Re: Evolution Online

After Liam disappeared into the ravine again, Lyana listlessly looked at the gurgling waters wondering what the future held for them in this human kingdom. Perhaps they had to hide their identity as elves and live here forever like refugees?

As she dazedly became engrossed in her thoughts, all of a sudden rippling movements appeared in the water without any warning. 

Lyana immediately became alert and prepared to hide in case there was any beast that had caught their scent when unexpectedly… another person appeared in the ravine.

This was the same person who had been there just a few minutes ago and now he was back? Did he not run the dungeon? Was there some issue?

Lyana curiously looked at the human at the same time, her body hurriedly standing up from the grassy land. "What happened?" She asked.

Hmmm? Liam on the other hand was confused by her question. "Nothing?" He shrugged and once again dove back into the dungeon.

The elf watched his figure disappear once again and blinked. She dazedly stared at the spot for a couple of minutes. 

Perhaps the human returned because he was overwhelmed by the dungeon and ran away? But why did he immediately go back again? He should have rested and then attempted the dungeon again later. What was the rush? 

At the pace he was going, it was not like he was going to improve his strength in a couple of days. So why not conserve energy and train in a balanced manner? Just what sort of a person did not even know the basics like this?

Her gaze turned judgemental as she once again began sizing up the human being whom she had only just met. Perhaps it was a mistake to follow this fool out here.

Just as she was about to think of other things which she could possibly do, Liam's tall figure appeared once again. His armor shone with multiple water droplet coating the metal and he took a deep breath before diving in again.

"Hey! Wait!" Lyana called out but it was too late. The person went into the dungeon again? Such foolishness and stupidity! She was angry. She was now very angry. 

She stomped her feet and walked closer to the ravine, wanting to give the guy a piece of her mind when he inevitably turns up again in the next few minutes.

Of course, he was going to turn up. For the first run, somehow he had managed after struggling for so many hours and now for the second run, the guy was simply unable to do it.

"Idiot." She scolded him as she tapped her fingers on her elbow and waited. Not long after, like clockwork, Liam appeared once again.

Lyana this time became so angry that she raised her hand without any explanation meaning to land a slap on Liam's face for wasting their time and giving them hope.

But the elven woman did not have any strength at the moment so how could she manage to do such a thing? Liam quickly caught the slender pale arm that was coming at him.

He saw the prideful eyes of the elf glaring at him and wondered what he had done to anger this one. "Ahem? Care to explain yourself?" He asked.

Moreover, his voice sounded very impatient which made the elf even angrier. "Why are you-" She began to shout at him when suddenly she noticed something strange.

This person… this person standing in front of her… his strength had improved?

At first, it wasn't noticeable but now, she could clearly sense it. He had definitely progressed but how? And what was this speed?

Anger turned into surprise which then turned into shock as she continued staring at Liam in awe.

Liam frowned. He was in a rhythm and this elf was disrupting him. "Do you need more food? Do you need anything else?" He let go of her hand and asked her again.

This time the elf responded. She dazedly shook her head. Those things, she did not need it. What she needed was an explanation. Just how powerful was this person in front of her?

She thought back to the time when he had saved them from the barbarian's grasp but things had happened too fast and until now she did not know how exactly he had saved them.

But at the moment, that seemed to be the crucial question. Could she really depend on this person?

She silently walked over to the side of the ravine no longer hindering Liam when he popped in and out numerous times. She sat on the bank and observed the man tirelessly, keeping count of his appearances and disappearances.

Hours passed by and this continued without stopping. The man trained relentlessly. What seemed earlier like foolishness now seemed awe-inspiring.

The other elves also noticed this by now and all of them had similar expressions as they continued watching Liam in awe. Slowly but surely his strength was improving.

…

…

…

Meanwhile… in other parts of the Xion realm…

The several players and the numerous guilds were only just now recovering from the shock of the PVP tower tournament, and the disappearance of the tower itself.

The craze revolving around the damn tower had also finally calmed down and all the guilds started pouring their focus into obtaining sponsorships from various companies and big corporations.

Now that the government had unofficially removed the ban on playing the game and just called it a warning for those who wanted to play, more and more players jumped back into the game.

The rat race began again and the various guilds started competing once more. Everyone simply decided to forget about the tower incident.

On the other hand, they couldn't easily forget about Crimson Abyss. To everyone in the Gresh Kingdom, that guild was like a thorn in their path. They had to take it down in order to claim the number one spot.

But how was one supposed to do this?

In this kind of atmosphere, a new Kingdom announcement and realm announcement rolled in silently without any warning.

***

Bonus Chapter~

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