SOML – Chapter 27: Giness

 Chapter 27 – Giness

…

Even though his appearance had changed, his power didn’t. He was still a powerful Grandmaster on the cusp to the next level.

“Who are you?” Von growled. He summoned his ruler-like sword. This time, he didn’t have reservations like the last incident.

Woosh. The shadow panicked and bolted to the windows. But soon, its eyes contracted, seeing a razor-sharp tornado blocking his path!

“Wait!” He shouted but Von couldn’t care less.

Thud.

But Von didn’t expect a figure appearing on the last second.

It was a woman with seductive curves. Her petite fingers caught the sword in-between and her lovely hand slapped the tornado like nothing.

The teacher’s eyes narrowed. But he didn’t continue attacking. In fact, he didn’t feel any killing intent from the man earlier. However, this didn’t mean that he won’t punish the guy for disrespecting him.

“You don’t mind, right? He crept behind me.” Von pointed at the man with his chin. The man gritted his teeth, but he took notice of the woman’s hint, so he stopped.

Von squinted. He saw another man emerging behind her. “Passing through rooms?” He wondered.

“Hello. Sorry for my subordinate’s naughtiness. He liked to incapacitate his targets first before talking. We are here with good intentions.”

The woman smiled, making Von gulp. Accompanied with her tight-fitting suit, every action she made was too alluring.

“Who are you?” Von erased his thoughts and went to the point. He let go of the earlier transgression, for the time being.

“I’m Giness. We are here to investigate the incident.” Giness stated. She put her arms around her chest, further highlighting her large curve.

Von shook his head. “I already passed all I know to Pendragon Clan. You can get it from them. Can you leave now?”

“It is better if we get it from you.” Giness let out an ivory grin. She stuck closer, prompting Von to take a half step back. “And also, we wanted to ask you about… your Illusory Realm.”

Von quivered. He also had worries about it. Thus, he immediately brought it out. “What… is it, really?”

“Not what. But where.” Giness nodded. She strutted towards the desk, sat on it and crossed her legs. Von faced the appetizing view, making him sweat.

“Damn.” He cursed inside his head. He inhaled and spoke. “Then where?”

“Another world.”

The woman’s face became serious. “One that came from Ancient Era.”

Von became speechless. He massaged his glabella while thinking. “You mean, the Era of Ancients? Where Ancients still thrived and occupied the land?”

“Yes.” Giness nodded.

“We have experienced many eras and compiled each information of them.”

“But only Ancient Era and Lost Era, where we don’t have any information.”

“Then, why you think it’s Ancient Era and not Lost Era?”

The woman hesitated, but then she enunciated each word. “Because an Evil took part.”

“She who controls fate…” Von murmured. A good deal of information passed through his head.

Historians said the First Era or Era of Ancients was where godly beings called Ancients.

They were the sovereigns who roamed the world.

Every newborn was already as strong as Venerable!

But they were too few. And their reproductive ability was poor. Hence the decline. And they vanished on the lands.

“And maybe more.”

This reply made Von’s face stiffen. Many believed the First Evil was also born from this period.

Yet no one knew ‘why and how’ Evil was born.

However, Von knew those Evil living up to this day was super strong.

And thinking that a whole a lot of them were taking part was enough to freeze his heart!

Giness clapped. “Thus, we want to get your Illusory Realm. Don’t worry, we will give it back and with compensation.”

Von raised an eyebrow. “You will complete it?”

Giness let out an ivory smile again. “Yes. It will be a wonderful thing if a Venerable appeared.”

“Especially a Venerable that is already complete.”

I see, Von thought. Hitting two birds with one stone. He finally knew where this woman came. From their point of view, more Venerable the stronger their region.

If it was the Royalties, it would be a different outcome, he thought.

He pulled his drawer, bringing out a stack of paper.

“I wrote all Grimo’s powers. He said he was the 7th Seat. So, we can expect there are six more.” Von locked his fingers.

Giness hummed, “What is his personality?”

Von smiled. He resumed his previously poised and aloof disposition. “I’ve been asking many questions. But you won’t get angry if I ask more, right, Ms. Knight?”

Giness blinked before laughing. This Von looked handsome. She shook her head and got up from her seat. Her waist sashayed towards her subordinates.

“I can help you find him, if that’s your question.” The woman looked back. “He got three names. All cleared.”

“Another traitor helping him.” Von stated. He was sure of his words. “Where is he?”

“We interpolated all of his movements. There are four probable destinations. But I crossed out the three just for you.” She let out a tongue. “He is in the County of Waterfalls and Pilgrimage.”

“How sure are you?” Von became confused.

“Woman instincts.”

“…”

“Oh. A piece of advice. Get to Venerable first before you get revenge.”

Giness grinned before vanishing alongside her subordinates.

Von stared into space. His expression obscured.

The teacher knew there was a plot. But he didn’t care. He trusted her that wanted him to get to Venerable Level. His trust only reached that point, though.

“What a terrifying woman. She is a Venerable, yet I don’t even know her. It seems she didn’t get the blessing.” Von contemplated while thumping his fingers on the table. “And she passed all the information, even though she said she was investigating.”

…

“Boss, why you didn’t continue to ask him?” Her subordinate that wanted to prank Von spoke.

“No need.” Giness said, making the man unsatisfied. He knew his boss. She was a terrifying being. And in the dark, even Venerables would lose to her!

A people lived in the dark. The protector of humanity and also the one that handled the foul deeds. Thus, they had pride larger than normal humans.

Giness peered at him. She understood what he was thinking. But she didn’t want to explain.

“Von Ruler. A disciple of a Transcendent.” She grinned as she sped up from phasing through the sky. She whispered to her other subordinate.

“Take the Beta Team. Follow Von.”

…

Everything came back to normal. Important facilities and business had opened. The residences were also approaching completion.

Even the royalties contributed and helped in speeding the construction.

But Sarah didn’t care. She continued training amidst everything. And looking at her, her body exuded a silk like texture.

“I’m done with fire.” She looked inside her. The girl saw her body emitting a type of heat. She scrutinized further, seeing her spell circles with vibrant red color. And the rune word Faso was particularly bright.

“Next is metal. Agtis.” She took a deep breath and did her exercise. Her silhouette flashed across the grassy ground.

All comes back to strength, she thought. Of course, she had reservations about her plan. But if she needed strength, then normal means won’t help her more than she could from that place.

Ben met her and agreed to join. This made her happy. Even it was only three of them again.

She thought about the happiness she felt in the realm. And also the sadness. It felt short, but Sarah treasured it.

The girl didn’t like the notion of powerlessness. But she also understood that she was still young. “I wasn’t able to save a friend. But next time, I will save more!”

“In the future, I will not be a bystander ever again!”

“I will protect all people I love and care!”

Steam released from her body. Unbothered, she continued, even though her body was crying in pain.

She had a big goal. “Humans are a piece of blank paper. Anything you draw in it will describe what it is.”

“Too much will be ugly. And too little is mediocre.”

“Scientist have experimented ancient spells and they are very dangerous. Yet, their performances are subpar. If you lit up a paper with a match, it will burn. If watered, it will get wet.”

“So the proper way is to know how to use it.”

“Using fire to leave a burn mark can enhance the drawing. Painting use liquids to paint beautiful and vivid colors and shapes.”

 “If the human body could adapt to ancient spells, what would happen?” The red-haired girl grinned.

“As for Combat Arts, my father and grandfather have reached far in it. Especially my grandfather.”

“However, it’s not the legendary ancient body.”

“Ancient Combat Arts stressed on the strain, burst and output. So ordinary people wouldn’t be able to train with it.”

“Yet, they said that someone in the West Region could attain the heights that only handful could reach.”

“Though, there’s a difference when you attained it before and on Venerable Level!”

“Is that person also attained it before Venerable?”

Sarah becoming pumped. The adrenaline pushed her even harder. Yet her mind was getting refreshed as she felt stronger, no matter how miniscule it was!

Her eyes shone with blinding lights!

“Demons, Beast… even Humans! Come!”

“I will take you all!” Her chest felt hot. A heroic feeling pervaded her being. She burst out laughing as she thought about trashing everyone!

…

“Here you are!” Sarah spread her arms.

“Hello Sister Sarah!” Ben was back to his usual self. Jed smiled beside him and nodded at Sarah.

“You Doofus, come with me. As for you, Turtle, go straight. My grandfather wanted to talk to you.” The girl grinned before pulling Ben. Jed followed them with his eyes before going to his destination.

A large door welcomed him. The boy opened it and saw Old Man Pendragon sitting on cross legs. Held in his hands was the World Sealing Dragon Spear.

“An offspring of Moonsear Clan…” But his first sentence brought Jed alarm!

His body tensed up and his eyes gleamed. He focused as he unsheathed his knife. The boy knew he couldn’t possibly live. But regardless, he wanted to fight back!

Countless moves traveled in light speed within his head. Though, he kept rejecting it as he saw the motionless elder in front of him. He became nervous and his muscles became taut. Feeling the pain, Jed gnashed his teeth. He trembled that he got injured even though they hadn’t fought yet!

The old man chuckled at his actions. “Shall I call you Tenterhooks? Nerve-wrack? Boy Edgy?”

But the boy didn’t relax his guard.

Seeing this, Old Man straightened his face. “Don’t worry. I’m not an enemy. In fact, I need you power.”

Old Man tried to be as accommodating. But from Jed’s view, he appeared comical.

Jed smiled, changing his expression from alert to a peaceful look. He then sat facing the old man. Although, his muscles remained squirming.

The sudden transformation surprised the old man. He wasn’t the shy Jed anymore. Arrogance seeped through his bones as he faced one of the strongest entities in land.

Every movement of his turned poised yet flamboyant. Even though his clothes were common, it became expensive.

He resembled a young master of a clan!

Old Man traced his short beard. But he shook his head. “Quit acting lad.”

The two appraised each other. Only when a bird cawed broke Jed’s persona. The latter smiled wryly and stopped pretending.

“Hays. What can I do for you?” Jed asked.

Old Man observed him. “I know you wanted to bargain, so you used that move just now. And I won’t disappoint. I heard you collecting several Common-Grade Combat Arts. It was from that brat Silver B-. Ehem. Von Ruler. I’ll give you as many as you want.”

“But, keep Sarah safe. Can you do that?” There was no pressure from his opposite but still disturbed Jed. But he didn’t pause. He answered at once.

“Don’t worry.”

“I’ll give you advice.” Old Man smiled and felt pleased because of the boy's affirmation. “Don’t continue with your plan.”

Jed inhaled. He looked down and shook his head.

The elder nodded. “Then, never mention his name when you are still not ready.”

Jed got taken aback. He knew this already. But he didn’t expect the old man’s kindness.

Old Man noticed this and became interested with him. “Oh. So, you know, mentioning the name of a powerful person is the same as whispering right to his or her ears.”

Jed nodded.

“Okay. I already have someone collect the books. You can leave.” Old Man grinned and closed his eyes.

Jed bowed and bored his gaze to the elder’s face before exiting.

When he finally disappeared, a muttering sounded.

“Brat. If Sarah doesn’t want to help you with your goal, please don’t force her. Or else, I will be your opponent!”

…

“What did my Grandfather told you?” Sarah asked Jed but her faced appeared preoccupied.

“Nothing.”

“Oh.”

“Where are we going, Sis?” Ben observed the hallway. He could only spot a few people. His heart itched and trembled; he thought about secret training facilities and became excited!

As if knowing his thoughts, Sarah smiled. “Secret training.”

Ben’s smile blossomed and rubbed his palms. This moved him to the point of tears. Ah, I’m going to get stronger!

They continued walking until they met a door. Entering inside, what they saw was a room with metallic walls and floor full of holes. Seeing this, the trio couldn’t help but shudder. But even then, Sarah grinned.

“Welcome to the Room of Death.” The girl faced her comrades with an ivory smile. A sadistic expression appeared in her eyes as it twinkled in delight.

“Very few can enter this room. Only those with enough contribution.”

“Also, a level of Grandmaster is required.”

“But my grandfather made an exception for us. We can use this for four hours every day.”

“See those holes, metal balls will shoot through it.” To prove her words, a shadow of a ball shot across the room.

Their eyes glued to the ball’s tail. Too fast and they barely pinpointed it. The trio felt its powerful impact and their skull became numb. It must be at least as strong as a Master level punch!

At last, the ball lost its momentum after dozens of bounce. It then fell into the hole in the ground.

Sarah exhaled.

“But right now, for a year, we are going to train here.” Bloodlust wafted. Their hearts quivered; they didn’t know if it was due to fear or excitement. They perspired, but their fighting intent also lit.

“Also, we have this.” Sarah threw a vial and a syringe at each boy. “This is your monthly allowance. It is a Body Refining Liquid. Just inject it into your body. It will improve your physiques.” This wowed Ben. He examined the red, viscous liquid. He uncorked the vial and took a whiff. It smelled metallic, like blood, and mixed with a winey scent.

“In the morning we go here. Afternoon we have class, so in the evening we go back. We will spar with my clan.” Sarah continued. But Jed shook his head.

“What?”

“I have something different to do in the evening.”

“Where are you going, Bro?”

Jed smiled. “Mountains of Hope.”

Hearing this, Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “You wanted to try fighting a Beast…”

…

The trio went to the academy together. Ben felt it was unbelievable for Jed to hunt a Beast. But Sarah knew the latter’s motive. Just the body of a Beast could fork large money. Real fighting experience still the most important, however.

Many days had passed and class started again. All students agreed to attend. But this time, everyone focused.

Von also didn’t disappoint. He changed all the curriculum and made the topics all about survival. He also had changed, but the students couldn’t pinpoint even though they sensed it.

“There are plants that are non-edible. Consuming it results in different consequences. The least is diarrhea. And the worst is death.” Their face twitched.

“Though, there are a few others possible to consume if processed.”

“This is Morning Star Fruit. If used to refine a pill, it will enhance your body physique. But the most efficient use of it is to create a Body Refinement Liquid.”

“Do you know why clans are better than common folks?”

“Body Refinement Liquid helped a person to refine and upgrade his physique.

“The grades of Body Refinement Liquid followed just like other systems: Common-Grade, Precious-Grade, Grand-Grade and Supreme-Grade.” Ben repeated while Von discussing.

Sarah had already taught him about this.

“There are also types of Body Refinement. The first is injection. The other is entering a chamber full of liquid.” Ben whispered what he had known so far.

“Sister Sarah said that if my body is classified, then it’s already Precious-Grade.”

“So I needed to collect a lot of Precious-Grade herbs to refine it into a Precious-Grade Body Refinement Liquid. Only this will help my body improve.”

“While the Pendragon Clan have Body Refinement Liquid, they can only give the core members every month. As for Sister Sarah, the clan had painstakingly collected a lot of resources. They said that these are enough to upgrade her physique to Grand-Grade!” The boy said in envy.

“But she will only use it after we finished the Enderian Journey.” His brows locked. “Is there… something in Enderian Journey that can help her? Probably… possible to upgrade her physique to Supreme-Grade!”

Ben got astounded by his conjecture. From what she taught to him; Supreme-Grade was hellish hard to achieve. Even Transcendents; there were only a handful of them attained such physique.

Recalling his new everyday routine, his muscles cramped. It resulted from Room of Death and sparring. Also included the training in Combat Art, which everyone feared as painful.

Yet the pain from Body Refinement were lot of level. Sarah gave him one injection, and he almost passed out!

And the effect on his physique was terrible. He didn’t even feel the increase.

“So, only Precious-Grade can affect me.”

Ben brought out a book from his sack. It was the Combat Arts that Sarah had given to him.

“Ben, there are many others who wanted to experiment and tinker with their paths. But anyone who does this are monstrous talents. And importantly, they have guidance of their predecessors.”

“As for you, just follow the normal way. You might think it’s common because most people pursue this path. But I assure you it’s not. People are different and so their experiences.”

“You still haven’t succeeded in your Foundation Art. But once you succeed, you can train in this—Pig Deity Combat Art, a Precious-Grade. Your body is tough. So even though you haven’t reach third level of your foundation, as long as you succeeded and attain the first level, then it’s possible to train with this.”

Sarah’s voice sounded in his mind. Now, Ben became clear what he would do. He could already perceive the continuous transparent stream. Sensing further, one of his veins tingled and on the verge of lighting!

This brought joy to the boy!

“Soon, I will also step on the same starting point. And in the future, I will also catch up with all of you.”

…

“That’s Sarah. This girl is monstrous. Only Sir Cloud Rider can compare to her training speed. Watch her.”

“Jed is training in the mountains. He is quite a mysterious kid. He was fast. Also in Expert Level. Talented, but not unprecedented. Continue looking out.”

“That Ben’s cooking smells nice. They said he has an unusual physique. Precious-Grade? Uncommon but not rare.”

Several three-man groups spread out and reported to Giness. Every important participant from the incident was manned and checked. Information travelled as fast as speed of sound. 

Giness read every report. Her expression was hard to decipher. From the stack of papers, one caught her attention.

“Hmm. Deputy of the county lord. He vanished. Collins, a promising young man… Many people got apprehended… But only a few got involved. A few of them are not even aware of what they were doing…”

She flipped through each paper and found another one. “Senior Clown… Senior Clown. Sir Cloud Rider’s report is pretty valuable. This guy is an unknown threat.”

“Later, I’ll arrange everything. Soon the conference will start.” She looked up, staring at the east.

Finished, she came out of the tent. She smiled when she saw an elderly sitting on top of a rock. “Thank you, Old Man Pendragon, for accompanying us.”

Old Man Pendragon opened his eyes and nodded. “It’s alright. I should thank young friend Cloud Rider for his help.”

Giness only smiled. His lack of respect towards her boss did not bother her. She thought. “He is very near to supremacy. And generations ahead of us. He is a Senior even to Sir Cloud Rider.”

“A few more years and humans will have another Supreme Venerable, just like Sir Cloud Rider. By then, no matter what demons do, they will lose.” Thinking about this, her smile deepened.

The two of them trekked across the dense forest. Behind them were figures in tight-fitting suits. Their faces didn’t show any emotion and moved like soldiers.

“There are two more locations that have nodes that might be passage to other worlds.” Giness explained. “Though, this might already be it.”

Everyone stopped. In front of them were still plants and trees. But with their levels, they could feel the power… of space.

“Go.” The woman ordered. Four of her subordinates brought out a cube and pressed on it. Clink. Clunk. Metals came out and covered their body. Laser-like eyes flashed and thrusters flared. The construct looked different from Jigen’s toy and Jack’s army. They had an inky-black color and sleeker body.

More people stepped out. They had a large bag and held apparatus and multiple devices.

All seven assumed a formation. And they dashed towards the front.

“Scout-Construct Combination, the most effective party when exploring realms and worlds.” Old Man Pendragon verbalized. He pointed with his chin. “I’ll wait here for a few months.”

Giness smiled sweetly.

“It’s alright. Your presence is enough.”

Old Man Pendragon nodded and stopped paying attention.

…

Chapter 26 | Chapter 28