CHAPTER 84: WELCOME TO KADENA

"Auren, come on or we’ll be late! You know we can always gather herbs later!" Jaira’s voice rang out with mild exasperation, hands on her hips as she stood a few paces ahead on the moss-covered trail.

Auren, crouched low under the thick bramble of underbrush, barely heard her. His fingers delicately brushed over a peculiar blue flower, well-hidden beneath a bed of crimson moss and curling ferns. His eyes shimmered with excitement.

Each time they ventured out, he kept his senses alert for rare herbs, especially those described in Robert’s ancient, weather-worn compendium of plants.

This one, though... this was something else.

The flower stood about a foot tall. Its blossom was sky-blue, almost glowing, and nestled between four vibrant, heart-shaped leaves that pulsed with a deep ruby hue.

The plant was wrapped protectively by a crown of thorny vines, as if the forest itself wanted to keep it secret.

His heart thumped.

’Wait... isn’t this that flower from Robert’s book? The one he said only bloomed once every decade?’

With a slow, focused breath, Auren extended his hand, channeling mana from his fingertips. His palm hovered just above the plant, and with practiced focus, he activated its Divine Frame.

In a shimmer of emerald light, the plant’s information unfolded before his eyes like a living scroll:

TING!

*

Name: Valentus Snusnu

Rarity: Unique

Type:

Earth Elemental Herb

Age: Fifteen Years

Properties:

Flower: Dried form alleviates headaches and diarrhea. Enhances mana stimulation, increasing recovery rate by 5% for 3 hours. Doubled effect for Earth-elemental beings.

Stem: Mildly poisonous unless boiled. Powdered form creates paralyzing smoke.

Leaves: Crushed form boosts healing by up to 10%. Oil extraction can create medium-grade healing potions. Double potency for Earth users.

Roots: Boiled and crushed roots enhance sexual performance. Double effect for Earth-aligned beings. Overuse may cause fatal circulatory overload.

Notes: A rare specimen native only to the Northwestern quadrant of Runewood. Its red pigmentation is caused by high Manovium saturation- a mineral linked to health and mana restoration. The thorned stem is a defensive trait from predator insects. The red, heart-shaped leaves are the plant’s identifying marker and are highly prized for both medicinal and... unconventional reasons.

*

Wheetweew~

Auren whistled.

"Yup. This is it. The legendary Snusnu plant Robert hunted for seven years." He grinned, pulling a small, rune-etched garden spade from his storage ring.

"If only he got his hand on this, I probably already got a younger sister or brother by now..."

Behind him, Jaira jogged back with a furrowed brow towards the ring on his hand.

"Wait- is that the ring the Queen Mother gave you?"

Auren nodded, lifting his hand to show the simple bluish band. It lacked any gemstone, its surface plain except for the faint runic script that shimmered if you stared too long. The air around it felt... heavier, as if it held the weight of another world inside.

"Yup. Super handy. It’s like having an entire backpack with none of the hassle. I even organized it by category- herbs, tools, books, emergency snacks..."

Jaira’s eyes sparkled with envy. "I wish I had one too..."

"Why not just ask Master?"

Her face fell slightly. "Do you even know how much a proper storage ring costs? We’d have to sell our home and weapons just to afford a low-tier one."

"...That expensive, huh?"

"Insanely." She sighed. "Only nobles, scholars, or ridiculously lucky people like you ever get one."

"I really am one lucky kid, huh?"

Auren smirked to himself as he looked down at the simple blue ring on his finger.

It didn’t look like much- no gem, no fancy shine- but to him, it was a treasure. Both in meaning and in function.

He could still clearly remember the day it was given to him, one of the few moments he could honestly call the happiest in his new life.

After all, he’d always dreamed of owning a storage ring- something he used to only read about in fantasy novels or see in anime.

That day in Aetherthorn, after a tense meeting with Queen Elarya, Kardel had stepped forward. With a solemn expression, he held the ring out as if presenting a sacred relic.

"This is your reward for bravery, young man," the Queen had said, her voice warm but firm, like a flame wrapped in silk.

Those words still echoed in his mind- comforting, yes, but also heavy with responsibility. The kind of weight that didn’t disappear just because the fighting stopped.

Before Auren could drift too deep into that memory, Jaira leaned closer, her eyes locked onto the glowing Divine Frame floating above the plant before them.

Her expression was a mix of awe, disbelief and a little uncomfortable.

"This is the first time I’ve ever seen a frame display that much detail..." she murmured, scanning every line. "Wait- are you telling me this thing actually has aphrodisiac roots?"

"Yup," Auren replied with a grin. "Robert’s going to cry tears of joy- and probably dash straight into the woods trying to find another one... that is, if he ever makes it back."

Jaira blinked, then chuckled before narrowing her eyes with curiosity.

"Okay, but seriously- how do you even do that?" she asked, nodding toward the floating Divine Frame above the herb. Her tone carried both admiration and frustration. After all, no matter how much she tried, the complete details of the herb just won’t come out on her command.

"I mean, you told me I just needed to coat it with mana, right? I’ve tried that. Over and over. But the best I can pull up is the basic name. No effects, no breakdown, not even a single stat. Nothing! Grr!"

Auren paused, considering how to answer.

He could’ve walked her through the process again. How he projected his mana through his hands, focused it like a net around the plant, then visualized its structure like a living diagram while syncing with his eye skills. But honestly?

Even after explaining it multiple times, no one had ever been able to replicate his method- not even the scholars who studied plants for decades, nor the tribal leaders with decades of mana mastery.

It wasn’t for lack of trying, either. They simply couldn’t see what he saw or do what he did.

So instead of diving into another explanation that would only end in more confusion, Auren just smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"Let’s just say it’s one of the perks of being a frameless freak,"

He threw her a playful wink, and to his surprise, Jaira let out a snort of laughter, shaking her head in mock frustration.

With practiced hands, Auren finished unearthing the Valentus Snusnu, roots and all still intact. He gently brushed off the soil clinging to its base and placed it carefully into his storage ring. A soft glow shimmered as it vanished inside.

As the two continued trekking through the forest, sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting golden streaks across their path. Birds chirped lazily, and the rustle of leaves underfoot added a steady rhythm to their journey.

Auren’s thoughts, however, drifted elsewhere.

’The ring’s getting full... especially with all the herbs and tools I’ve packed in there. I wonder if I can expand its capacity...’

Then came a spark of inspiration.

’Wait a second. I’m not bound by any class... Could I learn runic magic? The kind used to inscribe storage spells?’

His lips curled into a grin, excitement buzzing in his veins.

’I’ve got too many goals and not nearly enough hours in the day.’

He glanced up at the sun breaking through the trees.

"What if there’s a skill out there that lets me slow time itself?" he muttered aloud, half-joking, half-serious.

Auren’s mind buzzed with possibilities- dimensional magic experiments, theoretical time dilation, maybe even lost runes etched in crumbling scrolls tucked away in dusty ruins.

He was already mapping it all out in his head: what books to study, how to set up a makeshift lab, what kind of mana stabilizers he might need... and, of course, bracing himself for a few magical explosions along the way.

What he didn’t yet realize was that this little spark of curiosity- born from a simple storage ring-would eventually steer him toward something far deeper... and far more perilous than he ever imagined.

After several hours of steady hiking, broken up by sudden sprints through tangled brush and the occasional detour to avoid prowling Night Stalkers, the group finally pushed past a steep incline and stepped onto an elevated ridge.

Below them, Kadena stretched into view like a forgotten jewel cradled by the forest.

From above, the ancient elven stronghold resembled a constellation made of stone and vine.

Lodges, shaped like crescent moons and spiraled shells, dotted the perimeter, each connected by smooth slabs of white-gray stone. At the center lay a massive circular arena divided into several sparring rings- some modest, others large enough to hold entire squads.

This was Kadena- the revered training grounds where generations of elven warriors had honed their strength and spirit.

Auren’s heart pounded faster as he absorbed the weight of the place.

He’d faced danger, battle, and near-death before... but something about this felt entirely new. Like a different kind of test was waiting.

What he didn’t realize was that an all-too-familiar kind of trouble was already lying in wait- just around the corner.