Sarah nodded before reaching into her storage ring and taking out a small box. The container was ornately carved from what appeared to be silverwood, with protective runes etched along its edges that pulsed faintly with preservation magic.
Naturally, such a rare herb would be protected and preserved to ensure its effects remained optimum without any issues.
She handed it to him, her expression calm but resolute. "The physical enhancing herb is inside this box. I was planning to use it today, but you’ve come at the right time. Perhaps it’s fate, I’ve been delaying its consumption,"
Arthur accepted the box with careful hands, feeling the weight of both the physical object and its symbolic significance.
The irony wasn’t lost on him, considering his real surname was Fate, whilst his nickname was Fateless. The universe seemed to have a twisted sense of humour, delivering exactly what he needed through someone who spoke of destiny.
But the more things like that happened, the more he started to truly believe...he wasn’t really fateless, or perhaps he was thinking too deeply into it. Either way, none of these thoughts helped him with his current goals, so he decided to ignore them.
He opened the container briefly, just long enough to confirm the herb’s effect through the system. Inside lay a crystalline root that seemed to pulse with inner light, its surface reflecting rainbow patterns that spoke of concentrated mana and transformative potential. This was indeed an epic-rank enhancement herb, possibly even more potent than the Sky Vigour Root he’d acquired earlier.
"Thank you, Sarah," Arthur said, closing the box and securing it in his spatial storage. "It’s been a pleasure."
She studied his expression with those sharp eyes, noting the gratitude before nodding her head. "Thank you, too."
Arthur gave her a slight nod before inviting her to visit his guild. "Sarah, I’d like to invite you to visit the guild headquarters in the coming days to complete your qualification as a member. There are some administrative processes we’ll need to handle, and I want to introduce you to the core team.
So you are not bothered by anyone, and don’t worry. The procedure won’t take more than a few minutes, so you can get back to your daily business without any disturbance to your routine."
Sarah nodded, her posture relaxed but attentive. "I’m not in a rush. You can go do your thing for now. From the look in your eyes, you seem to have a lot of work."
Arthur’s expression flickered with appreciation for her understanding. Most people would have pressed for details or demanded immediate attention after such a significant transaction. Sarah’s willingness to step back demonstrated the mature judgment that had impressed him from the beginning.
"I appreciate your patience," he replied, extending his hand once more. "Welcome to Power Guild, Sarah. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish with these new resources."
After their handshake, Arthur excused himself with appropriate courtesy, his mind already shifting to the urgent mission ahead. View the correct content at NovelHub
Arthur left the academy grounds, his steps purposeful as he made his way back toward Caldera’s central plaza.
The weight of three physical enhancement herbs in his dimensional storage felt significant, not just their magical properties, but what they represented.
Hope. A chance to save Charlotte from the deterioration that had been slowly claiming her life.
Three herbs secured, and a fourth on its way from the mission.
The familiar chime echoed in his mind as the quest notification materialised before his vision.
[Ding! You have accepted the A-Level quest: Find the Pyro’s Lotus inside The Grieving Hollow. Quest duration: None. Reward: Vire root(Epic-Rank) Failure: Loss of reputation in Caldera.]
Arthur reviewed the quest parameters one final time. The failure conditions weren’t just about losing gold or items, but reputation, and in Caldera, reputation was a currency unto itself. A tarnished name would ripple outward, affecting guild relationships, noble house interactions, and future opportunities. He couldn’t afford to fail.
But he also couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Charlotte’s condition was deteriorating, and every day the risk increased that even epic-rank herbs might not be enough to restore her health.
Arriving back in the central plaza of Caldera, Arthur activated his spatial manipulation talent. The familiar sensation of reality bending around him carried him through folded space, depositing him in the forest roughly fifty kilometres south of the city. This was the maximum comfortable range for his current teleportation abilities.
He was still on cooldown for his long-distance teleportation, and he could only do short-distance teleportations in intervals to travel distances, whilst also asking Aether to teleport them.
The Grieving Hollow lay approximately two hundred kilometres in the southern direction from Caldera. The place had earned its ominous name through decades of claiming the lives of those who entered unprepared. Expeditions had vanished entirely, leaving behind only rumours of creatures that defied conventional classification and environmental hazards that could kill before being detected.
Naturally, Arthur wasn’t particularly scared. The place shouldn’t pose insurmountable difficulties, especially with Aether accompanying him. His primordial void dragon was a force of nature in its own right, capable of spatial manipulation that could counter most threats they might encounter.
The forest around his landing point was notably different from the areas closer to Caldera. The trees grew taller and more densely packed, their canopy blocking much of the sunlight and creating a perpetual twilight atmosphere. Strange bioluminescent fungi dotted the bark of ancient oaks, providing eerie blue-green illumination across the forest floor.
Despite the eerie atmosphere, the view was undoubtedly beautiful in many ways. It was pleasing to the eye, calm on the ears, and certainly the perfect place to die without knowing how or when. NovelHub
Arthur took Aether out of his pocket and placed him on his shoulders. The small dragon stretched contentedly, his void-black scales seeming to absorb the ambient light while his intelligent eyes scanned their surroundings with interest.
It was the first time that Aether had entered this place.