Damien and Melania disappeared from the lounge. Their conversation has gone unseen by others, but it was quite monumental for Melania herself.
They reappeared in a place that wasn't even in Arulion.
No, beyond that, it wasn't even in the Heavenly World.
This place was created by Damien after he decided to accept Melania's plea for help.
It was an island in the void, flat and barren. It was sufficiently sized and had more than enough room for thousands and thousands of people to live peacefully.
However, that was not its purpose.
"Think of anything," Damien said.
"The environment will reflect your thoughts if it's able."
Melania's eyes widened in surprise.
The fact that they were here was a silent affirmation of everything she'd said.
Damien was the crow-masked man, and he had decided to help her with her training.
She didn't ask any more questions. What if she ended up ruining her opportunity by saying too much?
She closed her eyes and thought about the mountain where she first gained power.
It appeared in her memories so vividly that she felt like she was there. The dry breeze of the desert, the rolling cracked rock that lasted for eternity. The mountain that stood as a bastion in that place. The boulder that had become her only friend for those two years.
In the world of her mind, she saw it all. She felt it, she lived it, and she breathed it.
And when she opened her eyes…
"Ah…"
There it was.
Everything she'd imagined had reflected itself in the environment.
Surrounded by the blackness of the void was the same desert she'd experienced before. The same mountain, the same boulder, the same winds.
"I won't be teaching you personally," Damien said as she marveled at the scenery.
"You must walk this path on your own to truly understand its importance. Whether it's me or anyone else, you cannot expect help."
Draga, like Qinglong, was an enemy of Arulion. She would only find people who denied her lineage or wanted to destroy it. Those who wanted to help existed, but none of them had the power or dedication to do so.
"I'll give you access to this place for as long as you can maintain it. It could be until the end of this month, or it could be for the rest of your life. That is up to you to decide."
As Melania listened to his words, she changed the environment again.
A snowy tundra covered in an everlasting blizzard replaced the desert mountain. That tundra was then replaced by a thriving jungle that even had its own ecosystem.
Life was being produced by her thoughts?
While Melania didn't believe it, she saw the signs and wanted to investigate as soon as possible.
She heard what Damien said.
"How do I prove that I'm worthy to keep it?"
She knew what a space like this meant. If she could keep a training ground like this for eternity, then she would be able to achieve great heights faster than anyone else.
Damien smiled when he saw the determination in her eyes.
"That's simple," he said.
"Never let down your talents and never lose your desire for growth. As long as I can see that you are using this place to its fullest potential, then I will allow you to keep it."
"Never let down my talents…"
She liked the sound of that.
Basically, as long as she worked hard, she would be rewarded.
As someone who always worked hard for less than half of the rewards her peers received, just this promise was enough to completely satisfy her.
She turned to Damien and bowed sincerely.
"I will never forget this favor, sir."
Damien shook his head.
"With this, you have become something of a half-disciple of mine. There is no need to repay favors to your master. Instead, I should be the one thanking you."
"You? Thanking me?"
Melania somewhat lost her courtesy in surprise.
Damien chuckled at her reaction.
"That's right. I can see the loyalty in your heart, so I must sincerely thank you for staying by my son. He is still growing, but he will eventually be a great man. Having someone like you by his side will be a great blessing for him."
"Ah…but don't tell him I said that."
Melania couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the statement, but it wasn't like Damien was wrong.
She did plan to stay by August for as long as possible. He saved her life more than he could ever imagine. She wasn't going to let him go until she'd properly saved his.
And, now that his father was her master…
Well, it was certain that Melania was going to be glued to August from now on.
But that was beside the point.
"Your ring will be able to bring you here at any time. Unlike the lounge teleportation, I will not put any restrictions on this function. However, remember that this place is only meant for training."
Melania nodded, understanding the responsibility she took upon her shoulders when she accepted his kindness.
She had a duty to become great. She had a duty to show him that his trust was not misplaced.
In the one month before she had to compete, she would train so that she could show everyone during the heir wars.
She could compete against the greats just like August, Valerie, and the others could.
She was not one of those nine geniuses who only made it into the heir wars by luck.
She, Melania Achen, was not a soft persimmon at all.
The whole world would know it soon.
***
That was how two weeks passed.
Melania had become Damien's half-disciple. As such, she was given privileges worthy of her station.
Her growth was definitely far faster than both August and Valerie, but that was also because she had a lower starting point.
Nevertheless, the three of them only had contact twice during the entire duration of those two weeks.
The first was at the end of the first week so they could spar with each other and track their progress.
The second was the day before the first round for the same reason.
Melania only used her physical strength, but even that grew as she continued to train. Her two friends were already surprised, but they hadn't even seen her true capabilities yet.
Still, they weren't people she could pick on.
With time at their disposal and more knowledge about where they needed to improve, both August and Valerie became unstoppable forces.
The three of them…
Two of them had come from Holy Clan equivalents, but they were all in this competition as commoners.
They were all discriminated against by those who thought that only nobles could be geniuses. They were all seen as fodder who would be eliminated in one go.
Melania's determination wasn't hers alone.
No, all three of them felt the same thing, and as they fought each other more and more, their competitive spirit rose.
Perhaps August was the only one among them who was actually vying for the position of Dragon Emperor…
…but none of them wanted to lose.
Their true introduction to the scene was now.
And none of them planned to disappoint.
Damien and Melania disappeared from the lounge. Their conversation has gone unseen by others, but it was quite monumental for Melania herself.
They reappeared in a place that wasn't even in Arulion.
No, beyond that, it wasn't even in the Heavenly World.
This place was created by Damien after he decided to accept Melania's plea for help.
It was an island in the void, flat and barren. It was sufficiently sized and had more than enough room for thousands and thousands of people to live peacefully.
However, that was not its purpose.
"Think of anything," Damien said.
"The environment will reflect your thoughts if it's able."
Melania's eyes widened in surprise.
The fact that they were here was a silent affirmation of everything she'd said.
Damien was the crow-masked man, and he had decided to help her with her training.
She didn't ask any more questions. What if she ended up ruining her opportunity by saying too much?
She closed her eyes and thought about the mountain where she first gained power.
It appeared in her memories so vividly that she felt like she was there. The dry breeze of the desert, the rolling cracked rock that lasted for eternity. The mountain that stood as a bastion in that place. The boulder that had become her only friend for those two years.
In the world of her mind, she saw it all. She felt it, she lived it, and she breathed it.
And when she opened her eyes…
"Ah…"
There it was.
Everything she'd imagined had reflected itself in the environment.
Surrounded by the blackness of the void was the same desert she'd experienced before. The same mountain, the same boulder, the same winds.
"I won't be teaching you personally," Damien said as she marveled at the scenery.
"You must walk this path on your own to truly understand its importance. Whether it's me or anyone else, you cannot expect help."
Draga, like Qinglong, was an enemy of Arulion. She would only find people who denied her lineage or wanted to destroy it. Those who wanted to help existed, but none of them had the power or dedication to do so.
"I'll give you access to this place for as long as you can maintain it. It could be until the end of this month, or it could be for the rest of your life. That is up to you to decide."
As Melania listened to his words, she changed the environment again.
A snowy tundra covered in an everlasting blizzard replaced the desert mountain. That tundra was then replaced by a thriving jungle that even had its own ecosystem.
Life was being produced by her thoughts?
While Melania didn't believe it, she saw the signs and wanted to investigate as soon as possible.
She heard what Damien said.
"How do I prove that I'm worthy to keep it?"
She knew what a space like this meant. If she could keep a training ground like this for eternity, then she would be able to achieve great heights faster than anyone else.
Damien smiled when he saw the determination in her eyes.
"That's simple," he said.
"Never let down your talents and never lose your desire for growth. As long as I can see that you are using this place to its fullest potential, then I will allow you to keep it."
"Never let down my talents…"
She liked the sound of that.
Basically, as long as she worked hard, she would be rewarded.
As someone who always worked hard for less than half of the rewards her peers received, just this promise was enough to completely satisfy her.
She turned to Damien and bowed sincerely.
"I will never forget this favor, sir."
Damien shook his head.
"With this, you have become something of a half-disciple of mine. There is no need to repay favors to your master. Instead, I should be the one thanking you."
"You? Thanking me?"
Melania somewhat lost her courtesy in surprise.
Damien chuckled at her reaction.
"That's right. I can see the loyalty in your heart, so I must sincerely thank you for staying by my son. He is still growing, but he will eventually be a great man. Having someone like you by his side will be a great blessing for him."
"Ah…but don't tell him I said that."
Melania couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the statement, but it wasn't like Damien was wrong.
She did plan to stay by August for as long as possible. He saved her life more than he could ever imagine. She wasn't going to let him go until she'd properly saved his.
And, now that his father was her master…
Well, it was certain that Melania was going to be glued to August from now on.
But that was beside the point.
"Your ring will be able to bring you here at any time. Unlike the lounge teleportation, I will not put any restrictions on this function. However, remember that this place is only meant for training."
Melania nodded, understanding the responsibility she took upon her shoulders when she accepted his kindness.
She had a duty to become great. She had a duty to show him that his trust was not misplaced.
In the one month before she had to compete, she would train so that she could show everyone during the heir wars.
She could compete against the greats just like August, Valerie, and the others could.
She was not one of those nine geniuses who only made it into the heir wars by luck.
She, Melania Achen, was not a soft persimmon at all.
The whole world would know it soon.
***
That was how two weeks passed.
Melania had become Damien's half-disciple. As such, she was given privileges worthy of her station.
Her growth was definitely far faster than both August and Valerie, but that was also because she had a lower starting point.
Nevertheless, the three of them only had contact twice during the entire duration of those two weeks.
The first was at the end of the first week so they could spar with each other and track their progress.
The second was the day before the first round for the same reason.
Melania only used her physical strength, but even that grew as she continued to train. Her two friends were already surprised, but they hadn't even seen her true capabilities yet.
Still, they weren't people she could pick on.
With time at their disposal and more knowledge about where they needed to improve, both August and Valerie became unstoppable forces.
The three of them…
Two of them had come from Holy Clan equivalents, but they were all in this competition as commoners.
They were all discriminated against by those who thought that only nobles could be geniuses. They were all seen as fodder who would be eliminated in one go.
Melania's determination wasn't hers alone.
No, all three of them felt the same thing, and as they fought each other more and more, their competitive spirit rose.
Perhaps August was the only one among them who was actually vying for the position of Dragon Emperor…
…but none of them wanted to lose.
Their true introduction to the scene was now.
And none of them planned to disappoint.
