Chapter 172: Enjoying Himself

Julius was panicking. His eyes darted back and forth, his perception skill on full blast trying to find his target.

He didn’t find the stall where he had seen it the last time he was there. He rushed around the plaza that held many other stalls like a chicken with his head cut off.

This was possibly the worst-case scenario for him. He was praying that the guy just moved locations and it wasn’t because he no longer sold meat skewers.

Thankfully, after several minutes of frantic searching and asking around, he was able to find the stall on the other end of the plaza. He was glad that the stall had expanded as well. It was almost twice the size it was the last time Julius ate here and there was a huge crowd surrounding it.

The scent of sweet, spicy, charred savory meat wafted dozens of feet from the grills. He had to wait a while in line, but it was very worth it. He got enough portions for everyone to have a full serving plus some more.

He didn’t know when he would feel in the mood for it again and it was always a good idea to have some delicious meat in your bag for emergencies.

The sun was already setting in the distance and so he walked back to campus while eating his skewer with a large grin on his face. He had already let the others know that he was grabbing something for them and so they were waiting for him at their usual training room.

He arrived with sticky sauce all over his face and an empty wooden skewer in one hand that he had just polished off. The others all looked at him with curious gazes. They knew his habit and love for food, but he was rarely so messy.

The only person who didn’t have a curious look on his face was Edgar. The moment he saw Julius’s messy face and wooden skewer he immediately got the most excited-looking face a giant muscular boy could have.

Edgar used his physical enhancement skill to dash to Julius. There was no need for words to be exchanged. Julius knew his mission and Edgar knew his purpose. He dramatically took out another skewer from his ring and waved it in front of Edgar.

Edgar pressed his two fists together and bowed slightly to Julius. With an imperious nod, Julius gave Edgar permission to retrieve the holy stick of meat. The large fourth-year gently took the skewer from his hands and slowly bit into it. Hot juices flowed out and splattered onto the guy’s uniform, but he didn’t care. He was too busy savoring the bite with closed eyes.

“Are those the skewers that Edgar doesn’t even stop talking about?” Aubrey asked from where she was standing. She and Lily were going through some exercises they learned in Gabriel’s class. Lily was starting to come along very nicely in hand-to-hand.

She would never be the best fighter, but she was definitely able to handle herself well enough. In his opinion, she could do with a little more aggression in her attacks. Sometimes it felt too careful and timid for close combat fighting.

“I think so. I vaguely remember seeing those very same skewers sprawled across Edgar’s floor before,” Derek commented.

“Did you get enough for all of us?” Aubrey asked a little more excited.

Julius shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t know you guys wanted some,” he told her regretfully.

“But you said you were going to get enough food for all of us,” Aubrey accused.

“Yeah, but the stall was really busy and I felt bad for ordering so much,” Julius explained.

Aubrey scrunched up her face and went back to training with Lily, showing her how to properly sweep her opponent’s legs from underneath them when in a clinch.

Julius sensed Kyle shuffle over to him. He had been reading off in the corner watching the rest of them train. However, when Julius walked in, Kyle immediately put down his book.

As discreetly as he could, Julius passed Kyle a piping hot skewer. The guy gave him a gracious pat on the back and Julius gave him a knowing nod toward Aubrey’s direction.

Kyle, the good friend he was, understood immediately. He put his fingers near his mouth and zippered it shut with a subtle smile. He took his skewer and happily went back to his spot in the corner and continued to read his book.

Aubrey must have smelled something though because he saw her pause her demonstration with Lily and looked over in their direction. She had her head tilted upward and was sniffing the air like a dog.

Then she spotted the skewer in Kyle’s hand and ran angrily at Julius, mana coursing through her veins.

***

He managed to calm Aubrey down by distracting her. He told them the good news, that his soul was no longer in such critical condition. Everyone was very excited to hear that. Even Aubrey was happy for him, in fact, she was probably the most overjoyed, completely forgetting her earlier ire at him.

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He also explained that it wasn’t fully healed yet. He needed to evolve his healing skill before he would be completely put back together.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you,” Aubrey said after he was finished telling them, passing over a small cube to him.

He gave her a confused look but took it anyway and examined it. The metal cube had many layers of runic inscriptions on top of it. It was also pulsing with mana and aura, there was no doubt that whatever this was, it was valuable. The craftsmanship was impeccable.

“What is this?” He asked her.

She didn’t meet his eyes but she quietly muttered, “I might have explained some of your issues with my mother. She sent that over yesterday. It is apparently an item that is used in the Alliance of Morning Sun. It is used to help their Prime Candidates withstand immense soul pressure from their training and she thought it would help you.”