I Am Really The Best Anti Hero In Another World!-System Of Anti Hero! novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41 - 41 - Illumination Through the Dao

"Hmm..."

Noah remained lost in thought for some time after Arthur had explained his plan to him. He lingered near the oven, pacing back and forth—an action that left the Radiance family, especially Arthur, feeling uneasy. With a sigh, Noah stopped and said:

— How powerful are the creatures that surround this city...?

"...That's hard to say..." replied Arthur thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure, but I estimate that the vast majority are in the Qi Condensation stage," answered Alice.

"Huh? And why do you say that, ma'am?"

"Ma'am...?" she cleared her throat before continuing, "Well, despite their strength, I don't believe that the people at the Moonlit Night Hall have advanced much further than that. It's only a supposition, but I suspect that the strongest among them are, at most, at the Foundation Establishment stage."

"That's an interesting assumption... but is there a reason behind it?"

"Even they aren't able to leave the city whenever they want, and whenever they do, the group always consists of the same people: the manager, who is the strongest, the butler, and another six. Everyone else stays in the city, and among them, there's no one stronger than Arthur."

"So it should be around the fourth cultivation stage, maybe—with luck—the fifth, right...? Well, then I suppose it won't be too difficult."

The Radiance family was astounded by these words—apparently, Noah is stronger than they had expected (after all, he also came from outside the city)—but what he said next only left them more confused:

— But I'm going to need those clothes I was wearing when I arrived here... You didn't throw them away, did you?

They couldn't understand how a set of clothes—now almost completely torn—could possibly help solve this problem, much less why Noah had started to shred them even more as soon as he had taken them in hand.

"You know, I didn't see many creatures on my way to this city... not living ones, at least," he said as he tore his old garment into long strips. "And partly, that happened thanks to these very clothes you're looking at."

"Is there... something special about them? Was it your uncle who gave them to you...?" Arthur asked apprehensively.

Noah paused for a moment at the mention of "uncle" and recalled that Arthur was referring to the Stellar Demon Wolf. He managed a small smile, continued working on the strips, and replied:

— Y-Yes... he said they would keep me safe, as long as I didn't come across any creature that was truly powerful.

"By 'truly powerful' you mean..."

"Well... something that might even be able to take on a semi-dragon, I suppose."