I was en route to the forest.

First being hunted by warthogs, then misidentified as a monster by the same barrier that was supposed to protect me.

Yesterday was a hectic day.

And as if I hadn’t had enough, when I went to my room to take a bath, I noticed that my pendant was missing.

At first, I panicked a bit, but then I remembered that I had put it earlier that afternoon in my backpack.

I put it in my bag just before entering the forest. I felt that it would be safer inside my backpack than around my neck.

Since I didn't have my necklace, this morning I couldn't access the library. Maa and Syrius didn’t fail to notice my presence outside in the middle of the day.

As if that wasn't enough, when I went to my room to take a bath, I discovered that my pendant was missing.

I panicked a little at first, but then I remembered that I had put it in my backpack earlier that afternoon.

I threw it in my bag just as I was about to enter the forest.

I reasoned that it would be safer inside my backpack than around my neck.

Since I didn't have my necklace, I couldn't get into the library this morning. Maa and Syrius were both surprised by my presence outside in the middle of the day.

I was even asked if I was sick?

Quite rude, aren’t they?

They make it sound like I was some kind of shut-in who only left the library out of absolute necessity.

They make it sound like I'm some sort of recluse who only leaves his library when it's absolutely necessary.

I admit that being outside in the middle of the day was a little boring, but luckily for me, the manor received a visit from Shania and her parents for their weekly delivery, and playing with her helped to relieve my boredom.

When they were gone, I ate my lunch and dashed here.

I arrived at the bush where I had hidden my bag yesterday.

I took my bag from it and checked inside to see if my pendant was still there, and it was.

I left my backpack and proceeded to the barrier.

This morning, I came up with two theories as to why the barrier attacked me yesterday.

I was only able to pass through the barrier when I grabbed my backpack; if it wasn't the backpack, then I could only be what was inside.

There were only three things that were susceptible to affecting the barrier.

Martha or Olga, the pendant

I approached the barrier and reached for it.

I carefully walked over to the barrier, my body fully enhanced and ready to evade any bolt of lightning that might fly my way. I reached out my hand to the barrier, seeing that it had not changed its appearance.

Nothing happened.

Well, it would be accurate to say that something did happen.

The first thing I did the first time I reached the barrier was to throw a rock at it. Back then, I wanted to know how it was reacting to inanimate objects trying to pass through.

This time I received the same treatment as the rock from yesterday.

Basically, the barrier felt hard. It felt like I touched a smooth but extremely sturdy surface.

The first thing I did upon reaching the barrier for the first time was throw a rock at it. I was curious at the time about how it reacted to inanimate objects passing through.

This time, I received the same treatment as the rock from the day before.

Basically, the barrier was impossible to pass through. It had the sensation of touching a smooth yet extremely hard surface, like a glassy surface.

This must be how the barrier feels to someone who has nothing to allow them to pass through it.

It appears that the offensive ability of the barrier takes effect only from the outside, and not from within.

I returned to my backpack, retrieved my pendant, and put it on.

I then walked to the barrier and repeated the process, but this time the barrier reacted the same way it did with me the day before, submerging my entire hand, and I easily passed through the barrier and then repeated the process in and out.

Thanks to the pendant, it seems that I can freely pass through the barrier.

I went back once again to where my backpack was, took off my pendant, and put it on my back. I then retrieved Martha and repeated the same process, and it worked.

I did it with Olga and it also worked.

At first, I thought it was the daggers that had this effect. After all, they once belonged to a man who was once part of the church, and it's the same church that has installed this barrier, but it seems that even the pendant has this effect. I guess that the pendant also belonged to the ancestor, but that would explain why it has that effect on the barrier.

"I guess that settles that then."

I changed my clothes, put my backpack on, and headed to my training ground.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

With a loud "bam," something crashed heavily on the ground.

That something was my body.

I stood up and wiped the dirt off myself.

I wasn’t attacked or anything, I was just training myself.

The thing is that once I reached the training ground, the first thing I did was to put into practice a move I saw in a dream.

Yesterday, I had a bad dream.

I dreamed about the three warthogs who attacked me yesterday.

They were not only hounding me but also shooting lightning bolts at me.

The same type of lightning bolt as the one the barrier threw at me.

It was a really scary dream.

It seems that what happened has left me with some psychological sequels.

But that dream has allowed me to recognize the possibility this forest has to offer in a fight.

In my dreams, the warthogs were running after me but also throwing lightning bolts at me, and to evade their attack, I was jumping from tree to tree.

Enhancing my body with aina allows me to gain an extremely sturdy body and the strength that I could qualify to be inhumane.

I lacked imagination about how to use it.

At first, I was like, "Punch here, kick that."

That dream has enlightened me.

Instead of just using my strength to punch, kick, or run.

I could instead use it, to allow me to bounce from tree to tree or from tree to the ground.

Yeah, it sounded dumb but in my dream, it seemed extremely practical.

In practice, it’s extremely complicated to replicate since it requires me to propel myself with my legs and maneuver in midair to safely land on a trunk.

This technique is far from perfect, but I can see endless possibilities and opportunities to adapt this technique in a fight.

It’s totally possible to implement Martha and Olga into this technique.

I can already see myself bouncing around with Olga and Martha in hand.

I can't wait to see the result.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

Somewhere in the northeastern part of this world, beyond the northeast part of the human continent.

Two men were standing in front of a giant hole made in the ground.

Each was visibly in their sixty, yet both of them kept a physique that gave them the allure of a man in his prime.

One of the two men had blonde hair, while the other had completely white hair.

They were wearing the same uniform as yesterday, a long-sleeved white coat, white trousers, and a pair of white boots. Each of them has the same emblem adorned on their shoulder: a sword engulfed in a fiery fire.

With a stifling sound, the blonde one sheathed his sword back into its scabbard.

While the other one casually tossed something heavy inside a giant hole in front of us. In his hand was a ridiculously big halberd. He was holding it with one hand like it was a stuffed toy.

For these two men, today was a day like any other day.

Today, they were doing the same thing as they did yesterday.

From the look on their faces, one could easily tell how bored these two men were, both were aware of that yet none of them commented on it.

"You know lately, I’ve been thinking of going back home," said the blonde man to his colleague in an attempt to break the silence.

"Home? Wasn’t it you who said that this place is your home?" retorted my colleague in a rather derisive tone.

The blonde man went into deep thinking, trying to remember when he had said that, and not too long after he appeared to have remembered.

"It is true that I once said that but… but lately this place has been pretty … You know."

The man glanced at his surroundings, a green wasteland, that was what was around him.

"Peaceful? Boring? I get what you mean, but it’s not like we can do anything about it. "

Peaceful huh? Boring?

"This is exactly why I’m thinking of going back. I’ve made my time here, this place doesn’t need me anymore.`` With a move of the head, the blonde man indicated the hole in front of them and more precisely, what was inside. "It's time for the old carcass that I am to go back where I truly belong."

"You’re speaking like an old man."

"Because I’m an old man and so are you. Have you ever thought about returning to your family?"

"Which one ?"

It was a weird thing to ask but the white-haired man's familial situation gives his question a lot of sense.

"The one you truly consider your family."

"You know, Every time I return to the Holy City, I pay them a visit. I'm not like a certain deviant who only sees his family once every 20 years. I just found out you had your first great-grandson. Why don't you go back and pay them a visit? I'm sure it will be appreciated by your son and grandson."

"You’re late for your update, It’s been two years since he was born."

The blonde man was already a great-grandfather way before that. The thing is that he already had a great-granddaughter seven years ago but it’s only two years ago that he had his first great-grandson.

"Two years is nothing for old geezers like us. It's still a very hot topic for me."

"Only if you say so." Did you get any news from the old man, now that I think about it?"

"Nothing since "Faty Adidy's"order against that person seven years ago."

"Has the individual been found?"

"You mean you didn't even try to find him?"

"No, I don’t see why I would be looking for a man...are we even sure it’s a man?"

"Yes and that is the only thing we know about him. I also didn’t even try to look after him. I leave these kinds of work to the clergyman. I heard that Shiny head was super motivated for the task but still haven’t found the man in seven years and it was not from lack of trying."

"I see that’s sad for him," The blonde man said in a tone that made it clear that I definitely wasn’t sad at all for that man.

"Anyway, if you ever really plan to leave I would appreciate it if you let me know at least 4 or 5 months in advance. You know, for me to get ready for the amount of paperwork I’ll have to endure after your departure."

"Don't worry, Even if I decide to go home it won't be for two years."

"That's reassuring, so who takes care of it today?" With his halberd, the white-haired man pointed at the bottom hole.

"I will."

He then proceeded to put his hand right above the hole.

And a fiery ball of lava began to form just above his palm.

The ball grew bigger, Once it reached 1m of radius, he withdrew my hand from beneath it.

Once he did, the ball of lava slowly descended inside the hole.

As the ball of lava descended, it illuminated what was in the hole, and what was in it slowly began to be perceptible.

Corpses

Not human corpses, but monster corpses.

There were of all kinds from the scaly one to the furry one.

Once the ball reached the bottom, all these corpses were immediately engulfed in fire.

These corpses belonged to the magical beast that my friend and I had killed earlier in the morning here in the middle of nowhere in the monster continent.

Soon the fire began to emit a roasting smell.

"So old friend, let us go back to the place, that "I" consider to be my true home: The North fortress." said cheerfully the white-haired man, who was one of his oldest friends and colleague and also the one is known as Gunther Freshet: Thundersnow of the North, one of the Seven Paladin of the Church, one of the thirteen, him, Armand Aubrecht could qualify as his equal.