Martial Online.

[You have learned Zufälliger!]

[Zufälliger - Rank: Skilled]

"Whew." Ambrose took out a bottle of canned water from his inventory and quenched his thirst.

It took him nearly three hours to finish learning the skill.

'It's clear now. Learning skills is much harder when they're not your own.'

Ambrose came to that conclusion because it took him nearly three hours to learn a skill that was only ranked Skilled, which was the second-lowest rank, while his Slash of the Three Worlds and Humanoid Imperfecta were learned almost instantly.

'I assume this was also the most basic skill of the lot; the rest will take longer to learn.'

He sighed and slipped his sword inside the scabbard, then pulled out the style scroll to find the next skill to learn.

'It's not too late yet, so I have time to learn a few skills.'

Creak—the door to the balcony then opened, showing Emma standing there with a curious expression on her adorable face.

"What is it, Emma?" He asked while debating which skill to learn.

"Before coming here, I heard from mother that you broke your arm." Emma replied with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I am; it was just a stupid incident." He smiled and glanced inside, where Bella was reading a book. "Did you tell Bella?"

"Not yet." Emma shook her head.

"Don't tell her. She doesn't have to know." He turned back to the style scroll. "If that's all, I will be busy for the rest of the day."

"Mm, okay~" Emma closed the door and returned indoors.

'Hmm, this skill seems cool.'

He thought while pushing away thoughts of the meeting with Emma.

'Löwenklaue, an attack from high above with a reversed grip, like a lion trying to strike its prey, sounds powerful.'

Ambrose slowly sheathed his weapon, then switched the grip to reversed, which made him remember the Reverse Tiger Blade and Ken, who defeated him.

One day, he planned to visit them and show them what he had learned, but it was still too early.

He needed more time to train and master his skills before facing Ken again.

'Let's try this.' He focused his gaze and then swung his arm in a windmill motion.

The blade descended from high above, splitting the air with a powerful force.

Swoosh—the blade's tip barely grazed the ground, but it was enough to leave a small gash on it.

'Damn, this feels uncomfortable.' Ambrose thought, as this was his first time trying a reverse grip.

The only time he remembered using reverse grip was in Amaterasu's prison, when he killed off the Prison Warden with reverse grip, but that was a backward thrust attack.

It was vastly more difficult to do proper slashes with a reversed grip.

'This might take even longer to learn. No time to waste!'

...

As the night began to arrive, a steam locomotive whistled in the distance.

The sound soon grew louder as the train approached Hightown's station.

It soon stopped with a screech, its brakes releasing a high-pitched squeal.

As the smoke left the boiler and filled the air, the passengers eagerly stepped off the train.

There were people of all ages and backgrounds, some with suitcases in hand and others with backpacks slung over their shoulders.

There were bronze-skinned, dark-haired children walking with their parents, followed by fair-skinned citizens from a colder part of the Light Continent who had come here to help the people in need.

They all walked together, creating a diverse and united community.

And after a while, a group of players left the steam locomotive and made their way towards the bustling town square.

"So, this is Hightown." Layla, from Silver Heart, looked around with expectant eyes.

"It's more busy than I imagined." Caveman, a ginger-haired player said while adjusting his backpack.

The core force of Silver Heart had also come to Hightown for a quest that could compete with World Quest.

It was the perfect chance to acquire some rewards for their dojo.

After the failed mission in the buried mansion, Silver Heart suffered a sizeable setback and lost a lot of money, causing them to lose half of their members.

However, those who stayed were very powerful and loyal.

"Miss Boss, where should we go?" Layla turned around and asked with her usual cheerful smile.

At the back of the group, Serenity tapped her slender finger against her lips, deep in thought.

After a while, she shook her head and said, "Rest for now; it's been a long day, and we'll need our energy for tomorrow."

"All right, I wonder if there are any open inns anymore." Layla muttered softly to herself.

"See you all tomorrow, there is some place I have to visit." Serenity bade farewells and left towards her destination.

The Silver Heart members watched as their leader left, again somewhere.

"She has been very absentminded lately." Teddy sighed with his bulging muscles swelling.

"We need a sharp-minded leader." Leprechaun said and spat on the ground. "She has lost her touch."

"What are you trying to say, Lepreshit?" Caveman asked angrily. "You want to replace her? Over my dead body."

"No, you simple-minded fool." Leprechaun looked at the ginger-haired player with scorn. "You Perhentan scum are really as smart as wild animals."

"What the fuck you said?" Caveman rolled up his sleeves and angrily shouted. "Want to have a go? Huh!"

"Enough!" Teddy separated the two before things escalated any further. "She just needs some time to put her things in order. It had been a very stressful couple of weeks."

"That's all because of that fucker, Ambrose." Leprechaun gritted his teeth. "When I find him, I'll bury my fist so deep in his gut that he'll cough out all the rewards he stole from us!"

Teddy and Layla looked conflicted.

They somewhat knew Ambrose better than other Silver Heart members, and they were still surprised he betrayed them and stole everything for himself.

"Well, let's go find some place to stay, I guess." Layla sighed, and followed by Silver Heart members, they left to find an inn or hotel.

...

Stepping down a dark and narrow alleyway, Serenity soon came to a stop.

Her face looked calm, and her heart was steady.

"Can you come out, please?" She said nicely, her voice echoing through the dark alleyway.

"It's not the one you were expecting." A voice came behind her.

She turned around and looked surprised.

"You are... Cerberus's sister."

Andromeda looked at the clear-eyed young woman and said. "He and the rest of Zahhak will come here tomorrow. They have been in Warhaven."

"Why weren't you there?" Serenity asked.

"Apparently, it's not a good place for me." She looked down at her short body and sighed. "He then said for me to come here, and a few hours ago, he told me to meet up with you."

"Why did he want me to meet with you?" Serenity asked curiously.

"My brother believes that Ambrose is going to be here." Andromeda said with a mysterious twinkle in her eyes.

"What?" Serenity's heart started beating faster than usual. "I have seen his video, and he should be at Warhaven, no?"

"My brother didn't find him, so we can assume he had left Warhaven some time ago." Andromeda said and leaned against the wall, staring off into the distance. "He believes he will be here."

Serenity looked conflicted. "I don't think he will be here. He is already a very hunted man, and in his shoes, I would go to Dark Waters, which is such a big area that finding him is almost impossible."

"Tell your subordinates to keep their eyes peeled." Andromeda then turned away and began leaving with short steps.

Serenity opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but eventually closed her mouth and watched as the little girl walked off into the distance.

"He will be here, huh..." She looked towards the dark night, where the crescent moon suddenly appeared, glowing like a guiding light in the darkness.

"Why do I feel like tomorrow something big will happen?" 

She closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh scent of the night air.

"The whole world's eyes will be on Hightown tomorrow as the reporters of many news networks are coming to record stuff.

"I wonder what will happen."