Chapter 55: The Man Behind The Mask

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Man Behind The Mask

The young man who had introduced himself as Azu was none other than Xavier.

From the moment he learned that Mira would be entering the Hunting Ground Secret Realm, he had already decided to follow her inside.

He had no intention of letting her know.

Xavier had deliberately kept his recent breakthroughs hidden from Mira because maintaining a low profile was far safer than revealing everything at once.

There was an old saying that a tree growing taller than the rest of the forest would eventually be struck by the wind, and Xavier had no desire to become that tree. Not yet.

As far as everyone knew, he had once been an ordinary man without any remarkable martial talent.

For someone like that to suddenly reach the Foundation Establishment Realm in such a short period was already astonishing enough.

If word got out about the true extent of his strength, the attention would be even worse.

An ordinary person with no powerful family backing who managed to reach the Body Tempering Realm would already be considered exceptionally fortunate.

A Foundation Establishment Realm martial artist was an entirely different matter, since such a person would inevitably attract the attention of powerful families, organizations, and anyone looking for opportunities.

Xavier had no interest in becoming a target before he possessed enough strength to deal with the consequences. So, until he was confident in his ability to protect himself, he would remain hidden.

After stepping through the teleportation portal, Xavier’s vision was briefly consumed by dazzling white light.

When it faded, an entirely unfamiliar landscape appeared before him.

A seemingly endless grassland stretched toward the horizon, and a gentle breeze swept across his face, carrying an unusually rich concentration of natural spiritual energy.

Above him hung a brilliant sun, bathing the entire world in warm light.

For a moment, Xavier simply stood there. It felt nothing like the outside world.

This was his first time entering a secret realm, and despite everything he had heard about the dangers, he could not help feeling curious.

Then something inside his body suddenly changed.

Xavier’s eyes widened. His Chaos Body was absorbing spiritual energy on its own. He immediately stopped moving and focused on the sensation.

The moment he entered the Hunting Ground, it was as though an invisible restraint around his body had suddenly disappeared, and his Chaos Body began devouring the surrounding spiritual energy at an astonishing rate.

The eighth energy point within him, which had previously been dim, began to brighten rapidly, and at the same time the spiritual energy entering his body was being refined and transformed into pure chaotic energy.

Xavier’s expression gradually changed from surprise to delight.

At this rate, I won’t even need to cultivate deliberately. Give me two or three days, and the eighth energy point should be completely activated.

Once that happened, his cultivation would advance toward the ninth star of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Could the Chaos Body be especially compatible with this secret realm?

Whatever the reason, Xavier was not about to complain. This was excellent news.

He had already spent too much time standing still, so he quickly suppressed his excitement and followed the trail left by the group ahead.

The large group of more than a hundred Foundation Establishment martial artists was not moving particularly quickly, and Xavier soon caught up. He quietly slipped into the crowd without attracting anyone’s attention.

Around him, several martial artists were chatting as they walked.

"The government’s subsidy this time is seriously generous," one man said.

"Just registering gets you 100,000 crowns, and every day you survive inside earns another 100,000."

"That’s only the basic payment," his companion added.

"Kill a monster or bring back useful information about an unknown species, and there are additional rewards."

"Exactly," the first man agreed.

"It’s dangerous, but danger comes with opportunities. If we can walk out alive with enough money and resources, it’ll be worth it."

A little farther ahead, another martial artist called out.

"Anyone looking for teammates? I’m only interested in Foundation Establishment 5-Star or above. You also need to have at least one Grade 3 martial art at the Minor Mastery level."

"I specialize in archery," someone else added. "I can handle ranged attacks, and I’ve mastered an Eagle Eye technique. Anyone interested?"

Xavier listened quietly. The government clearly understood that the Extraordinary Division alone did not have enough manpower to properly explore the Hunting Ground, and that was why they had opened recruitment to Foundation Establishment martial artists throughout the city and surrounding areas.

The rewards were deliberately generous. 100,000 just for signing up. Another 100,000 for every day spent inside.

And those were only the basic subsidies. Anyone who made a meaningful contribution could receive considerably more.

For martial artists without the backing of a major family, this was an opportunity that was difficult to ignore.

Many of the people around Xavier had probably entered the secret realm primarily for the money.

Eventually, someone noticed him.

"Hey, when did you join us?" the man asked, looking Xavier over before shrugging. "Anyway, what’s your cultivation level? Want to form a team?"

Xavier deliberately lowered his head and gave an awkward smile.

"I’m only at the 1-Star of the Foundation Establishment Realm," he said. "I don’t want to slow everyone down."

The moment they heard that, their interest disappeared. A 1-Star Foundation Establishment martial artist was not particularly useful for an exploration team, and most of them quickly turned their attention elsewhere.

Xavier merely smiled. That was exactly what he wanted. He had no intention of joining anyone.

He had entered the Hunting Ground for only two reasons.

The first was to help Lydia locate the fragment of her soul she believed was hidden somewhere inside. The second was to keep Mira safe. Everything else was irrelevant.

After walking for roughly half an hour, the group finally reached a large camp.

This was the forward base established by the Extraordinary Division. There were only around fifty or sixty martial artists stationed there, and quite a few tents remained empty.

A moment later, a camouflage clad martial artist approached the newly arrived group. He looked to be in his forties, with a stern expression and an imposing presence.

"I’ll be overseeing this area," he said. "My name is Miles Stone." His voice was concise and authoritative.

"There’s no time to waste, so I’ll keep this brief."

He pointed toward the surrounding wilderness.

"You can form teams or operate independently. Your search area will extend from the 1 o’clock direction through to 9 o’clock. Any significant discovery must be reported immediately. Otherwise, return to camp before nightfall." His expression became serious.

"And don’t lose your way. The Hunting Ground becomes considerably more dangerous after sunset. That’s all. You may begin."

Miles did not waste another word. Everyone already knew the basic requirements before entering, and those who wanted to work together had formed their teams during the journey.

Within moments, the massive group began dispersing.

Xavier’s eyes immediately found Mira. She was moving with Grant Mercer, Evelyn, and a bearded martial artist named Timothy. The four of them had formed a team.

Xavier waited until they had moved some distance away before quietly following behind, maintaining enough distance that nobody would notice him.

* * *

The path between the portal and the camp had already been cleared of monsters, but once they left the safety of the camp, the situation changed quickly.

Mira’s group had not traveled far when something emerged from the surrounding vegetation. It had the head of a wolf, but the rest of its body resembled a heavily armored crocodile.

Grant’s expression immediately became serious.

"Armored Crocodile Wolf," he said, then quickly explained, "It’s a low level 2nd-Tier monster. Its greatest advantage is its defense. The scales covering its body can withstand ordinary swords, spears, and halberds."

He looked between Mira and Evelyn.

"Fighting actual monsters is something you can’t properly experience inside the academy," he said.

"Timothy and I will watch from the side. One of you two should try it."

Evelyn immediately stepped forward.

"I’ll do it," she said, drawing her sword.

Grant nodded, though concern still showed in his eyes.

"Be careful," he warned. "Its defense is stronger than it looks, and if it—"

He suddenly stopped, his unfinished warning dying in his throat.

Mira had already moved. Her sword flashed. There was barely enough time for the Armored Crocodile Wolf to react.

Its enormous head separated cleanly from its body and crashed onto the ground, and the monster’s body followed a moment later.

Silence descended over the group. Grant stared at the corpse. Evelyn’s eyes widened. Even Timothy looked completely stunned.

Mira calmly lowered her sword.

She had killed the 2nd-Tier monster with a single strike.

Grant Mercer stared at the severed head of the Armored Crocodile Wolf for several seconds before finally turning toward Mira.

"Hold on. How many stars are you at now?" he asked.

A few days ago, the information he had received from Arcadia Academy placed Mira at only the 2nd Star of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

At that level, killing an Armored Crocodile Wolf in a single strike should have been impossible.

What puzzled him even more was that Mira had not even relied on her frost phoenix bloodline.

Mira casually wiped the blood from her sword.

"I broke through to the 6th Star," she said.

Grant’s mouth fell open.

"6th Star?" he repeated, his voice rising in disbelief.

"You went from 2nd Star to 6th Star in less than a week?"

He suddenly felt a little bitter. It had taken him nearly an entire year to cross those four stars. Mira had done it in several days.

Timothy, the bearded martial artist standing beside him, was equally stunned. He did not say anything, but the disbelief on his face said enough.

Evelyn Hart, however, was experiencing an entirely different storm of emotions.

Shock came first, then understanding, then envy, and finally a little embarrassment.

She had never imagined that Mira’s cultivation would already surpass hers, but she also knew exactly where much of that rapid progress came from.

Xavier.