MTLNOVEL Chapter 295: The Group Of Four
"You finally showed up?" Lana's eyes landed on the young woman who was gently descending from the sky.
A young and beautiful woman, her long, straight hair a silver-gold color, like the light of the moon blended with the sunrise.
Her eyes were a deep blue, as if reflecting the ocean itself, and she wore a regal robe — a mix of dark blue and silver silken fabrics, embroidered with starry and crescent moon patterns.
"It's been a while, Lana." The young woman greeted her with a smile.
"You too, Serys." Lana nodded, giving her a slow look from head to toe.
She always liked to dress this extravagantly. Even though Lana had told her that for this mission, she needed to drop the flashy look, it was obvious she had no intention of listening.
"So, where's the person who's supposed to come with me?" Serys glanced around, clearly not seeing anyone else nearby.
"What's with the rush? You'll see him soon." Lana replied with a flat expression.
"Rush? You suddenly tell me I have to go with someone I don't even know and retrieve that weapon, and you think I'm rushing? My friend, I just want to see if this person is weak so I can go alone." She smirked.
Though she didn't show it outright, there was a trace of anger deep in her eyes. She clearly wasn't happy about having to go on such an important mission with someone she didn't know.
"No need to worry. Trust me — he, if not stronger than me, is at least my equal," Lana reassured her.
Still, Serys frowned at those words, raising an eyebrow. She was famous for her vanity, but the girl in front of her was also known for her pride.
And now, she was openly saying someone was her equal? Based on what Lana had told her earlier, this person was also a member of the new generation, just like them.
"What's with that look? I'm not lying. He's an Early B rank, but I could barely beat him." Lana shrugged when she saw Serys' reaction.
Prideful she might be, but she wasn't blind or stupid. Besides, if she didn't tell Serys the truth about Daniel's strength, the girl might try to mess with him, and Lana didn't want to risk breaking their already fragile alliance — especially with the force backing Serys.
"Well, now I'm curious! Where is he? I want to see him right now and figure out if you're exaggerating or telling the truth." Serys' eyes gleamed with interest.
"He's there." Lana gestured toward the Eternal Moon Temple, making Serys scowl.
"You're joking, right?"
"He wanted to test it." Lana sighed, already knowing what her friend was thinking. It was the exact same thought she had.
"Damn it. That means I have to wait here for at least a week? What about the auction? That auction is our only chance! Did you even tell him that?" Serys looked like she wanted to cry, but no tears came out.
She might seem like someone who doesn't take things seriously, but that weapon was different. If anything happened to it, or if she failed to retrieve it, her master would literally tear her head off.
And he really would — he had even reminded her about it again before she left.
"I told him, but he didn't listen… Don't worry, he might come out sooner than you think." Lana gave her a bitter smile, understanding Serys' frustration.
That weapon was the main reason the alliance of the Group Of Four even existed. If they failed to retrieve it, the Group Of Four — something both her father and grandfather had poured everything into building — would fall apart.
The Group Of Four was made up of four of the most powerful factions from the two worlds — two of them from their world and two from the Celestial Domain.
And the girl standing before her belonged to one of the Celestial Domain factions — in fact, the one they had worked hardest to form an alliance with.
Serys was about to start complaining again when suddenly, one of the silver pillars of the temple began to glow, drawing both of their attention.
"What happened?" She turned to Lana in confusion, but froze when she saw her.
The shock on Lana's face was unmistakable — as if she had just witnessed something she never thought was possible.
"Huh? Tell me too, what happened?" Serys raised her voice slightly, snapping Lana out of her thoughts.
"He… he just cleared the third trial." Lana's voice trembled as she spoke, as if even she couldn't believe the words leaving her mouth.
"How long has he been inside the temple?"
"Maybe an hour and a half? Maybe even less…"
"How is that even possible? I don't know how this weird temple of yours works, but I'm pretty sure you told me it normally takes at least two full days to clear the first three trials!" Serys felt like her ears were deceiving her.
Lana didn't answer immediately. She hesitated, clearly just as confused as Serys, trying to piece things together.
Had the trials always been this easy, to the point someone could breeze through them? No, no, no.
The temple never lowers the difficulty of its trials. In fact, the stronger and more talented the challenger, the harder the trials become.
And with that boy's power and talent, it wouldn't be strange if he was currently facing the hardest versions of the trials.
So what the hell was going on here? Why was he progressing this fast?
"I… don't know either…" In the end, all she could do was let out a sigh.
Serys stared back at the temple. Her master had once explained the Eternal Moon Temple to her before — it was said to rival the Seven Element Tower in difficulty.
If it could match the Seven Element Tower, then there was no way someone could clear its trials this quickly.
While both of them were lost in thought, suddenly another silver pillar lit up, this time with light spreading across the entire area.
"What now? Why is it shining like that?"
"If I'm not mistaken, that's the Eternal Moon Temple."
"But this bright?"
"The glow from the fourth and fifth pillars is always this intense!"
"Wait, does that mean someone just cleared the fourth trial?"
People began rushing toward the temple from all directions. Clearing the fourth trial was no small feat. Anyone who could do it was either already a high-ranking member of a guild or had the potential to rise to such positions.
How could they possibly miss the chance to meet someone like that?
Lana noticed the growing crowd gathering around the temple. When they saw her, they all greeted her respectfully, weapons lowered in acknowledgment. She naturally responded in kind before glancing back at Serys.
Since the fourth pillar lit up, she had been lost in deep thought — so deep it surprised Lana, because Serys rarely bothered to use her brain this much.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Do you think, if he were an A-rank, you'd be able to beat him?" Serys didn't answer her question, instead asking her own.
"He's Early B rank right now, and I could barely beat him. If he were the same rank as me, I doubt it…" Lana sighed, feeling an unusual sense of weakness.
How long had it been since she last felt like this? She couldn't even remember.
Suddenly, an image of a certain place appeared in her mind.
'I can't fall behind! If this keeps up, in a matter of time he'll be able to completely defeat me! I need to keep getting stronger too.' Flames of motivation burned in her eyes.
It had been a long time since she had any real goal for her own growth, but now she had one again — not to fall behind that boy.
"Do you think I should ask him for help?" Serys turned, looking at Lana seriously.
"You mean… that? You don't even know him, and you want to ask him to help you with that?"
"Well… if he's really as strong as you say, then yeah, I guess so? Besides, I'm going to be around him for a few days. We'll definitely get to know each other by then."
"And besides—" But before she could finish, a massive flash of light spread across the sky as the fifth pillar lit up.
However, that wasn't all. Suddenly, an enormous moon appeared above the temple, plunging the area into darkness.
It only lasted a few moments before everything returned to normal.
"What… just happened?" Lana and Serys whispered to themselves, both feeling a cold chill run down their spines.