Ali walked out of the tent with Kynari and the rest of the elders. They stopped before the crowd of Demi-humans, who waited for an explanation of what was happening.
Ali didn't say a word as Kynari told them the details of the deal and the benefits Ali guaranteed. Many complained and showed discontent, but in the end, they had to follow the priestess's decision.
Ali didn't give a grand speech or say much at all — he didn't feel the need to. Instead, he stepped out and walked to the centre of the camp, where he snapped his fingers and a giant metal rod appeared above him, shocking all the Demi-humans, who stepped back in fear of the strange beam of metal.
"What is that?" Liza asked aloud as they all watched Ali wave his hand down. The beam drove itself into the soil until its base was held firmly in the ground. That's when things turned even stranger for the Demi-humans — the beam suddenly transformed, blue lights shining all over it, small satellites expanding from its frame, and multiple smaller metal rods extending into the sky.
This was an amplifier for Miles, but different from the others. This one had a small speaker at the base where someone could communicate with Miles directly.
"This is a device that will survey your surroundings constantly and help protect the camp at all times. It also serves as communication for all of you. Anyone who has a question can walk up to it and simply press their hand here…" Ali said aloud, placing his palm on a handprint.
"Yes, my lord?" a robotic voice came from the beam.
All of them were surprised by the magical beam and curious about how such a thing even worked — some even grew more afraid of humanity's power.
"Anyone want to try?" Ali asked for a volunteer, but the crowd hesitated.
"I'll try," Liza stepped up from behind Ali and approached the beam. She placed her palm where Ali showed her and asked, "Where is the nearest sea?"
Kynari shook her head at the question. Everyone knew how obsessed Liza was with exploring the world outside the forest and going on a grand adventure.
"West. If you wish to reach the sea, then you would have to travel west, but there is a mountain range blocking the path. You would need to travel north through the southern dukedom, then through the western dukedom before reaching the sea," the robotic voice responded.
"Wow, it can actually speak," Liza said, before rattling off question after question about the continent's geography.
"Well then, I'm leaving and will be unavailable for a number of days. If you need anything, just do what Liza is doing," Ali told Kynari.
"You are welcome in the camp anytime, Lord Ali," Kynari said with a smile. She had recovered from the shock of what Ali had asked of her.
"I hope you'll have an answer for me when I return, pretty fox," Ali said, making her blush as he turned around, his coat fluttering in the air.
Ali then launched from the ground into the air. Everyone looked up to see a huge red dragon diving from the clouds. Ali landed on its back, with Eldora chasing behind Abeloth as they flew back above the clouds.
"The dragons were real…" an elder said as they watched the shadows vanish into the clouds.
In the capital of the Kingdom, on the balcony of a fancy mansion, Mateo stood with another player. This player wore a black tuxedo and an upside-down clown mask with blood tears running from the flipped-around eyes.
"This will work?" Mateo asked, holding a card in his hand — a playing card with the image of a human kneeling with hands raised toward the sky in what looked like a prayer.
"Of course, Lightning Boy. All my cards work."
Mateo looked up at the clown after hearing the mockery but didn't bite back. He knew this man wasn't to be messed with. 'He gives off the same vibe as a supervisor, but my brother recommended him…' Mateo thought, sending the card into his inventory.
"I don't recommend using it though — especially by a discarded apostle like you…" the clown said.
This time, Mateo couldn't hold back. His eyes turned to pure lightning as electricity covered his body, burning the wooden balcony rails.
"Hah aha aha… it would be so beautiful to see… hahahahaha," the clown laughed, turning away and leaving the balcony to rejoin the lords partying inside.
'Discarded… Fuck you… FUCK THIS', Mateo thought, eyes returning to normal. He gripped the burnt wood, ignoring the sting in his palms as he cursed silently. That really triggered him.
Two days later, in Ali's land, Obidos was full of life. Men walked to work with smiles, younger merchants took over the shops of executed merchants, and Fiona and Oliver worked hard to restore stability — though much work remained.
At the academy, trainees paused their training to watch a spar between one of their new teachers, a mad barbarian named Thorgar. He beat them black and blue every time they trained with him, but they learned to fight dirty and gained the experience of brutal, close combat.
Today, Thorgar was fighting a new recruit who had picked up the sword only three days ago — the freak Loyd, a monster among trainees.
Loyd picked up everything quickly. In just three days, he had already become a second-level aura user, with Cassian teaching him high-level martial arts. Right now, he was fighting Thorgar on equal ground, both using second-level aura. Thorgar was holding back to keep things fair, but he was impressed — until he threw dirt into the air, blinding Loyd. The young man jumped back, but Thorgar was faster, grappling him to the ground and pressing his axe to Loyd's neck.
"DEAD," Thorgar said, drawing blood as always.
"Thanks for the spar, teacher," Loyd said, standing and bowing. The barbarian waved him away to join the rest of the trainees under Malcom.
"He's a fucking monster. He's picking up my style fast, and his aura circulation is already refined," Cassian said, leaning against the castle wall.
"Agreed. He's learned some of my tricks too and keeps asking me to spar," Thorgar replied with a grin. He liked the boy's fighting spirit.
"He trains with me in the morning. He's matching my routine — with lower weights," Elden said, shocking the other two. They knew how monstrous Elden's physical training was, regardless of the weights.
"It looks like Lord Ali has acquired another powerhouse with this kid," Cassian said.
"I can't wait to bathe in the blood of that viscount. That bastard shouted at me once three years ago. I didn't forget…" Thorgar said with a bloodthirsty smile.
'That guy is strong too… stronger than me for sure. He might be level five…' Cassian thought about the viscount, a famous knight who had fought many battles, lived on the battlefield, and graduated from the most prestigious Knight Academy in the kingdom.
Meanwhile, the peace in Ali's lands didn't extend to the southern and western forests, where the scent of blood hung in the air and burnt trees littered the landscape.
At the centre of it all, deep in the southern forest, Ali sat atop the corpses of three fifteen-meter-tall ogres, all decapitated with clean cuts, their blood soaking the grass below.
Ali was bare-chested, wearing only black pants for the last two days.
He jumped off the corpses and landed softly on the blood-soaked soil. Behind him, Eldora dove from the sky, biting into one of the corpses, while Abeloth claimed the other two. They carried their prey back into the clouds.
In the last two days, both dragons had grown — Abeloth by four meters, Eldora by two. Abeloth's fireball was now stronger, and Eldora had mastered her wind strike, able to split even the thickest hides if she gained enough speed. Their progress, however, was nothing compared to Shadow, who had eaten hundreds of tons of meat in three days.
Ali's own strength had grown massively. Holding his lightsaber before him, its red beam shone brightly before slowly becoming covered in a black energy, creating a striking contrast of red and black.
'First level of aura — concentrated on the sword. Makes steel capable of slicing through steel and blocking certain elemental attacks. It takes me an hour of use to burn through one Spirit Point. Minimal cost', Ali thought.
The black aura then entered his body, circulating through his veins and strengthening his muscles, giving him nearly a 10% boost in strength and speed.
'Second level of aura — drawing the energy from the sword into the body, enhancing it just like the sword. Tricky for new users, as it can harm internal organs or cause death. Takes the average man at least a year to learn if careful', he thought.
Raising his left arm, the same black energy covered it. The air around him rippled, his aura heavier and stronger now, circulating through his body before slowly covering him entirely.
'Third level of aura — infusing it throughout the body, turning it into a living weapon. Requires elevating aura strength, then circulating the heavier aura through the body with great control, as it's more dangerous,' Ali thought.
'I'm at the peak of the third level. My aura can't get any denser without breaking through to the fourth level. I'll wait until I speak to Cassian before attempting it', he decided, sending his lightsaber to his inventory.
'The strange thing is, I still consume the same amount of Spirit regardless of level — but I know higher levels should cost more. I can feel the power difference just from the air I breathe…' Ali thought.
His interface only recognised his first-level aura, since that's what he had earned as a reward.
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