Currently in front of the mansion, five humans and one white beast stood sparsely.
Northern's clone and Mr. Fluffy still facing Vida and Annette.
Although the brown-skinned lady now had most of her guard down, she was still amazingly composed even though she looked to be standing casually.
Northern folded his arms and let out a tired sigh before cutting the silence with his voice.
"So, let's say you came to clear out the forest. What do we do now? It's all cleared out."
Annette's eyes stayed on him, contemplating his entire existence for a couple of seconds, then she gestured with both her hands as she responded.
"Well, I don't know. Since it's been cleared out maybe you two can spar? If you don't want to spar maybe we can dare something crazy." A wild glint appeared in her eyes.
"What crazy something is there for you to dare?" Northern asked, raising an inquisitive brow at her.
The wild glint in her eyes grew, exploding into a feral flame.
"What else, we burst into that mansion and take down the apex-level Corpse Eater."
For a moment she looked like a vicious beast.
"Oh... that..." Northern went silent for a second, 'I guess there's no issue with hunting that... the problem is, that thing holds my precious talent fragments, I want to know how many talent fragments I'll receive from killing a savage rank, apex-level monster.'
He looked back, gazing at the entrance of the castle.
'I don't think its soul core would be worth much... it's only a savage rank. But I also don't know if its soul core is worth much, I don't know what I'll be losing...'
Northern returned his eyes to Annette and after a calm breathing, he opened his mouth.
"Instructor Anne, the monster in that mansion is very very dangerous. The fact that it's alive should already tell you so."
Annette looked at the mansion and looked at Northern.
"No doubt it is, but with this much? In the end it's only savage rank."
Northern nodded his head.
"Indeed, indeed, we probably could pull it off but that can't be now."
"Why?" Annette asked.
"I'm going on an expedition with Raven."
Annette's eyes widened.
"Oh me, oh my..." her brows drifted upward and her eyes blazed seductively at him, contorting her lips with a coquettish grin. "You guys are already so... c.l.o.s.e?"
Something about her expression made Northern immediately sneer at her.
"No! There's nothing of such! Don't look at me like that!"
"Aww, you sharp boy. Shooting shots when it has not even been a week since you came here."
"I said it's not like that!" Northern frowned deeply at her.
"I've heard you, no need to get all worked up if it truly isn't." She waved her hand as if dismissing his defense.
"Instructor Annette, I wanted to ask."
Annette's expression straightened as she noted the seriousness in Northern's tone.
"How long was I out for before waking up?"
"Oh." She gestured with three fingers, "Three... you were out for three days. And I guess today should be your second day of waking up."
'And yet it feels like I've been through so much...' He turned his head back, taking a look at Ellis before returning his gaze to Annette.
"I promise to help with the monster when I come back... I need whatever strength I can keep for whatever that girl is planning. I'm not really comfortable going with her as it is. Going after fighting a monster of this sort will be very careless of me."
Northern of course knew he could deal with the monster and come out unscathed.
But he was also very aware that none of them knew that.
If he truly would be helping them, he'd need to pretend or at best have his clone do the work while hiding somewhere... that is if he wanted to pretend.
Now, he wasn't so sure which would be harder, actual fighting as a weak drifter or pretending to be a weak drifter.
But the bottom line was...
'I don't want them to have it... maybe when I come back I can overlook it and give it to them.'
Annette stood akimbo, threw her head at Vida and blinked then she looked back at Northern.
"How about we change the deal if you want to do it by that time?"
A small frown creased on Northern's head.
"You want to make changes? What changes will that be?"
"If you want to help when you come back from where you are going with Raven. I'm sure by then you'd be stronger, so instead of fighting this one monster, into a rift?"
Immediately Northern heard the word rift, he instinctively pulled a step back and revealed a grim frown.
"What? Are you insane? Why would I follow you into a rift?" He snarled.
Annette looked squarely at him, "Calm down, Northern. I know the last rift was a trauma for you. It was a tier V and look at you, you came out, alone as at that. You are a drifter now, going into rifts is a norm for every drifter. Besides, you won't be going alone."
Northern breathed for a couple of seconds and sighed, he closed his eyes and opened them before speaking.
"I'm sorry, I understand what you mean Instructor Anne..." '...I reacted without even thinking but she's right. I can't be dreading the thought of going into rifts just because of what I went through in my first rift. Eventually, I have to face my fears so my fears don't make a face out of me.'
Northern allowed a soft smile that graced his pale features with a sublime beauty and said:
"Thank you Instructor Anne, what you said is indeed correct. I promise to go into a rift with you when I come back from my expedition with Raven."
Annette smiled back, 'It's good that he managed to compose himself quickly. I thought he would be a wuss.'
"You have to survive first though. Raven is a monster, if she came to personally meet you then something ugly is going on in her mind. Although I don't think she'd put your life in danger, in fact, she'd sacrifice hers to keep yours. But still, be careful." She concluded and walked away.
The brown-skinned lady threw one fierce glare at Northern and quickly followed her master.
Watching their backs disappear into the forest, Northern exhaled then turned to the entrance of the mansion, saying to Ellis,
"Let's go inside," as he trekked.