“Ethos essence ? ” I asked

“yes , these worms don’t have any essence in them at all , they still haven’t developed their cores yet , so even if you kill thousands of them you wont get any essence “ Nilla replied

Nila and I shoulder to shoulder were dragging ourselves behind the others as we made our way out towards the main mine hall.

“if any creature with a propre Ethos core managed to kill another one , they ll get a share of Ethos essence, it’s a much purified type of Ethos that you need to have before you try your chance to reach the next rank”

“is killing other beings with ethos cores is the only way to acquire it ? “

“well no, you can absorb It directly from monster cores. It’s the easiest way to rank up..” Nilla trailed at the end

“so whats the catch ? “ I wondered

“easy gains wont come for free , aside from the large amount of money you need to waste, you wont be able to breach past the 2nd Rank at all ,The essence from dead monster cores isnt purified like the one we absorb just after killing it , relying on it too much will leave your core heavy with tainted essence which will hold you from breaking past the 2nd rank for the rest of your life “ Nilla replied with a serious expression

“I guess only those who dont want the risk would chose that , what about the other methods ? “

“well , it’s a much harder path , takes more time but of course a greater benefit . With enough talent it will shape you into a propre Ethos user . killing monsters and other Ethos users is one way , the stronger the being you kill , the better the essence you ll gain. What you really need is to train using an Ethos path”

“Ethos path ? “

“ancestors! I feel like I am teaching a toddler , aren’t you noble kids supposed to be nurtured about these stuff from young age ? “ Nilla grumbled

“I already told you that..”

“I know! I know , you don’t remember anything , my bad “ Nilla cut me half way.

She sighed before continuing

“ an Ethos path is a Manuel , it teaches you the way to circulate Ethos inside your channels while either mediating or moving your body.the cheapest of these manuels can cost a fortune enough to make someone like me a low tier noble. That’s why they are coveted by only the higher authorities. It’s a way to keep control over Ethos users “

“That sucks , how many years one needs to work to get one of these ? “

“pffff, years? You need decades of hunting monsters as an adventurer to get one , and even then your body will have already grew reliant on essence from killing monsters , so the Manuel wont be that effective to you compared to someone started from the beginning “

“A sturdy house needs a solid foundation “

“ Aye! But don’t feel bad, even without a manuel , you will be able to reach 3rd rank.Hell , maybe even forth rank if you pushed hard and had enough talent “

And with that , Nilla explanation came to an end , the mood became more sour

My thoughts drifted back to what happened to in the cave.

Death was just a few breaths away from me , one wrong step , one mistake and I would be gone .worst of all , I couldn’t shake this odd feeling of coldness that prevented me from being panicked , from running away for my life .Even right now when we haven’t made it out yet.

I thought about Darom’s words and how he mocked me in that dungeon . His words turned to be true as my life now became a true nightmare compared to that dark silent cell. Last night weird dream about my family and the previous voice that guided me during that fight.

More questions popped up with every passing day. I guess I wouldn’t even live long enough to figure out the answers

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‘No’

I shook my head and shrugged. This is not the time to be pessimistic Adam. I managed to survive. I just need to get strong enough.

As we made our way towards the mine initial chamber where many huts and taverns were established for those who live there. My attention was brought to the nice polished cylindrical giant pillars which held the bed rock from crumbling down and burying everyone here. My curiosity was picked and I couldn’t help but ask my companion

“Finally we are back !” Nilla shouted in relief.

“yes , we are .I am really curious , how did you guys managed to carve those pillars ? “ I turned to Nilla again

“hmm ? oh those supporting pillars? They weren’t carved. Lord Savina has a special team of trusted subordinates . One of them is a 2nd rank earth mage. He is the one responsible for all the structures here and on the hill. Quiet neat don’t you think ? “

“Indeed .Anyway , how’s your injuries ? “ i asked while we made our way to sit on a nearby rock

“Not good , I used more Ethos than I thought down there , I ll recover once I get some back , what about you ? “

Now that she asked . I started checking my injuries for the first time after we made it out of the cave. Most of the bruises and gushes were gone , leaving only the blood in their place ,the burns however were still recovering. I guess it has something to do with the worms acid . apart from that , my muscles were sore like I have to run for days without stopping.

I turned to reply to Nilla. The first time ,i couldn’t help but admire her beautiful eyes . Despite how miserable she looked. Her midnight blue hair coupled with her clear umber eyes were a breathtaking scene up this close. I noticed her slight frown and worried gaze since I was silent for a while.

“ Nothing bad , just some sore muscles and burn marks .I still have some Ethos in my core , i ll get better after some rest”

“ Nice!i didn’t want to bring it up earlier , but you partially saved my ass back then ” she said

“what are you talking about ? “

“You didn’t notice ? when you started that rampage stand of yours and started cutting down the worms around you .That relieved a lot of pressure from me . you were really killing it there“ she said and I swear there was some brilliance in her eyes.

“I was really focused on the fight to check my surroundings “

“no worries , i owe you a drink , join me tonight on dinner “

“ Sure , I wouldn’t miss that ”

“anyway, I cant wait to get out and take a long shower to remove all of this filth from me , what about you ? what you gonna do later ? “

“ Now that you asked , this is my first day here , what are we supposed to do after our shift is over ? “ I wondered .Before I got any answers , our attention was brought to the front as we reached the central area of the mine , a large team of miners where gathered there .Most of them were the crew who were working with us down the cave. They spread out and kept murmuring as Holn and the others walked forward

“Holn, I see you have some fun down there too “ a large copper skin man spoke in a haughty voice. I couldn’t see much of the other people that were accompanying the man who spoke because of the crowd

“hey , that’s Edgar, the bone eater , remember those elite forces of Lord Savina that I told you about ? “ Nilla with a voice barely above a whisper.

“yeah , what about them ? “ I asked

"that is one of them , a 2nd rank striker class , he is the chief of security inside the mine , whenever he appears , things turn to get ugly”

“he seemed to be an acquaintance to Holn “

“yeah , they used to be pirates in the northern archipelago in the past .Nobody knows why , but there is some bad blood between the two , it only got worst when Edgar became a part of the Lord special forces”

My attention returned to the crowd as the discussion became more interesting

“what ? a swarm of over 150? “ one of the guards behind Edgar asked in disbelief

“you can go check the pit for yourselves , I’ve already counted the kills , 189 in total. Zven will accompany you to take our share ”Holn replied with growly voice as he made his way out not even waiting for Edgar reply , however he was stopped dead in track with Edgar next words

“You sure you don’t you want to accompany me Holn ? its getting interesting with these swarms , who knows what we might find “

There was unspoken message between the two.

After a few moments, Holn shrugged before nodding back to Edgar then he walked to the side.

“Zven ,take the kids out of the mine. Make sure they attend the afternoon arena training too”

I didn’t miss the way Holn focused his gaze on me and I cant help but prepare for worst.

‘Arena training ‘

“ah Fuck!” Nilla cursed behind me

Before I try to figure out what Holn words meant , Zven was already next to us with a grin on his face

“lets get out of here , I am sure you both eager to get some fresh air and relax “

The Arena was a wide open desert ground , it was on the opposite side of the mine entrance that we jumped from in the morning. Surrounded by a relatively tall wall that stretched all the way around the perimeter of the area. The small stands and armory were made from the same type of rock , probably by the mage that Nilla mentioned before.

In the end we didn’t have much time to rest before Zven brought us here despite Nilla complaints all along the way . In any case , I was facing a huge dilemma right now and I have no idea how to get out of it .

The warriors in the arena have already cleared the area and retreated to the stands .

Facing me on the other side of the arena , with her alabaster face mask , her leather jacket suit hugging tightly all over her body showing off just how well built her feminine body was.Crimson red hair dancing in the air behind her while her golden eyes were focused on me like a predator eyeing his prey.

Lord Savina wants a duel