As the youngsters cheered for their victory against the monster lord, the moment the monster lord died, the monsters attacking the other two borders of Kingdom tersia became confused. The fighters at the borders noticed the change - before, the monsters charged at the borders without caring about their own lives, but now, if their lives were threatened, they started retreating. Moreover, the monsters who were inside the forest and getting ready to make a move scattered in different directions.
How could they not? After all, the one who controlled them, the monster lord, was now dead.
Dynn, the old elf, stood up at one of the borders in the south. Just two hours ago, he received the news that his one and only grandson, Regius, went to hunt a monster lord. Not just any monster, but a monster lord! The old man was so furious that he almost attacked the person who brought him the news.
He and his wife were overjoyed when Regius returned from the realm unharmed, but now the rascal had the audacity to go and put his life in danger once again!
"It's all because of that silver-haired kid! Just wait till I get my hands on him, I'll teach him a lesson! How dare he lead my grandson astray?"
Dynn also noticed the monsters' peculiar behavior, his clothes stained with blood and wrinkled. Surrounding him were several elderly individuals, their eyes meeting in silent understanding.
After a long pause, the old elf rubbed his temples and let out a dry chuckle.
"No way... It's impossible. Did those rascals really kill the monster lord?"
Dynn's eyes widened at his own words, and he vigorously shook his head. He couldn't believe it. The task they couldn't accomplish was done by a group of youngsters!
He remained in denial for a moment, but eventually, laughter escaped his lips. His shoulders shook with amusement as he gazed into the depths of the forest.
"That rascal... Now I don't know whether to punish him or praise him. Haha, I think I'll leave that decision to his grandmother."
He shook his head and closed his eyes briefly, savoring the joy. In just a week, many lives were lost, but they also saved many by slaying the monster lord.
"These kids deserve rewards for such a monumental achievement... I should go and ask the King."
However, just ten minutes later, Aira delivered another shocking news to him. She said that because of the kids, Anlee had discovered a massive underground layer filled with countless mana stones and mana weeds. The upper layer alone was enough to rival an entire kingdom's economy.
Dynn was on the verge of losing his composure. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He sat down on the border to gather himself. After a few minutes, he let out a loud curse, startling the few old elves floating mid-air around him.
"You rascal! If you found something good, why the heck did you give the responsibility to that leecher, Anlee?"
Dynn huffed and, after calming down, looked at the monsters still present at the border. He stood up, gripping his weapon tightly. He raised his voice and jumped towards the monsters.
"Let's finish this and go home for a well-deserved rest!"
The news about the monsters' behavior spread like wildfire and reached the ears of the elven King.
Instantly, the communication crystal of Regius, Sinon, Niamh, Faith, and all those from Kingdom tersia buzzed like crazy. The moment they answered, they were bombarded with hundreds of questions. After the questions, they were praised for their achievement.
Regius let out a heavy sigh and wiped the sweat off his forehead after he closed his communication crystal. He felt like crying because his grandfather had warned him about the impending doom that awaited him due to his angry grandmother. But his attention was quickly diverted when he noticed a little monster in Yue's arms. The sight of the monster left everyone gasping in shock as they stared at Yue.
Regius looked at the monster and gave a wry smile.
"Yue... how did you find it? Did you form a bond with it?"
Yue nodded. She had formed a bond with the adorable little monster right away. She felt a little guilty because she did it without their knowledge, but she didn't want to give it to someone else.
Regius sighed at his fate. Deep down, he held onto the belief that someday in the future, he too would come across a small monster possessing immense talent and form a bond with it! Just like him, many others had similar dreams.
Mia and Lara both stared at the little monster and started petting it. However, they stopped when Bia's eyes glowed with anger. The phoenix swore to kill the monster if it received more attention than her! No way, no one can take her place!
Kyle noticed the fury in Bia's eyes and secretly praised himself. If he had bonded with that little Lynx, Bia would have pecked him to death!
'No... she would have first skinned or maybe grilled the little monster.'
After everyone recovered their mana, Kyle began floating in mid-air. He sniffed the air, trying to sense the presence of the second monster lord. Their task was far from over. They still needed to defeat the second monster lord, the one responsible for the attacks on Kingdom Escalante.
Jian gave him a weird look, but what else could he do? He needed to smell the countless scents to locate the other monster lord.
Kyle glanced at Alec, who had disappeared suddenly and only just arrived back. He blinked and raised an eyebrow.
'How did he jump from (SS+)-Rank to (SSS+)-Rank in such a short time?'
Alec had a wide smile on his face as he approached Kyle.
"So, what's our next destination? I believe we're all ready now!"
Kyle grinned and gave Alec a thorough once-over. If it weren't for his scent perception skill, he would have never detected Alec's rank. With a slight smile, he tapped Alec's shoulder twice.
"Congrats... now you're stronger than me."
Alec stared at him for a moment before fully comprehending Kyle's words. Indeed, he had surpassed Kyle in strength, but how did Kyle know about it!?
Kyle's words shocked many, especially Carcel and Jian. The duo had an unofficial competition with Alec to see who would reach the (SSS-)-Rank first. They exchanged a glance and let out a sigh together. It seemed they had lost. However, Kyle's next words made them question if they were hearing things.
"Reaching (SSS+)-Rank at such a young age is an impressive feat."
Kyle smirked as Alec stared at him with a blank expression. Maybe, the blue-haired man was still processing Kyle's words. It was clear that Kyle had just revealed his rank in front of the crowd.
Alec let out a dry laugh, unsure whether to thank Kyle or not. After all, now he would have to deal with the consequences of being hailed as the youngest (SSS+)-Rank on the planet.
'My life is about to get a bit difficult from now on.'
Alec shook his head and swatted away Kyle's hand. Kyle chuckled and pointed his finger eastward. He felt a bit concerned because while they were battling, the second monster lord had approached dangerously close to one of the borders of Kingdom Escalante.
'Don't tell me it sensed when we killed the monster lord... and now it's preparing to attack the nearest Kingdom in advance?'
Kyle furrowed his brow and began floating towards the location of the second monster lord. The others followed closely behind.
As they raced towards their destination without pausing, Alec suddenly remembered something. He blinked and glanced at Kyle.
'I've gotten a lot stronger now... not a whole rank, but definitely much stronger. So perhaps...'
Alec narrowed his eyes and opened up the system window. In an instant, a panel materialized before him. After taking a deep breath, he decided to use the system appraisal function on Kyle.
'Please show something this time!'
Only after a second, a few panels flashed in front of his eyes.
________
'Name: Kyle Ohan'
'Race: Human.... loading...'
'Rank: (SSS-)'
'Special: ... loading... bloodline...'
'Special: have a bloodline'
'Bloodline rank: Celestial'
'???'
-Error!
Trying to find the cause! Loading...
-Error!
'Talent: loading...'
'Talent confirmed: Celestial'
No more information provided. To know further information host needs to be a whole Rank higher than the target.
________
Alec's breath hitched the moment he laid eyes on the special bloodline.
'Wait... wait... I remember I received a mission in the past that was related to a bloodline! The Celestial bloodline... So it was Kyle all along?'
He took a deep breath when he witnessed Kyle's talent.
'Haha, (B)-Rank...? Who the hell said he had (B)-Rank talent!'
Alec's lips curled into a smile. He wasn't sure about his own talent after reaching (SSS+)-Rank, but seeing Kyle's made him realize that the latter would likely surpass him.
'I hope we stay friends for a long time.'
At the same time, Kyle felt an intense gaze on his back, but when he turned around, he saw no one. He furrowed his brow.
'Did I make a mistake?'
