It's been 4 days since they've succeeded in advancing to the 2nd floor and Neon was met with a scream when he awakened. He quickly threw his blanket in the direction of the scream and quickly grab his dagger. Before he could make any sense of his situation he leaps from the figure knocking it to the ground. Before he could do anything else he grabbed his blanket and uncovered the perpetrator
"Master, it's too early to get so riled up! At least lower your knife," What he thought was a monster that ambush him in his sleep was just his disciple who's unusually hyper in the morning
"Alex? So it was you that made that noise? You fucking idiot!! Didn't I tell you to keep your voice down!!!?" He took a deep breath and lowered his knife before he lands a punch in his disciple's head
What a great way to start their day than having his mood ruined before he could open his eyes. Alex was aware of his mood swings and whatnot, but today he couldn't keep his mouth shut since it was a very special day. Neon who's been stuck here for the last five years did not know how important this very day
"The day of Ernest Quelt's death? What in the world are you celebrating this for? Have you gone mental or something, for as long as I remember you don't have any kind of mental illness," When he opened the system's calendar he found a particular day titled the Alchemist's end
"Master that's not it! I've told you the great Alchemist is my idol! Well, your reactions are normal, you did say you've been stuck here for as long as you remember. Alchemist end is the day when the hero known as the great alchemist died. We honor his death by offering some food and wishing for his soul to rest. Even his apprentice took a major part in this momentous day~ What's wrong?" Neon choked on his food upon hearing something strange from the words of his disciple
'Apprentice...? Since when did I've gained an apprentice? Alex was the first disciple I had, but I've trained him more on my know-how about fighting monsters. But someone's out there calling themselves my apprentice of all things! Perhaps, are they connected with my party members? Come to think of it, not every of my party members has the guts to betray someone like me. There was a traitor amongst them but who and that apprentice... Is it connected to the one who betrayed me?'
His expression suddenly becomes even darker and his aura would leak out of his body. But before it could draw any monsters he took a deep breath and calmed himself in front of Alex. It was a shock for him to hear someone pretending to be a disciple of his but even if he piece every single memory he has it doesn't add up. He never left any sign of inheritance, nor did he appoint anyone to be his apprentice
'It doesn't make any sense whatsoever... I've never written any documentary concerning my alchemical recipes. Even if that so-called apprentice of mine truly has some worth, they need to have the intelligence that can surpass my own. This leaves me with a single conclusion, there's a chance that apprentice is related to my teens. I was gullible at that time and I never know the dangers of what might happen if my recipes are stolen,'
He sighed again when he wasn't able to dig any deeper into his past. Even he could overlook his memories and because of his injury became even blurrier. His memories were clouded by his day-to-day management of public affairs and his participation in the guardian association. He couldn't remember even if that memory was crucial to learn of his so-called apprentice's identity
"That look on your face... Master, have you perhaps encountered the legendary hero five years ago? You've been stuck here until you'd escape the rough terrains you were trapped on. I'll take that silence as a no, you have a habit of not addressing something you're unfamiliar with," They had an awkward meal, and when that was finished they made their way through the rooms in search of the third floor
Apart from the dark forest having no signs of change, the whole world was praying for their deceased hero of the past. A mention of his name and people of all ages would tell stories of his merits and tales of his wonderous adventures. He was an icon and a treasure that even the people worship as a saint due to his kindness. But on this important day, the international guardian association felt nothing but stress in their current predicament
"It's been a year and yet the system hasn't warned us about the location of the 78th tower. Once the anniversary of our diseased member came to pass will be flooded once more with their complaints. The people need to be assured about the location of the tower it's causing a worldwide panic. Don't tell me you've forgotten what happened to the amazon rainforest or what's now called the dark forest," All of the leaders of every nation gathered to discuss their most pressing issue along with the chairman of the association
[Henry Evans
Race: Human
Age: 67
Title: Veteran guardian, The association chief, One of the first guardians, Serpent of the east
Background: A retired veteran who was one of the first guardians to ever awakened and now resting as the chief in the association
Specialty: Azure Spear arts]
"As my assistant spoke of we need your participation so we the guardian association can conduct our search. Because you've all denied the law made by our diseased member Ernest Quelt, we can no longer do as we pleased. I've asked you all if we don't desire another incident like the dark forest I suggest you think this through," The world leaders were in a state of shock after their negligence can no longer be an excuse
For the last five years, the transaction and management of the rifts have been a bother to the association. It was because of these newly appointed officials that denied the laws implemented by Ernest Quelt. This led to their recent issue which made it harder for the association to set foot in the nations that opposed his regulation
"Fuck!! Now, these bastards are begging us to search their land for any signs of the arrival of the tower. Assistant Kim, can you light my cigar? While you're scouring my office can you bring over the wine... Sigh, who would've thought that five years and the world would be this chaotic? Even the acts of human trafficking became legal, my old friend if you're still alive what would you do?" He picks up a portrait near his desk and gazes at the image of his friend
The pride of the world and a guardian that's seen as a beacon of hope and never did the people know how important he was. The people who spout negativities about him are now hypocrites. They kept spewing words of how wonderful the world was when he took an active role. When he heard the bottle of wine hitting his hitting the surface of his desk he thought it was his secretary. But the one before him was an individual who was accompanied by dread
"Eins...? So glad that you could visit, what's the reason for a big shot of the underworld needing the presence of this geezer?" He poured a glass of wine for him and Henry who was reminiscing about their diseased friend
"I've told you that im going to visit... How are you holding up? Is that injury of yours hurting again? Even the invincible geezer is no match for a mere flesh wound," He laughs, and yet these two couldn't hold a conversation and the atmosphere around them grew even colder
"Look at us, a bunch of grown men and we can't even hold a proper chat. Guess even our warm conversations were only possible because of him. Since you didn't bring a lot of wine, I guess you're here to see her? If that's not the case, then you're here to help out this geezer," Eins paused on Henry's question, and he took a huge amount of wine in a single sitting
"You know that I owe him a lot...? With his help, I was able to overthrow the corrupt assholes controlling the underworld. I prepared everything for his arrival and even ordered a chair to his liking and the only thing I heard was the confirmation of his death. Even when I asked the system it only solidified that his long gone, and I'm here to fulfill my promise," Eins was a person who was known to be one of the most wanted men throughout the world
He was famous for being a con artist, a thief, and most of all the one controlling the underworld. Yet most of the things he stole were items unstable and could only bring harm to its denizens. Because of this, he bowed to never use these items, but for the sake of his friend, he used the all-seeing eye. An item that he was famous for stealing but this item was something he feared to use, but they were desperate to learn of the location of the tower
He peaked throughout the world before his mind was shattered by the information flowing through the device. He takes off the item and his mind caught the glimpse of a tall tower covered in a harsh and rigid environment. It was then followed by an overview of the tower and the place it was located, which was the dark forest. The final resting place of their friend and a land which they always seek to embark
"Eins!!!? Are you alright," He placed him in his chair and seals the all-seeing eye before its power would activate once more
"Luckily this item didn't manifest its side effect since we sealed it in time... But who would've guessed, the 78th tower, Urghh!!! It's inside the dark forest. That's all that I could find, the only thing we need now is for the little apprentice to make the antibodies for the toxic fumes. Speaking of her, where is she?"
"You know her, she's been busy reading the same book again and again thinking that she can decode another one of his recipes. Now that you've mentioned her, have I told you how she became his apprentice? When Ernest was still in his teens, he found a newly awakened orphan and he gave her the only book he wrote his entire life,"