Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

At the same time, far away from the Inn where Atlas was staying, above the towering Guild Building, the Guildmaster floated silently in the air with his head raised toward the sky. His gaze remained fixed beyond the endless layer of clouds, as though he was not looking at the empty heavens above Solara but at something far beyond what ordinary perception could ever reach.

He had not been standing there for very long. The very moment the Queen and that Monster became streaks of brilliant light and disappeared from above the Palace, he had instinctively tried to follow their location with his perception.

To be perfectly honest, he had actually succeeded...but only for a single instant. For that brief moment, he had sensed the direction in which they travelled before both of their presences vanished completely, leaving him unable to understand where they had gone.

From that moment until now, only a few minutes had passed, yet he had never stopped extending his perception through the sky above. Again and again he pierced through the thick sea of clouds, searching every direction in an attempt to pinpoint their location, but every attempt ended the same way. His senses could clearly reach far beyond the clouds themselves, yet neither the Queen nor the Monster could be found anywhere. It was as if they had been taken to an entirely different place rather than simply travelling farther away, making even someone like him wonder just how powerful a person had to be to forcefully bring an opponent to a location of their own choosing.

After remaining silent for another moment, the Guildmaster lightly shook his head before finally lowering it. A small laugh escaped him as he spoke to himself, ”Haha, I shouldn’t concern myself with this matter. Her Majesty is probably having fun with that Monster. After all, it’s been centuries since she last faced an opponent powerful enough to entertain her.”

He continued floating there quietly for a few more moments before his eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze shifted far ahead, stretching toward the very Inn where Atlas was staying. A faint smile formed on his face as he muttered, ”That Human...his perception is far higher than it appears on the surface. Even from that distance, he noticed me standing here...heh.”

A quiet chuckle escaped him, but the amusement vanished almost immediately. Without releasing even the slightest fluctuation of Spirit Energy, an invisible pressure suddenly spread around his body as his pupils slowly shifted toward the corner of his eyes. His expression remained calm as he spoke in an indifferent voice, ”Alberion Soberun...why are you here at this moment? Shouldn’t you be inside the Guild’s reserved room prepared for you?”

The moment those words left his mouth, a figure could be seen floating several meters behind him. It was Alberion. He had been standing there from the very beginning...yes, from the moment that Monster had appeared above Solara until now. The Guildmaster had sensed his presence the entire time but simply chose not to acknowledge it until this moment.

”I set up a barrier around the entire Guild so the pressure from that Monster wouldn’t affect the Guild staff or the people inside it. Yet you came out, stood here, and endured that pressure directly...and even then, not even your breathing changed.” The Guildmaster slowly turned around to face Alberion, whose usual smile still remained on his face. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he asked, ”What exactly did you do?”

For a long moment, Alberion neither spoke nor answered the question. He simply continued looking at the Guildmaster with that same unreadable smile on his face, making the surroundings fall into complete silence.

The Guildmaster did not rush him either. His expression remained completely indifferent as his eyes stayed fixed on the Elf standing before him, as though he was waiting to see how long Alberion intended to keep avoiding the question.

After several more silent moments, the Guildmaster finally spoke again.

”You aren’t going to answer?”

His voice remained calm and expressionless, carrying neither anger nor impatience. Yet the moment those words fell, he slowly lifted his right hand. There was no release of Spirit Energy, nor any fluctuation of pressure that ordinary people could perceive, but Alberion’s instincts immediately screamed at him. Before the Guildmaster could make another movement, Alberion finally opened his mouth.

”Guildmaster, I would suggest you refrain from doing that. I am not a resident of this continent. I am a Knight of the Elven continent, sent here under the orders of Queen Eliana herself. If even a scratch lands on me...you already know what kind of consequences that would bring between the two continents, don’t you?”

At those words, the Guildmaster stopped raising his hand. His narrowed eyes remained fixed on Alberion for a brief moment before a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.

”You think I haven’t already accounted for that?” he said before letting out a quiet laugh. ”I was already expecting a sly answer like this from you...well, it doesn’t really matter what you did. Other than using some special Relic...or perhaps relying on that World Tree connection all you Elves possess, I don’t see any other method that would allow you to stand under that pressure so comfortably.” His smile widened slightly before he laughed again. ”Hahaha...”

Only then did Alberion’s expression finally change. The smile that had remained on his face until now slowly disappeared, while his jaw unconsciously tightened from the Guildmaster’s mocking tone.

’Tch...Bastard.’

He cursed inwardly, but that was all he could do. No matter how dissatisfied he felt, he knew very well that provoking the Guildmaster would only bring unnecessary trouble upon himself. The difference between the two of them was simply too great. Earlier, during that sudden Incident inside the Guild hall, the Guildmaster had already demonstrated abilities that completely exceeded Alberion’s expectations.

The terrifying control over Gravity alone was enough to place him among the strongest individuals Alberion had ever encountered, yet that wasn’t even the most frightening part. What truly unsettled him was that ridiculous clone ability the Guildmaster had displayed so casually before everyone, as though revealing one of his greatest trump cards carried no consequences whatsoever.

If one remembered what Seraphiel had explained before, the reason Explorers never openly revealed their Unique Abilities was extremely simple. A Unique Ability was often the greatest advantage a person possessed in battle. Once an enemy understood how it worked, countless strategies could be created to counter it.

Many powerful Explorers had eventually died simply because their opponents learned about their abilities beforehand. That was why most people guarded information about their Unique Ability more carefully than even their own cultivation techniques.

Yet... the Guildmaster had done the exact opposite.

He had displayed his Gravity Manipulation and even that mysterious clone ability in front of all those powerful people without showing the slightest hesitation. It wasn’t because he was careless...it was because he simply didn’t care who learned about them.

His overwhelming strength gained through cultivation, countless years of combat experience, and complete confidence in his own strength gave him the freedom to reveal what others desperately tried to hide. Even if someone knew his abilities beforehand, they still wouldn’t be capable of defeating him.

That single display had already made one thing perfectly clear to Alberion and everyone else who witnessed it.

Stay away from this man unless absolutely necessary.

Returning his thoughts to the present, Alberion suddenly realized the Guildmaster had already disappeared. There had been no movement, no fluctuation, and not even the slightest sign before he vanished from the sky altogether, leaving Alberion floating there alone.

He let out a long sigh before quietly speaking to himself.

”And Here I thought Angels were all righteous after meeting Knight Arkas...but it seems not all Angels are the same, Aside from this...I just have to wait until tomorrow and eliminate that Human at all costs,

With those final words, Alberion’s body blurred slightly before disappearing from the sky as well. A moment later, his figure reappeared inside the Guild Building itself, within the reserved room the Guildmaster had prepared for him earlier. After everything that had happened throughout the day, even Alberion had no intention of remaining awake any longer.

Just like Atlas, he finally decided to rest and wait for tomorrow.