Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 97: Maybe We Were Best Friends In Our Past Lives

Two weeks before the Trial of Frieden Academy...

’Here it is again,’ Charles thought as he felt the familiar urge to go to the mountain take over his senses once more.

Over the past few days, the urge to head there had only grown stronger.

When he had first felt it, he had simply thought he was starting to hallucinate from all the training he’d done. But after a few days, the urge had come and gone again and again, each episode longer than the last.

Charles had been able to endure it in the past, but the call this time challenged his limit. The inexplicable pull felt so strong, he felt like his head would break apart if he didn’t give in to the voice calling out to him.

”Come...”

The haunting voice was too ambiguous, sounding neither like a man nor a woman.

But that was the least of his worries. He knew that if he didn’t go, he might lose his control over his mind and go crazy.

”Ugh... I don’t like this.” Charles felt nauseous as he did his best to keep his hold of his reason and resist the call with everything he had.

However, the urge assaulting his mind suddenly spiked in intensity, making the teenage boy blank out. In an instant, his eyes lost focus. As if falling into a trance, Charles walked out of his house and headed to the mountain from where he heard the voice.

Many of the villagers he passed along greeted him, but he uncharacteristically ignored all of them completely, continuing to walk ahead like a zombie who had lost the ability to think.

”Something doesn’t seem right.” Cairo, who had come to observe Charles with Alex, noted. ”Is he drunk? Why is he walking like that?”

Alex frowned, knowing Charles wasn’t someone who liked to drink alcohol.

But it was also true that the teenage boy was now indeed walking like a drunk person, completely oblivious of his surroundings.

”Let’s follow him for now, Master,” Alex suggested. ”He is leaving the village.”

Cairo nodded and followed the teenage boy along with his disciple.

Just like Alex, the Catkin was very curious about what was happening to the teenage boy, whom they had planned to talk to today.

An hour later, they arrived at the base of Briar Mountain, which made Alex’s expression turn solemn.

’Could it be?’ Alex thought.

He knew there was a Hidden Dungeon in Briar Mountain. This was the place he planned to visit before leaving Briarwood Village for the Capital City of Harmonia.

But the entrance of the dungeon shouldn’t appear until the night of the full moon, which would only happen in two days.

However, as they followed Charles, who was still in a trance, Alex confirmed that the former was indeed heading to the entrance of the Hidden Dungeon, where the Whirlwind Sword could be found.

The Hidden Dungeon was actually just a simple dungeon.

It only had two floors, and only Rank 1 Ant Monsters could be found inside it.

As long as Charles Lambert became a Ranker, challenging it alone wouldn’t be difficult.

According to Cairo, the teenage boy had finally become a Ranker, so Alex believed he wouldn’t face any danger inside the Hidden Dungeon.

’Still, there’s a nagging feeling at the back of my head,’ Alex thought.

Just as he was pondering what might be making him feel this way, a Rank 2 Brown Bear suddenly emerged from the trees and lunged at Charles with the intention to maul him.

Before Alex could react, a blur moved past him. A second later, the pained scream of the Brown Bear reverberated in the surroundings.

Blood dripped down the bear’s face from a deep cut on its head.

But Cairo had no intention of letting this opportunity pass, unleashing a series of quick sword strikes that ended the bear’s life before it could even understand what had happened.

Alex, who had caught up, dragged Charles away so that the teenage boy wouldn’t get hit by stray attacks from the two combatants.

Fortunately, the Catkin had eliminated the threat very quickly, making his disciple sigh in relief.

”Great job, Master!” Alex said before shifting his gaze to Charles, who was trying to break free from his hold. ”Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

When Charles realized he couldn’t break free from Alex’s hold, he started to snarl and growl, acting like a wild animal. Unable to free himself, he even resorted to biting Alex’s hand.

Fortunately, Alex summoned his shield on time, which protected him from getting bitten by the rabid teenage boy, who seemed to have lost his rationality.

”Dim Dim?”

”No. Dim Dim! Put down that brittle vial. Are you planning to hit me too?!”

The Dim Sum God had asked for permission to throw its secret weapon at Charles’ face to calm him down.

But Alex was currently holding the teenage boy, and there wasn’t much distance between them. If Dim Dim were to really throw a brittle vial, his eyes would also suffer.

”Should I knock him unconscious?” Cairo asked, completely ignoring the dead bear beside his feet.

”Yes, Master,” Alex replied. ”Make sure it won’t hurt him too much.”

Cairo nodded and gave Charles a quick and solid jab on his jaw, knocking him out cold.

Twenty minutes later...

*Poke*

”Nghh...”

*Poke* *Poke*

”Ngh.. Mnh....”

*Poke* *Poke* *Poke*

”Nghh!”

*Poke* *Poke* *Poke* *Poke*

Charles abruptly opened his eyes as he woke up from his sleep.

The first thing it saw was a small, white, and round creature, which resembled a baby slime up close.

An inch away from his nose hovered a little hand, the culprit that had woken him up from his slumber.

Seeing this scene, Alex couldn’t help but smile because he fully understood what Charles was feeling right now.

After all, Dim Dim woke him up in the same manner from time to time whenever it was in a playful mood.

”You... are Dim Dim, right?” Charles asked.

He had learned the name of Alex’s little pet from the shouts of the village’s children, who called out to the bun as they played tag with it in the village’s plaza.

”Dim Dim!” Dim Dim nodded and raised its body. ”Ahem~”

”Where am I?” Charles looked around himself.

The last thing he remembered was being at home, fighting the strong urge to head to the mountains.

Although he could still feel that something was calling out to him, he was now in full control of his senses, which he was thankful for.

”Can you please tell me what happened to me?” Charles asked. ”I don’t remember how I ended up here, but I don’t believe the two of you are kidnappers.”

”We found you walking like a zombie, so we got curious and followed you,” Alex answered. ”Don’t you remember? You were attacked by a Brown Bear, and Master rushed in to save you.”

Alex took the time to explain everything clearly, not wanting any misunderstandings with the teenage boy.

Charles listened to Alex speak from start to end, then nodded in understanding.

”Listen, I don’t know what came over you, but I believe we met for a reason,” Alex said with a smile. He’d been looking for the perfect opportunity to befriend Charles, and now, the opportunity presented itself.

”Perhaps we could help you with something? Don’t worry, Master and I are competent Adventurers. If something is bothering you, we will help you this one time for free. What do you say?”

The young man even stretched out his hand in a gesture of a handshake, acting in a very friendly manner.

”My name is Alex Stratos,” Alex said. ”What’s your name?”

”C-Charles,” Charles replied before reaching out to shake the young man’s hand. ”Charles Lambert.”

For some reason, Charles felt as if Alex was a very close friend whom he hadn’t seen for several years.

He couldn’t understand why he was feeling this way, but his instincts were telling him that the young man in front of him was someone he could trust with his life.

It was a very surreal feeling that went beyond words, and Charles said something before he realized what he had spoken.

”Have we met before?” Charles asked as he shook Alex’s hand. ”For some reason, I feel like I have known you for years.”

”Maybe we were best friends in our past lives,” Alex replied in a teasing tone.

”Could such a thing even happen?” Charles blinked.

”Who knows?” Alex answered. ”After all, this world is a world with endless possibilities.”

Cairo, who had been listening to the conversation, smiled faintly.

His disciple had traveled to Briarwood Village, risking his life to save Charles because of the vision of the future that he had seen.

At least, that was what the Catkin had understood after hearing the young man’s explanation.

Since he had decided to assist Alex in saving Charles and helping the latter reunite with his sisters, the Catkin would do his best to make it happen without sacrificing anyone in the process.