Chapter 71: Evolving (2/2)

Nothing good would co I witnessed at the bottoeon earlier today

My mother's hoarse voice broke the silence that followed after my story

"When Professor Glory caht, she ounded and tired, but fro about that"

"She said that you stayed behind with her to save the class She told me you were a hero But you knohat? I didn't care" Her voice barely htly

"More so than so half-dead every time What if one of these days…" Mydown her face once more

"Art, you're only twelve, but why does it feel like I've almost lost you so many times already?" Her voice choked

Words failed to forain as I stared blankly at a particular mole on my mother's arm Hoas I supposed to respond? Her question felt like a trap with no right answer

"Honey, that's enough" My father reached for Mother's hand and grasped it tenderly

I realized that, just like hoas growing,as well My father's once ientle demeanor He was still the same father that cracked jokes, but he had a layer of depth now thatmy sister

My h the years, she'd beco with the Helstea House and with Tabitha and Vincent's friends had ht now, she seee when her emotions weren't as stable

I didn't blame her I would probably be tempted to lock Ellie indoors if she ever came home even half as wounded as I had earlier today

The rest of the conversation went by a bitthat things seemed to have settled I hadn't seen the them, we all took so off to sleep so I carried her to her roo Sylvie with her Even in her sleep, ht, she didn't say a word I knew that this episode had been pretty traumatic for her A professor actually visited the If not for the ring thather that I, at the very least, had not died, she probably would've fainted

It ht actually have been worse forAll she could do was stare at the ring, waiting for it to notify her that her son had died What kind of h that?

Getting to my room, I slipped out of my tattered uniforainst the current of the war it to erase what had occurred earlier in the dungeon Alea's lastinto my skull, a constant ree broke as two short knocks tapped against my door

"Can I come in?"

"Sure," I replied

My father entered, closing the door behind hi a seat next to me on my bed

"Arthur, don't ht She may have said she didn't want a hero but we are both proud of what you did back there in the dungeon Knowing thatI can take absolute pride in"

I always knehen my father was serious because he would call me by my full name instead of my nickname, Art

"I don't knohat really happened back there in the dungeon and I won't ask, but just know that I'll support whatever you decide to do"

I struggled to s the knot that for my father's last sentence It was supposed to be a supportive statement but all I felt was a sour taste inme a chance to respond,the door to rin before walking out

I didn't io to sleep when he closed the door behind hi I haven't done seriously in a long time—train

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The dark yellow core inside the pit ofthat I was about to break through soon

The various noises of the night were drowned out as I keenly focused on the activity going on inside me Wind, Earth, Fire, Water… these were the basic elemental attributes that mana contained, but that was it; they were merely attributes

When hout the body, it wasn't distinguished as anything other than simple mana Like the ki in my old world, it was formless, attributeless, and pure Over tis and forions in the north where there wasto those eleer due to the attributes of the ed and contained attributes to better exist there

As uide mana with our will into different shapes and forms that we called "spells"

The purer our her the capability we had inmana inside us As to hoell one utilized their mana, that would depend on how creative, sharp, and skillful the e was in battle

The whole aspect of ele fact that everyone had ele able to manifest and shape that pure, attributelesswith the other Lances, waswidespread devastation if she truly wished to Yet, Alea had been so easily defeated and killed by that black-horned de the surrounding mana as the ined the sound of the outer layer ofouter shell was revealed

As I let out a deep breath, I stood up and opened my eyes to stare deeply at an circulating aroundout an unsatisfied tch, I sat back down again and began cultivating once h when I had already been on the brink anyway

How much more did I have to train in order to even be on par with those deive her life to e did I have to get to?

What would happen after breaking past the white core stage?