The night passed uneventfully, and time came to the next day.
Cain and Bell arrived at the Freya Familia.
After a brief period of repair, most of the previously destroyed Folkvangr had been restored.
The morning sunlight filtered through the clouds onto the grassland, the green weeds swaying slightly.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of clashing weapons, the warriors of the Freya Familia began their morning training for the day.
At the entrance of the Folkvangr, Freya, who had risen early, hummed an unknown tune and greeted Bell together with Hedin.
"Bell, good morning."
"Good morning, Goddess Freya."
Bell replied somewhat nervously.
Although he secretly hoped for a special encounter, a goddess was still too much for him.
After exchanging a few trembling words with Freya, Bell hurriedly ran to Hedin to begin today's training.
Seeing this, Freya silently sighed, the enthusiasm on her face instantly fading as she looked ahead.
"Why are you here too?"
"Of course, for training," Cain said.
According to the terms of their previous deal, a First Class Adventurer of the Freya Familia needed to train with him for a month.
The investigation into the Knossos matter was almost done, so it was time to return to the main task and continue grinding his ability values.
His gaze swept around, and not finding Ottar beside Freya, Cain felt somewhat puzzled.
"Where's Ottar? Why isn't he here today?"
"He went to the Dungeon to capture monsters."
"Capture monsters?"
"Yes, for Bell to practice with."
Freya replied with a calm expression.
Up to this point, all of Bell's combat experience had been against people; his encounters with monsters were few and far between.
To increase his experience against monsters, she had entrusted Ottar to capture some rare species of LV1 or LV2 monsters.
"Ottar won't be back today. If you want to train... Allen, spar with him a few rounds."
Freya called out towards a corner behind her.
Although her relationship with Cain was not great, a promise was a promise and had to be kept.
If the captain wasn't available, then send the vice-captain.
As the vice-captain of the Freya Familia, Allen's strength was top-tier even among LV6, more than sufficient as a sparring partner.
...
"Stupid rabbit, stop for a moment."
On the other side of the Folkvangr, Bell, who was doing his daily physical training, was called to a halt by Hedin.
"What happened?"
Bell stopped his movements and asked.
Hedin offered no explanation, merely turning to look at a clearing not far away.
Bell followed his gaze, and two familiar figures came into view.
"Huh? That's... Captain Cain and Mr. Allen?"
Bell was stunned for a moment before reacting a beat late.
"Are they going to fight?"
"Ottar isn't here today. This is probably Lady Freya's order, for Allen to train with Cain."
Having analyzed the situation in a few words, Hedin pushed up his glasses.
This scene was good news for him.
Through observation, he had discovered that whenever he mentioned matters related to Cain, Bell's growth speed would increase.
Although he didn't understand the principle behind it, having Bell observe the fight between Cain and Allen couldn't be wrong.
...
"What a bother."
On the main battlefield, Allen sighed inwardly.
Unlike Hedin and Ottar, he had little patience for time-wasting activities like training others.
But since third was Freya's order, no matter how unwilling Allen was, he had to comply.
"If you're ready, then make your move."
Standing in place with a spear in one hand, Allen looked ahead and said.
"I'll lower my physical abilities to LV5. If you can't even handle that, don't bother me."
"No need."
"Huh?"
"I mean, there's no need to lower your physical abilities."
Cain focused his mind and activated his newly comprehended Magic.
"Spirit Devouring Barrier!"
Boom!
Vast magical power surged from Cain's body, transforming into golden lightning that shot into the sky.
Centered on Cain's position, a spherical barrier made of lightning inverted and covered the ground.
"A barrier Magic?"
A look of surprise appeared on Allen's face.
Like enchantment Magic, barrier Magic was very rare, and most possessed powerful effects.
Since he activated it right at the start, it meant it wasn't a healing or purification-type barrier.
A curse type? Or perhaps a buff type?
Various thoughts flashed through his mind. Just as Allen was pondering the barrier's effect, a roar sounded.
Like a real bolt of lightning, a golden figure flashed across the plain, covering over ten meters in an instant to appear before Allen.
"Don't get distracted during a fight."
Bang!
A blade wrapped in lightning instantly descended. Allen reacted, raising his spear to block in front of him.
But the moment the two made contact, golden lightning burst forth, transforming into over a dozen lightning needles that shot forward.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
A look of shock appeared on Allen's face.
Wasn't Cain's lightning an enchantment-type Magic? Why could it attack independently from his body?
Staring at the lightning needles now dangerously close, Allen had no time for further thought, immediately dodging backward.
Known as the city's fastest, Allen's movement speed was astonishingly quick, putting distance between them in an instant.
Even so, several lightning needles still grazed his body, leaving a few thin wounds.
At the same time, a sense of weakness rose from within. Allen noticed his strength had decreased somewhat.
"A curse-type barrier, with the trigger condition being injury?"
"Correct. Your reward is a Dismantle."
Cain's figure appeared before Allen once more.
As the sword fell, over a dozen invisible slashes attacked from all directions, adding a few more wounds to Allen.
"Damn it! What the hell is this thing now?!"
Allen's expression turned ugly.
Although he knew Cain's strength was formidable, he still possessed the pride of a First Class Adventurer.
To be completely suppressed by an LV3, it was truly humiliating for a dignified LV6.
Allen forcefully widened the distance with his speed, dodging the second round of slashes, and got completely serious, unleashing his full power.
The city's fastest speed was displayed as his body turned into an afterimage, appearing behind Cain.
In response, Cain, who was sensing his surroundings by expanding his lightning field, reacted immediately, drawing his blade and slashing backward.
The moment their weapons clashed, Allen, having learned his lesson, did not linger in place but vanished again.
Cain did not hesitate in the slightest, using the power of Current Propulsion to follow right after him.
Lightning surged, and sword shadows shattered the air.
It was like a grand symphony, with continuous, fierce collision sounds ringing out. Two figures constantly appeared in various corners of the Folkvangr, engaging in an intense battle of offense and defense.
"So strong!"
Bell strained his eyes to capture the details.
But the movement speed of Cain and Allen was simply too fast, even with all his might, he could only catch a few afterimages.
However, as time went on, Bell suddenly noticed a strange phenomenon.
"Is it my illusion? Mr. Cain's strength seems to be growing..."
"It's not'seems like,' he is growing stronger."
Hedin's expression had become solemn at some unknown point.
Allen, was preoccupied with fighting and only noticed that his power was being suppressed by the barrier.
But Hedin, as an observer, saw more clearly, Cain's strength was constantly increasing.
"By wounding the enemy, he absorbs the enemy's power to strengthen himself, is that it?"
Hedin looked towards the lightning barrier covering the battlefield.
Even the knowledgeable Hedin had to admit that this was the first time he had seen such a powerful barrier.
Absorbing the enemy's power to use for oneself.
As long as the difference in strength between the two sides was not too large, any enemy, no matter how strong, would be worn down to death by this move.
To break the deadlock, one must either find a way to draw the fight outside the barrier or defeat Cain with a quick-attack strategy.
So... could Allen do it?
Hedin pushed up his glasses and arrived at the answer in his heart.
Very difficult.
Long before the battle began, after the first two exchanges, Allen had already gotten serious.
But facing Allen at full power, Cain still managed to block him and counterattacked with Lightning Needles and invisible slashes.
As one side waned, the other waxed; the gap between them constantly narrowed, and the quick-attack method completely failed.
At this point, the only way to defeat Cain was to escape the barrier and regroup.
"He's getting stronger?!"
On the front line, Allen also realized something was wrong.
The intense symphony still echoed across the plain, but with every exchange, an immense force met him head-on.
His arm holding the spear trembled slightly, blood continuously flowed from the wound, and a faint smell of blood wafted into the air.
Meanwhile, Cain, the enemy, had his wounds healed at some unknown point, and his attacks grew fiercer.
"Damn it! What kind of joke is this!"
Realizing the true power of the Spirit Devouring Barrier, Allen, just as Hedin had predicted, abandoned the idea of a frontal fight.
He suddenly exerted force to push Cain back, then turned and vanished from his spot, running toward the outside of the barrier.
But in the very next instant, a roar sounded.
A golden bolt of lightning shot past Allen, arriving in front of him faster than his retreat.
Zing!
The long blade was drawn, and a lightning-fast strike descended instantly.
There was no room for a counterattack, the moment Allen reacted, the blade had already landed on his neck.
"It's over."
Cain announced calmly.
Despite just having gone through a major battle, his condition remained intact, without suffering any serious injuries.
Sheathing his Raikiri, Cain let out a sigh.
"As expected, fighting against an LV6 is still a bit lacking in flavor. Allen, can you take Ottar's place in catching monsters?"
"What do you mean?!"
Allen's ears, atop his head, instantly perked up.
Having just suffered a defeat, hearing Cain's condescending remark completely shattered his fragile pride.
"One more match!"
Allen gripped his weapon: "I was careless just now, I won't lose this time!"
"Give it up, you can't beat me."
Cain waved his hand: "You went down before I even used my full strength. Fighting a few more times will yield the same result."
As his words fell, he ignored the cat-person youth whose veins were popping as he argued about 'not using full strength,' turned, and left the battlefield, arriving before Freya, who was watching from a distance.
"I'm going to continue exploring the dungeon. Message me if Ottar comes back."
"No problem."
Freya nodded slightly.
To be honest, Cain's performance was somewhat surprising to her.
What surprised her even more was that Cain's statement about not using his full strength was not a lie.
He had defeated Allen head-on and still held back.
"Cain, are you still LV3?"
"Yes, LV3, but I'm close to breaking through."
"..."
He wasn't lying, it was truth.
After watching Cain leave, Freya looked at the cat-person youth still standing not far away and sighed silently.
Her Vice Captain was going to develop a psychological issues.
...
Re@d adv@nce 70 ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.