"Ahem… Sir Chaloem… Do you want to test this man as well?" Lady Seraph asked after seeing the monk blocking their path.


    Well, she had actually trained with Chaloem as well, together with the other knights she knew who had arrived in the shelterter than her.


    "You''re right, Lady Seraph. I think that would also help us fix the hierarchy in this territory." Monk Chaloem said as he also wanted to gauge the new recruit''s strength. If Knight ric was strong enough, perhaps he could help Raze and the othersplete various missions for the Eclipse Revenant n.


    Apparently, he had been invited by Raze to join them in their next n Mission. However, he couldn''t leave the estate for long, especially after Eldrin and Shinja left the estate to conquer one of the Toxic Zombie Dens.


    Since he knew that ric uses Aura as well, he believed that this person would be more suited to help the group of Foreign Survivors.


    ***


    The training grounds of Springriver Manor buzzed with activity as Sir ric and Monk Chaloem prepared for their practice match.


    The news had quickly spread since it was some sort of initiation for the neers who werebatants.


    The residents gathered around, eager to witness the sh between the two warriors.


    Both men stood at the center of the grounds. Their auras weren''t concealed at this point, as those who were quite near could feel the pressure emanating from them.


    "Who is going to win?" Bart asked Keh beside him.


    "It''s the Monk, of course. Did you not hear that Chaloem taught the knight how to use Aura?" Keh replied with confidence.


    "That''s true… ric also didn''t have the time to adjust yet. He just came out of that gray fog after all." Chaloem muttered.


    "It''s not like he had to win. Chaloem just wanted to see his strength. It''ll probably end in just a few exchanges." Harper said while carrying a pickaxe on his shoulder. He had been creating a tunnel all this time and just had to take a breather for now.


    Cling~


    Sir ric then drew his well-polished sword as the de gleamed in the sunlight.


    In just a moment, his Aura red to life. It was an invisible energy that enveloped him, enhancing his strength and speed with fiery energy.


    Monk Chaloem, in contrast, stood calmly while his hands were empty. His Aura was also invisible, but it was sending waves of cool breeze. It was exuding a sense of tranquility, unlike a raging force from the Knight...


    With a nod of mutual respect, the battle began.


    ric charged forward, his sword slicing through the air with incredible speed. Chaloem watched the sword strike and dodged the strikes with a hair''s breadth.


    Then, he countered with a couple of palm strikes, each one infused with his Aura.


    Boom! Boom!


    The ground shook with the force of their blows, and a shockwave would even ur from time to time. ric''s attacks were powerful as each swing of his sword left a trail of crimson light.


    It seemed that his swords weren''t simple as well.


    Chaloem, on the other hand, would even parry the sword with his hands or knuckles! His Aura was more than enough to create a shield that deflected ric''s strikes.


    "So strong?!" Knight ric was shocked as he didn''t expect his sword to fail to cut Chaloem''s hands or even injure it!


    However, he hadn''t shown everything yet!


    As the battle intensified, both warriors pushed their limits.


    ric''s Aura Sword zed brighter, his attacks bing faster and more powerful.


    Chaloem responded in kind, as he also moved faster to parry or dodge all of his strikes!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The spectators watched in awe, their eyes were wide with excitement.


    Unfortunately, just as the battle reached its climax, the bell in the watchtower rang out!


    ng! ng! ng!


    It was urgent, and everyone looked at the watchtower.


    Apparently, the sound signaled an approaching horde of zombies.


    The residents'' excitement turned to rm as they realized the imminent danger.


    ric and Chaloem paused, their auras still flowing around them.


    They exchanged a nce, understanding the gravity of the situation.


    The practice match was over; it was time to defend the Manor.


    "To arms!" Lady Seraph shouted, her voice carrying across the training grounds.


    "A horde is approaching!"


    The residents sprang into action.


    The defenders immediately grabbed their weapons to prepare for the fight.


    ***


    In the meantime, as the Springriver Manor was under attack by a horde of Zombies, Shane, and Lysandra sprinted through the dense forest…


    At this time, the roars of six Giant Zombies echoed behind them, each step closer to their heels.


    There was no way to fight against these Giant Zombies. Shane even suspected that one of them a Leader Type Zombie, and it wasn''t easy to fight against them without powerful shields like Aegis Force.


    Thankfully, the two of them had high-tier essories and clothes that allowed them to move with incredible speed.


    Furthermore, although desperation fueled their speed, the terrain was unforgiving. It would be a matter of time before the Giant Zombies would catch up to them.


    Suddenly, they stumbled upon what appeared to be a massive, treacherous rocky mountain.


    "There''s no way around it!" Shane shouted, ncing back at the approaching monstrosities.


    Lysandra''s eyes widened as she noticed a faint shimmer in the air after seeing the mountain. However, there was no time to think about this…


    As soon as Shane noticed something was off, he could no longer step back…


    Whoosh~


    In just a moment, they plunged through the illusion of the rocky mountain and disappeared from the sight of the Giant Zombies!


    As for the two, the world around them shifted.


    The mountain was dissolved, revealing a hidden shelter nestled in a serene valley!


    Furthermore, the sounds of the zombies faded into the distance.


    It seemed that they entered someone''s territory!


    As soon as they realized what was going on, the system''s blue screen appeared!


    [ Congrattions! You''ve Discovered a Neutral Shelter! ]