Chapter 124
The present time found Aris sitting on the grass within the training grounds of Lucas's estate. His katana rested beside him while his pale white eyes remained fixed on the sky above. Scars covered much of his body, and the burned arm he had received during his battle with Voss remained the most severe injury he carried.
Lucas sat across from him with his legs crossed, his silver hair reflecting the afternoon sunlight. He listened quietly while watching Aris speak, his blue eyes calm and attentive. The weights attached to Lucas's body were visible even beneath his clothing, and the gravity runes engraved into them glowed faintly with each breath he took.
"So I went back to the poet," Aris said, his voice carrying equal parts frustration and amusement. "After I woke up in the inn and confirmed that Liana was safe, I returned to the fountain where he had been sitting. I was prepared to demand an explanation from him. I even considered challenging him to a fight for manipulating me like that."
Lucas raised an eyebrow slightly. "And what did he say?"
Aris laughed softly, though the sound came out rough because of the lingering damage to his throat. "The girl barely knew him. When I asked her about him, she said she had only heard him perform poetry in the square once and took a picture with him afterward. That was their entire connection."
Lucas chuckled. "All of that because of a poetry fan?"
"All of that," Aris replied while shaking his head. "The old man laughed when I confronted him. He smiled at me like a grandfather pulling a harmless prank, and then he said, 'I sent you to save her from her fate, boy. That was the reason. The girl would have been sold to someone worse than Voss if nobody intervened. I saw your aura the moment you entered the city, and I knew you were the one who could save her.'"
Lucas's expression became more thoughtful. "He manipulated you."
"Completely," Aris admitted while still smiling faintly. "And I walked directly into it because he was right. She needed help, and I was the only person there who could do something about it. I was angry at him, but I was also happy everything happened the way it did. Is that strange?"
Lucas shook his head calmly. "Not at all. Being angry about the method and being happy about the result are two different things. A person can feel both emotions at the same time."
Aris nodded slowly while considering those words. "I suppose you are right. I saved her, and that is what matters most. The manipulation was only a tool. My decision to act was what truly changed things."
Silence settled between them for a brief moment while the afternoon sun warmed their faces. Beyond the estate walls, distant sounds from the city drifted through the wind.
Lucas eventually spoke again. "My mission was not as straightforward as yours, but it had its own complications." He paused briefly before continuing. "The queen survived, the demonic beast was sealed, my team fought well, and nobody died. That is the short version."
Aris tilted his head slightly because he could sense Lucas leaving details unsaid. "That sounds like an extremely short version."
Lucas smiled faintly. "It is the only version you are getting. Some things are better left unspoken, even between friends."
Aris accepted the answer because he understood the burden of secrets better than most people. He carried his own as well, especially the new understanding of Ore that had awakened during his battle with Voss.
"When I fought Voss," Aris said quietly, "I discovered something new about Ore. I always believed it only existed for sensing things, for reading auras and intentions. But near the end of the fight, when my mana was nearly depleted and my body was falling apart, I reached deeper than I ever had before."
Lucas leaned forward slightly, and his interest became immediately obvious. "What did you discover?"
Aris extended his hand slowly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the air around his palm shimmered faintly, and Lucas immediately felt pressure spreading from the blind swordsman. It was not mana, nor was it physical force. It was pure will pressing against the world itself.
"I can channel Ore through my body to temporarily raise my physical abilities to the level of a 5-Star Elite," Aris explained while lowering his hand. "I can also merge it together with mana and channel it through my blade to create attacks stronger than either force alone. I used two techniques against Voss, and they are the reason I survived."
"What are they called?" Lucas asked.
"[Ore Sword: The Fallen Moon]," Aris answered first. "It creates a crescent-shaped slash of silver-white energy capable of cutting through almost anything."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The second technique is [Ore Sword: One Strike]. It does not depend on speed or physical strength. It relies entirely on willpower, and it severs the connection between a target's body and the will keeping it alive."
Lucas remained silent for several seconds while processing everything he had just heard.
Then he laughed.
It was a genuine laugh filled with admiration rather than mockery.
"You discovered an entirely new path while I was busy fighting demons and sealing beasts," Lucas said. "I am genuinely impressed, Aris."
Aris looked slightly embarrassed. "It was not discovery. It was desperation. I would have died if I failed to find something."
Lucas shook his head. "`Desperation creates most breakthroughs. People evolve fastest when they have no other option. You should take pride in what you accomplished instead of dismissing it."
Aris smiled faintly and nodded. "Maybe you are right."
He looked toward Lucas afterward. "What about you? You returned with the queen alive and the beast sealed. Even without details, that is still an incredible accomplishment."
Lucas shrugged lightly, causing the weights attached to his body to clink together. "It was a team effort. Ethan led the mission well, Austin fought hard, and Kaya held her ground against opponents stronger than herself. I simply fulfilled my role."
"You are being modest again," Aris said.
"I am being honest," Lucas replied calmly. "Modesty would require pretending I accomplished nothing. I contributed, but I was not responsible for everything. There is a difference."
Aris laughed softly because Lucas rarely spoke about himself in any way that sounded uncertain. "You really are impossible."
"I have heard that before," Lucas answered with a smile.
The two of them remained there for a while longer while the afternoon gradually shifted toward evening. The training grounds were empty except for them, and the only sounds came from the wind moving through the trees and distant birds returning to their nests.
Eventually, Lucas rose to his feet. The ground beneath him cracked slightly under the pressure of the rune-enhanced weights attached to his body.
He extended a hand toward Aris.
Aris accepted it and pulled himself upright.
"I want to show you something," Lucas said. "Come with me."
Lucas led him across the training grounds toward a small building near the edge of the estate. Reinforced wood formed the door, while glowing runes covered the outer walls.
Lucas opened the door and stepped aside.
Aris entered first.
The room inside was smaller than expected, measuring roughly ten meters across in every direction, but the atmosphere immediately felt different. The air itself was heavier, and mana pressed against Aris's skin with enough density to feel almost physical.
"I built this cultivation room using runes," Lucas explained while closing the door behind them. "The formation absorbs ambient mana from the surrounding environment and compresses it inside this space. The mana density here is roughly five times higher than outside, which means your cultivation speed should increase proportionally."
Aris inhaled sharply. "Five times?"
"At minimum," Lucas replied. "If you train here daily, you should reach the Iron Stage within a week. Your mana core has already expanded significantly since arriving here. Right now, time is your only limitation."
Aris slowly turned in place while using his Ore senses to study the runes surrounding him. The structure was incredibly intricate. Layers of interconnected formations covered every wall in ways he could barely comprehend.
Lucas had invested an enormous amount of effort into creating this room.
"Thank you," Aris finally said.
Lucas waved the gratitude away casually. "Do not thank me until you actually break through. Until then, this is still just a room filled with runes."
Aris laughed quietly. "I will thank you now and thank you again later. You cannot stop me."
"Fair enough," Lucas replied while smiling. "Now come outside. We still have training to do."
They stepped back into the evening air, and Aris immediately noticed the difference. The outside atmosphere felt noticeably thinner after experiencing the cultivation room.
He retrieved his katana from the grass before turning toward Lucas.
The silver-haired swordsman was already standing in position with his own blade raised. The weighted equipment attached to his body clinked softly as he shifted his footing, and the sheer density of Lucas's mana core pressed heavily against Aris's senses.
It was far beyond his current level.
"You are close to another breakthrough," Aris observed.
Lucas nodded once.
"You will reach it soon," Aris said confidently.
"I know," Lucas replied. "The real question is whether I will reach it quickly enough for what is coming."
Aris did not ask him to explain because he already suspected the answer would remain vague.
Instead, he raised his own katana and settled into position.
His body still ached from the injuries he suffered against Voss, and the burns covering his arm remained painful, but he could still fight.
That had always been enough for him.
The two swordsmen began slowly, circling each other with careful footwork while their blades remained raised. Lucas possessed overwhelming advantages in both strength and speed, but he deliberately restrained himself because this was training rather than combat.
Their swords met repeatedly.
Ting. Ting. Ting.
The metallic rhythm echoed softly across the training grounds.
Aris's swordsmanship had improved noticeably. His strikes carried cleaner angles, his footwork had become smoother, and his Ore senses tracked Lucas's movements with increasing precision.
He still remained at the Peak of the First Pathway, and the gap between them physically was enormous, but he was improving steadily.
For now, that was enough.
They trained until the sun disappeared beneath the horizon and the stars filled the night sky.
Then they continued training even longer.
The repeated clashing of steel became rhythmic, almost like the heartbeat of the estate itself, and neither of them wanted to be the first person to stop.
Finally, Lucas stepped backward and lowered his katana.
"That is enough for today," he said.
Aris lowered his own sword while his exhausted arms trembled slightly from fatigue. "Same time tomorrow?"
Lucas nodded. "Same time tomorrow."
Then he paused briefly.
"And Aris?"
"Yes?"
"Use the cultivation room tonight. Sleep there if necessary. The faster you reach the Iron Stage, the sooner we can begin proper training."
Aris laughed softly. "Fine. I will sleep inside your magical mana chamber, but you are responsible for bringing me a blanket."
Lucas chuckled quietly. "I will see what I can do."
The two of them walked back toward the manor together while exhaustion weighed heavily on their bodies. Above them, the stars shone brightly across the night sky while cool wind drifted against their skin.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Aris finally broke the silence.
"I am glad I met you, Lucas."
Lucas remained quiet for a moment before answering.
"I am glad I met you too, Aris."
They continued walking beneath the stars while the night slowly swallowed their voices, though the meaning behind those words remained long after the silence returned.