—

“…in all seriousness, you did great.” Acala sighed. “You endured 10 years of loneliness just for this. Moreover, this burden isn’t something that you should be taking all on your own, yet you did it anyway. You’re giving us way too much, and I don’t know if we could ever repay you for everything.”

She had questions earlier that Cedric did not hesitate to answer. They were nothing too personal, just more or less about his opinions about the existence of the alliance and the plans he had moving forward.

Acala could sense his strength even with his muted aura. Cedric was being really kind by holding back his strength because if he exerted just a small effort, he could easily destroy humanity’s civilization and plunge them into chaos. If he exerted just a bit of effort beyond that, he could easily shatter this entire continent on his own.

That said, this wasn’t the main point. It’s about Cedric’s overwhelming contribution to this world and its people.

Cedric had every right to be selfish. His gains during his time at the Tower of Prodigies are his and his alone. He could’ve used the trial points he gained by completing the trials for things that could make him stronger or things that could aid him with the future challenges that the tower throws at him, yet Cedric didn’t do so.

Instead, he used his hard-earned trial points to buy things that would help elevate the livelihood of humans and help with resistance against the Demon Race.

The things he got by trading with his fellow challengers, such as the Earth Core Golem, the spiritual farm where the Sacred Celestial Tree grows, the complete set of Spiritual Dragon Veins, and even the Heavenly Thundercloud, were already set up by Cedric.

There are also more like a bunch of seeds that could later blossom into sacred plants and heavenly treasures, treasure mine cores, lake and sea sources, and many more things that could transform Prime Earth into a true jewel of a planet.

These, in addition to the things he bought using trial points, are just too much. These items could benefit the world and its citizens for generations.

Cedric was too generous. He practically bought nothing for himself. Everything he took was for others instead. And this saddens Acala, since a child like him shouldn’t be carrying this much burden on his own.

“I don’t need repayment,” Cedric stated firmly with a flat expression. “I’m doing this because I could. I want this existential war to end in my generation. This has gone long enough; it’s time for a change. It’s time we regain some semblance of freedom.”

Cedric gaze then turned distant for a moment and said, “Being exposed to the existence of the Divine Council made me realize just how much we’re missing out. Our goal should be to join and prosper with them, not to be imprisoned and harassed in our own land.”

Acala stared at him; her expression remained as is. She feels a bit complicated, but she more or less knew what she had to do.

“You’d be our last line of defense then,” Acala suddenly stated, “in this war at least.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve grown too strong. It’s useless to send you on the front lines. It’s better if they send the soldiers instead to temper them on an actual battlefield. If you’re there, you’d just eradicate all demons you encounter, and the army would be incredibly dependent on you. If they want to achieve your plans for them, they should be able to function on their own.

You should only lend your aid when they need it the most,” Acala explained.

“So you’re saying that I should only move when the army’s facing a crisis they can’t solve on their own?”

“Exactly.” Acala nodded. “You’re powerful enough to monitor everything that’s happening to the world without leaving this space. If things go awry, you could just make an appearance and help them. You’re enemies are the ones parked right outside of this world, not the ones trapped here.”

Cedric was thoughtful for a bit. Her words made sense; he has indeed become way too strong to concern himself with the struggles of the army. She’s right when she says that his enemies aren’t the ones trapped here but the fleet stationed outside because a huge bulk of the Demon Kings, Demon Emperors, and Demon God are in there. These were the only things that could give him a fight.

“I don’t want to be a paper-pusher, though.” Cedric wore a strange expression on his face.

“You won’t; don’t worry.” Acala pacified his concerns. “I could issue a chain quest to you as a cover. You can use this as an excuse to exit the enlistment while you do your thing.”

Cedric was silent for a bit. He weighed the pros and cons of doing this, and so far, he’s liking it.

“Okay, let’s do that. Right, can you also… release me from the Hell Dives? Because, well, they’re meaningless to me now. Only if you could, though.”

“No problem.” Acala readily agreed. “That’s what I was going to say next anyway.”

A string of alerts from the Acala System swarmed his vision. After a brief scan, Cedric dimished them with satisfaction.

He’s now free from the Hell Dives and the upcoming war. This just freed up his schedule, allowing him to use his time for more productive things.

“Thank you,” he said to her.

“This is nothing compared to what you’ve done so far.” Acala shook her head. “Go and do your thing. Don’t let us hold you back.”

Cedric smiled before turning into a streak of light and disappearing from the underground mountain cave.

**

Upon returning to the Starlight Royal Academy, he saw that his girlfriends were still sleeping.

He shook his head and stepped outside once more. He then spent his time roaming around the academy, re-familiarizing himself with the place since, for him, it’s been ten years since the last time he did it.

Sure, he could’ve just scanned the entire academy with his senses. With how powerful he has become, there are no secrets that could be hidden from him here, but that kind of defeats the purpose and the fun of it.

Cedric visited the Academic Towers, the practice areas, the student market, the Astral Observatory, the arena, etc. He saw a few familiar faces and many unfamiliar ones. He even saw the freshman students, who are still familiarizing themselves with their new environment.

It feels too nostalgic to do this. Once upon a time (though in reality, it’s only last year), he was one of them. Now, he’s more than they could possibly think or dream of.

Time is truly one hell of an element, huh?

Following where his feet took him, he found himself habitually returning to the sword dojo. And upon arriving there, the nostalgia felt even stronger because this was where he spent most of his time.

Thirdy, Instructor Uruk, his fellow swordsmen classmates, even the ones who are trying to prove themselves to join this class—he missed them all.

The instructor, Uruk, wasn’t around. Just like others, he’s also drafted into the war. His blindness didn’t exempt him from it since he could see just as clearly, if not clearer, than most even without his eyesight.

His eyes then landed on the Sword Communion Hall. A smile appeared on his face as he suddenly remembered something.

With a single step, he breached the isolated space where the Law Communion Sword was.

“WHO!?” A furious roar shook the entire place, yet it barely caused ripples on Cedric’s countenance.

“Oh wait, it’s you. Wait! You!!!”

Cedric smirked at the reaction. Unlike before, where he would usually find himself looking up at the chain sword above, now he’s standing face to face with it, allowing him to admire its design.

“Yo! Long time no see…for me at least.” Cedric muttered the last part. “Gotta say, your design is truly ahead of our time. It makes me wonder about the real identity of your creator.”

“Forget about that, Dude! What happened to YOU? Like…” Cedric had this feeling of being looked at from head to toe. “You’ve befome unfathomable! This is nuts, dude!”

“Why, thank you.” Cedric chuckled. “It’s because of a fortunate accident that allowed me to see the broader world. But enough about this. I remember someone telling me that they would come with me once I reach some level of mastery over space laws, hmmm.”

“How can I forget? Of course, my word still stands. Oh dear heavens!”

Cedric interrupted the Law Communion Sword by displaying his astounding control over space laws. The sword could only watch as Cedric expertly kneaded space like it was play dough, morphing it into any shape and size he wanted.

His mastery goes beyond the intermediate stage; he actually had a perfected mastery of it; how could the sentient sword not be shocked?

And it didn’t end there!

“Y-you! This is… fire, wood, water, metal, earth, and… time! All have reached the level of perfection!! What the fuck!?”

Cedric smirked and felt smug. He dismissed the phenomena he caused by displaying his skill and stared at the Law Communion Sword.

“So? Am I qualified to take you out of here now?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep