Chapter 194

“I’m going to be honest. I don’t think you can do that,” Nick answered. He was all about taking revenge and going on adventures, but considering what he knew about Prestige classes… Yeah, Rhea wouldn’t even be able to get close enough to the Ultimer clan head to hurt him, much less kill him.Rhea grunted, staring hard into the distance. “I know that. You think I don’t know that?” She took a few deep breaths, regaining control of her anger. “I’m not saying I want to go now. Not even in a month, but this chaos in the north… It’s not an opportunity that will come again. I need to take advantage of it.”

Nick hummed, trying to consider things from her perspective. What would he do if he were in her shoes? Faced with someone who had orchestrated his family’s downfall, in such a vulnerable position?

The rush of white-hot anger that surged through him was surprisingly intense, and he needed to perform a few rotations of the Stalking Gait to let it go.

Emotions had been coming more intensely lately, and it seemed that this last gamble with the Phobos had only made them stronger.

In a way, that was a positive development because it meant his spiritual magic would grow in power; however, it also meant he needed to be cautious.

“I get it. I’m not saying I won’t help you. But we need to be realistic. Neither you nor I have the power needed to kill the old man, and the only person who could probably brew something strong enough to kill him is Ogden, whom you have said will not help.” He finally replied.

“So what, I should just let it go?” Though her face was placid, Nick could see the roiling mass of anger, hatred, and humiliation within her and knew she wouldn’t be satisfied with just that much.

He shook his head. “No, I’m saying we need an actual plan. Both to get stronger and to hit him when it’s time.” Then, before she could interrupt, he pressed on, “I have already decided to leave Florida once the beastmen situation is handled. I will go to Alluria first, where I will probably be able to get a better idea of the situation in the north, and hopefully access the Magic Tower’s library to further my studies. You should create a similar plan; perhaps ask Ogden to at least provide you with a path to the power you need. I’m sure he has some deadly poisons he can teach you with time. And once you are ready, once we are both strong enough not to get smacked aside like flies, we will do it.”

Rhea didn’t seem satisfied, but she appreciated his commitment, and the determined nod she gave him told him she wouldn’t forget it.

It took Elia two more days to finally emerge from the temple.

The stone doors swung open silently, and Nick was surprised to discover that, to his new senses, she felt as tranquil as a lake.

The Elia who emerged from the training was calmer and more comfortable in her own skin. Only now that he saw her did Nick realize she had been struggling with all her new power, uncertain about how to manage the changes she had experienced.

Sure, he’d confirmed she hadn’t been possessed, but she had still undergone an infusion of external memories. Anyone would need time to adjust.

She had been very good at hiding her discomfort. Now, it was gone. Whatever Cao-leò had taught her, it made her confident in a way she had never been before.

“Well, I’d say it was worth it,” Nick commented, looking at her with a discerning eye and noticing the calm currents of satisfaction and amusement flowing through her.

“It was,” she smiled, displaying her perfectly white, sharp teeth. Then, she tilted her head and blinked her luminous amber eyes. “Have you gotten stronger?”

Nick grinned back, flexing a bicep for effect. "Aha, you noticed, eh? I’ve been working out, yes. I’m sure I’ll be shredded any day now.”

A sound of amusement came from behind him as he felt Rhea pack her belongings, letting her transfigurations dissipate into dust. “You are still a shrimp, don’t get too big a head.”

“Hey!” He whirled. “That’s not true! I’ve grown another inch! I’m so getting to six feet!”

Elia’s twinkling laughter stopped them in their tracks, and both turned back to her. “It’s nice to see you again,” she smiled, softer now. “The training was very useful, but I’m ready to go. I have some things to take care of back home.”

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Nick eyed her curiously, “Is Caò-leo not coming to see us off?”

She shook her head, a twinge of sadness passing through her. “No, he has done what he set out to do. He doesn’t see a need to come out of the temple anymore, not until a new threat arises.”

That was very curious behavior, but Elia didn’t seem willing to share any more than that, or perhaps she simply didn’t know. When it became clear there was little keeping them tied to the temple, Nick shrugged and turned around. “I guess we should get going then, there is only one temple left to check.”

Elia took a single step, yet she reached him, who was at least twenty feet away. She smiled mysteriously at his surprised look, “Yeah, let’s get going.”

With his expanded range, Nick was able to guide them past several nests of angry insects, thereby avoiding hours of dealing with them for minimal gain.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t gain experience from them, but sharing the nest with three others significantly reduced his gains. Considering that he had already spent the last couple of days cleansing the nearby grassland of monsters, what little remained was simply too low-level for him to care about.

They trekked for another day before something they couldn’t avoid appeared. A cry resonated from above as a gigantic Gale Eagle circled them.

Nick eyed the beast, mentally comparing it to the one they had handled before going down the fox tunnels, and concluded that this one was at least fifty percent larger.

More importantly, its control over the winds was significantly greater, even rivaling his own. It was a sensation he hadn’t experienced in a while, since that desperate battle with the wyvern flock, and he decided he didn’t like it.

“Think you can harass it enough for me to get a clean shot?” he asked the girls. Elia nodded immediately, conjuring white-hot flames around her hands and shooting them into the sky, forcing the eagle to bank hard away, lest it get roasted.

Rhea, however, paused to collect her thoughts. Her right hand lifted as mana started to swirl around her.

It was more power than he had ever seen her use, but he knew he and Elia were not the only ones who had grown during this trip. She had personally defeated the bearkin mercenary, who had been the highest level among their sapient enemies so far.

Despite what she might think of herself, Rhea had nothing to envy. Her class simply required a much longer process before it allowed her to develop battle-oriented skills. Now that she had them, Nick bet her growth would skyrocket.

At her command, the air around the eagle warped, momentarily disrupting its control and forcing it higher into the sky.

That she could affect the wind it was controlling showed that her spell had already reached a fearsome level. Still, she didn’t try to affect the eagle itself, as it was moving too fast for her to get a lock on it.

Given what he’d seen Ogden do, this was likely just the tip of the iceberg. He suspected Rhea would soon begin developing methods to utilize her brews in combat, rather than just depending on direct transmutation, which would provide her with much-needed versatility.

Setting his observations aside for the moment, Nick took aim at the eagle. It was truly a majestic creature, with emerald wings and midnight black plumage.

He doubted the species could flourish in the grassland due to the numerous herds of thunderhoofs. However, it likely filled a niche, and apart from the lightning-throwing cows, few monsters could face it.

While the girls were harassing it, Nick spent his time wisely, preparing a specific ofuda he had been working on in the past few days.

had already proven its value during this adventure, but if he could use it to give stability to his latest affinity…

A strip of painted leather rose into the air, following his command. Unseen amid the chaos surrounding the eagle, it approached its target, so small and innocent-looking that it could be easily dismissed.

The monster demonstrated it wasn’t completely without sense. After disrupting a barrage of fireballs with a screech that sent a powerful ripple through the air, it aimed at the tag and unleashed a blade of wind, seeking to destroy it before it could go off.

Nick took that as his cue that he wouldn’t get any closer, and he clapped his hands, releasing the stored mana.

For just a moment, the tag glowed a bright magenta with hints of orange, signifying his aggression, before exploding.

A storm of spiritual winds that had nothing to do with the air, howled, forming a localized hurricane that ripped the eagle from the sky.

It screeched, unable to understand why its element was failing to respond to its commands, but by then it was already too late. Nick’s stored anger, his desire to harm anyone who stood in his way, was simply too great for the eagle’s helpless spirit to endure.

The monster fell from the sky, lifeless, without shedding a single drop of blood.

Nick grabbed hold of it, finally breathing easily now that he had regained control over the winds. It wasn’t as limiting as it had once been, thanks to his vastly increased repertoire, but he still didn’t like it.

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“Lunch is served,” he joked, gently lowering the corpse on the ground.

Up close, it was even larger than he had imagined. Its wingspan measured at least twenty feet, and its talons were so long that they could have easily grasped all three of them. Truly, it was a formidable predator.

Nick needed just one spell to kill it.

“Yeah, no. We are not touching that. It’s so rare to get a monster that hasn’t been mangled on the market. If we were to sell it as it is, we’d get double what we’d make in parts.” Rhea quickly intervened, stopping him before he could start cutting into the tasty bird.

Nick exchanged a glance with Elia but eventually gave in. “I guess we have enough food to last us until we get back to Floria. The next temple should be only a day away, and then we’ll be done.”

Rhea eyed him suspiciously, as if waiting for him to try to cut into the eagle again. However, when he lifted his hands in surrender, she nodded in satisfaction and turned around, opening her pouch as wide as possible and beginning the process of making the giant corpse fit.

Nick stifled a laugh at how silly she looked and hurried to help her before she could get mad.