It’s been almost a week since Arlan’s first day at Lancel High Academy. He was going to return to the Reeve’s Manor for the weekend with Katalina and Marie. During the past few days, he had been attending his classes and spending time with Iris. The two were known to be inseparable.

On the second day, the evaluation results were posted and all the first-years weren’t surprised. Arlan was ranked first then Iris, Katalina, and Marie in that order. Arlan knew he would be the first-year’s rank one student. While Arlan didn’t learn much from his morning classes, his specialty electives were greatly beneficial.

Arlan was able to learn how to manipulate mana now from the Headmistress. Although casting spells isn’t possible yet, he’s able to merge his mana into his essence forming mana lanes through his body.

Instructor Dink was able to help Arlan with refining his core. He wasn't ready to break into the fifth tier yet but he’s more efficiently controlling his essence. His body is nearing the state it was at when he was Rove.

Arlan, Katalina, and Marie boarded their carriage and departed to their manor for the weekend. Other students who didn’t have this luxury would stay on campus. The young lion felt overwhelmed by the revelation found in the book. Arlan requested to send a messenger pigeon through Instructor Dink to Duke Louis. The information he had been told by Nicolas was valuable intelligence. They now knew House Kaiser was the main culprit behind the upcoming rebellion.

After arriving at the Reeve’s Manor, Knight Jocko helped the ladies of the carriage first. Arlan came out thereafter and was greeted by the Heracul Knights stationed at the manor. Knight Jocko reported to Arlan, “Welcome back, Milord. Count Emile delivered your steed, Kage, to the stable here. There are also several reports on your desk.”

“I see, I’ll also need you to send a servant to check on Jovann’s progress at the Merchant’s Union. Can you also confirm his younger brother Onas has been enrolled in the school?”

“Right away, Milord. Onas has been placed into a school under the Merchant Union’s endorsement. I will personally report to you about Jovann's progress.”

“Thank you, Jocko, see to it.”

“By your command,” replied Knight Jocko as he departed.

Arlan immediately departed for the stable. There, the young lion visited his old friend. Kage reacted to Arlan’s presence well. The two had formed a connection since the battle with the orc raiders.

After visiting with Kage, Arlan returned to his room to read over the reports sent by Count Emile. They detailed the success of the restabilization of the north and the progress of the Banner of the Claw. A letter from JD was also on his desk.

Jeanette brought Arlan tea and Helga prepared some clothes that weren't too fancy. The amenities at the manor were much different than his shared dorm room in Lancel High Academy. As the school crossed his mind, so did the thought of Iris.

During the weekend, Iris returned to the Hawkwell’s estate next to the Grand Alcazar, the Lansley’s castle. It stood on the west side of Auron City. Although the Grand Alcazar wasn’t as defensive as Highmane, it featured majestic statues and stunning elven architecture. It was House Lansley’s symbol of wealth.

Upon finishing the final report, Arlan changed into the clothes set out for him by Helga. Arlan equipped his mithril sword he missed while he was at Lancel High Academy. Students were only allowed to bring staves or wands for mana-related classes. Bladed weaponry was banned on campus.

As the young lion left through the front door of the manor, Knight Jocko reported to him, “Milord, Jovann has completed his first task.”

“Excellent, guard the manor. I won’t be returning till tomorrow,” answered Arlan as Jeanette brought forth Kage.

“We will safeguard the manor. Have safe journeys, Milord,” replied Knight Jocko as he saluted. Arlan returned his salute as well. The young lion mounted Kage and departed out the manor’s front gate.

A typical weekend in Auron City was packed with all sorts of residents and travelers. Traveling down the bustling streets on Kage wasn’t as quick as Arlan had liked.

After turning onto a street, a large establishment revealed itself to the dark stygian rider. It was the Auron City Adventurer’s Guild. Arlan decided it was time to register as an adventurer and use the weekends to hunt down bounties to improve his core.

Arlan dismounted Kage and tied him to a nearby post outside the hall. The young lion saw a multitude of different adventurers and their parties come and go. This was a stark difference from the Galdera Adventurer’s Guild.

When Arlan entered the hall, quite a few heads turned and noticed the noble entering. It was uncommon for nobles to arrive at the Adventurer’s Guild. It was more typical that they’d send a retainer or servant for official business. Nobles rarely registered as an adventurer since most had governing duties or dealt with more diplomatic issues.

This feels like I just entered a role-playing game. As expected, showing up here as a Reeve is garnering quite a bit of attention.

There were bounties and quests from both governing officials and commoners alike. The tasks varied greatly and the pay typically matched the difficulty of the task. The ability to accept a bounty or quest was based on the adventurer’s rank.

This hierarchy system prevented fresh adventurers from taking out bounties or quests that were much too difficult. Adventurers were bound to a set of rules and systems that helped prevent deaths across the profession. New adventurers typically started at F-rank or E-rank. Sometimes special cases were assigned based on the individual’s history or connections with the Adventurer’s Guild.

Adventurer’s Guild existed in most sovereign nations and remained neutral throughout conflicts. This meant adventurers had to stay out of conflicts unless they chose to sign a mercenary contract with a kingdom. But by doing so, they would forfeit all neutral protection statuses afforded by the Adventurer’s Guild. Arlan’s neutral protection status would also be revoked if House Reeve or Midland waged war.

This didn’t bother the young lion as he would only be doing this during times of peace to keep himself sharp. Arlan arrived at the desk and an elf with green hair greeted him. “Welcome young master, to the Auron City Adventurer’s Guild. How may I assist you today?” asked the elf. It was difficult to tell her age but she held an attractive figure indicating she was at least early twenties in her human years.

“I’d like to register as an official adventurer,” replied Arlan.

“Registering as an adventurer requires you to be of at least fourteen years of age. It also requires a fee of one silver or you may have this fee waived by completing a bounty or quest today. Young Master, are you aware of these requirements?” asked the elf.

“Yes. I am fourteen and I will pay the one silver fee.”

“May I have your title and full name? Proof of nobility is required.”

“Baron Arlan Reeve,” answered Arlan as he moved his collar revealing the lion’s sigil.

“Thank you, young master. Will you please hold out your hand and allow us to measure your core?” asked the elf as she held out a ruby gem. It was similar to the one in Highmane.

This again… I know for sure I’m going to catch the attention of every party leader in this hall. They’ll try to recruit me into their parties.

Arlan placed his hand on the ruby and exerted his essence to full and back. The ruby revealed what Arlan already knew. He was a fourth-tier white core. The response from the assistant elf was expected. She gasped and was at a loss for words. Quite a few onlookers began talking to their party members while pointing over at Arlan.

“Ahem,” interjected Arlan.

“Apologies, young master,” said the elf, “I was not expecting this from someone so young.”

“It’s alright. Do I pass?”

“Please pardon my rudeness. I’ll need to bring the Branch Manager. This is standard procedure for anyone who is above a second-tier core.” answered the elf as she disappeared for a few minutes. Arlan could hear even more whispers behind him. Everyone in the room ranged from first-tiers to third-tiers.

The elf assistant returned with a dwarven man. He was only a foot shorter than Arlan and sported a nice white beard. Beards in dwarven culture represented their wisdom and age. He wore a brown coat with a white tunic, typical for a branch manager. Not too wealthy and not too poor.

The dwarf introduced himself to Arlan, “Baron Arlan Reeve, eh? You must be a pupil at that fancy-schmancy school. Names Yozac Grayshaper, the Branch Manager.”

“A pleasure, Yozac. Would my enrollment disqualify me for registration?” asked Arlan.

“No, but I’m here to get a feel for yah before I hand you yer registration card.”

“Understandable, Yozac. I’ll prove my worth and move up from F-rank as fast as possible.”

“F-rank?” exclaimed Yozac, “Don’t be humble with me, young master. You’ll be assigned a C-rank. This will allow you to immediately assist with any rift dungeons.”

C-rank? That’s way higher than I expected.

“I didn’t expect special treatment because I’m a Baron,” said Arlan.

Yozac let out a hearty cackle. His voice yawped throughout the hall.

“Don’t get me wrong, boy. To me, yer nobility ain’t why. You seem capable and yer eyes tell me you lost your virginity in battle long ago.”

“You’re quite sharp for an old dwarf,” replied Arlan with a smug tone.

“Bahaha, I like you already kid. I’ll give you yer card now but only on one condition.”

“If it’s within my ability.”

“Oh, I’m sure it is. You’ll accompany the Moon Striders in search of a missing party member.”

“I can’t promise good results but I’m willing.”

“Great. I’ll notify the Moon Striders to meet you outside in a few minutes. Here’s yer card and insignia.” said Yozac as he handed Arlan a hardened card with his name and information. Yozac also gave Arlan the adventurer’s insignia similar to his lion sigil. Arlan looped it through his compass pendant. It indicated Arlan was officially a C-rank adventurer.

After a few more formalities, Arlan was finished with his registration. His fee was even waived for taking on the task. Although Arlan insisted on it, Yozac vehemently refused.

Yozac informed Arlan to return in thirty minutes as Yozac sent for the Moon Striders party. The young lion decided it was time to purchase some new armor. His gold allowance was thirty gold a month for the last three months. Including his reward money for dispatching the orcs and saving Galdera. Arlan had roughly four hundred gold to his name. It was quite a fortune he amassed.

While most of the gold was stored in his room in a locked box. He had about thirty gold coins on him. It was time he’d consider replacing his steel cuirass. The young lion mounted Kage and rode for a few minutes to the market district.

There, he spent a few minutes riding past a few different vendors but one blacksmith stood out in particular. Although he looks much older, Arlan recognized this human. It was Wren from the orphanage, aka Greenhorn.

I thought he was in Galdo City.

Arlan approached the young blacksmith who was inspecting a sword.

“Excuse me, are you Wren?” asked Arlan as the blacksmith looked up in confusion.

“Arlan?! Wow, you’re a sight for sore eyes!” exclaimed Wren as he put the sword down to shake Arlan’s hand.

“It’s only been a year and you look incredibly different!”

“Spending my days in front of a furnace changed me,” said Wren as he took a better look at Arlan, “Speaking of change, Arlan, is that a lion’s sigil and C-rank insignia? Please tell me you stole that.”

“Yes, I’m the adopted son of Duke Louis and I just registered as a C-rank adventurer,” answered Arlan as Wren’s eyes immediately widened.

Wren instantly bowed, “Milord, excuse my rudeness!”

“Get up, Wren,” answered Arlan as he lifted Wren, “Don’t sweat the formalities with me. You grew up with me in the same orphanage.”

“Arlan, I mean, Baron Arlan, Sir. I wouldn’t mind but the master blacksmith I apprentice for wouldn’t be happy with it.”

“Just call me Arlan and if he comes out, I’ll tell him it’s my idea.”

“Thanks, Arlan,” said Wren as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a cloth towel.

“Anyway, what’re you doing in Auron City? JD told me you were in Galdo City.”

“You see…” said Wren nervously, “I made a mistake by making out with the master blacksmith’s daughter in Galdo City. He kicked me out of the apprenticeship and I came here. The master blacksmith here let me on because I can forge weapons and armor almost thrice as fast as a journeyman blacksmith.”

This guy. I guess I’m not the only one with lady troubles.

“I can’t help but find your situation funny. I’m sorry.” apologized Arlan as he let out a slight giggle.

“Hey, just cause you’re a Baron now doesn’t mean you get to laugh at me, alright? Enough about me, you’ve got to tell your story and what brings you here.”

“Well, I’m kind of short on time. So I’ll catch you up another time. I’m here looking for blacksteel armor.”

“Blacksteel?” asked Wren with a puzzled look, “You know it’s incredibly heavy, right? Have you seen yourself? Even big men have a hard time wearing it.”

“I know what I’m doing,” said Arlan as he held out his coin purse, “I’ll even pay you a tip for helping me with it.”

“You should start with that next time,” said Wren greedily, “Right this way, ‘Master Lord Baron King Arlan the first.’”

“Don’t get carried away, Wren.”

The two entered the shop area from the workstations. No one was inside at the time. Wren informed Arlan that the master blacksmith was at his warehouse for a bit. They’ll have to meet next time.

Rows of armor and weapons lined the medium-sized shop. The equipment was separated based on material and make. There were a few enchanted weapons and armor throughout the store. For anyone to use enchanted equipment, the user had to have mana manipulation to some degree.

Wren led Arlan to a suit of blacksteel armor that was much smaller than all the other sets. “This armor was made for an extremely tall dwarf lord. He was from the Free Cities of Yura but was killed during a tournament there. He never arrived to claim it. Since it’s extremely small, anyone who came looking for blacksteel armor would overlook it.”

“How much?”

“The materials were provided, but that dwarf lord never came to pay for the commission. The master blacksmith has this armor listed at a whopping five gold pieces. Can you even afford that?”

“I’ll take it. The silver coins are for you,” replied Arlan as he handed Wren five gold coins and twenty silver coins. Wren’s eyes lit up and a small tear fell.

“Arlan, thank you. I never thought I’d see that much money for years.”

“Consider it an investment. I’m going to need a good blacksmith, later on, Wren. Can I count on you to finish your trade by a year?”

“Heh, are you kidding? I’m already better than most old geezers here.”

“Alright, now help me get this armor on.”

“Are you sure you can wear this? It’s four times heavier than steel.”

“Yeah, easily.”

Outside the Auron City Adventurer’s Guildhall, a band of elves had gathered. They were known as the Moon Striders, a seasoned B-rank party. There were normally five but only four had gathered. The absence of their fifth could be seen through each of the other member’s faces. They all worried if it was too late to save the fifth member.

Among the Moon Striders was an elf with tea-green hair. He was known to be hot-headed and his reputation preceded him. His frustration was visible in his constant murmuring. After mustering up some courage, he finally broke the silence.

“Castien, must we wait? Every second is potentially a second too late.” said the frustrated elf. Castien was another male elf with had charcoal black hair instead. He elegantly placed himself before his kinsfolk and reached out to the frustrated elf’s shoulder.

“Ascal,” replied Castien, “We narrowly escaped with our lives. If naught for Merith, our lives would be forfeit. We cannot rescue Merith without help. Let patience flourish within you.”

“Yes, Castien,” answered Ascal calmly, “I will reflect on my poor judgment.”

As Ascal finished his words, Yozac and a human in blacksteel armor arrived. A dark stygian followed the human close behind. The rest of the Moon Striders had been waiting for this moment. The time had finally come to rescue their fifth member.

Yozac was the first to speak, “Moon Striders, this is Arlan Reeve. He’s a freshly registered C-rank adventurer.”

“A pleasure, Arlan Reeve,” said Arlan as he bowed.

“Pardon my manners,” said Castien, “I trust you Yozac, but a neonate human, I don’t.”

“I figured you’d say that,” replied Yozac while he held a ruby gem, “Arlan, would you please?”

Arlan was almost unrecognizable in the blacksteel armor. It was gold trimmed with unique dwarven patterns. Arlan placed his palm on the ruby and it measured the young lion’s core, through the gauntlet. After the ruby displayed Arlan’s power, all doubts were cast aside.

“I am Castien, the leader of the Moon Striders. I am sincerely sorry for offending you, Master Arlan,” said Castien as he bowed.

“It’s okay, Castien. Let’s focus on getting your friend back,” replied Arlan.

“Looks like yer don’t need me no more. Good luck,” uttered Yozac as he left back inside the Guildhall.

“You and Yozac have my utmost respect and gratitude,” said Castien cordially.

“You can save that line for when we’re back here with your friend. Tell me what happened along the way.”

“Right, our horses are nearby. Let us ride for the Iron Grotto!” ordered Castien.

During the ride to the Iron Grotto, Castien introduced the other Moon Striders to Arlan and explained the situation.

“The archer back there is Ascal. His emotions move rather quickly,” said Castien as they rode on, “The priestess with us is Dilya, she’s reliable with her healing spells.”

“And the one with the daggers?” Arlan inquired, “She’s been noticeably quiet this whole time.”

“She is Lexis, a former assassin,” said Dilya with the voice of a songstress, “She won’t speak unless she has to.”

Do all elven priestesses have the voice of an angel?

“Who’s the missing one?” asked Arlan loudly as they rode onward.

“Merith, he was our vanguard. He covered our retreat but he was caved in before he could escape,” answered Dilya.

“Master Arlan,” said Ascal, “Since this is your first time, please allow me to explain. The Iron Grotto is a rift dungeon. Ever since the Cataclysm tore through the lands, remnants of corrupted mana and essence lingered in underground dungeons.”

“What can I expect?” asked Arlan.

“When corrupted mana and essence linger long enough, rifts are formed allowing dark fiends to traverse through the Dark Void. Although we can kill the dark fiends, they will spawn through the rift again.”

“Can the rifts close permanently?” asked Arlan once more.

“While no rifts have been closed yet, they can fester and dark fiends will invade the surface,” said Ascal as the words pierced Arlan’s mind.

Keeping these rifts in check is important but finding a permanent solution in the future will be necessary. I wonder if I appeared through a rift?

“So how’d Merith get separated?” inquired Arlan.

“We were on our usual route and a human-like dark fiend we had never seen before appeared. It was able to summon weaker dark fiends. We had to fall back so Merith covered our retreat. As Merith was about to run, a portion of the wall crashed down. So we ran back to Auron City for help.” stated Ascal.

“How strong are the dark fiends?” asked Arlan.

“The new one that appeared is likely at fourth-tier. But they’re usually first-tiers to third-tiers,” answered Ascal.

The Moon Striders and Arlan had finally arrived at the entrance of the Iron Grotto. A sprawling murky cave marked the entrance. It was almost noon and the fall season gloom invaded the atmosphere. Arlan followed the Moon Striders in as he drew his mithril sword.

The young lion knew this was his first battle in the new blacksteel armor. His movements would be slower but the darksteel protection could prevent fatal injuries. The trade-off was worth every single coin invested.

Arlan wasn’t familiar with the layout and trusted Castien to lead them through the dungeon. If they encountered dark fiends, Arlan would fill the frontline position. Several bright fungi lit the dark cave. Dilya would cast an occasional illumination spell whenever it got dark.

After ten minutes of descending the cave, Arlan’s [Battle Trance] picked up signatures of corrupted mana. There were also faint traces of corrupted mana constantly manifesting all around the signatures.

Dark fiends ahead, they’re all second-tiers. We can dispatch them quite easily.

Arlan notified Castien that there would be dark fiends in the next room around the corner. The Moon Striders were confused on how Arlan was able to know this without casting [Detect]. The warrior clad in blacksteel didn’t have enough mana to cast such a spell anyway. But they all decided to trust his word.

They rounded the corner with weapons drawn and revenge on their mind. The Moon Striders were impressed that Arlan’s predictions were correct. But their confidence in him would multiply after this battle.

The young lion was first to act by enhancing himself with essence and charging the enemy line. Arlan activated [Automatic Parry] allowing him to defend himself quite easily against the three dark fiends.

These diabolic creatures were nothing Arlan had seen before. They were propped up to five feet by a pair of disgusting skeletal legs. These legs were shrouded in bits of smoky dark flesh. It was neither alive nor dead.

The body was blocked off by a mutation of cultist armor and skin. The four stretched and malnourished arms extended out from the diagonal corners of the thorax. Each with a foot-long blade dark blade.

It had the head of a goat with distinct human-like features that would make you question your insanity. Two horns pointed outward from the sides of the head. A large lizard-like tail complemented the grotesque creatures.

What the fuck am I looking at?

Arlan wasn’t exactly scared but disgust and morbid curiosity overtook his mind.

How are these things even alive?

The three dark fiends were now aware of the approaching blacksteel clad warrior. The dark fiends responded by preparing their claws to strike the threat. They showed no signs of morale or fear. Even when Arlan let out his murderous aura, it had no effect. These dark fiends were unaffected and would likely fight to the death. The dark fiend’s fanaticism would amplify their ferocity.

Right as Arlan was in melee, an arrow slithered past his head and struck the dark fiend. The arrow was fired by Ascal which severed two claws. Right behind Arlanweres both Castien and Lexis.

Bloody red eyes were fixated on Arlan as they began to strike into Arlan’s parries. No attacks would pierce Arlan while Lexis blinked behind the dark fiend in front of Arlan and quickly drove two sharp daggers into its back. Once again, not a single cry of pain was heard. The dark fiend dropped dead.

Castien used the numerical advantage to flank the dark fiend to Arlan’s left. The bold elven leader wielded a two-handed elven blade. It soared through the air horizontally to behead the dark fiend on the left. Only the one with two severed claws remained as it continued stabbing at Arlan.

The young lion saw an opening and horizontally sliced the dark fiend in two. Castien noticed Arlan’s ability to remain calm under pressure but chose not to ask about it. After seeing the young lion in action, the Moon Striders had no doubts anymore. Their confidence rose in him quite a bit.

The dark fiend corpses began to evaporate but each left behind a small purple crystal. Castien gathered them and the party continued its advance through the dingy cavern. As they advanced through numerous paths and dark corridors, they would encounter dark fiends throughout the area. Dispatching them wasn’t difficult but they could deal serious damage if taken lightly.

The party reached a cobblestone corridor that led to their original position where they were originally ambushed. An ancient labyrinth resided inside the Iron Grotto, it housed even more corrupted mana than before.

“This is where it happened,” said Dilya, “The ambush, we should look for Merith and see if he’s around.”

Arlan started his search using [Battle Trance] he picked up faint traces of essence intertwined with uncorrupted mana on the other side of the crumbled wall. Merith was likely under the collapsed tunnel.

“Over here!” exclaimed Arlan, “I can feel the faint presence of someone under the rubble.”

“Everyone help Arlan with the rubble,” Castien ordered hastily, “Ascal, you cover our rear.” The Moon Striders spared no time in following their leader’s orders. They began moving the rubble with caution. Moving rubble could potentially cause another collapse so strategically removing them was ideal.

As Arlan picked up another rock in the Iron Grotto, his mind transported him to a painful memory back on Terra. His blacksteel armor was replaced by his modern Astrium Power Suit, aka the APS. Astrium was a metal found on Terra that was incredibly dense but light enough to allow proper movements.

What is this? Why am I back here? I can’t control my movements.

Arlan was reliving the memory somehow. A constant cry for help was being uttered under the rubble. This time, the rubble was concrete and steel wiring. The general dug harder and harder as the cries got closer. It was a soldier in a black and gray APS.

Rove immediately lifted his fallen brother out of the rubble and laid him comfortably on the ground. The soldier was only hanging on to his life by a thread. Both of his legs were missing up to his thighs and his left arm was completely severed. The soldier was a shell of his former self.

No tears could be had from Rove. The drugs regulated him from crying but they didn’t stop his heart from breaking. The two soldiers didn’t exchange any words. They simply acknowledged each other signifying that they had accomplished their objectives.

The soldier had a logo on his chest armor with three letters, “RNG'' which signified he belonged to the Renegades. Another Terran Federation military unit that was similar to Rove’s Te’Vau. Rove held onto the fallen soldier until his life faded away in peace.

A beautiful orange sun had started setting, ironically over the aftermath of a chaotic battle. The fallen soldier’s helmet remained in the rubble. On the side of the helmet was his call sign, “Boliath.”

Rove merely blinked and he was back in the Iron Grotto. He was no longer Rove in his APS but was Arlan in his blacksteel armor. Tears fell from his eyes as he lifted more of the rubble.

It was too dark for any of the Moon Striders to notice the tears falling from Arlan’s face but the young lion wiped them away as he understood the importance of trying to help them rescue their friend. Now was not the time for Arlan to think of himself.

Finally, after a minute of traversing through the rubble, another elf clad in armor was hurt but not too badly. It was Merith. Dilya immediately began casting her healing spells while Castien and Arlan lifted Merith out of the rubble. Merith was unconscious so they couldn’t wake him up. Dilya finished her healing spells and most of Merith’s wounds were closed up. But it wasn’t going to wake him up.

It took both Castien and Dilya to lift Merith out and carry him. Lexis, Ascal, and Arlan would cover their retreat out of the Iron Grotto. No dark fiends were left. The dark fiends were likely on the other side.

As they reached the cavern where they had initially fought the first set of dark fiends, Arlan’s [Battle Trance] picked up something frightening. It was a massive amount of corrupted mana intertwined with essence. It was a seventh-tier red core dark fiend.

“Stop everyone,” uttered Arlan, “There’s a seventh-tier dark fiend up ahead.”

“Preposterous, how do you know this?” asked Ascal.

“I have an ability that lets me sense essence and mana up to two hundred meters away,” answered Arlan, “And there’s something in that next cavern, waiting for us,”

“What should we do?” inquired Dilya as she began to nervously worry.

Castien paused for a moment and continued to think.

There’s no way I could directly engage with something that’s beyond my capabilities. The Moon Striders were all third-tiers and with our combined might, we may beat this thing but with casualties. There’s only one way to escape the Iron Grotto. We’d have to distract it long enough to escape. But would it follow us out?

“Ascal, would it follow us to the surface?” asked Arlan.

“Dark fiends only invade the surface when enough corrupted mana has gathered. But that’s with the weaker dark fiends,” answered Ascal, “If it’s the same one that ambushed us, then we do not know this creature well enough to make that assumption.”

Arlan presented his only idea, “Our only chance is if I can distract it long enough for you all to escape,”

The Moon Striders had mixed reactions. Dilya and Castien were against the idea while Ascal agreed. Lexis remained silent and showed no emotion.

“Arlan is right,” said Ascal, “He’s proven a capable fighter and the best one to hold off that devil of a creature. We have to escape.”

Castien and Dilya finally gave in and listened to Arlan explain his plan to the Moon Striders.

Several minutes had passed by and Arlan was already fully enhanced with essence. He was the first to round the corner. His speed was glaringly fast despite wearing blacksteel armor. The dark fiend before him had very stark differences from the dark fiends before. This one held more humanoid-like features and was a lot more sentient.

Arlan’s mithril longsword was at the ready as he dashed past the dark fiend with a horizontally slash. An ear-splitting metal clang echoed through the cavern. The dark fiend had riposted the attack with ease. A soul-piercing voice followed the attack.

“Ah, so you are my opponent?” murmured the dark fiend.

It can fucking talk?!

“What are you and what do you want?” asked Arlan.

“I am Soketh, a Naraka Lord of the Dark Void. I want to bring forth Gehenna. Would you be a dear and join me in that venture?”

“I’m afraid that’s a hard question to answer right away. May I return in a few days to answer you?”

“Oh, dearest. I don’t think that’ll please Gehenna. You can either come willingly or I’ll sever that head of yours.”

Ever since Arlan arrived on Althea, not a single soul or entity has ever sent a cold chill down his spine until now. Arlan knew Soketh was stronger by a lot. Which meant Soketh’s threat was no empty promise.

Soketh held out his dark lavender hand and a blade manifested itself in his palm. Four dark fiends emerged from the ground around Soketh. Arlan could tell Soketh wasn’t able to detect the Moon Striders sneaking by. This meant that the Naraka Lord lacked any ability to amplify his situational awareness like Arlan’s.

The young lion knew the only way to buy time was to aggressively cross blades with his enemy and keep them on the defensive. Arlan started by crossing toward the left flank to address the two weaker dark fiends. He used [Trifecta] to easily cleave the two dark fiends in half.

After landing on his feet, a dark fiend’s claws lashed at Arlan as he deflected each attack with [Automatic Parry]. Soketh made his move when he thought Arlan was distracted. The young lion expected Soketh to make this attack.

So in turn, Arlan leaped back a few meters and thrust his blade toward what was thin air at the time. Arlan’s mithril longsword was riposted by Soketh’s attack. The two began their bladed dance. The Moon Striders had made it safely past the cavern.

The young lion was expending essence at an alarming rate to keep [Automatic Parry] up. Arlan had never experienced such ferocity and force behind each swing.

The speed at which these deadly weapons collided increased after every blow. Arlan was barely keeping up while Soketh was merely toying with Arlan. Soketh playfully landed a strike into Arlan’s lower abdomen. The blacksteel armor absorbed most of the damage. But Arlan’s [Automatic Parry] faded from the lack of essence. Arlan was now completely drained.

The strike sent Arlan flying across the cavern with a dent in his armor. While the blade never made it past his armor, the concussive force had ruptured his body. The internal bleeding and trauma forced Arlan to spit up the excess blood.

“You’re quite strong for such a young human. What did you say your name was, boy?”

I just need to keep him busy long enough so I can gather my essence and retreat.

“Arlan Reeve.”

“You are quite the specimen, Arlan Reeve. I’ve killed many of your kind in the past, you’ve fought like the best have but it did not matter, they all eventually succumbed to my blade.”

“How long ago?”

“I’ve been challenged here numerous times over a few millennia.”

“I see, have you ever fought one known as the Ashra?” asked Arlan.

A slight pause overtook the Naraka Lord. His playful expression dramatically left.

“How do you know of the Ashra? Is he still alive? He is a savant among you human mortals, do not speak ill will of him.”

I may get information out of this as well.

“A demon had once referred to me as the Ashra.”

“You? The Ashra? Are you from another world?”

“I guess you can say that.”

Soketh closed his eyes and lowered his blade. A silent minute had passed and Arlan had invigorated himself enough to reactivate [Automatic Parry]. The young lion readied himself for another bout.

“The demon was correct. Leave now, Ashra. Return to me when you’ve fully awakened.”

“What is the Ashra? Why was I brought here to Althea?!”

“The demons attempted to summon the most dangerous weapon from your world. You are that weapon. Your power was meant to destroy Althea. Instead, the demons followed your will and accepted peace with the other races.”

“You speak as if that was me. I don’t get it, I have no memories of that happening.”

“In time, Arlan Reeve. You will understand more of your purpose. The Ashra will either bring forth the destruction of Althea or usher in a new age of peace. Leave now and return here when you’ve awakened so we may properly fight. I owe that much to you.”

“Thank you, Soketh,” said Arlan as he acknowledged this dangerous foe. He had almost lost to Soketh.

The young lion wasn’t mortally wounded but was hurt badly due to the rupture on his inside. The internal bleeding would be detrimental if not treated in time. As he made his way to the surface, Ascal and Lexis were waiting for him.

They immediately ran to him to see if he was okay.

“It was a Naraka Lord,” said Arlan as he grabbed his side and mounted Kage.

“Impossible, there has never been anyone who fought a Naraka Lord and lived,” exclaimed Ascal. Lexis nodded in agreement as her eyes were fixated on Arlan’s statement.

“He let me go for some reason,” stated Arlan as they rode back for Auron City. Dilya and Castien had ventured ahead to get Merith back to town immediately. The trio rode for minutes and arrived back at the Adventurer’s Guildhall and a healer from a nearby party rushed over to Arlan and began to heal him. The young lion was barely conscious.

Arlan was helped down to a couch as Yozac rushed down the stairs. Ascal filled Yozac in on what had happened and Arlan gave his accounts of what happened with the Naraka Lord, except he left out the Ashra and how the Naraka Lord let him go.

As more questions came in, Arlan finally succumbed from the fatigue of overexerting his body and the pain from his side. He was finally unconscious.

“Arlan is no ordinary boy, is he?” asked Ascal.

“No, he’s not. Take him upstairs to a room,” said Yozac. It was barely three in the afternoon and the Moon Striders had rescued one of their own with the help of Arlan Reeve.