Chapter: 114
The Duo Squad gathered under the leadership of Aniks.
It seemed the members of the Duo Squad were predominantly from the Star Lords.
Given that Aniks is one of the representative figures of the Star Lords, this was to be expected.
He must have recruited them all well in advance before arriving at the academy.
Among them was Elfin Emilia, one of the trio.
Still tall as ever, she and Kraush were about the same height despite Kraush being quite tall himself.
When she locked eyes with Kraush, she offered a quick nod.
‘So, who’s gathered around Charlotte?’
He was curious but decided not to look.
For some reason, he felt that unusual people might be congregating there.
“Over here is Kraush Valheim; I’m sure everyone is familiar with him. And this is Lady Haring Lagrain, daughter of the Great Poison King.”
When Aniks introduced the two, the others showed displeasure.
Most of their attention lingered on Haring.
The Poison King was part of the Empire.
So naturally, Haring was expected to belong to the pro-Empire faction.
Even though this was just a single training session, they were forced to collaborate.
It made sense that revealing their information would be unwelcome.
However, despite that scrutiny, Haring maintained her cool demeanor.
“I’m not interested in extracting information from you guys.”
And she plainly articulated what the Duo Squad was thinking.
It was a candid remark, but it only served to wrinkle others’ brows.
[So she’s isolating herself, huh?]
In a way, Haring resembled the Crimson Garden’s direction.
It was somewhat concerning, perhaps due to the ties with Bianca from before the regression.
But the Poison King hadn’t wrecked the Hadenhart family yet.
Kraush chose to brush it off.
“Let’s put introductions aside for now and move on. We’re heading to the magical city of Debram.”
If Halgram boasted a red tower, Debram possessed a yellow one.
The lawless area of Debram, famous for its sunny desert region, made it a place most people tended to avoid due to its tricky travel conditions.
‘This might turn out to be quite the arduous journey.’
As Kraush mused, Aniks began leading everyone forward.
Rahelrn Academy had established connection portals to multiple cities, with the cooperation of each region.
So reaching the city wasn’t too difficult as long as they submitted a travel magic application.
Thanks to that, the journey itself was relatively relaxed.
“Kraush Valheim, it’s been a while. Do you remember me from the Star Sanctuary?”
“I’m Cien Dal Jorma! It’s my first time meeting you. I was really impressed during the academy exam. Truly, a Valheim!”
Perhaps due to the leisurely pace, the members of Star Lord kept approaching him for conversation.
As Aniks’s entourage, these guys were all aiming to secure significant positions within the future Star Lords.
“Yeah, thanks.”
Kraush responded appropriately.
They were thrilled that he acknowledged them, regardless of how informal his reply was.
It was a moment to once again recognize how significant the Valheim name was within the Star Lords.
[I thought for sure he’d brush me off like a delinquent, but he’s surprisingly engaging.]
What was the point of putting on airs now?
Kraush didn’t intend to blush or act ashamed around these wannabes.
The one who might truly cause him to blush stood right at the front.
In stark contrast to Kraush, there was no one next to Haring.
Even though they would be practicing together today, no one showed her any interest.
“I will activate the magic circle now.”
In the meantime, a member from the Duo Squad initiated the travel magic.
As the magic took effect, the city center of Debram gradually came into view.
Aniks stepped forward into the magic circle.
Soon after, the rest followed, and the vibrant city of Debram greeted their eyes.
Debram was a flourishing city with towering palm trees.
Its massive, transparent magical dome sheltered residents from the winds outside the desert, ensuring a comfortable life within.
At its center, the grand yellow tower dominated the skyline.
“I’ve already arranged support from the yellow tower. They’ve kindly agreed to assist us, providing meals and lodgings around the city.”
Aniks explained while gesturing toward them.
The others were already aware, but Haring and Kraush weren’t, which made the information useful.
Kraush squinted, his eyes gleaming with unease.
“Aniks, so what’s the mission the yellow tower has for us?”
Rahelrn Academy directly posts requests through its own request board.
Among them, there were three main types of missions.
One was world erosion.
This aspect varied in performance depending on the star attached to the world erosion.
However, if a high-level world erosion didn’t occur, they might not achieve significant outcomes.
The second involved hunting erosion creatures that had come out from world erosion.
They were creatures that typically wouldn’t come out unless compelled, but sometimes, they would appear.
It was a request to hunt those creatures for results.
The third involved criminals.
This involved capturing fugitives with bounties from across the world.
Some jobs were straightforward, while others came with more dangers.
And among those perilous tasks were, of course, the ones related to world eroders.
Those who betrayed humanity and sided with world eroders.
The country had a bounty out for each one of them.
Of course, there were world eroders among the fugitives too.
‘Those guys are beyond the grasp of a mere student.’
So, depending on the situation, the squads would choose one of the requests for practical training.
While dangerous situations were sometimes unavoidable,
risk was always a constant companion.
Everyone present was an adult.
Each was responsible for their choices.
And it was that principle that led to thorough training over six months.
The six-month training at Rahelrn Academy serves as a sort of exam.
If one didn’t meet the standards in training, they couldn’t proceed with the squads.
Thus, there was a chance they’d have to repeat the six-month training until their scores surpassed the standards to be placed within a squad.
All first-year students here had passed this kind of training.
Considering Kraush had toppled five times during previous exams,
it implied that every one of them had trodden the path of elite courses.
‘So none of them are likely to die unexpectedly here.’
The practical training period at Rahelrn Academy lasts a total of three years.
Upon completion of these three years,
those graduating from Rahelrn Academy would transforms into individuals possessing unmatched experience and abilities.
This was precisely the educational dedication behind Rahelrn Academy’s grand claim of nurturing heroes.
‘And no way the yellow tower would offer support for free.’
The yellow tower.
While Aniks smiled and claimed help from the yellow tower, they were notoriously stingy.
Given the desert’s nature, it likely wasn’t easy to secure supplies.
The yellow tower had a tendency to hoard its resources, no matter what.
Would they really provide lodgings and meals?
That clearly suggested a mission of considerable difficulty lay ahead.
With a smile, Aniks said,
“Seeing it in person would be better, right?”
He then glanced at Elfin, who handed Kraush a note detailing the mission.
As Kraush received the paper, Haring subtly approached from behind him.
She was probably curious about the mission details too.
But perhaps due to her smaller stature, even while standing on tiptoes, she could hardly see over Kraush’s shoulder.
“Just move to the side and take a look.”
Kraush turned the paper so Haring could see, and she stepped closer without a word.
The two started reading the mission details.
The mission stated:
Catch a criminal hiding among the ancient ruins in the lawless sandy areas outside the city walls.
The criminal’s name was Ju-Yo Irma.
An ex-sorcerer from the yellow tower now turned erosion manipulator.
And he also seemed to be a type of world eroder.
The problem was that this particular world eroder was still not fully identified.
‘I don’t recall anyone named Ju-Yo Irma.’
Kraush rifled through his memories but soon gave up.
It was impossible to remember every world eroder.
There were quite a few types of world eroders, making it tough to keep track.
Only those connected to particularly notorious events tended to stick in one’s memory.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve faced an opponent without prior information.’
Instead, Kraush concentrated on the ruins mentioned in the request.
Then his eyes widened in realization.
The ruins had one specific feature mentioned.
– The ruins only appear at night.
He recalled this characteristic well.
“That ruins has antimagic properties, you see? When Ju-Yo Irma attacks from there, the yellow tower must be in dire straits.”
The subsequent explanation only solidified Kraush’s conviction.
After all, it was natural for magic not to work in such ruins.
This place was a grave of some god.
Magic is a force that defies reason.
The divine force that seeks to maintain that reason renders magic useless.
And Kraush knew very well what that god represented.
The God of Night.
Once, a demigod-human had tried to take the place of a god, resulting in the essence itself being stripped from him by the gods.
And this altar served as a resting place for that fallen deity.
‘The key issue lies with that guy in connection with this place.’
During the war against world eroders,
a specific world eroder had furtively staged a siege there.
That world eroder’s name was Wolmyeo.
As the moon rises closer to the center of the sky, its power swells.
Thus, its assault from the night made things quite troublesome.
The fact that it only revealed itself at night, striking relentlessly at the yellow tower, presented quite a challenge.
Ironically, it had been one of the Heavenly Four, the Mage Emperor, who ultimately defeated it.
A demigod like the great Balheim and the Mage Emperor.
He had ingeniously used the power hidden within the grave of the God of Night to convert the entire ruins into a magic circle.
Because of this, the ruins exploded, releasing the wrath of the fallen god.
And that rage enveloped the night, making continuous noon last until the power of the god dwindled.
Kraush’s expression twisted in horror.
‘Damn it, Arthur, so you’ve intentionally left Wolmye untamed.’
Arthur’s trump card involves something related to the sun.
Noon was the ideal scenario for Arthur.
Thanks to this, when the impending noon occurred, Arthur gained an edge in the war against world eroders.
And that served as the stepping stone for Arthur to become the epicenter of the world.
At that time, Kraush was confronting other world eroders alongside the Heavenly Generation.
Thus, he realized the offense came late.
Many significant events had transpired during that period, especially since the Mage Emperor had resolved the situation.
‘In retrospect, everything was part of Arthur’s plan.’
A wry smile escaped him.
After experiencing regression, he understood Arthur’s cryptic actions.
At the same time, he could reaffirm one crucial fact.
Arthur would not hesitate to use anyone, devoid of any guilt, for his own agenda.
‘I intended to approach Arthur with caution.’
Who knew what he might do if things turned unfavorable?
‘That fake Arthur.’
Thus, it was necessary to devise a way to approach him without revealing his own identity.
Then a brilliant thought sprang to Kraush’s mind.
‘Handle that later.’
For now, he decided to focus on the God of Night’s grave first.
Emerging memories led Kraush to surmise that the manipulator, Ju-Yo Irma, might be a Moon Rabbit.
The Moon Rabbit had likely been observing these ruins for quite some time.
And given his current condition, Kraush could derive significant benefits from the God of Night’s grave.
Kraush was a Moonshadow.
And with the additional Heavenly Birth, the traits of a Moonshadow would become profoundly amplified.
That meant while the fatigue would accumulate longer during the day,
his capacity against the Erosion of Destruction would noticeably increase.
And due to such attributes, he could operate much more easily at night.
What does that really mean?
‘A perfect opportunity to steal the night.’
While Arthur chased after noon, Kraush sought the eternal night.
For the time when a Moonshadow could reach its pinnacle is none other than at night.
Kraush’s eyes slowly sparkled.
That was the face of a predator who had spotted its prey.
An opportunity to become the tomb raider who steals the powers of a god.
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