The Bookkeeper-Chapter 47: Open Threads

[ALERT]

[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 7: LEVEL- 5/100 XP.

MANA CONTROL: 60

DRAGON MANA POOL: 915/ 5000

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 255

STAMINA: 250

DRAGON AURA: 105

SKILL PROFICIENCY: ACTIVE 2

—Swordsmanship: 90%

—Euphoria: 45%

FAMILIAR TRUST: 102%

—Linked Familiar: WHITE DRAGON

CONTRACTS: ACTIVE 5.

—Name: [ASH]

—Bond Type: Sealed Pact.

—Name: [LEVI]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [FREYA]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [SPEED]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [SOUL]

—Bond Type: Devotion Pact.

NEW ABILITIES:

—Soul of Dragon: 15%

—Heart of Dragon: 15%

—Invisibility

—Gaze Beyond

—Soul Condemn fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

—Others Locked.]

Raiden stood in the center of the training room, chest heaving as sweat poured down his body, droplets hitting the floor with soft splashes. His hands maintained their firm grip on the odachi’s handle.

His broken hand had grown stronger after a few days of rest. With all his subordinates putting in the work, it was only fair he dug in himself the moment he felt strong enough. And with the kingdom’s silence dragging on, it was only natural he prepared for their eventual response.

Raiden stood there, allowing his nerves to calm after the intense training, when a voice spoke from behind. Levi.

"Can we have a duel? You and I?" he said, stepping closer. "I need a challenge, and I think sparring with you would be perfect."

Raiden studied him for a while, wiping the sweat from his face as it dripped down. He hesitated over Levi’s request. The man had clearly grown stronger since their last duel, but why challenge him? Freya was far more powerful.

Levi kept smirking as he peeled off his white suit, while Raiden simply watched, still uncertain. After a moment’s consideration, he decided to go through with it. After all, it wasn’t as if Levi could actually win.

Raiden moved to the shelf across from him, sheathed his sword, and turned back to face Levi. "Deal, but you’d better give me everything you have."

"It would be stupid of me not to." Levi smirked. Before Raiden could react, Levi vanished, closed the distance in an instant, and struck at his head. Raiden’s instincts kicked in—he caught the blow with his left hand.

The span between blocking the strike and Levi pulling back for another attack lasted barely a second. Yet Raiden seized the opportunity—he grabbed hold of Levi, feinted a strike, and drove his leg into Levi’s gut, sending him crashing into the ground.

Raiden shook his head, disappointed. "How did you manage to kill Mack with this?"

Levi pulled himself to his feet, one hand pressed to his gut. "Unlike you, my invisibility actually worked on him."

Raiden smirked and vanished as well. "Guess I’m the only one you can’t deceive."

Before Levi could even respond, Raiden was already moving, following his heat signature. When Levi realized he was closing in, he tried to put greater distance between them, assuming Raiden was merely reacting on instinct. But before he could take a step, Raiden was there.

Raiden sent a strike at him, and Levi held his ground, blocking it. Raiden followed immediately with another—blocked as well. But he didn’t stop. His joints were already hurting from training, yet the moment he entered the flow of striking, he couldn’t resist continuing. Euphoria slowly built within him, pulling a devilish smile across his face.

But Levi held his ground, dodging and blocking Raiden’s strikes through gritted teeth, unable to bring himself to strike back. Suddenly, Raiden’s danger detection flared to life, breaking his focus and forcing him to halt his strike midair.

But Levi didn’t waste that moment of hesitation. He delivered a devastating blow to Raiden’s chest, sending him crashing into the ground. His fist had struck the key hanging from Raiden’s neck, leaving its outline pressed into his chest.

He became visible and clutched his chest, his teeth gritted in pain.

"That’s a win for me then," Levi said, becoming visible again.

"Well... there are no excuses in battle, so you won." Raiden pulled himself to his feet and examined his chest again, checking the damage Levi’s blow had caused.

His regeneration was already beginning to work, but that wasn’t his concern right now. There was an intruder.

[ALERT]

[MANA CONTROL +5

STAMINA +5

PHYSICAL STRENGTH +5

DRAGON AURA +5

EUPHORIA +5%]

"We need to get outside. There’s an intruder within the barrier," he said, walking toward the entrance. He grabbed his black shirt and flipped the switch, transforming the walls back into bookshelves.

Levi stood motionless for a moment, his expression showing he clearly had questions for Raiden—but Raiden didn’t wait around for them.

The moment Raiden got outside, Speed and Freya were waiting by the entrance, Freya carrying Ash in her arms. Straight ahead, past the fountain on the scorched grass, Soul and Leo battled an older man who looked to be in his early forties.

He wore tattered brown clothing, had red hair and a beard, and a yellow aura radiated from him—his yellow crest displayed the number 7.

It wasn’t exactly a fight, because all that could be seen were Leo’s yellow aura and Soul’s dark aura, both fluctuating whenever they managed to land strikes on the man.

Their fighting style was pure beauty to him—they moved as one, perfectly synchronized as if they’d been partners for decades.

Between Leo’s attacks nullifying his weight and Soul’s strikes targeting the assassin’s very soul, the man was helpless. His expression said it all—he hadn’t expected this. A 7, being outmatched by children.

Staring at them as they brutally beat the man, blood pouring from his injuries, only amused Raiden. It showed how far his team had progressed, and he no longer had to worry about every little detail.

However, something else caught his attention entirely. Soul’s aura seemed to grow stronger with each strike she landed, which explained her overwhelming presence—and also why his dragon aura had gotten such a significant boost after his fight with Seth.

Soul’s ability, Soul Condemn, didn’t just drain the opponent’s aura with each strike—it absorbed it.

Before long, Leo delivered a devastating strike to the man’s chest, completely nullifying his weight. His body suspended in midair as blood poured from his mouth like a stream.

Soul then slipped beneath him and delivered a powerful strike to the exact same spot Leo had hit earlier. The force launched the man upward until he crashed into the magical barrier above, his body breaking apart on its hard surface as warm blood rained down on them.

Just then, Levi, who had been standing behind Raiden for quite some time, spoke up, snapping Raiden out of the spectacle he was trying to savor.

"Just so you know, we’re at Coast City—the main forest leading to the ocean, to be precise."

Raiden turned to him, startled. Coast City was two cities away from Persia City—a three-day journey by the fastest carriage. So how exactly was their teleportation working? Could it possibly reach that far?

"Really?"

"Yes, and I think that’s why it’s difficult for assassins to come here often. The bandits on the roads make it dangerous."

Raiden turned to Leo and Soul as they approached with satisfied smiles, clearly pleased with their synchronization.

"That’s why I think we need someone out there to watch the assassins for us. A spy."

Raiden remained silent. Given Levi’s recent questions and mysterious behavior, letting him go spy on the assassins could spell trouble.

"I believe they’ll strike soon, but the timing is the issue—and I know you want to know as well."

Raiden smirked. He did want to know about the assassins, but given Levi’s questions, there was no chance he’d send him.

"Maybe you could send Speed or Leo once we get out of the barrier."

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