"Please. I beg you. I will do anything, so please help me!"
Auric was stopped on his way to the store by a middle-aged man. He had never seen this man before, so he didn't even know why the man was stopping him not far from his store. 'How in the world did I end up in this situation?'
…
A few minutes ago.
Auric was walking to his store with Lindwurm as usual. He couldn't help but mutter, "After that battle, I'm pretty sure that there are going to be more people looking for me."
"You have shown two elements after all. The problem is that you have shown your steel element to that girl before. The wind element is already out of the bag, so I don't have to worry about that guy from the Lightning Dojo anymore." Lindwurm looked up, contemplating.
Auric had considered talking to Ellia about it, but he chose not to. It might be a little foolish, but owing Ellia this kind of favor was not worth it in his opinion. This element was going to be revealed sooner or later.
So, he didn't have a big problem with revealing them a little earlier.
"Anyway, this is fine for the time being. When people find out that I have three elements or even four, they will start suspecting that I have all elements or at least the six basic cycle elements. We can just point them in that direction."
Lindwurm nodded. "At least the first trap has been set."
The first trap he was talking about was Auric announcing that his element was categorized as unique.
This way, if he said that his unique element could allow him to contain the six basic cycle elements, people would probably believe it.
Even if they doubted it, they couldn't prove it.
"While it's true that Ellia's suggestion of revealing one element at a time is good, it's not optimal for me."
"Why?" Lindwurm tilted his head in confusion. "If she handles it, won't you have nothing to worry about anymore?"
"True. However, that also means owing her a huge favor for something that is going to be revealed in due time. Besides, don't you know my strength already?"
"Which strength are you talking about? If you mean your combat prowess, it's still very low."
"No. I'm talking about my elements. Even if they know about my elements, they don't know about their strength."
"Ah!" Lindwurm almost forgot about it. If Auric had a fire element, no one really knew whether this element was a normal fire or an extreme variant.
And Auric could simply use one element at a time. For example, if he only used the steel element the entire time, people would think the steel element was his earth element. He could then surprise the enemy by using his diamond element.
The combination of elements would make his ability extremely complex, so even if they knew about it, it would be pointless. They couldn't prepare for every single little thing.
"I see." Lindwurm nodded in agreement. Auric planned to reveal all the elements soon, but not their extreme variants. His wind element and his plant element had a similar intensity. If he suddenly used the steel element, the diamond element, or even the white lightning element, people would surely be surprised.
"In any case, I have thought it through. I don't know if this is enough or not, but we can only wait and see." Auric shrugged. He couldn't see the future; he could only predict it. "For the time being, let's talk about the store. We desperately need a reliable guard this time."
"I almost forgot about that. Your battle must have promoted your store, so more people will be coming. Most likely, those second-grade students will come for you. Their relatives might come as well."
Auric raised one finger. "Yeah. Unfortunately, I have no way of stopping them. What if one of them decides to sabotage my business? It will be a huge loss, you know? Just imagine all the materials in our store are ruined or robbed."
"Not my materials!" Lindwurm gnashed his teeth as if he wanted to devour someone. "If they dare to get my materials, I swear I will beat them hard!"
Auric chuckled. "The problem is that our schedule itself is not fixed. Sometimes, I won't open the store for a while. And hiring someone will require a lot of money as well."
"Maintaining a store is so hard when you have school." Lindwurm sighed.
"Right?" Auric hung his head low, knowing that he couldn't do anything to change it.
As he was about to reach his store, Auric noticed a middle-aged man sitting in front of it.
"Hmm?" The sun had just risen, making it hard for him to clearly see the man's condition. His first thought was that he was a drunk man.
However, the man seemed to notice Auric's arrival. When he saw Auric's figure, the man rushed to Auric and fell to his knees, his hands desperately gripping his clothes. "Please. I beg you. I will do anything, so please help me!"
"W-What?" Auric was taken aback. He didn't recognize the man. "What's going on?"
"Please help me. I will kneel to you if you want. But please…"
"Sir… what's going on? I need you to calm down." Auric tried to help him up.
Although Auric was a bit hesitant, he led the man to his store.
"We don't have much here, so I hope you don't mind having a cup of water." Auric sat down in front of him while handing him the paper cup.
The man received it but soon lowered his head again. His devastated expression made Auric suspect that something was wrong.
"So, can you explain why you sat in front of my store and suddenly rushed to me like that?" Auric asked.
"…" The man remained silent for a whole minute. "After hearing that you possess a unique element, I want you to help my daughter evolve."
"Hold on. Where did you hear that from? Are you perhaps a teacher at Grand Magica College?"
"No. My wife is." The man shook his head.
"I see." If it were a teacher from Grand Magica College, they would definitely have heard about Auric's trap. He just never thought that the trap he laid would result in this situation.
…
The previous day.
"Dear!" A middle-aged lady rushed into the apartment.
"Ah, you startled me. Is something wrong?" The man asked. "Looks like there's something big."
"Yeah. When I was at school, there was a fight between two freshmen."
"Ah, I heard about that tradition. Well, isn't that good for two spirited young men to clash with their fists?"
"No, that's not it." She shook her head furiously. "One of them was the disciple of the Lightning Emperor."
"What? Then, the other student must have been bullied by him, right? These people with huge backgrounds…" He shook his head helplessly.
"You're wrong again."
"So, it was a draw?"
"Nope. The other student actually won. Do you know what he did?"
"What?"
"He actually used a plant element at first, but he then revealed a wind element in the latter half of the battle."
"Two elements?" The man's mind was blown away. "How? There is no record of a person with two elements."
"There was a rumor going around. Professor Eren from the Element Department actually asked him about it. He said his element was actually in the unique category."
The man was surprised at first but soon calmed down. "So, what's the problem? The unique category is good, but that's all, right? They're rare, but it's not truly surprising. After all, our daughter…"
"What if I told you that this freshman is a 3-star bronze grade evolution master?"
The man's eyes widened subconsciously. He felt like his hearing was starting to fail him.
However, the woman simply nodded with a big smile. "Yeah. You must have heard a rumor about the youngest evolution master in our city, right? He became an evolution master two days after his awakening."
"Y-Yeah. And that evolution master also possesses a unique element?"
For an evolution master, their understanding of their own element was the most important, followed by the understanding of the two elements they were responsible for.
So, if Auric was really an evolution master with a unique element, he should know the unique element much better than anyone else.
If it had been any other evolution master, he might not have believed it, but this person was so talented that he could become an evolution master with that limitation in just two days.
…
"That's what happened…" The man finished his story. "She told me you were going to the Evolution Department next week, so she planned to meet you at that time. I just couldn't wait."
He scratched the back of his head, feeling apologetic.
Auric noticed his desperation, so he continued, "I understand your circumstances. And what exactly is your problem?"
"Actually…" The man let out a long sigh. "I have a daughter. She is one year older than you. She also possesses a unique element."
"Ah?!" Auric instantly understood his desperation. The chance of a unique element user evolving is quite low. They require a precise amount of elemental energy to evolve to the next form.
She must have suffered the same thing as Ellia.
"She was a bright child and always made us proud. But after realizing that she had awakened a unique element, her dream shattered. She ended up leaving town and enrolling in another university in another city because she couldn't face us.
"We never blamed her. My wife has been working as an evolution master at Grand Magica College so she can use their resources to find a way to evolve our daughter safely.
"I also changed my job as a bodyguard to safeguard high-ranking clients, hoping I could find someone powerful or influential enough to help my daughter."
Auric had two options.
'I could check on his daughter first and then suggest the Sun Store to him.' Auric thought it might be a good idea to promote the store this way.
Since she was living in another city, the reactions to those books wouldn't reach this city.
"I think it's better for you to treat this person directly." Lindwurm suddenly made a suggestion.
'What do you mean?'
"Didn't you hear what he said about his job? Shouldn't he be perfect for our guard?" Lindwurm smirked. "To be able to become a bodyguard for high-ranking people shows how powerful he is."
'I understand that. We just don't have the money to hire him. Do you think I can afford millions per month for him?'
"Why don't you just let him work for you on weekends? It will lower the cost significantly. Besides, being able to protect a rare specimen like you, a unique evolution master, is something worth bragging about. And he's not doing it for money."
Auric didn't have any words to refute that statement, but it also meant he had to reveal his method to help the unique element. It would directly link him back to the Sun Store.
"I know your worries, but your growth is extremely fast. We can just have his help for a year or two, and it will be enough. After all, he needs you to help his daughter."
Auric rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
The man misunderstood him, asking himself inwardly, 'Is it not going to work again this time?'
To his surprise, Auric replied, "I can help her. However, I may have to ask several sensitive questions. In addition, I need a contract that forbids you from revealing this information to anyone."
"!!!" The man's face brightened. "You can really help my daughter?"
"You must know Ellia Stroph, right? She recently evolved her avatar…"
Those words sounded like thunder reverberating in his ears. If he had indeed helped Ellia, there might be a chance for his daughter.
"May I know what her unique element is?"
"She… She has a dream element. The official name for it is Dream Creation."
"I see. How about bringing your daughter here first and letting me check her condition? My rule will be the same. I won't charge you anything if I fail to help—"
Before he could finish his words, he heard a commotion outside.
They both turned their heads and realized there were so many customers lining up. They were arguing while waiting for Auric to open the store.
"Ah, this…" Auric gulped down. "Am I going to survive today?"