BANG!

The three-headed serpent's neck slammed heavily to the ground, its life instantly extinguished as its body was cleaved in two.

At this level, survival in such a state was impossible—unless one possessed an extraordinary trick.

Richard smiled at the result.

Then, suddenly, a voice rang inside his head.

(Congratulations on defeating a Tier 11 Beast in the Aether Will Realm. You are also considered to have defeated Tier 7, 8, 9, and 10 Beasts. You may choose from this reward list!)

The voice did not come from the System. It was the voice of an old man.

Right after that, Richard saw an energy screen appear before him, displaying a list of rewards.

(Tier 3 Weapon!)

(50,000 Nature Spirits!)

(1500 Tier 3 Aether from the Star Wheel!)

(Absolute rulership over a small city!)

The list Richard saw contained more than fifteen choices, but only a few caught his interest.

Of course, he was only truly interested in one.

1500 Tier 3 Aether—such a generous reward.

With that boost, he was confident he could face even a Tier 12 Primordial Beast.

"I want this," Richard said, touching the Aether reward.

Buzz!

Suddenly, his body was pulled into another space.

He appeared in a small training chamber, completely sealed off and filled with Aether.

(You may absorb your 1500 Aether here!)

The same old voice echoed again.

Without hesitation, Richard sat down and began absorbing the dense Aether he felt around him.

The Monster World—it seemed this place was specifically designed if one chose training-related rewards.

Though it looked like he was confined, Richard didn't care much.

He thought, What bad could possibly happen? He might be new to the capital, but his supporter was none other than the princess herself.

What he didn't know, however, was the commotion his actions had stirred in the capital.

---

Far away in Apple Town, Rebecca was sitting in the city lord's residence, furrowing her brows again and again as she remained alone in the best guest chamber.

It was already late at night. Yet her letter to her head maid, Mrs. Wilson, had still not received a reply.

Not even a single letter had come back. How then could any troops be dispatched to aid her?

She wondered if something had happened to Mrs. Wilson by chance—something that prevented her from replying.

But what could possibly happen? Even across the entire kingdom, no one should dare lay a hand on her people, much less someone of the status of her chief maid.

"What?"

A moment later, Rebecca's eyes widened in shock as she walked to the window, gazing toward a certain direction.

Whoosh!

She vanished.

The next instant, she appeared high in the sky.

Before her stood a man in his fifties, hair partially turned white.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Rebecca asked, brows furrowed.

Though she did not drop her usual air of indifference, her tone was at least soft when addressing this man—Leonardo Moonshadow.

The latter's expression was serious as he replied, "Rebecca, you must return and lift the lockdown on Apple Town."

Hearing this from her father, Rebecca couldn't help but grow more confused.

"Why?" she asked again.

"The point is, you must not hunt that boy. If you do, you'll cause trouble you cannot handle."

Leonardo knew himself well. He could not stop his daughter by ordinary means, much less force her with strength.

He could only speak vaguely like this.

"What do you mean?"

"I cannot tell you the details, but you must stop."

Leonardo's expression grew even more serious, hoping Rebecca would believe him.

Though her talent was indeed outstanding, she was still lacking in background.

He was aware—if she acted too recklessly, she might bring ruin upon herself.

"Hahaha, your father is right, young lady. You'd best leave now."

Suddenly, a voice reverberated from afar, buzzing so that even the air trembled uncontrollably.

From the voice alone, there was a pressure that made both Leonardo and Rebecca's expressions turn grave.

They looked toward the direction of the voice but found no one.

They could not detect the figure who had spoken.

Leonardo had not expected that what he had spoken vaguely about would suddenly manifest into reality.

'Who?' he wondered inwardly.

Richard was his grandson. From Mrs. Wilson, he knew Richard indeed had an unexpected master, but he had thought that master was only around his own level.

After all, there was no existence that powerful within this kingdom.

Yet the threat he felt from this hidden figure was immense.

Rebecca's expression soured, feeling threatened as an aura locked onto her.

Of course, she was the type who despised being threatened, and the only reason she could be threatened was because her accumulation was still not enough to stand among the top.

She was still too young.

"Rebecca, let's go!" Leonardo had no desire to entangle with this figure. He only wanted to leave quickly—and that was indeed his original intention.

He even had to grab his daughter's hand and drag her into flight.

Perhaps the young woman would feel humiliated if she had to move on her own, so it had to be done this way.

Whoosh!

They vanished swiftly as Leonardo flew at his utmost speed.

---

Far away in a forest, Aldric gazed at the two of them with a faint smile.

Even as they left, his eyes could still see them as though they were right before him.

"Back then, I had just given birth to a child. Who would have thought my grandson would now appear the same age as me," he said softly.

"But if those two are considered among the strongest of the clan, then it means my clan has truly declined drastically. It seems even the Royal Family shares the same fate."

---

Meanwhile, Richard was still engrossed in cultivation.

He could absorb the Aether provided by the Monster World through the Star Wheel much faster, yet it still took time—since he was absorbing as much as 1500 Aether.

It took him nearly three hours.

[Aether: 7583/10,000 <Tier 3>] +1500

[Aether Accumulation: 12,583 <Tier 3>]

This time, the amount he absorbed was exact, unlike when he was with Lilith.

Perhaps this chamber locked down every trace of Aether, so not a single wisp could escape.

DING!

(Your mastery over the Codex of Moonshadow has increased from 20% to 33%!)

Codex of Moonshadow (33%)

A notification suddenly appeared the moment he finished absorbing the Aether.

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