While Arsène was busy with his legal battle and serving as a coastal defense force, Viers was improving as a Pathseeker inside his safe haven by the hour.

Viers and Dia were meditating, eyes closed, legs crossed, even breaths. A conch was emitting the sound of a waterfall, helping their concentration. The mana was much thicker here than outside, making the place suitable for cultivation.

Viers was slowly breaking the wall that separated him from Level 3.

Dia suddenly perked up.

“What’s wrong, girl?”

“Someone is calling me, using the Gate Tree.”

“Must be Arsène. Open up, please. But always keep your guard up, okay? One day, it might be bad guys that try to get in.”

“Okay.”

Dia replied like a child that was being told ‘stranger danger’ by a parent. The Biome Master created a portal and Arsène came in.

“Wow, there’s no night here, huh? White Flowers Meadow is always night while here it's always day. Quite the contrast,” Arsène said.

“Technically, there’s no day here either. Only big sunflowers, shining constantly,” Viers replied.

Dia looked confused. She circled around Arsène with a finger on her lips. “Another kin?”

“You can think of me as a part of him, sweetie. Here, have some candy.”

“Oh, thank… you?” Dia received the treat she never had with both hands. Looking at it as if it was a mysterious thing.

“So?” Viers asked. He was dressed casually for comfort. Shirt and trousers, face unmasked. After eating the super recovery pill after the battle with Anne, his disfigured face had been fully restored.

“What’s the point of explaining? Let’s sync,” Arsène replied.

“Got it.”

Viers put a hand on Arsène’s shoulder and knew what Arsène had been doing all day. The investigation and the lawsuit were still at their early stages.

“Looks like you're gonna be busy. You do you, my man,” Viers said.

Arsène grinned. “I plan to.”

After Arsène left, Viers returned to meditation. He’d found a happy surprise.

My Horizon rose! Does Arsène’s experience count? Magnificent. Doesn't this mean my Horizon’s growth rate will double from now on? Muahahaha!

The elation Viers felt welled up like a rising tide and sank back into the sea. Viers exercised his self-control and continued his Advancement to Level 3. He closed his eyes and addressed the little green girl that was already bored and sought other excitement.

“Dia, stop playing around with the egg and continue your training. You’re almost at Level 2.”

Naturally, what Viers meant by egg was Zerrigan’s egg.

After asking the big guy, he didn't seem to mind. Zerrigan was treated the same as natural treasures that Viers gained during the trials.

“When will my sister come out? I’ll be a good sibling and take care of her lots and looooots!” Dia said excitedly, eyes gleaming.

Because of the fundamental differences between the real world and the Book World, the egg would not hatch for a few years. Viers didn't have the heart to tell Dia yet.

“Patience. I think the two of you will get along. But the outside world is a dangerous place. So if you want to protect her, you have to get stronger, okay?”

Might was necessary for survival. That was what Viers had been teaching the young ones. He didn't instill the values of love nor friendship like animes for children but the values of power. Viers’ skewed creed poisoned the young and innocent minds slowly but surely.

“Then I will defeat all the baddies that become our enemies. The females will become fertilizer while the males will be sucked dry by me… But suck what?” Dia tilted her head in confusion.

…Her remarks scare me sometimes. The flashbacks are rare but it comes to her now and then. Her previous self definitely wasn't some benevolent dryad. Gotta teach them well so I don't end up with two yanderes.

Because the Tyra Xerg Queen also had a touch of insanity in her. When Zerri knew Viers could gain lifeforce by eating meat, she offered her own flesh on a platter. That was quite frightening. Her children ate their own, the lame and wounded so they wouldn't waste resources. Such an act was regarded as normal to Zerri. She even asked if Viers wanted to eat her children.

Naturally, Viers refused and berated her. He had standards on what to eat. He wasn't desperate enough to eat his own people, especially one as loyal as Zerrigan. There were plenty of alternatives.

“Like I said. You two will get along.”

Wait, isn't this like Luke training Baby Yoda? She has some similarities with the super huggable fifty years old, like they’re both green and have the mental age of children. Oh? That realization made my Horizon go up by half a percent.

***

Dia’s Biome was a Madagascar-sized paradise of vegetation. Many wondrous, rare, or precious flora were out in the open. Finding a barren place was quite difficult but Viers settled for a small rocky outcrop.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Four days had passed since Arsène visited. An area on a hillside suffered heavy damage as if a typhoon had just rampaged.

Now I am… Level 3!

Viers had one hand on the ground, gasping for breath. He was sweating all over and at the peak of exhaustion… but he felt more powerful than ever.

Like the typical xianxia novels out there, Viers’ breakthrough was an arduous process, complicated, and not environmentally friendly. What was different was he didn’t charge headfirst when some people he knew got in trouble. Making his breakthrough a desperate attempt while in the middle of a crisis.

No, Viers had more sense than that.

He conducted his Advancement out of the public's eye, very well hidden. No fanfare or audience. A very low-key event.

The benefit of doing such a thing was that there were no clichéd events. For example, no senior Pathseeker took notice of Viers’ uniqueness and had designs for the newly hatched Level 3; or complications during the Advancement because of human factors, forcing Viers to make alterations mid-progress.

The breakthrough wasn't easy but it was straight and plain. It was not the breakthroughs of MCs but the breakthrough of side characters.

Just the way he liked it.

Viers sprawled on the ground, arms wide open as he looked to the sky. A satisfied smile was on his face.

He was one more step closer to reaching it.

***

Hmm, I wonder if my other self has leveled up yet. He should be really close.

With Arsène and his other self being separated by different dimensions, Arsène had no way to know.

For now, he was still a Level 2 but if he returned to Viers and took form again, Arsène would also become a Level 3. He and Viers were closely related, like twins. Even more, in some cases.

For now, with the amount of Victa given by Viers, Arsène had enough Victa in the tank for a couple of serious battles.

Although he was concerned about his battle strength considering he was about to go on a battlefield tour, there was little chance he would engage in a life and death battle so soon, right?

The snail-pace proceedings of the boring lawsuit were postponed because he had a tour of duty. He didn't fancy being drafted for combat but there was little he could do. ‘Avel’ got a reputation to maintain.

Adventurers were a free bunch but being part of the guild, they shouldered some duties. Mandatory quests such as this were one example. To elevate the brewing discontent, the guild promised special promotion points according to their contribution to the defense of Regidana.

The off-season mermen incursion caught the city unprepared and undermanned, that was why adventurers such as ‘Avel’ were hauled to the front lines.

Well, I’m just an Obsidian adventurer; second from the bottom of the guild’s rank. Being able to skip the annoying process and become an Iron ranked isn't so bad… Mmm, but can I really distinguish myself? Without Horizon, I have some doubts.

The most notable weakness of Arsène was that he didn't possess the damage boost from Viers’ Horizon Aspect.

He could still do the same Artes as Viers but the lack of Horizon meant his battle capability would never be able to compare to his other self.

No, screw that weak-ass mentality!

The cheat makes me great but even without cheats, I am strong! Villains that only rely on their overwhelming power are fragile. This is what I train for, why I became a cultivator in the first place. And there's a silver lining in everything. This is a good opportunity to accrue precious battle experience and become skilled in fighting rather than bulldoze all my fights with sheer power.

Yep, it’s all fine and dandy. It’s not as if the Horizon is lost. I can still feed it with my experience and my other me shall become more OP. Every time I sync with the other me, my gain is his gain and his gain is my gain. We are one and the same. In the end, I’ll only become stronger. Just think of it as a form of training.

“Master?”

“Mm? Sorry. Been thinking.”

Boram called after seeing his master walking without focusing on the road. The two had just finished their errand in the shopping district. Arsène sold the nonsensitive items and treasures that he got from the Book World and bought a variety of items along with better gear.

On a side note, the pair easily bought their things with ease because of inventory items. Thousand Treasures Casket stayed with Viers but Arsène and Boram had their own, Viers’ loot from the Book World. Not as big as Viers’ but more than enough for their needs.

“Okay. There’s the meeting point specified by the guild, Master,” Boram pointed out. He wasn't an adventurer but Viers brought him along.

“Well, the dock has seen better days,” Arsène commented after seeing the damage caused by the sea invaders. Carcasses of wrecked ships, crushed stalls, holes on the walls, bloodstains on the floor, and so on. “And it’s hot.”

The climate in Regidana was a perpetual tropic. Not because the city location was near the equator but because the mana in the area made it so. Arsène’s garb was pretty stuffy with his helmet, armor, and cape. It was Avel’s look. The helmet was enchanted for comfort but the rest was not.

There were three groups of people, each under a different banner. Arsène went to the banner that he got assigned to by the guild. According to his observation, the adventurers of his group were about thirty people strong. Less than five Level 3s, the rest were Level 2s. Level 1s were not drafted.

Unexpectedly, he saw some familiar faces. It was a five-man adventurer group. Viers robbed four of them in the previous city. They had a new member joining them, which Arsène also recognized.

Irene… So, you’ve come to Regidana. Because of my letter? Looks like you still pursue revenge.

The archer girl that sought a three-eyed wolf that killed her family didn't look happy, like a hunter that got banned from hunting her prey. Her party tried to cheer her up. Arsène didn't expect to see adventurers from Marakkus here. Iz’s cult trap had killed many adventurers from that city.

When the appointed time arrived, each group was ferried to different places by boat, to different sea forts. Because of the seasonal seafolk incursions, Regidana city had three forts built on strategically located small islands that served as a bulwark in case of an attack.

The merfolk breached the line of defense and attacked the city directly because previously, the three forts were lacking in personnel. The scale of the attack was also a factor.

It wasn't a long journey from the harbor but because it was the first boat experience for Boram, he was pretty wowed by it.

Fort Mercator was a bastion of stone that stood stalwartly in the middle of the sea. The place was already prepared for war. Arsène and the other adventurers were reinforcements. The soldiers of Regidana were already here, more than a hundred at least.

Here’s where I’ll spend two weeks of my life… Hope there’s no disastrous mishap.

Arsène had no fear of getting killed but he left no corpse when he died. People would find it strange. Leaving Boram alone was also a concern. He didn't want his little apprentice to die.

Not long after Arsène and the rest of the group arrived, a Level 4 spoke up.

“I’m Commander Goudy. I’m in charge of this fort. I thank you all for answering the call of duty. Until the Governor can fully muster the defenses, our job is to make seafood out of the fools that come our way. For those that have no experience fighting merfolk before, expect an all-you-can-eat buffet every night. That is the soft-bellied bastards’ favorite trick. To send loads and loads of spell fodder and crush us with sheer numbers, forcing us to wring our Victa dry. Your presence might make or break our mission. My aide will assign your placement and duties. Look out for each other and good luck.”

The battle-hardened, gray-bearded commander gave a salute after the welcome speech then walked away.

How lovely, Arsène thought. He forgot to say expect lives to be lost every night.