Chapter 38: Where Exactly Is Coiling Dragon Arena?

The two energy collided, deforming elastically, producing lively warmth and deadly frost.

"Target the poison within my veins. And please! Do not blow my arm off!"

Atlas's voice was muffled. Nova's senses were cloaked by haze.

The persistent torture that had recently declined. It has come back, and it was a stronger version than before.

In his myopic sight, Nova clutched both hands over Atlas's arm.

The black gooey blob assimilated into his arm.

Stuffing a mouthful of herbs in his mouth, Atlas shivered from the intense bitterness numbing his senses.

"Mmmm... f*ck Jesus Christ! God... argh... damn it I don't mean to f*cking offend someone!!!"

The offensive screams were drastically dampened by the herbs.

Channeling every ounce of concentration and strength, Nova manipulated "Corruption" inside Atlas, conquering over the territory of the poison, while the tremendous torturing magnified.

The screens have gone dark, Nova blacked out. He no longer had control.

Luckily, only less than 10 percent of the venom still wandered.

Atlas felt his stiff joints returning to normal. suppressing the excruciating pain, he poured the remaining pills in the bottle into his mouth.

He then jabbed a needle at a pressure point nearby the graze, allowing his inner organs and the heal effects to take full jurisdiction over his body as he followed Nova's steps.

He fainted.

{Atlas? Atlas? Geez, can't even take this pain? Kids these days. I could survive my enemy's cruel torture without breaking a sweat! Those were the days... I hope I'll see her in the future. After all, I am technically immortal now, as a spirit.} Nam reminisced his past, dreaming about the woman he loved.

————————

Lean legs dangling out a building, a pretty woman in blood-red, tight dress observed the two sleeping teenagers, smirking light-heartedly.

She leaped off, her high heels clicking in the peaceful night.

Shadow quietly engulfed as the heels clicked passed three lifeless bodies, restoring the wreckage and destroying evidence of a murder.

The door of the mansion creaked open, and she entered with elegant footsteps.

Nam was keeping close watch. With every single step, his ghostly heart pounded faster than any living human being's.

An illusion? He slapped himself. No, it wasn't. His dream was now a reality.

Vanessa sank into the sofa beside Atlas, examining both him and Nova at the same time.

Nam's heart pulsated. He had the perfect view hanging from Atlas's chest. The flawless skin, the cherry lips, the unrealistically large and animated eyes. That woman is the love of his life. And she was right within an arms reach.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to shout. He wanted to break out the pendant and carry her in his arms. But he is a spirit, surviving only through a pendant.

"Very amusing. Two Tier 1 Tyros without quantity advantage, nor Tier advantage, were able to defeat two Tier 2 Experts and a Tier 3 Tyro! I'm keeping my promise boys." She smacked her lips, tiptoeing her fingers across Atlas's lung. "So feeble and so tempting. I'll spare your lives though."

Pumping heart decelerating, Nam gradually restored his cool as she strolled out the mansion swiftly.

"For the sake of my beloved Nam..." Her delectable silhouette evanesced, whisper trailing off under the silver moonlight.

————————

"Who is this dickhead on the other side!"

"Hi... it's me, Atlas." Atlas murmured carefully, as if scared to awaken a beast.

Nova was still asleep. He did wake up once. But after eating a lot of food from the fridge without saying second words, he hit the bed again.

"I was wondering... I kinda used up all the pills you provided... and yeah..."

"You woke me up from my hot spring nap just to tell me you've finished the three months training material I provided?!"

"Precisely."

In a foreign country, a healthy old man cushioned himself between the smoothly mended rocks in a natural, boiling hot spring atop a hill, slapping his forehead with distress.

"Learn independence Atlas! You're an Axonn now! Be an Alchemist!"

[How did he know I was a Axonn?] Atlas pondered. [Never mind. He's always full of secrets.]

"That was amazing advise. Thanks Jay. I'll get straight to the point now." Sneaking a glance at the snoring Nova, he continued. "Where exactly is this place called Coiling Dragon Arena?"

"Coiling Dragon Arena? With your limited knowledge, I'm shocked that you know that place!"

"Thanks again for the encouragement man..." sarcasm struck.

"You'll require a ticket pass for recruitment. I'll help you get one as soon as possible, that's indeed an exemplary place to improve and cultivate."

"Make it two please. My friend who introduced me to that place is tagging along."

"I see. That explains your sudden gain of knowledge." Jay stood up from the hot spring, brined water shaped his lean bodybuilder appearance. "I'm hanging up the phone to contact others. Wait for the good news at about an hour later."

He ended the call, drying himself with a blast of golden Aura as he levitated off the plateau.