"This was the last place," muttered the bare-chested man seated at the edge of an active volcano. His long black hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall, and his blue eyes, calm and still, mirrored tranquil ponds. A spear lay resting at his side.

'I've absorbed wind, lightning, ice, water, fire, earth, metal, and wood Mana particles,' he said, frustration creeping inside him. 'But I haven't found a single trace of any other element on Earth. It's driving me insane. Last time Jack mentioned that there are usually at least light and darkness elements, but I've found nothing. When I asked Erevan, he just laughed, like I was some clueless fool…'

He sighed. "Ever since we struck that deal two years ago, he's only gotten more insufferable. What's the use of flaunting that little knowledge he has huh?"

It had been two years since Nova left his base in Quarath and began wandering the world, absorbing mana particles and honing his skills in various other aspects. One of them was Mana manipulation.

'At least studying the different elements helped me take a small step closer to it,' he thought, and with that, his mood lifted ever so slightly.

Even after all this time, he still hadn't mastered the ability to convert his base Mana into any element, an ability that would free him from constantly needing to absorb elemental particles after every use.

With a quiet sigh, perhaps of frustration at his slow progress, or perhaps in mourning for the end of his two-year journey, he retrieved the Distance Token from his pouch. He stared at it in silence for several minutes, then finally spoke.

"Alaric… is any of them at the base?" Nova whispered.

A pause. Then, on the other end, Alaric replied softly, "Boss, none of them are here."

"Where did they go?" Nova asked.

"Cassidy left a few days ago to enter another Blue portal. Rachel and Amelia are still out sightseeing and haven't returned yet. Victor, Jack, and Samuel are training outside, and Thomas went to spar with Ren," Alaric reported, doing his best to sound composed.

'Still sparring with Ren?' Nova mused. 'He's probably enjoying himself.'

Since the two groups, Nova's and Erevan's, got into a kind of partnership through the deal, their members along with Nova's friends began sparring regularly, speeding up their progress by facing opponents with equal strength as theirs. This mutual competition significantly boosted the development of both sides.

He spoke aloud, voice even. "Alright. If they try to blame me later, just tell them I tried calling but no one answered, got it?"

There was a slight hesitation before Alaric replied, voice dipping. "Boss… does that mean you're leaving now?"

Nova bitterly smiled. "Yeah. It's better this way, while they're all occupied."

Two years ago, he had anticipated many things but not one.

Somehow, he'd overlooked the fact that most of his friends and subordinates, at least the generals and a few of the commanders, had grown stronger than him. At least their Stats far outpaced his, thanks to the countless portals they'd cleared. Their levels were now well beyond his own.

Sure, he could still win a one-on-one fight against some of them through superior battle sense and more refined Mana control. But it wasn't as effortless as before and some could even win against him.

That was what led to his current decision.

Now that he finally felt ready to enter a Purple portal, the last thing he wanted was for anyone to try and stop him, or worse, convince him to stay and maybe even spar with them, something that was highly likely to happen. If his friends were around, they'd almost certainly want to catch up, maybe talk for a day or two. After all, it had been more than a year since his last visit at the base.

He didn't want to turn them down. But he also didn't want to delay what needed to be done.

This made the current situation ideal, his friends were all occupied, allowing him to enter the portal freely, without the burden of guilt weighing on his shoulders.

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"I understand," Alaric said quietly. "Be careful in there, Boss."

"Mhm." Nova nodded, pocketing the Distance Token before drawing a deep breath. "The nearest Purple portal is in Tritus."

With Dreadscape in hand, he took a single, effortless step and his figure vanished from the spot.

As he roamed the world, he passed by almost a dozen Purple portals. Rarity made them valuable, so he committed each location to memory in case he might've needed them in the future, just like he needed one now.

Within a minute, he arrived at his destination.

'So naïve,' he thought, eyeing the portal ahead. Guards patrolled its perimeter in tight formation, covering a radius of several dozen meters. Barricades were stacked around it, forming a layered defense, clearly meant to deter anyone uninvited.

'I don't remember there being guards the first time I came here...' Nova thought, eyes scanning the perimeter. 'That means he only started guarding portals in recent months.'

He shook his head, a trace of disdain flickering in his expression.

'All that effort, wasted. What's the point of protecting the portal from people who wouldn't survive five minutes inside? And the ones strong enough to survive wouldn't be stopped by such measly defensive formation.'

Over the past two years, the Federation had advanced steadily. By last year, the four main cities had already implemented infrastructure sourced from the Store, granting their citizens a massive leap forward in daily convenience, bringing them very close to what they once were used to. Now, even some first-rate cities, smaller than the main four, boasted similar technological upgrades, albeit not as common.

Meanwhile, Jonathan had quietly expanded his military forces, occasionally sending operatives to interfere with Jack's business in Altura. He attempted the same with Nova, but every time, his people were found unconscious and stripped naked, dumped just outside the city gates.

The reason? Ynsara.

In the two years since Nova had last dealt with such issues, Ynsara's influence over Quarath had eclipsed Jonathan's entirely. She was now considered its mayor, a title unspoken but widely accepted.

Turning back to the portal, Nova exhaled slowly.

'Status,' he commanded mentally.

[Status]

Rank: 0

Name: Nova Grey

Species: Human

Affiliation: None

Level: 27 (170/500)

Mana: Mana Core (Medium) (241,090,677/10,000,000,000), ??? Spinal Node, ??? Perception Node, ??? Pulse Node, ??? Voice Node, ??? Vital Organs Node, ??? Power Node, ??? Stance Node, ??? Manipulation Node

Class: None

Titles: Goblin Exterminator, Kings Slayer, Survivor, Spear Advanced, Troll Exterminator, Orc Exterminator, Rune Novice, Mana Intermediate, Lord (Giants), Hunter, ???, Sword Novice

Stat Points: 343

Attributes:

Strength: 232 (+6,842)

Vigor: 205 (+5,957)

Dexterity: 255 (+8,053)

Speed: 215 (+6,589)

Intelligence: 171 (+4,472)

Wisdom: 215 (+5,622)

Will: 16

Luck: 10 (+10)

Skills

Active: Spear Thrust (27) (1,087,520,113/67,108,864,000), Spear Jab (26) (27,998,674,125/33,554,432,000), Spear Sweep (26) (18,005,751,997/33,554,432,000), Spear Lunge (27) (16,177,745,303/67,108,864,000), Spear Overhead Strike (26) (978,971,108/33,554,432,000), Sword Slash (15) (1/16,384,000), Sword Stab (15) (3/16,384,000), Sword Chop (15) (1/16,384,000), Sword Sweep (15) (0/16,384,000), Sword Parry (14) (2,030,197/8,192,000), Sword Block (14) (1,997,701/8,192,000), Blacksmithing (5) (6,472/16,000), Woodworking (0) (54/500)

Passive: Regeneration (22) (387,900,134/2,097,152,000), Keen Reflexes (13) (1,882,465/4,096,000), Momentum Streak (18) (97,004,016/131,072,000), One with the World (Spear) (MAX), One with the World (Footwork) (MAX)

'I spent all this time training with the spear… I just hope it was worth it,' Nova thought as he closed his eyes. He steadied his breathing, letting calm settle over him. When the moment felt right, he opened them again and muttered, "I'm ready."

With a single step, he slipped past the barricades and guards unnoticed, vanishing into the portal.

He allowed his body to be pulled inward, the world around him dissolving into a swirl of violet light. As the familiar sensation of spatial distortion took hold, a dense purple mist enveloped him and two crisp notifications echoed through his mind.

[Select a weapon]

[Mission starts in 05:00]

"I missed these two notifications," he chuckled to himself, easing down to sit as he waited for the mission to begin.

As always, the five-minute countdown felt like an eternity, each second dragging on with agonizing slowness. He couldn't be blamed, though; his body was trembling with anticipation.

"I wonder which race I'll meet this time," he murmured, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "I can't wait."

[Mission starts in 00:02]

[Mission starts in 00:01]

[Mission started]

[Mission: As a soldier, help the Lotra Kingdom conquer the Vireah Empire.]

Rewards:

1. Primary Reward:

· Gold: 7,450,000

· EXP: 189,000

· 1x Low Mana Stone

2. Special Reward (Be the main reason for the fall of the Vireah Empire)

· Bloodstone

· Title: Throne Breaker (Singlehandedly brought an Empire to its knees. Will +1, all Stats +200)

"The primary rewards alone are insane, this much EXP might push me past level 50 though I wanted more money but it's stll a pretty good amount. I've got no idea what a Mana Stone is, though..." Nova's eyes flicked past the mission details without a second thought, his focus locked on the reward list as the surrounding fog began to fade. "As for the special rewards…I want that title while I have no idea what a bloodstone is used for."

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