Chapter 186: Three Years

Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Three Years

Time at the academy passed in a very strange rhythm.

The days were so long that every hour could be measured by the number of times they fell onto the training floor.

But the months flew by as fast as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button.

No one noticed when the second year ended.

The realms of the group at that time: Jeremy and Evelyn touched Intermediate Stage Nine-Star. The remaining three were at Intermediate Stage Eight-Star.

In the third year, the entire group broke through the threshold, stepping into the Advanced Stage.

On the night of the blood moon that year, Jeremy swallowed his second Soul Crystal - the one he exchanged with Griffin using the copy of the Mialans documents, along with three refined Holy Water Soul Pearls.

He was in a coma for seven days.

When he opened his eyes, his soul sea had doubled in size. And Sylas in the West, according to a letter Atalai sent three days later, had moved his finger for the first time in four years.

In the fourth year, Jeremy touched Advanced Stage Seven-Star.

Also in that year, news from the North arrived: Raphael fell into a coma lasting four months and eleven days.

He woke up on a September afternoon, and the very first thing he did was send Jeremy exactly a one-line message.

[I’m still here.]

Jeremy read it three times, then replied with two words: [Got it.]

After that, he turned off the screen, returned to the training ground, and trained for six hours straight without resting.

As for Leon.

During those three years, he fought a total of one thousand two hundred and forty-three matches against puppet number 06.

He lost one thousand one hundred and sixty-eight matches.

But the final seventy-five victories all fell within the final year.

And what was more important than the numbers: he had kicked his old habit - the habit of giving up the moment he saw himself about to lose.

Griffin appeared exactly three times in three years.

The first time to hand over the Soul Crystal.

The second time to throw the entire group into a B-rank rift.

The third time was on the final afternoon of the fourth year, when he abruptly appeared in the middle of the training ground, still bearing that lazy demeanor, holding a thin notebook in his hand.

"Three years." He said, with no introductory remarks: "Your progress is at a level I find temporarily acceptable."

The five stopped their hands and turned around.

Griffin tossed the notebook to Jeremy.

He caught it and flipped it open.

Inside was a list of coordinates, accompanied by handwritten notes.

"An A-rank rift." Griffin said: "There’s something there that will help you break through the tier four threshold. Whether to go or not, you decide for yourselves."

Jeremy looked up: "Survival rate?"

"With your current level?" Griffin smirked: "Forty percent."

"..."

"But if you don’t go," he continued, his voice still flat, "then your tier four milestone will have to be pushed back another three years."

Another three years.

Jeremy thought of Raphael, of the four months and eleven days, of the message with only three words.

Thought of Sylas and a moving finger.

Thought of the countdown clock hanging over the entire continent.

He closed the notebook.

"We go."

Griffin cast a glance at him, showing no particular attitude. Then he turned to the remaining four: "And you?"

Leon shrugged: "Redundant question."

Evelyn didn’t answer, merely summoning the Azure Serenity Bow.

Phoenix pulled his hood down, considering he had answered.

Lucius smiled: "I’ll follow the Captain wherever he goes."

Griffin looked at the five of them one by one.

Very rarely, something flashed in the depths of his purple eyes that wasn’t his usual disdain.

But it disappeared so fast no one could catch it.

"We depart in three days." He said: "When you’re done preparing, come to my place."

Then his figure distorted and vanished.

That night, Jeremy couldn’t sleep.

He sat on his dormitory balcony, looking at the row of magical planters lined up along the railing.

The seed Lucius had shoved into his hand four years ago had now become a small tree waist-high. Its trunk was silver-gray. Its leaves were pale yellow, so thin they were transparent.

It still hadn’t bloomed.

And up until now, he still didn’t know what species it was.

"Still awake."

Jeremy didn’t turn around. He recognized those footsteps from ten steps away.

Lucius stepped onto the balcony, stood beside him, and also looked down at the tree.

"It’s been four years." Jeremy said: "Are you still not going to tell me what kind of tree it is?"

"I genuinely don’t know."

"You say that every time."

"Because it’s the truth every time." Lucius tilted his head to look at him: "But I know one thing."

"What?"

"It will bloom."

Jeremy glanced over.

Under the magical lamplight, his face was still uncomfortably pale. The dark circles under his eyes hadn’t faded in four years. There were nights Jeremy woke up and still saw the light on in his room.

Not once had he stated the reason.

And Jeremy had also never once pushed for an answer.

"We go to the A-rank rift the day after tomorrow." Jeremy said: "Forty percent survival."

"Yeah."

"Aren’t you afraid?"

Lucius was silent for a few seconds.

Then he replied, his voice very light, so light that a gust of wind would disperse it:

"What I fear isn’t located there."

Jeremy turned to look at him.

But Lucius had already averted his eyes, looking down at the tree, the corners of his lips curving up in that familiar way - the smile that Jeremy had always seen as a layer of scum floating on the water’s surface over the past four years.

That sentence, he didn’t explain further.

And Jeremy, this time, also didn’t ask.

The night wind over the Sky City blew past, making the pale yellow leaves tremble softly.

Three days later, the five stepped into the A-rank rift.