The Day After Tomorrow

'I will learn horseback riding.' Kali unhappily thought as she was assisted by Gio to jump in the saddle board even before she attempted to ride it herself. Gio jumps and places himself perfectly behind Kali. He grabbed the reins entrapping Kali inside his arms.

Kali looks up at Gio frowning. He is always wearing a hood hiding his perfect sculpt face and silver hair.

"I will learn horseback riding when we return." She squinted her eyes. Gio looks down at her.

"Pay for your classes." He said as he giddy up his horse making Kali's head bump into his hard chest.

'Why does he keep doing that?' She grit her molars to suppress her annoyance.

"What's the purpose of that gate?"

The forest has a huge erected moldy gate but the forest doesn't have walls. The other side is visible from the outside.

"The forest is surrounded by a mana wall. That wall entraps everything inside; only the door can be used to freely enter and exit. "

"It's impossible to pass through that wall?"

"It is possible to get in if you are strong enough but it is impossible to get out no matter how strong you are."

"How many gates are there?"

"Two."

"Where is the other one? This the nearest gate?" To make it to this gate they took a two hours carriage ride.

"You didn't know? One of the gates is located at the Old Mansion."

"HUH?!!" Kali raked her memories.

"It's placed beyond the back gate. It's inaccessible."

"Why would you build an estate in front of the monster's forest? It's common sense to get away from it."

The gate they are standing in right now is even far away from town; only a few military camp houses were erected.

"In a world where monsters roam around there aren't many who are brave enough and so the Alexanders choose to be one. Building the estate in front of the Gate made sure that the people will only be harmed after the Family has been wiped out."

Now it made sense, the large training grounds, the number of knights and the large hard thick doors at the underground training grounds, all for the town's protection.

"Ahh"

"You are now an Alexanders, Your surname carries the burden as protector of this land and its people." Gio said it as his hood flutters due to wind blowing.

"I can barely protect myself"

"That doesn't give you a pass to kill another human being."

'. . .' She knows Gio is referring to her attempt to kill the knights.

"Indiscriminate killing is the work of a monster."

Kali looked ahead and remembered being chased and attacked by monsters in this forest.

'Is that how I looked to them?' She then recalls the scared faces of the knights as she approaches.

'Monster.'

"I understand." She said in a low voice but it was enough for Gio to hear it. Gio let go of one of the reins and pat Kali's head.

"Then it's all good."

****

Theo, who is leading the venture, signaled for a rest in Level 2. The knights start setting up the camp.

Gio jumped down his horse and gave Kali a hand but she just jumped down on her own. The knights saw it and suppressed their laugh at the dumbfounded expression of Gio with his hands ready to catch Kali. Kali didn't notice it and instead she was curious about something.

"The headcount?"

"76."

"Why?"

"How do you want me to answer that?"

"Honestly."

". . ." Speechless. His question was meant to be interpreted as that he was talking to himself because it's hard to explain.

"This is normal headcount. The day you first venture out has a special reason. They are all from the vanguard division." Theo joined the discussion.

The vanguard division are specially trained knights. The first line to respond incase of a monster break out.The line of defense. The elites. Sometimes they join other divisions during their ventures. Kali knew their existence.

"That's why they're all strong."

"They are trained to be that way."

"What division are we with today?"

"2nd Division."

"Why am I not brief about it?" Kali looked at her brothers with a questioning look. Isn't that the basic thing to do?

"You were sleeping the whole day yesterday and earlier at the carriage you look like you are about to die."

She clicks her tongue as she recalls the nauseating experience every time she travels. Maybe it's because her unforgettable experience with an escape rune made her sick of transportations.

"There you have it. your answer." Theo put his hand briefly in her head but she brushed it off,and maintained distance with the brothers.

The knights watch them with warm eyes. They saw the scene as a loving relationship between siblings.

They had a smooth venture from level 1 - 3. Monsters were easily taken care of. The Alexander siblings didn't even need to draw their swords. Kali, who was observing the fights, noticed something. Most of the knights had been carrying their weapon all the time and also carrying lots of materials and cargo with them; unlike her first venture almost everything was placed inside the subspace.

"How do you open the subspace?"

"By cutting space."

"Uh huh?" Kali has many questions about how mana works but she keeps it one at a time since the Count's laziness to explain were perfectly inherited by Gio.

Gio sighs before explaining. "It takes talent and years of mana training before one can use it."

"Then what does that make me?" In Kali's head she is thinking if her inventory is a form of subspace or it's totally different, since until now her MP is "0". She might have mana but is unable to access it.

' I don't feel any mana from her but somehow she can access the subspace on a different level. ' Gio thought as he observed her.

'Something might really have done to her just like father said.'

"Special. I think you are special." Gio ended the conversation because he didn't want to open Kali's past. Gio has the gist of what she might've been through.

Few more hours after entering Level 4 the lake became visible. It looks the same as Kali remembers but the surrounding is dreadfully messed up. Holes, huge rocks and broken trees surround the serene lake.

Kali had drawn a conclusion about it. Some people get too close. Just like when Konrad tried approaching it. Chances are they tried to subdue it or kill it.

"Have you killed it?"

"No."

"Why keep approaching it?"

"That water is a liquid form of pure mana."

Kali and Gio's simple answer and question routine became normal to them.

'I've been drinking and bathing in pure mana all these time.' Her awed thought didn't reflect in her uninterested face.

'Pure Mana is an unprocessed Mana Resource, it must be expensive.'

"How much will it sell?"

"Auctioned."

"Starting bid?"

"1,000 gold per regular bottle of Natural Mana Resource."

Kali read about mana. There are many forms of mana. The most common source is the Natural Mana. Natural Mana covers and flows through nature. Sometimes it takes up a form and these are called Natural Mana Resources, samples of which are mana stones, liquid mana, runes and many more.

Other forms of mana rarely take form, they either were force extracted or caused by unnatural factors , they are called Unnatural Mana Resources.

The quality of mana resources are determined on the concentration of mana inside, the higher concentration the higher its value.

"What is the difference between a Natural and Unnatural Mana Resource?"

"Natural Mana Resource came from nature and thus is safe to use while unnatural is the opposite. Unnatural Mana Resources are usually from living beings like humans, beasts and monsters. Using or consuming Unnatural Mana Resources are a gamble of life. Effects may vary, it can be good such as healing and enhancement or it can be worse than death."

Kali raised her eyebrow and asked Gio " . . . That is not a Natural Mana Resource right?"

"No"

"So I've been washing and drinking an Unnatural Mana Resource all these time?"

"Yes."

". . ."

"You are one hell of a lucky devil."

The water in the lake is from the leaking mana of the mythical beast therefore the water itself is unnaturally formed.

"So . . . How much is Unnatural Mana Resource?"

Gio smirked, There is no hint of anxiousness or fear in Kali's expression. She just stood there unwilling to part her gaze from the lake.

"Undetermined." It is no ordinary Beast Mana, it is a Mythical Beast Mana.

The water where the mythical beast resides can be considered beast mana in liquid form. An Unnatural mana that can be harvested and stored as long as the beast continues to bleed.

"Then please prepare a horseback riding teacher when we get back. I'm about to get rich."

Theo who is instructing everyone to gather the resources around glance at Gio and Kali who are busy looking at the lake. He smiled knowingly what was about to unfold.

Kali jumped down on the horse and confidently walked towards the lake one of the knights passing by screamed.

"MASTER KALI!!!!!!" That same knight came rushing to her desperately.

"DON'T COME HERE!!!" Kali shouted as soon as she saw the ripples in the lake. She looks over the running young knight and as if she can almost see him getting crushed. The tip of the ancient beast tentacle peaked the water and it violently wiggle its way up to the surface.

"You are now an Alexanders, Your surname carries the burden as protector of this land and its people."

Gio's words echoed in her. Unconsciously her body moved as the creature got closer and closer to the hysterical running knight. The sky seemed to darken all of sudden and when the knight looked up something huge was about to crush him down. His body was stiff in place until something hit him hard in the stomach that sent him flying inside the forest. Theo catches his knocked out body with a crumpled face.

Theo's crumpled face and his face tattoo made him look scarier. Gio who rushed towards didn't make it. The tentacle made a huge destructive sound as it slaps the stoney ground with someone buried underneath.