章節 17: Nether Body

Arvell spat out an arrow of blood and convulsed in pain.

Falling backwards he hit the floor hard and began to writhe in agony.

Bloody tears gushed out of Arvell's eyes as he tried to cope with the excruciating pain.

He began desperately clawing the floor with his fingernails in an attempt to distract his mind, leaving faint bloody claw marks on the ground.

Succumbing to the mind-numbing pain, Arvell began to question if anything he was going through was even worth it.

'Why am I going through this pain? If only I could live a happy life back at the castle… Should I just give up? Just giving up and dying would be far easier than this. Why should I struggle repeatedly just to live? Why should I have to go through so much pain just to live? It might be better to just give up…'

His brain desperately tried to figure out a way of this situation, and his life flashed before his eyes.

He remembered a little girl who would constantly visit him. A little girl who would accidentally bake cookies with salt instead of sugar. A girl he was promised a future with.

He remembered the smiling faces of his twin elder siblings. The two twins often competed with each other to see who doted on Arvell the most.

He remembered the sorrow and dejection on his mother's face as he walked out of the throne room.

He remembered the faces of those who scorned him and cast him aside.

The rage he held inside him was due to his powerlessness. That feeling that festered in his heart like a poison, slowly eating away at his very soul.

'No… I can't die yet! I still have so much I need to accomplish! I need to get back at those bastards who cast me aside and killed me! LIKE HELL I WILL GIVE UP BECAUSE OF MERE PAIN!'

The answer to it all. The way he could live his life without having it dictated by others. It was to get stronger.

Stronger than anyone else!

As if he would let pain be the reason he couldn't go further on his path to acquiring strength.

He might as well keel over and die!

Just like those that 'killed' him wanted!

He bit down on his hand hard drawing even more blood and used it as a makeshift gag to suppress his screams of agony.

At this point his body was leaking blood through all of his pores, entirely covering his skin in a coating of blood.

He resolutely forced his body to sit up and sat in a lotus pose.

He inhaled deeply before accelerating the refining process by manually speeding up the rate of Nether refining.

When the rate of Nether refining increased, the pain increased proportionately.

However, unlike before, Arvell grit through the pain with a determined yet crazed expression.

'I WILL GET THROUGH THIS!'

***

TWO WEEKS LATER

In a certain cave in the forest close to the Vispian capital city of Talmek, a dishevelled body slowly clawed its way out of a thick puddle of blood.

While a portion of the blood on the ground was fresh, the large majority of it had already dried up long ago.

The figure was completely red from head to toe, save for his eyes which gleamed like amethysts.

Another figure with similar amethyst eyes materialized before him.

'Two weeks… Not bad kid! While the time spent refining your Aether Core could be considered monstrous if not downright scary, your Nether Body refining speed was closer to the upper-mid of that race.'

'Two weeks passed? I didn't even realize it. How am I still alive? I haven't eaten or drank in 2 weeks.'

'Don't forget you're a Nephilim now. Human standards don't apply to you. Your life force is far stronger than average humans. To top it off further you were using Nether to reshape your body. The life energy you used to perform the process was enough to keep you alive when combined with your strong Nephilim life force,' Lykos explained.

'I see…'

Arvell punched the air before him and heard an audible 'wooshing' sound. A portion of the blood on his fists flew off and splattered the nearby wall.

He looked at his fist.

'Status.'

[Status Information]

Name: Arvell Relas Vispia

Species: Nephilim

Age: 13 years old

HP: 130

STA: 81

DEF: 68

SPD: 69

PHYS ATK: 72

POWER STAGE: 1ST CIRCLE 0TH STAGE

BODY REFINING: 1ST REFINEMENT 0TH STAGE

AETHER: 80/80

NETHER: 80/80

Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), Inheritor of the Nephilim's Legacy, Forever Alone?

Skills: Incomplete Royal Swordsmanship (C+), Diplomacy (B-), Future sight (SS), Inventory (S), Temporal Manipulation (SSS), Warp (SSS), Rejuvenation (S), Undead Summon (S), Vitality Drain (SS).

Arvell's mouth dropped in awe.

His stats were far stronger than what he had before, with some stats like his health being 40 points higher than before.

If before he could rival a newly appointed knight if the said knight wasn't using body strengthening magic, now he could go toe to toe with one even with them at full strength.

He was closely looking at his stats before noticing something that somehow managed to elude his notice.

Arvell's tired yet satisfied smile grew distorted, while veins visibly bulged on his forehead.

'Lykos… What the hell does 'Forever Alone' mean?'

Feeling Arvell's change even Lykos felt a small shiver run through his astral body.

'You know… You did end up having your engagement broken twice. It's almost like you aren't destined for love in this lifetime,' Lykos teased.

While he did feel a slight shiver, to someone Like Lykos this was nothing. Comparing Arvell to the enemies he'd fought was like comparing an infant with a seasoned veteran.

Due to this, he had no qualms about teasing Arvell for his tragic love life.

Arvell felt a figurative arrow go through his heart as he collapsed from a combination of exhaustion and the mental damage he received from Lykos.

Lykos looked down at Arvell pitifully.

'I guess that hit a little too close to home…'

Arvell took a few moments to recover from the mental damage, and once more stood up.

'Talking about Lily, I feel like I should still head towards Elantrya. It might be safer to stay here, but I am sick and tired of this shitty country. Furthermore, I also want to see her again… It has been five years.'

'You do know she is foreign royalty right? They won't just casually let you see her if you don't have a high enough social standing. Right now you are less than an ordinary citizen in the royal family's eyes. You are not even a citizen of their kingdom. As for revealing who you are? All that will do is set a massive target on your back for those who aimed for your life. Pretending to be dead is one of the best ways to stay alive, so don't give it up just to see her once.'

Arvell knew Lykos's words were correct.

He knew that seeing her was no easy task. Even so, he wouldn't give up.

No matter how hard it was, he would still do anything he could to see her again.

She was one of the few people he still cared about.

Surely someone as kind as her wouldn't scorn him for being mana-less.

He knew what kind of person she was.

'Sigh….'

Lykos exhaled audibly.

'There is one way you can see her, even if you are not on her social standing.'

Arvell's eyes lit up.

'What do I need to do?'

Arvell was like a parched man in a desert finally catching a glimpse of an oasis.