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Chapter 70: A Problem Chapter 70 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂 Han stared at the barrage of system messages with a wide grin, his chest shaking as he burst into laughter. Pure, unfiltered delight surged through him. With this many upgrades, he felt unstoppable—stronger, faster, and closer to something beyond human. The power he had now was just a glimpse of what he could become. And the idea of getting his hands on more spirits? Irresistibly tempting. With a casual flick of his hand, Thunderwrath vanished in a crackle of static. "Spirits Owned: 2," the system read. Han lifted his hand, and arcs of silver lightning danced between his fingers. "It feels... even better than I imagined," he muttered to himself, electricity humming against his skin. Then, as if reality decided to catch up, that strange unease he had been feeling earlier—something about Serenya—vanished. His thoughts were cut short when the door creaked open. Aiden, Clara, and Ron walked in, their bodies bruised and clothes torn. Clearly, their battle had been tougher than his. Clara and Ron wore relieved expressions, while Aiden... looked grumpy, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the silver lightning still rippling across Han’s arm. "Did he create that just to win?" Aiden thought suspiciously. The trio approached, and Han asked, "So? How did it go?" They shared their story: the battle was brutal, but they managed to defeat the red portal boss. Aiden had even managed to extract the monster’s DNA—though, unfortunately, he couldn’t use it for long. But the real surprise came when they revealed their loot. "An S-Rank core," Clara said proudly. "And another stone-like item—but way more potent than the one the underling dropped." Han’s eyes widened. "Wait, two drops? From a single boss?" They nodded. That shocked him. Ifrit, his previous spirit, had only dropped an Evol Shard—and that was after a proper fight. Thunderwrath hadn’t dropped anything... probably because he surrendered. Still, Han wasn’t complaining. He got something even better. Aiden raised an eyebrow. "What about your fight? What did you get from your boss? Where’s the body?" Han smirked as he put on a smug expression. Aiden instantly felt a shiver run down his spine. That smug look of Han’s? It only ever meant one thing: he had obtained something crazy. "What?!" Clara asked, curiosity practically bursting out of her. "Show us already!" Han stepped back, lifted his arm toward the sky, and whispered, "Thunderwrath." A spear of lightning surged into the air, and from it, descended a massive dragon cloaked in crackling silver bolts. Thunderwrath’s presence shook the ground. The trio stared, mouths agape. "A... dragon?" Clara gasped. "A real one," Ron added, eyes wide. "But it’s not fire-based," Aiden noted. "It’s... lightning?" Silver scales glistened under the light, with sharp black stripes trailing down its limbs. It radiated elegance and danger. "It’s... beautiful," Clara whispered, completely entranced. Han cleared his throat loudly, snapping them back to reality. "What... what is that?" Clara asked again, still stunned. Han grinned. "Meet Thunderwrath, the Spirit of Lightning. The boss I defeated." Thunderwrath let out a low rumble, not entirely pleased. "Technically, you didn’t defeat me," the dragon thought grumpily. "But... you’re strong, and troublesome enough to be worth following." "And he’s my newest bodyguard," Han added, his grin widening as he looked straight at Aiden. Aiden’s heart dropped. Another one? He already had Ifrit—the Flame Spirit. Now a second spirit? He could only sigh in frustration. "More humans... are these your friends, Master?" Thunderwrath asked aloud. It could talk. Clara looked stunned. She had assumed Ifrit couldn’t speak—though that was more due to Ifrit’s silence than inability. But Thunderwrath? This one had personality. A bold, direct, and terrifying one. Han suddenly remembered something about Thunderwrath. He turned to the spirit, and a twitch ran through his smile. There it was again—that look. The dragon’s glowing eyes narrowed, and its mouth curled into a jagged grin, exuding raw excitement. That unmistakable expression: the smile of a battle maniac. "That’s enough. Return to the Ether." Han said firmly, using the command to dismiss Thunderwrath. The dragon vanished in a flash of silver lightning, the air crackling in its wake. "Why did you do that?!" Clara pouted, crossing her arms. "You shouldn’t banish him in the middle of a conversation." Han shook his head. Clara was clearly dazzled by the dragon’s majestic appearance. She didn’t realize the truth—Thunderwrath wasn’t just beautiful. It was dangerously obsessed with battle, maybe even addicted to it. "He’s not the chatty type," Han muttered, glancing at the fading sparks in the air. "He lives for the thrill of combat... maybe even more than life itself." Over time, Han had come to a quiet realization: these spirits... they weren’t just powerful—they were ancient. Each one seemed to have lived for untold centuries, maybe even millennia. "Do they even die?" he wondered. "If they don’t... then I’ve just gained two immortal warriors." "Alright, let’s go. We’ve probably been in here all day," Aiden said, breaking the silence. The group exited the portal, stepping back into the real world. There, waiting for them with that same unreadable expression, was Ronan. His face gave away nothing—no surprise, no curiosity—but something about him felt different. The others couldn’t place it, but Han could. This wasn’t the same Ronan who was there hours ago. Something had changed. Ronan gave them a subtle nod. They returned it without question. As they walked, Aiden and Ron couldn’t stop bragging about how they took down a red portal boss, clearly trying to get a reaction out of Ronan. He didn’t rise to the bait. Han walked beside him, still thinking about that lingering feeling he’d had earlier. His curiosity got the better of him. "What are you thinking about?" Han asked. Ronan, always the quiet one, let out a long sigh. "You’re going to find out anyway," he replied calmly. "There’s a problem." Before Han could ask what it was, he noticed something strange—Clara, Aiden, and Ron had all stopped walking, their faces frozen in shock. Frowns crept across their features. Han rushed forward to see what had caught their attention—and then he saw it. His face went pale. His heart thudded violently in his chest. Before them, at the edge of the horizon... was what remained of Serenya. Or rather, what was left of it. Smoke curled into the sky. Torn apart buildings were been gathered. A section of the once-vibrant city lay in ruins. Ronan stepped up beside Han, eyes steady as he looked at the devastation. "That’s the problem," he said softly. --- To be continued...