Shadow Author

Staring at the disheveled woman, I had a look of disbelief plastered on my face.

"Wait really? How?"

Overly excited by her grand achievement Miss Smith absentmindedly told me all about the method she used to grow stronger.

"I can't believe it myself, but it's true and all I had to do was make a simple potion. Who knew dryad oak, thunder-in-a-bottle, souls flames, and pixie dust could make such a thing!"

Eagerly I listened to the ingredients Miss Smith mentions as I actually believed for a second that she somehow stumbled upon her own magical concoction that can increase one's rank.

Instead, she mentioned exorbitantly priced items and shared the recipe for an old and outdated potion.

Although it was unknown to most, for me the author, the recipe held no value as I knew of potions that hadn't yet existed.

But that didn't mean the potion was bad in fact for its price it was quite good. The problem though is that a single ingredient could cost over a million Zar!

For someone as poor as me I couldn't even dream of affording such a potion.

Giving up on trying to get anything else out of Miss Smith I let her have her moment as she examined the effects of the potion.

She looked over her skin which was now flawless and smooth opposite to how it had been before the explosion.

In a way, it was fair to say the explosion itself removed any impurities both internally and externally.

When she was done checking herself over she moved on to test her prowess.

She walked through the open doorway since the door was hanging on for dear life at an angle off to the side away from her classroom.

I was forced to follow behind like a lapdog and watch because she was my ticket to getting off the campus and I didn't dare to interrupt her.

Forgetting all about the difficult decision, I might have had to make a few minutes ago. I threw it out of my mind.

There was no reason to think back on the past, all that mattered was that Miss Smith was alive and kicking and my plans would only be prolonged by a bit as a result.

Feeling that I was given a taste of karma for keeping Miss Smith waiting, I took a seat on the blackened floor and let Miss Smith do what she needed to do.

Despite the destruction, she seemed to be in a state of manic excitement, as she bypassed all the ruin to pick up a sword off one of her shelves.

Swinging it around back and forth a couple of times she seemed satisfied and walked back to the center of the room.

This was the spot where she was sitting when she exploded and thus, received the most amount of damage.

On the floor, I could clearly make out where the explosion originated. In the center, there was a scorched black outline of someone sitting cross-legged.

Knowing that the mark would be there for a long time I let out a sigh and watched the show.

Although the room was a complete disaster, with glass on the floor, equipment all about and smoke rising from the wreckage Miss Smith elegantly swung her sword.

I watched closely, paying attention to every movement of hers as she danced with grace.

Masterfully she moved around while somehow avoiding anything that could disrupt her flow.

Her sword moved in random directions yet for some reason there was no randomness in it as I could sense with the little amount of knowledge I knew that it was a deadly attack.

Captivated, I lost myself in her movements as time flew by while the student and teacher learned more of her power.

Miss Smith saw that she was faster, stronger, and more durable while I saw a technique that would guide me toward making my own later in the future.

*

Currently, Miss Smith and I were speeding through the full streets of the city weaving in and out of traffic as I regretted ever telling her my secret.

After she finished her dance Miss Smith sent a message for someone to come in and clean up her room as it was thankfully a service the academy provided. If not she would have been in serious trouble.

Then she went back into her office for a few minutes before coming out looking as good as new.

I was shocked for a second at how someone with literal chunks of their hair burnt away could come out looking perfectly normal but then I realized the world I was in.

Once we were set to go Miss Smith led me out to the front of the school where she parked her car.

Some teachers lived on campus while others were crazy enough to refuse the free services and commuted to school, Miss Smith was one of those teachers.

I had no idea what I expected her to drive but when I saw a bright red sports car that matched her fiery hair I knew I was in for an unforgettable experience.

Boy was I right, Miss Smith kept it calm when taking the backroads that led to the city but the moment she saw the skyscraper that pierced into the sky something in her snapped.

That was why we were currently flying down the highway going well over the speed limit as she merged between lanes, uncaring about the other drivers.

Miss Smith gripped the steering wheel with an inhuman intensity as her eyes locked on the road ahead.

As if she was playing a game, she used skills born of countless hours spent navigating the chaotic streets of the metropolis.

The sound of honking horns and screeching tires followed behind us but she didn't seem to hear it or care for that matter.

Sitting in the passenger seat, my heart was pounding out of my chest.

There were two reasons for this.

First I had never experienced anything like this before — the speed, the danger, and the sheer exhilaration of it all.

The second was that I was scared shitless. A dark empty void without anything and mind-controlling invincible mist couldn't compare to the terror I felt when being around the crazy woman.

One thing I knew though was that at our speed if we were to crash it would be an instant death for me.

My resistance stat was far too low to survive a head-on collision and no matter how much Mana or Aether I had I couldn't save myself from becoming a pancake.

I already went through such an experience, and I didn't want to face it again for the second time.

Clenching the Grab Handle of the car till my knuckles turned white I switched between the feeling of awe and wonder to terror and fright.

Every time the car darted between two other vehicles, I instinctively closed my eyes, but after I couldn't help peeking out at the world flashing past.

As the car moved down the street, I watched as towering skyscrapers whizzed past us.

Exhilarated I stared out the window as storefronts, neon lights, and flashing billboards filled every space.

The city seemed to stretch out before my eyes as an endless, vast, and complex landscape revealed itself.

The futuristic metropolitan city struck the skyline while the busy streets were a labyrinth of curving highways, elevated walkways, and infinite paths.

Walking all along them were hundreds if not thousands of people going about their day.

The buildings themselves were a marvel of engineering as each one seemed to be a unique masterpiece.

The conventional architecture had to have been built by a man of legendary status for no ordinary being could replicate the design.

In a way the city was alive. There were sounds of life from the roaring of cars to the buzzing of drones overhead.

Everywhere, people moved with purpose, whether their faces were captivated by smart devices that flickered on and off or they were taking a stroll with their family enjoying the wonderful weather.

Public transport systems were made available to all as they were very compatible with the streets.

In addition, it came as a shock for me that robotic drones were flying around delivering packages and performing other tasks.

The city itself was kept fresh and clean as hundreds of signs served as reminders to the people telling them to toss away their garbage.

And of the few scraps that fell on the ground either a good citizen would pick it up and carry it with them till they came across a place they could dispose of it or one of the drones would swoop down and grab it.

Overall the place was straight out of a novel — literally — as it seemed like a fantasy or a dream that such a place could exist in such a cruel world.

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This chapter was released on the last day of the Fantasy Carnival and marked the grand achievement of 100,000 words.

A special thanks to all those who've stuck with the novel and continue to read it. This is just the beginning!