A portal opened, and two people came out of it, their feet touching the ground. Enrico placed Valença on the ground.
"I hate this..."
Lying down on the ground, Valença looked at the sky. A tear rolled down from her eyes, but she quickly hid her face with her hands. Enrico sat beside her, already knowing that it would be difficult. Unlike him, she had spent that entire week alongside Val'Drakar.
"Was this what you felt when you lost Tolen?"
Just like him, at that time Valença was not Tolen's friend and did not know him well. She had only been sad about losing a classmate, just as had happened with the others who died in that dungeon. Lying down beside her, Enrico felt that feeling he hated so much.
"Yes... That day I felt frustrated because I couldn't do anything... If only I were stronger, maybe I could have stopped it."
That day had been horrible for him. The same feeling returned when he faced that Nartheis and was returning now. It only showed how far he still was from reaching the strongest. If he could not face a Ranvil-level Nartheis, then he would have no chance against the evil gods when they were at the peak of their powers.
He knew it would take years for everyone to evolve their circles, but he could not be like the others.
If he wanted to survive and save the others, he would have to surpass any expectation he had of himself. He could not get distracted or stop evolving. No matter how, he would have to become stronger, even if, to do so, he needed to make even worse pacts.
\[That thought is dangerous, Enrico.\]
'I thought you would be happy about this.'
\[We can make things difficult for you, but since your value has been constantly increasing, the constellations don't want to see you die because of an idiotic decision...\]
'I know... But if things continue like this, I don't know who I could lose.'
Enrico felt a head being buried against his chest. It was Valença, who hid her face, but he could feel her tears soaking his clothes. Placing his hand on her head, he began comforting her.
"Enrico... I have to become stronger..."
"I know. And I'll help you with that... Not just you, but me too."
Minutes later, when Valença finally calmed down, the two began walking. Valença was a little farther ahead, while Enrico thought of ways to become stronger.
'There aren't many ways to become stronger besides training and special dungeons.'
If he wanted to improve himself and everyone else more quickly, he would have to fuel everyone's desire even more than he already did. Among all of them up to that moment, Serenya and Kai were the ones who had evolved the most, with Valença now surpassing both of them. Of course, Enrico himself was also stronger than them, but he would quickly be surpassed if he wasted time.
\[Now that you have surpassed your potential limit, you should rest for several more hours.\]
'Yes, you're right.'
The system seemed relieved, but it would not remain that way for many days. Enrico would continue training, especially after his body had completely recovered from the Limit Break state. What he was planning was to break his potential once again. If he managed to do that, his potential would reach the level of a normal person, and that would help him a lot. Of course, it would take quite a while, and perhaps he would not even be able to surpass that level by the end of the year, but it was possible.
'Now, the other way is to obtain two more items that increase the percentage.'
\[As far as I know, they will only appear in future arcs, so you will have to wait.\]
'It seems like you're doing well with the reading.'
The system was right. Those two items would only appear in dungeons from future arcs, so Enrico would have to follow the other option.
'I have to find the true dungeons.'
The true dungeons possessed much greater rewards, and when they were completed, one of the rewards was precisely an increase in his percentage. However, there were two problems.
\[Wait. As far as I know, only two will appear throughout the entire original story, and they also appear in future arcs.\]
'Yes, that's one of the problems. But since the first one will appear two months before the end of the first year, I'm a little calm and am already preparing for it.'
It would be difficult to find more dungeons besides the two that appeared in the original story. And what if he went to another continent? Only two would appear on that continent, but according to the mini-stories told, there were two more that would appear on different continents. However, they would only appear months after the third year ended.
Now, the second problem was that each true dungeon could take months to complete. The first one, for example, would begin two months before the end of the year, and they would only return on the last day of the year. Soon afterward would come the Infernal Academy arc. Well, if his plan worked, that arc would have no impact on anyone besides him, so he was not worried.
Enrico noticed that Valença's steps were weak. She was probably low on mana. He went over to her and crouched down, turning his back so she could climb onto it. Valença was surprised and took a step back.
"What are you doing?"
"You're tired. Come on, I'll help you."
After Enrico insisted a little more, Valença climbed onto his back. As he walked, Enrico asked her to tell him the story of Val'Drakar. He had only heard two things about him while he was unconscious. Valença adjusted herself on Enrico's back and began explaining how that dungeon had been born.
A little farther away, Angela watched the two of them. They had finally left that dungeon and could now return. However, what surprised her was realizing that the two seemed to be stronger. Immediately, she called Virelle through the magical communicator.
"Ma'am, I have something to tell you."
Valença finished telling the story of Val'Drakar while talking with Enrico and then placed her head on his shoulder. Upon realizing that Enrico was silent, she was not surprised. Perhaps it was a surprise for him... or perhaps not. She did not know what to expect from that boy she liked, although she had already admitted that to herself.
"It seems that I need to reach at least the fifth circle before the eighth circle if I want to break the seal."
Enrico raised the palm of his hand and observed that white mark. Valença nodded. She would also have to help with that to fulfill Val'Drakar's wish.
"You're right."
He needed to repay Val'Drakar. He would not let that wish disappear, not after he had sacrificed himself for them. The two looked at each other with determination, and Enrico continued walking with a new goal added to his own.
While the two thought about their next steps, their friends at the academy trained hard. Kai fought against Giulio and Liam at the same time, while Seraphina ran between Sílva's magical attacks. Elian and Caelan fought each other, and Serenya trained with her mother, who watched her daughter get back up after every blow, determined to continue. Yumeha trained a little nervously as she saw Rina glaring at her in irritation, while Aoi remained behind, seeming to enjoy the situation.
But they were not the only ones training. Elowyn trained hard with three of her subordinates. Lan created two lightning spears in his hands, while Deymon was in a hideout talking with Jago, who calmly drank tea.
"Director, the academies from other continents said that they will participate in the next academic battle."
A man dressed in blue spoke while seeming lazy. Director Hao looked outside the window.
"Alright. Then we'd better prepare. Only students ranked from one to five will be able to form their team and participate."
"Understood."
"And lastly, the council has finally approved that the knights can enter the library. So, in the next few days, the students' training to begin creating their Ego Weapons will truly begin."
The man in blue, before leaving, muttered that it would be troublesome and that woman would probably be happy about it. Hao sighed. He hoped that this clash with the other continents would awaken a golden age at the academy.
'That was a good suggestion, Enrico.'
Yes, that had been Enrico's suggestion about using the other continents to help the students' evolution. Even though he was only a boy, he had decided to continue with that idea. Of course, Hao had accepted because he had liked it as well.
"We really need a golden age for Sanos Academy. No, we need the greatest golden age in the history of the academies."
He stood up and went to the window. As he watched his students training, he felt hopeful. If those children continued evolving, perhaps they could survive the chaos that was happening on the continent.