The moment Instructor Alaric vanished, silence descended as the trainees were still trying to process what had just happened
But it didn't last long.
Gradually, the remaining trainees shifted their gazes towards the three individuals who stood in front of the entire group.
Valdis.
The silver-haired girl.
Silas.
Their eyes had one thing in common as they stared at the three of them
Envy.
It wasn't hidden; it just couldn't be.
The rewards they had received were already enough to stir jealousy, but that wasn't the main reason. As just he powerful backgrounds of both Silas and the silver-haired girl was more than enough for them to bury any desires they had
The key reason was not what was given but who had given it.
Unlike Valdis, the others knew exactly who Instructor Alaric was.
And that made all the difference.
"Why did he give the first one an essence fruit and the other two cultivation manuals?" one of the remaining trainees muttered under his breath, his eyes fixed on Valdis.
The scene puzzled most of the trainees, but they quickly shelved that thought at the back of their minds
Silas, who had been silent since instructor Alaric left, finally shook his head and sighed as his eyes fell on the manual in his palm. The manual felt heavy in his palm. He sighed again before he stored it inside his spatial ring
he for a few s let out a quiet breath, shaking his head slightly as he looked at Valdis, who had no expression on his face.
"You act as if you've never heard about instructor Alaric's legendary feats."
Valdis glanced at him and shook his head.
Seeing his response, Silas was shocked as he didn't think that there would be a member of the Ebonhart House who didn't know instructor Alaric.
Cassian, who had regained some of his composure, overheard their conversation and was left speechless.
Snapping out of his stupor, Cassian asked, "You've got to be joking."
Hearing Cassian's remark, Valdis turned to him and asked, "Should I know him?"
"How does someone live in the Ebonhart duchy and not know anything about Alaric the Barbarian?"
Seeing their reactions, Valdis' face turned confused as he asked, "Is he popular?"
"Popular," Cassian laughed, "Popular doesn't begin to describe it."
"To some people, Instructor Alaric is seen as a legendary existence," Silas said, and seeing Valdis' confused expression, he continued.
"In the kingdom," he began, "there are many powerful individuals… but only a few who walk paths others wouldn't dare to."
Silas picked up from there.
"Body refinement path."
Valdis's eyes flickered.
"A path that most abandoned long ago," Silas continued. "As it was too painful to practice, advanced too slowly, and demanded too many resources, which made almost everyone who embarked on that path quickly abandon it."
He exhaled and looked at the spot where instructor Alaric once stood
"But Alaric… didn't abandon it."
"He perfected it," Cassian added.
The air seemed heavier as they spoke.
"The deeper one goes into body refinement," Silas said, "the greater the returns. Each breakthrough doesn't just increase strength—it transforms the body entirely."
"But the cost…" Cassian's smile thinned slightly, "…is agony."
Valdis remained silent, listening.
"Most people break before they reach anything meaningful," Silas said. "Shattered bones, torn muscles, and ruptured meridians."
"And yet," Cassian continued, "Alaric endured it all."
"He didn't just endure, he surpassed everything people thought possible," Silas said.
"And he didn't stop there; he created something new."
Valdis's gaze sharpened slightly.
"The Grandmaster's physique."
Silas nodded.
"It's similar to a weapon grandmaster who can manifest aura while using his weapon, which greatly amplifies the lethality of the weapon."
Cassian's eyes gleamed faintly as he said.
"But instead of using a weapon…"
"He turned his own body into one."
Hearing this, Valdis quickly understood the implication of what he just said.
Valdis unconsciously clenched his hands tightly
"A living, breathing weapon of mass destruction," Cassian said
Silence followed.
Then Cassian broke the silence and added
"And that's not even the most terrifying part."
Valdis looked at him.
Cassian's smile returned—but this time, it carried weight.
"Do not forget he also has an extremely high mastery of spatial laws."
A faint shift passed through the group.
"Meaning," Silas said, "he can appear anywhere as long as no runes are limiting his movement."
"In an instant," Cassian added.
"And when he does…"
Neither of them finished the sentence.
They didn't need to.
Valdis understood.
There will be no time to react, no time to defend. The only thing one can do is to face the attack head-on."
And the consequences of clashing with someone as powerful as Instructor Alaric would be nothing short of devastating. Making his attacks unavoidable.
"And his defense?" Silas let out a quiet laugh. "Even mid-tier weapons would struggle to leave a mark on his skin."
Valdis exhaled slowly.
Now he understood why the others looked at them that way, they did, and why the rewards felt heavier than they appeared.
Time passed.
Gradually, their exhaustion faded, breathing steadied, and muscles recovered.
The weight of the mountain trial slowly lifted from their bodies.
And eventually—
Valdis stood.
He glanced around briefly before walking toward Silas, who was sitting a short distance away, stretching his arms lazily.
"You look better," Valdis said.
Silas snorted.
"Barely."
He leaned back slightly, staring at the sky.
"That trial was insane."
Valdis gave a slight nod.
"It was."
Silas let out a breath.
"The weight alone was enough to crush most people… and then those traps…"
Silas felt dread thinking about the event of the second phase of the trial.
"Spikes, wind blades, illusions… it was like they were trying to kill us without actually killing us."
Valdis's gaze remained calm.
"They were."
Silas chuckled dryly.
"Yeah… no kidding."
He rubbed his neck slightly.
"And the worst part? You couldn't relax for a second."
Valdis nodded again.
"If you did, you were eliminated."
Silas glanced at him.
"You handled it well."
Valdis didn't respond to that, but instead, he shifted the topic toward the actual reason he approached Silas.
"The silver-haired girl."
Silas paused.
His expression became slightly unnatural as he looked at Valdis weirdly.
"…Her?"
"Yes."
Seeing Valdis ' interest, Silas quickly said, "Look, I know she's extremely beautiful, but .....
Hearing the nonsense that was leaving his mouth, Valdis cut him off immediately and said, "That's not the reason I'm asking."
Silas, hearing this, didn't seem convinced, as he had seen multiple boys fall in love with her beauty, only to be rejected and brutally beaten as well.
Thinking to this point, Silas looked at Valdis with a hint of suspicion
But, regardless of Silas's antics, Valdis's eyes remained steady.
"What makes her so… feared?"
Hearing his question, Silas exhaled slowly, as what he had thought wasn't the case, as Valdis seemed like he was genuinely curious. And seeing this, Silas responded.
"…She's not from any noble house."
Valdis's brows furrowed slightly.
"She's an orphan," Silas continued. "Found and taken in by the Sword Saint."
A brief silence followed.
Even Valdis was shocked, as he never knew Sir Kael had a disciple
"She's the Sword Saint's disciple…" he muttered.
Silas nodded.
"He saw her talent, and somehow it moved him to make her his disciple."
Valdis's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That alone wouldn't be enough to make people respect and fear her."
Silas nodded his head as he said
"That's just the beginning."
After saying that, he looked toward the silver-haired girl in the distance and said.
"She has a supreme affinity for the sword."
Valdis listened carefully.
"But that's not all," Silas added. "She also possesses a heavenly affinity for the laws of ice."
A dual prodigy.
Valdis's gaze flickered.
"And she's been trained by the Sword Saint since she was a child," Silas said. "You can imagine what that means."
Valdis didn't need to.
He understood perfectly, as he had trained under the same person for years, which allowed him to perfect his technique, removing any weaknesses under relentless training.
Silas exhaled and said, "She's terrifying."
Before Valdis could respond, a voice cut in.
"You're underselling her."
Both of them turned.
Cassian.
He walked toward them casually, though his eyes were sharp.
"You really shouldn't underestimate her," he said, stopping beside them.
Valdis looked at him.
Cassian continued. "I've sparred with her."
Silas snorted and said, "More like survived."
Cassian ignored him.
"It was a tie," he said.
Valdis's eyes narrowed slightly.
Cassian's smile faded.
"But the only reason I didn't lose was because I was three realms higher than her."
Silas didn't deny it.
Cassian's voice grew quieter.
"But her technique's execution and timing…"
He paused.
"…perfect."
Valdis remained silent.
Listening.
"She kept me on the defensive the entire fight," Cassian said, crossing his arms as he continued, "The only way I ended it…"
Silas finished the sentence.
"…was by using a full-power attack."
Cassian nodded.
"One she couldn't block."
A brief silence followed.
"But it drained everything I had, so I passed out as well," he said, the last part while letting out an awkward chuckle.
Valdis's gaze shifted once more—
Toward the silver-haired girl.
Still calm.
Still distant.
That was when he asked.
"What's her name?"