After shopping with Elen, I excused myself from her company. This time she didn't insist on continuing together, letting me go without resistance. After bidding her goodbye, I made my way out of the mall and found a secluded area away from potential eavesdroppers.

I retrieved my communication crystal and channeled mana into it, establishing a connection with my guards outside the academy. The examination's communication restrictions had been lifted now that the event was officially concluded, so I could finally check on the situation I'd left unresolved.

The crystal warmed in my hand as the connection established. After several moments, Lex's familiar voice came through clearly.

"Young master Adrian," he greeted respectfully. "We've been waiting for your contact."

"Report," I said directly. "What happened with Kojiro's advancement attempt?"

There was a brief pause before Lex responded, and I could hear the weight in his voice. "The hunt was successful. Kojiro managed to locate and engage a Transcendent-rank beast, a crystal-backed bear that had been terrorizing merchant caravans in the outer territories."

I waited for him to continue, sensing there was more to the story.

"The battle lasted nearly two hours," Lex continued. "Kojiro fought with exceptional skill, but the beast was formidable. Lux and I maintained our positions as you instructed, only intervening when the situation became genuinely life-threatening."

"Did he break through?" I asked, getting to the critical question.

"Yes, young master," Lex confirmed. "After delivering the killing blow, Kojiro successfully advanced to Transcendent rank. His aura transformation was remarkable - the enhancement items from you clearly provided the foundation he needed to bridge that final gap."

Relief washed over me. Having three Transcendent-rank guards significantly improved our defensive capabilities for whatever challenges lay ahead.

"How is his condition now?"

"Recovering but stable. The advancement process was taxing, and he sustained several injuries during the prolonged combat. We've secured him in a safe location for recuperation."

I wasn't surprised by the news. Just because Kojiro had successfully advanced didn't mean he was in optimal condition. Breaking through to Transcendent rank while simultaneously fighting a formidable opponent would naturally leave him injured and depleted.

"What about the assassins? Did you encounter any during the hunt?" I asked.

"No sight of them, young master," Lex replied. "We maintained vigilance throughout the operation, but there were no signs of hostile surveillance or attack attempts."

A frown formed on my face as I processed this information. It seemed the enemy organization was laying low since their last failed ambush attempt on me. They were most likely recovering from their losses and preparing to deploy even greater strength for their next attempt. The silence was more concerning than active aggression in some ways - it meant they were planning something more dangerous.

"Where are you located now?" I asked.

"We're resting in a secure cave system approximately fifteen kilometres northeast of the city. We're waiting for Kojiro's injuries to stabilize sufficiently before attempting to move to a more permanent location."

"Alright, maintain maximum caution. Tell me immediately if anything unusual occurs or if you detect any threats. Is that understood?"

"Yes, young master," Lex confirmed with military precision. "We'll report any developments immediately."

I terminated the connection and secured the crystal back in my storage. Having Kojiro successfully reach Transcendent rank was excellent news for our defensive capabilities, but the continued silence from our enemies suggested they were preparing something significant. I would need to remain vigilant and continue strengthening myself and my allies for whatever was coming.

After concluding my conversation with Lex, I decided to book a training room to practice my bloodline traits. If I wanted to see improvement, it required dedicated time and focus.

Two hours passed, costing me a thousand points. Unfortunately, none of my traits leveled up during the practice session despite my focused efforts. Progress at higher levels required exponentially more work than the initial breakthroughs. But, that didn't mean I didn't progress somewhere else.

I had trained my newly acquired royal-rank secret art and was able to progress further. I was around 30% into the first stance, and my speed was 3% faster than without the secret art. Once I master the first form, I would be able to increase my natural speed by 10%.

After finishing, I made my way to the blacksmithing facilities and booked another two-hour session. I planned to practice my crafting skills and experiment with a creative project I'd been considering. Even though I had received Tier 1 blacksmith knowledge from the daily reward system, practical experience still refined my abilities and intuition with materials.

During those two hours, I worked on creating something novel for this world - a skateboard powered by magic crystals. The concept was straightforward enough that it didn't require complex enchantments or advanced materials. Since it served purely as convenient transportation rather than combat applications, the item requirements remained minimal.

The design used a simple board constructed from lightweight materials reinforced with thin metal plating. The key innovation was the propulsion system - embedded magic crystals that converted the user's mana into kinetic force. The control mechanism responded directly to the rider's mana flow, allowing intuitive acceleration and deceleration.

After completing the construction, I stepped onto the finished product to test its functionality. The moment my feet made contact with the board's surface, I felt it respond to my ambient mana signature. The enchantments activated smoothly, requiring surprisingly little mana input to generate movement.

I channelled a small amount of energy into the board and felt it begin gliding forward with remarkable smoothness. The mana consumption was negligible, even at higher speeds, my natural regeneration exceeded the expenditure rate. This meant I could theoretically ride indefinitely without depleting my reserves.

Inside the confined training room, I could only test basic manoeuvrability, but the responsiveness was excellent. The board turned smoothly in response to weight shifts and mana direction, making control intuitive even for a first-time user.

Eager to test its full capabilities, I left the academy grounds and found an empty stretch of road where I could safely accelerate without bumping into pedestrians.

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