"Luriel, my boy, remember to listen to what Sir Hans says and don't cause trouble for him. " Thul said with tears in his eyes, looking at his beloved grandson.
"This is your first time outside and I know you'd be curious about a lot of things, also... don't forget to bring grandpa a souvenir!"
"Yea, yea you said that like 10 times just on the way here! Don't worry! Aren't I strong too? There's also Hans to protect me if things go wrong." Luriel exclaimed, clearly annoyed.
"Alright boy, we need to get going now."
After Hans urged him, Luriel said goodbye to the villagers for the last time and caught up with Hans, who was already a couple of meters ahead.
"So, where exacly are we headed? Is it the Lerip village to the east?"
Since Hans previously mentioned they were going to a nearby village, Luriel expected it to be the closest one, Lerip. Hans' next words however, caught him off guard.
"It's a village named Retrow, roughly 500 kilometres north from here." Hans answered nonchalantly.
Luriel however, wasn't having any of it.
Although he never left his home, Luriel was well informed about the major villages and towns in the country. Retrow was a large-sized villaged that would probably become a small town in a few years. It was a well-known, prospering residence.
Not to mention...
"What?! Are you out of your mind? Do you know how long it'll take us to get there? And what about food? Even if you can survive with your cultivation, I'd collapse from hunger!"
If it were anyone else saying it, Hans would have already beheaded them. These past few days, he'd build a rather good relationship with Luriel. As his future senior brother, he figured it was helpful to be on good terms with him.
Luriel also grew close to Hans and the two felt comfortable at each others' presense, enough for him to lash out at him from time to time. Hans, who'd already got used to it, simply scoffed.
"Of course we aren't walking there, even I would need a long time to reach Retrow from here. I have our transport right here."
Hans extended his hand and a bright multi colored light enveloped the surroundings, condensing into a fixed form. The mana expanded until it reached 10 metres in height, talking the form of an a giant eagle. Seeing Luriel's astonished expression, he briefly explained.
"This is a technique called Eagle Overlord. It's a secret technique of our sect. Under normal circumstances, only elders are entitled to it but I got it from my grandmother, the 7th elder, a Tranquil Sea realm cultivator."
Luriel nodded.
'So he wasn't lying when he said his grandma could move faster than me. Tranquil Sea, the level of an elder with hundreds of years to live, how strong is that?!'
"Hehe, senior Hans, why don't you give me a proper cultivation manual already? Since I'm going to be a member of the sect either way, I might as well start early, right?"
"As I've already mentioned more than a hundred times, I can only give you a manual once you're officially accepter, anything else is considered treachery and I will be severy punished for it." Hans replied with a hint of annoyance.
Was this the first time Luriel has asked him about a manual? Of course not! Hans already told him numerous times. Even the 'senior Hans' he used didn't carry an ounce of actual respect, it was all to annoy him.
And it was working.
The two then leaped from the ground and sat on the eagle's back. Since it would be moving too fast for the current Luriel to handlem Hans controlled mana to envelop and prevent him from falling.
A few minutes later, they appeared before a large gate connect to a tall wall, protecting the village within. Upon arrival, Luriel felt the world spin and was thrown off balance the moment his feet touched the ground.
It took him a few minutes under the constant criticism from Hans for him to be able to stand on his legs again without falling.
"Tsk, so weak! Back when I was at your level, I could handle twice the speed we were travelling at! It seems I was too lenient with your training."
Hans's words were actually true. As the grandson of an elder, the sect had high exlectations for him and put him through a lot of training. The him at the 4th stage could probably defeat 5 of the current Luriel at the same time.
"Yeah right, as if I'd believe that bullshit!"
Although Luriel said this, he also had a feeling that Hans' words carried some truth with them. But how could he admit that? He had his own pride as well.
After a little more bickering, the two of them headed to the inner area of the forest to meet the Thunderclaw Bear and finish the mission.
"Remember to always have your guard up at all times. There are some creatures here that even I will have trouble against, so don't act rashly. Once we locate the Thunderclaw, you'll stay inside a formation I'll create.
Even though it can only survive for a few hits, It'll be enough to alarm me so I can help."
Luriel didn't take his words lightly and was constantly on the lookout for danger. Matters regarding his life or death were of utmost importance, he couldn't afford to relax for even a second.
Although he's hunted wild animals like bears before, a demonic beast is leagues above a normal animal.
Suddenly, he felt danger lurking from behind and turned around to the sight of a 5 meter snake revealing its fangs for an attack. His instincs kicked in and he barely avoided its fangs.
He leaped backwards to create distance and discerned the snake to be around the 3rd stage. He took a glance at Hans. Seeing how he made no attemps to help, Luriel decided it's safe to deal with it himself.
Assuming a stance, Luriel observed the snake as it similarly looked for any openings to attack. After a few seconds, the mana inside it moved and it slowly blended in with the surroundings.
'A camoflage technique. Probably an innate ability of its species... how tricky.'
A moment passed and he once again felt danger approaching him. Althought, it was too fast to him to dodge this time.
Two sharp fangs pierced through the skin on his left arm. It had aimed for the head but Luriel blocked it his hand. Fresh blood dripped down to the ground and he let out a little groan.
Right after that, a smile crept on Luriel's face.
'You're done for you legless lizard!'
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Wrote this chapter with the last shreds of sanity I had remaining for the day. (Honestly I barely remember what I wrote but I leave that for the future me to handle)
Hope you enjoyed (If anyone even reads this)!
Will post 2 chapters a day after the end of the school year.