Chapter 498: But?

Anthony, Clement, and Spectre remained seated on the broad branch of the tree, their quiet discussion unfolding beneath the rustle of leaves.

“So, how’s life in the military? What’s your impression of it?”

Anthony inquired in a composed tone, his chin still resting thoughtfully against his palm.

“Boring” Clement muttered.

“Okay” Spectre responded simultaneously.

Their voices overlapped, revealing the contrast in their perspectives.

Anthony gave a small shake of his head in response to their answers. He understood well enough, Spectre’s sense of duty likely shaped his perception of the military, offering him structure and purpose.

But Clement was different. He had always been.

“And why do you find it boring?”

Anthony turned his gaze toward Clement, who remained cloaked in shadow, his presence veiled in the quiet stillness of dusk.

Clement offered no words in reply. Instead, he gave a slow, almost dismissive shake of his head, silently choosing to withhold his thoughts.

“It’s because of our military rank”

Spectre said with a quiet sigh, answering in Clement’s stead.

“Your rank?”

Anthony echoed, one brow arching in confusion. But then his gaze fell upon their uniforms.

The realization struck him.

They were dressed in the standard attire of Corporal ranked soldiers.

Anthony fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words.

He had completely overlooked the uniforms.

“We’re both still at the Corporal rank”

Spectre admitted with a weary sigh, the weight of resignation evident in his voice, as if he too resented the limitation.

“When we were recruited, we passed everything. We tore through the endless demon waves, overcame the Adaptive Combat Slime, and breezed through every phase of training, strength, stamina, speed, durability, weapons proficiency, will, we excelled in them all”

He paused for a moment, the frustration simmering beneath his calm tone.

“But?”

Anthony interjected, sensing the inevitable turn in the story.

“But it made no difference”

Spectre said, his tone quiet but edged with bitterness.

“We demonstrated our capabilities without restraint, fully aware that most of the other recruits couldn’t compare. We believed that by revealing our true potential, we’d ascend the ranks quickly. But in the end, it was all in vain”

He paused, the weight of disappointment lingering in the silence between them.

“For the longest time, we remained stuck at the Private rank, lumped together with the rest. It was only thanks to the sheer speed at which we completed missions and exterminated demons that we were grudgingly promoted to Corporal”

Spectre exhaled one final sigh, the sound heavy with frustration and quiet resignation.

Although he had said the military was okay, it was clear that he too found it somewhat boring.

Anthony understood their frustration all too well. The military was bound by strict protocol, unbending, systematic. It wasn’t a place where one could leap through the ranks simply because of their cultivation level or raw talent.

Unlike him.

Anthony had been catapulted directly to the rank of Lieutenant. But his promotion hadn’t come from favoritism or internal politics, it was born from an achievement that had rippled across the entire Blue Planet. His actions had shifted the trajectory of an entire civilization.

Even the title of Supreme Monarch seemed insufficient in comparison.

After all, could a Supreme Monarch singlehandedly advance the progress of an entire world on the level of Blue Planet.

He understood their frustration deeply. He had once wrestled with the same thoughts during his own mandatory year of military training, an enforced waiting period that felt more like a cage than preparation at the beginning.

To possess such overwhelming power, only to be ordered to wield it against weak and unworthy opponents, it was a suffocating experience. One that could easily drive any capable soldier to the brink of…..

“Hmm… I’ll see what I can do about this”

Anthony said calmly, his mind already working through possible solutions to free his subordinates from their stagnant situation.

“You have a way to help us?”

Spectre asked, clearly surprised.

He knew Anthony’s ways was beyond their comprehension, but this was the military, an institution so rigid it hadn’t flinched at the presence of two nineteen year old Ecliptic and Zenith rankers.

Anthony offered a faint smile, his voice steady.

“Let’s just say, the author’s feeling generous today”

“The author?”

Clement murmured under his breath, eyes narrowing slightly. It wasn’t the first time he had heard Anthony mention that strange term.

“Don’t think too hard about it. You won’t understand. The fourth wall isn’t something just anyone can think about, let alone grasp”

Anthony replied, his tone as calm and cryptic as ever.

“But Anthony”

Spectre began, his brows slightly furrowed as his gaze drifted to Anthony’s military uniform.

“How did you leap straight to the rank of Lieutenant? If I’m not mistaken, we all enlisted at the same time”

“Just a reward for winning the Starborn Tournament”

Anthony replied calmly, as if it were a trivial matter.

Spectre blinked, taken aback.

“The military’s rules are supposed to be absolute, aren’t they?”

His voice carried quiet surprise, tinged with disbelief.

“No rule is absolute, Spectre”

Anthony replied, his voice calm but firm, each word laced with conviction.

“If you’re strong enough, you can bend, break, or erase any rule that stands in your way. Rules exist for the weak, those who need boundaries”

He paused briefly, then continued, his tone growing more resolute.

“Even fate is a rule. But I rewrote it, with blood. I gave you the power to reach your current strength simply because my blood carried the will to defy what was written. Rules exist to be broken”

Spectre nodded slowly, his eyes thoughtful.

“I understand”

Clement, on the other hand, remained silent, still cloaked in shadow.

He didn’t need to speak.

His presence alone made it clear: he had been breaking rules from the moment he became Anthony’s subordinate.

“What about the last mission I sent you on?”

Anthony asked, his gaze steady.

“Mission? What mission?””

Spectre tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.

“The one where you were to gain battle experience from scratch”

Anthony replied casually.

In that moment, it clicked.

Both Clement and Spectre paused slightly, the memory resurfacing like a sudden echo. The last time they had spoken with Anthony, those were his advice to them.

Spectre cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

“After your words, we immedi—”

Anthony cut him off sharply, his tone calm but absolute.

“I’m not interested in words. Let the experience speak for itself”

Spectre paused, momentarily stunned. Then, a slow smile spread across his face, one of understanding and anticipation.

In the same instant, the darkness shrouding Clement receded like mist under sunlight, revealing his form in full. His gaze locked onto Anthony, ready and sharp.

Anthony didn’t need to hear a word more. He could feel it, the quiet but unmistakable surge of battle intent rising from both of them.

With a faint smile, Anthony spoke a single phrase:

Mirror Dimension

Reality immediately warped.

The world around them twisted like rippling glass, reshaping itself into a flawless replica of the military base, the floating island, the surrounding forest, the trees, mountains, hills, every detail copied to perfection.

“We’ll battle here. No need to damage the real base”

Anthony said calmly, his tone composed.

Though their bodies still appeared seated on the tree branch, within a blink, Spectre and Clement vanished, blurring through the mirrored space and reappearing several meters away on solid ground.

Then, with a voice steady and inviting, Anthony said:

“Shall we?”

So, only a chapter would be coming today. My body has been reacting in a funny way since morning. Don’t know if I’m about to fall ill. But, I can’t write the second chapter and it would be mid or not meeting the standard, I rather not type it at all.

But worry not, even if I fall ill, the two chapters daily release would be unaffected tomorrow and beyond as I will continue to release them uninterrupted.

Thank you for your time and understanding.