Void Evolution System

"Let's get down quickly."

August came to his senses within a few seconds and quickly noticed the crowd that had gathered below.

There wasn't really a law enforcement force in Arulion, but there were means in place to deal with people who were causing mayhem.

The risk of being caught was definitely a thing that August didn't want to risk.

The spire itself was around two hundred meters tall. They had the option to jump down, but even if they cushioned their impact, they'd end up destroying the streets.

Since that wasn't possible, slowly lowering themselves with mana was definitely an option, but as they soon found out…

Snap!

The roots holding them up snapped and rapidly dispersed into pure mana that drifted away in the wind.

Actually, it wasn't just the roots, but everything they'd summoned.

The three geniuses suddenly felt a sense of emptiness inside of them, and as they tried to find the source of that feeling, they found that they'd been placed under a restriction.

"Our mana is locked."

As August said it, the vines that kept them suspended disappeared, and they were dropped onto the ledge below them.

"From this situation, it looks like we have to climb down on our own, but…there should be a clue somewhere around here."

They managed to stay surprisingly calm. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline pumping through their systems, but the fact that they'd been left stranded on a random ledge high above the city didn't seem that daunting anymore.

More important was the quest they were on. After an experience like that, all of them were far more invested in it than they were at the start.

Valerie was already plotting the best route down the spire, while Melania was observing the surroundings in search for another hint.

August had his eyes closed. He spread his senses as far as possible in search of the vague aura Damien would leave to indicate where clues were located, but he couldn't find anything.

"How's it going for the two of you?" He asked.

"It doesn't look like there's anywhere to find a clue here. The windows could mean something, but I doubt it'd be that easy," Melania responded.

"Right, our wits were tested in the last trial. This time, the basis should be something different," August agreed.

"What about you, Valerie?"

"Ah, it should be pretty easy to get down from here. This place is surprisingly accommodating of climbers."

The stone that made up the spire's exterior walls was set in intervals. Some stuck out while others were depressed into the wall.

This pattern was set to give the spire a more unique appearance, but it actually gave them a lot of ledges to use as they were scaling down its side.

"If there aren't any clues up here, then we should just go down. We're drawing way too much attention."

"Ah, right."

"That was a thing, huh?"

The other two had somewhat forgotten about their circumstances while searching for clues, but now that they'd been reminded, they immediately agreed.

The three of them were quite nimble, and their draconic physiques set their grip and core strength leagues above humans.

To make it to the surface wasn't even a problem with the architecture of the spire. In but five minutes, they were already on the ground, and, of course, bolting away from the spire.

They couldn't help but laugh as they rushed through the streets of Fort Halleya and hid away in a nearby store.

There were probably a lot of confused onlookers wondering who they were, but they weren't yet recognizable enough to actually draw attention.

"Do you think anyone will come after us?" Melania asked, slight fear in her voice.

"It'll be fine," Valerie responded in the complete opposite tone.

"We didn't break or damage anything except our own bodies, so nobody will complain. If that spire ended up destroyed, though, we would definitely be in for some trouble."

It was the convenience of a draconic society. They were rowdy creatures, especially in their youths, so unless they were truly causing damage, nobody would raise a fuss.

"Still, we ran away before we could figure anything out. What if the clue was back there?"

Melania's concern wasn't unwarranted.

"But, I don't think it was back there at all?"

August's response was strange.

The two girls turned to look at him inquisitively, only for their eyes to follow his to see what he was looking at.

"What the–"

"Where are we?"

This was the first time they'd looked at the store they were in.

It should've been a regular street-side restaurant or cafe. Due to the layout of Fort Halleya, the dimensions of its interior could be estimated easily.

And those dimensions definitely weren't as massive as this place truly was.

Though the rows and rows of bookshelves on the walls begged one to believe this place was a library, it did indeed have a sort of cafe inside that was serving the visitors coffee and small snacks.

The atmosphere was quite quiet and peaceful. The main problem was the fact that it was several tens of meters long, surely too long to fit in the amount of space it had.

"Spatial expansion magic."

It wasn't something a common vendor would be able to afford.

"Just what the hell did we stumble into?"

Valerie was asking a good question, but August had a better one.

"Did we come here on our own, or were we led here?"

When facing a supreme being, was free will truly a thing?

How could they know that they weren't merely acting according to his plans, subconsciously being led by his flow?

This was part of the main lesson Damien taught August during these games.

One could never lose one's sense of wariness when facing an unknown enemy.

Even the most intricate of schemes could merely be playing into that being's hands.

Especially against a being with limitless power, all schemes fell apart.

But, no power was limitless.

As long as one could read the mind of a supreme, understand the way they thought, and replicate it, one could outsmart them the same way one could outsmart a child.

Wasn't it a classic quote from a certain earthen strategist?

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

It all came down to the level one was seeing the world from.

For Damien, that level had gone through immense changes. It wasn't wrong to say that he viewed the world as something he could change as he pleased.

He could hold it in his hands, and if he so wanted, he could manipulate all living beings.

How did a person of that stature think?

How did the gears in their minds turn?

August didn't know, so he was bound to face defeat.

But, he was in a position to learn, so that he could eventually earn victory.

This was a game of hide and seek, sure, but it was entirely led by Damien's flow.

One of these days, August would diverge from it, using his own means to track his father.

Compared to even the Holy Clans, Damien was a more terrifying opponent.

So once August learned to perfectly read him, he'd be able to outsmart the Holy Clans with ease.

He took his first steps into the library cafe, curiously scanning the bookshelves to see what the contents of their pages were.

He was sure that this was a place Damien wanted him to reach.

The only question was…

Why?