Chapter 53: The crack
[You have entered the Guild Chat(Malre Subsidiary Branch)]
[Cool Flash(CP:103): Silver Wing peeps have finally allowed us to enter the split spirit realm! An entry fee is not that expensive, but if you guys lack money, you better team up with others! Some parties already told us that it's really easy to level up there!]
[Purple B(CP:5004): You know that you won't be able to re-enter the realm if you level up past the fifty thresholds?]
[Cool Flash: Now that you've mentioned it…]
"Haha," Leon chuckled as he read the guild chat on his way to the split spirit realm's entrance. "The Guilds are really a cluster of various types of people. Enjoyable place as usual."
"As usual?" Louise trained her blue eyes on her master.
Leon grinned, recalling some MMORPG games he'd played during his free time with his girlfriend and good buddies from the esports scene. "It was just a game for me. The concept is still similar, which makes everything fun."
"Leveling up while doing fun things is too enjoyable. I've done it a few times, Master!" Louise alluded to her cooking lessons and how she'd leveled up from learning the basics and meeting others.
She flinched as Leon gave her a peculiar gaze since he'd recalled her telling him that the chef and his staff bullied her.
Knowing what his eyes meant, Louise looked away, whistling. On the other hand, Celes remained silent, her little hand holding a bottle of liquor, seemingly returning from a party.
But while she appeared out of place, Celes' skills were active, keeping various 'eyes' on their surroundings.
In fact, it wasn't just Celes that stood out.
Leon's party did.
The man at the helm donned a light black shirt and pants. His right sleeve seemed suspicious, but many joked that his 'right arm' was stronger than his left arm for an obvious reason. And that was pretty much it. Leon didn't wear any armor or weapon, looking like someone going for a walk.
Louise was not worse. Although she wore her white robes, the rest of her clothes were similar to her master's. Moreover, she kept casually talking with Leon, seemingly unable to contain her excitement about having a time with him.
Celes appeared a tad better, for she wore an official suit with her shirt tucked in her long pants — a style similar to her outfit from her previous life as the general of Her Highness' Pure Army.
But even that woman stood out as she held booze in her hand.
Amidst other parties whose expressions remained vigilant, sharp, and tense, Leon's party stood out too much. And it wasn't the girls being monster girls at all.
"I feel someone's gaze, Master." Louise tugged Leon's sleeve, conveying her recent finding.
Leon was also riddled with stares. "Most people just check us. We also stand out because you two are too beautiful, you know?"
Those words made Louise grin from ear to ear.
Leon carried on, his heart fueled by Louise's smile. "For now, we expect at least two parties to aim for us. We'll call the first party the' Erectile Dysfunction Team'. They have a man with a broad sword as a team leader."
"Erectile Dysfunction?" Louise squinted her eyes.
Celes' voice from behind dispelled the fox girl's doubts. "Impotence."
Louise glanced at her master with a 'You can't be serious' look.
Leon chortled, patting his fox girl's back. "The second party is naturally the dwarf and his black asura bodyguards. I expect them to hunt us, too, since they've seen your tails. Don't quote me on that, though."
The atrocities between dwarves and scarlet foxes could be a far past — Leon couldn't confirm it. He didn't want to give a bad idea to Louise, so he quickly told her to not think this way but just be wary of them.
"You can name them." Leon wheeled to Louise, softly gazing at her.
Louise pondered for a while, then parted her lips, "Tiny bad guys."
And with that, Leon told more or less about his plans to his scarlet-haired companion. Just after he finished telling her the most important points, Leon and his party halted all their conversation and stared ahead at the mountain with the clouds swirling around its spire.
Following a long queue, Leon and other parties slowly went between rows of many Silver Wing's Knights. All were members of the royal guild, protected by thick and flashy silver armor.
It'd be stupid to try anything funny with them around.
Thus, nothing happened in the queue — Leon sighed with relief as no slut appeared to eat him!
At last, Leon reached the mountain's peak.
"So it's the entrance…" Leon gawked at the crack spreading exactly in the middle of the mountain's top.
It was vast enough to welcome a plane. The crack sucked the space around itself, exuding dangerous vibes. It felt like a wrong step would rip anyone apart…
However, it was also a beautiful concept. The hole in the Freya World's space shone in rainbow colors, with the golden radiance flashing in the middle.
"I believe it's been tamed…." Leon asked the man whose job was to collect the entrance fee.
He was one of the knights, but he wore no helmet, revealing his middle-aged face. "Tamed? Don't jest like that… It's a space element — not even records from the far past mention an existence that can control space. It's an element of those above us — gods. But don't worry, the system has confirmed that the entrance is safe."
Leon realized that the Silver Wing, at most, could protect and control the land around the crack. "Understood."
But deep inside, he also found the man's words doubtful. An odd feeling within the depths of his heart told him that this very element didn't belong to gods at all.
Yes, the inventory and Monster Collector's cards were surely related to the space element. But no one knew the exact origins of The Oracle, The Underground, and even the Freya World.
All could be automatic.
Thus, Leon had a feeling that this element didn't belong to the gods.
"I'm paying for myself and these two behind me." Leon pointed at the scarlet fox and the vampiress.
Their appearance shook the man's heart.
Louise waved at him, confirming Leon's words while looking absolutely adorable as her eyes brimmed with excitement to level up in the realm and more.
Celes ignored the man, but even that left a stamp on his heart as her cold glare from that gorgeously sculpted face nonetheless pierced him. Was she covertly keeping an eye on him and looking his way when his eyes drifted back to Leon?
"Good luck… You will need it." The man confirmed the transaction through the system's interface, then passed an entrance pass to Leon's party.
Leon smiled, replying without many hard feelings. "I'm familiar with the laws of the jungle. So, I believe those who want to try something funny against us should pray beforehand for a drop of luck."
The knight chuckled at such a display of confidence, only to realize Leon wasn't done yet.
"I hope that their prayers will be answered. I might have used all of my luck recently, so I could use more of it."
After those words, Leon and his partners headed straight to the crack.
The knight's eyes followed their backs, his expression blank. "To declare that he'll steal even his enemies' luck… How come he made me believe that without even trying?"
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