Ulgok's death ended the short but intense battle. From the instant Liam attacked, the fight lasted for less than five minutes. The entire time, his movements were precise and flawless, without a single wasted movement.

Conserving energy was one of the basic rules of survival in the Rift. Using wasteful and fancy moves spelled death.

Defeating eleven corrupted didn't even bring a whisper of a smile to Liam's face. Inside the Rift, he regularly faced twice the numbers without having the chance to choose the place or time of the conflict. Living with the constant fear of being attacked was the norm. One had to always stay on their toes and be vigilant.

Survival wasn't just a test of skill but also mental resilience.

Liam vividly remembered the time when he kept escaping without food or rest for two weeks; at least that was his estimate. Pangs of hunger assaulted his stomach, and he retched, unable to throw up. The cuts and wounds bleeding all over his body drained his energy. Corruption clawed at his mind, adding to his troubles.

The feeling of wanting to give up was overwhelming, and he was near dead with exhaustion. Even then, his mind never wavered or succumbed to corruption. He persisted through the difficulties and managed to survive.

There was no way the small victory would bring him happiness. To him, it was just natural.

Liam did not immediately move after killing Ulgok. The purple channels on the body kept throbbing as if they were trying to pump life into the corpse.

Only after they stopped did Liam survey the destruction caused by the fight. A small part of the forest turned into a clearing. Fallen trees with roots hanging in the air and shattered trunks littered the area.

"Who are you?" Liam asked his seemingly empty surroundings.

"Impressive perception, but I would expect nothing less from someone like you." A singsong voice answered his question.

A tall figure with a hood covering his head leaned on a tree a little distance from him. The clothes on his body were simple yet elegant. A bow having the appearance of an irregular knotted branch hung over his back. It was a healthy brown color with leaves growing at the tips, and a vine took the place of the bowstring.

When he moved, the trees curled around him as if they were happy at his presence.

Liam would be a fool if he mistook the stranger for anything else but an elf.

"You are quite far from home." He became wary after the stranger made his presence known. Elves were masters of life, and fighting them in a thick forest was foolish. The bow put Liam at a disadvantage as he did not carry any ranged weapons.

"You don't have to be so cautious. I come in peace." The voice had a unique timber that would lull anyone into a false sense of security. Suspecting someone with such a beautiful voice would be considered a crime, but it didn't affect Liam.

It wasn't just because of his self-control but also due to Ioriel. After he got used to her voice, everyone else sounded coarse.

"You still haven't answered my question."

The stranger sighed, and the tree he was sitting on seemed to wilt along with his mood. "Duty calls."

"Otread academy?"

"Isn't Sherthyr a more obvious choice?" His beautiful voice was colored with a tinge of curiosity.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Sherthyr is a kingdom belonging to the elves. Interfering in a situation involving some other nation, especially without their consent will give rise to tensions. The other races won't stay still. They will band together and pressure the elves."

"Didn't you just return from the Rift? How do you understand these things?"

"Power struggles are the same no matter where you go. As long as you understand what motivates the other party, it is easy to guess their course of action."

"Well said! You should have also understood Otread academy's place in the struggle."

Liam shrugged. "It's a proxy. The academy does not belong to anyone and is diplomatically neutral. I am sure the surviving races signed the treaty, but centuries of bloodshed and hate can't be written off by a single document. The powerplays have shifted to the center of learning where the future leaders are created. The nations use them to pursue their agenda."

The entire time he was speaking, Liam was thinking of a way to get close to the elf if he turned out to be hostile.

"Perfect answer!" The elf clapped his hands while the tree swayed with joy. "Mind you, many people in Otread are serious about fighting against the Rift, but they only number a handful. By hiding its true nature, the people at the top avoided the chaos, but it made the general populace underestimate its danger. The professors try to rectify the misconception for the students who join Otread, but it's not easy to change preconceived notions. Instead of worrying about a destructive power that might or might not exist, they are more concerned with the power they can grab."

While trying to figure out a battle plan, Liam wondered why he was having such a conversation out of nowhere.

"Can you stop trying to think of ways to kill me?"

In one swift move, the elf drew his bow and fired. He did not use an arrow, but when the bowstring snapped, it grew out of nowhere and became complete before reaching its target.

Liam did not try to dodge the attack as the stranger did not emit any killing intent. The arrow smashed into the ground, adding further damage to the clearing. Soil erupted from the area, and broken trees were tossed into the air.

Covering his face, Liam ducked, never taking his eyes off the elf. After the aftermath settled, a crater half the size of the clearing became visible.

The power and speed of the arrow made him understand the difficulty of defeating the elf. Even the warning shot was beyond Liam's capabilities.

"What was your move supposed to accomplish?" If the elf expected Liam to be impressed, he was going to be disappointed.

"Unfazed huh?" He put his bow back in its place. "You are exactly as the princess described."

"Princess?" Liam had a hunch about the person he was referring to.

Sure enough, the stranger's next statement confirmed his guess. "The sixth princess of the elven kingdom, Her Highness Ioriel."

Liam palmed his face, not knowing what to think. Ioriel hid her identity quite well. While Liam wasn't one to talk, her identity was even more shocking than his.

"I was in the vicinity when the princess asked me for a favor. She wanted me to give you something."

Liam didn't believe his words. "Apart from a few people, I don't think anyone knows I came from the Rift. How did you know?"

"I was nearby when the portal opened. Elves are highly sensitive to rift energies, and I made my way there to check out what happened. When I understood the situation and informed Sherthyr, the princess reached out to me."

"How many people know?" Liam asked with a frown.

"Not many, but it doesn't matter. When you go back home, everyone will know."

"You recognize me?"

"You are nearly a perfect copy of your mother," he said, laughing. "When you leave the camp, wear a mask. You are too conspicuous."

Unable to retort, Liam stayed silent. He didn't remember what his mother looked like, but other people knew. For some unfathomable reason, it made him sad.

Three vials of medicine appeared in his vision. He instinctively caught them.

"Those medicines are helpful for evolution. Without it, reaching the tipping point takes too long. I don't know if you will use them and I don't care, but the princess sent them. Just inject it into your body, and it will take a week for you to evolve."

Without examining the potion, Liam asked a question that was bothering him.

"Didn't the Theocracy reject the academy's proposal to send help?"

"Yes, but the school would at least keep an eye on the situation, and the pope understands this too."

"Then why didn't you visit us at the camp and give us these potions?"

The elf stayed silent. When he thought his question was going to be unanswered, a grave voice responded. "It's a good thing you chose not to betray Alisha. Unless you have a genuine reason, do not become her enemy."

Liam felt a sudden chill. It was one thing for the soldiers to be afraid of the commander, but it meant something entirely different when even someone from another race warned him.

"Anyway, I can't stay here for too long. See you." He jumped from the tree, vanishing into the forest.

"You haven't told me your name," Liam called after him, but his question went unanswered.

The conversation with the elf gave him a lot to think about.