The next day, as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the area, Alex felt a weight on his chest and a small hand forcing his eyes open. He found Angela sitting on his chest. "Brother, Luna the wicked is waiting for you outside."
"Luna the wicked? My dear princesses don't speak such words. What does she want from me now?"
After washing his face, he left the room to find Steve at the breakfast table, sitting as if he were part of the family. "It seems you've settled in here. What brings you at this time?"
The mother intervened, not pleased with his tone. "Alex, be polite to the guest."
She gestured for Ena to approach, then whispered to him, "How long will you remain isolated from others? You need to build friendships with your peers. Be kind to him, he's a good boy."
"Is this praise related to the necklace you're wearing? And what's that new ring on your finger?" The mother smiled warmly, as it was clear that Steve had brought her jewelry from his family's store. "Didn't you say one shouldn't refuse free gifts? Come on, tell me, do I look good in them?"
"Yes, yes."
Alex sighed and turned, asking, "What do you want now?" Steve seemed to have been waiting for this question, and as soon as he heard it, he stood resolutely, saying, "What you did yesterday hurt my feelings. A friend doesn't ask their friend for money in exchange for advice. But I understand your situation, having grown up as a captive. I'll help you get the Nasik herb, not because I owe you, but because I want to."
'Friend,' Alex thought. He had just gained a family, so why not a friend? Taking his mother's advice, he softened his tone and said, "Alright, I'll accept your help as a friend. Let's finish our breakfast first."
Steve thought they would be done in a couple of minutes, but with Alex's appetite, it seemed the meal wouldn't end anytime soon. "Will this take long? If we want to get the Nasik herb, we need to move immediately."
"Move where?" he asked with food in his mouth.
"To the outskirts of the forest. Someone saw the silver fox there, and as they say, wherever the silver fox is found, the best herbs can be found too."
The silver foxes are small animals with beautiful silver fur that build their dens near spiritual herbs. Not only that, but they deliberately show themselves to humans to lead them to these herbs. The reason is that these beautiful creatures feed on greed, and surely, while humans search for herbs, they will leave behind what satisfies their appetites, whether it's from beasts or even other humans.
Alex stopped eating his breakfast, turned to his sister, and said, "Angela, I'll be gone for a while. Be obedient and don't forget your breathing exercises."
After his little brother's recovery, Alex personally supervised her training in the first level of the basic world. Her determination and focus on training were remarkable given her age. The reason for her dedication was to defeat her rival and foe, Luna.
After a two-hour journey, the friends reached the outskirts of the forest, but they weren't the only ones there. Young faces from their village and neighboring ones were present, all eager to obtain the spiritual herbs.
"Steve, is the Nasik herb really this rare?" Alex wondered, observing the crowd.
"Not entirely. It seems some herb vendors are monopolizing it to drive up its price. If we don't get it, we probably won't be able to afford it," Steve replied.
Alex looked at Steve with admiration. Steve was speaking in the plural form, indicating he was serious about being a loyal friend. "Nevertheless, that's quite a gathering for a simple herb."
At that moment, strange movements began among the crowd. Some of the older youth were withdrawing one after another to the eastern side.
Steve noticed and alerted his friend. The older youth were excluded from the Institute's entrance exam due to their age, but they were undoubtedly stronger. This confirmed Alex's suspicion: they weren't here for something as simple as spiritual herbs.
Suddenly, Steve stopped Alex, pointing to a silver fox that had shown itself to them. The surprise was that none of them followed it. "Steve, we're going to split up. I'll rely on you to get the Nasik herb, and I'll follow the older youth to find out why they're here," Alex said, as the older youth were no longer a match for Steve's strength.
As Alex attempted to discover why the older youth had come to the forest, he distanced himself from his friend and followed them from afar. However, he soon slowed his pace and hid to observe the events. A fight erupted among the youth.
The battles between the competitors grew intense, but it was clear they wouldn't last long. Two of them displayed average spiritual realm levels, crushing everyone in moments. The shield and spear, a young man and woman moved in astonishing coordination, indicating their combat experience. The young man used an energy barrier as a shield, clearing the way for the woman's spear attack.
*Slash* The spear pierced one of the young men's shoulders, even his shield couldn't deter the attack enhanced with spiritual energy.
The woman with the ponytail hairstyle slowly withdrew her long spear, leaving herself defenseless against another opponent, a young man dressed completely in red, matching the energy that enveloped his body. Seizing the opportunity, he threw a powerful punch capable of shattering rocks toward her.
*Boom*
The punch indeed collided with something, creating a deafening noise, yet it didn't touch the woman's face. It was her secondary energy shield. The attacker clenched his teeth, recoiling and hiding his injured hand from the impact.
Alex watched the battle with a smile. "Fools, they're focusing their attacks on the girl, assuming she's the bigger threat, ignoring the shielded one."
*Swish* The sound of the spear cutting through the air at an insane speed caused the young man in red to forget his shattered grip. He involuntarily closed his eyes as the spear passed him by, but he didn't miss his target. The one standing behind him was the real target, and he was now screaming in pain after the spear pierced his arm and lodged in a tree. With the sight of the man dangling by his hand from the tree, the red-dressed man raised his hands in surrender and fled.
After their overwhelming victory, the young man and woman headed towards the mountain. Meanwhile, Alex continued to follow them from a distance. The duo exited the forest and reached the base of the mountain. Suddenly, the young man stopped abruptly and shouted, "Hey, boy, how long will you keep pursuing us? Haven't you heard the saying, 'Curiosity killed the dog'?" The strong, seventeen-year-old boy, with a shield-like physique, yelled loudly upon realizing they were being followed. His companion intervened, correcting his words, "The cat, curiosity killed the cat, not the dog."
"Artisa, I've told you a hundred times not to do this. Don't correct me in front of strangers; it makes me look bad."
*Whoosh*
In the moment the young man turned to admonish his companion, Alex threw his dagger without hesitation.
"Watch out!" the girl shouted, alerting her friend. As the young man saw the dagger approaching, he formed a half-transparent blue shield around himself to protect, but he didn't hear the sound of impact. He noticed his companion's painful cries, realizing that the dagger had hit her shoulder. Simultaneously, a magical circle on the dagger glowed, causing it to return to its owner's hand.
The girl slowly raised her hand, touching her wound in disbelief, before asking her companion in an angered tone, "Arvi... Are you responsible for my injury? Did the dagger bounce off your shield and hit me?"
The girl's angry voice made the young man step back, shaking his head in denial. "It's not my fault. There's a magical circle on the dagger. This guy altered its course and then pulled it back. He must have planned this; he knew about my shield."
"Do you want me to believe that I was the target of the attack? I'm not pleased."
"Artisa, this boy, despite the difference in strength, initiated the attack. All this effort just to wound me," Arvi commented, wearing a smile. Both of them were acting comfortably in front of Alex. A person in the body realm certainly posed no threat to them, but they weren't willing to take any risks.
"Artisa, could he have been trying to get your blood for use in dark magic? Perhaps he intends to cast a curse on you."
Arvi commented, smiling. Artisa, the girl with the ponytail, believed in curses and feared them. She was haunted by the idea that a follower of the witch who had killed her family might show up to seek revenge or even curse her. Her illusions overpowered her rationality, causing her to tighten her grip on her spear and give Alex cold glares.
"You, are you one of the lackeys of that wretched witch? I won't allow your curse to touch me."
The girl stood, anger gripping her, and attacked like a madwoman toward Alex, who fled among the trees, attempting to elude her.
"Artisa, I was joking. Don't kill him... Most likely, you'll kill him."
After minutes, Artisa returned, holding the dagger she had previously used to wound herself. Satisfaction was apparent on her face. "That monkey escaped among the trees. Whatever, at least he dropped the dagger. I'm reassured now."
Arvi sighed at her madness. This wasn't the first time she had overreacted. "Artisa, there's no such thing as a curse. Most likely, that boy just took a sample of your blood for tracking magic. We need to hurry to the mountain; we don't know how long the gate will remain open." She nodded in agreement, and they moved forward. After a short while, the duo reached their destination – in front of the mountain was a circular gate, likely leading to ancient ruins.