NOVEL WEB Chapter 234: Tragedy
Hal drove back to the academy with a lot of things on his mind.
'One hundred common-tier and fifty uncommon-tier artifacts in two weeks...'
That was what he and Maximus agreed on for now, then he would do his best to make as many as he could after.
Hal had a feeling he wouldn't be assigned to any missions for a while, especially after Pierro and Felix died, with him and Ennya almost following them to the afterlife.
He believed the higher-ups of the empire would be busy cleaning up after the disaster in the east in the coming weeks, so he could take this chance to work closer to his goal of obtaining Aethersight for himself.
There was a lot to do and worry about, including the possible invasion of the Fellkin that might threaten his mother and aunt's safety.
Bunroon Town was only three hours away on a motorcycle from Aeloria, and if the city fell, his mother and aunt would be in danger.
While he could move them closer to the capital, who could say that the cunning and cruel fell race wouldn't be able to ravage their way deep into the heart of the Imperium?
Only after he somehow managed to find them a residence in Aetherforth would his heart truly be at ease.
At the very least, Hal planned to earn enough money for a year of hotel accommodations in the capital, which cost way more than the ones in Aeloria.
The cheapest ones, apparently, would set him back a whopping five gold coins per day.
It was an utterly unreasonable price, but what could he do except comply?
When the fell knock at the door with cruel smiles, many rich individuals and clans would come running to Aetherforth, and the price would increase even more due to the demand.
That said, it was good for him that the path he had to take to achieve both of his goals of acquiring Aethersight and enough riches to ensure the safety of his loved ones was one and the same: crafting arcane artifacts.
Completing the arcanist questline was a good start.
Not only would he be able to increase his knowledge—allowing him to get closer to crafting an artifact that would grant him Aethersight—through the tome rewards, but he could also earn money by selling them to Wanzin's Arcane Emporium.
He would be hitting two birds with one stone!
He soon arrived at the academy, but he didn't park his motorcycle, instead keeping it inside the system's inventory.
Hal also didn't use his hoverboard, opting to walk to the dormitory.
He planned to visit his mother and aunt and retrieve Loki first before crafting arcane artifacts.
While making his way to his suite, Hal snapped his fingers, prompting the system's interface to appear.
He then navigated to the quests section to check what his next quest would be:
==
Quest I
Quest Title: Rise of Chaos' Novice
Act 1: Completed! [Tap to Expand]
==
Act 2: Mastering the Uncommon
Craft:
[Uncommon]-tier weapon-type artifacts (Mastercraft Grade and above only) - 0/10
[Uncommon]-tier accessory-type artifacts (Mastercraft Grade and above only) - 0/10
[Uncommon]-tier utility-type artifacts (Mastercraft Grade and above only) - 0/10
Reward: Adept Arcanist's Tome of Knowledge 2
==
Act 3 - [Locked]
==
'Hmm…looks fairly easy to me…' Hal mused.
Before he knew it, the gates of the five-star dormitories came into view.
Hal walked closer and was about to enter when, suddenly, a furious voice echoed from behind.
"HAL!! YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!!"
Hal was startled, quickly turning to the source of the voice
A familiar face greeted him.
He wasn't exactly pleased to meet Korren, but Hal wanted to know what the bastard was upset about.
The snake was the last one qualified to call him heartless.
Korren grabbed Hal by the collar, his lackeys right behind him, equally furious—except for Erauld, who didn't know how to act.
Most of them were acting as though Hal had killed their mothers.
Hal naturally didn't appreciate the aggressiveness, easily getting Korren off him—thanks to Flexpecto Patronum Fitness Center.
"Don't ever touch me, you understand?" he threatened, coldly locking eyes with Korren, but the bastard wasn't backing down.
"You still dare act this way after the atrocities you've committed?!" roared the furious snake.
The commotion naturally attracted the attention of a lot of people.
Hal frowned at the accusations, perplexed.
Even though the bastards turned out to be fakes, he had never once gone out of his way to take revenge, opting to live his life with purpose instead.
Yet somehow, he had still done something wrong to them?
The nerve of the bastards!
"What the hell are you even saying when we haven't met each other since the Arcana Primis Cup? I'm warning you, Korren, I'm doing my best to remain patient with you and your cra–"
Before Hal could even finish his words, however, tears started streaming down the snake's face, leaving him slightly taken aback.
Korren then grabbed his collar again.
"Why?! Why did you leave our parents behind in Poporo?! Now they're all dead because of you! You!! You killed them!!"
Hal's heart sank at the snake's words, and he was slightly shaken.
Did something happen to the village?
No…he was sure that something did and had an idea of what…
There was no need to ask the furious snake.
Grief crept into his heart, and he was unable to respond for a while, making Korren think Hal was feeling guilty.
"Answer me!! We might've done you wrong, but our mothers and fathers did not. How could you be so cruel?! Magna Prospect? How could someone as ruthless and petty as you be a Magna Prospect?! The empi–"
This time it was Hal who cut off the snake's words:
"I gave everyone in the village the same offer, and your families rejected it."
Although he was shaken and saddened by the news, he wasn't guilty, as he truly did his best to get them out of there before whatever tragedy happened.
Aunty Linda's face and cackles flashed through Hal's mind.
Still, he pressed on:
"Do you know what they said? That it would be unfair to put all the burden on my shoulders, and that they would wait for you guys to get them out of there. You can ask all the villagers in Bunroon to confirm this if you don't believe me."
Hal's voice resounded with a firm tone, his exterior remaining composed despite his devastated heart.
"Tell me, Korren. Have you ever visited them once since we left?"
His words silenced the raging snake.
They…had indeed never visited Poporo, not even once since they left.
They got way too caught up in wizardry.
In his subconscious heart, Korren wanted to ruin Hal's reputation as a form of his grieving revenge, but even that seemed to fail.
He would never allow Hal to sleep soundly just like that!
No, he was sure that the bastard took revenge on them!
The furious snake watched with cold, vengeful eyes as Hal walked away, vowing to pay him back, race and remaining relationships be damned.
He would be a demon, or a monster, or anything he needed to be.
He would ensure that Hal Fennec suffered the same way he did.