As soon as Vash Volcane disappeared, the labyrinth began to tremble violently. Monts later, the hundreds of armored Blackrat n vanished into thin air.
Caelius grinned at Grarik, whose dumbfounded expression was fixed on the portal through which Vash had left.
"It seems you've been abandoned, Big Fool," Caelius remarked, his tone dripping with mockery.
Grarik's attention snapped to Caelius, his teeth grinding in frustration. Vash's dismissive attitude had already irritated him, and now he was being mocked by the person he despised the most.
One of Grarik's companions intervened, reminding him, "Young Master, the labyrinth is collapsing. We've completed the Master's mission—we need to leave now."
Grarik clenched his fists, his desire to fight Caelius evident. But he knew the location and timing were far from ideal. Shooting a sharp glare at Caelius, he reluctantly jumped through the portal.
Caelius made no move to stop them. Even if he'd wanted to, he knew he couldn't prevent their escape. Likewise, he was certain they couldn't stop him if he decided to leave.
Once Grarik's group had departed, Caelius turned to his own party. "We're done here. Let's leave."
Obeying his command, they all followed him through the portal.
When Vincent stepped through, he felt the surroundings distort montarily before stabilizing. Monts later, he realized they were now outside the entrance to the Blackrat Labyrinth.
Though the sky was dark, the stalls in the area illuminated the surroundings, creating a lively atmosphere.
Not long after, several figures began to appear outside the labyrinth.
"What just happened?" one person asked.
"I don't know. I was fighting Blackrats when the whole labyrinth suddenly started shaking," another responded.
"Sa here. We barely made it out. A massive piece of rubble nearly crushed us, but we managed to find an exit point in ti," a third added.
Various parties that had been inside the labyrinth were now erging, all sharing similar tales of narrow escapes.
Vincent scanned the area but couldn't spot Vash or Grarik's group.
"They must have already left," he thought, just as Caelius approached him.
"Are you looking for them?" Caelius asked.
Vincent gave a curt nod.
"They've gone. You can stop worrying," Caelius assured him.
Despite the reassurance, Vincent remained cautious, unwilling to let his guard down. Who knew if they might be lying in wait?
"Let's go back," Caelius said.
After so ti, they reached the No. 3 Sanctuary. Following brief pleasantries, the group parted ways, agreeing to report to the Novice Center the next day on their own since Vincent wouldn't be able to accompany them.
Tomorrow would be his final day in the Origin World, as his two-day limit as a Tier 1 Origin Warrior was nearing its end.
Back at the Newcor's Lounge, Vincent extended his room reservation to avoid a repeat of his previous awkward encounter—when he had materialized mid-rental, interrupting a couple engaged in... intimate activities.
Once inside his room, Vincent prepared to cultivate while waiting for his remaining ti in the Origin World to run out. Converting his remaining 200,000 experience points into purified energy, he laid out several Origin Crystals around him.
1,000 experience points and 100 Origin Energy consud. 1 Purified Energy.
He repeated the process.
1,000 experience points and 100 Origin Energy consud. 1 Purified Energy.
By the ti he was done, Vincent had converted 200 purified energy points, bringing his total to 1,350.
A tugging force enveloped him, and within monts, digital lights surrounded his body, signaling his return to the real world.
---
Vincent reappeared in his hotel room, the morning sunlight streaming through the windows. It was Thursday. Changing into casual clothes, he left his room and entered the living area, where he found his younger sister, Marina, and his landlord, Amara, seated on the couch. Both stared blankly ahead as if they'd just woken up.
Vincent smirked. "You two look so lifeless when I'm not around."
His voice jolted them back to life, their eyes snapping to him simultaneously. Marina's face lit up.
"Brother! You're back!" she exclaid, springing forward to hug him.
Vincent caught her with ease, ruffling her hair affectionately. "How's my princess?" he asked, tapping her nose playfully.
"I missed you so much, brother!"
"You little rascal, I was only gone for a day. You probably just missed my cooking," he teased.
"No!" Marina pulled back, pouting. "Well… maybe a little. But I missed you, not just your food!"
Vincent chuckled, ssing up her hair again. "I'm kidding. Of course, I missed you too. Who knows what you'd do to my search history if I said otherwise."
Marina's expression darkened despite her innocent smile. "Are you saying sothing, brother?"
Vincent shivered. Her aura in that mont was more nacing than the Blackrat Primals he'd faced. "N-Nothing! Just talking to myself," he stamred.
Turning his attention to Amara, who was lounging in her usual white tank top and shorts, he nodded. "I'm back."
Amara offered a small smile before reverting to her usual indifferent expression. "Good. Now, make us breakfast and do the laundry today."
Vincent sighed but complied, heading to the kitchen. Soon, the enticing aroma of freshly prepared breakfast filled the air.
Breakfast consisted of burrito bowls—fluffy scrambled eggs nestled amidst a colorful array of vegetables and topped with tangy salsa. The intoxicating aroma had Marina and Amara practically drooling as they waited at the table.
"Lil Vince, grab a beer!" Amara ordered.
"Brother, hot chocolate for !" Marina chid in.
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Vincent fetched a cold beer from the fridge for Amara and prepared a steaming mug of hot chocolate for Marina. Once their drinks were served, the two eagerly dug into their als.
Amara took a hearty gulp of beer between bites.
"Don't you have work today, Sis Amara?" Vincent asked.
Amara shot him an annoyed side glance.
"Tch. Don't worry about . I can handle my job, even if I down a dozen beers."
Vincent could only sigh, turning his gaze to Marina, who noticed his attention almost imdiately.
"What's wrong, brother?" she asked through a mouthful of food.
Vincent stayed silent for a mont, making her fidget under his scrutiny. Finally, she glanced at Amara and caught on to his aning.
"You don't need to worry, brother. I won't be like Big Sis Amara," she said, grinning mischievously.
Amara rolled her eyes and ignored the siblings, focusing on her al.
After breakfast, Vincent handled the laundry, loading it into the washer-dryer before plopping down on the couch. As he scrolled through his phone, he ca across several emails.
Most were from his instructors and even the dean, inquiring about his well-being and availability. He decided to set those aside for now, focusing instead on ssages from various guilds and organizations inviting him to join their ranks.
There was no reply yet from Alex regarding the item he had sent for auction. Vincent frowned; he was counting on the proceeds to buy a new house for his family.
After dealing with his emails, Vincent browsed the internet to check for news related to the aftermath of the Academy's Annual Ceremony. Unsurprisingly, there was no ntion of him. With Sophie Iris's authority and influence, it made sense that any information linking him to the event had been thoroughly suppressed.
He suddenly rembered he hadn't received any prizes from the academy or even checked his final ranking. Deciding to clear this up, he resolved to visit his school.
"Marina, you have class today, right?" he asked.
She nodded. "Mmh, why?"
"I'm heading to my school. Let's go together," Vincent suggested.
Her face lit up instantly.
"Okay! Just give a minute—I'll take a quick shower!" she exclaid, rushing to her room.
Left alone with Amara, Vincent turned to her.
"Aren't you heading to work?"
Amara ignored the question, instead sitting upright and fixing him with a casual yet probing gaze.
"How's life over there? Are you doing anything dangerous?"
Vincent imdiately understood she was referring to his ti in the Origin World.
Smiling softly, he reassured her, "You don't have to worry about . I'm managing fine. And even if I do encounter danger, I still have the item you gave ."
He was referring to the instant escape scroll Amara had gifted him.
"By the way, where did you get it? Isn't sothing like that really expensive?"
At his question, Amara abruptly stood up.
"Alright, I'm off to work. Don't forget to finish the laundry and get so rest," she said nonchalantly, evading his inquiry as she retreated to her room.
Vincent watched her leave, curiosity gnawing at him. Still, he chose not to press her. If she wanted to tell him, she would do so in her own ti.
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