Chapter 28: The calm before the storm

The calm moment of the journey had arrived, but in truth, everything was too calm... Strax was already beginning to grow suspicious. After all, the clear warning of an attack had already been seen; it was only a matter of time before they were ambushed.

Samira knew this and assumed the role of a bodyguard, now seated in front of Strax while Jason was by his side.

Strax was cultivating as the carriage advanced through the mountains.

"He's quite self-taught. I just gave him a few tips, and he's already applying them accurately," said Samira, analyzing the young man with closed eyes who breathed in warm air as he cultivated.

"He wasn't always like this. In fact... it's surprising," commented Jason. The atmosphere between these two had stabilized after Strax gave them both heavy scoldings. They had reached a consensus that both were in a similar situation, both were in the palm of this man before them.

"How so?" Samira questioned. Although everyone knew that Strax was a failure, it was hard to think that one of the sons of the strongest man in the Empire was a failure. Perhaps many outsiders thought Strax was just an ordinary man, unlike his brothers, who were aberrations.

These comparisons... Irritated Samira. After all, she too was the daughter of a noble and had been compared to her sister a lot.

"He... wasn't even capable of cultivation years ago. Now... he has the talent of a genius, apparently," commented Jason. Since returning to Strax's side, he had already noticed several changes in his strength.

"Tsk, I hate geniuses," Samira muttered.

"Don't think of him like that. He's been through a lot. Besides, he's not what you're thinking. He's quite serious," defended Jason his master, while observing him slightly sweat, his face slightly damp.

"Is he really? Tell me what this 'seriousness' would be," she smiled. Of course, she would love to get to know more deeply a man who had such a large bounty on his head. She wanted to understand what and who she was dealing with.

"He tortured a man in a brutal way and killed him by mining his head with a pickaxe," said Jason, and the place fell silent for a while. Even Samira found what he had done frightening.

"Why did he do that?" Samira asked, and Jason spoke simply. "They conspired against him a few years ago, causing him to separate from his wife, and when he got a chance to reconcile with her... the Butler conspired to kill her. Well, it was just a cut on the arm, but for Strax... Well, let's say he didn't like his wife getting hurt," Jason concluded, and several thoughts crossed Samira's face.

First, of course, she felt he was a fool for making a fuss over something as small as a cut on an arm. Then, she felt he was not someone to be underestimated. And lastly. 'Must be nice to be important to someone,' she thought, her final thoughts before hearing a gruff voice.

"Finally," Strax's voice resonated in the small carriage, and the two of them stared at him. Strax seemed a little different.

"Young Master?" Jason questioned, but Samira just smiled at him. "It seems my advice was quite important. I should be rewarded, don't you think?" She said, and Strax smiled lightly, reading the system notification in front of him.

[Congratulations, User! You have advanced to a "Condensed Stage Supreme Cultivator", due to your Superior Talent in having competent people by your side, your talent has evolved!]

[Name: Strax Vorah

[Sword of Tomorrow: Unique sword style, although basic, is a good choice for those who have just entered the world of sword cultivation.]

"Tsk, didn't earn any extra points. What's that supposed to mean? Not only do I not get points in all stats when I level up, now even with cultivation, I don't get these points? What the hell is this problematic system?" He thought, his frustration already evident in the eyes around him.

"Hey, brat, I'm talking to you," he heard the female voice and quickly turned to her. "Ah, finally woke up to life," said Samira, and Strax stared at her sternly. "Tsk, I'm not saying anything else," she said, turning her face away.

"Damn it, I don't have time to deal with you. What the hell are these 'Sealed Points'? Shouldn't you at least warn me about that? Crappy damn system, it's already pissing me off!" He frustrated again. Maybe he should stop looking for sense in a system to avoid these headaches.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for helping me advance," said Strax, shaking his hands which were still numb from the previous position.

He looked out the windows and couldn't see anything but fog, which worsened by the moment. That was already strange.

"Do you know anything about this fog, Little Fire?" Strax asked, and the woman snorted angrily. She really hated being called "Little Fire." "Hey, you son of a bitch, if you call me 'Little Fire' again I-"

"Shh, beautiful women need to take care of their appearance. If you keep making that expression, your celestial beauty will be damaged. We don't want that, right?" Strax asked with a smile, interrupting her.

"Damn it, young master..." Jason muttered.

On the other hand, Samira... Well... she was a bit out of it... 'Celestial beauty? Who? Me?' She questioned herself.

'But...' she murmured, recalling some bad memories. 'Liar,' she thought.

"Tsk, annoying," she muttered and commented, "This fog comes from the peak of a nearby mountain. Every year it falls over the mountains nearby and comes to Steinhardt and Lazune, the next stop after these mountains," Samira said, still furious.

"Lazune?" Strax questioned. Actually, he didn't know anything about the next destination, since he knew nothing but Stainhardt and one of the houses where he lived in the Duchy of Vorah.

"It's a city popular for fishing. Steinhardt is further inland, but we're still on the coast of Thallasia, so it takes a while to reach the capital. We're at the edge of the continent," she explained, and Strax understood what she meant.

As they talked, ahead, a stop.

"Hm? Why did we stop?" Strax questioned, and Samira held her sword and looked out the window. "Tsk, we have company," she said, and her sword began to be enchanted with fire magic.

"Damn," Strax said, reading the notification. [The Hidden Mission is happening].

"Yeah, yeah, kill the enemy, I already know!" Strax mentally growled.