Chapter 92: The Man in the Shadows

[Name]: Ezra

[Age]: ???

[Height]: 182 cm

[Beast Master Level]: ???

The moment the robed man appeared, Charles saw several screen prompts flash before his eyes. He recognized him immediately—it was the mysterious instructor from Cyber Academy who had attended the recruitment ceremony yesterday.

"Why are you following me?" Charles asked, looking warily at the man in the black robe, a sense of helplessness welling up inside him.

To be an instructor at Cyber Academy meant that the man's combat abilities were overwhelmingly superior to his own, leaving Charles with no intention to struggle.

However, he was curious about one thing—the man seemed to share the same ability to move stealthily in darkness.

"Weren't you just bullying a female student from Cyber Academy? As an instructor there, shouldn't I intervene?" Ezra sneered, his eyes, dark as voids, peering at Charles from beneath his hood.

"Ah, that..." Charles recalled the 'punishment' he had inflicted on Celestine, his face reddening slightly before he regained his composure. "She attacked me first, and I was merely teaching her a lesson. Are you here to seek retribution on her behalf?"

Ezra chuckled softly and waved his hand dismissively. "I have no interest in meddling in the affairs of you youngsters. Besides, I've already said that I want you to join Cyber Academy, so I'm inclined to be somewhat lenient towards you."

Charles eyed the man, feeling no fondness for this instructor who wouldn't even show his true face.

Moreover, he was acquainted with Vice Chancellor Emma from Nova Academy. It seemed to him that joining Nova Academy would likely offer a brighter future.

Charles shook his head, "I still feel that Nova Academy is a better fit for me."

Seeing Charles's disinterest in his words, the man in the black robe sighed lightly before saying, "You want to defeat that girl in two years, right? But do you really think, with your current level of Beast Mastery, you can win against her in that time?"

This question left Charles speechless.

With the system's help, his progress had been rapid, but despite that, Grace had already become a third-level Beast Master ahead of him during her training in the ferocious beast mountains, and had also contracted her family's third mystical beast.

In terms of pure Beast Mastery talent, Grace was undoubtedly superior. If it weren't for his transmigration and the system he received, he would likely never surpass her.

Somewhat surprised by the robed man's knowledge, Charles, having lived two lives, knew well that every good deal had its price: "Of course, I want to defeat Grace and become stronger, but why should I trust you? You're so eager to have me join Cyber Academy, there must be a reason for that, right? Besides, you won't even show your true face. How can I trust you?"

Charles's tone was neither servile nor overbearing, not showing any inferiority despite the gap between them.

The robed man looked at Charles with a hint of surprise. His courage and the maturity of his disposition were remarkable for an 18-year-old.

"Indeed, I need something from you. But don't worry, I won't force you to do anything. As for my true face..." With a serene smile, the robed man slowly lifted the mask covering his face.

It was... not human?

More accurately, it was a dark shadow or perhaps an energy body. Seeing this eerie sight, Charles instinctively took a step back.

No wonder the robed man had the ability to move stealthily in darkness; he was essentially a shadow!

But Charles wasn't easily fooled by a few words; he remained skeptical: "Let's say I consider your help as a sort of transaction, but how can I be sure that following you to Cyber Academy will offer me faster growth than at Nova Academy? Grace has been guaranteed entry into Aredale Academy, where she can be mentored by the vice chancellor himself—a peak powerhouse in Genosha.

Why should I believe you?"

"Peak powerhouse?" At Charles's words, the shadow quivered slightly, emitting a scoff that sounded almost disdainful. "These days, even a mere seventh-level Beast Master dares to show his face and call himself a peak powerhouse? He's just trash from a backwater like Genosha."

Trash?

Charles nearly lost his composure upon hearing this.

In all of Genosha's history, not a single Beast Master had broken through to the eighth level. A seventh-level Beast Master in Genosha was considered an absolute powerhouse, one against ten thousand. And yet, he was being called trash?

Curiously, Charles examined the shadow before him: "From what you say, you must be a higher-level Beast Master. May I ask, what level are you?"

"What level? It's been so long I've forgotten. All I can say is that I could have taken on a hundred of them back in the day, but now..." With a light sigh, the shadow re-cloaked himself in his black robe and donned his mask once more, swiftly changing the subject. "Charles, at Cyber Academy, everything is about becoming stronger. You can wield dark energy without any taboos.

Aren't you even a little tempted?"

With that, the robed man slowly extended his palm, with dark energy swirling between his fingers.

Indeed, it was the same kind of energy that Mousie used! A spark of interest lit up within Charles.

In all of Genosha, or rather, among most of the human race, there was a respectful yet distant attitude toward dark energy, with outright hostility toward those who wielded it. A place where he could freely use dark energy was certainly appealing, and Mousie could benefit from better growth opportunities there.

"The imperial capital is merely an office for Cyber Academy; the real Cyber Academy isn't in Genosha, not even in the Abyssal Depths," the robed man continued. Suddenly, he threw a jade casket towards Charles, "Here, I'll help you out, since I need something from you. Take this miracle drug; with your current strength, you're hardly qualified to enter."

Charles caught the jade casket handed by the robed man and gently opened a small crack, immediately a burst of golden light seeped out, and a notification flashed before his eyes.

[Tribulation Golden Pill] [Gold Quality]: Upon ingestion, it will trigger a calamity. If you pass the test, you will gain one level advancement. Effective only for mystical beasts of the third tier or lower that are in a state of advancement.

After reading the effects of the miracle drug, Charles's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. He had been fretting about where to find the [dark altar] to help Mousie advance to a second-tier mystical beast, and this [Tribulation Golden Pill] was a godsend.

Watching Charles's wide-eyed astonishment, the robed man chuckled lightly and turned, stepping into the shadows: "As I said, joining me at Cyber Academy will provide you with the best guidance and enhancement training."

"A reminder,"

"The Lsengard flight to the city near Cyber Academy departs in one month. If you miss this flight, you'll have to wait until next year."

No sooner had the man's voice faded than he disappeared right before Charles's eyes.

Staring dumbfounded at the golden miracle drug in his hand, Charles's heart pounded with excitement.

Ezra had casually handed him a gold-quality drug; such generosity was staggering! Sёarᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Now, Charles was even more curious about this instructor from Cyber Academy and found himself intrigued by the idea of journeying to the distant Cyber Academy he spoke of.

...

The eastern sky was turning pale as dawn approached, and Charles checked the time on his phone—it was 6 a.m.

Deciding against sleeping, he grabbed some breakfast and headed for the location of Lsengard Bank.

Eager to have Mousie advance to the second tier, he knew the process could be time-consuming, but with the [Tribulation Golden Pill] in hand, Mousie could level up anytime.

Charles planned to pick some treasures from the vault first.

An hour later, Charles arrived at a grand building. Glancing at the sign that read [Lsengard Bank], he noted the heavily armed security teams patrolling the perimeter, their vigilant eyes sweeping through the crowd. The security team was led by two second-level Beast Masters, a testament to the stringent security at Lsengard Bank.

In this world of Beast Mastery, money was no longer the most important asset. Items like ferocious beast materials, high-grade miracle drugs, weapons, armor, magical treasures, and secret realm treasure keys were far more valuable. Those worried about safety at home opted to store their valuables in the bank's vaults.

Thus, it was more apt to call this place a large-scale storage facility rather than just a bank.

After showing his ID, Charles entered the Lsengard Bank and waited inside. About two hours later, the top 200 Beast Masters from the recruitment ceremony began to gather.

"Let me make this clear: when we enter the underground vault, you can only take items from the public areas. Those ranked 150-200, you're limited to the first basement level; those ranked 100-149, your area is in the second basement level..."

"Remember, do not go to any floor outside your designated area, and you can only pick one item."

Standing at the entrance to the bank's vault, City Master Matthew explained the rules to all the Beast Masters gathered there.

Everything in the vault, whether coins or precious treasures, was tagged. Taking more than one item would trigger the bank's alarm.

These treasures weren't easy to come by. The Beast Master Guild giving away 200 items annually was already quite generous.

Clack, clack—

The vault door, thicker than the walls themselves, slowly opened, and the Beast Masters proceeded to their respective levels according to their rankings. With each lower level, fewer people continued down, and by the time Charles reached the seventh basement, he was completely alone.

Breathing in the slightly stale air, Charles slowly stepped into the corridor, and his footsteps echoed back at him.

Since Grace had already headed to the imperial capital, Charles was the only one on the empty seventh basement level.

Just as Charles was about to continue forward, he noticed a passage leading even further down...

---