The next day.
Grey was done with his training, unfortunately, other than the transformation of his earth domain, there were no other substantial improvements. He used the blood essence of the cat-type Beast and his cultivation got to the Peak of the Elemental Venerable Plane.
Now of the four, Klaus and Grey were at the Peak. Alice and Reynolds were in the Seventh stage and they weren't too far from the Peak. They both possessed strength to fight against anyone at the Peak, well, mainly Reynolds thanks to his Elemental Warrior. Alice was a little weaker, but she shouldn't have any problems with fighting others at the Peak, as long as they were not on the same level as Grey and the others.
"Do you guys still want to stay, or should we leave?" Grey asked.
Their original plan was to explore the Aurora Continent, and they've spent quite a lot of time here. He felt it was time for him to leave this place and go to the other continents he hadn't been to before.
"I'm already at the Peak, there's nothing here for me." Klaus said.
Given the restrictions here, he didn't want to break through here. Even if he might be able to, the possibility of having to be attacked by the world wasn't something he wanted to attempt.
The duo turned to Alice and Reynolds. They were the only two who were still in lower stages.
"Let's leave. We have already made good improvements here." Alice said.
When she came here, she was only in the Fourth stage, but now, she has advanced three stages thanks to Grey and her efforts. There was no point staying here any further. Especially since Grey and Klaus wouldn't really improve here. As much as she wanted to catch up, she knew advancing recklessly would do more harm than good.
Reynolds had his Elemental Warrior so he was cool with leaving at any time.
Grey nodded and turned his attention to the human settlement. The portal leading out was close to the human hideout.
"Hmm, looks like they're after the person who stole from them." He muttered after sensing some unrest on the territory of the Giants.
Klaus and the others sensed this as well.
"I think it's best we leave now." Klaus suggested.
Grey nodded and they headed for the exit. Their original mission here had been accomplished so they could leave. The Gnomes were all in hiding and couldn't cause any trouble to the humans that were present.
….
The group soon got to the human's hideout on their way out of the realm.
When they got there, Grey saw the group they encountered when they entered. He recalled telling them that they would be free for a week or so to do whatever they wanted since he was going to deal with the Gnomes.
They thanked Grey when they saw him. If not for his words, they would've missed this golden opportunity. Not just them, but multiple Elementalists benefited greatly from Grey's actions of keeping the Gnomes at bay.
Grey made sure to tell them of his departure. If they continued the same way, they risked getting killed by the Gnomes. The Gnomes knew he couldn't stay here forever, so they would come back again. By the time they eventually come back and Grey isn't around, they will take out their anger on the humans that were present.
Word of Grey leaving started to spread among the other humans. They ensured to keep it within themselves so as to benefit more from Grey's previous actions.
The Gnomes wouldn't dare to come out now as they were all afraid of Grey. Only after a long period of time passes and they don't hear or see Grey would they realize he isn't in the secret realm anymore.
Elaris and the others soon got word of Grey's departure and she rushed towards the exit. She needed Grey's help, and wanted to ensure that he helped her.
….
At the portal.
Grey and his friends were just about to leave when Elaris and Sylvia's brother arrived.
"You're leaving like that?"
Elaris' voice stopped them from leaving.
Grey was taken aback and turned to look at the person who spoke. Seeing Elaris, he didn't know what to see.
Klaus and Reynolds on the other hand had their hands on their mouths.
"Bud, what did you do?" Reynolds asked.
"I must say, she's quite beautiful. You saw her here?" Klaus asked with a teasing smile.
Grey didn't bother with them, "What do you want?"
"You promised to help me with that, but you're leaving like that." Elaris replied.
"I didn't promise to help you with anything. You're the one who's forcing me to help you with it."
"What's the difference?"
"I can't help you out, there are no Gnomes present, and I have a lot on my hands right now."
"Bud, what does she need help with? I can help out." Klaus moved close to Grey.
"You can't help. And don't you have someone already?" Grey pushed Klaus away.
"Yeah, but Rey is single." Klaus pointed at Reynolds.
Grey facepalmed and said, "It's not something you can help out with. Don't bother me."
"Are you helping me or not?" Elaris asked.
When she saw that Grey's friends were in support of her, she wanted to see if they would help her convince Grey.
"I'm not, you can leave now." Grey turned around, ready to leave.
"Why are you so stubborn?" Elaris couldn't believe Grey rejected. She added, "I can offer you some treasures."
"I have more than enough. I'm not interested in working for hire." Grey's reply frustrated Elaris even more.
Klaus and Reynolds felt like beating Grey. A pretty girl was asking for his help and he was rejecting her in such a manner, he wasn't even giving her any face.
"This is why you can never have a girlfriend." Klaus muttered.
Grey took a glance at Klaus and said, "I didn't say I was looking for one. I have more important things to worry about."