Two Different Minds

For a hot moment, Asher was genuinely a bit taken aback by Elsa's sudden yet accurate guess. His family past wasn't something he really likes to think about or even consider a good talking point.

However, Elsa had just made him recall surging memories that were buried deep into his subconscious.

A slight mix of emotions swelled inside Asher's chest. But, there was also something strange he noticed about himself at the same time.

Whenever he was to suddenly recount past memories, a deep sense of melancholy, regret and all other negative emotions would heavily affect his mental state.

Before he met Yuki, this would occasionally happen. And every time, Asher just had to force down those emotions, unwilling to properly deal with them.

However, right now, Asher didn't really feel affected at all. It was then he recalled his fight with Jayline.

During the moment he was utterly dominating him, memories had unwillingly surged in his mind. But Asher was able to easily push them down and even forgot about it these past few days.

Now, because Elsa's words made him fully recall past memories, Asher didn't feel his mental state get heavily affected at all.

Once again, Asher started to think….could this possibly be related to him becoming a full-fledged ghost?

Even when he saw Tiger Killer's brutal death, he for sure felt nerves tensed his body, but he could still regain his calm relatively fast.

If his mental state really is changing this much, Asher couldn't help but wonder if his personality will experience drastic changes later in his life that would influence how he deals with all kinds of situations.

Whether these changes would be good or bad, he couldn't possibly tell as of now. But one thing for sure, Asher knew his whole personality will have inevitable drastic shifts in the future.

No matter what happens, Asher knew it would be undoubtedly impossible to change his core personality.

Thoughts like these ran through his mind, causing Asher to stay silent for a few seconds. It was then he noticed that Elsa was still patiently staring at him, awaiting his response.

Asher took a moment to appreciate the fact that Elsa, no matter how indifferent she appears to be, is a genuine caring girl in the end.

Focusing himself back on their conversation, Asher took a slight deep breath and spoke in an even tone. "There's never a moment that escapes your sharp eyes, huh? But yea….experiences like this aren't something fresh to me. In all honesty, I don't mind discussing my past at all if it's with you. Are you the same?"

Now it was Elsa's turn to deeply contemplate for a moment. Compared to Asher, who went through a life-changing experience all in a week, she had a more grounded reaction.

Although, the fact that she lives with a high-class, wealthy family certainly means her reaction is far different from the norm.

The thing was, Elsa realized if she was alone, her mental state would actually be more closed off.

From previous numerous years of complete isolation, she came to accept locking her emotions and feelings. Not only did it make it easier to deal with her family, but it also had sound effects on her cultivation.

With no one to really open up to, it made dealing with such savagery seemingly easier.

However, all that changed now that she's in a relationship with Asher.

The fact that he can still retain a certain sense of calmness gave Elsa a feeling of security she never even knew she needed. Her previously locked emotions and feelings were gradually coming undone the more time she intimately spent with Asher.

There was something immensely comforting about Asher that Elsa couldn't precisely identify. She just knows she could unload her emotions onto him, and he would be able to take it all in and understand her.

This is why now, Elsa didn't feel panic or worried that she felt a surging mix of emotions bubble inside her chest from the previous match. She thought it was more natural to experience a blend of feelings from overseeing death in real-time.

Becoming someone who simply suppressed their emotions, becoming indifferent to everything made Elsa feel like she would lose her touch with humanity.

Though Asher couldn't see it, a small smile started to curve up Elsa's lips. The fact she was having all of these varying, strange thoughts would be simply unthinkable to her past self.

But now, Elsa felt like this would clear her mental state and help her grow more, not only as a cultivator but also as a human.

And to think, she could slowly start to perceive this because she accepted her locked feelings for Asher. Even though this was only one match with one swift death, this moment made a more impact on Elsa's mind than she could've ever possibly imagined.

This is why Elsa grasped Asher's hand tighter and told him,

"I actually don't mind it at all. Initially, the worries I had over my family always weighed on my mind, stopping me from getting too deep into my past. But after this match…. I've come to some realizations. However, if we're going to have a talk like that, I much rather prefer it to be in a more intimate environment."

Curious about what realizations Elsa had made, Asher nodded in agreement with her. "There's no denying you there. But, in any case, let's not put a whole serious mood on our date. Do you want to see the other areas here? I think I saw some kind of sign back up in the general room that will lead us to a reward room."

Asher felt a touch of excitement from Elsa as she had visibly perked up.

As Asher said, she focused her mind off from her more serious thoughts and began to speak in an eager tone, saying,

"Let's do that. I'm quite curious about what a noble place like this has in stock for rewards."

It was honestly cute hearing that kind of eager voice from the normally reserved Elsa. Right then, Asher peered his eyes around the audience area and noticed they really are the only ones left.

Before they knew it, they had really got too invested in that little talk. Asher felt a wry smile form on his lips as he shook his head.

And then, hand in hand with Elsa, the duo began to head out of the underground arena at last.

….

After a couple of minutes of walking, Asher and Elsa swiftly made it back to the main hall. And as they expected, it was still full of fancy-looking System's souls' cultivators.

When they arrived here, Asher quickly shuffled his eyes through this vast room. With his excellent memory, it only took him a few moments before his sights landed on a corridor that had the sign, 'Reward Room' above it.

"Ah. It's right over there." Asher had gotten Elsa's attention and nudged his head over towards that same corridor.

Elsa gave a slight hum of agreement, and Asher led the way this time. They quickly made it over to the corridor, and before going down it, the duo already noticed something odd.

Compared to the usual bustling of the previous areas, there wasn't anyone down the 'Reward Room' corridor.

Moreover, this area had a higher exquisite noble appearance than the previous areas. At the end of the corridor were two large, shiny golden doors, and in front of the doors was an imposing-looking man.

This man held the same fancy tuxedo outfit as the guardsmen just outside the Burning Night Pit gates.

With their curiosity, Asher and Elsa started to walk down this corridor. But as the duo got close to the guard, they stopped when he suddenly spoke out to them.

"If you do not have a Night Badge, you cannot enter here."

"Night Badge?"

Asher and Elsa quietly muttered to themselves. When they recalled the people walking around here, neither spotted any kind of badge on their clothes.

Since the guard had immediately called them out for not having one, Asher and Elsa thought people coming down here would need to have their Night Badge out in the open.

Still, Asher felt his curiosity rise, so he started to ask, "These Night Badges….I think memory is slipping me, but they are related to singing up and fighting matches within here, right?"

Though Asher had limited knowledge, he could still make some educated guesses based on what he heard from that surrounding audience. Moreover, he also didn't want to seem like a person who is his first time coming here as that could raise potential unwanted questions.

Asher couldn't precisely say why, but he just felt like it would be better to pretend he had occasionally been here before rather than fresh meat.

It's why the guard had only looked at Asher with a slightly odd expression.

"You should remember since you're coming down here. Of course, one must fight if you want the treasure rewards." The guard explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Elsa had then spoken up next, saying, "So say if one that comes here occasionally suddenly gained a new interest to fight here. How would one sign up for their first match?"

The guard's eyes squinted ever so slightly on Asher and Elsa. His Aura Sense quickly swept through them, but he only felt a mild appraisal for Elsa.

He had then explained, "If you desire to fight, but it's your first time, you will need to go to the testing center. From there, you will be examined to see if you're even worthy enough to participate in matches."

Ideas began to swirl in both Asher and Elsa's minds. While they contemplated the guard's words, Elsa told him,

"Thank you for the information."

The guard only gave the duo one last glance before setting his attention back forward.

With that done, Elsa began pulling Asher back out of the corridor, ending up back to the main hall.

Asher pushed his other ideas down for later and asked Elsa then, "So with that area off-limits, want to keep exploring around?"

"Hmmm….alright. We have some time before we need to wrap this up." Elsa readily agreed.

With the time they had left, Asher and Elsa used the remainder to fully enjoy their date until it was time for them to go.