CHAPTER 40: TIME AND TIDE WAITS FOR NO MAN.

The next day!

The first and foremost thing for Kael is to find the Lost Land, and he had already planned what to do next.

"The training starts at morning 9:00 Am and ends at evening 4:30 PM. I will skip today’s training at dorm and gymnastics. And I will be left with eight and half hours, that’s plenty of time. "

(Before the weekend, i will make money going to higher rank guilds, collect and work hard as much as i can)

(for one completion of guild, it will take three hours, that means i should at least complete working two times every night after the class, that makes six times of participation before this week ends)

"PERFECTTTT"... I shouted energetics....

The whole class looked at me...

(I forgot we were at ground zero.)

"Sorry" i said.

The Next Day

Kael woke up with one goal in mind—find the Lost Land.

He had already planned his next steps carefully.

"Training starts at 9:00 AM and ends around 4:30 PM," he thought, checking the academy schedule again.

He tapped his notebook, eyes focused.

"I’ll skip today’s training in my dorm and the gymnastics class at the end. That gives me around eight and a half hours of free time. That should be enough."

He sat upright, energized.

"Before the weekend, I’ll take on jobs from higher-rank guilds—even if I’m weak now, I can at least do collection quests and scouting."

"Each guild task takes roughly three hours, which means I can complete two every evening after classes. If I stick to it, I’ll finish six jobs by the weekend."

Kael’s eyes lit up as he grinned to himself.

"Perfect! That will be plenty of money to go to the city of Graylight."

Then he suddenly shouted:

"PERFECTTTT!!"

The entire class turned to look at him in stunned silence.

Kael blinked. Then he remembered—they were still at Ground Zero, the academy’s main training hall.

He awkwardly cleared his throat and muttered,

"...Sorry."

Everyone went back to their own business, and Kael stood alone, face slightly red but heart still racing with motivation.

Kael stood at the edge of the training field, wearing the new academy uniform Cecelia had gifted him.

It was a perfect fit. The fabric was stronger, the colors were bright—and for the first time, he didn’t look like an extra. He looked like he belonged.

Then, without delay, he started running laps.

One lap. Two laps. Ten. Fifty.

His feet hit the ground again and again.

Sweat poured down his face, but he didn’t stop.

Training went on. Sword drills. Mana resistance. Physical endurance.

But even after the long day ended, Kael didn’t rest like the others.

Each evening, when the sky darkened and students returned to their dorms, Kael quietly left Arcadia Academy and headed to the nearby City of Elaris through the terminal using the student discount.

He wore a plain cloak and a black mask, hiding his face.

In the city, he entered various guild halls contacting from the guild notice board—not as a student or hero—but as a nameless collector.

He took on quests that others ignored:

– Finding rare herbs in dangerous fields.

– Helping clear weak monster nests.

– Solving old puzzle ruins left abandoned.

No one knew his name. No one knew where he came from.

And every night he returned.

Kael didn’t waste a single minute.

While others rested, he worked.

While others joked in the dorms, he earned.

He kept moving forward, chasing a goal no one else could see.

By the End of the Week

Kael checked his purse hidden inside his cloak.

He counted carefully.

1,800 gold coins and 30 silver coins.

"This is enough for the next step... the first map fragment."

He closed the pouch, eyes calm and determined.

The path ahead was still long—but Kael was already far ahead of the rest.

This is it !

Kael packed the few belongings he had—his last mana elixir, a piece of hard bread wrapped in cloth, and the notebook where he’d jotted down all his plans.

He double-checked everything, slipped the book into his pouch, and left his dorm.

At the city terminal, he handed over a silver coin to the gate officer and boarded the carriage heading toward Elaris, the capital and central hub of the state.

(According to the novel, Elaris was the center of the state—everything passed through it at some point.)

But once Kael arrived, things didn’t go as planned.

He stood in the middle of the bustling city, surrounded by stone towers, glowing sign boards, and crowds of people moving like rivers.

And yet, he had no idea where Graylight City was. The novel had mentioned the city’s name but never explained its location.

For the next two hours, Kael wandered from one end of Elaris to the other—walking from terminal to terminal, checking every map, asking vendors and station guides.

But no one seemed to know about Graylight City.

His feet ached. His dress was dusty. And his hope was starting to wear thin.

(Maybe this trip was a mistake...)

Just as he was about to turn back for the day, something caught his eye in a narrow passage—a faded green signboard, old and half-covered in grass.

In bold, crooked letters, it read:

"LIBERATION OF FAILURE! [Caution: Do Not Enter]"

Kael froze.

"...Liberation of Failure?" he whispered. "That wasn’t in the novel..."

He racked his brain, flipping through memories of every Chapter, every side-note in the lore.

Nothing.

Not a single mention of this place.

He hesitated at that passage’s edge.

(Should I turn back? No... if I leave now, this whole day would’ve been for nothing.)

Even if it turned out to be a dead end, Kael thought, at the very least, he might find a clue about where Graylight City really was.

He tightened his grip on his bag and stepped toward the entrance—into the unknown.

He stopped and looked back to the signboard again. Caution, do not enter.

"Although the city is vast, this is the only option I have got"

He turned away and paid the coins.