Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 42: Iruca Sanders

"Alright! See you all tomorrow!"

Iruca waved at her friends, then hurriedly left the cafe. She had to return early, complete her assignments, and cultivate using the soul crystals she had.

"Eh? It’s about to rain?"

Shielding her eyes, she gasped at the sight of the dark clouds gathering above. Holding the straps of her bag, she quickened her steps, weaving past the students on the walkway.

Unlike they, she didn’t bring her umbrella and would be drenched if she was caught in the rain.

’Sigh, the class spending over a million has been on my mi... ah!’

While thinking, she failed to notice a slight bump, and tripped. Unfortunately, despite being an Awakened, she was still unable to overcome gravity.

In dismay, she could only watch as the ground grew closer, until she halted. Confused, she felt a force tug on her blazer, then pull her back. She steadied herself, then turned to look at her helper. However, he had already left, and she only saw a flash of blue hair.

"Eh?"

Blue hair? Her purple eyes fluttered softly. Although she was aware that people could have diverse hair colors, she hadn’t seen a guy with blue hair before.

"Well..."

Biting her lip, she carefully resumed sprinting. Rain drops had begun falling from the sky, and were condensing into a downpour. Thankfully, she arrived at the dormitory lobby before the rain truly began.

Gazing at the numerous umbrellas unfurled under the rain, she dried her silver hair with a towel, then went to her room which was on the second floor.

She hung her bag, then changed into casual clothing—a white round-neck top, and a knee-length pleated skirt. Her skin was milky white and smooth, captivating to the eyes.

Now that she had changed into loose clothes, her bosom enlarged, no longer restrained by the tight academy uniform.

She prepared a light meal, then quickly did her assignments. Next, she chatted with her friends, asking if they weren’t caught in the rain. Thankfully, those she left behind didn’t rush into the rain but waited.

’That’s a relief. Being wet... is bad.’

Her cheeks turned a shade of pink, but she quickly composed herself. Pouting to herself, she took out the stash of soul crystals she had purchased, then poured them into her bed.

The crystals gleamed under the lights of the bulb, each one around half of her finger.

Holding one in her hand, she took a deep breath, then closed her eyes. Under her tight concentration, a soft, almost imperceptible, river of faint light seeped from her closed fist, and was slowly absorbed through her pores.

At first, the process was slow, but soon, more and more spirit essence escaped the soul crystal, and was absorbed by her. The process continued for five minutes, before it stopped.

"Phew..."

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at the crystal in her hand. It no longer had its previous radiance, as it had now become dull. This was the normal condition of used soul crystals. It was nothing more than a simple hollow crystal.

Iruca wasn’t surprised, and she immediately took a second one. She repeated the process, absorbing spirit essence from the soul crystals one by one.

In less than an hour, she had used ten crystals, then finally stopped. Absorbing spirit essence for too long could cause things like dizziness, headaches, or migraine. In order to avoid this, she stopped as soon as she felt slight fatigue.

’A person must know their own limits... pushing too much is dangerous.’

She was a conservative person and didn’t like forcing situations, a result of her mild personality. This was what made her friendly and very relatable. She just had this noble disposition that always attracted people to her.

"Hehe... I used ten again. My crystal core must have more liquid spirit essence, right?"

Giggling softly, she closed her eyes, then let her consciousness descend into her crystal core. This was a common act to all Awakened individuals, as they could personally inspect their own crystal cores.

When Iruca opened her eyes, she found herself in a small world surrounded by milky whiteness. This small world was the manifestation of her crystal core. In fact, it was an exaggeration to call it a world, as she could see its edges.

Currently, she was floating midair. Below her, was a puddle of colorless water that glowed mysteriously. This was the accumulation of her spirit essence, the ones she had absorbed ever since she awakened.

’Hmm... it has increased by another 0.3%. This is impressive!’

She smiled to herself, then looked around. Currently, four lumps of light floated around her, their shapes distinct. These were the relics that she had—all from her father.

Although he was only a mortal, he had enough savings to get her standard awakened gear. One was a silver battle armor, another was a shield, another was a sword, and the last one was storage relic that could help her store normal items.

The cost of these relics had almost drained her family’s entire savings. When she realized this, she became sad, but her parents and siblings had encouraged her to train hard and become a pillar for the family in the future.

And this—was her determination!

...

Meanwhile, in the Chairman’s residence...

"Master Ture, it is an honor to meet you again."

Chairman Jonathan sighed, his expression complex. He hadn’t expected this man to pay him a visit, and was extremely surprised. However, remembering the relationship he had with this man, he smiled bitterly.

Opposite him, Ture Solace sat calmly. His face held a faint smile filled with fondness as he looked at Jonathan. Although he looked younger than Jonathan, he was actually a few years older than the chairman. This was simply because in evolution, his realm surpassed that of Chairman Jonathan, therefore his aging had slowed considerably.

"You don’t need to be so formal, Nat. We’re both acquaintances, and shouldn’t act like strangers."

The Chairman’s expression eased slightly, and he looked at the person before him again.

"I’m sorry. I can’t just help it. You’ve already advanced so much I can only give you the respect you deserve."

Ture laughed. "Haha. You’re too stiff. No need at all! Even if I become a god, there’s no need for you to be courteous."

Naturally, he also understood Jonathan’s apprehension. The might of the Solace Clan might not be known to the general populace, but every important faction in the world knew how strong they were. Currently, the Clan Patriarch was the most fearsome, and was seated before him, causing Jonathan to feel uncomfortable despite their previous relationship.