Chapter 749: How did he manage to do it?
A few hours later, Lara and Alec stood before the two-story building where the girls stayed. Both of them were exhausted from the day's activities, their clothes slightly rumpled and in desperate need of a refreshing bath.
Lara stretched her tired arms with a sigh, and Alec couldn't help but watch her. The way her long orange hair, tied in a ponytail, cascaded down her back, and her calm eyes flickered with determination, was truly mesmerizing. There was a certain charm in her every movement, even in her fatigue, that captivated all his focus.
Earlier, they had both sparred, and although Lara was not able to win, she managed to land several well-placed strikes on him.
He could see that she had improved significantly in close combat, and her physical strength had increased too.
Alec dipped his head low, surprising the woman standing beside him. Lara stepped back and raised an amused brow.
"What?"
He quickly adjusted his expression to one of remorse, determined to ensure that now that they were finally alone, he would spend some quality time with his girlfriend.
"How about you invite me in? We haven't spent time together since we are always busy. We should really make some time for each other... I am so tired that even if you asked me to leave, I don't think I could."
He lowered his gaze, adopting a feigned expression of fatigue.
Lara chuckled softly, already accustomed to this drama, and approached him with a mirthful glint in her eyes.
"Alright, come in with me."
Alec's lips curled upward as he followed behind her. Of course, he didn't just want to spend time with her; he knew that Mia and Elli wouldn't return for at least a day, as they were going to learn some new ancient spells from an instructor.
With the entire building to themselves, he hurriedly asked the system to retreat into his mind space to give him some privacy.
'I will seal of the surroundings as well.'
But his smile vanished, and he felt as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over him when the system informed him that he wouldn't be able to enter the building.
'Why??'
Soul didn't have to answer him because Lara, who was walking ahead, suddenly bumped into an invisible barrier when she reached the entrance of the building. She gasped and rubbed her head.
Alec arrived beside her.
"What's wrong?"
He turned his head and reached for the wooden entrance to open it, only for his hand to collide with a thin barrier.
"What the..."
Soul's voice echoed in his mind.
'I told you, you won't be able to enter.'
Alec's eyes widened; he had a feeling that he definitely wouldn't want to know why there was a barrier around the building.
However, Soul, being a good system, provided its host with full information.
'Kyle constructed the barrier.'
Alec snapped back in a sharp voice.
'I didn't ask for the details!!'
He rubbed his forehead, and seeing his deadpan expression, Lara, who already had an idea of
what was going on, turned and walked away with a laugh.
"I will join Mia and Elli. Go rest in your designated building."
Alec stumbled after her, trying to catch up, but she vanished toward another island.
"Wait!"
His voice echoed in the air as he glared back at the two-story building, speechless.
'Now I can't even enjoy my romantic life!'
He stormed off in another direction, deciding to train more. It's not like he had anything else to do.
"I'm going to spar with him next time!"
The system responded accordingly.
'I have calculated Kyle's strength, and the chance of host winning against him is only 20 percent. Host should reconsider, but if host is determined, the system can look for some healing treasures in his mind space as a precaution in case you end up gravely injured with a few broken bones.'
Alec froze in mid-air with a look of sheer disbelief. He wanted to ask the system who it belonged to and why it was taking Kyle's side! But he swallowed his words and instead posed the crucial question.
"Why only 20 percent? We are both clearly at the same rank. If it's about natural laws, you know I can also control a natural law-the law of gravity. So, why only 20?"
Soul stayed quiet for a few seconds, seemingly trying to find the right words.
'It's because, aside from his rank, which is similar to yours, he is stronger in every way. He possesses a powerful bloodline that is always prepared to do whatever it takes to eliminate any threats to his life. Plus, his luck surpasses the host's luck. Even if Kyle accidentally makes a mistake in battle, the system is confident that his attack will hit the target simply because of his luck.'
Alec's jaw tightened. He clearly remembered being the stronger one in the past, so how had the gap between him and Kyle increased so much? Regardless, he was now even more determined to become stronger! He recalled Kyle's luck stat and the unique ability 'nature's favorite' that he had because of it, letting out a dry laugh.
"So, he didn't pick just a random title back then; he truly is favored by nature."
He glanced at his own luck stat, which had risen to (B-), and clicked his tongue.
'The difference between (S+)-rank luck and (B-)-rank is too huge! I can narrow the gap in our strength and become stronger, but how the hell am I going to increase my luck? Is that even possible?'
For some reason, this time Soul spoke up almost enthusiastically, though the system mechanical voice sounded uncertain.
'It is possible. Host's luck is the highest after Kyle, Bia, and Jian among everyone we've encountered so far. Host can boost his luck stat if he comprehends more natural laws or consumes powerful essences. Finding a strong bloodline is no longer possible since the ancestors were sealed off by Azazeal; however, many monsters still retain traces of weaker bloodlines within their bodies, which the host can find and consume.'
Alec digested the information. He knew about the ancestors who were sealed off in the second realm, but the knowledge about the bloodline was something new.
'I know Kyle's luck is high, and Bia's luck is high because of him... But how can you say that Jian has higher luck than mine? That's not possible! Soul, don't you remember he's the unluckiest among us all?'
He was aware of the divine artifact that was inside Jian's body. It was a powerful artifact that helped him grow stronger by placing him in dangerous situations, but it also diminished his luck stat. Even if Jian had somehow removed that divine artifact from his body without him knowing, his luck stat couldn't be this high, right?
Alec's face dropped when the system told him that Jian's luck stat was actually higher than Bia's, just below Kyle's. Jian's luck stat had only been suppressed due to the divine artifact in his body, which he had somehow gotten rid of in the Lost Treasure Tomb.
'That's not fair at all! Tell me how much higher his luck is compared to mine?'
He hadn't scanned Jian's body, but he had asked the system to mark everyone in the Lost
Treasure Tomb to assist them if they were in danger. So, Soul knew everything about Jian the
last time he was around.
'(A-)-rank.'
Alec chuckled and wiped away his nonexistent tears, feeling utterly miserable. Today was a
terrible day.
A truly awful day.
He rushed toward another floating island, now even more determined to train!
He had been trying to elevate his physique, strength, and agility to the supreme rank, and he knew he was very close! This time, he decided not to break through first and to focus on his physique, strength, agility, and, most importantly, his soul strength. Suddenly, Alec paused when he caught sight of a familiar individual in the sky.
"Huh, what's Sinon doing in the sky?"
He moved closer when he saw a light surrounding him and saw Sinon seated cross-legged in
the midst of the clouds. A faint, nearly invisible layer of silver and golden particles danced
around him.
"That's spiritual energy..."
He wanted to approach the man when he sensed a profound natural force in the air but stopped as Soul's mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his head.
'Don't disturb him. He is in a state where he can grasp a very powerful natural law.'
Alec took a deep breath, even silencing the sound of his breathing and heartbeat. A smile crept
onto his lips.
'Sinon is close to understanding a natural law? But what type of natural law? He is only at the first stage of the transcendent rank. How did he manage to do it?'
Without hesitation, he grabbed a powerful artifact and channeled his spiritual energy to form
a barrier around Sinon.
This place was safer than the area where the war was ongoing, but an attack from the dark side could come at any moment. So, it was not completely safe. Additionally, any noise could disturb Sinon's concentration.
As a good friend, Alec felt it was his responsibility to make sure Sinon wasn't disturbed; as for succeeding in whatever the demi-human was attempting to achieve, that rested solely with
Sinon.