Richard stepped out of the sphere of light, finding that Grace and the others had already finished before him.

At the same time, he saw the arrival of the Thundervale Clan members, led by Roland.

They were as arrogant as always, roughly shoving aside anyone who blocked their path.

Coincidentally, Richard happened to be standing in front of them as well.

However, none of them dared take another step upon seeing him — including Roland.

The latter knitted his brows, looking visibly irritated.

In the end, he only snorted before turning away.

Richard acted as if he didn't care, walking toward Grace and the others.

He couldn't help but be surprised when he observed Grace up close.

Her aura had changed — deeper, heavier.

She was clearly no longer a Magus World Realm, but a Grimoire Realm Magus.

"D-did you advance?" Richard asked in astonishment.

After all, forming a Grimoire required a process.

Had she completed it in there?

"…I did," Grace nodded lightly.

Richard didn't know what to say upon hearing that.

"Let's return to the inn," Grace said.

"Alright…" Richard naturally agreed.

What he needed to do now was simply train.

He could resume his activities after advancing to the Grimoire Realm.

He said goodbye to Gray and Elise before leaving with Grace.

But they didn't actually return to their previous inn.

They rented a new one that was close to the Limitless Temple so they didn't waste time.

Besides, it was already almost night.

Inside the inn room, Richard entered the Dragon Hall.

Training there was definitely safer, and afterward he could continue absorbing energy from the Black Heart within.

As soon as he arrived at the Dragon Hall, Richard sat down and closed his eyes.

He already had the complete blueprint — he only needed to perform the process.

He even had more than one Grimoire blueprint.

However, by his estimation, after advancing, he needed time to strengthen his power first before creating the Second Grimoire.

For the first one, he planned to combine 100 Shadow Monster Arcane Art, Lighting of Darkness Art, Moonshadow Armor, as well as his dragon power and Mind Attack.

Everything would fuse into a living dragon — roaring, capable of unleashing its own Mind Attack.

And it would command every element he had mastered.

He would name it Dragon Power Grimoire.

Overall, this was the easiest one for him to create at the moment because every component was a power he had mastered and frequently used.

With a complete blueprint, once he started the process, it didn't take long at all.

When he opened his eyes, something shone from his chest.

It resembled a book with the image of a black dragon whose jaws were wide open.

DING!

(You have successfully created a Grimoire — Dragon Power Grimoire. You have advanced to the Grimoire Realm!)

The System notification appeared, and Richard immediately checked his status changes.

(Status:

[Name: Richard]

[Magic Realm: Grimoire]

[Aether: 0/200,000 <Tier 3>]

[Aether Accumulation: 85,000 <Tier 3>]

[Soul: Black Heart Soul]

[Black Heart Hidden Power: 55,000/205,000]

[Grimoire: Dragon Power]

)

With these status changes, his advancement was unquestionable.

He finally possessed a Grimoire — a transformation that boosted his strength.

It was power that truly belonged to him, over which he had perfect control.

He even felt a deeper connection to his other abilities.

Whoosh!

Richard immediately flew toward the Black Heart located inside the dragon statue's open mouth behind the throne.

He directly absorbed the Black Heart's power, causing the energy in his own Black Heart to surge dramatically.

Time felt short due to the speed of his absorption.

It didn't take long before he could no longer absorb any more.

[Black Heart Hidden Power: 205,000/205,000]

DING!

(Your Aether has increased from 0 to 150!)

Suddenly, Richard received a notification that shocked him.

It was indeed time for the System to grant his daily increase.

The stat that increased this time was Aether — but it was 150 at once.

Wasn't it normally just 13? Even if it increased, it should've become 15.

Why did it become 150?

Would the other stats, like Codex mastery or Arcane Art mastery, also increase by 150%?

Richard knew that was impossible.

This change was likely because his Aether capacity had increased drastically.

If the System only gave him 15 per day, when would he ever fill his Aether?

[Aether: 150/200,000 <Tier 3>] +150

[Aether Accumulation: 85,150 <Tier 3>]

Richard then checked his Aether Bottle.

It was suddenly full — though it only held 100 Aether, as that was the maximum.

He shook his head with a wry smile.

Still, 100 Aether was extremely valuable.

He immediately drank it.

[Aether: 250/200,000 <Tier 3>] +100

[Aether Accumulation: 85,250 <Tier 3>]

With a total increase of 250 Aether, Richard felt a fairly satisfying rise in power.

'I heard that to advance to the Lord Realm, someone simply needs to accumulate Aether.

However, the problem for most Magi in the Grimoire Realm is that their bodies can't contain more Aether.

Even geniuses with exceptional foundations can face this issue.

I don't know how it will be for me,' Richard thought.

This wasn't something he could predict now. He still needed a huge amount of Aether.

What he was certain of was that he shouldn't be overly confident.

Even in the Grimoire Realm, strengthening his foundation was still essential.

Crack! Crack!

Richard stretched his body, his bones popping loudly.

He looked at his hands — now stronger, larger, with veins more pronounced.

These were the hands Grace loved so much.

Richard then exited the Dragon Hall.

After completing his training, he only wanted to relax and make love with Grace.

But he didn't see her in the room.

The room had three doors: the exit, the bathroom, and the shared hot-spring bathing area for all guests.

Richard assumed Grace was there, so he immediately headed over.

Upon opening the door, he found a large hot-spring pool, looking natural thanks to the massive stones forming the flowing water.

Richard instantly spotted Grace — and despite the pool being so large, she was the only one there.

She was soaking while leaning against a big rock, completely unclothed.

Grace immediately noticed him. She looked at him calmly, as if signaling him to come.

How could Richard not approach?

Grace had clearly prepared this hot-spring pool for them to enjoy themselves before resting.

***

Morning came, and Richard woke up on the bed with Grace still in his embrace.

The woman was already awake, but it seemed she still wanted to enjoy being held by him.

Richard was naturally pleased, gently caressing her back.

"What's your plan for today?" Grace asked Richard.

"Are you going to keep following me?" Richard asked back.

Grace nodded lightly. "I'm free, so I'll keep accompanying you. Do you want to go somewhere?"

"Yes, I want to go to the Central Region."

"Ohh…" Grace was a bit surprised to hear that from Richard.

"It's not too far, still close to the border," Richard added.

"No problem, I'll still follow you," Grace replied.

She only wanted to know where he intended to go and didn't ask what his purpose there was.

"When will we leave?" she asked.

"No need to rush," Richard replied.

At the moment, he was thinking about the Rose of Eternia from the ancestor of the Skylight Clan.

If he could sell it sooner, Richard would prefer that.

He was a bit worried that the ancestor might end up not selling it and would instead use it for herself.

Even though she couldn't use it, she could always lend it to the Fire Spirit Queen.

That ancestor might trust Richard, but anyone could change their mind when it came to a treasure of such value.

Even now, Richard felt tempted to change his mind.

'Unless I just keep it and pay her later. After all, she's not in a hurry,' Richard thought, an interesting new idea sparking in his mind.

As long as he paid for it in the future, there was nothing wrong with what he did.

His eyes lit up and he couldn't help but smile brightly.

A precious treasure was better kept in his own hands.

Grace frowned a little when she saw him suddenly smiling to himself, clearly confused about what was going through his mind.

But the moment Richard saw her expression, he immediately kissed her before pinning her down, his hands caressing her long thighs and legs.

The morning birdsong was certainly nothing compared to Grace's moans of pleasure.

Richard simply wanted to hear that.

After bathing and cleaning themselves, he and Grace finally left the inn.

It was a bright morning with very fresh air.

Richard felt happy just by breathing.

He chose to stroll around, observing restaurant after restaurant before finally entering one that sold seafood grilled with a mixture of various spices.

The aroma caught Richard's interest so strongly that it made him mentally hungry, because physically, hunger no longer existed for him.

Grace followed him without complaint.

Richard ordered every dish on the menu, filling the large table with food.

Grace, on the other hand, ate less, but as usual, she was already drinking wine even though it was still morning.

Just when Richard thought it would be a peaceful morning, he suddenly saw two lights in the sky chasing each other.

Upon closer look, it turned out to be a figure shrouded in lightning chasing another figure wrapped in red light.

The latter was moving slower, but he had a large shield that constantly blocked the attacks of the lightning-covered figure.

Richard couldn't help but show a strange expression.

The two were clearly Luke and Roland. He wondered why they were fighting.

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