Chapter 58: The Crimson Vale
Lucien walked towards the East Gate of Draktharion City. The city had four gates due to its immense size, the North Gate, the South Gate, the East Gate, and the West Gate. Where they had entered was the North Gate.
He had acquired a map from a merchant earlier, and even as he moved stealthily through the streets, he could see many young faces heading in the same direction, their expressions a mixture of nervousness, excitement, and determination.
As for Seraphina, he had to leave her behind even though she was unwilling. The rules had set it all. She could only watch as her darling left.
But she wasn’t giving up. Lucien didn’t notice that Seraphina had quietly followed him to the East Gate.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Kaelen sat on a chair exuding an air of arrogance as Garry stood at his side.
"Young Master, the spies we placed around that young man’s mansion have reported that he has left towards the East Gate," Garry reported in a respectful voice.
This time, he had nothing concealing his figure. He was a middle-aged, brown-haired man, his brown eyes calm as he spoke.
Kaelen’s lips curled up into a smile, his eyes burning with flames of arrogance and revenge. If anyone asked him how this all came to be, he wouldn’t even remember. He just felt the urge to kill this young man, maybe because of the way he carried himself, or perhaps because of the young lady that was with him.
"But Young Master, you can’t kill him according to the rules of the assessment," Garry said in a worried tone.
Kaelen laughed. "Yeah, that’s true. But who said I have to kill him to make his life hell? I will just waste his cultivation and make him trash for the rest of his life."
Imagining this gave him excitement, as if he could already see Lucien begging him to spare his pitiful life.
"But Young Master, what about your safety?" Garry continued.
"You don’t need to worry about that. I’m not dumb enough to provoke him directly. For such a powerful woman to follow him means he shouldn’t be underestimated. I’ll just use some fishes to bait him and test the depth of his strength. And if he’s stronger than I thought, then I’ll just use some talismans Father has given me."
Kaelen said this in a manner that suggested no matter what Lucien did, he would still face his wrath.
"Let’s go," he said, heading towards the Crimson Vale.
Meanwhile, Lucien had already reached the Crimson Vale, the map in his hands guiding his steps through the unfamiliar terrain.
He now understood why it was called Crimson Vale.
Unlike the deep green of ordinary forests, this place was a sea of red. Tall crimson oaks stretched toward the sky, their branches and leaves deep, rich red as if they were painted with the blood of the earth itself. Even the ground beneath his feet was crimson in colour, as if it had been dyed in blood. Everything about the forest was drenched in shades of red; the leaves, the bark, the moss, even the air seemed to carry a faint reddish hue.
There was a bloody scent in the air, metallic and sweet, but it had no effect on Lucien. Having endured the suffocating, deathly air of the Land of Death, this was merely child’s play.
He walked into the forest stealthily, his movements careful and deliberate. According to the information he had gathered, no one knew exactly why the forest had become this way; it had simply turned crimson one day, and no explanation had ever been found.
Lucien moved cautiously through the forest, like a coiled snake, each of his steps silent. The experience of the Land of Death had taught him a harsh lesson: in an unknown place, trust nothing, expect everything.
He didn’t forget about the token, which was the main thing of the assessment. He immediately tried to put it in his Origin Ring, but it didn’t enter.
Lucien wasn’t surprised by this; he had expected it. Since the token must be protected, putting it in an Origin Ring would defeat the purpose of the challenge. The academy had clearly designed it this way to force participants to carry their tokens openly, making them vulnerable.
This was how the game started, and the fun began.
Along the way, he came across the fresh corpses of volkoids lying on the ground, their cores harvested cleanly. But what caught his attention was their appearance; their skin was crimson, the same shade as the forest around them. Even their eyes held the same blood-red hue.
This put him on high alert. These were clearly no ordinary volkoids. And why would the Aethel Academy choose such a place as the assessment grounds? Maybe there was something unique about here, whether it was of benefit or harm, only the academy knew that.
As he walked, deep in thought, his instincts screamed. Without hesitation, Lucien waved his hand toward his back. In that moment, he moved less like a man and more like a blade, his actions sharp, precise, and deadly. A wave of Originat erupted from him, slicing through the air and reaping the life of the volkoid that had been sneaking up behind him.
When he looked at it, it turned out to be a snake, crimson in colour, even its eyes were the same blood-red hue. He hadn’t even detected its movement until it had released its killing intent at the last moment.
He glanced at the forest around him, its crimson depths hiding countless dangers. How many would die here? Unless the academy had taken precautions, the death toll would be high.
He bent down and took its core. To his surprise, the token in his hand changed, the number at its back, which had been "0," had now shifted to "1."
He moved, heading deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, above the Crimson Vale, someone was observing the assessment from above, silently supervising everything that unfolded below.
He appeared to be in his thirties, with sharp green hair that seemed to blend with the forest canopy and piercing green eyes that missed nothing. He was dressed in a flowing robe of deep emerald and gold, the fabric embroidered with intricate patterns of leaves and vines that seemed to shift faintly as he moved.
A silver badge gleamed on his chest, the emblem of Aethel Academy, marking him as one of the overseers. His posture was relaxed, arms crossed, yet his gaze was sharp, scanning the crimson forest below like a hawk watching its prey.
"Man, I wonder how many people will pass this time," he said in a lazy manner, yet his gaze scanned the crimson forest below like a hawk, missing nothing.
This type of assessment was taking place across all continents simultaneously, and he was one of the teachers assigned to supervise. This was his post, the Dragon Continent’s Crimson Vale.
As he was lost in thought, suddenly someone appeared beside him. The unexpected presence startled him.
There was an array covering the entire Crimson Vale, a powerful barrier that no one could pass through except teachers, elders, and those undergoing the assessment. Whoever this was, they shouldn’t have been able to get through.
"Who are you?" The supervisor immediately had his guard up, ready to attack, his hand moving toward his weapon.
"No need to be that vigilant."
If Lucien were here, he would have been surprised to hear a familiar voice.
It was Seraphina.
She stood before the supervisor, calm and composed, as she showed him the card she had shown the receptionist earlier.
When the supervisor saw the card, his eyes widened. He looked at Seraphina in utter shock, his guard dropping entirely as recognition dawned on him.
A/N: Happy New Month! This month shall bring good tidings!