Priorities

William slept perfectly as wealth eased his worries. Looking out of his window, he saw that dawn had just broken. It was the perfect time to start the day.

He looked at his dimensional bag and his smile widened. All his teeth were visible, his lips reaching up to his ears. He still couldn't believe the loot he had found yesterday.

He even thought that the adventurous spirit of the people in the Academy had disappeared. According to him, even a few people at the top of the iron level could go and take advantage of the treasures. This was indeed true, but the reason people lost their spirit of adventure was because they got lost in the misty swamp. They couldn't even find the Mage Tower. They kept going around and around, encountering various skeletons and zombies. With a sigh, he sat down at the table. He took out the first book he thought he should read.

This book belonged to Levenoth. It was the Creature Encyclopedia, which he had copied. He opened the book and started to read. After a while, he was glad that he had chosen this first.

There were additional notes from Levenoth in the book. He noted everything from the potential strengths to the weaknesses of the creatures he encountered. He was number one at details.

William was good at reading books. Even though this book was written in the language of mages, it did not cause him any problems because it did not contain any magical power.

A short time later, he saw one of the creatures he was curious about.

It was about the earthworms. (Earth Worm) In the book, he mentioned that the highest level he had seen belonged to the platinum level and the earth element, and since the elemental affinity of this creature could be different depending on the region it lived in, it was likely that it could survive for thousands of years.

William read on with interest. He even understood why it was called Worm Mountains. There was even a volcano where he hadn't been yet. Here were worms that used fire. He described these creatures as 'relatively weak'. Levenoth had also made an addition. "A mage or warrior of the same level can easily fight or flee with them, but they are a bit lacking in killing ability. Especially creatures of the earth and plant elements have high vitality. If you encounter a worm with a metal element, all you have to do is run away."

William found this logical. He could never pierce the skin of a metal element worm. It was both a waste of time and an additional risk. Besides, its teeth could surely injure even a creature higher than itself.

William still hadn't found any information about the Metal Heart. He knew that the creature whose power he had increased through its heart belonged to a high-level worm, but he could not predict its exact level. It was probably a platinum level, but he had never even seen a gold level. So his guess would remain a guess until he either got to that level or saw it.

After he finished reading the worm, he kept turning the pages. About a hundred pages later, he came to the Silver Moon Wolf.

He didn't know much about the Silver Moon Wolf. Only the genealogical part, which seemed to be carefully written, caught his attention. There were a few other things he didn't know.

"The power of the bloodline gives them, speed, smell, hearing, perception, and night vision."

These few traits had increased the value of the Silver Moon Wolf in William's eyes. Especially the night vision was an excellent ability.

He continued reading the book. By now the sun was almost directly above his head. He felt a little hungry but wanted to finish the book first.

Near the end, he saw that the book told a story about the moon-swallowing wolf and other strange creatures like it.

Here, the moon-swallowing wolf went so far as to swallow the moon, which gave them strength, because of the combination of their rebellious nature and love, where a rebellious silver moon wolf ate its father after its father ordered it to kill the wolf in love with the enemy pack, and then was hunted by all the packs. It was an excellent story. William enjoyed reading it. Levenoth devoted fifteen pages to this short story.

There were several other similar stories. They all made his eyes shine.

But nowhere did he mention the bloodline power of the moon-swallowing wolf. Frustrated, he closed the book. Then he ate a quick meal and paid his debt to the Weapon Building. Then he returned to his room.

He spent a few days like this. First, he wanted to learn about the possible creatures and valuable materials he would encounter in this world, so he put aside meditation techniques to become a mage.

For now, his main goal was to reach the bronze level. When he reached the bronze level, he would at least have a little bit of self-defense power. Magic could wait for now.

By the time he finished the last book, he had learned what the Fruit of Life and other herbs he had found were good for.

The Fruit of Life, as the name suggested, gave life energy! This was not something to be taken lightly.

He wrote that the true Fruit of Life contained an estimated ten years of life energy. This was just an estimate because no one had seen the truth. Only the mage they called "Master" had managed to artificially create the Tree of Life's fruit. But again, according to the writer, thousands of lives were sacrificed for this cause. So, most likely, the person they called 'Master' was an evil person who didn't care about human lives.

It was said that this artificial fruit contained one year's worth of life energy!

Even that was an extremely powerful fruit! It didn't matter if it was artificial or not. Of course, William didn't need it, but he could sell it to an old man who coming to the end of his life as a favor.

As a good idea, he made a mental note of it.

When he finished all the books, it was time for the introductory and basic-level books on the elements. It was almost evening now. He felt like he was starving. So he went back to the dining hall.

In the dining hall, the same three friends were having dinner and talking. He had not spoken to them in several days. He wondered what kind of news it would be. After all, Merlon couldn't keep his mouth shut, even if it was a secret.

He also learned that the principal could accept students from contest.

When William sat down at the table, the trio greeted him enthusiastically. To William's surprise, this time Leslie began to speak.

"William, did you hear? Tomorrow the Principal is going to change the rules of the Academy! It will be stricter now!"

William took a sip from his beer. The taste of the beer here was 'Eh'.

"Oh really? What are the new rules?"

"We don't know either, but the news is not good. They want to make certain things mandatory." He said.

William did not find this strange. The Academy was like the elementary schools of his past life. It was so simple that it bothered him from the beginning. This way, it was almost impossible for the students to become stronger quickly. Actually, it was like self-education. Only, thanks to the Academy, people could hunt safely and close to the Black Forest.

"It doesn't matter." He said with a smile and continued. "This brother of yours will overcome all difficulties."

The trio began to laugh. Then Merlon spoke. "You are right, my brother! No matter what, all difficulties come to us like fly bites." He raised his arm and made a fist. Then he planted a small kiss on his biceps.

This time the four of them, including William, began to laugh out loud. Merlon had made a good catch. William thought his sense of humor was not bad.

"So, what did you do? Did you guys complete the mission?"

Leslie began to speak excitedly, not letting anyone in.

"William, you should have seen it, son! We killed an iron-level creature! And I was able to fight it just as well!" he began to describe the battle scene excitedly.

"Of course, dear, we were picking pears while Leslie fighting," Merlon said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey! Don't eat us![1] If it weren't for our arrows, you'd be dead in one bite!" Dullan spoke sarcastically.

"Did I kill it after all? YES! So shut up!" Leslie shouted.

"Hahaha!!" This time the three of them laughed, except for Leslie.

"Anyway, guys, I can't get enough of your conversation. I'll get up slowly." By this time, William had finished the last bite of his plate. He couldn't wait to read books about the elements.

"Okay, watch out! Don't forget to come hunting with us next time," Merlon called after him.

After William had gone, he spoke again. "How nerdy! William is a strong man, so why doesn't he come hunting with us?"

Dullan spoke. "I don't know what's on his mind, but like someone who likes to be alone. Look, he made an instrument called a guitar, and he hangs around like a traveling bard."

"He's a free man," Leslie said in response, looking back at the disappearing figure of William.

Different thoughts sprouted in him. 'When will I be free?'

He continued to eat in a depressed mood.

William felt a strange feeling as he quickly came to the front of his room. It was as if someone was watching him. But both sides were corridors, and when he looked, he saw no one. He felt even more uneasy when his hand went to the door handle. He knew it wasn't a good sign.

He put his hand on his dimensional bag and suddenly opened the door. He saw someone in black robes sitting on his bed. He got up as soon as he saw William enter. Suspecting that he might be an assassin, William quickly pulled out the Firebringer and approached him. He grabbed the man's neck with his left hand and held the sword to his throat with his right.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my room?" he asked.

The black-robed man's face was visible in the light of the room. It was a young face, he looked to be in his twenties.

He must have choked the man so hard that he began to blush and stutter. Realizing that he couldn't speak like that, William loosened the hand holding his throat a little.

"Young...Master...di...Baron...The..oo." William let go of his hand when he heard him call him Young Master.

He realized that this could be someone his father had sent.

The black-robed man began to cough as William released his throat. After a while, he took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Young master. Please recognize my face. I am your father's assistant, Sora."

"How could I know that? And how did you get in here?" William asked, frowning.

"Young Master, there is no place that Sora cannot enter." He said smiling without explaining.

"Anyway, why did you come?"

"I have a letter from your father, sir." He handed William a sealed letter.

"By the way, your sword looks perfect, it even scared me." He said.

'Of course, it will scare, even can damage bronze rank creatures...' William stopped talking to himself when he realized that the youth in front of him was bronze rank. Just because he was his young master, he didn't counterattack. He knew that a man who could get this far silently could also kill him silently.

When he opened the letter and read it, his mood was cheerful at first. The first half of the letter was about little Wilson and his older sister. His older sister was doing well in the Mage Tower. A second-level mage had noticed her talent and recruited her as an apprentice.

William knew that most mages couldn't be trusted, but there was nothing he could do from such a distance. The Mage Tower and the Academy were at opposite ends of their location.

The second half of the letter spoke of the things that darkened his face.

He raised his head and looked at Sora, who was standing patiently. "Is this true?" he asked.

"Sir, why would your father lie to you?" he said.

He was right. Theo was a serious man and usually didn't speak empty words.

William could not stand it and read it again.

In the letter, he spoke of what he had feared all along; raising the flag of rebellion! Even though William had expected it, the news had disturbed him. He didn't think his father would lose, but such battles often revolved around intrigue. A traitor would stab someone in the back.

At the end of the letter, he mentioned a mission. He hoped that he would complete that mission.

He wanted him to kill the prince during the competition a month later!

This was what William feared the most. He felt that Leslie wasn't a bad person and that they could even be friends. Even the innate arrogance of being a prince slowly faded after meeting and interacting with him.

He thought darkly. He knew that if he didn't kill him, Theo's trust in him would erode. It had nothing to do with being a future king. He only wanted to travel, explore, and learn.

The conflict within him came from the promise he had made to himself. He had promised himself earlier that he would help Theo in any way he could. If he broke that promise now, his conflict with himself would only increase in the future. It might even turn him into what they called a heart demon. It could limit his growth. But the thought of killing a friend also seemed 'bad' to him. 'Double-edged wand,'[2] he thought and sighed deeply.

Then he started to think of possible solutions. When an idea came to him, he felt that he could do it.

He stood up and looked at Sora. "Show me your chest." He said.

Sora quickly did as ordered and showed his chest. William sighed with relief when he saw the roaring tiger between the two swords on Sora's chest. This meant that Sora was loyal to his family.

William asked again verbally, just in case.

"Can I trust you, Sora?" he said.

Sora immediately dropped to his knees. "Sir, I have sworn to be loyal to the Baron and his family for the rest of my life. It was Baron Theo who saved me, raised me, and taught me. Sir! If you ordered me to die, I wouldn't hesitate for a second!" he said.

These words touched William.

"Then..."

[1] : ['Don't eat me!: don't make a fool of me.]

[2] : ['Double-Edged wand!: 'caught between the devil and the deep blue sea' or 'all options stink']