Reborn as an Extra Chapter 603: Let’s Go Home. Part-3.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
Kehrid felt astonishment when Rio promptly returned the artifact without any words from him.
Rio's weary look revealed he'd just escaped a perilous zone, with his companion possibly fallen, so Kehrid held back from demanding the artifact out of sympathy.
Yet Rio's voluntary return only boosted his standing in Kehrid's eyes.
Employing telekinesis, he stored the artifact and the miasma crystal container before inquiring cautiously,
"Well... so, how did your search go... I noticed that you brought back a large floating container with you... is it perhaps..."
At Kehrid's query, Rio ruffled the young Kifrid's hair and affirmed with a nod.
"Yeah... sigh, I didn’t make it on time after all..."
Thanks to Rio's stealth and sword intent shielding the massive containers, Kehrid couldn't fully pierce those protective veils with precision.
As a peak S-ranker with extraordinary sword intent proficiency, evading scrutiny from SS-rankers via his stealth was nearly effortless for Rio.
Rio stood mere steps from the 'Demi-gods' domain; his power had surged manifold since venturing into the spirit realm.
’Even though I’m sitting so close to him... he can’t discern any shift in my aura or sense my newfound strength...’
Upon first encountering Kehrid, Rio lingered at early S-rank, yet in half a year, he'd soared to its pinnacle—a startling, unbelievable leap!
Revealing this could stun Kehrid into collapse from sheer incredulity; hence, Rio masked his aura to mimic its initial state from their debut meeting.
"Sigh... I am sorry for your loss... so you will be returning to the human empire soon?"
Rio inclined his head in response and answered in his typical flat tone.
"Yeah, I have people waiting for me back home... I only stopped by here for a brief rest..."
With those words, Rio retrieved a petite toy sword crafted from shadow dragon scales from his sword ring and offered it to Kifrid.
"Here, I brought you a souvenir from the spirit realm. I hope you will become a great warrior in the future..."
Rio fashioned that toy sword and several other mementos from the remaining scraps of dragon scales he possessed.
Kifrid's gaze sparkled as he snatched the gleaming blade and bounced about in delight!
"Thank you, big bro Rio! I promise I will become very strong in the future! Hehe!"
"Then we will go on adventures together one day!"
The child's pure grin greatly soothed the relentless stress and strain Rio endured within the spirit realm.
"Hoh... you can make artifacts too?... err... although the craftsmanship is kind of lacking... it’s good enough considering it was made by a beginner..."
Kehrid's blacksmith instincts compelled a remark on the rough toy sword's quality.
"Well... I am just a humble travelling bard after all; I don’t have much talent in the field of craftsmanship..."
Kehrid nearly blurted, ’Humble my ass!! How do you explain that dense sword intent running across your entire body then!’ Yet he held his tongue, mindful of Rio's grief over his friend's demise.
Instead, he shifted the conversation.
"So... how was the spirit realm... you are the first person I have seen aside from King Allen who managed to come back alive from the spirit realm without suffering any major injuries..."
To Kehrid's probe, Rio refilled his tea and savored a deep draught before replying in his customary emotionless timbre.
"There’s one word that can describe the spirit realm perfectly, and that is ’bizarre’! That place is very bizarre!"
"That’s the kind of place that even SS-rankers would not like to enter... I only wandered around in the shallow areas but... the further and deeper you go, the denser miasmic corruption becomes in that place..."
"Also... there are powerful and bizarre monsters inside, miasma is dominating everything and it’s very hostile to all outside creatures..."
Rio shared tales of the spirit realm's wonders with Kehrid and Kifrid, naturally skipping his personal enigmas and his clash with Raika and beyond.
He merely described the realm's fundamental harshness and its inhospitable nature.
Kehrid and Kifrid hung on Rio's every word, oblivious to the hours slipping away in their discussion.
When Rio concluded, dusk had fallen, with the sun dipping below the skyline.
Rio shared a meal with Kifrid before rising to depart.
Though Kehrid and Kifrid hated to see him leave prematurely, Rio pressed on; delays had mounted, and he couldn't tarry longer.
He'd aimed to wrap the mission in a month or two and hasten home, but extensions piled up, stretching his absence to half a year!
Lingering further risked missing the vessel bound for home!
"Next time I will come to visit you when I get stronger, big bro Rio!"
Rio stroked young Kifrid's head at his vow and nodded encouragingly.
"Good, become strong and come to challenge me; we will spar each other then... I look forward to how strong you will be by then... good luck!"
After a full day's exchange, Rio farewelled the grandfather-grandson pair and set off as twilight deepened.
With his enhanced stealth nullifying threats from SS-rankers, Rio skipped buses or vehicles entirely.
He soared directly toward the City of Treasures, Dharheim.
Regret tugged at him for not fully savoring the dwarf kingdom's vistas before departing, but priorities demanded otherwise.
Time pressed urgently; resurrecting Liam and Ellie's souls outweighed idle explorations in the dwarf lands now.
’Ugh... I have gotten so used to always using the cube of possibilities for directions in the past months that now that it’s gone, I kind of feel like something’s missing...’
’Perhaps I should make some skill or ability that would mimic the power of the cube of possibilities in the future...’
Despite ascending realms and honing sword intent, Rio remained distant from finely foretelling destiny's weave or futures in depth.
Only Lia might achieve that presently.
’Although I have lost the cube of possibilities... I have gained a powerful shadow robe in this trip...’
Rio's shadow robe ascended to legendary artifact status, amplifying his shadow manipulation vastly, rendering the trade worthwhile.
’I wonder if Lia will be surprised after knowing that I have already reached peak of rank S by now...’
’Err... but... perhaps she might get stressed though... she’s been trying to catch up to me after all; if I tell her that I have improved again, that might break her heart...’
’Sigh... what a dilemma...’
Though it could sadden Lia slightly, Rio refused to deceive her, planning full disclosure if queried on his power.
Should she not inquire, all the better.
’Talking about strength, she must be back from her training by now... I wonder how strong she would be after such a long training mission...’
Rio yearned to accelerate homeward and gauge the latest developments there.
Moreover, he had to brief Ashtel Rex on the grand seal and miasma sea portal, alerting the world alliance to looming perils.
Primarily, Rio sought to uncover Raika's identity and the puppeteer lurking in shadows.
The spirit realm resolved numerous queries for Rio and fostered prime growth conditions, yet birthed fresh mysteries, fueling his thirst for greater might!
’I need to reach the realm of demi-gods as fast as possible... there’s not much time left before the first ’SSS’ rank dungeon appears in the world...’
With stealth at maximum, Rio's gaze burned with resolve as he mounted his sword and hurtled toward his goal at breakneck pace!