Chapter 165
“Did you manage to get a spirit?”
He looked seriously annoyed; after all, he had not moved from his position in the past five days, carefully watching over him so as to ensure that nothing dangerous would happen.
“Well… I did not.” Oliver scratched the back of his head and said, a little embarrassed.
Sigfor shook his head and sighed, “I expected as much. It does not take such a long time for anyone to summon a partial spirit.”
“Forget it, looks like even geniuses have their limits.”
“Haha…” Oliver laughed dryly.
“I will leave then. You rest and join the others for training afterward. They have been training all this time, so make sure to catch up to them.”
“Thank you elder for your patience.” Oliver bowed and thanked Sigfor, no matter how grumpy the old elder was, he still waited and watched over for him patiently for five whole days.
Sigfor waved his hand and left the room. He was tired too from continuously being on guard for him.
“Damn, that’s a lot of time. I should be more careful of spirit realms next time. The perception of time and distortion is not proportional to this,” he mumbled to himself as he stared at his hand. The faint traces of abyssal energy still lingered, a reminder of the power and the cost.
‘Hmm…’
For some reason, a sudden ominous feeling filled his heart. It was as if something bad was about to happen.
He quickly got out of the array and looked at the entrance of the mountain hall.
The heavy doors loomed before him, casting long shadows in the dim light.
His heart could not help but suddenly beat faster.
‘What is this bad feeling?’
He frowned. The hall was wide open, with grass yards around on all three sides except the back, which led to another deeper space.
This hall was basically the entrance to the mountain base.
But they were in the middle of nowhere at the moment, so why was he feeling this sinking feeling?
He took a deep breath. The surroundings were eerily quiet.
Even the usual chirping of birds and rustling of leaves seemed absent, adding to the sense of unease.
He waited. A few minutes passed, but nothing happened. However, the feeling never left his chest. He went forward, nearing the entrance of the hall, which led to the outside.
Stepping outside, he saw the familiar stone statues and a huge iron gate. Beyond that was vast and empty land covered in fog.
The fog swirled lazily, obscuring the path and giving the area an otherworldly appearance.
‘Is this feeling my imagination or what?’ he pondered as he surveyed the area.
Upon finding nothing for the next few minutes, he exhaled and went back inside.
The tension in his shoulders eased slightly, but the unease still lingered.
Whatever it was that he was feeling, they were safe inside this hall as long as Sigfor was with them.
Although Alison was not present at the moment, Sigfor was a veteran exorcist himself, so he should be able to keep them safe in case they were in danger.
Not to mention, how could someone be in this place? This place had an array of illusions surrounding it, and unless someone knew the direct route to the mountain, they would not be able to come to this place at all.
‘Most likely a stray beast or maybe a stray ghost.’ Oliver thought about how it might be that.
He shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering sense of dread.
They could end up near this place by chance; it would not be surprising.
For the time being, he returned to the dorm to rest.
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In the upcoming few weeks, they trained harder than ever.
Sigfor would have them spar with each other continuously, and sometimes he would take them all on himself at once.
While Oliver might not have the advantage of a spirit, he was still capable of being their equal with his monstrous strength. This revelation hit some of them quite hard.
Alphonso, who had been thinking that he might finally get an edge over Oliver, was extremely disheartened when Oliver was able to maintain an upper hand throughout their spar.
Not to mention hitting him once, Alphonso was not even able to touch him despite having his speed increased by the wind element and spirit.
Amber was also not faring well. She could clearly feel the vast gap she had to cross if she desired to be at his level and make herself more recognizable.
Her frustration was evident, but it also fueled her determination to improve.
She also got serious in her training. Slowly but surely, her thinking was also changing. Instead of relying on her tools, she was starting to be independent with her own power, using various weapons.
From gauntlets to great swords, she continued switching weapons, alternating between the two as she liked them the most so far.
Her defense was pretty high compared to others, thanks to the earth element and her summoned spirit.
Even Oliver had a hard time breaching her defenses.
Nadia and Oliver were pretty much on equal terms now. While Oliver had a great advantage in strength, stamina, and speed, Nadia effectively used the ice element to counter his inhuman body powers.
His water elemental attacks would instantly turn into ice the moment they reached her surroundings.
The ground around her would often be covered in a thin layer of frost, a signal to her growing control over her element.
The most growth someone showed was none other than Evelyn. She was literally besting everyone else with her light attribute and spirit.
Oliver was also starting to take her seriously. Both of them used katanas, but her skills with the katana were far better than his. Her strikes were fluid and precise, each one carrying the force of her intense training.
He was also avoiding depending on his espera, all he was doing was using his strength only.