The Broken Halo

When Simon heard about Ormon’s mission and situation, he remained calm and thought of what to do.

If he was not allowed to obtain the details of his mission, there was no reason for him to panic.

Besides, has he not been preparing for a situation like this for the past two months?

Unlike many of his peers who would choose to slack off or take a break for a day or two, he had never taken a break.

Every single day was a day of training and improvement for Simon, no matter how small.

If he died in this mission, the so be it.

In terms of personal power, he was prepared.

So, what he decided to do is to just buy completely random materials he might need for the mission.

He bought completely random materials like ropes, thick normal clothes in case the mission was to take place in a cold environment, an artifact that could produce a tent for him to sleep, lots of food, water, medicinal herbs, and so many other things.

Anything he saw that might be helpful in a particular scenario, he bought.

He had the money after all.

After buying everything he wanted to buy, he decided to go to his room and well… sleep.

He thought of meeting up with Ormon, but Ormon was also preparing for his mission, so he was busy.

He also thought of training just a little bit, but he decided not to after thinking deeply about it.

Sure, the extra training might save his life in this mission, but he had not had a good, long, and proper sleep for a very long time now.

For the past seven days, he had only slept for a total of nine hours.

That was barely enough sleep for him, especially with all the training he was doing.

If not for so many factors like his Sky Tiger bloodline, his demonic energy, his willpower, and him eating a lot of high quality food as a substitute for his sleep, his body would have protested a long time ago.

Now, there was an opportunity for him to sleep for over eight hours, and he was going to take it.

If not for the hours he spent shopping, he would have had more time to sleep.

His body needed to recover, and his mind had to be extremely sharp for this unknown mission he was about to partake in.

Simon entered his room, went to his bed, removed his mask, then he slept.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take him so long to fall asleep.

Once he controlled his thoughts and chose to think about nothing, he fell asleep in less than a minute.

That was how exhausted his body and mind were.

(Eight hours later)

Simon finally woke up, and after washing his face with a bowl of water, he wore his mask and left his room.

He looked at the time, and he nodded slightly.

“Classes should be over soon.”

He took his time going back to the academy entrance, and unsurprisingly, he saw five Initiates standing together.

There were other Initiates walking on the main causeway that led into the academy, but these five stood out because of their auras.

’They’re all Half-Step Greater Demons. With a little bit of resources and willpower, they can become Greater Demons in no time… Wonderful.’

Simon did not immediately approach them.

Instead, he took his time observing them.

The five Initiates wore the same dark academy robes, but the similarities ended there.

Their heights were different.

Their builds were different.

Even the atmosphere around then felt somewhat incompatible.

And yet…

When they stood together, there was a strange sense of balance between them.

Like five pieces of a weapon forged separately before finally being joined together.

Simon’s eyes narrowed slightly beneath his mask.

’They’re not random.’

That thought appeared in his mind almost immediately as he observed.

The tallest among them stood at the very back without speaking.

His robe looked tighter around the shoulders and chest because of his massive frame. Thick veins could faintly be seen around his dark-grey neck, and even though he was not moving, Simon could feel heavy earth-attributed demonic energy from him.

The mask on his face was made of black iron filled with countless dots all over it.

No mouth.

No expression.

Only two thin slits for the eyes.

The demon’s hands were enormous. Calloused too.

’A Varkhul.’

Simon recognized the race immediately.

Varkhuls are a brutal race with high physical strength and also high defensive abilities. Most Varkhuls specialized in earth affinity or metal affinity.

They were like Bulwark demons, but their physical strength and defensive abilities could not be compared to that of Bulwark demons.

And they were also faster than Bulwark demons.

The second Initiate stood beside the Varkhul with crossed arms.

She was far slimmer, and at first glance, Simon was not certain if the figure was a female, but after observing carefully, he realized through Sky Eyes that she was.

Her robes were large and they were covering her breasts and ass.

The mask on the demoness’ face was white and smooth like polished bone with three vertical lines running across the left eye.

The mask was simple, yet oddly elegant.

Long silver hair flowed behind the mask, and Simon noticed faint scales around the neck area where the robe did not completely cover the skin.

He also noticed the faint movement beneath her robe, then he saw a dark green tail.

’A Serpentkin.’

Physically, they were not too monstrous compared to other demons, but they possessed extremely venomous demonic energy.

Serpentkins were annoying opponents in prolonged battles. Their demonic energy was difficult to purge, and many of them specialized in sensory abilities, toxins, paralysis, or assassination techniques.

The third demon was lean and slightly taller than Simon.

The demon wore a dark wooden mask carved into the shape of a smiling face.

It was not a crazy smile.

Nor was it exaggerated.

It was simply… calm.

That somehow made it more uncomfortable to look at.

The demon’s veins were visible on his pale white skin, but his veins were black.

Unlike the Varkhul whose presence was obvious, this demon felt strangely absent.

If not for his unique mind and his vast experience, he might have completely ignored this demon.

’A Shadeborn.’

Simon’s expression changed slightly beneath his mask.

A rare race.

Not physically powerful.

But troublesome.

Shadeborn demons possessed natural affinity with darkness and stealth-related abilities. Some could even distort perception to a certain degree.

Assassination.

Tracking.

Ambushes.

Mental interference.

These were all the things they could do.