While Elara and Astron were talking, the competition between Lilia and Adrian continued.
It was apparent that Adrian held the upper hand in terms of raw strength. His shots were powerful and precise, hitting their targets with unerring accuracy, while Lilia struggled to keep pace, destroying the targets.
No matter how good her technique was, in the end, in the face of such competition, she was having a hard time.
‘Tch….I guess I will use it.’
Though, initially, she accepted the competition, thinking she could win with her own efforts, she now saw Adrian’s prowess.
‘I need to show something so that the freshmen won’t be swayed by him.’
She was very well aware of how sophomore-year students were mainly supporting Adrian. Thus, if she wanted to clash with him, forming her own faction was necessary.
“How is it? You seem quiet now?”
Adrian said as he looked into Lilia.
“There is no need to talk.”
“Of course, there is. I like how you shut your mouth now.”
While engaging in psychological warfare with Adrian, she quickly spread her presence around.
–SWOOSH! THUD!
The arrow she shot hit the target, but the effect was severely lacking. But she didn’t mind. Her focus was on what she was about to do now.
With a quick glance around to ensure no one was watching, Lilia discreetly activated a hidden artifact strapped to her leg. A small hoop shimmered with a faint light as she triggered its power, the mana within her surging to life in response.
Suddenly, a surge of energy coursed through her veins, imbuing her arrows with an unprecedented type of energy.
‘This should suffice.’
The energy she was using right now wouldn’t possibly be sensed by the normal Awakened since this artifact was a pretty special one, even in her family. An ancient artifact that was rotting in her family’s vault.
But even when she was a child, she had rather felt close to it, and as she grabbed the artifact, she sensed her mana changing to a different type of energy that other people weren’t able to sense.
‘Ring of Forge.’
She didn’t know why her family had never found how this artifact worked, but it was perfect for her. This artifact made her impress many types of people, increasing her standing.
With such energy, Lilia took aim and released her shot, the arrow flying true and striking the target with explosive force.
However, different from the previous shots, this time, her arrow swirled with a clearly different force.
SWIRL!
The arrow struck the target with unprecedented force, obliterating every bit of the obstacles in its path in a dazzling display of power.
“What?”
Gasps of amazement echoed through the training grounds as the spectators watched in stunned silence.
“How did she do it? She has that much control over her muscles?”
“This is impossible. She is just a freshman, and yet she can destroy the Stone of Hardness?”
“I don’t want to believe it as well, but the result is right before our eyes.”
Many of the freshmen looked at Lilia with newfound respect and admiration, their mouths agape in disbelief at the sheer magnitude of her feat.
‘Heh…..This is really a cheat.’
With a triumphant smirk, Lilia turned to face Adrian, her eyes glittering with satisfaction. “Well, Senior Adrian,” she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness, “Did you enjoy my little present?”
Adrian’s expression flickered with a mixture of anger and disbelief, his facade of superiority crumbling in the face of Lilia’s undeniable talent.
‘How can she do it? Her stats had already passed the mark of 7. That can’t be possible…Even with my trait, I can only amplify my strength to 7 at most, and according to intel provided by ‘them,’ Lilia should not possess such a skill or trait.’
CLENCH!
‘No, I should calm down. I should downplay it as much as I can.’
He clenched his teeth, letting the pain make him return to normal as much as possible.
And then, with a forced smile, Adrian conceded defeat. “Impressive, Junior Thornheart,” he said through gritted teeth, his tone laced with begrudging admiration. “You truly have a remarkable talent.”
Without another word, Adrian turned on his heel and strode off the training grounds, his departure signaling the end of their confrontation. As the tension dissipated, Lilia allowed herself a satisfied smile, knowing that she had emerged victorious not only in the competition but also in asserting her dominance within the Archery Club.
********
After the competition, Lilia entered the individual training room. At least that section, but just as she was about to enter, suddenly, she sensed someone’s presence.
She knew who this was without even looking. A strong presence but at the same time without any sounds produced.
With a smile, she turned to face Elara and asked, “Did you need something, Vice-Captain Elara?”
Elara nodded her head, her expression thoughtful. “I must say, that was quite a show out there,” she remarked, her voice filled with genuine admiration.
Lilia shrugged nonchalantly, trying to ‘downplay’ her achievement. “It was nothing, just a little demonstration of my skills,” she replied ‘modestly.’ Though, inwardly, who knew what she was thinking?
Elara regarded her for a moment before speaking again, her tone more serious this time. “You certainly have your ways of making others understand,” she observed cryptically, her eyes searching Lilia’s face for a reaction.
Lilia understood the underlying meaning behind Elara’s words. She had succeeded in asserting her dominance within the Archery Club and making her presence known. With a slight smile, she responded, “Then can I take this as an acceptance of my offer?”
Elara just looked into Lilia’s eyes without an answer. Even before coming here, she had already made up her mind after talking to Astron. Though the matters regarding him were a little shrouded, what he said about Lilia played the role of pushing her true feelings. She herself knew that she was already inclined to support Lilia.
After seconds of quietness, Elara broke the silence.”That is right.”
“I see…That is good, then.”
“But, don’t forget. I will just work with you; I am not your subordinate.”
Lilia smirked confidently, her expression unwavering. “I understand,” she replied assuredly. “And don’t worry, I know how to navigate within boundaries.”
She had already dealt with such people before, and she knew how they worked. Especially in the initial parts of these types of partnerships, gaining the faith of the other party was important. And, for Lilia, Elara was a very important asset.
Elara nodded in acknowledgment, acknowledging Lilia’s assurance. “Good,” she said simply, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
Then, after a moment of silent understanding, Lilia extended her hand in a gesture of mutual respect. “Shall we seal this alliance, then?” she proposed with a smirk.
Elara considered her offer for a moment before accepting it, clasping Lilia’s hand firmly in a handshake. “Agreed,” she affirmed, her voice firm.
This was the beginning of the new alliance, which would shape a lot of things in the future.
******
Sitting in my room, I was looking at the watch, whose background was pitch black. It was the smartwatch that I had gotten from Fred.
———————–
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Missions][!]
[Currency]
————————
The panel had appeared before me. But this time, there was a small sign in front of the [Mission] tab.
I had been in possession of this watch for a long time, but because Fred wasn’t a high-ranking member of the Villain society, I wasn’t able to do much from there.
InfernalCovenant had a hierarchy, and Fred wasn’t able to progress that much in terms of that said hierarchy. But even then, he was still a member of it.
Normally, this item would destroy itself from the moment its owner died. However, I had already paid quite a hefty sum of 150k Valer to an Artisan from the Black Market to temper the circuits inside it while also paying another hefty sum of 75k Valer to a villain insider to create a new profile.
Though the [Horde] was a very competent hacker organization, they were still at the beginning of their progress, and they wouldn’t accept an offer from me to infiltrate the InfernalCovenant to create a new account.
I also didn’t want to completely rely on them for everything, as the more they knew about me, the more power they could exert on me.
No human can be trusted completely as, at some point, there is always a chance of betrayal, especially when it comes from a relationship that started with money.
In any case, as I saw the panels, I navigated to the [Mission] tab, curious to see what new opportunities might await me. To my surprise, there were two notices at the top of the list, each more ominous than the last.
The first notice caught my attention immediately. It was a recruitment request for a dungeon sabotaging team, promising substantial rewards for those willing to participate.
The idea of sabotaging a dungeon was not new to me; in fact, it was a common practice among certain factions to disrupt the operations of rival guilds.
And I knew why this notice came on top.
‘They are trying to increase the forces. I guess the Hartleys started moving.’
It had just been a day, but from the moment Ethan’s life was threatened, Hartley’s were bound to move.
‘Now, the guilds around the lower district will become warzone….A battlefield of two tycoons…. ‘
Such a cold war would take a lot of resources from both sides while bringing the attention of villains to the capital.
While pondering about these, I checked the second notice. It was an assassination request, and the target was none other than Emily.
‘Hmm….Interesting…’
The request was accompanied by a hefty sum of currency, tempting any would-be assassin with the promise of wealth and power. However, the implications of such a task were far more grave than any dungeon sabotage mission.
‘This should suffice….’
I was already expecting this, but Emily’s guild was just the start of the trigger. But then again, she didn’t need to die.
‘Well, then, how should I convey this information to Ethan.’
After all, Emily still had her use.