Next morning, Outside Academy's main gate.
Rio sent a message to Lia saying that he would be going to the Eastern Border for a day or two.
Lia has been busy training with her father recently and has likely gone to conquer some dungeon, so she hasn't been reading his messages since yesterday, which made Rio feel a bit sad.
Aside from Lia, others are also busy training, as they all know that it won't be long before they might receive their first mission soon, and everyone wants to be as strong as possible for their mission.
In the past three months, Rio has also trained a lot, and now he has already reached the peak of rank A; moreover, he has enhanced his sword intent even further nowadays.
'My progress has been fast... I guess it won't be long before I ascend to rank S... I guess a year would be enough time...'
Ascending from Rank A to S is no small matter.
The peak of rank A means that you have reached the maximum potential of your body. Next, you need to break the limit on your genes and surpass your physical limits to reach the next realm. Only then will you be able to reach rank S.
'I guess I will do things slowly and steady... I wouldn't want to destabilize my own path like Al did due to being too anxious...'
Just when Rio was contemplating his future plans, Leo and Ars arrived.
They both said it in unison.
"Good morning, Senpai..."
Rio nodded his head and said 'Good Morning' as a reply, and all three of them finally boarded a flying bus to head towards a helipad.
While sitting on the back seat, Rio glanced at Ars and asked,
"Why are we going to a helipad, though? Do normal buses don't go to the place we are supposed to go?"
Ars nodded his head and said,
"Well, it's in the middle of a barren area; there are no bus routes there as no one lives there in hundreds of kilometers of area; there's only that one hidden tavern, so..."
Rio was quite surprised at those words and asked curiously,
"So, what you are trying to say is... Your grandpa lives in a tavern that is located a hundred kilometers deep in a barren area, where even the bus doesn't go? What is he, 'A Terrorist'? Why is he living in such a shady place?"
Hearing Rio's words, Leo scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment,
"Er, well, that's just how it is... He kind of likes staying far away from technology and stuff... He only recently got a smartphone just so he could watch you fight in the tournament of supreme talents..."
Rio nodded his head and asked,
"So, what is his evaluation of me then? If he has watched the tournament, then he must know how it ended..."
Ars contemplated for a moment and said,
"Well, we haven't been in contact with him too much since the day we started living in the academy's dorms, but from what I know about him..."
"He must be shocked by your feats, I think..."
Hearing those words, Rio wasn't really sure what to say; he hadn't met the other party before, and he had no idea what the other party wanted from him.
Moreover, the meeting place was located in a very unpopulated area, which is very shady too.
If Rio wasn't strong enough, he wouldn't have agreed to meet the other party in such a barren place where no rescue would come if something bad happened.
He would have asked Ars and Leo to convince the other party to visit him in the capital instead.
But as he is strong enough now, Rio doesn't think he would need to be that cautious; in fact, that barren area might work on his side.
No one will know who killed how many people there; Rio can just slaughter all of the remnant members of the assassination organization if they dare to have ill intentions for him.
In other words, Rio would not be the one at a disadvantage; he would be the one with the advantage.
National Airport, Helipad area.
Rio and the other two got off the bus and walked over to the helipad area.
It was Rio's first time seeing a helipad in person, so he was quite satisfied by this trip. Seeing new things and enjoying the scenery is the main reason why he even agreed to this trip; he isn't really that interested in knowing what this body's father used to be like. "There are quite a lot of helipads here... This place seems like a hub for the helicopters..."
Ars nodded his head in response to Rio's words.
"Yes, they even do maintenance work here; we both have visited this place a lot of times..."
"Grandpa has a lot of connections and a lot of money; he bought a helicopter just so we could travel back and forth when we wanted to meet him.."
Hearing Ars's words, Rio said,
"You two aren't even his real grandkids... and yet he treats you so good... It seems he might not be as shady a person as I originally thought..."
Rio has been an orphan for two lives now; he knows all too well how the world treats unwanted children like them.
And as Irvin is treating his adopted grandkids quite well, he has gained quite a few of Rio's favorability points.
(By the way, Rio never got adopted because he was too ordinary-looking compared to other kids who looked cute and adorable...)
The best way to gain Rio's favorability points is by praising Lia in front of him or making a
very good tea for him; j this much is enough for you to gain his favor.
As for whether he will help you or not, it depends entirely on his mood.
...
The helicopter took off into the sky and headed towards the east.
The wind breeze ruffled Rio's hair, and a slight smile appeared on his expressionless face.
This is the first time he has ever sat in a helicopter, so it was quite a new and amazing
experience for him.
'It's quite slow compared to when I ride on my sword using 'Sword Intent' and it's not as comfortable as sitting on Ellie's back in her dragon form... but... it's quite a unique experience, so I can't complain...'
Rio watched the scenery below with enormous interest.
He saw the capital city from the sky, and it looked really futuristic and beautiful. Then they crossed the forest area below and crossed many cities, rivers, and mountains on their way to
the east.
The helicopters in this world are very advanced, and their speed is as fast as a fighter jet; thus, they were able to travel fast and cross hundreds of kilometers of distance in just half an hour. Just then, a thought came to Rio's mind. He glanced at Leo and asked curiously,
"By the way... your hair and pupils look so similar to Lia; are you perhaps related to the Silver
family somehow?"
Hearing Rio's words, Leo smiled awkwardly and said,
"Er... I also had that thought in my mind when I first saw senior Lia during the group survival test... so I asked grandpa about my background..."
"He conducted a search on it, and it turns out I have common ancestors with her... You could say I am a distant cousin of Senior Lia if we look at it like that... but I don't know if we can
consider it that way..."
Leo shrugged his shoulders and went on.
"Even if we have common ancestors, I don't consider myself a part of the silver family; I
consider myself Grandpa Irvin's grandchild... I have nothing to do with the Silver family..."
Rio nodded his head at those words and said,
"Well, life is just like that, I guess... Strange things do happen..."
'If Lia had a little brother from the start, she might have never walked the path of darkness, as
she wouldn't have been so lonely and depressed in the original storyline...'
'But would I have still been able to meet her then?'
Rio shook his head and stopped thinking about this. There was no mention of Leo and Ars in
the original storyline, so he doesn't know what their future holds for them, and there was no
point in thinking about it too much.
Rio glanced at Ars and asked,
"What about you? Have you found out about your past too?"
Ars nodded his head and said,
"Well, my parents were criminals; they were executed for murder, bank robbery, and other serious crimes... I feel rather ashamed that I was born to such people..."
"But I have already accepted it... It's not like I could choose how I was born; I am aiming to
make a name for myself in the world and help out the people in need... to wash away the sins that my parents committed..."
Hearing Ars's words filled with determination, Rio nodded his head and thought to himself,
'There really are people who had it even worse than me... I hope these two can achieve their goals in the future... It would be better if they didn't get cursed by Fade's sinister eyes...' Getting involved with a protagonist will definitely bring you great misfortune, no matter how
strong you are.
It's better to stay away from that disaster magnet called Fade.
Just when Rio was contemplating in his mind, Leo pointed to a dilapidated building in the middle of the barren plain with a happy smile on his face and said,
"Oh, there it is! That's the underground tavern, Novo!"
...
...
Author's Notes.
Yo! It's your beloved author here!
Question of the day. Which side-characters story do you think was the most painful, in your opinion?
(Tell me in the comments...)
By the way, don't forget to use those power stones and also leave a review if you like the story. Comment your opinion about the chapter. Your support is my motivation.