[System Overhaul ends in: 1 day, 12 Hours, and 20 mins.]
Roughly three weeks passed since Ashton returned to Last Bastion, and ever since then some kind of normalcy returned to him. He was able to relax and return to his roots, briefly setting his goals aside as he gathered more knowledge.
His friends had been of great help to him during these past few weeks. They were constantly there and made it easier for him to adjust back to society. Sure there were some hindrances here and there due to them being adults now and having responsibilities but overall, it's fine.
What surprised Ashton was the fact that he was able to have a genuinely peaceful time...
The Morning Sun Federation hasn't sent anyone to make contact with him. He also didn't feel any spies around his new home so he guessed that there weren't one. If there was, then whoever that person is must be extremely capable to escape his senses.
All that aside, for Ashton at least, his return has been rather peaceful so far.
The same cannot be said for Alice, Blake, and Mary though...
These three are a team with Alice named as their Leader. Alice herself is a Conferred Knight of the Federation — meaning she is well known and her reputation spreads out to every corner of the metropolis.
She is pressured to perform due to this and she couldn't fail. The moment she does, it'll be over for her.
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that she gets more resources, Alice wouldn't even be bothered with this, sadly her cultivation demands plenty of resources so she has to fight for them.
During the past few weeks, the Skydemon Cult became more and more audacious.
They were mere cultists before but now, they're a bonafide terrorist group.
Blake's hunch was correct. The cult has an army of Bioweapons. They mainly took the form of a Skydemon, though they have slight deviations from one to the other which made them unique.
The army had been harassing humanity en masse since their initial exposure. Nobody was able to keep the news of the Bioweapons, a close secret. In the end, the public learned of it and demanded explanations.
The Federation handled it well, the public wasn't happy about the cult but seeing that the government was trying its best to keep them safe placated them for now.
Due to this, all of the conferred knights are busy nowadays.
The situation was horrible. Humans were supposed to be safe within its walls but that's not the case currently.
This time, the problem came from within. It was traitors who caused it this time and many people got dragged into it.
Alice, Blake, and Mary had been in patrol nigh-constantly. They only have enough time to eat, rest and sleep. Ashton personally saw how they wilted more and more as time passed.
He could laugh, honestly. It was clear that this situation was stressful for all of them yet they can't do anything about it.
They could complain all they want but they can't run away, they've sworn a promise. They're bound to their responsibilities.
At this point, they've gotten used to dealing with Skydemons that they don't need Ashton's buffs anymore to save their asses. They still ask for it of course, in case of emergency.
Also, due to their efficiency and swift response, many people began recognizing their efforts. The more famous they become, the more resources they could receive, which in turn will help their cultivation.
In the middle of all of this chaos, Ashton started planting the seed for his success.
He had been around, visiting places of interest. He also asked for the help of Oracle Felicia so that he can learn more spells.
Now that the curse is gone, Ashton isn't limited to basic tier Spells. He could now learn intermediate and above. He'd be a fool to not take advantage of this!
Sadly though, the System was still offline so he couldn't put the spells in the Grinding Slots. So for now, he could only practice on his own.
He started simply with a few Control Spells from the School of Elements such as Fire Control, Water Control, and so on...
Of course, he also learned about the few offensive spells White Magic has such as Smite, Will 'o Wisps, White Nova, and Pure White Flash.
He also learned more Black Magic and explored other schools of Magic such as Green Magic, which is also known as Nature Magic, Psionic Magic, Enhancement Magic, Divination Magic, and so on...
Ashton reverted to his true passion as a scholar and he couldn't be any happier. If he could just go on like this, researching and learning more magic, that'd be perfect. Sadly, he had his responsibilities too.
And now might just be the right time to start contributing...lest some people start thinking that he's just a burden.
"...you guys look horrible." Ashton flatly said as he served them some coffee and snacks.
The way how they didn't have the energy to respond to that, proved Ashton's point.
They look like zombies. It was obvious that they hadn't had a good sleep in a while. They were dragging their bodies around like it was fighting against them. Ashton could see their hands shaking when they reached out for their food and drinks.
Ashton sighed and pitied them a bit. So, he released the tiniest pulse of Life Virtue on top of the Spell: Invigorate, which helps the targets to recover from their fatigue.
With the Virtue of Life's effect, the spell was more potent. In mere seconds, it's as if these three experience rebirth. They all collectively released a groan of comfort.
"God, you are such a blessing to humans." Blake groaned. "Seriously, join us will you? Be our White Mage. I'm willing to give half of the resources I earn to you if you'd just join us."
"Seriously." Alice chimed in. "This whole mess would've been much easier to deal with if you were with us."
Ashton looked at Mary, expecting her to have something to add but he was met with a shrug.
"I am still tired, I wanna sleep." She said, coiling to herself on the couch.
"...fair." Ashton shrugged too. "Anyways, quit complaining you two. You speak as if you don't disturb me enough as it is. I am helping by buffing you guys up all the damn time. What more do you want from me? I'm just a White Mage you know? I'm very weak and vulnerable compared to you guys."
Ashton didn't miss the fact that they were looking at him in disdain.
Yeah, as if they would believe that shit. Weak and vulnerable? Says the man who literally crawled his way out of hell? Come up with a more believable lie, please?
Ashton pointedly ignored those. Instead, he said this: "Alright, where's the stuff? Take it out."
Alice waved her hand and instantly, three corpses of Skydemons appeared in front of Ashton. Judging from the way she took this out so casually, it's obvious that this isn't the first time she did this.
Ashton inspected the corpses and nodded to himself. He held out his palm to cast Purify on the Skydemon corpses. The resentment and foul aura of Demonic Corruption disappeared as soon as he was done. And from the corpses, a skull, spine, and pelvic bone were left.
"Perfect." Ashton nodded to himself.
That earned a raised brow from Blake, then he was asked: "You know, you never told us why you suddenly started collecting these Purified Remains of Demons."
'Well, it's not like we knew that this was possible, to begin with. Who could've thought that Demons left things like these if their corpses were purified? I believe this was something Ashton discovered by himself.' Blake mused to himself.
Alice also had similar thoughts.
"...well, you're not strangers so I guess it's fine to let you know," Ashton murmured loud enough for them to hear. He then stood up and said: "Come, follow me."
They then stood up and followed Ashton towards the elevator, but instead of going up, they went down. And judging from the time they spent in their descent, they were definitely going deep down.
When the doors opened, the three were shocked to see a lab.
A rather messy lab with a messy Aria fiddling with something on her table.
"Hey, Babe. We have visitors." Ashton greeted casually.
Aria looked back and smiled at them. Her face was dirty but her charm never dissipated. Ashton endearingly cleaned her face when he reached and then handed her the remains he purified just now.
Aria then said: "Ooh! They're perfect! Just what was missing. Hold on, give me three minutes at least."
Ashton nodded and retreated toward where Alice, Blake, and Mary were.
Mary, ever so intrigued, asks: "What is she doing?"
"You'll see." Ashton smiled.
And under their shocked gazes, Aria released a strong pulse of mana. Several tools flew around her, sparks ensued and harsh noises echoed around the lab.
As soon as the three minutes were up, Aria faced them again with her face dirty once more. She had a brilliant smile on her face as she presented three items in her hands to them.
One sword, a pair of round shields, and a bow.
