“No matter what happens, make as little noise as possible,” Cai said softly as they snuck towards the clearing in the forest. “They should be in their regular spot.”

Lux arched an eyebrow when he heard the words “they.” He came to see how Keane was doing, but it seems that he was not alone.

A few minutes later, the Half-Elf and the Boar finally found the person they were looking for.

It had been a while since Lux had seen Keane, and the moment he saw him, he understood what Cai was talking about.

Back then, the swordsman was skinny, but now, he had gained a bit of weight in a good way. His lean and toned body was covered with sweat, causing his skin to glisten under the sunlight. Currently, he was practicing his sword swings, giving them his full concentration.

Not far from him was a young lady, whose beauty was starting to bloom. She was currently reading a book and seemed to be just as absorbed in it as Keane was with his sword practice.

A minute later, Keane finally sheathed his blade back to its scabbard, making a resounding clicking sound.

At that moment, the young lady also raised her head from reading her book and closed it. She then set it aside before picking up a towel and a jug and walking towards Keane.

She first handed the jug to the swordsman before wiping off the sweat on his body with the towel in her hands.

Keane slowly drank from the jug until he had his fill, standing still to allow Rose to wipe the sweat off his upper body. When she was done, the no-longer-skinny-swordsman placed his right hand on her waist, and gently pulled her close to him.

A moment later, the two shared a quick kiss on the lips. Rose took a step back and returned to the tree where she left her book.

She then picked it up and walked back towards Keane, who then took her free hand.

Without uttering a word, the two walked hand in hand toward the path that led back to the Rowan Tribe, unaware that their actions had been seen by Cai, as well as Lux who was very surprised with the changes that had happened to his good friend.

“Since when?” Lux asked the Boar who had a smug look on her face. “And who took the initiative?”

Lux had long felt that Keane and Rose might indeed become close, but he never expected their relationship to progress this fast.

“Well, it happened a few days after you left,” Cai replied. “I’m not sure who took the initiative, but, when I found out about it, the two were already very close. I’m still keeping this a secret from everyone, especially Grandpa. Make sure not to tell him, alright?”

Lux doubted very much that Maximilian was really not aware of his granddaughter’s relationship with Keane. As a Saint, it would be effortless for him to get wind of these things, especially when it was happening inside his Tribe’s Territory.

Still, the Half-Elf nodded his head and promised Cai that he wouldn’t tell anyone.

The two then took a detour to re-enter the Rowan Tribe from the other side of the forest to make it seem that they had gone to a different place, instead of watching Keane’s and Rose’s private display of affection.

“Lux, you’re finally back,” Keane said with a smile when he saw the Half-Elf. However, his smile disappeared and a solemn look formed on his face as he eyed the Half-Elf with his trained eyes. “You’ve become stronger… a lot stronger.”

There was a hint of envy and jealousy in Keane’s voice. However, this feeling only lasted for a brief moment before he exchanged a fist bump with one of his good friends.

Although Lux had gotten stronger, he believed that he would soon catch up with him and become stronger as well.

“You look way better since the last time I saw you,” Lux replied in a teasing tone. “You look like a person in love!”

A faint flush appeared on Keane’s face as he lightly scratched his cheeks, which almost made Lux and Cai puke sugar due to how wholesome and innocent his reaction was.

Not wanting to put the swordsman on the spot, Lux decided to ask him if he heard any kind of news within the Six Kingdoms while he was away.

“I haven’t heard any news as of late,” Keane replied. “All I know is that the Rowan Tribe will start their seasonal migration soon. This time, their destination will be near Barbatos Academy.”

Lux was surprised that the Patriarch of the Rowan Tribe decided to make such a move. Although he understood that the Rowan Tribe migrated on a seasonal basis, he felt as if there was something more to this than met the eye.

For two Saints to be stationed that close to each other meant that they were planning to do something big.

Whatever that thing was, it would certainly create waves within the Six Kingdoms once the news of it started to spread.

“By the way, have you already talked to Sir Maximilian?” Keane asked. “It seems like he has something important to tell you.”

“Really?” Lux asked back.

“Yes,” Keane nodded. “Rose told me that she saw some kind of vision, so she told her Grandpa about it. A few days later, Sir Alexander and Iris visited the Rowan Tribe.

“I don’t know what they talked about because Rose wasn’t willing to tell me anything about her vision. However, I have a feeling that the reason why the Rowan Tribe is going to migrate near Barbatos Academy has something to do with that.”

Lux’s interest was piqued, but since this was between Cai’s Grandpa, Maximilian, and his stepfather, Alexander, he decided to not pry and set it aside for now.

Perhaps waiting for that moment, Rose made her appearance and greeted Lux and her sister, Cai.

“Good day, Lux,” Rose said with a smile. “I pray that you’ve been well since we last met?”

“Good day, Rose,” Lux replied. “I’ve been well. How about you?”

The young beauty gave Keane a side-long glance before replying to the Half-Elf’s question with a sweet smile.

“I’m doing well.” Rose eyed the Half-Elf as if sensing something different from him. “It seems that you’ve reached the peak of the Initiate Rank. Have you visited a Temple to check the trials that you’ll need to accomplish in order to advance your rank?”

Lux shook his head. “Not yet. I’m waiting to go back to the Academy to visit the temple there.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. We have our own temple here. Why don’t you go and check it out for a bit? Brother Gerhart has just finished his visit as well.”

“Is that so? I guess I’ll do it here then.”

Lux only planned to become a Ranker after conquering the Sacred Dungeon. Since there was a level restriction, he didn’t want to take his Trial right away.

Even so, he was very curious about the kind of Trial that’ll be waiting for him.

According to his Grandma, Vera, the trials to become a Ranker were closely tied to a person’s Karma. As to what that meant, Lux had no idea. All he knew was that, as long as he cleared any of these Trials, he would be able to take that next step to become stronger.

“You will be given many trials to choose from, but you can choose only one,” Rose explained as she guided Lux to the Temple of the Rowan Tribe. “If ever you are unable to complete your trial because it is too difficult, all you need to do is return to the temple in order to take a new Trial.”

“It’s that simple?” Lux asked with a smile.

“Changing the Trial is simple, but completing one is not easy. After all, if it were easy, everyone would become a Ranker in a blink of an eye. Some people are unable to complete this step for their whole lives and are stuck at the Initiate Rank until they die.”

Rose’s words sounded ominous, but Lux believed that, with the current force under his command, the Trials that would be given to him could be completed without any difficulties.

“Here we are,” Rose stated as she pointed at a red tent that stood out from the rest. “After picking your trial, come and look for Grandpa. He is waiting for you to greet him.”

“Understood.” Lux nodded before entering the tent to see the Trials he needed to choose from and complete in order to become a Ranker.

At the center of the tent was a table with a big red pearl on top of it. Rose had already told him that all he needed to do was press his hands over the pearl, and he would be connected to the Heart of the World, which sustained all life in Elysium.

Before pressing his hand over the Red Pearl, Lux took a deep breath in order to calm his heart.

When he was ready, Lux placed his palm over the red pearl, and immediately, several rows of text appeared in front of him.

“Welcome Lux Von Kaizer.”

“The World has deemed you ready to take on the path of Rankers.”

“You will be presented with several trials, and you may pick only one of them. Only after you complete one of them will the world give you its blessing, allowing you to take that next step to greatness.”

“Here are the trials that Fate has decreed upon you.”

———————–

< Choose one of these Trials in order to become a Ranker! >

———————–

Lux’s eyes landed on the first choice, and read its contents. A moment later, he blinked his eyes in confusion due to the absurdity of the quest.

At first, he thought he was just seeing things, but after double-checking the first option given to him, he felt like the world was playing a prank on him.

———————–

< First Ranker Quest >

< The Golden Trial >

– Get a Dragon Princess Pregnant and stay alive for an entire year. Once you accomplish this task, you will immediately receive the blessing of the world and become a Ranker!

– The path to happiness is a path filled with thorns. However, as long as you are willing to take the chance, a happy and fulfilling shotgun wedding awaits you on the other side of the rainbow.

Note: You may have already made her emotionally pregnant. Man up and take responsibility!

———————–

“Is this Trial really tied to my Karma?” Lux couldn’t believe what he was seeing no matter how many times he read the First Quest. “Just what did I do to deserve this?”

(A/N: Kekeke!)

(E/N: *Facepalm*)

After pondering for quite some time, Lux decided to check the Second Trial because the first one seemed to be an impossible mission.

He still wanted to live, so he decided to pretend that he didn’t see the First Trial and prayed that his luck would be better with the second one.

(E2/N: Is this where Lux loses his gacha luck?)