Chapter 391 - ???? (Patreon)

Did I just commit suicide by adding two skills to the mix? Well, poor future Nathaniel indeed. Poor guy. Rest in peace. Hehe.

Fuck.

I activate my [Mana Crown] and extend [Mana Domain] around me, even through my body. Then I use [Focus] to keep my attention split between the skills.

Myrra is currently getting some lessons from Lissandra, that damned woman. Doesn't that cockroach have training to do? Why does it always look like she has so much free time?

I force myself to stop thinking of useless stuff and focus on my training instead.

Over the palm of my hand, two orbs float. It goes better now with my crown activated, and the intention is for it to help me with training. Five skills that have the highest chance to get there are [Focus], [Redistribution], [Mana Manipulation], [Perception], and [Resonance].

I would love to replace the last two with [Mana Crown] and [Mana Domain], but both of these skills are difficult to level, the same as [Tether] is.

For the following ten hours I have for mana shaping, I continue to just split the two orbs over the palm of my hand while a few of my skills run in the background.

Nothing else.

As the hours pass, I do not find it boring. Annoying, yes. Frustrating, totally yes. But it's not boring.

Every time I think I'm done improving the process, I come up with another idea to improve it. A slight change to the shape of the orb. Changing the density of half of the orb allows me to pull on it with more force. The denser mana is easier to move this way.

I guess it also shows how much effort I put into making black mana usable, setting normal mana aside, as even Lissandra pointed out. Damn, that dumb past Nathaniel, always causing me and future Nathaniel trouble with his bullshit.

When the time passes, I check the notifications.

[Mana Crown - lvl 24 > Mana Crown - lvl 25]

[Mana Crown - lvl 25 > Mana Crown - lvl 26]

[Perception - lvl 46 > Perception - lvl 47]

Okay, this is not good. Why the heck did crown level instead of [Mana Manipulation]?

“I need to fight monsters. The stronger, the better,” I tell Lissandra.

“No.”

Well, I can fight this woman in front of me instead. She won't kill me, so she might even work better than the monsters.

I stand up, the crown still activated and filled with plenty of mana, and my skills start activating as well.

Lissandra watches calmly. “How long do you want to rely on just life-and-death situations to help you to pass that line?”

Her words hit the spot, and I hesitate.

She continues with the same calmness, “If you rely on just fights to push you through and some training afterwards, you will never grasp the skills properly. Then, one day you will get into a fight, expecting yourself to break through, but there will be nothing. And you will die.”

Frustrated, I still release a huge chunk of my mana at her.

Having probably a little bit of mana in that dagger, she uses it, disruption around her canceling out any effect my mana would have.

“There is a place for that. When all your senses are heightened and the feeling of danger is all consuming, it allows for some unique opportunities, but do not rely on it too much.”

Taking a few steps, she stops in front of me. Before I react, she stabs the tip of the black dagger into my chest, barely piercing through my skin. Like a vampire, that black dagger made from my mana so long ago starts absorbing mana from inside of my body.

It's heavily modified, and it feels solid instead of feeling like mana that can be disrupted. Lissandra surely made some big changes to it, turning it into her external mana heart that needs to absorb mana to work.

“Why did you decide not to kill me?” I ask her directly.

It's not meant for the situation right now. No, I wonder why she didn't kill me back when I appeared here.

Why did she break the plan with the ruler of Envy when she was clearly ready to do so?

This time she answers, “Because you are trying, little pup. I saw too many candidates and disciples who grew comfortable and their hunger for growth faded away.”

The dagger absorbs half of my body's mana, and only then Lissandra stops and takes a step back.

“It might be only because you don't know anything about the world. Maybe sheer inexperience and lack of information allow you to do that. But seeing you try so hard and show such passion allowed me to recognize something. I, as well, grew comfortable and that's how you found me back then on the second floor.”

I put my hand on the small wound on my chest, a bit of blood flowing from it as it already starts healing.

“Now that I look back on this, I despise how pathetic that version of me was. Where was that hunger that allowed me to survive the war and become a Champion? Where was the greed that made me one of the youngest Absolutes ever? Where was that pride that allowed me to reach the top and the wrath I put on everyone who dared to face me?”

Her words quiet down, a memory flashing behind her eyes.

“All of it eroded. Dampened. Just a fake without a spark. A shadow left behind to be used as a toy even before it got trapped in the tutorial. But then you appeared. Throwing away the powerful item I gave you and deciding instead to witness the last moments of my old self. A brilliant flame of determination she discovered once more before the end.”

I'm thinking of reacting and answering her, but it doesn't feel right. Instead, I just listen to her. Her true feelings put on display.

“I realized it fully only when I saw you just a few days ago. Even though clumsy, there were signs of your own path that you are carving. A passion shining through. And so I remembered it's also thanks to you I regained what my old self lost. As thanks for that, I will face the Ruler, I will break the deal I made and I will change my plans. As my thanks, I'm even willing to end you and will do it without hesitation if it comes to it. And if you fail the same as the old me did, I will kill you. For ruining that beautiful image.”

“I see.”

“Is that enough of an answer for you, little pup?”

“More than enough.”

“Great. Now for the next three hours, you will continue to throw attacks against me. The same pathetic attack you attempted just a few moments ago. If you fail to improve, I will destroy that damaged arcane ax.”

“And if I succeed?”

“I won't destroy it.”

***

Almost three hours later, I'm left in the room with Myrra as Lissandra heads out somewhere. I barely catch my breath and sit curled up in the corner of the room. My head is spinning, and even now my hands are shaking. Every sound and even the soft light seemingly make it worse.

Well, at least the ax is safe. That shitty weapon better prove itself super useful in the future.

Squeezing my hands into fists, I wait for ten more minutes and then, as Lissandra said, the inscriptions all over my body activate. The Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.

Just on time as the three hours passed and five hours of training of kinetic energy started.

My body crumples to the floor, and even more than before, I want to use my mana and remove these inscriptions she made. It would be simple enough; she didn't make them permanent on purpose, and I examined them extensively.

Instead, I reach for the kinetic energy stored in my core and let it flow into my body.

Five hours pass, and by the end, I'm able to twitch my pinkie.

I don't remember the last time I was so happy.

***

Not even getting time to rest, I'm led outside of the Workshop by a man with the class called Solar Ascendant. I guess him to be close to level 300 where the two question marks over him would turn to three. Most likely a disciple of Champion Niall together with that other man.

My head is still spinning, but at least Lissandra didn't put any limit on me, and in the next five hours, I'm allowed to hunt as much as I want.

When the doors open, the man gestures for me to go out.

“I will be back here in five hours, good luck on your hunt.”

The door closes, and I'm left alone right under the giant metal door.

There is no weapon on me, just clothes that I will have to replace once again because of all the damage they sustain.

Placing multiple anchors in a row, I exit the area that seems to be devoid of monsters. Then I boost myself high up and use a nice chunk of my mana to activate [Perception].

When I detect the first one, I head there. Now without the inscriptions Lissandra made, I let kinetic energy flow through my body instead of mana and start strengthening it.

It's something Vega also prefers doing; it's just that I preferred using mana instead. Either because of efficiency or straight up because I'm more used to it.

Unlike with mana, I have to be careful, as a burst of kinetic energy can damage my body much more than mana can.

The first monsters I face are my old friends.

[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 230]

[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]

[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 216]

[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 222]

[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 199]

It seems to be a popular kind in the area.

Now not having my mana limited and not about to test my efficiency at the moment, I try to move kinetic energy through my body in a similar way as when I'm using [Infusion] to infuse my armors. It's clumsy, but the sheer amount I have stored in my Vortex Core makes the attacks of the monsters useless.

Their spikes stop the moment they touch my skin, the kinetic energy of the movement absorbed. The same goes for their other attacks. I redirect that energy and use it in my own attack.

The amount of mana I use is limited and instead I force myself to fight with kinetic energy. The fight takes much longer than it should but I experiment with the monsters.

In the end, I flood my body with kinetic energy and tear them apart. Still remembering my fight against that group from before.

[Lvl 239 > Lvl 240]

Then, using [Perception], I head deeper into the forest. My Mana Wavelength Iris is put on hold as the trait is the main reason I haven't used [Perception] that much lately.

***

Five hours later I return to the iron door feeling much better. I think I might have grasped strengthening my body with kinetic energy just a little bit. I already plan some cheeky stuff I will try the next time Lissandra activates the inscriptions.

As on cue, the door opens and instead of the Solar Ascendant guy a young woman exits and smiles at me right away. It's a bright, cheeky smile without any hint of ill intention.

The woman looks a few years older than me. Her hair is blonde and falls over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her eyes are surprisingly normal. Just a common brown nicely contrasting with her blonde hair.

The clothes she is wearing are similar. Clean and of nice quality but nothing pompous. Black pants with a white shirt with long sleeves. There is no jewelry other than the necklace with a single beautiful mana stone that seems like it has a galaxy trapped inside.

“May I have a bit of your time? That bitc… ehm, pardon me, your companion, master, or whatever she is, has already been informed. It's for your training I agreed on.”

[Mana Juggernaut - lvl ????]

That's a lot of question marks.

I take a step back and Champion Niall exits.

“Sure, I’ve got a moment,” I answer and the door closes, leaving the two of us outside of the Workshop.

***

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