CHAPTER 68: DISCIPLE CULTIVATION SYSTEM CH68 TEAM UP.

The deadline for the twelve hours was almost up.

Currently, Valeria and Kurt were inside a convenience store, looting within for some things to eat.

"I wonder if this food is real or digitalized like our bodies."

Bringing a wrapper of premade sandwich to her lips, Val muttered while eyeing the food with uncertainty. She wanted to eat it, but her inability to comprehend what the sandwich truly was made her hesitant.

"I’d rather not know."

Kurt, opting for sugary sweets, popped a bear-shaped purple jelly in his mouth, choosing to remain ignorant. He wasn’t particularly hungry per se, he just liked sweets. As soon as he started, he ended up pouring all of the jellies into his mouth after the first bite.

It tasted just like the real deal, enough for him to swallow without much thought. Observing his antics and inspired by his carefreeness, Valeria sighed, tore open the wrapper around the sandwich, and took a small bite out of it.

"Mm..."

It was rather nice. More salty than expected, but the salad and slices of bacon were partly to her taste buds. Hence, she no longer held back and shoved the remains into her mouth. It was unladylike, but she had never been groomed to be a lady—just a fighter. So even as Kurt watched in horror while she greedily devoured the sandwich, she remained unfazed and even went as far as licking her finger just to prove her point.

"That’s nasty... I really mean it."

"Not my problem." Valeria pouted before leaning against the counter.

"It’s rather quiet."

The game had been going on for a while, so her observation wasn’t far-fetched. By now most of the students—especially the weaker ones—had long been eliminated. A few lay hidden like rats, waiting for the timer to near its end before scrambling to the retirement zone. She herself wouldn’t have made it this far had it not been for Kurt.

She really owed him one, and the thought that she had lied to him didn’t sit right with her. But she was stubborn and persistent, hence she kept her lips sealed—at least until Trish found her.

"You know, I heard there’s an afterparty for the games."

She began, trying to use the few hours she had left to engage Kurt in a conversation.

"The Rank award ceremony. It’s a celebration held after every rank game. It’s also when the first rank of the games will earn their title as an ace and be officially crowned the strongest of their year."

"I’ve heard tales about it, but I haven’t seen one before... not even on the Internet."

"The school likes to keep it private, so no social media influencers. If you try hard enough though, you might see a video or two about it."

"I’m more curious if there would be food."

"There will be," Kurt responded. "A buffet, to be exact."

"Nice."

Drooling at the thought of the buffet, Valeria muttered excitedly. Kurt shook his head and grabbed another jelly from his back pocket.

"Those twelve h—"

Right as he was about to start a conversation of his own, the door to the convenience store slid open as two individuals, one carrying an unconscious girl, stepped in.

"Oh!"

The one leading the charge, a youth with chestnut hair and green eyes, muttered. His chilling presence influenced Kurt’s decision to take up his sword. Val also had a finger on her storage ring, but before a fight could begin, the youth alternated his gaze between the girl in his arms and them.

Believing the girl to be more important, he joined them and approached the counter. Val and Kurt vacated from there while watching him warily.

He ignored their stares and placed the auburn-haired girl on the counter before stepping back to allow his witch companion to continue.

[Mother nature heals all wounds. Yours are no exception.]

Stretching her arms to the auburn-haired girl, who had a wound in her neck, the witch whispered solemnly.

A penetrating green light washed over the auburn-haired girl’s body as strange green threads shot out from the witch’s fingertips and began weaving new flesh over the wounded neck.

"Healing magic."

Val nudged Kurt, who nodded at the impressive sight.

"That witch’s hair is silver. She must be Kiara, and then the boy must be Kai. As for the wounded girl, I presume that’s Enko. Her tattoos are hard to mistake."

Identifying the individuals that had walked into the store, Kurt informed Val. Those names were no strangers to Valeria. Along with her and Trish, those three names were also members of the so-called seven.

They hadn’t officially met until now, but seeing them face to face and subjected to their presence, she couldn’t help but find herself lacking. She wasn’t inferior to them, but they could use their chosen energies unlike her.

While Valeria found herself troubled, Kiara, who glanced at her in amusement, finished mending Enko’s wound before stepping back with an exhausted sigh. Healing magic was mostly reserved for those who delved into the more divine aspect of magic—the kind that unlocked the third and unconventional energy: Divine Energy, or Chi.

Basically, it was the last pillar of Academic City, the School of Divine Art and Exorcism. Divine energy was the refined form of mana, just as chi was for aura. So healing magic wasn’t something she couldn’t do, but rather something that required more Will than other spells. Just like how an aura user couldn’t fully perform as an exorcist with aura alone.

"How long till she wakes up?"

Kai, his arms crossed, asked, his expression stern.

"Physically, she’s fine... well, mostly fine. It’s just mentally she’s exhausted after how Trish treated her. If I’m being honest, I would advise we just eliminate her so she can rest. But for your question... let’s just say an hour or two."

"I can wait," Kai remarked, not even considering the possibility of eliminating Enko.

He knew how tough she was, and more importantly, she was crucial for their battle against the Gatekeeper. He wouldn’t want to lose such a valuable ally, especially now that Trish had eliminated all his support.

"Let her rest, and let’s deal with these two."

His cold gaze darted to Kurt and Valeria, who were at the entrance preparing to flee