A Terrifying Record

After leaving that small record room, Asher and Elsa were currently making their trek back to the Matches Vendor. Thankfully for them, though they went down an entirely new direction to come to the record room, there were a few signs to tell where one should go to leave.

And one of those signs luckily leads right back to the Vendor area.

Strolling through these corridors, a simple silence permeated between Asher and Elsa, adding to the corridors' already quiet atmosphere.

In Asher's mind, he was merely pondering the strange unbalance between the people in Matches and audience areas.

Even though there are three long lists detailing numerous cultivators ready to fight, neither Asher nor Elsa spotted many walking about these corridors.

They had only spotted a few System cultivators when they were traveling to Asher's first match.

Asher just had to guess that either brutal fights are occurring every second, or they're just getting unlucky enough to not meet anyone.

Asher could admit that this was an odd thing to continuously take notice of. But with how many audience members there are for seemingly every match, one would wonder why the Matches areas aren't filled out more.

And while Asher's mind was focused on the structural mysteries of the Burning Night Organization, Elsa still had her mind on one specific subject.

She was using the short time of silence to let her mind calm and clear up. Finally, after several seconds of the duo pondering their own thoughts, Elsa decided to speak up.

"Asher….from the way you handle that on stage, it's plain to see you have no issues. Still….I can't help but wonder, are you truly ok? This was your first kill, and now you're seemingly ready to immediately do it again."

In all honesty, it wasn't that Elsa had an extreme, high morality or thinks about justice a lot. Because she was born into a High-Class level family and even is a prime genius there, she was exposed to the unfairness and cutthroat aspects of society.

Though Elsa was more of an observer rather than a participant in the strict aspects of their power society. She may have a kind streak deep within her core, but she knows things are simply inevitable.

Still, while Elsa continued to steel herself to kill, she couldn't stop her slight concerns about Asher.

No matter if Asher's race had entirely changed, she didn't want him to become some indifferent killer.

With how serious Asher was with his race change, she assumed that perhaps he now has a different principle and morality from humans. And all Elsa wanted is for Asher to never change his core personality.

Even though Asher couldn't read thoughts, he could sense her emotional aura and guessed what she's thinking.

No matter how much Elsa said she changed, it wasn't like anyone could simply change overnight. The impact of killing someone still subconsciously weighed on her mind, and seeing how indifferent he was towards killing, Asher could understand her concerns.

So even though they already had this same conversation a few times, Asher was patient as he said,

"Well, I know it may seem a bit cruel to you. And you're also probably considering the fact that I'm no longer a human. Words are effective, but actions do speak louder. So just trust me when I say this; I won't change at all. All that is different about me now is that I won't hesitate to do what I have to do."

"I see…." Elsa quietly replied.

The future is always unpredictable, and Elsa couldn't rule out the very real possibility of a traumatic event completely changing Asher and maybe even her personality.

'But if that happens….hmm….then we'll just have to rely on each other.' Elsa mused in her mind, realizing with the trust they have in each other, both of them would be there for each other in their lowest moments.

Suddenly, Elsa was broken off from her thoughts when she felt Asher's warm, firm hand gently grasped her shoulder.

A small electrifying tingle course through her entire body only from a slight touch.

"Nng….it's like it's getting better every day…." Elsa quietly whispered under her breath, confusing Asher for a moment.

Asher tried to ask then, "Huh? Could you repeat-"

"Never mind that. Is something the matter?"

Elsa sharply cut him off, her tone already telling Asher she won't budge an inch on what she said previously.

Curling his eyebrows, Asher could only shrug his shoulders before asking, "Right….well, I just wanted to see if you're up for this. The option still stands; you can simply knock them or toss them out the stage if you want."

This time, Elsa's response came quicker when than usual. She only took a slight breath, shook her head, and told Asher,

"No. I will steel myself too. When we inevitably travel far from this City, killing won't be uncommon at all. This is essentially my best option for the experience."

Asher didn't sense much confusion or lie within Elsa. She seemed like she was genuinely coming around to steal herself.

However, in the heat of the moment, anything could change.

Still, without conveying his slight doubts, Asher simply nodded at Elsa and said, "For the next match, I'll make it extremely quick. With just one strike, I'll finish it, and for sure, my name will spread swiftly."

"Just don't get too in over your head. Any one of these people could have devious tricks up their sleeves." Elsa cautiously reminded Asher.

Asher already took this account even with Dragon Grass. Still, he listened to Elsa's advice just to show his appreciation.

And after their short talk, the duo stepped up their pace to get to the Vendor area.

….

After only a few minutes of walking, Asher and Elsa soon arrived back at the Vendor area. They didn't waste a moment, swiftly strolling right up to the Matches Vendors since it was completely empty at this moment.

A slight swirl of surprise flashed within the Vendor woman's eyes seeing Asher and Elsa so soon.

Obviously not expecting the way Asher won or for them to come so soon again, the Vendor spoke in a tone of concealed shock. "Congratulations on your first win. Back for another match, already?"

Asher silently nodded, strolled up to the Spirit Tier electronic tablet, and began skimming through the various opponents.

For his next foe, Asher had even wondered if there would be someone with a cleaner victory stat than Dragon Grass.

Dragon Grass had such an immaculate record, barely suffering any losses. Moreover, his prowess could be said to be at the very top of all Peak Early Stage cultivators.

Yet, Asher utterly overwhelmed him in no time at all. Continuing this trend, Asher wondered if there would be trouble getting matches within this realm since his prowess could be too terrifying.

If that were to happen, Asher realizes he'll need to choose his fights correctly.

After only a few seconds of sorting through the list, Asher's eyes soon landed on an intriguing sight.

His eyes landed on someone named Firestorm, and the interesting aspect about him was the fact he fought in over 100 matches!

Dragon Grass stats only went up to thirty matches, and he suffered some losses before meeting Asher.

But for this person named Firestorm….he has fewer losses than Dragon Grass. And just like Dragon Grass, Firestorm's wins were all kills.

As expected from his name, this person only used the Magical Power of Fire.

For any other average cultivator, challenging Firestorm would be nothing short of a suicide move. One would have to be insanely confident in their abilities and have numerous trump cars up their sleeves if they want to match him.

However, for Asher, he only felt slight excitement. The fame from his last would undoubtedly spill over to this match. He has no fighting history and yet already killed a powerful contender in just two simple moves.

Facing someone who's even more terrifying than Dragon Grass, Asher was one hundred percent sure bets on him will increase.

With his plan formed, Asher unhesitatingly picked on Firestorm's name.

Just like last time, Asher put his Night Badge on the tablet, causing a white energy to spark out of both items. The energy glow died down a second later, and Asher's Night Badge now had another special symbol on it.

At first, the Vendor kept the same professional expression as Asher chooses his opponent. But when she saw who Asher chose, her eyes rapidly blinked in surprise.

For a brief moment, her eyes zipped onto the tablet and back onto Asher at lightning speeds. Yet, seeing Asher so calm about his decision, the Vendor kept her thoughts to herself.

She only kept her neutral expression and told him, "So you choose him….good luck. Just follow the symbols to your next match."

Silently nodding once again, Asher and Elsa started their trek down the Matches corridor. As they walked, Elsa's mind was still caught on that shock reaction the Vendor woman gave.

That reaction was too exaggerated to not be suspicious, so Elsa asked with an intent, curious tone, "Just who did you choose? Surely it isn't someone who has an infamous reputation, right?"

"Hm? Oh….well, I suppose he actually does have quite the fame. The guy's name is Firestorm, and he has fought over 100 matches. Yet, he barely lost, and his wins were only kills." Asher casually explained.

And though Asher sounded and appeared so relaxed, some questions began to run through Elsa's mind.

At this point, she knows it's useless to question Asher's prowess within the Early Stage. His fight with Dragon Grass plainly shows just how much Asher's outclassed any Early Stage Spirit Tier cultivator.

Essentially started to Elsa realized that Asher could actually be called invincible within this stage.

But more than that, Elsa could sense that Asher is more than just invincible within the Early Stage level. It's like he truly went beyond the Early Stage, yet, his Magical Aura is still clearly at the Early Stage level.

"Asher….could you perhaps have a prowess that can contend with the Mid Stage level?" Elsa asked after drawing her conclusions.

Asher didn't miss a beat in responding, telling her, "Possibly….can't say for sure. Haven't really fought any Mid Stage cultivator at all. But, I can say for sure, no Peak Early Stage can ever beat me."

"Mnnh….I suppose it's quite impossible for me to deny that claim now. But, after this, we should see the very limits of your prowess." Elsa suggested.

Asher only thought it over for a moment, quickly realizing they could squeeze extra time bright early in the morning. This death mission would need them to do any extra planning if possible.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll get this match quickly done with." Asher readily agreed.

Kicking up their pace, Asher and Elsa swiftly made it towards the next match.