Chapter: Chapter 382The southern defense perimeter stretched across the horizon like a scar made of steel and light. Tall watchtowers lined the edge of the territory, each pulsing with contained Rift energy. In the early morning haze, the air shimmered in distorted waves, the sign that a minor Rift outbreak had formed nearby.Oliver stood at the base of one tower, his armor sealed and his sigil band glowing with fresh System updates. His small team gathered around him. Iris tightened her gauntlets, her breathing steady but sharp. Rhea the medic checked her supplies twice, then once more. Two veteran Travelers waited behind them, silent but alert. Their presence alone carried weight. They were here to observe Oliver, though no one said it aloud.The mission briefing hovered in the air as a projected panel.[Objective: Contain and neutralize minor Rift outbreak. Estimated threat: Level C. Expected anomaly duration: 12 minutes.]Oliver nodded to his squad. “We move in together. Stay behind me until we u
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: Chapter 381The morning sky over the Traveler Academy’s capital branch glowed with soft gold, touched by streaks of violet Rift-light that shimmered like thin cracks in the air. The city beneath it pulsed with life. Towers coated in silver plating reflected sunlight, while massive obelisks surrounded the skyline like silent guardians. Each one hummed faintly, holding back the distant pressure of Rift tides.Oliver stood on a balcony overlooking all of it, his sigil band warm against his wrist. The last three days had passed in a blur. The induction ceremony. Orientation lectures. Endless System forms. Even now, part of him felt like he was wandering inside someone else’s life.Iris stood beside him, hair tied back tightly, her uniform neat and freshly ironed. She tried to look calm, but Oliver could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She had slept badly since the survival test.“Ready?” Oliver asked.Iris nodded, though her hands trembled slightly. “As ready as I can be.”They walked together dow
Last Updated: 2025-12-05
Chapter: Chapter 380The coliseum slowly emptied after the last duel, the roar of the audience fading into distant echoes.The great arena that had felt like a living storm minutes ago now stood quiet, lit only by soft golden lamps that circled the walls. The surviving candidates remained on the arena floor, their bodies bruised, their uniforms torn, but every one of them stood tall. Their breaths came in slow waves as the dust settled around them.Oliver stood among them, his chest still sore from the final clash with Sol Dareth. His heartbeat had finally steadied, but his mind had not. Every moment of the duel replayed behind his eyes like a flickering memory, sharp and vivid. He felt both exhausted and sharp, like he was still halfway inside the battle.Iris stood near him, wiping sweat from her forehead with shaking hands. Her eyes were red from the stress of the day, but she managed a tired smile when Oliver looked at her. “We survived,” she whispered, breathless but relieved.“We did,” Oliver said
Last Updated: 2025-12-04
Chapter: Chapter 379The world returned in a burst of golden light. Oliver felt solid ground under his boots and cool air rushing past his face. A moment later, the mist cleared, revealing a huge coliseum rising around him in a ring of white stone. The rows of seats climbed so high that the top vanished into a hazy glow. Every seat was full. Students, officials, guild representatives, and watchers from the Traveler networks sat shoulder to shoulder, their cheers crashing like waves.The surviving candidates stood on the arena floor, barely fifty of them. Most had torn uniforms, tired eyes, and bruised limbs from the survival exam. Oliver felt the weight of their fear and excitement. Iris stood close beside him, her breathing shaky.“It looks like the whole world is watching,” she whispered.Oliver nodded slowly. “Then we give them something to watch.”A booming voice echoed through the coliseum. “Welcome to the Combat Phase of the Traveler Trials!”The crowd roared again. Panels of shimmering blue ligh
Last Updated: 2025-12-04
Chapter: Chapter 378 The sky above the Trial zone changed color before Oliver even reached the clearing. The mist brushed away like a curtain, revealing a sky streaked with deep red light. The clouds swirled like fire slowly twisting across the heavens. Even the air grew hotter, as if something enormous was breathing warm gusts into the forest.Rhea stopped walking and pressed a hand to her chest. “This is not normal weather.”Iris gripped her staff tighter. “It’s the beacon. The System said it would activate at dawn.”Oliver felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. Not enough to knock him off balance, but enough to make his muscles tense. The temperature climbed with every step they took. Sweat rolled down the side of his neck, and his breath came out warm.“It’s starting,” Oliver said quietly.They stepped out of the tree line and into a vast clearing shaped like a bowl of scorched earth. Blackened grass crackled under their boots. At the center stood the beacon, a towering crystal pillar glowing li
Last Updated: 2025-12-03
Chapter: Chapter 377Oliver woke before the others. The sky above the camp was a soft grey, the mist still thick and unmoving. The air tasted metallic, like frozen mana. A single thought sat heavy in his mind: today would be worse than yesterday. The Trial zone grew more dangerous with distance, and the forest ahead pulsed with a strange rhythm, as if breathing in slow, uneasy waves.Iris stirred beside him, wrapped in her cloak. Rhea slept against the tree trunk, her chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. Oliver stood quietly, stretched his arms, and scanned the woods for any signs of movement.A faint echo drifted toward them from the right. It sounded like footsteps, but the rhythm felt wrong. The echoes returned a heartbeat after the steps, like delayed reflections.Iris opened her eyes and frowned. “Is that someone walking?”“No,” Oliver murmured. “Not someone. Something.”The Survival Phase had many dangers, but the Forest of Echoes was one that even veteran Travelers whispered about with ca
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: Chapter 221The university admissions agents started arguing loudly.Draken stood there watching them fight over which of them would win him over to attend their school but deep inside, he was not interested.Draken had other ambitions. He didn’t want to take the normal journey anymore, as he had been through things none of them could bear.The homeroom teacher noticed and hurried over. "Draken, hurry and choose which school you want to attend!"The admissions agents quieted down and turned to Draken.Draken replied calmly, "Thank you for your offers, but I want to try to create my own academy into the top-ranked space for talents."Everyone fell silent.Draken had thought about this for a while and knew it was his goal. With his talent and strength, he felt he should aim for the best school in the country.The other admissions agents quickly tried to change his mind."Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?""Berserk College didn’t even send anyone to invite you. They don’t seem serious.""Th
Last Updated: 2024-08-16
Chapter: Chapter 220When Gaffa announced Draken as first place, the entire room fell silent.Everyone thought they misheard, but recalling Draken’s performance, they realized it made sense.Class Two students cheered collectively.“Draken is amazing!”“He’s the pride of F-level talent!”“Number one in the entire state! Draken made a miracle happen!”The students in other classes had mixed emotions. They didn’t feel great knowing the top student was from another class.“Prepare for the second stage of the exam, now we will have a halftime break,” Gaffa said.The mages began to rest as they stopped their formations. The students returned to their classrooms to rest.Draken also went back to his class to rest. Many people approached him, curious about his strength improvement.“Draken, how did you get so strong?”“Yeah, how can an F-level talent improve so quickly? Any tips for us?”“I understand Draken comes from a low-income family and can’t afford good equipment and potions. He’s extraordinary to have im
Last Updated: 2024-08-09
Chapter: Chapter 219Draken turned to Lord Luke and said, “The exam rules require me to accept the first two matches. If I win, I can choose whether to accept the next match.”“I also have the right to pick my opponent.”Lord Luke frowned and asked, “Are you saying you’re rejecting my challenge? Are you a coward?”Draken glanced at the black horse behind Luke. Using his Eye of Truth, he saw the horse’s stats.Night Spirit HorseAttack: 40Speed: 700Health: 930Mana: 100Defense: 200 The horse’s speed and health were impressive. Draken thought having this horse would make his travels easier. Although cars existed in this world, rare mounts like this were more valuable.Draken decided it would be great to have this horse. “Lord Luke, if you want to fight me, you must place a bet.”“If I win, I get your horse!”Luke clenched his teeth. The horse was his prized possession. How did it quit just like that? But he thought beating an F-level talent would be easy, so he agreed.“No problem, but what if you lose?
Last Updated: 2024-08-07
Chapter: Chapter 218Draken activated his Split Claw skill, and in an instant, he destroyed all the vampire bats flying towards him!Everyone watching was shocked.“What just happened? Did he really kill all those bats in a split second?”“This doesn’t seem like F-level strength.”“These bats are Lord Nazzy’s strongest attack, and Draken just blew right through them!”Even Lord Nazzy himself was stunned. He knew how powerful his vampire bats were, and normal attacks wouldn’t usually harm them much.Lord Nazzy glanced at Draken and started to rethink Draken’s power. Seeing Draken’s sharp claws made him nervous. He realized he might not be able to beat Draken.Draken, not wanting to waste time, charged at Lord Nazzy. Seeing Draken rush at him, Lord Nazzy tried to run away, but Draken was too fast. In the blink of an eye, Draken was right in front of him.“Damn it. He’s too quick!” Lord Nazzy shouted in shock.“Didn’t you say you found me a grave?” Draken asked coldly. “You’re the one who’s dead!”Draken sa
Last Updated: 2024-08-06
Chapter: Chapter 217Akpi was shocked by Draken’s words.He quickly backed away, trying to put some distance between them.“Why aren’t my attacks working?” Akpi wondered aloud.After thinking for a moment, he reassured himself, “You must have focused all your training on defense. That has to be it. Your attack, speed, and health must be much weaker than mine.”Confident once again, Akpi decided he could break through Draken’s defenses with his speed over time.Just then, Draken’s figure flickered and vanished!In a flash, Draken reappeared right in front of Akpi.Akpi’s eyes widened in disbelief. Draken’s speed was faster than his!Draken raised his right hand, which transformed into a powerful dragon claw. His muscles expanded, scales emerged, and five sharp claws gleamed menacingly.Akpi was stunned. How could such a fierce-looking dragon claw be considered the weakest F-level talent?Swallowing hard, Akpi stammered, “Bro, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things…”Draken remained calm. “I told you
Last Updated: 2024-08-05
Chapter: Chapter 216Gaffa stood in the center of the formation and shouted, “Start now! Find your opponents! You have one minute!”Immediately, more than half of the male students in Class Two locked their eyes on Draken and moved toward him.One student rushed forward and yelled, “Draken! Let me be your opponent!”This made the others panic. They all wanted to face Draken and didn't expect someone to cut in line.“Draken, come and fight me. I’ll be gentle!”“Draken, we used to be friends. Let me have this opportunity!”“Grant me this opportunity, and I’ll make it up to you!”The scene was chaotic as everyone rushed toward Draken. He gave a faint smile, finding it ironic how they had just comforted him in class. Their hypocrisy was now clear.A quick-footed student reached Draken first. “I’m the first here. I’m Draken’s opponent. The rest of you are too late!” he announced proudly, thinking his ranking would improve easily.The others stopped, filled with regret.“This guy sure runs fast!”“I missed it.
Last Updated: 2024-08-02
Chapter: Chapter 128The broken earth still smoked from the last clash, and the cries of the wounded hung faint in the air. Yet no one moved. No one breathed. Every soldier, every priest, every king, all stared at the figure of black fire that had stepped from the east.It was not whole. It was not finished. Yet it stood tall, crowned in flame, its body shifting like smoke made flesh.And when it spoke, the world shivered. “You cannot kill what is not finished.”The words slid into every ear like knives. Men cried out, clutching their heads. Some dropped their swords, stumbling back. Others turned and ran, their screams tearing across the field.The kings shouted, their voices desperate. “Hold the line!” “Stand, you fools!” But their words carried no weight. Fear moved faster than command.Priests fell to their knees, chanting broken prayers. Some wept, some tore at their robes, others stared at the shadow with glassy eyes, whispering, “It is the end. It is the end.”The line buckled. The army was breaki
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: Chapter 127The drums did not stop. All through the night, they beat. Slow, heavy, endless. Each sound rolled across the valley like thunder, rattling armor, shaking bones.When dawn broke, the horizon burned black. The sky glowed as if it had been cut open, spilling fire darker than coal. From that fire, shapes began to march.The shadow host.Soldiers rose from their blankets, their eyes hollow with no sleep. They gripped spears and swords with trembling hands. Some prayed aloud, whispering the names of gods. Others kissed small tokens, rings, cloth, bits of home, before fastening armor with pale fingers.The kings argued even now.King Alaric shouted hoarse. “We cannot face this! Pull the banners back! Save the men while we can!”Queen Seraya snarled at him. “If we run, we are already dead. Do you not see? The shadow will chase us to the ends of the world!”Lord Brennar struck the table with his scarred fist. “Enough! The men need leaders, not cowards. If you flee, then flee. But I will stand.
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: Chapter 126The march east did not grow easier. Each day the air grew heavier, darker, as if the very sky bent low with dread. The land was sick beneath their feet. Ash drifted over fields where no fire had been. The rivers they crossed ran black, thick as oil, and the priests whispered that the water carried curses.Soldiers grew silent. At first, they marched with songs and cheers. Now they moved with bowed heads, their boots dragging, their voices hushed. Every sound felt swallowed by the land itself.On the seventh day, they found a village burned to nothing. But unlike the others, this one held no corpses on the ground. Instead, the air carried whispers. Faint, chilling voices rose from the ashes, as if the dead still begged for water, for mercy, for life.The soldiers froze. Some clutched their ears, others fell to their knees. A priest cried out, “The shadow binds their souls! This is Vazquez’s work!”Mason stood in the center of the ruin, silent, his silver eyes scanning the ash. His s
Last Updated: 2025-09-28
Chapter: Chapter 125The messenger’s words still hung in the tent like smoke. “The east burns. Vazquez’s remnants gather. The shadow is not dead.”No one moved. The kings sat frozen, their crowns heavy on their heads, their eyes wide and pale. The generals stared at the messenger as though the words themselves were poison.It was Queen Seraya who spoke first. Her voice was low, sharp as a knife. “Then all our arguments mean nothing. If the shadow marches, none of us can stand alone.”King Alaric snarled, his hand clenching the table. “And you would put us all under him?” He jerked his chin toward the camp outside. “That… creature who walks in fire?”“Creature or not,” said Lord Brennar, his scarred hands steady, “he is the only one the men will follow now. You know it. I know it. Deny it if you wish, but the fire has already crowned him.”The tent erupted again. Voices clashed, curses flew, pride and fear filled the air like smoke, then the flap opened, and Mason entered.He did not storm in. He did not s
Last Updated: 2025-09-28
Chapter: Chapter 124The fire shuddered. The great column of flame, tall as a tower, trembled as though it would tear itself apart. Sparks burst in every direction. The heartbeat thundered, faster, stronger, rattling armor and splitting stone.Men screamed. Women wept. Some fell to their knees, pressing their foreheads into the ash. Others stumbled back, hands over their faces, crying that the fire would consume them all.The priests raised their arms higher, their voices shrill. “The Saint is here!” they shouted. “The Flame Eternal rises!”But even their cries cracked with fear, for the fire shook like a living beast ready to break free.The column of fire began to fold inward.At first it sank slowly, as if collapsing under its own weight. Sparks spiraled down, drifting like burning snow. The glow dimmed to gold, then to red, the edges shrinking smaller and smaller.A whisper spread through the crowd. “It’s fading. It’s over. He’s gone again.”Some soldiers sobbed in despair. Others sagged in relief, b
Last Updated: 2025-09-27
Chapter: Chapter 123The altar was gone. In its place stood fire. A column of flame towered from the earth, white at its heart, gold at its edges, sparks falling like embers of a forge. The light blinded the valley, brighter than sun, searing the eyes of all who looked upon it. Heat washed over the battlefield, heavy and suffocating.The heartbeat shook the ground again. Once. Twice. Steady, louder, stronger. Men fell to their knees, some in awe, others in terror. Priests shrieked and wept. Kings shielded their faces with their cloaks. Soldiers cried out to gods old and new. The flame pulsed. Shadows leapt and twisted across the broken stones. For an instant, shapes seemed to move inside the fire. One priest cried out, his eyes wide and wet. “I see him! The Saint walks with wings of fire!” He tore at his robe, beating his chest with bloody fists. “Bow! Bow before the Flame Eternal!”Another priest laughed, wild and broken. “No! Look! A crown of light rests upon his brow. He is the king of fire, ruler o
Last Updated: 2025-09-26
