Chapter 80: Skills and Departure

"This...Unexpected"

Aron stood in awe as he surveyed the vast underground space beneath the mansion.

The first room was not only the largest but dwarfed the mansion itself, serving as both a training ground and a central hub connecting other underground chambers.

Surveying the area, Aron noted the grandeur of the room. It was constructed from marble-like stones, supported by two colossal marble pillars on each side—integrated seamlessly into the walls. The room was bathed in the soft glow of multiple white crystals hanging from the ceiling.

"Have you explored the other rooms?" Aron inquired, eyeing three doors leading to uncharted chambers positioned around the main training ground.

"Not yet," replied Scarlett. "I hesitated to venture without informing you. However, I plan to do so once the girls finish their training."

Meanwhile, the girls continued their relentless training in the vast room. For over two hours, they had been running tirelessly, showing remarkable resilience against pain and exhaustion. Despite their drained stamina, the determination to persevere drove them forward, each step dragging against fatigue.

Kasumi's persistent encouragement and cheers provided a motivating backdrop to their efforts, a constant reminder to never give up or that what happened in the past will happen again in the future.

"Stop!" the moment this word came out from Kasumi's mouth. Exhausted, the girls instantly collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Oh! Master, you're here?" Noticing Aron, Kasumi immediately made her way to him.

Aron, on the other hand, observed Kasumi with interest from head to toe. She was wearing something like a shirt that covered only her chest and flexible shorts, plus a pair of training shoes. The other girls wore similar outfits—all in black color, thanks to Pethra and Kasumi's color preferences.

Apparently, these clothes are made from a fabric specifically for training as it offers the best flexibility and breathability compared to regular fabric, and of course, maintains a stylish look.

"!!!" Kasumi instantly blushed, seeing Aron gazing at her skin for so long, more specifically her midsection.

"Nice abs," Aron remarked, his gaze lingering on Kasumi's midriff. "But you still need to train harder if you want them to become like Freya's." He shifted his gaze between Freya and Kasumi, comparing their physiques.

As always, Freya wins every time when it comes to body type. Unlike muscular freaks, her muscles are more aesthetically pleasing. Add tanned skin, silver hair, and a wild personality to the mix, and you will get both a beautiful woman and a terrifying huntress.

A wide smile spread across Freya's lips, taking great pride in her well-defined physique. "Don't worry Kasumi, let your big sis Freya teach you how to make muscles like mine."

Kasumi, blushing, said, "Thank you, Freya-dono."

Kasumi knew that getting muscles like Freya would be hard, not because the training was tough or anything, but because of her race.

Kasumi is a Fox Yokai, and Yokais are pure magical spirits that rarely take physical form. Since Clan Kage was blessed by one, Kasumi herself is somewhat of a half-spirit. In other words, her race is limiting any physical progress she makes.

However, her Master showed her something important: everything is possible as long as you have the strength to do it.

"Kasumi, Scarlett," Aron suddenly spoke their names, catching their attention. "I'm going out on a quest to a village in the east; it may take two or three days."

The announcement came as a surprise, especially to Scarlett, considering Aron's personality and what happened last night with the intruders. She didn't expect him to leave so soon without somehow securing the mansion.

However, the one who was freaking out from the inside was Freya. Just being away from Aron for a few hours caused her instincts and emotions to jump all over the place, and enduring that for three days, Freya didn't believe she could do it.

'I need to train my instincts again or I'll lose control.'

"What quest, Boss?" Scarlett inquired.

"A simple Goblin extermination."

"Going alone?" Suddenly a familiar voice came from behind. "Oh, love your gift, by the way, Aron." Pethra entered the underground room.

Aron smiled. "Glad you like it." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "I was planning to go alone, but Cila advised against it."

"Who's Cila?" Freya, Scarlett, Kasumi, and Pethra all spoke at the same time. Aron felt the air around him getting a little cold for some reason.

"Cila is the mercenary Guild receptionist; she helped me a lot with her knowledge. Anyway…"

"...she advised me to form a group for this quest, mainly because there are many Goblins to kill and some may end up attacking the village, and I alone can't be in many places all at once."

"As a group, you can do a lot, boost party strength, cover your weaknesses, and many more" Scarlett shared some of her knowledge, being a former adventurer; she has experience in fighting in a group.

"Exactly, that's why I'm taking you, Little witch; your earth magic is useful in defense, and…" Aron glanced at the werewolf. "You're going with me too, Freya."

Pethra and Freya flashed a wide smile, making the other two frown at not getting chosen. However, before they voiced their thoughts, Aron explained.

"Kasumi, you focus on training the girls; a month from now on, I have an important test for you and them, understand?"

Kasumi bowed slightly. "Yes, Master."

Then he turned to Freya and Pethra. "You two go and prepare because we're leaving immediately. Ask Mia for some supplies."

Glancing at Scarlett, he ordered, "Follow me."

Aron and Scarlett left the underground and headed to the main hall. With all the girls underground, they can have some private talk.

Aron explained to Scarlett what happened in the Inn. He didn't get too deep, but he explained his plans for the captured mage, Viper, and the rest of the group.

They chatted for a few minutes, going back and forth, sharing plans and ideas, until they reached the third floor of the mansion. Aron excused himself, going to his room to grab a few things, leaving Scarlett heading directly to the office.

Upon entering the room, the first thing Aron noticed was the absence of Raum; the exotic blue branch was empty. He didn't mind it; maybe Raum had things to do. Like what? What spending time is like for a talking raven?

Aron grabbed the old leather bag that Raum found in that cave. He pulled out the chained mace, the one he rightfully took from Josh.

Aron gave it a few swings then locked it on his belt. Next came an iron dagger; he found plenty after killing the rats. Apparently, they like fighting with daggers.

Next, he threw a small pouch of gold coins into the leather bag along with some health potions and the quest paper.

Next, he checked the system notification. He wasn't in a good shape to read them after that memory.

[Item: Memory core consumed]

[Hidden function detected: Memory storage]

"System, can you explain this function?"

[Of course, Master. As the name suggests, the Memory core can now store memories inside it. This function was unlocked after you consumed the memory inside it.]

Storing memories sounded strange for Aron. It's not like memories are physical objects like food or coins that can be stored. As much as this sounds weird, Aron asked more questions.

"How can I store memories? And how much can the core hold?"

[The process is extremely complicated, Master. However, you don't have to worry about it; I can do it for you and…for how much the core can hold…]

[Analyzing]

Aron felt something hot inside his pocket. He reached out and pulled it; it was the black ball or the memory core, as the system identified it.

[Analyzing completed]

[The data shows that the core can hold an infinite amount of memories]

Aron raised an eyebrow. "Infinite? Are you sure?"

[Absolutely, Master]

"Now, this is strange." Aron glanced at the black ball in his hand. "If this core can hold an infinite amount of memories, then why did I, in the past, store only a single memory and not all of them?"

[Unclear, Master. However, I have a few theories. Would you like to hear them?]

"Sure, why not."

[First, let me explain that in order to store a memory, you need mana. The process, in simple detail, is that I take a memory, turn it to energy using mana, and then store it in the core.]

"I see… so you're trying to say that I didn't have enough mana at that time?"

[Exactly, Master. That's my first theory. And the second one is that you simply lost your memory before using the core or you didn't know that the core can store infinite memories.]

Aron nodded in understanding. "Yes, that can be true also. But I have a feeling that I purposely didn't place all of my memories inside the core for reasons I had at that time."

No matter how hard Aron tried, he couldn't find a reason for storing a single memory by his past self, so he did the best thing that lately was working wonders for him. Aron left finding the answer for his future self—seriously? He's doing this a lot lately.

"System, store all of my memories inside the core, from the moment I awoke in that cave to this very moment."

[Affirmative, Master]

[Retrieving the memory core]

In the next moment, the black ball in Aron's hand glowed red and began sinking inside his palm, until it disappeared.

[Memory transfer began]

Aron didn't have time to ask about this when he suddenly felt a cold breeze coming from the top of his head and spreading to all of his body in seconds. His legs grew weak, forcing him to sit on the edge of the bed.

[Transfer completed]

"Phew… I have to get used to this feeling."

Aron stretched his limbs, gaining his strength back. He then opened up the other notifications.

[Memory recovered, skills detected]

[Skills: Scale Armor, Dragon Sight, Ancient Dominance]

'Oh, three new skills, awesome.'

Excited, Aron immediately opened each skill to see what each could do.

…

[Skill: Scale Armor Lv1: "Through the forge of flame, scales interlace, a formidable embrace."

- Grant the User Enchanted defense by manifesting dragon scales on their skin.

- providing great resistance against physical and magical attacks. 

- Lv1: Grant 20% physical and 25% magical resistance to Arms and head only]

…

"Hmm?... This skill is good, and I can level it up. I wonder if I can cover my entire skin with scales; that will be awesome."

…

[Skill: Dragon Sight: "Nothing is hidden from the Dragon's eyes"]

…

"Just this? No description?" This is the first time Aron received a skill with no details on what the skill could do. However, just by reading the name, he formed a good idea of it. 

"I have to experiment with the skill to see its limits… Now the last one."

…

[Skill: Ancient Dominance: "Fear is the greatest weapon"

- Exudes an intimidating aura that can demoralize foes or instill fear, lowering their physical defense and magical resistance based on their emotions toward the User

- "The more they fear you, the weaker they become"

- ?à@è#??]

…

"Hmm… This is a useful skill but at the same time dangerous. Using it in the wrong time or place can alert everyone to my presence."

Aron stood up and stretched his body a little, deciding to check one last thing he commanded.

"Status"

…

[Status]

Name: ????

Race: Dragon

Level: 11

Experience: 0/200

Class: ????

Health: 310/310 

Mana: 205/205 

Strength: 31 

Stamina: 21 

Agility: 20 

[Dragon Core: 12/1000]

[Skills]: [Wrath] [Mana manipulation Lv2] [Fire Legacy] [Shadow Library] [Dragon's Breath] [Pride] [Scale Armor Lv1] [Dragon sight] [Ancient Dominance]

Attribute Points: 00

…

"Sigh… No change so far, still at level 11." Aron clenched his fist; his eyes glowed with determination. "But not for long; all monsters will fall by my blade."

Aron walked out of his room and headed straight to the first floor. In the main hall, he found Freya and Pethra waiting for him with two large bags ready for the journey.

He also noticed Scarlett sitting at the table going through some journals. When she saw Aron approaching, she closed the journal and stood up.

"Ready?" 

Freya and Pethra nodded, and each one took a bag and headed for the door. In the bags were supplies like health potions, food, clean clothes, and sleeping bags.

Aron glanced around the hall, thinking out loud. "Now, where is that little raven?"

"Here, Mister Aron." Mia, the maid, came from the kitchen with Raum in her arms.

"What happened to him?" he asked, seeing the raven sleeping peacefully.

"I don't know; I found him in the kitchen mumbling some words. I think he's drunk or something." 

Aron chuckled and took Raum from her. He turned to Scarlett, stroking her fiery hair. "Take care."