The sun was setting and the convoy stopped in the middle of the road. All of the passengers from the carriages stepped out and they saw nothing but an endless plain of grass with some occasional trees and giant rocks in the distance.
A dark-skinned Priest in a White Cloak walked to the fields where he had a complete view of all 5 carriages and at least 70 people were looking at him.
It was Cornelio from the Heisen Chapter Temple, the man who was speaking with Joshua on the day of the Ranking Match.
"We're going to camp here for the night. And in the morning, we will resume the journey to Brew Town," he said and then turned his attention to a group.
It was a group of male Priests and also a few members of the Temple of Tamers. And the leader of this group was Isaac from the Luxen Chapter Temple.
"Brother Isaac," said Cornelio he said.
Isaac nodded back and turned to one of the Tamers.
A member of the Temple of Tamers freed one of the giant lizards pulling the carriages and they led it to an open field.
Once it was on the open field, one of the Tamers fed it something.
A few seconds later, the giant lizard became drunk and blacked out, falling asleep on the field.
Isaac went over to the giant lizard and offered a small prayer.
"God of Light, we thank you all for this knowledge and blessing we are about to receive."
He then activated a skill.
[Mana Axe].
A giant axe made out of blue aura appeared on Isaac's hand, causing a few gasps among the crowd, specifically the male rookies.
"That skill is called [Mana Axe], right?" a White Cloak in his teens asked his companion.
"Yes, it's the final Physical Art skill of the [Axe Mastery]. As long as one has mana, they can manifest any form of an axe and they don't need to rely on a physical axe anymore," replied his companion.
"So Brother Isaac mastered [Axe Mastery]?!"
"This is Brother Isaac we're talking about, you know…"
"But how strong is it? And can you still use other Physical Art skills with it?"
"It's as strong as the owner's Physical Force. And yes, you can use [Power Axe] and [Explosive Axe] with it. You can even cast [Enchant Light] on it or any Magic Art Affinity that you possess."
"So Brother Isaac also mastered [Light Mastery]?"
"I have no idea. But I once saw him demonstrate to us [Enchant Lightning]."
"So he mastered [Lightning Mastery]?"
"I don't think so. He's only in his 30s. But his Magic Art Affinities are at least high level."
"As expected of Brother Isaac!"
Whooosh, whooosh, whooosh, whooosh, whooosh!
In the blink of an eye, Isaac swung his axe 5 times and the legs and tail of the giant lizard were hacked off.
Despite the severe injuries, the giant lizard didn't wake up, let alone cry out in pain.
The 5 men quickly grabbed the legs and tail and placed them on the corner.
After that, with 5 Priests remaining, including Isaac, they all activated spells.
[Greater Heal].
[Greater Heal].
[Greater Heal].
[Greater Heal].
[Greater Heal].
Bright yellow lights enveloped the lizard's body and all of its lost limbs grew back.
Isaac swung his [Mana Axe] once again.
Whooosh, whooosh, whooosh, whooosh, whooosh!
4 legs and a tail were extracted from the lizard's body once again.
[Greater Heal].
[Greater Heal].
[Greater Heal].
[Greater Heal].
[Greater Heal].
Bright yellow lights enveloped the lizard's body and all of its lost limbs grew back.
Whooosh, whooosh, whooosh, whooosh, whooosh!
Isaac and the rest repeated the process 3 more times.
Finally, after extracting 20 legs and 5 tails, Isaac deactivated [Mana Axe] and cast a spell.
[Cleanse].
A green light enveloped the lizard's body and it was cured from its drunken state.
The lizard woke up and was immediately soothed by a tamer and offered it treats.
"Okay, boys, what are you waiting for?! Time to cook!" Isaac announced.
"Yeah!" his group cheered and then began preparing.
Vivian, who was standing on the side, had her mouth left open.
What the fuck…?
They can do that…?
That's basically unlimited food…!
That practically solves world hunger…!
No wonder they offer free meals at the compound…
But why only 2…?
Also, if such things exist, wouldn't this destroy the meat industry…?
The Temple of Priest would have a monopoly of that industry…!
The truth of the matter, in order not to disrupt the food industry in human settlements, especially in cities, a cap was placed on how much meat the Temple of Priests could release to the market. After all, the power to regrow limbs was indeed quite unfair and not everyone could join the Temple of Priests. However, given that the Temple of Priests had such power, it was one of the reasons why human settlements would want a Temple of Priests in their area because they wouldn't have to worry about food shortages in case there was an emergency.
Vivian looked at the people around her.
They don't find this strange…?
It was then a scary thought appeared inside her head, causing a cold shiver to run down her spine and her knees to go weak.
I wouldn't be surprised if cannibalism would be popular, especially among Priests…
From now on, I'm going to make extra sure to ask what I'm eating before eating it…!
Vivian turned her gaze to Isaac.
Now I remember who Isaac is…
Last time when someone mentioned the name Isaac to her, she honestly couldn't remember who it was. To be exact, she couldn't remember the name. However, she remembered the face.
And seeing Isaac now, she finally remembered who he was.
That skill he showed was the final form or mastering a Physical Art…?
But what would be the point if you could only get that in the end…?
Bragging rights…?
Vivian's Physical and Magical Force were now somewhere between Orichalcum and Adamantite-grade. And one of her biggest problems was buying weapons appropriate for her strength. If she used Physical Arts on weapons below the Orichalcum grade, they would only break.
But his speed…
Was that his fastest speed…?
Earlier, when Isaac chopped off the lizard's legs and tails in the blink of an eye for the first time, she was caught off guard because she didn't expect him to do that so she wasn't able to concentrate and compare his speed to hers.
But on following chopping rounds, she made sure to focus.
I'm not gonna lie…
He was quite fast that I was struggling to catch up...
Vivian's current Int was 8 (+130).
So I'm still so weak, huh…
What were his Magic Arts again…?
Vivian tried to recall the time when she first met Isaac at the Training Grounds and had her [Fire] and [Wind Mastery] opened.
I think it was 4 or 5…?
But one thing is sure, I know he had Dark and Lightning…
Light as well…
I remember hesitation to ask about the Dark and Chaos Affinities after reading that book Marie lent me…
"Hello, ladies!" a man suddenly called.
When Vivian turned her head, she saw Carr who was accompanied by Said and 2 other men whom Vivian wasn't familiar with but felt like she had seen them somewhere before.
All of them were wearing White Cloaks.
"You guys, where have you been?" Marie asked with a smile.
"Took you guys long enough to find us," said Elena.
"Good evening…" Kara said softly and looked down. Her cheeks blushed as her gaze bounced between the ground and Carr.
Vivian, who remained silent, just stared at them.
What is this dejavu feeling I'm getting…?
Not counting herself, the 4 men and 3 women were no doubt all very attractive, especially Carr, Said and Marie, that people around them couldn't help but stare at Vivian and them.
Why do I feel like I've seen this scene somewhere…?
It was then as if a light bulb turned on inside her head.
This was the group I saw at that cafe Criselle and I went to…!
"Sister Vivian, it's been a while. I didn't expect to see you here," Carr said and smiled.
"Sister Vivian, good evening," Said said and smiled.
"Likewise," Vivian said and smiled.
She then began counting.
4 men…
4 women…
And those 2 guys I'm not familiar with are trying to make eye contact with me in order to start a conversation…
Vivian suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
Despite her new body, her soul was still that of a man, her memories and experiences were that of a 24-year-old man. She had zero interest in talking with men unless it was something important.
"Guys, please excuse me, I'm going to go check if I can help in preparing dinner. I want to gain more experience in learning Class Magic and also want to ask Brother Isaac some questions about Physical Arts."
She didn't wait for their reply and already left.
God, I wish Criselle was here…
I like her…
Or maybe Joshua…
I don't feel any lustful gaze when he talks to me…
Ezekiel and Samuel as well…
Well, Samuel was old…
But still, it's more comfortable…
As for Gaze and Torr, although they weren't part of the Temple of Priests, she didn't mind being with them. Although she could notice them flinching and blushing whenever she got too close to them, to her, they were only kids.
Maybe Lily and Airie are also here…?
She immediately shook her head.
Those 2 are no different from Marie and her group…
My God, why am I surrounded by people who only think about relationships and sex…?
I seriously miss being a man…
Well, at least Isaac seems to be a no-nonsense guy and I can ask him about things…
Hopefully, he will be my shield during this trip…
Or maybe I can train my…?
She immediately shook her head.
I almost forgot about the 1 Magic Art to 2 Physical Arts ratio…
Ever since Vivian got suspended, she hasn't been able to level up any of her Physical Arts.
But maybe breaking my fingers can help me learn [Savage Mastery]…?
Yeah…
I should ask Isaac about that…
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
By the way, I posted some Chapter Drafts at P-a-t-r-e-o-n. And to view them, you can read them at…
https://www.patreon.com/Immortal_Shades
There, you will have access to the Chapter Drafts for $5 a month.
Please note that the chapters posted there are only drafts. So when those said Chapter Drafts will be published here, there will be some edits. They also involve a few secret outline notes/details that I won't publish here because they contain a lot of spoilers or dispel a lot of mysteries. And at the moment, Chapter Drafts 225-230 are posted there.
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• GrimV
Thank you once again and I will see you in the next chapter.