As soon as Luca entered meditation, his consciousness sank into his mental world.
His spiritual power, far exceeding others at his level, instantly enveloped the entire Cloudwing Airship, drawing elemental particles towards him like fireflies.
Thanks to his Transcendent aptitude, these particles surged into his mental world with intense energy, strengthening his spirit. Unfortunately, the increase in mental attributes was negligible for someone like Luca.
Still, even small gains add up over time. Consistent training would yield impressive results in the long run. Plus, as his mastery of meditation increased, so would the attributes he could gain from it.
Meanwhile, the powerful figures aboard Cloudwing Airship all sensed the disturbance Luca had caused and glanced curiously toward his room.
“His aptitude is truly extraordinary,” murmured Luna, who had been resting with her eyes closed in another room. She opened them, a look of mild surprise on her face.
The progress of meditation is heavily influenced by one’s aptitude, and it was the first time she had seen a mid-tier practitioner cause such a stir with meditation.
However, thinking about who his teachers were, Luna understood.
Neither Lucia nor Orf were ordinary practitioners. For Luca, being their student, to show such remarkable talent was not surprising at all.
Time passed quietly, and Luca wasn’t sure how long it had been.
When he suddenly felt the ship jolt. At the same time, there was a knock on his door.
“Lord Luca, we’ve arrived at Pure River Town. Miss Luna requests your presence,” a maid’s respectful voice called from outside.
His meditation interrupted, Luca opened his eyes.
He stood up and opened the door.
Following the maid, he made his way to the airship’s deck.
By the time he arrived, Luna and a group of knight guards were already waiting.
Many people were now emerging from their cabins, joining them on the deck.
Luca felt a cold gaze upon him.
He turned his head and met Curtis’s eyes, who was glaring at him with a vicious expression.
Noticing Luca’s attention, Curtis smirked darkly.
He raised his hand, making a slicing gesture across his neck, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Luca, expressionless, simply looked away and continued toward the deck.
A dead man walking, he thought.
On the deck, a group of people were pointing and gesturing toward something in the distance.
Following their gazes, Luca looked to the horizon and saw a small town nestled by the To-Sky River.
From afar, the town seemed no different from others, with about a thousand households. But what stood out were the temporary camps surrounding the town, densely packed and encircling it completely.
Around the area, numerous practitioners and soldiers could be seen standing guard, as if the entire region had been placed on high alert, completely locked down.
“What could’ve happened in Pure River Town to warrant sealing off the entire place?” This question lingered in the minds of many.
Information had been tightly controlled by the Lord’s Mansion, and none of them knew what had transpired in Pure River Town.
Luna seemed to notice the confusion among the group.
However, she clearly had no intention of explaining further, saying flatly, “You’ll understand when we arrive at Pure River Town.”
Seeing this, no one pressed the matter any further.
Luca’s expression remained calm, but in his mind, he quietly reached out to Jormungandr.
“Stop sleeping. Do you sense anything?” he asked.
Jormungandr, still groggy from being rudely awakened, sounded annoyed. But suddenly, she let out a surprised hum. “There’s a node fluctuation nearby. How do you keep stumbling across these nodes?”
Luca didn’t answer, instead asking, “Do you sense the presence of any King-level monsters?”
Jormungandr was silent for two seconds before sighing.
“You really are insane. Most people would be running in the opposite direction, yet here you are, charging straight toward it.”
Even Jormungandr couldn’t help but admire Luca’s boldness. Most would consider his actions beyond reckless—bordering on madness.
Luca frowned. “Answer the question.”
Jormungandr rolled her eyes. “No, of course not! The Eternal Continent is vast, and who knows how many nodes there are. King-level monsters aren’t so easy to come by!”
Luca felt a twinge of disappointment but wasn’t surprised. Even ordinary nodes could occasionally spawn high-tier monsters, and with some luck, he could still reap decent rewards. At the very least, it wouldn’t be a wasted trip.
Calming himself, Luca continued toward Pure River Town as the Cloudwing Airship sailed closer. The pungent stench of blood hit them before they even arrived.
From a distance, they could see the bloodstained gates of Pure River Town. The stone walls and gate were splattered with blood, and the ground beneath was soaked in it.
Soldiers were busy cleaning up the scattered remains of severed limbs and bodies, suggesting a battle had recently taken place here.
Before long, the Cloudwing Airship landed in the center of a temporary camp set up around the town.
As the group prepared to disembark, a group of armored knights approached them.
Leading them was a well-groomed middle-aged man, accompanied by a handsome young noble.
To Luca’s surprise, he recognized the young man.
It was none other than Harvis Morgan, the noble he had clashed with when he first arrived in Southwind City.
He hadn’t expected to run into Harvis here.
Harvis, however, hadn’t noticed Luca among the crowd.
With a bright smile, Harvis quickly approached Luna, greeting her with obvious enthusiasm. “Miss Luna! It’s been so long. I didn’t expect the Marquis of Bronte would send you here.”
Luna clearly wasn’t too interested in Harvis, responding with a simple “Mm” before turning her attention to the armored middle-aged man standing beside her. “Knight Commander Jonathan, what’s the current situation in Pure River Town?” she asked.
Harvis’s face briefly darkened as Luna brushed him off in front of everyone.
However, he quickly regained his composure, smiling as though unbothered by her coldness.
The knight commander, Jonathan, stepped forward in response to Luna’s question and spoke gravely, “The situation is dire. The monsters in the town are growing at an alarming rate.
“They attempted to break out of Pure River Town earlier, but we managed to push them back. However, we’ve identified a mid-tier peak monster among them, and it’s only a matter of time before it evolves into a high-tier one.”
Hearing this, many in the group exchanged worried glances. Even Luca narrowed his eyes.
Monsters that grow rapidly? chapter-source-NovelFire
What kind of monstrosity was lurking in the node within Pure River Town?
Luna scanned the crowd, her tone calm as she said, “There are too many people around. Let’s discuss this in the meeting room. Jonathan, have someone assign tasks to the professionals from Southwind City.”
Jonathan nodded and immediately set about organizing the arriving adventurers.
Luca was about to follow the group when Luna suddenly called out to him.
“Viscount Luca, come with me to the meeting room,” she said.
Her words drew startled looks from many present.
This young man is a viscount?!
Harvis instinctively turned to look, and when he realized it was indeed Luca, his face twisted into a deep scowl.
He had been planning to teach Luca a lesson, to show him the consequences of crossing someone from a powerful family. Yet, much to his frustration, Luca’s growth had been nothing short of terrifying. On the very day Luca arrived in Southwind City, he had made a name for himself through the trial, quickly becoming Orf’s student, earning the favor of even Marquis Bronte.
This made Harvis hesitant to act.
Harvis still couldn’t understand how a boy from Riverfall City had so effortlessly achieved things others could only dream of.
Even as a member of the prestigious Morgan family, Harvis couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy, his jealousy making his eyes burn.
Luca, however, didn’t pay attention to the stares around him. Calm and composed, he followed Luna, the envious gazes of the crowd trailing behind him.
Jonathan, meanwhile, gave Luca a curious glance, a smile forming on his face. “So, this is the famous Viscount Luca who cleared the 20th floor of the Trial Tower. I must say, you’re even younger than I imagined,” he remarked.
Pure River Town wasn’t too far from Southwind City, and given that adventurers were arriving daily from there, it wasn’t surprising that news from the city traveled fast.
Luca smiled modestly and said, “Just lucky, I guess.”
This humble response made Jonathan warm to him even more.
It was rare to see someone so young achieve so much without letting it go to their head.
Just as Jonathan was about to say something, a harsh voice interrupted.
“Good that you know your place,” Harvis sneered as he approached, his tone instantly causing all three to frown.
Luca glanced at him, unfazed, and calmly replied, “Aren’t you supposed to be acting like a loyal dog back in Southwind City? What brings you to Pure River Town, barking here instead?”
“You…!” Harvis’s face flushed with rage, nearly making him explode in anger.
Nothing infuriated him more than being called someone’s dog.
Even if it was true.
Behind Harvis, his knights immediately placed their hands on their weapons, ready to draw at a moment’s notice. They stared coldly at Luca, prepared to cut him down if Harvis gave the word.
“That’s enough! Are you here to carry out a mission or start a fight?!” Luna snapped sharply, her voice breaking the tension just as things were about to escalate.
Harvis clenched his teeth, unwilling to challenge Luna. He glared at Luca, venom in his voice. “You’d better pray we don’t cross paths again in Pure River Town. If we do, I’ll make you regret ever being born!”
With a final hateful glance at Luca, he motioned for his knights to stand down, and they sheathed their weapons before storming off.
Luna looked at Luca, exasperated. “Why have you managed to offend someone from the Mora family? Are you a magnet for trouble? It seems like you make enemies everywhere you go.”
Luca shrugged helplessly. “We had a bit of a… disagreement on the way to Southwind City.”
It wasn’t really his fault!
If people came looking for trouble, was he just supposed to sit there and take it?
That’d be humiliating.
Luna’s lips twitched. Judging by Harvis’s fury, it was more than just a small disagreement.
Still, it was Luca’s personal matter, so she decided not to get involved. She just warned him, “Harvis isn’t the type to let things slide. He’s petty and vindictive. Now that you’ve provoked him, don’t expect him to leave you alone. Be extra careful when we enter Pure River Town.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out,” Luca said with a smile, though in his mind, he was already thinking of ways to eliminate Harvis discreetly.
As a so-called genius of the Morgan family, Harvis was bound to be carrying some valuable treasures, right?