Only I Am A Reader
chapter-170

'Feels extra nice.'

Despite the fact that the instructor had congratulated him for having finished the first phase, there were no immediate changes as Leo returned to his cave-like he normally did every day. Ending the year on such a great note made his morning shower feel especially refreshing.

Forced to stay calm most of the time due to his overflowing emotions, Leo couldn't help but appreciate such little moments that came about naturally. Besides, spending so little time on creating his current foundation was worth a celebration.

"Yes?"

Such carefree thoughts didn't last long, however. A guard was standing in front of his 'room' when he returned for a very obvious reason.

"This cave will no longer serve as your lodging. Collect your belongings."

The guard was here to guide him to his next location. Taking one last look at the closed cave next to him, Leo went inside to get his spear as well as the few books that he received throughout the last year.

Shhhhik.

As someone who could put up a fight against proper 3rd rate martial artists with nothing but his physical body, Leo no longer required the guards' help to open or close the heavy stone door, this was something he was already capable of several months ago.

"I'm done."

With a spear in hand and a book bundle on his back, Leo stepped out of the small cave for the last time, his hair flowing around his shoulder. He was no longer the disheveled kid that he saw in his Personal Book when he first arrived!

Although the gray robes he wore were lackluster, Leo's straight dark hair was like flowing ink that decorated his sharp face. His current face showed signs of budding handsomeness, possessing a silent but cool charm contrasting that of Arthur's shining face highlighted by the slightly curled threads of gold.

Aside from his deficient brain, Baekho's body was well on its way to growing into the cool side-character image that the author portrayed in the novel. However, Leo still couldn't tell if the disability was there to balance the character or was it a side effect of the author's taste. After all, what kind of normal person stayed this silent even in front of the only person he recognized as family?

Wisshhhh…

The more Leo thought about Baekho's cardboard character design, the more he realized that he was both similar and dissimilar to it. Baekho possessed thoughts and emotions surpassing the normal person, but the barrier of his mind caged all that inside, making him no better than a mute incapable of conveying much. The sound of flowing water brought him back to reality from his drifting thoughts. They were walking back into the waterfall.

'It's not that far.'

Only when they pressed forward did Leo realize that a wider tunnel at the other side of the waterfall, one different from the straight design of its counterpart. The walls trapping the tunnel extended in a circular fashion, leaving more space between the 'rooms' that they contained.

Shhhhhhik.

The guard stopped in front of the first stone door, proceeding to open it before walking back and leaving Leo alone.

'Not very talkative as always.'

As the guard's figure got smaller and smaller, Leo casually walked into his new dwelling. He knew that it would be different, but he still couldn't help being surprised!

'An actual bed!'

The cave that was double the size of his old one looked unrecognizable. The familiar sight of the thin mat thrown at the ground was replaced by a moderately large bed, while illumination pearls were embedded on the walls in place of the weak and shaky torches. There was even a small bookcase and a mirror at the side!

This new room was far too primitive in comparison to Leo's room back on Earth, but it was a tremendous upgrade from Leo's current point of view. The amount of space provided that made it possible to enact most kinds of training was enough to beat the puny pit that he previously lived in.

'What luxury...'

For a moment, Leo was thankful that he wasn't thrown into any other murim novels that he read off. In most ones that encompassed the whole murim storyline, the Heavenly Demon Cult was made to be an extremely brutal place, especially for those who were just starting out…

Compared to what the children perceived as harsh training, the Heavenly Strength Society's old 'nurturing' methods were no better than these cults. The Heavenly Furnace didn't always have this name, rather, it used to be known as Demon's Emergence according to what Leo read in the novel, a jar that was filled with poison to the brim!

Just like those who nurtured poisonous insects placed them in one pot to produce, waiting for the most poisonous product to emerge victorious, the picked-up children would be slowly transformed into animals as vicious as those insects, having to claw their ways out. In the end, only true 'demons' possessed the capability and the mentality to emerge from the fiery pit.

'This was an excellent choice.'

Despite not knowing how this choice was made, this was by far one of the leanest ones even when considering the unreasonable task of having to kill the protagonist. The Heavenly Strength Society of today still maintained a hint of the old tiger's fierceness, but it threw away most of its bloody habits.

In the case of someone like him who passed the first test, he was provided with rewards that made the effort worth it, following the clear law of punishment and reward that encouraged the rest to follow. That was much better than having to kill each other for the chance to rest or receive some benefits!

Knock. Knock.

As Leo familiarized himself with this reward, someone knocked into the open door, leaving something in front of it before scurrying away, but that didn't prevent Leo from catching a glimpse of the person who had just brought his first 'breakfast', it was none other than the child who had been converted into a server early on.

The child looked fine for someone who did some labor, but Leo didn't care that much. He simply savored his meal before the sound of footsteps reached his ear… It seemed like it was finally time to start the second phase!