CHAPTER 128.

Amber coughed. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to take her advancements, as much as she wished to do so. That said, her body was an utter wreck. Her chest was throbbing in pain, it was as if she was having a heart attack but it was coming from her core. It had been so incredibly exerted that she felt that any use of Essence would actually crack it. Not only that but even though she was completely healed, the mental fatigue was something else.

Her head was pounding, it felt as if it was being hit by a hammer non stop. Banging her skull with growing and sharp pains. But even in spite of all of that she had won. Even if…

She touched her neck and flinched for a moment.

Even if she almost died right then and there. She hated to admit it, but the mere thought of being decapitated right now made her squeamish, and to some extent it also made her want to cry. She couldn’t quite place her finger on it other than having no control over it made her feel frustrated and scared.

But now, the person that had been able to drive that fear into her was dead. The Archmage that had terrorized her and obsessively chased after her was gone. And she had killed him.

Amber took a deep breath, slowly standing up and she stumbled⁠— a person held her. A familiar person. Her companion and friend, Frei. The elf that had gone above and beyond to help her, and the elf that she had saved.

“Are you alright?” she asked, a hint of concern in her voice. “You seem pale.”

She continued feeling the scar on her neck. It was the first scar she had gotten in this world, and a grim reminder of the experience she had just undergone. But finally, she let it go and sighed.

“I’m as fine as I can be for having my head decapitated,” Amber responded, trying to walk but ultimately needing assistance.

It was weird, she was fine physically but she struggled to control her body. Perhaps it was from all the strain in the battle. There was also the throbbing pain inside her chest. Finally, after they arrived at the gaping hole that was torn by the numerous skills, Frei spoke.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I… failed you⁠—”

“You didn’t,” Amber interrupted. “It’s just that the staff was that strong under the Archmage’s hand, but now it doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t.” Frei affirmed.

And finally, Amber felt decent enough to stand on her own as she took in the surroundings, Frei simply accompanying her with her own Presence.

The surroundings were a mess.

There was an abyss in front of her, a condensed one with a radius of a few dozens of meters, but it had no bottom to speak of. And the immediate surroundings of the forest were no better. It was as if an Abyssal Briroar had gone on a rampage for many days in a row. Hundreds of trees were shattered and felled. And of course, needless to say that nothing remained of the Archmage.

At last, everything was over.

“Are the soldiers unconscious?”

“Yeah, they still are, but I can kill them at any time,” she said with a reassuring tone. “The others are waiting for you as well.”

Amber nodded, ignoring the first statement. “Can you take me to them?”

“Sure.”

Frei seemed neither happy or sad, she just seemed awkward. That said, she took out the black staff from earlier, a staff she hadn’t used in the past. And just like before, Amber could sense a small amount of Essence coming from it. It was something that roused her curiosity, but it wasn’t something that she deemed necessary to talk about at the moment.

Instead, Amber only focused on resolving this situation and leaving the Sacred Forest once and for all. The last thing she wanted was to have another run in with the authorities while this was happening. And so, with Frei’s help she was teleported to see the others.

With a burst of darkness, the surroundings changed and she found herself on a spot of the forest that hadn’t been torn apart. And the first person she saw was Asil, who was impatiently tapping his foot on the ground, Latvar right behind him. Though he immediately smiled with relief at her sight.

“I’m glad you’re fine,” he said softly. “Looks like I made it in time.”

Amber immediately remembered how he had helped. “How did you even know?”

“Oh please, it’s not like I would just let you go without keeping track at least a bit,” he said, almost mockingly.

“Right, thank you.”

“You should also thank Latvar,” Asil gestured. “If it hadn’t been for his aid, I wouldn’t have been able to help you.”

Amber immediately nodded. Asil must’ve borrowed Latvar’s Essence, which had essentially saved her.

“Thank you.” She bowed.

“Any time,” he smiled, pleased with himself. “The family elders look forward to your visit to Lathyzia, so don’t forget.”

Amber nodded. “I won’t.”

Then she paused, remembering something as she took out a pendant slash necklace and showed it to Asil.

“What is this for by the way? I never saw a use for it.”

“That…” Asil smiled deeply. “Could be your salvation figuratively or literally, just keep it around and wear it okay?”

Amber nodded, heeding his words. Maybe it would’ve protected her head from being amputated, or maybe not. But wearing it brought her some sense of comfort at least.

“Still, kind of weird you didn’t wear it when I first gave it to you,” he said, somewhat bothered.

“Right, sorry. I’ll wear it from now on.”

It was definitely a special item so she felt a bit bad, but ultimately Asil accepted her apology with a smile. Amber finally turned, and sensing it was a good time to speak Aveline stepped forward, fidgeting awkwardly.

“I’m just glad that you are alive,” she said awkwardly. “I was really worried and⁠—”

“Thank you Aveline,” Amber interrupted, smiling. “For everything. If it hadn’t been for you, I’m sure I would’ve died multiple times during this insane mission.”

“R-Right…” the woman fidgetted, almost doubting herself. “You’re welcome, Amber.”

She nodded at that, and Frei stepped forward.

“Hey, thanks for saving me, and also thanks for saving me the trauma of having ya die in my care,” she said, almost too casually.

Amber blinked. “Right… you’re welcome?”

Frei chuckled. “I’ll tell ya all about it later if you wanna, my super duper cool backstory. But for now, ya just need to know that I made up with my family.”

“I thought you⁠—”

“I’ll explain later,” she interrupted.

Amber accepted that, and finally Remmel approached. His smile wide, as if he was a proud father.

“You really did it, you bastard.” He grinned.

Amber smiled. “I did yeah.”

Remmel smiled and nodded to himself.

“Now that this is over, we can put this behind us.” He extended his hand. “What do you say? Return the staff to me?”

Amber smiled, and she remembered everything that had happened. She felt rage at that, but at the same time, as he had said, it was over. Both of them could move on. Her smile didn’t so much as falter as she took the staff.

Remmel smiled and⁠—

Amber swung.

She hit him square in the jaw as he went flying into a tree, breaking it as Amber’s vein almost popped.

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“Do you really think I’m that fucking stupid, you asshole?!” she cursed. “To begin with, if I wasn’t even around you would’ve fucking died. There’s no doubt in my mind about that, what are you on? And the worst part is that Aveline would’ve died too because she’s too afraid to say no to your deadbeat self.”

Remmel massaged his jaw, and Aveline flinched.

“That is⁠—”

“I know it’s true, otherwise you would’ve never placed yourself in so many dangerous situations,” Amber said, glancing at Aveline before turning back to Remmel. “So, what makes you think you just get to keep the staff just like that?”

Remmel sighed. “Look, I know you’re angry, but sometimes we ought to let the anger go.”

This asshole. Amber inwardly groaned. Remmel was never going to change, he was going to continue being a self-serving bastard that would use her at any chance possible. But she didn’t want that. She also didn’t want to leave the rose either; she had put so much effort into it already for so little gain.

So that left one option and one option only.

Of course, she wasn’t cruel, she wasn’t heartless, and so she wouldn’t be. But she still needed security. She needed to know that Remmel would never pull this shit with her again.

Amber turned towards Latvar and Asil.

“I need a favor from you two, help me make a contract.”

Everyone that understood what that meant, paused, but Remmel and Aveline seemed confused.

“What the fuck is a contract going to do?!” Remmel asked, annoyed.

But his words fell on deaf ears as Amber simply looked expectantly at Asil, and Latvar. The former had his eyes closed while the latter seemed troubled. And finally, after a moment, Asil nodded.

“If it’s what you want, then I will assist you. Though I do not condone the use of contracts for matters that aren’t absolutely necessary,” Asil said.

Amber shook her head. “It’s either that or I leave the Obsidian Rose, so I’ll take the contract simply because I don’t want to waste any more time. I won’t make it too ironclad.”

Asil nodded, accepting that, and then gesturing over at Latvar, he held his hand before offering his hand to Amber. It looked silly but she took it. And a moment later, Asil blinked.

“You’re…” His eyes widened, as he stared at the upper part of her chest, or more specifically beyond. And finally he looked up, meeting her gaze. “Amber, listen to me carefully. Please don’t use anything for at least two weeks.”

She closed her eyes. “I know. Is the contract possible?”

Asil hesitated but ultimately nodded.

“What are you people even bickering about?” Remmel asked, now upset. “Are you all children? Holding your hands together like that?”

Amber turned to him, gesturing with her hand. “Come, you too.”

“I’m not⁠—”

“If you don’t I’m gonna beat your ass,” Frei interrupted. “Just do it. And warning, take this contract very seriously, so don’t agree to anything you aren’t willing to fulfill.”

Remmel blinked, but grumbled a moment later and grabbed her hand. His rough and calloused hand was a stark contrast to her own rather soft one, but Amber didn’t pay that much mind as Asil gave her the nod to start.

“Remmel, what is your full name?”

“Remmel Wolfe,” he said, annoyed. “Are you seriously trying to play dollhouse with me right now?”

“I suggest you heed Frei’s warning.” Amber sighed. “Anyway, Remmel Wolfe, I shall remain in the Obisidan Rose and continue our work under the conditions I initially joined, I shall also let go of my resentment towards you.”

Amber took a breath.

“And in return. You will no longer act with me serving your own self interest but regard me as an equal party and take into consideration how your requests affect me. That said, before that you will have to aid me in my next endeavor to the best of your abilities in order to compensate me for your selfishness during this rodeo. You will also honor our previous agreements as they were meant to be. And lastly this contract shall not be spoken about to other parties if I don’t consent to it. Failure to comply with these terms will cause you indescribable pain for as long as they aren’t being followed.”

Remmel frowned.

“That is ridiculous, moreover do you not get any punishment for failing on your side?”

“I’m not the one that fucked the other over, am I?” She retorted. “Or do you prefer death as a punishment? Or do you want me to leave the Obsidian Rose and we can go our separate ways?”

His frown deepened, as he seemed to consider many things and finally he nodded. At least he was smart enough to know something was happening.

“This is fine, I accept your terms Amber.”

“Good.”

And a moment later, Amber felt a shudder on her core that hurt slightly before words in her mind appeared. Notifying her it was done.

You’ve made an Essence Pact with Remmel Wolfe.

Latvar let out a deep breath. “That was straining.”

Asil nodded. “It was, but it’s been done.”

“I really feel nothing,” Remmel said dismissively. “Was this some sort of trick?”

Amber shrugged. “Not really but if that’s what you want to think then, it's up to you.”

“Fine whatever, I’m leaving to take care of things on my side of things for a month or⁠—”

And he screamed, dropping to the ground convulsing. And Amber couldn’t lie. She felt a bit satisfied at the sight. But also relieved. Because this time, Remmel wouldn't be able to act like he had done in the past. And this time, there were actual repercussions for him.

Something that Amber felt really glad about.

Remmel panted. “You… you⁠— what the fuck did you do?”

“I warned ya,” Frei said.

Remmel looked back. “You’ve experienced this?!”

And Frei just smiled in response to his misery.

Meanwhile Amber finally let out a deep sigh. One filled with relief.

“Now that that’s taken care of…”

She turned towards the forest. While she couldn’t see, she could certainly sense all of them. All of the mages that had fought against her and accompanied the Archmage to kill her. This was just another thing she had to deal with before getting to her Class Advancement, and the sooner she did it, the better.

Amber teleported in the direction and she found a cavity in the forest, where all the dormant soldiers lay. Frei teleported over to her.

“So, should I kill them now?”

Amber meanwhile frowned because there was something that didn’t make sense to her. “How are you even sustaining the mana output for this?”

“My new staff, it converts mana from the environment itself to aid my spellcasting.” She took it out, gesturing towards it. “That said, admittedly I’m almost out of mana and these people will wake up in ten minutes or so.”

She nodded at that, and Frei asked.

“So? Do I kill them or do you want to use them for your skill level ups?”

Amber frowned. “I don’t know why you think I’m that kind of person, but let them go. I assume you only knocked them out because it was the easiest route.”

At that, Frei nodded, but also seemed to think for a moment before hesitating. “Are you really sure you want to let them go? They could cause trouble for you.”

“This is fine,” Amber said. “Ultimately they are just guards doing their jobs, I don’t want to kill them just because of that. If I could’ve just ran, I would’ve but the Archmage turned it into a personal matter.”

“Archmage Xavier has always been an egotistical bastard who pretended he wasn’t,” Frei agreed. “To think you killed the asshole that taught me magic in the first place.”

Amber nodded.

“I’ll ask more at a later time, but for now we have to leave. Thank you for sticking around Frei.”

She smiled. “Of course, master.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Why not?”

“Because…”

In the end, Amber found herself smiling as she chatted away with the enemy-turned-friend that was Frei.

Shortly after that, Asil and Latvar left, meanwhile Amber and the rest went their separate ways. Turns out, they had still been teleported into the Republic of Mercenaries. And while right now, it was unknown what to exactly expect, their main priority remained to leave the Sacred Forest behind.

Even if Amber wanted to undergo her Class Advancement now.

And so, they all departed.

* * *

His name was Gallus, and he was a mage knight. Unlike many in his position, he was green, with a measly three decades in experience inside the military, he was considered the rookiest of rookies. And even though his level was competitive; due to his long and fulfilling life and military training. But even then, he lacked experience and decisiveness.

Decisiveness that his colleagues had.

So when the divine staff of the Sacred Forest had been stolen he hesitated attacking the intruders. For starters, as someone who kept up with the news, one of them was a legendary figure in Cytel. How was he meant to fight that? For starters the woman used magic and was a warrior, that was pure insanity.

In the end, due to his military position he found himself in the front lines; trying to kill her yet failing spectacularly at it. It was humiliating, but he swallowed it and followed the orders given to him. Some died at the hands of the assassin, but as soon as they switched their tactics it turned into a long stalemate that was interrupted by darkness.

It was a ridiculous fight.

Numerous level 200s and Archmage Xavier, a level 351 powerhouse, against a group whose highest level was a measly 273. A non-combat mage who was around 150, and a warrior that was 190.

Yet. that same warrior had humiliated the Archmage. So much so that it was impossible that it was even real.

And so, when Gallus awoke from his slumber. He thought it had been a dream. That was until he saw his comrades awakening as well, talking to each other in confusion. And that, that realization gave him pause.

Surely this hadn’t happened right?

Gallus traced the mana signature that belonged to the Archmage. A familiar one, and he teleported to the spot where he simply paused. He froze on the spot. And soon others did, having the same reaction.

Because the place where the Archmage should’ve been, did not exist.

All there was, was a gaping hole in the ground, charred surroundings and a battlefield that looked as if a bunch of level 300s had battled there.

And for a moment, Gallus didn’t want to believe it was real, but as others reacted his jaw couldn’t help but drop.

* * *

At about two hours away from the forest, traveling in Remmel’s carriage, Amber finally decided it was a good time to take a look at her skills that had leveled up and attained their next rank.

Which were quite a few.

While she should’ve waited longer, she couldn’t. And that was because there was a pending thing for her to take care of. Something that came sooner than she had expected it, but something she had earned.

It was time for her to take the next step in the ladder of power.

Amber grinned looking at the notifications in front of her.

[You have reached level 200. 20 stat points awarded. +100 stat points to every stat.]

[Class Advancement is now Available!

You may now evolve your class.]

[Legacy Branch advancement is now Available!

You may now evolve your Legacy Branch.]

It was finally time for her Class Advancement and Legacy Branch Advancement.