The reason William and Zas refused to show their stats was obvious, as both of them were reliant on their unique abilities. Standing in front of the group, Arthur opened the chamber's doors with a wave.
"Gravity chambers?" Si asked with curiosity at the unique interior. He guessed right as the floor and ceiling were engraved in the unique runes of gravity.
Arthur nodded as he glanced at the runes. Yesterday, he tried to learn some offensive runes from the first layer, only for his legacy to tell him that his ability level was insufficient to learn such high-tier runes. So, even if he can use the runes, he can't learn them for now. It was a frustrating feeling like eating a delicious cake without knowing its recipe.
"There's more." Arthur smiled as he saw how the group was excited about the gravity chambers. He led them to the chambers on the other side of the hall and opened them. The runes of the gravity chambers gave a brown hue and this one gave a blue one.
"What is this?" Hua frowned as her perception seemed to pick up on the different atmosphere the chamber had.
"This…" Sier muttered with shock.
"Mana chambers," Arthur said with a grin as he waved his hand. The chamber was filled with mana for a brief second before disappearing. "But it uses a lot of resources."
The group looked at Arthur silently. These runes were very precious, despite not being rare. They concentrated mana from several mana crystals or cells for awakeners to see a faster growth rate. Only the main branch of the seven families had them, giving them an advantage over other awakeners.
No matter how unique their abilities were, they couldn't contend against true powerhouses. That's why they have always remained as a lawless group stealing to grow stronger. With this, however, they have a chance.
"It's time for Mistletoe to rise," Si clenched his fist as he looked at Arthur with a complex but grateful gaze.
***
The events the had proceeded Arthur's entrance exam to Jerano college were unexpected even for him. The fortress made him not a weakling trying to hide, but someone with a trump card if it ever calls for it.
The fortress had runes similar to his illusion ring, enabling it to hide from the observant eyes. They hid in the wilderness between the Yalveran Union and Halin, deep in the Great Forests of Anera.
However, Arthur's plans didn't change. He still planned on going to Jerano college for several reasons.
First was that he still lacked a suitable place to study runes. With his legacy inheritance, he can buy them by leveling up. This method, despite being the most straightforward, wasn't the most cost-efficient. His legacy points were rare and precious, and he'd rather spend them on ancient knowledge and arts than runes that he could study.
The second reason was that he still needed to gather intelligence about his father's incident. Jerano was a place for the world's greatest students and minds to gather, so he was sure to forge a few helpful connections.
The third reason was rather simple. He wanted to level up by going into dungeons above high-tier. Jerano allowed its students to gain access to ancient sites and dungeons as training. His legacy required him to slay different monsters to absorb their essence, so he couldn't simply hunt in the wilderness if he wanted to grow stronger faster.
The last reason was that he wanted to make friends, powerful ones so that he could have his group following him in the future.
As he left the fortress and started teleporting using his Teleport Rune, Arthur thought about his group of goblins. With Alfred now dead, he could have an easier time in properly strengthening them and giving them skills.
His Unique Skill was created by absorbing the Goblin's chief essence and his legacy's reward, so he knew there was no other Goblin's Bond skill user out there. That made him eager to benefit from his goblin army to both make artifacts and fight for him.
He used his Teleport Rune constantly before he needed to rest and use it again. On the way, Arthur visited forests, mountains, and ruins with a dangerous aura. He marked everything he wanted to explore later on before quickly fleeing.
The world was wide and it held many dungeons and hidden dangers. On the other side of danger was fortunes, so Arthur planned on exploring them all.
As he used his rune constantly, Arthur imagined the other world. Full of monsters, beasts, mythical creatures, and the remains of the Era of Yore. He'll go there and grow stronger than anyone else and no one can stop him or trample on him.
It took him half a day to reach Kera, his home. It looked just as prosperous looking at it from its periphery. The unique modernism and magic combined to paint a picture of a magical world. He teleported on top of buildings until he appeared in front of his house, missing its comforts.
He unlocked the door and entered as he heard his mother preparing lunch in the kitchen. The smell of cooked rice and chicken soup made his stomach growl.
"Mom, I'm home." Arthur took a seat on the dining table as he said. His mother turned and glanced at him before ignoring him. "I'm sorry for not coming back right away. I was with a friend."
"You know how to say sorry?" His mother grumbled as she smacked the pot with her ladle, turning around. "Do you know how worried I was when I heard the Calamity Spider appeared at your contest or whatever? You think a simple text saying you're okay would have me go 'oh he's okay silly me is overthinking!'?"
He could see his mother's eyes tearing up. He stood up and walked over and hugged even though she tried to push him away. He had been busy with the king, Mistletoe, and the mission afterward that he forgot how much his mother would worry.
"I'm so sorry, mom. I really couldn't make come back straight afterward." He hugged as he apologized. He could hear her sniff as she talked to him through her sobs.
"You and Oren are everything I have in this life after your father went missing. What would I do if something happens to any of you? How would I live?" His mother was crying and Arthur spent an hour trying to make her feel better while feeling heartache.
Oren was with his friends, his mother said. She made some remarks about how suspicious he was acting, making her think he must have gotten a girlfriend. Arthur smiled without saying anything as the two ate their lunch.
'How many sons have I stolen from their mothers? How would they live on?' He wondered as he looked at his reflection in the soup. 'Do they resent me, wishing I was dead?' They must be.
He lost his appetite as he remembered how he burned those soldiers, drowned them, and sent lightning and boulders their way. Instead, he looked at his mother and her few gray hairs as he realized that he did it all to protect this.
***
His mother was unwilling to let him leave the house that evening, so he had to have his goblins wait. Jerano's exam was in six weeks and the final exams were in a week, so he needed to study a bit for the final exam. He just needed to pass since he would get a scholarship through the Runes Apprentice's Cup.
He received an email regarding the competition being resumed in ten days, so he had some time to focus on his exams and goblins. He also planned on getting stronger from now on through hunting in dungeons.
He longed to pay the Cerberus that almost clawed him to death back, but he couldn't simply walk into Avarice dungeon. That time, his party consisted of several Deme-rankers, so he had no issue going in as a porter. Now that he had awakened, the dungeon wouldn't allow him to go inside.
Dungeons were different according to the generation they appeared and their types. Avarice was one of the Sins Dungeons, making it one of the hardest and most rewarding. As evidence, a party of Deme-rankers was only able to hunt until the third layer of the dungeon.
'I'm lucky to be alive at this point,' Arthur sighed as he read through the website. He had been desperate, but it was a crazy gamble. His mother would have fried him if she knew what he did at that time.
'Is Avarice the reason I received this legacy? Or something else that has nothing to do with it?' Arthur wondered without a point before dropping it.
His brother came back and Arthur could see his brows ease when he saw Arthur unharmed. In the short amount of time Arthur was gone, his brother has grown stronger. Arthur looked with envy at his brother's growth rate due to his ability, even though he couldn't compare to Arthur.
'This might get dangerous.' Arthur realized that their growth might bring them attention from the Union and the temple, so he handed his brother the protection jade.
"What's this?" Oren asked, bewildered.
"If anything happens, use this to teleport our mother out of here," Arthur explained what his brother should do in case of emergency. "The world isn't as peaceful." He explained and his brother squeezed the jade, nodding solemnly. Arthur hated that he couldn't let his brother live a worries-free life, but he knew this was for the best.