"Well, kid, you're not that bad after all," said Tyler with a light laugh as he stared at Dante.
Dante, for his part, was perplexed. How could Tyler use that kind of magic when he was a warrior, not a mage?
But before Dante could even ask, Tyler — who clearly had no intention of answering — simply told him to follow, walking off quickly.
Confused, Dante decided to go after him. The old man suddenly seemed serious, and Dante's instincts told him he'd be in trouble if he didn't follow.
He tried to catch up to Tyler, who was running at a slightly faster pace. Tyler seemed to be heading somewhere Dante had never been before — or ever taken to.
It was deep within the village — a place called the Elders' Corner. There, decisions were made about the village's development and future actions.
After all, even though Tyler was the leader, he didn't handle everything himself.
Viviane or Tyler himself had mentioned this once, though Dante couldn't recall exactly. What he did remember was that, to become an Elder, one needed to be at "Almost-Level 2."
Something Dante didn't quite understand, but based on what his master had told him, even the strongest Level 1 was an insect before the weakest Level 2.
Dante followed Tyler in silence. Their steps moved swiftly through the village until they arrived at the entrance of the Elders' Corner.
What Dante saw there shocked him — for as soon as they arrived, they were greeted by the salute of four knights.
But they weren't ordinary knights. The four emanated a terrifying aura. Compared to what Dante knew, they possessed an aura even stronger than Viviane's — and she was an 8-star mage.
So it was easy to deduce their rank: 9-star knights.
Dante glanced at the four briefly. They wore heavy armor that completely covered their bodies — silver armor that gave off a mystical glow.
"Greetings, leader."
Their voices came in unison, saluting Tyler, who merely waved his hand and continued walking calmly.
Dante looked at them once more before following and asked curiously:
"Is it really necessary to keep four 9-star Level 1 knights guarding this place?"
"No," Tyler replied curtly, without elaborating, and simply kept walking.
"Strange," Dante thought. But as soon as his feet crossed the boundary that separated the Elders' Corner from the village, his body felt heavier — as if he had passed through a barrier.
Inside the Elders' Corner, everything felt different. The gravity was stronger, and the mana was much denser and purer.
Each step created a faint pressure on Dante. Yet, it also seemed to push his body forward. He could feel his pores trying to absorb threads of mana, struggling to complete his initialization.
Unfortunately, the amount of mana absorbed was negligible. The higher-quality mana simply slipped away — his body unable to handle it.
Instinctively, Dante wanted to stay there as long as possible. So he began alternating his pace — letting Tyler get about five steps ahead before jogging a little to catch up again.
Perfectly pretending to be limited by the local gravity, he even simulated rapid breathing — around 40 breaths per minute.
He followed a curious rhythm: one slow inhale through the nose and two quick exhales through the mouth, giving the impression of a stuffy nose and effort-induced shortness of breath.
Too bad it was impossible to fool Tyler and extend his stay, as the old man told him to compose himself and stop pretending when they approached a simple house made of black wood.
The old master released a faint aura, making the door open on its own, and both entered.
The house was completely ordinary — nothing special. It had no furniture or windows, only an entrance and an odd darkness.
Still, Tyler kept walking, and Dante followed.
They passed through a hatch and descended a kind of stone path.
Boom.
Dante kept following Tyler, who remained completely silent.
Boom.
The stone corridor seemed endless, lit by lamps every meter.
Boom.
The air down there felt thin, making it hard to breathe.
Boom.
Every small sound echoed — their footsteps the only thing breaking the silence and shadows.
Boom.
After about three minutes, they reached a small underground cabin.
Boom.
Two men stood in front of it. One of them, standing, seemed deep in thought. He had black hair, a nearly two-meter-tall frame, and a youthful appearance — somewhere between thirty and forty years old.
Boom... boom... boom...
But when Dante's eyes fell upon the second man, his heart — which had been steady — started pounding uncontrollably.
This man was seated, eyes closed, hair white as snow. It was clear from his appearance that he was extremely old: wrinkled skin, short stature — about 1.57 meters — and a smiling face.
Yet Dante could feel that appearance meant nothing. This man was terrifying. His very presence made Dante's heart panic, screaming to flee.
Boom... boom... boom...
A memory tore through his mind: the first time he saw his master fight in kickboxing. He couldn't see her face — only the terrifying skill behind her movements.
And this old man gave him the same feeling — an instinctive tremor of fear that made his body kneel on its own, without even daring to meet the man's eyes.
"Greetings, master. Greetings, ancestor."
In his ears, Dante only heard Tyler's voice greeting the two.