Visiting The Floating City

"We will finish the class here. Don't forget to do the assignment, as it is due by next Friday at the latest."

As the professor left class, the classroom was immediately filled with students' noises.

I yawned, feeling a little exhausted after not having a restful sleep last night.

The dream or maybe the vision that had haunted me before was back.

Even Zia, my roommate, was nowhere to be seen in the room. I didn't know if she had come back late at night or if she hadn't returned to our dorm room at all.

Her bedsheet was clean and cold as if she had never slept on her bed.

'Well, she's already 17. Surely, she can take care of herself,' I thought. But, a part of me couldn't help but be worried about her.

"Heck, if only I knew where her class is..." I muttered to myself.

Zia had never told me where her class was, and whenever I asked her about it, she would always change the topic.

The strange part was that when she did that, I felt like I wasn't myself.

I would immediately immerse in the topic she brought up and never mention the question I asked in the first place again for the rest of our conversation.

Shaking my head, I got up from my seat and headed to the training center.

…

Two hours later, inside the training center…

Practicing in the training center after classes had become my usual routine by now. However, even though I did that, it was still hard to raise my stats.

The main cause of my slow progress was my low growth potential.

Unlike the maximum potential that could be measured during the entrance exam, there was no way to know how much potential one had for growth except by guessing from experience.

Whenever they felt like they were growing slower, they could tell that their growth potential was low, probably a <D> rank or lower.

As for me, I had a hunch that my growth potential was potentially a <E> rank. It was just a hunch, but it was likely the case.

"I may need to consume both Horizon Elixir and Catalyst Potion if I want to boost my progress. The problem is that I don't have enough money..." I mused to myself.

There was also another variable that prevented me from consuming those expensive items.

Both of them had not yet made their appearance in the market. They were supposed to be produced three years from now.

'I can't wait for that long... Either I make them myself or commission someone to make them. But, those items are essential. It will be a waste if I just give them the recipes but don't get anything in return. I need someone who wants to make a deal with me…'

As I was trapped in my thought, a loud, yelling sound echoed in the air.

"HAA!!"

It was Seo Yeong-Ha. She was practicing her martial arts, a spar to be precise, and her opponent was a Latino guy with blonde hair. Leonardo Miguel.

Watching them spar intensively, I slowly backed away from the open field area in the middle section of the building.

As I backed away with my eyes locked on them, I accidentally bumped into someone behind me.

"Ouch!" A feminine voice brushed softly close to my ears.

"Oh. Sorry."

When I turned around, what I found wasn't someone's face but rather their dark violet-colored hair.

It was vibrant and caught my attention immediately. Though I couldn't see the person's face as their hair covered most of it, I could make out a pair of strikingly bright emerald eyes peeking through the strands.

'She looks familiar…' I thought as soon as I noticed her emerald eyes.

"Sorry," I said again.

"It's okay," she replied, sounding nonchalant.

The person took a step back and slightly pushed her hair aside, revealing her face. It was a familiar girl, with delicate features and a stoic smile on her lips.

Lumi Alicia. One of the main characters whose fate and role have already been altered because she did not get in the same class as the protagonist.

Though I doubted it could stop her from getting close to the other characters, especially Lux who showed eminent skills and potential. She would be eager to recruit him to her guild.

"Can you move aside?"

Noticing I was standing in front of her, I immediately stepped aside. "Oh, sure."

As I stepped aside, she quickly walked away, approaching Seo Yeong-Ha and Leonardo Miguel.

'Hmm. I guess that being placed in a different class doesn't affect her role that much, seeing that she maintains her relationship with both Leo and Seo Yeong-Ha.'

'Especially with Leo. As the two of them were heirs of influential conglomerate families, they were bound to have some sort of relationship since they were children.'

Turning around, I headed to the locker room, took a shower, and changed into my black and red uniform.

As I was changing into my academy uniform, I overheard a group who was discussing something.

"Hey. I heard that there will be an auction held by the Agate Auction House next week!"

"Agate? The auction house in New Avian? The floating city?"

"Yeah. That one! I'm going to ask my parents to buy me an artifact there."

The group of students continued to discuss, imagining this and imagining that.

I left the room as soon as I finished changing into my uniform.

'New Avian, huh?'

New Avian was a city known by two nicknames; Artisan Town, and Metro Trading City, it was a breathtaking floating city located in Europe, precisely above the North Sea, between the United Kingdom and France.

The floating city was a vibrant and bustling metropolitan city that served as a haven for artisans from around the world. It was a place where art, culture, and technology intersected, creating a unique environment for artisans to thrive and showcase their skills.

With its stunning architecture, advanced technologies second only to Octagram Island, and emphasis on sustainability, New Avian became a beacon of artisanship and creativity in Europe and the world.

'Now I know where I could get someone who will gladly make a deal with me.'

…

The next day, Saturday…

For today's occasion, I had transformed myself into Ian Crow.

A handsome guy with weird and old-fashioned fashion as if he was cosplaying a character–which was almost true.

Though I didn't know what character I was cosplaying. An extra cosplaying as an extra?

I waited in front of the warp gate in Octagram Transport Center, and a 'New Avian' text screen was displayed on the hanging small display screen above the gate.

"You finally decided to show up after ignoring me for 2 weeks?" a familiar voice came from behind me.

When I turned around, I found a man with yellow, snake-like eyes walking toward me.

"Sorry, I was busy."

He crossed his arms and glared at me.

"Anyway, how did your progress with the cure?" I asked.

He scoffed before answering me. "Are you really asking me that?"

"Huh, why? You didn't make any progress yet?"

"No way! How am I supposed to make progress when I don't even know what to do with the ingredients I had collected?!" he exclaimed in frustration.

"Uh-oh, right. I forgot to give you the recipe."

He gave me a side look, then rolled his eyes.

"Dude, are you serious?" a look of disbelief painted on his face.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I thought you'd be able to figure it out yourself, but I guess I overestimated your ability," I said, shaking my head, intending to provoke him.

Though I did not think he couldn't figure it out by himself. After all, the one who made the cure was himself, with the same ingredients.

'I guess that his genius and cunning mind hasn't been developed yet.'

Goose didn't bother to be provoked by me. He stood still as his eyes darted from the portal to the sign hanging above.

"New Avian?"

"Yes. I have something to do here."

"Why bring me into this? Are there even any benefits for me by following you?"

"Of course, there are. You will get a lot of them if you follow me. The recipe's cure or…" I paused mid-sentence, smirking before continuing.

"The recipe for Horizon Elixir and Catalyst Potion."

Goose's eyes widened for a moment but then frowned in an immediate manner.

"Horizon Elixir? Catalyst Potion? What is that?" he asked, clearly intrigued.

I chuckled, enjoying his reaction.

"Well, well, well. What is that, I wonder, hmm?" I teased.

His eyebrows twitched a few times before he burst out.

"Just tell me, dude!"

"Haha! Okay, okay," I paused, clearing my throat, then spoke in a low tone as if whispering.

"No one but me knows about this potion. So, I found this recipe in ancient ruins. Horizon Elixir is a potion that raises the maximum potential limit. Unfortunately, it could only be consumed once per person, and how much their potential limit would raise depends on luck."

"Raises the potential limit? It sounds intriguing at first, but the random factor on how much it will raise the limit and thing about it is a one-time use potion are a bit unconvincing…" Goose remarked.

"I know. But, hey, people will do anything as long as they could break through their limiters." I shrugged casually.

What I told Goose about how the elixir could only raise the limit by a random factor was a lie.

For maximum and perfect consumption of the elixir, one must know how to meditate and absorb mana from nature. The process was similar to how the martial artists or wizards trained themselves to expand or increase their mana and ki pool.

But, it would ruin the fun if I told Goose about that.

"Well, what about the other one?" Goose asked.

I straightened up and looked at the portal in front of me.

"Oh, do you think I will tell you about it all? Though, if only you decided to follow me, I might tell you about it later. So, what's your answer?"

"Ughh! Fine!"

"Hehe, great! Now, let's continue this while we walk around the New Avian," I said, as I stepped through the portal, Goose followed behind me.

With that, I obtained a key to stop the world's end.

'It's nice to have you in my quest, Specter.'