Chapter 413: Kain is isolated

In the entire report he heard, this boy was the one who went toward trouble and extremely dangerous and crazy actions, and doing such things required either endless courage or endless stupidity.

He did not know where this kid had gotten such a personality.

Maybe it was genetic... according to the stories he had heard about the Vorhelm patriarch, that man had the same personality.

"A little." Lian could not stop a short laugh, then added.

"Professor, what about things here? Nine months is not a short time, how was the situation while we were gone?"

"Business as usual." Aldric answered very simply.

"Your definition of normal can be worrying."

"Most students spent a lot of time in Base Number Three, hunting, doing missions, and exploring new areas, and the members of the Elite Class completed their first evolution, a considerable number of them also passed Level 25."

Lian raised an eyebrow, it was not that bad, nine months was a long time for growth.

But his expectations were too high, his own growth speed was terrifyingly explosive, and even though the EXP he needed for each level could be up to five times the amount needed by a five-star class, he still leveled up very quickly.

And this was thanks to one of his innate skills, which allowed him to absorb 100% of the EXP from killing every monster, although it was 150% now.

But other Awakened did not have such an advantage, and four-star classes could only absorb 40% and three-star classes 30%.

Their leveling speed was much slower, and unlike him or Seris, they could not hunt alone, and this reduced their speed and even caused them to kill monsters in groups, which cut the rewards in half.

That was why for two-star, three-star, and four-star classes, reaching the second evolution could take up to two years.

If he had not been trapped inside the Special Area, his level would probably have been much higher than thirty, in fact, he could even have been close to his second evolution.

Of course, level was not everything, everything he had gained in the Special Area was much more valuable and made up for the time he had lost.

Besides being able to become familiar with a hidden part inside his body called the Ruin Heart and learn huge secrets such as the secret of the Calamities.

He had managed to destroy and devour one of those Calamities, gain a very useful S-Rank talent, and obtain a multi-ton ant as a mount.

"So I really fell far behind." Lian said jokingly.

Aldric said nothing and only looked at him for a few seconds, his gaze became calmer and more careful.

The young Vorhelm could almost feel that the professor was examining something inside him.

Humans, unlike monsters, did not have a panel that directly showed the level of other humans.

But the professor had a lot of experience, and that experience was telling him something.

Lian’s presence was huge, but compressed and heavily controlled, like a large river flowing under a completely calm surface.

"I don’t know about Rindo and the others, but I doubt you have fallen behind anyone."

"Can I take that as a compliment from Professor Aldric?"

"Anyway, have you completed your first evolution?" Aldric ignored him and changed the subject.

"Yes, I completed my first evolution." Lian nodded, there was nothing to hide about completing an evolution.

"Didn’t you want to explore around Base Number Nine for a few days before coming back? There are several dungeons in that area, and for someone who has just evolved, it was a good chance to grow, you should understand the value of Fragments now."

"Besides killing monsters and doing Quests, you should also know that clearing some dungeons and doing explorations can give you Fragments."

Lian knew this, when he was first summoned to the Ruined Realm, when he and Seris discovered Frostfallen City, the system had rewarded them with Fragments.

Of course, getting Fragments through these two methods was very difficult and depended on luck, and the system was not always that generous.

Still, if he had nothing else to do, he would probably have done the same.

But—

"I have some things to take care of." He answered, then added.

"I also have an armor waiting for me for nine months, and knowing that blacksmith’s personality, I’m sure he is extremely angry with me, and I also need to see my friend."

"Kain?" Aldric asked immediately.

"Oh, I didn’t expect you to know his name."

"I know the names of my students, and in any case, I am not the only one who knows him these days."

"What do you mean?" Lian became serious this time.

"Your friend is currently one of the main topics of discussion in the capital, and more specifically, he is someone the major guilds are trying to recruit." Professor answered.

"Oh?" The young Vorhelm was a little surprised at first, but then he smiled.

He did not expect this, at least not to the point that even Professor Aldric would speak well of him, he knew that with the legacy that boy had obtained, sooner or later he would attract attention.

And it seemed he had really managed to make a name for himself during this time.

"Before you get too happy, you should know that his situation in the academy is not good." But Aldric continued almost immediately.

"What do you mean?" Lian’s smile slowly disappeared.

"He has become isolated."

"What?" His face became completely serious, how could someone that the biggest guilds were trying to recruit become isolated in the academy?

"You were not here, and many things changed inside the academy during these nine months, and a considerable part of these changes is related to a student named Roderick."

"Roderick." Lian’s eyes became slightly cold.

That name.

The man who, before he entered the Special Area, was more like an annoying mosquito than a real threat, and during this time, he had completely forgotten about him, he had become this worthless in his eyes.

But apparently, nine months had not been wasted for him either.

"I heard you have some history with him." Aldric watched his reaction.

"You could say that."

"Then you should probably ask Kain for the details, as long as the academy rules are not directly broken, I do not get involved in the kids’ conflicts."

Lian thought about the last word for a moment.

kids

Some of those same "kids" could probably destroy a building with their fists now.

But from Aldric’s point of view, they were apparently still children.

"Thanks, I’ll ask him when I see him." In the end, he also nodded.

"He’s here?" He immediately asked another question.

"He should be." Aldric answered.

"You’re not sure?"

"I’m not in charge of attendance at the dormitory."

"That makes sense."

"A general call has been sent for the final exams, all students have to return, even those who spend most of their time in the Ruined Realm."

That was good news, so he was probably here, or at least he would return soon.

And it was not only Kain, almost their entire generation should have returned, rivals, the Elite Class students, and Roderick and Elena.

It seemed he had chosen a good time to return.

The conversation continued for a few more minutes, but nothing else important was brought up.

"If you have nothing else for me, can I go?" He finally stood up from the chair and asked.

"Sure." The professor nodded.

Lian walked toward the door and put his hand on the handle.

Now his first task was clear, he had to find Kain and find out what had happened while he was gone.

But just before he opened the door, Aldric’s voice came from behind him again.

"Wait."

"Yes?" The young Vorhelm kept his hand on the handle and turned halfway around.

"Do you remember Commander Gareth?"

Lian turned completely around, going over the name in his mind for a moment, but only for a moment.

How could he forget? Commander Gareth, the man responsible for dealing with the incident of the fallen border city.

One of the first real and bloody events he had faced after becoming an Awakened.

The same city that had been occupied by monsters, and later it was discovered that the truth behind it was more complicated than they had thought, and unfortunately, the real culprit had escaped.

"Yeah, why?"