Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

"497… 498… 499… 500!"

Eren completed the last rep of his push-ups and laid on the ground, heavily perspiring. He didn't even have the energy to speak but he wanted to check on his progress. So he called out the spectral screen to check some numbers:

Name- Eren Elijah Idril (Verified)

Organization- Lionhearts Adventurers' Academy

Academic Status- Class 1/C

Ranked Status- unranked

Merit Points- 2,516 + 50

Battle Points- 456

Base Stats:

HP- 4 / 4

MP- 5.1 / 5.1

STR- 2.3

AGI- 3.8

INT- 3.2

BTP~ 18

BTP Visibility- Private

Ranking Technique- Five-star, lightning element, Indra's Levin

F-Rank Spells:

LE, Four-star, movement type: Blitz Steps

LE, Four-star, defence type: Blitz Shield

LE, Four-star, attack type: Blitz Bolt

LE, Four-star, Area of Effect: Blitz Storm

LE, Four-star, healing type: Blitz Heal

TE, Four-star(?), miscellaneous: Sedated Perception

Apprenticeship: Verified

Daily Training Regime: Complete

Run: 5KM / 5KM

Pullup: 500/500

Situp: 500/500

Pushups: 500 /500

******************************

Eren's daily training regime was completed with the last round of push-ups. He immediately gained 50 merit points as a result. This was another benefit of doing an LA-verified apprenticeship. Students would gain Merps for staying on their schedule.

Although Eren was rich now, he always welcomed more Merps no matter how big or small the incoming number was.

Eren sat back up and executed his ranking technique. This was the quickest way to get rid of the exhaustion for rankers. And with the liquid-stage F-Rank mana flowing through his mana circuits, it took only an hour for him to come to normalcy.

Eren then got fresh and went to Adapt Levine's lectures. She took a surprise test of her students right after in which the butcher performed splendidly. The Adapt potion-maker didn't ask Eren about the ingredient retrieval. She figured the boy would tell her himself if and when he makes progress.

Eren met up with his team members and discussed a few of the strategies that they could use in the upcoming inter-class ranking wars. Then he took his leave and left the rest of the team members to their devices.

The butcher was going to leave the LA grounds today. Every student could do that a limited number of times every month. And he used this privilege today to go to a bar named Blue Nightingale located in the city of Lionhearts.

Students and LA staff would occasionally visit the city to relax and unwind. It was the closest city they could be in that had all the luxuries they needed.

Plus, the city had strong ties with LA. So the students and especially the LA staff would be treated with respect at any establishment in the city.

Blue Nightingale was a well-known place in the city of Lionhearts. Rich students would also hang out there from time to time. But LA staff benefited the most since they would receive exceptional discounts there.

Eren wanted to go to this very bar because he had asked around and found out that Julie Ekheart was a frequent visitor here.

The woman liked to party. Even when she was in the city of Osan, she had selected a nice place to do her part of info-gathering at; another bar. Tonight she was going to meet someone really special and dangerous.

******************************

"Lady, you owe me a drink!"

Julie was busy drinking her wine in the Blue Nightingale when she heard the weirdest claim. She looked up from gazing at the edges of her glass to see a tall, slightly dark man who looked to be in his late twenties. He had a clean shave and short brown hair.

He looked different but the guy's facial features reminded Julie of Dom Walker. Then chided herself for thinking like that. The guy was either dead or hiding way deep in some remote village somewhere. He wouldn't come here, to the city of Lionhearts just to get captured and killed.

"Um… what do you mean?"

Julie couldn't help but ask. She felt there was something off about him. But at the same time, she wanted to engage in talking with him. She felt like she could find a lot of her answers if she talked with this guy.

"I mean you have to take the responsibility."

The guy replied with a dazzling smile. He didn't ask for her permission and joined her at the two-person table straightaway. To be honest, Julie didn't dislike that rude behaviour. She always preferred dominant men.

'Looks like this evening will be fun. But then again, I say that every evening I come here.'

Julie had this thought and replied to the stranger's smile with a gorgeous smile of her own. She had another sip of her drink and didn't say anything.

The LA's assistant professor just looked at the man sitting opposite her and hinted with her eyes for him to continue.

"Hehe! I said you have to buy me a drink because I dropped mine after looking at you. Now you have to take responsibility for stunning me with your beauty at the worst possible time."

The man replied with confidence at which Julie couldn't help but laugh. This was the most creative and effortless pick-up line she had heard getting used to her all her life.

The duo got to talking. Julie liked the guy's mature talks that were sprinkled with a hint of wits and sarcasm. She got to know that his name was Ron Damian and that he was a private guard of a merchant troupe.

The man carried himself with elegance. And whatever he spoke just made sense to Julie. Plus, he was an E-Ranker just like her. So their ranking status was also in sync.

But the most attractive thing about him was the fact that he was rich. Julie liked all things rich. And the guy had made sure that he'd show her his wealth by ordering expensive mana-imbued wines that belonged to the exclusive collection.

After random talks, Julie asked Ron what else he had in his arsenal to impress her. To which, Ron was replied with unmatched boldness.

"Hahaha! Yes, I get creative sometimes when I see beautiful women like you. Okay, this is something I came up with just now while talking to you. Listen to this:..."

=======================

AN: Hi. In case you can't recall, Julie Ekheart is an E-Ranker introduced in chapter 40 and has made sporadic appearances in later chapters. She is serving as an assistant professor in LA, being part of Lin Karr's panel.