More!!!

He had initially felt weak, with soreness all over, but now, not even the slightest feeling of weakness was present.

"Does this mean my muscle fibers have already healed?"

"Indeed! That's the effect that comes with a breakthrough. All the feeling of exhaustion disappears along with it."

Just as Ariana had explained, taking in the strange force made him feel as if a refreshing blast of air had entered his lungs before leaving again.

"So it works!" Garmond's eyes flashed with excitement.

"Were you doubting me?" Ariana scoffed.

"No, it's just I've never really experienced something like this before," he replied with a wry smile.

"I won't say anything. But you can see the effects for yourself now."

Garmond felt genuine joy overwhelm him. With this newfound technique, he knew he could train harder and become stronger! The strength that took him years to attain would now take only mere months.

"And I'll be powerful enough to face off against Azazel again!" The thought filled him with exhilaration. All he had to trade for strength was pain!

Now, his dream didn't seem so far-fetched.

A masochistic smile crept onto Garmond's face. If it's only pain, then it's nothing, he thought.

Having enough power would finally allow him to put everything in place. Even someone like Azazel wouldn't be much trouble.

This realization brought him a strong sense of relief. Now, he wasn't as worried.

"I'll continue tomorrow; it's already late," Garmond said, looking into the dark sky. Hendrix had left him a while back.

He had completed his training and decided to head to the hunting grounds to collect a few monster cores to trade for food the next day.

"It was a long day. Let's see how the next one goes," he said, glancing at the wristband that now displayed new digits.

"1000."

He had already reached half the initial goal!

---

Garmond walked back into the dormitory hallway. It was eerily quiet; the others were already fast asleep.

"I don't want anybody waking up," Garmond muttered as he carefully navigated the passage, doing his best to avoid any noise.

Up ahead, he spotted a figure. He immediately became wary, unable to see who—or what—lay behind the veil of darkness.

With soft steps, the figure emerged, revealing a graceful silhouette illuminated by the moonlight.

Her bright green eyes shone like diamonds as she scrutinized Garmond.

It's only her, Garmond thought, feeling relieved.

"So, you were still out, training until now?" she asked, a hint of amazement in her voice.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" Garmond shot back, frowning slightly.

"Nope, not at all," she replied with a shrug. "But I do have a question for you," she added, throwing a sharp glare at him.

"And what might that be?"

Garmond met her gaze without flinching. A while back, he might have struggled to face her, but now they were both on equal footing.

"That hair of yours... it's weird," she said.

Garmond's brows knitted in confusion. What was she getting at?

"Do you have a problem with that? If you do, keep it to yourself," he replied coldly, walking past her. He didn't interact well with nobles; they annoyed him. Somehow, though, he had managed to be best friends with Castan. Castan wasn't like the other nobles—he never looked down on anyone and, despite his power, he never bullied the weak.

She grasped his hand suddenly. Garmond reacted almost instinctively, holding her tightly before slamming her against the wall.

"..." She winced, staring deep into his cold purple eyes. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Stop wasting my time. What do you want to tell me? If you have something to say, make it snappy," Garmond said, his gaze stern.

Her face reddened slightly as she peered into his eyes. He's too close, she thought, trying to pull her hands free.

Suddenly, a door creaked open from one of the rooms.

"Hey, you guys are making—" Stephen began, poking his head out, but he left his statement hanging. He observed the two for a second before slowly retreating back inside.

Seeing Stephen's reaction, Garmond loosened his grip and let Lilian down.

He certainly became stronger, she thought, rubbing her wrist. He looked frail and weak, yet how does he have so much power?!

"I just wanted to ask—are you from the Ravenspare family?" she said, her voice laced with curiosity.

Hearing that, Garmond's brows shot up in surprise, and a teasing smile crossed his lips. "Where did you hear that name?"

"More precisely, are you Gary Ravenspare?" she smirked, seeing the surprised look on his face.

Garmond took a deep breath, his aura changing instantly. She suddenly felt a choking pressure weigh down on her. His eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

Since she knew of his family and, apparently, about him, there was no need to hide anymore. His demeanor had made a complete turnaround.

"Young girl, you have a lot to explain. If it isn't satisfactory, I'll be crippling you," he said, his voice cold and serious.

'I think I made the wrong choice meeting him,' Lilian thought, shivering slightly under Garmond's intense gaze.

"You should know that you can't harm me as long as we're within these walls. So either you calm down and hear what I have to say, or you forget it," she said, gathering her courage.

"And who told you I can't harm you? I can simply have your head and leave these walls," Garmond said with a smirk, his voice steady and unwavering.

"...Well," she hesitated, realizing she had no other leverage against him. She could only submit to his words.

"Good girl," Garmond said with a grin. This interaction reminded him of his dear daughter. Although they hadn't spent much time together, he cherished the moments they had. Teasing her with little things brought him joy.

"So, tell me, how did you come to know about my family and our history? Last I remembered, it should have died with us fifty years ago," Garmond asked.

"Maybe for some, but not for all. Let's go somewhere safer. It won't be nice for you to be on a bounty list soon," Lilian suggested, her composed demeanor returning.

Without sparing him a second glance, she took large strides toward her room door. He's so annoying, she muttered under her breath.

With a smile, Garmond followed behind her. "What do you think, Ariana? At least now I won't have to act anymore. I have someone I can play with."

"You have a twisted personality," she replied calmly.

"I couldn't ask for anything better," Garmond chuckled. Acting like a kid all this time to fit in had been taxing. Now, he could show a bit of his real self, even if he wasn't the best at interacting.

"But I was cool there, right?" Garmond pressed, trying to elicit a compliment from Ariana.

"...I would have thought you were a pervert if I didn't know better," she replied after a slight pause.

"I was just trying to be intimidating, nothing more. I was bluffing," he defended.

"Like I said, 'if I didn't know better,' I figured you were just messing with her. If she were to scream, it would alert all the inspectors instantly, and they'd be here before you could run," she spoke quickly, leaving Garmond feeling a bit dizzy.

"Whatever. Let's just hear what she has to say; I have a lot of questions myself."