"Is that so?" Letting out a slightly disappointed sigh after being told they needed to leave the Shadow Plane, Valyr gradually stood up before proceeding to do a few basic movements with his legs. "I thought I took far longer actually."
"Time is relative," said the old man in response, dispelling the barrier of Abyssal Energy surrounding them, only to then use it to create a platform that the two of them could stand on. "Anyways, we only have less than 10 minutes left before bad things happen to you in the Shadow Plane. Hop on."
"Alright." Looking at the platform of Abyssal Energy for a bit, Valyr faintly nodded in response to Noel's words before proceeding to get on. Following after the young man, Noel got onto the platform of Abyssal Energy as well, covering their feet in a couple layers of Abyssal Energy to make sure that they wouldn't fall.
"I'd suggest you hold on tight to me." Circulating Abyssal Energy throughout his body, Noel turned around to look at Valyr behind him. "This ride is going to be real quick so we return to the real world before night falls, but it won't be a smooth ride by any means."
"How bad could it be, Elder Noel?" Hearing the old man's words, the young man felt the urge to show off all of a sudden, thinking that the ride wouldn't be that fast for him to have the need to hold tightly onto the old man. After all, he was now a being at the peak of Rank 2, with a Mythic class at that.
"Surely our speed wouldn't be that—"
Whoosh!
Just before Valyr could finish his next question, Noel decided to give the young man a taste of his own medicine, sending all of the Abyssal Energy circulating throughout his body onto the platform, creating a force that propelled them forward at great speeds.
Thud!
Unsurprisingly, due to the sudden increase in speed, Valyr fell on his back on the platform, with his legs instantly buckling due to how his feet were still affixed to the platform thanks to Abyssal Energy. Of course, the young man knew in his mind that falling on his back wouldn't be the only thing to happen to him if he weren't stuck to the platform.
"Well, I did warn you." As for the one controlling the platform, Noel faintly shrugged his shoulders as he gave off an aura that made Valyr feel like the old man was telling him 'I told you so'.
Recalling the multiple number of times other people had asked the same thing to him, only for them to fall on their backs as well, Noel then said, "Then again, it's not like you're the first person to ever ask me that."
"If you can find a way to stand up and hold onto my clothes while we're moving, then feel free to do so." Continuing to move through the air at great speeds, already halfway into the area where Shadow Bears were, Noel took a brief glance at Valyr before returning his gaze to what was in front of them. "If not, then just continue lying on your back until we reach the rift back to the real world."
"Mngh… hmph!" After being told that he had the option to stand up, Valyr unhesitatingly pushed his body to its utmost limits, exerting all of his strength through his arms to try and combat against the force that was pushing down on him. Thankfully, one forceful push was more than enough for the young man to get a considerable portion of his body upright, allowing him to hold onto the old man's clothes as he gradually got himself to stand fully upright.
'Oho…' Feeling that the young man was slightly tugging on his clothes, Noel took a brief glance at Valyr once more as a faint smile appeared on his face. After that, he infused more of his Abyssal Energy into the platform, increasing their speeds even further as they eventually arrived at the rift back to the real world a couple of minutes later.
…
Whoosh!
"I'm finally back." Appearing within the confines of Noel's room within the Spearman Guild, Valyr let out a long sigh of relief as he lied down on the ground, allowing himself to catch his breath as he basked in the cold air that blew throughout the room.
"Move a bit, will you?"
Whoosh!
Not long after, Noel appeared within the room as well, exiting the rift before proceeding to dismantle the magic circle that had been powering it all this time.
Swoosh!
Taking in a deep breath, the old man placed both of his hands on the magic circle, siphoning the Abyssal Energy he had infused into it as the magic circle slowly dispersed on its own.
"Well, that takes care of that." Wiping off the dust that had gathered on his hands, Noel soon refocused his attention onto the young man still lying on the ground, the latter's expression that of relief and delight. "You could lie down on the bed, you know?"
"Just needed to take a quick breather, Elder Noel. That's all." Responding to the offer, Valyr shook his head as he stood up, dusting off the back of his clothes before looking at the old man. "After all, I've been fighting nonstop for over 8 hours."
"In any case, when am I going to fight against a Shadow Serpent?" As Valyr asked this question, Noel went silent for a bit as he rubbed his chin in contemplation.
"If you want, you could go and fight a Shadow Serpent tomorrow if you feel like you're up to the challenge," said Noel after he was finished thinking. "However, I'd suggest you take a couple days of rest first, not only to get your body in the best condition it could possibly be in, but to also acclimate yourself and get used to manipulating Shadow Energy at the 1st Cleansing grade."
"Is that so?" Hearing Noel's words, Valyr grinned. "If that's the case, then I'll do just that."
"Then again, Julian promised me that he would have someone accompany me to the Akashic Battlefield tomorrow, so I guess I'll be in a far better fighting condition for the Shadow Serpent than I'd ever be?"
"The Akashic Battlefield, eh?" Recalling the news surrounding the Akashic Battlefield as of late, Noel had a solemn expression on his face. "Well, just make sure to take a ton of breaks while you're in there."
"I will, Elder Noel." Feeling like their conversation had finally ended, Valyr decided that now was the time for him to take his leave, thanking the elder for allowing him to enter the Shadow Plane and giving him the opportunity to improve his Shadow Energy. However, just as he was about to leave the elder's room…
"Say… now that I think about it, there's a chance you might disappear for a far longer time than usual again."
"Er… that's…"
"Of course, you could have the leader of the Blacksmith Guild send me another letter for that, but it would definitely be a nuisance to get it. So… how about you add me to your friend list instead?"
"…"
"…"
"Pardon?"
