Chapter 90: Hexagram

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Hexagram

Wally was so swift that the yellow-toothed man’s vision blurred, and his lunge met only air.

As he instinctively searched for Wally, he was stunned to see the cub charge from his flank, leaping into the air right before his face.

The yellow-toothed man caught the movement in his peripheral vision and was horrified. He’d never imagined a bear cub could leap so high.

The man turned instinctively, only to see a faint blue glow flash in the eyes of the small white bear that was about to slam into his face.

"This is..."

The yellow-toothed man faltered, thinking he must be seeing things.

The next moment, a terrifying and incomprehensible scene unfolded before his eyes.

A lightning-bolt-shaped blue light flashed between the little white bear’s brows, and arcs of dancing electric serpents erupted wantonly from its body.

"No!"

Immediately after, the yellow-toothed man’s eyes flew wide in agony. A violent pain shot through his entire body before he lost consciousness. That single cry was the last sound he would ever make.

Vilia instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth.

’What did I just see?’

’Wally was releasing lightning! He just electrocuted that yellow-toothed man!’

The scar-faced man froze for a second before his survival instincts kicked in. He spun around and fled.

’What he was seeing completely defied common sense. A white bear that could shoot lightning? How could such a creature even exist? After that single strike, he didn’t even know if his partner was dead or alive. What courage did he have to stick around?’

’He was suddenly filled with regret. Why did I ever have to get involved in the mess on the border?’

However, the scar-faced man’s flight came to an abrupt end. He caught a glimpse of azure light behind him, and in the next instant, he felt a sudden surge of power flood his heart, bursting it from the inside.

THUMP. Another body hit the ground.

The desolate wilderness fell silent once more, leaving only the sound of the autumn wind rustling through the weeds.

"Wally?"

Vilia called out softly to the little white bear, her eyes a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

Hearing her voice, Wally scurried over on his short little legs and approached Vilia.

He licked Vilia’s face frantically with his slobbery tongue, as if trying to chase away her fear.

Seeing this, Vilia swept the little bear into her arms. All the terror that had been building inside her was released at once, and she began to sob loudly.

She cried for a good two or three minutes before she suddenly remembered the two men lying on the ground nearby.

Vilia got to her feet, intending to check on the two men, but as she drew near, she shied away timidly. Even now, she couldn’t be sure if they were dead or had merely fainted.

"Let’s go, Wally! We have to get home, quickly!"

Vilia urged Wally hurriedly.

Wally was very obedient this time. He followed behind Vilia as they secretly made their way back to Fandou Village.

When Vilia and Wally got home, Lake and Mrs. Shaven still hadn’t returned, which made Vilia breathe a sigh of relief.

But as she looked at the little white bear lying at her feet, Vilia recalled the strange scene from earlier: Wally, wreathed in arcs of electricity, taking care of two bad men in the blink of an eye.

’Was this a fairy tale?’

Her earlier anxiety had unknowingly been replaced by childlike wonder.

"Wally, how can you release electricity like that?"

Vilia couldn’t carry Wally anymore, so she had to crouch down to talk to him.

When Wally heard Vilia’s voice, he let out a series of soft squeaks and began gesturing with his front paws.

If Vili had been there, he would have realized that Wally was trying to express his thoughts. The bear’s intelligence was already high enough for him to understand human speech and respond.

But Vilia couldn’t understand what Wally was trying to say and could only shake her head helplessly.

"You’re such a strange little bear..." Vilia began to mutter to herself. ’Should I tell Father and Mother about this? No, I can’t... I have to keep your secret for you.’

Even though she was just a child, Vilia knew how utterly astounding a white bear that could discharge electricity would be to the world.

’I can’t tell Father and Mother, but I can tell Vili...’ Vilia decided. ’Maybe Vili can figure out why you can release electricity...’

At this thought, Vilia’s mood suddenly lightened.

’I have a little white bear that can shoot lightning! This means that from now on, I have a powerful little companion.’

"Wally, from now on you have to protect our family, understand?" Vilia hugged Wally close. "Protect Father and Mother, protect Vili, and protect Sopps..."

Vilia was just rambling on, completely oblivious. She didn’t see the flash of human-like tenderness in Wally’s eyes after he heard her words. Nor did she see the faint blue light in his pupils transform, becoming a faintly visible, glowing hexagram...

...

「The front line.」

「The northwestern border.」

"Captain, we’ve repelled this wave of enemies as well."

In the frontline camp, Sandoor was reporting the battle situation to Vili.

Sandoor was a different man now. Less than half a month had passed, but he had become more steady and mature. The once-handsome youth now had a thick stubble covering his jaw and the corners of his mouth.

Life on the front line had made him forget the gentlemanly grooming habits he’d maintained back home.

"Well done."

Vili’s demeanor had also changed somewhat.

He had now progressed fifty percent of the way through his training in the Frost Knight Breathing Technique. Once he completed the second half, he would generate his first wisp of Fighting Spirit.

If the two nations hadn’t officially declared war, making small-scale border skirmishes more frequent, his progress might have been even faster.

However, as his training continued, Vili found practicing the Frost Knight Breathing Technique to be more and more strenuous. The coordination between the breathing patterns and the Combined Techniques grew increasingly difficult, causing his progress to slow.

With his current Intelligence Value, it would likely take him nearly two more months to master the basics of the Frost Knight Breathing Technique.

For anyone else, this pace was already incredibly fast. Bamos, for example, had been practicing the Frost Knight Breathing Technique for three years, and his progress couldn’t even match Vili’s. But to Vili, this speed felt far too slow. The torture of having to repeat a combination of breathing exercises a dozen times just to get it right once was agonizing.

’Before, I’d automatically gain an Ability just by getting a title. Now, I have to master the basics first just for the *chance* to get a new title and Ability.’

’It felt like a player who’d been using cheat codes suddenly being forced back into normal mode—the fun was completely gone.’

As Sandoor and Vili were speaking, they heard a guard outside the tent announce a new message.

"Captain Vili, the Lord Baron has new orders!"