Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 569: The Oathkeeper’s Return [Part 2]

"Welcome back, Lavinia," Ramza said as hugged his granddaughter for the first time in a long while.

"I missed you, Grandpa," Lavinia replied.

"Is he the only one you missed?" Lavinia’s mother, Elena, asked in a teasing tone.

"Of course not, Mother." Lavinia smiled as she moved to hug her mother. "I missed you too."

It was at that moment when another Catkin entered the room with a smile.

"You miss your mom more than me?" Lavinia’s father, Vega, pretended to be scandalized and shocked.

But soon, he joined his wife and daughter in a loving embrace. They had been on a business trip during Alex’s first stay at Etherion Village, so hadn’t seen the young man before.

While they had sent her letters and she had replied to them in kind, she lamented the fact that they hadn’t been able to send her off to Friden Academy back then.

"Father, of course I missed you too!" Lavinia replied, enjoying the love of her parents. "But I love mom more than you."

"Where did my little girl go?" Vega sighed dramatically, but a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Back then, you followed me wherever I went. Now that you’re all grown up, you’ve forgotten all about me."

"Dad, you know that’s not true!"

"Uh huh."

Alex watched this family exchange and wondered if he would’ve gotten to experience the same thing had he not been an orphan.

He had grown up in an orphanage, and although he considered everyone there his family, the warmth of a real family was something he had known in the past.

Ramza walked towards Alex and patted his shoulder. "Welcome back, Alex. I hope you’ve been well in the academy? Have you made many friends?"

"I’ve been well, Sir Ramza," Alex replied. "As for friends, I have plenty."

Ramza nodded. "That’s good to hear. Lavinia sent me a letter informing us that the two of you would come to visit. But she didn’t say anything aside from that. Is there any other reason why you two have come here?"

The old man was smiling mischievously. It seemed that he had a hunch why the two had travelled to Etherion Village. If his guess was correct, an impromptu celebration feast would be held by tomorrow.

"Yes, there is another reason for this visit, Sir," Alex answered before glancing at Lavinia and her parents.

As if sensing that their guest had something to say, Elena and Vega shifted their attention to him.

"I came here today to tell Lavinia’s family that the two of us are dating," Alex said firmly.

Roselia covered her lips with her hand, looking surprised. But in truth, she was just stopping herself from laughing out loud.

Still, her body shuddered from time to time as she held back her giggle while giving Lavinia the "has the rice been cooked already?" gaze.

Lavinia was too tense to notice Roselia’s gaze because her father and mother were now scrutinizing Alex from head to toe.

"Are you Alex Stratos?" Vega asked, his voice suddenly authoritative and powerful. "The Clawford Tribe’s new Oathkeeper?"

"Yes, Sir," Alex replied.

"Are you also here to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage?" Elena arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, My Lady." Alex nodded. "I would like to ask for the Hartwell Family’s blessing."

Vega and Elena exchanged a glance before shifting their attention back to Alex.

"Lavinia informed us in her letters that you are also fond of other ladies. Is this true?" Vega narrowed his eyes like a cat that was about to pounce on its prey.

"That’s true," Alex had no intention of lying because that would just cause trouble in the future. "Aside from Lavinia, I also have three more girlfriends... and that number might also increase in the future."

"Might?" Elena’s voice rose a bit.

"I mean, it will increase in the future," Alex said firmly.

"Hoh..." Vega held her daughter close to him while glaring at Alex. "Do you honestly believe that I’ll let my daughter marry someone like you?"

Alex blinked because he already expected something like this to happen. He had prepared a few replies, including a baseball reference about hitting the homerun and stealing all the bases.

However, he had a feeling that if he were to do that, he and the Hartwell Family would be at odds with each other.

In the end, he chose the option that had the best chance of succeeding.

"According to Lavinia, the Clawford Tribe has a tradition," Alex said. "If someone passes the Etherion Challenge, the Clawford Tribe will grant them a wish no matter what it is. I would like to take part in the challenge in exchange for you blessing my relationship with Lavinia."

Ramza had been keeping silent during the exchange, but after hearing Alex’s reply, he understood that it was his granddaughter and Alex were on the same page.

"So, both of you have come prepared huh?" Ramza grinned. "But the Etherion Challenge hasn’t been invoked for a long time because the death rate was extremely high. Are you sure you want to take this challenge?"

"Yes," Alex replied firmly.

The Etherion Challenge was an extreme challenge where Alex needed to face all of the warriors of the Clawford Tribe in a survival game.

He would be given five minutes to hide inside the forest. After that, the warriors would try to hunt him down.

This challenge would start when the sun was at its highest and end at sunset.

If Alex were to survive this challenge then the Hartwell Family would grant his wish.

Of course, there were other rules.

If the Challenger was only Rank 5 or below, only Rank 5 and below were allowed to hunt them down.

If their rank was higher than Rank 5, the Masters of the village would also participate in the Etherion Challenge.

Since Alex was only a Rank 3 Oathkeeper, all the warriors in the village who were Rank 5 and below were eligible to join the challenge.

If Alex ended up defeated by these warriors in battle, then that meant that he didn’t pass the challenge.

If he managed to survive until sunset, then he would be deemed as the winner.

The warriors of the Etherion Village grew up near the Etherion Forest. To them, it was practically their backyard.

It would be nearly impossible to hide from them due to their superhuman senses, so the challengers usually had to fight their way out against hundreds of warriors.

These challenges didn’t always end in the challenger’s survival. Most of the challengers died because those who opted for these challenges were criminals who wanted to regain their freedom.

It was also a way to train the warriors of the village, so these challenges were always taken seriously.

Of course, no one in the Etherion Village would dare to kill their Oathkeeper. At most, they would beat the crap out of Alex until he could no longer resist.

This was one of the reasons why Alex dared to do this challenge.

The second reason was that he had his map, allowing him to see where the Catkins would be as they hunted him down.

With that advantage, he could steer clear of them and find the best route to hide from them.

Also, he had the Verdant Throne and the Gaia Ring.

This time, the power of the Gaia Ring was focused on defense, boosting Alex’s defensive abilities.

The Verdant Throne gave him increased stamina and health regeneration, allowing him to recover from any injuries he received from battle.

He also had his skills as the Oathkeeper, which further gave him the confidence to pass this challenge.

But whether he could truly pass it or not would depend on many variables.

"Interesting, so you plan to take the Etherion Challenge huh?"

A handsome Catkin stepped inside the manor with a smirk on his face.

"It has been a while, Alex," Cairo said calmly. "Very well, I will also participate in this challenge. Show me if you really deserve to marry my sister."

Alex looked at his Master and bowed his head respectfully. He wasn’t too surprised to see him in the village because Lavinia had informed her family about their visit.

However, now that his Master would also participate in the Etherion Challenge, Alex needed to tweak his plans for a bit to ensure that the future Heaven’s Sword would not succeed in cutting him down.

An hour later, the news of their Oathkeeper accepting the Etherion Challenge to gain Lavinia’s hand in marriage spread across the entire village like wildfire.

Diona found this news to her liking because according to the rules, outsiders were also allowed to participate.

’Perfect!’ Diona did a fist pump. ’Absolutely perfect! With this, I have a good excuse to go all out!’

Since she was in a good mood, Diona started asking the locals about the Etherion Challenge. The locals, caught up in the excitement and buzz, chatted freely with her.

Since the heavens had given her the perfect opportunity to kill Alex and make it look like an accident, she would definitely make her preparations beforehand.

Two hours later, the Beast Conqueror headed deeper inside the Etherion Forest.

Since the Etherione Challenge would be held tomorrow, she would create an inescapable net composed of monsters, which would make this challenge the most brutal one in the history of the Clawford Tribe.