CHAPTER 212: CEDRIC VALTIERI [2]

"Not enough," Cedric muttered. The taste of iron spreading across his tongue.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, dragging blood across his jaw.

It stung a little.

Everything stung.

His ribs ached like they’d been cracked open. His arms were numb. His legs barely held him up.

Still.

He stood up.

Across the battlefield. The Obsidiorn let out a furious roar.

The sound was ragged, its voice broken from damage.

It looked like hell. Cracks ran deep across its stone-plated body, black blood hissing out with every breath. Lava steamed from its fists, dripping in slow, angry globs that burned into the earth.

But it wasn’t the only problem.

There was still the Devourer.

The worm had already healed. Completely.

Not even a scratch had left. Its disgusting purple mass had vanished back into the dirt, smooth and silent, like it had never been there.

But Cedric could feel it moving.

The ground beneath his boots trembled in shallow pulses, circling him like a noose. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

He needed to kill it in one go.

Cedric raised his sword. The steel hissed as golden fire climbed the blade, flickering to life and casting long shadows across his face.

He exhaled slowly.

’Focus.’

Across from him. The Obsidiorn charged again.

Every footfall slammed into the ground like a falling boulder, rattling up through Cedric’s legs. The beast’s molten fists sparked with heat, glowing red like a forge fire, and it came at him swinging.

Cedric didn’t move.

He waited—waited for the last second—and then angled his sword.

Not to block.

To redirect.

The blow crashed into his blade and scraped past, pain jolting up his arms, but the momentum twisted the Obsidiorn’s body. Its balance faltered.

A sharp grunt left its throat as it staggered, gears turning too slow to recover in time.

Cedric didn’t wait.

His left hand moved fast.

[Flashbang].

A sharp burst of light exploded in front of the Obsidiorn.

The beast let out a furious scream. Its head snapping back, both hands flying up to shield its eyes.

It was a mistake.

Cedric was already gone.

[Blink]

In a blink. He vanished from the ground and reappeared on the Obsidiorn’s back.

His boots hit the jagged volcanic plates, scraping against hot stone. The heat scorched through his soles, but he didn’t flinch.

The monster shrieked in confusion. Its body twisting violently as it tried to shake him off.

Cedric’s left hand shot forward. Golden light burst out from his palm, splitting into glowing ropes that wrapped around the creature’s thick, cracked neck.

The ropes snapped tight like a noose, and Cedric yanked back with everything he had.

The Obsidiorn lost it.

It staggered, clawing at its own face, trying to reach him. But its stubby arms couldn’t bend that far.

In its panic, it began slamming its fists into its own skull. Again. And again.

Massive hits that sent cracks spiraling deeper across its rocky skin.

Cedric’s whole body shook from the impact. His grip slipped once. But he held on and clenched his teeth, His arms are burning.

Then he felt it.

Beneath the stone. The ground trembled differently now. Sharp and growing.

The Abyssal Devourer was back.

He could feel it tunneling upward with his earth affinity. The dirt shifting as its massive body surged straight toward them.

’Perfect.’

A grin pulled at his bloodstained lips.

He gave the golden ropes one last savage pull, dragging the Obsidiorn forward. Right as the ground beneath them began to bulge.

[Solar Burst]

The ground split open beneath them.

A column of golden fire erupted skyward, swallowing the Abyssal Devourer and hurling it into the air like a ragdoll.

Shrreeek!

The worm shrieked... A high, screeching wail.

Its mouth unhinging wide to reveal rows of spinning, jagged teeth, slick with spit.

Cedric didn’t hesitate.

He braced himself against the Obsidiorn’s back and kicked off hard, every muscle screaming as he launched it straight at the monster’s gaping jaws.

Time slowed. Wind rushed past his ears.

Below him.

The Obsidiorn staggered from the force of his leap, its huge body tipping forward, off balance...

CRUNCH.

The wet sound turned his stomach. The Devourer’s mouth clamped shut around the Obsidiorn’s midsection, carving clean through it like it was nothing.

Black blood fanned out in a wide spray.

The creature’s top half vanished into the maw. Its lower body hit the ground a second later..... heavy legs crumpling like broken pillars.

Cedric rolled as he landed, pain flaring through his side. He came up on one knee, breathing hard, His heart pounding.

’It worked.’

His fingers twitched.

He looked up at the writhing worm.

And then, with a shaky breath.

Snap

He snapped his fingers.

The reaction was instant.

The Devourer’s swollen. It’s veiny gut twitched once—then buckled.

Its hide rippled like wet cloth.

A second later, with a sickening crack-thump like thousand watermelons being dropped from a great height.

The beast’s stomach caved in.

A geyser of meat and black guts burst out.

Chunks of purple flesh, slick and steaming, rained across the golden grass. Some splattered on Cedric’s face.

He didn’t flinch. Just wiped his cheek with the back of his hand and let out a shaky breath.

’The space runes had worked.’

He’d carved them into the Obsidiorn’s neck while riding it—one at a time, carefully hidden. On their own, each meant nothing. But inside the Devourer’s belly?

Together, they ruptured space.

As both monsters began to dissolve into soft blue light. Cedric finally let himself breathe.

His arms were dead weight. Cuts stung across his body. Sweat dripped down his jaw, mixing with blood.

’Still, it didn’t feel like enough.’

"...I’m not there yet," he muttered, spitting into the dirt.

Victory meant nothing if it wasn’t progress.

He raised his hand, voice low.

"Nexus, reset—"

But the command never finished.

The world around him stuttered, like a film reel tearing mid-frame.

[WARNING: SIMULATION INTEGRITY COMPROMISED]

The voice warped as it echoed.

Cedric stared, heart thudding.

"What...?"

Cedric’s voice cracked. His throat was dry from hours of silence. . The warning echoed again.

[WARNING: SIMULATION INTEGRITY COMPROMISED]

He didn’t move.

The sky above him flickered like a broken screen, but slowly, the color settled. The ground steadied beneath his boots.

Then came another message.

[Please wait. Nexus is addressing the issue.]

This one was calmer, like someone else had taken the mic.

Cedric exhaled through his nose and rubbed at his temple, fingers brushing sweat-damp hair.

"...Just a glitch," he mumbled.

His head throbbed—eight hours in the simulation was pushing it. The academy had strict limits for a reason.

Prolonged exposure could fry a mage’s brain of his rank if they weren’t careful.

He could already feel the edges of that familiar headache settling in. The kind that left his vision swimming if he didn’t log out soon.

Eventually, the reset hit.

It was warm and soothing. His wounds closed in seconds, the tightness in his chest faded, and the emptiness where his mana used to be started to fill again.

He flexed his fingers, then rolled his shoulders until the stiffness popped loose.

A small timer blinked into the corner of his vision.

[Time Remaining: 00:26:11]

Not even half an hour left.

Not enough time for another full session.

’Guess I’ll switch to the private training room,’ he thought, raising both arms in a stretch.

"Nexus. Logout."

The world fell apart.

White light overtook everything.

—

It always took a few seconds for reality to come back.

First was the cold. The pod’s lining clung to his back, cold against damp skin.

Then came the pressure behind his eyes. A sharp, pulsing ache that made him wince.

Classic sim fatigue.

Hiisss!

The pod hissed open.

He sat up slowly, squinting against the fluorescent glare of the VR chamber. The room was quiet. More nine identical pods lined the walls, humming faintly. All were empty.

Except one.

His eyes drifted to the far corner. A pod still sealed. Still humming.

Kyle.

’...He’s still inside?’

Cedric’s brows pulled together.

When he’d shown up earlier, Kyle was already jacked into the sim. That had been... what, seven hours ago?

Before he could think much more of it, a hiss broke the quiet.

The last pod cracked open.

Kyle staggered out, one hand on the metal frame, the other pressed tight to his temple. Sweat clung to his white hair, matting it to his skin.

His eyes—usually sharp, icy blue—looked dulled, glassy, like he hadn’t quite made it all the way back.

Then they found Cedric.

There was a beat of silence. Recognition flickered behind his eyes.

"...Oh. Cedric."

Cedric raised a hand, slow.

"...Hey Kyle."

The space between them felt heavier than it should’ve. They hadn’t really talked since the Black Gate mess. Not properly.

Cedric had been locked into training. Kyle had been off doing his own thing. Grinding the sim till his brain short-circuited, apparently. He barely even saw him around Luna or Reo anymore.

"You were in the sim too?" Kyle asked, rolling his shoulder with a faint wince.

"Yeah. Just felt like hitting something."

"Mm. Same. Was testing a few spells. Lost track of time." Kyle rubbed his temple again. "Feels like my head’s cracked open. I need coffee."

Silence fell again.

Then Cedric said it.

"....Are you blessed too?"

No buildup. No hesitation. Just the question—clean, sharp, straight through the air.

Kyle’s fingers stopped moving. The weariness in his eyes flickered, replaced by a brief edge. Quiet and careful. Then it was gone.

He let out a breath.

"...Yes. I am."

The silence that followed didn’t feel heavy, just watchful. Like two people sizing up a mirror.

Then Cedric smiled, soft and honest.

"I’m glad I’m not the only one."

Kyle blinked.

That... wasn’t what he’d expected.

But it fit.

This was Cedric, after all. The idiot who took a full hit from a demon just to protect someone he didn’t even know. The guy who probably didn’t have it in him to think of himself first.

Of course he’d be relieved.

Kyle’s mouth pulled into a tired smile.

’Yeah. That’s the protagonist I remember.’

"Let’s go somewhere quieter," he said, nodding at the door. "I also need to discuss some things with you"

"My dorm’s open," Cedric said.

"Works for me. Lead on."

They turned for the exit.

Cedric stopped dead in his tracks.

"...Uh. Kyle?"

Kyle glanced back. "What?"

Cedric pointed.

"Where’d the cat come from?"

Kyle followed his gaze to his shoulder. A black cat was lounging there, tail curled, eyes golden and half-lidded like she’d been there all day.

She hadn’t.

"Oh. She was asleep in that corner," Kyle said, motioning vaguely behind him.

Cedric opened his mouth. Closed it again.

Kyle just kept walking.

After a beat, Cedric shook his head and followed.

—————