TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 90

For Black, over these past five years, the gray-robed man had always fulfilled his requests and had indeed gone to great lengths to help him become stronger.

Although he had initially found the man somewhat suspicious, after all these years Black had come to completely trust this master.

Only for some reason, the mysterious blond man within Black’s consciousness space seemed to look down on his master.

“Pearl City? Why are you suddenly going there?” The gray-robed man didn’t understand why he would make such a request.

Black explained, “Because of a dream. I dreamed that Xiao Bai is there.”

Unlike before, this time the gray-robed man did not immediately agree.

Realization flickered across him. “If that’s the case, leave it to me. I’ll investigate his whereabouts for you. You just continue training. I’ll notify you when there are results.”

Black pressed his lips together. “This time, I want to go see for myself.”

His heart was already impatient. If Xiao Bai really was there, then he could reunite with him as soon as possible.

The gray-robed man’s gaze fell on him, as if scrutinizing something.

“It’s quite a distance from here to the Coral Kingdom. It will take a while. Are you sure you want to waste so much time on unverified information from a dream?”

Black answered without hesitation. “Of course.”

He knew very clearly what mattered more: training to become stronger, or Xiao Bai.

The gray-robed man considered this for a moment. His gaze turned slightly colder, but he still spoke as he usually did. “I understand. I’ll arrange a carriage and driver for you to go to Pearl City. It may take a few days. You will continue training in the meantime. We’ll set aside the nightmare beast for now—I’ll arrange other sparring opponents for you.”

Black felt the preparation time was a bit too long, but since he had been taken to a remote place for secret training at the age of nine and had never seen the outside world, he had no way of knowing whether this was reasonable. In the end, he nodded in agreement.

He resumed training after packing up, but because his mind was elsewhere, his movements were somewhat impatient—he just wanted to set off as soon as possible.

The gray-robed man did not correct him, only watching his back with a cold gaze.

Go find Xiao Bai?

No. He would not allow that.

Two days later, he arranged another sparring session.

Black sensed the aura of the opponent and frowned slightly. “It seems like a fairly weak mid-tier monster.”

He was not satisfied with the opponent; he needed stronger enemies to improve himself.

The gray-robed man told him to be patient.

“This is also a spirit-attack-type monster. There are many sea sirens in Pearl City skilled in mental attacks. Since you want to go there, you must first learn to handle spirit attacks and build some resistance.”

“What are its abilities?” Black asked.

“In real combat, you won’t always get prior intelligence on your enemy. Learning to gather information mid-fight is also part of your training.”

His reasoning made sense, so Black didn’t ask further.

Before the match, the gray-robed man reminded him softly, “There’s no need to hold back out of mercy for a training tool. Treat it like a real enemy.”

“I understand.”

Black stepped onto the field and faced the pale gray, mist-like monster. He engaged it quickly.

During the most intense moment of the fight, the monster’s star-like eyes glanced toward the gray-robed man outside the field. Suddenly, gray-white mist engulfed Black.

He tried to dodge as if it were a normal attack, but even after evading, a splitting pain struck his mind and he staggered backward.

Clearly, despite his preparation, his lack of experience with mental attacks meant he had still been hit.

It felt as if his brain was being stirred. His vision blurred.

So this is a spirit attack?

Memories surged up. Black once again saw that nightmare—the image of Albin being killed by the dragon resurfaced in his mind.

Fear, grief, and rage filled his heart once more, igniting a boundless inferno within him.

It felt as if he had returned to that moment, and before him stood the dragon radiating destruction.

Move!

Move!

Kill it!

Kill it!

Black loathed his inability to move at that moment. He clenched his teeth, and in his hollow eyes a black cross-shaped star ignited. Dark, vengeful energy surged from his body.

The dark aura coalesced into a pitch-black shadow wolf, which leapt from him into the depths of the white mist. A mournful howl followed.

The surrounding mist gradually dissipated, but the shadow wolf continued tearing at its prey. Black had clearly lost all rationality.

He was violently unleashing his power, trying to destroy the dragon from his memories and save that white figure.

“Good enough. That’s all for today.”

The gray-robed man leapt down from the wall, attempting to pull Black’s consciousness back.

After a long moment, the star-like light in Black’s eyes slowly faded, and he gradually came back to himself.

He lowered his head to look at his own hands and suddenly clenched them tightly.

Why hadn’t he been able to rush forward at that moment?

Too weak—he was still far too weak.

He needed to become stronger. He had to avenge Xiao Bai.

The gray-robed man supported him as they walked back. “This is your second time experiencing a mental attack. How did it feel? You were actually able to endure it—I’m quite surprised.”

Black brushed his hand away and insisted on walking on his own.

Unlike the gray-robed man, he was deeply dissatisfied with his own performance.

If that monster had been any stronger, that moment of hesitation would have been enough to kill him. At this level, defeating that dragon was still far out of reach.

Black asked darkly, “What was its ability?”

“Memory.” The gray-robed man, walking a step behind him, curled his lips slightly. “That type of monster can partially manipulate a target’s memories, draw out their most fearful ones, and activate them to plunge the target into fear and rob them of combat ability. With enough time, they can even completely erase a person’s memories.”

Only then did Black understand why that memory had resurfaced.

That monster had actually judged that he feared the dragon—that he would be unable to move upon seeing it.

He bit his lip in humiliation, his bright eyes burning with rage.

Although its attack power wasn’t high, spirit-type abilities were indeed not to be underestimated. His past experience was useless here; he had to find a way to counter such abilities and never be caught again.

“If there are more spirit-type monsters, tell me.”

The gray-robed man tested him. “Then the nightmare beast…”

“Nightmare beast?” Black pressed a hand to his head. The name felt somewhat familiar. “It sounds… familiar. What is it?”

“It’s the monster I planned to arrange for you next. It also has mental abilities. I must have mentioned it to you before.”

Black responded flatly, “Oh.”

He had fought too many monsters to remember every single one.

“The carriage to Pearl City has already been arranged,” the gray-robed man said again, testing him.

“You’re going there?”

Black had no memory of ever deciding to go to Pearl City, but he still subconsciously paid attention to the location.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in the gray-robed man’s eyes.

He coaxed gently, “It’s a resort city. Shall I take you there to relax? You live such repetitive days—you probably don’t even remember how long you’ve been here.”

“No need,” Black refused coldly. “I don’t have the time or interest.”

He clenched his fists unwillingly. “Xiao Bai was killed by the dragon. I watched it happen and couldn’t stop it… even Yake… If I don’t keep training with my current strength, I’ll never be able to avenge them in this lifetime.”

“If you don’t go, that would be a pity…” the gray-robed man said thoughtfully.

Black had no interest in a vacation, though faintly he felt that he had once had an incomparably beautiful dream the night before.

Not far away, the gray-white monster that had lost its life lay on the ground, its gaze fixed on the gray-robed man’s departing back.

Earlier, the gray-robed man had approached it, intending to use its ability.

The monster had warned him: 【I cannot create memories out of nothing.】

“I am well aware.” The monster’s ability was useful, and the gray-robed man had already understood it thoroughly.

Slowly, he explained his request.

“I want you to activate his most fearful nightmare memory—make him confuse that dream with reality, and make him believe the person he is searching for has already been killed by his enemies.”

The monster was puzzled. 【If you don’t want him to remember that person, why not simply erase his memory? Why go to the trouble of killing that person inside his memories instead?】

The gray-robed man replied, “Only by remembering that child can Black reach his full potential and have the will to grow stronger.”

He needed a Black as powerful as Ze Man.

Because of that, he absolutely could not allow Black to meet that child, nor could he allow him to escape his control.

“I’ll arrange for him to fight you. Just wait for an opportunity to use your ability. Of course, I’ll step in and end the match at the right time—I won’t let anything happen to either of you.”

The monster agreed. 【…I owe you a favor. I’ll do as you say.】

Liar…

Only as it was dying did the monster realize that from the very beginning, the man never intended to let it live.

A mournful cry rose in its throat, but before it could be voiced, thick, toxic, dark purple-black energy like venom engulfed it completely, silencing it forever.

A few days later, Black faced the nightmare beast the gray-robed man had mentioned.

He was still immersed in the illusions granted by the nightmare beast—only within those illusions could he see the dead.

But this time, the gray-robed man coldly called out, “If you remain lost in this illusion, you will never avenge your beloved friend and your foster father.”

The cruel reality tore Black out of the beautiful dream.

With resolve, Black trembled as he struck down the nightmare beast, which had long been waiting for death after losing its own partner.

Having both lost someone important, their emotions resonated for a moment.

But at present, he still could not choose death like the nightmare beast had.

“Wait for me…” he murmured softly, watching the fading illusions before him.

Once he achieved his revenge, he would be able to reunite with them.

As always, Black never cared about the corpses of these monsters; the gray-robed man usually handled them. But this time alone, he personally burned the nightmare beast’s body, buried its ashes, and placed a carefully chosen stone as a tombstone atop the mound of earth.

“Thank you.”

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