BXBX NOVEL Chapter 46 Not Enough Time
Getting abandoned, betrayed and killed was more than enough stimulus for Arvell to get stronger on its own.
However, revenge wasn't the only thing driving him.
As someone who barely survived the icy hand of death, he started valuing life far more than ever before.
He wanted to experience more precious moments with his loved ones, and spend more time with them.
Arvell wanted to die without regrets next time.
Not wishing he had one more chance to fix everything as he slowly bled out.
He wanted to live a fulfilling life.
One where he wasn't dictated by those stronger than them.
For that he needed strength.
While he had the drive to get stronger, as well as the potential, he was still lacking in 2 aspects.
Time and Resources.
Arvell already had an idea of how to make money in the future, so getting resources wasn't a concern for him.
The main concern plaguing him was time.
He needed to find a way to get stronger without being killed first.
Lykos told Arvell there was a special method he could use to help with this.
Unfortunately, he wasn't anywhere near strong enough to do it yet.
Bringing Arvell back to square one.
Arvell fell backward on the bed and sighed.
'While getting the backing of the Silvercolt house would help me right now, I might end up on my own later. Especially if my cover gets blown. If either my powers nor my identity are revealed, I'd hunted by both Vispia and Elantrya.'
Arvell's powers were far too unique to use haphazardly.
This was also one of the main reasons he was limited in his options while he was travelling with Zen.
There were times when Arvell considered just abandoning Zen and travelling on his own.
If he did this, he could use his full strength to his heart's content.
Furthermore, he wouldn't need to worry about taking care of an additional person. Especially in life or death scenarios.
Scenarios like the one with the 4th rank beast.
He couldn't just use any ability other than his Aether abilities that related to time.
Arvell could at least pass that off as speed enhancement magic.
A sub-species of body-enhancement magic.
Using any other abilities would be far too flashy in front of other people.
While he could go all out if there was nobody nearby, he would have to limit himself in front of others.
In order to appear 'normal' he needed to just stay inconspicuous.
As invisible as possible.
That meant intentionally making himself look normal.
Lykos smiled when he saw Arvell's thoughts.
'It seems ready for the second lesson.'
'Hmm? You mean you lessons on how to manipulate people's emotions?'
'This isn't... Really a method to manipulate people per se, but it's quite useful. Especially to someone like you.'
Arvell's interest was piqued.
'What is it?'
Lykos gave a knowing smile.
'Playing the pig to eat the tiger.'
'What? Do you mean I should play weak to kill those stronger than me?'
'Precisely, I knew you'd catch on quick.'
Arvell nodded his head.
'I agree. Inaccurate information is sometimes, if not almost always worse than no information. If I can make my enemies underestimate me, I could kill even stronger enemies without much difficulty.'
'Be as un-noteworthy as possible,' Lykos continued, 'Make everyone think your strength is non-existent. Make them feel like you are someone simply not worth their time.'
He would not only not appear conspicuous, but he would also make his enemies underestimate him.
This was simply killing two birds with one stone.
Arvell brought his hand to his chin, rubbing the underside of his chin with his thumb.
'I see. I'll keep that in mind when I start attending the academy.'
Arvell redirected his attention back at the egg he was holding in his hand.
The once-lustrous golden egg had turned into the ordinary pale white.
Even after Kujak's death, the illusion persisted.
Arvell could vividly remember that scene that happened only a few days ago.
The Black Dragon Kujak had gone as far as to sacrifice his soul to keep the egg safe.
He threw away his chances of reincarnation, just to protect the egg.
As if this egg's survival was far more important than his existence as a whole.
Seeing this display, Arvell would be lying if he said that the creature in the egg didn't pique his curiosity.
Perhaps this egg was Kujak's child?
It would make sense that he begged Arvell to take care of it before dying.
Parents often do go to extreme lengths to ensure the safety of their children.
As Arvell had sworn to Kujak, he had kept the egg safe.
There was not even a scratch on it.
However, that was more of a testament to the shell's hardness.
Arvell ran his cream-coloured fingers along with the white shell.
'Dragon eggs feel completely different from normal eggs. It feels like I'm touching cold steel.'
Lykos's eyes widened.
'What did you just think?'
'I just thought that it feels like I'm touching cold steel. Why are you making me repeat my thoughts? You can hear them loud and clear even if you don't want to.'
Lykos furiously shook his head.
'This is bad! Very Bad!'
Arvell sat up and threw Lykos a confused look.
'Are you ok Lykos? What's 'bad'? Is something wrong?'
'Arvell we have a problem… That egg might be dying… If it isn't dead already.'