Chapter 329: Back

[Congratulations! Your Status in the Tritan Alliance has been upgraded. Successful promotion from 'Fletchling' to 'Warrior'. Read thoroughly through the attached files to get to know more about your benefits and responsibilities.]

Michael finished reading through the newest notification on his crystal watch and opened the attached files. The files weren't big, so Michael read through them before the battle between Thaor and Mekhaz reached the climax.

Once he was done reading, he sat down next to Kraft Viton to observe the battle of the former Champion Thaor against Champion Mekhaz. They were both extremely powerful, granting Michael a great opportunity as he watched the fight with four-layer Eagle Eyes.

Using Eagle Eyes with four layers of Enhancement drained his energy considerably, but it was definitely worth it. Watching two powerhouses of the Berserker and Warlock Centaur race fight each other without holding back provided far more information than he could have hoped for.

Several cracks formed on the ground of the combat ring during the fierce battle. Interestingly enough, the combat ring repaired itself using bits of the origin energy that permeated the air in the arena.

Observing the combat ring repair itself magically was quite interesting. Nonetheless, Michael got up after a few seconds, and prepared to depart.

He fulfilled his mission by attaining the status of a Warrior. At last, he could enter Piloq's library now.

But before Michael could leave, he noticed both Thaor and Mekhaz walking towards him. They could tell that Michael wanted to leave and approached him.

"How about training with us until the Battle Exchange starts? You can improve your fighting style against opponents who are physically much stronger than you, while we can attune our instincts to deal with your long-range attacks better. Everyone would gain something," Thaor proposed, but Michael shook his head.

"Maybe, I will visit you guys in the next few days, but I think I will be busy for a while. I learned a lot while fighting you guys, and I think I found a few ways to improve my strength as well," Michael politely declined their request before he added, "Furthermore, I wanted to visit the library to study a little. I had to become a Warrior to enter the first floor, which is why I entered the arena in the first place."

After fighting for a while, Michael felt that it was about time to read. He was still excited about the prospect of fighting the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs, but it was not as if his sparring partners would disappear all of a sudden. Michael was bound to have more than enough opportunities to fight during the Battle Exchange - for an entire month at that.

"The library?" Mekhaz asked, staring at Michael.

Even Thaor looked at him a little oddly.

"What about it?" Michael couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing, really," Mekhaz said, pulling Thaor away from Michael.

"Let him go to the library," He told Thaor before turning back to Michael, "I hope you have a...good time in the library. Just come back to train with us whenever you feel like it."

"I will."

Michael turned to the entrance of the arena and departed without saying anything else. He would return soon enough. There was no need to worry. After all, he was looking forward to learning more about his strength, his Soultraits, and ways to deal with opponents such as Thaor.

Today Michael learned that he was still a rookie. He might be powerful, but that didn't mean he was omnipotent - not that he ever felt like that. He left the arena and headed to Piloq's library, hoping that the first floor would have some records about old Ancient Ruins, and the origin tongue used before the First Epoch.

'If I'm lucky they might have some books about the Dragon Tongue. It should be similar to the Primal Origin Tongue - or whatever language the Temple of the Forgotten uses.'

Michael was deep in thought, and didn't even notice the glimmer of surprise in Kraft Viton's eyes. The old man had been surprised several times since Michael's battle with Thaor.

One thing about Michael was that the youngster was pretty good at making friends and connections. He wasn't even trying but naturally got closer to the people around him - especially the people who insulted him first.

Now that Michael left the arena Thaor was clearly the most upset about his departure. Seeing how the Berserker's attitude toward Michael changed so quickly was quite intriguing for Kraft. The old man recalled the Barbaric Couple and the fact that they had grown attached to Michael. The Barbaric Couple even defended Michael when Mr. Klein and the Zan Twins schemed against him.

Kraft Viton heard enough rumors about the Barbaric Couple, and how they had been before meeting Michael. Calling their behavior 'bad' was a gross understatement. It was much better to consider them freakish devils - until they met Michael, who was said to have beaten them up pretty harshly, several times at that.

The old man knew so much about the Barbaric Couple because they were the reason why the Orlando family and the Kolbenheim family were nearly rejected as business partners of the Bartholomew Corporation. After all, the Bartholomew Corporation would rather avoid bad publicity than add the two families to their list of business partners.

Fortunately, the Barbaric Couple's attitude improved after they joined the Saphirelake Military Academy. They were still spoiled, but the Barbaric Couple realized that their strength was not as exceptional as they initially thought. They left their little pond and jumped into a huge ocean where the true powerhouses resided and their inflated egos took a hit.

Their arrogance was dampened, and their motivation to grow stronger was fueled as the gap between them and the other students - including Michael - widened.

Thinking about Michael's combat prowess was reason enough for Kraft to furrow his eyebrows. Kraft Viton had seen many young prodigies appearing out of nowhere. However, nobody was as confusing as Michael. Especially Michael's last attack against Thaor had left him stunned.

The Berserker's energy had been drained suddenly, resulting in his combat prowess decreasing drastically, only for Michael's energy to erupt all of a sudden, allowing him to counterattack and take advantage of the Berserker. Michael was destined to lose the moment Thaor unleashed his full strength, yet Michael changed the tide of the battle with a single attack.

'The golden threads...' The old man recalled. 'The golden threads are the reason he won. What kind of Soultrait was that? Were those energy leeches? Is that it? Can he drain the energy within the air and objects his golden threads touch...and annex them?'

The more the old man thought about it the more sense it made. He had replayed and watched Michael's fight against Mr. Klein a lot more often than he wanted to acknowledge. He had been drawn to the golden energy because it was something he couldn't comprehend. However, now that he witnessed the power of the golden threads, Kraft Viton gained a better understanding.

'Energy Leeches, combined with at least four more Soultraits...one to enhance his sight, one to enhance his other Soultraits, and two Soultraits that can be used with great versatility... None of those Soultraits is weak either... However, Energy Leeches is the strongest. Is it a 5-Star Soultrait?'

The old man shook his head. The silver swords were more likely to be a 5-Star Soultrait. On the other hand, the icicles felt more like a weak ice-elemental Soultrait. It was probably a 4-Star Soultrait given that Michael had little to no problem controlling it as a Tier-2 Lord.

But if that was the case, what about the golden threads? They were clearly stronger than the silver swords - and the gap was not that small either.

Kraft Viton's frown deepened even further as he looked intently at Michael's broad back.

'It couldn't be a 6-Star Soultrait...right?'

Michael didn't know what was on the old man's mind. He could only tell that Kraft Viton wasn't even trying to hide his stare. But Michael didn't really mind. He was also deep in thought, wondering what to do with his new connections.

The Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs were prideful people, but they were also honorable. It wasn't a disgrace for them to lose against a powerful opponent. On the contrary, they would honor the fight and show respect to their opponent. That was something Michael noticed quite clearly.

The moment he defeated Thaor, everyone showed much more respect toward him. They challenged him officially and did not hold a grudge against Michael. In fact, after losing, they felt much closer to Michael as well. It was really interesting.

Recalling the scars covering the bodies of every Berserker that served as clear evidence of the bloody battles they had fought over the course of years, Michael couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous.

'I wish I could hire some of them to become my subordinates. With the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs leading my Summons at the frontlines, I wouldn't have to worry about the safety of my army ever again,' Michael thought, sighing deeply.

Kraft Viton told him that some humans kidnapped Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs. Thus, he doubted that he could hire the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs in the future. Even if he could, many would frown upon him.

It was not that Michael was bothered about the opinion other people had of him, but he cared about his subordinates more than anything else. That meant the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs he would hire would have to be trustworthy. Michael would also pay a lot of attention to ensure that the Link of Loyalty's clauses would restrict Adventurers from harming his other subordinates.

'Most of their Awakened lost their powers as Lords. Can I take advantage of that somehow?' Michael wondered as he turned around the last corner to arrive in front of the library entrance.

Michael stepped inside, where he found the Warlock Centaur still seated behind the reception counter.

A frown appeared on the Warlock Centaur's face when he saw him, only for Michel to chuckle lightly.

"I am back!"