310: Enough?

Enough?

Asher looked at Reece, who was sitting before him.

For a moment, Asher struggled to control his madness, which threatened to consume his thoughts.

Yet, he suppressed his murderous intent.

It wasn't hard, it was much easier to control unlike when he hear Leonard's voice for the first time.

Due to the recent visits in the Great Forest, Asher's control over his killing intent had increased as well.

Right now he didn't wanted to alert Reece to his intentions as he had others plans for him in his mind.

In his previous life, Reece never returned to World Academy until the End-of-Year Exam for Fourth Year Students.

Even then, within the World Academy, Asher never had any interaction with Reece.

His interaction with Reece Williams began only after Asher became a wanted man, leading a criminal organization.

As Reece was Leonard's partner it was obvious that he was against Asher as well.

"I've heard about the incident with Elena and everyone else up to now," Reece said.

"What about them?" Asher inquired.

"I'm not pointing fingers at you; those guys had their own faults too," Reece responded.

"But, I don't want minor disputes to strain our families' relationship," Reece added.

Reece knew about the tensions between Asher and Kevin over the past year, and he recognized that this might prevent a fruitful conversation between them.

"Is that all?" Asher questioned.

The Reece now before Asher was a far cry from the one he had confronted in his past life. But Asher understood the reason for his demeanor.

A key difference between the Reece of his past life and now was the Greville Family and their increasing influence.

"It's not everything, but I want to address any misunderstandings that might have arisen between our families," Reece clarified.

"I've also heard about your disagreement with my fiancée," Reece noted, glancing at Asher.

"I'll ensure Raelyn doesn't cross any lines from now on. She's been on edge because of Elena and Kevin," Reece explained.

"I don't really care about them either way, so you are free to do as you please," Asher responded.

"That's good then, I wanted to have casual conversation with you putting all that stuff aside," Reece said, smiling.

Reece recognized that impatience, like Leonard displayed, wouldn't be wise. He was prepared to wait, building trust with Asher before making his next move.

That is why, he wanted Asher to think he was here only to clear misunderstandings that happened in the past.

"I care a lot about my Sister and my Fiance, so I don't want you to carry any ill feelings about them," Reece said.

Asher silently listened to Reece, as he wanted to see what he wanted to get out of him.

"Why do you think I will care about anything you have said?" Asher questioned.

Reece's smile faded as he looked at Asher.

"Because it's better to not have too much enemies, and take it as an advice from your Senior," Reece said as his smile faded.

The atmosphere became tense, and Reece knew what he was doing.

In such talks, there was one thing his father had told him and it was to always make sure that during any conversation, the other person doesn't look down on him.

Stand above them, or on equal terms, because if you don't the conversation will never go in your favor.

"Sigh, let's not get too worked up by all that," Reece changed the topic.

"Let's end this chat here for now. We can talk another time," Reece said, standing up and extending his hand.

Asher rose as well, shaking Reece's hand. His crimson red eyes bore straight into the blue-haired young man before him.

Reece watched Asher leave, reflecting on their conversation. It hadn't gone as he'd hoped.

He was aware of Asher's personality, but he hadn't expected the meeting to conclude so swiftly.

But it should be enough for now, Reece mused.

Reece had a way of speaking that would never hint at any ulterior motives, even if he was plotting someone's end during an entirely ordinary conversation.

This was one of the reasons Leonard got along with Reece. They were different, but they shared certain habits.

Leonard's trust in Reece extended to their business dealings, as they planned to set up a company together in the future.

"Quite an arrogant fellow," Reece murmured. Mana surged around him briefly but then subsided.

"Well, I can enjoy some time alone," Reece said, sitting down to gaze at the food before him.

He believed he'd made a positive impression on Asher and hoped that with a bit more trust, he could enact his plan with Leonard's assistance.

However, he was unaware that Asher was indifferent to his words. The primary reason Asher had met with Reece was to verify something specific.

In a past life, Reece Williams had defeated Jayden Hagrave at the end of the fourth year. However, this version of Reece Williams seemed different.

"It matches the timeline," Asher murmured, heading to the Ranker's Dorm.

He wondered if his meddling with the Gala and the takeover of the Mana Crystal mine in the dungeon in Soran was the cause. But Asher was convinced Reece's development was tied to the Williams' control of the Dungeon in Somaria.

As Asher approached the Ranker's Dorm, he spotted Kevin and Elena exiting, apparently headed to the Great Library.

Kevin, engrossed in conversation with Elena, halted when he saw Asher, and Elena followed his gaze.

Although they'd not seen much of him in classes, rumors hinted at Asher's increased strength. They were unaware that Asher had long since become a C-Rank Hunter.

Kevin barely acknowledged Asher as they crossed paths, and Asher was similarly indifferent.

Elena snuck a glance at Kevin, relieved to see he remained unfazed by Asher's presence.

But Kevin had different thoughts in his mind at that moment.

Sensing the Rank C mana from Asher, Kevin felt his mind clouded by anger, feeling inadequate when comparing himself to Asher.

He wasn't used to these feelings, which were intensifying within him. However, he knew it was wiser to remain composed and hide his emotions.

He didn't want to make those around him sense his turmoil, especially not in front of Elena, to whom he had promised revenge against Asher.

Recent incidents, including the Mid-Term Exam, made him realize he needed to focus on himself for the time being.

"I think I will skip on the books today," Kevin stopped midway as he told Elena.

Elena stopped with a confused look on her face.0

"But we made plans already," Elena said.

"I wanted to continue my practice a bit more," Kevin replied.

"But you still haven't properly recovered," Elena tried to convince Kevin.

"I am fine now, trust me, I want to spend some time training," Kevin said as Elena stopped convincing him,

She knew that Kevin wouldn't change his decision so she nodded at him.

"I will pick out a few books for you then," Elena said as Kevin nodded and both of them went there separate ways.

"Is it not enough?" Elena asked herself.

She always tried to become a support for Kevin, but seeing him like this and especially after the recent incident Elena was still somewhat blaming herself.

On the other hand, Kevin went to towards the Training Facility in the Duel Hall and picked most advanced one and entered.

"It feels a bit off," Kevin told himself as he tried to summon his lightning.

He didn't felt weaker anymore, but he felt that his progress had became much slower from the moment he had collapsed.

Kevin started moving his spear as the lightning produced around him, start to trigger his lightning aura slightly.

After each strike and a spin, Kevin's speed started increasing, as Kevin kept going on as his speed kept increasing.

But Kevin stopped at one point where he felt he had hit a wall.

Normally, Kevin wouldn't experience such a thing, but he felt his connection the element had became weaker, which affected his progress.

And with his new problem, and Asher's insane progress, he was pushing himself while trying to rank up.

But surprisingly, he never felt like that his progress had became slower.

He didn't knew it was the effect of losing the Ancient Rune, which essentially increase Kevin's affinity and even increased his understanding of the element itself, which increased and boosted Kevin's progress.

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