Chapter 400: Preparations - 1

It was then that Leo suddenly recalled Katherine’s suggestion.

"Wait..."

"What happened, Leo?" Lily asked.

"I think our burden might increase or decrease depending on the circumstances," Leo said.

Kaelion frowned.

"How?"

Leo looked at him.

"You know about the natural treasure that is always visible, standing proudly at the center of the territory?" Leo asked.

"That tree? Yes, I know about that."

"Yeah. It’s on the cusp of advancing in rank, and I plan to initiate the advancement during the bounty."

Kaelion’s eyes widened.

"You want the territory to be stampeded? Don’t you know its rank is so high that it might even invite a 4-star beast from faraway areas?"

"Correction—mid 4-star beasts at most. That’s what the treasure will attract. Lily and I can handle it easily. At worst, we have Pryde. And..."

"And?" Kaelion asked, narrowing his eyes.

"According to Professor Katherine, this might be the perfect opportunity to rank up the Titanbreath Lotus. It will even attract the attention of assistant professors and lower-strength professors—and they would try to snatch the treasure at any other time."

Kaelion could already imagine the academy staff taking interest. Since many students were also instructors and assistant professors, they might find an ’excuse’ to seize the treasure.

A low-yellow tier natural treasure that produced a low purple-tier life-saving resource could easily draw the attention of lower-ranked professors and others. The Titanbreath Lotus itself was highly strategic because of its constant production of Earthpulse Heartstones and the creation of an Earthpulse Lifecore at every rank-up.

The heartstones could act as an energy source and be used to create enhancement items to boost the body—ensuring a stable income for the territory. As for the Lifecore, it could easily be turned into a life-saving tonic thanks to its overflowing vitality. If sold, its price would easily reach 10s of millions.

But currently, the Titanbreath Lotus wasn’t producing any heartstones. Howl was consuming the energy to sustain himself, storing the excess in case of a crisis. Still, Leo was certain that once the treasure ranked up, heartstones would begin to form. Then he could allow Veronica to experiment with them to create potions and consumables that could temporarily—or even permanently—boost stats.

"But why wouldn’t they want to take it away this times—"

"Why do you think Brok is debarred from helping us defend the territory?" Leo cut him off.

Kaelion looked into Leo’s eyes, and he finally understood what Professor Katherine and Leo meant.

During the bounty, only students of the same term as Leo could attack. No one else—neither seniors nor academy staff—was allowed to interfere. That meant even if the Titanbreath Lotus revealed itself, only freshers would have the chance to acquire it, along with rogue beasts drawn by the advancement.

It was the perfect window for the treasure to evolve without the ’real threat’ of being taken away. A human opponent was far more troublesome than a beast driven by instinct.

And knowing Katherine, Leo and the others were certain that she—or Brant—would personally oversee their territory’s bounty. There was simply no way an unexpected variable would be allowed to intervene.

While Lily and the others began discussing a new strategy around the revealed advancement fact, a thought surfaced in Leo’s mind.

Is it really necessary for me and Lily to hold back?

There were still nearly 2 months before the Inter-academy competition, and he was certain he wouldn’t remain at the same level after training with professor Gunther. Not to mention, the beast attacks during the bounty would allow him to level up and grow stronger.

It would also make it seem like he had gone all out—completely revealing his strength—while in reality, his growth afterward would preserve the element of surprise.

He immediately voiced his thoughts.

"Leave all the rogue beasts to me. I’ll handle them. You all focus on dealing with the students."

"You’ll reveal your strength?" Kaelion asked, raising a brow.

"I’m confident I can grow stronger before the competition," Leo said casually.

As if his words carried weight, everyone’s gaze sharpened.

"Wait... then why the hell was I planning to hold back?" Kaelion muttered under his breath.

Because of his damaged soul, he had once struggled to gain even a small increase in strength. Every step had been gruelling. But now, everything had changed. As his soul slowly recovered, his talent began to resurface, and his strength was rising rapidly due to the percentage strength share his high-ranking talent granted him.

The same applied to Lily. She could contract a new spirit in the meantime and gain another major boost.

"Leo, I’m going all out," Lily said at last.

"I won’t let anyone set foot on our territory. I’ll make sure of that." She said, planning to hover above the territory with her wind element and intercept any beings trying to enter sneakily.

Then Kaelion spoke.

"I’ll handle all the top 10 students. Singham and I are enough for all of them. As for Uraan’s Falcon... I wanted Tempest to deal with it, but I still need to hide something. I’ll have to trouble you with Uraan."

"The elves can handle the rest of the students," Sylrael added.

"Hmm... Tavian told me how to deal with the falcon. I guess Howl will be tasked with holding it back. So... everything set?"

Sylrael and Naelith exchanged confused glances at the sudden mention of a new name.

Who is Howl?

The thought crossed both their minds at the same time, but neither voiced it. If it was being kept hidden from them, then it was simple that Leo didn’t want to talk about it. So they chose not to overstep.

"Good. I’ll initiate the advancement at exactly 12 AM on 7th February. Get as much rest as you can before that—because once it begins, I won’t let anyone close their eyes for the next 24 hours," Leo said, concluding the meeting as they dispersed.

As they left, Miho—who had stood silently beside the group the entire time—looked downcast, her lips trembling faintly. She watched Kaelion’s retreating figure, wanting to follow, but hesitated at the last moment. In the end, she turned away, walking toward her house with a sullen expression.

"She thinks she isn’t good enough..." Lily said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched her go.

"She’s starting to behave exactly like someone I know," Leo said from the side.

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A/N: Sorry for the late Chapters...