Chapter 34: Tired of Talking

Chris glanced at Sebastian before shaking his head.

"I still refuse. I’m going back into the Wilds, and I won’t be coming back for a long time. I’ll consider your offer after I return."

Sebastian looked at him for a moment before laughing.

"Hahaha! Fair enough. I won’t force you to make a decision now."

He reached into his robes and pulled out a golden badge before tossing it toward Chris, who caught it and examined it curiously.

"Take this with you. If you decide to join us, simply show it at any Adventurers’ Guild branch, and they’ll contact me. You can also use it to take an assessment at any branch if you want to receive a personal card."

Chris raised an eyebrow.

"What’s that?"

"A personal card contains your details, including your level and class rank. It’s used to prove your strength and identity to others."

Chris looked at the badge in his hand, confused.

"Why would I need that? Can’t people just scan my stats with their System and see how strong I am? Unless I’m wearing a bracelet that hides them, that is."

Aldric and Sebastian exchanged awkward glances.

"That doesn’t work for everyone," Aldric explained. "Once someone surpasses the 4th evolution, other people can no longer scan their stats with the System. Special equipment is required to assess them properly."

He paused before adding, "I was only wearing that bracelet before because my strength had been reduced too much, so I needed to hide my stats."

Chris was surprised, didn’t this mean he wouldn’t need to wear the bracelet anymore? Though another question soon came to mind.

"Does that apply to monsters and beasts too?"

Both men nodded.

"But I managed to scan the stats of that monster in the dungeon. The A-rank one that was Level 53, and I was also able to scan other monsters above the 4th evolution before."

Aldric’s expression changed immediately.

"Are you sure you were able to scan its stats?"

Chris nodded.

Sebastian and Aldric exchanged surprised looks, clearly unable to understand how that had been possible.

"Do you know the reason for this?" Chris asked.

Both of them shook their heads.

After a moment, Chris shrugged and slipped the golden badge into his storage ring. Whatever the reason, neither of them seemed to have an answer.

"I’m tired of all this talking. I’m going to sleep."

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and walked straight out of the room.

He couldn’t be bothered to talk to anyone anymore. Recently, he had found himself spending entire days talking with people, which was something he wasn’t used to after years of living in silence. Although he appreciated having others around, especially after spending so long alone in the Wilds, he still found prolonged conversations rather exhausting.

After leaving the room, he found a servant in the hallway and asked to be shown to his bedroom.

Once inside, he closed the door and looked at the enormous bed standing in the center of the room.

’Let’s give it a try.’

He walked over, climbed onto the bed, and lay down in the middle, placing a pillow beneath his head before closing his eyes.

For the first few minutes, he remained still, trying to relax, but no matter how comfortable the bed was, he couldn’t seem to fall asleep.

Eventually, he opened his eyes and let out a sigh.

’Seems like I really can’t sleep on a bed anymore...’

He got up, moved to an empty spot on the floor, and lay down without bothering to find another pillow.

Within minutes, he had fallen asleep.

...

"Hey, hey, wake up!"

Chris slowly opened his eyes, his mind still clouded with sleep, and looked around in confusion.

"Erica? What are you doing?"

The girl was crouching beside him, shaking his arm while looking at him as if he had done something completely unreasonable.

"Why are you sleeping on the floor? The bed is right there!"

He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, trying to wake himself up properly.

"I can’t sleep on the bed... Why are you here?"

"Eh? Why can’t you? I came to wake you up for breakfast!"

Chris stared at her for a moment before letting out a tired sigh.

"Sigh... Never mind."

He stood up, stretched his arms, and walked straight out of the room without waiting for her.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Erica hurried after him, continuing to ask questions as they walked through the hallway, but Chris paid little attention to her chatter.

When they arrived at the dining room, he found the others already gathered around the table, waiting for breakfast to begin.

Sebastian had already left, but another man was present. It was the City Lord of Wingbell and Erica’s father.

As soon as Chris entered, Manuel stood up and bowed deeply.

"Lord Chris, I’m Manuel Stormbow, the City Lord of Wingbell. I didn’t have enough time to express my gratitude yesterday, so please forgive me for my lack of courtesy."

Chris waved his hand dismissively.

"I don’t need your thanks. It seems they’ve already informed you about my identity, so please keep it a secret."

"Naturally!" Manuel replied immediately. "You have my word that I won’t reveal anything about you without your permission."

Chris nodded before taking his seat at the table.

"You’re leaving today?" Aldric suddenly asked.

"Yes, as soon as I finish breakfast."

"You were eager to leave from the moment you arrived. Are you uncomfortable living in civilization?"

"Not really. I just need to get stronger as soon as possible. I won’t rest until I achieve what I want."

Aldric studied him for a moment before nodding.

He understood that Chris had his own goals, and trying to persuade him to stay would be a waste of time. The young man had spent years surviving in the Wilds, and despite finally finding people who welcomed him, his desire to grow stronger hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

...

After breakfast, Chris and the others stood up and headed toward the city gates.

He had told them there was no need to escort him, but nobody had listened, so he eventually gave up trying to convince them otherwise.

Once they reached the gates, Chris turned toward the group.

"Well, this is goodbye, at least for now. I’ll visit you the next time I return to the country."

Aldric nodded, while Serena looked visibly dejected. She wanted to ask him to stay longer, but she already knew it would be pointless. She had tried persuading him several times before, only to receive the same answer every time.

"Do you know how long you’ll be staying in the Wilds this time?" she asked.

Chris shook his head.

"I have no idea. Maybe a few years."

"A few years? That long?"

He shrugged.

"What can I say? I reached my current level pretty quickly, but things will only get harder from now on."

Serena stared at him for a moment before suddenly raising her voice.

"You have to return within two years!"

"Huh? Why?"

"There’s going to be a tournament in two years, and I’ll register you!"

She spoke with such a serious expression that Chris couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

"A tournament? What’s so interesting about it?"

"I can’t tell you. Anyway, you absolutely have to participate!"

Chris considered it for a moment before nodding.

"Okay... Two years, then."

Serena’s expression immediately brightened. She approached him, hesitated for a brief moment, and then leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

Her face turned completely crimson, as though that single kiss had drained every last bit of courage she possessed. Without saying another word, she turned around and hurried away.

Chris stood there, staring at her retreating figure in disbelief.

Beside him, Aldric and Theodoric burst into laughter, clearly enjoying his reaction far more than they should have.

After a moment, Chris shook his head and turned toward Erica.

"See you again, mockingbird."

"Don’t call me that! I’m not a mockingbird!" she shouted, stamping her foot against the ground.

"If you say so, mockingbird."

Before she could protest again, Chris turned around and began walking away, casually waving his hand without looking back. He could still hear Erica grumbling behind him, but he paid her no attention.

Once he was far enough from the city that nobody could see him clearly, he raised his hand and summoned Azreon.

A familiar roar echoed through the forest as the enormous black dragon came flying down from the sky.

Chris grinned as Azreon lowered himself, allowing him to jump onto his back.

"Let’s go, buddy. Back to the Wilds!"

Azreon roared in response before spreading his wings and soaring into the sky, flying in the direction they had come from when they first arrived at Wingbell.

Standing on the dragon’s back, Chris felt the wind rushing through his hair as the city gradually disappeared behind them.

He took a deep breath, enjoying the familiar sensation of flying through the open sky.

’Aah, this is the feeling! Finally free of all the nonsense.’

...

It took Chris a little over a week to reach the river where he had managed to escape the Horned Serpents before. His traveling speed was much greater now that he was alone, and with the new saddle he had bought, Azreon could fly at full speed without Chris worrying about falling off his back.

Stopping for a moment, he looked at the river that separated him from the Horned Serpents’ territory.

"Hehe, little snakes, I have returned. Let’s see who’ll be the one running away this time."

A big smile spread across his face as he imagined how much experience he could gain by hunting the serpents. After all, he was much stronger than the last time he had been here, and he was looking forward to seeing how much he could improve by fighting them.

However, before he could make any further plans, all his senses suddenly went on high alert, as if an enormous danger had appeared right beside him.

"Azreon, dive!"

He shouted, and Azreon immediately folded his wings slightly and dived at full speed.

*WOOSH!*

A huge beam of dark energy passed just above them, missing them by a narrow margin.

’What the...’

Chris looked in the direction the attack had come from and spotted a cloaked figure standing on a flying mount not far away. The figure was completely covered by a cloak, leaving nothing visible, but the creature beneath it immediately caught his attention.

Chris felt goosebumps just by looking at the beast.

It resembled a gigantic crow, but its body looked more like a corpse than a living creature. Pieces of flesh were missing from its body, exposing parts of its bones, and several patches of its remaining feathers looked rotten. A beast in such a condition should have been dead long ago, yet it flew through the air as though nothing was wrong with it.

’What in the world is that beast?’

His gaze shifted back to the cloaked figure, trying to figure out who would attack him without any warning.

"Who are you?"

His expression grew serious as he prepared for the worst. Whoever this person was, they certainly weren’t a friend.

The cloaked figure slowly raised one hand, and dark energy began gathering around its palm.

"You have a demon mark. Death sentence." A deep male voice was heard.

*WOOSH!*

Another beam of dark energy shot toward Chris and Azreon.

"Fuck! Run!"

Azreon shifted his body in the air and narrowly avoided the beam of energy again.

Chris could feel how dangerous the attack was. If that beam struck him directly, he was certain it would kill him instantly, and there was no point in trying to fight an enemy whose strength he couldn’t even begin to measure.

*ROAR!*

Azreon roared and immediately changed direction, flying away at full speed while Chris held tightly onto the saddle.

Turning his head, Chris saw the cloaked figure and his corpse-like mount following close behind them.

"Fuck my luck..."