The Sacred Warrior's Palace
Frex, the assistant of the Sacred Warrior, stood with a slight bow, holding an official letter in his hand, and said in a composed voice:
"Sir, you've received an invitation from the Kingdom of Sky."
Elios looked up from the papers and replied in a calm tone:
"Frex, I don't think I can accept it."
Sai had mastered hand-to-hand combat, while Hakan perfected the art of foot-based fighting. Then, both switched styles—Sai began learning claw combat, and Hakan started training in hand combat.
As for Kyotai, he completed sword training in a month and a half, and then began working on his ability with the help of Karez and Beatrix.
Two weeks later… the training was done.
Yarasou stood before Leo and asked with a faint smile,
"Are you ready?"
Leo answered confidently,
"Of course."
A shimmering portal opened in front of Leo.
Yarasou looked at his student and said,
"We'll meet again, so there's no need for goodbyes."
Leo smiled and said,
"Thank you, sir."
Yarasou laughed,
"It's Yarasou, not sir."
Leo playfully replied,
"Thanks, Yarasou."
"No need to thank me."
Leo waved to him before stepping through the portal and disappearing inside.
Leo emerged quietly from the portal to find everyone waiting for him. He didn't say anything—just a peaceful smile formed on his face.
Kano stared at him and asked,
"Why are you so quiet?"
Leo replied,
"Honestly, I don't know what to say right now. But these two months felt longer than a vacation… I missed you all."
Zalen crossed his arms and commented,
"We're not even close to you…"
Leo, without looking at him, responded,
"I wasn't talking to you."
Sai stepped forward with a warm smile and gave Leo a long hug.
"I missed you too."
Beatrix pointed her rifle at Leo's head,
"You better have gotten stronger."
Leo grinned,
"I can do more than comic villains."
Garin said coldly,
"I didn't miss you because you took too long."
Karez and Kani both laughed, and Karez said,
"Training was boring without you."
Leo nodded,
"Felt the same to me."
Mary looked up at him,
"I needed your darkness during training."
Sai winked and said,
"She missed you but won't admit it."
Mary yelled,
"Shut up!"
Leo laughed, then noticed something.
"Kyotai… isn't that my wooden sword?"
Kyotai calmly replied,
"Yes, it is."
Leo asked in surprise,
"How did you get it?"
"In my own way. Now shut up."
Leo chuckled softly, then turned to Kinto, who said in a threatening tone,
"You better be stronger now, or I'll kill you."
Leo confidently replied,
"Don't worry, I'm stronger than you anytime, anywhere."
"And I'm taller than you anytime, anywhere."
"By one centimeter!"
Rivan watched the students and said to Fyorai,
"Their behavior reminds me of the good old days…"
Fiorai remained silent.
A student from Class A named Arian said,
"We're just watching them."
Damian smiled and replied,
"They haven't seen each other in two months. Can't blame them."
Hakan prepared to lunge at Leo.
"I'm gonna hit him."
He swung at Leo's head, but Leo easily dodged it.
"Dude, that was such a basic hit."
"Basic?!"
"Yeah."
Hakan burst out laughing,
"I liked that."
"Huh?"
"We're friends now!"
Brika scoffed,
"You can't just decide that yourself."
Leo tried to hit him back, but Hakan dodged.
"You're cool… I accept our friendship."
"Yeah!"
Hakan is a boy with fiery eyes and black hair streaked with five purple lines. He has the Luck Ability, or as his friends call it, "Gambling" His eyebrows are sharp arched. and he has a muscular build that rival Kyotai's.
Neron glanced around at his companions and calmly asked,
"Now that we can't split up… where do we go?"
Sai smiled indifferently,
"Why don't we just walk without a destination and see where we end up?"
Kano raised an eyebrow, uneasy,
"What if we walk into a hostile kingdom? Or somewhere dangerous?"
Sai sighed and nodded,
"You're right… I didn't think of that."
Mary stepped in with a clarifying tone,
"There are many allies to the Kingdom of Anastasia, like Sky, Atlantis, Ogrolia, and Great Nest."
Leo muttered regretfully,
"If only we planned this from the start…"
Rivan then stepped forward and said,
"I have a suggestion."
Garin joked,
"Amaze us."
Rivan said smiling,
"Elf City, then Dwarf City, followed by Sky Kingdom, and finally Ogrolia."
Neron nodded with admiration,
"Good idea."
Kyotai raised an eyebrow,
"Why that route in particular?"
Rivan smiled,
"It's the best path for your journey. You'll understand with time."
Damian raised a finger,
"Question… what about Brika? Didn't she train with a spear? Doesn't she deserve a weapon?"
Rivan briefly replied,
"No."
Damian was confused,
"Why?"
Rivan smiled,
"Why do you think you'll visit the Dwarf City?"
Damian's eyes widened,
"Oh… That's where we'll forge our weapons."
Rivan looked at everyone and said,
"You've got six months left… use them wisely. Now…"
Suddenly, Fyorai opened a portal beneath their feet. No time to scream—just a sudden fall, and then…
A dense forest… Trees reaching the sky, and sunlight barely piercing the branches.
Sai looked around, annoyed,
"I'm starting to hate forests…"
Mary glanced around nervously and muttered,
"This place feels familiar…"
Zalen agreed,
"Yeah… familiar."
Mary clenched her fists,
"This is one of the forests surrounding Elf City."
Karez said with relief,
"At least the portal saved us time."
Mary said anxiously,
"But didn't teacher Langst say returning home might get us expelled?"
Beatrix cheerfully replied,
"As long as you don't go directly to your house, it's fine."
Mary nodded,
"Right."
Kento said firmly,
"Let's move."
Hakan laughed sarcastically,
"Are you giving us orders now?"
Kaiser, who had been silent, finally said in a calm tone,
"Shut up…"
After some walking… Hakan looked at Mary and asked,
"Hey healer girl, is there a casino in Elf City?"
Mary smiled,
"Yes."
Hakan moved closer,
"Show me the way."
Mary looked at him slyly,
"And what do I get in return?"
Hakan smiled,
"A cut of the winnings."
Mary quickly replied,
"Fifty percent?"
Hakan sighed,
"Fine…"
Mary looked ahead,
"We're close now."
Itor wiped his forehead,
"I'm tired—"
Suddenly, Brika screamed,
"Watch out!"
A raging wild boar burst from the trees, charging at Itor. But Kyotai stepped forward and struck it with his wooden sword. One blow was enough to knock it out.
Leo's eyes widened,
"I didn't know a wooden sword could do that…"
Kyotai replied while putting the sword on his back,
"Swords are only weak when the wielder is weak."
Leo muttered with annoyance,
"That was unnecessary…"
Suddenly, Mary's voice came,
"We've arrived."
What they saw was extraordinary.
From their high vantage point, they beheld the full glory of Elf City.
A city surrounded by towering mountains, with massive waterfalls cascading down into the city flourishing with plants. The stone walls were covered in moss, and the houses were built from pure wood and interwoven trees.
It was a magical sight—as if nature chose to showcase all its beauty in one place.
Mary raised her hand, and five seconds later, a flying broom shot out from the city toward her.
Mary smiled,
"One of our perks."
Kani asked,
"You use it to fly?"
Mary smiled,
"Yes. But using it outside the city is forbidden… for some reason."
Their first journey had begun.
They had now arrived at the city of the purest beings—Elf City.