Chapter 380: Forgotten Land Of Gold-1
[Ren Hilton POV]
I relaxed my shoulders after the light in the Earfang Bat’s eyes dimmed, indicating that it was nothing more than a corpse now.
I walked toward the sword. The blade shone with a brilliant radiance—bright enough to illuminate the floor it had fallen on—and it was still intact.
"Wasn’t that overkill?" Blaze asked in my mind.
It was. I knew it. But since Falco really wanted to test me, I figured—why not show him at least half of it?
If this doesn’t work, then I don’t give a fuck anymore.
I traced my path back to the cohort and stood beside Aron, handing him the sword. He was looking at me like he’d just seen some kind of monster—maybe it was a bit overkill.
"Just keep it," he sighed and shook his head. "Damn, that was scary."
His words were almost inaudible.
"I remember saying this was a test for both you and Mary," Falco’s stern voice broke the silence among the cohort, and I noticed the gazes fixed on me.
"Maybe then you should have put us against something stronger. A test worthy of two, I suppose," I replied, trying to make sure it didn’t come off as sarcastic.
There was a click of the tongue from Adam, while Mary’s eyes were practically boring holes into me.
"That’s true." Falco leaned off the wall and began walking. "Maybe I will next time."
It looked like our job in that specific chamber was done, so we moved on to the next one. This time we were told to face a bison-like beast... which turned out to be a piece of cake with so many of us here.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that some of the world’s most capable individuals were currently gathered in one place.
We kept walking, and I was getting used to Mary glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. If she kept doing that, she was actually going to twist her neck.
The same could be said for the others too, with only Aron speaking to me once in a while.
We kept descending, and after clearing about ten chambers, we reached a huge open area. Beneath our feet was a floor of stone bricks, and the walls were so far away it was hard to tell if there were any at all. I wouldn’t have noticed them if not for my heightened vision. There was no roof, so I could see the sky above—and most of the place was shrouded in murky smoke.
"Is this an illusion?" I asked myself.
"Yeah, it is. At least the sky is. Everything else is real. You won’t be able to take flight here," Falco replied as he sat on top of a rock in the middle of the chamber. Far away, I could see a hint of something glinting.
"That’s heartbreaking—" I was about to jest, but then it clicked. I immediately turned my face toward Falco.
He was looking at me too, but the moment our eyes met, he smiled and broke eye contact.
"It is heartbreaking for Aron, since his blessing allows him full flight without any mana cost."
...Was it my imagination?
Blaze jumped out and sat on my lap. Looking around, I noticed groups were already forming.
Vexa and Devon sat alone, while Adam, Amelia, and Mary gathered together.
Aron stuck around me, but kept a few feet of distance.
Falco was the farthest away.
In my mind, the leader of this oddly-formed cohort was Falco.
The guy’s the strongest here, and he actually knows what’s going on—but on the other hand, he’s in no rush to keep unity among us.
He’s fine with the Chosen Ones hating each other, even bringing in people they despise.
What the hell is going on in his mind?
"I don’t think that’s something you should be focusing on right now, princess." Blaze chimed in.
"Hm?" I narrowed my eyes at his comment—but then it became clear why he said that.
From the corner of my eye, I saw someone approaching.
Her ghostly pale face and dull silver hair gave away who it was.
Mary Kleine.
It didn’t actually surprise me that much.
This was bound to happen sooner or later. Why not now?
From what I know, she hates my guts and probably thinks I followed her here just to keep some sort of connection—
Even though that’s the last thing I want.
Her boots tapped softly against the floor.
With each step, she drew closer.
I kept my cool. I wasn’t nervous—just curious.
What is she going to say this time?
Tell me to stay away again? Or cuss me out?
Because I’m not sitting through that quietly either.
"You really have no survival instinct, do you?"
The voice came from far too close.
Like a whisper directly into my ear.
Why didn’t you say anything? I questioned Blaze mentally.
"Because it wouldn’t be fun," he replied.
F*** this son of a bitch.
I turned my gaze—and there they were.
A beautiful pair of sapphire-blue eyes stared back at me.
Her platinum blonde hair had a few loose strands, which she gently tucked behind her ear.
"What honor do I have?" I asked, keeping my face straight as I leaned away slightly.
Does she not understand personal space, or is this just a new game where she sneaks up on me?
And why can’t I sense her?
I can sense Falco to a certain extent, but when it comes to her, it’s like all my senses dull.
"Well, I felt bad for rejecting you last time," she said.
"So I thought—why not start from the basics?"
...Is she talking about the time I asked her to be my friend?
With the most selfish intent, no less—
And got embarrassed immediately?
Yeah... I guess she is.
Thunk.
Something dropped to the ground.
I turned to look—it was the flask Aron had been drinking water from.
He was staring at us.
He was the closest, so he must’ve heard her.
And I know he misunderstood everything.
"Why not," I answered with a smile.