’This is truly a serious problem,’ Richard thought.
With anyone else, he was still confident he could escape.
But if Rebecca was there, Richard worried he wouldn’t even be able to move under her gaze alone.
He was fully aware of the difference in their strength ever since he had used a Mind Attack on Lilith.
And Rebecca was even stronger than Lilith.
The only option was to use the power of the Dragon Knight stored within that wooden branch.
Threatening her with it was clearly impossible. The only feasible way was to activate it from inside the Dragon Hall and then throw it outside.
The consequence, however, was that everyone—including Apple Town—would likely be destroyed.
But Richard didn’t know whether Rebecca would perish along with them.
Regardless, he wasn’t ready to cause such massive destruction.
’Should I hide here for the time being?’ he thought, and he didn’t feel it was a bad idea.
After all, he could spend his time absorbing Aether.
Here, he could absorb it faster, perhaps even two or three times faster.
Reaching the Life Aether Realm wouldn’t take too long for him.
Besides, he was somewhat intrigued by the Black Heart in the dragon statue’s mouth.
He could confirm it was filled with hidden power.
The question was: could that hidden power be transferred into his own heart?
"Old man, did you get any information about that heart?" Richard asked Mr. Joe while pointing at it.
Mr. Joe looked at the heart and lightly nodded.
"The tree man said that was the heart of the Dragon Knight," he replied.
When he heard that, Richard knitted his brows.
Of course, he had suspected as much, but he couldn’t help feeling astonished.
The heart of the Dragon Knight? Had he really given up his Black Heart that could grant such immense hidden power?
"What else did he say?" Richard asked.
"He said it was an inheritance for me," Mr. Joe answered.
"And you were then supposed to say it was for me," Richard replied.
Mr. Joe quickly nodded repeatedly while forcing out a laugh.
"Boss, of course, it’s for you," he said.
"Good that you understand," Richard replied.
After saying that, he returned to the dragon statue, wanting to observe the Black Heart up close.
Whoosh!
He leaped, grabbing the teeth of the dragon statue’s mouth before climbing up, standing in front of the Black Heart.
Its height was only around eight meters, easily reachable with his jumping ability.
Although there was a light making the Black Heart float, Richard felt no threat and was not attacked.
But what about touching it?
Richard hesitated for a moment but eventually did it anyway.
"Mm..." His eyes widened the instant his hand touched the heart.
The power was immense—he truly felt it—but it wasn’t like the overwhelming power that came from Aether.
It was filled with hatred and terrifying resentment.
They seemed as if they wanted to explode, searching for a new vessel to flow into, one that could help them vent their hatred.
From initial shock, Richard became fascinated.
He then tried absorbing the hidden energy using the method of absorbing Aether, and at once, black energy seeped out of the heart, entering through the gaps in his fingernails.
They flowed into his veins, following his blood, and finally stopped at his heart.
[Soul:
Black Heart Soul]
[Black Heart Hidden Power: 110/10,000] +100
"What?"
Richard was stunned to see the number increase.
One hundred—it had actually increased by one hundred.
What did this mean?
It meant that the hidden power stored in one Black Heart could truly be copied into another Black Heart.
Although it was filled with resentment and hatred, once it reached Richard’s heart, he didn’t feel anything wrong. After all, even the 10 Black Heart Hidden Power he had received from the System had been like that—there was no difference.
"Absorb!"
Richard certainly wasn’t going to stop.
If he could fill his heart with hidden power, then even now, he could contend with Magi in the Life Aether Realm as long as he unleashed that power.
He absorbed without restraint, watching his Black Heart Hidden Power rise at lightning speed.
In less than a minute, it had already reached over one thousand.
Richard could only be astonished, for he knew this power was truly real within him.
Ten thousand—it would be easy to reach.
Slaughter wasn’t necessary; he could simply transfer the power from the Dragon Knight’s Black Heart.
He wondered whether there would be some kind of consequence, but that was something he would deal with later. For now, he only needed to satisfy his desire for power.
[Black Heart Hidden Power: 10,000/10,000]
And at last, his heart was full of power.
Because of his current realm, this was the limit. He needed to advance to the Life Aether Realm to increase his capacity. Check latest chapters at novel★fire.net
Whoosh!
He leaped down to the hall floor, passing even the throne that he now considered his.
Mr. Joe was ignored, as Richard was focused only on his training.
He stepped into the training room behind a wooden door that looked old yet majestic.
That door couldn’t even be opened with his strength. He could only open it through control of the token.
Bam!
The door opened immediately by Richard’s mental command, revealing a spacious room whose entire walls were made of gold, radiating endless light so that no other source of illumination was needed.
The room was empty, with a floor paved in bright red marble.
Yet it was extremely cold and refreshing, and the air was invigorating even though it was an enclosed space.
Just one breath was enough for Richard to feel a surge of energy to train.
"Truly remarkable," he said, entering the room and closing the door behind him.
He sat down immediately and began absorbing Aether.
As he expected, the result was indeed three times faster than usual.
Of course, this speed wasn’t only due to the place but also because his body itself absorbed Aether faster than others, thanks to his mastery over the Codices for the Aether Will Realm.
’If I reach the Life Aether Realm and my heart’s power is full, could I possibly fight Rebecca?’ he wondered as he trained.
But when he thought about it, he still felt pessimistic. He believed it was still far away, because even from the Life Aether Realm, he would still be two realms lower. The difference remained vast. Rebecca had already reached the Realm where Magi could fly, merging with the entire world so that whether it was land, sky, or water, all were the same in their eyes.
Of course, the chances would be greater if he were in the Life Aether Realm.