After checking everything, Noel finally laid down on the bed while stretching his body to relax.
"Tomorrow is the day to go to the mountain." Noel muttered. Before sleeping, Noel took another look at the mountain in the distance.
The mountain was shrouded by fog, but he could see it from here, albeit barely.
"There is only twenty kilometers away from the mountain. It's said that the mountain is also quite tall and the house of demons. It's a perfect place to get some Demon Crystals while we're heading to the cave."
Noel believed this was the course of their plan, so he went back to his bed and closed his eyes.
He didn't know at that time this trip was more dangerous than he expected.
In another room, Anna was also staring at the mountain in the distance, thinking, 'Now that I think about it, the liquid was found by a Devil Bishop from the Supreme Devil Organization. I didn't remember his name, but it was certainly one of the worst things could happen since the liquid was good to nurture weak people like me and Noel.
'That Devil Bishop actually created two more Bishops. It increases the strength of the organization by a big amount.
'Meanwhile, the fire bird is also acquired by someone from the Supreme Devil Organization. He was known as the Flame Lord.
'Hmm, doesn't this look like the Sword Saint is targeting the Supreme Devil Organization?
'Sir Sword Saint should be able to learn about my memory, right? He has shown the proof that he's able to see my secret. So, is there any reason why the Sword Saint is targeting this organization?
'But shouldn't this organization be made a few hundred years ago. When he was alive, there was nothing like this. So, is Sir Sword Saint considering them as enemies because of their conducts? Or is there any deeper meaning to it?'
Anna pinched the bridge of her nose, confused. Since she couldn't get any answer, she ended up sleeping to prepare for the next journey.
…
The next day.
Noel and Anna came out of their rooms at the same time as if they had known each other's habits and were aware when they would come out.
"…" Noel and Anna glanced at each other in silence until Anna broke it. "Good morning."
"Good morning." Noel nodded. "By the way, I've something to ask you later."
"Sure. Let's get some breakfast and leave the city. Since we can't leave our horses here, we should find a path where we can climb the mountain while bringing our horses."
"Yeah. That's the plan. I hope that the slope is not too steep." Noel nodded in understanding.
It only took them half an hour before they left the village without leaving a single thing. During their breakfast, there was actually someone asking them about what they wanted to do, proving Noel's worry.
Noel was the one answering the question, lying to this guy.
When they were outside the village, Anna chuckled. "That guy might be following us, you know."
"No. A guy like him will believe what I said earlier."
"Well, you said it with such a naive expression. Who would think the guy who have such a naive expression would be a shrewd bastard…"
Noel rolled his eyes and changed the topic. "Still, I want to ask you about the difference between Spirit Practitioner and Spirit Wielder. Is there any difference between each rank except for their Spiritual Energy?"
"There is one." Anna nodded and raised a finger. "Try to release your Spiritual Energy."
Noel furrowed his eyebrows and followed her instruction, enveloping his body with Spiritual Energy.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes in amusement. "This is…"
"Yes. What you feel right now is the difference between the two ranks. To put it simply, the Spirit Wielder allows you to give twice the result with the same effort."
"I see. How about the next rank?"
"Spirit Wielder is the rank for efficiency, whereas Spirit Master is the rank for Assimilation."
"Assimilation?" Noel remembered about the lesson from the Sword Saint and nonchalantly added, "What's next? Spirit Grandmaster is the rank for Fusion?"
"You already know about it?" Anna looked at him weirdly as if wondering why he asked her when he knew about it.
"…" Noel fell silent, realizing the difference in each rank. "Basically, the higher your rank, the more synchronize you are with your Spirit."
"How in the world…" Anna gasped. "What you said is not a common knowledge, Noel. Is it your speculation? What people know that the higher your rank, the higher your compatibility. No one would even explain it with the word 'synchronize.'
"How do you know about it, Noel?" Anna furrowed her eyebrows.
Noel was startled. He was just concluding what he had experienced, but to think Anna would make the matter this big.
Noel thought for a moment and said, "If I tell you, it's a secret. Will you ask for more?"
"No." Anna shook her head. "I'm curious but I'm going to respect your privacy."
"…" Noel sighed and said, "It's from the Sword Saint."
"Then, do you know that the difference in forms of a Spirit is due to their ranks?"
"The five ranks, right?"
"Y-yeah. Then, do you know what kind of spirit I have in my body?"
"Humanoid Spirit…"
"…" Anna was speechless. It seemed that this knowledge came from the Sword Saint. In her past life, this information was popularized by Noel as well. It seemed that he received everything from the Sword Saint.
"I see. So, that's how it is… Then, you must know that our spirits can grow?"
"…" Noel didn't answer this time since this was the information that would give the biggest shock to the world.
Meanwhile, Anna simply asked one more question. "Are you planning to write the information in another book?"
"How can I write a book in something you know? You might claim I'm plagiarizing your idea."
"I won't! There's nothing I can use to prove it anyway." Anna pouted.
Anna didn't seem to be lying from his expression, which was enough for Noel to confirm what he would do in the future.
Since he'd gotten the answer to his doubt, Noel turned around and said, "Well, we have to hurry!"
Anna's eyebrows twitched while she stared at him shamelessly walking away. "I'm sure he was already satisfied with the answer and escaped before I could ask him anything. Tsk."
