My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

Three years later

Frostholme hadn’t changed much in appearance, but it had regained its former liveliness. After the devastating Beast Tide three years ago, the city had faced many hardships. Merchant traffic had slowed dramatically, severely affecting local businesses.

But those dark days were now in the past. The city had slowly recovered its vitality and charm once again.

Inside a lively tavern in Frostholme, two merchants were drinking beer and stuffing their mouths with food as they talked.

”Did you hear? Demon Generals have appeared and destroyed two cities in the Kalemor Kingdom.”

”Seriously, what the fuck is the Twilight Order doing?”

”Didn’t you hear? They’re fighting among themselves. There’s a rumor that there are traitors among the Supreme Leaders.”

”Still, the other members are handling the demon situation as best as they can.”

”Why are you defending those bastards? They act so arrogant, like they’re on a completely different level from the rest of us. They couldn’t even find the traitors and are busy fighting each other.”

”You don’t understand the importance of the Supreme Leaders...”

At a certain table inside the same tavern, a very handsome young man sat eating his meal. His body was compact and refined with lean, powerful muscles.

He wore a simple black shirt and brown pants. The man appeared fully focused on the conversation between the two merchants, but nearly every female adventurer in the tavern couldn’t take their eyes off him.

”The Supreme Leaders are on a completely different level. Their strength is beyond our comprehension, so it’s understandable they’re having a difficult time.”

”I also heard about a man called the Slaughter Monarch. He single-handedly destroyed the Beast Tide that nearly wiped out this city three years ago. He even has his own army of strange demonic beasts.”

”Where the fuck is he now? I thought he would keep helping innocent people like he said he would.”

”Maybe he was just another wannabe hero who got scared once the real big villains started showing up.”

The handsome man who had been quietly listening to their discussion smiled and stood up and walked over to their table.

Both merchants were a little drunk, but they were surprised to see such a tall imposing, strikingly handsome man approaching them.

”What do you want?” they asked.

The handsome man sat down on the empty chair at their table and smiled. ”Are you two from the capital, Vaunis?”

The two merchants exchanged glances before turning back to him. ”So what if we are?”

The handsome man chuckled softly. ”You two don’t have to be so tense. Relax...” He slid two gold coins across the table toward them.

Although they were merchants, they appeared to be struggling ones who weren’t particularly wealthy. Their eyes sparkled at the sight of the gold coins. They quickly clutched the coins and asked eagerly, ”What do you want from us, dear handsome brother?”

The handsome man laughed lightly. ”Just ’brother’ is fine.” He continued, ”I want you two to tell me more details about the Demon Generals you were talking about.”

”Hm... let’s see. As you might have already heard, the Blood Moon Cult went on a crime spree. Their true objective was hidden, but the only information that got out was that they were collecting life force by killing people of every races .”

”This task was given to them by the Demon Generals. It seems that when they faced less resistance from the Twilight Order, their plan succeeded.

Now the Demon Generals have come out of hiding, and many speculations are circulating that something big is about to happen.”

”Why do you say that?” the handsome man asked.

The merchant answered, ”It is said that life force is used to increase the demons’ vitality... and for another purpose.”

”And that is?”

”Resurrection,” the merchant replied.

The handsome man raised his eyebrows.

”Where did you get this information from?”

The merchant rubbed his nose proudly. ”I shouldn’t reveal this, but since you’re so generous... my uncle is a member of the Twilight Order.”

”Although he’s only at a lower rank, the information is still credible.”

The handsome man pondered for a moment before asking, ”Do you guys know if this will affect the Empire’s Grand Youth Tournament? It’s going to be held in one month.”

”Nah... you probably don’t know since you seem to live here,” one merchant replied. ”But security has been increased greatly this time.

There are rumors that the sister of the Elf Emperor — considered the second most beautiful woman in the world, Aurora Ithilrin is coming to watch the tournament in her brother’s stead.”

The handsome man was surprised to hear such an important figure was attending. If she was considered the second most beautiful woman in the world, he definitely had to see her for himself.

”Will the other Emperors be there as well?” he asked.

”No... they won’t. And the Human Emperor hasn’t been seen in many months. He must be on some important mission, so the chances are low.”

”So if the Elf Emperor’s sister is coming, and other emperors not , does that mean our relationship with the Elves is very good?”

”Yes, it seems so. And rumor has it that Lady Aurora isn’t the type who likes being in crowds.

She prefers to stay alone and focus on growing her strength. She’s so beautiful that she always covers her face with a veil. If any man looks at her with lustful eyes and she notices... she kills them instantly.”

”She’s also been given a title by the masses of the world — Ruthless Beauty. Despite being an Elf, her nature is quite different from most of them.”

”So yeah, to answer your question... the chance of external events affecting the tournament is very, very low.

All the powerhouses will be present, including Lady Aurora’s personal security forces....oh I forgot to mention — she is as powerful as an Emperor.”

”...”

The handsome man was surprised once again. He had only ever heard about Emperor-level figures before. Knowing that there were people whose strength is on par with them was both new and exciting information.

He was about to ask more when a familiar voice interrupted him.

”Nova!!”

The handsome man turned around, surprised. Standing at the entrance of the tavern was Rieka, a frown on her beautiful face.

Nova stood up and said awkwardly to the merchants, ”Okay brothers, thanks for the information. Gotta go now... my wife is calling.”

He walked over to Rieka and asked, ”What is it?” before leaning in and kissing her soft pink lips.

Rieka hadn’t changed much in three years, but her face had become even more beautiful, and her body had grown more voluptuous and mature thanks to their very often intense private sessions.

The merchants stared in awe at how stunning she was, unable to believe such a beautiful woman existed. One of them muttered enviously, ”Lucky bastard... he’s got both money and a beautiful wife.”

They would have coughed blood if they knew Nova had another beautiful wife who had also matured over the three years into an even more breathtaking beauty.

Nova and Rieka stepped out of the tavern. Rieka spoke with a slightly annoyed tone, ”Did you forget? You were supposed to meet me and Asia at the Duke’s estate to discuss more about her bloodline.

Tomorrow is her birthday, and now she’s upset because you’re late.”

Nova gently caressed Rieka’s cheek and said reassuringly, ”Don’t worry, honey... she won’t stay upset for long. I got caught up gathering important information about the capital and the Blood Moon Cult.”

Rieka’s curiosity was piqued as she asked, ”What did you find out?”

Nova smiled and explained everything to her. A hint of concern appeared on her face.

”Do you think it’s true?”

”I don’t know... maybe it is, or maybe it isn’t. It’s still just speculation, but we’ll find out soon enough,” Nova replied.

Rieka nodded. ”Let’s go then.”

Nova nodded, and they started walking together.

Deep down, Nova was quite curious. He remembered the challenge he had issued to ”110” three years ago. Since then, he hadn’t seen or heard of any Blood Moon Cult members in Frostholme.

Was it because 110 had hidden the information about him from his superiors to cover up his own failure?

That could be the reason. Or perhaps stronger members had already infiltrated the city. Whatever the case, he would find out soon enough — he would be leaving for Vaunis soon.

As the two of them were walking, they noticed a small crowd gathered in front of a restaurant, shouting angrily at someone.

Nova activated Instinct Dominion and quickly scanned the situation. In the center of the commotion stood a man who was about 158 cm tall, dressed in white eastern-style robes. He had long black hair tied up in a ponytail and had above average face , he was arguing heatedly with the crowd.

Nova’s interest was immediately piqued. The man was a Mid-Level Grandmaster, yet he was skillfully concealing his aura.

Thanks for reading....