Meanwhile, back on Earth.

"The revolutionary leap in technology was developed by Vibrant Solutions in association with Vibrant Entertainment. According to Miss Lucy Kollin, the lead developer, the inspiration for such a breathtaking achievement was from a dream she had about the universal steady-state theory."

"The scientific world has coined the word elliptical universe to Miss Lucy's hypothesis to the working of the world. According to a lead scientist from NSA, the new hypothesis could be used to solve many questions about the origins of the universe."

"Miss Lucy could potentially change how the humans see the world. Lucy has joined us from the Manhattan studio."

"Welcome to CCB Morning News Miss Lucy Kollin. I'm Katie Richards from Morning News. How are you doing lately? It must have been extremely busy with worth. Thank you for putting some time aside for us."

"I'm excited to be here. Thank you, Katie."

"The reports from the scientific journal says your inventions are groundbreaking. What is the future of Vibrant Solutions according to your vision?" (Katie)

"Well, the Vibrant Solution is a studio established with a pledge to develop the entertainment industry and since we have already received the green flag from the commission, we plan to further develop the AI as well as the infrastructure to reach a global level." (Lucy)

"How safe is the AI? There are countless activists across the world screaming doomsday crisis with riots against approval right back home in Manhattan." (Katie)

"Yes, there is. It was very hard to reach the CCB studio with the riots ongoing. To those that are scared, rest assured the AI has gone through countless testing processes and has deemed non-hostile towards humans. There won't be any issue coming up from the technology part as well." (Lucy)

"I heard the reasoning behind developing the technology was for your latest game launching soon. Will we see the AI in action by then." (Katie)

"Since we already received the approval to release within the country, the studio plans to incorporate the be technology. We aren't sure how much further we'll go but by the time we gain approval from the other governments, we should be able to completely incorporate the technology. You can look up the details on the official website." (Lucy)

"What was the biggest motivation to develop and create such a miracle?"

"The biggest motivation was… my son. He had been stuck in a coma for almost two months due to cerebral cortex damage. I think this might be a way for us to come together as a family once more. (Lucy)

"Thank you so much for coming, Miss Lucy. We hope you can implement the tech faster. I highly await its arrival in the market."

"Thank you for having me, Katie."

*****

Back home on Gana, Henry was busy learning new brewing techniques from Silvy. It seems Silvy became active again with Henry coming back to the campus.

"Mistress, do you know a half-elf called Nora?"

"Nora? Yes, I sent her over to you." Silvy put the journal in her hands down and kept staring at Henry. "I wanted to know if you would stick with us. You had talent, so I wanted to give you a way out."

"Why? Im happy here. Even if there is nothing more for me to learn from here, I would still love to stay. At least I should complete my school life before I venture out, shouldn't I?".

"Who said there isn't anything more for you to learn here? Brat, aren't you learning new brewing methods from me right now?"

Hearing the sudden burst from Silvy, Henry stood silent scratching his head.

"What is it? Why are you behaving like an idiot?"

"Well, I was just practising. I already learned it from your old journal." Henry's sly smile caused Silvy's blood to boil.

"You still have that dairy?" Cooling down a little she said, "Practices are part of learning as well. No one becomes an expert overnight." She turned her head and looked at the kid and shook her head in defiance. Henry used his crystals and had reached the peak of the Prophet tier thanks to the system. "You are the only exception."

She left Henry by the brewing pot and walked back to her cupboard. "I have something for you." She took out a compass and returned to Henry's side.

"This is a compass of opportunities." Silly held the compass in her hand with the utmost respect. "Something that my teacher passed on to me." Her lips parted with a gentle smile. "I want…"

"Ding! An artefact's aura is detected. Absorbing and assimilating ability, 'opportune'. System Radar upgraded.'''

'An artefact?' Henry looked at the compass in Silvy's hands. It looked exactly like any other compass except for the wear over time. Henry tried to concentrate back on what Silvy was speaking but it seemed she was finishing up.

"...the covenant's ancestors buried their inheritance. The compass should help you find or that's suitable for you." Silvy suddenly grabbed his shoulders and looked squarely into his eyes. "Be careful when you wander outside the protected fields. Always be on your guard." After a quick hug, Silvy suddenly returned to her colder demeanour. "That's enough for today." Walking back to her desk she sat down going through some papers. Due to the sudden influx of income, Silvy had become busy recruiting new tutors.

Henry went back to the dorm with a compass in his hands. It wouldn't be polite to return the gift this early after all. On his way back, he checked the notice board for any new tutors that could help him, but there weren't any powerful mages amongst them.

Ever since the talent showcase, no one bothered Henry and he was allowed freedom beyond that even the tutors could enjoy. Considering his current position as a peak fire prophet, there weren't many on the campus that could cross him. Unlike before, the system mission didn't trigger for the next upgrade which meant e to fork over a huge dal of crystals to increase his soul strength as well to the peak prophet tier.

Walking back into his empty dorm, Henry looked into his system radar and noticed a few faint marks around the school. 'Opportunities?' The dots were almost invisible making Henry reluctant to check it out. The compass in his hand flicked often letting him sigh in relief. He wouldn't know how to face Miss Silvy had it been broken seeing how careful she was handling the thing.

The dorm room was empty but Henry went out to the higher forest. He used the most he could of his freedom as he kept looking for stronger monsters to hunt. As he looked through, countless small and medium dots became visible across the radar showing new opportunities that he had missed in his previous hunts. The compass on him pointed deeper into the forest to a zone that was well beyond his capabilities as a peak prophet. Disappointed, he returned to his dorm where his two friends were trying to learn silent chanting. Since they had been stuck at the peak mortal tier, they had diverted their attention to comprehending silent chants. If one had to become a magic enforcer, silent chants were one of the basic requirements. And the two seemed to share the same dream.

"You're here." Noah saw Henry walk in. To his side, even with her eyes wide open, Aster seemed to be in a deep trance.

"A breakthrough?"

"Shhh!" Noah glared his eyes at Henry for his stupidity. For Henry who had never undergone the effects, this seemed a little silly. But of course, he didn't have the guts to say it openly. He knew not even Silvy could help him if the entire school wants him dead. Seeing Aster in a trance and Noah almost ready to bite his head off, all Henry could do was silently wait for Aster to wake up.

The space around Aster slowly rose in temperature. The two boys walked further back to make sure their presence didn't interfere. Unlike Henry's lazy eyes glancing over the entire ordeal, Noah's was filled with passion. To see someone undergo a breakthrough was indeed nerve-wracking for someone who was expecting to face the same. Make or break, it all depended on one's persistence and sometimes dumb luck.

The increasing temperature suddenly stopped jerking Henry out of his boredom. Noah's scared look Henry could tell something didn't go as expected.

"Did she?" Henry came a little closer.

"No...not yet. It's…" Noah kept staring at the Aster's skin on which one could see faint traces of a white layer. "Frostbite?" Noah kept watching her and slowly his eyes shifted from scared to excited. "It's a deviation…"

"Deviation?" To Henry who grew up on earth reading stories of cultivators and martial artists, the deviation was a scary concept. But looking at the excitement in Noah's eyes maybe it wasn't as bad?

Hearing the confusion in Henry's voice, Noah turned around and looked at him. "She will be alright. Looks like she succeeded." As if hearing preplanned, Aster's eyes blinked returning to life. Without bothering to look at the two boys watching her, she stretched her palm out and manipulated the mana around her. A small fire sprouted dancing on her palm. Unlike the usual red flames, this one was white giving off a much more dignified aura. Slowly her mouth curved up a little satisfied with the results. She quickly exhausted the flames since she had yet to test the flame out.

"White flames?" Noah looked at the girl sitting cross-legged on his bed but the eyes turned from excitement to astonishment.

Henry looked at the silent exchange between the two puzzled. It couldn't be helped since he avoided most of the theory lectures. To him, they were pointless considering how weak those scholars were.

Looking at Henry who was out of the loop, they both laughed. The cheerful laugh elevated the mood in the room. Since it had yet to be time for curfew, the three walked out to the training yard to test out the new mutant.

"I bet I can fight you off now." Aster was extremely pleased with herself and started taunting Henry.

"Oh really?" Henry hadn't disclosed his identity as a peak prophet yet. No matter how powerful her new element was, Aster still was only a newborn prophet. Noah could only sit back and watch the two banter. He suddenly felt a little shame in his heart.

"Well, are you gonna tell me what that element of yours is?

"Sure, beat me first," Aster screamed playfully, getting ready for a training duel.

"You sure? I'm not that weak you know. I had been training myself as well."

"It's not that simple. Her elements mutated. Ordinary base elements are at a disadvantage when fighting a mutant element mage. Even if it's a low mutant element user, they could catch up and fight evenly against top experts in the same tier." Noah tried to explain seeing Henry's confusion.

'Too bad I'm not top grade.' Henry still decided to shallow defeat, letting Aster enjoy her breakthrough.

The best way for any mage to get accustomed to their power was through training matches.

"You ready? Here I come." Aster grinned. Looking at her Henry could only see a little girl excited to show off her new doll.

Henry's smile lingered as he waited for her to start attacking.

"Not going to use earth defence?" Aster asked. "Don't blame me if you get hurt." Aster shot off a fireball, only it was white and a little slower than normal fireballs. Looking at the spell's speed Henry guessed she was trying to scare him with its power. Henry too was curious, so…

Stretching his hands he went ahead and tried grabbing the white flames.

"You idiot!!!" A scream erupted from the other side, as Aster rushed up to Henry. Noah who was sitting down looking forward to a good fight reacted a little slow but still got up and ran towards his friends.

Henry was stunned. The flames weren't hot at all. Instead, they were extremely cold. He felt his body heat being absorbed by the flame rapidly. 'What the…' He immediately started raising the temperature around trying to mediate the loss but the white flame kept becoming bigger and cooler the more heat is absorbed. With no other choice, he immediately used earth defence to cut off the air around. But the flame didn't go out immediately. It kept at it for a few more seconds trying to suck in a little bit more before it went out.

"Seriously, what in hell is your element?" Henry stared at Aster with a puzzled heart. A peak prophet's body couldn't handle a newborn prophets spell.

Seeing the startled look in Henry's eyes, Noah finally gave in. "It's frigid fire. Instead of emitting heat, it absorbs it. Completely."

Aster raised her chin in pride. A mutation was very rare, even rarer than Henry's four-element affinity. Mutated elements didn't always mean they are superior but the frigid fire was superior to its two base elements, fire and water. Hearing the composition, Henry was confused. Where did the water come from? This was puzzling to Noah as well.

"Well, looks like you are alright. Wanna go on a little more?" Aster was excited. Since Henry wasn't harmed much, he would be perfect for a training dummy. Seeing the eager look on Aster's face, Henry couldn't say no either. Soon they resumed. Henry was forced to lower his power so that Aster wouldn't feel the pressure which was much harder when maintaining for a long time. 'It's alright. I'll just treat it as a practice.' After a few ten minutes of sweat drenching practice duals, the two settled down on the floor to take a break. Noah approached the two making it a party.

"You were holding back, weren't you?" Aster suddenly asked Henry. It seems that she figured out his strength in the battle.

"A little, yes."

"Seriously? It's only been four months since you broke through. You're already a peak prophet? How are we even supposed to catch up?" Aster was a little surprised but it was within expectation. Since he already had a massive growth rate, it was possible to understand this growth considering he was a beastman. Beastmen grew up faster compared to pure humans. As a downside, they turned old faster as well. They also had a shorter life span balancing their superior growth rate. That was for ordinary mortals. The higher one's strength rises, the longer his lifespan expands.

The tired duo and the third wheel walked back to the dorm room.

"By the way, I received an item from Miss Silvy. It's supposed to help find treasures. Wanna go out and check?"

"From Miss Silvy? Is that why you always suck up to her?" (Aster)

"There are rumours you know. You should be careful." (Noah)

"Rumours? What rumours?" (Henry)

"You know that kind of rumours when you spend a lot of time together."

"I think she might be into you. Be careful. Ok."

"Really?" Henry felt something funny in his stomach but he could digress. After all, he did spend a considerable time with her. 'But seriously, isn't she a little too old? Looks like people like to gossip no matter which world.'

Seeing Henry's sly smile, Noah felt worried. He had to ask, "There isn't anything happening, is there?"

Seeing Noah all worked up, Henry couldn't suppress his laughter. "No, I'm just trying to get better at alchemy. But you didn't say. Wanna go check out the artefact?"

"Sure, if it's from her it's bound to be good."

"Ok, I have nothing better to do either."

Since it was almost curfew time, they had to postpone the exploration to another afternoon.

*****

"Are you sure this is okay?" Henry used his prestige and dragged the two with him into the inner forest. Aster was thrilled by the adventure, but Noah was scared. The inner forest was deadly for anyone below prophets. The beasts roaming the area were powerful and extremely territorial. It wasn't just beasts, one had to always be aware of stray projectiles from other students as well. A prophet would have enough strength to protect himself but that wasn't the case for a moral.

"Anything yet?" Aster was eager to find something whether it be monsters to kill or treasures to be dug. It seemed she was still running on the extra adrenaline from her breakthrough.

"Nothing yet. The place is empty as well." What else could he say? The things that his system picked up were often intangible.

"You sure that thing is working? Maybe she is playing a prank on you."

"We did find a few treasured herbs. Maybe it was something we weren't meant to receive."

"How long are you two planning to roam around here? Since there is nothing let's move."

"Oh stop being a wuss. So, where to now?"

Henry looked at his compass. "East."

"Ok, let's go."

Henry made the two take a longer path. Countless notifications were going off but Henry's eyes were focused on a single point in the map. This one place had a deep red colouration which meant something major was hidden there.

"Do you feel it?" Aster slowed down sensing the increase in elements around.

"Yes, it must be something powerful." Henry was excited as well. So far all he could find were mediocre items or cash bags that were dropped by people. The feel of finding a genuine treasure was exhilarating.

"Are you sure it's safe?" There was concern written all over Noah's face. The strong presence of elements started getting him on his nerves. "What if it's a powerful beast?" His face turned pale as his imagination ran wild.

"Probably not, a beast this strong wouldn't be set free this close to the campus." Henry kept walking forward. Since he knew the precise location, he wasn't worried about it being a beast. Even if it was one, Henry was sure it must be a docile fellow. A beast this powerful should be able to sense their presence this close.

The thickening elements started getting to Aster as she too faltered. The heavier it got the harder it was for the other two to walk. "Maybe we should come back later," Aster said looking at her friend who was perspiring heavily.

"We are here." Henry walked through a heavy thicket entering a small pasture. The three saw a tree in the middle of the clearing. Its mighty branches towered over the rest of the forest. On top of it was a little hut made of grass straws and broken branches. The canopy was too thick for sunlight to penetrate through. On one of the branches, the trio saw a girl reading a book sitting on the branch. The three sucked their saliva in as they kept staring at a girl that doesn't… no shouldn't exist in this world. "A… dark elf?"

The elf turned her head sharply looking at the trio walking back tiptoeing out the clearing. The penetrating look made them stop. 'Of course, a beast this strong should be able to detect our presence.' Henry recalled what he said to Aster just a few seconds ago. The three lost all calmness as suddenly a magic circle appeared below them. "By the gods!" He heard Noah pray just before losing consciousness.

*****

"Wake up, wake up Henry!" A soft hand kept pushing Henry as she slowly regained consciousness.

"Aster? What happened? Where is Noah?" Sitting up, Henry's head still hurt from hitting the floor before. "Where are we?" Looking around the place Henry had a feeling he knew the place. "Where is the elf?" He kept looking around puzzled.

"Looking for me?" A sudden blue light brightened the room making it harder to see. Through his clenched fingers, Henry saw the dark elf's body appearing out from thin air.

"Let me guess, Sil gave you that compass, didn't she?" Without waiting for an answer she continued. "Well, you weren't supposed to bring others around. Did she forget to tell you that?" Dark elves had an extremely long life span and from the way this one spoke, it seemed she was on friendly terms with Miss Silvy.

"She did. But I just thought to bring them along. I wasn't expecting to find an elf on campus grounds." Henry sat back up trying to regain what courage he had. He had a little fairer attitude towards the dark elf even though the entire world seems to hate them. Maybe it was his Earthen feelings that made him a lot less guarded against this ancient existence.

"It seems you aren't as afraid as the other boy. He seems to be too scared to get up and face me." Henry finally saw Noah rolled up on the corner like a rug. He couldn't help but smile a little seeing his failed attempt to try and seem unconscious. Without bothering with the others, The elf continued.

"A peak prophet fire mage? That too at such a young age?" She looked at the budding horn on Henry's head curiously. "I thought the covenant was deteriorating. How did they manage to pull a genius like you in? Your friends seem to have a little potential too. Well, it doesn't matter nevertheless. Where is the compass?"

The elf extended her hands looking at Henry. From his spatial ring, Henry took out the compass extending it out for her to grab.

"Well, I'll open the gate then. I've never sent a trio inside. I hope it doesn't cause any trouble." She checked the compass and started fidgeting it around between her fingers.

The elf walked back to the corner of the room. "You should help your friend up. Get ready to enter the inheritance zone."

"Inheritance?" Aster, who was quiet until now whispered in disbelief.

"Inheritance? What inheritance?" Henry too felt a little worried. If it was a trial he was confident he could fight and win. But he wasn't alone. Putting his friends in danger didn't taste right to him.

"The place is called the covenant's hall. You should be fine. It's a place where the ancient ones choose their successor. You know the covenant had 36 witches who reached the Ruler stage. It's said their souls still linger around trying to find the rightful successor to pass their will. Silvy was the last one to enter the hall." After a quick smile, she turned her dark porcelain head over facing the wall and chanting in a foreign language.

'''Ding! Ancient Language of the elves detected. Would you like to learn the language?'''

'I don't mind.' Something quite unexpected!

'''Ding! 1000 elemental crystals consumed. Recording complete. Comprehension: 0.006%. Reach comprehension rate of 70% to use the ancient language of the elves.'''

'Of course!' There was a sour taste in his mouth seeing the lost crystals. As he was trying to find a way to comfort himself a hidden door appeared on the wall. The dark elf pricked her figures and smeared a little of her blood on the door. With a cranking noise, the door slowly opened.

"I guess I should wish you good luck. There shouldn't be anything down there but keep your guard up in any case. No one's been down there for the past 500 years." The elf walked back and sat on a high chair picking up the book which she was reading.

"Shall we?" Henry walked to the door and stepped in. He invoked Iron body. 'Just in case.'

*****