Chapter 24: Entering The Upper Sector
Early the next morning, Leonard went into depth describing his first dungeon expedition.
"To think that so many things could happen in just two days..." Miranda murmured with concern. "Much less being able to clear a Grade 1 dungeon that had remained open for so many years."
"Although things could have gone better, I’m happy with how they turned out." He replied nonchalantly.
Miranda’s golden eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. While Leonard was still busy eating breakfast, she lifted his head by placing a hand beneath his chin and brought her face close to examine him.
"Um... What are you doing?" He asked, slightly puzzled.
"Checking if you’ve been charmed."
"P—Pardon?" He nearly choked.
"You encountered an elf with a hidden motive, right? It is possible she cast a charm spell on you without your knowledge, simply to prevent you from revealing her involvement. Elves can be quite deceptive in situations like this." Miranda explained, not backing away.
"But I told you about her, didn’t I? It’s not like I kept her a secret." Leonard reasoned.
She continued her investigation for a few short seconds before letting out a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, you appear to be fine. Nothing is affecting your mind."
He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. "You worry too much."
She smiled back. "Naturally."
Miranda shifted her attention to her phone.
"I ran a deep analysis of Martin’s public background. It is exactly as you suspected. He appears to be a lesser-known heir of Royal Trade, with rumors of an arranged marriage between him and Harley. This should allow the organization to pursue an acquisition of the Velmura brand in the future."
Her eyelid twitched ever so slightly.
"So this is the man who pushed you toward a Death Zone, huh... I will be sure to remember that face."
Leonard exhaled deeply. "My arranged marriage with Harley is long over. I do not understand Royal Trade’s obsession with getting rid of me. It is not as if I ever had any feelings for her."
He paused, letting the silence settle, then added with a serious expression.
"But please do not get involved. I still remember the last time you fought to save my life. Promise me that, until your mana oversensitivity is cured, you will not use mana even if it looks like I am about to die."
His most vivid memory was when he wandered into the wilderness shortly after entering his teenage years. A horde of monsters was about to kill him until Miranda saved him in the nick of time. However, the use of mana left her bedridden for weeks and worsened her condition.
Leonard still blamed himself for the incident.
"Young Master..."
Miranda wanted to assure him he was not at fault. He had walked straight into the wilderness at that time because it was the moment the world officially rejected him for his supposed mediocrity and abandoned him.
She hesitated, clearly reluctant, but in the end she complied. "...I will try."
After breakfast, Leonard stood and summoned the Knight of the Shattered Order, eager to study him in greater detail.
In their presence, the towering knight dropped to one knee. His white plume streamed across the floor like a lion’s mane.
"This is the guy I was talking to you about. Pretty impressive, right?" Leonard mused. Admittedly, when he summoned the knight, he could not help but feel like a king.
Miranda was inclined to agree. "Did you think of a name?"
He nodded.
"Rise. From henceforth, you shall be Valor."
Valor obliged and rose to his full two-meter height.
Name: Valor
Summon: Knight of the Shattered Order
Rank: Rare
Feeling curious, Leonard checked how many evolution points it required to evolve Valor to the next rank.
[Evolve Valor to the next Rank: 20,000 Evolution Points]
His breathing hitched. This was ten times the amount it would take to evolve Joker, despite both summons being of the Rare rank!
Though, in retrospect, it made sense. Joker’s strength lay in his versatility, while Valor was focused on raw power.
After he concluded his examination, Leonard determined that Valor consumed far more mana than Joker.
When idle, Valor required 1 mana per second to remain summoned. During combat, however, the expenditure doubled to 2 mana per second.
"My mana is far from sufficient to sustain him. It seems that prioritizing my magic, which would increase my mana as a byproduct, would be the best choice." He decided.
With all the experiments completed, he and Miranda put on their best-looking attire and headed to the Upper Sector.
Because Eternia City was incredibly vast, they needed to depart early in the morning. Even then, they would barely make it in time for the evening funeral, having to take several metros along the way.
When they passed through the Middle Sector, the pollution in the air lessened to a noticeable degree. Nobody paid them any attention as they moved through it, since it was common for people from the Lower Sector to temporarily come here to get some relief from the significantly improved air quality.
The problem arose when they reached the walls that separated the Upper Sector from the rest of the city.
Positioned at the highest point above ground level, the Upper Sector was a place of luxury tailored for society’s elites, where they enjoyed access to uninterrupted electricity, clear water, and pristine air.
Naturally, access to these benefits was tightly restricted. Climbing to the highest sector was possible only with the right connections, talent, funds, and in most cases a combination of all of them.
Leonard and Miranda stopped by one of the numerous inspection points located among the walls and waited for their turn.
"Next!" One of the stationed guards yelled.
Leonard stepped forward. Before he could present the invitation he had been given, the guard scanned him and checked his records, as it was a formality that almost always had to be completed.
"The audacity of a Common Bloodline to show up here!" The guard exclaimed, bursting into laughter.
"Kid, do you know how many Rare Bloodlines I have rejected just today? Even carrying an Epic Bloodline doesn’t guarantee entry, yet the absolute lowest of the low dared to show up here!"
The guard, who had been growing bored standing on duty, was mildly amused by Leonard’s appearance, examining him as though he were a caged animal.
Faced with the laughter and mockery, Leonard’s expression didn’t waver. If he were the kind of man who could be easily shaken by outside influence, he would have died long ago.
"We are invited." Miranda’s calm voice seized the guard’s laughter immediately.
Although she appeared composed on the surface, a suffocating pressure leaked from her body. So intense that the guard needed several seconds just to catch his breath.
Out of habit, he checked her record as well.
"H—Heavenly..." The words dried in his throat. He was a veteran stationed at this particular passage for over fifteen years, and this was the first time he had witnessed a Bloodline ranked this high!
"Forgive me... you can enter..." With a ghostly pale face, he stepped aside, allowing them through without even bothering to verify the legitimacy of the invitation.
Miranda didn’t budge. "Your badge number."
"P—Please..." The guard’s life seemed to flash before his eyes.
"I don’t repeat myself." She said, her pressure intensifying.
"O—Of course, my badge number is—"
Miranda openly recorded it into her phone. Then she alongside Leonard, stepped into the Upper Sector.
"Don’t look at me like that." Miranda smiled innocently, meeting his gaze. "I didn’t use mana, as promised, right?"
Leonard’s eyes narrowed. "We don’t have the authority to punish the guard even if we wanted to. Was there a point in asking for his identification?"
"Yes." She replied calmly. "The dread that the guard would suffer from not knowing whether a harsh punishment is coming will make him second-guess anyone from now on."
"Fair enough." A faint smile spread across Leonard’s face.
Soon enough, they reached their destination.
Comments