Alissa continued staring at the orb in her brother’s hands with an expression that mixed joy for his opportunity with terror about the responsibility.
Kip himself remained frozen, his young mind struggling to process the magnitude of what had just occurred. The artefact in his hands represented advancement opportunities that could reshape his entire development.
"Use them for training," Noah added casually, "The essence will help you understand wind magic at the deepest levels."
Seeing Noah’s gifting power and the way he was casually handing out legendary artefacts, Valeria looked at him with renewed curiosity.
"How has your sword training been?" she asked, her green eyes studying him.
Her gaze recognised the significant changes in Noah. Just a few days ago, he was unable to use magic, unable to hold a sword, and only had bread in his store. Now? He was someone else entirely.
Noah smiled with satisfaction that transcended mere confidence. "It’s been alright."
"Why don’t we test it?" Valeria suggested, her expression carrying the enthusiasm of a master eager to evaluate her student’s progress.
"Sure," Noah nodded without hesitation. "Help from an adept swordsman is always appreciated."
Time to see how far I’ve actually come.
Before they could leave for training, Noah’s gaze shifted toward Lola, who stood quietly observing their preparations. The succubus’s presence created obvious complications for visiting the human kingdom.
"What about her?" Noah asked, gesturing toward Lola while addressing Valeria and Elara. "How can we hide her identity as a demon?"
Horns and a tail make the demon identification pretty obvious.
Lola simply smiled with her usual confidence. "Don’t worry about me. You can go enjoy yourself, and catch up with your friends. I’ll stay upstairs,"
Noah shook his head with immediate rejection of that plan. "No. You should come with us. Check out the human kingdom, you might like it."
Lola felt something shift in her chest as his words registered. The human standing before her didn’t want her to be lonely. He’d brought her to another place, akin to another world. And was ensuring she felt included rather than abandoned.
Furthermore... that kiss.
The memory of their intimate contact, even born from medical necessity, carried a meaning that transcended simple saving. The bond between them made her senses tingle.
He’s treating me like someone who matters rather than a convenient ally. Lola thought. She had never felt this way in her long years of living.
As a master-level mage who had breathtaking beauty, she knew that had she been acting the way she had with anyone other than Noah, they would have already made a move against her.
Valeria and Elara exchanged glances before nodding with understanding. "We can provide a cloak," Valeria offered, producing a hooded garment from her storage space.
"This should cover the horns and tail," Elara added. "Keep the hood up and avoid drawing attention."
A simple solution for obvious problems.
The cloak settled over Lola’s distinctive features with concealing effectiveness. Her horns disappeared beneath the fabric while her tail remained hidden under the garment’s length.
"Perfect disguise," Noah declared with satisfaction.
They departed for Valeria’s guild with Leo bounding alongside Noah’s group, the juvenile lion’s excitement infectious as he explored new territory. The Silver Wolf guild’s headquarters appeared ahead.
Time to test my actual combat development.
The guild’s training area featured spacious sparring grounds equipped with various practice weapons and enchantments. Other guild members paused their activities to watch as Valeria led Noah toward the central duelling circle.
"Standard rules," Valeria announced, drawing her blade with fluid precision. "First to land three decisive strikes or force surrender wins."
Noah drew the Zealous Quickblade, feeling its familiar weight enhanced by his improved attributes and magical development. The Tier 2 weapon was no longer the wooden weapon.
Valeria had rejected his choice of wooden swords, saying that they were now past that point. They both knew when a strike was lethal or not.
Time to see how far I’ve actually progressed.
The initial exchanges revealed immediate changes in Noah’s combat effectiveness. His footwork carried the confidence that hadn’t existed during their previous training sessions, while his blade work demonstrated accuracy that surprised even Valeria.
Steel met steel with percussion as they tested each other’s capabilities. But within minutes, Valeria’s experienced eye-detected advancement that defied normal progression timelines.
His form has improved dramatically. And that’s not just technique.
"You’ve progressed beyond novice rank," Valeria observed between strikes, her tone carrying genuine amazement. "Your power output suggests near apprentice-level capability."
"I’ve been practising," Noah replied while parrying another assault.
Understatement. Magical enhancement changes everything.
But what truly shocked Valeria was the subtle energy flowing through Noah’s movements. His strikes carried power that exceeded purely physical enhancement; he was channelling aura with competency that typically required months of dedicated training.
He’s using aura manipulation. How did he learn that so quickly?
"Furthermore," Valeria continued, her attacks intensifying as she probed his defensive capabilities, "you’re channelling aura effectively. That’s an advanced technique for someone at your experience level."
After several more exchanges, Valeria stepped back with an expression that mixed respect and curiosity. "Use all of your power. I want to see your complete combat potential."
All my power. Does she mean...
Noah paused, his enhanced intelligence processing the implications. "My magic, you mean?"
Valeria nodded with obvious anticipation. "Everything. Magic, aura, techniques, show me what you’re really capable of."
"Alright," He nodded.
Noah’s stance changed as he activated wind manipulation alongside his aura enhancement. The air around his blade began moving with visible currents while his entire combat presence transformed.
The difference was immediate. Noah’s attacks carried elemental force that made Valeria’s eyes widen with genuine shock. His speed increased through wind-enhanced movement while his strikes generated atmospheric pressure.
This is apprentice-rank combat effectiveness. From someone who is only at the novice rank.
"Incredible, you’re competing at apprentice level while being a novice." Valeria breathed as she defended against Noah’s sword work and elemental magic.