CHAPTER 55: GREENHOLLOW TOWN

BOOM!

The weapon crushed the ground where Astrael had just been. But Astrael was already behind him.

SHUK!

A stab right through the back of the brute’s thigh. It howled and turned to retaliate, but it was too slow. Astrael danced around its swing and pivoted on his heel. His blade slashed upward, straight through the gnoll’s ribs and shoulder.

CRUNCH.

The brute collapsed to its knees, blood gushing from its mouth. He turned his head while his eyes were now locked on the shaman.

It finished its chant and thrust a clawed hand toward him, releasing a wave of crimson energy.

Astrael’s sword shimmered with mana.

[Quick Draw]

He stepped into the arc of the spell with perfect timing.

SHHHH!

His blade cut through the spell, disrupting it completely, and before the shaman could react—

SLASH.

A clean line across its throat. The chanting of the creature stopped mid-sentence, and the glow in its eyes faded. The creature dropped and twitched onto the ground.

The floor was litterd with the blood of the monster. Tavric remained calm as he knew the outcomes. He watched the Astrael battle the mid-Tier-2 beast. While he held his ground for 15 minutes, Astrael was outright killed.

The driver stood frozen and couldn’t speak.

Astrael stood still in the centre of the road, his sword dripping with blood, while breath steady.

[Ding!]

[You have acquired the soul energy of Wildfang Gnoll (x2)]

[+400 EXP]

[You have acquired the soul energy of Gnoll Brute]

[+500 EXP]

[Ding! The Divine Talent Plunder has activated.]

[You have acquired:]

[Strength +4]

[Vitality +6]

[Skill: Savage Endurance (E)]

Another ding.

[You have acquired the soul energy of Gnoll Shaman]

[+500 EXP]

[Plunder has activated]

[You have acquired:]

[Intelligence +3]

[Skill: Blood Veil (E)]

’Blood Veil, huh?’

He knew better than to test it here.

He flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed it with one smooth motion. Behind him, Tavric finally let out the breath he’d been holding.

Astrael turned, dusted his coat lightly, and started walking back to the carriage.

"We’re clear," he said, voice even. "Let’s move."

[Savage Endurance (E) – Passive. Increases pain tolerance and physical recovery speed during combat.]

[Blood Veil (E) – Active.

Form a thin protective layer of condensed blood energy, reducing incoming damage by 10% for 10 seconds. Costs 15 mana.]

’Hmm, defence options were my weak point, for now it’s ok, but I have to find a better skill.’

While Astrael was lost in thought, the carriage wheels moved steadily towards their destination. The trees outside shifted from thick forest to open stretches of farmland. In the distance, the wooden outline of a small settlement came into view.

After some hours, the driver called over his shoulder, "Young lords, we’ll be entering Greenhollow in a few minutes."

Tavric leaned out of the window, breathing in deeply. "Ah, smells like fresh bread and cheap ale. So peaceful."

Astrael glanced at him, then out toward the settlement. Beyond it, faint but unmistakable, loomed the towering dark-green wall of the Elderwood Forest.

He hadn’t come here for herbs. That had only been an easy excuse to slip into the guild’s mission registry without drawing suspicion. From what he knew, there was strict checking at the outpost near the Elderwood, and without a guild card, wandering in there would invite unnecessary questions.

His real goal had nothing to do with gathering plants. Inside the Elderwood, they roamed in abundance of low-tier and mid-tier creatures, perfect prey for honing his blade and feeding his talent. Every fight meant more experience, more stat gains, more skills to plunder.

It was a perfect hunting ground. And unlike the arenas in the manor, there would be no safety nets.

Astrael’s lips curved faintly. The thought of going in alone, where mistakes had real consequences, didn’t daunt him—it thrilled him.

He adjusted the strap of his sword, the faint weight at his hip a reassuring presence.

’Level up quickly. Get as many skills as I can. The stronger I get, the less... anyone can take from me.’

The carriage passed under a wooden arch that read Greenhollow Town. Cobblestone streets, a few market stalls, the smell of roasting meat, and the chatter of townsfolk greeted them. The buildings were simple, stone foundations with timber frames, moss creeping up the sides.

The driver pulled up in front of the small inn near the forest’s edge.

"This is as far as I go," the man said, climbing down. "The forest’s entrance is a ten-minute walk that way." He jerked his chin toward a dirt road lined with old oak trees.

The town of Greenhollow was the kind of place that smelled of damp wood, wet earth, and roasting meat all at once. Nestled just outside Elderwood’s shadow, it served as both a lifeline and a warning; half of its economy relied on the forest, and the other half relied on people surviving it.

Astrael stepped off the carriage, followed by Tavric. A few merchants were already shouting prices from their stalls, selling charms, monster pelts, and bundles of dried herbs said to ward off beasts.

He made his way toward a small tavern, The Beer Fang, its crooked sign swaying slightly. Inside, the light was dim, the air thick with the smell of ale and smoke.

Astrael slid onto a stool at the counter. "Two rooms for a night," he said.

"20 bcoins," the barkeep replied, a stocky man with a missing tooth and the look of someone who’d seen more drunken brawls than sunrises.

Astrael counted out twenty bronze coins onto the scarred wooden counter.

"The fourth and fifth rooms on the left, first floor," the man said, dropping two tarnished keys onto the counter.

Astrael gave a small nod and picked them up. Turning, he handed one to Tavric. "I think we part ways here."

"Eh? Oh, yeah, you’re right." Tavric gave a sheepish grin. "Thanks for earlier. Oh, and here—" He pulled a small, ornate card from his coat and pressed it into Astrael’s palm. "My merchant guild card. Show this at any guild branch and you’ll get a ten percent discount on products and materials. Consider it my thanks."

Astrael looked down at the card—gold-inked script on thick, fine paper, with the Elmoor crest embossed in the corner. It wasn’t a small favour.

"Generous," Astrael said flatly, slipping it into his coat without ceremony.

Tavric chuckled. "It’s not generosity. It’s networking. You’ll see."

Without another word, Astrael turned and started toward the staircase. The tavern’s air felt warmer than outside, but only because it was crowded.

Astrael dropped his pack onto the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. Outside, the wind carried the distant howl of some beast deep within the trees.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he slowly closed his eyelid and was lost in dreams.

...

The faint morning mist clung to his clothes as Astrael sat cross-legged by the open window, his eyes half-closed, face calm. Each inhale drew in not just air, but threads of mana, thin, bluish motes of light that drifted invisibly.

He guided them down, past the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, into the lower dantian. There, the gathered mana pooled like a quiet, moonlit pond, rippling gently under his control.

Slowly, steadily, he cycled it—refining, compressing, and letting it merge with his own essence.

Astrael could feel it now, each cycle of mana through his lower dantian was smoother than the last, the flow no longer sluggish like in his early days of training.

The refined energy spread through his meridians in a slow, deliberate pulse, strengthening muscles, sharpening senses. His limbs felt lighter, his breath deeper.

With every completed circuit, faint traces of heat built within him, not uncomfortable, but invigorating, like the body awakening after a long slumber.

He lingered in that stillness, listening to the subtle hum of power beneath his skin. This was the quiet foundation behind every strike, every movement. Without a steady core, sword techniques were nothing more than empty flourishes.

In the distance, Elderwood’s dark treeline loomed like a silent challenge. By the time the sun rose higher, Astrael’s eyes opened, glinting with a sharper focus, letting the last threads of mana disperse into his body.

The Revitalisation technique he unknowingly developed helped in the refining process of the mana into its mana core.

Not bad, he thought. The cycle was getting more refined, with a faster absorption rate. At this rate, his foundation would be solid enough to attempt higher-grade techniques without risking backlash.

But raw strength wasn’t enough. The Elderwood Forest was unfamiliar terrain, and he wasn’t foolish enough to walk into a hunting ground blind. He needed to know what lurked inside: beast territories, plant types, dangers, etc.

Pushing himself up, he brushed the dust from his clothes. Information is as important as a sword in hand, he reminded himself, a saying Avalon used to drill into him during training.

***

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