The days continued to roll on like that with my sights set on the RAA, it started to become typical and almost uneventful.Leaving my home early to join the cleanup group, spending the entire waking hours of the day killing creatures and leveling up. It got so typical to the point that all the members quit the squad and moved on with their lives, leaving only Dasheen and I to run the operation.Now, although I was much more stronger than I first started and Dasheen is a decent adventurer both in power levels and experience, we just couldn’t keep pulling off this feat on our own.The day the final two members of the group annouced their departure, Dasheen promised to bring more individuals to join the party.The Border Cleanup Group had slowly grown into a means of income for me and my household as we sold some of the Anti-arcane stone we didn’t absorb, and I wanted to keep milking that well till its time to move on to the RAA [Reapers Association Academy].The next morning, I took a d

Ding!~Arcane Pet >Naga< has been released~~Grade Three [Intermediate]~The air behind me split apart and a pocket of shimmering clouds swirled in hues of purple and black. Then with a deafening boom, Naga emerged.Its enormous body uncoiled like an endless storm cloud. The obsidian scales shimmered faintly with streaks of violent light. From its spine, a sprouted long, spectral tendrils that flickered like dying embers, snapping against the air as though reality itself bent around them. Naga’s eyes glowed merciless gold, holding a terrifying gaze of killing intent.It hissed.My colleagues were surprised as to the sheer size of what I just summoned. In just a few weeks of training with the Arcane pet, it grew unbelievably fast to the point that I couldn’t let it roam free around my house again, it had to be hibernated at all times till when I would call upon it.“There it is…” Dasheen’s voice rang out, filled with awe as he pulled himself from the rubble. “…There’s his great serpent

A couple seconds passed and then the sound of hurried footsteps and clicking gear echoed through the rocky clearing. I tensed up as I gripped my sword tighter but then I relaxed when I saw the familiar silhouettes emerging from the shadows. Dasheen, Ketara and Jet burst I to the view with their eyes wide as they took in the surrounding. "Was that the boss monster?" Jet blurted out, his voice cracked as he stared at the dissipating remains. His lanky frame froze mid step, as his goggles fogged up from the steam still rising from the ground. "No way that's the boss monster..." Ketara tossed her fiery red hair and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Valeria, you absolute snake! You took down a gate boss solo? I knew you had it in you, even with those baby hands of yours!" She grinned, punching the air like she was already celebrating. Valeria's eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically as her cheeks flushed red. "No, no, no! It wasn't me! Levi did it!"The squad fell silent

"Yes." I whispered while eyeing the locket as I pulled it out of my pocket. The system's response was immediate—Ding! ~Beginning the Rebirth process~~Place the Anti-arcane stone into a the hollow of the Canine Blood Locket and then channel your Arcane Energy to bridge the shadow and the light.~I nodded, my breath steadying as I followed the instructions. Everyone else stepped back a few paces, even though they kept their gaze locked onto me. I held the hexagonal Anti-arcane stone and slid it into the central hole of the locket. It fit perfectly, clicking into place with a faint, resonant hum. The runes of the locket began to glow brighter, and I felt a pull on my own Arcane reserves, like invisible threads drawing from my core. I lifted the locket high, my arm steady despite the intense ache from the earlier battle. "From shadows born, in light reborn, let the Anti-arcane yield to dawn," I muttered in unison with the system's text that was rolling in relentlessly. A surge of

The next two days were a blur of sweat and shadow. After agreeing to duel an A-Rank Awakened Reaper for his weapon, I focused more than I had ever. The low level gates dotting across the outskirts of town were leaking shadow creatures. My squad were still tasked clearing them out, but it wasn't just a cleanup for me, I was sharpening my myself, grinding every kill to home my skills and claw my way up the levels. The Reaper's bone white daggers were my goal and they haunted my thoughts, knowing fully well I'd need every edge I could get to face an A-Rank Awakened in a duel. Each morning, I arrived at the border before dawn hours, before my teammates dragged themselves out of bed. The air was always crisp around that time and heavy with the scent if damp soil and faint traces of Arcane residue from the gates. I started my expedition without them, with Pyro and Cryo, my new Arcane pets by my side. Pyro soon realized to be a sleek fire wreathed hound with a temper to match, it snapped