Chapter 716: Sweat

Beads of sweat trickled down Hiraku's temples. His back was drenched in sweat, and his muscles were sore. It had been a while since he had worked out so much that his body felt like it was tearing apart. Unfortunately, the last 24 hours hadn't been kind to him.

The sweat stung in his eyes as he forced them open. Hiraku glanced at the holographic screen of his crystal watch and frowned deeply.

'21 missed calls.'

His family never called him. They abandoned him after he told them he would focus on the Titan Spirit Soultrait and use the Creation Soultrait as an aid in combat. That was not the path the Star of Creation family pursued with unbending determination. They were obsessed with the path the first ancestor had paved for them and expelled everyone who wanted to walk a different path.

Hiraku knew that very well when he announced that he wouldn't focus on the Creation Soultrait. He had always been burlier than the rest of his family. He had always been aware that he was not like them and didn't fit into the stereotype of the Star of Creation. His family was just...different.

Several years passed without a single call. His family told him to never mention them, or they would come to find him. They were good at threatening, but it was not like Hiraku cared about that. After struggling in the Origin Expanse for a few months, he forgot about his family. But now...the same family who had abandoned him called Hiraku countless times.

"They probably heard that I officially joined Michael's territory," Hiraku burst into laughter, only to groan in pain as his abs twitched mindlessly.

Michael was a good guy. Hiraku couldn't say that about many powerful people, but Michael was genuinely good. He was a little bit naive, but not to the extreme. Michael was not obnoxious about his influence on the entire Tritan Alliance. He knew that his Soultrait Symbols and Soultrait Upgrades were valuable.

Despite that, Michael offered them to his Subordinates like candies. Michael was also willing to invest heavily in his friends. He helped Frederik a lot without demanding anything in return. Initially, Hiraku wondered if Michael wanted to exploit Frederik with his initial investment, but he never forced Frederik into anything. If anything, Michael offered Frederik an easy way to 'repay' his debts by joining the Untamed Awakened.

But even that was good for Frederik. He could stay by Michael's side, gain more Soultrait Symbols and Soultrait Upgrades, and grow strong enough to attain his goals.

'Goals...'

Hiraku didn't know what Michael was planning or what his goals were, but he thought Michael would be fine. Michael was the type of person who'd survived all kinds of ordeals to attain what he desired.

But what about himself?

'What are my goals?' He wondered.

The image of someone flashed through his mind, but Hiraku could only force a smile. Thinking about her was painful. She was the only reason he'd thought about staying with the Star of Creation, yet she was also why he left. Her words when they parted stung even after years had passed.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. He stayed in the arena, his drenched back covered in the sand that covered the entire arena.

Life would go on even without her, but Hiraku was not sure how much longer her presence would influence him. He was unsure if he'd liked to stop thinking about her or if thinking about her held him back.

Hiraku was a Higher Lifeform, and his strength was bound to increase with Michael's help. Michael offered him Soultrait Upgrades and new Soultraits, but Hiraku has rejected his offers until now. Maybe it was time to change that. It was time to grow...to become a different man.

Just as a flicker of determination formed in his eyes, Hiraku received another call.

'Can't they read the fucking roo-....' Hiraku shouted in his mind, only to freeze in his tracks as his gaze landed on the holographic screen.

He received a call.

[Hellen Zuro] - [Accept/Decline]

"W-why?"

**

Frederik fell from the sky. His legs were limp, and fountains of blood burst from his arms.

'Maybe I shouldn't use Aeroan like that until I understand more about the changes made by Enhanced Wind and Wind Mastery...' Frederik cursed himself while retrieving potions from his War Rune storage. He removed the cap mid-air and swallowed the contents quickly. A moment later, he controlled the winds beneath him to unleash several blasts of compressed air.

His fall slowed down, and he wasn't squashed to death as he crashed onto the ground. It wasn't long until Maria appeared next to him. She used Archangel's Grace, healing his legs and arms swiftly.

"Thanks," Frederik groaned as he turned to lay on his back. Maria frowned deeply, but she didn't respond. Her gaze lingered on Frederik only for a second before she looked at the others, who weren't doing much better than Frederik.

Zeke was bleeding from his eyes most of the time. He collapsed every ten minutes, forcing Maria to tend to him to avoid further complications. Meanwhile, Kaleb and Lincoln clashed. Lincoln was trying to increase his brawn and pain resistance. At the same time, Kaleb unleashed a fury of ice, forcing Lincoln to either withstand the pain of getting hit or destroy the incoming attacks with his Stone Giant Soultrait.

However, the group of four wasn't the only one who trained like crazy. Maria saw Killian earlier as well. He trained using his Inheritance Technique with King of Thunder, his main Soultrait, and the new Soultrait his family had acquired during the first Soultrait Auction, Aquarius.

Killian's mastery of the Zeus family's Legacy Arts and Inheritance Technique was extremely high, but adding another Soultrait, a Soultrait that didn't fit into the techniques' criteria, wasn't easy.

Maria noticed that Killian grappled a lot. It was obvious that Killian was stronger than he used to be, but she had never seen Killian sustain injuries while practicing. Yet, that was exactly what happened every other minute as he exercised mixing his techniques with both Soultraits.

Everyone was fixated on getting stronger. Only Maria mused her next move. She was already the strongest Healer of the Tritan Alliance. Even among other races, Maria was the strongest Healer she knew. What else was there for her to do? She could focus on expanding her territory and growing her army. As long as they grew stronger, Maria would have an easier time accumulating more Soul Power. She could use her Soul Technique more often and experiment a little. But, for now, Maria couldn't do much.

'Why do I feel so useless then? I am a powerful Healer! I can do a lot as well, ' she told herself inwardly, only to recall that her power had been useless several times, times in which she had been in danger.

'I am weak. My Soultrait doesn't protect me. I can only heal and regenerate. I cannot fight. No, I cannot protect myself.'

She wouldn't be so burdened if she were powerful enough to protect herself. However, Maria didn't have another Soultrait to defend herself.

But was it really necessary to have a Soultrait to protect herself? Couldn't she learn how to defend herself without a Soultrait?

'Of course, I can. A defensive Soultrait would be neat, though!'