Hello, everyone. The long fifth volume comes to end with this chapter. Volume six is going to be a hell of a rollercoaster so, be prepared. To all the readers who are supporting my novel, I hope God gives you a whit of wisdom that helps you overcome your hurdles. I'd like to take this opportunity to especially thank one of the readers, Stephen O'keeffe. Hey, Stephen, I don't know if you're reading this, or not, but if you are, I hope 'Whit' touched your heart at some point and continues to do so. May God bless you, brother. And last but not least, guys, if you are not commenting at the end of the chapters, at least do so once in a while so I can interact with you. Also, do rate and leave a proper review, so I can better assess myself and keep going. Thank you.
It had been a while since Edgar and Fabby had attended a lecture. The last time they did, Edgar fought with Gabriella and caused quite a commotion.This time, they had to visit as it was mandatory for everyone to visit at least once in the week before the incoming Youth Games if they wanted to participate in the games, with the exception being those who went out on special missions.A core disciple, Leo Baker, himself was explaining to over a thousand disciples in one hall.“There is only one competition in the world where young talents from all around the world gather and compete for glory,” Leo said. “It’s the Youth Games. They happen only once every three years. We are hosting the games this time. Though the official disciples of the Four Great Sects and the representatives of the Twelve Supreme Families automatically qualify, the others will have to go through preliminary competitions to get here. So if you are thinking that it’ll be all fun and giggles, you are gravely mistaken.
Outside the skill hall, Honso Fonse, the pointy-nosed master, who worked in the hall was giving a red uniform and the outer disciple’s red badge to Edgar. Both the uniform and the badge had the symbol of the sect, a tuna with a sword in its mouth.“You’re the second person High Elder Gavin ever gave a recommendation to,” Honso patted Edgar’s shoulder. “Regardless of what other disciples think of you, you should feel proud of yourself.”“W-Who’s the first person?” Edgar curiously asked.“You might have already met her. Helia Kendal,” Honso said. “She never participated in official exams and climbed the ladder through continuous recommendations from High Elder Gavin.”“Y-You mean she became a core disciple through recommendation as well?” Edgar was shocked.“Yeah. Outer disciple. Inner disciple. And then a core disciple. She achieved them all through recommendations, which is why not many people in the sect even know of her. The core disciples also don’t think she’s worthy to hold a cor
Somewhere in the Great Joint, there was a lot of crowd in Hawk Street where there was the Auction Hall and the Trade Hall.Currently, a variety of items were being sold through the Auction Hall and also traded through the Trade Hall thanks to one of the sponsors of the Youth Games visiting the sect early.Many masters of the sect were talking with a particular person dressed in pretty simple clothes and looked humble. He was Lero Rainor, a popular businessman and a world-renowned health expert. He looked to be in his early forties and barely had any gray hair.Edgar visited the Auction Hall because it was along the way from his newly allotted room to the mission hall. The prices of items were hard to figure out as items were auctioned in evergreat coins. As he watched, a mature earth core was bought by an inner disciple for 1450 evergreat coins. Even cool footwear was sold for forty evergreat coins. Full set bonebeast armor was sold for 3820 evergreat coins.Nevertheless, the cost sti
At dawn, Edgar was in Fabby’s room, boiling chicken livers in an iron pot. She just bathed and was dressing up in the outer disciple’s uniform behind the curtain. Normally, male outer disciples weren’t allowed to enter the dorms of the female outer disciples, unless there was a written permission from a master, but since they were siblings, they were allowed.“100 chicken livers a day, you say?” she sounded shocked. “That’s going to seriously upset your stomach.”“That’s why I’m starting with twenty,” said Edgar. “The scroll also says I should eat egg yolk, cereal meals, and any food that has a lot of iron content. But what I didn’t get it is that it said women should eat more than men. Shouldn’t it be the opposite? I mean, men generally eat more, right? To get their larger frames going?”“Well,” Fabby pondered a bit and said, “I think I know the reason, but I’m not sure how I should tell you.”“What do you mean by that?”Fabby pulled the curtain aside and sat on the bed and waved the
Edgar had been practicing the Iron Fist skill for hours in one of the rented rooms of the practice hall.His elbow and wrist joints were aching. He was feeling nauseous also. On the second day itself, he was already feeling the toxic effect of free iron roaming in his blood. He felt like he was running a fever, but he didn’t stop and kept punching the wooden boards repeatedly with his fists.His hands glowed yellow at times and ended up breaking the wood.“Tsk, the Flame Drive is coming out by itself. I have to stop it somehow.”“The scroll says I need to store the absorbed iron in the bone marrow and use it whenever necessary. The iron in the blood is probably being absorbed by the tissues, which is increasing my body temperature. I need to keep burning that iron content until I learn how to integrate it in the marrow using drive so that it doesn’t negatively affect the organs and the rest of the body.”The scroll detailed that once he managed to reform his marrow, it would start tra
Many people were looking at the siblings in the back rows and were snickering and chuckling, for both of them had full shaved heads now.“Pfft, now they really look like siblings.”“Look. His scalp is shining so much.”“Why did he shave his head? Is it because his sister has a bald head?”“Who cares?”Though a lot of people talked about the siblings, none of them considered that Fabby was never bald to begin with, and that she had always been shaving her head.Edgar was not even looking up and had been leaning forward on the bench and kept his face hidden throughout.Fabby was applying butter to the bread.Just then entered the class the most unexpected person, Dina Spoon, with a spoon in her mouth. It had been years since she came to the classes, but this time, it was to teach, and so all those disciples who knew her were either shivering or swallowing their breaths. However, those who didn’t know her were drooling for her. She was a voluptuous beauty wearing short tights, after all.
The class just finished. Dusul had already left, but there was a brief silence followed by a big cheer for Marfa.All those who had passed out before weren’t able to see it with their own eyes, but they were still thrilled from hearing what had happened. Many were shocked, and there were a lot that asked him how he did it so that they could do the same.Marfa, however, was just blushing and laughing. His sworn-brother Chica was also quite excited, and they were jumping around in the class like monkeys.There were those who said that it was all because of Patriarch Dusul, and that this was only the second time someone unlocking their drive had happened in the class in the past decade or so. And then there were also those who teased Marfa saying that it was because he received a hug from core disciple Dina.Dina had already left the class and followed the patriarch. Edgar and Fabby congratulated Marfa from a distance, and he gave them a thumbs up in return, which was his way of recogniz
Thousands of boys and girls, young men and women flocked through the Great Mouth, the entrance that led into the Evergreat Sect. After going in about two miles, they came across two tall guards standing before the huge gate blocking the whole path. Instead of holding spears, the guards were holding metal rods in their hands. “Only those who can withstand the pre-preliminary test can enter through this gate,” one of the guards yelled aloud. “What?” some people were shocked. “We were not informed of any such test?” “What sort of joke is this!” some straight out got angry. “We didn’t come here from thousands of miles away to get stopped before even participating in the preliminary rounds!” “Easy, folks,” another guard stepped forth and said, “the test is really simple. I will strike your shin with this iron rod, and if you’re able to stand after taking the hit, then you can happily walk through the gate. We won’t be stopping you, and you can take part in the preliminary exams.” “You
Edgar woke up, only to find himself in a pool of mud. He could feel that he was being healed by fish that were swimming in the mud and were nibbling at his skin.At first sight, it might look like they were eating him, but they were actually taking away the negative energy from his body, though he was not able to feel that.Edgar tried to grab one of those fishes, but they turned into pure mud, pleasantly surprising him.He looked at Fabby who was sitting in the distance, by the cliff. “What are these fishes, sis?”“Elder Gavin made them with his drive. He said they can suck away impurities from your body and make you stronger,” Fabby explained. “He said even your drive will get smoother and faster afterward. Also, the negative effect the beast cores have on our bodies can also be reversed, or so he said.”“Such a thing is possible with drive?” Edgar was both surprised and doubtful. “These fish are biting me, but I don’t feel any pain.”“Yeah. Just stay there until all those fish are
The eagle brought the siblings to a mountain range and dropped them next to Gavin who was weaving gloves with drive.He wasn’t surprised to see the position the siblings were in.“Here,” Gavin handed the gloves to the eagle, and it put the gloves on its feet and then screeched in happiness.“Haha, you like them, huh,” Gavin smiled. “They are durable as I knit them with my drive. So, don’t lose them.”Scree~!The eagle replied in a confident voice and then began to walk around happily in its new footwear.“They look like gloves, but they should be called socks, I guess?” Gavin wondered. “Ah, well, whatever…”Gavin then looked at the siblings, out of whom only Fabby was still conscious. She was trying to sit up, and it was taking her a while.“You don’t seem to have any external injuries. You are probably tired from using too much energy,” Gavin said. He sent a bullet of energy into her forehead, which didn’t hurt her but went straight into her brain and melted into it. This suddenly ga
“Surfing Strike!’ Edgar’s foot viciously struck Ryu’s face and sent him flying high like a rotating paper fan. Any normal person would have had their head separated from their shoulders from that kick, but Ryu’s neck was flexible as well as sturdy as rubber.Ryu grabbed his head and stopped it from spinning before somersaulting and landing in the distance.“Huh?” Fabby was quite shocked by it. “Why is he not dead? Is he even human?”“His body is a bit special, you see,” Anarga smirked and then looked at Ryu. “But, hey, how could you get hit by that brat like that? You should be glad that there isn’t anyone else around, or it would have brought such shame.”Blood leaked from Ryu’s ruptured upper lip. He licked it and faintly smiled. “It’s been a while since I tasted my own blood.” His eyes turned red.“Oh, crap…” Anarga skipped backward. “You guys brought a disaster on yourself. When he goes into that frenzy mode, he’s unstoppable. Even I wouldn’t dare stand next to him because he can
Anarga squeezed Edgar’s chest down, but when Edgar saw Ryu step toward his sister, he uttered, “Thunder Knight…”The ground beneath them cracked, and the air around them crackled. The very cliff itself vibrated in resonance with Edgar’s heartbeat.Anarga lost her balance just for a second. A double-edged lightning spear appeared in Edgar’s hand, and he thrust it right through her abdomen.She thought it would leave a hole in her, but it didn’t. However, it then electrocuted her to the point her clothes were half-burnt, and she looked like a semi-roasted grizzly bear.Ryu immediately clawed through the middle section of the spear and then took Anarga and jumped a few feet away. “How could you be so careless?”Anarga fell on one of her knees. Blood leaked from both corners of her mouth, even though she tried not to leak any blood.“Does it hurt that much?” Ryu asked.She gave him a glare.“I see…” Ryu then looked at Edgar, who was rising off the ground without the use of his hands, as th
Anarga’s body went into the rock, causing cracks all around her to spread for over thirty feet.Ryu’s feet were still locked by the earthen boots that Fabby had created, but he forcefully broke through them and whipped his leg at Edgar. “Dragon Knock!”“Ngh!” Edgar raised his left arm and blocked the kick with his forearm.Ryu’s foot forced its way through Edgar’s flame drive and struck his forearm and hit a nerve, sending a jolt of shock through to Edgar’s brain. On top of that, Edgar’s forearm got dislocated near the elbow.Ryu’s kick still sent a gust of energy over into the distance, which ended up blasting away a part of the cliff, shocking Fabby and Edgar.Fabby’s heart shook at that moment because if Edgar hadn’t deflected that kick, he wouldn’t have just got his arm dislocated. It was Edgar’s hunter-like instinct of parrying the kick at the last second was what saved him from experiencing a crushing defeat.Ryu didn’t even use drive. Whether he could even use drive or not, Edg
“Is this the best you can do?” Ryu said disappointedly. “I know you can do better, bald brat.” He treated Edgar as nothing more than a kid because he was much older than him. “Why don’t you show me what you got, or I’ll kill this bald girl.”Edgar, who was bleeding profusely from the chest, felt his soul stirring madly after hearing Ryu’s words.“Don’t listen to him,” Fabby said in a low voice. “We are not their match. Fighting them will only put us at a disadvantage. And there’s no one else here to stop the fight in case things go bad. It doesn’t benefit us in any way no matter how I look at it. Moreover, you are already badly injured.”Fabby’s words made total sense, but there was one thing that she didn’t consider. Edgar just couldn’t digest let alone accept the fact that Anarga Utsav had used her wind attack and pushed Fabby off the cliff. What if Fabby died from that?Edgar utterly disliked Anarga as well as Ryu. He didn’t want them to leave with a sense of victory.“Sis,” Edgar
“AHHH!” The siblings cried out in horror, mostly because of the pure shock value. Their eyes sprang out of the sockets. They totally didn’t expect that the eagle would do such a thing.Edgar was about to use his skill, but Fabby quickly said, “No, wait.”“Huh? Wait for what?” Edgar asked her back as winds viciously whipped at their faces.“Just wait,” she replied. As both of them kept getting closer to the ground, Edgar’s heart raced fast. “Screw this. I’m-” he was saying, but then the eagle suddenly came swooping down and caught both of them when they were about 100ft close to the ground and took them away with him.Edgar and Fabby held onto its talons so they wouldn’t fall.The eagle stopped by another mountain top and acted as if everything was okay.“You think I’ll thank you for saving our asses, you shitty bird!” Fabby punched the eagle hard in the face. “I thought I was going to die! You were the cause for scaring me near to death.”Even Edgar looked angry. His heart jumped in
Coming back to the present.The eagle had no idea who Edgar was, so Fabby had to do all the work except for flying. “Where is he?”She was worried for many reasons.The eagle even flew over the colosseum grounds, and she shouted for him, “Are you there, Eddie?”“Who’s that?” some masters and disciples wondered as she wasn’t clearly visible from below. “How rude of her to be flying over this place when the competition is still going on?”“He’s not here, either,” Fabby told the eagle to keep flying.As she kept looking around, she noticed someone bathing in an open pond. Just when she looked at him, he also looked up. She remembered his face mask. This was the same guy she met in a cave not long ago.Numo was not wearing a shirt right now, and his body was pristine white. It wasn’t muscular, but it still looked athletic and toned. It was very attractive, especially because he was a tall man.“Ahem,” Fabby looked away.After the eagle flew out of his sight, Numo continued rubbing his body
Months turned to years.Even though working in the fields had become a daily habit, so did the body pains. If not feet, then legs; if not legs, then back; if not back, then something else in the body took the turn. And by the time they got home, they were pretty tired, yet they wouldn’t be able to eat what they had produced or found.They were only given a limited amount of food such as corn or grains so they could make soup and live with it. The same plain soup with no vegetables in them whatsoever waited for them every night. And they were not paid anything else for their labor, for they were forced to work for the rest of their lives. There was no contract. Nothing. They were pretty much treated like cattle, or maybe even worse, with the only difference being their ability to talk. No matter how they were treated, they still worked hard, for most of them had reasons, be it their children and families.Fabby had Edgar, and Edgar had Fabby. Everyone had someone else they were willing