Chapter 29

"By the way," Aslan began, "there was an auction a few days ago. One of the items was a Holong Sphere — it's said to bring good luck. If you guys had that, maybe finding Alya's grandfather would be easier."

"I actually suggested to Firman that we steal it when they left the city," Alya said. "But he refused. He said it was too risky because the person who bought the Holong Sphere also bought the recording of the strongest person in history. Everyone in this city would be after it. A bloodbath was guaranteed."

"Ohh… sounds like a wise decision," Aslan nodded.

After that, silence filled the room. Aslan felt a bit awkward, but then he remembered something.

"About the rule that says no fighting in the city… why does no one dare break it? This place is full of criminals, right?"

"Hm? There are a few reasons," Firman replied. "One, they all need a safe place to hide. If they cause trouble, they could be banned or kicked out. But the main reason… the city's ruler is one of the ten strongest people in the world. He's already reached Tier Nine."

"Wait, Tier Nine? I thought the highest recorded tier was only Tier Seven?" Aslan asked, stunned.

"Huh…?" Firman and Alya exchanged glances.

"Have you been living under a rock?" Firman teased.

"Around eight years ago, in the Month of the Serpent, a thick fog over the Greylands near the Kingdom of Ardan vanished without explanation. After that, the world's Tors energy suddenly spiked dozens of times. People started advancing faster and higher," Alya added.

Aslan's eyes widened. He remembered clearly — eight years ago, when the fog disappeared, he had entered that very area.

"What is it?" Firman asked, noticing Aslan's expression change.

"Ah, um… nothing," Aslan quickly changed the topic. "Anyway, when we first met, you were already pretty strong. You even killed that monster easily — though it was wounded. I thought you were at least Tier Three back then. If advancing is easier now, why are you still only Tier Four?"

"Huh? Well… I don't know. Feels like my growth has been pretty normal. I'm almost at Tier Five now," Firman said.

"Yeah, right. That's slow. I awakened four years ago, and I'm already Tier Three," Alya mocked.

"Hey, it's way harder to go from Tier Two to Three than from Three to Four! And besides, I spent most of the last three years training you!" Firman shot back.

"Just admit you're lazy. Every time I train, you just stand around. We could've trained together," Alya grumbled.

"Hahaha, no need to argue," Aslan laughed. "My master used to say, resting is part of training too."

"Anyway," Alya said, changing the subject, "this place only has two rooms. You'll sleep out here, that okay?"

"No problem," Aslan replied.

"I'll grab you a mat," Firman said as he got up.

The next morning, the sky was overcast, casting a gloomy mood over the city. They prepared to head into the forest.

While walking, Aslan's eyes were fixed on the two large swords on Alya's back. They were long and bulky — clearly not made to be used at the same time.

He stared long enough that Alya noticed.

"Why are you staring at me? Don't tell me you're falling for me," she teased with a sly smile.

"Ah, no! I was just curious about your swords. They're too big to use together. Why carry both?"

"Oh, I only use this one," she said, pointing to the main sword. "The other one's just for show. My grandfather made it — it's the best weapon he ever forged."

"Then why not use that one?" Aslan asked.

"Well~ because it's not meant for me. Grandpa forged it using the body of a Tier Six monster. He always dreamed of giving it directly to his idol."

"His idol?" Aslan asked.

"Yeah! My grandpa's idol is—"

"Watch out!!!" Firman suddenly shouted, pushing them aside.

A spear shot from the distance, nearly hitting Alya. Thanks to Firman, it missed — but hit him squarely, sending him flying.

"What just happened?" Aslan shouted.

Boom! A massive explosion echoed nearby.

"Looks like there's a serious fight happening up ahead," Alya said calmly.

"This is bad—wait! What about Firman?!" Aslan shouted in panic and turned around.

"Relax. That won't kill him," Alya said flatly.

"Even if it doesn't kill him, he must be seriously hurt," Aslan said, already running toward where Firman had landed.

Aslan was shocked by what he saw. Firman was badly wounded, the spear embedded deep in his chest. But incredibly, he was still standing.

"Damn it, what do we do?" Aslan panicked.

"I told you, calm down," Alya said.

"How can I?! That spear went through his chest!" Aslan yelled.

"Look again," Alya replied.

"What, is he going to magically heal by us watching—ehh?! How?! I swear that wound was real!"

"I told you," Alya said. "Firman has a special ability. He can regenerate and regrow any part of his body using Tors energy. As long as he has enough, he can't die."

"Incredible…" Aslan whispered, awestruck.

"Enough chit-chat. There's definitely a fight up ahead."

"So what do we do? Go back to the city?"

"We can't."

"Why not?" Aslan asked.

Firman pointed toward the city. Aslan turned to look — and was stunned to see thousands of people heading their way.

"They're coming here. No… it looks like they're heading toward where that explosion came from."

"Let's get out of here! If we don't, we'll get caught in the chaos. I bet they're all after the recording orb. And for that, they'll go crazy," Firman warned.

"Why don't we join them?" Alya said. "Maybe we'll get lucky — like finding the Holong Sphere. If we get it, we might find Grandpa faster."

"No," Aslan said firmly. "It's too dangerous."

To be continued…