Setelah membersihkan Gerbang Frostfen Hollow, mereka merampok dua Gerbang Circle Ketiga lagi. Soren menerima sekitar dua puluh satu ribu Mana Olahan secara total, bersama dengan 2,5 juta credits setelah menjual semua core dan jarahan lainnya. Sayangnya, dia tidak mendapatkan ability apa pun, tapi mengingat kemungkinannya, itu bisa dimaklumi.
Dia kemudian kembali ke rumah dan makan malam bersama Ethea, Bibi Clara, dan Kaisar Hector. Setelah itu, dia mempelajari teknik baru yang dijanjikan Kaisar untuk diajarkan kepadanya. Teknik itu sangat cocok dengan gayanya, sebuah seni tusukan yang dirancang untuk menembus pertahanan berlapis dengan memusatkan seluruh mana ke satu titik di ujung tombak. Kaisar menyebutnya Glacial Fang dan menyuruhnya menggunakannya sebagai jurus pamungkas.
Soren menghabiskan sisa malam itu dengan berlatih gerakan-gerakan itu sampai lengannya terasa terbakar, menghafal setiap langkah dan napas.
Begitu dia kembali ke kamar tidur, dia merencanakan jadwal untuk minggu depan.
Dia akan berlatih dengan Kaisar dua kali sehari, pagi dan malam. Demikian pula, dia akan belajar dari Bibi Clara dan berlatih merawat Ethea sampai dia bisa menangani semuanya dengan lancar sendirian. Sisa hari akan dibagi antara membersihkan Gate dengan Ryan atau party lain untuk mengumpulkan lebih banyak mana dan credits, dan menghabiskan waktu bersama Ethea. Dia juga harus melacak investasi yang sedang berjalan dan membuat lebih banyak jika ada kesempatan. Di malam hari, dia akan tidur selama dua jam dan menghabiskan sisanya untuk berkultivasi secara mental.
Itu adalah jadwal yang padat, tapi itulah yang dia butuhkan.
Namun, ada juga masalah mengenai monolit dan Malakor. Dia berencana mengadakan pertemuan lagi dengan panther itu dan menanyakan beberapa hal, terutama tentang Raine.
'Jika ada kesempatan, aku harus berinvestasi pada Ryan lagi.' tambah Soren dalam pikirannya. 'Karena afinitas kegelapan dan apinya sekarang sudah peringkat SSS, seharusnya tidak masalah elemen apa yang selaras dengan binatang sihir itu. Salah satunya pasti berhasil. Tapi aku harus bertanya padanya dulu sebelum mengambil tindakan apa pun.'
Dia membuat catatan mental untuk menyampaikannya saat mereka bertemu nanti.
'Tunggu... kurasa kita juga harus menaikkan peringkat Hunter kita selagi ada kesempatan.'
Presiden Craig bersedia membantu mereka selama mereka masih di sini, jadi ini adalah kesempatan sempurna untuk menyelesaikan ujian kenaikan peringkat. Dia dan Ryan sudah membersihkan beberapa Gate Circle Ketiga bersama-sama, yang lebih dari cukup untuk memenuhi syarat promosi. Peringkat hunter yang lebih tinggi berarti akses ke sumber daya yang lebih baik, kontrak dengan bayaran lebih tinggi, dan pengawasan yang lebih sedikit saat bepergian melalui kota-kota besar.
'Aku akan bicara dengan Ryan tentang hal itu besok. Kita bisa menjadwalkan ujiannya sebelum akhir minggu.'
Puas dengan rencananya, dia menghela napas pelan dan bersandar. Tetapi saat pikirannya mulai tenang, pikiran lain muncul ke permukaan.
'Mertua...'
Mereka belum mendengar kabar darinya sejak kunjungan itu, dan Soren tidak tahu apakah dia masih di kota atau sudah pergi. Yang dia tahu, pria itu mungkin hanya memantau mereka dengan roh-rohnya atau menunggu mereka berubah pikiran. Apa pun masalahnya, dia dan Ethea sudah memutuskan untuk menolak undangannya untuk kembali ke ibu kota bersamanya. Dia akan mengirim pesan besok untuk memperjelas hal itu. Namun...
'Kita masih belum memutuskan apa yang akan dilakukan dan ke mana harus pergi...'
Dia melirik wajah Ethea yang sedang tidur dan menghela napas dalam hati.
'Haruskah kita langsung ke Menara atau mampir ke Kekaisaran Temur...'
Kedua jalur itu punya kelebihannya masing-masing. Menara menjanjikan pertumbuhan pesat dan sumber daya yang sangat mereka butuhkan, tetapi itu juga berarti melemparkan diri mereka ke arena uji coba paling berbahaya di dunia. Sedangkan untuk Kekaisaran Temur, dia bisa menyiapkan investasi jangka panjang di sana dan menyelamatkan adiknya di sepanjang jalan, tapi mereka mungkin kehilangan waktu atau bahkan membahayakan nyawanya.
'Urgh... haruskah kita lakukan keduanya saja?'
Dia menggosok pelipisnya. Namun, itu bukan keputusan yang bisa dia buat sendiri.
'Aku akan bicara dengan Ethea tentang hal itu besok. Dan... Kutukan itu...'
Dia sudah menanyakan Hector tentang hal itu sebelumnya, tapi Kaisar mengakui dia masih belum berbicara dengan kenalannya. Menghubungi mereka sulit, katanya, dan prosesnya akan memakan waktu. Dia berjanji akan memberi tahu Soren begitu dia menerima jawaban apa pun.
'Waktu...'
Semuanya tampak bergantung pada kata itu akhir-akhir ini. Waktu untuk menjadi lebih kuat. Waktu untuk menemukan jawaban. Waktu untuk bersiap sebelum kutukan itu mengencangkan cengkeramannya atau musuh mereka bergerak...
'Sigh... Mari kita istirahat saja untuk sekarang...'
Dia memejamkan mata dan melepaskan ketegangan dari tubuhnya. Tidak ada gunanya memikirkan hal-hal yang tidak bisa dia kendalikan. Jadwal sudah ditetapkan, tujuannya jelas, dan apa pun yang terjadi selanjutnya, dia akan menghadapinya satu langkah demi satu langkah.
───────
Beberapa waktu kemudian...
Hector duduk sendirian di ruang bawah tanah di bawah vila, dikelilingi oleh dinding yang diukir dengan banyak rune dan penghalang. Lingkaran sihir misterius digambar di bawahnya, garis-garis peraknya yang samar berdenyut lembut dalam kegelapan.
After clearing the Frostfen Hollow Gate, they raided two more Third Circle Gates. Soren received about twenty-one thousand Refined Mana in total, along with 2.5 million credits after selling all the cores and other loot. Unfortunately, he didn’t get any abilities, but considering the odds, it was understandable.
He then returned home and ate dinner with Ethea, Aunt Clara, and Emperor Hector. After that, he learned the new technique the Emperor promised to teach him. It was perfectly tailored to his style, a thrusting art designed to pierce through layered defenses by concentrating all his mana into a single point at the tip of the spear. The Emperor called it Glacial Fang and told him to use it as a finishing move.
Soren spent the rest of the night drilling the movements until his arms burned, committing every step and breath to memory.
Once he got back to the bedroom, he planned a schedule for the next week.
He would train with the Emperor twice a day, in the morning and at night. Similarly, he would learn from Aunt Clara and practice taking care of Ethea until he could handle everything smoothly on his own. The rest of the day would be split between clearing Gates with Ryan or other parties to accumulate more mana and credits, and spending time with Ethea. He would also have to track his ongoing investments and make more if there was a chance. At night, he would sleep for two hours and spend the rest cultivating mentally.
It was a packed schedule, but that was exactly what he needed.
However, there were also matters regarding the monolith and Malakor. He planned to have another meeting with the panther and ask him a few things, especially about Raine.
’If there is a chance, I should also invest in Ryan again.’ Soren added in his mind. ’Since both of his darkness and fire affinities are now SSS rank, it shouldn’t matter which element the magic beast aligns with. Either one would work. But I should ask him first before making any moves.’
He made a mental note to bring it up the next time they met.
’Wait... I think we should also increase our Hunter ranks while we have the chance.’
President Craig was willing to help them while they were still here, so it was a perfect opportunity to push through the rank-up exams. He and Ryan had already cleared multiple Third Circle Gates together, which was more than enough to qualify for a promotion. A higher hunter rank meant access to better resources, higher-paying contracts, and less scrutiny when moving through major cities.
’I’ll talk to Ryan about it tomorrow. We can schedule the exams before the week ends.’
Satisfied with the plan, he let out a slow breath and leaned back. But as his mind began to settle, another thought surfaced.
’Father-in-law...’
They hadn’t heard from him since that visit, and Soren had no idea if he was still in the city or had already left. For all he knew, the man could just be monitoring them with those spirits of his or waiting for them to change their minds. Whatever the case, he and Ethea had already decided to reject his invitation to return to the capital with him. He would send a message tomorrow to make that clear. However...
’We still haven’t decided what to do and where to go yet...’
He glanced at Ethea’s sleeping face and sighed inwardly.
’Should we go straight to the Tower or take a detour in the Temur Empire...’
Both paths had their merits. The Tower promised rapid growth and the resources they desperately needed, but it also meant throwing themselves into the most dangerous proving ground in the world. As for the Temur Empire, he could set up a long-term investment there and save his sister along the way, but they might lose time or even put her in danger.
’Urgh... should we just do both then?’
He rubbed his temples. However, it wasn’t a decision he could make alone.
’I’ll talk to Ethea about it tomorrow. And... The curse...’
He had asked Hector about it earlier, but the Emperor admitted he still hadn’t spoken with his acquaintances. Contacting them was difficult, he had said, and the process would take time. He promised to notify Soren the moment he received any answers.
’Time...’
Everything seemed to hinge on that word lately. Time to grow stronger. Time to find answers. Time to prepare before the curse tightened its grip or their enemies made their move...
’Sigh... Let’s just rest for now...’
He closed his eyes and let the tension drain from his body. There was no point in dwelling on things he couldn’t control. The schedule was set, the goals were clear, and whatever came next, he would face it one step at a time.
───────
Some time later...
Hector sat alone in the underground chamber beneath the villa, surrounded by walls etched with numerous runes and barriers. A mysterious magic circle was drawn beneath him, its faint silver lines pulsing softly in the dark.
"Hmm..."
He took a deep breath and let his perception sweep over the whole city. Then he looked at the ordinary silver ring on his hand, rubbed it once, and closed his eyes before speaking the incantation in his mind.
A few moments later, a familiar pull tugged at his chest, and his spiritual body slipped free of his flesh like a hand withdrawing from a glove. Time passed, darkness behind his eyelids stretched and tore.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the chamber.
He was standing in a large hall that resembled a palace from a forgotten era. Pillars of dark marble rose toward a ceiling painted with faded constellations, their gold leaf peeling in places. Tall windows lined the walls, letting in pale starlight that pooled on the polished floor like water. At the far end of the hall, a single throne sat on a raised dais, its seat empty.
’Still not here, huh.’
Sighing in disappointment, Hector crossed the hall and took his usual seat at one of the lower chairs arranged before the throne.
Time stretched.
The starlight crept across the floor in slow inches. Hector watched it without really seeing, his thoughts drifting back to the conversation with Soren.
’...I hope someone shows up this time.’
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!