Lucas' POV
"We are here ".
Her soothing voice echoed in my ear as I wasted no time to imitate her and assume a lotus posture on the ground with my eyes closed.
I could feel the ether course through the cells of my body at a tumultuous rate, a soothing and cool sensation voyaging through my body.
Click... Click...
The sound of my cells making clicking sounds resounded in my mind, as a sign that I had broken through to the next rank.
However, the ether from the atmosphere still rummaged my cells at an astonishing speed, evidenced by the soothing sensation I still felt coursing through my body...
Click... Click...
Another breakthrough was achieved quickly... Just when I was about to celebrate the monstrous effectiveness of my SSS rank talent, the absorption of ether slowed down, finally coming to a halt. No rather, the absorption of ether seemed to have returned to it's normal rate as though I were in a normal ,non ether dense area.
I stood up. I had quickly jumped from the E rank to the C rank.
If anyone were to hear of this, they would be completely shocked.
"As expected of an ether dense area. It's quite unfortunate that ether dense areas have to take a number of months to re- accumulate the dense ether gathered from the environment, else, I would have crossed to a higher rank than this".. I sighed in amazement as I felt the amount of strength coursing through my body... My body felt more lighter.
However,an amazing discovery had followed my breakthrough. My vision had become strangely clearer.
Even though it was night time, I could see everything around me clearly.
Also, the remote howls of distant beasts had become more louder to me.
Even the faintest rustle of nearby leaves, and what one would presume to be the sounds of falling drops of water had oddly become perceptible to my senses.
"So this is the perception ability that everyone naturally unlocks when they reach C rank .
I have to find a way to test the limits of my strength though... " A satisfied grin appeared on my face...
"You absorbed all the dense ether didn't you?... What kind of a strange monster are you? " .
The familiar stranger's feminine voice drummed in my ear, causing my attention to shift to her..
Beads of sweat trickled down her fair face, as her dark hair swayed unhindered in the boisterous wind. Her outline that was now more visible to me could be credited to my newly unlocked perception ability after reaching C rank.
She was donned in casual jeans and a black t shirt, which in no way did much to hinder her carefree demeanour and elegant beauty. The bruises and wounds on her body were nowhere to be found...
"Never mind, at least I managed to break through to the D rank..Now you have to honor your part of the... " Before she concluded her statement, I blurted out in surprise.... "I knew you looked familiar... You are that jade beauty who saved me from those bullies a few months ago... Aren't you?... "
She looked at me as though she had heard the most cringe and incredulous statement ever.. then she replied "Jade beauty?...ahem.. I will admit that you have good looks and all but if you are trying to hit on me, it won't work... "
"Of course, what was I expecting, I don't look anything like I did back then so it's obvious you won't recognize me.. I guess I even made a wrong prediction about you being a C rank healer at that time ...It was probably because I was too weak so I overestimated your strength.. No offense" I mumbled to myself, however loud enough for her to hear..
"Non taken.. Wait. ...You are that guy?... The one who was being beaten to a pulp in an alleyway by those guys?... The one I healed? " A look of remembrance dominated her graceful face.
I chuckled radiantly, then replied " Yeah... I am that guy... "
"But how... You look so different... from then... wait...but at the same time, you look familiar... Ah..!... Are you Lucas Grimstone.. The guy with the SSS rank talent everyone is talking about? " She probed,this time inquisitively.
"Yeah, I am... A lot has happened... " I replied...
"Hehe... The guy I helped a few months ago
suddenly turned into some celeberity everyone is talking about?... and I happened to meet him in some forest and asked for his help? ... Is this some sort of cliche romance novel plot twist or something?" She sighed, as she leaned her graceful figure against a tree, her dark pupils reflecting the moonlight glow..
Ahem... I don't even know why I'm paying too much attention to describing her looks... Well, do I like her... ?...
Ahem.. don't be inquisitive.. It's non of your business... Ahem.. Anyway...
" No doubt about this sounding like a romance cliche something lol..What's your name...? " I asked....
"I'm Philipa... I suppose there's no need to introduce yourself since everyone in the federation practically knows about you... " She responded..
I glanced at her silently, then in a warm and firm tone, I spoke..
"Philipa, I have been wondering how I would meet you again to thank you for saving my life that day... Honestly, I would have probably died that day had it not been for you. I am someone who always repays kindness for kindness, and evil for evil.. Now that I have the chance to repay you for your kindness, sit back and let me handle these savages ...I have now become a C rank hunter, therefore handling them will be easy for me... " It was obvious she would look at me in shock for having become a C ranker in less than a month after I awakened...
"Is this how monstrous an SSS rank talent is? " She asked..
Scratching the back of my head embarrassingly ,I replied " I suppose so.. I guess"
... I turned to look towards a particular direction..
Then I spoke ...."They are here.."
They were the perfect test subjects to adjust my body to my newly acquired strength..