Ambrose Academy’s Modifier

Ari stared at the gorgeous blue-eyed Elf in disbelief.

He searched his memories using Perfect Recall, looking for anything he may have missed.

He confirmed that an Elven tribe indeed existed within the Malen Forest before it’s destruction; however, it’s name had not been disclosed.

The records came through a hazy flashback, only depicting scenes involving the forest’s destruction.

‘So, they were called the Soato tribe... Makes sense given the context.’

‘But, why did the portal send me to the past? And when exactly did I arrive?’

Ari did not have any reference images of the Malen Forest prior to its destruction, so it made no sense for the portal to send him to a version of the forest that was intact.

‘Wait, it’s not that surprising if I consider the orange portal.’

The protagonist did not enter the Malen Forest through an orange portal, whereas Ari did.

The purpose, or at least, the perceived purpose of the orange portal was to grant the ascender fortuitous opportunities.

In Ari’s point of view, arriving in the same Malen Forest as the protagonist would be a fortuitous opportunity, since he knew what awaited him.

However, the orange portal may have a different vision of a fortuitous opportunity.

What if the opportunity lies in the possibility of preventing the destruction of the Malen Forest?

Thump-Thump!

Ari’s heart raced.

The Elven woman narrowed her eyes. “Answer me.”

‘Right. Don’t get ahead of yourself.’

Ari took a deep breath.

“Hey now, I asked for your name, did I not?”

“You are in no position to make demands, outsider!”

“That’s a fair point, but I’m not making any demands. I’m simply asking.”

“How are we to have a proper conversation if we don’t even know each other's names?”

The Elf’s eyes widened briefly.

"I want to continue talking to you, but not as strangers,” Ari said.

The grip on her bowstring loosened a little, and the tip of her arrow dropped.

"...My name is Ferine," she said after a brief pause.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ferine. My name is Ari."

He smiled, causing the blush on her face to spread to the tips of her pointy ears.

She nodded once.

"Now tell me, why have you come here?"

"Not one for small talk, huh?"

"Tell me how you got here!"

'She's still flustered.'

"Well, that's rather difficult to explain."

“Why is that?” she asked.

Several responses flooded his mind; however, none of them suited his needs.

Ferine was the first person he made contact with, so he had to gain her trust somehow, even if only a little.

“Let’s make a deal. Allow me to have some water, then I’ll tell you anything that you want to know,” Ari suggested.

"Denied. Tell me, or I will put an arrow in you.”

“Come now, is that how you treat defenceless acquaintances, Ferine?”

She frowned. “Do not mock me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“You expect me to believe that someone who made it this deep into the Malen Forest without injuries is defenceless?”

‘Well, this is awkward...’

The Elf pulled her bowstring tight. “Now, tell me your purpose for entering the Malen Forest.”

“I really want to, but it’s quite a long story, you see, and my throat is rather parched.”

She stared at him for some time, her expression cycling through various emotions.

“Fine, you may drink. But swear to tell me the truth, or I will-”

“Put an arrow in me, I got it. I swear on my life that I will tell you everything that happened after I have some water.”

Naturally, he could have gone without drinking from the river; however, getting her approval was an important first step.

He gave her the A-Okay sign before dunking his face in the cold river and gulping mouthfuls of water.

“Ahhhh.”

‘Damn, that was so good.’

He turned to his left and was surprised to find Ferine kneeling beside him.

‘How did she get here so fast? I only dunked my head for a few seconds…’

Her hair was positioned on her back, with her bow beside her. She gracefully brought water to her mouth and elegantly sipped it from her right hand.

Ari had never prayed harder for a rogue breeze to pass by.

"Have you lost something over here?" Ferine asked.

Ari smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you for the drink, it was very refreshing."

"This river is the lifeline of our tribe and of this region. It holds a special place in the hearts of our people, be honoured that you have been allowed to taste its nourishment," she replied, getting back to her feet.

"I am honoured."

Ferine picked up her bow and placed it around her shoulder, then took some distance from him.

'Oh? Was she testing me?'

He found it odd that she removed her bow and appeared vulnerable beside him, especially after threatening him.

"Now, you will honour your word and tell me why you entered the Malen Forest,” she said. “Better yet, tell me how you breached the barrier surrounding the Inner Garden."

‘Inner Garden?’

Ari’s memories had no record of that term being used before.

"I'm sorry, did you say the Inner Garden?"

"Yes, don’t try to deny it. I know you entered the Inner Garden before coming to the river."

Ari chuckled inwardly. ‘This day is just full of surprises... Is it a coincidence?’

The possibility of the two being related was extremely slim, but not zero.

"Hey, Ferine, have you heard of a place called the Upper Garden?"

Her eyes widened like saucers.

"W-Why did you ask me that?"

'Hmm…that's not suspicious at all.'

"Answer me!"

'Should I tell her? Maybe just a sprinkle of truth...’

"Well, because that's where I came from."

She looked at him with a blank expression.

Her entire body trembled.

'What the?'

"You swore on your life that you would tell me the truth, remember?" she remarked in a monotone voice.

In the blink of an eye, she removed the bow from her shoulder and drew an arrow from the quiver on her back.

She knocked the arrow and pointed the tip at him.

"You...You may not be entirely defenceless, but you are far too weak to have resided in the Upper Garden!"

'Fuck, she's serious!'

Ari couldn't waste any time thinking about the meaning behind her words.

The sword lying diagonally behind the Elf drew his attention away from the tip of her arrow.

Ari heard the whistle of an arrow as he performed a dash to the right, and in the next instant, the arrow pierced the ground where he previously stood.

After executing a double dash, he arrived in front of the sword, then spun on his heel after grabbing it.

Ferine looked surprised, but drew another arrow and fired it without hesitation.

Ting!

Ari deflected the arrow and took a defensive stance.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Ferine continued firing in rapid succession, giving little room to breathe.

‘She’s not messing around!’

Ari couldn’t remain in a defensive position forever. The moment her arrow supply depleted, she was bound to use something more powerful, and if the speed and power of her arrows were anything to go by, he would be in serious trouble.

He dodged an arrow at the last second to trigger Perfect Dodge, then executed a double dash towards her.

Seeing him clear the ten-meter distance in an instant, she leapt back reflexively and unleashed an arrow that instantly multiplied into dozens, creating a wall of arrows between them.

‘Shit.’

Ari waited for the perfect timing, then leapt into the air, performing a double jump to clear the arrow wall, then executed a double mid-air dash to land behind her.

He held the sword in a reverse grip and lunged, aiming the butt at the back of her neck.

Ferine turned on her heel and tried to leap back; however, Ari used the last charge of his dash to bridge the gap before she had the chance.

He thrust the butt of the sword towards her neck, but stopped just before reaching her throat.

Ferine gasped and froze in place.

"It's embarrassing, but I admit that your assessment is correct.”

“I’m not as powerful as I should be. However, I'm telling you the truth."

“As for how I arrived in this forest, well, it’s rather complicated. All that I can say is that it was out of my control.”

She lowered her head.

“Forgive me for testing you. I believe your words to be the truth.”

‘Just like that?’

“Not that I’m complaining, but is it really that easy to believe me?”

“At the very least, I have established that you have no malicious intent. That would have to do for now," she replied with a gentle smile.

"Please follow me," she said, then started walking towards the treeline.

"Where are we going?"

"To my village; there is someone that I would like you to meet.”