On a rooftop belonging to one of the many homes in Asher City, three people were running at top speed to make their escape. They were the cloaked figures from before; the people who were responsible for Lam's near death state. Once their goal was accomplished, they rushed out of the stadium faster than the eye could blink. They didn't want to be found out, for Ivor the Tattler was famed for his merciless nature just as much as his merchant nature. Everything had been proceeding smoothly, and nothing had gone contrary to their escape plan. Yet when they were just a few meters shy of reaching half a kilometer in their escape, a powerful aura locked on to them, and a furious bellow shook their souls and pressed down upon their bodies.
"This aura!" the cloaked man shivered when he felt the power that had locked onto him. This power was full of aggression and rage, and its might was so resounding that he could hear his own bones creaking in submission.
"This is the power of one who is Half a Step into the Nightmare Realm!" the childish lady amongst the three felt goosebumps creeping onto her skin as that powerful aura locked onto them. Her fighting intent was slowly extinguished, and she felt the urge to escape more than she felt the urge to fight. And why would she be eager to fight one with such level of power? She was talented within her generation, but she was still too young and was only just a Predator. She didn't have the power to go against a being who was close to achieving the power of a Nightmare.
The gap between the Nightmare Realm and the Predator Realm was like a huge chasm. In fact, calling it a gap would be underestimating how large the gulf between the two levels were. Naturally, that gulf wasn't easy to cross, and it took several years for the most talented Predators to make it across. The Predator Realm and the Nightmare Realm were like two cities separated by a large lake. This lake was the gap between the two realms, and to cross it, one needed a boat. But the lake was treacherous and full of poisonous and powerful creatures. So just any boat wasn't enough to get across. The boat that could be used to cross this large lake had to be strong, resilient and capable of containing vast resources. This boat was the talent of a person. A mediocre person would never be able to get across the lake because their talent, which was the boat, would be too small and weak to go against the creatures of the lake and make it to the other side – the Nightmare Realm. The boat would sink and be destroyed even before it could move a few meters. Only the truly talented would be able to make the journey across the lake. The lake was referred to as the path that was between the two realms – Half a Step into the Nightmare Realm.
But even the talented could fail in their journey. The boat had to be able to cross the entire distance, and not give up halfway. That was how being Half a Step into the Nightmare Realm was. It didn't necessarily guarantee that a person would become a Nightmare. In fact, only 5% of people Half a Step into the Nightmare Realm actually became Nightmares! This was because being Half a Step into the Nightmare Realm was the greatest test for a person. Once a person failed that test, he/she would fall back into the Predator Realm.
However, because of how large the gap between the two realms – Nightmare and Predator Realms – was, being Half a Step into the Nightmare Realm was further divided into stages. These were the low, mid, and high stages – and each stages was a challenge on its own. But that mattered little right now. For the person coming after them was exactly someone with such power. The only aura that could make them cower was that which was above the Predator Realm. And since this person didn't crush them to death with his/her aura, that meant that he/she wasn't a Nightmare but a Half Step into the Nightmare Realm powerhouse.
The Captain narrowed her lovely eyes into slits, as she gazed into the direction from which this aura, and the furious bellow came from. This wasn't the power of Ivor. He was much stronger than this. They wouldn't stand a chance against that man's aura. But this power wasn't weak either. This power that had interfered with their escape and sought them out even in the midst of the chaos they had left behind, was enough to threaten their lives.
"We need to leave this place!" she ordered. "Fast!" she reiterated. They couldn't afford to be careless. Although that aura belonged to a powerhouse, the team wasn't weak. They had they strength to stand up to such power. Even if they were to be defeated, it would be difficult for this person to kill them. However, as long as this person caught up to them and engaged, Ivor would come. Once Ivor found them, they would die!
The man and the childish lady both nodded their heads with solemn expressions. Although their Captain was the strongest analyst amongst the three, they weren't dumb either, and could tell exactly why she was worried. A Half Step into the Nightmare Realm powerhouses were rare, but they could handle them. After all, their Captain was also an existence Half a Step into the Nightmare Realm, and they were at the peak of the Predator Level. Although they usually wouldn't be able to go against a Half Step Nightmare Realm Expert, with their Captain they would be able to. In a sense, they had the advantage. However, as long as they were delayed, they would be killed by Ivor. That demon must be fuming now, especially after seeing his Prince, the person he was supposed to protect, fall before his very eyes.
However, right after they hastened their steps and sought to get away quicker, the aura pursing them exploded in speed. In less than ten seconds, this person was right behind them.
"Fast!" the Captain's eyebrows shot up in worry. She didn't possess this kind of speed, and it was bad that their pursuer did. Not only did it worry her that this person would catch up quickly, but she was also worried that with this kind of speed, they could actually be killed by this person!
Suddenly the sky exploded into a ceremony of lightning, as several lightning bolts as thick as a person's fist crackled and danced – and descended onto the team of three.
"Move!" the Captain's eyes were filled with alarm, and she hastily gave the order upon feeling the danger that was approaching them from above. The three moved quickly, each darting out of their former paths and rolling to the side.
*Boom*
*Boom*
*Boom*
*Boom*
Several bolts of lightning struck the ground they stood on before, creating several small craters. The red eyes of three were filled with a bit of fear and alarm. How could a person have control over lightning? This destructive and rebellious element never acceded to any man – just beasts. So how?
"So it was you," the Captain calmed her beating heart and gazed upon the figure of the one who had arrived. Their pursuer had made it in time. With a black mask that hid all but his blue eyes and with his golden hair dancing in the rain, she quickly placed this man's figure in her memory. After all it hadn't been long since she last saw him. He was the Ancient they were curious about. She had heard his furious bellow, but she didn't think that the one calling the Elemental Prince a friend was this fellow. After all, she thought that he was only a Predator.
Hildegarde flew above the two groups – Mane and the red eyed fellows – with a complicated look in her eyes. She sighed slowly, a bitter smile etched on her face.
"Is this fortune or disaster?" she laughed bitterly to herself. The rain that fell hadn't yet deciphered her presence. The drops just swept past her indiscernible figure, none the wiser.
"To break through because of a friend's pain," she muttered to herself. When Mane saw Lam's figure falling with a dagger embedded into his chest, a dam seemed to have been opened, and his strength returned to what it was in the True Universe – the Earth Realm. But that wasn't the only change. How was the young Supreme able to sense these three fellows? How had he made them out? Did he guess, or was he told? The answer was neither. The young man figured it out for himself. For not only had he broken into the Earth Realm, he was now a Low-Level Scholar!
The path of Scholars had seven grades: Trainee Scholar; Beginner Scholar; Low- Level Scholar; Mid- Level Scholar; High Level Scholar; Scholar King/Queen; Scholar Emperor/Empress.
Mane had skipped the Trainee Scholar level by answering one of the Seven Great Mysteries when he had met Ananse and become a Beginner Scholar. But he had been stuck in the early stages of the Beginner Scholar Level – until now. To grow as a Scholar, one had to answer questions. That couldn't be changed. But one had to be certain about their answers. Mane had figured a lot of things out in this world, but he wasn't certain about any of them. All of them were just assumptions to him, and he dared not solidify those assumptions into truths because the risks were high.
As a Scholar, if one wasn't certain about their answers and still went ahead to present them as truths to themselves, they would lose the favor of their manuals and would dent their foundations. With Ananse he hadn't dully processed the information that she gave him when they first met, which was why he had so carelessly gone ahead to answer one of the Seven Great Mysteries. If he had known about how dangerous it was to do so, he wouldn't have done it. Ananse probably didn't tell him because it was all in the information that she had given him. She probably didn't see the need to say the same thing twice. Otherwise Mane would have been using this method to test every assumption he had. For as long as he was right, he would advance in strength. Because Mane didn't want to hurt his foundation or lose the trust of his manual, he never tried to confirm the things he had found out.
But seeing Lam's broken figure forced him to make a rush decision and he presented his assumptions as truths before his Scholar Manual – and passed. Of the truths he had presented, the one about the Fairies not knowing anything major about this world, and the one about the Status Window being inaccurate, were surprisingly First Grade Mysteries, and improved Mane's strength by a lot, helping him grow into a Low-level Scholar instantly. With that surge of power came an increase in abilities.
Lock-On received a great boost. Now Mane could communicate with more than four people at the same time using Lock-On. Initially, the limit of this technique was two people.
Words of Power was also strengthened, allowing Mane to now be capable of using two word statements instead of the initial limit of just one word. Also, now Mane could use Words of Power effectively against any person weaker than him! Initially it was against only people with lower energy levels than him. The difference between the two was huge. In terms of energy levels, it meant that Mane couldn't use Words of Power against someone at the 1st Stage of the Earth Realm and beyond. But in terms of just his opponents being weaker, it meant that as long as Mane was stronger than his opponents, he could use Words of Power effectively against them. As someone whose combat prowess was far above his actual energy level, this was a massive gain!
The last skill in Mane's repertoire was Scout. Scout didn't simply improve, it evolved. It was no longer Scout, but a skill called Trace. Not only did it vastly improve Mane's sensing ability from a 100 meter radius to a 500 meter radius, it also allowed him to mark a maximum of five people and trace their movements as long as they were within a 500 meter radius. The limit in distance decreased if the number of people being Traced was less. With every less person Traced, there was an increase of 50 meters.
"Vent your frustrations on them instead," Hildegarde sighed and flew higher into the sky, observing the figures who were facing at each other below.