Chapter 120 Prepare For Battle

After interrogating the chefs and finding no clue, Lucas and Luu went back to his dorm.

"So, what do you think?" Luu asked him.

"I think we should send out a message to all the students," Lucas replied, "and we should inform them about the situation. I also think we should call the police and tell them to come here."

"That sounds like a good plan," Luu nodded, "but I have a feeling that the culprit might not be among those who live in this building."

"What do you mean?"

"I just had a bad feeling about it."

"Oh yeah..." Lucas said, "I guess you're right. Who knows how many people would actually care about the lives of others."

"We will find out tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, we have to wait until tomorrow to gather enough information before we can start our investigation. It would be too risky to rush things now."

Lucas nodded.

"Alright, I'll go prepare for bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Lucas."

Lucas went to his room. He changed into his pyjamas and lay down on the bed. After thinking for a few seconds, he decided to sleep with a smile on his face.

He remembered that this was the most fun he had ever experienced since coming to Bailen. He wanted to enjoy himself as much as possible. Besides, nothing could go wrong, because Luu was always there to protect him.

Lucas closed his eyes and fell asleep.

***

Lucas woke up when he heard the sound of knocking.

"Lucas!" Luu called.

Lucas opened his eyes and sat up on his bed.

"Yeah?"

"Come out! We need to talk."

Lucas got off the bed and went downstairs. Luu was waiting for him by the door.

"Are you ready?"

Lucas nodded.

"Alright, follow me."

Lucas followed Luu outside. They made their way to the garden.

"What's going on?" Lucas asked.

"There is something I want to show you."

"Okay..."

"You see that tree over there?" Luu pointed at a tall tree next to the wall.

"Yup, I see it."

"Do you know what kind of tree it is?"

"No."

"It's a silver oak."

"A what?" Lucas asked.

"The silver oak is a rare species of tree that can grow only in Bailen. It is located in the northern area of the forest, near the border with the Kingdom of Raluva."

"Wait... You mean that tree is from the Kingdom of Raluva?!"

"Yes, that's right."

"That means..."

"It means that the murderer must be someone who lives in the kingdom of Raluva, AKA Raven's people."

"But how? How did they get in here?"

"They probably used a magical portal."

"Wait, a portal?"

"Yes, portals are created by mages to travel between different locations, and if there's a hole in the system, it makes it very easy for them to travel anywhere."

"So, that means..."

"Yes, that means that you are safe. The murderer cannot harm you."

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. He was still worried, but he felt better knowing that he was safe.

"Now, let's go back inside. I'm sure you're tired after spending the whole day investigating this matter."

"Yeah, I am."

Luu smiled at him.

"Thank you, Luu."

"Don't mention it. Let's go back, shall we?"

Lucas nodded, and they returned to the room, *pur* *pur*

Peri appeared out of nowhere, startling the two.

"Peri, the creature that wipes your memory," Luu spoke slowly while looking at the fluffy animal with a hint of fear.

"Huh?" Peri blinked his large eyes several times. He then turned around and ran away into the room.

"Well, that's odd," Lucas remarked, "He never does that."

Luu sighed, and they both went back to the room.

Once they were inside, Lucas lay down on his bed and fell asleep again.

***

Two weeks passed by, and Lucas became more familiar with everything in Bailen. He started spending time with Peri, and the two became best friends.

Since everyone left Lucas for their own training, he felt lonely. As a result, he missed having someone close to him. The only person he could count on was Luu.

One evening, after dinner, Lucas went to the library in search of books. He wanted to learn more about the world, especially about the different countries on the continent.

After finding what he was looking for, Lucas went to the reading room. There were no other students or teachers in the room that he didn't bother to talk to because they would give him no answer as they were extra characters in this world, unlocked.

Lucas was sitting on one of the chairs when he heard footsteps behind him. He looked at the door and saw Luu standing there.

"Hey, Lucas," Luu said, "I've been looking for you all day."

"Oh, hi. What's up?"

"I just came to tell you you are going to fight against five people tomorrow, we need to check your current mana's balance and how well you can perform and control your avatars before we go back to collect your next one. Are you ready?"

Lucas thought for a moment. While he was excited about the tournament, he wasn't feeling too confident. In fact, he was nervous.

"Yeah, sure. But why do I have to fight another five opponents?"

Luu smiled.

"Because you're gonna win. Now, come with me."

Lucas got up from his seat and followed Luu to the training room.

"Here you are, Lucas."

Luu handed him a small box. Inside the box were several pieces of paper. Each piece of paper contained a single number.

"Is that my mana level?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, that's it. These numbers will determine how many avatars you can use, and how much mana they consume."

"What if they're too high?"

"Then you won't be able to use any of them. The higher your mana is, the more avatars you'll be able to make. However, the more avatars you create, the longer it takes for you to recover your mana."

"So, I should stay under 100?"

"Yes, but you shouldn't go below 60. When you reach a certain point, your avatar will stop regenerating its health. You have to find the right balance."

Lucas took out the first paper from the box and read it. His mana level was 3,500. This meant he had three avatars available. It also stated that each avatar consumed 100 mana per second.

"Wow, I can't believe it's that low. That means I can only use three avatars at a time."

"You might think that, but you'll be surprised. Your avatars will regenerate their health faster than your enemies can hurt you. So, don't worry. You'll see."

Lucas sighed and put the paper back in the box. He needed to focus on the upcoming battle.

"Okay, so I have enough mana for three avatars?"

"Correct. You will have to use the avatars we prepared and at the same time, you'll need to keep an eye on your enemies. They might attack you while you're busy fighting your avatars. That's why you need to practice controlling all of them at the same time. Also, be careful not to run out of mana. If you do, you'll have to wait until you recover. We'll help you, but we won't carry you off the field. If you run out of mana, you're done."

Lucas nodded and put the papers back in the box. He placed it on the table and proceeded to the bench where he sat down.

"I see you're as busy as usual," Malice smiled, walking towards him. She stopped right in front of the bench.

"It's nothing." Lucas replied.

"We need to talk."

She extended her hand and pulled Lucas to stand up.