in question, he merely showed them an indifferent look before he continued onward. At this time, Poison Boy, Ivy, and Lily''s eyes had shifted towards the gate with curiosity as they were eager to see her so-called friend. However, the moment they saw the individual, they each showed different reactions. Lily''s eyes flashed as she showed an awkward look before snorting and returning to normal. On the other hand, Ivy had eyes filled with excitement; it seemed she had not forgotten the scene of being rescued. Both persons reactions were as expected, but as for Poison Boy, he felt as if he had eaten a poisonous plant that turned his insides green. His face had an ugly look, even more so when he noticed the radiant stars that shone within his sister''s eyes. ''How could this be? That bastard is Miss Balkras''s friend! Dammit, he''s not only good with her relations, but he''s also even somehow tainted the spirit of my sister!'' He thought with a look of anger and helplessness in his eyes, clenching his fists tightly. Poison Boy was now stuck in his mental dilemma, but unlike him, Ivy and Lily spoke with excited voices to Elly. "Miss Balkras, I didn''t know your friend was Sil... no, Wild Silver! Hehe, what a coincidence, we''ve also met him before; he protected us from danger." Ivy said with beaming eyes. Lily rolled her eyes at this but said nothing; while she couldn''t say they were friends; she couldn''t deny that he had saved her life. Poison Boy felt his stomach churning at his sister''s words; he bit his lips tightly as he tried to withstand the pain. Elly made a hesitant expression as she heard Ivy''s words; she thought for a bit before her eyes flashed with light as if she just figured something out. "Ah, so you were the ones from that time!" Elly exclaimed as she slapped her fist into her palm. "That time?" Both Lily and Ivy asked with pensive looks. Elly looked at the two girls with a slightly embarrassed look, but she promptly returned to normal as she spoke, "It''s nothing! It''s nothing! Now come on, let''s hurry and greet him, we''ll all explore this dungeon together as a party. Oh, and one more thing, you guys can call me Elly from now on; I don''t like being called Miss Balkras." Ivy and Lily gave each other a look, but they soon smiled as they stared at Elly and replied, "Okay." Moments after their conversation, the girls promptly went towards Nero''s direction. Still, as for Poison Boy, he could only heave a deep sigh before he followed behind them in silence, his manner akin to a beaten-down elder that has seen too much of the times. Currently, Nero had already taken his first few steps across the entrance; the moment he did so, his eyes narrowed as he felt the scene around him change. Instantly, a cold wind blew as a haze around him faded a section to reveal a statue of large beasts that rested before him. The moment it spawned, cracks formed on its body''s surface as the stones fell how revealing its bluish-gray skin and glowing gem-like eyes. Suddenly, the creature glared at Nero with killing intent oozing from its body as it opened its mouth and roared, "Kiiiiiii!" Nero was a bit surprised by the creature before him, but he didn''t show it on his face even though surprised. He ignored both the bad breath and the battle cry of the beast as he inspected it with a sharp glint in his eyes. ___ [Gargoyle Guardian] [Level: 8] [Grade: Common (Middle Class)] [Health: 850/850] [Combat Force: 200 Stones] [Body Tenacity: 55] [Spiritual Awareness 50] [Speed 105km/h]: [Skill: Stone Protection, Gargoyle Ray] [Description: A protector of the Palace of Horrors, be careful for these creatures have no mercy to intruders.] ___ After looking at the details, Nero couldn''t help but mutter, "A Gargoyle, so this is what they were afraid of, it''s not that bad, but not good either." As Nero said this, he extended his hand backward and arched his body slightly, taking on a battle posture. In a flash, his scythe appeared in his hand as he held it in his usual stance. With a confident smirk on his face, he stared at the Gargoyle and spoke, "You''re not even enough for me to warm up." Following this, a dominating silver-colored magic power scattered from his body, causing not only the faces of the onlooking Digitizers to shrink but even the Gargoyle itself to widen in horror, for it knew that it was in this moment, its end had arrived. Chapter 135: Joining Elly’s Party The battle was over in an instant as before the Gargoyle could even react, it shattered into two halves after a dazzling silver line spiraled around it in a flash. As blood gushed out of its flesh, Nero stood quietly behind the body of the defeated creature showing a look of indifference, he twirled his scythe with one arm before grasping it and giving it a good side swing to splash away its bloodstains. After inspecting the scythe''s edge, he smiled in a satisfied manner and flicked his wrist causing it to vanish into nothingness, entering his personal storage space. ____ Ding! [You''ve defeated a Gargoyle Guardian, 75 EXP gained.] ____ Nero''s eyes flashed when he heard the system notification, even more so as he saw the screen that popped up before his eyes. He thought to himself with a tinge of excitement in his eyes, ''Perfect, EXP has returned to the normal standard for monsters at this level, I wonder, how much more do I need to level up?'' Following those thoughts, Nero then commanded for his personal details to appear, only focusing on his experience points _____ [Level 7 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 2765] [Current EXP: 2160] ____ ''Ha, I thought so.'' Nero inwardly said with a light laugh as he felt better seeing his actual results, he thought for a moment before deciding to move onwards to the ominous palace at the summits of the mountain, ignoring the gawking looks from those who stood outside of the palace. As if driven by Nero''s efforts, the Digitizers which had already been pepping themselves up, looked at each other with firm eyes as some of them shouted. "Look at that, he''s just newly risen to fame and yet he can do that, I say, we shouldn''t lose to guy that, let''s work together and advance!" "That''s right! Let''s fight together!" As more shouted, the Digitizers finally united and formed the largest party in history, storming through the gates at high speeds like a strike team preparing to raid an enemy base. Their attempt was notable, and quite logical considering their individual''s skills and weakness. However, it would seem that the dungeon world was more than capable of judging threats. Instantly, a group of Gargoyle''s spawned once more as they charged at the now alarmed Digitizers, a fierce battle ensued between both parties as the pitiful cries from each side sounded across the palace field. However, this battle was something Nero hadn''t concern himself with as he proceeded to the palace at high speeds. While moving, Nero couldn''t help but notice a few dried up trees with Man-Eating Crows on their branches, they glared at him with eyes that carried a hint of ridicule as they squawked showing no signs of flying away or even attacking him. Beyond these trees along with a few erected gravestones, the towering palace stood alone with the sinister blood-colored moon behind it, shining its baleful rays across its entirety as it basked the environment in its hue. Oddly enough, this light was even richer at the palace when compared to the rest of the city, as if the focal point of its rays were none other than the palace that rested on this lone mountain. ''It''s quite large and spooky, I wonder what kind of monsters are inside?'' Nero thought to himself as he looked at the rapidly nearing palace before his eyes, noticing its scale which grew larger by many times with each step he took towards it. Adult Nero who normally remained silent couldn''t help but speak out his thoughts at this time, "Me too." When Nero heard those words, his eyes widened as he had never thought such words could come from his older self''s mouth. Nero was about to question his meaning, but suddenly, a voice sounded from nearby. "Hey, wait up!" The pleasant but somewhat angry voice said. Nero was a bit surprised at the voice as he halted his movement and looked towards the side, but as he saw the person hurrying over, he couldn''t help but show a slightly awkward look. ''I didn''t think she''d be waiting on me; it looks like I was a bit insensitive to this side of hers.'' While he was thinking to himself, Elly soon arrived in front of Nero, she quickly started to complain while pointing at him. "You... humph! After all that I did waiting on you and you just go off and run away after getting here, you''re such a mean felon! " Nero sighed as he saw the adorable beauty glare at him and point at him as if she saw an enemy, he thought it was cute, he gave her a good look preparing to tease her a bit, but soon he canceled that thought as he saw that she had brought company. "Elly! You can''t do that; we almost couldn''t catch up!" Ivy''s exhausted voice said as her lithe figure soon after appeared in green battle dress as she held onto her whip. She wiped the sweat from the corners of her forehead while staring at Elly. "Hello, Sir Benefactor, it appears that we''ve met again," Ivy said with a smile to Nero after calming down. Nero looked on with interest as he recognized Ivy from his time in the Crimson Blade Mantis Zone, he was about to greet her, but soon frowned when he saw Lily. When she arrived, she seemed unphased by the high-speed movements, her eyes looking at Nero with a complex light. ''Hmph! So, it''s you, that thieving girl.'' Ivy and Elly made puzzled looks as they heard Nero''s words, but before they could even ask questions, Lily had snapped back. "Rascal, you''re the one who''s the thief, don''t think I came here over to meet you because I wanted to!" "Pssh! Like I care!" Nero yapped back and looked away, there weren''t many who could make him remember them to hold animosity, but for someone who stole his loot and copper coins, Nero would always remember, even his grudge would run deep. Ivy and Nero seemed to have reached common ground, no one looked at the other anymore, causing Elly and Ivy to look at the duo with strange looks. Elly, now forgetting the prior mood of anger looked at Nero with caution as she asked, "Nero, how do you know Ivy and Lily?" Ivy and Lily looked on in silence, Nero hearing this shook his head and replied, "It''s nothing, we had a few run-ins, enough about that, didn''t you say you wanted to travel together, let''s get going we''ve wasted enough time on the outside." Elly thought for a moment before recalling her prior mood, but as she saw that it was getting late she sighed and replied, "Fine." However, though she said this, her eyes glared at him as she thought to herself, ''Hmph! You better not think this matter is over.'' Nero nodded as he then gave Ivy a nod, causing her to blush as she lowered her head, Nero then prepared to proceed onwards, but at this moment he heard someone speak. "So we finally met again, Silver B... no, Wild Silver. You''ve gotten quite strong since our last encounter," Poison Boy said as he slowly walked over, it would seem that he finally gathered enough spirit to speak with Nero. Looking at the person that appeared out of nowhere, speaking towards him in a familiar tone as his eyes flashed with rivalry. Nero made an odd look as he stared at Ivy, Lily, and Elly, before scrunching up his brows and asking, "Excuse me, but do I know you?" Poison Boy was shocked, he never thought he would be ignored by the opposite party, even after swearing vengeance to humiliate him in battle. He stood at a loss for words. Lily though shocked made a snicker at this, as Elly gave Poison Boy an odd look. The only person amongst them that made an awkward look was none other than Ivy, she smacked the corner of her head as she recalled that her brother had a personal grudge with Nero. ''How could I forget such an important thing? I... I really hope brother didn''t notice... those times,'' Lily thought as she showed an embarrassed look, thinking that she might have exposed her affection for Nero. Nero saw Poison Boy''s look and frowned, he turned and looked at Elly, who only now spoke, "Oops, my bad, I was about to introduce them to you, but you already know Ivy and Lily. He''s called Mikan Everdale, also known as Poison Boy in the Rising Ranking List. He''s also the older brother of Ivy." When Nero heard this he finally made a look of understanding as he spoke, "Ah, so that''s how it is, nice to meet you, Mikan, I''m called Nero, let''s have a good raid together." Poison Boy showed an awkward look on his face as he replied, "That; yeah, let''s do." Nero knew that the latter didn''t want to speak too many words with him as he had yet to recover his state of mind, not wasting a moment Nero then looked at the others and spoke, "Let''s go." The others nodded as they followed long, soon after hurrying to the doors of the palace, as they finally took their true steps to enter the core of the dungeon. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Chapter 136: The Strange Palace Door It didn''t take long for Nero, Elly, and her newfound companions Lily, Ivy, and Mikan to arrive before the towering doorway that led towards the palace interior. It was an old heavy ornate door found typically on Old English mansions or palaces in Earth''s older era, but looking at its scale of a few dozen meters one could easily tell that their differences were more than just a world apart. After giving it a good look, Nero walked up to it and gave it a hard push, but unlike expected, the door remained still as if was firmly sealed. Nero made a puzzled look like this as he didn''t expect such a scene. "Hmm, it''s not opening, didn''t you say that some others had already gone by here?" Nero said as he looked at the door before turning his attention onto Elly. Elly had a slightly awkward look, but she snorted and replied, "Well, of course I did, but how would I know if they even entered or not?" Nero sighed and did a facepalm, he stared at the others and asked, "What about you guys?" Ivy and Lily looked at each other before Ivy replied with a thoughtful look on her face, "Elly''s right, they did come up here before us, but I have no idea where they went, maybe there''s some secret or it''s likely that the door might have closed once they found the special method to enter it." Lily also gave a nod of agreement, her eyes flashed with a slightly playful look as if she found the current change exciting as she spoke, "Hehe, indeed, but for all we know, they might have gotten eaten by some passing guardian." Listening to the words of the two girls, Nero shook his head while Mikan remained silent, his eyes at this time were looking around with a hint of uneasiness within them. "Alright, since it''s so, I''ll try finding its secret." Nero said as his attention once more fixed onto the door, he inspected it for a moment and felt bits of energy from behind it as he used his Spiritual Awareness. However, he still couldn''t quite understand it. After a short while, Nero''s eyes fixed onto the brass iron door knockers on both sides of the door and made a thoughtful look while he contemplated. ''Maybe I should knock it to ask for entry, it''s probably that this dungeon is a place with certain rules.'' With that in mind, Nero took a step forward and reached his hand towards the doorknocker. Elly looked at this with a serious look on her face as she gulped, even Ivy and Lily, no longer had a lax mood, though they were previously a bit easy-going, especially Lily with her statement, they knew better than to underestimate a dungeon. "I really hope nothing bad happens..." Mikan muttered as he stared at Nero with a hint of worry in his eyes, but as he saw his sister nearby, his eyes firmed up as he was determined to protect her at all cost. Finally, Nero''s hand touched the door knocker, he made a pull and knocked it on the door three times before removing his hand and staring at it in silence and caution. Seconds pass and nothing changed, but the air only grew stranger in their surroundings. In fact, if one looked around them, one would notice that the mist had collected in enormous quantities, shrouding the scene from behind them. However, as everyone''s attention was on the door, no one paid this any mind. "It''s still not opening, what could I be doing wrong?" Nero said with a hint of anger in his voice. "How strange..." Ivy said as she started to contemplate. Lily also made a confused look, but her eyes soon shifted elsewhere as if she was distracted by something. Elly seemed to have grown impatient as she stomped to where Nero was and spoke, "Hmph! I know why it''s because you didn''t knock it properly, I''d almost mistake you for some sissy, I''ll show you how it''s done!" Nero rolled his eyes at this and took a step back as he complained, "Well if you think you can do better then do it!" "Watch me!" Elly said with a confident smile as she reached her hand towards the doorknob. At this moment, Mikan had a look of relief seeing that nothing happened, but he soon felt strange as he saw Lily staring at the ground with a thoughtful look on her face. He soon did the same before noticing that the ground around had formed a runic diagram that glowed in a strange dim light. With a look of alarm, both Mikan and Lily, who seemed to have understood everything, turned to Elly and shouted. "No! Don''t knock it aga¡ª" They tried to say something, but sadly, their attempts were in vain as Elly grabbed the handle of the doorknocker and smashed it against the door with three resonant bangs. Following this, the entire area began to shake as if the world was undergoing a tremor, Elly smiled as she spoke, "Haha, see, I told you that you should''ve¡ª" Nero seemed to have finally understood the situation stared at Elly and shouted along with the others to cut off her words, "Elly! What have you done?" "Huh? What now?" Elly said as she made a confused look as she innocently placed one finger on her cheek while tilting her head to the side. She didn''t know what they were so angry about, but it didn''t take long for her to understand as the tremor got worse. Soon, she looked down and saw that a once dim diagram had now started to shine brilliantly, but rather than being in a state of order, the diagram and the ground started to shatter into bits. "Oh no!" Elly shouted in alarm as the ground soon gave in as a bright light shone across this area. Nero and the others found themselves helpless to this change, as they had previously tried to jump and escape but found that their energies were sealed. As if an angry god had woken up due to Elly''s rudeness, it tore open the earth which soon after swallowed everyone, leaving behind only the vaguest of their dismal voices that soon after faded to its depths. Chapter 137: The Master of Horrors In the depths of the dark looming palace, bypassing a hall of unusual sculptures of monsters and odd wall mounted lamps whose fires burned in a blueish hue. One would see a paved floor lined with a red cloth with bones of distinct species littered at its corners. Curiously, beyond these ''ornaments,'' peering towards the end of this gloomy hall one would see a door. A massive door no smaller than the doorway to enter the palace from its base floor, it glowed in dim lights as a vague mist spewed from beneath it. Suddenly, a light noise was heard as the towering door opened with a loud creak as it revealed what seemed like a royal chamber. Here, though misty and bleak, was still partly visible as it was doused by the reddish hue from the looming crescent and red flares that burned from the mounted lamps. Looking around one would see a throne at the end of a flight of stairs along with a few trinkets and ornaments, being metallic armors that stood in stillness beside tall pillars. At this time, a shadowy hunched back figure soon after appeared at the entrance of the door, moving towards the depths of this chamber. There, in a spacious corner positioned at the side of a large stain glass window was another silhouette clad in a black coat with his back facing the world as his arms danced left and right. With each movement of his fingers, the high pitch sounds of an instrument echoed from before him as one could distinctly make out the shape of a pipe organ. His angular face with a sharp-pointed horned on his forehead, hidden by the shadows cast by the loosely hung curtains from the windowsill, causing only his ominous-looking eyes that glowed in red color to reveal itself. The horned figure continued to play his dismal music only coming to a halt as the shadowy hunched back figure stopped a few meters behind him, as if he sensed his presence, the horned figure smirked and spoke, ''What of our guests?'' The shadowy hunchback figure halted for a moment before he spoke, "Great Master of Horrors, they''ve all entered the palace halls, and should by now be stuck with the outer sectors of the labyrinth." The Master of Horrors hearing those words frowned as he asked, "Then, why are you here?" The shadowy hunchback figure hesitated for a bit before he spoke again, "M... Master, there has been an accident, that boy you told me to observe, he and his companions have all vanished." The Master of Horrors had an annoyed look as his eyes glowed even brighter, he slowly stood up from around the pipe organ, reaching a height that was no less than five meters as he glared down at the shadowy hunchback figure, causing the latter to gulp as he trembled. "Listen here, Crooked, I want all of those strange lives captured, as for that boy... bring him, to me!" Crooked swallowed his saliva as he bowed politely and spoke in a respectful tone, "As the master wishes." Following those words, his figure began to slide back into the darkness as he faded from the room. Not long after, the Master of Horrors then turned his attention onto the window, gazing at the looming moon in the sky, as if it felt his gaze, two sinister eyes opened and stared at him, having the same color and aura as that of his own. "A dungeon? A test? I don''t know how you''ve managed to find here, but you are in for a rude awakening. Huhuhu!" Following those words, the Master of Horrors started to laugh in a sinister manner, sounding throughout the entire world as it stirred the Man-Eating Crows on the outside, causing them to soar about in a wild manner with a dense will that could chill any living being''s soul. *** Within another location, one enshrouded by dimness as only the vaguest of light sources shone from the distant edges, one would hear the sounds of water leaking from the surface as it dripped onto the floor. A group of individuals could vaguely be made out within this area, lying on the ground in an unconscious state. Suddenly, a pipeline that shone from distant lights, released a droplet of water which fell and landed onto the face of a handsome silver-haired youth, who soon after twitched before slowing opening his eyes due to the disturbance. ''Where¡­ where is this?'' Nero thought as he looked around the dim room in silence, what would have normally been a dark scene to others was clearly viewable in his eyes due to his innate talent, the Reaper''s Eye. He noticed that other than a sight of boundless tall pillars, a soggy floor paved with concrete and bundles of bones, there was nothing else around, nothing but the vague light source from a distant corner leading to an unknown location. Nero thought to himself for a moment as he concluded, ''So that''s what happened, that accident had more or likely sent us to some special place, it''s likely that this is some dangerous area hidden away from the others. However, aren''t dangers a source for opportunities?'' As if Adult Nero heard him, he spoke in reply, "Indeed, but that depends on whether you''re strong enough to face those dangers." Nero gulped hearing those words, but he soon after gripped his fists tightly as a determined look came into his eyes when he spoke out loud, "Hmph! I won''t give up even if I fall into hell." Adult Nero chuckled at this and said nothing in reply, Nero was feeling high spirted and wanted to stand up, but sadly, he found that his body had grown a lot weightier. A series of soft and pleasant objects pressed tightly against his upper and lower body, causing him to feel a surge of comfort and momentary bliss. ''Hmm, this¡­ what the heck?'' Nero thought as he moved his attention from the roof and surroundings onto his chest, but as he did this, his eyes widened as he saw a scene he had never before witnessed in his entire life. Chapter 138: A Blissful Scene, The Dungeon Quest Begins Nero''s eyes widened in shock as he saw the fresh maiden bodies collapsed on top of his figure, each having their own unique grace as the abundant Ivy that rested on his right side, seemed in synchrony with the lithe and slender Elly who had controlled the other side, the usually tiny and adorable figure in this instance, no different from any full-grown women, carrying an unusually alluring charm as her legs wrapped around his leg and warm breath blew across his neck. ''This... and to think I thought she couldn''t grow any cuter, maybe she''s better off when she sleeps.'' Nero thought as he saw Elly''s bold but tamed posture. He shook his head as he looked at Ivy''s figure on the other side. ''Aye... I never thought I''d end up like those males in mother''s special books, truly amusing... but as much as I''d want to appreciate this scene, I have to wake them up after inspecting the room, it''s still a dungeon after all.'' Nero contemplated as he shook his head, he slowly picked himself up not daring to move too harshly as he didn''t want to throw them roughlyon the ground. After finally sitting up with a bit of effort, he fixed them onto the floor before him and looked around before noticing a large skeleton that held a large rectangular box. Nero looked at it carefully as he scanned it with his Spiritual Awareness, but as he felt no danger, he heaved a sigh of relief before walking over and taking it away. The moment this happened, Nero''s eyes widened as he saw a notification window before his eyes. ____ Ding! [You''ve discovered the hidden quest item, commencing the start of Unique Dungeon Quest!] ____ Following that sound, the entire room shook as there was a loud rumble before everything returned to normal. Following this change, the skeleton which rested before Nero had transformed into a pile of bone dust. Shocked by this, Nero looked at the rectangular box in his hand as he opened it to see a large, rusted gold key causing its details to appear before his eyes. ____ [Mysterious Rusty Key - Opens the door to a special area, follow its will to find its destination.] ____ When Nero inspected the details, the key flashed in dim light as it guided Nero''s arm towards the direction of the light source. Nero''s eyes lit up as he saw this, he couldn''t help but think to himself, ''So this big old key is my ticket to this quest, if Elly had never performed that action, it seems that I would have never found this location.'' As Nero''s thoughts reached here, he put away the item before turning and looking at the two girls that laid sprawled out on the ground. It seemed that even the tremor had failed to awaken them, he shook his head while muttering, "It can''t be helped, I need to wake them up myself." Without another moment to lose, Nero hurried over to the two girls and tapped their faces while speaking, "Hey, wake up." As if his voice resounded in their minds, both Elly and Ivy shook a bit before opening their eyes, Ivy made an odd look as she found herself sprawled out on the cold floor, she soon felt embarrassed as her dress was a little disordered. "I... I... I''m sorry," Ivy said in a shy tone as she hurriedly fixed her posture, tucking her dress between her legs as she fixed her hair. Elly, though embarrassed had a different reaction, she tapped the ground pushing her petite body into the air as she did a graceful flip and landed on her feet. After fixing her hair, she didn''t even look at Nero as she turned towards the distant light source and spoke, "Hey, what are you doing? We should hurry and move onward, we''re already missing Mikan and Lily." Nero made a puzzled look as he thought to himself, ''Hmm, this is a first. Was she always this on point? Maybe I was quick to assume her reactions based on her previous personality.'' When Nero fixed his thoughts he stared at Elly and Ivy before he spoke with a smile, "Good, we''ll get a move on, we don''t know what kind of danger they might have gotten themselves into, so stay sharp everyone." Elly nodded as Ivy who had only now picked herself up from the ground, patted off her battle dress and took out her whip as she nodded and answered, "Right." Not wasting another moment, Nero started to lead the way as Ivy took out a torch from her storage space to light the way for both her and Elly as they followed behind. While Ivy and Nero were moving, Elly seemed a bit strange, her previous straightforward and direct expression changed to that of a bashful young lady with a red face as her figure shivered lightly, recalling a few peculiar scenes especially when Nero gently picked her and placed her down from his body. ''That... that bastard! He... he... hmph! He got so much advantage and yet.. he dared to put me on the cold floor. Just you wait... I''ll get you soon enough!'' Elly inwardly said as a different kind of look came into her eyes as she stared at Nero''s back, it seemed that she made a bold decision, one that caused Nero to feel a slight chill despite not knowing of its true intent or her current motive. "It sure has gotten chilly... it must be the winds from outside," Nero murmured as he shook his head no longer putting the current feeling in his mind. The group continued onward, but no matter how long they walked, they found that the light in the distance only grew brighter a section as the pathway grew narrower with each passing moment. In fact, even a slight mist had started to form filling the halls with an eerie vibe. Nero narrowed his eyes at this change in the atmosphere, as even Elly and Ivy showed solemn looks, they each held onto their weapons ready to attack at a moment notice. But, despite their preparedness, it was unknown when, but unaware to each of them, back within the dark of halls behind them, a series of red eyes had lit up from all directions. These eyes gazed towards their backs with brutal and sinister looks as a cluster of shuffling noises soon became audible in the dismal halls, beckoning the start of a desperate scene. Chapter 139: The Midnight Wall Bug A dreary silence filled the narrow halls of the spooky palace as Nero, Elly, and Ivy cautiously continued on their way. Though quick, their movements have a little to no noise when their feet touched the ground, showing an adeptness in skill. However, despite their caution and pace taken forward, the sinister air within the halls didn''t decrease but instead grew denser by each passing second as if danger was lurking around them. While hurrying, Nero couldn''t help but notice a few bones belonging to ancient individuals, some even having worn out but seemingly fine armor. Inspecting each of them closely, Nero saw a sight that made his mind chill, a few small markings that seemed no different from tiny bite marks that made holes into both the armor and the bones of the fallen ones. Not daring to let his guard down, Nero firmly gripped his scythe while trying to press down his current mood of uncertainty while he thought to himself. ''This doesn''t look good.'' Elly, naturally, also had a similar feeling as she gulped when she saw the bones; she held her thin sword in a posture that signified battle readiness, but even so, her arms still trembled slightly. ''I... I hate this place!'' Elly complained in her mind; she wasn''t too much of a fan when it comes to things related to horror. "Hey guys, is... is it just me, or can everyone feel what I''m feeling?" Ivy said in a low tone while following behind Nero with Elly, her eyes carrying a trace of fear as sweat rolled down her cheeks. As if both Nero and Elly understood her meaning, the two had slightly pale looks as they nodded their heads, not saying anything. Ivy''s face sunk as their confirmation, but even though she knew that she didn''t imagine things, she didn''t dare to confirm it, knowing full well what would happen if she did. ''I sure hope that we''re wro¡ª'' Nero was about to think something as he firmly held onto this scythe, but as if the world didn''t care about his feelings, his fear had finally unfolded. Instantly, a series of rapid shuffling noises sounded from all directions of the narrow passageway, giving Nero, Elly, and Ivy a chill underneath their skin as they could hear a few shrieking noises. "Oh, no! What are these?" Elly exclaimed as she saw the creatures approaching. They were small black bugs with beady eyes and sharp looking jagged teeth that crawled out of the walls without a trace of their origin as if they were one with the concrete. ''Damn, when the hell did we get surrounded?'' Nero inwardly cursed as he didn''t even sense when the current threat appeared, he had been using his Reapers Eye''s to peer through the dark, but because of the enemy''s uniqueness, he still saw them too late. ____ [Midnight Wall Bug] [Level: 7] [Grade: Common (Low Class)] [Health: 700/700] [Combat Force: 160 Stones] [Body Tenacity: 85] [Spiritual Awareness: 50] [Speed: 85km/h] [Skill: Wall Travel - Can travel through walls, Iron Teeth - Can bite through tough metal] [Description: A protector of the hallways within the Palace of Horrors, these creatures are innately attuned to the palace walls and can traverse it no different from fish in the ocean. Be careful, for though these bugs are weak, they have hard skin and travel in huge quantities.] ____ Nero''s eyes grew stern, even more so as he saw the ridiculous amount of Body Tenacity for its current level. He didn''t dare to dally as he shouted to Elly and Ivy, "Don''t fight them all in battle, hurry and run!" Without even a moment of hesitation, Nero''s body erupted in his silver magic power as he leaned forward and dashed ahead.As this happened, a few of the Midnight Wall Bugs had blocked his path; Nero didn''t even hold back and used his newest technique; he thought this was the perfect chance to explore its power. "Blood Reaper''s Dance!" Nero said, invoking his attack skill; his silver magic power soon turned a shade red as a cold air formed around his body. With a twist, his figure vanished, leaving behind the edge of his scythe that soon glowed and transformed into two baleful arcs of red lights that spiraled about in all directions. The Midnight Wall Bugs that were caught in his range, blocking off most of the path forward, were easily swept up by these rays of red lights that danced about at immense speeds before halting a few dozen meters ahead. They then reformed into the scythe once more along with Nero, who held it in his usual Dancing Reaper Stance. Suddenly, the Midnight Wall Bugs that charged unaware of Nero''s attack halted as a series of metallic ''ting-ting'' noises sounded before their bodies split into multiple pieces, turning into corpses. ''Even with that, I still had a bit of resistance from their flesh, these certainly are troublesome creatures, I can''t fight them all by myself, not at this level, and Elly and Ivy should have it even harder.'' As Nero''s thoughts reached here, he hurriedly glanced at the shocked Elly and Ivy and shouted again, "Guys, what are you doing? Hurry up, theirs still more behind you and around us! Don''t fall behind!" With that said, Nero dashed forward at high speeds, Elly and Ivy were a bit dizzy at this as they didn''t even think Nero could have such a technique, but as the scene was currently dangerous, they didn''t dare to distract themselves. "Let''s go, Ivy!" Elly yelled as she saw a few more Midnight Wall Bugs appeared from the walls in the area Nero had cleaned up. She hurried forward with her sword glowing in dazzling lights. "R-Right!" Ivy said, not daring to fall behind, cracking her whip as she ran at max speed. "Sword of Blossoms! Poison Whiplash!" Both Elly and Ivy shouted, invoking their skills, a series of petals then crashed into the bugs'' bodies along with the green lashes from the whip. But rather than killing them in one go, a series of sparks flew into the air as only after a period did a few died due to bloody wounds, followed by others that melted due to the strong poison. ''So hard!'' Both Elly and Ivy thought as they knew just how tough the flesh was from that exchange. Not daring to dally, they pushed their speeds to the limit, not long after leaving this area as they strived to catch up to Nero. However, both girls didn''t seem to realize while they had just left, a loud shuffle was heard as the wall behind shook slightly. Soon, a pair of massive beady eyes opened from the wall, glaring towards their position with a cold ray before it closed and vanished as if fading into the darkness. Chapter 140: Leveling Up, A New Threat It didn''t take long for Elly and Ivy to catch up to Nero, their small group rushing through the narrow halls at high speeds as they crushed and repelled any of the Midnight Wall Bug''s that crossed their paths with their variety of techniques. With each of their movement, brilliant silver spiraling lights, peach-colored petals, and a green whip lashed about in all directions, wreaking havoc on any of the bugs caught in their paths. The silver lights left deep scars onto the paved ground while the petals left tiny fissures, as for the whip, each of its strike left behind a puddle of liquid that melted the ground by sections. It could be seen that their methods were powerful, but though it allowed them to move rather swiftly, breaking away from the horde of bugs around and behind them, more and more bugs still managed to crawl up from the passage in front of them, forming into a large blockade. ''Damn! If it keeps up like this, we''ll really lose our lives in this place! We cannot afford to stop for even an instant!'' Nero thought as he saw the large group of bugs that tried to seal off the path in front of them. In fact, other than clusters of bugs that were a distance behind them, he could feel that there was an even more dangerous presence within them. "Break!" Nero shouted as he used his scythe to cut apar the blockade, crushing the bugs that had piled up before them; his EXP rose sharply, but this time a notification sounded in his head along with a virtual screen in front of his face. ____ Ding! [You have leveled up to Level 8! All stats have increased as follows HP: 20, MP: 20, SA: +5, CF: +10, BT: +3, SP: +3km] Ding! [All upgradable equipment has increased by one level] ____ ''Yes! It''s about damn time!'' Nero shouted in his mind with a bit of excitement. Even his eyes lit up when he noticed that as the blockade fell, the light source ahead of them had grown even more prominent. ''Finally, we can leave this wretched hallway.'' Nero thought with a bright smile on his face; he was about to speak to the girls behind him, but before he could do so, there was a change. "N-Nero, look!" Elly yelled with a look of panic on her face as she pointed behind her. Ivy was currently trembling as she saw the thing in the dark; even if brave, she had no idea how to handle the newfound threat. "Huh? What is it this ti¡ª?" Nero was about to say something, but as he slanted his head and glanced behind at the direction Elly pointed, his face sunk as his mouth opened wide. "You''ve got to be kidding me! What the hell is wrong with this dungeon?" Nero yelled in anger as he saw a new threat, unable to contain his fury for the dungeon. He saw behind a horde of Midnight Wall Bug''s was a giant bug that took up the entire hallway, its body having a bright sheen as if it was well polished as its beady eyes glowed in a red light when it gazed towards them from behind its subjects. ____ [Elite Midnight Wall Bug] [Level: 8] [Grade: Common (Low Class)] [Health: 800/800] [Combat Force: 180 Stones] [Body Tenacity: 105] [Spiritual Awareness: 55] [Speed: 95km/h] [Skill: Wall Travel - Can travel through walls, Iron Teeth - Can bite through tough metal, Command - Control the weaker of its kind.] [Description: An elite protector of the hallways within the Palace of Horrors, it can command a horde of its kin to feast upon all intruders.] ____ As if the Elite Midnight Wall Bug sensed that Nero had inspected it, it opened its glowing red mouth with cruel-looking teeth as it roared, "Kreeeeeh!" Following its roar, the cluster of Midnight Wall Bugs seemed to have been boosted by its roar as their speed increased drastically, while the Elite Midnight Wall Bug''s body had begun to glow in bright lights as if charging up for its assault. Nero seeing all of this, was quick to wake up from his disordered state of mind, bringing himself to a calm state. He glanced at Elly and Ivy and spoke in a hurried tone while firmly holding onto his scythe. "Hurry on ahead of me! I''ll stall it and follow you soon after!" "What? Are you insane? Can''t you see that it''s far more powerful than the others?" Elly said with worry in her eyes, even though its attack wasn''t anything much, with its vital danger being only its sharp teeth. The defense of the Elite Midnight Wall Bug was vastly superior to even its lesser kin. Ivy also felt the same; she looked at Nero and spoke. "That''s right; you can''t stay behind, hurry, and leave with us!" Nero shook his head at this and spoke again, "We don''t have time for this, just do as I say, trust me, I''ll be fine, I even managed to level up, I''ll hold it back and then hurry to the exit." When both girls saw Nero''s stern look, they looked at each other for a moment before sighing and nodding. Ivy didn''t waste a moment; she used a strange movement technique to propel her forward as she left a few traces of leaves on the ground. Elly also used her unique movements, causing a myriad of peach-colored petals to form around her. She glanced at Nero one more time before dashing ahead in a traceless manner as only her voice remained. "Don''t go dying like some wannabe hero!" Nero chuckled at this and didn''t reply; his attention right now was on the horde rapidly approaching him. Their energies created a strong draft that brushed across his skin, forcing his hair into disarray as it pushed the cloth on his martial robes behind him. By now, Nero didn''t have his previous worry; his manner was oddly calm, carrying a trace of excitement in his eyes as his eyes flickered. He angled his scythe to his side and spoke as if speaking to himself, "Come, let''s see what''s tougher, your skin or my edge..." As if hearing his words, the air grew sinister, and the horde was only moments from crashing into Nero, the ominous red eyes from the creatures adding even more to the current mood foreboding a frightful clash. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Patreon-https://www.patreon.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Chapter 141: Battling the Elite Midnight Wall Bug When Elly and Ivy fled from the scene, Nero stood facing the horde of Midnight Wall Bugs with a calm expression on his face, his eyes shone in a cold ray, but deep down, one would catch a trace of excitement as he could only picture them as experience points. They shuffled through the wall like swinging the ocean as they charged at him at high speeds; Nero angled his scythe at his side while staring at them when he thought to himself. ''Since tough monsters like these are bound to pop up even more in this dungeon, I should strive to improve myself as much as I can, maybe I could increase my mastery a bit more, and while I can''t rank up my core techniques, I should be able to get my Blood Reaper''s dance to its second rank.'' Adult Nero smiled as he heard his younger self''s thought; he said to himself, "A good choice." When Nero finished this, he charged towards the horde, diving straight into their ranks. As they noticed his movements, the bugs didn''t even hesitate to jump towards him, some springing from the paved ground like fish leaping from the water. Looking at their faces, one would see a trail of red lights that followed their beady eyes as their jaws opened up wide with their sharp teeth that dripped with saliva. "Hmph! Try and bite this!" Nero said as he spun us body at their center and ruthlessly swung his scythe, leaving behind an arc of silver light chopped towards the enemy. With a chopping sound, the scythe''s edge easily bisected the bodies of the bugs, leaving behind a series of corpses that littered the ground. ''As I thought, my current power increase is enough to easily cut them, even if I only use the basic form of my Dancing Reaper combat form...'' Nero thought with a sharp glint in his eyes, but despite his current advantage, he didn''t stop there but continued his onslaught, twirling his scythe around his body like a martial artist''s pole, which only left behind trailing silver lights as he shifted positions from left to right. His feet tapped the ground, as it seemed as if he was dancing in the narrow passageway, his manner akin to a dancer in a field of death. After a while, the bugs had dwindled considerably; they soon started to halt their charge as some even backed up in fear. However, right at this time, the giant Elite Midnight Wall Bug standing behind the others, seemed to have gathered its full strength, releasing an immense amount of magic power. "Here it comes..." Nero uttered as he adopted a more serious stance, lowering his torso by more than 90 degrees as his feet crouched and spread wide. He held one of his arms behind him, gripping the scythe''s handle closer to its edge as his other arm that reached out in front of his face firmly gripped a part of the other end. "Kreeeh!" With a savage cry, the Elite Midnight Wall Bug pressed its four limbs against the ground, causing them to form a spider web of fissures before it pushed itself forward like a rocket. It swept ahead towards Nero with a whooshing sound, blocking off all escape routes from its attack. Nero''s eyes grew colder; he gripped the scythe''s handle firmer as his pupils shone in a reddish ray when he shouted, "Let''s see who''s stronger! Blood Reapers Dance!" With Nero''s shout, he twisted his body, swinging his scythe with an incredible amount of force, causing his body to grow indistinct before he vanished. Instantly, his scythe''s etched form another bright glow of baleful arcs of spiraling red lights that swept towards the right and left side of the Elite Midnight Wall Bug. With beady eyes filled with disdain, the Elite Midnight Wall Bug didn''t even put up a defense aura when it saw Nero''s attack; it simply pressed onwards with an ominous glint shining from its eyes while it slowly opened its mouth. Instantly, both bug and energy had collided, creating an explosive sound and a bright red light for a moment. Nero was repelled by the shockwave of the attack, falling back towards the exit direction by a few meters; he slid against the ground before halting and looking towards the direction of the fading lights. Not long after, a painful shriek was heard as the light faded to reveal the Elite Midnight Wall Bug''s silhouette. Its armor-like shell now had two long scars leaking with tiny bits of blood, but other than that, the wound didn''t seem to have much of a lasting effect. ''Damn! It''s just as hard as I thought, to think that even with my Stage 8 Combat Power, I can only leave it minor wounds with my strongest attack skill despite being at the same level.'' Nero cursed in his thoughts as he saw the change, but despite his current mood, he didn''t show fear or any intention to retreat; he planned to use this chance to bring his strength up a bit further. Much like Nero, the Elite Midnight Wall Bug didn''t plan to flee; after its prey wounded it, its eyes shone with a bloody light due to its anger as it prepared to wreak havoc on its enemy. The scene growing silent as one youth and one bug stared at each other before charging towards each other and entering once more into a fierce showdown. *** A distance away from the shocking collision sounds behind them, Elly and Ivy had only now arrived at the exit. ''Nero, I hope you''re okay.'' Elly thought as she glanced behind her, noticing distant red lights flashing about behind them; she could even hear the vague cries of a savage monster. Ivy also had similar thoughts of concern while looking behind; she spoke as if trying to counsel both herself and Elly, "It''s okay. I believe that he''ll be fine." Suddenly, Elly''s eyes grew firm as she gripped her slender palms into a fist and spoke, "That''s right, Ivy, but we can''t keep relying on him; we must also grow stronger; I''m almost a step from achieving Stage 8 mastery in my core Plum Blossom Arts. Hmph! When I do achieve it, I want to see if these monsters dare bully me again!" Ivy though seemingly meek due to meeting Nero, was also a prideful girl; she smiled with a greenish light in her eyes as she added, "Me too." With their minds made up, they didn''t dare to hesitate a moment longer and jumped out of the narrow path, passing through the bright lights that shrouded the outward scenery. After arriving here, Elly and Ivy now had wide eyes as they saw a wide-open space of a bright ominous purple hue, its sheer size no different from a massive football field. Their faces showed shocked looks as they saw that at the far-off end of this enormous field, there was another passageway led to the unknown. "Where is here?" Elly said she looked at the current scene, noticing many different skeletons and tombstones erected in various areas. A soft mist shrouded the field as a few silhouettes shuffled back and forth. Even the cries of what sounded like a wolf had drifted from the distance to their ears. Ivy also had a look of caution on her face, she began to inspect the area more carefully, but right at this time, her face grew solemn as she glanced in a particular direction noticing two approaching forms. Chapter 142: Lily and Mikan’s Whereabouts A few minutes earlier, within the wide-open indoor field that carried a spooky air, two familiar silhouettes had fallen out of the sky, landing onto the ground on top of two different objects. With a loud crash, a slender figure fell onto a pile of dense shrubs, her face drooping as she held her butt while cursing out loud. "Ouch! That hurts!" Lily cursed as she held onto her rump, her face having a look of anger as she tried to resist the pain. Unlike her, however, Mikan, who had fallen on the other side, had crashed into a pile of rocks; he laid flat on the ground, acting in a manner whereby many would wonder if he were dead or alive. "Blast! We got sent to this unknown place, and Ivy, Elly, including that darn bastard is missing!" Lily complained once more as she strugglingly rose to her feet while patting off her rump. After a short while, she had managed to calm down and inspected her surroundings noticing Mikan''s condition. Feeling a surge of alarm, Lily hurried over towards his corpse-like figure as she spoke, "Oh-no! Mikan, are you okay?" As Lily arrived at his side, Mikan couldn''t help but suppress his urge to groan in pain, swallowing the blood that threatened to come out of his throat as he clenched his fists tightly and pushed his injured figure from the crumble of rocks. "I... I''m fine; these are just minor injuries." Mikan said as he wiped the blood from the corner of his face, trying to look strong. Lily gave him a good look, noticing that his wounds were quite severe; she shook her head and tossed him a potion as she spoke, "You dummy, this isn''t the time to act tough, hurry and take this potion; we need to figure out just where we are and what kind of dangers were facing!" "Ah, ahem¡­ fine." Mikan said with a light cough, trying to cover his embarrassment; he quickly downed the potion as his wounds began to fade away bit by bit as he soon after sighed in relief. By this time, Lily had already surveyed their environment, staring at the sparse trees scattered about the area. Occasionally, she would see a few shuffling silhouettes in the mists and hear a few groaning noises. ''What are those things?'' Lily thought to herself as her face turned a bit dark; Mikan also noticed the oddities and had a stern look as he adopted a battle-ready stance while speaking. "Lily let''s find our way out of here; my sister and the others shouldn''t have fallen far from us. I can''t feel comfortable knowing she''s out there in a place like this..." When Lily heard this, she gave Mikan another look, seeing the firm look in his eyes. At this moment, she couldn''t help but think to herself, ''Hmm, he''s nobler than he appears...'' As if she had already made up her mind, Lily spoke with a smile, "Right, lead the way, Mikan!" "Eh? You want me to lead?" Mikan said a bit hesitantly. Lily made a suspicious look as she stared at him and asked, "Hmm, aren''t you worried about your sister?" "I... of course, I''ll lead," Mikan said after a slight moment of hesitation; he then took a step towards a random direction, his face having a bit of sullen look. Lily looked at his back with an expression of a tease as she thought to herself, "Hehe, I might have spoken too soon..." Following this, Lily started to follow behind him, but a silhouette had appeared behind her right at this instance. A towering figure that was more than five times her height, with menacing red lights glowing from its orb-like eyes peered from the haze. It made a light growl as a strange sound of a liquid dripping on the ground was heard, along with a few sizzling sounds. As if she sensed something, Lily''s skin started to churn as she halted her steps noticing the shadow that cast over her; sweat ran down her cheeks as she didn''t dare to turn around to look at what was behind her, as she could feel the overwhelming source of danger. It was as if, in this instance, she had frozen stiff, without the ability to think or react. But unlike her, Mikan, who had also felt the presence, instantly reacted as he noticed the entity. "Lily! Run! Poison Cloud Fist!" Following Mikan''s yell, his figure dashed forward at immense speeds before striking out his fist coated by a green-colored miasma. It then sent a poisonous manifestation of a fist towards the sinister silhouette. As if she only just recovered from her fear-stricken state, Lily didn''t hesitate to respond as she shouted, "Your attacks aren''t enough! Explosive Back Stab!" With a chilly light in her eyes, she twisted her torso, using the force to drive her dagger backward that glowed in her dazzling blue magic power, striking towards the lower part of the creature''s torso. Her dagger successfully attacked the opponent''s chest with a loud bang, creating an explosion of her energy that pushed her forward by a few meters. As this happened, Mikan''s poisonous fist had crashed into the blue lights, transforming its entirety into a spiraling cloud of poisonous blue energies that corroded and ravaged the surrounding five meters area. Not daring to waste a second, both Mikan and Lily looked at each other, and if their minds were in sync, they inwardly shouted at the same time, ''Flee!'' With two swooshing sounds, their figures grow distant as they employed their movement styles, dashing through the misty environment at alarming speeds. However, the moment they left this scene, the previous combination attack of energy had faded, being dispersed by an ominous power. Soon, the silhouette was once again revealed but more clearly. Its frame being that of a giant wolf with a chain collar and sharp claws gleaming in baleful lights. It stood upright with its thick gray fur flowing in the wind, and as if the previous attack had not affected it, its eyes glowed in a cruel ray as it opened its mouth and howled towards the heavens in a fury. "Awwwooooooooo!" As if provoked by this wolf, deep in the shroud of mist, more and more reddish eyes lit up, followed by similar howls, creating a dark air as the wolf settled down, fixing its eyes into the direction Lily and Mikan had fled, foreshadowing a terrifying pursuit. **** Sorry that you guys saw no chapters, I wasn''t feeling well, I still am not one hundred percent recovered, but I am doing my best to recover, hopefully, I can do a thing like normal by Monday. Also, thanks to all who still continue to support this story, it really means a lot. Chapter 143: Labyrinth of Horrors Within another location of the Palace of Horrors, a field much like that shown prior.A few familiar figures were hurrying about as they faced against many creatures. Though they managed to overpower them, if one looked at the scene more carefully, they would notice that things might not be as it appears. A cluster of sharp blade rays crashed into a staggering figure from a distance, breaking its entire body into bits of pieces before leaving a scar on the earth. Looking at the corpse left behind, one would notice that it wasn''t an actual flesh and blood lifeform, but rather a skeleton that held onto a blade and shield. ____ [Undead Solider] [Level: 8] [Grade: Common (Low Class)] [Health: 0/800] [Combat Force: 180 Stones] [Body Tenacity: 55] [Spiritual Awareness: 55] [Speed: 95km/h] [Skill: Guard - Increases Body Tenacity by 30] [Description: A creature that stalks the cursed fields of the palace labyrinth.] ____ After inspecting the body of the dead Undead Soldier, Crazy Blade frowned as he hoisted his giant blade and cursed with an annoyed tone of voice. "Tsk, such a troublesome bunch they are, for even one of these things to have a defensive skill that can force me to put more effort into my attacks. I really hate that bastard of a dungeon keeper and his darn rules..." As Crazy Blade complained, he didn''t dare to hold back his onslaught as more and more Undead Soldiers charged towards him from all directions; he angled his blade using a wide slash to knock them back before chopping another series of energies to destroy a few of them. Unlike Crazy Blade, Thunder''s Daughter fought her opponents much easier, skirting around them easily due to her unnatural speed as she struck them down with her lightning attacks. If anything was different, she had to use more power to destroy her foes than Crazy Blade. When she heard Crazy Blade''s words, she couldn''t help but make a troubled expression while speaking in a tone of agreement. "Indeed, I''ve heard of many other dungeons before, but by all rights, this should have only been a test dungeon; there shouldn''t be any core dangers and abilities to trap us. Having such capabilities could mean that this darn dungeon might differ from the usual Novice Zone dungeons. I have a feeling that there might have been some accident." Crazy Blade nodded with a sharp look in his eyes; they flashed with anger as a recollective look came into them as he recalled the scenes before this moment. It was when they had just entered the dungeon along with the company of a few other powerful digitizers. After knocking on the door, which soon after opened and sucked them inside, they had fallen into this strange open field with high walls blocking both corners for a certain distance. At first, Crazy Blade, Thunder''s Daughter, and the others were a bit confused about the change, but that soon after changed as a magical projection of a deformed-looking man in armor with a hunchback had appeared. Holding onto a staff with a skull embedded within it that glowed in a ghastly light as he snickered and spoke. "Welcome, welcome to the Labyrinth of Horrors; I am its keeper, Crooked. If you want to leave this dungeon, then you have only one choice, venture to its depths and discover my true form, defeat me, and you will earn your freedom, fail to do so, and forever become our slave! Huhu... do take care now, and please, enjoy the game!" Following those words, the digitizers became alarmed, but as they were all experts in the top of the ranking lists, they didn''t show fear but rather an excitement at the thought of their being hidden rewards for defeated Crooked. Some felt that Crooked words were strange, but many had already separated into different areas before they could confirm it. Those who wanted to ponder the situation soon found themselves distracted as a horde of Undead Soldiers started to swarm all parties, leading up to the current scenario. Crazy Blade frowned after finishing his momentary recollection; he sighed, shaking head his not bothering to think anymore as he stared at the remaining horde before him and smirked. "Heh, such a thing won''t stop us from advancing; I want to see the look on that bastard''s face when I wring his neck apart!" Thunder''s Daughter also thought the same, though she didn''t say anything, her eyes shone with bright bolts of lightning seeking to punish Crooked. The two no longer wasted a moment as they continued forward, crushing anything that came into their path; the few nearby Digitizers also took the opportunity to trail behind them. *** In another sector of the Labyrinth of Horrors, a fierce battle was currently in progression between a group and a large monster that looked similar to an Unknown Soldier. It held onto a claymore and a large shield that shimmered with the lights from the surrounding attacks. With a series of explosive bangs due to the variety of skills, spells, and techniques unleashed onto the monster, the battle only grew fiercer as some of these persons were wounded by the monster''s claymore, splattering their blood and limbs across the field. A grim mood filled the air as the pitiful wails of the digitizers sounded far and wide, but the most unusual thing was that the monster didn''t seem as if it had the intention to kill them. It merely mocked them and severely wounded them at most as it parried their assaults and countered attacked with its claymore. While this pitiful group fought the desperate battle, one person stood out from behind them, looking around with fury in his eyes as if searching for a form as he cursed out loud, "WHERE IS HE? WHY HASN''T ANYONE FOUND HIM YET?" The persons at his side glanced at him with a hesitant look as they spoke, "Young Lord Delkan, it''s not advisable to search for him at this time; we have to focus; this creature is overpowering our allies." Delkan frowned as he heard those words; he glanced at the person and spoke, "Are you telling me what to do?" The man gulped as he was about to say something, but before he could, Delkan''s figure vanished as he appeared at his side and stabbed his spear into his heart, ending his life in a flash. The others looked at Delkan with hints of fear, but they didn''t dare to distract themself from the battle around them; Delkan snorted while thinking, ''Hmph! Nero... just you wait.'' With that thought in mind, Delkan''s eyes flashed fiercely as his body erupted with his magic power; he readied his polearm and dashed towards the monster aiming to put it to its demise. Another collision sounded as the battle once here entered a new phase. Still, unlike the struggling digitizers who roamed the labyrinth filled with hazard, there was another that watched from a secret location with a teasing look in its eyes. **** Sorry, it''s been a while, at this time I''m flowing between a mix of good and bad health, trying to fully recover, I shall post as often as I possibly can, and once again I thank all of you who continue to support the story. I hope you all had a good day, please do keep healthy and stay safe. Here is the latest chappy, have a great reading :) Chapter 144: A Sinister Change, An Unknown Party Within a dark room with many different corridors leading to other areas, Crooked stood in silence as he stared at an orb before him, gazing at the scenes that flashed across its screen as if searching for something. His different sized eyes had a teasing look at which the battles occurred within the labyrinth, but they soon turned a bit sharper as he noticed a few individuals. These were none other than Crazy Blade, Thunder''s Daughter, and Delkan, who had progressed much farther than everyone else, pushing further and further towards the core area of the labyrinth. ''The master will not be pleased if they keep progressing like this; they''re one step from entering the labyrinth''s core; it looks like I might have underestimated the power of these external lifeforms. I-I must crush their spirit more thoroughly.'' Crooked thought to himself with his strange accent much like that of someone dragging his speech. As if he made up his mind on something, Crooked''s eyes glowed in a sinister light as the skull face on his staff shone in an ominous ray as he tapped it against the ground. With a resonant sound, the stone-paved floor rippled with energy as a diagram formed. Not long after, the orb before Crooked shone in a bright ray before returning to normal. Crooked smirked at this showing a grin on his hideous face, angling his large nose upward with a smug look as he spoke with a tone of satisfaction, "Huhu... all paths will eventually converge, so even if you do arrive at the labyrinth''s core. You will have to struggle against that special pet I summoned. Hehe, once the master is finished with that song, everything will change¡­ I can''t wait to play with these new slaves for another eternity." Crooked had a menacing look on his face as if he could already see their fate, but right at this moment of his satisfaction, his eyes widened as he noticed something different on the orb. There, he saw that at the most central circle, depicting the labyrinth''s core, four figures had somehow appeared near its exit, two of which were hurrying towards the others as if being chased by something. ''Oh, intruders at the core, could it be that bunch?'' Crooked thought for a while, but as if he already knew the answer, he smiled as taking on a more series manner as he spoke, "Perfect, I can personally retrieve them, even though one is missing, maybe that boy is somewhere amongst the batch. Huhuhu... master will be pleased!" Crook''s insidious laughter sounded through the gloomy room, such that it was capable of filling anyone with a surge of fear. He tapped the ground with his staff once more before a diagram formed before opening a passage to the side. He then started to walk through this passage with sifting movements. The room was now silent and gloomy, but unaware to Crooked, who left, there was a familiar silhouette right in the corner of this room. A beauty clad in a red robe facing the direction of the orb before looking towards the passageway. Red Rain''s dazzling eyes from beneath the hooded robe flickered in a series of complex symbols as she contemplated. ''The elders said that he would be here, then I should double down my search to find out the clues; it''s hard enough as it is to track each and every one of these ''Voiders'' down, even more so for two who could rise amongst humankind. Yet, now it would seem that I might have to focus on a more important threat.'' When Red Rain''s thought''s reached here, she couldn''t help but glance towards the ceiling as if peering through the walls to the outside sky that had a red hue, the sinister moon looming above, vaguely hindering what seemed to be the silhouette of a Universe Ring that was slowly accumulating cracks. ''If the ring breaks completely, this will be no different from an actual upper zone dungeon. I might need to truly act if necessary, but then again, if there is indeed a Voider amongst everyone else, I could only find him if he acts firsts.'' Red Rain frowned as she concluded her thoughts. Not wasting a moment, she hurried into the path that Crooked opened, trailing behind swiftly and stealthily. *** Within the Novice Zone, within the Winfrey Village, Village Chief Pan, and even the greedy Old Monk Nalud, stared towards the sky with a serious look on their faces. They noticed that the giant portal in the sky that shone over a majority of the Novice Zone was flickering with a reddish light from its standard, blue-colored light as if it was encountering some issues. ''What''s going on here? Why is it behaving like this? It''s almost as if it''s trying to become an upper zone dungeon, breaking its constraints from the Novice Zone rule.'' Village Chief Pan thought with a stern look on her wrinkled face; she had a bad feeling just by staring at the sky, even Monk Nalud, who had thought to same, muttered with a serious tone. "The power of the Universe Ring is unquestioned, so no simple power could easily deter it, even more so for a place like considered as a weak dimensional world. Not unless there''s something dangerous in that world that doesn''t want to be discovered." As if a few people shared similar thoughts, all the most powerful and strangest figures within the Novice Zone stared at the portal with different expressions. Some had eyes filled with worry for the newly arrived geniuses while others had looks of fascination. They all knew that this ordinary dungeon event would more likely turn out to be one to be remembered, and those on its inside would have an exceedingly terrifying experience. *** Within the Transmission Zone, inside of the sea of colorful lights that stretched beyond an endless horizon. The grandest star of all remained at its center aloof to all things. On its surface, the All-Seer sat in meditation with his staff resting atop of his legs. Suddenly, he opened his large eye that shone in a divine-like light from underneath the hood of his robes, gazing towards a tiny star at the edge of this horizon. His eyes curving into what seemed like a smile as he spoke in a resonant voice, "Well now, it seems that I''ve encountered a special world, to think such a being would reside inside of it, I wonder, just who... hmm?" The All-Seer was a bit interested in the change and didn''t even think much of the Universe Ring showing signs of losing its influence. Instead, his manner grew solemn as upon inspecting the edge of that very world in a separate dimension; he saw a strange being. It was a man with long half brown and half crimson hair that reached down to his knees, garbed in an ancient kind of armor below a torn cap that wrapped around his figure. On his back were two odd swords, one looking like a black claymore and the other being a blood-colored executioner style blade with a sinister edge. His handsome face carrying an indifferent look as his red and brown eyes gazed at the world before him in silence. Suddenly, his chest area flowed in red lights as the man''s eyes shifted upwards, looking towards the All Seer''s position with an odd look before he flickered and vanished. When the All-Seer felt the man''s gaze, his entire world instantly became black as even the colorful space seemed as if it was in disorder, filling him with a surge of panic, but as the man vanished, the world had instantly returned to normal. "That man... who is he?" The All Seer''s voice sounded across the empty world as if trying to seek out his answers, but sadly for him, he would never find him again. Huhu... only a few ''certain fans'' will naturally know who this man is :) Chapter 145: Midnight Gray Werewolf Within the core sectors of the Labyrinth of Horrors, a fierce battle was in progression between four individuals and a pack of giant wolves with gray fur, each emanating a dense murderous desire. While the party of four fled as they bravely fought, slaughtering more than a dozen of these wolves, there were signs that more would still spring out of the hazy surroundings to hinder their movement. "Spiraling Whiplash!" Ivy said as she cracked her whip, twirling it when she jumped into the air; the whip smacked onto the bodies of a few gray wolves, breaking into their skin as it secreted a poisonous substance into their being. As affected by the attack, the wolves slowed down, showing signs of weakness. They wanted to retreat and recover, but sadly for them, Elly, Ivy, and Mikan had swiftly acted. A dense collection of petals had formed around Elly before scattering about the area, each having an unparalleled sharpness that swept through the bodies of most of the wolves, severing them into bits of pieces. Much like Elly, Mikan''s and Ivy''s attacks had similarly annihilated their opponents. Still, it was only done through the combined efforts as Ivy''s dagger was coated with a layer of Mikan''s ominous poison. She used her uncommon speed to dance about the area stabbing into the extra wolves'' bodies, the position being so strong that it turned their bodies into mush. "Whew, is that the last of them?" Lily asked as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her forearm that firmly held onto her dagger. "I don''t know, but I don''t think we should stay here for long as they still outnumber us. While we might have had a few strength increases, I''m still getting a bad feeling about this area; besides, that big one still hasn''t attacked again, so we have to hurry and try to find the exit for this labyrinth." Mikan said with a deep look on his face as he stared around, noticing the wolf silhouettes that glared at them from the haze; it seemed that they had temporarily stopped their onslaught of attacks as if hindered by something. "Right, let''s do that," Lily said in agreement with his words; she also recalled the most savage wolf of them all that chased them all the way until they met up with Elly and Ivy, forcing her to show a hint of fear in her eyes. Ivy also agreed, but her eyes had a trace of missing when she looked at the direction they had run from as if trying to peer past the shrouding haze to seek out a familiar form. Lily also noticed her look; she glanced at her and spoke, "Ivy, don''t go worrying over that bastard; if anyone will be fine in this place, it''s going to be him." Ivy bit her lips before replying with a low grunt, Mikan seeing his sister like this frowned with a look of anger in his eyes, glaring in the direction she had stared as he snorted, saying nothing. Unlike them, however, Elly had remained silent, staring at her glowing peach-colored sword, which had just returned to normal; the look on her face was one of excitement as she spoke her thoughts out loud, "Yes, I''ve finally caught up to that rascal, hehe! I want to see the look on his face!" Ivy, Lily, and Mikan gave Elly a curious look; when Elly saw their looks and found out her mistake, her face turned red with embarrassment, but this quickly changed as she hurriedly made a poker face and spoke. "W... well, let''s go, everyone, we can''t keep staying¡ª" Elly was about to say something, but as if she sensed something, her face sunk as she looked towards the side. Much like Elly, Mikan and the other girls also had a drastic change in their expressions as they glanced in a similar direction. It was unknown when the leading wolf with a black chain collar with the marking''s ''pet'' appeared. It stood upright with its long and sharp claws gleaming in a baleful ray as it glared at their party. ____ [Midnight Gray Werewolf] [Level: 8] [Grade: Common (High Class)] [Health: 900/900] [Combat Force: 220 Stones] [Body Tenacity: 75] [Spiritual Awareness: 85] [Speed: 115km/h]: [Skill: Vicious Howl, Sky Rending Claw] [Description: One of the four Guardian Pets belonging to the owner of the labyrinth, a ferocious creature that views all except its own as nothing more than toys and prey.] ____ "Damn! So, it''s finally attacking again!" Mikan cursed in anger, as Ivy and Lily had stern looks on their faces, but as thy reacted in such a manner, the Midnight Gray Werewolf seemed to have been provoked by their words. Awooooooo! With a savage howl, it didn''t waste a single moment as it dashed towards them single-handedly, its magic power pushing away the haze from their immediate surroundings along with the winds that formed due to its high-speed charge. Elly and the others didn''t even have the time to be shocked for long; they promptly recovered from their daze and swiftly acted. "Not good, don''t get distracted! Ivy, Mikan, seal its movements! Lily, we''ll strike it together!" Elly yelled as she gathered her magic power, causing her sword to glow in a brilliant peach-colored radiance. As if the Midnight Gray Werewolf sensed the threat coming from Elly''s sword, its body made a swooshing sound as he charged towards her at maximum speed, its claws shining in bright and sinister light as it prepared to bring her down before she could use her attack. Lily''s forehead ran with sweat as she gathered her full power into her dagger, causing it glow brightly as she stared at the monster in silence, but as for the others, they promptly acted. "You''re not going anywhere, Poison Field!" Mikan said as he stretched his arm forward, causing the ground below the Midnight Gray Werewolf to turn sludgy as if it were quicksand. The Midnight Gray Werewolf seemed to have sensed the danger beforehand; before the ground had transformed, it had tapped the ground with its feet, pushing itself into the air. However, as if Ivy had predicted this, she lashed her whip towards it, wrapping around its airborne body before using her entire strength to smash it down into the sludgy earth of poison. With a splashing sound, the Midnight Gray Werewolf fell right into the center of the Poison Field; it struggled for a bit before its body exploded with dense magic power, forcing away most of the sludgy field as it was only moments from escaping. Yet, right at this time, Elly''s eyes flashed sharply as a smug smile came on her face when she held her sword up to her face while thinking, ''Vile thing, witness my pow¡ª'' Elly wanted to have a moment to show off her current power, but sadly for her, it would seem that she was a moment too late, as a series of baleful crimson arcs swept from a distance, slicing into the body of the Midnight Gray Werewolf, before vanishing. The Midnight Gray Werewolf didn''t even seem to notice the change, before it could even react, its entire body started to fall to pieces, spewing out its blood and entrails into the sludgy field. A look of alarm came across everyone''s face, but when they stared in the direction of the source and saw the silver-haired form, they each showed strange expressions, even more so for Elly who now had an unparalleled amount of sourness on her face as she shouted, "You rascal!" ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Patreon-https://www.patreon.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Chapter 146: Meeting Again, A New Item As the corpse of the Midnight Gray Werewolf fell to the ground, Elly and the others looked towards its killer with different expressions, Ivy had shining eyes as Lily merely rolled her eyes when they saw him, but as for Mikan and Elly, they showed two interesting reactions. Mikan gritted his teeth as he saw his sister in a starry-eyed manner while cursing to himself, ''Che! Does he have to appear right now? Blast!'' Unlike Mikan, whose only concern was his sister''s affection, Elly''s face turned red with anger as she complained to herself. ''Darn it, that was my kill! It was my time for victory, why''d he have to go and steal it!'' As if she couldn''t hold it in, Elly dashed over towards the figure and started to pound him in his chest as she cursed loudly, "You darn freak, why''d you go and kill it? I would have beaten it in one blow!" Nero made a strange look as he stared at the petite figure whose arms bashed against his chest; though she seemed angry, the force behind the small arms was no different from a child complaining to her older brother. Nero chuckled while inwardly thinking that it was cute; he even thought to tease her; Elly frowned seeing his look, as if she recalled the last time she got up close to him, her face turned beat red as she hurriedly pulled back and spoke in a stuttering manner. "Y-y-you, humph! What are you looking at?" Nero made a faint smile and replied, "Why you, of course, what''s wrong? You don''t like it?" Elly didn''t dare to stare at Nero''s current face, the sharp and handsome face that gazed at her intensely. She took a deep breath and replied, "Hmph! That''s none of your business!" When Elly said this, she didn''t stare at him but run off towards the corpse of the Midnight Gray Werewolf; it seemed she wanted to use looting it as an excuse to avoid the current exchange. Nero naturally knew of her strange antics but said nothing more; he knew this wasn''t the time for such games. He glanced at the others, noticing that Ivy now had a complex look on her face after seeing the previous exchange while Mikan glared at him as if he wanted to take a knife and eat his flesh. ''That son of a bitch... just how many girls have taken an interest in him,'' Mikan inwardly cursed as he only just realized that Nero might be more of a stud than he thought, not to mention his dear sister, he was already in the heart of other women. He thought for a moment and hesitantly gave a glance towards Lily nearby, but as he saw Lily showing no ounce of affection on her face, he heaved a sigh of relief and looked away, his mood turning a bit better. Lily also noticed his gaze, but she only smirked and did nothing; it seemed that she had grown a bit curious about his nature during their short adventure. Nero made an odd look while thinking to himself, ''Just what the hell is going on? These guys are something else...'' Not daring to probe into any sensitive topics that might inspire certain emotions, Nero hurriedly shifted his eyes around the area, noticing that all of the previous wolf''s silhouettes had vanished. Nero narrowed his eyes while thinking, ''From what I''ve noticed thus far, these werewolves aren''t the kind to run away from a battle; they should have by all rights attacked us during that moment of distraction. Hmm, someone or something is controlling them, and it might have summoned them back. I think we should hurry and find the path to the core of the palace before anything else happens...'' After making up his mind, Nero looked at the others and spoke, "Hey guys, we should get a move on; the mastermind of this strange area hasn''t shown himself; we should move before he acts against us personally." When Ivy, Lily, and Mikan heard this, they made thoughtful looks before speaking words of agreement. "Right, this labyrinth isn''t safe, we''ve been trying to find the way out, but those wolves keep pushing us in this direction. Going by this, then I can assume that the path forward was more or likely in the direction that I and Mikan and ran from earlier." Lily said with a look of certainty in her eyes. "Mm, I think so too," Mikan, who had a thoughtful look, said in agreement. Nero looked at them and spoke, "Alright, let''s go, you guys lead the way." Lily and Mikan nodded before they started to move towards the direction they fled from; Ivy gave Nero a good look before walking along behind them. Nero shook his head at this before glancing over at the werewolf corpse; seeing Elly shuffling about, he walked over while speaking, "Elly, how long are you going to spend looting? Hurry up, or we''ll leave you behind!" Elly seemed to have been ticked off by his words; she grabbed up the last bit of loot and spoke, "Hey, this is my loot, not yours, so don''t come over." Nero made a look of disdain when he saw the strange claw glove in her hand as he thought to himself, ''Hmph! As if I''d need that, not after what I got from that darn bug.'' When Nero thought to here, he glanced down on his arm, staring at the shiny gauntly that seemed to be made from a black bug shell. ____ [Midnight Arm Gauntlet] [Grade: Superior Tier] [Type: Armor] [Subtype: Body Armor] [Usable by: All] [Close & Mid-Range] [Requirements: Level 8] [Body Tenacity: 19] [Durability: 45/45] [Item Skill: Midnight Shield ¨C Summons a shield that can protect the user for a limited time, its strength is dependent on user''s magic power | Effects - Consumes: 20 MP, Cooldown: 30 seconds] ____ Not bothering to say much about it, Nero turned around and went towards the others'' direction while leaving behind a few words. "Sure-sure, just make sure you don''t get left behind, for who knows if we''ll be able to find someone of your stature in this haze." When Elly heard those words, her mind went blank; even if tough mentally, she had a complex about her size. With her face red and fuming, she shouted, "You... Nero! I dare you to say that again!" Elly chased after Nero with her anger rising to its peak, soon after vanishing from this area, behind a shrouding mist that loomed about in all directions. Chapter 147: A Dangerous Encounter An unknown amount of time passed, and the air within the Labyrinth of Horrors only grew darker. As Nero, Elly, Ivy, and the others proceeded onwards, they each had stern looks as no matter how far they traveled, there were no signs of change around them, almost as if the previous werewolves was no more than an illusion. Nero''s cold looking red pupils scanned the hazy maze, looking at the ground and fields; they flickered in a strange ray as when he used his Reaper''s Eyes innate skill, he found that two bright wolf shaped soul lights were shining a reasonable distance behind them. Looking at them carefully, Nero found that though the lights were shining brilliantly, there were signs of dimness, as if they were losing their lifeforce. ''Hmm, these two souls are a notch above even that werewolf from before. They are likely the other guardians for this zone... since that''s so, then I can only assume that the beast ahead of us is the final guardian.'' After thinking such thoughts, Nero''s eyes narrowed when he looked ahead of his group, staring at the wolf soul, which was two times larger than the others. Yet, what was even more alarming was that this very creature''s soul was currently standing behind another, tinier but a sinister-looking soul. "Everyone, prepare yourselves; we might have company ahead of us," Nero said with a grim tone as his eyes turned sharper as he firmly held onto his scythe handle. ''Oh crap, not again, when will we be done with this place!'' Elly thought to herself as she gritted her teeth in dissatisfaction; she didn''t like this kind of spooky atmosphere in the slightest. Mikan''s face turned dark while Ivy had cautiously held her whip in an alert manner, but unlike him, Lily, who walked nearby, had a flicker of interest; she was curious about what kind of beast they would encounter next. Nero didn''t pay much attention to everyone''s thoughts; he only focused on the scene ahead of them, clouded by a haze which only his eyes could perceive. ''This might be more troublesome than I thought, but I guess this wouldn''t make it much of an interest, now would it?'' When Nero said this, his eyes showed traces of interest as his lips curved into a confident smile; even despite seeing the two entities than no one else could perceive, he felt that it wasn''t enough to halt their steps. "Of course not..." Adult Nero said with even stronger confidence as if answering his younger self. Nero felt even more confident hearing those words, but what he didn''t know was that after speaking, his older self shifted his eyes towards an area behind the soul lights that carried a powerful presence only he could sense. ''They can''t, but as for that monster in the dark, even I''m uncertain of this raid, I have no idea how a change like this could occur during a dungeon owned by the system, and most importantly, I can feel the effects of the ring dwindling with each passing breath.'' Adult Nero thought to himself, his eyes shifted from the space behind the soul lights, towards the sky, as if he could see through all shrouding the world, gazing at the sinister blood-colored moon and dim Universe Ring that loomed above the world. A stern look appeared on his face as he spoke in a voice only he could hear, "How troubling...''" While everyone had their own thoughts, it didn''t take long for the group to arrive at their destination. Here was a section that seemed like a transition from grassland to the interior of a castle. The ground moved from soil and grass to that of worn concrete with moss that led to a massive arched entrance towards a new section of the Palace of Horrors. Looking on its surface, one would notice two wall-mounted candle holders of a skull-shaped design, each of their candles burning in a gloomy light. It was a rather peculiar scene, but it wasn''t what drew Nero and the others'' attention. The moment they entered this zone, the haze faded, revealing all of the scene, showing a giant black werewolf that crouched before a sinister and ugly-looking hunched-back lifeform held onto a skull''s staff. The werewolf had crimson markings on its body, along with ticker and sturdy chains that bounded its neck collar; as if it sensed them, it lifted its head from its meek state, turning fierce as it growled at the party, causing saliva to drip from its mouth onto the ground. Awooo! With a resonant howl, a cruel breath scattered about the area, pushing away even more of the haze. Currently, the werewolf became shrouded by a thick magic power that caused even the ground beneath its feet to crack with fissures. As if he was unphased, Crooked stared at everyone with a cruel smile, his two different sized eyes glowing as they showed a trace of excitement and tease. The moment Nero saw Crooked, his eyes turned solemn as he felt that menacing energies from within him, he thought to himself, ''He''s the leader, he''s as strong as I anticipated.'' When Nero concluded his thoughts, he glanced at Elly and the others who were staring at the scene with shock and sternness before he spoke to them via a mental message. "I''ll hold off that disgusting fellow; you guys have to do what you can to take down that wolf in the remainder of the time, then come help me." "What? Nero, are you crazy? Are you sure you can pin him down yourself?" Elly asked back with a touch of concern on her face. Ivy, Mikan, and Lily also gave Nero an odd look, but it was clear that the enemies had startled them; they all felt the oppressive energies coming from them. Nero twirled his scythe and held it at an angle with its edge facing Crooked as he replied with a sharp glint in his eyes, "I''ll do what I have to..." When Elly and the others heard his words, they looked at him deeply; seeing his manner, they knew that they couldn''t change his mind, and more importantly, even if they wanted to, the menace before them would certainly give them no chance. As if proving their thoughts right, a sinister laugh sounded across the area as Crooked looked at them with a smile and spoke as if beckoning the start of a gloomy Chapter 148: The Battle Commences A sinister aura permeated the air as the tension between Crooked, Nero, and the others had risen sharply, the growl of the vicious looking werewolf sounding across the area as it stood before Crooked with its fur rising. ____ [Midnight Dark Werewolf] [Level: 8] [Grade: Common (High Class)] [Health: 900/900] [Combat Force: 220 Stones] [Body Tenacity: 75] [Spiritual Awareness: 70] [Speed:115km/h]: [Skill: Dark Wolf Howl, Sky Rending Claw, Dark Wolf Breath] [Description: The leading beast of the four Guardian Pets belonging to the owner of the labyrinth, a ferocious creature that views all except its owner as nothing more than toys and prey.] ____ [Keeper of the Labyrinth of Horrors, Hunchback Crooked] [Level: 9 | Race: Unknown] [Grade: ???(Sealed - Avialbble Power: Common High Class)] [Health: 950/950] [Combat Force: 270 Stones] [Body Tenacity: 115] [Spiritual Awareness: 140] [Speed: 130km/h]: [Skill: Cursed Magic Ray, Cursed Seal, Cursed Souls, Cursed Domain] [Description: ???] ____ When Nero saw their status details, his eyes narrowed as he knew that this wouldn''t be an easy battle. He thought to himself, ''Hmm, what does it mean by unknown race shouldn''t this system know everything?'' "..." Adult Nero remained silent as his eyes turned serious, his thoughts were currently unknown to the world. After a short moment of confusion, Nero put that at the back of his mind as he contemplated. ''I can figure that out later, right now I think that it''sa good thing I could correctly judge the difference in their auras. Elly''s group should be able to finish that wolf, with her recent skill level up her strength should be a level lower than mine, but that depends on how much of her core techniques are at Stage 8 and if she has a powerful set of weapons to boost her power; as for this monster, even with my current strength, it will be a reasonably hard fight.'' As Nero thought to here, his eyes flickered when he firmly held his scythe in a battle-ready posture and compared his status details with those of Crooked, who menacingly stared down on himself as if he was his primary prey. He wasn''t worried about their group as he knew though Elly acted weak, she was far more powerful than she appeared, if anything, her weakness had to do with her having an innate kind of fear towards spooky atmospheres. ____ [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - Silver Boy, Wild Silver (Active), The First Newbie (System: Cannot Equip | +40 Health and MP)] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level: 8 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 3640] [Current EXP: 14] [Influence: Humanity (Blood Steel Society) | Prestige: 700 - Reputable] [Health: 280/280] [Magic Power: 280/280] [Combat Power: 240(+48) | 100+140] [Body Tenacity: 98(+67) | 28+70] [Spiritual Awareness: 45] [Speed: 71(+36) km/h] [Genetic Trait: ??? Inheritance Bit (Mazello (Level 10)), Reaper''s Eye] --- [Passive Combat Skills | High-Grade:] [Core Body Refinement: Stage 8 (10/2000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by +70] [All Weapons Mastery Skill: Stage 8 (11/2000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Can increase the skill and Combat Power used by +70] --- [Active Combat Skills | High Grade:] [Blood Reaper''s Dance (Special) Stage 2 (5/300) | ? Stages] [Effects: Increase of 20% total damage, MP Consumption: 30] [Four Point Unity Steps: Stage 8 (19/2000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Increase of 55km/h, MP Consumption: 15] [Myriad Spector Clones: Stage 3 (140/200) | 9 Stages] [Effects:Conjure 3 Phantom Clones, MP Consumption: 15] --- [Active Combat Skills | Low Grade: Flash Cut: Stage 3 MAX] ____ [Items: ???Special Gift - Item locked (Level10), (NEW)Midnight Arm Gauntlet - Body Tenacity: 19, Ironscale Underarmor - BT: 38, Furry Ape Martial Robe - BT: 10, Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe (Level7 Growable) CP: 48, Judgment Cuff, Sky Walker Boots, Crimson Mantis Band, Trading License, Digitize License] ____ When Crooked saw Nero step towards him with his scythe at the ready, he smirked as his different sized eyes shone in a spooky ray as he spoke in his odd and eerie accent, "Boy, I don''t know how you got this far in the palace with your human friends, but no matter. This is where your fate ends; for you and everyone else shall forever bask in an eternity of despair." Following those dark words, he glanced at the Midnight Dark Werewolf and pointed his staff towards Elly, Lily, Ivy, and Mikan as he spoke, "Leave that boy to me and suppress them!" As if the werewolf understood his words, its eyes shone in red light before it lifted its head and howled brutally, scattering energy about the room as it then pressed its paws against the stone-paved ground. Its claws cracked the floor due to the force before it dashed towards them at incredible speeds no different from a speeding vehicle. "Here it comes, Ivy, Lily, get ready! Mikan, remember the plan!" Elly said with a shout as her manner turned stern; she held her thin sword in an upraised angle with her slender fingers tightly gripping as she poised herself for battle when facing the charging werewolf. The forceful winds from the monster''s aura pushing her hair backward as her battle dress fluttered wildly. "Right!" Mikan and the others replied in unison; they then spread out as if attempting to surround the werewolf. Mikan reached his arms forward as his body emanated a dense green colored magic power. Much like Mikan, Ivy and Lily also had similar actions; Ivy cracked her whip, which was saturated with her power as Lily''s figure seemed to become indistinct as she soon after vanished. Nero observed them from the corners of his eyes and showed a look of satisfaction before his pupils focused once more onto Crooked. But as he did this, he noticed that Crooked had vanished. Suddenly, a dangerous feeling came upon him as if he was standing at the doorstep of death itself; Nero jumped into the air without the slightest hesitation. Yet, right as this happened, the ground where he once stood exploded into bits of rubble scattered about the area for a few meters. Immediately after the explosion, three dark-colored rays of light blasted across the sky towards Nero''s position. ''Crap! He''s so fast!'' Nero thought as his eyes shrunk when he sensed the energies; without a moment to lose, he twisted his body to the to side like a revolving gig. The force from his spin pushed his body a few meters to the left in the air. Three resonant explosions sounded as three areas in the distance had a blast of dark energies, the destructive force being a few notches deadlier than any hand grenade on Earth. Crooked, who saw his handiwork, smirked, but he promptly looked at Nero''s figure that fell from the sky a few meters away with interest as he spoke. "Oh, well now, I didn''t think you''d be such a skillful human boy, but no matter, it''s still not enough to overcome your fate." Following those words, Crooked''s body glowed in dark lights before he used his staff to tap the ground. He then spoke as his voice sounded about the area, "Cursed Domain..." Instantly, a dark power spread from the staff''s base across the area for no less than ten meters before forming a black dome, much like a cage around them. Nero, who only now landed on the ground, frowned as he saw the change, he didn''t know its effects, but he didn''t care; he knew that he only needed one thing to solve all problems. ''I must kill him in as short a time as possible.'' Nero thought as he didn''t hold himself back, angling his coldly shimmering scythe far behind him as his body erupted with his full silver-colored magic power. Crooked stared at Nero and chuckled as his body once again emanated his dark magic power, both energies colliding within the black dome as the battle between the duo had officially begun. I changed the name from cut to clones. Chapter 149: Clashing Against the Dark Werewolf "Human''s, you shall break to pieces! Sky Rending Claw!" A wild and savage sounding voice said as it responded across the immediate vicinity, mixed with the cluster of chaotic noises sounding from a battle in a relatively nearby dome of black power. With a brutal look on its face, a giant black-furred werewolf that charged forward with full speed flexed its muscles before it jumped and struck one of its arms forward. Instantly, its claw-like palms glowed in bright red lights as it sent out a scarlet-colored claw-shaped energy manifestation that swept across towards a particular area, targeting a few individuals. Boom! The earth sounded as within a section of dense concrete and moss; a startling explosive effect had occurred, the ground itself tore to pieces sending rubble for a few meters a menacing black werewolf crashed its sharp paw onto the floor. Following this attack, four figures surrounding it seemed to be unphased by the devastation as their bodies erupted with various colored magic energy, used to ward off the after-effects. Not wasting a single moment, they had attacked it in unison the moment its guard was lax. "I''ll go first, Whiplash Storm!" Ivy said as she invoked one of her skills; her slender arm, which held onto her whip, swirled it around at high speeds before she shook it back and forth at alarming rates, such that her arm blurred from actual sight. With a series of crackling sounds, Ivy''s whip then danced across the void as it created a series of green afterimages towards the Midnight Dark Werewolf. As if it sensed it, the Midnight Dark Werewolf eyes shone in a dangerous light as its pupils shifted towards the side, glaring at Ivy''s direction. Its fur once more swayed wildly on its body as its magic power exploded, pushing away bits of the rubble from the small crater created by its previous attack. While swaying its body left and right, it nimbly avoided all of the whip afterimages that struck towards its body, moving as if dancing in a field of death. Nevertheless, Ivy''s skill was much more than the werewolf thought; one of the attacks left a small wound on the wide of its snout, causing it to drip with blood. Instantly, the Midnight Dark Werewolf''s eyes glared at Ivy with wrath before it opened its mouth and roared. "Grrr.... pesky human girl, how dare you injure me? Suffer my wrath! Dark Wolf Howl!" With its battle cry, it lifted its head and howled before it released a bundle of the saturated magic power that it previously gathered; this sent a ripple-like attack about the surrounding five-meter region that pushed away anything in its reach. Ivy was alarmed at this; before she could react, her whip was repelled, pulling her along with it due to the force of the Midnight Dark Werewolf''s howl. "I did my best, Lily, hurry up!" Ivy shouted as she fell backward before crashing onto the ground, trying her very best to regain her balance. The Midnight Dark Werewolf soon finished its previous attack, returning to normal position; it had a sinister grin on its snout as it prepared to finish off Ivy. But before it could so, it suddenly had a change in expression as it sensed a great danger coming from above it. ''Not good, I have to avoid it!'' With those thoughts in its head and a sudden kick of its legs, it pushed its body to the side while spinning, using the momentum to further move its body in the direction it jumped. The instant this happened, a bright light flashed as a the from the sky, crashing down horizontally before it tore a narrow hole into the floor, directly above the Midnight Dark Werewolf''s previous position. Looking at it more closely, one would notice that where the light fell, there was a sharp-looking dagger plunged into the earth; Lily''s slender figure was now seen crouched above the dagger as if she had just landed after performing a large jump. ''How did this human girl avoid my sharpened senses? I couldn''t even sense her until she was moments from attacking?'' The Midnight Dark Werewolf thought with a grim look on its face as it stared at Lily''s direction; its hair rose upward as it knew that if it hadn''t avoided the attack prior, it would have gotten seriously injured. As if Lily sensed its fear, rather than her previous idly mood, her manner seemed a bit more cheeky as she lifted her dagger twirled it on her index finger while she spoke in a slightly disappointed tone. "Pssh, and here I thought I had it too. Oh well, that should have already been enough, don''t you think so too big guy?" When Lily said this, her face turned towards the direction of the Midnight Dark Werewolf. But as if by instinct, the werewolf seemed to have understood that she wasn''t speaking with himself. Being a naturally intelligent lifeform, it could understand her meaning; not hesitating for a second, it opened its mouth and howled. "Awooooooo!" With a violent howl, its magic powers rose even further as clumps of energies formed at its mouth; the wind soon shifted towards its position as if it drawing it all the properties of nature. Nevertheless, before its attack could come to fruition, it was already too late. "Lily, a sneak attack isn''t called a sneak attack if you say it out loud!" Mikan said with a bit of discontent in his voice, but Lily merely snickered at his manner. Mikan frown wondering if he was on the right path, but he no longer ponders such affairs; he knew this wasn''t the time to be distracted. He stared at the Midnight Dark Werewolf before him as he stood behind it with his hands held before him and his palm''s faced outward. He made a faint smile while muttering, "Heh, not that it would even matter since the attack had already successfully landed." When he said this, his palms had already been glowing in a greenish light, secreting poisonous energy. With a dazed look, the Midnight Dark Werewolf soon felt as if it had overdosed on drugs, feeling a tinge of weakness, such that it couldn''t properly move its body. "You... darn... humans, such slyness..." It spoke with a furious but somewhat weakened tone as its posture lowered, looking as if it would fall face down on the ground at any moment. Mikan''s eyes lit up as he heard those words, but his voice sounded in unison with Lily''s when he spoke. "Why, thank you." A bit surprised, both looked at each other with embarrassment; it seemed that from this minor exchange, they both understood that despite their current manner, they were both narcissists in their own right. Trying to push down his embarrassed face, he looked at the weakened werewolf before his body with a sharp look as he still didn''t feel at ease. He knew that this attack had only temporarily weakened its motor functions; the poison was too weak to do anything else. He spoke out loud, "Miss Balkras, it''s your turn." As if she stood nearby, a graceful but icy voice replied, "Great, I''m fully prepared..." When they heard the voice, everyone, including the Midnight Dark Werewolf, had shifted their eyes to the side, but as if struck by the same kind of feeling, their mouth''s opened wide as they saw the world most tiny, dazzling, graceful, yet destructive being. Chapter 150: An Overwhelming Power, The Change? A dazzling radiance had illuminated one sector of the battle zone as a petite figure stood at its center. Peering through the lights, one would notice that a special armor encased her body as she held onto her thin sword that shone with her magic energy. Elly now had a different air; she carried the majesty of a mighty warrior that stood on the peak of all life; she glared at the Midnight Dark Werewolf as if she knew she had already won. "Big furry pup, you''ve hounded us long enough, fall to my Plum Sword!" Following her shout, the light around Elly burst into fragments of petals as she took a step forward, tilting her body at an angle before slashing towards the dazed werewolf. "Grrrr¡­ I shall rip you all to pieces!" The Midnight Dark Werewolf roared as at this moment it finally had a transformation, its body glowing with a reddish aura; the moment the others saw this, their faces changed. "Darn, I knew it wasn''t this easy; it even has one of those rare berserk states!" Mikan said with a tone of alarm as he rapidly backed away from its vicinity. "Elly, be careful!" Ivy shouted from the side, as she only at this moment yanked her whip back towards her, coiling it around as she prepared to strike again if necessary. Lily had slowly taken a few steps back before her body started to fade away, transforming into nothingness, prepping to strike once more. ''You darn dog, die!'' Elly yelled in her mind, not bothering to reply to the others as she was fully invested in her confident sword attack, her figure moving forward like a graceful rabbit that sprung towards its destination. In merely a few seconds, the glamorous sword had arrived before the berserk Midnight Dark Werewolf, but rather than showing any ounce of its prior weakness. Its eyes had turned completely red as it lifted its head, pushing off the effects of the poison as it howled. "Awoooooooo!" With its savage howl, it used a superior version of its Dark Wolf Howl, causing a shockwave to scatter from its mouth, which crashed with the tip of Elly''s dazzling sword in an instance. Bang! The collision between the two created a minor explosive effect, but rather than pushing them backward, both forces continued to clash against each other as if testing their strength, the destructive force sending a formless ripple across a five meters region. "Errr.. this darn Wolfie is so hard to deal with; looks like I need to use more of my equips; I hope big brother doesn''t blame me." Elly murmured with a look of anger on her face as her eyes reflected the scene of the edge of her thin sword pushing hard against the rippling red shockwave of power. Her eyes had a recollective look as she couldn''t help but picture the scene of her brother admonishing her about overly relying on her family''s treasures. ''Hmph! If I die, how will I use them in the future? Besides, even if I do use them, they won''t know anything, hehe...'' Elly concluded with a sly look on her face, she then prepared to get out of the current stalemate, but there was already a change. "Letting your guard down? Such a foolish outsider, I''ll finish you first!" The Midnight Dark Werewolf said as its berserk eyes narrowed as if it showed a mocking gaze. It noticed Elly''s dazed state and being an experienced beast; it certainly wouldn''t let the chance escape. Instantly, its opened mouth started to glow with a menacing light, which then spewed out a dark cloud of ominous energies towards Elly''s direction. "Oh-no! I''m such a clutz!" Elly exclaimed as her eyes widened when she saw the change. She didn''t hesitate to react by firmly gripping her sword''s handle, pushing her magic power a few notches father as she yanked it backward, forcing her into backward flow due to the effects of the initial shockwave. While in the air, Elly then did a backflip before gracefully landing on the grassy floor; she stabbed her sword into the earth, causing it to send out sparks as it left a scarring line due to the effects of the shockwave that pushed against her. After coming to a halt, Elly lifted her head to stare at the direction of the Midnight Dark Werewolf''s attack. Her hair flowing behind her head wildly due to the chaotic winds, she saw that despite the distance she had retreated, the blast was still heading in her direction as it was only a few seconds away from impacting her. "Tch, you darn animal; you better not think that you can win! Blossoming Sword Guard!" Elly shouted as her eyes glowed in a peach-like light, followed by a few similar colored energy petals that formed around her body. The area seemed to have suddenly transformed into a cherry blossom field that created a giant semi-transparent flower bud around her body. With another boom and a series of bright lights that enveloped her vicinity, Mikan and the others watched with shock as Elly became shrouded by the destruction. "Elly!" Ivy shouted as she looked at Elly''s location with worry, her face soon after turned stern as her hand holding the whip gripped it tighter before she cracked it against the air. "You vile thing, how dare you hurt her?" Showing her true wrath, Ivy rushed forward using a unique movement style, swaying from left to right through an odd but somewhat peculiar step pattern. In mere moments she had arrived before the body of the werewolf, one of her arms held on the whip, which she struck out hard, causing it to wrap around both of their bodies. Her other arm then took advance of the chance the werewolf was observing her whip to strike a palm attack towards its face. "Die! Toxic Death Palm!" The Midnight Dark Werewolf soon shifted its eyes from the whip; having noticed that it was but only a distraction, it stared at her with mock on its face as it spoke. "Hmph! Such a measly attempt of strategy, your strength is vastly inferior to that tiny girl, now follow her to your death!" Following its words, it shifted its body to the side and swiping its claw towards her chest, Ivy seeing this had a dismal look on her face as she knew she couldn''t avoid it in time. "Sister!" Mikan shouted in alarm and desperation, he wanted to help, but as he had already retreated prior, he was at a too far away distance. Suddenly, in this moment of doom, a bright light flashed across the side, aiming for the neck of the Midnight Dark Werewolf, but sadly, its eyes flickered.Its pupils shifted to the side, gazing at the light with a cold glint. "Hmph! Your attack won''t work twice, outsider!" As it said this, the Midnight Dark Werewolf lifted its body, causing the ray of light to flash by his figure; before anything could happen, the werewolf then lashed out with its leg, kicking towards the empty space near his side. An invisible figure was hurled away a good distance with a loud bang before it reformed into Lily''s slender figure, who held a dagger. Lily had a look of annoyance and anger on her face as she glared in the direction of the wolf. "Dammit! Its senses are too sharp! How do we save her?" Lily said as she looked at Ivy with worry, much like Mikan, who was now trying his hardest to hurry over. By this time, the lights from the explosion that had attacked Elly''s vicinity had faded, revealing a bright peach-colored flower that had no damage. This soon after vanished, revealing Elly''s petite figure. Having survived the disaster, Elly was currently feeling even more angered at the Midnight Dark Werewolf, but as she drew her sword from the ground and looked over its direction, her eyes shrunk as she saw that it had raised its claws, preparing to strike down Ivy. "Oh-no, Ivy! I have to save her!" Elly''s manner grew even more solemn, she reached for a special-looking wristlet on her left wrist and pointed the tip of her sword towards the head of the Midnight Dark Werewolf. In this instance, a dazzling peach-colored light formed around her sword along with a collection of razor-sharp petals; her eyes shone even more brightly, causing her pupils to vanish due to the light when she finally spoke in a cold tone. "Wolf, accept your demise, Spiral Bloss... huh?" Elly was about to invoke a terrifying skill and item effect combination, but before that could happen, her glowing eyes, which stared in Ivy''s direction, returned to normal as her pupils shrunk to the point of needles as she saw an unexpected scene. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Patreon-https://www.patreon.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Chapter 151: Battling Crooked, An Unknown Helper Within the core of the Labyrinth of Horrors, inside of a black dome of ominous energies, a startling battle was underway between a disfigured hunchback lifeform and a young silver-haired youth who held onto a menacing green scythe. With a series of resonant booms, both clashed against each other, causing miniature craters to form in various dark domain areas, whether by odd spells or sharp arcs of blade energy cut from the edge of the youth''s weapon. "Myriad Spector Clones!" Nero''s voice sounded as his body split into three ghostly shadows that assault Crooked from all angles at high speeds. Instantly, the ghostly shadows swiped their scythes, causing a series of baleful arcs of lights to shoot across the void. Ting-ting-ting! Following a collection of collision noises as sparks scattered about the field, both figures bounced backward from the air, making a twisting motion as they flipped back and fell on the cracked floor. Upon landing, they slid backward for a meter''s distance before regaining their balance. Crooked, who used his wooden staff that gleamed like metal to parry some of the clone''s attacks, jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the surprise attacks from those that flanked him by utilizing his superior speed. His figure occasionally swayed left to right as he danced around Nero''s onslaught, which left scars onto the earth, and the dark domain''s environment. One particular baleful ray of light smashed against the black walls that surrounded them, forming a small crack that soon after returning to normal as if no change occurred. However, this little detail didn''t sweep past Nero''s eyes, forcing his clones to halt as he narrowed his eyes with a thoughtful look on his face. Suddenly, with a kick of his feet, Crooked pushed himself backward by a distance of a few meters as he stared at Nero. "Oho, such an excellent technique, but I can sense that your true form is still within the bounds of reality; allow me to show you the true definition of a ghost." Crooked snickered at this before he decided to respond to Nero''s prior onslaught; his figure retreated with his robes flapping wildly due to the rapid winds. ''This feeling... it feels so familiar...'' Nero thought as he stared at the odd energies flowing from Crooked''s body; he didn''t dare to let his guard down and gripped his scythe even tighter, his ghostly clones spreading out once more, preparing to outmaneuver his enemy. Nevertheless, despite Nero''s swift actions, Crooked reacted even faster. He twirled his staff before pointing it forward to hit the air; a spooky energy flowed from his body, hitting the area that the tip of his staff''s faced before created a ripple of power. "Cursed Souls..." Crooked''s voice sounded through the dark zone as the ripples that spread outwards soon after started to change; they conjured together in multiple areas forming portals soon after, followed by the gut-wrenching cries of odd lifeforms. Nero stared at the portals with a cold glint in his eyes, others wouldn''t be able to see any difference, but due to his glowing Reapers Eyes, he could clearly see a new threat. A squad of ghosts, garbed in ancient medieval wear with strings binding them to the ominous portals, screamed in pain and anger as if they lost all reason, each glaring at Nero before charging towards each of his clones with incredible speeds. "Haha, boy, you''re skillful, but even skill won''t help you against my army of unkillable souls! Get him!" Crooked said with a victorious laugh, as he stared at Nero with his glowing staff pointed forward as he controlled the souls. He was expecting to see Nero show a look of panic on his face, but soon, he frowned as he saw that Nero remained calm. ''Hmm, what''s going on here? Is he capable of fighting my ghosts?'' Crooked was puzzled as to why Nero remained at ease, feeling a bad feeling he wanted to do something for insurance, but it would seem that it was too late. Nero had a faint smile on his face as he muttered softly, "Sorry to say, but I don''t fear ghosts... Bind!" Following Nero''s shout, he held up his arm with his Judgement Cuffs, sending out a series of chains coated by silver magic power. Instantly, these chains bound each of the ghosts, which continued to squeak and shriek in agony; Nero stared at them with a somewhat pitiful look as he spoke again. "Return to peace..." Following his words, his clones rapidly moved and slashed out a series of scythe attacks, which cut apart the strings binding the ghosts. Following this change, the ghosts'' eyes that were previously out of reason soon returned to normal. They gave Nero an appreciative look before glaring at Crooked a moment before they faded into oblivion. Crooked looked at this with a shocked expression, his face showing a tinge of anger as he recalled how hard it was to gather those lifeforms. He glared at Nero and shouted, "You darn brat, how dare you free my slaves? How did you do it?" Nero snickered as his clones returned to his main body; he angled himself for battle once more as he replied, "That''s none of your business." "Is it now? Hmph! Since you''re like this, then once the master is finished with you, I''ll have all of eternity to work out my answers. Slowly, I will break both your mind and your spirit... hehe..." Crooked said as he glared at Nero, who stood with his style angled at his side, his torso leaned forward with one foot before him, and his other positioned to the side. He lowered his posture so low that it seemed that his face was moments from touching the floor; he then licked his big ugly lips with a tinge of battle lust in his large and small eyes as he held onto the wooden staff as if it were a sword. Currently, Nero''s silverly magic power was flowing even more abundantly as if he was preparing to unleash even more strength. His eyes were gleaming in a sharp ray as he glared at his enemy while in thought. ''He''s a lot more troublesome than I''d thought; his battle experience is vastly superior to myself, as such, even though my strength is a notch above his due to the boost from my equipment, I can''t easily defeat him.'' As if someone heard his thoughts, a voice sounded at the core of his mind. "Correct, you are stronger, but the opponent has more experience; he''s likely been alive for many years. The fact that you can fight him is already an incredible feat; besides, this shouldn''t be his full strength. If my hunch is correct, he should be more than capable of achieving a power closer to that of a Quasi-Greater Realm." ''What? Are you sure?'' Nero inwardly asked his older self with a stern expression. Adult Nero remains silent, taking his silence as an answer, Nero showed a grim look on his face, feeling that the situation was only going to grow more troublesome. He glanced towards the side, gazing at the black walls that shrouded them from the outside; his eyes glowed in a greenish light allowing him to see the details on it outside. Still, when he saw the new scene, an image of a young girl that had appeared within the ranks of Elly''s group, he showed a look of surprise as he thought to himself. ''This... who is she?'' Adult Nero naturally knew whom he was referring, for he too could see others'' soul imprints, staring at the bright soul amongst the others; he couldn''t help but show a look of contemplation as he responded. "It seems you might have chanced upon a powerful helper." Nero, hearing his older''s self''s words, made a curious look, but after a short while, he paid no more attention to it, as he knew that the enemy before him was no foe to take lightly. The scene here turning grim once more as the battle continued... Chapter 152: Everyone’s Victory, The Mysterious Red Rain As Nero continued his fight against Crooked, the battles occurring elsewhere were already beginning to wrap up, the quickest amongst them already having concluded due to the Digitizers'' overwhelming power. With a heavy bang, the large corpse of a powerful Midnight Werewolf fell to the ground with a pile of similar corpses after its pitiful yell; its body severed into two as a familiar jagged-edged shark tooth blade stabbed into the earth before it. Crazy Blade stood before it with his hand holding onto his blade''s hilt as he stared annoyedly at the Midnight Werewolf. "Such an annoying thing, it wasn''t even that strong, yet it dared to block the path with those animals, now we''re one step behind whoever had managed to venture to the core parts of the labyrinth." As Crazy Blade said this, he uprooted his blade and gave it a hard slash to the right, splashing the blood from its edge before he sheathed it on his back, but as he did this, a voice sounded by his side. "Crazy, you''ve got to learn when to stop complaining, so what if someone got there before us? It won''t change anything, not to mention that there''s a master that controls this room." Thunder''s Daughter said as she wiped a few bits of blood from off her face, trying to keep a clean appearance. Crazy Blade shook his head as he stared at her and responded, "Fine-fine, I suppose your right. Still, I''m curious about that so-called master of the labyrinth, and even that big wig behind him, something tells me that this entire dungeon might just be a tad bit different from the others." Thunder''s Daughter gave him a look with her eyes flashing with lightning as she replied, "Indeed, I felt it the moment we came here, even the rules of the Universe Ring are a bit strange, it almost feels as if it''s... slipping..." "What? Are you sure about that?" Crazy Blade said in alarm. "I am, but I have no way to prove it," Thunder''s Daughter said with a somewhat complex look on her face. Crazy Blade had a solemn look as he stared upwards as if trying to peer through the misty and concrete walls to the outside scene. He thought for a bit before speaking with sharp eyes. "If it''s so, and the rules are indeed slipping, we might be in quite the trouble. Hmm, we shouldn''t waste more time here. Let''s hurry and end this dungeon mission." Thunder''s Daughter nodded as the two looked at each other before employing their movement techniques to hurry from this outer entrance of the core regions, vanishing behind the hazy scene towards its depths. *** In another sector, much like that of the path taken by Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade. Delkan, along with his cronies, were already engaged in a fierce battle against a pack of werewolves. At their forefront was another of the Midnight Dark Werewolves, which clashed against Delkan with two other werewolves, driving him into a slightly suppressed situation. The battle was a fierce one in which both sides clashed with no side coming out as the superior. "Die you blasted beast, Raging Tempest!" Delkan shouted as he struck his glowing polearm forward; this caused a spiral of magic energy to fire towards the Midnight Dark Werewolf from its tip, making it seemed no different from a chaotic cyclone aiming to crush all in its path. As if it expected it, the Midnight Dark Werewolf grinned before doing a backflip and roaring, releasing a dark bright of energy that crashed into the attack; the blast created an explosion that pushed back both parties by a few meters distance. "That darn wolf! How can it be so strong?" Delkan cursed as he stared at the wolf before him that had a cruel glowing energy; it wasn''t originally this strong, but after having killed a few of the surrounding wolves. It had used some talent ability to absorb their essences, making its strength stronger than the norm. "Young lord, we can''t hold on any longer; hurry on without us!" One of the lackeys said as they struggled against two separate werewolves. Delkan frowned as he looked at this. He didn''t want to travel by himself as he didn''t know what might pop up. Hence, he had momentarily fallen into a daze. As if it saw the change, the Midnight Dark Werewolf''s eyes shone in a cruel ray; it dashed at high speeds from its previous position arriving upon Delkan in less than a few seconds as it stabbed its claw towards his heart. Delkan sensing the danger, was a bit panicked; he gritted his teeth as he reached for his sleeve with a dangerous light in his eyes as he cursed out loud. "Insolent wretch, it''s you who forced me to use up my charm!" Instantly, a piece of paper appeared in his hand, which he crumpled the moment it occurred. Following this, a bright magic power bolted from it at such speeds that the world itself seemed to be in slow motion. Before the Midnight Dark Werewolf could even react, the lights had crashed into its body, tearing it into pieces of flesh and meat. Soon, time sped up once more, returning to normal; the lackeys who struggled against the other werewolves looked in surprise as they saw the werewolves whimpering away with scared expressions. The leading lackey turned around and looked at Delkan, who had a sour look on his face. Noticing that look, he didn''t dare to say anything as he promptly commanded everyone else to clean up the mess and loot. "Damn! Damn! Damn! That was the only token I could borrow from the family, now what am I to use and kill that wretched, NEEEROOOO!" Delkan cursed out loud in anger, he huffed and puffed before a short while to regain his state of mind, but he saw that his men were calmly waiting on the side once he did. He gripped his fists tightly and heaved a heavy breath before he stared at them and spoke, "What are you doing? We don''t have time to waste here. Let''s get moving!" "Yes, Young Lord Delkan!" The lackeys replied as they soon followed Delkan, who carried a stomach full of rage as they left this area towards the labyrinth''s core. Still, as their battles ended, unaware to each of them, in a remote corner, the beautiful Fox, otherwise known as Mia, stared at them with mocking eyes as she stared at a different direction with interest. "Now then, where''s that treasure?" As Mia said this, she pondered carefully before jumping and vanishing into the dark, traveling towards the unknown. *** Back within the labyrinth''s core regions, very much like everyone else, the battle between Elly''s group and the leading Midnight Dark Werewolf had finally met its end. Still, this wasn''t due to either party''s clash, but the interference of one of the Novice Zone''s most mysterious rankers. With a look of disbelief on its face, the Midnight Dark Werewolf looked at the giant hole in its stomach, it then stared at the slender palm of the red hooded young beauty that stood before him with an icy cold and indifferent expression on her face. "You... you... how..." The Midnight Dark Werewolf wanted to say, but sadly, it would never have the chance as its consciousness faded into the realm of the entity. Elly looked at the person who saved Ivy with a stern gaze as she muttered, "Red Rain... I didn''t think she''d come here, no... even lend a helping hand, to think that''s she''s so powerful. Maybe brother was right; there are quite a few characters that are keeping quite the low profile in our Novice Zone... it looks like I''ll need to get more serious for the Gate of Legends." While Elly organized her thoughts, Mikan, who had been hurrying over from another direction, finally arrived before Ivy. "Sister, are you okay? Did you get injured? Come-come-come, show me your hand." Mikan asked with a worried and gentle look on his face as he held onto Ivy''s slender arm, his manner now nothing like his usual self, showing a sister con''s clear image. Ivy had a slightly embarrassed look on her face as she took her hand away while speaking, "B-brother, I''m fine, look, see." When Ivy said this, she waved her arm around, showing that she was in perfect condition. Mikan sighed in replied, even if they didn''t have true death in this world, he would rather die before anything happened to his sister. Suddenly, everyone heard a buzzing sound as Lily appeared from the side of Red Rain, looking at her curiously as she asked, "You''re that fabled Ninth Ranker aren''t you? From what I just saw... you''re strength is more than enough to complete with those freaks of the Ninth Stage. Tell me, why are you taking part in this dungeon, and why did you save us?" Elly had now walked over from her previous location; she listened keenly with Mikan and Ivy as they stared at Red Rain with suspicious faces. Red Rain didn''t show any change in expression, her manner seeming to be eternally indifferent to all things. Her eyes soon shifted towards the black dome where Nero''s battle took place as she spoke in reply. "I came only to seek a person, one bounded by destiny." "Huh? Destiny? What are you talking about?" Elly asked in confusion. Red Rain said nothing as she lifted her palm, facing it towards the black dome. An odd change then occurred when she replied, "Your kind would never understand..." While everyone was a bit confused by her words, the moment they saw her lift her hand, everyone retreated by instinct as they shared a similar thought. ''She''s using that strange power again; what is she?'' Following their thoughts, a bright light shone from Red Rain, which soon after covered everything, transforming this region into a world of pure white. Chapter 153: Crooked’s End Unaware of the changes outside, Nero and Crooked were already engaged in another fierce bout, each fighting to speedily determine the outcome. As Nero employed his Four Point Unity Steps, he moved at a hardly trackable speed to the average eye. Still, unlike others, Crooked, being a few notches slower than Nero in his current state remained at ease, the energies from the surrounding black dome augmenting both his senses and his stats to ensure an increase in his overall combat skills. Suddenly, after a whooshing sound, Nero appeared at Crooked''s left flank, sweeping his scythe towards him in a circular swing. Crooked''s eyes narrowed as they glanced at the site, observing as it turned into a ray of silvery lights that swept towards him at an even faster speed. Unphased by the surprise attack, Crooked jumped and did a backflip over the scythe, leaving himself airborne as the scythe cut underneath him. Still, this was only the first step of the exchange as upon missing Crooked; the silvery light continued to move about spiraling around Crooked from all angles at even greater speeds. "Outsider, even if fast, you''re still bounded by your limits." Crooked said as he made a spinning motion, repositioning himself while airborne before he aimed his staff towards the direction of the silver light, following its movements with great accuracy. "Cursed Magic Ray!" With his shout, the staff''s tip shone before it fired a beam of black energy. This ray then split up into multiple different lights that traveled towards the silver light. In this instance, these beam attacks forced the silver light to maneuver around, curving left and right as it narrowly avoided most of the black rays that crashed into the ground before creating an explosion. Nevertheless, due to the beams'' quantity and speed, one of them had still managed to hit the silver light, exploding the moment it made contact. Following this blast, the previous attack had repelled the silvery light source a few meters before it reformed into the scythe''s edge held by Nero, who had a slightly pale look on his face as he now had a wound on his left shoulder. "Ouch! That bastard, what kind of beam attack does such a shitty maneuver?" Nero cursed under his breath as he struggled the fight the pain in his left arm; his older self didn''t seem to mind it as he spoke to him. "Consider that as another lesson, I''m sure I''ve said it before, but you should never expect an attack to perform as you''ve imagined, there are multiple stages of mastery, and each level can take a skill to a brand-new state." ''Like hell you told me anything!'' Nero cursed in his mind. Adult Nero said nothing in reply; Nero didn''t think it over for too long, he knew his older self''s words were correct, and he was partly at fault to begin with for not expecting such a change. Crooked looked at Nero, who remained silent with a smirk on his face as he twisted his staff, preparing to attack again as he mocked with his odd and spooky way of speaking, "Injured already, it looks like I''ll need to be careful; I cannot send ''broken goods'' to the master." "We''ll see who''s broken soon enough!" Nero snapped back as his eyes shine with a baleful light. He firmly gripped his scythe handle once more and prepared to strike. ''Che! Though I say this I''m still in a pinch, my magic power is running low from all those skills; I have to finish him within my next few moves. Yet, the core of the problem lies not only with his experience, but that darn domain. If only I could get a chance to break it.'' Nero thought as his eyes glanced at the black field around them, but he soon gritted his teeth, knowing that Crooked wouldn''t allow for it to be destroyed so easily. ''I''ll have to try again to push everything in that attack and hope it kills him...'' As Nero made up his mind, his mood turned grim as if death had opened his eyes. His body glowed in reddish light as if prepared to unleash his ultimate technique. Crooked looked at Nero with a tinge of seriousness, but as he glimpsed the black field around them, his eyes showed traces of relief as he mocked. "Huhu... so foolish, in my Cursed Domain, my power grows greater with each passing breath, but for you, you will only continue to grow weaker. Prepare yourself, for it''s time for you to be captured." As he said those words, his eyes flashed in a cruel light as his body erupted with an even denser amount of magic power. He raised his staff as his body floated, preparing to unleash his next skill. Nero had a flicker in his eyes as if he saw a perfect chance; he shouted in his mind, ''Now''s the time, Blood Reaper''s Dance!'' Instantly, Nero leaped from the ground towards Crooked, arriving before him within a few seconds as he pushed his Four Point Unity Steps to its limits. He then twisted his body with such force his figure vanished, leaving only his scythe''s edge that transformed into a bright glow of spiraling red arcs that swept towards Crooked from all angles. "What?" Crooked said in alarm, not expecting such a sudden boost in power from Nero, he could tell that his strength, which should have been waning, has increased by twenty percent, more than enough to give him a fatal blow. "Damn outsider, even if strong, you''re still outmatched!" Crooked yelled as his eyes followed the bright lights with great focus; he reached his arm toward and clenched his fingers as if gripping the air as he invoked a skill. "Cursed Seal..." Immediately after his grim voice, a bright light shone before forming a cage around the arcs of red lights, which soon after halted, reforming into Nero, who stood still as if in a state of paralysis. A look of shock visible on his face as he found himself trapped by Crooked''s technique. ''What... what kind of skill is this? It could actually pull me out of my Blood Reaper Dance!'' Nero inwardly said with a surprised expression, but that soon faded as he noticed that Crooked was preparing another technique, drawing a glowing mark in the sky as he pointed his staff towards him with a teasing smile on his face. "You lose human, Cursed¡ª" Crooked was preparing to unleash his final technique to ensure Nero''s successful capture, but before he could even finish, a change had occurred. Bang! The field belonging to the Cursed Domain shook violently, stirring Crooked from his spell as he was forced to look behind him in alarm. There, he saw that the black walls had started to crumble to bits of pieces as a bright white light shone from through its cracks, illuminating all things. "My Cursed Domain! How? Who could¡ª?" Crooked wanted to say, but sadly for him, he chose to distract himself at the worst possible time, especially in front of the worse kind of opponent. "Break to pieces!" Nero roared as the moment he felt the effects of Crooked''s skill weakening, he pushed his body forward, shattering the Cursed Seal before using his Blood Reaper''s Dance to follow up and attack Crooked''s unguarded back. In seconds, he had arrived upon him, sending an uncountable amount of slashed towards him, his figure vanishing, leaving only the image of numerous red arcs of lights that danced around before converting a few meters distance ahead of Crooked. Once this happened, Nero''s figure had appeared again with the scythe positioned over his shoulder; his back turned as he slanted his head to stare at Crooked with his cold red pupils. Crooked, who had been distracted, looked at Nero with shock before he felt a wave of terror. His bony arms trembled as he looked down on his body, which soon started to break apart in segments. Feeling death around the corner, Crooked lifted his head and laughed a somewhat dismal laugh before he stared at Nero again and spoke his last words. "You... outsider, you''re quite the lucky one, but, even if you had help today, no one can save you, nor your friends from the master''s wrath. Huhuhu¡­ it is already¡­ too¡­ late¡­" Crooked''s words echoed through the area as the black dome shattered, returning the scene to normal, his body as if connected with the domain, breaking apart similarly as his corpse fell to the ground in a gory manner. Nero frowned as he recalled Crooked''s words, but he said nothing in the end. He knew that the master of this dungeon wouldn''t be simple, nor did he dream of being able to take it on by himself. As such, he no longer paid attention to Crooked''s words. Right now, he had more important things that were worthy of his attention. "Nero!" Elly''s wonderous voice said as Nero could see her hurrying over from one side, Ivy was also noticed along with Mikan and Lily, who walked over. ''It looks like they''re fine as expected, but as for the person who helped them... and even myself. I''m curious as to what her purpose is...'' Nero thought as his eyes shifted from Elly''s approaching figure towards Red Rain, who stood in the distance. It was his first time meeting her, but he couldn''t help but frown as he felt a weird feeling about her for some odd reason. At this moment, he wanted to ask Adult Nero about it as he recalled his earlier words, but before that could happen, the notification for defeating Crooked had sounded in the minds of everyone within the Labyrinth of Horrors, and with it, came a brand-new change. Chapter 154: A Dangerous Announcement Ding! [Congratulations, you have defeated Crooked, master of the Labyrinth of Horrors! A large amount of e-e-e-e-e-error, error... ring union malfunction...] ____ Nero, Elly, and everyone else within the Palace of Horrors, initially had looks of excitement on their faces, even more so when they heard the first part of the notification. However, that look didn''t last long as the last words echoed within the depths of their minds. ''W-what the hell was that notification? Ring Union? It couldn''t be that, right?'' Nero inwardly exclaimed with a confused look on his face; he wasn''t even angry that he didn''t get his experience, nor any items from Crooked anymore, but rather what could have happened to the governing system. Having heard the system notification, Red Rain had a strange look on her face as she lifted her head while showing a contemplative expression. ''It''s happening already; it looks like I''ll have to save that inspection for another time...'' Following her thoughts, her figure distorted before she vanished from the area. Her actions were unnoticeable to anyone else except for Adult Nero, who at this time had a thoughtful look on his face as if pondering something deeply. "Brother, what''s this all about?" Ivy asked Mikan with a worried look, but as Mikan had no clue, he could only shake his head and reply, "No idea; it said something about ring union, but I''m not sure. Well, I might have a hunch, but I don''t want to think of such a consequence..." Ivy felt her heart turned cold as she looked at her brother; she trembled a bit while asking once more, "What''s your assessment?" Mikan sighed as he stared at her before lifting his head with a deep look, not replying in the slightest. Much like Mikan, Ivy also seemed to have shared his thoughts as her eyes shifted upwards at the ceiling. "N-Nero, that announcement, do you know what it means?" Elly, who had hurried over to Nero''s side, tugged his cloak as she asked with a look of unease on her face; everyone already knew that she wasn''t a fan of places like this, now with the addition of some known change, it made her feel insecure. Nero sighed as he heard her words as he had no clue; he stared at her, seeing the slightly trembling arms, he couldn''t help but sigh to himself. The truth was just like Mikan, he had an assumption, but he decided to ask his older self for answers before giving her a reassuring reply. ''Hey, is that notification actually about the Universe Ring? If it is that the Universe Ring has somehow lost its connections, what does that mean for us?'' Adult Nero had a serious look on his face, his previously laid-back manner now stern as he peered from Nero''s consciousness towards the ceiling, almost as if staring towards the outside scene. After a brief moment, he took a deep breath as he replied with a sharp glint in his eyes, "It''s precisely what you and those other brats must have guessed, I had noticed something strange when we first arrived here, but I wasn''t certain, now that I''ve heard this, I am sure that the moon that loomed over this world is a peculiar type of treasure. A treasure found only in rare and extremely high-class dungeons in the upper zones - known as World Artifacts." Nero had a serious look as he said nothing; he calmly kept a pondering expression to keep Elly from assuming he had lost his mind as he listened to his other''s self''s words. Adult Nero paid no heed to anything else as he continued speaking, "Judging by the aura I felt from when we got here. The World Artifact is likely of a grade higher than even my previous ultimate level. Hence, this means that the master of this dungeon is a being beyond the standing of my past life. Of course, he currently wouldn''t have his full strength, for if he did, he would have already annihilated us instantly. The Universe Ring has likely given him a severe backlash upon connecting with this world, which means that he should currently be at his weakest state. As such, the best time to defeat him is before he finishes sealing the effects of the Universe Ring." As he heard the last bits of his older self''s words, Nero''s face had turned dark, but he clenched his fists tightly with a contemplative look on his face before he inwardly asked again. ''Then if it''s as you say, we don''t have time to be standing around here, do we?'' "Precisely, you must hurry and find his chamber and destroy him before he seals the ring and regains his complete strength. Hurry now and forget any more pointless questions! If push comes to shove, then I''ll have to take drastic measures..." Nero''s face sunk even further; he didn''t even bother to curse at his older self for not being more direct and mentioning this earlier. Knowing time was tight, he decided to act quickly before the worst happened. "Nero, a-are you okay? Your face seems a bit pale. Are our current circumstances that bad?" Elly asked with a gulping sound, she didn''t like the look on Nero''s face, which was much like that of a man trying to hide his fear. Soon after, Nero regained his usual self as he fixed his mood and spoke, "Elly, I would love to say that nothing is wrong, but we frankly don''t have the time. Right now, we must hurry and put a stop to that boss character of this dungeon. If not, we''ll be in bigger trouble if he succeeds in what he''s doing." Elly''s face turned pale at Nero''s words; she looked him in the eyes and asked, "What''s he doing?" Nero shook his head as he pointed towards the ceiling and reply, "He''s trying to break the Universe Ring, and if that happens, we''re all doomed." Elly''s mouth opened wide in shock as she didn''t expect it to be so bad. She wanted to ask a lot more, but knowing of the dangers that could happen because of such a thing, she didn''t dare to dally, slapping her cheeks together to pep herself up as she quickly brought herself into a combat-ready mood. "T-t-then, what are we waiting for? Let''s go!" Elly said with a shout as she arranged her gear and hurried towards the entrance; Nero shook his head as he charged along with her, quickly pushing towards the pathway. "Wait for us, we can''t let that happen; there''s no way I''m letting my sister, or anyone else die here!" Mikan shouted as he hurried over with Ivy and Lily, the two girls though shocked by the discovery showing no signs of backing down. Nero nodded at this as their group pushed onwards, but as they finally arrived at the entrance, his eyes flickered as he just noticed something. In front of them were the indistinct figures of a few familiar silhouettes, rushing ahead with incredible speeds as if they recognized the situation. His eyes flashed with a hint of confidence as he thought to himself. ''Good, they made it here; since it''s so, then we might have a better chance.'' With his mind at ease, Nero continued with his party into the depths Palace of Horrors'' depths. All parties now rushing towards the core source of its dangers, aiming to bring a final stand and an end to its nightmare. Chapter 155: All Parties Moving Together As the bright moon and bright gold Universe Ring loomed over the world of the Palace of Horrors, if any were still on its outside and had looked towards the sky, they would have opened mouth''s in shock, feeling an unprecedented amount of terror due to a shocking scene. With a sinister peer of eyes and mouth, the blood-colored moon made a menacing grin as the mouth opened, spewing out a dark breath that swept towards the Universe Ring behind it. The more of this dark breath that contacted the Universe Ring, the more the brilliant golden light that shone from the Universe Ring had faded, as it slowly began to dwindle with each passing moment. Curiously, all life and nonlife could now hear the pipe organ''s spooky music from this distance. Its sorrowful notes gave a dismal feeling to the world and a vibrant spirit of the blood moon, fueling its power with each note played. Looking at the current scene, it was clear that it wouldn''t take long for the Universe Ring''s effects to wane completely, and once that happens, it was certain that a disaster like no other was sure to break loose. *** Back within the Palace of Horrors'' walls, inside of the Labyrinth sector, Delkan''s party had finally arrived at the exit located at the core regions. He looked at the craters and destruction everywhere with a frown on his face while thinking. ''Where did they all went? What''s with that previous announcement?" Delkan pondered with a complicated look in his eyes. While Delkan spaced out, his lackeys promptly examined the area before coming by his side and reporting. "Young lord, the marks from these battles are still fresh; I believe that if we were to hurry right now, we should be able to catch up to that party." "I know that humph! Let''s hurry and get a move on; I''m getting a bad vibe about this wretched place." Delkan answered in a disrespectful tone; not even bothering to hear his lackeys reply, he hurried onward with a set of deep, thoughtful eyes. The lackeys didn''t dare to express discontent; they hurried along with Delkan, soon after leaving through the entrance of the main halls of the Palace of Horror. Much further ahead of Delkan''s party, Nero, Elly, Mikan, Ivy, and Lily were currently pressing through the oddly long hallway at incredible speeds. They rapidly moved past dozens of standing statues and even empty armors used as ornaments by the side of peculiar paintings. Though these objects were unique, none of them had a mood to enjoy them; their eyes now fixed towards the dark end of the halls with urgency and a pure focus. At this time, two individuals that were a little distance in front of them glanced behind them with a tinge of surprise, but that soon faded as they spoke to their party. "Well, Wild Silver, Graceful Tyrant, you sure took your time in catching up. What took you two so long?" Crazy Blade said with a smirk. Thunder''s Daughter rolled her eyes at his words but said nothing in the end. Her attention was still directly in front of her. "You big bloke! What are you saying? It''s not like you had to fight that darn master of the labyrinth, so don''t go acting like you were initially ahead of us!" Elly said angrily; it seemed she didn''t like Crazy Blade''s words. Crazy Blade chuckled; he didn''t mean any harm by it and only wanted to ease his tension for the current circumstances. He looked at Elly and spoke, "Haha, don''t take it so seriously; I was only, as you human''s say, pulling your anatomical limb." "Huh?" Elly, Mikan, and Ivy said in unison, feeling that the statement was off. As expected, Thunder''s Daughter gave Crazy Blade a look as she spoke, "It''s pulling your leg, Crazy, don''t go acting smart when you know you haven''t attended your multi-cultural classes!" Crazy Blade clicked his teeth and replied, "Che! Whatever!" Elly and the others looked at this with somewhat teasing looks; it seemed that they took pleasure in his misfortune. Nero only now gave Crazy Blade and Thunder''s a quick look, causing bits of their stat sheets to appear before his eyes, ____ [Name/Title: Crazy Blade] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level 8 | Class: None] [Race: Sharkian] [Next Level EXP: 3640] [Current EXP: 3629] [Influence: ??? | Prestige: 1700 - Famed Novice] [Health: ???/???] [Skill: ???] ???? ____ [Name/Title: Thunder''s Daughter] [Level 8 | Class: None] [Race: Thunder Eel] [Next Level EXP: 3640] [Current EXP: 3638] [Influence: ??? | Prestige: 2100 - Famed Novice] [Health: ???/???] [Skill: ???] ???? ____ ''Their strengths are as I''d expected. It looks like they aren''t far from Level 9 either. If that''s so, Elly should be nearing it as well. I''m not certain of their actual combat strength, but if anything, they should both be at a similar level or even stronger than I am...'' Nero thought to himself after inspecting the details of their stats sheet. When he made his conclusion, his eyes then shifted from them onto the path in front of them, pitch-black as if there was no end to the halls. His eyes then shone in a green ray, peering further beyond the sight of darkness and wall-mounted lamps. Eventually, he caught sight of another figure, a slender-bodied girl with fox-like features. ''Hmm, it''s her. When did she get by us?'' Nero thought as he didn''t know when Mia got past them. He thought for a bit, even thinking about the disappearance of Red Rain before he muttered in a soft voice, "It looks like there are far too many weird characters in the Novice Zone..." Elly, who heard Nero''s words, glanced at him with a harsh light in her eyes, it even seemed as if she was moments from exploding, but before she fell to her true nature, she bit her lips, forcing herself to calm down as she asked in a gentle voice. "Nero, who are you talking about?" Adult Nero, who was distracted, made a slight snicker as he heard this; he looked to see how his younger self would escape this one. Nero didn''t seem phased by Elly''s words; he stared at her before looking away with a faint smile on his face as he spoke, "Who knows?" After saying such words, he ran ahead of Elly, leaving her to guess for herself. Elly seemed to have reached her limit, her anger erupting in full as she stared at the fleeing Nero, chasing behind him as she cursed, "NERO! You''re the weirdest one! Just you wait, I''ll show you!" The others gave them a look but didn''t think much of it; their thoughts were too focused on the threat looming on the horizon. All but Ivy, who looked at the scene with deep eyes as if having a tinge of jealousy, she gripped her fists silently with thoughts known only to herself. As all parties swiftly made their way forward, a distance before them at the very end of the hallway, a towering door stood erect with two doorknobs. Vaguely, the pipe organ sounds could be heard from behind it, as a dim reddish light shone from beneath its cracks, illuminating a portion of a dark hall. Suddenly, after a bright red light, Red Rain had appeared directly before this door, but rather than opening it, she silently stood as if waiting for the others while speaking strange words. "It''s dangerous but workable; I''ll simply have to test him here..." Following those words, her eyes then glowed before showing a bright diagram filled with numeric runes, a look that seemed it could pierce through all things, seeing the truths of even destiny itself. ______ ______ Follow me on Twitter & Facebook & Discord: Patreon-https://www.patreon.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Chapter 156: Supremacy Class? Breaking the Door Nero, Elly, Crazy Blade, Thunder''s Daughter, and the others had only arrived at the door leading to the royal chamber. Here, underneath it, the spooky mist flowed as the pipe organ''s gloomy sounds and ominous lights basked the exterior with a dark atmosphere. A heavy oppression could be felt from behind it, as even Mia, who had already joined their party, didn''t find it the time to provoke Nero with her sensual methods. For once, Elly felt it was better to be in this kind of place; she didn''t like a single part of Mia''s existence and would prefer to see her out of the picture. "Hmm, you... aren''t you Red Rain? I didn''t know you came here. Shouldn''t you have gone to those lands?" Crazy Blade asked with a tone filled with surprise as he saw Red Rain waiting in front of the large door. ''She''s from their kind... why would that neutral group ever pay attention to these kinds of dungeons?'' Thunder''s Daughter pondered as her eyes fixed onto Red Rain. Mia also noticed her; she couldn''t help but recall something as she thought to herself. ''Usually, she''s rather low profile, but I guess that she must have sensed something. People from their race are truly a haggle, especially with that innate gift of theirs.'' As if in sync with their thoughts, Elly spoke in a hushed tone to Nero, the very words at the core of everyone''s mind. "Forecasting? Are you kidding me?" Nero said with a tone of surprise as he stared at Elly before taking another good look at Red Rain. Elly looked at Nero in a slightly annoyed manner as she replied, "If you weren''t going to believe my words, then don''t ask me questions!" Nero felt a bit embarrassed being shouted at unexpectedly; even the others looked at them strangely. However, Elly had a small smile on her face as she felt that she got a little payback from the previous time. Nevertheless, though embarrassed, Nero didn''t try to start a fight with Elly; he knew better than to use words to battle women, even more so for one of Elly''s kind. With a more focused mind, he stared at the misty door before looking at everyone. Only now did Red Rain turned around, glancing at Crazy Blade for a second before eyeing Nero. With a hard to read expression on her face, she then stared at the group as a whole and spoke, "My affairs can wait; we have a bigger matter to deal with at this time. If my hunch is correct, the being behind this door is originally a lifeform at the Supremacy Class. He is using a World Artifact to destroy the Universe Ring, and if he succeeds, I don''t need to tell you the consequences of that, now do I?'' When Crazy Blade and the others heard those words, their faces sunk as though they knew something was influencing the Universe Ring; never did they imagine it would involve a World Artifact, and the much worse enemy imaginable, a Supremacy Class. Many ranks divide digitizers in the World of Promise, but those nearing the summits are ranked as Supreme, mighty beings with the powers to destroy nature itself. "You''ve got to be kidding me? A Supreme, that''s not possible!" Mikan exclaimed as he knew that one couldn''t so easily encounter such beings, even more so for a place as limited as the Novice Zone''s Dungeons. Ivy also had a look of fear in her eyes, as did Lily, who clenched her daggers tightly with sweat pouring down her cheeks. ''A Supremacy Class, what kind of power is that?'' Nero asked his older self in his mind. "A power one class greater than my own, that little miss words hold some truth, but even foresight has its limits, it''s still uncertain if the being that I sensed is limited to just the Supremacy Class." ''I see...''Nero inwardly said as he finally drew a clearer picture of what they might be up against. The others soon after recovered from their shock, Elly exclaimed by Nero''s side. "Nero, you were right; it''s even worse than you said; we don''t have time to be standing here!" "Indeed, I would have already moved to blast that door open, but I think there must be a reason why Red Rain waited." Elly, hearing this, had a look of realization on her face as she stared at the door, noticing that though it was closed, the power around it was still flowing in a constant stream; the more it flowed, the dimmer the lights became, almost as if it was being drained of its strength. ''Oh, so that''s how it is...'' She thought, noticing the scene; by now, Crazy Blade had a shocked look on his face, he stared at Red Rain as he shouted, "Then if such a being is behind the door, won''t we be sending ourselves to death?" Thunder''s Daughter also thought the same, but Red Rain didn''t bother with them anymore, her eyes fixed onto the door, which glowed in a dimmer light now as she spoke in a hurry. "You will understand later, hurry, we don''t have much time, I have weakened the door by using a few taboo methods, quickly destroy it! We must annihilate the master of this palace before he breaks that Universe Ring and regains his complete strength!" As everyone heard those words, their eyes shone with understanding, knowing all they needed from her words. Not wasting another moment, they all gathered their strength, preparing to destroy the door in one full blow. Nero had also readied his scythe, which menacingly glowed as he prepared to use his full-powered regular slash, but Red Rain vaguely glanced in his direction before speaking as if talking to the group. "I must remind you all that with the ring weakened to this extent; death should be no different from in real life. As such, we shouldn''t be holding back any secrets or our strengths, our very lives to depend on it." Immediately after saying this, Red Rain''s body conjured a dense amount of magic power. A seal mark appeared before her, emanating a terrifying will. Crazy Blade, hearing this clicked his teeth as he hosted his blade, which shone in a brighter and more baleful magic power. He replied, "Tch, fine." Thunder''s Daughter nodded and said nothing, her body exploding with a high class''s bolts of lightning. Mikan looked at Ivy, who stared at him and nodded. The two placing one of their palms together before conjuring a stronger poisonous power from their body, which seemed capable of eroding all things. Ivy held her dagger in a low stance as it shone brightly, she looked no different from an arrow ready to spring from a bow. Elly similarly had her sword out, conjuring a dense amount of sword energies as peach-colored flower petals floated around her. Nero, on the other hand, frowned as he heard Red Rain''s words. He felt that such a statement was a bit strange in the current context. Still, as he didn''t have time to waste, he only focused on gathering enough power for his Blood Reaper''s Dance. Adult Nero had a thoughtful look at Red Rain from within Nero''s mind space while thinking, ''Interesting, she appears to be testing us. It looks like she''s suspects something. Heh, that race and its peculiarities...'' While Adult Nero pondered, it didn''t take long for everyone to gather their full strength; in moments, they all charged at the door together, unleashing their attacks. "Fate Destruction Seal!" "Baleful Shark Slash!" "Thunder Pulse!" "Twin Toxic Ray!" "Flash Strike!" "Spiraling Blossom Sword!" "Blood Reaper''s Dance!" As all colorful attacks converged, a white light shone, illuminating all within the vicinity as a shocking explosion sounded, rumbling the core of the palace and any other digitizer within its domain, beckoning the start of a grand battle to come. Chapter 157: The Difference In Power A few moments earlier, within the Palace of Horror''s royal chamber, the mysterious Master of Horrors was still seated in his previous position. With his eyes closed, shrouding the upper portion of his face in the darkness, his arm moved left and right as his fingers played his dismal tune on the pipe organ in front of him as the bleak atmosphere only grew darker with each passing second. The scarlet hue from the blood moon lit only a portion of the room, casting shadows of each of the erected pillars to the side. Because of this, his features were now a bit more revealed, showing his dark red skin, angular shaped face with a pointed beard and mustache. He wore a high collar dark coat with many skulls that seemed more like that of humans neatly arranged on a neckless around his neck. Carefully looking, one would realize that though he sat, he was more than seven feet tall, showing a clear height difference compared to any other man. Suddenly, the hands that were moving halted, as the fingers that touched the instrument''s keys seemed as if frozen still. In this instance, he opened his closed eyes, revealing two sets of cruel-looking red eyes that glowed in the dark, capable of giving a fright to the weakened will of many. "Huhuhu... so, my little guests have finally arrived. Crooked, that foolish being, even if weak, you could have shown more use. Oh well, my current power should be sufficient, I should prepare to greet them, especially that boy." As the Master of Horrors said those words, his eyes shone in an eerie light, causing the outside scenes to show directly before him. He noticed Nero and the others gathering energy to attack the door but paid no mind to it, as his eyes swept instantly towards Nero. ''Boy, I don''t know how you''ve done it, but no matter, once I have you, I will discover what means you used to cultivate such a special soul in your consciousness, one that could even spy on these eyes of mine.'' A light chuckle left his mouth as he prepared to close off the screen, but before he could do so, his eyes narrowed when he saw Red Rain, or more precisely, her strange arts. ''Hmm, how peculiar? I didn''t think I''d see this kind of skill in this realm; it''s as the rumors say - the divine has roots in all surfaces.'' Following his final set of thoughts, the screen before his eyes vanished, he slowly started to pick himself up from around her pipe organ, but right as this happened, a shocking change occurred behind him. With a loud boom, the door exploded into bits of pieces as a bright white light doused away the chamber''s bleakness. In mere moments, that light had become the dominant light source for a few seconds before fading to reveal the scene within it. A cluster of dust covered the forms of those who intruded, Nero, Red Rain, Elly, Crazy Blade, Thunder''s Daughter, Ivy, Mikan, Lily, and Mia, now stood within this dust cloud which soon after revealed their features. Looking at them, one would notice that their magic power was circulating in full as they each at peak condition, ready to challenge the unknown. They each gave off the presence akin to the mighty heroes of legend that stormed the devil''s castle. "Well, we''re here. Where is he?" Crazy Blade asked with a tone of hurriedness; it seemed that Red Rain''s words had scared him. Elly, Ivy, Mikan, and the others also had a stern look on their faces, not daring to let their guard down for a moment. Still, unlike everyone else, only three persons managed to keep calm. Mia had a clump of wavy, amber-colored flames floated around her as if it had life, two eyes opening on it as it flew around the misty room. Red Rain also her eyes closed as her fingers drew the arcane symbol on the air, while Nero had a greenish glow in his eyes scanning the area, passing through the haze and bleak surroundings as if he was viewing a scene in the daytime. Within a few seconds, Nero caught sight of an unfamiliar lifeforce, noticing a giant ball of dark red soul energies in the form of flames. At the same time Nero found this energy, both Red Rain and Mia had discovered its existence, causing a pale expression to appear on their faces. "Well now, to think that you children can discover my soul? That won''t do; allow me to show you the difference between us..." The Master of Horror''s sinister voice resonated as the eyes stared at everyone with a mocking look. Moments after, they glowed in red lights before a formless ripple went outwards in all directions. "He''s over there; brace yourselves!" Nero said in alarm, feeling a dreadful amount of power behind the attack. He didn''t even hesitate to use his Midnight Shield from the arm gauntlet. A blight light shone formed in a barrier around his body, looking very much like that of the Midnight Wall Bug''s shell. "Everyone, be careful!" Mia and Red Rain shouted at the same time. They, too, could feel the terror of the ripple; as such, they didn''t hesitate to conjure barrier techniques. "Damn! Shark Barrier!" Crazy Blade cursed as he hurried channeled his energies, forming a semi-transparent shark over his body. "Lightning Cage!" Thunder''s Daughter similarly acted as a thunder field formed around her slim figure in the form of a cage. "Ivy, Lily, get behind me! Mikan, you guard with me! Blossoming Sword Guard!" Elly said as she hurriedly summoned a giant semi-transparent flower bud around her, Ivy, Lily, and Mikan. Mikan also tossed a talisman in the air that exploded to form a multi-layered shield in all directions. Observing each of their reactions, one could tell that if it were any other battle, they would have more or likely been able to withstand easily, but sadly, the power sent by the ripple was far more than they''d ever imagined. Instantly, the ripple swept by everyone before vanishing with a buzzing sound, but as this happened, everyone felt as if an invisible shockwave had hit them, targeting their internal organs. A few puking sounds of persons vomiting blood sounded as if one looked at each of them, they would find that they now had a pale look with blood at the corners of their chins. ''This... how? Shouldn''t he be weakened?'' Nero and the others thought as a look of fear came into their eyes, but sadly, they couldn''t find an answer. They struggled to keep their balance standing, but it didn''t take long for them to start collapsing onto their knees, feeling as if they suffered a critical injury. From this one attack, it was clear that they already lost this battle. As if to cement their despair further, the mist slowly parted, once more revealing the figure of the Master of Horrors. However, this time, he was standing rather than sitting around his musical instrument, his height reaching as high as sixteen meters. Looking down at the small life forms before him, the Master of Horrors showed a cruel grin as he chuckled before he spoke in a voice that beckoned the end. "You foolish creatures, prepare yourselves, for you shall all experience true despair..." Chapter 158: Striking Together It was a tragic defeat, the once hopeful atmosphere now one of bleakness as even the bloody moon that loomed over the palace seemed influenced by the battle''s outcome, showering a more dismal light through the stained-glass windows of the chamber. The Master of Horrors watched the small lifeforms before him with mocking eyes before fixing onto Nero and Red Rain as if expecting something. "Well, is this it? Is this what you pests came here for? Huhu... to challenge my existence with such meager power, you might be mistaken, but even this world''s ''previous master'' might have been a bit troublesome for you kids." "What?" Nero and the others exclaimed upon hearing those words; the very fact that he said the previous master could signify the most terrifying of news. "Could it be, no¡­ that''s not possible?" Mia thought as if she realized something. Red Rain, whose eyes now showed understanding, stared at the Master of Horrors with a tinge of paleness as she spoke out loud. "You... then you are..." "Correct... I am not from this realm, but another more distant space." The Master of Horrors said, cutting off her words. When he said those words, his eyes grew a bit distant and recollective, a few images flashing in his mind that even caused him to show a fearful look on his face. ''You''ve got to be kidding me; how can such a bastard exist? Where the hell did he come from?'' Crazy Blade thought with a look of terror in his eyes. Thunder''s Daughter also felt worried about their current circumstances; they had lost a lot of their battle efficiencies from the prior attack. "Brother, will we..." Ivy asked with a bit of an uneasy tone, but Mikan gripped his fist tightly, showing a fierce look as he replied to her, "No, we won''t, my sister, I won''t let it happen..." Elly was also concerned; she glanced at Nero, hoping to find support, but Nero had a cold look on his face as he stared at the Master of Horrors. His eyes flickering in dim light as he inspected his details. ___ Ding! [Target is immensely powerful; all details are obscured!] Ding! [The Master of Horrors, ????] [Level: ???(Sealed) | Race: Unknown] [Grade: ???(Sealed) | Status: Severely Weakened] [Health: ????????/???????] [Combat Force: ?????(Sealed)] [Body Tenacity: ?????(Sealed) [Spiritual Awareness: ?????(Sealed)] [Speed: ?????(Sealed)]: [Skill: ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???] [Description: ???] ___ "What the hell kind of stat sheet is that? I can''t even judge if it''s good or bad, damn!'' Nero cursed in his mind, but that didn''t last long as he noticed that the Master of Horrors was distracted. ''This won''t do; I can''t stay distracted, his strength is far too great, and we can''t fight him head-on even in his current condition. For us to win, we need to take him out while he still has a low opinion of us.'' Nero thought with a firm look in his eyes; at this time, Elly sent him a private message. "Nero, what do we do? He''s too strong for us." Nero glanced at Elly and replied with another message, "We have no other choice but to fight, use all of your power and hold nothing back, we must kill him before he takes us seriously." Elly bit her lips, hearing those words as she tightened her fist and replied, "Alright, I''ll give it my all." Adult Nero observed silently, his eyes flashing as he stared at his fingers, one of which was almost wholly dissipated. He sighed as if he made up his mind, showing a deep set of eyes. Not only Nero and Elly, but both Red Rain, Mia, and the others also noticed this change, their eyes flickering with a tinge of uncertainty. ''What do I do? I wanted to test his abilities to prove if he''s the destined one I''m searching for, but if I don''t use my true power, then I''ll most likely die here. Must I give up this chance...'' Red Rain thought with a set of complex eyes, but it didn''t take long for her to make her decision. Her body now revealed a few ancient markings that started to glow in a dim light as if waking up. ''Sister, it seems I''ll have to waste a bit of our ancestor''s blood essence here, forgive me. Hehe, I don''t want to die yet, and besides, I have yet to experience that handsome human.'' Mia thought as she took out a small vial that had a bright red shimmer. Her eyes flickered as she took a peek at Nero with a strange look. Quickly, everyone had come to know of the Master of Horror''s current state; although it seemed as if it had taken a while, the fact was that only a few seconds had passed. As if they all shared the same thoughts, they glanced at each other with a determined look. They were forced down their injuries as they pushed their bodies up from the ground at the same time. ''Kill!'' They inwardly shouted as they charged at the Master of Horrors, utilizing their movement techniques to the peak. Nero swooshed ahead as if skating on the ground, much like Thunder''s Daughter, who had a track of lightning below her feet. Lily was the third-fastest as she moved, leaving a trail of baleful light in her path, her dagger held before her like a spear. Red Rain conjured diagrams below her foot that propelled her forwards, as Mia had clumps of lifelike fire aiding her movements. If there were some slower than the others, it was none other than Crazy Blade, Elly, Mikan, and Ivy. They didn''t bother to rush ahead but unleash a series of attacks from a distance. "Crazy Shark Blade!" Crazy Blade said as an illusory giant shark formed when he slashed his blade, causing it to swim through the air as it made its way towards the Master of Horrors. "Spiraling Blossom Sword!" Elly yelled as her upraised sword sent a spiraling storm of peach-colored petals towards the same direction, looking like a dazzling cyclone of sharp, deadly energies. "Toxic Whip Storm! Poison Suppression Palm!" Both Ivy and Mikan said they too attacked, Ivy, lashing out a green while that seemed no different from a small tempest towards the Master of Horrors, skillfully avoiding all other parties in the range. While, Mikan struck out his palm, sending out a giant illusory arm. As this happened, it was only now that a new set of outsiders had arrived at the royal chamber''s entrance; they stared at the scene in front of them with shock as one familiar face spoke out in alarm and anger. "Damn! They''re stealing the boss for themselves! HURRY! HURRY! ATTACK IT NOW!" Delkan shouted in anger. One of the lackeys hesitated as his eyes fixed in Nero''s direction when he spoke, "Young lord, we could, but what do we do about the target! He''s over there!" Delkan had a cruel glint in his eyes when he saw Nero, but he shook his head and shouted in a hurried tone, "For now, forget about that damn animal, kill this boss for me!" "Understood, young lord!" The lackeys replied as they soon after rushed ahead with full power, lighting up the room as their magic power erupted. "Even though I''d get party benefits, I have to attack as well. Hmph! Eat my Whirlwind Masher!" Delkan said soon after he bolted forward like a gust of wind, striking his halberd ahead with unstoppable momentum, his greenish wind magic power pushing ahead of him with a terrifying force. Though, Nero, Mia, Red Rain, and Lily had charged ahead of the others.The attacks fired from behind them was faster than their running speeds as they swept by them, arriving before the Master of Horrors in seconds. Suddenly, the Master of Horrors had awoken from his daze, he stared at the sudden onslaught of attacks with surprise. Soon, his eyes had a look of rage as a terrifying aura erupted from his being, causing not only the chamber but the palace itself to shiver, much like the effects of an earthquake. "You insolent wretches, it seems my lesson wasn''t enough, then allow me to show you creatures another of my means!" His voice sounded about the area as if it foreshadowed a terrifying change. Chapter 159: Breaking One’s Defenses "Hell Shockwave!" The Master of Horror''s yelled as he stomped his large foot against the pristine floor. With a loud rumble, the entire palace shook as if it underwent an earthquake, many regions near and bear collapsed due to this power throwing all into a disorder. As the entire palace shook, the royal chamber seemed as if it was undergoing a disaster. The floor uprooted itself, forcing everyone behind Nero, Mia, Red Rain, and Lily to lose their balance.In response to this change, Elly and the others didn''t show any panic; instead, they jumped into the air. By this time, each of their attacks had practically arrived upon the Master of Horrors, his body, which was now coated by his immense dark-colored magic power soon after tensed as he lifted his arm, prepared to meet them directly. The first attack to arrive was none other than that of Crazy''s Blade''s illusory shark that swam through the air as if it were in the ocean. It opened its giant mouth, which was roughly half the size of the Master of Horrors body, before biting down with its razor-sharp teeth, each emanating baleful energy much like that of a blade''s. "A mere illusory power is not compared to a tangible being, break!" Following the Master of Horrors shout, he waved his arm, using his long black fingernails to shatter the attack into fragments of energy. Seconds after destroying Crazy Blade''s attack, Elly''s Spiraling Blossom Sword had arrived, gushing forward like a cyclone of ultra-sharp sword beams condensed into the form of petals. With a simple snort, the Master of Horrors used the same arm that shattered the previous attack and pressed it in front of his figure¡ªopening his palm, a black ball then formed before his figure, which crashed into Elly''s attack, generating an explosion. As if the force of this explosion was too great, Ivy''s whip attack that had followed right behind Elly''s was repelled by its shockwave, forcing the whip''s end back to Ivy''s position. Mikan also shared a similar fate, as the opposing force shattered his toxic palm into bits. "Damn! He''s too strong!" Crazy Blade cursed, but as he knew that they didn''t have any other choice, he could only try to press the attack, jumping from left to right on the uprooted concrete as he hurried towards him. Thunder''s Daughter also had a surprised look in her eyes, but that didn''t halt her from conjuring another lightning attack from a distance, hurling thunderbolts like a being born of lightning. "Keep pressing him; he shouldn''t be able to keep this up!" Elly said from Ivy and Mikan''s side; the brother and sister nodded as they once more attacked, following up with Elly''s new sword slash. The Master of Horror''s caught sight of this. His eyes glowed in a bright red light once more as he spoke, "Fall to your knees, Hell Pulse!" With his words, a bright ripple spread out once more, but for some reason, it only zoned in on Elly, Crazy Blade, Thunder''s Daughter, as well as Ivy and Mikan. As it crashed into their bodies, they each cried out in pain before falling from the sky, crashing into the ruined ground with a weakened expressions on their faces. As the attack finished, the Master of Horror''s expression soon changed as black blood flowed down his mouth corner''s; he promptly waved his hand, causing a black ball to form over his body. "Damn! That bastard... how dare he hurt Elly?'' Nero thought as his eyes flickered with rage, there weren''t many thing''s that could let him get angry, but that had passed his bottom line. "Focus... he was influenced by his own power; you must strike him to gain an advantage," Adult Nero said, feeling the mindless rage from his younger self''s spirit, even he found it hard to put down the scene of Elly spitting blood, but he knew this wasn''t the time to get distracted. Nero bit his lips, causing blood to flow down his mouth corners before keeping a cool head; he didn''t do anything foolish like turning around from his current charge. Soon, Nero, Mia, Red Rain, and Lily had gotten in range of the black barrier. They gazed at it while continuing to rush forwards as they made a plan. "Listen here; I can sense that he''s suffered some backlash. If I can land a hit on him, then I can inflict a serious injury to his frame with my scythe''s properties." Nero said to the three girls through their messaging system, explaining the properties of Grezelor''s Scythe. The girls remained silent for a short moment as they answered. "Okay, if you can guarantee that effect, then my Origin Fate Runes should be able to drastically weakened the shield; it doesn''t matter how strong it is, I will be able to force open its weak point." Red Rain said as her body glowed with her mystical runes. Mia looked at the two before she spoke, "Alright, you''ve both got your roles down, leave breaking the shield to me; I have the strongest power out of everyone here." As Mia said this, her plump fox tail started to shine in a bright amber-colored light, which soon began to spread over her entire body. Lily stared at everyone and hesitated before speaking, "I''m not as strong as you guys, but I can keep him distracted." When the others heard this, they nodded as if confirming each other''s actions, though their discission sounded long, it didn''t even take up five seconds as, by the time they finished their conversation, they took direct action. "Fortune Rain Seal!" Red Rain yelled as she stopped her charge and held her arm forward, forming a giant diagram with complex marks. These marks then fired towards the black barrier before flowing down its surface no different from rain droplets. Once this happened, these seals began to bury themselves within the black barrier before emanating a strange kind of power. The Master of horrors who saw this from behind his black barrier frowned as he thought to himself, ''How troubling, that kind''s techniques are always hard to deal with, tsk... to think I wanted to buy some time to heal from the backlash of using such a meager amount of my abilities.'' While the Master of Horror''s pondered a different method, the barrier before him started to change as Red Rain''s runes formed a circular mark in a particular area. "Now!" Red Rain said as Mia didn''t even hesitate to blast forward like a beast, her beautiful figure now a bit strange as she glowed in an amber-ish light. Vaguely, the illusory image of a fox had appeared behind her and roared when she struck her palm towards the circular mark. "Spirit Fox Fire!" With her shout, a massive clump of amber fire fired from her palm into the black wall before exploding into a sea of amber flames. The shockwave of this attack knocked back both the nearby Red Rain and Mia, but Nero pushed through with an unstoppable power as Lily seemed to have vanished. Nero''s red eyes shone in a cold light, very much lie his scythe, which was held at an angle at his side. With his body clouded by his silver magic power, his steps got faster and faster as he dashed ahead at a speed over 160 km/h. A few seconds later, Nero had pushed through the flames appearing directly before giant form, his body twisting as its edge startling to leaving a thin, blood-red light in the void as he spoke with an icy voice. "I''ll send you to hell with my Blood Reaper''s Dance!" Instantly, Nero''s body vanished as all that was left was a dazzling ray of baleful red lights many times the usual standard, sweeping towards the neck of the Master of Horror''s who glared at it with a surprised but icy look. The scene here seemed as if it was about to reach its climax as a young hero prepared to clash head-on against what might very be a demon. Chapter 160: A Crushing Defeat Within the royal chamber, Red Rain and Mia had both fallen onto the ground; their faces pale as the effects of their short-term power-up had a faded, returning them to their normal state. With a cough, Red Rain wiped the corners of his mouth that flowed with a strange kind of bluish gold blood, her face even paler than before as she looked at her trembling palm that had markings that wriggled as if they had a life of their own. ''My backlash might last a little while longer than the norm. It seems that forcing open a weakness into something beyond my level is truly too taxing. I hope that at least Wild Silver was able to land a hit...'' Red Rain thought to herself as her eyes shifted towards the scene in front of her; Mia also shared similar thoughts; through using her ancestral blood, she had ignited her true potential before its authentic awakening. Thus, she wasn''t feeling much better. "Sister will be mad...'' Mia thought as she recalled using her lifeline; she sighed, thinking that it couldn''t be helped in the end, focusing her attention on the battle once more. At this time, a bright series of baleful crimson arcs fired towards the neck of the Master of Horrors, who eyed them with a cold glint in his pupils. The world seemed to have fallen into slow motion as he could clearly see that behind these countless arcs of crimson rays, Nero''s indistinct figure was twisting at alarming speeds, chopping his scythe at curved angles while each of his swings hurled more arcs of baleful energies towards him. ''Foolish boy, even if weaken, my power is still beyond your imagination.'' The Master of Horrors thought with a sinister glint in his eyes that shone in a red ray when he prepared to counter attack, raising his large arm as his elongated claw-like fingernails gleamed in sharp lights. Nero, who saw this, had a stern look on his face, but he didn''t dare to let up as he continued to push his Blood Reaper''s Stance to his limit. In moments, both sides collided, the sound of metal hitting metal resounding as in what seemed like a series of flashes and blurs. The Master of Horrors arm easily repelled each of the baleful red arcs of magic power scattered about the room, cleaving a deep scar into anything it contacted. "So meaningless..." The Master of Horror teased as he casually bounced away Nero''s baleful blood-red scythe energies. Once this happened, Nero was forced out of his stance, appearing from the endless cluster of red rays as he landed on the ground, sliding backward by a few meters. Nero gritted his teeth as his eyes completely glowed in red light as he is pushed himself further to his limit; he yelled, "I will cut you today! Killing Field!" Instantly a blood-red field formed around both of their bodies, increasing Nero''s speed and offensive capabilities while similarly weakening the Master of Horrors by a tiny extent. He then once more charged forward to attack, almost moving like a blur as he spun and swung his now glowing red scythe with full force, launching another barrage of crimson energy rays of his Blood Reaper''s Dance. "A domain from a low-class artifact? Another pointless attempt..." The Master of Horrors said again, parrying another one of Nero''s attack, it was clear that he could easily defeat Nero, but he was holding himself back for some reason. Curiously though, one of these scarlet rays was repelled in a direction away from the others, headed towards a familiar arrogant looking young man who glanced at it in shock. "That darn Nero, he''s thinking of pushing his attack towards me, such a bastard!" Delkan shouted in anger as he hurriedly jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the assault, but sadly, a few of his lackeys failed to notice; the arc of light crashed into their bodies severing them into two halves. "Ahhh!" The lackeys cried out as they fell onto the ground; Delkan looked at them and scolded, "Be quiet! You''re acting as if you''re going to die, hurry and use those things to leave the dungeon." The lackeys that remained conscious with only severed limbs gritted their teeth. Enduring the pain, they then used the unique treasures needed to level a dungeon, but right when they invoked the command, a bright light shone to the heavens before vanishing. Delkan looked at this in confusion and anger as he spoke, "What are you idiots doing? I said to hurry and leave!" A few lackeys had a look of panic as they spoke," Y-Y-Young lord, it''s not that we didn''t try to, but we can''t! It''s not working!" "What?" Delkan exclaimed as he stared in their direction; he suddenly had a dark feeling as he stared at the scene around them with a look of horror in his eyes as he thought to himself. ''J-just what the hell is going on?'' With Delkan finally beginning to get a clue, Nero''s battle and the Master of Horror''s seemed to be reaching its tipping point. With each of Nero''s rapid scythe slashes that devasted the area, the Master of Horror''s treated it as if it was nothing, easily using his arm to swat each strike away. Soon, his eyes narrowed as he spoke with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "How weak... it looks like what I''m waiting for won''t happen in the end, fine, I can force that soul of yours to awaken in another way." When Nero heard this, his eyes widened in shock as he didn''t expect such words; Adult Nero had a severe look in his eyes that glared at the Master of Horrors. ''How could he know about that?'' Nero thought, but before he could even finish, the Master of Horror''s had already acted. With a swoosh, his figure vanished, appearing directly in front of Nero''s body. Nero''s heart shook when he saw how easily the enemy got within his range. ''Not good, I have to esc---'' Nero inwardly said as he contemplated escaping, but sadly, it was already too late. ''This isn''t good; I have to help him!'' Mia thought with a look of worry on her face. She tried to move but ended up collapsing to her knees with an even paler expression due to her backlash. Red Rain also had a similar outcome, the markings on her body seeming to have entered a berserk state forcing her to sit in meditation to recover. However, it was clear that she was a bit worried due to the current look on her face. By now, the Master of Horror had already acted, he clenched his fist tightly and struck it towards Nero''s stomach, but before it made contact, there was a change. "Heart Piercing Flash!" A voice sounded from his unguarded side, followed by a bright light which fired at a speed many times faster than even red lights released by Nero. "Hmm?" The Master of Horror uttered in surprise as he turned his attention towards the light source. But as he did so, the light had already arrived at his chest region. Instantly, it formed into Lily, who pushed towards him while holding her lustrous dagger directly in front of her, aiming for his chest. "Hmph! You insolent girl, get down!" The Master of Horrors cursed in anger as the arm he raised prior swiped out towards her, crashing into her side with a blur due to its immense speed. ''Nero, I''ve done my part...'' Ivy inwardly said as she pushed all of her offensive magic power into defense, but sadly, it was not enough to completely resist the enemy''s might. With a loud smack and a pitiful cry, the arm sent Lily hurling towards another corner of the chamber where she crashed into an uprooted pile of rubble, crushing it to bits as she laid down unconscious. "Li...ly!" Mikan said in a weak voice as he struggled to lift his head, but as he couldn''t move, he could only watch from afar with a look of weakness. Elly was also in such a condition; she glared at the battle scene with worry, even more so when she saw the Master of Horrors then prepared once more to down Nero. "De... Delkan! What are you doing? H-Hurry and help Nero!" Elly struggled to shout at the top of her lungs; she and many others had noticed Delkan''s arrival. Her voice echoed, but Delkan merely stared at the disaster before him with sweating rolling down his face. Not daring to stay for a second longer, he rushed away no different from the wind, not even looking behind him. ''You want me to die with the lot of you! You can forget it!'' Delkan thought as he rapidly escaped the room, not even caring about his injured lackeys. Once he found out they couldn''t log out from the scene prior; he had naturally come to a terrifying conclusion. Hence, he decided not to risk his life any more than necessary. "You... cowardly bastard!" Elly cursed in a weak voice, struggling to stand up, but sadly she couldn''t move due to her weakened state. Crazy Blade and the others who had now regained their consciousness had cold looks on their faces, but none of them said anything. They pushed their all into trying to recover their strength. The Master of Horrors naturally noticed Delkan, but he didn''t even pay him any mind as his eyes once more turned in Nero''s direction. "We''ve played long enough; it''s time for you to sleep." With that said, his fist struck towards his stomach at great speeds. Seconds after, Nero flew backward into the air with a loud bang due to the fist''s collision. He then coughed up a bit of blood; his body now seemed no different from a punching bag. "Ah!" Nero cried out as his body soon after crashed onto the ground, crushing a pile of rocks. Even his scythe had fallen out of his grasp, landing on the ground in front of him. The Master of Horrors had a cruel smile on his face and took another step, vanishing and arriving at his side in a flash. He then looked down on his sorry figure with a cold look as he slowly reached his hand down while speaking, "Human, it''s over." "Nerooo!" Elly cried out from a distance, too weak to do anything. "Damn!" Crazy Blade cursed, hating his current state. Thunder''s Daughter and the others also made similar angry cries, but the Master of Horrors merely chuckled as he spoke in a resonant voice, "Huhu.. so foolish, you''ll all be joining him soon, I shall let each of you know true despair." Feeling the weakness of his body and the danger above him, Nero felt weak; he knew that no matter what he did, even if he somehow had the strength to get up again, he was vastly outclassed. He strugglingly raised his head and glared at the Master of Horror as he thought to himself. ''Damnit! He''s... too strong...'' As Nero said those last bits of thoughts, his consciousness started to fade into black while the giant arm descended towards him, but right at the very last second, when all seemed to have ended, there was an unexpected scene. ______ ______ Follow me on Social Media: Patreon-https://www.patreon.com/ShadowsFinger5 Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7912KX Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers/ ===Subscribe to my Mailing Lists==== https://www.subscribepage.com/shadowsfinger_copy Chapter 161: The Strange Man, A Shocking End! Nero had found himself in a familiar but dark space, a broad zone that resided at the center of his mind. ''Where... where am I? Is this... death?'' He thought while floating around for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he arrived before a much older version of himself who stood at the center of this darkness. Knowing full well who it was, Nero opened his mouth to speak but soon found that he couldn''t say anything, his consciousness within his mind, growing hazy as after struggling to say something, he soon fell into a deep slumber. Adult Nero looked down at his younger form, staring at him with a hint of iciness in his eyes, but that soon faded as it turned a bit gentle. He sighed with a complicated gaze which showed a recollective manner only for a few seconds before they hardened. "It looks like this is it... It''s a pity, but I have no choice but to take things from here." When Adult Nero said this, his manner soon became solemn and cold, a dark aura rising from his body much richer than any other devils, black energies of dense murderous desire. If one looked at his frame, they would see countless dark World Spirits chewing away at his soul, mocking and laughing with the majority glaring at him with endless desire for vengeance. Adult Nero''s red pupils glowed in a bright ray as he opened his mouth prepared to say something, but before he could do so, a voice sounded from all directions giving him a shock as not only did it cancel his entire power but suppressed his existence. "This isn''t your fight; your time isn''t here." Listening to the words spoken, Adult Nero stared in all directions in shock as the resonant voice drastically shook his spirit. ''What kind of strength is this? I''m certain that even those of the SupremacyClass are impossible to seal my peak Master Rank strength, so who, or what did I just meet?'' Adult Nero thought as he carefully eyed the word of pitch black. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down, showing a profound set of eyes as he stared at his younger self''s consciousness that floated before him with a tinge of gentleness, he soon spoke as if speaking to himself. "It looks like I won''t need to lift a hand; I''ll get to stay with you a bit longer..." As he said those words, his attention soon after shifted from Nero''s consciousness to the outside world, where his eyes narrowed as he saw the entity that had spoken, a being beyond his imagination. *** An odd silence now filled the entire royal chamber as everyone had a drastic change of expression due to the current display. "What? Just what the heck am I seeing?" Crazy Blade said in horror. "Is... is that thing the same monster we just struggled to fight?" Thunder''s Daughter exclaimed as she stared at the scene. Mikan and Ivy also looked over with different expressions, Mikan being shocked, while Ivy transitioned from initial worry for Nero to alarm due to the change. "Who... who the hell... is that?" Elly said as she tried to catch her breath, trying to push away a large rock that had pinned down her leg, her now exhausted but beautiful eyes staring at Nero as a silhouette appeared before him. It was a strange but familiar man before Nero, one with long half brown and half crimson hair. He wore ancient armor as a worn cape wrapped around his figure, which emanated a power that seemed to destroy all within its surroundings. Red Rain had a shocked expression on her face as even she couldn''t keep an indifferent air when she stared at that man, feeling as if she wasn''t looking at a person, but rather, a universe. ''Such a powerful being. I''ve never felt anything like this. No one in our race has such a presence...'' She thought with a set of deep eyes while contemplating the scenario. Mia was also puzzled; she stared deeply at the stranger with thoughtful eyes as she murmured, "The ancestors had never mentioned a being like this. It looks like I''ll need to spread this news if we can make it out alive in one piece..." When Mia said this, her attention quickly fixed once more onto the dreadful Master of Horrors who had been dominating them in entirety. Yet, not only her but everyone else who glanced towards him showed astonishment as they saw an incredible picture. "Y-Y-You... how could it be? How did you find me here?" The Master of Horror''s said as he looked at the place where his arm reached; a human-sized palm had grasped a small portion of his wrist by its side with its thumb and index finger. The Master of Horror tried to fall back, but his eyes shone in fear when he noticed that his massive arm, which was even larger than the man''s body, couldn''t even escape his pinch hold. Now, his body trembled as his once glorious presence now seemed no different from a meek lifeform. Suddenly, the odd man lifted his head, which was previously staring down at the collapsed Nero with interest. Now, everyone saw a handsome face with an indifferent look. His red and brown eyes were gazing at the very world as if he was a detached existence. He stared at no one else but the Master of Horror''s as he spoke with a strange smile on his face, "Malorvin, I went to great lengths to find which of the endless dimensions your main body had vanished, and then searching took even me quite some time. Hmph! Running around like some little rat, you truly are as your kind is said to be, quite wily indeed. Tell me, are you ready to face your judgment?" Elly and the others looked at the man with wide mouth''s hearing how he mocked that boss as if he was nothing more than an ant. Yet, the reaction of the Master... no, Malorvin was another that blew their minds. As if he''d gone insane, Malorvin shouted at the man, "It''s impossible! I refuse to believe that you could find me here! I destroyed the formation, no one should be able to restore it. You wouldn''t be able to achieve such a feat, not unless. Not unless you became the In... huh?" The strange man remained silent as if he didn''t care about Malorvin''s words, but at this time, Malorvin''s eyes opened in even more fear as he stared at the man''s neck, "That... that pendant, it couldn''t be..." "Time''s up." The strange man said as he slowly raised his arm; Malorvin didn''t even hesitate to make a startling reaction. ''I have to escape; if he''s that Inheritor, then I must get away as far as I can!'' Malorvin thought, feeling as if his life was in the utmost peril. Instantly, a wave of black blood spewed about like rain as he tore off the arm which the man held with his other hand. His body then transformed into a ray of light as he rapidly retreated, showing utter disregard for the Universe Ring, which would send its power to create a backlash. The man shook his head as he spoke, "You won''t be able to escape this time; accept your fate. Void Execution..." With those words, the space around the man started to distort as if it was falling into chaos. Instantly, a series of invisible star-like blades bolted towards the distance, rapidly catching up to Malorvin, Malorvin stared at the space around in horror and tried to fight back, but sadly, it was a futile attempt. "Noooo! Daammmnnn youuuu E..." Malorvin was about to say something as he struck a devasting palm outwards, sending dark energies about the distant sky to counterattack, but sadly, he never had a chance. The sky collapsed around his body with a bang, forming into what seemed like a black hole. This hole shredded all things within its range before vanishing in an instant as if it didn''t appear, returning all items to normal. Elly and the others looked at this scene in horror. But the man merely glanced at them before glancing at Nero. He stared at him, calmly with deep eyes that seemed as if he could see the past and the future, showing a hint of painful recollection. He soon sighed, saying nothing in the end, with a wave of his hand, the pipe organ of the royal chamber and blood mood vanished into thin air before a rift appeared in front of him, swallowing him as he faded from the world, leaving behind a confusing scene. ____ NB: "Hey guys, I will be doing special contests every month from now, from them you can win an Amazon gift card along with a copy of one of my Amazon book series. There will be two competitions this month, one for Valentines and one for the end date of Chinese New Year. Keep an eye on my Twitter and Facebook page for more details to come in the coming week." Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers Twitter - https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinger Okay, so some of you might have guessed who this is and where he came from, but for now, just think of it as temporary as I am pondering to end that series on Webnovel and reboot it as a brand new story on Amazon due to lack of interest. Still, it''s not yet decided, maybe early next month I will have a clear decision, for now, just think that the person behind this name along with mysterious man as temp existences that might be restarted. Chapter 162: The Aftermath The royal chamber was quiet as Malorvin had already vanished from existence, leaving behind those who witness the spectacle. "I... I must be dreaming," Crazy Blade said as he no longer resisted his weakness, falling onto his knees as he plunged his blade into the earth. His eyes now gazed at the devastation around them, looking as if a few bombs had been let loose. Thunder''s Daughter was still seated in a lotus posture, meditating to regain as much as her magic power as possible quickly. Her eyes flickered with lightning bolts as she sized up the room, looking at the area in which the strange man''s attack had blown off the ceiling. There, one wouldn''t see a blood moon looming over a grim world anymore, but rather a brightly lit night sky by dazzling stars and mostly mysterious planets that seemed to spiral around the same orbit. ''It''s good... I don''t care about anything else, as long as this disaster has passed.'' She said with a sigh, finally feeling a tinge of relief. Crazy Blade, having caught his breath glanced around. He eyed the unconscious Nero and nodded before he stared at the entrance with a stern look. "That darn Delkan! If I ever catch his cowardly ass, I''ll shatter his spine!" Crazy Blade yelled while gripping the handle of his weapon. "Humph! It seems that there are also humans more cowardly than a Rattan., it makes me wonder if it''s good to have our alliances with all of their kind." Thunder''s Daughter said with a tone of discontent, but after a short while of back and forth with Crazy Blade, she threw the matter of Delkan in the back of her mind. "Ivy? How are you feeling?" Mikan said as he looked at his sister. Ivy wiped the small bits of blood from her mouth as she answered, "I''ll be fine." "Good, I''ll go check on that thief," Mikan said with eyes that had a bit of concern as he started to walk away. Ivy gave him a look before she teased, "Oh, you want to check on sister Lily, then go; she''s probably waiting for you." "Hey, what''s with that tone? You know it''s not like that..." Mikan said in a slightly embarrassed manner. "Sure, I believe you, brother," Ivy said with a non-believing smile. Mikan didn''t dare to stay long and hurried along, leaving behind Ivy, whose eyes turned elsewhere with a strange look. Soon, he arrived at a different part of the room; his eyes swept about the area as he searched for Lily. "Lily, are you okay?" Mikan''s voice sounded as he strugglingly pushed his tired and wounded body towards an area with crumbled rocks. He walked over and stared at the silent scene for a while, but as he heard no reply, his face turned solemn. Yet, his worse fear didn''t last as a slightly weakened voice sounded. "I... I''m okay," Lily said from a little distance to the right. "Really? Then stay where you are; I''m coming over now." Mikan said as he ran in the direction. "Huh? No... don''t!" Lily said in a hurry as if trying to hide something, but as if by manly instinct, Mikan hurried over with a strange glow in his eyes. He soon came to a halt as he saw her lying on the ground with her plump bum high in the air, shaking restlessly as her face rested against the concrete floor. Mikan''s eyes lit up as if he saw a wonderful sight; he gulped and tried his best to calm down his rising mood. Lily felt the heated gaze behind her, her face turning a bit red as she tried to turn herself over, but sadly, the blow from the attack prior had weakened her drastically. "Lily, you don''t look so good; how about I help you up?" Mikan said in a cool tone, masking his change. Lily gritted her teeth as she tried to hide her embarrassment as she replied, "Fine." While the embarrassing scene here played out, the others had also taken the time to recover themselves. Elly had finally found the energy to her feet; she tried her best to shrug off the exhaustion on her face as she scanned the scene of rubbles. "Nero?" Elly said as she stared at Nero''s collapsed figure that still rested in his previous location, she then prepared to hurry over to him, but the look on her face changed as if she saw a most hateful scene. ''Why that dirty fox? How dare she?'' Elly cursed inwardly. As if she suddenly got strength from somewhere, her body moved like an arrow from a bow as she dashed towards the extremely uncomforting scene. Beside the unconscious Nero, Mia had approached with a charming smile on her face. She sat herself down by his side and held onto his exposed chest with her palm. "Wild Silver... you fought a good fight, though you were the one to actually defeat that monster, it was even more, hehe... enticing..." Mia said with a strange flicker in her eyes as she licked her lips, her mind right now, not even bothering to process the hell that had just transpired in this world. As a Charming Spirit Fox, far more than any other kind, except for the Spirit Rabbits, their women are more prone to their hormonal desires. Mia stared at Nero''s handsome face ignoring the mess caused by battle, her eyes zoning onto his lips that had bits of blood on them. She smirked while whispering, "Oh, such a mess, I must help you clean it." In this instance, Mia lowered her head with her mouth, slowly puckering as if she was about to perform swallow his lips. But there was a change before anything could happen. "Hey, you better get up right now!" Elly''s angry voice sounded as it seemed she had now recovered her strength. Mia lifted her head and stared at her in surprise before she snorted and answered, "Hmph! So it''s you again, Miss Balkras; who are you to tell me what I can and can''t do?" Elly glared at Mia, who stared at her provocatively; when she saw how she held onto Nero''s chest like it was her own, she felt a fire in her chest like none before as she spoke, "You... you better let him go, he''s my property!" She said, recalling that she had once bought him for a few Copper Coins. Mia looked at her surprisedly for a moment before she snickered, her palm which held onto Nero''s chest then firmly grasped his arm as she spoke, "Then I''ll see if he can still be yours if I mark him!" With that said, she hurriedly tried to pull him closer to herself, but Elly seemed as if she was expecting her actions. She had arrived by Nero''s other side with unknown speed, grasping his other arm, before she violently yanked it towards herself. "Let go, you big bosom bimbo!" Elly yelled as she dragged him hard. "No, you let go, you flat-chested brat!" Mia yelled back as she pulled even harder. The scene soon turned strange as it transformed into a sight that would be envied by many, a sight of two beautiful young girls pulling and fighting a tug of war against one poor youth''s body. Ivy, who was approaching, silently halted as she saw this scene; she hesitated before clasping her palms tightly into a fist and retreating with a sour look in her eyes. Nevertheless, though there was bitterness, there was a newly festering glimmer of stubbornness and determination. Red Rain looked at this curiously from a little distance away, but she shook her head, pondering more complex affairs; her eyes were now staring at the scene outside of the destroyed roof. ''That man had destroyed not only the World Artifacts but even casually a being that seemed no different from a SupremacyClass. Based on their conversation, it''s clear that both that strange man and the Master of Horrors isn''t a lifeform from our world. The question is, how did he even get here? These worlds under the jurisdiction of the Universe Ring''s should be absolute, even more so with that seer observing all things, So just where, where could they have possibly come from?'' She thought with a very complex look in her eyes, but she couldn''t find any answers no matter how long she pondered. At this time, Adult Nero, who stood within Nero''s consciousness, gazed at the scene outside with calm eyes. He had already tried his best to analyze the strange man from before, but as he couldn''t comprehend him, he didn''t bother to waste his time. He now peered at the Universe Ring, which was slowly regaining its brilliant golden luster as he contemplated. ''Hmm, the Universe Ring seems to be returning to its unusual state; I guess in a few minutes, it should be able to reregister itself. I wonder, how will it treat our off-handed victory?'' He thought as he had never experienced something like this in his lifetime, he felt a bit interested due to the unknown and unexpected variables. "I better wake him; he still has to complete that quest of his before anything else happens." Adult Nero said as he stared at Nero, who floated in front of him in silence. He slowly reached his palm out, tapping his forehead with his finger as he smiled and spoke, "Wake up." Nero had suddenly awoken to the outside scene with a resonant sound like that of a thunderclap. He was about confused by the current changes, but before he couldn''t process anything with a logical state of mind, much to his shock, he found that he had to deal with a man''s most complicated affair. Chapter 163: Completion of the Dungeon, The Universe Rings Change It had taken quite a bit of firm will power, not to mention haggling to please both Elly and Mia''s tug of war; Nero felt that he had never fought a more challenging battle, even when compared to the prior life and death experience with Malorvin. Nero now sat at their center with a heavy expression as he wiped the sweat from his forehead; he sighed when he saw how they both glared at each other in silence. Crazy Blade seemed to have taken pleasure in Nero''s misfortune, glancing at him every now and then as he tried to hold back his laughter. Mikan felt delighted at seeing his once most important enemy''s suffering; he couldn''t describe the joy he felt in his heart for a moment. Until he noticed the odd look, his sister was giving towards Elly and Mia at Nero''s side. ''Damn, don''t tell me that she wanted to join? That blasted Wild Silver; I won''t let you allow my family''s genius as your love toy!'' "Hey, you seem a bit taken up by others, don''t tell me you''re actually interested in that mean fellow," Lily said as she gave Mikan a look as if teasing, it seemed she still also resented Nero for her picnic''s disaster. "Like hell I am!" Mikan replied with a red face; Lily snickered at this but said nothing else. Unlike her brother, Ivy seemed to have found her own determination; she gripped her fists while thinking to herself,. ''Elly, I''m sorry, but our family isn''t one to back down so easily, even more so for things we want.'' Unaware of Lily''s thoughts and everyone''s reactions, Nero himself had a slightly strange look as he thought himself. ''It looks like that Avollo does say some good things; it''s not necessarily good to be this popular. Hmm, should I cut my hair bald?'' As Nero thought to here, he tried to imagine what he would look like, and when the vision came to his mind, he trembled, thinking it would be a horrible idea. "Ha, that should be interesting; it would at least keep me more entertained in here." Adult Nero said with a light tone. "Hmph! You can entertain yourself!" Nero inwardly said. Adult Nero shook his head as he stared at the now brightly shining Universe Ring before he spoke, "It''s about time; the ring should have already recovered." When hearing this, Nero lifted his head and saw the change, he narrowed his while asking inwardly, "I see, but I have to ask again, what really happened back there when I fainted? You claimed that we were all saved by a strange party. Who was he? Where did he go?" Adult Nero had a pensive look in his eyes as he replied, "I don''t know, he was a man that is beyond my understanding." Nero remained silent at those words, his eyes flickering with a thoughtful look as he said nothing in the end. "Nero, what are you looking at? Did something change?" Elly asked from Nero''s side, her large, rounded eyes staring up onto his face, giving him a delightful feeling. Nero was about to reply, but Mia spoke first, "It seems you''re not as smart as I''d thought, Graceful Tyrant, you should have already been able to tell that the Universe Ring is recovering." Elly''s anger instantly exploded as she glared at Mia, "And who said that I didn''t know? I only asked him if there was a change! Hey, why am I even bothering to argue with you? Hurry and get lost from here!" Elly was only moments from attacking directly, but Nero grabbed her small palm and spoke, "Elly, this isn''t the time to get angry. It''s starting." "Huh?" Elly uttered in surprise, but as she felt her soft arm being held by his, her face turned a bit red as she hurried to pull it away and replied, "I... I see." Mia looked at this with an uncomfortable expression, her eyes flashed playfully as if she was about to do something, but sadly, it was too late for any such action. Buzz! A resonant sound traveled across the entire Palace of Horrors as a brilliant golden light lit up the sky, shining down on all things as if pushing away the darkness of night. Even in the most distant part of the palace, other digitizers that had finished their battles with various creatures had caught sight of the change, staring at it in wonder. Delkan, who now hid behind a statue, also did the same. His eyes flickered before they showed a trace of relief as if understanding what had transpired. Back within the royal chamber, the looks within Nero''s eyes and the others were one of anticipation, and like expected, the notification they had been waiting had arrived. ____ Ding! [Universe Ring Online!] [Restoring functions... complete!] [Accessing the Beginner Dungeon World 0X8352... assessment complete!] [Ring has detected multiple anomalies: prioritized training Novices and the True Dungeon Boss has already perished. Scanning for changes... scan complete!] Ding! [An unknown entity has compromised the Beginner Dungeon World 0X8352. The system shall now commence the purging protocol along with the automatic completion main quest. All digitizers shall receive compensating rewards, returning all surviving Digitizers to the Novice Zone.] ____ Following those words, a bright series of light lit up from all directions. They shone from all Digitizers'' bodies towards the summits of the dazzling golden Universe Ring in the night sky. "It''s about damn time!" Crazy Blade said with a look of ease. "Indeed, I have a lot to tell the elders." Thunder''s Daughter said from nearby, her eyes flashing with lightning. "Don''t we all." Crazy Blade said with a smirk. Mikan, Ivy, and Lily also felt a bit more at ease, not to mention Elly, who had a beaming look in her eyes as she spoke with relief, "Finally, we can leave this godforsaken place; I hope mother isn''t too worried." A few others also shared the same sentiments, knowing that this odd change must have surely been noticed by all major powers; who knows what kind of drastic scene it must have led to on the outside? The others had looks of ease, but unlike them, only three persons remained with odd expressions, the reason being was that unlike those that had glowing lights, their bodies had remained the same as a notification appeared before the trio''s eyes. ____ Ding! [The Unique Dungeon Quest: Palace of Horrors has not been completed, purge is set to occur within 2 minutes, find the treasure with the Palace of Horrors before it collapses.] [Commencing purchase countdown: 2:00, 1:59. 1:58...] ____ "Damn!" Nero cursed as he saw the current scene, the truth was he didn''t even want to bother about that quest anymore after going through all that, but it seemed that the system had its own agendas. Red Rain and Mia also had pensive looks, but they soon returned to normal as if it wasn''t too much of a trouble. Bang! The world started to shake as if it was on the verge of exploding. Elly and the others soon noticed the change around the trio. Elly felt a bit anxious when she saw that Nero wasn''t glowing. She spoke, "Nero, you..." Nero shook his head and spoke, cutting her off, "Don''t worry about me, I''ll be out soon." When Elly heard this, she showed a light look of relief; she was about to say something else. Still, it seemed that the teleportation had already completed as the lights quickly beamed towards the Universe Ring, leaving behind a silent scene of three who now stood in a slowly crumbling world. Chapter 164: Finding the Treasure, The All Seer’s Thoughts As the world around them crumbled, Nero, Mia, and Red Rain didn''t seem overly panicked. Of course, they didn''t like the current situation forced upon them, but they knew better than to waste time complaining about things beyond their control. Nero stared at Red Rain deeply for a little while before he spoke to the girls, "Since you''re all here, then I can assume that you''ve both been given the same quest that I have." Red Rain nodded as Mia replied with a smile, "That''s right, but we really shouldn''t be spending time here, let''s hurry and find that treasury. I can smell that it''s somewhere nearby." ''Oh, she can smell it?'' Nero thought with surprise. Adult Nero took this chance to teach him as he spoke, "Correct, it''s a trait of her kind, think of it as sensing the spiritual scent of things which they seek. Still, it''s a bit inferior to the methods of that Red Rain." ''How so? What kind of race is she from?'' Nero inwardly asked as he felt Red Rain to be a bit too odd. "You''ll find out soon enough, focus on your tasks; the time is running out." Adult Nero said. Nero didn''t bother to argue this time, his eyes shift around the room as they glowed in a green light, but no matter where he searched, he couldn''t find anything. Rumble! The earth shook even more fiercely as pillars began to collapse in different areas; one came towards Nero''s direction, forcing him to halt his search as he attacked it. Swing! His scythe sang as it cut through the air, slicing it apart into fragments that crashed onto the fissured earth. Nero then fell on top of a large erected rock, striving to keep his balance as he looked around once more. "Where is the damn treasury?" Nero cursed as he still couldn''t find it after a few dozen seconds; he checked the timer and saw that the first minute was almost over, causing sweat to roll down his cheeks. Still, as he was about to start losing his wits, he heard Mia''s joyful cry, "Hey, it''s over here!" Nero''s eyes lit up when he heard those words, not even wasting a moment; he jumped forward before sliding on top of different surfaces as if skating, utilizing his Four Point Unity Steps to the max. Seconds later, he had arrived before the scene, seeing that Mia was now standing behind Red Rain, who was using a strange technique with glowing runes to scan a large door with a plain and flat surface scan. "Where''s the keyhole?" Nero asked as he finally halted at their side. Mia gave him a look as she replied, "Not idea, but she should be able to find it." Nero gave the door a good look waiting for a few more seconds until a bright light shone from its center. There, Red Rain''s runes had spiraled around the light source until the wall opened up to reveal a large keyhole. "That should be the only source of access, but I don''t have the key. I suppose that one of you have found it?" Red Rain asked as she glanced at Mia and Nero. Mia shrugged with a look, saying she didn''t have it, but Nero waved his hand, showing a giant key with a bit a worn. "I just so happened to find it during my time here, come. Let''s get inside." Both Mia and Red Rain gave him a look but said nothing in the end; they watched as Nero placed the key into the lock and turned it. With a clicking sound and a few gear twisting noises, the door opened after a loud rumble adding even more disorder to the crumbling world around them. Using their magic power to keep a firm balance, Nero and the two girls hurried into the treasury which had opened before them, rushing through a corridor of pure gold. In a few seconds, they had arrived before a dazzling golden space of a circular shape, but at its center wasn''t any jewelry or artifacts. What laid resting here was none other than a massive corpse. Looking over its features, one would see that it was of pale skin, with pointed ears, two fang-like teeth, and sharp fingernails that held onto a similar key used to enter the room. "This is..." Nero and Mia uttered in surprise. Red Rain''s eyes narrowed as she added, "The true Master of Horrors." Nero''s eyes flashed as he inspected him, causing a few details to pop up before his eyes. ____ [The Master of Horrors, Valdiz] [Level: 10 | Race: Lesser Vampire] [Grade: Quasi Greater | Status: Dead] [Health: 0/1200] [Combat Force: 330] [Body Tenacity: 245) [Spiritual Awareness: 280] [Speed: 220 km/h]: [Skill: ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???] [Description: ???] ___ "It seems that Malorvin wasn''t entirely bluffing as if we were to fight this being, with that kind of monstrous stats difference, we would have had had a tough battle," Nero said as he looked at it with a grave expression. "Indeed, but I guess it can''t be helped. At least we might have stood a better chance when compared to that monstrous being," Mia said with a slightly fearful look in her eyes, recalling Malorvin. Nero nodded in agreement before taking his eyes from the corpse; he didn''t see any valuables around it. As such, he didn''t want to waste more time inspecting it. By now, Red Rain had arrived at the center of the room, where she stood before a seemingly ordinary box. Around were three different pillars with a palm craving at its center. Red Rain thought for a bit before gesturing to Nero and Mia as she spoke, "Hurry up guys, we don''t have much time left, and I think we must each place our energies into this box to take it." Nero and Mia moved like a gust of wind, but the instant they arrived at their positions, the system sounded in their minds. ____ [The time remaining: 20, 19, 18, 17...] ____ "Hurry!" Nero and the other said in unison as they reached their palms out and placed them onto the pillars with the palm prints. Moments after, a bright blue light shone from the pillars into the box, which then elevated into the air; it spun at a rapid rate before breaking apart and revealing a small sphere that had a marking engraved. A bright light then shone overall directions, illuminating each of their figures as a notification once again appeared in their minds. ____ Ding! [Congratulations, you have discovered an Ancient Artifact, you shall each receive a special reward from the system!] [Unique Dungeon Quest: Palace of Horrors is complete!] ____ The eyes of Nero and the others flickered when they heard those words, but before they could understand anything, the bright light which had illuminated the room receded as they vanished into thin air. Following this scene, the countdown had finally reached its endpoint. ____ [The time remaining: 3,2,1... commencing self desss....] ____ The Universe Ring''s timer, which had finally ended and was preparing to invoke the purge protocol, soon halted, as everything in the realm of the palace of Horrors seemed to have frozen still. In this still world on the verge of destruction, a familiar strange eye had appeared within the treasury of the royal chamber. It looked at the corpse of Valdiz with a thoughtful look before it spoke in a resonant voice, "Those beings, where did they come from? How could they both slip by the system?" The All-Seer''s incarnation thought as he eyed the environment, but no matter how long he pondered, he couldn''t find an answer. A firm look came into the floating eyeball as it glowed in bright lights before commanding the heavens, "Rewind." As if his words influenced it, the entire world started to flow in reverse at alarming speeds. It showed the battle between the strange man and Malorvin, even the fight with Nero''s party, going back faster and faster. Soon, it started to show images from a distant time, eventually, it reached a stage where it showed the first arrival of Malorvin, who slipped out of a terrifying-looking Rift, his body covered in wounds as if he was gravely injured. Still, the energies from his body were immensely powerful. ''Oh, this power, it is certainly beyond those Nine Supremes, maybe comparable to the Six Paragons if he''s at his full strength. However, a being like this shouldn''t create such a portal, since it''s son, then I can only assume that he used a formation method. A powerful form of a separate dimension, and since it''s so, the being who killed him should more or likely be superior to the Three Gods.'' With those thoughts in mind, the All-Seer fast forward time to the scene of the strange man leaving through the rift, his eyes glowing as if he wanted to peer into the world behind the rift, but as if the man sensed him, he glanced upward. He smirked before waving his hand, causing the rift and himself to vanished in an instant. Naturally, this wasn''t the only effect; the All-Seer''s incarnated eye shook as if it was hit by thunder, blood now flowing down its corner as if it was extremely injured. "Damn! Such power... I really can''t afford to spy on these ''external'' characters, che! It looks like I need to prepare ahead of time; I really can''t have strangers interfering with my plan." After saying those words, the eye flickered and vanished as the scene of destruction continued, the dungeon now crumbling into bits of pieces as it faded from the universe. Chapter 165: Startling All Parties A few moments before the Palace of Horrors'' final events, the World of Promise was in a state of alarm. The factions belonging to all core powers turned their sights towards the Novice Zone, many of them having looks of unease and curiosity, while uncertainty now loomed over those directly related to the problem. These core forces from Earth and the various worlds whose geniuses had entered the beginner dungeon had also started to show drastic movements because of a startling scene in the Novice Zone. Looking towards the sky of one of its most famous beginner villages, the Winfrey Village, one would notice that the blue portal connecting to another world was glowing in a menacing color, almost as if it were corrupted. If one looked at the sky, they would notice that it had now transitioned to a dark hue as even the stars, vaguely visible during the daytime, had vanished. While this was quite worrying, what came after the sudden change was an even more alarming notification that sounded across the entire Novice Zone. ____ [Warning: Pseudo Class One Dungeon has been contaminated, the world shall commence purging protocol, destroying world link!] [Warning: Pseudo Class One Dungeon has been contaminated, the world shall commence purging protocol, destroying world link!] ... ____ Many individuals'' faces turned pale to the repeating notification, even more so for associates and family of those who entered the Dungeon. They noticed that the portal had started to show signs of cracks as the system said those words. "This... what the hell is going on? What happened to the Dungeon?" One Digitizer said in alarm as he stared up above. "Damn! What''s going on in there? Where''s my son?" A man said as he had come from the Upper Zones specifically to find out what was going on. Many other powerful characters were also visible in the crowds of the Winfrey Village square. There were famous and influential figures, along with Guiders from powerful clans and associations, both on the side of humanity and other races their alliance. Naturally, Raynas was amongst the crowd; his eyes were most worried as he stared at the sky with a pale face as a voice ruthlessly cursed from an earpiece on his left earlobe. "HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN? I LEFT YOU IN CHARGE OF MY LITTLE ELLY, SO YOU BETTER BRING HER BACK TO ME!!!!" Madame Balkras said from the other end, her voice sounding curse and angry. Raynas trembled at this as he tried to explain himself, "But mother, I don''t..." It was clear that Raynas wanted to explain himself, but being in a furious state and the very source of Elly''s manner, Madame Balkras interrupted with another furious shout, "DON''T BUT ME!! HURRY AND BRING HER OUUUUT!!!!" Raynas sighed; he didn''t want to argue with his mother; he knew that the more he said, the angrier she would get, and right now, his mind was torn as he had no idea how to save Elly. Right now, he wanted nothing more than a breakthrough from this mess. ''Why the hell did something like this have to happen right now? This damn system better not harm my sister or god so help me; I''ll find a way to destroy it!'' With his furious cry in his thoughts, Raynas released a terrifying power that had surpassed the limits of the Novice Zone, the world around shaking due to huge ripples as it brought a startle to quite a few prying eyes. "Hmm, that boy, he''s that Iron Wall Raynas of one of those Upper Zone Balkras Clan. His strength has grown quite splendid over these recent years..." An alien with different colored skin and long-tail said. "Mm, not only him, but look, most of those rising rookies are here, even that Blissful Flame Fox of the Spirit Foxes have come personally; it seems someone important had entered this time''s beginner dungeon trial. Such a pity, things had to turn out like this..." A sharked teeth man said as his skin was scaly and blue, his eyes fixed onto a seductive beauty with a plump orange and white foxtail in a crowd of individuals when he said those words. At this man''s side was a mysterious woman of similar skin, her blue eyes shining with bright thunderbolt as her short glowing hair continuously rose above her head, her entire body emanating a dense amount of electricity. Her eyes were previously fixed onto the ominous portal that was slowly broken apart; but soon, her fist clenched tightly, she bit her lips, calming herself before she turned her attention to the same group. "Maybe so, it seems we''ve gotten quite the company already." The sharked teeth man nodded in agreement as he saw that along with the fox beauty, many other individuals had surrounded Village Chief Pam, cursing away in anger. "Hmm, who''s that, I can''t feel is magic power?" The shark teeth man asked as he saw what seemed like a man wrapped from head to toe in cloth, covered by a robe with complex patterns. "I''m not sure; he doesn''t'' have the aura of any token, so it''s likely that he''s not a human," The woman said with a serious look in her eyes. As if the person in question sensed them, he lifted his head to glance at them, his eyes showing a set of odd runes that filled them with dread before it returned to normal. "That¡­ those runes, could he be?" Both the sharked teeth man and blue thunder woman thought in alarm, they stared at each other, but neither continued their thoughts any further as if by agreement. At this moment, the man stared at the portal with flickering eyes before returning to normal. He then thought to himself with a strange look on his face. ''Fate''s markings aren''t severed, so your destiny won''t end here, child¡­'' After the man''s thoughts finished, his figure vanished into nothingness as if he was never here from the beginning. Naturally, no one else noticed his arrival and departure; this goes for even those who were still cursing away at the distracted Madame Pan, who carried a thoughtful expression. "Madame Pam, what the heck is going with your world''s system? You better not tell me that this is normal!" A slender human dressed in a high-class combat suit said, his hair blond, his eyes blue and mustache curled, giving him a noble air. "Oh, be quiet, you should know that even the natives wouldn''t necessarily have a grasp on the Universe Ring." The Blissful Flame Fox said. Her almond-shaped eyes were glancing at him with mock as she leaned her curvy figure covered in a scanty white dress to one side, her hair falling down her neck. "Hmph! Like I''d want to be advised by the likes of you foxes, you''re all no different from a prostitute." The man said as he glanced at her. Blissful Flame Fox frowned as she stared at the man with a set of cold-looking eyes, the air here soon turning a bit tense as if a battle would start, but before that could happen, a voice sounded. "Paul Newman, why don''t you just calm that attitude of yours? I''m sure no one else in that family of yours or that society is that arrogant in the Upper Zones." "Who said that?" Paul said as he angrily turned towards the source, but his eyes widened as the culprit walked up to his face. "Well, it''s me; want to do something about it?" Yullia said as she stood before him, her dress right now much different from the outside as she wore a tight-fitting, revealing battle mage dress with armor only at the core areas. "D-D-Dark Witch, d-d-don''t think that because of your rank, you can just shame anyone from the Hatman Society. Y-y-you should do well to remember that I am also a Newman," Paul said as he said in a flustered manner, but he tried his best to keep a haughty tone. "A Newman? So what? I can crush that little stick between your legs, all the same, care to find out?" Yullia said with a red gleam in her eyes. Paul trembled as he gritted his teeth and backed away, no longer trying to keep up a big front. A few other big-timers looked at him with mock, as some jeered silently. "Hmph! Useless," Yullia muttered, no longer paying him any mind; she glanced at Blissful Flame Fox, who smiled at her with a greeting before nodding. However, Yullia wasn''t feeling in a good mood; her eyes glanced at the portal with worry as she thought to herself. ''What the hell is happening right now? Was my lucky little handsome born under a bad star?'' Yullia thought with problematic eyes, trying to calm down her urge to punch a hole into a mountain. Much like her, even Village Chief Pan, who bared the brunt of everyone''s ire, frowned as she stood in the square, her eyes gazing above with an edgy look as she thought. ''This isn''t right, a malfunction, how could this happen under that beings watch? I feel that this situation might be more...'' Village Chief Pan was about to think something, but suddenly, her eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to the portal. Not only herself but Yullia, Raynas, and all the others gathered glanced upwards with worry and expectation as at this moment, a bright series of light shone from the portal as a new change occurred. Chapter 166: Returning from the Dungeon The sky had lit up with bright lights as the crumbling portal spat out a series of rays that spiraled about the area; everyone watched in surprise than joy as they saw these lights fell to the ground in abundance. Moments after, they had reformed into figures of various races before fading to reveal the Novice Digitizers who had entered the dungeon. "They''re back!" A voice said in joy as a person hurried over to their family member. More and more shouts of excitement sounded as some persons broke down into tears, it was clear that some of the Novices were the only family some individuals had, and the scene prior was no different from a disaster. "Elly!" Raynas said as his figure appeared at the bruised-up Elly. Elly looked at her brother with a somewhat pained look as she spoke, "Big Brother, Nero... he didn''t come out!" Raynas felt surprised by her words; he didn''t think the first thing to come out of her mouth was for the wellbeing of another man. He clicked his teeth silently as he thought, ''My dear sister, you should worry more about your own safety.'' After thinking, he tried to quell his discontented mood; he soon noticed that Elly''s eye corners were flowing with tears. Quickly, used his finger to wipe her eye corners as he pinched her cheek and spoke, "You little brat do you know how worried I was? Mother is crying like mad just because you couldn''t come out! Yet here you are talking about another person!" "Ouch!" Elly cried out as she felt her cheek being pinched; she glared at Raynas and slapped his hand as she spoke, "Brother, it''s not my fault! Besides, I have to be worried; you don''t know how dangerous it is inside!" "Hmm, what happened in there? What caused all these changes?" Raynas asked as he heard her words. Elly made a slightly fearful look as she started to explain, "I-it''s like this..." After listening to Elly''s explanation, Raynas''s face turned from curiosity to shock, then horror. He spoke out of character, "What? You''re telling me that a monster of Supremacy Class was actually the boss? Yet, the one that defeated him was a man that vastly more powerful, was it one of the Supremes or Paragons?" Elly shook her head as she replied, "No, they were neither; they didn''t even seem to come from any of the recorded worlds." Raynas frowned at this; he lifted his head, staring deeply at the portal as he knew just what this signified. Not only himself but many others who heard these details from the others also had pensive looks on their faces. Even the sharked teeth man and blue thunder woman who stood with Crazy Blade and Thunder''s Daughter had frowned. "Are you certain?" The shark teethed man asked. "I''m positive, I had experienced it after all." Crazy Blade said. Thunder''s Daughter also nodded as she looked at the man, the sharked teeth man and blue thunder woman glanced at each other with pensive looks on their faces but said nothing in the end. Delkan was now standing with Paul Newman, explaining the circumstances; Paul frowned as he spoke, "How troubling, it looks like we''ll likely be having an alliance conference because of this odd news." "Indeed." Another person said as they stood at the side. Village Chief Pan frowned at the thought of this; she naturally overheard the details and couldn''t help but think to herself. ''A Supreme and a Paragon that''s never made an appearance? If it''s so, then either of them could drastically change the shape of the situation in that zone. Hmm, now that this has happened, then not only these races but also those belonging to the other side will certainly be holding a grand conference. It''s interesting that this chooses to occur right before the Gate of Legends; maybe things won''t be so simple this time.'' While others shared her thoughts, some, on the other hand, seemed more occupied on the thoughts of the crumbling portal, as three persons had yet to return. Having recalled the situation, Elly looked at the portal with worry as Nero still hadn''t come out, her eyes growing more concerned as she saw it breaking to pieces like glass. Raynas sighed as he tapped her shoulder and comforted, "Sister, don''t worry, I believe he''ll make it out too." "Mm," Elly said with a nod, but the worry in her eyes didn''t lessen. Much like her, the Blissful Flame Fox and Yullia both had deep concerns on their faces as they faced the portal; they knew things weren''t looking too good since they hadn''t appeared yet. ''Just what the hell is that brat doing? Is he planning to live in there?'' Yullia thought with anger, but she was only trying to push away her worry which grew as more of the portal crumbled away. She bit her lips, causing it to flow with blood as she prepared to curse out loud, but before that could happen, the portal showed a new change, drawing everyone''s attention once more. With a loud buzzing sound, the portal began to crumble even faster, bringing looks of alarm to any individual''s eyes. Elly felt as if her heart was galling out of her mouth. She began to tremble, thinking the worse, but in an instant, right as the portal shattered to bits, three rays of light beamed outside of it. These lights fell to the ground before forming into Nero, Mia, and Red Rain, each of whom looked around pensively. "Nero! Are you okay?" Elly''s voice sounded as she hurried over from Raynas''s side. Raynas shook his head at this as he too walked over, Nero was about to greet Elly, but Mia smirked at this as she grabbed his arm, fixing it into her ample bosom as she placed a juicy kiss onto his cheek. "Hehe, thanks for the ''hard work,'' Wild Silver." With that said, Mia then stuck out her tongue towards the shocked Elly as she jumped from this area, rapidly making her way towards the Blissing Flame Fox''s direction. "You-you-you!" Elly said in rage, her face turned bright red as her anger boiled to its peak as she felt as if she was about to destroy the world. "Hehe, that little sister of mine." Blissful Flame Fox said with a light snicker. Yullia, upon seeing Nero had beaming eyes, but as she found the current scene interesting, she didn''t move near but smirked as if she wanted to take in a bit of the drama. Crazy Blade chuckled at this as Thunder''s Daughter shook her head; having no idea what the problem was, she felt it to be a human thing. Nevertheless, though others had good and teasing intent, there was one who had a look full of raw hate. Delkan glared at Nero, who got kissed by another woman in front of his beloved Elly. ''Son of bitch! If I don''t kill you one day, then I''m not a Newman!'' He thought as he savagely gnashed his teeth, causing Paul to look at him in surprise; he narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Nero and thought to himself. ''So, he is the one that wasn''t recruited... the very boy that ruined our marriage relation and even survived that assassination. Hmph! No one can just insult our family and expect to have a good time.'' Paul thought to himself with a hint of killing intent in his eyes, but he didn''t dare to do anything as he knew full well what kind of power Nero was now under. Not to mention, the fabled Dark Witch was standing at the side. Feeling the various gazes of many, Nero wiped the corner of his cheek as he found himself in a particular scene; he sighed while thinking to himself, "It looks like my life is destined for trouble." ''You have no idea...'' Adult Nero said with a look of pity in his eyes, knowing full well of the hazards of being too handsome. The two with their thoughts as they prepared as the scene here turned strange. Chapter 167: The All Seers Assessment The commotion soon died down as everyone gathered in the Novice Zone and now felt relief at the prodigy''s successful return. All except those who died against either the monsters or even those lackeys that Delkan and Paul Newman had already forgotten. Naturally, unlike the selfish Newman''s, some persons left with tears in their eyes, spewing out curses to any who came near them; the others, however, remained as they had awaited Village Chief Pan to confer the rewards. Village Chief Pan seemed to be meditating after taking in all the slurs and complaints from the Digitizers descended from the Upper Zones. A strange aura connected to her as it flowed towards the summits of the sky, passing through the plump nimbus into the dazzling Universe Ring of the World of Promise, seeming to be passing down a strange kind of knowledge. While this happened, some people stared at her impatiently, but others remained at ease, knowing that they couldn''t avoid this situation. "I see you couldn''t wait to stain this young boy. Hehe, come on, tell big sister, when are you going to charm him?" The Blissful Flame Fox said as she pushed her head forward and looked at Mia. Mia now showed an embarrassed face despite her bold action moments ago, her face crimson as she spoke, "I... I''m not some cheap fox, and he... he''s not mine yet." The Blissful Flame Fox smirked as she saw her expression; she knew that there weren''t many who could force her little sister to show her slightly innocent side. She glanced at Nero, noticing his calm manner, bright silver hair, sharp eyes, and handsome but young teenage face. Her eyes flickered as she licked her lips and snickered while thinking with her fingers on her lips. ''Oh, such a boy... truly better when seen in person, no wonder he''s on that list. Judging by his looks, he''s certain to grow quite fine; it''s a pity I'' not a few decades younger. My dear sister, you''ve found yourself a good catch, hehe...'' With such thoughts in mind, the Blissful Flame Fox could only push down her desires as she passed them on to her sister, hoping she could claim what she couldn''t. "Well, at least he''s fine; I suppose I''ll leave after this old bag gives us the report," Yullia said as she looked at Nero before she glanced at Village Chief Pan. Unaware to Nero and a few others, a familiar blond haired Asian youth stood at a corner with relief on his face as he thought to himself. ''Tsk, this damn fellow, always causing me so much trouble.'' Ryu said as he gave Nero a good look before turning and leaving the area. At this time, Elly had a sour look on her face as she paced back and forth. "But mother, I''m fine... don''t act so worried all the time." Elly said with a helpless look on her face as she spoke to her mother using a special communication earpiece. "You better not go into a dungeon again! Otherwise, I... I will no longer let you leave the house!" Miss Balkras said in an angry voice. "Mother..." Elly said, feeling annoyed. "Don''t mother me! You should..." Miss Balkras yelled as she continued another lengthy speech for some time. Nero glanced over at this, he could vaguely hear some noises, and as he did, he couldn''t help but show pity in his eyes towards Elly. ''It looks like not all families are as pleasant.'' Elly, at this point, finally finished talking with her mother; after taking a deep breath showing an angry look on her face, she noticed Nero''s stare. ''That bastard dared to kiss and act as if nothing happened, see if I ever talk to him again!'' Elly thought with anger as she recalled the snobby looking Mia, having her way and leaving as if she was in control. "Hmph!" Elly snorted as she turned her head away from Nero, her entire manner emanating a will of discontent. But sadly, her attempts to show anger alone with her cute looks, and petite figure, only gave a different kind of effect to those who looked at her. ''It looks like she hates me now, haha, girls are so strange.'' Nero thought as he looked at Elly, thinking that it was both foolish and cute to act such a manner; he then turned his eyes onto the scene before him, whiling pondering in silence. Raynas shook his head at this while thinking, ''Nero, you have a hard road ahead of you, especially when mother hears about this, sigh... I feel sorry for you already.'' Despite thinking this, Raynas showed a firm look as he continued to tap away on a virtual keyboard visible only to his eyes. A detailed report was shown, documenting many different scenarios. It was titled - a Comprehensive Report on Elly''s Love Interest, codename: Wild Silver. Naturally, Nero didn''t know of such a dangerous thing because right now, he locked his eyes onto Delkan, who seemed to be eyeing him with vicious intent. He couldn''t help but notice Paul Newman, who also gave him a threatening look before turning away. ''This guy... it looks like I won''t have peace unless I can get rid of that darn Delkan and his family. A pity, with my current strength achieving such a thing is impossible; it looks like I''ll need to make some preparations for an extended conflict.'' Nero thought while narrowing eyes; Adult Nero nodded in satisfaction; he liked how his younger self was thinking more and more; he didn''t have the rash, bloodthirsty nature, or rather, the complete bloodthirstiness he did during these times in his past. Nero soon took his eyes away from the Newman''s, but he got a message right at this moment. ____ Ding! [Avollo has sent you a message!] ____ Nero looked at that with it anger as he cursed under his breath, "Tsk, so only now you ask if I''m okay, what if I didn''t make it out of that damn dungeon?" Nero grumbled, feeling resentful about his ''friend,'' but he also didn''t feel too bad. After all, he did send a message in the end. Not wasting a moment, he opened it. ____ [Avollo: "Hey, you didn''t die, right? That''d make me the default winner of our rematch, haha!"] ____ "That son of..." Nero was about to curse in rage, but right at this time, their Village Chief Pan finally had a change. Buzz! Following a strange sound, she opened her eyes as the divine lights from the Universe Ring faded from her body. When this happened, her eyes shone in a bright ray before returning to normal as she rose to standing posture. Everyone looked at her silently, knowing full well that she was ready to perform her duties as a Novice Village Chief. Village Chief Pan looked at everyone before she spoke, "The Seer has spoken, his words are as follows: the Universe Ring of The Palace of Horrors has been sealed, and no one will be able to enter that world anymore. As for the issue prior, he states that he will be placing more protocols to prevent such incidents from occurring again. Lastly, regarding the details about the strange beings that appeared, he will withhold all information until further notice." "What? That''s unreasonable! He has to explain more of what the hell we''re going up against. What am I to tell the core leaders?" Paul said. "That''s right; the council meeting is already being scheduled; there is no way we can simply take back such words to any of our factions." Another person said. More persons added their opinions, and the situation soon turned chaotic due to various shouts. Still, some remained quiet, observing with pensive expressions. ''So troubling, Chief Levier won''t be pleased about this one bit.'' Yullia said with a look of annoyance on her face. "Blast, the family head won''t give me an easy time." Paul cursed. The sharked teeth man and thunder spark woman looked at each other before shaking their heads helplessly at the news. Nero, or rather, his older self, had a more in-depth look; he keenly looked at Village Chief Pan, who spoke once more. "Please do understand, although everyone here is now associates with our world, in the end, you are all still visitors. The rules here are all dictated by the Universe Ring, and the one who maintains it is the All-Seer." The crowd turned silent at this as some major characters showed ugly looks on their faces; one of them even snorted as he spoke, "Hmph! I''ll keep that in mind, come. Let''s go." He said to his group as they left the area, a few others also did, but these were persons who didn''t have novices expecting their rewards. ''I guess I''ll leave as well.'' Yullia thought as she started to leave the area. Nero, upon this time, finally noticed her; she gave him a look before smiling as she spoke while walking away. "Little Handsome, you sure have quite the luck, but I can''t say if it''s yet to be good or bad, do take care not to die too early.One more thing, please visit the office Friday, you will need to make a debut at the meeting before that Gate of Legends event." ''A meeting?'' Nero thought, not recalling such details, but he didn''t put it too much on his mind as he saw that Village Chief Pan was scanning the crowd; she gave him a smile before speaking to the reaming crowd. "Good, I''ve done my message deliverance. I would like to congratulate all survivors of that dungeon raid; well done. You have completed a mission of incredible difficulty; please accept your rewards." The scene here growing a bit more exciting as all novices showed anticipation to the current scene, hoping to claim great rewards. ____ NB: "Hey guys, I will be doing special contests every month from now, from them you can win an Amazon gift card along with a copy of one of my Amazon book series. There will be two competitions this month, one for Valentines and one for the end date of Chinese New Year. Keep an eye on my Twitter and Facebook page for more details to come in the coming week." Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShadowsFingers Twitter - https://twitter.com/ShadowsFinge Chapter 168: Receiving the Rewards With Village Chief Pan''s words, a series of bright lights shone as everyone had begun to receive notifications, many of them leveled up as those who had yet to reach the requirements were only a few steps behind. Items had similarly appeared before them, hovering a bit before their torsos; once they inspected their effects, it filled their faces with even more excitement as the joyful cheers of the surviving digitizers resounded as they felt that the dungeon wasn''t so bad in the end. Elly had a bright smile on her face as she held a small shiny bracelet in her hand; Raynas gave it a peak as he spoke, "That''s a good item, my sister, but I''ll be confiscating it until I feel you''re worthy of it." Without even waiting for her to reply, he waved his hand, pocketing it before she could do anything. "Hey, give it back!" Elly yelled as she glared at Raynas. Raynas, who usually took on a gentle manner, gave her a stern look as he spoke, "Hmph! Elly... do you dare to say that again?" Elly seeing his shrank back a bit, but as if she really liked the treasure, she bit her lips and cursed, "Brother, you''re so mean, why don''t you go steal from everyone else?" Raynas sighed at this as he spoke, "Elly, you should know that it''s for your own good, come now, let''s get to training, only after you''ve reached level 10 and have succeeded those skill masteries will I give it back." After saying such words, Raynas turned around left, walking at a brisk pace. Elly bit her lips at this; she glanced at the side, noticing that Nero didn''t have anything as he remained silent, staring at Village Chief Pan. ''Huh? What''s he doing?'' Elly thought to herself, she wanted to ask, but as she saw that Raynas was getting farther away; she gritted her teeth in anger. ''This darn big brother of mine, humph!Just you wait, I''m going to tell father.'' With her mind made up, she no longer dallied, rushing towards the direction he went as she prepared to experience another ruthless round of daily training. Much like Elly and Raynas, the other Novice Digitizers, along with their guides, and associates from the Upper Layers, soon left the area. They all seemed a bit in a hurry, as if their eyes were anticipating something. Delkan, while leaving, glared at Nero from a distance, but as he saw Nero treating him as if he didn''t exist, he clenched his fists tightly as if he couldn''t wait to break his bones and chew his flesh. "Delkan, why are you lagging? The Gate of Legends isn''t waiting around! Hurry along to finish your training!" Paul''s annoying voice sounded ahead of him. "I-I''m coming, uncle!" Delkan, no longer bothered with Nero as he hurried behind Paul, his remaining lackeys similarly behind him like a tail. Thunder''s Daughter and Crazy Blade were also about to leave with their clansmen. Thunder''s Daughter glanced at Nero, who seemed to have noticed her look; she nodded before holding onto the thunder spark woman''s hand before they vanished like a streak of the lightning bolt into the sky. On the other hand, Crazy Blade had a competitive expression as he spoke, "Wild Silver, I hope to see you again during the Gate of Legends. Do your best to prepare now?" Nero smiled at this as he replied, "I hope you do the same." Crazy Blade''s eyes flashed with a sharp ray as he laughed before looking at the shark teeth clansman; the man then grabbed him before they flickered and beamed across the horizon like a deadly ray of blade light. Only Nero, Red Rain, and Mia had remained with the others now gone; they glanced at each other before they walked over to Village Chief Pan, who smiled as if she was waiting for them. "Good, you children have done well. I didn''t think that such a change would occur, but you still managed to bring back that old thing from such a dangerous situation. Come, sent it here, then accept your rewards for that dungeon." Village Chief Pan said with a smile as she gestured with her hand. Nero gave the girls a look before he waved his hand, taking out the unusual sphere with a mysterious marking engraved on its surface. Looking at it now, one would notice that it was in the shape of a Digitized Bit, but somewhat different. Nero, Mia, and Red Rain each had eyes of fascination now that they had the time to observe it more closely. Suddenly, a sound akin to that of a beating heart was heard, the looked on their faces changed to one of a daze. As if it wanted to prove that it was the cause of their change, the marking on the sphere glowed in a bright ray of light. ''This... what''s happening to my sister?'' The Blissful Flame Fox thought with a shocked expression. Village Chief Pan showed a similar look of surprise. She thought to herself, ''Well now, what''s going on here? Though comparable to an ancient artifact, this should be just a replica of the Ancient Digitize Pearl belonging to that palace; how can novices inspire such a thing?'' Village Chief Pan had a deep look in her eyes, trying to understand the current situation, but as if something changed, the Perl grew dim as it floated towards her. ''Hmm, it stopped, could it have been a malfunction?'' She pondered with a set of intrigued eyes; she pointed it towards them again but soon noticed that there were no longer any changes. ''It looks like it might have been an error, or maybe... it might have sensed something different about their Digitize Bits. Huhu... such wonderful children, it really makes me wonder just what they''ll show during that event.'' Wrapping up her thoughts, Village Chief Pan snapped her fingers, bringing Nero and the others back to their senses. ''Huh? What just happened?'' Nero thought with a confused look on his face; he waited for Adult Nero to explain, but right at this time, the notification both he and the girls were waiting for had finally arrived. ____ Ding! [You have completed the Unique Dungeon Quest: Palace of Horrors!] Ding! [Because of your outstanding success in surviving an ordeal beyond your stage of power, you shall receive an extra amount of EXP and Prestige.] Ding! [You have been rewarded 1000 EXP and 500 Prestige!] Ding! [Congratulations, your Prestige has ranked up! You have become a - Famed Novice! Prestige resources unlocked!] Ding! [Based on your outstanding achievements, you''ve received the Two Special System Items!] ____ Nero felt a bit unsatisfied after seeing that he didn''t get enough EXP to level up, but as he saw the rewards he got, his eyes lit up as he stared at the glowing sources of light that appeared before him, shining so brightly that they enveloped his view of the scene. Chapter 169: Nero’s Items, A Charming Stare Nero didn''t waste time when he heard his notification; he promptly commanded with his mind, ''Inspect Inventory.'' ____ Ding! [You have received the Blood Horror Cloak!] Ding! [You have received ???? Scroll!] ... [Items: ???Special Gift(Locked LVL:10), (NEW)???Scroll, (NEW)Blood Horror Cloak, Midnight Arm Gauntlet - Body Tenacity: 19(Skill - Midnight Shield), Judgment Cuff (Skill - Bind), Sky Walker Boots (Skill - Sky Walk), Crimson Mantis Band (Skill - Killing Field), Ironscale Underarmor - BT: 38, Furry Ape Martial Robe - BT: 10, Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe (Level7 Growable) CP: 48, Trading License, Digitize License] ____ Nero was a bit stumped when he finally got the details; he glanced at the blood-red cloak with special markings that floated nearby a tattered scroll before he inspected it. ''Identify,'' He said with his mind as the details appeared soon after on a screen. ____ [Blood Horror Cloak] [Grade: Rare Tier (Growable)] [Type: Armor] [Subtype: Cloth] [Usable by: All] [Requirements: Level 8] [Body Tenacity: 52] [Durability: 45/45] [Item Skills:] [Blood Binding Chains - The user can summon several chains equivalent to their magic power to bind their foe, chains can also seal targets equal in level to the user for 20 seconds while varying for those at a stronger level or tier.] [Blood ???(Locked: Level50)] [Blood ???(Locked: Level100)] [Description: A rare cloak used by the Vampire Ruler Valdiz, its wearer has the power to wield its innate abilities.] ____ Nero''s eyes lit up at the sight of those details; he couldn''t help but smile as he thought to himself. ''This is amazing, with this I can finally get rid of those Judgement Cuffs, it''s too weak to affect battles at my level, and what''s more, with this being a rare artifact, I can increase its strength with my levels.'' Nero couldn''t feel any more satisfied, but as if to pour cold water on his mood, Adult Nero spoke, "Not exactly." ''What?'' Nero said confusedly. Adult Nero shook his head and replied, "Rare Tier items are generally capable of allowing growth, with only some not providing it. However, just like this, there is another thing to note about growth type Rare Tier artifacts: their leveling limits. All growth type Rare Tier items have a limit with which they can''t surpass, and your Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe, Sky Walker Boots, and this new find have limits you can''t yet see." ''Hmm, why can''t I see them?'' Nero asked in his mind. "Because you have yet to arrive at the standard level." Adult Nero said no longer speaking again. ''Hmph! It''s not like I won''t reach it someday, so mean¡­'' Nero thought with a complex look before he cleared his mind; he no longer bothered to ask about it as he knew his older self wouldn''t say anything more. Now, he looked onto the strange-looking tattered scroll that floated before him, grasping it firmly in his hand as he inspected it. ''Identify,'' He commanded with his mind, but rather than seeing it transform before his eyes, there was an unusual notification. ____ Ding! [Due to Host''s limitations, ???? Scroll is unobservable!] ____ Nero frowned at this as he shook the scroll back and forth while complaining, "You''ve got to be kidding me; why the hell give me a reward if I can''t understand its use?" He turned his attention to Mia and Red Rain, noticing that they both only carried calm looks; though Mia showed more of her emotions, while Red Rain had a flicker in her eyes. it was clear that they got worthy rewards and didn''t have to go through his struggles. As if noticing Nero''s sour look, Mia giggled as she inched closer to his direction, bending her body forwards to show her plump bosom as she spoke, "Hehe, Wild... no, Nero¡­ how is it? Aren''t you satisfied with the rewards?" The soothing sound of her voice as the sweet fragrant limited to only her kind, flowed towards him giving him a few peculiar feelings. It even made it more troubling when he saw her suggestive pose as she looked at him with her bright and beautiful eyes. Though bolder than most youths, Nero didn''t fully adjust to the previous sudden kiss; he shifted his eyes from her, trying to suppress his state of mind before she replied. "No, I only got something useless," Nero said as he waved his hand before putting away the tattered scroll, not bothering to mention the previous item. Mia gave him an in-depth look as she answered, "Ohh, well, don''t be sad, I''m sure you''ll be able to find a use for it someday. Hehe, who knows, it might just be a treasure map; you''ll have to invite me and this sister here if that''s the case." Red Rain had been calmly listening from the side, her eyes deeply glancing at Nero with her thoughts unknown to the world. Nero gave Mia and look before turning to Red Rain, noticing how she was eyeing him; he couldn''t help but feel strange as he thought to himself. ''This strange girl...'' He couldn''t'' quite understand what she wanted even now, but as he didn''t want to think about it, he no longer let it bother him. Knowing that the scroll might be more than it seemed, he gave them a look and replied, "Fine, fine, I''ll be sure to invite you girls, but only if it''s some treasure map." "Yay, you hear that? He didn''t reject it, now we know that if he does go without us someday, he''ll be no different from what those humans call a cheating liar," Mia said with a joyful expression on her face. Still, deep down, it also carried a hint of cleverness, her slender fox eyes staring at Nero as if he was a rabbit in a trap. "Indeed." Red Rain said in a slightly indifferent tone, but it was clear that she tried to add a hint of emotion to it, such a pity that she wasn''t used to expressing herself to others. Nero didn''t expect such a reaction from the girls; he naturally understood that they might know things he wouldn''t. Still, what shocked him the most was Red Rains light words from the minor exchange. "Mia, come on, it''s time to go." The Blissful Flame Fox said as she walked over from one side. Mia glanced at her with an annoyed look, but the Blissful Flame Fox only smiled at her. When she saw that overly gently look, Mia didn''t dare to talk back, she sighed and spoke, "Okay, fine, Nero, let''s meet again." Following those words, the Blissful Flame Fox opened her eyes and glanced at Nero, giving him an intense stare. In that look, it seemed as if she was a black hole, aiming to swallow him into oblivion, leaving nothing behind. Nero felt alarmed at this, never expecting such a scene, he soon felt as if he was about to lose his mind, seeing only a peerless beautiful figure before him. In this second, his mouth became parched as his body''s senses began to react differently as if he was immensely attracted to her. Adult Nero frowned at this; his eyes shone in cold light as a vague energy formed around him. He was one moment from taking direct action, but right at this moment, he heard a snort from a different direction of Village Chief Pan as her voice sounded. "Miss Alesia, I hope that you''re not thinking of charming this poor child on my watch." Village Chief Pan said with a cold look in her eyes as she stared at Alesia. Mia grew angry when she turned to her sister; she only now realized what just happened. "Big Sister, what are you doing?" Mia angrily cursed, her plump fox tail rising as it stiffened due to her rage. Alesia, however, soon returned to normal, her lips curving into a smile as she spoke with a slightly flushed face, "Ah, excuse me, old habits... hehe... Mia, don''t blame your sister, he''s just too... handsome... come let''s go." Mia felt even more enraged at this, but before she could say anything else, Alesia made a light giggle before both she and Mia vanished into thin air. Nero, who was now filled with sweat, looked at this with a stern gaze as he pondered, ''I... I really don''t hope to be targeted by a woman like that in the future.'' Pff. Adult Nero tried to hold back his laughter at this, the severe look of his eyes fading a bit as he felt the scene funny. Village Chief Pan, on the other hand, merely gave Nero a look before she spoke, "Little one, go on now, you have quite a lot of time, I think you should make the best of it before you go back to your domain." Nero nodded at this before he replied, "Okay, Grandma Chief, see you around." Nero left towards a different direction after saying such words, he noticed that while walking, Red Rain had already vanished, but as he didn''t know much about her, he left it at the back of his mind, pressing onwards into the scene of the afternoon. Chapter 170: Nero’s Stats, A Strange Rumor The night came quickly, bringing with it an end to all of the earlier commotions. The scene within Birgime now one of peace and calmness as few sauntered about to enjoy the scenery. An exhausted looking Nero was currently walking through a lightly crowded street with his body seemingly worked out. In his new Blood Horror Cloak, he was garbed with his features having a slightly intimidating air due to his bright silver hair and red eyes. A few others gave him looks of interest, but no one wanted to waste too much time as it was late. Nero soon found himself in a quiet area, sitting himself down beside a tall tree as he peered at the colorful night sky, gazing at the looming Universe Ring and mystical stars that loomed above. "Whew! I''m tired... I finally got through such a hellish day." Nero said with a light voice. Adult Nero shook his head at this as he spoke, "Come now, that was nothing, and besides, you did show some good progress today. Your skills have improved a bit, and you even reached Level 8 quite easily because of that Dungeon Raid." Nero rolled his eyes at this as he inwardly spoke, ''Hmph! But that very same dungeon almost let me lose my life!'' "Indeed, but you have to learn; only through undergoing a world full of risks can you rise above others and strive for even greater things." Adult Nero said with a set of deep looking eyes; Nero didn''t say anything to this but remained silent as if he agreed with his words. His attention soon turned from the night sky as he spoke in his mind, ''Show status!'' ____ [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - Silver Boy, Wild Silver(Active), The First Newbie(System: Cannot Equip | +40 Health and MP)] [Tier - Novice Rank Digitizer] [Level: 8 | Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 3640] [Current EXP: 1014] [Influence: Humanity(Blood Steel Society) | Prestige: 1200 - Famed Warrior] [Health: 280/280] [Magic Power: 280/280] [Combat Power:240(+48) | 100+140] [Body Tenacity: 98(+122) | 52+70] [Spiritual Awareness: 45] [Speed: 71(+36) km/h] 107 - 162 km/h [Genetic Trait: ??? Inheritance Bit (Mazello(Level 10)), Reaper''s Eye] --- [Passive Combat Skills | High-Grade:] [Core Body Refinement: Stage 8 (89/2000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Can increase Combat Power and Body Tenacity by +70] [All Weapons Mastery Skill - Stage 8 (92/2000) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Can increase the skill and Combat Power used by +70] --- [Active Combat Skills | High Grade:] [Blood Reaper''s Dance (Special) Stage 2 (97/300) | ? Stages] [Effects: Increase of 20% total damage, MP Consumption: 30] [Four Point Unity Steps - Stage 8 (50/2000)| 9 Stages] [Effects: Increase of 55km/h, MP Consumption: 15] [Myriad Spector Clones: Stage 3 (195/200) | 9 Stages] [Effects:Conjure 3 Phantom Clones, MP Consumption: 15] --- [Active Combat Skills | Low Grade: Flash Cut: Stage 3 MAX] --- [Coins: 19 Silver 80 Coppers] ____ Nero felt joyful when he saw his details, but as he looked at his skills, he couldn''t help but sigh as he complained. ''It looks like I''ll have a long week of grinding to push up these skills.'' "Indeed so." Adult Nero said, not trying to hide the fact. Not bothering to listen to his older self''s ramblings, Nero recalled something he heard earlier, he inwardly asked in a curious tone. ''What''s that thing about Prestige Resources?'' Adult Nero only now remembered that he hadn''t said anything about it; he laid on his back lazily as he floated in Nero''s consciousness and replied. "Prestige Resources... ah those things, they are benefits given to those of certain fame, once you''ve arrived at the true start of the Novice Tier, then you can use it at a major city." Adult Nero said in a calm tone. "What?" Nero asked as he heard the term major city. Adult Nero rolled over to his side, seeming tired as if he wanted to sleep as he lazily replied, "Don''t worry about it right now, when the time comes for you to do your Inheritance Quest, all will naturally come to light." "You¡­ I really don''t understand why you''re so stingy with information!'' Nero cursed with a dissatisfied look. However, Adult Nero didn''t seem to mind, he laid on his side, appearing to be dozing away, but if one paid him attention, they would see that his eyes were sharp, carrying a complex look as if thinking about something. ''So many unexpected variables, and then that scroll... it looks like things might be taking a slightly different route from my time. I suppose from this point I should expect certain changes in all other areas.'' While Adult Nero thought to himself, Nero looked at his watch only to notice that the time had arrived at precisely 12:00 AM. Without even a word from his mouth, his body burst apart into multiple blocks of colorful light that swept towards the Universe Ring before he vanished from the world. *** Unlike the World of Promise, the world outside was now transitioning from the dark night to bright daylight. A fresh morning wind blew from the cracked windows of Nero''s abode, brushing across his face as he peered outside at the receding shadows of the high-rise buildings. He rose onto his feet and stretched, cracking his knuckles and joints before he yawned and head outside of his room. While walking past his mother''s room door, he glanced at it for a moment with a slightly lonely look. His eyes showing a trace of recollection as if he could see the beautiful silver-haired form, raising from her bed as she fixed the curtain at the windows. After doing this, she turned towards him and gave him a gentle smile while speaking her most iconic words, "My little Nero." "Mom..." Nero muttered as he slightly reached out his arm towards the open door, but as if he came back to his senses. He shook his head and clapped his cheeks. ''For now... mother is fine; I shouldn''t be sad, I''ll keep striving to do better for her sake.'' Nero said to himself as his lonely eyes became a bit more bright, showing a more determined expression. Following this, he quickly headed downstairs and whipped up his morning breakfast, after which he locked up the house before leaving. However, right as he arrived at the gate, he couldn''t help but shake his head as he saw someone he hadn''t in a while. "Oh, so you finally show up, what have you been up to?" Nero asked. Ryu looked at him before he held his head down, playing a mobile game on his phone while replying, "The usual, sticking close by unnoticed." Nero rolled his eyes at this, thinking that this fellow was surely getting more outspoken and direct. He didn''t bother to say anymore as he left the yard and continued through the street, moving towards the Gutter Zone Blockade''s direction. Naturally, Ryu was behind him, keeping pace with him despite his attention focused solely on his phone. Their odd combination making some individuals stare at them with odd looks, but it didn''t seem to influence them in any way. It didn''t take long for them to arrive at the checkpoint; Nero saw that many familiar faces were standing there waiting for the school bus. However, as he and Ryu came closer, he couldn''t help but overhear a set of peculiar words. "Hey, did you see that video?"A girl said to her friend. "No, what kind?" The other person said. "You mean you haven''t seen it, that viral video about those Super Normals..." The other girl said in alarm as if not hearing about it was a shocking thing. Nero and Ryu, hearing this narrowed their eyes; they both looked at each other, clear of the other''s thinking but said nothing. ''This doesn''t feel good...'' Nero thought as he stared ahead of himself, noticing the bus was arriving; he could feel that Monday wasn''t going to be like any other he had ever experienced. Chapter 171: Startling News It didn''t take long for Nero and Ryu to arrive on campus; having traveled with the other students from the Gutter Zone, they had already gotten wind of quite a peculiar situation. News of unique powered humans called Super Normals, sparking the beginning of a grand commotion to those of Rambruck and even those beyond the Levier Sector. The disturbance even caused an emergency briefing from public officials in the separate governing bodies, trying to quell its swell, but sadly, even such attempts were proving useless. "I urge all citizens to be at ease; this is nothing more than a fictional video meant to sow discord amongst our people. Sources have linked this detail to a well-known digital terrorist who the UEG''s Special Forces Division (SFD) have already apprehended as we speak, we are slowly beginning to crack down on the rest of his a¡ª" A voice said over from a tablet device held by a student who walked on the well-paved path towards the classrooms. Glancing at the device''s screen, one would notice a middle-aged man in a business suit speaking with a calm expression as a video played behind him. One of a cuffed man with speed deprived eyes, an unshaven beard and casual clothing was being pulled into an SFD van. The student had an angry look on his face as he saw the video; he pressed a button to halt the feed as he shouted in discontent. "That''s bullshit! We all saw it; I refuse to believe that what I saw on that Itube channel was just a fluke!" "Exactly! Hmph! These authorities must take us for fools; no one is going to tell me that what I say wasn''t right!" A teenage girl said. "You know those rumors from those times; this proves that most things said by those individuals weren''t so far off from the truth." Another person added. "I know right, my dad had already warned me about such things since I was small, he even went out of his way to tell me never to speak it in public, or they''ll punish me like those guys." A senior student said. Listening to all the noise around the Nero sighed as his eyes soon caught sight of the source of the commotion, a video feed on another student''s mobile phone. On it was a scene akin to fantasy, as the scenes of the battle between Doppleman and Screwgelman were shown. Although both had been suppressing their strength by a drastic degree, the sight of Doppleman turning into endless clones, as Screwgelman used specialized combat skills to destroy them left a lasting impression on those who witnessed it. "This is crazy!" A student said, having only now caught sight of the video. "Hehe, that''s right, you''re lucky that you''ve got me to see it; they''ve already taken down this video from its source." A cheeky teen said as he puffed up his chest. More and more students discussed this event, but unlike them, there were only two who walked through them, moving towards their classroom with a calmer expression. "How troublesome... if they''ve kept it hidden for so long, why would they even let such a thing slip up? They''re only going to disturb the rest of our normal lives if this thing picks up." Nero muttered as he saw this news; he knew that things would not be so easy to quiet down now that such a thing had spread out. "That won''t happen," Ryu said with a definite look on his face. Nero glanced at him with a strange look as he asked, "And why so? The situation has already come this far." Ryu made a faint smile as his eyes that naturally locked onto his phone screen, shifted up towards Nero as he replied with another question. "What did you think happened in the era of the Great Shift?" ''Huh? Wait, that''s right... how did they suppress such a thing?'' Nero thought with a look of surprise on his face; only now did he remembered that they were capable of such a thing. He looked at Ryu''s face and saw nothing more than calmness as if the matters around him were nothing but the air that would soon fade. ''I''ve been distracted by all that''s happening before. But I must not forget to keep a keen eye on those of the government.'' Nero concluded as Adult Nero nodded in satisfaction while pondering to himself. ''Good thinking, but... blindly watching will get you nowhere. The conflict between our kind and our very own people isn''t as simple as one-two-three, even more so once those Bit Hunters and their masters genuinely take action, tossing the earth into the start of a dark age.'' While thinking such thoughts, Adult Nero''s eyes narrowed as if he could recall the scenes of his future, but he soon shook his head, clearing away his negative emotions as he made up his mind. ''Even if it flows a bit different from the norm, I''ll have to do my best to prepare him enough in case of the unexpected. Heh, who knows? Maybe he''ll even be able to make a few better choices than I did.'' Adult Nero thought with a faint smile on his face, he was about to close his eyes and sleep, but at this time, he suddenly shifted his eyes to the side, noticing two figures that were walking a pathway parallel to Nero''s and Ryu''s. The duo was none other than handsome youth Velmon and the hawk-nosed Jason. ''Him again... it''s strange that I can''t recall much of him, but yet he''s a digitizer whom even Elly recognizes. I''ll need to keep an eye on him a little longer...'' Adult Nero thought while peering at Velmon''s figure deeply. Still, soon, the latter had already vanished from his sight, entering the halls directly opposite the current one which Nero and Ryu had walked. The two continued to walk along to their classrooms, ignoring the rest of the discussions around them as they faded into the building. Yet, as they did so, Velmon and Jason had an odd conversation on the other side. "What do you think, Velmon?" Jason asked with a smile. "Of what?" Velmon asked. Jason gave him a deep look and asked again, "What do you think of the current rumors?" Velmon halted his steps at this moment, his purple eyes emitting a vague light as he stared at the sky from the entrance behind them. After a short moment, his lips curved into a smile as he answered, "Rumors will only be rumors to the end..." After saying those words, Velmon then continued on his way, heading to his classroom as if nothing had changed. Jason gave him a good stare before following along in silence, his thoughts unknown to the world. *** In a towering building at the center of Rambruck, within a room sealed off from its inside. A familiar man sat with his arms crossed. He wore a sleeveless shirt that revealed his muscles, along with shorts, sippers, and a conical hat, and had curly black hair that flowed down his oblong-shaped face. As someone didn''t like his manner, an icy woman''s voice sounded, adding further to the gloominess, "Reil Levier, it''s time for you to explain this mess that sprung out of your sector." The air in the room grew dark as Reil stared at a holographic display with a group of well-dressed middle-aged men and women standing before him. Most notably, the female hologram shrouded by the dark said, her clothing having a cross highlighted at her core. ''Such an annoying bitch, it looks like this will be a truly annoying meeting...'' Reil thought as he looked at the individuals before him in silence, knowing that it was the start of a grueling war of words. Chapter 172: The DUs Meeting, Granduz Token A heavy tension filled the meeting room whereby many major players of the UEG and the various Digitizer Societies had gathered for a virtual meeting. Reil sat around his desk while staring at the silhouettes of varying individuals staring at him with sharp gazes as if blaming him for the recent event in Rambruck. The most peculiar ones were a man and woman; the man didn''t hide his features showing his handsome appearance with long neck hair and a trademark purple high color coat with the symbol of UEG and the character''s Xu. As for the slender-bodied female; she mostly revealed her features as she stared at Reil with indifference. She wore what seemed similar to a priest''s robes with her bright gold hair bundled together. The symbol of a glowing cross was visible on her dress. There was a refined-looking short-haired man with a gold top hat, one with a strange marking on its surface. He sat beside a bald monk-like man who sat in meditation in an ancient martial robe. Lastly, a short African woman was seated with her hair wrapped in colorful and luxurious cloth, her plump and fluffy hair no different from her firm body features. Reil frowned as he stared at each of them while thinking to himself. ''That darn Chairman Xu Waren, and Pale Brightwood, I knew that the UEF would have sent officials of the High Command to attend, but I didn''t he would have shown up at this meeting with that witch. Che! Not to mention that Kailua Meng of the Marital Heritage Group, Dale Vermeulen of the Hatman Society, and Maxim Alkaline from the Shadowblood Faction. So troublesome...'' Reil glanced at each of them with such thoughts in mind before speaking out loud to address their previous words. "Ladies and gentlemen of the DU, I am sure that we''re all knowledge persons here so that I will get straight to the point. I''m the one to blame for the previous matter; the culprits have already been isolated in a secure facility whereby they will receive systematic conditioning to enlighten them of the current affairs." When the others heard this, their faces turned a bit better, but as for Chairman Xu Waren and Pale Brightwood, they had more different expressions. Chairman Xu had a slightly mocking glance as he stared at Reil while Madame Pale frowned before speaking. "Hmph! I think you''re getting off too easy; it still primarily your fault for this mess; if you had more strict proposals enabled in Rambruck, which easily commoner would have been able to gather such footage. I think that your recent assertion to the head of the Levier Sector was all too soon; you''re not ready for such a role." Reil narrowed his eyes at this as he glared at Madame Pale; he noticed that no one said anything, as the silent Dale had a sly smirk as if he was watching some game. ''Hmph! Trying to remove me from my status, it looks like you still haven''t learned from that time...'' Reil cursed as he glanced at Pale prepared to lash out, but even before he could say anything. Chairman Xu, who sat with a smile, spoke out. "I believe Miss Pale is right, but a few words are missing. Both you and those rogue Mendez and Balkras are equal to blame, neither conforming to our governance nor even a society; without such order, how can we expect to face the looming threat the hides within both our world and that Universe Ring?" The others also nodded in agreement when they heard such words, Kailua Meng, Maxim Alkaline, and Dale''s faces showing strange flickers as if they knew where he was headed. Reil narrowed his eyes as stared at Xu Waren as he spoke, "Oh, then if what I''m doing is wrong, what do you suggest, Chairman Xu?" Xu Waren smirked at this before he spoke, "It''s simple, first of all, the Balkras family should have known better than to interfere in a DU selection. If they had kept more restraint, such a scene of civilians gathering footage of such a battle would have never transpired. Second, even if such a thing occurred, your Blood Steel Society should''ve had proper protocols in place to prevent it from showing up on the media outlets. Lastly, even though you have taken steps to contain the problem, you can''t make certain decisions without collective government approval. You must allow for us to do a personal inspection of the parties involved to ensure that the information will be - thoroughly sanitized." As if they were waiting for this change, the others promptly jumped into the conversation with words of agreement. "Chairman Xu speaks correctly, even within our society, we operate with the confines of upper government stipulations. Such a thing wouldn''t have occurred if Chief Levier had been more astute in his duties. You should hand over the parties directly involved; it is better if we take such matters into our own hands." Hatman Chief Dale said with a faint smile as he stared at Reil. "The Martial Union agrees with the statement," Kailua Meng said in a calm tone, his eyes still closed as if he was perpetually meditating as his hologram sat in a crossed-legged posture. "As do our Shadowblood Faction," Alkaline said as she gave Reil a deep look. Xu Waren smirked at this as his eyes glanced at Pale, who gave him a knowing look; he then stared at Reil and spoke again, "Chief Levier, as you can see, we have the majority opinion, I believe you know which choice to make." After he listened to all that just transpired, especially as they controlled the conversation and twisted it towards their control, Reil was enraged; his body exploded with a dense aura, but as everyone here were no different from holograms, nothing happened to them. ''These darn bastards! They want nothing more than to use this act to lower my standing within the DU; what nonsense about the two that caused the mess? It is only a pretext. If it''s like this, I will lose my justification authority within the Levier Sector, and they will be freer to act as they please in this domain. Such crafty little shits... hmph! They came prepared, but they''ve still underestimated me. No... they underestimated who I''m working with...'' Reil took on a calmer mood with those thoughts in mind, causing Xu Waren and some of the others to frown; they were expecting him to lash out in violence. As such, they could use that as an even more satisfying piece of evidence for their following actions. However, his current manner gave them an odd feeling. ''Hmm, what''s he so confident about? Could it be...?'' Xu Waren was about to think something, but right at this time, they heard a metallic clanking noise as Reil tossed a golden token with the symbol''s UEG but the markings of a fist on the table. Listening to the noises it made while rattling, the others who looked at it had wide eyes as they saw its details, even Xu Waren couldn''t help but open his mouth in shock as he exclaimed inwardly. ''This is... a Highest Command token! The Granduz Fist Token! How in the hell did this bastard get it?'' Xu Waren cursed as he saw the token on the table. Pale also had similar thoughts as did Hatman Chief Dale and Alkaline, each having a frown as if they didn''t like the current change. On the other hand, Kailua Meng remained silent as if it had nothing to do with him, his eyes opening, showing a sharp look as it stared at the token before he closed them again and made a faint smile. Reil stared at everyone with a calm look on his face as he spoke, "I trust that with this token, you should all be able to understand why I made such choices. The Granduz clan is personally handling the affairs of those two. With that said, I believe we should put this matter aside from the meeting and focus more on the next and most important objective, being the events of which recently transpired in the Novice Zone." "Agreed." Kailua Meng said with an ounce of hesitation. "A-agreed." Alkaline said after a slight amount of resistance. "Hmph! Fine." Xu Waren said while clenching his fists tightly, not bothering to press the previous matter. As they saw him like this, Hatman Chief Dale and Pale Brightwood could only suck up their discontent and continue with the conversation. Reil seeing nodded as he picked up the token, placing it away before he spoke in a resonant but more serious voice. "Let''s begin." His voice carried a heaviness within it as if foreshadowing a change in the future. One that many wouldn''t know to any except for those within the very room. Chapter 173: The Granduz Secret Base, Irak and Grail As a secretive but important meeting began between most of the elites of the UEG, far away within an obscure building from an abandoned area, there was a very unusual scene occurring. A car pulled up from an empty street, driving at a slow pace before it halted at this compound entrance. As if something detected it, a low beep sounded, followed by the gate opening automatically. The car then drove into the compound before halting again at what seemed like a parking lot. But as it did this, the ground with which it parked started to sink into the earth. Soon, the car had vanished below the concrete, which was sealed off, giving it the appearance as if nothing had changed. Deep below the earth, the car which had descended on an elevator had arrived in a white room. Around it was a series of floating drones that spiraled around it before firing a series of laser beams. After thoroughly scanning the vehicle, the drones then synchronized before flying into different compartments on the walls and vanishing behind automatic white doors. As if it took that as a cue, the car''s door opened, revealing a familiar face, a powerful-looking man with spiky hair, an x shaped scar on his left eye with an eye patch over its socket, garbed in a stylized coat and black gloves. ''Heh, so secretive and classy as always, but then again, I should expect no less from a Grandus.'' Irak though as he walked from the car towards a wide white hallway. While walking, his eyes caught sight of a few statues at the side, some giving off a peculiar presence, but as if he didn''t care, Irak turned his attention forward while moving. The statues turned their eyes towards him as if they were living things, but none of them did anything in the end as if held back by something. After a little over a minute of walking, Irak had arrived at the end of the hallway; he stood before a wide door and pushed it, causing it to open with a loud creaking noise. After being doused by a bright white light, the scene behind the doorway soon unveiled itself, showing a simple-looking room with another familiar-looking man at its center. Staring at the middle-aged man that sat calmly on a chair, facing the direction of a large computer screen, Irak shook his head while muttering, "Che! As narrow-minded as usual." He no longer stood still but walked up close and stood behind the person with those words said. Irak''s eyes then focused onto the computer screen, noticing that it showed an isolated room with two persons that had a look of panic on their faces as they sat with their arms chained to a desk. "Hey, let us out, do you know that what you''re doing is punishable by the law? You can''t keep us here forever!" The young woman spoke in a flurry, but sadly, no one seemed to be answering them, adding further to her anxiety. The male remained silent, but his eyes showed a tired look as if he was exhausted, it even showed regret as he stared at the young beauty. "So, these are the fellows that crossed the wall, Grail; what are you thinking of doing with them?" Irak said with a hint of curiosity in his voice. Grail, only now seemed to have noticed Irak, he turned towards him with a hint of surprise in his eyes as he asked, "Irak, I thought you were only passing by when you saved the child of Agustas; what are you still doing here, shouldn''t you be at that place?" Irak shook his head at this as he spoke, "Oh, so you do know that I saved his son, humph! You better up the quality of those guards you have hanging around." "Tsk, such a measly assassin wouldn''t have been anything for my soldiers, don''t act like none of them couldn''t save him themselves. Besides, a man should learn to grow through danger, don''t think that I''ll let my men step in if he can''t fight back to protect himself," Grail said with a strict look. Irak chuckled at this as he spoke, "Ha, you''re still the same as always, no wonder your son took on that name. Anyway, you asked me why I''m here? Didn''t you even receive a report from those machines just now?" Grail glared at him for a while, but he didn''t press him over his earlier words. He scratched the back of his head as he replied, "Ah, yes, I had forgotten about those things; I programmed them only to destroy unfamiliar signatures." "What? Then what if an ally whose hiding his status paid a visit?" Irak asked with a puzzled look on his face. Grail stared at him and answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "What do you think? It would eradicate them." Irak made a baffled look as he marveled at Grail''s logic; he tried to hold back his laugh but still couldn''t in the end. "Haha, you truly never change; I hope that poor son of yours doesn''t inherit too much of your traits." "Hmph! You bastard, that''s enough about me; what the hell are you doing in my base?" Grail said with a slightly red face; he wouldn''t tell if he was angry or embraced. Irak smirked at this; he tapped his shoulder and spoke, "Let''s just say that I came to visit, I didn''t so long ago return from the gap, but I won''t talk about that for now. You should be explaining this situation to me; what caused all this recent mess?" Grail gave him a good look before he turned his attention onto the screen once more, pointing at the person as he spoke, "That male is called Osbon Jilfren, and that little lass is Sera Godfrey. They''re both from the law enforcement inspection division. Hmph! They''ve been sticking their noses into these matters for a while now. I took steps to warn them once, but even after that, they still went and did such a foolish thing." Irak was a bit interested as he heard those words; he looked at the duo before he spoke, "Oh, they must have quite the guts. I suppose you''ve already determined their fates, or are you planning on waiting for the rest of High Command''s decision." Grail showed a look of mock as he replied, "High Command? Am I not also High Command? My family doesn''t need the consent of either power to make a decision. As for these fellows, I''ve decided to let them learn the hard way. My group had been lacking a few extra hands lately, and I think with a bit of training, they might prove to be useful." Irak saw the bright light in Grail''s eyes and couldn''t help but shake his head as he thought to himself, ''Well now, that look again, he doesn''t even look half as upset as he sounds, heh... I bet he must have been eyeing them for their skills for a while now.'' Irak noticed that Grail was about to zoned out again as his attention turned back towards the screen; he sighed before he spoke, "Fine, I won''t butt in any further; I''ll get to the point for my visit." Grail, hearing those words looked at Irak once more; his eyes narrowed as he wondered why such a character had appeared now of all times. Irak remained silent before he spoke in a solemn tone, "I have news about the Gap." Grail''s eyes turned stern when he heard those words, Irak seeing his manner, then continued, "That side has started to make movements..." "What? Then how long do we have?" Grail asked with a look of concern on his face. Irak sighed before shaking his head side to side as he replied, "Not long, a year or even less." Grail frowned as he clenched his fists tightly, his eyes showing a look of remembrance as if he could see the silhouette of a tall and powerful figure, standing before him as his words resounded at the core of his mind. "I''ll leave everything else to you." When those words sounded in his mind, the figure vanished, and the short moment of recollection faded. ''Augustas¡­'' Grail thought as he gritted his teeth, showing a look of determination as he stared at Irak and spoke, "Irak." When Irak heard his call, he gave Grail a look, noticing the firm expression he had; Irak felt a little better as he smiled and spoke, "So, what have you decided?" Grail rose from his seat and walked before him, the two almost of the same height, with Irak being slightly taller. The mood in the room though dark, carrying a hopeful spirit as if foreshadowing something as Grail spoke, "I''ll be joining you in the next raid." Irak was a bit surprised at this, he was about to reject it, but as he saw that Grail was serious, he remained silent for a while before he answered. "Fine, I could use a little help on those lines; it''s not easy to have those other pests watching my back. I won''t keep up any more of your time; take these few months to sort out your affairs just in case." After saying those words, Irak gave Grail a look before he turned around and vanished into thin air, employing a high-speed movement technique. Grail stared in the direction Irak left before he regained his focus; he turned his attention towards the screen showing Osbon and Sera. "Now then, let''s see your resolves," Grail said as he turned and left the room, headed towards their location, the scene here now quiet as the day continued. Chapter 174: Miss Garnet’s Concerns, Kailyn’s Disappearance The day pressed onwards, and it was almost evening for those at the Rambruck Academy. Miss Garnet was already finishing up with their current lecture and preparing to end their class''s topic. However, while she prattled away in front of a display board, most of the students were busily chatting away about various things. The majority still focused on the superhuman video that went viral. "Look, it''s like he creates an endless supply of clones of himself, isn''t that sick?" A student said while pointing at a person''s mobile screen. "He''s good, but I think that butler guy is quite the badass; wait till you see the part where he pulls out two katars," The owner of the phone said with a smug look. The others didn''t buy it, but they couldn''t help but observe more closely. There they saw Screwgelman, who raised his hands to the sides, causing a bright light to form before two white glowing lights appeared at both of his palms. They were about to transform into two weapons, but a change occurred before anyone could see it. Buzz! The phone in the youth''s hand made a static noise as the video became blocked with a red symbol. "What the hell? Damn, they blocked this one too!" The student shouted in anger. Miss Garnet frowned as she heard his shout; she glanced at him and admonished, "Hey, put that phone away and pay attention!" "Y-yes, Miss Garnet." The student said, hurrying to put down the phone as he whipped the sweat from his forehead. Miss Garnet shook her head at this while turning around to face the board, her eyes showing a slightly complicated look as she thought to herself. ''All this recent chaos in the news, what''s really going on with this world?'' Unable to find an answer, she no longer pondered and continued to wrap up her subject. Still, despite her effort, there were a few who remained non-attentive. Nero was a bit distracted by the outside scenery, eyeing the building that shone because of bright sun rays. He thought to himself, ''Will all this change someday?'' Adult Nero heard his thoughts, his eyes having a trace of solemnness, but he said nothing in the end; he merely closed them once more and remained in silence. ''I really hate that I''m not like that reincarnated main character in mother''s old book.'' Nero thought as he felt a bad mood due to his older self ignoring him. Now irritated, he no longer found the scene outside attractive; he turned his attention from outside into the classroom and noticed that Elly had a slightly confused look on her face. It seemed that she was trying to grasp what Miss Garnet was teaching, but sadly, she couldn''t. "Such a ditz," Nero muttered to himself as he smirked at the cute sight; sadly, Elly seemed to have noticed his manner. "Hmph!" Elly snorted as she turned her head away from him, not looking at him; Nero shook his head at this as he thought. ''Still worked out about that kiss, tsk, so stupid... it looks like I''ll need to find a way around this... hmm, mother said girls liked sweet things, maybe I can spare some change and buy chocolate.'' Feeling that his decision was correct, Nero smiled to himself as he couldn''t wait to see the look of excitement on Elly''s face when he surprises her at their first private session. Still, this look turned a bit dark when he shook his side pocket, feeling that only a few coins were in there. Naturally, seated nearby both Elly and Nero, Clair noticed the previous exchange; feeling curious, she couldn''t help but ask Elly in a whispering tone. "Elly, what happened to you and Nero?" Elly''s face turned even angrier at this as she recalled Mia''s shifty and sly manner, she was about to explode in a fury, but inwardly repeating her mother''s mantra, she was able to calm down once more. After taking a deep breath, she looked at Clair and replied snappily, "N-nothing is going on." Clair sensed a bit of anger in Elly''s voice; she made a pensive look before she smiled with an understanding expression as she spoke, "Really, but you sound angry? Are you jealous about something?" "Like heck I am!" Elly shouted with a blush on her face, bringing a startle to the class. "Oops," Elly said as she held her mouth with both arms, creating an extremely adorable sight, many of the classmates found it pleasing to their eyes, but Miss Garnet was different. "Elishia, I know that you''re new, but please refrain from such an outburst again." Miss Garnet said strictly. "Yes, ma''am," Elly said as she lowered her head. Miss Garnet nodded at this as she once more continued with her lecture; it didn''t take long for the bell of the afternoon to make a sharp ring, stirring the dazed minds of the students trapped within their classrooms. As if she could feel the joy in their mood because of the bell, Miss Garnet snorted as she thought, ''These lazy bums, since it''s like this, I''ll give you all something to think about...'' Following through with her words, she pressed a button, causing a complicated diagram to form as she spoke with a smirk, "Well, this marks the end of today''s class, but I hope you all don''t think today will be easy. I''m leaving you all with this diagram for your assignment, do your best to trace its origins and write me an essay around its properties. I shall collect it tomorrow." "What? Damn!" One student cursed angrily but, seeing Garnet''s glare, he didn''t dare to say anymore. A few others also had similar reactions, but it''s a pity for homework was homework, and it wouldn''t change for anyone. Feeling the now dismal atmosphere, Miss Garnet felt a peace, she was about to leave, but she couldn''t help but stare at the students and ask. "I''ve meant to ask this for a while. Does anyone know what happened to Kara and Kaylin?" Miss Garnet asked with concern on her face. The class, which was now chatting idly, soon quieted down, a strange mood filling the air as even Nero, who stared outside, was a bit interested in this as well. Elly also made a strange look, her eyes turning a bit sad as she recalled Kara''s current situation; Clair was no exception. Miss Garnet felt the air in the room to be a little odd, she was about to ask again, but Clair soon spoke in reply, "Teacher, Kara''s at the Fortune Medical Center." "What? How did that happen?" Miss Garnet said in alarm, her face turning a bit anxious. Clair sighed, as did a few of the other students who heard the rumors; she then spoke, "I''ve heard that she was injured at the Paradise Palace, I don''t know about the full details, but the culprits who did it are still at large." Miss Garnet''s face turned pale; she hurried over to Clair''s table and held onto her shoulder as she spoke, "This is unbelievable? How could this happen? Is she okay?" Clair felt a bit of pain in her arms, but she bit her lips and answered, "She''s okay; I went to visit her with Elly yesterday, she seemed to have recovered a great deal, but I''m not sure when she''ll be back for class." Though a bit worried, Miss Garnet felt a little better after hearing her words; she looked at Elly, noticing that she was holding her head down with a sad look. As a teacher, she knew that she couldn''t continue showing such a worried look on her face; she tried to calm her manner as she spoke, "Elly, I''m glad you went with Clair to see Kara, that child has always been a bit dishearted, her only friend was Clair. Try to cheer up and keep visiting her; I''ll be paying her visit as well." Elly looked up at her and nodded, Miss Garnet, get better at this, but as if she remembered something, she asked again, "What about Kailyn? Why didn''t she come to classes today?" Clair and Elly looked at each other, but they both had the same confused looks. Many others in the class showed odd expressions; it seemed that none of them knew what happened, none except for two. Benson had an in-depth look in his eyes as he thought to himself, ''Where did that bitch go?'' Nero also noticed that Kailyn wasn''t in attendance for a while now, he pondered whether or not to tell Elly about it, but he decided against it for now. ''Tsk, knowing her personality, things could turn quite messy; it''s better to let her focus on improving her studies for now and deal with this at a better time.'' Nero thought to himself, he soon noticed that Benson was looking at him, but he only glanced at him before he turned away. Ryu, only know that Nero''s enemies injured Kara; he didn''t know of Kailyn''s connection. Still, as he observed Nero''s manner, he couldn''t help but frown as a thoughtful look came onto his face. Miss Garnet had a worried look as she saw everyone in silence; she asked again, "Does no one know what happened to her?" After a good while, one of the girls in Kailyn''s posse finally replied, "Miss, we don''t know; she didn''t send us a message today either; maybe her family had to do something important." Miss Garnet made a thoughtful look before she spoke, "I see, well I''ll have to visit her family today then. I''ll see you guys tomorrow then; enjoy the rest of your day." "Take care, Miss Garnet." As they sent off Miss Garnet from the classroom, the students said a small commotion soon after formed in the class. However, unlike everyone else who overly pondered such a topic, Nero, who didn''t seem to care about Kailyn''s affairs, rose from his seat as he prepared to leave. Chapter 175: The Unusual Velmon As classes for the day had ended, Nero told Elly to wait for him a while as he made a quick trip to the roof, but he only saw a few unfamiliar faces as he got there. Some who recognized him as they greeted, Nero nodded at them before turning around, leaving down the stairway; his eyes were a bit disappointed as he muttered. "It looks like he''s already left." Ryu, the dutiful tail, spoke in reply, "Of course, the Mendez Family, though lax in certain aspects, is still a very influential force, as the sole young master of that kind of backing, he has countless responsibilities to attend. In fact, you forming an acquaintance with him was something even I didn''t expect." Nero rolled his eyes at this as he continued walking for a bit; he then asked, "That meeting for the Digitizers Union, what''s it about?" Ryu took his eyes from his mobile phone, staring at Nero as he answered, "It''s simple, they want to assess and compare each of the newly rising talents in all various societies before the Gate of Legends. As you know, we''ll be going up against most races, including hostile forces during this event, and while death shouldn''t be of the main concern, humiliation is something that can not be allowed." Nero had a curious expression as he turned to Ryo and asked again, "Oh, then are there any noteworthy talents other than those listed on the Rising Talent List?" Ryu smirked as he answered, "Naturally, while persons like that Child of Blaze and Gold Spear Child are indeed at the pinnacle. Some talents prefer to remain low key, only erupting when they see the need." ''Hmm, it looks like these societies might be more than meets the eye; I guess I''ll need to double my effort in training for the rest of the week.'' Nero thought with a firm set of eyes, Ryu seeing his look, smiled in a satisfied manner, it seemed that his intention was sent across well; he no longer paid him any mind but shift his attention back to the game on his smartphone. Having finished their conversation, the two then made their way through the school building halls, arriving at the entrance to the main square of the compound. They were about to exit, but right at this time, Nero and Ryu knitted their brows as they saw someone waiting for them, a familiar face that Nero know too well. "What do you want... Velmon?" Nero asked in an icier tone than the usual, his eyes having a tinge of murderous intent as every time he saw him, he subconsciously recalled the scene of his mother kneeling. Ryu knitted his brows but said nothing; he stood a step behind Nero with his eyes fixing onto the hawk-nosed Jason, who crossed his arms together with a curious look on his face. Velmon stared at Nero with a smile as he spoke oddly but warmly, "Nero... we haven''t spoken much since that time, but I won''t blame you; such is our... fate. Destiny calls all heroes together, and in the end, only one can reign supreme; I''m looking forward to the Gate of Legends; let''s both do our best for humanity." "What?" Nero said in confusion, he knew that Velmon was a digitizer as he had spoken to Elly before, but he didn''t expect the latter would say such words. Velmon chuckled as he turned around, his back facing Nero as he replied, "Take care now, I have some important work to do... till then, my dear friend..." As Velmon said those words, he walked off with Jason, who gave Nero a sharp look before continuing behind Velmon like a tail, the two growing distant as both Nero and Ryu stared at them with a severe look. ''That son of a bitch dares to call me his friend, he surely must be losing his mind, humph!'' Nero thought to himself with an angry expression, but that soon faded as he took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He saw that Ryu had a pensive expression and couldn''t help but ask. "Ryu, what do you make of his words?" Ryu shook his head as he continued to stare in the direction Velmon left before speaking, "I don''t know, but I can only say one thing, you should do your best to be careful of both... there is something different about them." Nero had a stern expression when he heard Ryu''s words; even Adult Nero, who was quiet all this time, had a similar opinion; he frowned while thinking to himself. ''That Velmon... even in my previous life, we had never interacted, even more so after that event; so why? Why do I sense such an aura from his being?'' Adult Nero thought with an odd expression as he floated in Nero''s consciousness, his back leaned against the air in a laid-back manner as he drifted aimlessly. Nero naturally knew nothing of his older self''s thoughts, he was about to leave with Ryu, but at this time, Elly had appeared from the side with Clair. "Nero, we''re ready!" Elly said with a perky smile; it seemed she had forgotten about the previous affairs. Nero thought her manner a bit strange but said nothing about it; he looked at Clair, who lowered her head with a slight blush; he made an awkward look as he pointed at her and asked, "She''s coming too?" Elly puffed out her flat chest and replied, "Of course, Clair''s planning to visit Kara; since it''s nearby, I thought it would be best to drop her off at the Fortune Medical Center." Ryu''s eyes had a flicker when he heard this, while Nero nodded and replied, "Alright, we''re also ready." Elly then turned around and waved her hand; following her actions; a black car drove up quickly before halting beside them. The door then opened, but the driver who came out had an extraordinarily ordinary and solemn face rather than the charming Screwgelman. Elly had a slightly sad look as she didn''t see Screwgelman, but her expression swiftly recovered when she spoke, "Bradson, take us to the Fortune Medical Center." Bradson made a polite gesture and answered, "Yes, Miss Elishia." Everyone mounted the car without any further ado, which soon after left the campus, trolling across the fairly crowded streets as it vanished into the afternoon. Chapter 176: Clair’s Suspicions, Ryu’s Affairs It didn''t take long for the car to arrive in the vicinity of the Fortune Medical Center. Elly looked at Clair, who got out of the vehicle and spoke, "Clair, take care now, I would have loved to visit, but I have to get home early today. Tell Kara I said hello." Clair smiled at this, giving Nero an odd look which caused Elly''s face to turn red; she replied, "Of course, I will pass on your message, Nero... please... be ''gentle'' with Elly, she''s so small." Misunderstanding the situation, Clair left after saying those words, with her face slightly crimson. However, as for Nero and Elly, they both became shocked by the unexpected utterance. "Clair come back here; you''ve got it the wrong way!" Elly shouted, but Clair only sped up, hurrying into the building without looking back. This caused Elly to have a sour feeling; recalling what Nero did before, she nervously gulped as she glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. Yet, as if he didn''t care, Nero merely rubbed his nose with his finger pretending not to notice. Ryu chuckled at this before he opened the door soon after and spoke, "I''ll be dropping off here as well; I have some matters to deal with, have a good time." With that said, Ryu gave Nero a knowing look before he ventured off into the area, his objectives seemingly unknown. Nero glanced in Ryu''s direction with deep eyes as he thought to himself. ''He came here for something... I wonder what it is, is there someone he wanted to see?'' While Nero thought to himself, Elly grew disappointed at his reaction; she naturally heard Ryu''s suggestive words and was even more embarrassed. She turned to the driver and spoke, "Bradson, let''s hurry home!" "As the young miss wishes!" Bradson said as he drove the car off into the streets, pushing through a sea of traffic, a smile on the corners of his lips as he chuckled to himself silently. "Hmph!" Elly snorted as she noticed Bradson''s laugh, but she didn''t say anything but turned her attention to the rapidly moving buildings around them. "Elly," Nero called out, having removed his thoughts from Ryu''s affairs. "What?" Elly said rudely, her manner looking like that of a spoiled child having a tantrum. Nero found it amusing, but he continued, "I didn''t ask before, but where do you live?" Ely, hearing those words, seemed to have discovered something; her eyes lit up as she purposely made a mysterious expression, gazing off into the distance as she spoke in a deep tone of voice. "My home exists beyond the union of stars; a place not many have ventured, please be patient; you will see it when the time comes." "Tsk, whatever," Nero said as he rolled his eyes and closed them, he no longer bothered with Elly as he leaned back lazily, just like his older self as if trying to fall asleep. "Tee hee... he looks like a hobo," Elly said under her breath as she tittered, but she didn''t bother to wake him; she felt that he must have a lot on his mind. Nero raised his eyebrows as he gave Elly a look, but he didn''t say anything; though the vein pulsed a bit on his forehead, he decided to act mature and not let his teenage instincts take over. The car continued onward, speeding across the busy streets as they moved towards the more prestigious areas of Rambruck City. *** Back within the Fortune Medical Center, Clair had already entered and arrived in front of the counter. She was now standing in front of the attendant as she asked to visit Kara''s room, but the words spoken soon after gave her a startle. "I''m sorry, but that young miss has already been checked out." "What? This has to be some mistake; she''s been critically wounded and would need more time to heal; what happened?" Clair asked with a tinge of anxiousness in her eyes. Unaware to her, Ryu, who stood in the distance was also astounded; he felt it odd that such a thing would have happened. The attendant sighed as she looked over the details on her monitor and replied, "Once again, I''m sorry, Miss Clair but based on the documents I''m seeing, it says that she was checked out yesterday. A specialist has noticed her case and is prepared to help her recovery; based on their specialties and current technology, she should be back in school no later than the end of the week." When Clair heard those words, she sighed in relief; she looked at the attendant and spoke, "I see, then thank you for your help. I shall take my leave." The attendant made a polite smile and nodded as Clair left the building. Ryu frowned at this as he thought to himself. ''There''s something odd here; I''ll need to get to the bottom of this...'' After wrapping up his thoughts, he left the building similarly, fading into a crowd. By now, Clair stood on the streets with a thoughtful expression on her face. ''There''s something strange going on, but I... I''m in no position to question people of this kind of authority; I better find out more on my own...'' With such thoughts in mind, she shook her head and headed towards the bus station. Yet, as she left, two men in thick coats standing at distant corners stared at her intensely as they spoke to each other. "Watch her, remember, just a light warning, nothing too harsh..." The person that seemed like the superior amongst them said. "Understood." The other person replied as he prepared to break away and tail Clair, but before that could happen, a voice sounded, "That won''t happen." Angered by the sudden intrusion, both men moved their hands to the sleeves of their coats as they spoke, "Who dares¡ª?" They were about to take harsh actions, but as they saw the person who appeared, they showed wide eyes as they spoke politely. "Please excuse our manners, young lord." Ryu didn''t care about their apologies; he spoke with cold eyes, "She''s a friend of mine, so I''ll only say this once, let her be..." "As the young lord wishes." Both men replied as they bowed slightly. Ryu then stared in Clair''s direction, noticing that she had now entered a bus and left; he then turned his attention to the men once more and spoke, "I have a question I''d like to ask." The leader of the two men looked at him and spoke, "By all means, speak your thoughts, young lord." "Good, I want to know about a certain girl..." Ryu spoke as he held out a photograph of Kara; the two men''s eyes showed in-depth looks as they stared at Ryu; the leader then replied. "Young lord, this issue is a bit tricky; please follow us." The person said as he pressed a button, causing a black car to arrive at their sides a few moments after. They then got into the vehicle and beckoned for Ryu to follow them; Ryu''s eyes flickered after getting in the car, which drove in the opposite direction, headed towards a distant and more sparsely populated area of Rambruck as they faded into the evening sight. Chapter 177: Kailyn’s Hatred, The Black Sorceress As the afternoon slowly faded into the hours of the night, far away from the commercial area of Rambruck, within a residential lot for well-off families, one house stood out amidst many, with the engraving Harlock at its gates. Miss Garnet was now standing still before this gate with a perplexed look on her face. She looked at the gatekeeper, who looked at her in silence, his eyes having a trace of scorn. "Hmph! That witch, I never want to come here again!" Miss Garnet cursed as she walked away from the gate with a tinge of anger in her voice; her eyes flickered as she recalled the scene that transpired a few moments back. In her recollection, she arrived before this compound to inquire about Kailyn''s well-being. However, a pretty lady in her thirties with heavy makeup and a formal dress had greeted her. One whose features made her seem no different from a mature version of Kaylin, the Harlock family''s very madame, Jean Harlock. When she saw Garnet, she looked at her with a disregarding expression as she spoke to her with an icy tone. Words that still sounded at the depths of her mind evening now as they echoed. "I''m sorry, but my daughter has other matters to attend with at this time; for now, we''re not certain she''ll be able to return to direct classes, but you can be certain she''ll work twice as hard in performing her duties as a student during her time home. Oh, look at the time, it''s already this late; I know you''re probably on your way home, but forgive me for I''m quite busy. Also, I can''t afford to keep wasting time addressing every little circumstance, so I would like to advise you to email next time simply." With those words said, Garnet could only watch in frustration as Madame Harlock entered her compound with the gate closing behind her, a sour feeling lingering deep into her bones even now. "I''m definitely going to be taking this up with the board... keeping a minor from school is no way for a parent, regardless of your background," Garnet complained while huffing and puffing as she entered a taxi that parked nearby as it soon after drove away from this vicinity. Still, while Miss Garnet left, within the residence of the Harlocks, a cold set of eyes peered through the windows at the moving car which soon after left into the distant streets. The eyes are shone in an ominous glint which soon after returned to normal. Moments later, the curtains drew, as the figure who stood by it previously was revealed to be Kailyn, her countenance a bit pale and dark as she sat around a table seeming not to have eaten anything for a while. Knock-knock! The door sounded as it vibrated slightly; Kailyn trembled as she looked at this, her eyes filled with fear as she stared at the door as if looking at a monster. As if proving her worries true, the door opened with a loud creak, as Jean was seen standing at its edge. Her manner was even icier than when speaking with Miss Garnet. She stared at Kailyn with a look of disgusts as she spoke, "Do you see what you''ve caused? Always so foolish with your actions, you''d best prepare yourself; that man is returning tonight, and by them, you''ll be in charge of explaining yourself. Hmph! Look at you, acting like a starved cat, hurry and pick up the rations; I don''t want him thinking I didn''t feed his child." Following her words, she tossed a bag of stale meat onto the ground and left the room, ensuring to lock the door behind her. Kailyn stared at this scene with hatred in her eyes, a feeling that she now felt not only for her mother'' but everyone else in this world. "It''s not my fault; I didn''t do anything; she only got injured because of that bitch! You never ask me anything, and always treat me like shit, never hearing my side of the story! I... really hate you all... damn you mother, damn you Elishia, damn that Kara, and especially... that Nero!" Kailyn cursed to herself, her manner becoming a bit dark as unnoticeable to even herself; a vague black energy had formed around her, flowing from her body as it seeped through the windows, creating a long trail into the air. A little distance away from the domain of the Harlocks, within a crowded street with people going back and fort-like the norm. A beautiful woman that wore a large designer hat and fashionable black clothing was noticed walking. When she moved, her body twisted with a graceful swing, pulling the eyes of many men who saw her lithe figure, unable to remove their eyes. Suddenly, this woman took a turn from the night-lit streets, entering a nearby alleyway, walking towards its end at a leisure pace. Finnally, she stood before a dead-end, staring at the wall in silence as if waiting on something, and as expected, a change followed. With a few stepping sounds, a few footsteps sounded from behind her and even at her sides. Looking at the dimly illuminated scene, one would now realize that this beauty was surrounded by a dozen men and women, each wearing suits with specialized visors around their eyes. Amidst them was one man who seemed to be lead, garbed coat with the marking UEG on its surface. He stared at the woman with one handheld on the back of his palm when he spoke, "You''ve gotten bolder; never would I think that a famous Bit Hunting felon like you, the Black Sorceress, would have the audacity to roam our streets freely. You must be asking for death..." Hearing his words, everyone similarly held their palms at the back of their hands. They all set in a posture ready for combat, as their hands soon after glowed, revealing different card-shaped objects of many colors. The Black Sorceress merely smiled as she turned around and stared at the man who spoke. Her eyes pitch black with markings of a spider within each pupil. "Huhu... you UEG dogs never learn. Have you ever wondered why I''d let you trail me to this place, to begin with?" She asked with a smile. "Huh? What are you sa¡ª?" The leader was about to say something, but his face soon changed as he noticed the lights around him dimmed even more. Feeling odd, he glanced around only to notice a shocking change that went unnoticed. Now, every one of his allies was bounded by a black spiderweb. It was as if they were like that since the beginning, and he was the only one at the center unaffected. A dark feeling rose within the leader as his face ran with sweat as he thought, ''Oh shit, I have to get away!'' With such thoughts in mind, he prepared to flee but right as his thoughts ended, he found that the Black Sorceress had vanished as a slender and soft palm now held the side of his face, fixing his attention on her beautiful but spine-chilling eyes. "Not good! She''s---" The man called out in alarm, knowing full well what she was about to do, but it was a pity, for his fate was already sealed. "Huhu... so weak, yet you dare to come here in my trap, sleep now, and become food for my children." With those sinister words said, the man couldn''t even utter a cry in terror as black webs wrapped his entire body in an instant. Following this, a countless amount of black spiders flowed from the Black Sorceress''s sleeve, flowing into the webs of each of the bounded captives. The sickening sounds of flesh and bones being chewed resounding in the dark alleyway, capable of leaving a chill to any who dared to wander here. Nevertheless, though she had managed to annihilate her pursuers, the face of the Black Sorceress remained one of indifference. If anything, her eyes had traces of annoyingness as she spoke her thoughts out loud. "Tsk... so boring, that Scarface sure has some nerve. When will he learn that the energy signal that those old blokes detected was nothing but a pile of crap? If an unregistered Mighty One was even in Rambruck, not to mention that shitty Gutter Zone he''s turning upside down, he wouldn''t stay even in this kind of civil setting for such a long period. Hmph! Now I''m forced to act as bait in these areas, but all this trash is really starting to get on my nerve..." The Black Sorceress was displeased with her circumstances; she stared at her long black fingernails, polishing them off before she glanced at the direction of the bounded captives being eaten. With a wave of her hand, a series of colorful Digitize Bits flew towards her, connected by thin black webs. "I suppose this should be enough to make up for all the boredom and my quota for a long while, it''s time I head¡ª" The Black Sorceress was about to say something, but suddenly, her eyes flickered as she lifted her head towards a certain direction, noticing a black mist that flowed in the air. With a shocked look on her face, she couldn''t help but think to herself, "Well now, such a strong malicious intent, who could release such a power?" The Black Sorceress thought for a while, but the look on her face soon after became fascination as she smiled while concluding. "Hehe, it doesn''t matter; such malicious intent is the kind that could come in very handy. I hope my luck doesn''t fail me this time." With her decision made, she no longer wasted any more time and waved her hand, causing her black web to vanish, leaving behind not even a trace of bone. Her body blurred and vanished as the previous scene in this alley looked to have not occurred. As if now destined to remain a mystery to all. Chapter 178: The Balkras Estate, Meeting a Legend After traveling for a while, Nero and Elly soon arrived at the city''s high-class residential areas, their vehicle slowing pulling up into the Balkras Manson compound, spanning a few dozen acres. Nero looked at the scene with a bewildered expression, not thinking it would be so large, even more so when he saw the nine dozen square feet building and the pool that seemed almost like a giant lake. A group of well-trained men and women, garbed in suits, stood at different areas, as when the car that escorted them park, another set arrived before it before bowing and speaking. "Welcome home, Young Miss!" Nero, who just got out of the car, stared at this in surprise as he thought to himself. ''Oh heck, talk about being crazy rich! And these guys... they''re not just some simple guards.'' He thought as he could clearly feel that the strength of each guard was even stronger than himself. Not knowing his thoughts, Elly smirked as she saw Nero''s reaction, her thoughts ringing through her head. ''Hehe, I''ve finally got your attention.'' Feeling proud of her accomplishment, she made a curious look as she asked, "Ah, Nero, what do you think? How do you like my home?" Though Nero felt jealous of Elly, he didn''t want to show any overwhelming reactions. As such, he quickly regained his calmness and replied, "It''s okay, you''ve got a nice house, Elly." "A nice house?" Those gathered said in unison as they stared at each other in surprise. On the other hand, Elly felt angered at Nero''s words, she wanted to curse, but before she could do so, one of the persons in black addressed her. "Young miss, who might this boy be?" Elly looked at the person who spoke, noticing that it was a slender man that wore glasses and black gloves, his hair neatly tucked backward, giving him a butler-like look. The others also stared at Nero with deep eyes, causing Nero to feel strange, but he said nothing; Elly then answered, "Ah, Anderson, this is my classmate from the new school, his name is Nero, and he''s brilliant, I ask for his help to learn a few subjects." Anderson gave Elly a good look, staring between her and Nero before he spoke, "I see, so he''s the one, that''s good, your mother already notified us of the details, since he came today, we will prepare a room for both of your studies. Everyone, please guide this young man to the area." "Of course," The others said as they glanced at Nero and beckoned with their hands. Nero couldn''t help but feel strange; he noticed that the men and women looked at him oddly, but as he didn''t want to offend anyone here, he didn''t make any complaints and followed behind them. Elly seeing this hesitated a bit as she spoke, "Huh? Nero, wai..." "Young Miss... I''m sorry, but you have to follow me for now; the Madame would like to speak to you before your sessions," Anderson said as he looked at Elly, interrupting her words. "Mother? Why?" Elly asked in confusion. "I''m not sure, but she told me to bring you to her first at all cost, now please follow me," Anderson said as he gestured forward. Elly sighed at this as she started in the direction Nero went before shaking her head; she then agreed, "Alright, I understand." Without another word, Elly then followed along with Anderson, who brought her towards a different part of the compound, her eyes having a tinge of worry, but what she didn''t know was that deep within Anderson''s eyes was a mysterious glint. *** Nero found that the Balkras estate was even larger than he imagined; he felt that it was large enough on its exterior, but now that he was being escorted to the study room, the sights witness was capable of startling him. He saw statues made of gold, famous paintings, along with an assortment of trinkets, the further they brought Nero. The more his eyes widened as he saw beautiful gardens with fresh plants and fruits, the noises from various insects adding a wonderous mood to the nightly atmosphere. Still, most peculiar weren''t these sights, but the opposing fields of the compound, well-paved areas, where people gathered together in karate suits, striking their fists against the wind as they shouted in unison. "We fight for the Balkras! We bleed for the Balkras! We die for the Balkras!" Nero, who originally felt a pleasant mood, soon felt a bit suspicious as he saw this; he soon started to hear cries of pain as he saw sights where men and women fought in violent combat, striving to outdo the other. ''This isn''t right? Weren''t they taking me to the study area? This should be their clan''s private training field; why would they show this to an outsider like myself?'' Nero thought with a hint of concern on his face as he heard the cry of anguish on a combatant''s face, the audible sounds of his bones snapping sounding in his ear as when he looked on that training field, he saw a bulky woman sitting on top of a man with his snapped arms in her palm. As if she sensed Nero''s look, she lifted her head and glanced at him with a fierce look, causing Nero to slightly tremble as he didn''t expect such a sudden scene. ''There is something, not r¡ª'' Nero was about to think something as his eyes wandered from the field to the people escorting, but the moment his pupils landed upon them, his face sunk when he saw their manner. Initially, they had escorted him with pleasant and mostly welcoming looks on their faces. But at this time, their manner had changed entirely, their faces solemn, eyes lifeless and indifferent as if they weren''t escorting a guest, but a corpse. Nero gulped as he saw this, his heart rate increasing a bit as he took a slight step back, but who would have a thought that as his feet made such a motion, the entire escort team would halt and glance at him with sharp eyes. Nero felt his heart jumped at this reaction, but even more so when a study and firm arm tapped his shoulder, followed by a voice. "Esteemed guest, is there something wrong?" When Nero heard this, he shook as he turned his head to stare at the person who spoke, but grew even more frightened as the person''s face was directly in front of him, their noses a few centimeters apart, as he could clearly see the icy, emotionless hell within the depths of the man''s eyes. "Why? I... I... of course not," Nero said, a bit stuttering as he quickly turned his head forward, trying to calm his mood. The person behind him increased the grip of his hand on Nero''s shoulder as he spoke, "Oh, that''s good, then no more stopping, we must hurry, the ''master'' is waiting." Nero gulped when he heard the word - master, he had a bad feeling, but as he knew he couldn''t escape his predicament, he didn''t bother to complain as he sighed and continued walking. Adult Nero chuckled at this as he leaned back lazily; it seemed he enjoyed watching Nero experience this scene. Soon, Nero was escorted to the wide-open room built within a garden, the sounds of water flowing from the fountains around him, giving him a sense of peace. Yet, this was only an illusion as the persons who escorted him stood a few meters behind him in silence, their manner still solemn as it seemed if he dared to take a stake back, he would be in for trouble. ''Just my rotten luck, maybe I shouldn''t have come here to begin with...'' Nero, though, slightly regrets his choice of offering to teach Elly. Nevertheless, it was too late now, and even if he wanted to leave, the person who wanted to see him had already arrived. With a series of heavy footsteps, the room seemed as if it were shaking, giving the impression of a giant''s arrival. Nero''s eyes shrunk when he turned his face in the direction of the sound, a large entrance from a different sector of the building. Not knowing why, sweat began to roll down Nero''s cheeks as his eyes shone in a green light, showing the outline of a toweringly bright soul light, one that far beyond the likes of which Nero had ever seen. Adult Nero, who previously rested calmly at the core of his young self''s mind, stared at the silhouette behind the dazzling soul lights with a calm smile as he spoke in a voice that only he could hear. "It''s been a long time, Emperor Marlo..." His voice seems to affect as the dazzling soul lights vanished from young Nero''s eyes, revealing the figure of a peak legend, one who stood at together amongst those at the forefront of the human race. Chapter 129: Palace of Horrors The air was strange, carrying an eerie vibe as the world had a grim look. If one observed it at a glance, they would notice a large blood-red moon that loomed behind a palace at the summits of a giant mountain. Looking at this moon, one would see two sinister-looking eyes that glared at the world below it indifferently as the gloomy black clouds danced around it with mouths that made a sly grin as if mocking the myriad things. A dark city rested below the palace, carrying a lifeless air; there was no life to be found in its quarters, for if one looked closely, they would see streets filled with corpses from unknown times, bones of unusual creatures that sprawled open on the asphalt. The soul-rending wail of wandering ghosts that floated about air echoed near and far to the emptiness around it, adding an ominous feeling to the current atmosphere. At this time, a bright light bolted down from the sky before crashing into the streets; it released a radiance glow for a few meters before receding to reveal a lonely form. A handsome silver-haired youth with red pupils, he looked around the area with curious and cautious eyes. He held one of his arms to his side, positioning it a little distance behind his back as a long and cruel-looking scythe appeared within his grasp. Multiple more of these lights flashed now and then across the dark city, causing the strange youth to narrow his eyes as he spoke under his breath. "So, this is a dungeon... it''s so lifeless, yet I can''t help but sense a richness of life within it." Nero said as he carefully observed the scene, noticing the bones and old corpses that lay lifeless in the open streets. He glanced at the buildings, which had lanterns shone in perpetual green light, adding more oddness to the surroundings. Suddenly, a burst of sinister laughter sounded in the distance as a thick mist formed, followed by a few glowing lights which soon after formed into jack o lanterns that scattered about the city. A soft wind blew across his body, rustling his hair and his furry martial robes, causing it to make flapping noises followed by an announcement. ____ Ding! [Welcome to the Palace Horrors, a Pseudo Class One Dungeon!] [Defeat the Master of Horrors to return to your original world; fail to do so, and you shall perish under the laws of the dungeon!] [Rewards: 1000 EXP, Prestige 300, ???] [The quest shall commence in 3, 2, 1...] ____ Following the notification, the mist dimmed a bit, revealing more of the scene as the air grew a tinge more ominous. ''To think that I''d only get this quest at this time, this should be quite interesting.'' Nero thought as his eyes flashed; he took a deep breath and noticed that the energies that carried a tinge of coldness filled him with a strange feeling, as rather than fear, he felt as if he was in his most appropriate environment, much like a lost soul that found its way home. As if he couldn''t bear it any longer, Nero took a step forward as his eyes flickered with a greenish ray, the world once more transformed before his eyes, showing a strange scenery. There were countless people of ancient wears, walking about the now gloomy streets, each chatting and laughing while others carried grim looks with uncertain agendas. Nero gawked at this scene as he didn''t expect such a sudden change, but as he observed it more carefully, his eyes turned sharp as he contemplated. ''This... they''re all ghosts. They seem real, but this should just be an illusion or rather, a memory brought forth from the effects of my Reaper Eyes.'' Nero wouldn''t normally know this, but for some reason, after coming here, he began felt a bit more attuned to his talents and nature. ''I wonder what kind of history this place has?'' Nero pondered for a moment, but as he knew that this wasn''t the time, he shook his head and cleared distracting thoughts focusing on his core objectives. ''I should focus on my Unique Dungeon Quest as well as defeating that dungeon boss; I''m sure right now, everyone should be focused on that objective, and the place of residence for such a creature should be none other than that palace in the distance. The Palace of Horrors...'' When Nero pondered to here, his eyes had a bright glint as he showed a determined look when he glanced at the castle that loomed in the distance, trying his very best to ignore the strange moon that glared at him along with the even stranger grinning clouds. However, as if the world could hear his thoughts, the palace in the distance started to shine in sinister red lights as a few wolf-like howls resounded everywhere. Kaw! Suddenly, a gut-wrenching squawk resounded across the heavens as a flock of crows fluttered from behind the palace, their eyes gleaming in red lights with feathers that seemed no different from metal due to their glossy sheen as their beaks shone in balefully sharp rays. Instantly, they made a series of arcs as they swooped through the gloomy sky towards all directions of the dark city, emanating a menacing intent. ____ [Man Eating Crows] [Level: 8] [Health: 800/800] [Combat Force: 180 Stones] [Body Tenacity: 45] [Spiritual Awareness 40] [Speed 95km/h]: [Skill: Soul Confuse - A skill that allows the caster to bewilder the target''s mind by attacking their soul.] [Description: An extremely dangerous crow found only in an environment with gloomy death qi and other energies of yin properties. It thrives on the flesh and spirit of any living being and has an endless appetite, be careful, for these creatures tend to move in flocks.] ____ If it were any other time, Nero would flee with both his arms and his legs, moving with all fours, but feeling a surge of confidence, Nero leaned his body forward and slanted the blade of his scythe towards the incoming flock of enemies, causing it to shimmer in cold rays as he made a cruel smirk and usher in an apathetic voice. "Since you''re my first test, let me see just how challenging you really are..." Following those words, Nero took a harsh step forwards and dashed with full speed towards the incoming flock of Man-Eating Crows. It was a bold move done only by the strong, but unlike him, those in other places had a far different reaction to the disaster about to befall them. One that could very much be no different from a nightmare¡­ Chapter 179: First Meeting of Man and Boy As Nero prepared to face an unpredictable encounter, Elly had already arrived at the entrance of a broad and luxurious room. She looked at the beautiful woman in the calm scene that sat on a mat as if medicating when a few maids fixed her long hair. As if sensing her daughter, the woman''s lips parted as she spoke, "Child, come here, sit with mother." When she said those words, she waved her hand, the maids seeing the bowed before withdrawing from the room. Elly felt a bit puzzled by this, but she still entered the room and sat down obediently at her mother''s side. "Mother, what''s wrong? Why did you call me here?" Madam Balkras didn''t answer Elly directly but turned her eyes towards her, giving her deep looks as if trying to penetrate her thoughts. She then asked, "Child, that Nero boy... who is he to you? Could he be¡ª?" After speaking to here, Madam Balkras said nothing but based on the look on her face; one could understand her implied meaning. Elly felt shocked at this, her face turning red as she hurriedly denied, "M-mother, what are you saying?! There''s no such thing; we are only classmates!" "Really?" Madam Balkras asked, giving her an even deeper stare as she brought her face closer to hers; the two almost look like twins, with one being older. Elly blushed and lowered her head as she gripped her fists tightly and replied, "Yes, we really aren''t, he''s only my tutor, and now he''s gone ahead of me. We don''t have much time, and you''re wasting it." Madam Balkras squinted her eyes at this, she still didn''t believe her daughter''s words, but she no longer decided to say anything. Elly heaved a sigh of relief after seeing her mother''s reactions; she peeked at her and cautiously asked, "Mother, is that the only thing you wanted ask? If so, can I go back now?" Madam Balkras smiled at this with her eyes closed, showing a loving motherly look as she replied, "Yes, that''s all, you may leave, but I''m afraid your session with that boy will be postponed for a little while." Elly felt confused hearing this; she asked, "Huh? Why?" Madam Balkras opened her closed eyes slightly, showing a meaningful look as she replied, "Oh... and I thought your brother told you, it''s simple; that ''bastard'' came home, and it appears that he wanted to meet him, just as much as I do." When Elly heard her mother say - bastard, her face turned pale as she exclaimed, "What, father''s home? Oh no!" Not even daring to wait for another second, Elly ran from the room in a hurry, rushing towards the direction Nero went as if running for dear life. Madam Balkras looked in the direction her daughter left with her sinister-looking eyes and a sly smile at the corners of his lips, not saying anything as she once more closed them and meditated. However, outside the room, hidden behind a corridor, Raynas stood silently, watching the direction Elly when with pity in his eyes as he muttered to himself. "My dear sister... it''s too late." The scene here taking on a dark shift as within the meeting area, oppressive energy had filled the air. *** The previous dazzling lights vanished as back within the room; a middle-aged man stood silently before Nero. His features square-ish, much like that of Raynas, but with a more mature appearance. He wore a high-quality tuxedo that seemed to be made of unusual sturdy material as it easily contained his bulging biceps that had distorted its shape. Suddenly, this man stared at Nero with a set of indifferent but vaguely oppressive eyes, as if he was a giant looking down on an ant. In this instance, Nero felt as if he was standing before a world, an infinite world that was vastly superior to himself in every way. His heart began to pulse violently as his arms trembled a bit when he thought to himself. ''S-such power... if he wants me dead, there''s no resistance; I''d be finished.'' Nero thought with a grave appearance; he knew if he didn''t say the right things, he''s more or likely never going to see another day. Still, as his thoughts reached here, he soon felt a warm current from the center of his soul, brushing off his feeling of fear caused by the outside influence. Adult Nero''s chuckle soon sounded after as his voice sounded in his mind, "Hey now, don''t go shitting yourself in fear; he''s not going to kill you. Marlo isn''t such a foolish man." Nero frowned hearing this; true, he did felt fearful of the man before him, but not to the extent that he would soil himself. He felt a bit suspicious that his older self even said that, he thought inwardly. ''I really hope it didn''t happen in his life.'' "You brat, like hell it did!" Adult Nero shouted with a voice of rage, but deep in Nero''s mind, his face had a tinge of shame, he naturally didn''t soil himself, but his actions did back then in this situation were even more embarrassing. Of course, he would never tell Nero such information. Nero felt even more suspicious at this point, but he didn''t dare to confirm it. By this time. Marlo, who finished eying Nero, made a thoughtful look as he pondered to himself. ''Odd, to think that a brat of the novice rank could even resist my oppression, looks like he''s not as predictable as I''d imagine. Still, it doesn''t matter, daring to mess with my daughter, he''ll need to prove his worth today!'' With his mind made up, Marlo spoke in a calm voice, "So you''re that boy that has tainted my daughter, you''ve got some guts to come here, kid." Nero felt shocked at this; he hurriedly replied, "Sir, I''ve never done such a thing; I think you''ve got me confused for someone else." Marlo snorted at this as he replied in rage, "Confused, then how do you explain this?" With a wave of his hand, a screen appeared showing Nero and Elly''s scene in the rain outside of the Fortune Medical Center. The camera then zoomed in as it showed Nero''s face in detail, zoning on his arms, which wrapped around Elly''s waist as he whispered in her ear. "Don''t know how to speak? It''s fine; I''ll ''teach'' you today." When Nero heard his words spoken on the camera, his face turned pale as he thought to himself. ''This... what the hell? How did he get this? Damn, I''m in trouble now!'' Even the bodyguards that escorted looked on in shock, they''d never think he would do such a thing. Marlo caught Nero''s look of shock and smirked; he waved his hand and quickly followed up, "Humph! You want to ''teach'' my daughter, fine, but before you do, you''ll have to first prove to me that you have such knowledge." With those words said, Marlo snapped his fingers, causing something to fall from the sky, smashing onto the ground before Nero. Nero''s face turned even darker as he saw the bench with a built-in chair; a thick stack of paper was placed on its surface with the stamp - classified, marked on its surface. Marlo had a sinister smile as he pointed at the desk and spoke to Nero in an icy tone, "Boy, you won''t be able to leave here until you complete that test and if any answer is incorrect. Then forget about reaching my daughter and going home; from this point onward, your faith will be eternally tied to that desk!" His voice resounding across the room and most of the area, as Nero gulped when he looked at the papers before him, he gritted his teeth in anger, knowing that he couldn''t avoid this situation. ''Blast, I''ve done it now, but I''m not going to be so easily oppressed by some bastard!'' Nero thought with a burning flame in his eyes; even though he had his own misgivings, he was still a prideful youth in his own right and wouldn''t allow himself to be bullied by others. Marlo seemed to have sensed the flaming spirit in Nero''s eyes; he smiled and looked at him even more interested as he spoke, "Oh, so you''re not going to give up, good, then let''s get started, show me your resolve." The air in the room soon transformed as everyone watched as the first battle between man and boy had begun. Chapter 180: Passing the Test Sweat ran down Nero''s forehead as he could hear the sounds of a ticking clock that rested in front of him. The clock handles seeming no different from a devil''s horns as they curved at an angle with a reddish tint, ticking away towards a red triangular marker with each passing second. Looking at the clock hours, one could tell that the time limit for his abrupt test was no more than ten minutes, as Marlo and those around him observed with cold looks on their faces. ''This little brat, he sure is persistent, but I want to see what you''ll do when you reach that question,'' Marlo thought with a sneer on his face. Nero wrote as if his life depended on it, but soon he reached the last page. At this time, his eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock as he saw a complex math problem with unknown symbols. ''This dirty man, how can he put such a question here? It''s definitely at the level of an advanced college!'' Nero inwardly cursed as he could tell from a glance that the problem shown was something of the elite college standard. The butlers and guards had smirks on their faces as if they were expecting such a scene. Marlo couldn''t help but speak with a tease, "What''s wrong little punk? Weren''t you so bold you can talk big to my daughter? Feeling troubled over such a small problem, hmph! You better make sure you answer everything correctly, otherwise...." Marlo didn''t say anything more, but the iciness in his voice caused Nero to feel a slight chill in his bones. Nero gritted his teeth at this as he stared over the problem more intently, but sadly, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could find the answer. ''Damn... am I going to be bullied by this bastard here?'' Nero cursed again. It seemed that he really made a bad choice coming today. While at this moment of despair, a flurried set of footsteps soon came at the door, drawing everyone''s attention as a soft and hurried voice sounded. "Nero! Nero, where are you?!" Nero''s eyes lit up at those words, he was about to open his mouth and shout, but in an instant, a devastating oppression came over his body, forcing him to keep silent as Marlo glared at him. ''Tsk! I swear... I''ll get back at this old man soon enough.'' Nero thought with a firm set of eyes. Marlo smirked then gestured towards a few guards who nodded before vanishing and appearing outside. In a flash, they had arrived before a hurried-looking Elly, who glared at them as she shouted. "Hey, where''s Nero? Hurry and let me through!" "We''re sorry young miss, but the leader is busy with that child. Right now, he cannot attend to any other matters." One of the guards said. "That''s right; please wait with us here for a little while; he will finish the test soon." Another said with a smile. "A test? What do you mean by test? Nero''s here to teach me, so how dare you force him to take a test?! Let him out right this instant!" Elly cursed as she pointed her finger commandingly, but it was a pity; Marlo''s words had more weight to their ears. Nero, hearing Elly''s concern, felt a little better at heart; he unconsciously made a gentler smile on his face as he thought to himself. ''Heh, so she does have a conscience, I guess I''ll reward her...'' Adult Nero chuckled at this, saying nothing. Still, unlike the two Nero''s, only one person remained silent in the room; Marlo had icy eyes as he heard his daughter''s heartfelt concern for Nero, the look he gave him grew even more violent as if he made up his mind. Luckily for Nero, he wasn''t paying attention to him; his attention was now on the last problem of the test; he soon heard Marlo coldly speaking, "1 minute remaining! Kid... you better try harder, for god knows what I''ll do to you if you fail even one question." For a reason, Nero felt an even stronger amount of hatred from Marlo, even more so as he lifted his head and peeked at this face, noticing his ruthless-looking eyes. ''Blast, this bastard''s really going to kill me, but this question is too hard; what do I do?'' Nero thought a bit concerned; he was now at a loss; Adult Nero shook his head as he spoke, "Fine, I''ll help this time." "Huh?" Nero said in a confused manner, but before he could even understand anything, his mind went blank as Nero''s outward facial expression changed to that of an icy and emotionless one. The sudden change in mannerism surprised even Marlo, who felt the mildly sinister aura that lingered off Nero''s body; through his eyes, he could feel a menacing intent, as if the person before him wasn''t an innocent youth but a monster that had slaughtered countless lives. ''What? What is going on? Where did he get such an aura?'' Marlo thought was a tinge of shock in his eyes; he now stared at Nero more deeply, but at this time, all of the previous violent intent had vanished as if it didn''t exist. Nero was now writing confidently, his arms moving at an incredible speed as if the problem before wasn''t anything worth mention. ''Was that just an illusion? Must have been, tsk, he''s writing so confidently, that problem was hand-selected by experts, does he really understand it, or is he only pretending?'' Marlo thought as he eyed Nero deeply, but no matter how hard he stared, he couldn''t seem to find an accurate conclusion. Soon, the clock handle had reached its marker, and the clock alarm sounded with a ding. Nero''s hand also finished moving at the exact time, placing the pen down on top of his paper, as his icy and indifferent face returned to normal in a flash. Nero now looked at the paper before with surprise, before he frowned and snorted, not saying anything; it seemed he knew what had transpired. Though a bit confused, Marlo still waved his hand; one of the guards walked by Nero and took up the stack of papers, bringing it to Marlo. Marlo then made a quick glance at the papers and found that every answer he saw on a whim was correct, his eyes flickered with surprise, but as he glanced over a few more details, he soon happened to notice the name written on the sheet. ''Nero Valstine... Valstine? Is this...?'' Marlo was a bit alarmed when he saw that name, he glanced at Nero more keenly, but as he saw that Nero looked at him with an angry look, he shook his head. "Kid, you can go now; I won''t interfere with you and that child''s lessons," Marlo said as he turned around and waved his hand dismissively. Nero made a puzzled look while thinking, ''Hmm, why is he acting like this all of a sudden?'' He pondered for a bit but found no answers; as such, he shrugged before getting up and leaving the room. As the door closed, Marlo, who had a deep look on his face, glanced at one of his subordinates and spoke. "Rafter, go and find out everything you can about this kid''s background, especially his parents." "Understood." A shady-looking man said from a corner, his features shrouded by the room''s darkness as he vanished like a ninja. Marlo then turned his eyes to the sky, gazing at the starry sky as he spoke as if speaking to himself, "Valstine... he couldn''t be..." The air in the room shifting from tension to one of mystery as the night continued onwards. *** When Nero left the room, he had encountered an anxious-looking Elly, she stood blocked off by a few guards and stared in the direction of the door with a worried appearance, but as she saw him come out, her eyes lit up as she spoke joyfully. "Nero, are you okay?" Elly said as she ran past the guards, who turned back with shocked faces; they didn''t think he''d be able to leave in one piece. "It''s okay, I''m fine; your father only wanted to test my knowledge," Nero said with a reassuring expression on his face., "Really? That''s not like father, wouldn''t he¡ª" Elly was about to say something, but before she could finish her words, Nero grabbed her slender hand and spoke. "It''s fine; it was only just a small test, no big deal, let''s go study; I have to get home soon," Nero said as he glanced at her. Though a bit suspicious, Elly stared at him a bit before not saying anything; her face turned a bit red as she felt his arm holding hers. Feeling a bit flustered, she slapped his hand and spoke, "Hey, don''t touch me like that; you''ll create misunderstandings!" "Haha, of course, of course..." Nero said as he poked her cheek; Elly made a red face at this but didn''t hit him this time; she angrily glared at him before running towards a different direction as she spoke, "Dummy, what are you waiting for? The study is over here!" Nero smiled at this as he ran in her direction; the guards and butlers looked at this with shock; they would have never imagined that he would be so bold to flirt with her in the open. Nero swept his eyes past them and snort; very much like a child, a teenager was one who firmly held his grudges; he wouldn''t act today, but he was certain to pay them back in the future. As Nero vanished, a snort sounded as the floor rumbled like an earthquake, starling those guards on the outside. Back within the room, Marlo gripped his fists tightly with veins pulsing on his face; he could clearly see the interactions just now. He could even notice that as Nero ran away, he glanced at the room with a sneering expression on his face. Knowing that Nero''s actions were a form of payback, Marlo bit his lips in anger as he spoke in an icy voice, "That little wretch..." Chapter 181: Level 10, An Unexpected Change? After spending a good while within the Balkras''s residency, Nero soon left the compound; he was escorted by a vehicle to the Gutter Zone entrance, where he exited and decided to walk the rest of the way. Now, the hours were quite late; the nightly wind blew softly about as it scattered fallen papers and other objects that littered the streets. Nero didn''t seem to mind the silence. His eyes had a thoughtful look as if he was pondering something as he walked. ''I''ve gotten quite the good payment, but... is it even worth it? Mother''s no longer...'' As Nero''s thoughts reached here, he sighed and shook his head, recalling the lively look on Elly''s adorable face as she gave him his first pay smugly and spoke. "Here''s your money; you better not skip out on me next time!" Nero chuckled at the bit as he recalled the words, his manner less gloomy as he muttered, "I suppose continuing with these lessons wouldn''t be so bad." As Nero smirked while looking, he looked a bit silly, but luckily, no one was around wandering at such a time, so he was free to be as silly as needed. Of course, this was only a misconception, as another presence was also nearby, acting as a tail at a reasonable distance. As if he only just sensed his arrival, Nero didn''t show shock or surprise; he glanced behind himself from the corner of his eye and spoke, "So you''re back, how was your visit? Did you find your crush?" Ryu was a bit surprised by Nero''s words, he didn''t know how Nero came to that conclusion, but as he didn''t care, he snorted as he played a game on his smartphone and replied calmly. "She''s doing just fine." Nero wanted to try and tease Ryu in hopes of him showing a flustered appearance, but sadly, he didn''t see the reaction he hoped for. With a disappointed grunt, Nero no longer bothered with him and continued onward. Soon, they arrived before Nero''s rusty iron gate that barred entry to the small house on the lawn. After giving it a stare, Nero turned to Ryu and spoke, "Well, I''m headed off; I''ve got a lot of training to do; see you around Ryu." Ryu nodded at this and spoke, "Good, the Gate of Legends is near, and your Inheritance Quest is the first obstacle you''ll need to overcome to claim any advantages during that event. Hurry and reach Level 10." Following those words, Ryu turned and left towards a nearby building before vanishing into the darkness. Nero''s eyes flickered at this as he knew that the special event wouldn''t be so simple, but first, he had to focus on the gathering this Friday. "I''ll do the best I can," Nero muttered as he walked into the compound soon after entering the house and closing the door. Adult Nero smirked at this as he had already prepared a hellish regiment and couldn''t wait to see his younger self face of regret, but his eyes soon narrowed as he glanced around the house before they became normal again. There, he saw a few stealthy silhouettes hidden in the dark, each having a formidable aura as if they were dragons sleeping in a pool. ''Oh, stronger than the last batch, it seems that attack from last time had cautioned them a bit. Good, at least I won''t have to worry about stepping in during any conflicts on Earth, and even that troublesome fellow.'' With Adult Nero''s thoughts, his eyes shifted towards a tall building in the distance. There at its summits was the figure of a familiar-looking man in black with a ponytail. He currently faced the direction of Nero''s house with his red shades shimmering due to the night lights as his sharp and cold eyes observed it with interest. Soon, a smile crept at the corners of his lips as he spoke as if speaking to himself, "So, my search had led me to you, brat, it''s your turn; I''ll start by thoroughly observing you from this point forward. Even if you have nothing to do with the true target, eventually, I''ll pay you back for that time." The once calm wind now chilly as it swept across the surroundings, almost as if foreshadowing a dark future. *** A few days passed quickly, and it was now the fourth day of the week; after another long day of grinding, the night had set in, and the time was gradually nearing the hours for Digitizers to leave the World of Promise. A fierce battle was currently unfolding between youth and monster within a mountain range, filled with spikey rocks that protruded high into the air. Bang! A bright light of spiraling silver energies swirled around rapidly, covering a rocked scaled beast that seemed similar in appearance to a turtle that was roughly eight meters in size. The monster didn''t falter due to the sudden attack; it stood its ground like a boulder as it opened its mouth and roared, its breath scattering a sonic wave that dissipated most of the rays. Suddenly, the beast''s eyes turned to the right as if they sensed something; there, they reflected the rapidly moving silhouette of the boy with a scythe that swooshed towards it from an angle with the scythe held behind him. Feeling a sense of danger, the turtle beast tensed its muscles as the rocky scale that wrapped over it glowed in an earthen-colored light, almost as if reinforcing itself. The youth didn''t stop his charge; his lips curved into a smile as he swung his scythe rapidly, sending many bright rays of silver arcs towards it, each a size bigger than the last. Wherever these lights went, chunks of rock fell to the ground as blood oozes from the flesh of the beast, forcing it to hide in its even sturdier shell that emitted metallic-like sparks on contact with the arcs of energies. As this battle continued, a few Digitizers who were also struggling to battle in the vicinity also took note of the battle, but their eyes only showed shock as if the person fighting was none a human but a beast even more vicious than the monster. "This guy, he''s truly deserving of his fame... truly a wild freak," An observer said with fear in his eyes. "Indeed, to think he can fight a Level 9 Rock Snapper like this, I shudder to see what he can do once he levels up and breaks the threshold." Someone else said with a deep expression on his face. Following the last person''s words, the spirals silver lights soon vanished. Nero then came to a halt as he glared at the beast before him with his icy red pupils. "Since you want to play hard, then I''ll let you taste a bit of my full strength," Nero said as he adopted his Dancing Reaper stance; his eyes flickered in a baleful red light as he invoked his skill, "Blood Reaper''s Dance!" In a second, his figure vanished in the blink of an eye. Once this happened, many scarlet red arcs of lights scattered from one direction before arriving at the back of the Rock Snapper at quick speeds. These lights then gathered in seconds as Nero appeared with his back facing the beast, his arm holding the scythe behind him as his hair fluttered in the wind. "Hmm, what happened?" One of the observed asked in confusion. "It''s over," A more experienced Digitizer said as he looked at Nero with a stern look on his face. "You can''t possibly mean that he so easily killed¡ª" The other person wanted to say something, but his eyes widened as he saw the shocking result. Crack! The Rock Snapper''s massive body split into multiple pieces as even the giant metallic-like turtle shell shattered into similar segments that seemed to have been cut by a laser due to its smoothness. Unaware of its death, the Rock Snapper didn''t even have the chance to make a pitiful cry. Its organs and blood-spattered about along with a few items. Many of the onlookers released exclamations as they saw the scene, but Nero didn''t pay them any mind. He swung his scythe, splashing off the blood before giving it a twirl and putting it on his back. He then picked up the loot from the creature''s corpse before and at the notification that popped up before his eyes. ____ Ding! [You have defeated a Rock Snapper, 85 EXP received.] Ding! [You have leveled up! All stats have increased as follows - HP: 20, MP: 20, SA: +5, CF: +10, BT: +3, SP: +3km] Ding! [You have risen to Level 10!] Ding! [Congratulations, you have reached the limit, commencing true Novice Rank Initiation!] ____ "This... what''s going on?" Nero uttered in shock as he saw this information, he wanted to ask his older self what was going on, but before he could say anything, a bright light shone from his body as a startling change occurred. Chapter 182: Early-Stage Novice Tier, Inheritance Quest The Novice Rank, the first boundary of power on the path to becoming an Apex Digitizer, upon entering the World of Promise, everyone would become initiated as a Novice, but that isn''t the true start of this tier. Only when overcoming the first initial levels and achieving Level 10, could one truly be recognized as a novice, both by the world''s residents and the system connected to the Universe Ring. ___ Ding! [Initiation Complete: Congratulations, you have achieved the Early-Stage Novice Rank.] Ding! [Body transformation commencing, assessing Host''s foundation, foundation assessment complete.] Ding! [Host''s body foundation had achieved Stage Nine Fitness in two foundation skills, as such, Core Body Refinement and All Weapons Mastery has merged into Host''s new foundation, Core Physique has awakened.] Ding! [Host''s combat techniques and stats have evolved on a fundamental level. Body Tenacity has assimilated into Combat Force.] Ding! [Host Eruption Class Skill Blood Reaper''s Dance has been altered; maximum power is limited until required stage advancement.] Ding! [All stats have increased.] Ding! [Grade Z Inheritance Bit Mazello has initiated, complete its Inheritance Quest to unlock its full potential.] ___ As the notifications sounded, the lights faded, revealing Nero''s dazzling figure, which was now emitting a dense, rich silver power that sparked. His body now a bit leaner and more muscular as even his silver hair grew a bit longer. The onlookers who saw his change were surprised, but they soon returned to normal as some spoke out loud. "Incredible, this guy has met the standard, achieving Level 10 so quickly, I feel ashamed." "Tell me about it, I''m still a week away, and the event is tomorrow. It looks like I''ll miss it." Not paying attention to anyone else, Nero, who sensed his transformation, felt light. His body emanating a magic power that was more condensed than his former, as when he clenched his fists tightly, he felt a surge of strength like never before. ____ [Name: Nero Valstine] [Title - Silver Boy, Wild Silver(Active), The First Newbie(System: +40 HP and MP)] [Tier - Early-Stage Novice Digitizer] [Level: 10| Class: None] [Next Level EXP: 5,750] [Current EXP: 0] [Influence: Humanity (Blood Steel Society) | Prestige: 1200 - Famed Warrior] [Health: 420/420] [Magic Power: 420/420] [Combat Force: 358(178+180) (+171)] [Spiritual Awareness: 75] [Speed: 80(+60) km/h] [Genetic Trait: Inheritance Bit Mazello (Grade Z) - Partial Active, Reaper''s Eye] [Core Physique: Stage 9 Human Body | Effects: None | CF: 180] --- [Active Combat Skills | High Grade:] [Blood Reaper''s Dance (Special): Stage 3 (51/600) | ? Stages] [Effects: Increase of +60 Combat Force, MP Consumption: 30] [Four Point Unity Steps: Stage 9 MAX] [Effects: Increase of 65km/h, MP Consumption: 20] [Myriad Spector Clones: Stage 5 (323/600) | 9 Stages] [Effects: Conjure 5 Phantom Clones, MP Consumption: 30] --- [Active Combat Skills | Low Grade: Flash Cut: Stage 3 MAX] --- [Coins: 1 Gold 45 Silver 65 Coppers] --- [Items: (NEW)Mystery Box, ???Scroll, (Rank Up))Blood Horror Cloak [LV10/100] - CF:52 (Skill: Blood Binding Chains), Midnight Arm Gauntlet - CF: 19(Skill: Midnight Shield), Sky Walker Boots: 65km/h - (Skill: Sky Walk), Ironscale Underarmor - CF: 38) (Rank Up)Grezelor''s Cursed Scythe (LV10/100) CF: 62, Trading License, Digitize License] ____ ''Wow, it''s even more than I thought to think I would strengthen this much? Those passive skills merged to form my Core Physique, and my Blood Reaper''s Dance isn''t showing percentages. I wonder, why?'' Nero inwardly said with shocked eyes as he looked at his stats; he could feel the power he had could easily crush the former Rock Snapper with ease. "You have ranked up to the true start of the Novice Tier; because of this, the special grade skill isn''t able to utilize its comprehensive effect at its current stage. The reason for this is because your Combat Force is of superior level compared to your early levels." Adult Nero said. ''What? Isn''t it the same Combat Force? If it''s like this, wouldn''t all my effort in razing the skill be pointless.'' Nero said in a tone of discontent. Adult Nero shook his head and answered, "Your mistaken, the Blood Reaper''s Dance is more powerful than it was before; if anything, you only need to push it to the required stage to awaken its percentage eruption strength. At that point, the skill would truly unfold and awaken its true killing method." ''Tsk, if you say so,'' Nero said, a bit annoyed; he didn''t like that he had to push it higher to achieve what he already lost. Adult Nero smirked as he knew that his younger self simply didn''t understand just how powerful it would be to reach the required stage. He pushed those thoughts away and spoke again. "Now then, enough about that, your Combat Force is the pinnacle of all strength, while your Core Physique is the body built through your foundation techniques. Of course, the Core Body Refinement skill wasn''t the very best, but it was enough for you to achieve the Stage Nine Human Body. Now that you''ve become an Early Tier Novice, your strength will only continue to rise at an exponential rate. Once you enter the Gate of Legends, your aim would then be to use your Digitize Bit to find a powerful method to replace your physique and transform it further." "Hmm, you mentioned that I have to use my Digitize Bit, but didn''t they say we mustn''t do our Inheritance Quests yet?" Nero asked his older self. "Correct, they were right, but you''re mistaken; the Inheritance Bit is the first challenge you must overcome once you are tossed into the world of the Gate of Legends. Otherwise, you won''t be able to survive its monsters, not without the power boost. As for the first Inheritance Quest, it is the easiest, and you only have to look within yourself to overcome it; of course, our quest won''t be as simple most others." ''Looks like this will be a true troublesome event...'' Nero thought to himself with stern eyes. Adult Nero didn''t pay his thoughts any mind and spoke once more, "Each Digitize Bit is quite mystical, and they can source out a power comparable to their former masters. Your job is to source out the strongest methods you can; the better the technique, the better your chances of awakening a powerful and unique body that can merge with your Core Physique. If you''re lucky, it may even compare to those of the superior Class 3 and Class 4 races." Nero had already a bit about these details from his older self, but this only furthered his understanding. ''So that''s how it is... now, I guess I''ll check out that quest in a different location,'' Nero thought to himself with a tinge of excitement. Not even wanting to waste another moment, he jumped and quickly faded from everyone''s sight, moving at a speed many times faster than before as he arrived at a silent field, surrounded by a few World Spirits that seemed to notice him. Nero had sat down prepared to review more of his changes, but a few of the spirits floated around him; one even crawled on his legs. "These little guys are so cute..." Nero muttered as he helped a few of them up, fixing them in a relaxed manner in his hair before he stared at the space and spoke. "Time to see what you''re all about... show quest." As Nero said this, a screen popped up before his eyes showing the quest details. ____ [First Inheritance Quest: Acquire Mazello''s Heart!] [Difficulty: Extreme Hard] [Description: Mazello is a powerful spiritual being of the ancient ages in the World of Promise, as the wielder of his fragment, you must prove yourself worthy by acquiring his heart from the Death Realm of your Digitize Bit. Failure will result in loss of your right to wield his power...] [Rewards: (??? Grade) Mazello''s Death Scythe, ??? Class [??? EXP] [Requirements: Level 10, you have ten days to enter the Death Realm and complete the quest.] ____ "Extreme Hard? What the hell kind of difficulty is that?" Nero said in alarm. Adult Nero chuckled at this as he prepared to explain everything in detail; the cool wind blew as Nero listened to his older self''s words in the calm night. Weapons and Equipment AdditionsHe sold a few of his old itemsTotal Stat = Base + Core Physique Chapter 183: The Mystery Box, A Peculiar Beast The time now neared the hour for leaving the World of Promise, and Nero had already heard the details regarding the Extreme Hard difficulty for his Inheritance Quest. ''It might be, though, but I''ll do my best... I wonder, just how powerful will I be after I claim that weapon and inherit my combat class?'' Nero thought to himself with eyes filled with expectation. Adult Nero smiled at this as he spoke, "Our strength will depend on the amount of effort you put into it, so prepare yourself for it won''t come easy." Nero nodded at this and said nothing; he looked at the colorful night sky of the World of Promise, even more so at the bright gold Universe Ring with thoughtful eyes as he prepared to leave, but as if he recalled something, he slapped the back of his head and muttered. "Oh yeah, I didn''t check it out yet; now that I''m level 10, it should have unlocked. Hmm, let''s see here, oh, it changed its name to Mystery Box; I wonder what''s inside?" Nero promptly opened his palm and willed for the item to appear, after a flash of light it then fell into his hand. Now that he looked at it, he found it a bit peculiar, for it was a dark box with mystical patterns that shone in purple light. "Inspect..." Nero said, causing its details to appear before his eyes. ____ [Mystery Box 104] [Grade: Special] [Type: Treasure Box] [Usable by: All] [Description: A special box that contains a surprise. Open it, and you shall summon a unique lifeform.] ____ "What the... a unique lifeform? Is this thing holding some ''digi demons'' or those ''pocket monsters'' mother always liked?" Nero said in a strange tone. Adult Nero chuckled and spoke, "A pocket monster, haha, that should be something. You really have a wild imagination..." Nero rolled his eyes at those words and spoke, "Well, if you''re so smart, what do you think is inside?" "Sorry, I''ve never experienced this before, that All-Seer and his intentions were always a mystery. I''ve also heard of people acquiring Mystery Box''s, but I didn''t in the end. Still, since it was labeled as a special gift, then it should have something that we might find handy." When Adult Nero spoke to his younger self, Nero''s face turned a bit curious as he observed it more carefully. Vaguely, he could feel as if the box itself was peering at him as if a pair of imaginary eyes had opened up from its core, observing him. But sadly, that was only an illusion as the box remained a normal with no signs of other life. ''Even if it''s a gift, I should be a bit careful.'' Nero thought to himself. Even if he didn''t seem like it, Nero didn''t like the All-Seer one bit, especially as he goaded him through the means of his mother. With his mind cleared up, Nero looked at the box once more with sharp eyes as he commanded, "Open!" His shout seemed to have influenced the surroundings as the world around him grew quiet. In this instance, the world grew dark as only Nero and the box existed. Suddenly, the box hovered from his palm and opened from the top as a bright purple light shone from the box, creating a startling beam of light that bolted towards the night sky. It formed a mystical diagram much like that of a magic summoning formation. Nero looked at this in surprise as Adult Nero observed calmly, he didn''t know what it was before, but he soon showed a thoughtful expression as he spoke to himself. "I wonder, what creature will appear?" As if it heard Adult Nero''s words, the connecting ray of light shone even more brightly before a spiraling orb fell from the heavens; it halted directly before Nero before exploding in a bright boom of purple energies that shrouded the entire surroundings. A few moments later the lights vanished, and the box that hovered before Nero had dissipated. Nero looked around in wonder as he didn''t see any differences, but soon, his eyes widened in surprise as he called out in alarm. "T-this is insane! What the heck is this?" Following Nero''s eyes, one would see a small and adorable black cat with purple stripe patterns around its dark fur. It had a white and gold bell around its tail that jingled each time it moved up and down. As if it sensed Nero''s stare, the cat looked around confusedly before staring at him with curiosity then closeness. "Meow-meow-meow!" It cried out cutely as it ran towards Nero and jumped from the ground, nimbly landing into his arms that stretched out subconsciously to grab it. "Meowww..." The small black cat purred as it fiddled around in his hands. It seemed it wanted to play. ''You''ve got to be kidding me? All that glamourous light and special summoning symbol, I''d think they''d be sending me a devil or dragon, but in the end... I get a cat?'' Nero cursed with his eyes still filled with surprise; he couldn''t help but feel a little disappointed. Adult Nero chuckled at this, he then shook his head and spoke, "You''ve spoken too soon, haven''t you inspected its details?" Nero rolled his eyes at this and complained, "What are you talking about? It''s a fricking cat, what can a cat--" He was about to say something, but before he could even finish his words, his mouth opened in shock as he saw the details before his eyes. ____ [Nether Hell Cat] [Level: 1] [Grade: Unique (Growth Type)] [Health: 100/100] [Magic Power: 100/100] [Combat Force: 15 Stones] [Spiritual Awareness: 65] [Speed: 75 km/h]: [Skill: Soul Guidance, Soul ????, Soul ????] [Description: A mystical beast that walks the boundaries of two worlds, it can bridge the gap of space and enter the NetherRealm, either to escape danger or to search for lost souls or rogue spirits.] ____ "Wha... what the hell is with this cat? Its combat force isn''t anything special for its level, but its speed and awareness are off the charts. Hmm, Soul Guidance... such an odd skill, what''s this all about?" Nero said with surprise as he stared at the small cat in his arms. Adult Nero gave it a deep look as he spoke, "Unique Grade pets aren''t usually suitable for battle but support, but unlike most others, especially for a reaper, there is no better pet than this Nether Hell Cat. You should count yourself lucky; its Soul Guidance is a skill that allows it to guide us towards lost souls and rogue spirits are especially useful. Still, for now, it wouldn''t mean much to you; after you become a true reaper, you will see what it means..." Nero showed a thoughtful look at this but said nothing; his eyes stared at the cute black cat with purple eyes that stared up at him adorably. He smiled and spoke, "Since that guy says you''re so special, I can''t leave you unnamed now, can I... hmm, let''s see, your dark but also bright, how about Luna?" "Meow!" The black cat felt happy at its name; it jumped from Nero''s hand and landed on his silver hair; it then fixed in a comfortable position as if trying to sleep. Nero smiled at this and petted the cat before he stared up at the night sky and spoke, "Time to leave..." With those words, a bright light appeared, followed by the scene of him transforming into colorful lights that bolted towards the Universe Ring as a new day began. Chapter 184: A New Day, Tragic News When Nero opened his eyes, the light from the morning sun had already graced his figure. He yawned and stretched, prepared to take in a long day as he knew that quite a lot would happen from this point onward. Meow... a noise ushered from the side as Nero smacked his lips, preparing to get off his bed, his eyes made a puzzled look as he glanced in the direction, but as he did, his expression turned to bewilderment. There, neatly curled up on his bedside, was none other than Luna, his newly acquired pet from the Origin World. "What the heck? How did this fellow get here?" Nero exclaimed out loud as he saw Luna purred with a look of contentment. Adult Nero spoke at this time in a calm tone, "It''s Unique Grade for a reason; special pets like these can bridge the gap between worlds through the Universe Ring." Nero''s face sunk at this as he spoke, "Then doesn''t this means¡ª" Adult Nero knew his thoughts. He spoke with a set of deep eyes, "Correct, other races can too, but naturally they''ll have their limitations, as they are unable to manifest their true forms. The only way for another kind to truly come from one end world to another would be to have enough approval from the opposing side''s Universe Ring." Nero had a serious look on his face as he spoke, "No wonder, so that''s why those aliens are working with those Bit Hunters." "Indeed, they can easily bridge the gap with their help, though for right now, neither can send any compelling figure due to the lack of approval; the more time goes on, the more our danger will increase." Adult Nero said in a cool tone. Nero gripped his fists tightly at those words, he didn''t like the situation, but he knew better than anyone that he wasn''t qualified to interfere in such a fight; for now, he could only focus on training. Adult Nero smiled and nodded at Nero''s mentality; he said nothing more as he leaned back and stared at the brightening blue sky, his eyes profound as he contemplated deeply about a few matters. Suddenly a beeping sound resounded from the clock on a nearby drawer; Nero looked at the time and jumped from the bed; he cracked his joints and pressed the alarm button to disarm it. "Time to go." With that said, Nero then left the room to take a shower, after which he ate breakfast and left the house. As he was closing the door, Luna, who seemed to have only now awakened, ran through the corner before jumping onto his shoulder. "Meow-Meow-Meow!" Luna complained as if she didn''t like the fact that he was going to leave her alone. Nero sighed at this and spoke while petting it, "Luna, you can''t follow me; wait home." "Meow!" Luna cried out as she firmly held onto his shoulder, not daring to move an inch. Nero shook his head at this, he was about to take her up, but his older self soon found a method. "You can just let her wait in the Pet Space; that will make life easier." Adult Nero said. "Oh, I had one, I didn''t even realize, man, this system sure is annoying. It doesn''t prompt you of enough details," Nero cursed. ''Tell me about it...'' Adult Nero said in his thoughts as he recalled not being prompt of the sudden attack that took his life. "Luna, go in..." Nero said after hearing the method from his older self; Luna then turned into a ray of light that entered his forehead. Nero smiled at this before closing the door and leaving his abode, and as expected, upon arriving at the gate, he met and left with the ever so patient and icy Ryo. "Level 10, you finally made it, not bad..." Ryu said with a rare smile. Nero rolled his eyes at this; he glanced at him and scanned his details, but much to his surprise, the result was far different from expected. ____ Ding! [Target is wearing a Shielding Treasure; some stats have been obscured.] Ding! [Name: Ryu Kojima] [Title - Chasing Arrow, ?????, ?????] [Level: 10 | Class: None] [Influence: Humanity (Blood Steel Society)| Prestige: 3000 - Famed Novice] [Health: 420/420] [Magic Power: 420/420] [Combat Force: ???(+???)] [Spiritual Awareness: ??] [Speed: ??(+??) km/h] [Genetic Trait: Inheritance Bit Archiak (Grade ?) - Partial Active, ????] [Core Physique: Stage 9 Human Body | Effects: None | CF: ???] [Skills: ????, ????, ????] ____ ''Tsk, why am I not surprised? I-GUESS-THAT-I''M-THE-ONLY-ONE-WITH-MY-STATS-OUT-IN-THE-OPEN!'' Nero cursed to himself, further dragging out the final words as if trying to complain to someone. Adult Nero chuckled at this; he didn''t bother to say anything about him hiding most of his stats under the quiets. The duo didn''t waste any more time as they left quickly and made their way towards the meeting grounds. Soon, they entered the bus that later vanished into the distance as it went to the core of Rambruck City. It didn''t take long for Nero and Ryu to arrive on the compound; after exiting the vehicle, they promptly made their way to the class. Soon, they entered the room that almost full and found their seats at the corner, but as they sat down, they couldn''t help but notice an odd atmosphere. "Is it real? That''s so cruel; how could such a thing happen?" A small female said tragically. "Yes, I knew that times were dangerous, but to think that even your home wouldn''t be safe, I don''t know what to think anymore," Another female said in a sad tone. "The hell, which bastard did it? Is he caught yet?" A male student said in anger as he slammed his desk. "No, the culprit hasn''t been found yet; the authorities are searching for him as we speak." Another student replied with visible rage on his face. Both Nero and Ryu glanced at each other, Nero was expecting Ryu to know what was going on, but Ryu merely shrugged as if saying, beats me? ''Che! So not helpful...'' Nero thought to himself; his eyes wandered around as he pondered, ''I wonder, what could have possibly happened for them to be acting like this?'' As Nero thought to here, he was about to ask about it, but before he could take any action, a disturbance came from the classroom door. It opened with a bang as Elly ran into the room; everyone looked at her as she hurried to her desk beside Nero and spoke while looking at him. "Nero, did you hear?" Elly said in a flustered tone. "No, I was about to ask, what happened?" Nero inquired. Elly sighed as she spoke with an expression of sadness, "It''s about Kailyn, her... her entire family was murdered." "What?" Nero exclaimed, his eyes showing alarm as even Ryu, whose attention mainly stuck to his phone, looked up with a tinge of wonder in his eyes. "You''re kidding me; how did this happen?" Nero asked. Elly shook her head and replied, "I don''t know; I heard that last night the slaughter had occurred quickly and concisely. Everyone from her family had died, but the unusual thing about it all is not the murder, but the fact Kailyn herself was nowhere to be found on the scene." Nero narrowed his eyes at this as he pondered, ''Odd, who would commit such a random slaughter, not mention that it happened in such a high-end community. If anything, the only persons who could bypass the security would be...'' As if guessing Nero''s thoughts, Elly bit her lips and then whispered, "There''s also another thing, from what my family has gathered. We discovered that any random slaughterer didn''t just murder her family; it likely had something to with a Digitizer." Nero stared at Elly with a tinge of surprise before his face turned to certainty, his thoughts running wildly. ''So that''s how it is, it explains a lot, but now the only prime witness had vanished. A Digitizer suddenly attacking and slaughtering a civilian''s family, what would they gain from such an action? And more importantly, what would they gain from sparing her? Could they be Bit Hunters? Was Kailyn a nonawakened with a special Digitize Bit? Hmm, no matter how I think about it, something isn''t right here... this Kailyn, she would go so far for even Elly''s downfall, with such a vicious personality, if she had gained enough strength, wouldn''t she have done it herself? It looks I''ll need to tell Elly about that incident after all...'' As Nero''s concluded his thoughts, he noticed that Ryo was looking at him; it seemed as if he had arrived at the same conclusion. Elly found Nero''s daze to be quite odd; she was growing impatient and was about to ask him about his thoughts on the situation. But sadly, before she could speak, or even Nero could say anything, the door opened as an unexpected face had arrived. Chapter 185: Karas Arrival The classroom door opened with a loud sound, revealing two females, one having an innocent look, curly hair, and a plump figure, and the other more slender with black pigtails and slender eyes. "That''s..." One classmate tried to say in alarm, but someone else had spoken before he could say anything. "Kara, is that you? You''re finally okay!" Elly said in joy as she ran to the classroom door, drawing a lot of attention from more students. As they looked over, they saw Kara; they showed surprise as her face seemed a bit more mild-mannered as she now carried a lot of pleasantness, far different from her usual gloomy and estranged manner. "Is that Kara? She seems... different..." "Yeah, I say she looks even better now." A few students said that some emotional girls also ran over as they were a bit surprised as they expressed their joys for her safety. Nero noticed this from his seat; he smiled as he thought to himself, ''So she''s finally back, that''s good. Hmph, that Ryo went to visit her in private, I wonder why he hadn''t said anything.'' Nero glanced at Ryo as his thoughts crossed him, but as he didn''t, he couldn''t help but find his actions odd as he buried his head onto his desk as if sleeping, not even playing with his beloved smartphone. ''Pssh, this guy... is shy or something?'' Nero scoffed inwardly, but as he pondered Ryo''s mystery, the scene around Kara began to calm down. Kara was a bit alarmed by the attention, and she stuttered a bit before showing an embarrassed look on her face; her heart warmed as she saw Elly came over. "Thanks, guys, I''m fine. Elly, thank you for visiting me that time." Kara said with a smile. Elly smiled at this before looking at her side; she saw Clair, who stood there with a pleased expression. "Clair, you truly are bad; you didn''t even say anything about Kara arriving today," Elly complained with a pout. Clair snickered and answered, "Oh come on now, I only learned recently, I also wanted to surprise you, besides¡­ I thought you''d be... busy¡­" When Clair spoke, her eyes hinted towards Nero; Elly''s face turned red at this as she refuted, "Like hell I am! Hmph! Clair, you''re getting bad influence." Looking at Elly''s face turn colors, Kara was a bit surprised; she asked Clair the situation and was shocked to hear about the details. ''Nero and Elly... that''s surprising, it looks like that Kailyn''s worries were in some way''s true.'' Kara thought to herself, recalling Kailyn''s jealousy. Clair found the mood a bit awkward; she spoke, "Hey, classes will soon start; let''s get seated." Kara and Elly nodded as they sat down at their seats; Kara now sat behind Elly while Clair remained at the other side. Nero, who had been pondering Ryo''s mannerism, glanced in their direction. He stared at Kara for a while and spoke, "We don''t know each other, but I''m Nero; nice to meet you; I''m also glad you are well," Nero said with a smile. Kara smiled and replied, "Thanks, nice to meet you, Classmate Nero." Nero saw Elly showing a red face as Clair eyed her in silence; he didn''t know what happened but had a hunch. Still, he had no desire to provoke Elly at this time. Elly seeing that Nero didn''t provoke her sighed in relief as she stared at Kara and asked. "By the way, Kara, I heard that you were sent to a different place for treatment; how was it?" Clair was also concerned about this, so she looked at Kara with interest. ''Oh, what''s this about?'' Nero thought to himself, having no idea of the issues before; he thought for a bit and looked at Ryo, who kept his head down on his desk oddly enough. ''That fellow, tch¡­ he''s acting way different today, maybe there''s something he''s hiding about her. Has she changed? Maybe I should try that method...'' As Nero''s thoughts reached here, he glanced at Kara more deeply, his eyes shining in a vague but greenish hue as, before him, a bright soul appeared. Kara''s soul was extraordinary; it looked much too large for a regular person, though not comparable to the Digitizer''s he''s come across, even many times weaker than his own, but powerful enough to be one step above typical humans. ''This... is this actually...'' Nero was about to think something, but Adult Nero chose this time to speak, "Ha... it sure took you a while to figure it out. I''d have thought you''ve found out sooner. Yes, what you''re seeing is an indirect way of viewing one''s stats." Nero rolled his eyes at this as he complained, ''You... tch if you had spoken of it sooner, I wouldn''t have had to wait so long.'' "If you''re looking for someone to spoon-feed you, you won''t find him here..." Adult Nero said coldly. Nero gritted his teeth at this but chose not to press it any further; he stared at Kara, but all he saw was that her soul was slightly larger than average; he couldn''t tell her stats. ''You''re just joking with me; how do you tell stats with just this?'' Nero asked begrudgingly. Adult Nero shook his head and replied, "It''s simple; what you see now is the difference between her combat force compared to yours, portrayed as the soul fire within the body of all living beings. Combat Force is the fuel that keeps it burning; the stronger you become, the more combat force you receive, hence the stronger your soul and alternatively, the greater your lifespan." Nero''s eyes flashed due to this realization as he thought, ''So that''s how it is, then right now, based on her soul''s intensity, I suppose she should be around Level 1 or 2. Kara as a Digitizer, this is quite interesting.'' While Nero thought to himself, Kara was a bit stunned by Elly''s question; her eyes inadvertently swept towards Ryo as she momentarily dazed off into a memory. *** It happened unexpectedly, right when she was within the recovery room of the Fortune Medical Center, a strange man showing up and asking her a question, his words ever so resounding in her mind. "I take it that you are Kara Smith, it''s good to meet you, young lady, I might also have a proposition for you," The strange man said. Kara, a bit stumped by the man who had appeared out of the blue and spoken such words, looked at him deeply before replying. "Sir, might I ask who you are?" Grail eyed her as he walked up to her bed and sat down before looking directly into her eyes and speaking. "Huhu... I''m just a face, child, I''ve heard a little rumor about your past, one about your strange dreams that used to torment you? Do you remember such things?" Kara''s eyes widened at this; she didn''t think many remembered such things, even more so after she was abandoned by both her parents. As she stared at Grail and saw the look on his face, she knew at a glance that he was confident and sure, so she didn''t dare to deny it. Nevertheless, despite not refuting him, she didn''t speak of it directly but asked a question of her own, "Sir, I don''t know where you learned that, but it doesn''t matter, please tell me what you want from me?" Grail''s eyes flashed upon hearing her speak; he spoke, "Bold and direct, that''s good, I''ll get to the point. I''ll be honest; if it weren''t for my son saving you, I wouldn''t have taken notice of you." Kara showed an odd look as she spoke, "Your son saved me?" Grail made an ''aha face'' as he scratched his head and replied, "Ah, yes, my son, he''s your classmate, Ryo Kojima, you should have heard his name." Kara showed a surprised look on her face as she recalled Ryo from her memory, even more so as she had recalled glimpsing a familiar face outside her window. ''So, he saved my life; I would have never thought he was that stalker watching me?'' Kara thought, feeling a bit embarrassed, but as if she didn''t want to think about it now, she looked at Grail again. Grail ignored her mood shift; he spoke again, "My intention is simple; I''m here to let you know that your case isn''t the first, and I have a good deal of knowledge regarding your circumstances. I''m willing to teach you, but not for free, as such, I have a proposition that you might find interesting..." When Kara heard this, her eyes turned pensive as she thought to herself, ''Can I trust his words? I''ve indeed discovered a few odd things with myself; that strange card and some of my memories. While most importantly being that voice and those few fragmented visions. If he can help me clear these concerns, it might be good to listen to his proposal, at least until I can hear that voice again. I also doubt that the father of my savior shouldn''t be up to anything strange; his status isn''t like as simple on the surface.'' Kara concluded in her thoughts, she noticed that despite being in the room for so long, no one came to interrupt them; telling her that the person before her was of status that not many could shake. "F-fine, I''ll listen to your proposition," Kara said after a slight hesitancy. Grail''s lips curved upward into a smile as he spoke calmly, "Good, now then... here''s my suggestion..." The words Grail said to her caused Kara''s face to change, showing curiosity before a firm look came into her eyes as if making a decision. The scene here soon after fading as her memories came to an end. *** Back within the classroom, Kara had awoken from her daze; she looked at Elly and the others who stared at her awaiting her words. Recalling the question asked, she took a short breath and replied. "About that... it wasn''t any place special, just a private clinic¡­ the doctors said I had a fairly strange condition, but it''s all and better now." "Hmm, are you sure?" Elly asked, her eyes having a trace of suspicion; though she wasn''t to brightest in math and some subjects, she wasn''t a foolish girl and had quite a bit of experience. "Yes, I''m sure, so no need to worry about it," Kara said in an assured voice; Elly gave a good look, knowing she wasn''t telling the complete truth, but she said nothing in the end, deciding not to press the matter any further. As if she recalled something, Elly then spoke, "Oh Kara, there''s something you must hear. Do you know, something big had happened, Kailyn from our class is missing, and her family was slaughtered." "Huh, what?!" Kara exclaimed as this news startled her. "Are¡­ are you sure about that? What really happened?" Kara asked, a bit alarmed. Elly nodded and then replied, "That''s right, it went like this¡­" After a short while, Elly finished informing her of the situation. Kara showed an odd expression for a bit before her face hardened as if she decided something. Nero was listening from the side; when he saw Kara''s look, he understood what she wanted to say. ''It looks like she thinks differently about it as well, then again... she was injured at the scene, maybe she knows about Kailyn''s plot. Since it''s like this, then I suppose she should say it to Elly than myself.'' Kara took a deep breath and spoke, "Elly, there''s something I didn''t tell you about Kalyn." "Huh, what thing?" Elly asked. Kara took a deep breath and replied, "I''ll be telling you about the very reason for that incident at the Paradise Palace." When Elly heard this, her face turned stern as she stared at Kara, an unknown tension filling the air between them as Kara began to speak to her in a faint voice, filling her with a mood not many had seen before. Chapter 186: Departing to the DU Meet Another long day of grinding passed quickly as the night had set in, the time was already after school, and classes had only just ended for the day; by now, everyone was leaving campus, and amongst them was Nero, Elly, Kara, Clair, and Ryo. Elly now had a foul mood as she had heard the details from Kara about Kaylin''s attempt to ruin her. She knew Kara was a part of the plot but had already forgiven her, but as for Kaylin, she felt a rage like none other. ''That bitch, she better not let me see her again!'' Elly cursed in her mind as she gripped her fists tightly. Kara looked at this with a tinge of regret but said nothing; Nero also shook his head; he knew that this was something Elly would have face in her own time. The only worry was that Kaylin had vanished, and he had no idea whether it was deliberate or something else. ''It doesn''t matter; Elly wouldn''t need to worry about much since she''s from a powerful family; she should have enough protectors in secret. If Kailyn tries to get revenge, she''d need great strength, and not just anyone can become a Digitizer. Even more so, one that has enough talent to compete with her.'' Adult Nero remained silent at those thoughts, he somewhat agreed as he didn''t see anything strange with Kaylin in his time, but he still spoke in the end. "Even if so, keep a layer of caution..." Nero thought for a bit and inwardly answered, ''Fine.'' After walking for a while and bidding goodbye to few other classmates, they arrived at the school''s parking lot. There, a car was waiting for them, but standing on its outside, was not Bradson, but a face Elly hadn''t seen in a while. "Uncle Screwg! You''re off probation!" Elly said with a smile as she ran up to him; it seemed that ever since the incident of his powers being exposed, he had been punished by the family. Now that the situation had died down, it was clear that he was given permission to go with Elly. Screwgelman still sported his usual wear, his hair neatly tucked backward along with his curly mustache below his nose. However, those this was visible to Elly up close; others wouldn''t be able to see it clearly as he wore a wide hat that shrouded most of his face. Nero recalled seeing Screwgelman before, but he didn''t know him directly, thinking for a bit he decided to compare himself to him, his eyes sooner of shining in a dim greenish ray. Instantly, in Nero''s eyes, a giant ball of soul flame appeared, his face turned pale as if he was standing within a sea of fire, all of which originated from the man before him. Not daring to stare for too long, Nero hurriedly canceled his Reaper Eye''s skill before taking a light breath; he then wiped the sweat from his face while thinking. ''Such a monster... I can''t even begin to estimate his current level. That was truly dangerous; it looks like I''ll need to observe someone like this from afar.'' Adult Nero smirked at this as he thought to himself, ''You should be lucky you didn''t try it with Emperor Marlo... or even that monster, Grail.'' As Nero calmed himself, Screwgelman, who spoke to Elly, felt strange, for an instant he felt as if something was spying on him, he glanced around with sharp eyes in search of it, but as he couldn''t find the source, he treated it as nothing. Seeing Elly''s action, Kara took this chance to speak, "Hey guys, I''ll be leaving now; see you all on Monday." Elly remembering Kara was still with them, hurriedly looked at her and spoke, "Oh, okay, Kara, which direction are you headed? Do you need me to drop you off?" Kara shook her head and answered, "It''s okay; I''m not headed home yet; I still have to take care of some matters." Elly gave her a good look then replied, "I see, alright then, be safe, Kara, call us if you need us." Kara smiled at this and nodded before walking off. "I''m off too; see you later, Elly," Clair said before waving her hand and heading off. "Bye-bye!" Elly waved. Clair soon caught up to Kara, but while moving, she notices that Kara had stealthy glanced at Ryo, who stood by Nero''s side, her eyes showing an odd look. Ryo felt as if he was being stared at, he lifted his head to look at her, but Kara hurriedly turned away and continued onward, her cheeks slightly red. While the others didn''t notice this, both Clair and Nero saw it. Clair snickered, saying nothing while Nero made a sly smile and nudged Ryo with his shoulder as he teased in a low voice, "Well, I don''t think we all need to participate at that gathering; I think it''s good to focus on other things." Ryo rolled his eyes at Nero''s words and replied in a similar low tone, "Tsk, you''ve gotten quite smart with me, but don''t forget Nero... I''m the one cleaning up after you." "You..." Nero said, feeling a bit enraged, but he gritted his teeth as he saw Elly looking at him, nothing saying anything. "Guys, today''s the DU Meeting. Do you want to travel there with me?" Elly asked. Nero looked at her and answered, "Sure, let''s get moving, we are now a part of the Blood Steel Society, but it doesn''t mean that we can''t travel there ourselves. I''m also curious in seeing these top-tier talents..." "Oh, great, let''s go!" Elly said excitedly; she didn''t care about Nero joining a force; she only wanted to compete with similar level talents; she felt incredibly confident after her ruthless week of training with her brother. Screwgelman smiled as he saw the liveliness of the teenagers; he said nothing but waiting for them to enter the vehicle before he drove them off from campus, carrying them towards a meeting ground. While driving, Nero, who sat within the back seat, observed the scenes from the window, but soon, he heard a notification on a device he hadn''t used in a long time, his mobile phone. Feeling a bit surprised, Nero looked at the screen, but as he did, he frowned as he read the pop-up message. ____ [Avollo - "Hey pal, I''m looking forward to seeing your growth today, make sure to turn and don''t run off like little chicken now, okay."] ____ ''That bas...'' Nero was about to curse to himself, but that halted as he saw Elly trying to sneak a glance on his phone. "Elly, what are you doing?" Nero said as he hid his phone quickly, he didn''t want anyone seeing that message. Elly frowned at this; she thought to herself, ''He''s acting strange because of a message. Is it a girl?'' Not like the idea in her head, Elly reached her hand out and spoke, "You''re hiding something; let me see it." Nero, feeling stumped at those words, complained, "What? I will not, not just anyone can see my phone; there''s private content, you know." Elly gritted her teeth at this; not like the idea, she complained, "Nero, if you don''t give me the phone, I''ll... I''ll lower your pay." Nero snickered at this and snapped back, "You''ll drop my pay, fine, then I''ll simple reduce your educational content; I''d truly like to see you pass any course with that brain of yours." "Hey that was uncalled for!" Elly cursed as she punched Nero, but Nero slapped her hand away as if he expected it. "Serves you right!" Nero snapped, finally exposing a bit of his teenage nature. The two began to struggle in the back, causing Ryo to sigh; he didn''t even know what to say anymore. As for Screwgelman, he shook his head and pressed the gas pedal harder; it seemed he wanted to arrive at the destination before the two did something more unexpected. The car bolting off into the distance, leaving only the echo from its revving engine. Chapter 187: Capital City Bridgeden, The Kailua Sector Bridgeden was the Kailua sector''s capital city, home of the Digitizer Union''s main headquarters, a region governed by the Kailua Family, who headed the Martial Union of the DU societies, the strongest faction which had a deep connection to the UEG. The city was currently experiencing a bustle like none before. Many vehicles of all types drove out from what seemed like a sci-fi gate, one connected to a wide-open street within a significantly large city. However, while this scene may look unusual, the passerby''s who roamed by weren''t even alarmed by the sighs, as if seeing vehicles appear from a flashing light at the center of the spiraling gate was considered normal. Of course, it was indeed considered an everyday occurrence. Local transmission was possible through means of development discovered by modern humans. These gates used for transference were called Highway Gates, and each of the capital cities in all the four sectors had one constructed. "Oh, so many, I wonder, is there some event going on?" A passerby in glamorous clothing said. "No idea, but who cares? We''re right next to the government HQ, so anything can happen," A man said casually, treating the commotion of vehicles driving through a sectioned-off route like the norm. More and more groups arrived with each passing minute, until finally, a familiar vehicle appeared, driving through the Highway Gate at a moderate pace. "So, this is Bridgeden; it''s livelier than I thought..." Nero said as he looked through the windows, gazing at the many vehicles that suddenly appeared around them. He also saw many people move back and forth; the buildings larger than that of Rumbruck''s as the skyscrapers seemed endlessly tall. "Oh, is it your first time being in a capital city?" Elly asked with curiosity; her mood now seemed a bit better, as if the previous fight hadn''t occurred. Nero gave Elly a strange look; he could tell that she was hiding the anger within and will inevitably pay him back later. Still, he didn''t bother about it; his eyes stared outside in a slightly dazed manner as if recalling something when he answered, "It''s my first time out, in a long while..." Ryo didn''t say anything at this; he kept his head down onto his phone as his fingers tapped away. Even Screwgelman, who eavesdropped on their conversation, had dark shades under his now nonvisible eyes, his manner akin to one of pity. Elly trembled a bit upon hearing Nero''s words; not knowing what to say, Nero, as if realizing his blunder, scratched the back of his head and spoke with a light laugh. "Haha, don''t mind it, although I haven''t been out in ages, it''s nothing to be sad about; what matters now is that I get to see such interesting scenes again." Elly seeing Nero''s look sighed before cheering herself up and speaking, "Okay, since you''ve never been here, after the DU Meet, let''s go hang out and have fun!" "Sure thing," Nero said with a smile. Elly felt a bit better seeing Nero smile, she felt proud of herself for bettering his mood, but as she recalled her actions, her face turned red as she whispered to herself. ''What am I doing? Did I really just say that? It... it''s like I invited him on a date.'' Nero naturally didn''t know Elly''s current thoughts; his attention once more fixed onto the surroundings, he saw that the vehicles around them were of high class, some having unique markings and special license plates. ''Those are government-issued licensed plates; looks like this truly will be a gathering of the elite. It''s fascinating; I want to see how powerful our human race talents are...'' Nero''s lips curved into a more curious smile as his eyes flashed with a surge of competitiveness. The car continued onward, traversing the special route which led to the center of the city. *** At the core of Bridgeden was a massive building with an expansive compound, its scale unobservable from the naked eyes. Here, many vehicles were pouring in through a large entrance, bypassing a series of checkpoints. Behind this entrance and final checkpoint was a wide-open parking lot, it connected to a glamourous compound, neatly arranged with all sorts of decorations. A paved path trailed through a field of roses with a pool at each side. Following the path towards its end, one would notice an open space with many different chairs, a central arena with which a podium stood. Many refined and formidable-looking individuals were currently walking through this path while conversing, some laughing with friends as others remained silent, eyeing each other with sharp eyes. Most persons wore unique uniforms or wearing odd pendants or jewels with unique symbols. These were the signs representing the four major Digitizer Union Societies; the Kailua Sector''s Martial Union otherwise known as the Martial Heritage Group had a crest of a silhouette doing martial arts, while the Maxim sector''s Shadowblood Faction had a dark emblem with a knife marking. The final two were the Levier sector''s Blood Steel Society and the Vermeulen Sector''s Hatman Society; one was naturally identified by its blood-red token with blades and axes, while the other mostly wore unique hats. Amidst this crowd, a familiar-looking black-haired beauty drew the attention of quite the many as she carried two youngsters towards the meeting area. One being a snobbish-looking fat youth and the other being a female with curly hair. "Oh, the Dark Witch is here; looks like the rumors were true; the Blood Steel Society doesn''t have as much newbie this time around." A famous figure said. "Indeed, it might be hard for them to stand out this time," Another person said. Yullia paid them no mind; while walking, she couldn''t help but think to herself. ''Those little brats are late; I sure hope they get here on time.'' As she finished her thoughts, her eyes glanced at the two teenagers behind her and smiled. ''Well, I guess even if they didn''t show up, we wouldn''t lose out too badly against those talents from these greenhouses. Kenra and Judy should be able to give us some face...'' As Yullia pondered to herself, those who watched her couldn''t help but converse in whispering tones, some having a bad light in their eyes compared to others. "Tch, that witch came too; I hope she doesn''t forget my previous humiliation..." Paul Newman said as he glared at her from one area; he stood beside Delkan and a few other promising youths from their family. Delkan slow stared at Yullia, he knew Nero was from in their society and wanted to see if he arrived, but he frowned as he didn''t even catch his hair. "Where''s that son of bitch? He better not think he can get away," Delkan murmured with raw hate in his eyes. While Delkan was lost in his own world, many persons also noticed Delkan and Paul; some looked at them with mockery as they jeered. "That Delkan dared to come, such trash who could run away in a lower-class dungeon shouldn''t even be here," An audible voice said. "Haha, indeed, the Newman''s don''t seem to be in a good situation this year; such trash born from a family will only bring it down." Listening to mockery caused by so many, Paul felt anger at those words, but he said nothing; he only glared at Delkan, who ruined their family name. Recalling the harsh beatings and treatment he recently got from his father and fellow clansmen. Delkan lowered his head with his fist clenched, he appeared to be remorseful on the surface, but looking more intently, one could tell he didn''t do so out of shame; his hidden eyes only shone with killing intent as he thought to himself. ''Nero... oh Nero, you are the one I will certainly kill, mark my words!'' The commotion soon faded as more prominent faces had arrived; even Weizer and Mikan, who walked with his sister Ivy had arrived. Few were currently still looking out for certain faces, but it was at this time, the eyes of Yullia and Ivy lit up as they saw a face they''d long been waiting for. Chapter 188: Arriving at the Meeting Grounds Nero and the others had only just arrived within the compound of the meeting grounds. As he looked around, he saw quite a few individuals, many of who he couldn''t even begin to understand due to their overwhelming auras. Still, regardless of those who were superior to himself, he also caught sight of the talents who had accompanied such persons to the meeting. At this time, Elly, who stood nearby had a lively expression as she hinted towards various persons while chatting away in his ears, but as for Ryo and Screwgelman, they walked a little distance away from the duo. Screwgelman led their group to the compound''s main meeting area with sternness; he saw a few of his rivals who were eyeing him and didn''t dare to let his guard down. As for Ryo, he walked a little distance behind Nero and Elly, almost like a shadow, but if one looked at him closely, they would notice something different about him. His eyes were a bit cold and icy as his gaze wandered towards a certain sector of the crowds of digitizers. "Look, look, quickly! That gloomy fellow over there; I hear he''s that newly rising talent of the Shadowblood faction, his fame only inferior to that Maxim Craydus. Let''s see... I think he''s called... Kyle something, I think." Elly said a slightly awkward expression on her face as she pointed at a gloomy youth around their age, garbed in a hoody with head covered by the hood. He gave one a dark and scary feeling as if he didn''t want anyone getting close to him. "If he''s so famous, then why can''t you say his full name?" Nero asked as he glanced at Elly. Elly''s face turned red due to embarrassment, but that soon changed as she snapped back, "Hey, it''s not like I can know everything about a talent; besides, I only know a bit of these affairs." "I see, I see," Nero said in an offhanded tone, even waving his arms as if saying it''s nothing. ''Nero... just you wait...'' Elly thought as she glared at him before snorting; she felt like grabbing his side and wringing it like a wet rag, but thinking back to her mother''s mantra, she took a deep breath to calm herself. With a sigh, her eyes then wandered around a bit more before noticing a few other figures. It was a group of mostly Asians in martial wear with a few persons of other ethnicities. There were two young prodigies; one was a female that wore a Chinese wushu uniform with a ponytail and a sharp set of eyes; the other was a short-haired male with a sheath on his back. "Oh, that''s Kailua Mei and Kojima Ryusei; I think they are the top running talents of the newly rising batch from the Martial Union." Nero caught sight of the two she mentioned and couldn''t help but show a face of surprise as he heard Kojima. He turned and glanced at Ryo, who walked behind them, and soon noticed that he was staring in the direction of the person mentioned. "Ryo, is that person related to you?" Nero asked. Elly also realized something; her eyes flashed with realization as she covered her mouth in shock while looking at Ryo in thought. ''His name was Kojima; how could I forget? Not to mention he''s following this freak, since it''s so then it''s likely that he came from the Kojima clan, but that''s odd... why would someone of such a family willingly follow behind Nero?'' When Elly''s thoughts reached here, her eyes became stern as she shifted her eyes to Nero; it was the first time she felt she didn''t know much about him, she muttered to herself. ''Is there something about him that I don''t know... if so, I wonder, what it is?'' While Elly pondered to herself, Screwgelman gave Ryo and Nero a deep look but said nothing in the end; his eyes flickered as he stared at Nero a little longer while in thought. ''I''ve heard about it from the master, but it seems that this kid''s last name might be more than just a coincidence... a Valstine, heh, how exciting.'' Not paying attention to Elly and Screwgelman''s reactions, Nero kept his eyes on Ryo, who only turned his attention to him. He then replied in an icy tone, ''It doesn''t matter.'' Nero felt a surge of hatred in his voice; he could tell that the relation between the two wasn''t anything good; thus, he decided not to pry any further and mind his own business. ''Hmm, such a powerful Spiritual Awareness, who is it?'' Nero thought in alarm as he felt something scanning him; his eyes shifted around before noticing someone in another group, or rather, a lone wolf that stood apart from that batch, a familiar red-haired youth with pale skin and a cold set of eyes. ''What? It''s him, that guy from that time... what''s he doing here?'' Nero thought in alarm. The last time he saw that person was in the alleyway of Rambruck, but never did he think they would meet here. After scanning Nero for a while, the youth seemed to have lost interest as he turned his sights away. Nero frowned at this as he muttered, "Who does he think he is? He thinks that he can check me out as he wishes and show such a manner; he''s truly asking for it." Adult Nero chuckled at this and spoke, "Haha¡­ he''s quite famous, you know." ''Oh, and who might I this famous fellow be my all-knowing self?'' Nero inwardly said while rolling his eyes. Adult Nero rolled his eyes before replying with a playful tone, "You''re sure to know him, after all, he goes by the title - Child of Blaze..." Nero was about to retort, but as he heard his older self''s words, his eyes widened in shock as the look he gave the red-haired youth changed drastically. The number one within the [Rising Talent Ranking List], he was a youth of mystery, even more so than the Gold Spear Child. Noticing Child of Blaze''s indifferent manner as if he merely glanced over a fly, Nero felt angered for some reason, but he didn''t dare to jump out and provoke him, he calmed his mood once more. After a moment of silence, Nero gripped his fist tighter with a firm set of eyes while thinking, "So that''s how it is, tch, no matter, he won''t be arrogant for too long." Adult Nero leaned back lazily and said nothing; he allowed his younger self to bud with intense emotions as he looked around with a frown. All this time, he had been looking around for a form, but no matter where he looked, he found no clue. ''Odd, this is where we were supposed to meet; why isn''t he here yet? Could it be that even this has changed? How troubling...'' Adult Nero''s eye''s narrowed as his thoughts reached here, his eyes vaguely recalling a form that caused him to brew with endless killing intent. Still, but he didn''t stay focused for long as both he and his younger self noticed that a group had approached them. "You stinking brat, you dare not to call me and say when you were coming!" Yullia''s voice sounded from before them. The two Blood Steel Society talents Kenra and Judy had bad looks on their faces as they saw Nero, it looked like they were displeased with his manner. Nero looked ahead with a slightly awkward look on his face; he scratched his head and explained, "Aunty, I''m sorry, but I had already received an invitation from my friend." When Yullia heard the word friend, her attention turned to Elly, who now had a bit of a red face, Elly, knowing Yullia''s fame, hurriedly spoke in her most refined tone. "Greetings miss Yullia; it''s a pleasure to meet you." "Aww, so cute and refined, just like your mother; when you get back, be sure to tell her that I said Hi," Yullia said with a smile. "Of course," Elly replied obediently. Nero felt it odd that Elly, of all persons, was so obedient, he couldn''t help but look at Yullia in a more stern light, knowing that she was even more dangerous than he could imagine. Yullia glanced at Ryo before looking Screwgelman with a smile and speaking, "Mr. Vondelez, I see that you''re out and about again; you''ve caused our society quite a deal of trouble, you know, the leader isn''t pleased." Screwgelman was initially at ease, but his forehead started to run with sweat as he heard ''leader''. He gulped as he tried to explain himself, "Haha, miss Dark Witch, I... as you can see..." "Hehe, it''s fine-its fine; the leader though angry has decided to let it pass, don''t worry. He said he''d speak to you about it another day," Yullia said with a sly smirk, causing Screwgelman to sweat even more; he sighed, not saying anything as Doppleman''s figure appeared in his mind, causing him to grit his teeth. "Well, come on, let''s get over to the main area; the meeting will soon start," Yullia said as she beckoned for everyone to follow her over to a group of chairs. "Okay," Nero and the others replied as they followed behind her, stirring eyes of quite a few powers which began to whisper about them in secret. Chapter 189: Prominent Figures Appear It didn''t take long for Yullia to escort Nero and the others over to the region with chairs; after quickly taking their seats, they calmly waited for the event to begin. While doing so, Nero''s eyes glanced around, noticing many unfamiliar faces, many major characters from the varying DU groups that had escorted their respective talents. He even looked at Delkan for a slight moment, causing the latter to look back at him in surprise before his face turned ugly. Nero snorted, saying nothing as he looked away, but deep in his eyes, one would see a murderous gleam as he thought to himself. ''Delkan... I''ll deal with you sooner or later.'' While Nero had his dark thoughts, Elly was a bit lively; she liked these kinds of settings the most, and frankly, ever since her transference, she hadn''t been able to have this kind of specialized outing. Unable to keep to herself, she began to pester Nero again, pointing here and there to introduce more individuals. Yullia smiled at this as she found the actions of Nero and Elly a bit cute. Ryo and Screwgelman seemed a bit silent, as if they had other concerns. However, unlike them, Kenra and Judy, who sat behind Nero and Elly, had dark looks on their faces. "I don''t see what''s so special about him; he doesn''t have the same kind of aura as that guy," Kenra said as he hinted towards Nero and Ryo with his eyes. "Hmph, me either, but... Miss Yullia''s vision has never been wrong; I guess we can only wait and see during the Gate of Legends." Judy said with a deep look. Kenra nodded at this as he decided to put the matter of Nero in his back of his mind. While both regained their composure, another group had only now arrived, making its way towards their section. Kenra and Judy looked over lazily, but their eyes widened in shock as they saw the duo. It was an ordinary-looking causation man that wore a blue suit and a hat, followed by a handsome youth of African descent, his hair styled in dreadlocks below his straw hat. "That''s..." Both Ken and Judy slightly exclaimed, but before they could finish their words, the handsome youth smirked and dashed forward, swooshing by their forms as he struck his arm towards Nero. "Hey pal, think fast!" Avollo said as his arm was only moments from smashing into Nero''s head back, but as if Nero had sensed his arrival, his formerly idly expression that faced the talkative Elly grew stern. He jumped into the air without wasting a second, doing a backflip over Avollo, who flew by his previous position, landing onto the ground before the now empty chair. Avollo easily controlled himself from sliding too far away with a turn of his body as he was now in a crouched posture when he faced Nero''s empty chair. However, Nero, who had backflipped, had fallen and landed exactly on the chair in his previous sitting position. "Wow, Nero, that was awesome!" Elly said with a tinge of liveliness in her eyes, while she could also do so herself, seeing it so randomly was enough to stir excitement. Yullia faced palmed as she muttered, "Jeez... these kids, will it kill them to keep quiet and still for once?" Not listening to Yullia''s nagging words, Avollo and Nero faced each other in silence for a short while as Nero glared at him and spoke, "Some friend you are, attacking out of the blue like that, what if I got hurt?" Avollo scratched the back of his head and replied, "Haha, well, come on, you dodged it in the end, didn''t you, so no hard feelings. I can see that you''ve improved greatly, it looks like, or rematch won''t be too far off. Maybe¡­ you won''t lose so bad¡­" "Tsk, you''re damn right it won''t be long, and I''ll be sure to pay you back for that time," Nero said as he clicked his teeth. Apollo chuckled at this before looking around; he saw a random chair that was within a neatly organized group and grabbed it, moving it towards Nero''s area before sitting on it. Ian shook his head as he saw this; he walked over and spoke, "Young master, these chairs were already pre-arranged, we can..." "Well, I don''t care," Avollo said as he lazily leaned back with his foot spread wide, and one had lazily playing with one of his hair locks. Ian sighed at this as Screwgelman looked at him with pity. He knew how it gets when looking after moody teens, his eyes inadvertently glancing at Elly, who, oddly enough, was well mannered today. "Hehe, he''s so weird," Elly murmured with a giggle at Avollo''s manner. Nero rolled his eyes; he found the look of distress on Ian''s face a bit amusing. While those from Nero''s group remained at ease, those who noticed the prior scene had varying expressions; most of the talents even eyed Nero and Avollo in detail. Kailua Mei and Kojima Ryusei stared at their group deeply, but as if Kailua Mei lost interest; she turned away; the only exception was Kojima Ryusei, who stared at Ryo a bit before smirking and looking away. A few other hidden talents had competitive eyes but said nothing. However, unlike these characters, some other minor talents discussed the prior scene with interested expressions. "That Wild Silver... to think he not only knew the Grass-Root Sword Child, but he''s able to make such quick reactions, it looks like his fame isn''t just for show." A Person from the side of the Hatman Society said. "Indeed, he''s pretty good, looks like this meet should be quite interesting." Another individual said. Delkan snorted at this as he only glared at Nero icily, much like Delkan, Weizer, who stood with those from the Shadowblood Faction, glared at Nero in the same way. Mikan, who also came from the same faction, shook his head at Weizer''s manner. But he didn''t continue paying him any mind, he noticed that his sister Ivy was staring at Nero with slightly troubled eyes. "Ivy, why don''t we go and say hello?" Mikan said. Ivy showed a hesitant look before she shook her head and answered, "That... no need, brother, I think we should focus on the event for now." Mikan gave her a good look before he nodded and said nothing more, the scene growing more silent as the time for the meeting had already arrived. Nero soon felt that the mood had changed, as even Elly, Ryo, and Avollo had flickers in their eyes that turned to face the same direction, a podium that connected to a corridor. Suddenly, everyone heard a loud noise as everyone became solemn. The corridor began to emit a series of colorful but oppressing auras. These energies swept across the entire meeting grounds, causing those who were weaker to shrink back as some even coughed and struggled. Nevertheless, the stronger amongst them remained composed as if no change had occurred. Not long after, a group of individuals appeared from behind the corridor, strolling towards the central platform. Reil Lever, who sported his usual attire, was amongst this crowd. These persons were Xu Waren, Pale Brightwood, Dale Vermeulen, Kailua Meng, and Maxim Alkaline. Those who gathered looked at these persons with solemn expressions as even Yullia had stern eyes when she glanced past them, noticing a handsome man with a purple coat and a slender female that wore a priest''s robe. ''Darn, why didn''t the High Command send those of the Granduz family? Did they have to send that Brightwood bitch and Chairman Xu? Tsk, so annoying, it''s no wonder the leader look''s so stressed.'' Yullia thought to herself as she noticed Reil''s troubled expression. A few others also had similar thoughts, be it Ian Mendez or Screwgelman. Elly didn''t dare to act out and had a more taciturn manner; it seemed she was doing her best to resist the oppressing auras released by the group, as did many other talents. ''So much power... I can''t even begin to imagine their strength.'' Nero thought as he struggled to resist it as well; his sweat began to roll down his forehead, but as if something changed, most of the pressure had vanished as he could hear a light snort by his older self. Now feeling better, Nero wiped his forehead and sighed in relief as he carefully observed each of the characters that appeared, his eyes fixed onto the figure of a handsome Chairman Xu as he thought inwardly. ''That guy... isn''t he the one we saw before mother''s accident?'' Adult Nero, who floated in Nero''s consciousness, glanced at the scene and replied, "Correct, his name is Xu Waren. A Chairman in the Hatman Society and a member of the Xu Governmental Clan, which as you might know, is one of the four governing clans of the UEG High Command." ''What? A governing clan, he was that important!'' Nero inwardly exclaimed with alarm showing on his face for a moment, Elly glanced at him suspiciously, but he quickly regained his normal manner, only scratching the back of his head. Adult Nero remained composed as he replied, "Indeed, in fact, you should already know that every force gathered here is at the top of the chain of human society. While those of the Granduz Government Clan and a few other external powers aren''t here, you could say that you''ve gotten a glimpse of all major players in our world." Nero felt different when he heard those words; his eyes grew sharper as his fist clenched tightly. A soft wind blowing in the room, which rustled his hair and clothing, as he could feel a change in the atmosphere. At this point, he had finally taken the first step forward to accomplish his genuine desire. Chapter 190: Start of the DU Meet The mood within the room had a slightly tense feeling, each person who gathered faced the direction of the DU leader with sternness on their faces. While some didn''t like that the official''s collective auras were oppressing them, they didn''t say anything as they knew this was only the first test. Suddenly, the auras vanished as everyone began to feel better; those amongst the talents that struggled were able to breathe in relief as they wiped the sweat from their bodies. However, for those who more easily resisted, they merely continued to observe with composure. Naturally, the Child of Blaze, Avollo, Nero, Elly, Ryo, Kailua Meng, and those few others were those who stood out amongst the many, causing a few of the prominent figures to look at them with flickers in their eyes. Reil glanced at the talents before looking at Yullia, who had a smile and shrugged; he then focused onto Elly and Avollo, knowing who they were due to Screwgelman and Ian''s presence. Though he was a bit surprised that they were with his Blood Steel Society group, he didn''t overly mind it but instead looked at the talents in his faction. Not mind Kenra and Judy, Reil''s eyes locked onto both Nero and Ryo as he smiled, satisfied while thinking. ''Well-well-well, these boys are pretty good, and here I thought that my faction wouldn''t be able to show off today. It looks like Yullia''s recruits some fine talents...'' Much like Reil, the other officials also had satisfying expressions when they inspected the reactions of the superior talents, each praising them within their mind. After a short while, the scene here returned to normal as Xu Waren, who seemed to have been impatient, took a step forward before the podium and cleared his throat. ''This man... he might also know something about mother''s past...'' Nero thought as his eyes fixed directly onto Xu Waren; he recalled the strange words said doing their past encounter. However, back then, Xu Waren himself didn''t even seem to pay attention as if there was something more pressing at hand. Adult Nero said nothing, the look he gave Chairman Xu from with his mind was a cold one as he chose to remain silent. Looking at Nero''s lost expression, Elly glanced at him with a puzzled look as she asked, "Nero, what''s wrong? Do you know Chairman Xu?" Yullia also made an odd expression as she turned to face Nero while thinking, ''Huh? Did Little Handsome know that shameless fellow? That''s not right. If he did, he would have likely been recruited.'' Nero soon recovered from his thoughts as he replied, "It''s nothing, Elly; I just found him to be a bit familiar." Elly, hearing this, showed a look of understanding as she replied, "Oh, okay, I just thought that look you gave him was a bit weird." Nero shook his head at this. He decided inwardly to try and keep more control over his state of mind. Elly was easily fooled, but unlike her, Avollo and Ryo were different, as were Yullia, Ian, and Screwgelman. They each narrowed their eyes a bit as they stared at Nero, but neither said anything. Plus, even if they wanted, the meeting was already about to begin. Xu Waren nodded at the calm scene from behind a podium before he made a welcoming gesture with his hands and spoke, "Greetings, fellow digitizers, and associations; I Xu Waren would like to welcome you all today to this year''s Du Meeting. I can see that we have all acquired a few outstanding talents this year, and while it''s around the time for that yearly Novice Zone Event, it''s natural that we compare their strength collectively." The others looked at him sternly when they heard those words; Nero looked around while thinking. ''So, this meet is akin to small competition, or maybe just a place to show off a bit of ours skills. Since it''s so, what''s the advantage to all of this?'' A few others also had similar thoughts; Xu Waren smirked as if he could read their minds. He continued, "Yes, most of you might wonder why go through all of this, but the answer is simple. Before we send you on your way to represent humanity against those races, we must understand the gaps between our varying talents. This time, there have been rumors passing along in Upper Zones that quite a few hostile Class Two races shall be appearing, along with a Lower Class Three Race. Although the exact race is unknown, we must know the standard of our talents; that way, we can better advise you against the expected threat." "What? A Lower Class Three Race, are you serious?!" One digitizer from the practitioner faction exclaimed. "It''s already enough trouble as it is to keep up to Class Two races, but you''re telling us these kids are going to have a slight odd of facing off against a Lower Class Three?" Paul Newman said. Yullia, Screwgelman, and Ian also frowned at this; they''ve only heard of lesser races taking part in the Gate of Legends, rarely would there ever be those of Class Three and more. "Is this why he seemed so distressed? I can see why; this truly isn''t good news,'' Yullia thought as she noticed Reil''s slightly tired look. Nero was also shocked. He asked inwardly, "Hey, didn''t you say that those stronger races wouldn''t have a reason to participate? Why is he speaking about some Class Three Race partaking in the event." Adult Nero remained calm. He thought for a bit before he replied, "It''s likely a butterfly effect. There''s nothing that I can do about what''s changed and the inevitable. It''s likely that in this timeline, a race of that standard has discovered enough reason for one or multiple talents to partake in the event. It might be even more dangerous now, but I believe it would do you and every other talent here an advantage." Nero made an odd look as he inwardly asked, ''What kind of advantage can anyone get if they''re only going to be ruthlessly oppressed?'' Adult Nero smirked and replied, "The kind that you wouldn''t get if you were to face them in the Upper Zones, experience against these monsters through life and death." Nero''s eyes flickered at this as he seemed to understand what his older self was mentioning. He pondered for a while before deciding to say nothing, as he knew that such a thing would be more valuable than anything else. Much like Adult Nero explained to his younger self, Xu Waren had also similarly explained the situation to the others. Looking at how the talents showed thoughtful looks before firm and competitive gazes, Xu Waren smiled at this in content as he continued speaking. "Good, I can see that you''re all not only talents in skills, but in mind, well then, without further ado, I believe this is the right time to start the contests. We shall be doing it the same as always; any talent can step forward on the battle platform, you are free to choose one or multiple opponents to face off against. If you defeat them, you shall acquire one Victory Point for each person defeated, but you shall also lose an equal amount of point you would have earned if you lose. Anyone who loses to possess -5 Victory Points shall be disqualified from receiving any rewards, and only those with more than 5 Victory Points will qualify to receive the gifts we''ve prepared." Many of the eyes of the various talents flashed at this, as they knew about these details before; even Elly and Avollo had shining eyes, eager to see what they can win for themselves. Nero looked around at the faces of those who gave him a surge of danger, Avollo, Child of Blaze, and a few hidden talents who hid in the background. His face turned solemn as he thought inwardly, ''Winning probably won''t be easy, but I''ll do my best. A skill book wouldn''t be able to increase my strength immediately. If possible, I''d like another survival artifact.'' "Haha, look at these brats, readying up for battle; this should be fun..." One person said. "Indeed, I''m curious to see who can compete against Child of Blaze, or even that Gold Spear Child..." Another added. "Oh yeah, where that brat? We hadn''t seen him yet, is late or something?" Another digitizer said in a curious tone. Some others also thought the same, but it would seem that Xu Waren didn''t want to w waste any more unneeded time. "Well then, now that everyone''s ready, I think this is the right time to..." Xu Waren was about to say something, but suddenly, his face turned solemn as he turned in a particular direction. Many other of the prominent figures did the same, as even Reil, who usually had a more laid-back manner, stared at the doorway with a thoughtful look on his face. The scene turned quiet as while the talents didn''t know what happened, only those experts who guided them along with powerful figures from the different associations had felt the change. Moments after, everyone heard a few footsteps coming from the door, and soon, it opened with a loud creak as a different group appeared Chapter 191: The Marfields, Neros Shock! As the group appeared, everyone had different reactions as a middle-aged man in a business suit walked at the head of a small party. This man had short purple hair and purple eyes, with a neatly trim beard, his expression calm and assured as if filled with utmost confidence. Besides a few powerful-looking attendants, right beside this individual was a familiar black-haired youth with slender eyes and purple pupils. Like the leading male, he wore a simple suit. A hawk-nosed youth stood at this youth''s side, his hook nose facing the sky as his sharp eyes arrogantly stared at everyone else. Nero narrowed his eyes when he saw this person; he couldn''t help but mutter coldly, "Velmon..." Elly, who had also noticed Velmon''s group, was a bit stricken as she heard Nero''s utterance; she could feel a surge of hatred in his voice that he couldn''t easily hide. Elly noticed that Nero had a cold and indifferent gaze with a quick glance from the corners of her eyes as he stared at Velmon. ''Did Nero have a grudge against Velmon? This isn''t good, it''s one thing to provoke trash like Delkan, but Velmon isn''t one that just anyone can mess with... I have to do something if he acts out.'' Elly thought to herself as her manner before a stern, feeling a bit worried about Nero, she thought that he would do something stupid, but soon, she noticed that Nero didn''t stare at him any longer. "Whew, I guess won''t need to worry for now,'' Elly thought as she exhaled in relief. Yullia''s eyes locked onto the middle-aged man who led Velmon; she couldn''t help but think to herself. ''Xellan Marfield.... to think that prestigious leader of that unattached family would personally escort his son. It''s odd; I''d have thought their family was one to remove themselves from all other affairs. Why show up now?'' Not only Yullia, but it was also clear that Ian and Screwgelman had similar thoughts. Heck, even the officials from the different assignations were a bit startled by Xellan''s appearance. "That Marfield... their family has yet to clear their names from certain suspicions, and there was even that the incident that occurred back then. With so many disadvantages, what would they gain by coming here?" Reil muttered as he stared at Xellan from the podium with his arms now crossed, his face a bit more serious than usual. "Huhu... for the leader of the Marfields to appear, it makes this meeting all the more fascinating. Wouldn''t you think so too, Chairman?" Dale Vermeulen, the refined-looking short-haired man with a golden top hat, whispered to Xu Waren as he stared at the scene. "Maybe so, Chief Dale," Xu Waren also agreed with his words. "...." Kailua Meng, the bald monk in ancient martial robes who stood with his arms crossed behind his back said nothing, but only looked on with contemplative eyes. "Hehe... such a fascinating day it is," Maxim Alkaline, the short African woman with her plump, full hair wrapped in a colorful and luxurious clot, whispered to herself with profound eyes. "Hmph! To think he''d dare to show himself..." Pale Brightwood grumbled to herself, her slender body and features hidden by her priest''s robes with her bright gold cross mark patterns. As if Xellan could sense their thoughts, his lips curved into a smile as he spoke, "Fellow digitizers, please, no need to be so surprised or concerned; my intention here is a simple one. I have recently decided to allow our clan to partake in more of these affairs; we realize that our enemies keep getting stronger. If it continues, it will be of great detriment to our bases in the Origin World and even our home world. To show our intent, I have decided to allow for my son and another of our family''s key trained talent to participate in today''s meeting." The officials were all surprised by this; no one would expect such words hinting towards a cooperative relationship to leave Xellan''s mouth. Many individuals who know of his past manner stared at him in shock and suspicion. Xu Waren was also surprised, but he soon regained his composure before speaking for everyone else, "Xellan, do you take us for fools? Even during that era, you had not shown such keen interest in the sake of humanity''s agendas. In such days we had to rely primarily on my family, the Granduz Clan, the Brightwood''s, and even that Legendary Frontier Squad. So tell me, what are you really after?" Alkaline, Kailua Meng, Hatman Chief Dai, Pale Brightwood, and Reil had deep expressions as they stared at him, the air growing heavy as a pressure had formed. Yet, as if Xellan didn''t feel any pressure, he kept his smile. His eyes shone a bit cold when he heard the words, Legendary Frontier Squad; he could even vaguely recall a few figures. However, not wanting to lose his composure, he replied with a calm manner, "Haha, no need to bring up the past or such shady agendas; it''s true that I have a motive, but it''s nothing of which you''re assuming. My intent remains clear; as for the details, I''m sure we can get around to discussing them in much further depth after the meeting." Xu Waren and the other officials looked at each other for a while before nodding; Xu Waren then waved his hand and spoke, "Fine, we will listen to your intent after the meeting, for now, find yourself a position, I shall officially commence the start of the meet." "With pleasure," Xellan said with a slight bow of courtesy, his face showing a look of complete control. It didn''t take long for Xellan and his company to organize themselves in a special area, taking their seats amongst the other unions and clans. Velmon, who sat within his group, took this chance to look around, his eyes running by characters like Child of Blaze and Kailua Mei as if they weren''t important, before finally sweeping by Avollo and Elly, only to fix onto Nero. Nero now sat with his eyes closed as if thinking about something. Suddenly, as if he sensed a stare, he opened his eyes and glanced at Velmon. The two stared at each other in silence before a light spark that only they could see flickered across the void. "Huhu, I knew you''d come, it''s good to see you again, Nero... let''s have fun today," Velmon said as his eyes glowed in dim golden light; within those eyes, Nero saw the illusion of a dazzling golden spear, one that seemed very familiar. Much like Nero, Velmon also caught sight of something within him, a black illusory scythe, his lips curved into a sly grin as he said nothing more. Nero felt shocked as he saw that illusion, but as he didn''t want to show too many emotions outwardly, he said nothing. Without any words from either, they looked away, focusing on other things. "Son, is he the one you mention?" Xellan, who idly sat by Velmon, asked indifferently. "Yes, father, it''s him; those strange memories I received are certain in this fact," Velmon said with a smile as he didn''t bother going into context. Xellan naturally didn''t say anymore either, leaving those around them in a state of confusion. If anything, Xellan''s eyes which stared at Nero, had a slight flicker of murderous intent as he thought to himself. ''So, he''s the child of that legend...'' Unaware of Xellan''s and Velmon''s thoughts, Nero frowned as he didn''t like how they stared at himself. The image he saw was also disturbing, he was about to say something to his older self, but it seemed that he was one step faster. "It appears that I was foolish... I should have realized it much sooner," Adult Nero said at this moment. He no longer floated in Nero''s mind but stood up, his figure now permeated by a cluster of demonic spirits that threaten to annihilate everything due to his dense killing intent. Nero was surprised as this was the first time he sensed such a violent intent from his older self. Suddenly, his mind flashed as his skin trembled; he seemed to have realized something from his former spiritual clash with Velmon. "No, wait... it couldn''t be him, could it?" Nero thought as he felt as if he only now realized something. Adult Nero spoke in his icy tone, "You are correct; it''s definitely him, that Gold Spear Child, the one who went by the alias, Diyamite." Nero felt a surge of rage boiling within him at those words; he spoke, "But how? He doesn''t look anything like that memory; how could it be him?" Adult Nero took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke, "I don''t know; all I can say is that I was too foolish to realize it so late. Another thing is that this isn''t the usual Velmon. The Velmon of my past had purple hair; I had wondered why he suddenly changed his hair color in his timeline, but now it''s clear, very much like myself, he''s somehow found a way to return to this time." "Another reincarnated? Doesn''t this meant he had similarly died?" Nero said with a strange look on his face. Adult Nero had profound eyes as he spoke, "I don''t know, right now, nothing is certain, there could have been many reasons, but if anything, I would say it was that Origin Bit... there is no other explanation." Nero had a puzzled look on his face as he didn''t know what Origin Bit meant. Adult Nero seemed to have understood the confusion. He was about to explain, but right at this moment, Xu Waren had started to speak again. "Sorry for the delay; without any further ado, let the competitions begin..." The mood within the room changed as the meeting between the various talents was about to set off in motion. Chapter 192: Ryusei’s Provocation, The First Challenger With Xu Waren''s words, the official DU Meet had started between the factions, their prodigies slowly walking forward from their respective groups to stand around the edge of a wide battle podium. By now, all talents stood silently, facing each other with pensive expressions as if trying to assess the competition. A chilly wind sweeping across the room as it swayed their clothing, adding a bit of flair to the tense atmosphere. Child of Blaze remained indifferent as he stood with his arms crossed, much like Ryo, who stood nearby Nero like a shadow, and Velmon, who stood at a corner with Jason, both having an inconspicuous air. Speaking of Nero, he was already eyeing his competitors, trying to push down the festering rage that was boiling within him due to Velmon''s appearance. "Who is he, your crush?" Avollo asked as he saw Nero checking out Velmon. "Like hell he is! Avollo, you like to mess with me, don''t you? Are you trying to fight me already?" Nero said as gnashed his teeth and glared at Avollo. "Hahaha, no, I''m just bored, standing around and eyeing others is not my thing; wake me when they''re ready..." Avollo said as he lazily sat on the chair, he took with him, leaning back with his straw hat covering his face. "This guy..." Nero muttered helplessly before he looked away. Suddenly, Elly, who stood nearby, glanced in one direction with a bright smile on her face as she waved and shouted, "Mikan, Ivy, hey, what are you doing over there? Hurry on over!" Mikan felt a bit embarrassed at this; he was standing with the group from the Shadowblood Faction and naturally couldn''t so easily leave the batch to meet her. He waved while giving her a struggling look, but as for Ivy, she made a slightly forced smile before waving and lowering her head. "Huh? Why are they acting like that?" Elly complained with a pout. Nero rolled his head and replied, "You should know, this is a competition, and everyone here is a competitor. You can''t just expect them to act so friendly." "Shut it! I know that. Do I look like a three-year-old child? Besides, I... I only wanted them to say hi, that''s all," Elly snapped back at Nero. Nero gave her a good look, his eyes running up and down her tiny body that made akin to a loli. He smirked, thinking she was no different from a child. "You bastard!" Elly said in rage as she saw his manner, knowing what he was thinking about. She tried to hit him, but Nero merely tilted his head to the side, causing her attack to miss. Elly felt embarrassed at this, so she didn''t look at him any longer but turned away in embarrassment. Some persons saw their interactions and snickered as Kenra and Judy shook their heads. Judy crossed her arms, emphasizing her plump chest as she muttered, "Tsk, she really is that Graceful Tyrant alright, quick to anger." "Indeed, she is, well, Judy, we''ll be doing it as planned; let''s show these fellows why we are the best of the faction," Kenra said as he tapped Judy''s shoulder while hinting at Nero and Ryo. "Hmm, right," Judy replied with a firm set of eyes. Back within the audience, Yullia smirked as she noticed the look on the duo''s faces, she thought to herself. ''Hehe, the Chief''s niece is acting as expected; I suppose it''s good; she should be able to hold her own for a while.'' Much like Yullia, Reil also noticed this, but he didn''t say anything; his eyes only had a trace of anticipation. Delkan also saw Elly''s and Nero''s interaction; his eyes flashed violently as he gripped his fist even tighter than usual. With black hair and a wide conical hat, a youth around his age stood nearby; he glanced at Delkan and scoffed. "For such an ordinary guy, you''ve not only shamed your family but our very Hatman Association. Tsk, worthless, when I take care of him, it will show just how useless you truly are amongst our generation." A blond-haired female talent of the Hatman''s snickered at the side of the strange youth as she teased, "Hehe, Jillian is right; you''d do better to stay here and not getting in our way." Delkan bit his lips at this, but he didn''t dare to say anything; even if his family was powerful, he knew better than to provoke Jillian Vermeulen of their Hatman Society. ''Hmph! Do you think he''s so weak? When you both lose, I''ll then have the right to take him down myself; then we''ll see if you can both look down on me.'' Paul Newman had an angry look in his eyes at the words of Jillian; he wanted to say something. But a familiar man icily glanced at him, a person that wore a high collar grey coat that covered his nose and a wide top hat with cool design patterns, leaving only his eyes and forehead visible. "Huhu¡­ Paul, I''d advise you to watch yourself; your Newman family has yet to reach that level. Besides, kids are kids; they are free to express themselves." With sweat running down his forehead, Paul thought a bit as he lowered his head in agreement and replied, "As the esteemed Doppleman wishes." Doppleman had a look of tease in his eyes as he heard Paul''s words but said nothing, he noticed that Screwgelman was nearby the Dark Witch Yullia, but he didn''t go out of his way to contact him. While the scene seemed to be at a standstill for a while, the truth was different, as everyone was only assessing the situation before acting. On the side of the Martial Union, the core talents were observing the strongest of the batch. "Master said that my only threat is none other than the rumored Child of Blaze, Gold Spear Child, Jillian Vermeulen and that Grassroot Sword Child. I can see that the Gold Spear Child isn''t attending today''s meet, but why do I get a slightly dangerous feeling from these other three," Kailua Mei thought to herself as she looked towards Nero, Velmon, and Ryo. "Sister Mei, should we go first?" A slender Asian youth said as he stood by the side of a female. "No, let''s wait; I wish to see which amongst these ''talents'' has the most guts," Kailua Mei said with a smirk. The other two remained silent, but unlike them, Kojima Ryusei had his eyes locked onto Ryo, who stood by Nero''s, and Avollo''s side. He smirked as he spoke out loud, "So, how have you been? Scourge of our family... I''d have thought that after leaving with that man, you''d have stand hidden and isolated from our world." Many other onlookers had wide-eyes when they heard those words, but being intelligent and knowledgeable about so many things, they knew what Ryusei meant. "What? The Scourge of the Kojima Clan then doesn''t this mean that the kid over there is..." One person was about to say something as he looked at Ryo, but another finished his words in shock. "It''s the son of those two from the Legendary Frontier Squad, that Grail Granduz and Kojima Chiyo! I thought he looked familiar... to think he''d come here," The leading figure said from the side of the Shadowblood Faction. Doppleman narrowed his eyes at this but said nothing, while Yullia, who only now realized it, had a stern expression. ''To think my assumptions were correct, he truly was that kid, but if it''s him, why is he following Little Handsome?'' Yullia couldn''t seem to understand, but sadly, now wasn''t the time for her to contemplate. Reil, Pale, Xu Waren, and the other major leaders of the various associations, had thoughtful looks on their faces. As even Xellan, who remained calm looked at Ryo with a tinge of sharpness, he knew his father well and understood what his appearance meant. ''So, they''re guarding him. Ha, to think he''d willingly use his son as a tail, hmph, it''s so like that man... but in the end, will it be enough to prevent certain parties?'' Xellan thought with a vague smile on his face. Still, though he had a more comprehensive understanding of the situation, his manner didn''t change as he acted indifferent to Nero''s and Ryo''s circumstances. Avollo, who leaned back, glanced at Ryo from below his straw hat that covered his face; he noticed that he remained calm and indifferent despite the attention, even when facing Kojima Ryusei. ''So, I was right... this only makes me more curious as to why he''s following that bastard. I truly wonder, just who in the world are you, Nero?'' Elly thought to herself, peaking at Nero in silence. Naturally, Nero remained calm and indifferent to Ryo''s circumstances. If anything, he only looked at Kojima Ryusei with deep eyes. At this time, Ryo took a step forward and spoke, "What do you want, Ryusei? Are you challenging me to a fight?" Ryusei smiled at Ryo''s icy manner; he looked around, noticing everyone''s attention, having accomplished his goal. He waved and spoke dismissively, "Haha, oh my, please excuse me, I forgot where we are, no we won''t fight yet, it''s too early. For now, Let''s¡ª" Ryo didn''t even wait for him to finish his words; he stepped back and stood behind Nero, taking out his phone to play with it. Nero chuckled at this, as did Avollo and Elly; Ryusei frowned as veins appeared on his forehead; he snorted, saying nothing more. A few found this amusing, as some lights snickers sounded from here and there, causing him to be filled with embarrassment. ''Just you wait, Ryo... you''ll learn your place soon enough,'' Ryusei thought with a brutal gleam in his eyes. At this time, when everyone was momentarily distracted, a figure had appeared on the stage with a stylish leap. Looking at the platform, everyone saw a young curly-haired girl with slender eyes that wore tight-fitting garments and gloves. "I Judy Levier of the Blood Steel Society will be the first to fight; I welcome any challengers to compete with me." Nero was a bit surprised at this, as the stalemate that had taken root had now vanished. He saw that Judy''s words provoked quite a few talents as some were readying to take action directly. He smiled, thinking, ''Well, she''s been giving me a bad look for a while now; let''s see what she''s made of...'' With his thoughts set, the mood changed once again as everyone looked on with excited eyes, ready to see who amongst them will be the first to accept her challenge. Chapter 193: The First Defeat With the combative shout made by Judy Levier, all eyes were at attention as everyone sought to see the reason for her confidence. Powerful talents like Child of Blaze and Kailua Mei didn''t seem overly phased; even Velmon only showed a calm smile on his face as Jason scoffed silently. The scene remained quiet for a while until finally, everyone heard the sound of something rushing through the wind. When everyone looked more closely, they saw a female from the Martial Union appear onto the battle platform, standing a few meters from Judy. It was a short girl with lengthy black pigtails, garbed much like a ninja as she held two ring-shaped blades in her plans by a curved handle. "Oh, who is she?" Nero pensively asked as he could feel a decent amount of power from her soul. Avollo, who lazily laid back, glanced at the girl before replying, "If I recall correctly, she should be Takuma Seya, the rising talent from an unattached family connected with the Martial Union." "Hmm, you''ve of her name, so I guess that she must be quite capable," Nero said with sharp eyes. "No idea; rumors are exaggerated from time to time, you know," Avollo said with a yawn. Much like them, a few others also had a similar discussion; Judy, who stood before her opponent, had a stern face as she didn''t think she''d call out someone from the Martial Union of all places. As if she could sense her worry, Seya made a sly smirk as she adopted combat posture, her torso lowering as her feet crouched slightly and spread wide when she held her weapons with her arms extended behind her. "Hehe, don''t worry, sister, I''ll be gentle." Judy''s face contorted at this; she gritted her teeth and waved her hand, calling out a giant war hammer as her thoughts erupted. ''Hmph! She''s only strong in rumor; I doubt she''d be able to beat me...'' With the two no longer speaking, the tension around them rose as despite not erupting any magic power, their battle dresses fluttered with the rising wind. Suddenly, before both girls noticed, a figure had appeared at the center of the stage. A long overcoat and a mask shrouded his features as he waved his hand before them, almost like chopping wood as his voice filled the surroundings. "Begin!" With his resonant shout, the look on Judy''s face became fierce; she didn''t even hesitate but take one heavy step forward, the muscles in her legs pulsing as her foot pushed her forward, much like a rocket at launch. In seconds, she had leaped to a few meters above Seya, whereby she twirled her body with the War Hammer, building up momentum as her body emitted her magic power. "Go to hell, Revolving Earth Crash!" With a roar, she struck it downwards with full strength, the forceful swing causing the wind to move in a flurry. It scattered everywhere even before the hammer had made an impact, the force pushing back a few weaker digitizers that looked at her descending figure in fear. "Ah... so the descendant of Sir Levier lives up to her name, I can feel that her Combat Power has achieved 340, her Rising Earth Steps and Revolving Earth Crash is quite good. But it''s a pity; she''s a bit like that rumored Balkras child... a bit too hardheaded to see her limits." Kailua Meng said with a smile as he sat in his monk-like robes in the chair for officials; his eyes shifted over to Reil, who acted as if he didn''t hear anything. "Huhu... what would you expect? As miss Brightwood would say, they are from the same category, the unattached batch..." Hatman Chief Dale said with a like snicker. Kailua Meng didn''t say anything at this; his eyes wandered over to Pale Brightwood, who at this time, sat peacefully, almost like an angel at rest as she held onto a cross-shaped stave of exquisite design. Kailua Meng said nothing, but as for the ever so silent and secretive Alkaline, she merely whispered to herself. "Huhu, so pretentious..." On the side of various spectators, unique characters like Doppleman, Paul, and even Xellan had casual looks as if they could already see the results. Yullia frowned as she cursed, "Darn, what''s that girl doing? She''s gotten way too confident for her own good!" "Miss Yullia is correct; overconfidence isn''t a good thing; she''s strong, but she''s not properly using her strength," Screwgelman added from the side as even Ian nodded. Nero looked at this with calm eyes as Elly frowned; it seemed that she also found this to be a foolish move. Back onto the arena, Judy''s overwhelming attack was only moments from crashing into Seya; her eyes showed a look of confidence as if this she had won; the war hammer''s head soon after crashed into a silhouette below her, creating a loud boom shockwave. After a while, the lights from her magic power had faded. Now, a wide spiderweb of cracks had formed onto the battle stage. But as for the target of the previous attack, they had already vanished. "What? Where did she go?" Judy exclaimed in surprise as she began to look around flusteredly. Still, right when her words finished, a swooshing noise sounded as two objects charged towards her from both of her flanks. These objects were the circular-shaped blades that Seya carried; they rapidly spun as they bolted that the air, coated by a layer of magic power. Judy''s face turned pale as she sensed the danger behind the weapons, she thought with a panic expression. ''Oh no! She''s stronger than me; I was too quick to use such a move!'' Judy felt that she made the biggest mistake underestimating her opponent, but as she thought back to how hard she worked to stand out in the Blood Steel Society, to prove herself to her uncle, she bit her lips with gripped war hammer even firmer as she shouted. "I won''t lose!" Judy shouted as she pushed her magic power to its limits, her Combat Power quickly rising again as it climbed to 350. With a wide swing of her war hammer, Judy forcefully repelled the revolving blades, using all of her strength to push them back. These spinning blades then made a graceful arc in the air before soaring towards a corner of the battle stage. Two slender arms grasped them firmly as Seya appeared with a tinge of surprise on her face in a flash. She carefully eyed Judy and smiled as she spoke, "Wow, I didn''t think you''d be able to repel them; I''d always heard that you Blood Steel Society freaks are the lowliest of all DU Associations, but you''ve proved such rumors to be a bit wrong. Nevertheless, I can see that you''ve tapped into a higher power. You might have achieved a miracle, but... I wonder, can you do it again?" With such words said, Seya held both hands up to her sides; the two ring-shaped blades began to spin above her palms as her magic power coiled around her body, condensing into her blades with each passing second. Judy coughed as she saw this, her face slightly paler as she took in a few breaths of air, she knew she went over her limit just now, and it wouldn''t be easy to fight this opponent before her. "That bitch! I''ll teach you soon not to disrespect us," Kenra, who stood at the edge of the stage, cursed with a frown on his face. Heck, even Nero had a look of discomfort; he especially didn''t like the words said by Seya, obviously mocking those of the Blood Steel Society, including himself. Back on the stage, Seya''s eyes glanced over to the side of the Martial Union; Kojima Ryusei gave her a knowing look as his manner seemed normal. Seya''s eyes soon had a flash of murderous intent, even more so as she glared at Judy. Reil naturally noticed this, he glanced at the Martial Union Chief Kailua Meng, who sat calmly like a monk, his eyes closed with mouth curving into a smile. With a snort, Reil said nothing, but anyone could feel a dangerous mood in the air. By now, Seya''s aura rose as her Combat Power climbed to a higher stage as she spoke, "Do you accept your defeat? Or do you wish to continue this fight?" Seya looked as if she''d instantly end Judy''s life if she didn''t say anything, and Judy seemed as if she was struggling to admit her loss. "That damn brat, what''s taking her so long?" Reil inwardly cursed as he saw his niece''s stubbornness, he was a bit disappointed with her, but he knew better than jump out there to interfere, especially with so many enemies eyeing him. Finally, after an anxiety-inducing time, Judy waved her hand, putting away her war hammer as her magic power vanished. She then gave Seya a sharp look as she spoke, "You might have won for now, but I promise you, I''ll crush you the next time we meet." Not even waiting for Seya''s reply, Judy jumped down from the stage as Kenra hurried over to check her condition. Seya stared at her with a slight amount of loss in her eyes; her murderous intent faded as she played with her blades idly while thinking. "Hehe, she didn''t know what I had in store for her; she should count herself lucky." At this moment, the mysterious masked man clapped, causing a light shockwave to shake the room as he shouted, "Victory goes to Seya of the Martial Union! Who will be the next to challenge her?" Those of the Martial Union side cheered widely as everyone else looked on silently, Kenra who had just spoken with Judy, sent her off to Nero''s side before he took a step forward and said with a look of rage in his eyes. "I will be the one to fight." The mood once more changed as Seya looked at Kenra with deep eyes, his fat making him seem almost comedic as his belly shook when mounting the stage, but those who knew of him, knew full well that no one should underestimate his strength. Chapter 194: Kenra Vs Seya When Kenra mounted the stage, everyone watched in interest as they knew things might become more interesting; even though Judy was of a prominent background, her loss was anticipated by many in the audience, each having known her true shortcomings. Kenra, on the other hand, despite being a newly rising genesis of the Blood Steel Society, was a bit more renowned, as such, even though his opponent was a talent from the Martial Union, no one thought he''d lose too badly. "That Kenra... how do you think he fairs off against our Seya?" Kailua Mei asked Kojima Ryusei. Ryusei made a thoughtful look as he replied, "I''m not certain, I''ve heard he''s pretty good in one of those other Novice Villages, but he didn''t actively show his strength even in the Ranking Lists. It''s likely that he was similarly preparing for the Gate of Legends and decided to keep a low profile." Kailua Mei had a flash in her eye as she spoke, "Oh, I see, well, it doesn''t matter, regardless we are still in the strongest position at this meet. If there are persons who can defeat Seya, that''s good, but there won''t be many who''ll easily take down, Tendra, much less of us." Ryusei smirked at this as he looked at their other companion, a muscular youth in martial robes and a bald head. His manner gave one the feeling as if looking at an ancient time''s cultivator. Back on the side of the Blood Steel Society members, Judy had already walked over to Yullia. "Miss Yuliia, I''m sorry," she said as she lowered her head before Yullia, who had a bad look on her face as she lectured her. "Judy, you''ve disappointed me; you''ve made too many mistakes in today''s battle, the first being too confident in your skills. You should have already expected your opponent to be strong, even more so because they are from the Martial Union. Had you taken a more passive stance, you would have lasted longer and might have been able to find chances somehow, but in the end, you lost. Once we get back, we''ll have to reassess your training." Yullia said while staring at her sharply; Judy kept her head down and nodded. Not wanting to say anymore, Yullia motioned for her to join the others; Judy then when to sit down nearby Nero and the others. While walking, Judy saw that they were looking at her with varying expressions; she snorted even more as she saw Nero''s eyes that had a tinge of pity. ''Taking pity on me because of my loss, hmph! I''d like to see how you fair!'' Judy thought as she meanly looked at Nero before turning away and seated herself down. It seemed she wasn''t the type to fall for handsome faces and was even more stubborn. "It seems she doesn''t like me; oh well, she shouldn''t have been so quick to achieve victory," Nero said as he looked at the sour expression on Judy''s face. "Hehe, it serves her right," Elly said with a light snicker. Nero gave her a surprised look; he had never thought Elly would suddenly show hostility towards a random female. A pity Nero didn''t know; he wasn''t the only one who noticed Judy''s look of scorn prior. ''It serves her right, that''ll teach her than to mock what''s mine.'' Elly thought to herself as she peeked at Nero, but as if she realized something, her face turned red as she shook her head. ''Wha... what am I thinking?'' She hurriedly shook off her embarrassment and focused on the scene on the stage. Nero smiled at this but soon felt Avollo''s gaze; he hurriedly turned away, not saying anything to him. "Heh, well well..." Avollo murmured as he watched this with eagerness even more than the looming battle ahead. By now, both Seya and Kenra were already rearing to go; Kenra adopted a comical martial arts posture with one foot stretched forward and the other bent. He held one arm in the air and the other much further outward; hanging from the end of his palm was a chain ball that he casually swung around in a circular motion with a smile on his face, "Hmph! Don''t get so cheeky," Seya said with a cruel glint in her eyes as she adopted the same stance used to defeat Judy, both of her arms stretched behind her as she lowered her torso, her magic power emitting from her body as her Combat Force rose sharply. Nero, at this moment, had a strange thought, ''Wait a minute, now that I think of it, why are they not using their Digitizer Bit? I''m sure these guys should have at least Partial Awakened like myself.'' Adult Nero continued to observe with an indifferent manner as he replied, "You would have heard the details before you fight, but I might as well tell you now. This assessment is testing the talent of Novices, sure a Digitize Bit can make you powerful, but even when partially awakened, you can''t manifest any of its true abilities, not until you''ve acquired your Inheritance Weapon. As such, it''s better to assess each of your combat skills directly." ''I see, so that''s why...'' Nero thought with a look of understanding on his face; his eyes continued to observe the scene. Suddenly, the masked man waved his hand down as she shouted once more, "Let the battle begin!" Seya took the initiative in this round; she wanted to eradicate Kenra in as short a time as possible. Her body moved well over 115 km/h as she strafed from left to right, seeking to disorient his view. "Your speed isn''t half bad, but even a weighty guy like me is more flexible..." Kenra said as he continued to spin his chain ball, his posture not moving an inch as his eyes calmly tracked Seya''s position. "Hmph! Then since you''re fast, let''s see if you can stop this, Blade Cyclone!" With Seya''s battle cry, she jumped into the air and tossed her two-ring-shaped blades towards him at an angle. These blades spun quickly as their magic power around them congealed two miniature cyclones that seemed as if they could sheer anything apart. The audience watched this with curious expressions as some talents flinched in fear, feeling the terrifying amount of combat power in the attacks. "The Martial Union is worthy of its fame; her Combat Power right now has even achieved a total of 355, pretty good," Screwgelman said at the Yullia of and Ian. "You''re right, that child is talented, but so what? Though our little Kenra is a bit weighty, he''s not one to lose under pressure," Yullia said with a confident smirk. As if proving her words correct, Kenra had a calm smile on his face as his feet kicked the ground. His figure leaped into the air like a ball that bounced as he swiftly soared beyond the two cyclones, aiming for the now unguarded Seya. Seya''s face showed a look of shock, but that soon changed to a sneer as she reacted, "You''re quick, but even so, you''ve also foolishly led yourself to my trap." With waved of her hands, the blades at the center of the cyclones glowed before tilting to one side. These caused the cyclones to turn before sweeping towards the now airborne Kenra at incredible speeds. Kenra had a look of alarm on his face as he trembled a bit; Seya had a nasty smile on her face seeing his expression; she couldn''t wait to see her blade chop apart a piece of his meaty figure. However, she soon frowned as she found something strange. Despite the look of fear on Kenra''s face, he had still kept bolting towards her like a rocket. ''What the hell is he...?'' Before Seya could even understand what was happening, she noticed that Kenra''s face once more became calm as he spoke with a grin, "Haha, checkmate." "What?" Seya asked confusedly, but it didn''t take long for her to understand his meaning. With a poof, Kenra''s body evaporated like mist, leaving only the scene of the rapidly approaching spinning blades at the center of their cyclones. "Oh, nooo!" Seya exclaimed in horror as she hurriedly tried to cancel her attack, but it was too late, she tried to avoid it, but it wasn''t so easy to maneuver while airborne. The cyclone slammed into her body with a bang, sheering her clothing apart as wounds began to appear all of her flesh. "Argghh!" Seya made a painful cry as she felt like she could die at any moment, but before that could happen, a figure made a snort and appeared on the stage and struck out his hand. A ripple of energy spread out instantly, which disappeared the cyclones, causing the two ring-shaped blades to fall to the ground. Seya''s wound body then fell into this figure''s arms as he stood calmly on the stage and glared at its center; there, Kenra stood in the same posture as he had been since the start; it didn''t even look as if he had made a move or even jumped prior. "You truly must take our Martial Union for a flock of fools; how did you do it?" The person asked. "A master never shows his tricks, now run along; I think you little miss needs every second she can get," Kenra said with a smile. With a sharp look in his eyes, the elite belonging to the Martial Union glared at Kenra as if wanting to do something, but in an instant, his face turned pale as he sensed a black aura coming from the side of the Blood Steel Society. Noticing Yullia''s icy manner, he didn''t dare to do anything but snort and leave the platform, hurrying with Seya to the infirmary. "Victory goes to Kenra of the Blood Steel Society!" The area had become filled with silence for a moment, but a series of discussions had begun. Chapter 195: An Unexpected Challenger As everyone excitedly discussed the former battle, the faces of those belonging to the Martial Heritage Group turned livid. Even the bald old monk, Kailua Meng had a slight frown, even more so as Reil Levier clapped as he laughed. "Haha, way to go, kiddo, that''s the spirit of a Blood Steel member; it looks like these Marital Union prodigies aren''t all that good this year." Kailua Meng was originally trying to keep composed, but he couldn''t but grit his teeth and glared at Reil in silence. Soon, after giving him a hard look, he calmed himself before showing a smile as he stared at Kailua Mei, Kojima Rusei, and the last, being Tendra, his eyes glimmering as he thought to himself. ''Seya was only a bit inexperienced; as for these three, they are the real talents of my union, I''d like to see just who can easily defeat them...'' The other major influence leaders had their thoughts regarding the situation. They knew that the Martial Union, though they suffered minor a loss, wasn''t so easy to handle. Still, while some complained, others felt good regarding the circumstances; Judy looked at Kendra, who stood atop the stage in a dominating manner, her eyes shining as she shouted, "Way to go, Kenra!" The fat on Kenra''s belly jiggling as he chuckled in reply, Yullia shook her head at this as she muttered, "These kids." Screwgelman and Ian also chuckled at this, but neither said anything, they only observed with interest, eager to see how the next generation will rise. Currently, Nero looked at him with interest as he spoke, "He''s actually quite good." "Yeah, not bad, but not good either," Avollo said in a lazy tone as he leaned back against his chair, his straw hat still hiding his facial features. "Hehe, that''s mean, you guys do know he''s still a top talent; I bet he''d be able to give you both a run for your money," Elly said with a snicker. But as if both Nero and Avollo didn''t mind her words, they calmy observed as if the former display of power wasn''t anything worth of interest. Elly, who noticed the confident manner that both showed narrowed her eyes. Though it didn''t seem like it, she was scoping out their strengths indifferently. She knew full well that in this competition, there were no sides. Judy gave them a bad look as she naturally heard their words, but she didn''t say anything. She merely thought they believed themselves to be too high above others. At this time, while all seemed to be distracted, the masked man took this chance to spoke, "With the initiations over, I can formally present the rank sheet, do please continue with the battles, and remember, only the top five will receive any rewards!" Following those words, the man waved his hand, causing a screen to appear, showing the following details in a tabular sheet. ____ [DU Rank Sheet] [1. Kenra: +1] [2. Seya: 0] [3. Judy: -1] ____ When the audience saw the details, the eyes of the various talents lit up. Now, they all looked at Kenra, who stood atop the stage as if staring at a piece of meat. Kenra wasn''t one to back down; he faced the world and slapped his belly while speaking, "Who''s next?!" Tendra, the muscular youth in martial clothing, had a fierce light in his eyes as he prepared to make a move, causing both Kailua Mei and Kojima Ryusei to smile, but right before he did anything, a figure stepped out ahead of him. Tendra felt enraged at being cut off; he glared at the party and cursed, "Hey you..." Right when his words reached there. However, his face sunk as the person that walked ahead of him was none other than the most mystical and famous red-haired youth who stood to himself prior. The audience seeing this individual take action was alarmed; some even exclaimed. "What? That Child of Blaze is acting now; this is insane!" "Haha, it looks like that kid''s luck isn''t so good, after all." Revil Levier sighed at this as Xu Waren, Dale Vermeulen, and a few other significant leaders chuckled as if they could already see the resulting scene. Xellan, keenly observing, had a strange look in his eyes as when he stared at Child of Blaze, his youthful figure superimposed with a familiar red-haired man in his memories. ''As expected of that one''s child...'' Velmon, unlike his father and many others, didn''t seem to have much interest in Child of Blaze, his having a profound look that no one could truly understand. Of course, like everyone else, Nero and Avollo also noticed this; they stared intensely at the red-haired youth whose every step left small traces of burn marks on the floor, his face indifferent to everything. ''Him again... I guess this time, I''ll be able to see the difference, just how far away is the person deemed as the strongest talent, when compared to myself,'' Nero thought with firm and competitive eyes. Avollo also raised his straw hat with one finger, revealing a set of sharp eyes that seemed to be eager to seek out a challenge, his lips curving into a smile as he muttered, "Huhu... this should be fun." Other than them, even Ryo shouldn''t interest, but that didn''t last long as he once more continued to play with his mobile phone. Kenra trembled as he saw Child of Blaze walking up the stage; he gulped before slapped both his cheeks and comforting himself. ''Like hell, I won''t so lose easily, even if you are titled as strongest!'' By this time, Child of Blaze had already stood on the battle platform, the ground below his feet starting to burn as a small clump of fire formed around him. The masked man had interested eyes when he saw this; he stared at him and spoke, "Challenger, state your name!" The area went quiet as time seemed to stop, but that only lasted until Child of Blaze opened his mouth and spoke in a voice filled with utter confidence. "Ashton Blazewick..." Chapter 196: A Crushing Defeat The scene grew quiet as everyone observed the battle platform, Ashton who stood a little distance away from Kenra, garbed in simple clothing, didn''t even adopt a battle posture as if merely standing still was enough to face his current foe. Kenra frowned at this. He felt as if his opponent was looking down on him. He spoke, "Not even taking a stance, tch, you''re too arrogant for your good!" Ashton merely stared at him indifferently with his red eyes glowing when he spoke, "Let''s not waste my time." The masked man chuckled at this as Kenra grew even more enraged; the masked man then waved his hand and vanished, leaving behind only his resonant shout, "Begin!" With a bang, Kenra''s plump figure bounced forward like an arrow fired from a bow, his movement swift and agile despite his size. Soon, his figure began to circle Ashton, rapidly speeding up each passing second as he started to create illusory remnant shades. "Illusory Flash Steps, it''s a pretty good technique before these lower levels, a pity, though good, it won''t be enough for that child..." Ian said as he watched the scene on the battle platform. Screwgelman also thought the same, unlike them. However, Yullia gripped her fists as she stared keenly at the platform, noticing the calmness in Ashton''s eyes as if he was merely watching a play. ''Such a little freak, just like his father... it looks like we''ll have to leave our reputation up to those two,'' Yullia thought to herself as she shook her head, her eyes peering at the similarly calm Nero, and even more so idle Ryo, who merely continued to play with his mobile phone, "For a kid which such background, he sure is quite the idle one," Yullia murmured, feeling that Ryo was a bit odd. Everyone had their thoughts regarding the current battle, but at this time, Kenra, who hid within a cluster of after images that spiraled around Ashton''s figure, smirked with a sly smile. "Heh, you seem a bit grounded, that''s fine, sir fabled number 1; let''s see if you can dodge this technique of mine - Crushing Blow!" With his shout, Kenra''s actual figure jumped from the sea of illusory figures that circled Ashton; he arrived directly above his head with his chain ball whirling as it glowed with a dense magic power. Suddenly, his body twirled like a gig as he used the centrifugal force to swing the chain ball towards Ashton''s head, causing it to leave a bright light of energies in its wake as the wind scattered due to the immense force. "This is it!" A few talents exclaimed as they observed with sharp eyes. Even Nero and Avollo had sharp gazes while Kailua Meng, Kojima Ryusei, the gloomy-looking Kyle Hanson, and even Velmon watched intently. Ashton didn''t seem to mind anyone or anything in the world except for himself. He even closed his eyes as if he didn''t even want to sully them by staring at Kenra''s illusion. Kenra, who fiercely swung his chain ball towards Ashton''s head, noticed this; his rage grew even more as he shouted inwardly, ''Arrogant bastard, be destroyed!'' The chain ball was only seconds from colliding with Ashton, but suddenly, as if he could see with his eyes closed, Ashton merely took a light step to the right while shifting his shoulder at an angle. When this happened, the chain ball swept across his figure and smashed onto the floor of the battle platform. With a loud bang, the tile cracked as dust scattered, but as for Kenra, his eyes when wide as his arm that held the handle of the chain ball trembled. "You... how the hell?" Kenra exclaimed in confusion as he saw Ashton standing at his side with his shoulder tilted, almost as if he made way for him to walk past. Kenra felt humiliated and angry, but Ashton merely opened his red flame-like pupils and stared at him as he spoke, "As I said, I don''t have time to waste; this battle is over." When he said those words, he reached his hand out and made a swing. Kenra eyes pupils shrunk, even though the movement seemed normal; through his eyes, the palm that swept towards him felt as if it carried the force of a mountain. ''Oh hell! I have to avoid it!'' Kenra thought to himself as he tried to condense his magic power in his legs to perform his movement technique. A pity, even though he tried his best, his effort was in vain. As if in slow motion, he could only watch as the simple palm sway, leave traces of after images before swiftly smacking him across his chest. With a bone-breaking sound, Kenra only thought that as if he became lighter. His body hurled towards the air like a rocket before he crashed into the side of the battle platform. "Kenra!" Judy shouted in worry as she hurried over; Yullia sighed at this as she walked over with a strand tube in her hand. Suddenly, Kenra coughed as his mouth corners ran with bits of blood; his trembling arm held the slightly hollow part of his chest as he looked at Ashton with fear. "You¡­ damn¡­ freak..." Kenra said before his consciousness faded away. The experts in the audience didn''t seem too surprised at this, but as for talents such as Nero, Kailua Meng, Avollo, Elly, and the others, their manners grew even sterner as they could sense the difference in strength. "Victor, Ashton!" The masked man announced as he suddenly appeared on the battle platform, his eyes behind the mask shining as if he felt proud to see such a talent. Ashton didn''t seem to mind this, as he merely glanced at unconscious Kenra and spoke while flashing his palm, "So weak, not even a decent challenge." After shaking his head, Ashton didn''t pay him any mind as he began to leave the platform. While walking down, many of the other talents discussed him in their various groups. However, many failed to realize that while leaving, Ashton had turned his attention onto Nero, his eyes showing a deep look before looking away. His current thoughts unknown to anyone but himself. The battle finished so quickly that the crowd remained silent for a while, but soon, the entire room burst into a wild commotion. Chapter 197: Mikans Dilemma, The Strange Ashton "This is insane, he trounced him; that guy even managed to take down Seya of the Martial Union with hardly any effort!" A talent from an association said with shock in their eyes. "Tch, I guess that''s the reason why he''s called the strongest; it looks like his fame is deserving," Another talent said with a serious expression. On the side of the Martial Union, Kailua Mei had a profound look in her eyes as did Kojima Ryusei; they both stared at Ashton, who slowly dismounted the stage without caring for anyone. ''Master was right; unlike the others, he surely won''t be an easy challenge. It looks like I might need to take this event more seriously than I''d thought,'' She pondered to herself while Ryusei merely observed in silence before his attention turned back to Ryo, who, of course, kept his attention elsewhere. ''Just you wait¡­'' He thought with a vicious set of eyes filled with hatred. Unlike those of the Shadowblood Faction, Jullian, who stood as the young lead for those at the Hatman Society, stared at Ashton with a look of challenge in his eyes as he muttered, "Child of Blaze..." The blond girl who stood by his side giggled as she saw his stern look; she nudged him with her elbow and spoke, "Jullian, what''s wrong? Are you feeling excited?" Jillian chuckled at this and replied, "Why not? You should know Lira; I rarely face off against people who aren''t considered trash." "Hehe, if you say so," Lira replied with her fingers twirling her hair strands, her eyes forming a crescent. Delkan snorted to himself when he saw this and heard Jillian''s words, but as if the latter didn''t care, he only continued to observe Ashton, who continued to move away from the battle platform slowly. The strange and gloomy Kyle Hanson of the Shadowblood Faction narrowed his eyes when he observed Ashton but said nothing in the end. Weizer clenched his fist tightly as if he was jealous, but as for Mikan and Ivy, they both stared at each other and spoke in hushed tones. "Brother, that fellow is even stronger than rumored; it doesn''t look like anyone will be a challenge to him," Ivy said. Mikan shook his head and with deep eyes, "Even so, you shouldn''t underestimate the talents selected by any faction, who knows? Maybe one or two amongst them will be able to put up a decent fight for a while." Ivy showed a look of understanding at those words, her eyes subtly turning to Nero; she was about to fall into her own thoughts but soon heard a voice of discontent. "Tch, what''s this? Mikan, you''re telling me that you doubt the abilities of even our Shadowblood Faction?" Weizer said as he stared at him from the corner. Another Shadowblood Faction talent stared at them with icy eyes, as even Kyle had looked over, glaring at both Mikan and Ivy. Mikan was a bit shocked by this; he hurried to defend himself, "Weizer, don''t go spouting nonsense! I said nothing of the¡ª" "That''s enough!" A loud and icy voice said as a shadowy female walked over, garbed in a black, green dress, with green lips stick, her hair long and black as her slender eyes icy looked at the group. Weizer, Mikan, and the others hurriedly bowed their heads at this and replied, "Yes, Madame Davia!" Davia stared at the group in an icy light before she fixed her eyes onto both Mikan and Ivy, her eyes showing a strange gleam as she curved her lips and spoke, "Mikan Everdale, don''t think that because you''re from that family, you can say anything you want. Since you don''t think so much about our faction, you''ll be the first to represent our union. The next battle will be fought by either you or your sister, do you understand? Mikan hesitated a bit before he replied with a bow, "As the madame wishes." Davia nodded at this before turning her attention away, taking a few steps back as she went back to position for supervisors. Ivy looked at Mikan with worry as she spoke, "Brother, you..." "It''s fine, I won''t fail," Mikan said in a reassuring tone, but Ivy still caught the look of rage hidden deep with his heart. Weizer grinned at this as he felt better at heart; he didn''t like Mikan one bit, even more so as he hated Nero. At this time, Ashton had only dismounted the battle platform; there weren''t many who noticed his former act of looking at Nero, but those who did give the latter a good look with contemplative eyes. Velmon and those of the Marfield family being on the main parties, Xellan frowned but said nothing at this, he only whispered to an attendant who soon after vanished from the room. Reil Levier frowned when he saw this, he narrows his eyes while thinking. ''Why is that Xellan giving that newbie of my faction so much attention? Is there is something I have yet to understand? It looks like I''ll need to do a bit more research about that child¡­'' With that said, Reil made a light movement, typing away at a mobile phone before putting it away, his eyes showing curiosity as he observed the proceedings with interest. A few other big shots did the same, one being Xu Waren who had noticed Nero for the second time, his eyes flashed as he recalled the woman Nero was with at the previous place they encountered, but soon, he shook his head while concluding. ''It couldn''t have been her, he''s likely no one special.'' On the side of the Blood Steel Society, Screwgelman and Ian gave Nero a good look, but as neither knew Ashton meant by his stare, they put it behind them. Elly felt a bit concerned as she asked, "Nero, do you know Child of Blaze? It seems as if he doesn''t like you very much." Nero frowned at this as he was about to reply, but Avollo snickered and spoke, "Hehe, looks like he might have just been checking you out. You better be careful; he''ll probably beat you up before I do." Nero rolled his eyes at Avollo''s words and replied, "You keep thinking that, as for him, tsk, he can look at me all want; I''m not so easily beaten." Avollo chuckled at this as he replied, "Heh, I figured you''d say that..." Elly gave them an odd look, but she soon glared at Nero and shouted, "Hey, you haven''t answered me yet!" Nero scratched the back of his head before he answered, "Elly, it''s not what you think, I might have met him before, but we don''t have that much of a connection for there to be animosity; you''re probably imagining things." "Really?" Elly asked again, her senses were rather sharp, and she could tell many things from that look. Nero shook his head, saying nothing more; the truth was even he didn''t know it himself, he wanted to ask his older self, but he already imagined the scene of Adult Nero replying in a cold voice, "Figure it out yourself." Adult Nero chuckled at his younger self''s thoughts and said nothing; he decided to let him experience his affairs. Otherwise, it would not be much fun living in his mind. While Nero, Elly, and Avollo, had their discussion, the others of the Blood Steel Society weren''t so cheerful. Judy''s face was sullen as she had already run to Kenra''s side. The heavily injured Kenra laid down on the ground as Yullia tried to nurse him back to good condition with a strange vial. Looking at his sunken chest, Judy bit her lips and glared at the back of Ashton, "Hey, stop right there!" Her rage-filled shout beckoned something as a violent mood rose as she shouted in a voice that echoed about the room. Chapter 198: Taking the Stage! An Unexpected Foe The air turned heavy as Ashton, who had walked away from the battle platform, halted his steps in silence, his head tilting to the side to look behind him. Judy, didn''t show any fear when she saw his icy indifferent look; she glared at him and complained, "Hey, it was only a competition; so why did you use such a heavy hand?" Ashton remained silent for a while as he looked at the unconscious Kenra before fixing his eyes onto Judy and shaking his head. He then continued to walk away. Judy felt upset at this, her magic power rising as she shouted, "Hey! I''m talking to you, so better you give me an answer!" Her voice echoing across the room, the crowd looked at her as if staring at a fool, even Xu Waren couldn''t help but chuckle as he mocked, "Haha... this little one surely lacks discipline." Reil glared at Xu Waren and snorted as he spoke in kind, "You''d do best to mind your affairs, Chairman Xu; I''ve heard plenty of rumors from your Xu Administration, even more so for a particular child of Xu." When Xu Waren heard this, his eyes turned sharp as he looked at Reil Levier, both remaining silent as the atmosphere between them became much like that of blades being drawn. The other major Du Society leaders took note of their dispute, but no one said anything, seeming to take delight in their conflict. Still, while this scene proved as such, the conflict between Judy and Ashton had taken a different turn. Ashton continued to move along without even halting his steps as his manner seemed as if he didn''t care. He casually put his arms into his pockets as he responded, "You seem to be forgetting something. The fact that he can live from such a simple strike of mine proves that he''s, at the very least, worthy of his fame." "You..." Judy uttered as she gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with hate as she scowled at Ashton, she was about to do something, but suddenly, a weak hand grabbed her palm, causing her to look down. There, the weakened Kenra tried to regulate his breathing as he spoke, "Judy... for... forget it, you are... not his match." "Hmph! Fine," Judy replied in a dissatisfied tone; she didn''t bother doing anything foolish again. Yullia nodded at this; thinking that Kenra made the right call to calm her, she continued to rub a strange ointment over his wound as she looked at him and spoke, "Kenra, you did well, so don''t feel disappointed. No matter which faction you go against, you could still be considered a top talent amongst us humans. However, that Child of Blaze, much like that father of his, is too much of an analogy. There likely isn''t anyone who can match him here... maybe, that Grassroot Sword Child from the Mendez, or the son of Granduz, that Kojima boy." Kenra felt terrible at this, but he knew he couldn''t do anything about it. "I understand, Miss Yullia," He sighed and replied, knowing full well of his weakness before his eyes swept over to the direction of Nero and Ryo. ''I wonder, just how will they fare against him?'' Kenra thought to himself, but at this time, the voice of the masked man sounded, "Who are the next challengers?" As if hearing Kenra''s initial thoughts, Nero gave the masked man a look before standing up from his seat; Elly and Avollo looked at his surprise. "Nero, are you going up already?" Elly asked with strangeness in her voice. Nero chuckled as he answered, "Of course, it''s not my style to go last. Not like this is some tournament from that dragon gem series." "Oh, oh, I know that one, it was called... hey, are you evening listening?" Elly said excitedly, but Nero had already turned away, causing Avollo to chuckle at their strange interaction. Still, despite their former actions and Nero''s decision, Avollo and Elly found this excellent; they watched as Nero slowly walked towards the stage with simple steps. Yullia stared at him with a tinge of surprise; she thought to herself, ''Well, well, and here I thought he''d wait until the end, looks like he''s got more balls than I thought.'' With such thoughts in mind, Yullia waved her hand like a teenage girl and spoke, "Little Handsome, do your best!" Elly gave Yullia an odd stare, feeling that this woman was a bit strange; she felt a bit threatened for some reason, even more so as she saw her large chest bouncing up and down, adding more to her mature beauty. Heck, the scene caused a few shifty-eyed men and youths to observe from varying quarters obscurely. "Nero, you... should be careful," Elly said as she ran up to him and tugged his sleeve cutely, her face slightly reddish. Nero was surprised by this; he found her action to be adorable; he smirked and didn''t bother to answer; after waving his hand, he then made a light leap and stood on the battle platform. The audience that saw Nero''s movements was a bit curious as quite a few talents had strange flickers in their eyes, even more so for those belonging to the Hatman''s. ''Haha, that little bastard is finally making his move; I''ll maim him where he stands!'' Delkan said to himself as his eyes shone with ruthless killing intent. Just as he was about to make his move, a slender but sturdy hand grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to halt. "Stay where you are; Lira and Andrew will both challenge him," Jullian said in a commanding tone; Delkan glared at him with hate but said nothing complying with his words. "As you wish," Both Lira and Andrew replied as they quickly began to move towards the battle platform, but before they could so, another figure had already beaten them. With a light whoosh and the sounds of footsteps touching the ground, Mikan had unknowingly jumped on the platform under the watchful eyes of the Shadowblood Madame Davia, Kyle Handson, Weizer, and the worrying and somewhat sorrowful Ivy. "Hmm, it looks like we''re late. If he wins, take him down in the next turn," Jullian said with sharp eyes. Lire and Andrew nodded, but on the battle platform, Nero looked at Mikan with a tinge of surprise, even more so when he saw the troubled look on his face when he spoke, "Sorry, my situation is a bit complicated." Nero frowned at this as he stared at the direction of the Shadowblood Faction, looking at the hate-filled eyes of Weizer and the sharp icy looks that Davia gave Mikan. His eyes showed a trace of understanding when he further looked and noticed Ivy''s apologetic manner. "It''s fine, let''s have fun," Nero said with a smile. Mikan felt a bit of relief at this, but even more so, his manner became a bit sharper, as a feeling he had pressed down for a long while had finally begun to resurface. The masked man nodded at this as he spoke, "State your names!" "Nero Valstine! Mikan Everdale!" Both Nero and Mikan said abruptly. The audience remained calm for the most part, but each had a deep look as for the major players as they stared at Nero more intently. In fact, even the masked man was a bit surprised, his face showing a look of contemplation before shaking his head as if throwing odd thoughts away. "You may begin!" The masked man said before flickering and vanishing from the battle platform. A cool wind blew, brushing across the platform, as it swayed both Nero''s and Mikan''s hair and clothing. Suddenly, Mikan showed a strange look on his face as he spoke, "You know, there''s always been something hounding my spirit, a thing I couldn''t quite get rid of." Nero looked at Mikan interestedly as he spoke, "Oh, and what''s that?" Mikan shook his head at this as he adopted a battle stance and replied, "Just an old grudge that I''ve yet to let go off; I think this is a good chance to let it pass and see it to the end." Nero, who saw Mikan''s manner, smirked as he too adopted what seemed like the Mowing Twist combat posture, his scythe appearing in his arm which held it far out behind his bend over the figure. "Fine with me; show me the limits of your resolve." With Nero''s combative words, his body became coated with bits of silver-colored magic power as his red eyes glistened like blood. Mikan''s body also erupted green-colored magical power, his palms far-reaching as if they were setting to grasp something. Both magic powers slowly collided with a bang, causing the spectators to look on with interest, eager to see the forthcoming scene. Chapter 199: Nero Vs Mikan With a rumbling bang, a silvery colored magic power had crashed together with a greenish aura, both coiling around each other as the pavement around them started chipping away. In seconds, the energies faded by a section, condensing around two figures that stood atop a battle platform, one having bright silver hair and a scythe held in the arm, reaching out behind him as the other was a pale skin youth with green hair and outstretched arms. "That Wild Silver, to think that he''s so strong," Judy said with a look of surprise on her face; she didn''t think that the persons she looked down upon had such a presence. "That''s why you should never underestimate anyone, Judy," Kenra said, looking to be in a better state as his wounds have mostly healed. "Indeed, his magic power is quite impressive..." Screwgelman said as he stood together with Yullia and Ian, observing the scene of the battle platform. "Hehe, that little handsome never disappoints; it looks like his strength has improved by quite a bit," Yullia said as she noticed that despite the former clash of magic powers, Nero had maintained an indifferent manner. In contrast, for Mikan, sweat began to roll down his forehead. ''The young master surely knows his ways to find talented friends, but... even if suppressed by aura, I doubt that''s the limit of that Poison Boy, he is, after all, a child of the Everdales,'' Ian thought to himself as he looked at Avollo before fixing his eyes onto Nero then finally Mikan. ''Oh no, I don''t know who to route for?'' Elly thought with a look of dilemma on her face; Ivy bit her lips with an expression of discomfort, stuck with the same issue. Unlike those in the vicinity of the Blood Steel Society, those talented figures such as Jillian, Kyle, and even Kailua Mei showed no major changes in expression. Still, as for Ashton, he narrowed his eyes slightly with discontent when looking at Nero, his thoughts unknown to anyone. Much like Ashton, on the side of the Margrave family, Velmon had a flicker in his eyes, his lips curving into a smile as he saw Nero''s scythe, but as for his father, Xellan, his demeanor turned cold, a vague killing intent rising as he stared at the shimmering scythe edge in Nero''s arm intently. ''Like father, like son... hmph!'' By this time, Reil had already received a set of information from a close aid. His manner turned stern when he looked in Nero''s direction. His eyes were showing traces of suspicion, even more so when he saw the scythe, but after a short time, he put away the details, keeping his thoughts to himself. Unaware of Reil''s and anyone else''s thoughts, Nero, who stood before Mikan in his Mowing Twist stance, angled the edge of the scythe to the side. The cutter made a loud clink as it glistened sharply, his torso arched to the lowest point with his knees bent, and arm held straight out before him, his finger locking onto Mikan''s form as his head faced that direction. Mikan noticed Nero''s movements; he didn''t know what kind of method he was planning on using. Still, being in his position, he certainly wouldn''t give him the initiative for the offensive. Not bothering to wipe the running sweat from his forehead, Mikan''s swallowed his spit that settled in his mouth, pushing down his nervous state of emotions. In this instance, his trembling arms hardened like stone, turning a shade of green as his magic power formed a haze that shrouded both hands. "This for that time! Poison Cloud Fist!" Mikan shouted as his eye shrunk to the size of needles, his mind recalling the scene with Village Chief Pan. He leaped into the air and struck out a punch, causing a poisonous cloud-shaped fist to manifest before soaring towards Nero at great speeds. "That fist, it''s achieved a Combat Power of at least 400!" An onlooker said in surprise from an association. "Indeed; it is the standard for a Level 10 Quasi Grater Monster; it looks like his Core Physique is also a Stage 9 Foundation. Other than those weapons of his, it''s likely that his mastery of the Poison Cloud Fist aided him in barely pushing beyond his Combat Power beyond those limits. Truly talented, no wonder he''s from the Everdale, well done!" Another person said with praise. Avollo looked at this calmly, while Elly was a bit surprised. As for the target in question, Mikan had grown so strong that Nero looked at the incoming poison fist that corroded bits of the battle platform as it swept towards him mercilessly. ''It''s not bad, but also lacking..." Nero muttered as his red pupils glowed sharply, his feet pressed against the ground as he invoked his Four Point Unity Steps, causing a force to pull his body forward at a speed no less than 130+ km/h. With a swoosh, Nero had swept past the range of poison fist that soon after crashed into the stage. It then exploded into a gush of corrosive miasma that made sizzling noises as it eroded that sector of the platform, forming bits of steam. "Brother, look out!" Ivy shouted from her location, finally picking aside from all her dilemma, noticing that Nero had closed in on Mikan with alarming speed. Mikan, who had dropped from the air, knew that Nero had left the range of his attack, but rather than showing shock or fear, his eyes showed a sly look as despite launching his former attack, his other arm had remained clenched with a similar amount of power. "You''re fast, but I''m sure you didn''t see this; eat my fist!" Mikan shouted as he punched Nero directly, launching another Poison Cloud Fist at full power. With a devastating force, the point-blank attack seemed almost impossible to avoid as the giant miasma fist swept over Nero, looking as if it was about to swallow him alive. "Nero!" Elly shouted in alarm; she saw how the portion of the stage hit by Mikan''s attack had sizzled into pools of waste; how could she not fear for Nero''s current predicament? With a rush of magic power condensing around her legs, she prepared to jump onto the stage, but Avollo grasped her with his free hand, easily holding her in place despite her effort. "Let go of me!" Elly yelled in anger as she glared at Avollo, her sweet-like manner nowhere visible as it seemed the tyrant within her was about to awaken. Avollo chuckled as he remained in his leaned-back manner, his arm still holding on her slender wrist as he spoke while pointing at the battle platform. "Huhu... you need to have faith in your lover; look, he''s more than fine." "What?" Elly said as she didn''t hear the initial parts of Avollo''s words; she looked at the battle platform with wide eyes at an unexpected scene, drawing the eyes of all who spectated from the room. With a loud and sharp cutting sound, a horizon arc of silver energies swept outward, silencing the miasma fist into two parts, Mikan who had now fallen to the ground, looked at the dissipating Poison Cloud Fist in shock. Still, even before he could express it, another attack had followed, together with Nero''s indifferent voice. "Looks like this is your limit; since that''s the case, I''ll use only the twist..." Nero said as his figure appeared behind Mikan''s; his body then revolved at such a high speed his form vanished from all sight. When his body vanished, he left behind only the scythe edge of this scythe which chopped towards Mikan with alarming speeds, leaving a trailing line of threatening silver beam that inched towards his body ruthlessly. The battle seemed already decided, as Ivy looked on seriously while many others showed shock. But as for Mikan, his manner soon changed as if he didn''t face an impending defeat, his lips curving into a smile as a change no one expected occurred. Chapter 200: An Overwhelming Victory When Nero''s scythe chopped towards Mikan, it swung towards the outer portion of his torso as Nero only intended to inflict a mild wound. He knew that the judge would mark his move as a tactical win as normally, it would have sliced the foe into two halves. Nevertheless, as the baleful ray of silver light swooped down, the moment it contacted Mikan''s body, a strange scene that caused many of the other talents to gasp in amazement occurred. With a puff, Mikan dissipated into a cloud of poison that rapidly expanded outwards, covering most of the battle platform. "That technique..." Yullia said in a bit of surprise on the side of the Blood Steel Society members. Screwgelman also narrowed his eyes as he spoke, "Hmm, not bad, he''s not even utilizing the Everdale''s Inheritance Bit, and yet has taken their Poison Blast Wave technique to an adequate stage. Though, I doubt he can perform it for a lengthy period." Ian, who listened, also nodded, "Indeed, but even so, it''s a good thing to achieve this stage." Elly looked at the battle platform with a bit of worry in her eyes; she saw the dense positions clouds corroding most of the platform, sizzling noises sounding everywhere as even Nero''s silhouette had vanished. "Nero..." Elly muttered with a bit of uncertainly in her eyes, she knew that these battles, though not fatal, could still be quite detrimental at the slightest mistake. "Worrying again, I say Miss Tyrant, you should stop acting so girlish; he won''t lose to this kind of thing," Avollo said in a calm manner as he watched the platform with sharpness in his eyes. Elly nodded at Avollo''s words, but as if only now figuring something out, she glared at him and shouted in anger, "Hey, what was that? Of course I''ll be girlish! I AM A GIRL!" Not paying heed to the dispute, Ryo, who remained silent for most of it, had oddly enough taken his eyes from his phone, paying close attention to Nero and Mikan''s fight. His silence and unflustered manner akin to the confidence he held in Nero. On the side of the Shadowblood Faction, Davia seemed unphased by Mikan''s performance, as did Kyle, but as for Weizer, he gritted his teeth while thinking to himself. ''Che, so what if that Poison Shit improved? I wouldn''t lose to him.'' Ivy, who stood nearby, didn''t hear his words but glared at him as she saw his manner; she rudely cut her eyes away from him, looking back onto the stage with a mix of concern and praise on her face. ''I sure hope Nero''s alright; maybe he should give up, that technique is quite dangerous the longer you stay within it, and while brother''s version is not as perfect as mine, it should still be quite troubling.'' As everyone expressed their own opinions of the current turnaround, the battle on the stage had continued, Nero soon after appeared as the baleful silver light swirled around his silhouette, reforming into a scythe''s edge. ''I underestimated him,'' Nero inwardly said as he saw the change around him, a bit of HP had even decreased due to the dense poisonous clouds surrounding him. "Ha, let that be a lesson," Adult Nero scoffed while lazily leaning back, floating around in Nero''s mind. "Tch, whatever," Nero grumbled before holding his breath, his silver-colored magic forming around his body, protecting him from the effects of the poison cloud. Soon, his red pupils began to shift left and right as if seeking Mikan''s form. "Haha, what''s wrong? Can''t find my position? You might be stronger than me, but this is a technique I''ve been working on for quite some time. My Poisonous Blast Wave is highly persistent, and what''s more, I can block my presence anywhere within its boundaries. I think that now is a good time for you to give up." Mikan voiced from all directions as in an obscure corner of the stage; his vague silhouette stood hidden from all sight behind the sea of dense position, his arms held out before him with his fingers curved, as if gripping the cloudy haze. ''He sure is troublesome; I''m nowhere near his match, but regardless, a battle doesn''t to be a contest of brute strength. Heh, so long as I hold him off, he''ll ingest enough poison and become weakened.'' With such thoughts in mind, Mikan kept his position of advantage, patiently waiting like a predator that readied itself to pounce on its weakened foe. Mikan thought that he had everything under control, but sadly for him, Nero''s following actions would change his dream. "Mikan, I take back my previous thoughts; you''re not so bad after all," Nero said as he slowly raised one of his hands above his head, lifting his scythe held at an angle. "What did you say?!" Mikan yelled in rage; he felt Nero''s words just now to be a bit arrogant. He was about to perform another skill, but Nero had already acted before it could happen. "I''ll end this quick..." Nero said in a strange tone, his manner changing slightly as, within his sea of consciousness, his older self looked at him with a faint smile. ''The benefit of my experience, heh, so lucky you are...'' Adult Nero thought to himself as he watched calmly. ''The scythe is more than a tool to reap, it is a versatile weapon, capable of both the defensive and offensive¡­'' Nero''s mind echoed as when he held his scythe upward, he seemed to have momentarily synchronized with his First Door of memories, causing it to glow slightly. Instantly, his magic power erupted as he spun the handle of his scythe at a rapid speed, causing it to release a swirl of his silver-colored magic power and a gush of wind around his figure. In Nero''s mind, Adult Nero shook his head at this, even more so as he saw the door slowly returning to normal as he muttered, ''Oh well, I guess it wasn''t enough, he didn''t fully reach the requirement to properly learn the Reaper Gale Swing." Back on the outside, a small void appeared around his body in a flash as the dense poison haze swirled around his figure. The poison cloud began to clear up when this happened, revealing Mikan''s form, which stood with shock on his face. "You... how could?" Mikan wanted to say something as he stood there in shock, but suddenly, Nero''s figure spun and vanished, leaving behind a bright silver ray of light that swept towards him at blinding speeds. "Oh no!" Mikan exclaimed as he tried to back up, but sadly, it appeared that the speed of Nero''s current attack was even faster than before; the light swirling around at odd angles, leaving behind a strange scene of curving rays that looked as if it were dancing. Seconds later, the lights vanished as Mikan halted his steps, sweating rolling down his cheeks as he gulped, feeling something cold resting at the edge of his neck. "It''s my win," Nero''s voice sounded from behind him as he appeared standing with his back turn, a single-arm holding onto the scythe with its edge rested against Mikan''s neck. "I... darn, I can''t believe this!" Mikan cursed but said nothing more in the end. He knew he had already lost. "That was a good fight," Nero said with a smirk as he pulled back the scythe and tapped his shoulder. "Like hell it was, you freak," Mikan said as he stared at him; though he had no enmity against Nero, he wanted to use this rare chance to get back at him for that petty Novice Village event, but alas, such a thing was only a dream. Whoosh, as both Nero and Mikan finished their battle, the masked man appeared again, giving both a good look before he waved his hand and spoke, "Victor: Nero." His voice resonated across the entire room as everyone looked at the scene with varying expressions, most of which were of shock while others were of challenge and eagerness, rearing to one to challenge him for the next fight. Chapter 201: Xu Waren’s Concerns, Dual Challengers When Nero defeated Mikan, the audience looked with interest as while some were surprised by how Mikan held out against him, even they found that his ace in the hole skill was a troublesome technique. Judy and Kenra were shocked at this as they both looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. "He''s actually this strong; who is he, really?" Judy murmured. "..." Kenra said nothing, but the look in his eyes was one of complexity. "About time," Elly said as she felt satisfied when seeing Nero win, but unlike her, Avollo yawned while fanning his face as he thought to himself. ''It sure took him a while; looks like our battle won''t last long.'' While many others share their thoughts, the mighty amongst them didn''t find it too alarming, even when comparing ranking between both individuals. "That Wild Silver, truly deserving of his name," A talent said from one association. "Hehe, he''s so strong and handsome," A young female said with glowing eyes; a few other females shared similar looks, even more so at how Nero stood calmly on the stage with his silver hair flowing due to the soft winds. Some of the males clicked their teethes as their eyes glistened with a surge of hostility, taking back their former good thoughts about him. "Darn stallion," Elly murmured to herself as she clenched her tiny fist angrily for some reason. Avollo chuckled at this as Judy gave her an odd look; Kenra, on the other hand, shook his head, seeming to understand some things. Now, Mikan had already arrived back within the vicinity of the Shadowblood Faction; Davia didn''t even greet him while Kyle and Weizer remained indifferent. Ivy ran over held his wounded chest as she asked, "Brother, are you okay?" Mikan felt warm hearing her words as he replied while rubbing her head, "Don''t worry, I''m fine." Ivy gave him a good look before biting her lips and asking, "Brother, why did you use that move? Isn''t that a technique one should use only against their mortal enemies?" Mikan hesitated a bit, even more so as he saw the complex look on his sister''s face. He sighed before replying with a smile, "It''s nothing sister, I only wanted to confirm something; now that I''ve lost, I''ve learned all I needed to know." Ivy stared at him deeply, causing him to inch back a bit, but she soon closed her eyes and smiled while replying, "Okay, as long as you won''t ever do it again." Mikan sighed at this; his hand rubbed her cheeks as he cast a peek at Nero while Ivy had eyes closed; he then grumbled to himself, "Bastard..." At this moment, on the battle platform, the masked man showed a tinge of curiosity as he stared at Nero, noticing his lack of interest in leaving the stage. He chuckled while speaking under his breath, "Well now, he''s quite the arrogant kid, much like that Blazewick." With those words said, the masked man regained his mood and waved his hand, causing the screen to appear once more. ____ [Kenra - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts] [Seya - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts] [Judy - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts] [Ashton - 1 win, 0 loss | 1 pts] [Mikan - 0 win, 1 loss | -1 pts] [Nero - 1 win, 0 loss | 1 pts] ____ The various talents looked at the list with combative expressions, even more so as the masked man spoke once more. "I shall leave the list of the current battles above the stage; our challenger has yet to lose interest in fighting, so hurry up and come out with the next challenger!" After saying such words, the masked man took a step back and slowly faded away from the platform. As Nero calmly stood atop the stage with his scythe in one arm, the scene remained quiet for a while, his manner one of indifference as if nothing was phasing him. A talent frowned at this as he spoke, "So arrogant, maybe I should I go take him myself." Someone from his faction shook his head and spoke, "Are you confident that you could even withstand that Poison Boy''s technique?" "That... I," The talent hesitated before finally not replying; the other person scoffed while saying nothing, his eyes wandering around the silent room as if waiting to see which of the giant would move next. At this time, a few of the main officials looked at this with brightened eyes as even the Martial Union head, Kailua Meng, opened his eyes from meditative posture and muttered. "Ah... the Dancing Reaper Stance isn''t something to take lightly; even those that can be considered as a top talent wouldn''t confidently face him in the head-on battle. For him to reach this level of the mastery scythe-wielding proves that he is quite the talented child." Pale Brightwood, who had been silent for a while, also nodded her head as she spoke in agreement, "Yes, combat mastery of the second level isn''t easy to achieve by rookies; he''s likely been training for quite some time. A pity, he''s likely to rot away under that shit of a society." Finishing her words, Pale Brightwood cast a glance at Reil, her eyes showing disdain as she didn''t say anything more. Xu Waren, who sat nearby, also agreed with them but didn''t say anything. His fists clenched as he saw Reil, who chuckled to himself while speaking. "Haha, truly a good boy." ''Blast it, if I had known this boy was a Digitizer back then, I''d have taken him under my wing. But if that''s the case, was it truly what I anticipated?'' Xu Waren contemplated as he looked back on Nero once more, carefully sizing up his features. The more he stared at Nero, the more he felt a familiar presence within him and an aura he faintly recalled. ''The power of death, yes, it''s the very same aura from that time, it''s clear that he wouldn''t have the power to shroud even his state from my eyes. So it''s likely one of two scenarios: One, he was either he was already a member of the Blood Steel Society and was given protection by their superiors, or it was likely the power of someone else, someone close by that was capable of shrouding even my senses.'' As Xu Waren''s thoughts reached here, he frowned while recalling the strangeness felt by Nero''s mother, even more so when he saw Nero''s facial features, resembling a male shadow etched in the back of his memories. ''It seems there something more to this boy than I''d initially thought; I''ll have to get his details in check.'' While Xu Waren thought to himself, Dale Vermeulen, chief of the Hatman Society, narrowed his eyes at this; even though he didn''t seem interested, the truth was he was actually observing Nero quite intently. ''So this is the boy that brought shame to my society, though it''s likely the fault of that silly Newman son, I can''t have him sully our reputation any more than it currently is...'' When Dale said this in his mind, his eyes ran over to the Hatman Society group, where Jillian, Delkan, and the other talents stared at the battle platform with sharp eyes. "Go and take him down together," Jillian said with an icy tone in his voice, his manner a bit sterner when he kept his eyes on Nero, who stood on the stage. Both Lira and Andrew were a bit surprised at this. Initially, they were going to challenge him separately, weakening him through his battles, but Jillian now took him more seriously. "Understood," Lira replied as Andrew nodded, the two looking at each other before they made a great leap, jumping from their positions towards the battle platform. Delkan gripped his fists while seeing this; he cruelly stared at the duo as if he would cut them apart with just his eyes. Jillian cast a look of mock towards him and said nothing; he kept his arms behind him, looking like an elder overlooking a child. The duo''s actions naturally drew the attention of a few eyes, Ashton who stood in a corner, stared at this as he thought to himself. ''Challenging him together? I suppose this is good. So far, I have yet to see anything special about him; let''s see if this battle can prove my father right.'' When Lira and Andrew appeared on the battle platform, Nero looked at them strangely as the two spoke in unison. "We of the Hatman''s would like to challenge you in a joint battle, do you dare to accept?" Elly and the others looked shocked at this as Avollo narrowed his eyes; Yullia also frowned at this, as did Reil, who sat in the group of major officials, his eyes taking a dangerous light as he looked at Dale Vermeulen, who pretended as if nothing was wrong. Unaware of everyone else, Nero paused for a moment while thinking, ''These Hatman''s are truly something else, sending two to face me at once; it looks like they''re in some way taking revenge for that bastard, Delkan. Hmph! Since it''s like that, then I won''t hold anything back.'' A surge of murderous intent flashed in Nero''s eyes as he stared at them and replied, "Fine, I accept your terms." Nero''s icy voice sounded across the room, filling everyone with a surge of anticipation for the battle on the horizon. Chapter 202: A Shocking Outburst When the duo challenged Nero, many other onlooking talents looked on with interest as some spoke to themselves. "Hmm, those are..." One talent was about to say something, but another beat him to it. "Oh, that''s Lira Kadelin and Andrew Smith, I didn''t think that two top-class talents from those Hatman''s would even take the platform together. They even challenged him at the same time, haha, it appears that there''s some grudge between them," Another person said with keen eyes. "Of course there is, haven''t you heard about the shame Delkan brought to the society? Rumors have it that it had started from a feud between that Wild Silver," Someone else said. "Oh really, well, this should be quite entertaining," The former person said with a smile. Avollo, who sat on the side of the Blood Steel Society, looked at the scene with interest, showing no intention to help. Judy, and Kenra, however, had dark looks on their faces as they complained. "That''s so mean. Are they honestly thinking of challenging him together?" Judy said. Yullia, who stood nearby, replied, "So it seems, there''s no rule against it." "That''s a bit unfair," Kenra said. Yullia shook her head and replied, "Maybe so, maybe not; in the end, it all depends on him; since he truly wishes to proceed with it, we should give him the benefit of the doubt." While Kenra and Judy listened to those words, Yullia''s eyes glowed as she thought to herself, ''Little handsome, come, let this lady see where your arrogant came from.'' Elly looked at the battle platform with a bit of concern; she knew that the duo weren''t simple characters. On the other hand, Nero held his scythe in battle posture, his manner a bit icier than before as his magic power flowed around his body. He stared at them and spoke, "Let''s get on with this; since you''re from the Hatman''s, I won''t be holding back in the slightest." "So arrogant, don''t go thinking that we''ll be easily beaten like that Poison Boy, Aromatic Arrow!" Lira said as her blond hair flowed forward when she leaped back and made a seal with her arms, placing her index fingers together in the form of a cross. Suddenly, a pink mist formed from it, it condensed into a pink arrow that fired towards Nero like a ray of light. Much like her, Andrew had also acted, using his strongest killing move from the start, his arms rippled with his bulging muscles as he clenched his palms together in a fist, the force so great that a few vibrating magic powers formed around it. "Vibrating Pulse Fist!" Andrew yelled as he invoked his skill, punching his arm from his current position; a surge of violent vibrating magic power blasted outward towards Nero, forming into the shape of a giant fist that threatened to crush all in its path. "Ahh, both of these attacks are even stronger than a child of Everdale; well within the ranks of Quasi Greater Monsters of their level, both are about 415 to 425 Combat Power, such excellent talents." Kailua Meng commented with a flicker in his eyes. Hatman Chief Dale looked at this with a smile as he spoke, "Huhu... those two, they''ve truly grown quite a bit, looks like I might need to reward them..." Xu Waren, who would have normally commented, remained silent at this, eyeing Nero with suspicious eyes, but as for Pale Brightwood, she kept indifferent to everything as if nothing could move her. Reil clicked his teeth at this; he thought to himself, ''Boy, if you have anything to show now, I''d suggest you do it now. We can lose, but certainly not to this two-faced piece of shit.'' While everyone had their thoughts, Jillian watched this scene from the side of the Hatman''s and smirked while speaking, "It looks like he was all talk since both of them used their strongest move, he should be finished." Delkan, who stood silently nearby, had an odd look on his face as he stared at the scene, his fist balling up tightly as he thought. ''Even if it were me, I wouldn''t be able to withstand their combined attacks, tsk, it looks like that bastard Jillian has gotten to trash him first, but fine, I''ll get my chance for vengeance soon enough.'' Doppleman, who led this batch from the Hatman Society, stared at the battle platform with calm eyes, but suddenly, his face turned dark, as did Hatman Chief Dale, who rose from his seat when he looked at Nero in shock. "Such strong killing intent, such strong power eruption, this isn''t good!" Doppleman said in alarm before his body vanished, leaving behind the confused-looking Delkan, but the now shocked Jillian, who seemed to have only sensed something. "How can this be?!" Jillian said in alarm, but everything had already changed at this time on the battle platform. Before everyone had their reactions, Nero, who faced the attacks from Lira and Andrew had a sinister glow in his eyes; his silver magic power fluctuated with a tinge of red as even the edge of the scythe glistened in a sharp ray. "Both of you can go to hell, Blood Reaper''s Dance!" Nero shouted as he employed his Four Point Unity Steps, pushing his body forward at incredible speeds, almost like a blur. He had arrived before Lira''s arrow in a flash before twisting his body and swinging his scythe. His body soon after vanishing due to the speed at which he moved to leave behind only his scythe''s edge, which transformed into a series of scarlet arcs of blade light. Instantly, these arcs of blade energies scattered about, crushing the pink arrow before soon after, shattering the vibrating fist wave. They then swept towards both the shocked-looking Lira and Andrew, who stared at the attacks with horror having no way to avoid it. Both could sense the violent and menacing power behind each arc of light, and they knew that once hit, their fate would be more unfortunate than good. ''No, we underestimated him! We''re finished,'' The duo thought as the lights soon after descended, creating a violent scene. Chapter 203: Doppleman’s Interference, Nero’s Win Bang! The battle platform echoed as the violent clash of energies created a scarlet scene, the weaker digesters amongst the various groups shrunk back, fearing the overwhelming show of force. But unlike them, characters such as Jillian, Kailua Mei, and Kyle stood their ground with somewhat pressed gazes. ''Che! The Combat Power for that skill of his is no lower than one of mine, maybe even 450 or a bit more... how could a random guy like this be so strong?'' Jillian thought to himself with a look of seriousness on his face. Unlike him, however, Delkan took a step back with shock over his face, his fist clenched as he gritted his teeth while thinking. ''Damn! Damn! Damn! How is this strong already? Will I never be able to crush him under my feet?'' Delkan cursed to himself, his hate for Nero growing with each passing second as they looked at the chaos on the battle platform. On the side of the Shadowblood Faction, Davia showed intrigued eyes as she looked at the platform, saying nothing in the end. Kyle also looked on with a serious expression; he now felt that Nero was someone who he could recognize as an opponent. Weizer, on the other hand, felt that he was looking like a monster; he glared at Nero hatefully but didn''t think to challenge at this time; he knew better than to fight a hopeless battle. "Brother, he..." Ivy said as she stared at the battle platform with bright eyes, almost as if fascinated. "I know... truly a freak," Mikan said as he coughed a bit, recovering his wounds. He didn''t think that Nero defeated him without even using his most decisive move. Currently, on the side of the Martial Union, Kailua Mei looked at Nero more sternly as even Kojima Ruysei turned his hatred from Ryo onto the stage, feeling Nero to be a bit peculiar. But unlike everyone else, within the Margrave associates, Velmon, who seemed to have been forgotten by everyone, remained silent, his eyes flashing as if carefully analyzing Nero''s skills. ''It''s a bit different... but I see his essence. Interesting, it looks it will be more interesting than I''d thought,'' Velmon thought to himself with a smile. At this moment, Ashton, who stood in his corner with ease, observed with his arms crossed and red hair flowing back due to the collisions wind, his lips curving into a faint smile as he muttered, "So, father''s claims weren''t all talk, I suppose fighting him does have, a little meaning. A pity, that much strength is still not yet worth my time, not unless..." When Ashton spoke to this point, his words paused as he stared coolly at the scene, not finishing words in the end. Like Ashton, Avollo, who laid back lazily, sat up, and clenched a bamboo sword, he now had a tinge of battle lust in his eyes; he felt Nero''s improvement to be quite outstanding and wanted to test his limit. ''Haha, he roused the young master''s battle sense, but I can''t blame him; it appears that friend of his has grown quite capable in such a short time. But, I truly wonder, what kind of Digitize Bit will he awaken?'' Ian thought to himself while staring at Nero, his mind showing a variety of thoughts. Elly looked at the battle platform with a different expression; she thought to herself, ''This fellow... he truly is something else, he got even stronger than I''d imagine, I wonder... can I beat him?'' While Elly thought to herself, Yullia and the others stared at the platform with deep gazes, staring through the scarlet lights at a particular silhouette. "Hmm, that bastard..." Yullia said as she attempted to move, but another figure had charged ahead like a blur before that could happen. Soon, the lights began to fade, revealing Nero that stood with the edge of his scythe tightly pressed between two fingers. Naturally, the person who appeared was none other than Doppleman, who now calmly stared at Nero. The terrified Lira and Andrew stood behind him, shaking like baby chickens behind their mother; they didn''t even dare to move. Nero looked at the person that stood in front of him with a tinge of surprise before showing iciness; he spoke, "Sir, I believe this battle isn''t over; why are you hindering me?" Doppleman stared at Nero deeply before he flicked his finger, repelling him by few meters. He then spoke, "Kid, it''s not good to be so ruthless towards competitors, you know, we''re all humans here; let my little act serve just now to teach you a small lesson." Nero, who fell back, felt a surge of weakness, blood flowing down his mount corners as if he had a few internal wounds. In this instance, Nero''s manner became icy cold, his silverly magic power taking on a shade of red as a violent killing intent erupted from his body. ''This damn bastard¡­'' Nero thought as eyes glared at Doppleman as he was an enemy, but even before he could do anything, a figure appeared in front of him, followed by a shockwave that blew Doppleman back. "Doppleman, I didn''t know you like to bully children; it''s not your place to teach that boy any manners," Screwgelman said. Doppleman frowned as he didn''t notice Screwgelman''s initial attack; hence he was a bit wounded, just like Nero. "Mr. Vondelez..." Doppleman said in an icy tone, the two now looking at each other like tigers in the wild, ready to fight strike at a moment''s notice, but suddenly, a voice sounded ended the conflict. "Enough, the battle is over; the victor is the Blood Steel Society''s Nero Valstine," the masked man said as he suddenly appeared once more. The two looked at each other before turning away with a grunt, Doppleman brought away the fear-stricken Lira and Andrew, but as for Screwgelman, he walked up to the now calmed down Nero and patted his shoulder. "Boy, you''re a lot better than I thought, keep this up, and I''ll... put in a good word," Screwgelman said with a faint voice and knowing look on his face. Nero, who no longer had the mind to be angry about Doppleman, quickly understood Screwgelman''s meaning; his face turned a bit red, but he didn''t deny the latter''s ''good intentions'' either; he nodded with a smile. Screwgelman chuckled at Nero''s manner, finding it a bit adorable, but he didn''t say anything; he left the battle platform, leaving behind Nero and the masked announcer. The masked announcer looked at Nero and spoke, "Do you want to continue?" Nero thought for a bit and shook his head as he replied, "No, I suffered a few injuries just now; I''ll take a little break." "Good, go on ahead," The masked announcer said in a somewhat gentler tone. As Nero walked down, contrary to his expectations, the first persons to greet him were Kenra and Judy. "Well fought," Kenra said. "You... you did good, better than I did," Judy said a bit awkwardly. Nero chuckled at this and replied, "It''s no biggie; we''re all society members; I naturally must strive to add fame to our name." As Nero and the two chatted, Elly walked over and spoke, "Hey, are you okay? That dirty uncle surely had no manners when he attacked you." Nero looked at her and answered, "It was nothing; though his attack wounded me a bit, it''s not that serious. What''s wrong? Where you worried?" "Hmph, as if!" Elly snapped back but quickly turned away, hiding her red face. Nero found her actions a bit cute, he was going to tease her a bit, but a voice sounded nearby, "You''re tougher than you look, here, drink this..." Nero turned only to see a flask coming his way; he hurriedly grabbed it and then looked at the person, only to see that it was Yullia who looked at him with a smile. "What''s this?" Nero asked, a bit curious. Yullia snickered and replied, "Poison..." Nero rolled his eyes at this, he wanted to ask more, but Yullia already walked away; he clicked his teeth and opened the cork. He then smelt it a bit before he drank it; he knew they wouldn''t kill him for no reason, and most importantly, he didn''t hear any warnings from a particular bastard in his head. After downing the entire contents, Nero felt his chest warming up; he felt as if the festering pain was dying down. ''Ah, such a wonderful thing; I wonder what kind of audience this is?'' Nero thought to himself. However, while he did so, it appeared that the next battle was about to begin. The masked man on the battle platform now waved his hand, causing the details on the board to change as he shouted, "Who is the next challenger?" His voice echoed over the entire room as quite a few digitizers were now rearing to go, but suddenly, Nero and Elly looked at the side in shock as they saw Avollo rose to his feet. "Ah, it''s about time I stretched my legs... wish me luck," Avollo said as he walked towards the battleform, bringing rise to a new commotion from many who saw his movements. Chapter 204: Avollo Take’s Stage, A New Challenger? When Avollo walked up to the battle platform, many cast their sights on him. That was even more so for those who stood at the top of each Digitizer''s Union. "The Mendez clan..." Pale Brightwood said, having a tinge of animosity in her voice. Hatman Chief Dale smiled and said nothing; his attention turned from Avollo back onto Nero as the look in his eyes grew icy cold, his thoughts unknown to others. ''Haha, excellent, that kid didn''t let me down, but if it''s as that information says, I suppose I shouldn''t be too excited,'' Reil thought to himself, feeling a bit more intrigued at Nero''s performance. Xu Waren, who also stared at Nero, had a frown on his face as a person whispered something in his ear, his eyes showing shock before uncertainty. ''Be it his mother or father, I can''t seem to garner enough information about them; how odd, it''s as if they''re being blocked by something... or someone?'' Xu Waren thought with a deep look on his face, but as if determined, he stared at his attendant and whispered, "Keep digging; I don''t care what method you use; I want his information by the day''s end." "Understood," The attendant said as he left in a hurry. Avollo, who had appeared on the stage, looked up at the display board that showed the following information back on the battle platform. ____ [Nero - 3 win, 0 loss | 3 pts] [Kenra - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts] [Seya - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts] [Judy - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts] [Ashton - 1 win, 0 loss | 1 pts] [Mikan - 0 win, 1 loss | -1 pts] [Lira - 0 win, 1 loss | -1 pts] [Andrew - 0 win, 1 loss | -1 pts] ____ ''Huhu, who would have thought you''d take the lead? You''re like a protagonist in some book," Avollo murmured with a light laugh, his attention soon after turning to the masked man who looked at him in silence. Not wasting any more time, Avollo spoke, "I, Avollo, would like to fight; who wants to face me?" When the audience heard Avollo''s words, a strange tension filled the air as many digitizer talents began to converse. "That''s Grass Root Sword Child, the prodigy of the sword; I''d be insane to challenge him!" One voice said. "Hmph! He''s only at Level 10; now that we''re all at the same level, I refuse to believe that I''m inferior to him!" Another voice said, coming from a person with more confidence. Many others had such thoughts, with few expressions of their fears; Avollo looked down on the stage with a bored look on his face; no one was coming up, so he yawned and sat down in silence, treating the platform as a chair. "This guy... he''s even more arrogant than Wild Silver, maybe I should go teach this so-called high ranker some manners," Jillian said, finally taking an interest in battles; his eyes shone as if he wanted to make a stand right now. Like Jillian, Kailua Mei, Kojima Ryusei, Kyle, and even the icy Ashton showed more interest in Avollo, who sat idly on the stage. In fact, even the masked man that stood in silence nearby Avollo had a pondering expression behind his mask. ''Huhu... I wonder, which monster will step out to challenge this one, this should be quite the...'' The man was about to say something, but soon, he heard a voice from the side of the Marfields. "Jason, you go and test your limits," A familiar voice said. "Huh? Should I?" Another voice said. "Consider it a good chance to test yourself," The previous voice said. "If you say so, huhu..." The other voice replied in a laid-back manner. Not only the masked man, but many others had also heard the words spoken; they turned and saw Velmon calmly sitting down with his finger pointing towards the battle platform. The hook nose youth, Jason, who had previously sat down, had gotten up and stretched legs, looking like he was gearing up for a battle. "Huh? The strange guy is actually thinking of challenging Grass-Root Sword Child with a lackey; who does he think he is?" Someone said with a voice of discontent. "Another arrogant prick," A voice said soon after. Nero, who had now recovered from his injuries, looked at Velmon with cold eyes; he asked inwardly, "You''ve warned me about Velmon, but that guy¡­ isn''t he Jason, what''s with him?" Adult Nero had a deep look on his face; when he stared at Jason, he felt a deep aura within him, somewhat comparable to Avollo''s. He thought for a bit before answering, "It''s odd, he''s never shown this kind of progress back in my timeline. It appears that my suspicions were right, that Velmon is also not the same." ''Hmm, what do you mean?'' Nero inwardly asked. "I mean, that..." Adult Nero was about to say something, but Jason made a smirk and leaped towards the battle platform right at this moment. As he landed, he glared at Avollo with his hawk-like eyes and arms within his pockets as he spoke, "I, Jason Max, will be the first to challenge you." Avollo opened his eyes from what seemed like meditation; he stared at Jason with a surge of sharpness in his eyes, an invisible force flowing around the battle platform that caused even the tiles to show traces of cracks. The masked man''s eyes lit up at this but said nothing; he waved his hand and vanished, leaving behind only his words. "Begin!" Immediately after the man left, Jason, who stood before Avollo, felt an intense pressure around his body, one that seemed as if it was trying to crush him into bits of rubble. However, as if it was nothing, he stood his ground calmly with his head raised, his hook nose pointing to the ceiling like a bird looking down on his foe. "What incredible Sword Force! That boy is truly a genius of the sword, no wonder he''s the next in line successor of the Mendez," Kailua Meng said with a look of surprise. Hatman Chief Dale''s eyes lit up as he spoke, "Indeed, he''s as gifted as that brother of his..." The others also agreed as even Reil, who wasn''t tight with the others, had to agree with their words. Pale Brightwood, on the other hand, snorted at this, showing a look of discontent. "Even if he''s talented, it''s not likely that he''ll win. Can''t you see how easily that boy is withstanding his pressure?" She said in a strange tone. The others had taken note of Jason''s strangeness but didn''t say anything; Reil, who was in disgrace with everyone, soon spoke, "Indeed, he''s a bit different. There are no records of him fighting in any parts of the Novice Zone, but here is, casually withstanding the Sword Force of a progeny on the levels of Grass Root Sword Child. This battle might be a tough one for that kid." The others also felt those words to be true, they continued to observe in silence, but on the battle platform, Avollo knitted his brows as he looked at Jason, who smirked as if he wasn''t affected. "I''ve heard rumors about it, but this is my first time witnessing Sword Force. You truly are deserving of your fame, Grass Root Sword Child," Jason said with a flicker in his hawk-like eyes, causing an unknown force to erupt, which counterbalanced Avollo''s sword force. Instantly, a shockwave-like effect spread across the battle platform as both forces vanished, returning everything to normal. Everyone who witnessed this was shocked; they were surprised by Avollo''s prior Sword Force, but Jason''s unknown power that neutralized it had stricken to their core. "That boy..." Ian Mendez said with a deep look on his face, not finish his words. Yullia and Screwgelman also had stern expressions as they never thought a random youth of no origins could even perform such a feat. Not to mention them, even Nero and Elly looked at the screen in shock. "It looks like this won''t be an easy battle," Nero murmured. "Indeed," Elly said in agreement. Avollo took note of not one else; he stood up from this sitting posture and cracked his joints. His manner, now one of seriousness, unlike his usual laid-back mood. He waved his hand, twirling the bamboo stick before gripping it from its end firmly. Shing! The sound of a sword unsheathing sounded as he pulled the end of the bamboo stick, unveiling an ultra-thin sword that shimmered in an icy blade light. He then sheeted the sword once more, holding it at its side as he lowered his torso with his legs spread out and head facing forward. "Who¡­ are you?" Avollo said as he raised his free arm over the bamboo sword''s handle, his finger steady like a sword itself. Jason chuckled at this adopting a stance with feet crouched and arms raised; two curved-shaped blades appeared in his arms that he swung around in circles as he replied, "Call me, Hawk..." Chapter 205: An Even Exchange? The scene was quiet as both Jason and Avollo stared at each other while standing on the battle platform; the audience of digitizers observed in silence, not wanting to miss any detail as even Nero showed a stern look in his eyes. "Here they go..." Nero muttered, causing Elly to show a stern look, the reflections on their pupils showing the scene clearly as both figures had quickly acted. "You''re the first to resist my Sword Force. Good, you don''t seem weak, so I won''t hold any punches; let''s start with this..." Avollo said as he took a step forward, his figure turning blurry due to his speed as he vanished from Jason''s line of sight. Everyone looked at this with surprise, the weaker primarily shock as they had lost trace of Avollo, but as for Nero, Ashton, and a few others, they only looked on deeply with pensive expressions. "Oh, you''re quite fast, but such speed is pointless in front of these eyes," Jason said as his hawk-like eyes seemed to turn sharper, his pupils shifting around before zoning in on his right. "Cutting Leaf Sword..." Avollo''s voice sounded as a brilliant green-ray bolted towards Jason''s. Looking more closely, one would notice that Avollo had charged at Jason from a low angle, his figure seemed as if he was flying like a rocket as his body spun like a gig before he moved his arm, unsheathing his bamboo sword, which he sliced outward. Shing! The sword''s edge shimmered in a cold light as it cut toward Jason''s unguarded torso; it''s a greenish ray condensing an illusion of a severed leaf behind Avollo''s body. "Beautiful execution, his skill is well earned..." Kailua Meng, from the officials of the Martial Heritage Group, commented. "Hmm, not only his technique and speed, but the Combat Power behind this strike is also at the threshold, almost at 500," Dale said. Pale and Xu Waren didn''t say anything as they observed in silence, but Reil couldn''t help but think to himself, ''This boy might even be more talented than his parents; his first attack is already at the ranks of a Level 10 Greater Digital Monster. Still, this kid from the Marfields isn''t likely to take this lying down.'' As if he heard Reil''s thoughts, Jason, who faced Avollo''s incoming onslaught, smirked as his feet kicked the ground, pushing himself backward as if retreating. ''What''s he up to?'' Avollo thought with a frown but didn''t halt his attack, his sword''s edge moving with an ultra-thin blade light that continued to sweep towards him in a horizontal slash. After falling back towards the edge of the stage, Jason seemed as if he was in imminent peril as the sword light cut ruthlessly towards him, but soon, he placed his arms in front of him, making a strange claw-like posture with his fingers. "Call of the Hawk..." Jason said as his palms shone in a metallic and sharp light, a gush of magic power forming around it as an illusory claw of a hawk appeared which swiftly swept towards Avollo''s sword. Avollo looked at the incoming strike in surprise; he could feel the strength behind it wasn''t even less than his own, but as he knew now wasn''t the time for pondering, he ruthlessly cut his sword into it. In an instant, there was a loud bang, a shockwave of their magic power colliding followed towards the edge of the stage, causing those weaker digitizer talents to shrink back in fright. "This isn''t good," Nero said as even he had a sense of danger from the force as he prepared to retreat with Elly. Soon though, he found that his worry was for naught as the masked man appeared and waved his hand, causing a formless barrier to prevent the shockwave from reaching the audience. "That guy, he''s certainly not the ordinary talent," Nero muttered as Elly, who stood by his side, nodded and spoke, "Indeed, I didn''t know Jason had such strength; his strength right now is stronger than what I last remembered." "Remembered? Did you see him fight before?" Nero asked curiously. Elly nodded as she replied, "Hmm, yes, I think it was a few months ago, we did a mock event with a few families, that Velmon and Jason had shown up, only, back then, Jason''s strengths wasn''t as exaggerated. In fact, not only Jason, that Velmon was a bit strange, I couldn''t tell how strong he was back then." ''Well, you heard her, what do you think?'' Nero remained silent as he cast his thoughts inwardly, hoping to get answered by his older self. Adult Nero, who floated aimlessly before Nero''s Door of Memories, showed a deep contemplative look as he answered, "I''m also lost; these details are beyond my reach. After all, back then, I wouldn''t know about anything with regards to their meetings, let alone that Velmon''s and Jason''s starting abilities." ''I see, then I guess it''s something I''ll have to face myself and overcome,'' Nero inward said as his eyes once more turned to the battle platform. Adult Nero nodded in agreement; his eyes also looked at the platform before turning to Velmon, who sat in silence with a strange smile on his lips as if he enjoyed a great play. ''Just how much will change from here onwards? I truly cannot let my guard down, even after death.'' While both Nero''s had their thoughts, the lights from the explosive energies had soon vanished, once more revealing both Avollo''s and Jason''s forms. They now stood at both distant edges of the battle platform, one with his arms held before him, his fingers curved likes claws as his magic power swirled around his body. The other, with a lowered stance as his thin-edged sword, rested at his side, his eyes shining with a baleful glint. "We''re even..." Avollo said, looking at the former residence of magic powers. "Not quite," Jason said as to Avollo''s surprise; he saw that a corner of his shirt had claw markings. ''Heh, just my luck, I wanted to play, and I ended up with someone like this; it looks like I''ll need to expose a few cards before I challenge that Child of Blaze.'' Avollo thought to himself before the look in his eyes became a bit sharper, his Sword Force once more returning as the pressure increased in his surroundings. Jason licked his lips at this as he waved his finger and taunted, "Huhu... come, let''s see what you got! Number two¡­" The scene here looked as if it were about to grow even more dangerous as both prepared to fight with their all, holding nothing back.