Ch. 171..180

Chapter 171 Chase

Shang definitely didn't look forward to fighting the Trash Bird. Sadly, such an opponent was the optimal choice for him.

Beasts at the Initial General Stage already had overwhelmingly powerful bodies, and Shang had to use his entire repertoire of smarts and tactics to fight them.

And then, he could only fight the weakest General Stage beasts.

Shang didn't dare to attempt to fight a beast that was actually powerful in a direct confrontation. Just their speed alone was already ridiculous.

Shang charged into the northwestern forest, leaving the defense behind. He was actually glad that the Trash Bird fled into the forest since Shang wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes.

The Trash Bird was around three meters tall, and it didn't have it very easy passing through the Wild Forest. It wasn't built for traversing a dense forest since its home was the Wasteland. On top of that, whenever it destroyed a tree, it got slowed down by a lot.

Following the Trash Bird's trail wasn't difficult. It would be harder to not know where it was with its constant screeching.

After a couple of seconds, Shang came close to the Trash Bird. Right now, Shang didn't need to be careful since the hunters were blocking all General Stage beasts from entering the Wild Forest.

Ironically enough, the day that the most beasts entered battle was also the day the Wild Forest was at its safest.

As Shang started to close in on the Trash Bird, something happened to his body.

A white mist was left behind by Shang's legs as he accelerated to higher speeds.

If someone with an Ice Affinity were here, they would be able to feel a cloud of Ice Mana leaving Shang's body.

At this moment, Shang reached the speed of an Initial General Stage warrior.

And even more, this was not a momentary increase!

Shang could keep this going indefinitely!

How?!

Well, after a lot of training with his Affinities, Shang had unlocked the ability to release his Affinities from other parts of his body with a lessened effect.

At the moment, Shang was continually shooting out Ice Mana from his back and legs, increasing his speed.

But wouldn't that heat up his body?

Yes, it would, but if it got too hot, Shang could simply switch to releasing Fire Mana. As long as he didn't change the temperature of his body too quickly, it wouldn't become injured.

Something like this would be impossible if Shang only used his left arm. After all, his left arm had only so much mass.

But as long as he distributed the negative effects over his entire body, it was bearable.

This ability to keep his speed permanently at a higher level was the very ability that allowed Shang to jump to the top of his class.

Of course, this only counted for the Caterpillar Class. Amongst the other students, there were still several that were more powerful than Shang.

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ Very advanced Martial Arts could achieve the same effect. Of course, one first needed to train for a long time in them to reach such a level.

Several students had already reached that level.

However, as someone in the Caterpillar Class, Shang was essentially above all of his peers.

Well, except for Mattheo, but only if he used his Magic.

When the distance between Shang and the Trash Bird reached two meters, the Trash Bird suddenly turned its head to him.

Then, its mouth opened wide.

Shang gnashed his teeth and tensed his entire body.

He knew what was about to come.

SCREEEEEEEEEE!

It was like an explosion of sound left the Trash Bird's beak and reverberated throughout the entire forest.

The trees at the side began to sway violently under the explosion of sound.

BANG!

As soon as the explosion of sound appeared, Shang's eardrums exploded.

It was so insanely loud!

Shang's vision spun as he felt like his brain was bumping into all the corners of his skull.

This was the Trash Bird's primary defensive weapon. If any predator came close to it, it would gather Wind Mana in its mouth and release it in a shockwave of sound.

The attack wasn't directly dangerous. After all, the most it could do was to make someone woozy and destroy their eardrums.

Someone wouldn't die from just that.

However, the attack would not only severely startle the predator but also inflict pain upon their ears. On top of that, the predator might lose their balance and fall over during the chase.

This was not a weapon to hunt but a weapon to flee.

This was also one of the reasons why hunters hated hunting Trash Birds.

Luckily, Shang had learned a terrifying amount about all the beasts in the Storm Eagle Zone over the last year. Because of that, Shang had known what would come for him.

It felt a bit difficult for him to retain his balance, but Shang managed it.

He had slowed down a bit, but he quickly managed to accelerate again.

However, Shang also felt a very weird feeling of dissociation as he lost the ability to hear.

It was almost like he wasn't inside his own body anymore.

It was like he was watching someone else.

As Shang reached the Trash Bird again, it turned its head to him again and released the same attack.

This time, Shang heard nothing.

However, he felt his head hurt and his vision warp.

In perceived silence, Shang took out his sword and pointed towards his back with his left hand.

Shang unleashed a Fire Blast to accelerate even more, and he lifted his sword.

The Trash Bird saw that it was under attack and stopped using its soundwave.

On its next step, its talons dug into the earth.

And on its next step, Shang got a cloud of dirt thrown into his face.

Shang felt the dirt assault his eyes, but he still committed to his swing.

At that moment, his Mana finally finished repairing his eardrums, and Shang could hear again.

SHING!

Shang heard the sound of meat being cut, and he felt a bit of resistance coming from his sword.

However, his sword was several levels above the Trash Bird, allowing it to easily injure it.

"SQUAWK!"

The Trash Bird squawked in pain.

The right side of its large behind had received a massive cut, which involuntarily changed the Trash Bird's trajectory.

BANG!

The Trash Bird barreled through a tree, completely decimating it in the process, which ruined its balance even more.

The Trash Bird was trying to regain its balance by taking several compensating steps.

Meanwhile, Shang violently moved his right arm across his eyes to get rid of the dirt.

Shang had been so aggressive in his cleaning that his eyes received indents. However, that was necessary. Shang's Mana could heal his eyes, but it couldn't get rid of the dirt. It was better to just injure himself to get rid of the dirt faster than to clean his eyes for several seconds.

Shang's vision became very cloudy for a second before his eyes completely recovered.

BANG!

Shang's right leg collided with the broken stump of the tree the Trash Bird had just destroyed.

Luckily, Shang's body was powerful enough to not get injured by that, but his balance was also ruined.

Shang quickly pointed his left arm to the ground and unleashed an Ice Blast.

BANG!

Shang was catapulted forward, but his arm exploded in several places.

As Shang reached the Trash Bird again, it turned its head to Shang again with its opened beak.

Shang gritted his teeth in anger, hatred, and frustration.

SQUEEEEEEE!

And Shang lost his hearing again.

Fucking Trash Birds!

Chapter 172 Shut Up!

Shang reached the Trash Bird very quickly again and unleashed another strike.

The Trash Bird threw another clump of earth at Shang's face, which he managed to block this time by closing his eyes for an instant.

Shang felt his sword hit part of the Trash Bird's thigh, but he sadly couldn't hear the satisfying sound of his opponent getting injured this time due to his hearing loss.

The Trash Bird stopped its shouting again and jumped forward, blood flowing down its right leg.

Shang recovered from the strike and shot towards the Trash Bird again. Shang's Mana had been used up healing his left arm, which meant that his hearing wouldn't recover for at least several seconds.

The Trash Bird and Shang reached a small clearing with a twenty-meter-tall and ten-meter-wide rock in the middle of it.

The Trash Bird's steps became uncertain with its injured leg, and it slowed down by a lot.

Then, when it saw the rock in front of it, it realized that fleeing wouldn't work. If everything continued as it had been for the last seconds, it would eventually die.

The Trash Bird suddenly stopped in front of the rock and faced Shang, who was charging at it.

It opened its mouth again and unleashed its soundwave again.

Luckily, Shang was currently deaf, but his mind still shook from the soundwaves.

The Trash Bird lifted its left foot and stabbed forward with it. Its strike was surprisingly fast.

Shang had to cancel his attack since he hadn't known that the Trash Bird's attack would be so fast. He had read about it, but he had actually never fought one.

Instead of striking the Trash Bird's body, he tried to hit the leg.

However, the leg pulled back with just as much speed, and Shang's strike missed.

Then, the Trash Bird jumped forward by using its injured leg.

The Trash Bird didn't just simply pull its leg back into a passive stance but into another aggressive one.

As the Trash Bird jumped forward, it unleashed another stab with its left leg.

Shang's sword was currently lowered, which meant that it wouldn't be able to block.

Well, that would be true if this were the Shang from a year ago.

Out of reflex, Shang took a step back as his entire power was focused on his sword.

And then, he slashed upward with all his power.

BANG!

The Trash Bird pulled its leg back when it saw the sword, but it wasn't fast enough. The front halves of its talons exploded off its foot as the sword hit them.

When the Trash Bird saw that, it stopped its cry for a second.

Then, it jumped back as its chest expanded.

Shang knew what would come next and readied himself.

When the Trash Bird opened its beak again, Shang felt like he had run against a wall.

The Trash Bird was no longer considering its health. If Trash Birds were backed into a corner, they could gather all their Wind Mana and unleash an even more powerful screech.

Of course, that would severely drain their reserves, and it would even injure their throats.

Shang's vision swam, but he knew that he would only need to evade its next couple of attacks. After that, it would be severely weakened.

At that point, he would win the fight.

However, Shang also wasn't in the condition to dodge the next attack naturally, which meant that he had to rely on his left arm yet again.

Shang could achieve higher speeds on average with his new ability, but his left arm was still the best thing when it came to sudden bursts of speed.

Shang was thrown to the side as he unleashed a Fire Blast, barely evading the Trash Bird's claws.

Shang nearly fell over as his equilibrium was all over the place, but he still managed to remain on two feet.

As he looked back at the Trash Bird, Shang could see thin droplets of blood shooting out of its opened beak.

Its throat was already being injured, and it wouldn't take long now.

The Trash Bird jumped at Shang again, and this time, Shang managed to evade the attack by jumping back normally.

The Trash Bird wasn't good at fighting, which was why Shang had been able to evade without his left arm this time.

Shang saw that more and more blood came out of the Trash Bird's throat.

'Soon! One or two more attacks!' Shang thought as his vision swam.

The Trash Bird focused on Shang again.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Shang's eyes widened as a violent explosion suddenly consumed the Trash Bird.

A wave of terrifying heat washed over Shang's body, but he was used to worse.

At that moment, Shang's hearing recovered.

"SHUT UP!"

Shang heard the angry shout of a man come from the big rock beside Shang.

Shang looked over, and his eyes widened.

A huge gate had appeared in the middle of the rock!

Shang was certain that there hadn't been one previously!

An old man with greying red hair stood at the gate as he glared with anger at the distributed, burned pieces that had once been the Trash Bird.

For a moment, it was difficult for Shang to come to terms with his current situation.

The fight had just reached its climax, but his opponent had suddenly died.

Also, where did that gate come from?

"Sir?" Shang asked uncertainly.

The old man wore bronze-colored robes that seemed rather humble. He definitely wasn't someone who put much importance on what other people thought of him.

The man turned to Shang with a frown. "Why did you bring a Trash Bird here?!" he shouted with annoyance. "It's not forbidden for you younglings to walk around this place outside the trial period, but this is obviously just a direct provocation!"

"Has no one taught you any manners?! What did your parents teach you that you think it's a good idea to bring the loudest and most annoying beast for thousands of kilometers around to my place?!"

Shang only looked with shock at the old man.

"Sorry, but I didn't know that anyone was here," Shang said with surprise.

"What? You didn-… hmm."

The old man first wanted to rebut Shang, but then he noticed something. "You're a physi?" the old man asked.

Shang remembered that this was what most Mages called warriors.

Shang nodded.

The old man scratched the back of his head in a mixture of annoyance and acceptance. "Fine. Then, you probably didn't know that I was here."

"But now you know. In the future, please keep these annoying things away from here," he said.

Shang looked at the man and at the rock.

"What is this place?" Shang asked.

"This?" the old man asked as he gestured to the rock. "It's the Old King's Trial."

"The Old King's Trial?" Shang asked.

The old man nodded. "Yes. The former King of the Skythunder Kingdom created this Trial. It's to test new Adepts. If they do well enough, they get some of the old King's inheritance."

"Of course, the old King didn't really care about physis. That's why you guys don't know about it, but it's also not really a secret. My job is to keep watch over this place. So, it would be really appreciated if you could avoid this place in the future," the old man said.

At that moment, Shang felt a familiar feeling appear in his mind.

"This place has the ore," Sword said in Shang's voice. Over the last year, it had learned to communicate rather well.

Shang only looked at his sword in confusion.

"THE ore. The one I need," Sword said.

That's when Shang understood.

The ore he needed to make his weapon fully compatible with his Affinity.

Soon, the procedure would take place, and with it, Shang would probably unlock his true Affinity. At that moment, he would also need a fitting weapon.

Shang looked at the rock again.

So, he could find the ore he needed in the Old King's Trial?

Then, Shang turned to the old man. "Alright. Thank you, sir. I won't do so again in the future."

"Good," the old man said with a nod.

Then, he went back to the gates, opened them, and entered them.

After the gates closed, the door vanished. It was like it had never existed.

Shang threw one more glance at the rock.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to enter today.

First of all, this was a trial for Adepts, which were Mages in the Second Realm.

Even if Shang got the permission to enter, as someone in the First Realm, he wouldn't be able to get far anyway.

'All in due time,' Shang thought. 'I should ask the Dean after the procedure.'

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ Then, Shang looked at the burned pieces that had once been the Trash Bird with a frown.

'Guess I can only bring the beak back. It's definitely not in top condition, but it should still be worth something.'

Shang sighed and put the beak into a beast sack.

And then, Shang walked back to the Farm Line.

Chapter 173 Invitation

Shang walked back to the defensive line. Even though the fight hadn't been ended by him, he had still gained some knowledge.

Now, he truly knew how annoying the Trash Birds were.

Shang now knew exactly why every single hunter avoided fighting Trash Birds.

They were worth nothing.

They mainly focused on running away.

And their defensive weapons were at the peak of being annoying and painful.

It was like that species specifically evolved to be as unappealing to humans as possible.

It was ugly, useless, annoying, loud, and worthless.

An animal from Earth with equivalent status and worth would probably be a rat.

Of course, a Trash Bird was still much stronger than a rat.

'I would have only needed to resist two more attacks. I should have been able to avoid the next attack with another Blast of mine. The last attack would have been up in the air, but even if it hit me, its feet had already been injured quite badly. Even if it hit me, I would have probably survived.'

'I think I had a good chance at victory.'

'That's one step closer to fighting an actually powerful Initial General Stage beast.'

Shang's brows furrowed.

'However, there is only so much I can improve on. I have already reached the greatest speed possible, and my body has also reached its peak. There are only two ways to increase my power without advancing in my Realm or undergoing the procedure.'

'First, specific knowledge and experience regarding my target. I'm already very experienced in fighting beasts in general, but I don't have a specialized fighting tactic for every single beast I can fight.'

'After today, I learned a lot about the Trash Bird, and the next time, it will be even easier. At that point, I will have created a specific technique to deal with it.'

'That's one way to increase my power.'

'The other way is to work on my Affinity. At the moment, I can use my Affinity for speed and flexibility, but I don't have a good way to turn it into a direct weapon.'

Shang looked at his left arm.

'I've been training on my Affinity for a while now, and I can feel that I'm getting close to being able to concentrate it. If I manage to achieve that, I can increase my offensive power by a lot.'

'However, the price of my Affinity will make it harder for me to increase my speed if I also use it offensively. The attack with my Affinity could only be used as a finishing blow, and if the opponent manages to evade that, I will be in trouble since I can't increase my speed anymore for quite some time.'

'But that's about it.'

Shang snorted.

'It's actually funny. Training in my Affinity and releasing it in a more sophisticated way is literally what a Mage does. So, to increase my power even more, I have to essentially teach myself Magic.'

'I can get why so many warriors give up on the warrior's path and learn Magic. Even I can see how much a proper control of my Affinity can help me.'

Eventually, Shang reached the defensive line again. Sure enough, everyone was still fighting the horde of beasts.

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ By now, the Peak and Late General Stage beasts had joined, and most of the teams were embroiled in a battle.

The teams on the sidelines had either already finished their fights or were waiting for their first one.

As Shang returned, one particular hunter smirked. "Boy, we heard that Trash Bird from here. So, how was it? How was your first Trash Bird?" the hunter asked.

"Annoying," Shang grumbled.

The hunters laughed loudly. "That's what I thought!" the hunter shouted with laughter. "Anyway, you should know that the Trash Bird's excrement can increase potency. Not many people know about this, but the ones that know will pay a lot for a bit of its excrement."

Shang looked at the hunter, unamused.

The hunter only smirked. "You should go grab some. You will earn a lot of gold."

Shang only looked at the hunter.

"Is this another Spire Mire thing?" he asked.

The hunter, Chuck McGuiness, tried to keep his laughter in check. "No," he said with barely contained laughter.

Shang only looked at Chuck McGuiness.

"Chuck, seems like he won't fall for your shit anymore," a hunter beside Chuck shouted with a loud laugh.

The other hunters in the team also laughed loudly.

"Anyway, you're really talented," the other hunter said. "Your name's Shang, right? Would you be interested in joining our team?"

Shang looked at the other hunters and noticed that none of them seemed to have a complaint about that.

One had to know that this was a team filled with Early General Stage hunters. They exclusively hunted Early General Stage beasts, which was still above Shang's level.

The fact that they were willing to let him join meant that they valued his future power very highly.

"Thanks, but I'll have to decline," Shang said politely.

"Aw, rejected," the leader of the team shouted with a loud laugh.

The other hunters only sighed, but they had expected something like that. They hadn't asked Shang previously, but Shang seemed like someone that wasn't interested in being in company.

"Do you really think that's a good idea, Shang?" Chuck asked from the side.

Shang looked at Chuck.

"You know, it's already amazing that you can kill a weak Initial General Stage beast on your own, but that won't keep working forever," Chuck said. "You should know that their bodies become more and more powerful than ours the stronger everyone gets."

"If your strength keeps increasing at its current pace, you might still be able to kill a Mid General Stage beast while being at the Early General Stage, but as soon as you fight a Late General Stage beast, you have to be at the Late General Stage as well."

"And when you reach the Commander Stage, you would already count as one of the strongest hunters in the entire world if you can take out a beast on your own level without any help."

"And it becomes completely impossible at the Early Commander Stage," Chuck explained.

Shang could see that Chuck genuinely worried for him.

Ever since Chuck had played that joke on Shang, he had given Shang advice several times. It was like he was trying to repay Shang for the joke he played on him.

"We are physical fighters. We're physis," Chuck said with a bitter smile. "We are fighting with the very thing the beasts have the advantage in. Our intelligence and tactics can only achieve so much. At some point, the gap in power is just too vast."

"You saw the Exploding Mountain Turtle a year ago, right?" Chuck asked.

Shang nodded.

"The Commander doesn't keep his level a secret. He is at the Early True Path Stage, just like the Exploding Mountain Turtle," Chuck said with a sigh.

"You saw the fight with your own eyes."

Shang nodded again.

Yes, the Dean and the Exploding Mountain Turtle had been on equal levels.

Yet, the Dean had been absolutely helpless.

The best he had managed was to cut some stone off the turtle's legs.

He hadn't even drawn any blood.

And in comparison, the Dean had nearly died.

Was the Dean weak?

Did the Dean have a low Battle-Strength?

Probably not.

Even though the way to the True Path Realm had been public for over 30 years, no other warrior had managed to reach it yet.

This meant that talent was also something very important when it came to reaching this Realm.

The Dean definitely wasn't an average warrior.

Yet, he had still been helpless.

"Just think about it, okay?" Chuck said with an awkward smile.

Shang didn't answer.

Under normal circumstances, he might have accepted Chuck's proposal.

However, there was still something waiting for Shang.

The procedure.

With the procedure, Shang could potentially reach the same Battle-Strength as Mages.

"Oi, Chuck!" the leader of the team shouted. "Duty calls!"

Chuck quickly turned around and saw a beast running towards them.

"Talk to you later," Chuck said before he shot forward.

"Later," Shang said.

Soon, Chuck's team was embroiled in a fight, which Shang watched.

There was still a lot Shang could learn by watching others fight.

SCREEEE!

And then, Shang saw a beast pass Chuck's team.

When Shang saw the beast, his face transformed into a grimace again.

It was another fucking Trash Bird!

Chapter 174 Icy Wisp

The second Trash Bird also fled into the Wild Forest, and Shang charged after it.

This time, Shang was prepared for the Trash Bird's tactics, and the hunt went much smoother.

With his first strike, he had managed to severely injure the Trash Bird's right leg after losing his hearing.

After that, the Trash Bird unleashed its ultimate ability and tried to shout Shang's ears off.

This time, Shang had been more prepared for the Trash Bird, and he had managed to evade three attacks without using his left arm. At the fourth one, he had to use his affinity since the Trash Bird had basically thrown caution to the wind in an effort to kill him.

But after that, the Trash Bird's voice had vanished, and without the interference of the voice, Shang had managed to kill it after around a minute of back and forth.

Shang put the Trash Bird into a beast sack and returned to the defensive line.

After arriving, he talked with a couple of hunters on standby. Many hunters already knew Shang, and they enjoyed talking with the quiet young man.

He seemed like a good listener.

Two hours later, Shang was sure that the teams were using him as their garbage can.

Why?

Because there was yet another Trash Bird.

They essentially let Shang fight the beasts nobody wanted to fight.

Shang didn't like doing it, but it was a living.

350 gold might not be much for a General Stage beast, but it was still a lot of money for someone at the Soldier Stage.

The third hunt went even easier for Shang. By now, he had learned to deal with the dizziness and noise quite well.

Of course, Shang couldn't avoid his hearing being destroyed.

'The first corpse wasn't complete, but I can probably sell the beak for 300 gold or so,' Shang thought as he shoved the third Trash Bird into his beast sack. 'That should give me around 1,000 gold in total for only two and a half hours of hunting. The Day of Chaos sure is profitable.'

Shang waited for another two hours, and the next beast arrived.

Yet another Trash Bird.

But this time, another team chased it into the forest.

The other teams beside Shang felt bad for him. Being stuck with having to only hunt Trash Birds was something they didn't wish on their worst enemy.

Because of that, Shang didn't need to fight any Trash Birds anymore.

As Shang waited for his next opponent, he suddenly felt a peculiar feeling.

Shang looked towards the northwest.

It was like there was something strange in that direction.

He didn't know what he was feeling right now.

It felt like a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

It was like there was something there that felt alien but also familiar to him.

But just a couple of seconds later, the feeling completely vanished.

It was like it had just been an illusion.

For a while, Shang only looked at the northwest with uncertainty.

'Did something happen in the Ice Wyvern Zone?' Shang thought.

'How would I even be able to feel that? I can believe that a High Mage can feel things kilometers away, but I'm definitely not on that level.'

'Probably just my imagination.'

However, before looking away again, Shang saw something float across the horizon.

Shang squinted his eyes as he tried to see what it was.

It definitely was very far away since even his improved vision couldn't identify it.

What was that?

"Hey, Chuck, what's that?" Shang said as he pointed at the horizon.

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ Chuck had been beside Shang just now since he was also waiting for his team's next target.

Chuck was at the Early General Stage, two levels higher than Shang. His eyesight should be much more powerful than Shang's.

"Huh?" Chuck uttered as he looked over.

Then, Chuck also squinted his eyes as he tried to discern what that was.

And then, Chuck's eyes widened in horror.

After that, Chuck took a deep breath.

And ran with all of his power towards the Farm Line.

Chuck reached impressive speeds as he charged towards the Farm Line.

His team looked at him with shock.

Why was he leaving?

The leader of the team looked to where Chuck had just looked, and his eyes also opened wide in shock.

"We can't let any more beasts through! We can't risk anything at this moment!" the leader ordered his team.

"Why? What's going on?" another hunter asked.

"The Ice Wyvern left its habitat," the leader said.

The team of hunters took a deep breath in shock.

The Icy Wyvern!

It very, very rarely left its habitat!

It normally stayed in the deepest abyss below the Ice Wyvern Zone.

Below the Ice Wyvern Zone was a humongous underground lake. It might even be a sea or an ocean.

Several tunnels led from the deep underground lake to the surface, which was how the Ice Wyvern Zone got its Ice Mana.

The lake in the middle of Duke Whirlwind's garden was one of these tunnels.

The lake Shang had fought the Ice Spear Bear on wasn't actually a lake but a tunnel to the Ice Wyvern's lair.

Shang also looked with shock at the northwest.

That had been the Ice Wyvern?

Shang hadn't been able to see it properly, but just knowing that this was one of the Zone beasts still put a lot of respect into Shang.

Shang had only seen a white streamer in the distance.

It might as well have been an icy wisp.

It could have been a long, white cloud.

Yet, that streamer had turned out to be the Ice Wyvern!

The Ice Wyvern only very rarely left its underground lake.

At most, it left its lake every couple of years.

"We have to inform the teachers of the Magic Academy!" one of the hunters said with urgency to his leader.

"Chuck already went," the leader answered.

Shang waited together with everyone else for Chuck's return, and about a minute later, he came back.

"What did they say?" the leader asked Chuck.

Chuck only rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "The teachers were just in as much of a panic as me, but after they called for one of the Vice-Deans, everything changed."

"Stop stalling and just say it!" the leader said with annoyance.

"Well, the Vice-Dean only smirked and said that this is a good sign."

"It means that everything's going according to plan," Chuck said awkwardly.

Silence.

"Everything's going according to plan?" the leader asked.

Chuck nodded. "That's what he said. Of course, I asked him what that meant."

"His answer?"

"That means that we get more opportunities to make a fortune," Chuck said.

For a while, nobody answered Chuck.

At that moment, Shang saw something move at the edge of his vision.

It came from the north-north-west, north of where he had seen the Ice Wyvern.

Shang saw a tiny cloud of dark red and icy white appear.

The others noticed that Shang was looking somewhere, and they also looked in that direction.

For a while, their group only looked in that direction in confusion.

"What's that?" Shang asked.

"It looks like a cloud of Ice and Fire Mana touched," the leader of the team said. "When they meet, they whirl around each other and neutralize each other."

"Does Mana form clouds?" Shang asked.

"Not really. It's more of a stream," the leader answered.

"So, what is that?" Shang asked.

The leader looked with worry at the distant cloud.

"I think I know what that is," he said.

"Yeah, I think I know too," Chuck said with uncertainty.

Shang looked at the two of them.

"Which is?" Shang asked.

Without looking away, Chuck answered.

"I think the Ice Wyvern and the Volcano Wyrm are fighting."

Chapter 175 The Plan

Shang looked with shock at the distant cloud.

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ The Ice Wyvern and the Volcano Wyrm were fighting?

Two Zone Beasts were fighting?!

At this moment, Shang realized how truly far away the cloud was.

The Ice Wyvern was probably as big as the Storm Eagle, and if it appeared that tiny, it was probably very far away.

"How far away do you think they are?" Shang asked.

"150 to 200 kilometers," Chuck said from the side with uncertainty.

200 kilometers.

Shang watched a battle from 200 kilometers away.

If the destruction could be seen from such a distance, how apocalyptic was it close to the fight?

What about the land directly beneath them?

At this moment, Shang realized something.

The Zone Beasts had actually reached the destructive powers of nuclear weapons on Earth.

Nuclear weapons could transform kilometers of land into a crater, and the two Zone Beasts were doing just that.

Probably everything below them had turned into a land of ice and fire, even though they were fighting that high in the sky.

Shang could only see some faint colors moving around. Sadly, he wasn't able to see the individual combatants from such a distance.

Then, Shang remembered the words of the Vice-Dean of the Mage Academy.

This went according to plan.

Did that mean that the Mages had gotten the Frost Wyvern to fight the Magma Wyrm?

How?

Why?

How many lives had they destroyed?

Then, a cold feeling of apathy went over Shang's heart. 'Just as expected. This world is not kind.'

'I have doubted my own assumption of the world in the past due to all the idealistic people around me, but this proves it.'

'This world is cold.'

'Only power reigns supreme.'

At the same moment, Shang also felt a feeling of ease wash over him.

Ease?

Why?

Because he had worked so hard at trying to suppress his empathy.

Shang had worked tirelessly to kill off his empathy over the last year. He had always felt guilty for trying to become cold-hearted.

What if the world actually wasn't that cold?

What if the teachers were actually right?

What if righteousness, respect, and honesty were truly the most important things?

If that were the case, Shang would have wasted an entire year's worth of effort.

But now, Shang realized that he hadn't wasted his time.

'If I want to become powerful, I have to be able to do things my past self would have never allowed.'

'I have to remember that only my power is important.'

'Others will die. People will betray others for their own gain.'

'In the end, only power is reliable.'

Shang watched the two beasts fight for another half a minute until they finally split off.

The Magma Wyrm was flying to the north while the Ice Wyvern remained at the spot they had just fought.

The image was clear.

The Ice Wyvern had won the battle.

Shang knew a lot about the different Zones, and he also knew, based on context clues, where the two beasts had fought.

The two beasts had fought above the gigantic battlefield north of the Ice Wyvern Zone.

The Ice Mana of the Ice Wyvern Zone touched the Fire Mana of the Volcano Wyrm Zone at the north.

The two elements were not compatible at all, which extended to the beasts.

Beasts passively gave off Elemental Mana. So, in a sense, if a large group of beasts traveled somewhere, the Mana would follow.

The battlefield north of the Ice Wyvern Zone and south of the Volcano Wyrm Zone had been half-filled with Ice Mana and half-filled with Fire Mana, and the beasts had constantly warred against each other.

Because of that, nearly no humans lived in the battlefield.

But what about now?

With the Volcano Wyrm retreating and the Ice Wyvern staying, what would become of the battlefield?

The Ice Wyvern's Ice Mana would flood the entire battlefield, eradicating the Fire Mana in the surroundings.

So, didn't that mean that the Ice Wyvern's Zone would expand towards the north?

And then, Shang realized the plan the Vice-Dean was talking about.

Since Duke Whirlwind was the owner of the Ice Wyvern Zone, wouldn't he now also gain ownership of the battlefield?

'So, that's what their plan was,' Shang thought with a deep breath.

'They got the Ice Wyvern to fight with the Volcano Wyrm. They were probably certain that the Ice Wyvern would win the fight.'

'And now, Duke Whirlwind has access to a land full of resources.'

'Since nearly no human has traveled to the battlefield, the entire Zone is probably filled to the brim with ore, rare beasts, and valuable plants.'

'And since we are part of Duke Whirlwind's duchy, we also gain access to this new land. That's what the Vice-Dean meant with that we also get new opportunities to earn money.'

Shang looked around and noticed that many people were still confused.

Seemed like he was one of the first ones to crack the mystery of why the Ice Wyvern and Volcano Wyrm were fighting.

'But why today?' Shang thought. 'I don't think that Duke Whirlwind would choose such a precarious day to go on the offensive. He probably had to get involved in some way, which might even make him unavailable if a True Path Stage beast invades.'

For a while, Shang only remained in thought.

'What if it is only possible on the Day of Chaos?'

'What if the leaving of the Storm Eagle is connected to how they managed to pull this off?'

'I'm lacking information and can't come to a concrete conclusion right now.'

For a while, the hunters only looked to the north as they shared their suspicions.

Shang didn't unveil his suspicions. After all, if this was meant to be a secret, he could get into trouble by making it public.

When dealing with powers far above one's ability, it was better to err on the side of caution.

Many other hunters hadn't noticed the fight between the Zone beasts. After all, they were busy with their own fights, and several beasts fighting in front of them were definitely more conspicuous than a distant, tiny cloud.

Sadly, ten minutes later, work called.

Chuck's team got their next target assigned, and Shang also had to prepare himself.

He wouldn't get any more Trash Birds, but he might get something else.

And, sure enough, his new opponent arrived in the middle of the afternoon.

It was a huge, rocky lizard. Rocks were all over its body, and it wasn't very fast.

When Shang saw that, he became interested.

'A Crag Lizard,' Shang thought. 'This opponent is perfect!'

Crag Lizards were ambush predators just like Vanishing Snakes, which made them clumsy in direct confrontations.

Crag Lizards buried in the ground until only some of their stones poked out of the surface. If a beast they could kill stepped close, spears of stone would explode out of the stones.

In a sense, a Crag Lizard was the closest thing to a Spire Mire that actually existed, and that was probably also where Chuck got his inspiration from.

Crag Lizards were slow, but their earth spears were fast and deadly. Of course, their defense was also top-notch.

Shang was excited about testing out his abilities against the Crag Lizard.

Chapter 176 Four Dead Beasts

Shang charged at the Crag Lizard. Right now, the Crag Lizard was overwhelmed by all the powerful beasts and humans around it, and it barely even took note of Shang.

The Crag Lizard was around two meters high and five meters long, making it rather heavy with a powerful body.

As Shang charged toward the Crag Lizard, he put an arm into one of the bags on his back and retrieved something.

It was a crystal filled with Water Mana.

Shang threw the crystal towards the Crag Lizard's left side.

BANG!

Water Mana exploded out of the crystal as it shattered.

The Crag Lizard's body flinched as it fled from the Water Mana. Earth beasts hated Water Mana since that was their counter. Water itself wasn't a problem for them, but Water Mana would invade their Earth Mana and turn it into Mud Mana.

Mud Mana was a Mixed Affinity. Not many humans had it, but quite a lot of beasts had it. The Empress Cobra Zone had several beasts that had a Mud Affinity, for example.

If the Crag Lizard were to fight such a beast, it would be at a disadvantage, which was why it fled from the big source of Water Mana.

The crystal Shang had just thrown was called a Positioning Bomb.

Positioning Bombs were used to make beasts move to a different location, which was very useful.

For example, if that Crag Lizard hung to a big mountain, it would be nearly impossible to attack it. After all, its stony back would be between it and its attacker, and its rocky back didn't stop it from attacking.

Shang had obviously come prepared for the Day of Chaos.

The Crag Lizard slowly ran into the Wild Forest, away from everyone else.

Shang followed it from behind for around a minute until he was sure that nobody was watching him.

In comparison to the Trash Bird, the Crag Lizard wasn't flexible at all, which meant that it left behind a path of destruction in the forest.

On top of that, since Shang didn't need to move that fast, he had the time to move stealthily.

The Crag Lizard didn't know that Shang was on a tree very close to it.

Shang put his left hand on his sword, and a moment later, Shang's left arm began to steam with heat.

After that, Shang jumped off the tree and pointed his left arm back.

BANG!

Shang unleashed a Fire Blast, and his arm nearly froze over.

However, Shang's speed had reached speeds the Crag Lizard could only dream of.

In an instant, Shang reached the Crag Lizard's head.

And his sword struck its neck.

CRK!

Shang's sword hit the Crag Lizard's armored neck. Usually, Shang's attack would only be powerful enough to draw some blood and penetrate its armor a bit.

However, Shang's speed and momentum were much higher.

His weapon was far more powerful.

And lastly, his sword had been filled with Ice Mana, the perfect counter against anything hard and brittle.

When the sword touched the Crag Lizard's neck, all the Ice Mana came out of the sword's edge.

CRRRRR!

The Ice Mana made the stone even more brittle, and the sword easily passed through the armor.

CRACK!

And it came out of the other side!

Shang's sword had cut through the Crag Lizard's entire neck!

BANG!

An earth spear hit Shang at the side of his chest, and the ability of his uniform activated. The uniform wasn't enough to block the entire attack, but it was good enough to slightly divert the attack.

But, in the end, the left side of Shang's upper abdomen was still penetrated by a wide spear made of earth.

Shang gritted his teeth and quickly cut the earth spear off as he jumped back, the spear still stuck inside his chest.

BOOM!

The Crag Lizard fell over, 80% of its head severed.

Shang's sword wasn't long enough to cut off the entire thing, but that was more than enough.

The Crag Lizard couldn't even shout anymore.

As it fell to the ground, its body began to spasm as it barely clung to its remaining life energy.

Of course, its struggle was pointless.

As the Crag Lizard's body spasmed in panic, Shang looked with a frown at the spear jutting out of the left side of his abdomen.

Shang quickly pulled it out and threw it to the side.

At the same time, Shang ordered his Mana to concentrate on healing his chest and to ignore his arm for now.

'It was a manageable risk, but it was still dangerous,' Shang thought. 'Luckily, I was right in my estimates.'

Shang had expected that he might get hit by one attack, which was why his body had been slightly angled to the side. He had accepted that he would most likely take a hit, and he had gambled on his armor.

Astor regularly did the same thing.

Their armor was part of their arsenal. Being good at fighting didn't only mean being able to perfectly wield one's weapon but also to perfectly wield one's defenses.

Then, Shang looked at the Crag Lizard.

'As long as I don't give my opponent the opportunity to use their power, it's like they don't even have that power.'

'Even if someone has the ability to annihilate a Zone Beast, as long as I kill them before they can unleash it, it's like they don't have that ability at all.'

'In a direct confrontation with the Crag Lizard, I might have even been forced to flee. Its spears are fast and numerous enough to completely stop any advances from my side.'

'The Crag Lizard's goal was to not die, while mine was to kill it. It didn't have to win. It only had to not lose.'

'That makes the fight much more difficult for me.'

'However, by taking a risk early and not allowing it to fully show its defensive power, I managed to take it down.'

Shang looked at the healing hole on his left abdomen.

'However, I have to get better at it. I'm sure there was a way to completely avoid injury.'

'Practice and experience,' Shang thought.

By now, the Crag Lizard's body had lost nearly all its life energy, and its body was barely moving.

'I don't think I can put that thing into a beast sack and carry it behind me. It's simply too big and heavy.'

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ 'Well, I pushed enough cars in my last life. This shouldn't be any different.'

Shang went to the Crag Lizard's body, cut off the last part of its neck, and put the head in a beast sack. Then, Shang put both his hands on the Crag Lizard's body and began to roll it.

It was quite difficult, but it was manageable. Sure enough, it was only a bit worse than pushing a car.

The only bad part was that it would take a while to get back to the defensive line.

'I mean, I pulled a heavy sled wagon for far longer. It's only a matter of time.'

Luckily, the Crag Lizard hadn't been very fast to begin with, which meant that Shang only had to push it for a bit less than a kilometer.

It took him about ten minutes to get back.

"Nice job," Chuck said when he saw Shang.

Chuck grabbed the corpse of the Crag Lizard and threw it to Shang's other three beast sacks.

"It should be over soon," he said.

Shang only nodded as he sat down beside his corpses.

He had killed four Initial General Stage beasts today, and he probably wouldn't get another one for a while.

On top of that, Shang needed some time to heal his left arm since all his Mana had gone to his abdomen.

So, for the remainder of the day, Shang only sat beside his four corpses.

The horde of beasts slowly thinned out. An hour later, the hunters abandoned the defensive line and scattered to look for stragglers.

Shang only waited as the other hunters left the defensive line.

The Day of Chaos hadn't officially ended yet, but it was basically already over.

While Shang was healing his left arm beside his corpses, he saw two people approach.

When Shang saw them, he frowned.

'What now?' he thought with annoyance.

Teacher Loran and teacher Mervin were slowly walking to Shang.

And their expressions were uncomfortable.

They obviously weren't there to congratulate Shang.

'Another sermon about morality and righteousness?' Shang thought.

Chapter 177 Teacher Mervin's Advice

Shang looked at teacher Loran and teacher Mervin. Both of them didn't seem to be in good spirits.

"Yes?" Shang asked emotionlessly.

Teacher Mervin had a calm expression on his face, while teacher Loran frowned.

Teacher Mervin looked at teacher Loran and then at Shang. "I am here as a mediator," he said.

Shang scoffed. "Mediator?" he asked. "Weren't you on his side when he tried to threaten me into following his demands?"

"No, I was not," teacher Mervin said.

This surprised Shang.

Teacher Mervin wasn't?

But hadn't teacher Loran said that teacher Mervin was on his side?

Shang looked at teacher Loran with furrowed brows.

"I assumed they were on board, but they weren't," teacher Loran grumbled.

Shang narrowed his eyes.

Not only had teacher Loran wanted to threaten Shang into compliance, but he had also lied about the stance of the other teachers.

"While I agree with teacher Loran's goals," teacher Mervin said, "I don't agree with his methods."

"I believe following his advice is the correct choice for you, but I think he hasn't communicated his advice correctly."

Teacher Loran only snorted.

Shang had already learned that teacher Loran was basically a stubborn old man stuck in his ways.

Getting him to admit to a mistake was basically impossible.

"Shang, we three will not stand in your way if you want to pursue special training," teacher Mervin said. "I also talked with teacher Olga, and she is in agreement. While we do wish for you to change for the better, we won't force this upon you."

"We are your teachers. You are our student. We can teach you what is right or wrong, but we can't force you to follow our advice. Doing so would be denying your individuality."

"We can use our experienced eyes to search for the best path, but only you can walk it."

By now, Shang had calmed down a lot.

The fact that teacher Loran had essentially threatened him with his future had irked Shang to no end.

In Shang's mind, this was basically the same as a girlfriend giving an ultimatum to her boyfriend. "It's either your friend or me!"

In that case, the only correct decision was to get rid of the person giving the ultimatum.

Now, the ultimatum had been nullified, and everything was back at its old place.

"And what kind of path is best for me in your experienced eyes?" Shang asked in a weird tone. He wasn't sure himself if that was mocking or serious.

On one hand, Shang had already gained quite a detailed understanding of the world, but on the other hand, the teachers had lived in this world for many more decades than him, and they had come further.

Shang was honestly not sure if he should believe them.

They were far more experienced than Shang.

However, they had also only reached the Commander Stage.

Sure, the Commander Stage was amazing, but Shang's goals reached much further.

If their advice were so perfect, why hadn't they reached the True Path Realm yet? Shang didn't believe that it was impossible to change one's habits, even late in someone's life.

There had to be a path forward.

So, while their advice might be worth its weight in gold, it would only help Shang reach the Commander Stage, and even worse, it might actually stop Shang from ever reaching the True Path Stage.

Because of that, Shang was uncertain what he should make of their advice.

Teacher Loran didn't like the tone Shang had used with teacher Mervin, but teacher Loran couldn't be sure that Shang had actually ridiculed him.

It was somewhat confusing.

"Shang, what is your goal?" teacher Mervin asked.

"Power," Shang immediately answered.

Teacher Loran wasn't the biggest fan of Shang's answer. People whose goal was only power were often people that committed the most horrible atrocities to satiate their own greed for power.

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ People like that essentially weren't humans in teacher Loran's eyes.

"Just power?" teacher Mervin asked calmly.

"Yes," Shang answered after a bit. However, his voice had shown only the slightest bit of uncertainty.

"Alright," teacher Mervin said. "What after you reach your goal?"

"After I reach my goal?" Shang asked with furrowed brows.

"Let's assume you became the most powerful being in this world. Let's assume there are no more enemies that can be a danger to you."

"What then?"

Silence.

For a while, Shang was uncertain.

He didn't know what he would do then.

Would he return to Earth? No, definitely not.

Would he follow in the God's footsteps and watch the world for entertainment?

But then what?

Wouldn't he grow bored eventually?

Shang's thoughts went towards love and romance next.

At the moment, Shang was not interested in a relationship. Having a relationship meant investing time and effort, which meant having less time and effort for his training.

A relationship could always wait.

But what after he had achieved his goal?

…

Sure, he could have a relationship.

Maybe learn about what's beyond this world?

Maybe search for more powerful people outside this world? If there was an Earth, there might actually be more.

If there was one God, couldn't there be more?

"Do you have your answer?" teacher Mervin asked after seeing that Shang had been quiet for over 20 seconds.

"Many things," Shang answered. "Love, family, friends, discovery, all that kind of stuff."

When teacher Loran heard that, his face relaxed.

He had feared that Shang had already become an isolated person only focused on their greed for power, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Shang didn't answer that he would search for even more power, which would be what these kinds of people most often said.

"But if you are the strongest being, will you be able to foster these kinds of relationships?" teacher Mervin asked.

This question took Shang by surprise.

As the most powerful person, Shang should be able to do anything.

His instinctual answer was yes.

However, Shang also realized something else.

Shang thought back to Earth. Power in this world could be equated to wealth on Earth.

Shang had heard that many millionaires had trouble finding friends and loved ones. They very often feared that their friends were only after their money.

They didn't love them because of them, but because of their money.

So, wouldn't something similar happen here?

What if the most powerful person held a grand election for their partner?

Wouldn't only people arrive because of their status?

What if the most powerful person searched for a partner without any grand announcement?

Well, nearly everyone would probably be put off by their sheer power and reject any kind of genuine feelings.

"It's difficult," Shang said.

"It is," teacher Mervin said. "However, if you have a close circle of friends, it shouldn't be difficult. Maybe you will find someone in that circle. Maybe some of them could introduce you. There are plenty of opportunities."

"Shang, power might be your primary goal, but you can't forget about a time after."

For a while, Shang remained silent.

Teacher Mervin and teacher Loran had the same opinion and same goal in talking to Shang. However, they went about it very differently.

"And what should I do in your opinion?" Shang asked.

"Get a team," teacher Mervin said. "Join a team of hunters. Take part in group missions. Try not to deny an invitation if an acquaintance gives you one."

"Just one thing, essentially."

"Be more amongst people."

Chapter 178 Applicable Advice?

"Just be more amongst people?" Shang asked.

Teacher Mervin nodded. "As long as you retain some kind of social life, it should be fine."

Shang looked at teacher Loran. "That sounds different from what he said."

Teacher Loran looked to the side.

"What did he say?" teacher Mervin asked.

"He said that he isn't willing to teach someone that doesn't care about their own life, and he also left a cryptic comment. He said that my life is not only my own," Shang answered.

"I do agree with that," teacher Mervin said calmly. "However, that is several steps in the future. It is essentially the end goal."

"Could you elaborate?" Shang asked.

"If you are more amongst people, you will learn to care for more people, and more people will care for you. At that point, you might not want to risk your life as much. If you die, your close ones will suffer as well. In that sense, your life is not only your own."

"However, it is understandable that this is only a hypothetical for you right now. First, you need to get more amongst people. Then, eventually, you won't want to risk your life as much since you don't want your close ones to feel pain."

"You also would want to see them again. If you died, you wouldn't be able to talk to them anymore. If you died, you would never feel love again."

"In short, your survival will take priority over your goal, which isn't counterproductive to achieving your goal. After all, a dead person can't become the most powerful being in existence."

Shang remained silent.

"But in the end, it is all up to you. Maybe you won't feel the desire to be close with others after trying it. Maybe your goal still far outweighs their happiness."

"However, without trying it, you can never be certain."

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ "So, even if you might be disappointed, at least you will have more clarity about your goals and what you want in life."

"In the end, it's all up to you. It's your decision. I only suggest that you try it, and I won't force you. Even if you decide to ignore everything I said today, our relationship won't change."

"You are one of my students."

"I am one of your teachers."

"And that will remain the same."

Shang only looked to the side as his mind tried to find out what his own thoughts were on that subject.

Should he?

Shouldn't he?

"That is all I wanted to say," teacher Mervin said. "I hope you won't look too bad on teacher Loran. He only wanted to help you, but he did it in a very clumsy way. I think the best way forward is to pretend that you two have not talked today."

Two seconds of silence passed.

"It's fine," Shang said as he looked at teacher Loran. "Let's forget about today."

Teacher Loran only snorted and left without saying anything.

Shang had known teacher Loran for long enough to know that he felt embarrassed. His snort was his way of agreeing and apologizing.

"Now that that's over, let me help you with getting your beasts to the Academy. The legitimacy of your kills is not in question today, which means you can earn Contribution Points with them," teacher Mervin said.

Shang nodded.

Teacher Mervin grabbed the beast sacks.

"Teacher Mervin," Shang said.

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Shang said. "You gave me a lot to think about."

"No thanks necessary," teacher Mervin said calmly. "This is why I am a teacher."

Shang only nodded absentmindedly.

After that, Shang stood up and followed behind teacher Mervin. Without teacher Mervin, Shang would have needed to roll the Crag Lizard all the way to Warrior's Paradise, which would have taken a long time.

Some minutes later, the Storm Eagle returned.

As it passed over them, teacher Mervin took hold of Shang's hand so that he wouldn't be flung into the distance. After all, the two of them were already on the road to Warrior's Paradise, which was essentially a gigantic cliff.

During the journey, the two of them mostly remained silent, but Shang had still asked one question.

"Teacher Mervin, why are you so different from the first time I saw you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" teacher Mervin asked calmly.

"During my exam, you laughed and joked a lot," Shang said.

"Shang, there are different sides to people," teacher Mervin answered. "During their shift, a commander of the guards might be the strictest person one can imagine, but if you meet the same commander in a bar later, you would see them laughing without end."

"Back then, you weren't part of my students, and it wasn't important what you thought of me."

"Now, it is important."

Shang looked to the front.

"Is it truly important what others think of you?" Shang asked.

"For yourself? No. For others? Yes," teacher Mervin answered.

That answer confused Shang a bit. "Could you elaborate?" he asked.

"I don't care what strangers think of me," teacher Mervin explained. "Their thoughts can't impact my life. Even if the entire school believes me to be an old drunkard without any merits, my life won't change."

"However, if I am not perceived to be someone experienced, the others won't listen to me when I want to teach them something."

"So, for me, it doesn't matter. However, if I want to have the ability to teach and help others, it matters."

Some seconds of silence passed.

"So, it's all about helping others?" Shang asked.

"That is why I am a teacher," teacher Mervin said. "If I wouldn't want to help others, I would have become a high-ranking officer somewhere. My job would be less stressful, and I wouldn't have to be present every day."

"For many people, their own power and legacy are the most important. However, if I can positively influence several people's lives, isn't that a sort of power or legacy as well?"

Then, the two of them fell into silence again.

Shang weighed his options as he traveled to the Warrior's Academy while teacher Mervin gave Shang the space to think for himself.

The two of them arrived at the Exchange Hall, and teacher Mervin acted as the clerk since the other clerks were still in the Farm Line due to the Day of Chaos.

Shang received a total of 10,000 Contribution Points for his kills.

In the past, it had been an issue for Shang to deliver his killed General Stage beasts to the academy. After all, it was very difficult to believe that someone at the Soldier Stage managed to kill one.

The academy was filled with progeny from rich families, and this was all to stop them from playing the system. The Academy rewarded growth and accomplishments, not wealth.

After that, the two of them split up.

Shang went back to his room and sat on his bed.

He still wasn't sure if he should follow teacher Mervin's advice.

Teacher Mervin's advice was definitely applicable to basically every warrior out there.

However, Shang wasn't just any warrior.

Just finding a team of hunters was already a big issue for Shang.

Shang had a unique Affinity that he couldn't allow anyone to learn of. People with a Darkness and Light Affinity were already highly sought after by different Magic families. Even teacher Niria kept her Darkness Affinity a secret, and she was a powerful Commander Stage warrior.

If Shang joined a team of hunters, he would have to keep everything a secret, which would mean that he couldn't even give his all in the hunt.

On top of that, Shang wouldn't get an opportunity to test and train with his full power.

Then, there was the procedure.

The procedure would take place very soon. In fact, it would take place tomorrow.

Yes, tomorrow was the day for the procedure.

The results of the procedure might also be under scrutiny, and basically anything could happen.

Shang could become a celebrity.

Shang might gain another secret no one was allowed to know.

Maybe the procedure would change Shang's appearance?

Maybe it would change his power so that no one was allowed to see any of it?

Basically anything could happen.

Because of all these reasons, it wasn't certain that following teacher Mervin's advice would be the best course of action. After all, teacher Mervin hadn't known all the information about Shang before making a decision.

'I should wait for tomorrow.'

'I can still decide later.'

After that, Shang stood up from his bed and took out Sword.

"Let's do our daily routine," Shang said.

Sword didn't answer.

Sword had turned out to be rather taciturn, and it only talked when it found it necessary.

In a way, it was similar to Shang.

Shang also didn't speak a lot.

 

Chapter 179 The Thing

Knock, knock, knock.

Shang opened his eyes. He had finished his routine training a couple of hours ago, and he had been concentrating on his Affinity ever since. He felt like he was close to achieving another breakthrough with his Affinity.

Shang stood up and walked to the door.

After opening it, Shang saw Vice-Dean Soran in front of him.

The hall was very dark, and Shang's inner clock told him that it was about two hours before dawn.

"Follow me," Vice-Dean Soran said with a solemn tone.

Then, Vice-Dean Soran walked over to the stairs.

Shang followed.

After they arrived at the stairs, Vice-Dean Soran walked to an empty wall and put his emblem on it.

A complicated pattern appeared on the wall, and a second later, the wall parted.

Now, there was a set of stairs in front of Shang that led downward.

Apparently, the main building of the Warrior's Academy also had a basement.

Shang followed Vice-Dean Soran into the underground, and the wall closed behind them. At the same time, several crystals on the wall began to shine.

Shang could feel Light Mana coming from them.

The two of them walked down the stairs for around a minute in silence before they arrived in front of another door.

"This is the place where the academy stores its most valuable wares," Vice-Dean Soran said. "You are encouraged to keep this place a secret."

Shang only nodded.

Vice-Dean Soran opened the door, and the two of them entered.

A dimly lit hallway was in front of Shang now with several old wooden doors at the side.

As soon as Shang entered the hallway, he felt like he had been submerged in a wave of Elemental Mana.

Surprisingly, the majority of the Elemental Mana was Darkness Mana.

'I've already suspected that the academy also sells Darkness ore,' Shang thought.

"Surprised?" Vice-Dean Soran asked.

"By what?" Shang asked.

"I know of your peculiar Affinity," Vice-Dean Soran said. "Are you surprised that you can feel so much Darkness Mana?"

When Shang heard that Soran knew of his Affinity, he became a bit nervous.

Vice-Dean Soran wasn't the biggest fan of Shang, and he knew it.

When Vice-Dean Soran saw Shang's reaction, he sighed.

"You are still so mistrustful and skeptical," Vice-Dean Soran said. "Did you know that if someone is very distrustful of everyone, chances are high that they also can't be trusted? Deceptive people assume that everyone around them is deceptive since that is also what they think."

Shang didn't answer.

"If you were a good person, I would tell you that I have no reason to do anything to you and that I'm someone that errs on the side of belief."

"Why would you err on the side of belief?" Shang asked with furrowed brows.

If Vice-Dean Soran were more inclined to believe someone than to disbelief them, wouldn't he open himself to all kinds of deceptions?

"It's called confidence, Shang," Vice-Dean Soran said. "So what if someone lies to me or betrays me? I'm confident enough in myself that I know I can deal with all the consequences."

"But I know that you and I do not have the same ideology, Shang," Vice-Dean Soran said. "So, let me put you at ease with words that might resonate with your mindset."

Shang only looked at Soran.

"You are not nearly worth it to betray my lifelong teacher and the Duke," Vice-Dean Soran said. "Less nervous now?"

On one hand, Shang's emotions were a bit riled up by the verbal attack, but on the other hand, Soran's words had actually alleviated Shang's nervousness.

Right, doing something to him was not even close to being worth it.

"Keep one thing in mind, Shang," Vice-Dean Soran said. "If we were wildly chasing power, we wouldn't have opened a school."

"We?" Shang asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, we," Vice-Dean Soran answered as they walked down the hallway. "The Warrior's Academy is barely 30 years old. I was already a Commander Stage warrior back then, and the Dean had already been my teacher for years."

Shang was surprised when he heard how long Vice-Dean Soran had already been a Commander Stage warrior.

In the last year, Shang had learned about the extended longevity and increase in power brought.

Soldier Stage warriors lived as long as very healthy mortals.

General Stage warriors lived to be around 150 years old.

And Commander Stage warriors lived to be around 250 years old.

As for the True Path Stage?

That was an unknown. After all, the Dean was the first True Path Stage warrior.

Mages in each Realm generally lived for a couple of decades longer, but that was due to a multitude of methods to extend their lives. These ways simply weren't applicable to warriors.

This was an additional difference between the foundation the warriors and Mages had.

However, Shang hadn't known that Vice-Dean Soran had been the Dean's student for that long.

After walking for a while, Vice-Dean Soran opened a seemingly random, old door at the side and entered.

Shang followed after Vice-Dean Soran.

When Shang saw the room, a cold, oppressive feeling washed over him.

There wasn't much in the room. It essentially was only a rather large cell.

The only furniture of note was a table made of cold metal in the middle of the room with dried stains of blood on it.

It reminded Shang of an operating table.

In the corner, Shang saw a small, scaly mass. He couldn't see the entire thing since it had its back turned to him.

What he could see was that the thing was around 30 centimeters wide and that its scales were pure black.

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ As soon as Shang saw it, he felt something familiar.

Just half a day ago, Shang had felt the same feeling.

It was the feeling Shang had felt just before he had seen the Ice Wyvern.

The thing in the corner felt dangerous to Shang, but he also felt like it was familiar, even though he had never seen that thing before.

When Shang saw the thing, the thing suddenly began to move, and it turned its head to Shang.

It was still alive!

Now, Shang could finally see its face.

Face?

There was no face!

Its head was simply the head of a worm with tons of teeth!

However, Shang felt like there was a black eye at the back of its throat, even though he couldn't see it.

For a moment, Shang felt like he and the thing were the only two things in the room.

At the side, Soran's eyebrows furrowed.

Then, the thing slowly stood up.

Its front legs looked similar to human arms, and it even had something that one could call hands. However, the fingers had extremely long claws, almost as long as the length of its arms.

The thing slowly started walking to Shang.

Subconsciously, Shang extended his arm towards the thing.

He had a desire to touch it.

Suddenly, the thing fell to the ground, unconscious.

As soon as the thing lost its consciousness, Shang's mind returned to the present, and a cold shudder ran down his back.

'What was that?! It's almost like I was on autopilot!' Shang thought as he took a deep breath.

"Fascinating."

Shang heard the familiar voice and looked to the side in surprise.

He hadn't realized that there were more people in here. All his attention had been on the thing.

Including Shang, there were six people in the room.

Shang could see Vice-Dean Soran and the Dean standing beside two other people.

The person that had just spoken was beside the Dean.

He had long, green hair, and Wind Mana swirled around him like he was a whirlpool.

It was Duke Whirlwind.

And beside Duke Whirlwind?

"Who would have thought that I would see you outside our regular lessons?"

Mattheo only smiled in a kind manner as he spoke.

However, there was one more person.

In the corner of the room, Shang could also see Vice-Dean Ranos.

He was looking at Shang and the thing on the ground with furrowed brows.

Chapter 180 The Last Moments

"I didn't expect you two to be here," Shang said as he looked at Duke Whirlwind and Mattheo.

Mattheo only smiled politely. "I am the future Duke, and father involves me more and more in these kinds of things."

pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ Duke Whirlwind smiled with pride as he put a hand on Mattheo's shoulder. "He hasn't had it easy, but there is already no more doubt in my mind that he will reach the High Mage Realm. He will probably become even more powerful than me in the future."

Mattheo's expression didn't change at his father's words.

Shang could feel a certain distance between Mattheo and his father.

"Anyway, Shang," Duke Whirlwind said with a smirk. "I bet you thought yourself quite clever after snatching Old Ice Octopus' Mana Source and successfully hiding it from me."

Shang felt a mix of nervousness and a bit of guilt. After all, he had essentially stolen something from Duke Whirlwind.

"But it's fine," Duke Whirlwind said. "Honestly, if I were in your place, I would have done the same thing."

"What would you have done if I had told you?" Shang asked.

"I'm not sure, honestly," Duke Whirlwind said. "But I think I would have asked you to demonstrate, and I would have very quickly noticed that your Affinity was very strange. I think I would have taken you with me to find out more about your Affinity."

"You mean experiment on me until I died?" Shang asked emotionlessly.

Duke Whirlwind snorted. "Now, Shang, something like that would be idiotic."

"Idiotic?" Shang asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There was obviously more to your Affinity, which means that there was more to be discovered. After a while, I would have probably delivered other Mana Sources to you to see what would happen."

"And then, I would be interested in what would come of your Affinity if you were to become more powerful."

"But since you have a warrior's body, you obviously can't become a Mage. That means you would have ended up in the Warrior's Academy either way. The Dean would have noticed your particular talents as well."

"So, in the end, we would still be here," Duke Whirlwind explained.

Shang wasn't certain if he should believe Duke Whirlwind.

On one hand, everything he said appeared logical, but on the other hand, it seemed too good to be true.

"What about the Mana Source?" Shang asked.

"It's fine," Duke Whirlwind said. "You can see it as a gift."

"But…"

Shang furrowed his brows.

"I would like for you to tell me everything you know about your Affinity. Your Affinity is one of a kind, and I am dying to know what you can and can't do."

"Would you be interested in trying out a couple of experimental spells? Based on your Affinity, I can create a couple of them. They won't be anything fancy, but they will give you more information on your Affinity."

Duke Whirlwind patted his son's shoulder again.

"Of course, Mattheo will be with you when you try the spells. You two can work on the spells, and Mattheo will deliver the results to me."

"So, what do you say?" Duke Whirlwind asked.

Trying out spells?

Shang was definitely interested, but he also felt wary.

This was a High Mage.

Who knew what sort of spells he could create?

What if he made some spell that would destroy Shang's consciousness and make him into a mindless puppet?

Shang looked over at the silent Dean.

'However, my survival is very important to the Dean. If I were to die suddenly, his procedure would look like a failure in the public's eyes.'

'Duke Whirlwind is definitely interested, but I doubt that he would throw the hard work of the Dean into the trash just for his curiosity.'

'So, for the time being, I should be safe. If Duke Whirlwind were to try something, it wouldn't be in the next couple of years.'

'Also, what sort of reason would he even have to kill me? I am the source of his curiosity, and by killing me, he would essentially be killing the chicken for the eggs.'

'For now, I see no reason why the Duke would want to hurt me.'

"I'm interested," Shang said. "I am also not sure about my Affinity, and I'm also interested in learning more."

Duke Whirlwind's smile widened. "That's great to hear! I will prepare a couple of spells later for you to try out. Of course, if you are still uneasy about the effects of the spells, you can ask any Mage about them. Just knowing about the spells wouldn't unveil anything."

"However, I would ask you to be a bit more careful with the Spells involving the Light and Darkness Affinity. Some Mages might be suspicious about how you got your hands on these Spells."

Shang nodded. "Thank you, Duke Whirlwind."

"Seems like we will be working together to a certain degree from now on, Shang," Mattheo said.

"I'm looking forward to it," Shang said.

"Now then," Duke Whirlwind said after walking to one of the walls. "I believe it's time for the main event."

"You can start. Mattheo and I will be watching from here."

While Duke Whirlwind and Mattheo waited at one wall, Vice-Dean Soran waited near the door.

Vice-Dean Ranos was watching everything silently from the corner of the room.

Even though Duke Whirlwind and Mattheo spoke in a lighthearted and relaxed tone, the entire atmosphere of the room felt oppressive to Shang.

Two Vice-Deans were watching Shang with solemn eyes, and one of them was even blocking the door.

Together with the bloodstained table and the unconscious thing in the corner, the entire room felt dark and oppressive.

He had accepted to undergo the procedure willingly, but for some reason, he felt like he wasn't here of his own free will.

Of the five other people in the room, only Mattheo was slightly on Shang's level.

The next weakest person was already at the Peak Commander Stage.

Two of them were even in the Fourth Realm.

This was not just some random gathering in a dark room.

These were the most powerful people in the surrounding Zones.

The Dean walked toward Shang and looked at him with a neutral expression. "Are you mentally prepared?" he asked.

Shang took a deep breath.

He definitely was nervous.

He could deal with pain, but the image of his bone marrow being siphoned out and his back-breaking still made his stomach churn.

'Think of the power!' Shang told himself in his mind.

'Think of how powerful you can become!'

'This procedure will be the key to reaching the power of Mages!'

'So what if it's painful? This is a one-time thing! Today, I will undergo unimaginable pain, but tomorrow, I will be happy for the pain I have felt today.'

"Yes, I'm ready," Shang said with conviction.

"Good," the Dean answered. "Use up your Mana. As long as you have Mana, your body will make it difficult for me with its constant healing."

Shang nodded.

Shang pointed his left arm to an unoccupied location in the room and unleashed a Fire Blast and Ice Blast.

Mattheo watched Shang's attacks with a surprised expression.

These blasts were quite powerful.

Then, Shang used up nearly all his Mana to heal his left arm.

After that, Shang unleashed another two blasts, destroying his arm again.

"This should occupy my Mana for a while," Shang said neutrally.

From the side, Mattheo took a deep breath.

He saw Shang's left arm, and he almost couldn't imagine how it felt like to have one's arm injured to such a degree.

Yet, Shang acted like this wasn't even his arm!

The Dean nodded.

"Lay down on the table."