The tree was enveloped in a bright light, and suddenly, it began to change shape.
"Okay, this is taking too long," I muttered under my breath, watching as she struggled to contain her rage from boiling over.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, can you be any slower?" I snapped, growing increasingly impatient as she dragged on for another twenty minutes.
Wait. Don't tell me she's just wasting my time.
I stood up and walked toward her, manifesting a fireball in my palm. I pointed it directly at her.
"If you don't finish this in the next twenty seconds, you'll be joining your brethren," I threatened. Her posture stiffened slightly, but she didn't move.
"One," I began counting. She flinched.
"Take it!" she shouted, her voice filled with resignation, as the light flew toward me. I reached out to touch it, but instinct kicked in, and I jumped back just in time to avoid a mana-coated hand that nearly slit my neck.
"Oh… I see how it is," I said, touching my neck.
Her face turned as pale as a sheet. It seemed she'd used the last of her mana for that attack. Too bad it missed.
Using mana enhancement, I coated myself with what little energy I had left and dashed forward. Before she could react, I landed a solid punch on her face.
"Kya!" she let out a cute yelp before collapsing. Ignoring her entirely, I touched the light. It suddenly shrank and flew to my ear, transforming into an earring.
Nice. But it's not yet complete.
I glanced down at her, noticing the glare she directed at me. 'She must think I don't know,' I thought.
While it might seem like the relic is mine now, that couldn't be further from the truth. If I let my guard down for even a second, she could steal it and run. So, how do I make it truly mine?
Well, good thing I read the novel.
I bit my index finger, drawing blood. Her eyes widened in realization.
"WAIT! NOOOOOOOO!" she screamed, but it was too late. I touched the earring with my blood, and it began to glow, turning amethyst. The earring—a purple diamond—wasn't particularly fancy. It was elongated and thinned out, but its simplicity carried an undeniable elegance.
"Good," I said with a smirk, looking back to see her utterly shocked expression. Dread was painted across her face. "Good day… Fairy, right?" I chuckled before running toward the gate. I had about five, maybe ten minutes before those men arrived to find me.
Thankfully, I remembered the road I came through and retraced my steps. Soon, I reached the gate. As if sensing my presence, the gate opened—or rather, one of the guards opened it.
"Name," he said gruffly.
"Ryan," I replied. He nodded and typed something into his relic laptop.
[Notice] [Sense Tracker has been disengaged.]
"You may go," he said, stepping aside. I nodded and proceeded to the teleportation zone.
At the counter, a man was seated, and I approached him to purchase a ticket. The cost was a whopping 100 points for a ride back to Sector 1, where the Academy was located. Holding the ticket, I moved to the teleportation device, where a group of men verified it as they had last time. After their approval, I stepped inside.
"Haah," I exhaled as I arrived at my destination. A cool sensation spread through my chest, and I felt my mana regenerating faster than ever.
Boy, this is a cheat. Good thing I outplayed Lucas.
The journey back to the dorms was longer than expected, but I managed to arrive before curfew. Unfortunately, the dorm master still caught me. Apparently, I'd missed curfew the day before yesterday, and now merit points would be deducted from my grade.
Greedy bastards. They just can't let anything go, can they?
...
Five more coming later, GOLDEN TICKETS!