As Alex walked toward the supposed exit, he closed his eyes for a moment and checked his mana pool. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Pretty much everything about it was the same as before, and the only difference was the black, shadowy flakes within the bluish mana.

These flakes were shadow elementals. Mana itself was composed of infinite elementals, and once a person gained an affinity to one of them, they could use that specific composition.

At Novice, players could sense the elemental, and at Adept, they could make use of it.

Which meant that Alex could now use shadow mana with his skills to create hybrids such as Shadow Kick Boxing, Shadow Amplification, and so on.

However, to actually be perfect at that, he needed to reach Expert affinity.

He opened his eyes and gazed at the area past the parted wall.

Much to his expectation, there was a staircase leading to the surface.

And upon seeing that staircase, he couldn’t help but wonder, Why is there a staircase here?

Just like how Shadow Puppets could jump between shadows, they could also pull others with them, which meant that originally, those puppets were supposed to pull him into the room and then throw him into the veil.

Though the latter was just an assumption, he believed the chances of it being true were equal to the chances of the Church of Prime Night knowing about the existence of this place.

He stopped at the first step and looked at the very top with narrowed eyes.

The last few steps were brightened by the moonlight, and he couldn’t see anyone there.

He was thinking of making use of Shadow Movement to sense his surroundings, but at the moment, becoming a shadow may lead him to his doom, so he decided to just brave it out.

He took a deep breath and whispered, "What’s the worst that can happen?"

Just as he said, he let out a defeated sigh.

"I just had to raise a red flag..." he mumbled dejectedly and climbed the staircase.

He carefully climbed them while checking for any kind of trap.

As he neared the last step, he halted and thought, Maybe I should summon Helina and ask her for a sword?

He shook his head and continued his ascension. There’s no point in that – those swords disappear within moments without her fairy mana.

With bated breath and his heart in his hand, he traversed the final few steps and gazed upon the wooden cottage in the distance.

The cottage was dressed in the moonlight, and white roses filled the twin sides of the path leading to it.

On the left of the staircase’s opening was a dark slab as big as the opening.

For a moment, he thought about running away, but he soon gave up on that.

If someone was actually living here, there was a chance of them being aware of the Seed of Darkness.

Without any more thoughts, he marched on the path leading to the cottage.

The wooden cottage was simple with a few blue glass windows and a lantern burning beside the door.

He halted and knocked at the door.

The sound travelled through the silence as though a gunshot, and after a minute, a creak reached Alex’s ears.

Soon, the creaks multiplied and the door opened, leaving him speechless.

A gorgeous woman, seemingly in her thirties, wearing a blue nightgown with a black sword in her hand, stood at the doorway, her sharp crimson eyes were locked on him, and her beautiful silver hair was clinging to her face.

A colorless glow was emitting from her body.

Aura! He noted instantly.

"Who are you?" The swordwoman asked in a threatening tone.

As he heard her voice, he blinked in surprise and mumbled, "Aren’t you the knight who had told me not to go near the cemetery? What are you doing h—"

Hearing him, she swung her sword, and he immediately jumped into his shadow, right in time to evade the incoming sideways slash.

He moved behind her and swung a fist infused with mana.

She stepped to the right and threw a kick to his abdomen, sending him slamming into the cottage’s wall.

"Ugh!" He groaned and glared at her in fury.

As she walked toward him, she looked no different than a demonic being, and seeing the desperate situation he was in, Alex was left with a single choice to make.

He closed his eyes and whispered, "Partial Bea—"

However, before he could finish, a click echoed throughout the area, and the swordwoman muttered, "Stop."

Huh?

His eyes shot open, and he saw her sitting in a wooden chair while her sword rested on the table.

"What?" He muttered in utter confusion.

The swordwoman studied him for a moment and said, "There’s no need for us to fight any longer. I have concluded that you are weaker than I."

Hearing those words, Alex’s eyes turned cold, and he spat, "Why did you attack me then?"

A cold smile appeared on her face, and she said, "It’s a habit. I like to give an unforgettable impression."

A vein throbbed at his forehead. I’ve never wanted to punch someone’s face so much!

"So? What’s your name?" She asked leisurely with a faint smile on her face.

Alex drank his anger for now and rose to his feet.

"I am Alex Blade. Who are you?"

"I am Ystella Ember. A paladin of the Church of Prime Night."

At her words, Alex’s gaze shifted to the set of black armor resting against the wall, and he asked in a somewhat hesitant tone.

"Why are you living here then?"

"Because that’s my house? What kind of stupid question is that?"

He looked at her with a deadpan expression and said, "You do know what’s underneath this place, don’t you?"

Ystella didn’t say anything and just continued to stare at him with a faint smile.

A few minutes passed in silence, and she stood up from her chair, "We’ll talk about it in the morning... when the night is gone."