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Chapter 80

Anna, who had been watching from the side, clapped her hands.

“Your ability to assess the situation and make decisions was good. However, it\'s a pity that you used the strategy that the Young master told you.”

Anna spoke while looking at where Kane was hiding.

Then Kane emerged from between the trees.

“Isn\'t this training a bit too intense?”

“It’s something the Young master requested.”

The mid-boss level monster Sigmis had insane defense, as expected from a golem.

Most attacks were ineffective against its body.

Moreover, being a fire golem, its attack power was also strong.

Messing with it recklessly would often lead to death.

“So, what brings you here?”

Anna\'s question was met with a prompt response from Kane.

“I was thinking about which hidden territory to enter and ended up here.”

“Are you going to train?”

“I thought I might as well gather some high-quality elemental mana stones while I’m at it.”

Anna\'s eyes gleamed briefly. It was a very fleeting moment.

“With your skills, my lord… how about the Shadow Isles?”

“The Shadow Isles?”

As Kane pondered what could be in that realm, an artifact flashed through his mind.

‘The Gauntlet of Shadows! That’s where it is.’

The Gauntlet of Shadows had two functions.

The first was to suppress the mana fluctuations, making it a useful artifact for catching an opponent off guard.

And the second function, which was the most important, was its ability to create a avatar of the wearer using mana.

Not only that, but it could also mimic the wearer\'s speech patterns and had about one-third of their mana, making it extremely useful for setting traps for enemies.

“That place sounds good. You’ve been helpful.”

“Not at all.”

While Kane and Anna were talking, Blata had somehow found his way into Sara’s arms. He was tattling to her about what had happened earlier.

“You know, Kane keeps calling me a mutt. So I bit him! But then he just looked down on me even more!”

“Did he now?”

“Yeah, he’s a really bad guy. He knows I’m slow at running, so he always leaves me behind.”

“That’s mean.”

“Right? He’s a really mean person.”

“Do you want to come with me then? I’ll treat you better than him.”

“Hmm…”

Blata pondered for a moment, but soon opened his mouth.

“It’s not that I hate Kane or anything... it’s just that he’s a little annoying, that’s all. I would never actually hate him. Hehe.”

After finishing his response, Blata smiled brightly.

He was so adorable that the women nearby flocked around him.

“Miss Sara, what is this little creature?”

“His fur pattern looks just like a tiger.”

“How can his fur be this soft?”

They were the female slaves that had been entrusted to Anna. Now, they served as Sara’s personal maids.

“Hey, you lot aren’t worthy of touching… Kya-hahaha!”

Blata was in ecstasy under the women’s gentle hands.

Kane shook his head in disbelief.

“That little guy is definitely a male.”

How else could he be so happy about it? His smiling face seemed full of mischief.

“More than that, Sara’s level isn’t rising as fast as I expected.”

[Lv.58 Sara Rehinar (★★★☆☆)]

This progress was a result of defeating the mid-boss level Sigmis.

The maximum level for a 3-star character is 60.

Sara needed to level up two more times to reach the max level.

“Is it because she requires significantly more experience points than Camilla?”

There were differences in experience requirements between characters.

The higher the character’s rank and base stats, the more experience points were needed.

Even among 3-star characters, the required experience points weren\'t uniform.

‘I should hit max level by the time I return from the Shadow Isles.’

Kane swiped his hand in the air, opening a hologram.

[4-Star Promotion Requirements for Sara Rehinar]

- Master Twin-Swordsmanship

- Enroll in the Rehinar Military Academy

- Obtain a 4-star or higher weapon

- Equip 3-star or higher armor

- Equip 3-star or higher accessories

The conditions for Sara’s promotion were even more challenging than when Camilla was promoted.

But they weren’t impossible.

The toughest requirement was enrolling in the Rehinar Military Academy.

Fortunately, the academy was already established.

Once the students from the Royal Military Academy transferred, it would be fully operational.

‘All I need to do is gather the armor materials and elemental mana stones.’

“Blata, let’s go.”

“Can’t I stay a little longer, Kane?”

“Then I’ll leave without you.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!”

Blata jumped out of Sara’s arms and hurriedly trotted over to Kane.

“If you’re heading to the Shadow Isles, it’s best to leave Camilla here. Even with your current strength, you won’t be able to watch over her too.”

Anna’s suggestion was valid, but who was he?

He was once the mighty Ray Hatzfeld.

It might be a bit challenging, but he could still protect Camilla.

“Camilla needs to train as well.”

“I’ll ensure she trains with Miss Sara until you return.”

“That works for me.”

Kane altered his original plan based on Anna’s words.

If Camilla trained under Anna, her combat experience would skyrocket in a short amount of time.

Anna was ruthless when it came to training.

“Camilla, learn well from Anna.”

“Yes! Please take care of yourself.”

Camilla responded readily.

If it had been in the past, she would have clung to him.

It must have been Anna’s influence.

Who would refuse the opportunity to be trained by a master like Anna?

Anna was no longer just anyone.

After the end of the first wave of mutated monsters, word had spread throughout the family that she was actually the legendary Anna Werner.

This was another reason why Camilla obediently followed Anna’s instructions.

“I’ll be back.”

Leaving Camilla behind, Kane set off for the hidden territory of the Shadow Isles with Blata.

* * *

The Inn.

A pile of tiny gems, no larger than a pinky nail, lay in front of Gillip.

Yet, his face was full of dissatisfaction. He looked as if his irritation had reached its peak.

“Damn it, I can\'t believe I made such a losing deal.”

Hano, the second-in-command of the black crow exchange, spoke cautiously.

“This guy isn\'t ordinary. We might have escaped the wolf\'s den only to stumble into the tiger\'s lair.”

“I think the same, damn it.”

Gillip ruffled his hair in frustration.

The losses from this deal were enormous—probably about three times what he had initially braced for.

They were on the brink of having to fund the development of Rehinar with their own money.

With nothing left over, bankruptcy was a looming possibility.

The deal with Kane was pure loss.

“Maybe we should just flee to Hatzfeld?”

“They\'ll kill us if we\'re caught.”

“Yeah, you\'re right.”

“Kane Rehinar… is a devil.”

“That kind of maniac is probably the reason why Count Dyer\'s head is hanging on the east gate.”

“For now, we should endure the losses and wait for a better time.”

“Haaa, how did I end up dealing with such a madman?”

Gillip let out a deep sigh.

The stress was so overwhelming that he felt like he was losing his hair. It seemed like his lifespan had shortened by about ten years.

“By the way, boss, what are these gems?”

“As a result of that cursed deal, this is the parting gift he so graciously gave me.”

“Is that so?”

Hano picked up one of the tiny gems. It was the largest one there, about the size of a fingernail.

As he turned it over, something caught his eye.

“Boss, there\'s something inside the gem.”

“What could possibly be inside a gem?”

“I’m serious. It looks like two crossed swords over a red dot…”

“Give it here. If you\'re wrong, you\'re dead.”

Annoyed, Gillip snatched the gem from Hano.

He examined it closely.

“There’s nothing in… wait, there is?”

Inside the gem, just as Hano described, was a pattern resembling two crossed swords over a red dot.

It was unmistakable.

“Isn’t that the mark of the Guardian Family?”

“Yes… it is.”

As Gillip tilted the gem, the red dot inside moved as well.

“Holy sh—!”

“What’s wrong?”

“The, the red dot moved, but the pattern didn’t break!”

“What!?”

Hano looked bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.

But Gillip didn’t care.

He picked up another gem, even smaller than the first one.

He had to squint and focus his mana just to barely make out the red dot inside.

“This one’s the same!”

Gillip examined each gem one by one, his face gradually filling with exhilaration.

“That madman…”

Though he cursed under his breath, his lips were curling into a broad grin.

The gems were so small they had to be handled with tiny tweezers, and only with concentrated mana could the red dot inside be seen.

“This is… incredible!”

"What’s going on?"

"Can you put a red droplet inside a gem this small?"

"Absolutely not."

"And keep it intact like this?"

Gillip shook the gem vigorously.

"Can you shake it and still keep the red droplet’s shape intact?"

"I told you, it’s impossible."

"The emblem of the most prestigious family in the Fresia Empire is inside this gem. If you were buying, would you choose this gem or a different one?"

Hano scratched his cheek before answering.

"I’d probably buy this one."

"Why?"

"Because it has the Rehinar emblem. Even if they fall, the name Rehinar will remain engraved in the minds of the Empire’s people. And…"

"And what?"

"If the Rehinar family falls, the value of this gem will skyrocket… So, I’d buy it."

Gillip was satisfied with Hano\'s answer.

It was exactly what he wanted to hear.

Gillip asked another question.

"And if the Rehinar family thrives?"

"Then the value of the gem will be even higher than if they had fallen."

"I think so too. Do you know who crafted this gem?"

"Who made it?"

"Kane Rehinar. That crazy bastard crafted this gem using a mana stone."

"What!?"

Hano was utterly shocked.

The gem didn’t appear rough or unrefined.

It was exquisitely crafted, sophisticated in design.

To think Kane Rehinar had created it—it was almost unbelievable.

"There’s only one final test. If this gem doesn’t break easily… we’re going to make a fortune."

Gillip’s eyes practically glimmered with dollar signs.

"Please don’t break. Then this gem will have true value."

Gillip concentrated mana into his fingers.

It seemed as though he intended to crush the gem into powder.

He applied force to his fingers.

At that moment!

The gem sparkled and instantly released a surge of mana.

A barrier of water suddenly materialized, blocking Gillip’s path.

"HOLY-!"

Hano inhaled sharply.

Gillip\'s eyes were trembling violently.

He was so astonished that he could barely find his voice.

"Ha- Ha Mommy- hallelujah."

* * *

The Shadow Isles lay deeper to the northwest part of the demon forest.

An island within the demon forest.

Entering recklessly without knowing whether there was a barrier could result in instant death.

One would likely get lost in the Sea of Illusions, struggling until they perished.

Kane finally emerged from the dense forest.

Ahead of him was a vast expanse of grassland.

---

[Warning! The Shadow Isles is nearby.]

[Warning! Your level is insufficient. Turn back immediately.]

---

The warning messages kept flashing before him.

This was the Shadow Isles that Anna had mentioned.

"In the game, I wouldn’t have been able to enter, but I’ve been transported into this world. To me… this isn’t a game, it’s reality."

In the game, this area would have been locked due to level or rank restrictions.

But now, he lived in this world.

No space was off-limits to him.

He extended his hand forward.

---

[Skill ‘Blood Tiger\'s Breath (SR-)’ has been activated.]

---

The barrier appeared before his eyes.

---

[Bloodline of the Blood Tiger confirmed.]

[Barrier deactivated.]

---

The true form of the Shadow Isles was visible only to him.

The vast grassland was all a sea, with a single island sitting right in the middle.

"It’s been a while since I’ve been here, and my whole body’s tingling."

He had visited this place before when he was still Ray Hatzfeld.

It had been one of the challenging regions, like the Forest of deadly poisons.

"This time, I’ll clear it in one go."

A region meant for those at a 5th-Class level.

Kane planned to conquer it solo.