Chapter 119 Northern... pfft

Chapter 119 Northern... pfft

Northern opened his eyes, emerging from the plane of the Limitless Void.

A remnant of blissful joy still lingered on his face as Annette opened the door and walked in.

"Huh? Were you dozing off?" she asked, arching an inquisitive brow.

Northern rose to his feet, shaking his head slightly.

Though he longed to revel in the wondrous experience, he swiftly composed himself. "Not at all," he retorted, his expression turning impassive as his azure eyes swept over Annette's humble abode.

The living space bore a rugged, roughly-hewn charm.

A simple carved table and chair stood beside her bed, antique brown papers resembling dried animal hides resting atop the surface.

Overhead, the makeshift ceiling was fashioned from the skins of slain monsters.

"The rain here can be brutal at times. It broke through once, so I had to improvise," Annette explained, noting Northern's lingering gaze upon the unimpressive ceiling.

She scratched her head sheepishly. "Why am I even justifying myself..."

"Don't you often get attacked by monsters at night?" Northern interjected, his solemn eyes meeting hers.

"Over a hundred kilometers from here, that area seems infested with them. Being this far from the main settlement must make you a frequent target."

Annette's brow furrowed momentarily before her lips curled into an amused smirk. "Are you worried about me?"

"No. I'm merely asking," he stated flatly. "I want to understand why you've chosen to reside so far away."

'Wait a minute? How is he able to tell the distance... has he been there before?'

She studied him for a few beats, then shrugged nonchalantly.

'Seriously, this guy... I'm so lost!'

"Well, I was staying there until three months ago. A lot of things started pissing me off, let's leave it at that. And yes, I get attacked frequently. Thanks to that, I might become a Savant sooner than expected."

Northern's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, that's fortunate."

"Indeed." Annette nodded, a glint of pride in her vermillion eyes. "When you reach the Master rank, it's as if you hit an invisible wall. Advancing to the next level becomes exponentially harder, haunted by the thought of when your soul core will finally be satiated. Generally, it takes years of relentless hunting to progress, but I've managed it in mere months." She paused, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "Do you know why?"

"Because of the sheer number of monsters you encounter here," Northern deduced.

"Precisely. And their ranks too - the weakest around here are of the savage rank. There's even an apex-level savage lurking towards the northern part of the capital..." Annette trailed off abruptly, biting her lip to stifle the laughter threatening to erupt.

"Don't..." Northern warned, his tone flat. "Just continue."

Drawing a steadying breath, she asked, "What happened in that rift? Why was it growing? How did you survive... alone?"

A enigmatic smile curved Northern's lips as he closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them.

"What's the hurry? You can always learn of those when I choose to reveal it generally."

Annette held his inscrutable gaze for several heartbeats before scoffing lightly.

"Honestly, I can't make heads or tails of what's going on in that head of yours. And it's frustrating"

She scratched her hidden scalp absently.

"Anyway, there's a massive wolf at the castle that won't let anyone near. It's fiercely guarding a satchel in its jaws."

Northern arched a brow. "Mr. Fluffy?"

For a few moments, Annette could only gape wordlessly.

She had suspected the peculiar wolf's connection to Northern, yet simultaneously doubted such a fantastical notion - it was impossible for monsters to simply accompany drifters of their own accord unless tamed.

And true Tamers were incredibly rare.

Hearing him casually refer to the beast by name utterly confirmed her suspicion, leaving her momentarily speechless.

'At this rate, I'm not even surprised anymore. He's probably not going to explain how the hell he managed to acquire a monster companion without being a Tamer.'

She sighed heavily. "I guess your father isn't the only one with issues regarding names."

Northern's brow furrowed in confusion. "Ugh?"

Waving her hand dismissively, Annette refocused her vermillion eyes upon him.

"I have a hunt in a few minutes. Feel free to stay around for as long as you'd like. It would be nice to catch up when I return, but I doubt that will be possible." A wry smile tugged at her lips.

"Whatever you do, don't get reckless."

Northern responded with a small, sincere smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Turning to depart, Annette paused as Northern's voice halted her steps.

"Um, Instructor Anne..."

She glanced over her shoulder inquiringly. "Yes, Northboy?"

"Forgive me for asking, but how does one transfer items to another person? Let's say I want to sell items - how would I go about that?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "This guy... you really survived that rift without knowing a damn thing!"