Chapter 826: We Meet Again [GT Ranking Bonus Chapter]
Arianna Haellight could be seen jogging through a forest as the wind howled in the dead of night. Although many students had retired and decided to wait out the last four hours, Arianna didn’t. Not that she was hunting or looking for points; no, she just wanted to gaze at the moon and enjoy the night and the cool breeze that came with it.
Besides, she had no reason to hide and wait it out like the other students. So, as she moved, her eyes drifted to the moon once in a while as she remained lost in her own thoughts.
After five minutes of jogging, a tent came into view, causing her to halt her steps. She recognized the tent and its luxury; after all, she had one and used it during her Academy missions. But seeing it here only made her confused.
’A Positive Zone?’ she thought to herself as she stared at the luxury tent. Her senses told her there was no one within the tent, which only solidified the guess in her mind.
She had encountered a few Positive Zones, all with different functions and effects, but she hadn’t seen any with a bed or anything like that, so she assumed that within the luxury tent was a Positive Zone with a bed.
With that, she walked forward, her steps silent as she raised her guard to the maximum. After all, just because she sensed no one within didn’t exactly mean no one was inside.
Reaching the tent, she lifted one of its flaps, and the moment she did, her amber-gold eyes fell on a familiar person she had met five days ago. He possessed purple hair and purple eyes, along with the most handsome face that Arianna acknowledged she had ever seen.
Asher, who sat with a glass of wine in his hand at a table arranged with delicacies, with a second chair on the other end of the table, simply turned his head in Arianna’s direction as he spoke.
"It seems we meet again, Arianna Haellight," Asher stated, his tone calm and flat.
’He’s here,’ Arianna thought to herself as her eyes narrowed for a moment. ’How didn’t I sense him?’ her thoughts spun once more.
It was impossible for Arianna to sense Asher simply because Asher had copied the little Golem’s camouflage ability. With his Perfect Astra Control, it was simply a matter of thought, and with that, he was able to pass himself off as ambient Astra energy and motes to anyone.
’Besides, it looks like he sensed me from quite a distance away,’ Arianna thought as her gaze shifted to the second set of glass, plates, cutlery, food, and chair that had been purposely arranged for someone else.
With just this small exchange, the level at which she regarded Asher only rose in her mind. After all, she possessed immense observational skills, yet she had been outshone and outperformed at this moment in terms of sensory skills.
"It seems so," Arianna finally spoke.
She didn’t step in; she remained at the luxury tent’s vestibule. Just because she had met Asher once and exchanged a few words with him didn’t mean she would let down her guard. At the end of the day, she didn’t know what type of person he was.
"Might I ask what brings you to my tent, then?" Asher continued as he sipped his wine, his eyes remaining on Arianna as he could see her caution. He could tell she was ready to let her Astra energy explode forth at a moment’s notice.
Arianna arched an eyebrow as she asked, "Isn’t this a Positive Zone?" Her tone was confused.
Asher simply chuckled and shook his head as he replied, "No Positive Zone can grant this type of luxury. The Inter-Empire Competition organizers aren’t that generous," his words truthful.
"I guess so," Arianna replied, not speaking further and not taking her eyes off Asher.
Asher stayed silent for a moment before speaking again. "This is the tent I used for my missions back at the Star Academy. I simply brought it with me to the Inter-Empire Competition."
Arianna nodded, not taking a step inside. Although she nodded and her face remained expressionless, her mind couldn’t help but spin with thoughts of how Asher had managed to sneak such a huge tent into the Qualifier Round.
Seeing Arianna remain silent and not speak, Asher spoke again. "While I understand you are cautious, you are welcome to come in. And I’m sure you understand that we have no reason to risk our points for no reward. I’m not one who goes seeking meaningless fights," his tone almost persuasive.
Arianna stayed silent for a moment before walking into the tent with calm ease, her eyes taking in everything as she sat on the chair Asher had prepared for her.
"How long have you been here?" Arianna couldn’t help but ask.
"Since the night of the second day," Asher answered as he poured her a glass of wine.
Arianna’s heart shook slightly from shock. She had noticed that Asher’s points had barely increased after he gained over two million points. She had wondered what he was doing, but she had come to the conclusion that he was no longer actively participating.
’To think he has been living like this while other students suffered,’ she thought to herself with a mental sigh. Her eyes shifted to the wine. As a wine enthusiast herself, she recognized how costly such a wine was, and even how expensive the food on the table was. And she knew that, as Asher had said... such things couldn’t be found within a Positive Zone.
"Thinking about how I was able to sneak all this in?" Asher asked as he could practically feel the question burning in Arianna’s mind.
"I won’t deny it, I am," Arianna Haellight answered without lying.
Asher simply picked up a fork from the table, and with a thought, it vanished. Then, in the next moment, it reappeared.
"I possess the Spatial Affinity, and I was able to create an independent space that allows me to store things," Asher explained calmly.
Although one might say Asher was stupid for revealing such information, Asher knew it was useless. It was impossible for the next round to begin immediately. Students had to rest, they had to heal, and they had to get back into the right headspace, so perhaps a few hours of rest would be given. Within that timeframe, various students would already have received information on each other’s abilities.
Meaning, once Arianna left this place, she would know all about his affinities and the combat prowess he had shown against Xal’Thar. People would also try to guess what other affinities and abilities he possessed through what he had already revealed.
Although, at this moment, he didn’t particularly know Arianna’s ability, as she basically killed everything with a glance after she unlocked her Astra Energy and ability.
All Asher could guess was that it was a type of ocular ability, just as Kimberley Elox had told him five days ago.
But at the end of the day, that was just a guess, as her ability might have nothing to do with her eyes. Even now, as he observed her calmly seated across from him, Asher couldn’t identify a single clue that pointed toward the true nature of her power, making her one of the greatest mysteries among all the competitors.
