Ch. 261..270

Chapter 261 Returnal Point

As soon as the five of them reached the entrance, they heard a commotion.

When they turned the last corner, they saw what the commotion was about.

Trash Birds.

There were three Trash Birds pushing each other away from the hole that Shang had created in the wall, while there were even more looking nervously down from the hole at the top.

Obviously, they had smelled the corpse of the Mid Adept, and they wanted to eat it more than anything.

"Idiots," Soran commented. "They don't have the capabilities to leave the Caves as soon as they enter. Yet, for a corpse, they decided to throw their lives away."

The group looked at the Trash Birds for a bit before entering the cave.

One of the Trash Birds quickly noticed them and squawked.

The other Trash Birds immediately turned to the humans.

BANG!

The Trash Bird that had squawked jumped up, shoved its head into the hole, and swallowed the corpse in an instant while the others were distracted.

The other Trash Birds noticed, but they didn't do anything against the one that stole their food. There was no sense in fighting another Trash Bird.

However, their eyes eventually focused on the group.

The Trash Birds on top also looked at the group with greed.

Trash Birds weren't known to hunt in packs, but if several of them were close to each other, they could cooperate temporarily.

The three hunters took a deep breath.

They knew that they were safe, but their hearts still beat faster after looking at such a dangerous group.

They could deal with one Trash Bird, maybe even two, but there were nearly ten, including the ones looking down from the hole.

"Squawk!"

One of the Trash Birds on top suddenly squawked with an alarmed voice and ran away.

The other Trash Birds on top quickly focused their eyes on Soran and also fled.

This was not food!

The three Trash Birds in the Caves tried to jump out via the hole, but they just couldn't jump even nearly high enough.

SHING!

A green distortion went over the three Trash Birds, and an instant later, they collapsed into several pieces.

Soran had unleashed a Wind Blade Spell.

One shouldn't forget that Soran was a Magic Warrior. Even though Soran mainly focused on his warrior path, he still had the Magic abilities of a weaker True Mage.

None of the other four questioned Soran about why he did that.

Trash Birds were a menace to the Wild Forest.

The five of them walked to the center and readied their talismans, except for Soran, since he didn't need one.

BANG!

Soran just casually jumped, creating a huge crater beneath him, and he lightly landed on the outside.

When the three hunters saw that, a feeling of grandeur entered their hearts.

The height required to reach the hole was unachievable for them, and it would remain so for a long time.

Yet, Soran easily jumped over it like it didn't even exist.

Shang didn't feel like the other three. His goal had already gone far beyond the Commander Stage.

Also, Shang could get out of the Caves without a talisman as well. It would, at most, need two blasts. Maybe he could even get out with only one.

But just like everyone else, Shang prepared his talisman and activated it.

Wind Mana gathered around Shang, and he jumped.

The Wind Mana was being used up by extending Shang's momentum, and just three seconds later, Shang also exited the Caves.

The others followed, and everyone finally saw the outside again.

It wasn't special.

It was just the Wasteland.

By now, it was afternoon, and the number of hunters had declined by quite a bit, which meant that there were more beasts walking around.

Hunting in the Wasteland was a dangerous balancing act.

Enter at a time with too many hunters, you won't earn anything.

Enter at a time with too few hunters, you will be besieged by beasts and die.

During the afternoons, it was still alright for them to hunt, but as soon as the evening arrived, they would have to leave.

"Are you done hunting for today?" Soran asked.

"Yes," Sarah answered.

Soran nodded. "Then, let me accompany you back."

The team started running and directly charged towards Warrior's Paradise, following Soran.

With Soran accompanying them, they didn't need to be careful.

A journey that would have taken them over an hour was completed in just ten minutes.

"We don't have Returnal Talismans," Sarah commented.

"I know the Spell. Don't worry," Soran said.

Returnal Talismans were the talismans that allowed the hunters to directly enter Warrior's Paradise by jumping.

But, of course, these talismans were far more expensive than the other ones. After all, the talismans needed to securely throw someone to a height of over two kilometers. That was a lot of Mana, and it couldn't be compared to the small talismans required to exit the Caves.

Eventually, the five of them arrived directly below Warrior's Paradise.

They had never seen Warrior's Paradise from this angle, and the city felt very different from normal.

Being in the gigantic shadow of Warrior's Paradise and being unable to see its top from down there made them feel small.

A couple of guards with two ballistae stood near them in a bored manner.

This was a designated point for returning hunters, and this point had to be free of any threats, which was why the guards were here.

"Oh, hey, Soran!" an officer with a silver uniform said when he saw Soran.

"Hello, Charles," Soran said with a smile.

"Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

The officer and Soran had a short conversation about unimportant topics until Soran said that they had to go.

The officer nodded and quickly performed a routine inspection on everyone, just like the guards at the gates.

After clearing the inspection, Sarah walked over to the designated Returnal Point.

It was a complex Magic Circle on the ground, several meters wide.

This Magic Circle would guide the talisman to give it the correct coordinates.

Without it, the talisman would throw someone straight into the air without any restriction.

The Spells were designed this way on purpose. After all, what if someone bought a talisman, got some contraband, and simply entered Warrior's Paradise again from an unsupervised location?

Because of that, the talismans needed the Magic Circle to work, which forced the hunters to get close to the stationed guards, who could inspect them.

Sarah readied herself, and Soran cast a Spell.

Two seconds later, a terrifying amount of Wind Mana gathered around Sarah, and the Magic Circle beneath her began to shine.

An instant later, the chaotic Wind Mana became orderly.

"You can jump," Soran said.

BANG!

Sarah jumped, and a wave of wind swept over everyone.

The team looked at Sarah basically flying away, and some seconds later, she landed in Warrior's Paradise.

Next, it was Elver's turn, and after that, it was Astor's turn.

Soran finished his Spell. "You can jump," he said to Shang.

Shang narrowed his eyes and jumped.

WHOOOOM!

Shang felt himself being assaulted by a terrifying amount of wind as he reached speeds he had never reached before in his life.

He looked to the side and saw the world around him quickly sinking.

It was a strange feeling.

Eventually, Shang's momentum became slower and slower.

And when Shang was about three meters above the wall, his momentum stopped, and he was lightly thrown forward for a couple of meters.

Finally, Shang lightly landed on the wall of Warrior's Paradise.

Chapter 262 The Guilty Party

"Move! Make space for the next ones!" one of the guards told Shang with annoyance.

Shang moved to the side, and a couple of seconds later, Soran appeared on top of the wall.

Soran had a nice conversation with the stationed guards once again before leading the team down the wall.

"And that's that," Soran said as he turned to everyone. "It was nice seeing some of you again."

Sarah immediately left without saying anything. Apparently, the Magic Contract annoyed her quite a bit.

Elver and Astor also said their goodbyes before following Sarah.

"Shang, follow me," Soran said after everyone left.

Shang only nodded and followed Soran.

After a couple of minutes, they returned to the academy.

Soran immediately led Shang to the main building and to the fifth floor, which was reserved for teachers.

The two of them entered Soran's office and sat down.

SHING!

Soran summoned a gigantic stack of papers, which heavily hit the desk in his office.

Then, he looked at Shang with a smile. "Want to find out who hired the Cleaner?" he asked.

Shang's eyes shone, and he nodded.

"Tell me what you know and who you suspect," Soran said.

Shang recounted his thoughts about who could have wanted him dead.

It essentially boiled down to that it had to be one of the students.

Soran nodded. "That's what I thought," he said as he took the huge stack of papers into his hands.

"Tell me of everyone you met that might have a motive for wanting you dead."

Shang thought for a bit and decided to go in chronological order.

"The guy in the entrance exam. The one I beat up," Shang said.

"Michael Brestow," Soran said as he searched through the papers until he found the student's file.

"He's in the Preparation Grade right now, and he is about average. Nothing has changed for him. I severely doubt that it's him," Soran said.

Shang nodded. He hadn't thought that he would have been the one to send the Cleaner, but Shang wanted to be thorough.

"Stars Gerbon," Shang said. "I was the reason for his strongest helper leaving, and I beat his two cronies up. I also tore his jaw off."

Soran grimaced a bit, but he looked for Stars' file.

"His body was very powerful back then, thanks to his background," Soran said. "After you two met, everyone around him abandoned him. He had trouble adjusting for the next couple of weeks, but he eventually settled in. Right now, he's in the Advanced Grade, and he belongs to the top 30%. From what I'm reading, he also stopped using his background."

"Apparently, he's also rather popular with the other students, and whenever someone brings up his old behavior, he gets angry out of shame. His family has the funds to hire such a powerful Cleaner, but I doubt that they would do so because of a mere spat between two students. His parents might even want to thank you for putting some sense into him," Soran said.

"I doubt it's him."

Shang nodded, but he was also surprised about something. "How do you know so many details about the students?"

"The teachers are required to report nearly everything about every student," Soran explained.

Then, Soran sighed. "And it's my job to read through all the reports and create a file. I hate that part of my job."

'Understandable,' Shang thought.

"What about his three cronies?" Shang asked.

Soran got the three names of the cronies from Stars' file and looked through them.

"Advanced Grade. Below average due to laziness," Soran said as he put the first file away. "Not him."

"Advanced Grade. Doing pretty well. It's also not him." Soran put the second file away.

"This one's dead," Soran said.

"Dead?" Shang asked. If Shang was involved in this guy's death…

"Don't worry," Soran said as he put the file away. "He died about 18 months later in the northeastern Wild Forest. You can imagine what he died to."

"Vanishing Snake?" Shang asked.

Soran nodded.

"It's not him."

At that moment, Shang furrowed his brows.

After the incident with Stars Gerbon, Shang only had one more run-in with the students.

And it was the worst one.

After that? Shang had been a normal student, and he hadn't even argued with anyone. He had simply stayed by himself and went to his lessons.

Was it one of those three?

"I had one last fight with three students," Shang said.

"I remember," Soran said with a frown. "That wasn't a pleasant day."

"To be honest with you, back then, I tried my very best to convince teacher to expel you. You can imagine how that went," Soran said with a bit of guilt visible on his face.

Shang nodded. He wasn't surprised that Soran wanted to expel him back then. Soran hadn't really kept his dislike a secret from Shang.

However, Soran never tried to use any underhanded methods to get rid of him. He had voiced his concern to the Dean, and he had been shut down.

Instead of making Shang's life difficult with underhanded means, he simply dropped the matter.

"I can understand why," Shang said.

"I regret my decision now," Soran said. "Thank you for understanding."

Shang only absentmindedly nodded.

Soran looked through the files and retrieved three of them.

"First, the guy you kicked," Soran said.

Soran read through the file.

Then, he raised an eyebrow.

Shang raised an eyebrow in return.

"He left the Warrior's Academy three days later," Soran said.

Shang furrowed his brows. Now, they were up to something.

"But his file doesn't end here," Soran said. "Just a couple of months ago, some of our students met him outside."

"It was in the weekly match between the Anti-Mage Class and the Mage Academy."

"Apparently, he became a Late Apprentice, and he wasn't weak," Soran said with surprise.

Shang looked with a questioning look at Soran.

Soran looked through the file again, and he had to chuckle. "Interesting. He was below average in our academy, but he quickly became rather good in Magic."

"What irony. He nearly got beaten to death and gave up the warrior path. But instead of turning into a nobody, he began to shine as a Mage."

"If I were to take a guess, I believe that he might even feel thankful to you," Soran said with a chuckle.

"After all, without you, he would probably still be near the bottom in our academy."

Shang thought back to that day.

He had kicked the guy with all his power, broke several of his bones, and the guy had been convulsing on the ground as he was choking on his own blood.

Who would have guessed that such an event would result in the victim finding their own path and rising through the ranks?

"I very much doubt that it's him," Soran said.

Shang agreed.

"Next, the guy you threw against the ground," Soran said.

Then, he read through the file.

"He had some troubles after your incident," Soran said. "Apparently, over the following weeks, he was afraid of sparring, and he basically turned into a hermit. He spent weeks on end only in his room, training."

"Two months later, he came out of his self-imposed isolation and took part in the lessons again."

"Surprisingly, during the first lesson, Mervin noticed his polished swordsmanship."

"And he took him in as a personal disciple," Soran said with surprise.

Shang was also surprised by quite a bit.

"Right now, he is at the top of his class when it comes to swordsmanship. He essentially acts as the senior in the class and teaches others."

Then, Soran snickered.

"Loran calls him Mervin Junior."

'Mervin Junior, huh?' Shang thought.

Mervin was someone upright, honest, and kind.

Shang doubted that a personal disciple of Mervin would want to spend that much money to get rid of Shang.

"I don't think it's him," Soran said.

Shang only nodded.

"Now, the last guy," Soran said.

At that moment, the bloodied face that had haunted Shang for so long had returned.

This had been the worst one.

Shang hadn't thought of that incident in a long time.

Soran looked through the files until he found it.

And when he lifted it, the file unfolded several times until it was as long as five files.

Shang's and Soran's eyebrows lifted.

But instead of reading, Soran put the file away.

"I remember now," Soran said. "I remember compiling that huge file."

"I think we found the one that hired the Cleaner."

The bloodied face haunted Shang once again.

But this time, it was in real life.

And it was very dangerous.

Chapter 263 Simon Wilbury

"Simon Wilbury, sole son of Baroness Wilbury and Major Wilbury," Soran said.

'If his mother is a baroness, it means that she's a True Mage,' Shang thought with furrowed brows. 'Military titles are normally only given to warriors, and, as far as I know, a major is also usually at the Commander Stage.'

'They would definitely have the funds to commission a Cleaner.'

"Can you tell me more?" Shang asked.

"As the sole heir, Simon Wilbury was supposed to become a True Mage and lead the Wilbury household," Soran said.

"However, he was born without an Affinity."

"Without an Affinity?" Shang asked with raised eyebrows.

Being born without an Affinity was possible, but it was rare.

Soran nodded. "Being born without an Affinity makes it very difficult to become a Mage. While it is possible to train in Element Neutral Magic, these kinds of Spells only become prevalent near the very top of the Adept Realm. Even if someone wants to specialize in Element Neutral Magic, they would still need to gain experience with some Elements."

"If someone wants to purely advance on the path of Magic, they need to master the manipulation of Mana. Something like that requires practice."

"But since the Element Neutral Spells are either extremely easy, like Mana Shield or Mana Step, or extremely hard, like Mind Read and Mana Force, it is very difficult for someone to become a True Mage by only relying on Element Neutral Spells."

"Getting started isn't an issue. Becoming a True Mage after becoming a Peak Adept isn't an issue."

"But everything between is an issue."

"Imagine you are building a very big and complex contraption, but you only know what parts you need and how to create the most complex part of the contraption."

"You have all the parts, and you have the core, but you don't know how to build everything."

"That's the situation these kinds of people are in."

Soran leaned back in his chair. "Of course, there is a way to still succeed."

Shang looked at Soran. "The warrior path, right?"

Soran nodded. "By strengthening your body, your mind gets strengthened regardless, and as long as you don't have a warrior's body, the strengthening also wouldn't be that much weaker."

"Simon Wilbury would have only needed to reach the Early Commander Stage. At that point, his mind should have become powerful enough to train in the more complex Element Neutral Spells."

"So, of course, his parents sent him to the Warrior's Academy. From what I've heard while compiling his file, it was his father that taught him nearly everything Simon knew about fighting."

"And he was really good at it," Soran said.

Shang only looked at Soran.

"On the very first day, Simon was fighting for first place in not only his class but the entire Grade."

Shang nodded.

That truly was impressive.

"Sadly, after losing to an even more talented warrior, Simon lost all his drive. It was like he no longer cared about being in first place, which resulted in his eventual decline."

"A couple of years later, Simon was still very strong, but he wasn't even in the top 5 of his Grade anymore. The other students simply worked much harder."

"Another issue was also that he only very rarely went hunting, and he earned most of his Contribution Points by stealing resources from other students."

"As you know, we don't forbid stealing resources. That's mainly to give the students a safe place to learn about these things. Some students learn how to steal, which will help them in the future when they need resources. Other students learn how to protect themselves from thieves. You would much rather learn this lesson by only losing a couple of days' worth of Contribution Points instead of some very valuable ore you nearly gave your life to obtain."

"And Simon Wilbury could be viewed as a sort of 'teacher' that taught how to protect yourself from people coveting your things," Soran explained.

"He was pretty successful in his banditry."

"That was until he ran into you," Soran said.

Soran took out Simon's file again and pointed at a place on the first page that was about halfway down.

"Everything I told you was only in the first half of the first page," Soran said, "and the reason why this file is so long is entirely related to the changes in Simon's life after you two met."

Just by looking at the length of the file, Shang could imagine that this day had completely changed Simon's life.

"What happened after that?" Shang asked.

Soran pushed the file away again and looked at Shang.

"His physical wounds had been healed in a matter of minutes. Our Water Mage is very good at healing."

"But for the next week, it was basically impossible for anyone to have a normal conversation with Simon."

"At first glance, he appeared normal, but whenever he talked to anyone, he would talk very fast, stumble over his words, and his voice would be very high."

"In short, he fell into a minor panic as soon as another human interacted with him."

Soran leaned his head on one of his fists as his eyes looked at the file lying on the table.

"Mervin took special care of Simon, and he tried to get Simon acclimated to human society again."

"And it worked. Just one month later, Simon was normal again."

"However, two things were not the same."

"First, when Simon was supposed to spar, he would commit a great number of mistakes due to nervousness."

"Second, even though Simon hadn't hunted much in the past, from that moment on, he has never hunted again."

Soran pointed at the file again. "70% of this file are reports and evaluations from different teachers regarding Simon's abnormal mindset and his problems at the academy."

"Of course, things only got worse. The other students noticed how weak Simon was, and they made fun of him for not even having the courage to spar with them. They called him weak-willed, pathetic, and a disgrace to every warrior."

"After several months of all of this, Simon finally had enough and lashed out. His rage exploded forth, and he pulled out his weapon."

"He tried to kill another student, but the student evaded the attack and kicked Simon to the ground."

"While Simon had been dealing with these things, the other students had continued training, and Simon couldn't even be counted as average by this point."

"A teacher arrived shortly after, and Simon was expelled. Drawing your weapon on another student without them drawing theirs first is forbidden."

Soran pushed four of the five pages of the file to the side.

"That happened a bit more than a year ago," Soran said. "From what I've heard, he returned to his parents, and they put him through therapy and intense training. They were doing their best to push Simon forward until he was outstanding again."

"And five months later…"

"They found his corpse hanging from a noose inside his room," Soran said.

Silence.

Shang took a deep breath.

Shang had somewhat made peace with this entire incident, but he still had some regrets.

After all, he viewed Simon as a kid.

"He died around seven months ago," Soran said as he looked at Shang. "And you said that the Cleaner mentioned that he has been searching for you for about six months, right?"

Chapter 264 Helpless

Shang furrowed his brows.

By now, he was certain that the Cleaner had been sent by the Wilbury couple. They were the only ones with a motive, and they had the funds to send one.

The timeline also fit very well.

"Can you tell me more about the Wilburys?" Shang asked.

"Baroness Wilbury is one of the five teachers in the outpost of the Mage Academy," Soran explained. "The outpost is specifically for students with a Poison Affinity, and it's inside the Empress Cobra Zone, inside Swamp Lake City."

"Major Wilbury is assistant to the commander of the guards of Swamp Lake City. Individually, there are two people in Swamp Lake City more powerful than them, namely the commander and the head teacher, but combined, those two hold a lot of sway over Swamp Lake City."

"You can view Swamp Lake City as a smaller and weaker version of Warrior's Paradise. Swamp Lake City, just like Warrior's Paradise, is responsible for killing beasts and selling their corpses. It is the southernmost outpost of humanity in the Empress Cobra Zone, and it takes the brunt of attacks during the Day of Chaos."

"It's only outclassed by Warrior's Paradise, which is the most powerful and biggest city in Duke Whirlwind's territory, and Ice Heaven, which is the place where most nobles live in Duke Whirlwind's territory."

"In short, those two are very powerful," Soran said.

Shang looked at Soran. "What will happen from now on?"

Soran could only sigh. "Even though we can be certain of their guilt, we can't judge or report them without evidence."

"And we have zero evidence."

Shang furrowed his brows. "So, there's nothing I can do?"

"You can't do anything against them as you are now, Shang," Soran said. "Even though you have a connection with Duke Whirlwind, he can't just start an investigation without any proof."

"Many nobles do shady things, and the Duke knows this. If the Duke suddenly starts investigating people, a great number of nobles will leave for Duke Mithril's territory."

"Green Wind County would lose a huge chunk of its force, and Duke Whirlwind can't risk that," Soran explained.

"So, I'm just supposed to not do anything?" Shang asked.

Soran sighed again. "It's not that you shouldn't do anything. It's that you can't do anything."

Shang raised an eyebrow.

"Theoretically, you could do the same thing they did. You could hire a Cleaner. You could even do it yourself as long as you stay hidden."

"I'm not telling you to stay put like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. It's normal to retaliate if someone attacks you, and nobody will fault you for that."

"However, you neither have the money nor the power to do anything."

"So, while you definitely should do something, you simply can't."

"You're just too weak."

Shang gritted his teeth in frustration.

Soran had basically told Shang that Soran wouldn't mind if Shang killed the couple. Even the Dean would have no problems. Duke Whirlwind wouldn't say it, but he would probably also not mind, as long as Shang wasn't found out.

Everyone essentially gave Shang the go-ahead to take his revenge.

But Shang simply didn't have the means!

Could Shang ask for help?

Sure, but what was the point?

Right now, Shang's life wasn't in danger as long as he didn't leave Warrior's Paradise. On top of that, nobody above the General Stage had technically attacked him.

It wasn't like Shang was only waiting for his death right now.

While he couldn't go against these two, for the time being, he could protect himself by not going to isolated places.

And he was supposed to call for help in such a situation?

First of all, Shang disliked asking for help, but more importantly, what if something similar, or even worse, happened in the future?

If Shang couldn't even get through such a minor crisis, how could he expect to reach the top?

What about when Shang became the most powerful warrior?

At that time, his enemies would all be Mages.

If Shang needed help then, would he even get any help?

Shang knew that he couldn't rely on someone else during every single crisis.

'I hate this!' Shang thought.

'Someone tried to kill me, but I don't even nearly have the power to fight back!'

This was the first moment Shang truly got confirmation of his initial beliefs regarding this world.

From the very beginning, Shang had been under the impression that this was a world where nothing but power mattered.

However, over the next years, Shang went through many experiences that contradicted that belief. There were plenty of people that didn't let power define their actions.

But now, Shang saw what he had feared ever since he had arrived in this world.

Someone more powerful than him had gone against him, and there was absolutely nothing Shang could do.

Shang got reminded of the trial.

Back then, Shang had felt the hopeless powerlessness that came right before someone stronger than him decided to kill him.

This feeling was identical but weaker in intensity.

Nothing Shang did could stop this from happening as long as he gave them a chance.

Soran watched Shang silently with a complex expression.

Soran was someone that valued cooperation a lot, but he had also gone through a lot of pain, terror, and helplessness.

He knew exactly how Shang felt.

After all, he had gone through very similar situations in the past.

While Soran valued cooperation and empathy, he wasn't some naïve and innocent kid.

If he needed to kill, he wouldn't hesitate to do so.

It was just that he preferred finding another way.

Several seconds of silence passed.

"So, there's nothing I can do except protect my own life?" Shang asked.

"Theoretically, you could ask someone for help," Soran said. "However, I would advise you against that. If you want to become more powerful in the future, you should learn how to deal with these situations on your own."

Shang nodded. "I had the same thought."

Some more seconds of silence passed.

"This means I can't leave Warrior's Paradise anymore," Shang commented.

"There's a high likelihood that the Wilbury couple will send a Peak Adept Cleaner next," Soran said. "If you go out hunting or to visit any other place, chances are high that you won't return."

"Even more, the Cleaning Service should now know about your new appearance now. As long as you don't change your height, build, and weapon again, you won't be able to fool the Cleaner. They are very good at doing their job."

"I know," Shang said.

After that, Shang stood up.

"I need to think. Thanks for your help," he said as he turned to leave the office.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me," Soran said as Shang left his office.

After Shang left, Soran looked at the closed door of his office.

"His first instance of having someone more powerful than him target him," Soran said to himself with nostalgia.

"Been a while since that happened to me."

While Soran thought back to his younger days, Shang entered his old room on the first floor of the main building.

Shang didn't even look at the room he hadn't been in during the last year and directly sat down.

And for a long time, Shang didn't move.

'I hate this!' he thought again as he shot up from his bed.

'But there's not much I can do for now,' he thought as he looked at the center of his room.

'Except for increasing my power.'

And not even two minutes later, Shang had already returned to training.

The sooner he became powerful enough to kill a Peak Adept, the sooner he could leave Warrior's Paradise…

And the sooner he could make the Wilbury couple waste another fortune by killing another Cleaner!

Chapter 265 - Waiting by the Gate

Shang had nothing he could do but increase his power. In a way, it felt very stifling, but Shang knew that he wasn't completely helpless.

Even though increasing his power wouldn't help him at this moment, it would help him in the future.

Over the next month, Shang fully focused on training. Most of the time, he remained inside his room, training his swordsmanship, but he also sometimes came out to ask the teachers a couple of questions.

Mervin had answered most of Shang's questions since he was the trainer responsible for teaching swordsmanship.

When Mervin saw Shang again, he noticed that Shang's eyes didn't seem as lost and apathetic anymore.

"You changed for the better," Mervin said.

Shang didn't want to get into the topic and asked his questions, which Mervin answered thoroughly.

Since Shang hadn't come into contact with any very advanced martial arts in the past, his fighting style had been solidified enough. Introducing a stronger martial art to him would no longer make him lose his way, which was why Mervin now used already established martial arts to answer Shang's questions.

Introducing him to these techniques now was timed just right. Shang learned many new things thanks to the inspirations and hard work of his predecessors.

The most important thing Mervin had shown Shang was something that basically every technique inside the academy included.

Using the Domain to its fullest potential.

Shang hadn't been able to create a Domain yet, but learning how to utilize it correctly might help him in creating his own.

'If I can create my own Domain, I can advance to the Peak General Stage without any issues. Theoretically, I would be able to reach the Commander Stage with it, but that would throw me into mediocrity.'

In actuality, Shang was already planning on reaching the Mid General Stage, but he wanted to go at it slowly.

Shang was currently not in need of money since he had earned a ridiculous sum over the last three months, but Shang wanted to take the slow path anyway.

Advancing to the Mid General Stage cost warriors around 100,000 gold, which was a lot of money for them.

They would need to buy pills and medicine that figuratively shoved Mana into their bodies. One could compare it to enlarging one's stomach by constantly overeating.

If one got the medicine, one would only need about three months to advance.

And what was the slow method?

Training.

Same as at the Soldier Stage.

Going via this route would take warriors at least two years to advance.

But Shang wouldn't take that long.

Not only did Shang have the willpower to go through tremendous pain for his power, but a different disadvantage had turned into an advantage in this case.

The cost of his Affinity.

In battle, injuring oneself to attack was always a drawback.

But, during training, this was good.

Just by unleashing Ice and Fire Blasts alternatively, Shang could very precisely and methodically destroy parts of his body, which he would then heal with his warrior's body and his passive regeneration.

How long would Shang need to reach the Mid General Stage this way?

About two months.

Yes, in two months, Shang would reach the Mid General Stage.

However, Shang wouldn't be able to train without being disturbed for these two months.

After all, he had an appointment.

About one month after Shang started his training again, he was called to the front of the school about an hour before dawn.

The sky was still dark when Shang reached the entrance to the school.

He saw no one else present, which meant that he was first.

Shang simply waited on the side of the gate for the others to arrive.

Shang also noticed that teacher Loran was guarding the gate, like every night.

He was sure that teacher Loran had already noticed and recognized Shang, but apparently, teacher Loran didn't have anything to say to Shang.

'I'm just one of many students,' Shang thought. 'The teachers in schools and academies go through students like copy-paper, and they also generally don't feel very close to most of them.'

'Just a part of the job.'

Shang waited in silence for a couple of minutes until the second person appeared.

It was a man with short, green hair, and he carried a long but thin sword with only a single edge.

As Shang saw the sword, he got reminded of One. He had a nearly identical weapon.

Shang knew that he would travel with the other four people that had also undergone the procedure, and this had to be one of them.

The man wasn't very tall, and he looked at Shang from a distance.

"You're-"

"We are not alone," Shang interrupted the student before gesturing at teacher Loran with his head. Freewebnᴏvel.cᴏm.

"It's fine," the student answered casually.

Shang lifted an eyebrow.

"Vice-Dean Soran said that we no longer have to keep the procedure a secret from today onward," he said.

Shang looked at Loran, but Loran still acted like he was asleep.

"How come?" Shang asked.

"Because the outcome doesn't matter," the student said with a shrug. "If we get the go-ahead, we will announce it. If we don't get it, the method will be spread over the entire world anyway."

Shang scratched his chin with furrowed brows.

That explanation made sense.

"You're patient zero, right?" the student asked.

For a second, Shang became nervous, but he quickly realized that the student didn't know about Shang's second identity.

Shang only nodded.

"I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to become more powerful," the student said with a lot of respect.

Shang only looked at the student with a frown. "I didn't do anything for you."

"But you did," the student said. "Without you, the procedure wouldn't have become survivable for me."

The student's voice shook a bit as he thought back to his own procedure.

"I almost died. If it had been only a little bit more painful, I wouldn't be here right now."

"That's why I want to thank you. Without you, I would have still accepted the procedure, but I would have most likely died to it," the student explained with sincerity.

Shang only looked at the student with a complex expression.

He didn't feel like he had done anything worth mentioning.

After all, Shang hadn't even thought about others when undergoing the procedure. He had done it solely for his own power, nothing else.

"I had no intention of helping anyone else," Shang said. "I'm only interested in my own power. There's nothing for you to thank me."

"Just accept his thanks," teacher Loran said as he stopped acting like he was asleep. "I can't keep listening to this."

Shang looked at the student again, but he wasn't sure if he should accept the thanks.

"Listen," the student said. "I know that you never thought about me or anyone coming after me. I'm also desperate for power, which is the reason why I undertook the procedure in the first place. Just like you, I didn't think about everyone that came after me."

"However, if you intended it or not, your actions have helped me. You might not have had the intention, but your actions have still helped me."

The student smiled. "And actions are more important than intent."

Shang furrowed his brows.

"If you see it like this, sure. Then, no problem."

Chapter 266 - Good Ruler

The student tried to talk to Shang some more, but Shang only gave short and concise answers.

Luckily, the awkwardness was alleviated as another three students arrived.

The student quickly fell into a conversation with the other three, who then also said thanks to Shang for his sacrifice.

Shang felt quite awkward right now.

Now that all the students were present, Shang could also feel the average Battle-Strength of these students.

In Shang's opinion, they were quite powerful.

If this were inside the trial, these four would probably count as "powerful Initial General Stage warriors", excluding their procedure.

Even more, from what Shang had heard from these students, one of them didn't even have a warrior's body.

This was groundbreaking news!

This meant that the procedure could now be applied to a much greater range of warriors.

No wonder Duke Whirlwind and the Dean wanted to go public with the procedure. If they got the go-ahead from King Skythunder, they could roll out the procedure on a massive scale.

By listening to the students, Shang also learned that the passive regeneration was also present in them, but to a weaker degree. While Shang would need about 30 seconds to fully heal his body without any Mana, they needed around 90 seconds.

A couple of minutes later, the last two people arrived.

"Dean, Duke Whirlwind," teacher Loran said from in front of the gate to the last two people.

"Loran, it's been a while since I've seen you. How have things been?" Duke Whirlwind asked with a polite smile.

"Everything is going very well. Thank you for asking, Duke Whirlwind," teacher Loran said with a polite bow.

Just like Vice-Dean Soran, Duke Whirlwind exchanged a couple of polite words with teacher Loran.

Only when the followers had a good impression of their leader would things go smoothly during a rule.

Duke Whirlwind knew that, which was why he never acted like someone didn't deserve to talk to him due to his status.

Even when some random Soldier Stage warrior had appeared in his garden, he had still taken the time to talk to him on a basically equal field, which showed that this was how Duke Whirlwind genuinely felt and that it wasn't just an act.

Duke Whirlwind could have killed Shang back then without any consequences, and no one would have even known.

The Dean, on the other hand, didn't talk a lot with anyone. He always only said as much as necessary.

The gates of the academy opened, and the five students stepped out.

"Greetings to the Dean and Duke Whirlwind," the students said, except for Shang.

Shang only nodded in greeting.

The Dean introduced the other four students to Duke Whirlwind, who gave them some small compliments.

The students felt honored beyond belief when they heard the Duke personally compliment them. Even more, the Duke didn't just say empty words, but he perfectly highlighted the things these students were really good in.

The Duke hadn't been present during the other procedures, and today was the first time he saw the other four students.

Of course, the Dean completely skipped Shang's introduction.

The Dean only said as much as he needed, and the Duke didn't need an introduction to Shang.

After the introductions were finished, Duke Whirlwind gestured to the north. "Alright, enough small talk. We have a long day ahead of us, and I want to be back before night hits."

The Dean passed by the students and stopped behind them.

These students were important for the future of all warriors, and the Dean wouldn't take any chances, which was why he was guarding the rear while Duke Whirlwind took the front.

"Little friend Shang, I want someone to talk to during the boring journey. Would you mind coming forward and accompanying me?" the Duke said with a smile.

Shang only nodded and stopped just a bit behind the Duke.

The other students looked with a bit of shock at Shang.

They didn't know much about Shang, which was why they had no idea that Shang was this close to the Duke.

The Duke saw that everyone was ready to depart and nodded.

Then, he spoke a couple of unfamiliar words, which meant that he was casting a Spell.

Shang knew a lot about Spells, but he had no idea what this Spell would do.

It was probably far too advanced for him.

After the Duke was done, a green barrier made of Wind Mana appeared around the five students.

"This Spell is called Blessing of the Wind," Duke Whirlwind said. "It has a minor protective effect, and it helps you all move faster. Don't be surprised when you suddenly move several times faster than normal when you start running. Your speed should now be equal to Initial Commander Stage warriors."

The students nodded in wonder.

They had never heard of this kind of Spell.

"Let's go," the Duke said.

And then, he lightly stepped forward, but that light step already made him accelerate to quite a fast speed.

The other students followed, and a couple of them nearly stumbled.

They had moved far too fast for their liking.

Luckily, basically all warriors had superb coordination abilities when it came to their bodies.

About a minute later, they left the city through the main gates, which had been opened early due to the Duke's orders.

As everyone ran down the long road, Shang looked to the side.

He was moving so fast!

'That's probably around 200 kph, and if I wanted, I could probably become even faster,' Shang thought.

"Shang, I found a Peak Adept that just looked at you with quite a lot of interest," Duke Whirlwind said from in front of Shang.

Shang's eyes narrowed.

Sure enough, the next Cleaner had already been sent.

"You seem to have some problems," Duke Whirlwind said.

"It's not a problem," Shang answered.

"You know," Duke Whirlwind said, "I was thinking about what I should give you for your excellent service in my new territory. Just giving you some ore doesn't seem to be enough as a repayment."

"Want me to take care of this problem? You won't owe me anything, and you won't get more involved in my political faction."

"It's just a little repayment."

Shang didn't immediately answer.

 

Chapter 267 - Kiva Orvis

For just a small moment, Shang entertained the thought of accepting the proposal.

"Thank you, but no," Shang said. "I want to deal with this myself."

Duke Whirlwind only smiled. It was like he had already anticipated that answer.

"It's fine to deal with some troublesome things yourself. You'll learn how to deal with worse situations in the future because of that. However, please keep in mind that your life is still the most important thing. Without it, none of your goals will become meaningless," Duke Whirlwind said.

"I will keep that in mind," Shang said.

"Naturally, no one will even dare to follow or touch you on this journey," Duke Whirlwind continued. "That Adept has also not even considered following us. I even presume that he might abandon the mission before the day is over. After all, he saw you traveling with me."

Duke Whirlwind chuckled a bit. "This mission might appear a little too hot for his liking."

"So, whoever commissioned your death will probably have to pay an even higher premium after today."

Shang furrowed his brows. "Will a True Mage come after me?" he asked. Shang didn't even ask how Duke Whirlwind knew that the person spying on Shang was a Cleaner. Duke Whirlwind had probably seen enough Cleaners in his life. Finding out that it was a Cleaner probably didn't take more than a simple glance.

"With enough money, you could probably even hire the King personally," Duke Whirlwind said with a chuckle. "But you don't need to worry. I have implemented policies that track the whereabouts of all the True Mages in my domain. If they want to hire a True Mage to come after you, they will need to get one from outside and smuggle them in."

"As long as your enemy isn't a Peak True Mage that is willing to throw their life savings away just to see you die, you should be fine. At most, they will commission a more powerful Peak Adept."

Shang only nodded.

By now, the group had arrived at the Farm Line, and they were still continuing at a rapid pace.

The speed was honestly impressive.

"What kind of reward do you want?" Duke Whirlwind suddenly asked.

"You already gave me my reward," Shang said.

"That piece of ore?" Duke Whirlwind said with a snort. "Please, that's not equal to what you have done for me. Duke Mithril has proven to be rather annoying with his constant objections to my claim of the former battlefield, and one of his biggest arguments is that my territory is now too big for me. He's constantly complaining that I don't have a mind bright enough to efficiently rule over so much land."

"And to bolster his argument, he constantly fills my ranks with his people to make everything appear as mismanaged as possible. He gets his people to devastate the landscape and plunder it to such a degree that the natural resources can't even recover with time."

"But you have literally taken care of his biggest hand," Duke Whirlwind explained.

Shang raised his eyebrows in surprise. "My contributions couldn't be that enormous," he said.

"But they are," Duke Whirlwind said with a laugh. "He sent in his two most valuable pawns to the northeastern territory. They aren't valuable due to their power but due to their positions and abilities."

"Lieutenant Horace has enjoyed the full trust of my personal general, and Kiva Orvis is the genius son of Jera Orvis, the personal general of Duke Mithril," Duke Whirlwind said.

"I presume Lieutenant Horace was that Commander Stage warrior?" Shang asked.

Duke Whirlwind nodded.

"And who is this Kiva Orvis?"

Duke Whirlwind glanced at Shang with a smirk. "You might know him as One."

Shang's eyes widened.

One was the genius son of the personal general of Duke Mithril?

"Kiva Orvis," Duke Whirlwind said, "a prodigy in physical fighting, strategy, and leadership. He is very famous in Duke Mithril's lands for his power and ability to plan many steps ahead."

"While Lieutenant Horace was the more powerful of the two, Kiva Orvis was the strategic mind behind the operation."

Duke Whirlwind looked at Shang again. "But you stopped him, basically throwing Duke Mithril's plan into the trash."

"That's worth far more than the single piece of ore I have organized for you, Shang," Duke Whirlwind said. "Additionally, if Duke Mithril ever finds out that you were the one that foiled his plan, your life could end very quickly. Taking on such danger is also worth a big reward."

"I hope, for your sake, that you didn't tell Kiva Orvis any sensitive things about your person."

Shang looked at Duke Whirlwind with furrowed brows. "You talk like he is still alive."

"Shang," Duke Whirlwind answered, "such a hostage is worth a lot of money. Killing him is throwing away his inherent value."

"So, he's still alive?" Shang asked.

"If I were to kill Kiva Orvis, Duke Mithril would lose a great genius. However, there are endless people in this world, and finding an equally good General isn't hard. Additionally, General Orvis would only grow to hate me even more, which would increase his motivation and drive to screw with my things that much stronger."

"Instead, I made an offer to Duke Mithril for Kiva Orvis' life," Duke Whirlwind said.

"How much did he have to pay?" Shang asked.

"Well, I can't talk about such things with someone of your current standing," Duke Whirlwind said with a grin, "but I can tell you that Duke Mithril probably lost more from buying Kiva Orvis' life than from every other expense of this operation combined. After all, if he doesn't purchase his life, his personal general will hate him, and things might become troublesome."

"In terms of money, you could say that he has given me enough to fully equip five Circles," Duke Whirlwind said with a bright smile.

'That's a full set of equipment for 25 True Mages, including all their Foci!' Shang thought with shock.

That was probably over fifty million gold!

"So, what do you want for your reward?" Duke Whirlwind asked.

Shang remained silent for a while.

Duke Whirlwind didn't continue talking since he had noticed that Shang was thinking.

"I want an honest answer to one of my questions," Shang said a minute later.

"Oh?" Duke Whirlwind uttered with interest.

"Alright, ask away."

 

Chapter 268- Duke Whirlwind's Path

Shang hesitated for a moment.

"What is your goal, and what approach are you using to get closer to it?" Shang asked.

Duke Whirlwind's eyes shone for a short moment.

This was a very personal question, and Shang had directly asked Duke Whirlwind about his personal philosophy when it came to becoming more powerful.

One could say that Shang had asked for the secret of becoming as powerful as a Duke. After all, Duke Whirlwind's approach had obviously worked out very well, and knowing how he operated could very likely pay off in a big way.

"Those are two questions," Duke Whirlwind commented.

"There is only one question mark at the end," Shang answered.

Duke Whirlwind remained silent for a bit.

"Alright, I'll answer your question, and the reason why I am answering this question has to do with the answer," Duke Whirlwind said.

Shang nodded and listened to the Duke.

"As for the first question, my goal is to become an Archmage and to have my own Kingdom," Duke Whirlwind said.

Shang wasn't surprised by the answer.

"And as to how I'm trying to achieve it, investment and efficiency," Duke Whirlwind said.

"I can spend 24 hours per day working on my Magic, but that would only be the effort of one High Mage at a time. I can continually grow more powerful by working on my Magic, but without resources, I might not have enough time to become an Archmage."

"However, if I have access to rare and powerful materials, advanced studies, esoteric concepts, and plenty of teachers, I can grow many times faster than if I were on my own."

"But all of these things require wealth. Without wealth, I can't access these things. That's where the investment aspect comes into play."

"I don't have many hours in the day to myself, but the few hours I have are more profitable than several days of working on myself without pause."

"And how did I gain the wealth necessary to become this efficient?"

"Other people."

"I burn through millions of gold each day just to accelerate my growth. If I were on my own, I would never be able to pay such a large sum of money."

"So, I invest, not into corporations or resources, but into people."

"Every person has something they are good at, but many of those people never get the chance to realize their potential."

"Poverty, suppression, enemies, there are many things that will kill talent in its infancy."

"I invest a big chunk of my money into the futures of people weaker than me so that they one day return a profit."

"Helping a young man that landed in prison due to the corrupt influence of a powerful family isn't costing me much, but I am essentially saving that person's life. At the current moment, the resources I spent on that person are far greater than they are worth."

"However, if that person gets the opportunity, time, and resources to fully realize their potential, their help and loyalty will pay far more than I have invested in them."

"These people are incorruptible, loyal, and powerful. They handle all my lands with dedication, and they are happy to repay me."

"I am not forcing anyone, and I am not burning them into nothingness like coal. Taking advantage of a True Mage might bring immense profits in the short-term, but these profits will eventually end."

"But if everyone is happy working for me, they will be far more valuable."

Duke Whirlwind looked at Shang.

"A more altruistic person can say that I am a kind person that gives to the weak and gives them the opportunity to become stronger than they could have ever imagined."

"A more cynical person can say that I am exploiting poor and naïve people, giving them something negligible for me but valuable for them."

"In the end, it's up to your interpretation."

"Am I a saint that helps the defenseless, or am I a greedy businessman that exploits the poor?"

"No matter the answer, two things will remain the same."

"First, I never force anyone, and everyone working for me is doing so of their own free will."

"And second, they are generating the resources I need to work towards my goal."

"Does that answer your question?"

Shang nodded as several thoughts went through his head.

Duke Whirlwind had explained his method to becoming more powerful very objectively without trying to sound like some kind elder.

Shang had always been a bit skeptical regarding Duke Whirlwind's conduct.

Shang had met plenty of nice managers in his past life. They were friendly, helped him, and encouraged him.

But when there was profit to be made, Shang had been fired.

And even worse, the managers continued smiling and asked Shang not to take it personally.

Shang had feared that Duke Whirlwind might be one of these people.

However, the logical and objective explanation was rock-solid.

There was a concept on Earth that described the cause and effect of what Duke Whirlwind was doing.

Karma.

On Earth, many people thought of Karma as a religious thing. They thought that Karma was some rule the Gods had made to punish the wicked and reward the pure.

However, Karma was simply the term to describe how cooperation worked.

If person A was in a tight spot and needed a place to live, person B might directly be impacted in the future based on their decision.

Assuming person B helped person A, what would most likely happen if person B got into trouble in the future?

Person A would be more inclined to help person B.

Why?

Because person B had helped person A in the past, and they would want to repay them.

However, if person B threw person A away because they thought that associating with person A was of no more value to them since person A had become homeless now, things would be different.

If person B got into trouble later, person A would very likely not help them.

Why should they? Person B hadn't helped them.

Of course, this was all about likelihood, and it wasn't a certainty.

There were scumbags that had no problems with throwing someone away that had helped them before, and there were also saints that were willing to help people that had scorned them in the past.

But, in general, this was how things worked.

This was Karma.

It was just cause and effect when it came to interacting with other humans.

Duke Whirlwind was helping weaker people so that they would one day help him in return.

Funnily enough, one could refer to this mindset with two contradicting adjectives.

Naïve and manipulative.

And, ironically, the adjective one would choose depended on which side the describer was on.

A naïve person would call it manipulative. After all, Duke Whirlwind was taking advantage of naïve people.

A manipulative person would call it naïve. After all, Duke Whirlwind was making himself a target for exploitation. A manipulator could just take the help from Duke Whirlwind and never repay.

One could also judge it based on if one valued intent or actions more.

If one valued intent more, one would think Duke Whirlwind was exploitative. He was taking advantage of weaker people.

If one valued actions more, one would think that Duke Whirlwind was a kind person. He was giving weaker people the opportunity to rise.

What did Shang think of this?

'I can see that this is a very effective path to becoming more powerful,' Shang thought.

'To become a Duke, and maybe even a King, this path might actually be the best.'

'However, is it truly the best path for supreme power?'

'What if I reach a level of power where others can't help me anymore?'

Shang wasn't concerned if this was right or wrong.

Duke Whirlwind had found a great and effective way to further his own power, and Shang could see it as such.

Shang wondered what the answer of the God would be.

"Shang," Duke Whirlwind said after a while.

"Yes?" Shang asked.

"I know that answer is worth a lot, but I still feel like I owe you a bit more. How about I also give you some better armor when we return from our little journey?" Duke Whirlwind asked.

Earlier, Shang would have doubted Duke Whirlwind's intentions.

But since Duke Whirlwind had been so honest, Shang now knew Duke Whirlwind's intentions.

Duke Whirlwind wanted to invest more in Shang.

He believed that Shang would prove to be worth even more in the future, and to do that, Shang had to be alive.

Giving him a great set of armor would heighten the chances of Shang's survival, and if the armor actually proved lifesaving, Shang's opinion of Duke Whirlwind would only increase.

What was Shang's answer?

"Thank you."

He accepted.

Chapter 269- The Empress CobraZone

The group continued running, and after a couple of minutes, they saw a huge green castle.

The Wild Forest was still visible to the south, but it didn't reach the huge castle.

Shang could tell that the castle was entirely made out of Commander Stage ore, which definitely wasn't cheap. One could even call it wasteful to create such a huge castle out of Commander Stage ore. If used for weapons, this castle could equip thousands of Commander Stage warriors with a full set of armor and weapons.

It wasn't difficult to guess who lived here.

"Everyone, please wait at the entrance. I have to say goodbye to my replacement for today," Duke Whirlwind said with a smile.

Then, Duke Whirlwind passed by the bowing guards, who were True Mages, and entered.

Yes, this was Duke Whirlwind's home.

'All of this ore has the Wind Affinity,' Shang thought. 'I can imagine that comprehending Wind Spells and mastering Wind Mana in such a place would give double the reward for half the effort.'

Everyone waited for a couple of minutes until Duke Whirlwind returned with a smile. "Let's continue," he said before he activated the Blessing of Wind again.

And then, everyone continued toward the northeast.

"Might I ask who your replacement is?" Shang asked.

"It's one of King Skythunder's advisors," Duke Whirlwind said. "He doesn't need to do much and only needs to take care of any threats that are beyond the capabilities of my subjects. Most likely, he will just stay in my house and meditate all day."

Shang nodded. "And he wasn't interested in seeing this group of new warriors?" Shang asked.

Duke Whirlwind only chuckled a bit. "Shang, you've lived your entire adult life in Warrior's Paradise, a city made for warriors. Everything inside Warrior's Paradise revolves around warriors."

"You should know that, outside my territory, warriors are seen as lower-class people."

Shang didn't answer.

"Many Mages know that it is polite and appropriate to treat a warrior like they would treat Mages, but there are enough Mages that don't follow that policy."

"Why should they talk to someone beneath them? It's just a waste of their time, at least in their mind," Duke Whirlwind explained.

"Even though he knows about the effects of the procedure, it doesn't make a difference in the advisor's mind. So what if the warriors have a more powerful body now? That isn't nearly enough to close the gap."

Shang remained silent.

'Arrogance, huh?' Shang thought. 'I don't think arrogance is wrong, but I think that it is stupid to be arrogant in front of an entire category of people. People are too diverse, and a lot of people can create miracles with nearly no resources.'

Duke Whirlwind didn't say anything further, and Shang also didn't start the conversation again.

About two minutes later, the Wind Mana in the atmosphere radically reduced, and the sky grew darker. Dawn had just arrived, but the sun was barely visible due to all the clouds that had suddenly gathered.

Shang knew that he was now entering the Empress Cobra Zone.

He had never been inside the Empress Cobra Zone before, and Shang was quite interested in what it looked like.

'I might not be able to feel Wind or Water Mana, but I can tell if there is a lot or only a little of it present,' Shang thought as he looked at the clouds.

'The air feels wet and cool, which symbolizes the presence of a lot of Water Mana. Although, just looking at the thick cover of rainclouds should already be enough.'

Shang also felt that the Darkness Mana became thicker and thicker the more he advanced.

'Water Mana gathers together high in the air and blocks the sun, creating a nearly lightless environment, which gives Darkness Mana a place to thrive.'

As the group continued, Shang also noticed that more and more small lakes appeared.

Some of the lakes looked like one would imagine a typical lake to look like.

Some of the lakes were filled to the brim with greenery and dead plant material, essentially creating a swamp.

And other lakes looked completely different.

Shang looked at one lake in particular.

It was only about ten meters across, and its color was a mix of brown and purple.

It looked very similar to the poison lake the Poison Adept had created.

There were only very, very few plants visible on or near the lake, and Shang could even see the occasional bone sticking out of it.

"That's the nest of an adult Swamp Millipede," Duke Whirlwind said when he saw Shang's interested gaze.

"Oh," Shang uttered in interest.

"In comparison to the Storm Eagle Zone, Swamp Millipedes are on the blacklist in the Empress Cobra Zone. They keep the environment nice and poisonous, just as the Darkness and Poison Affinity beasts want it," Duke Whirlwind explained.

Shang felt it quite amusing and ironic that one of the big four pests in the Storm Eagle Zone counted as a protected beast just a couple of kilometers further to the east.

"If you go further to the south, you will find more and more powerful beasts until you will eventually see the Empress Cobra," Duke Whirlwind said.

"Have you seen the Empress Cobra before?" Shang asked.

"I think so."

Shang looked at Duke Whirlwind with surprise. "You think so?"

Duke Whirlwind nodded. "You could consider Vanishing Snakes as grand-grand-grand-nephews of the Empress Cobra. Just like them, it can become practically invisible."

"One night while searching for something near the south of the swamp, I noticed the subtle displacement of a little bit of Wind Mana while the Water and Darkness Mana saw no change."

"I looked closer, and I noticed that parts of the sky and nearly all the trees to my south seemed a little bit distorted. I fully focused on my senses, believing that there was a beast that was trying to ambush me. Maybe it was a True Path Stage beast with a Darkness Affinity?"

"But no matter how much I looked, I couldn't find anything, and the distortion I thought I saw had also vanished."

"However, when I looked at the area from high in the sky, I could see a gigantic but subtle imprint of a long, slithery body. The trees or vegetation were not damaged in any way, but the grass just looked a slight bit darker, and it was pressed down just a tiny bit."

"I think I saw that Empress Cobra, but I can't be sure," Duke Whirlwind said. "If it wasn't the Empress Cobra, it could have only been a beast of the Fifth Realm."

"Or I could have just imagined it," Duke Whirlwind said with a smile. "The signs were very subtle, after all."

Shang had listened to Duke Whirlwind's retelling of his encounter with rapt attention.

In comparison to the majestic and very noticeable Storm Eagle, the Empress Cobra was very hidden and subtle.

Shang had asked Duke Whirlwind that question because he remembered learning that the appearance of the Empress Cobra was completely unknown. The only person that had ever seen it was King Skythunder, and depending on one's definition, this might not even count as seeing.

King Skythunder checked on the status of every Zone Beast every decade. He was the only one powerful enough that could perfectly hide from True Path Stage beasts and evade beasts in the Fifth Realm. That made him the only one eligible for this dangerous task.

Back then, King Skythunder hadn't seen the Empress Cobra, but he had been able to approximate its position, size, and orientation based on feeling the Mana of the surroundings.

He had gotten a very accurate picture of its silhouette, but he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

According to him, the Empress Cobra was about four kilometers long and about 100 meters wide.

Sadly, that was everything he had found out.

As the group continued traveling down the street, the area became darker and damper until it was so dark that a normal person wouldn't even be able to see their hands in front of their eyes.

But Shang was different. The more Darkness Mana was around him, the easier it was for him to see.

Shang still found it a bit weird, but he could somehow tell where everything around him was. This sensation could be likened to how one always knew where their limbs were, even if they didn't see them at the moment.

He could see a couple of beasts walking around, swimming, hiding in trees, hiding in the ground, and he could even see the occasional flying beast.

However, all of the beasts avoided Shang's group.

The amount of Mana that Duke Whirlwind gave off was too big of a red flag.

Getting through the Empress Cobra Zone took a bit longer than getting through the Storm Eagle Zone, but after about 30 minutes, everyone arrived at the northern border.

Shang had only seen a dark, oppressive, and poisonous swamp around him while running through the Empress Cobra Zone.

But now, things looked different.

The rays of the morning sun touched their bodies again, and the Darkness and Water Mana slowly vanished.

And Shang saw another Zone he had never seen before.

The Adamantite Behemoth Zone.

Chapter 270- The AdamantiteBehemoth Zone

In front of Shang was…

Nothing.

It was like the sky was in front of Shang, and he felt like he was standing on top of a mountain.

Then, he looked down, and he could finally see the Adamantite Behemoth Zone.

He could see the entire thing, which felt surreal to him.

Shang had been on a couple of skyscrapers before on Earth, and he knew how far he could see.

But in this world, the horizon seemed so much farther away.

Shang could see from one end of the Adamantite Behemoth Zone to the other, which was around 80 kilometers!

And what did it look like?

It was one gigantic, circular, grey, and black crater.

There was no vegetation.

Not even grass.

The group looked at the Adamantite Behemoth Zone in silence for a couple of moments.

During these moments, Shang could see a couple of moving rocks and stones, which looked like tiny ants from his current position.

However, Shang knew that these moving rocks were huge beasts with Metal Affinities.

Shang could also see many huge black holes that littered the surface of the crater. Many of them were hundreds of meters wide, and they looked like abysses from where Shang stood right now.

"This Zone is Duke Mithril's baby," Duke Whirlwind said to Shang.

"What's that metal spire in the center of the crater?" Shang asked.

In the middle of the crater, at its deepest location, except for the holes, was a gigantic, silver spire. It was nearly a kilometer tall, and it was slightly bent. Several metal spikes poked out of the spire, which pointed to the sky, just like the spire.

"That's the Adamantite Behemoth's horn," Duke Whirlwind said with a smirk.

Shang took a deep breath when he heard that.

"An old one?" Shang asked.

"No, it's current horn," Duke Whirlwind said with a slight chuckle. "The ground in the middle of the Zone has been created by the Adamantite Behemoth, and it is nearly impenetrable for us humans. We assume that the Adamantite Behemoth is sleeping and that it created the wall of metal above it so that no one bothers it."

Duke Whirlwind only smiled. "Of course, trying to tamper with the layer of metal is forbidden. We can experiment a little bit, but we can't do anything drastic. If the Adamantite Behemoth moves, an uncountable number of lives might be lost."

"One more interesting fact is the sheer amount of Mana the Adamantite Behemoth gives off."

"According to the readings, the Adamantite Behemoth might actually be even more powerful than the Storm Eagle, which is an astonishing accomplishment," Duke Whirlwind explained.

Shang looked with widely opened eyes at the spire.

The Storm Eagle already counted as one of the most powerful Zone Beasts, but the Adamantite Behemoth might be even more powerful?

"How long has it remained there?"

"We don't know," Duke Whirlwind said. "It has been there for at least 2,000 years."

"2,000 years?" Shang asked in shock.

That thing hadn't moved in over 2,000 years?!

"What about… you know… the things?" Shang asked, trying not to speak of information that was too sensitive.

"The things?" Duke Whirlwind asked with a confused expression.

"What if one of the things appears in this Zone?" Shang asked.

Duke Whirlwind looked at Shang in confusion for about two seconds until he realized what he meant.

"Oh, those things," Duke Whirlwind said.

Shang nodded.

They were talking about the Abominations.

"The Empress Cobra deals with them," Duke Whirlwind said.

Shang looked at the crater with intrigue.

There was nearly no hiding place for a beast with the Empress Cobra's size, but it still managed to never be spotted.

The humans that had the luck of seeing the Abomination when it appeared probably only saw it vanish into thin air just a moment later.

"By the way, can you see that castle two kilometers to the west of the horn?" Duke Whirlwind asked with a smirk.

Shang looked over, and he saw a silver castle adorned with an uncountable number of metal spears.

"That's where Duke Mithril lives," Duke Whirlwind said with a smirk. "Quite reckless, isn't he? If the Adamantite Behemoth decides to turn in its sleep, his entire castle would be flattened."

Shang looked at the castle with a raised eyebrow.

It definitely was risky to live on the literal back of a Zone Beast, but Duke Mithril could probably also train his Metal Mana with incredible efficiency on that spot.

"Alright, everyone," Duke Whirlwind shouted. "Enough looking. Let's continue!"

The others quickly went into their former positions, and everyone ran down the gigantic slope.

In the Storm Eagle Zone and Empress Cobra Zone, everyone had walked along the roads, which made their journey not as short as it could have been.

But in the Adamantite Behemoth Zone, there were no roads.

It was very similar to the Wasteland in the Storm Eagle Zone, which made roads basically unnecessary. The ground was very flat, and everyone could see basically everything around them.

Traveling through this location was like playing with an open hand. Everyone could see everyone else's cards in their hands at all times.

'Now, I can understand why that merchant wanted so much money for the Fire Ore back then,' Shang thought.

'Not only did that guy have to travel through the dark Empress Cobra Zone, but he also had to travel through this dangerous Zone. There might not be any hidden dangers here, but there were plenty of open dangers. If a General Stage beast got interested in the merchant, he would die without expensive protection.'

After having been to so many different Zones, Shang could finally appreciate how good the Storm Eagle Zone was.

As long as one kept to the road in the Storm Eagle Zone, nothing dangerous would happen.

The Ice Wyvern Zone was a little more dangerous in comparison. There were roads, but the nights were still dangerous.

But the Empress Cobra Zone and the Adamantite Behemoth Zone?

There was no safety without powerful bodyguards.

A normal person would probably be seeking their death if they decided to travel in these Zones.

After around ten minutes, the group arrived near the center of the Adamantite Behemoth Zone.

As Shang saw the horn pass him, he felt wonder.

Right now, Shang was walking across the back of a Zone Beast.

It was an indescribable experience.

It was like he was nothing but an ant that was climbing over a rhinoceros.

It was a level of power that couldn't be comprehended.

Duke Mithril didn't make an appearance. He probably wasn't interested in talking to Duke Whirlwind.

One had to remember that, on the surface, the two of them were equals working for the same King, but deep beneath, the two of them were trying to kill each other.

Due to the appearance of peace, Duke Whirlwind's group hadn't even been inspected when they crossed into Duke Mithril's border.

Why would they?

If Duke Whirlwind tried to do something shady, Duke Mithril would be more than happy.

After all, he could then directly accuse Duke Whirlwind in front of the King.

If Duke Mithril wanted, he could also simply waltz right into Warrior's Paradise without anyone stopping him.

He would probably even get a respectful and warm welcome.

Of course, many eyes were on the Dukes, and if they did something without any apparent reason, many questions would be asked.

Because of that, the Dukes had to always be careful about what they did at any given moment.

This time, Duke Whirlwind had a great reason for passing through Duke Mithril's territory, but if he came without a good reason, Duke Mithril could probably frame Duke Whirlwind for something.

This was the world of politics, and outward appearances were imperative in such a world.

It didn't matter what one did.

It only mattered how everyone perceived them.

After another ten minutes, everyone reached the other side of the huge crater.

But before Shang could see the Thunder Horse Zone, he noticed that Duke Whirlwind started to frown.

"Shang, listen to me," Duke Whirlwind said.

"Yes?" Shang asked.

"While inside Duke Mithril's territory, I can't act suspicious. The shortest and safest route through the Thunder Horse Zone leads through the Spark Oasis, which is the biggest city in the Thunder Horse Zone."

"When we get there, don't leave my side, and if I tell you to do something, you do it," Duke Whirlwind said with severity.

Shang's heart pumped.

He could think of a reason why the Duke was suddenly so serious.

"The Thunder Horse is currently walking through the Spark Oasis," Duke Whirlwind said.

"And as far as I have heard, beasts are not the greatest fan of you."