Reborn as an Extra Chapter 603: Let’s Go Home. Part-3.

Kehrid felt astonishment upon seeing Rio return the artifact immediately, without requiring any prompt from him.

He noticed that Rio had just come back from a perilous location, where his companion might have perished, so Kehrid held back from inquiring about the artifact out of sympathy.

However, Rio's voluntary return of it only enhanced his image in Kehrid's eyes.

Employing his telekinesis, he stored the artifact and the miasma crystal container before inquiring tentatively,

"Well... so, how did your search go... I noticed that you brought back a large floating container with you... is it perhaps..."

Upon hearing Kehrid’s words, Rio stroked the young Kifrid’s head and gave a nod.

"Yeah... sigh, I didn’t make it on time after all..."

Since Rio guarded the massive containers using his stealth and sword intent, Kehrid couldn’t fully penetrate those protective barriers with clarity.

With Rio now at the peak of S-rank, boasting extraordinary command over sword intent, even SS-rankers found it nearly impossible to pierce his stealth techniques.

Rio stood merely steps from the ’Demi-gods’ realm; indeed, he had grown vastly stronger since stepping into the spirit realm.

’Even though I’m seated so near him... he can’t sense any shift in my aura or detect my enhanced power...’

When Rio first encountered Kehrid, he was merely in the initial S-rank phase, yet in only six months, he had ascended to the S-rank pinnacle—a truly astonishing and peculiar feat!

Were Kehrid aware of this, shock and incredulity might overwhelm him to the point of fainting; thus, Rio maintained his aura’s fluctuations akin to their original state from that initial meeting.

"Sigh... I am sorry for your loss... so you will be returning to the human empire soon?"

Rio affirmed with a nod and responded in his typical emotionless manner.

"Yeah, I have people waiting for me back home... I only stopped by here for a brief rest..."

With those words, Rio retrieved a small toy sword crafted from shadow dragon scales from his sword ring and presented it to Kifrid.

"Here, I brought you a souvenir from the spirit realm. I hope you will become a great warrior in the future..."

Rio had fashioned that toy sword and several other mementos from the remaining fragments of dragon scales available to him.

Kifrid’s eyes sparkled as he eagerly grasped the gleaming sword and bounced around joyfully!

"Thank you, big bro Rio! I promise I will become very strong in the future! Hehe!"

"Then we will go on adventures together one day!"

The innocent grin of that young child greatly relieved the constant stress and strain Rio had endured within the spirit realm.

"Hoh... you can make artifacts too?... err... although the craftsmanship is kind of lacking... it’s good enough considering it was made by a beginner..."

Kehrid’s inner blacksmith instinct compelled him to critique Rio’s handiwork upon examining the roughly fashioned toy sword.

"Well... I am just a humble travelling bard after all; I don’t have much talent in the field of craftsmanship..."

Kehrid nearly blurted, ’Humble my a*s!! How do you explain that dense sword intent running across your entire body then!’ Yet he held his tongue, mindful of Rio’s grief over his friend’s demise.

Therefore, he shifted the conversation.

"So... how was the spirit realm... you are the first person I have seen aside from King Allen who managed to come back alive from the spirit realm without suffering any major injuries..."

In response to Kehrid’s query, Rio refilled his tea and savored a lengthy sip before replying in his customary emotionless tone.

"There’s one word that can describe the spirit realm perfectly, and that is ’bizarre’! That place is very bizarre!"

"That’s the kind of place that even SS-rankers would not like to enter... I only wandered around in the shallow areas but... the further and deeper you go, the denser miasmic corruption becomes in that place..."

"Also... there are powerful and bizarre monsters inside, miasma is dominating everything and it’s very hostile to all outside creatures..."

Rio shared with Kehrid and Kifrid numerous observations from the spirit realm, naturally excluding his personal secrets and details of his meeting with Raika and similar matters.

He merely described the fundamental surroundings of the area and its inhospitable nature for lingering.

Kehrid and Kifrid became so absorbed in Rio’s tales that the passage of hours escaped their notice since the discussion began.

When Rio concluded, evening had arrived, with the sun descending toward the horizon.

Rio shared lunch with Kifrid before rising to depart.

Both Kehrid and Kifrid were loath to see Rio leave prematurely, yet he had no option; he was already behind schedule and couldn’t postpone longer.

His initial intention was to finish the mission within a month or two and head home swiftly, but delays extended it to six months!

Should he linger further, he risked missing the ship returning home!

"Next time I will come to visit you when I get stronger, big bro Rio!"

At little Kifrid’s vow, Rio ruffled the boy’s hair and nodded approvingly.

"Good, become strong and come to challenge me; we will spar each other then... I look forward to how strong you will be by then... good luck!"

After spending the whole day in conversation, Rio said goodbye to the grandfather and grandson pair and departed as evening fell.

With his bolstered stealth rendering detection by SS-rankers unnecessary, Rio skipped buses or other vehicles entirely.

He soared directly toward the City of Treasures, Dharheim.

It was regrettable that he couldn’t fully savor the dwarf kingdom’s landscapes before departing, but circumstances left him no alternative.

Time held utmost importance; retrieving Liam and Ellie’s souls outweighed any aimless exploration in the dwarf kingdom currently.

’Ugh... I have gotten so used to always using the cube of possibilities for directions in the past months that now that it’s gone, I kind of feel like something’s missing...’

’Perhaps I should make some skill or ability that would mimic the power of the cube of possibilities in the future...’

Despite attaining a superior realm and greater sword intent proficiency, Rio remained distant from finely discerning destiny’s threads and the future’s flow.

Maybe only Lia could achieve that presently.

’Although I have lost the cube of possibilities... I have gained a powerful shadow robe in this trip...’

Rio’s shadow robe had elevated to legendary artifact status, and his dominion over shadow elements had intensified dramatically, making it a worthwhile trade.

’I wonder if Lia will be surprised after knowing that I have already reached peak of rank S by now...’

’Err... but... perhaps she might get stressed though... she’s been trying to catch up to me after all; if I tell her that I have improved again, that might break her heart...’

’Sigh... what a dilemma...’

Though it could sadden Lia somewhat, Rio refused to deceive her, planning to reveal his true power if questioned.

And should she not inquire, that would prove ideal.

’Talking about strength, she must be back from her training by now... I wonder how strong she would be after such a long training mission...’

Rio yearned to return swiftly and assess the state of affairs at home.

Moreover, he had to inform Ashtel Rex about the grand seal and the door to the sea of miasma, alerting the world alliance to potential future threats.

The primary task awaiting Rio was uncovering ’Raika’s’ identity and the manipulator pulling strings behind her.

The spirit realm resolved many of Rio’s queries and offered prime conditions for advancement, yet it spawned additional mysteries, fueling his desire for greater power!

’I need to reach the realm of demi-gods as fast as possible... there’s not much time left before the first ’SSS’ rank dungeon appears in the world...’

With full-powered absolute stealth engaged, Rio’s gaze burned with resolve as he mounted his sword and hurtled toward his goal at breakneck speed!