Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Eren didn't forget to say thanks to Jiana and Levine for not spying on his breakthrough.

Getting to expert rank and beyond was a very personal thing. Most rankers would only consciously attempt to achieve their breakthroughs in seclusion. This was because of the world phenomenon they created around themselves.

A ranker's entire path would be manifested at the time of a breakthrough into Expert rank and beyond. Someone could learn a lot about a ranker, their strengths and weaknesses by observing their breakthroughs closely.

The three ladies would have been shocked beyond belief if they had seen the myriad of elements and their Aspects he was cultivating. They couldn't have kept track of the number of runes he had absorbed into him. And they would have doubted their sanity if they had realized that Eren also had two distinct classes he was progressing in at the same time.

This was why Eren submerged into the river when he felt like his body itself had decided to initiate a breakthrough on its own. As much as he trusted the ladies onboard, there were some things about him that he would rather keep private.

Alephee also congratulated Eren before getting busy with her own work inside her pendant abode. Now that the butcher was in Expert rank, she had decided to increase the rank of her homunculus vessel as well. She had all the resources she needed with her.

***

Four days later. Nighttime.

The ever-flowing sounds of water and distant noises of water-element beasts could be heard in the background. The atmosphere was cold and peaceful.

Eren had spent the last three days in seclusion, perfecting and practicing his C-rank Rootless technique inside his private room without any pause. His epiphany had helped him elevate his technique. However, Eren owed most of the credit to the many paths he taught himself.

It seemed that the Rootless technique only blossomed when Eren was trying to gain everything at the same time. It allowed him to know more intricacies about himself when he started to find subtleties hidden in every element and path.

He heard a familiar voice in his head as he opened his eyes.

'Hey… hey… hey… Congratulations boss! Where's the party at?'

Eren smiled when he heard Argo congratulating him. He had left the young demon in the city of White Raven to do a few things for him.

Argo didn't want to stay behind but he obliged Eren's wishes nonetheless. He carried on with his party fever nonstop until he found some time to congratulate Eren on his success.

'Haah! You finally got the time to talk to me?'

Argo cackled when he heard Eren's question. Instead of answering Eren's question, he declared his achievement to him.

'Kekekeke! Boss… I smashed!'

Eren was changing into his normal clothes while talking with Argo about his mental connection with him. He chuckled when he heard about Argo's feat. While buttoning his shirt, Eren responded.

'With the kind of stardom you created for yourself in that event, I would have been surprised if you didn't. I'm sure you didn't stop at a single digit.'

Eren summoned an array circle near him to produce a special drink, which appeared in a silver chalice. He sipped the liquid slowly as he waited for Argo to speak more about his endeavors.

'Single digit? Pfft! Those are rookie numbers, boss.

I banged some 130 chicks in the last few days. No cap.'

Argo heard Eren coughing severely as if he was drinking soup made of cactus thorns for a drink. But the young demon ignored it and sighed dramatically before continuing.

'Man... it was exhausting! KnowwhatImsayin? This frail vessel can't keep up with my… let's say... expertise.

Anyway, it's easy to lose count after a while. You get tunnel vision when you are done with your first 50s. You know how it is, right?

So I do apologize for contacting you this late.'

Eren couldn't believe that Argo would lose his V-card in such a grandiose way. And the young demon treated it like it was no big deal. As if he had done this numerous times. Plus, he also sounded a bit downhearted while listing his accomplishments. It was as if he was upset about the fact that he was losing his edge in his current form.

Eren gulped down his drink in one go to pacify himself. He placed the chalice inside the small array circle and let it disappear before commenting in a grim voice.

'You know what? It's fine. I don't want to discuss that topic any further. Just remember to do what I told you to do when you are done with the whole thing. I'm busy with some work right now. Will talk to you later.'

Eren abruptly hung on Argo before getting up. He didn't feel like he had any right to criticize Argo's promiscuous ways no matter how ludicrous they sounded by his current standards. It was his mistake to treat Argo like a normal young man.

He could also tell that Argo was not only out partying. He had progressed much further in his ranking journey following the concert.

Technically, Argo was ahead of Eren even after the latter's breakthrough. And it wasn't just about his ranking. Even Argo's soul seemed to have been strengthened after he got popular.

The young demon had his own way of progressing. The butcher could only surmise that demons, in general, were more focused on evoking emotions in people and using the same emotions to control them. This was why demon beasts would release psychic waves at the time of their breakthroughs.

Eren also believed that the demons harnessed those emotions for themselves as well, furthering their own cause in various ways. Their expertise in intent-based magic was a testament to that.

Argo's way of doing things was a bit flashy. It was as if he had ulterior motives for getting famous. Not every demon inside a demon beast was capable of the feats Argo had achieved for himself.

'Hmm… he is a special existence even among the demons.'

Eren had come to realize the fact that Argo would sometimes refer to himself as "this prince." So it didn't take long for him to draw his own conclusions based on these subtle hints.

'I'll reach the capital soon.'

Eren thought to himself as he climbed back up Freya's deck. He had just freshened up and was wearing a normal outfit. The ship was close to reaching the capital. So he decided to talk to the three ladies about a few things before the ship was docked.