Alexia

I watch with curiosity evident on my face as Astrid’s energy source turns around and begins heading back to the clearing again in a rush. As if she’d forgotten something.

But before I can think much about it, I find a System Message taking up my attention.

{Congratulations! Your Passive Skill ‘Quantum Adaptation’ has reached Level 6!}

Oh, nice!

“That’s good, just leveled the skill,” I tell the people working hard at attacking me, making them all stop with sighs of relief. Then the lot begins to leave my clearing while looking more than a little exhausted.

Makes sense. They’ve been at it for hours now as I just sat here enjoying the view of the lake.

I glance up when I feel an energy source approaching, only to find it to be Luna as she begins descending before landing on my shoulder and squeaking as she rubs her head against my neck. So I pet her a bit while glancing over at the edge of the clearing right when Astrid enters it again.

Let’s see, so I’ve gotten shadow magic adaptation, fire magic, ice magic, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, and enhancement magic adaptation. Overall a rather good set, even if the adaptations for each aren’t too strong. Mostly because the people training them were less than half my level.

“Lexi! I forgot to tell you something that happened while I was hunting!” Astrid shouts once she gets close enough. But she doesn’t stop running and reaches me just seconds later without showing any signs of exhaustion thanks to her level. “I met a Class S species in the jungle!”

Any of the sleepiness I was feeling just now vanishes in an instant as I teleport to my feet right in front of Astrid as I ask, “Seriously?! What and who was it?!”

She looks surprised for little more than a single second before she answers, “He was a frost dragon named Ethan Silva, and he told me to send you his regards. The man looked like he mistook me for you before he got close enough to notice my hair and eye color.”

I blink at that, only to frown.

“A frost dragon… and that name…” I mutter while turning around and walking to the tree.

“Do you recognize him?” Astrid asks as I hear her walking behind me.

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My frown grows deeper at the question, and I answer, “No, but I do recognize the name from the news.” I glance at Astrid, finding her sending me a worried look – likely feeling worried about there being a Class S species that knows where I am. “If I remember correctly, Ethan Silva is the son of the Ancestral Dragon, fifth place on the leaderboards, and the Ancient Wyrm, the leader of the Hellfrost Dragon clan. He’s a prince of the Scarlet Empire. Or a former prince, I guess.”

Astrid’s eyes widen in shock at the two powerful names.

And I don’t blame her. The Ancestral Dragon was the third highest level being in the System prior to the Reset, and the Ancient Wyrm was the eighth.

Both of them are dragons, although the Ancestral Dragon is a flame dragon and the Ancient Wyrm is a frost dragon. And some say that despite the Ancestral Dragon being the oldest dragon in existence, giving her the Title of Ancestral Dragon, the Ancient Wyrm has more potential. That is, if he actually cared about anything other than his family and his hoard.

Although part of that rumor was started up simply because their son took after the father and became a frost dragon instead of a flame dragon. So a lot of people assumed the father had more potential or something stupid like that.

“Did he say anything else?” I ask Astrid, my frown still ever-present on my face. But she just shakes her head and answers, “No. All he said was to say that a member of the Hellfrost Dragon clan sends his regards, and to tell you that he says good luck on attaining the champion position for the Block.”

A direct challenge then? He wants to compete with me for the Champion position?

The Champion position should automatically go to whoever is the highest level at the time of the first Council meeting. It was the same with the old position prior to the reset as well. And the only way for someone to take the position after that was to formally challenge the current Champion to a battle and either win, making them concede the position, or kill them if they don’t.

“I…” Astrid mutters, bringing my attention back to her to find my twin with a frown on her face. “By the way he was acting, it sounded almost like he was familiar with you.” Her frown grows deeper. “I’m sure he was familiar with you.”

“Wouldn’t that just be because of the System revealing my face to everyone during that introduction before?” I ask while tilting my head slightly, briefly noticing a certain tiny bat copying me and doing the same form her place on my shoulder.

“I’m sure he’s seen you,” Astrid says, a determined look in her eyes. “He acted as if he was familiar with you in a more personal way than just having seen you from the platform in that System Hall.”

I glance at the lake again before muttering, “It’s possible he’s seen me around the island while I was hunting, but if that’s the case…”

“Why didn’t he approach you then?” Astrid asks, making me nod, not taking my gaze away from the lake.

Silence fills the clearing for several seconds with the only sound being that of banging noises coming from the base where the others are working on construction. Then I mutter, “That’s the question of the hour, isn’t it?”

The former prince of the Scarlet Empire. I wonder… just what is it that you want?

Is it really just to compete with me for the position of Champion? Because he could’ve come over and tried fighting me to make his position a lot more secure. There should only be somewhere between one to three people with Legendary Feats in each Block after all, so getting rid of one would help him a lot.

But he didn’t even bother trying.

I look up at the suns in the sky before muttering, “Just what is it?”