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Chapter 42: Goal
🕑 Added 2025-06-11 10:40:19 +0000 UTCSeraphina looked out at the distant city walls, her expression somber. "I never thought that today's Earth would be facing such a grave situation. It's truly unexpected, the constant danger lurking just beyond our sight."
"That's why we have to work hard at our training," Ethan said, his voice firm.
Marcus clenched a fist. "We can't let those monsters invade our homeland and take anything more from us!"
"That's right," Lily said, her tone suddenly sharp, cutting through the youthful determination. "According to the directive given by the Global Concord, the purpose of our hard work in training is to protect our home and country and to reclaim our lost lands. But in addition to that," she looked at each of them, her eyes intense, "each person has a personal aspiration, a true motivation."
The three of them looked at her, captivated. "What is it?"
Lily took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was filled with a chilling, palpable killing intent. "Revenge!" The single word, she spoke with extreme seriousness, so much so that the surrounding air seemed to grow cold by several degrees. "When those beasts came to our home through the spatial rifts and arbitrarily slaughtered our compatriots, our families, did they show even a sliver of mercy? No! Since that's the case, why should we ever show them any mercy? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! At that time, humanity's strength was weak; it was good enough that we could simply protect ourselves. But that is not enough. Therefore, we must do our best to increase our strength, pursue the ultimate power, and one day, make those hateful beasts taste the very same pain of having their homes invaded and their relatives slaughtered!"
Although these words were spoken in a cold, unforgiving tone, they made the trio's blood boil with a righteous fire. Yes. Who doesn't want to make those who have bullied and brutalized them pay a painful, terrible price?
Marcus’s eyes were firm as he said, "That's right. One day, I will also become a peerless powerhouse, and I will use my fists to smash the homelands of those beasts in the Rift Worlds to a pulp and plant the flag of our Global Concord on their soil!" He clenched his fists tightly, as if he could already see his future self, standing on alien land, proudly planting that flag.
Seraphina added, her voice filled with resolve, "Although my innate talent isn't as strong, I will also definitely train as hard as I can and contribute my own strength in the future!"
At this moment, both of them were fired up with an unprecedented fighting spirit. Ethan, however, fell silent. It wasn't that he was in a daze, but rather that he was thinking, his mind operating on a slightly different, more cosmic, level.
Could Alien X, with a single snap of his fingers, wipe out the entire collection of Rift Worlds? After thinking about it in detail, Ethan felt it was probably impossible with just one snap. Not to mention that the legendary Beast God was very strong—the strongest monster that had come to Earth back then was only a Beast King. The Beast God itself had never appeared, so humanity simply had no idea how powerful it truly was. So... at the very least, it would probably take two snaps of the fingers to get it done.
I wonder what rank it will be when I finally unlock Alien X. I remember his species, the Celestialsapiens, needs to debate every single action. If I don't have good negotiation skills by then, I'll just be standing there, frozen, waiting to get beaten. It seems I really need to take the time to learn some proper negotiation and debate skills when I have the chance.
Lily patted his shoulder, jarring him from his thoughts. "What are you thinking about, Ethan? You haven't said anything since just now. I thought for a moment you were feeling upset about those monsters."
Ethan snapped her hand away playfully. "How is that possible? Why would I feel sorry for those guys? I was just thinking about other things. By the way, Sis Lily, can Elemental Spirits only be nurtured in the Rift Worlds?"
"That's not necessarily the case," Lily explained, "but because the concentration of Aura in the Rift Worlds is so much stronger, Elemental Spirits are more easily nurtured there. It's possible for them to form on Earth too, but the quantity and probability are much, much lower than in the Rift Worlds. You would only have a chance to find one being nurtured in places with extremely high, concentrated Aura, or in places with extremely special, unique environments."
"I see," Ethan said.
"And a treasure as precious as an Elemental Spirit, once it's nurtured, it will be immediately captured by other powerful psionicists or Factions. Ordinary people will never even get to see one in their lifetime."
"Then do you think it's possible for me to get an Elemental Spirit someday?" Ethan asked hopefully.
"As long as you are willing to train diligently, and then add on about a billion points of pure luck to actually encounter a wild, unbonded Elemental Spirit, it's not that difficult to get their recognition," she teased.
Ethan sighed. "Looks like I have to work even harder then."
Lily said with a smile, "No need to be in such a hurry. At the very least, you have to get into a good university before you'll even have a chance to encounter these kinds of things. You still have a year's time. First, set your sights on Pinnacle University."
"Relax, Sis Lily, I won't let you down. Just a mere university; it'll be a piece of cake," Ethan said with a sudden burst of full confidence, as if getting into the top academy in the Global Concord was as easy as flipping his hand.
"It's good to be confident, Ethan, but you have to know your limits, otherwise it will just become arrogance," Lily reminded him gently. She knew that Ethan was very strong for his age, but to get into a top academy like Pinnacle University still required immense, unwavering effort.
Ethan, however, was now fired up. He announced with high spirits, "Alright, then it's decided! My next goal: Pinnacle University!" This adventure, this path, he thought, seemed like a great one. He shouted with overflowing passion, and his voice echoed in the streets. His over-the-top shout attracted strange looks from the passersby, who all turned their heads to look in their direction.
Lily felt extremely embarrassed. She quickly used her hands to cover her face, trying to hide her shame. She quickened her pace to leave this place, internally screaming frantically. I don't know him, I don't know him, I don't know him!
Ethan was also embarrassed by the sudden attention and quickly left the area with his friends.
Before they parted ways, Ethan asked the question that had been nagging him. "Right, Lily, according to the official information I received after my re-test, the Aura concentration here on Earth after the Resurgence isn't much different from the Rift Worlds'? Why is what you're saying completely different?"
Lily's face became serious as she said, "That was information deliberately released to placate the common people, Ethan. A necessary lie. If other people, the general populace, knew that we humans are currently in such a huge, almost insurmountable, disadvantageous situation, it would definitely cause extreme, widespread panic. That would have a very serious, negative impact on our society's stability. Therefore, the Global Concord had no choice but to retract this kind lie to appease the people and maintain morale." Her tone was filled with a mixture of helplessness and a heavy sense of responsibility.
Seraphina, who had been listening, added quietly, "The truth is indeed cruel."
The two of them returned home. It was already past five in the afternoon. Ethan immediately shut himself in his room to train, striving to break through to Level Nine as soon as possible. Right now, on his person, besides the two normal Aura Cores he had saved, he had no other disposable resources. The remaining credits he had earned could still buy him three more advanced-grade psionic potions, but with his aunt Lily here, he didn't dare to make any rash moves or suddenly show up with more high-end supplies. After all, the source of his credits could not be easily explained.
He sighed, deciding to temporarily give up on the idea of buying more advanced psionic potions. He knew that if he continued like this, relying only on absorbing ambient Aura, the improvement of his strength would become very slow. He needed more resources to support his training, but he didn't want his family to worry about him putting himself in danger to get them. Ethan sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to enter a state of deep meditation. He tried to use this method to distract himself from his worries, to focus only on the flow of energy. Time passed, minute by minute, second by second. The sun gradually set outside his window, and night descended upon the city of New Veridia.
