In the end, after burning through all of Seth’s weekly free hours in the Epic Training Chamber, they managed to find only one viable path to victory—and it was far from fair. Seth had to unleash four consecutive Phantom Punches, tapping into the vast reserves of aether of his Fine Storing Ring.
It was a brute-force tactic that left him utterly drained, but it was the only thing that worked.
As their last fight ended and the Knight Skeleton dissolved into motes of light, Seth pushed himself up from a crouch, panting heavily, the muscles of his right arm screaming in protest. He turned to Colossus, whose Quartz Armor was almost completely shattered, the last few chunks clinging precariously to his shell, and cast Intermediate Identify.
The scorpion had gained another two Ranks in the past forty-eight hours—an utterly absurd pace.
According to Eldric’s book, essences—like the Heart of the Brown-Peak Mountains inside the teardrop—were primarily used to deepen one’s comprehension of an aether affinity, but they also accelerate Rank progression. The exact mechanism wasn’t clear, but theories suggested it had to do with saturating every fiber of the body with aether, making it more responsive and more primed for growth during future battles.
Too bad I can't simply remove the Earth essence from inside whenever I want, Seth thought.
Toren and Yline had both warned him that doing so would cause the essence to lose some of its dense, high-grade aether and would weaken its nourishing effect on Colossus. That wasn’t a risk worth taking.
With a sigh, Seth looked down at his own hand, then turned toward Nightmare, casting Intermediate Identify in quick succession.
Even with Link’s bonus attributes bringing my stats close to a Rank 41. I’ll probably get my ass kicked at Oskon if I hold back, he thought grimly.
And the problem was, he had to hold back.
The diplomatic skirmishes would be crawling with important nobles from both nations. Odds were they would find it suspicious if he started repeatedly casting Shadow Step as both a Primalist and Iron-Tier Wielder. And that was the same for Phantom Punch.
Even though he’d shown both spells during his fight against Lucius, using them again in front of an international audience would be foolish. That would draw unnecessary attention, and someone could find out about his Draerian's origin. All that just so Kastal didn’t lose face? Not a chance.
Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. That leaves me with Beastmaster Rage, Iron Fist, Huntbound Rush, and Night Veil… if I don’t count Dark Shocking Strike, which is pretty much useless since it's Copper. This is going to be rough.
'Oh, stop worrying and just use Shadow Step,' Nightmare said, picking up on his thoughts. 'No one’ll suspect a thing. And worst-case scenario, we flee into one of those Rift-cities the old alchemist mentioned if people found out about your father.'
"You’d love that," Seth muttered, rolling his eyes as he recalled both the direwolf and Colossus into the teardrop necklace. "And do you have to keep calling him the old alchemist? You know his name."
'Every time I try to say his name my throat burns,' the direwolf retorted. 'As if I was trying to swallow a handful of sand… and he isn’t important enough for me to endure that.'
"It burns your throat?" Seth snorted. "Bonehead, you speak through Link most of the time."
With a sigh, he turned and exited the Epic Training Chamber. Clearly, Nightmare still hadn’t forgiven Marcus for the one time the old man had laughed at him and compared his aether voice to a drunken sparrow.
The moment Seth passed by the front desk, he nodded to the attendant before pulling out his communication orb. A message from Elena was already waiting.
Elena: The caravan for Oskon leaves at noon. Don't be late. And please, for the love of the gods, take a bath. You also need to be in your academy uniform. Senior officers of the army will be meeting us when we arrive.
Seth’s eyebrow twitched at the noble’s mother-hen tone, and he immediately infused aether into the artifact to reply.
Seth: Don’t worry, I won’t be late. And yeah, Jenna already warned me about the welcoming committee.
While he made his way toward the dorm tower to clean himself up, he slipped Elena's orb back into his Endless Pouch and pulled out Celine’s. A message from the outpost administrator was waiting there as well.
Celine: Pass by the Champions of Chaos' headquarters before you leave Trogan, greenhorn. A wandering merchant left something for you from your friend, the Alchemist. Something to conceal your marvelous eyes.
A wave of relief washed over Seth. Finally. He quickly replied that he’d come pick it up, then put the orb away. Upon reaching the dorm tower, he climbed the endless flights of stairs and stepped into his room—only to find Devus lounging casually on his bed. The Guardian grinned as if he’d been waiting for Seth.
"Was hoping I’d catch you before you left, mate," he said, sitting up and handing Seth a rolled-up scroll along with a slender, enchanted quill.
Seth frowned. "What's this for?"
"To take notes on all those bastards from the Empire, of course," Devus answered. "We aren't allowed to miss class to come watch you guys show off. So, I’m counting on you to bring back some insights… and we both know your memory… well, it sucks."
Seth smiled and put the scroll and quill on his desk before grabbing a fresh uniform from his dresser. "I’ll make sure to write everything down," he said. "But anyway, Elena will be there. We both know she’ll come back with a damn encyclopedia on each of them, perfectly color coded and containing every scrap of information you could ever hope for."
Devus slumped back. "And she’ll refuse to lend it to me."
Seth shrugged, pulling out his uniform. "That’s your fault for drooling on the last scroll she gave you."
"I was trying to study late at night!" Devus protested. "And it happens to you too, you know!"
"I only drool on my own stuff," Seth retorted, "not on Elena’s."
"Oh, come on," Devus groaned. He looked toward Seth’s necklace. "Nightmare, defend me!"
The direwolf’s dry, aether voice rose from the necklace, ''Nope. You’re alone in this one, tanned boy.''
"Whaaat? Why?" Devus whined, throwing his hands up. "I thought we were mates!"
Seth chuckled. "Anyway, I’ve got to take a bath real quick. I’ll pass by the room to say goodbye afterward."
"Fine," Devus sighed dramatically.
After a quick, scalding bath and a brief goodbye to Devus, Seth was on the move again, heading for the Champions of Chaos’ headquarters. As he weaved through the bustling crowds of Trogan’s marketplace, the familiar scents of roasted meats, fragrant spices, and sweat filling the air, Nightmare’s voice echoed in his mind.
'If you’re about to lose at Oskon, I’ll come out and tear apart your opponent.'
'And I’ll protect you too!' Colossus added, stirring inside his pocket-realm next to the Heart of Brown-Peak Mountains.
'No,' Seth answered firmly. 'My life won’t actually be on the line; these are just exhibition fights. There’s no reason to show all our cards. It’s better to keep the element of surprise for when we’re in the Warfare Rifts.'
'Killjoy,' Nightmare grumbled. 'You’re the only one ever allowed to have fun.'
"Oh, stop being so grumpy," Seth muttered under his breath, earning a strange look from a passing merchant. He continued mentally, 'If you don't, I won’t buy you that Darkness essence at Oskon.'
Nightmare jolted inside the black teardrop, his sulking disappearing immediately. 'You’ll buy me one? Really?'
'Yeah,' Seth replied with a sigh.
His thoughts drifted to the hefty amount of coin he’d earned from selling off everything he’d looted from the four nobles who’d attacked him nearly a month ago. In the end, no one had discovered his involvement thanks to the looming war and Professor Reat. 'But to be honest, I’m not sure I have enough money even now. We’ll see.'
Toren had been quite clear on the topic: properly harvested essences, the kind that didn't bleed out their aether over time, were incredibly rare—and brutally expensive. A few months ago, the idea of buying one would have been a fantasy.
But now, Seth was hoping things were different.
His entire fortune amounted to roughly a gold coin and seven silvers, a staggering sum that still felt unreal. Enough to buy four thousand Escape Scrolls, a hundred Rare Iron-Tier weapons, or… almost a million awakening stones, he thought bitterly.
Sure, he was wealthier now than nearly any normal Iron-Tier commoner—all thanks to the nobles and Black Hounds he’d killed—and yet he could only help a single person to awake per year because of some stupid laws.
No wonder people had tried to overthrow Kastal’s king over the past decade. The man’s greed was weakening and practically crippling the nation. If it weren’t for his hoarding and absurd laws, every citizen could have already become a Wielder. With open access to Eldric’s book and its knowledge, Kastal could be thriving within a decade or two—and become home to dozens, if not hundreds, of adventurers’ branches as powerful and renowned as the Champions of Chaos.
Shaking himself from the frustrating thoughts, Seth arrived at his destination. He pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped into the headquarters. Inside, he found Toren at his workshop, Haldrik the branch’s Enchanter next to him, examining a small piece of metal, Yline at the table at the back along with Lyria and Professor Reat, who for once was wearing the instructors’ uniform while outside the academy’s ground.
Toren, arms waving, was in the middle of making his case about something when he stopped himself from shouting from across the room the moment he noticed Seth. "Hey, kid," the man called out with a grin. "Calvin was just telling us how much he appreciates you."
Professor Reat rolled his eyes theatrically, prompting a chuckle from Lyria as she leaned over the table to look at Seth. "He’s pissed because he spent the past few weeks searching for an artifact or consumable to change your eye color, only to find out this morning that your Alchemist friend just brewed you a potion."
Yline rose from her seat and walked to the counter, where she retrieved a small, padded wooden box. She carried it over and handed it to Seth.
Seth took it and flipped the lid, revealing a slender vial nestled in a bed of velvet filled with a clear, shimmering, emerald liquid. Beside it lay a folded note. Seth picked it up and immediately recognized Marcus’s usual yellowish, molded parchment, as well as his terrible handwriting.
'This is not a reason to do anything stupid.'
A grin touched Toren’s lips from nearby. "He definitely has you figured out, kid."
Seth rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, though before he could respond to the Artificer, Professor Reat pushed himself to his feet with a long, put-upon sigh. "With that settled, it’s time to leave," he said, his tone hinting clear impatience. "We don’t want to be late."
Seth nodded, pocketing the box and the note. "Alright."
Professor Reat strode past without another word, his dark ponytail swishing behind him.
Seth cast a quick glance at Lyria, who offered a helpless shrug and raised her palms. He hurried after the professor, silently hoping the man’s sour mood wouldn’t persist for the entire trip.
(UPDATED):
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Thank you so much for reading!
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21 24!! advanced chapters on !