105 — Did Something Happen?

1

Accidents happen in the blink of an eye.

One moment of carelessness, and Death swings its scythe to claim a life. It’s a common occurrence.

What Anais witnessed was exactly that.

She had let her guard down.

She thought the enemy would die just from the joy of unleashing her newfound power, from the sheer force of her magic.

She hadn’t expected it to make one last desperate move like that—.

“Senior! Senior Manus!”

Rage surged through Anais’s entire body.

As she was about to take a step forward, a hand was placed on hers.

“My lady, don’t worry.”

“But the senior was swallowed!”

“Look over there.”

Thump!

The massive creature’s body jolted.

There should have been something crushed inside, but instead, something was fighting back, overcoming the overwhelming size difference.

Thump!

The serpent’s throat bulged and then returned to normal.

Thump—!

Once more.

Thump!

And again.

Seeing the giant serpent immobilized, as if being beaten, it was clear that some immense force was at work.

“…Can that really happen so easily?”

“If it’s the young lord now, it’s more than possible.”

Aden smiled.

It was truly amazing.

Just a month ago, he was a man with barely a handful of mana.

Now, he was taking down a monster all by himself.

[Hisssss!]

The Patroller let out an eerie groan and tried to open its mouth.

But its jaw seemed to be held shut by something, as if clamped down by a mana bridle.

Crackling-!

From inside, there was a sound of something burning.

Then, the massive serpent’s body was engulfed in flames, reduced to ashes.

It looked as if the serpent was shedding its skin in fire, and there, standing on both feet, was Manus.

“Senior! Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine.”

Manus responded calmly.

Anais couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at the mana that had just surged.

The magic he had used…

“Let’s go back. You did well.”

“Senior, it’s me who should be thanking you… for guiding such a clumsy junior like me. Thank you for your hard work.”

Thump. Manus’s hand, which had quietly approached, landed gently on Anais’s head.

It was only for a moment, but the soft touch made something well up in her eyes.

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

Why did his grumbling, careless words feel so warm?

Anais felt like she was beginning to understand his way of expressing himself.

No wonder Kael was so drawn to him.

She looked up and beamed.

The heavy chains that had been holding her down seemed to disappear.

Her vision felt wide open.

Just a bit, but she felt like she was standing at the same eye level as an adult.

‘Now, I can finally see it.’

As he gathered the loot and searched for the teleportation device, the faint remnants of mana emanating from him were evident.

That alone was enough to know just how high of a level Manus was at.

Yes, I need to aim for something bigger than what’s just in front of me.

“Next time…”

Just one year.

By this time next year, she hoped to be looking down from a place even higher than her senior.

It would be tough.

But she wanted to run towards it.

She now had a goal to pursue relentlessly.

For Anais, that would become a powerful driving force to live her life.

If you don’t advance, you’ll be left behind.

‘I can also head to a higher place.’

She smiled.

It was a confident, radiant smile.

A smile that perfectly suited someone with the name Flois.

【Battle Ended】

[Tower Floor 77]

『Lover 3: Viperra』

[Anais’s level has increased.]

[Anais has learned the exclusive skill: Dissolute.]

[You have obtained the artifact: Memorize Ring.]

[Anais: Level 40]

[Familiar’s level has increased.]

[Albion: Level 28]

[Strong interference detected.]

…

2

Another day had come to an end.

After distributing the mana stones, they picked up a few useful pieces of loot on their way back.

Occasionally, bosses or powerful entities would drop ‘identified items.’

This feature had been activated after defeating Mia, and the first identified item was obtained from the Patroller on the 77th floor.

Fixed reward: Memorize Ring.

An artifact inscribed with the ‘Memorize’ magic, often seen in many fantasy novels.

For gear obtained from the 77th floor, it had a rather unimpressive effect.

‘In the game, it was a spell that allowed you to use one 5th-class magic spell once a day without any risk.’

A translucent screen appeared.

The text written on it was exactly what Manus remembered.

Early on, they would store 3rd-class or 4th-class level spells.

But the true significance of the Memorize Ring lay in eliminating the gap between buffs and attacks.

Using a buff consumed one turn.

Enduring an enemy’s attack consumed another turn before counter-attacking.

This artifact completely broke that cycle.

“Now that I think about it, the applications are endless.”

By pre-storing spells, it could even store those created with Cadenza, making it a truly broken item.

Not only did it reduce massive mana consumption, but it also allowed for a combination of decent buffs and powerful attack magic within a single turn.

It would be useful for at least another year.

This was also in preparation for the upcoming boss battle.

‘The rest is just a gamble.’

Laying out the artifacts, they had quite a collection.

There was no way of knowing whether they’d get the desired options.

They could ask Emerson to appraise them tomorrow and distribute them accordingly.

For now, it would be best to distribute any equipment and then farm later to match the options.

Albion had gulped down a handful of mana stones and was now snoring softly.

When Manus stroked its soft fur, its long tail swayed gently.

‘Maybe I should sleep, too.’

He lay down and thought about something truly important, not just the rewards.

Interference.

Strong interference, at that.

The rewards were beyond imagination.

[Strong reward detected.]

[Anais’s fate is changing.]

[The fate of the Flois family is changing.]

[You are one step closer to achieving a great accomplishment.]

[Reward: Slight increase in mana, 30% increase in fire magic attack power]

[Reward: Additional effect added to Flois’s Mindset]

[Reward: Total acquisition time for Flois’s Mindset reduced by 70%]

‘Thanks to this, the acquisition time for the Flois’s Mindset skill has decreased to 9 years…’

He thought he might be able to use a coupon obtained from completing the next sub-quest or finishing the DLC story to acquire it immediately.

He was growing stronger and stronger.

It was a rate of growth that was impossible on Earth.

A speed entirely different from the sluggish, frustrating times when the passage of time felt unfair.

At this rate, surpassing the protagonist, Kael, and becoming the strongest in the world didn’t seem impossible.

The conqueror’s spirit, deeply engraved within him, began to stir.

‘No… If I show my fangs, too many things will go wrong.’

He suppressed his savage urges, covering them with rationality.

Just like he had done on Earth.

Manus, who had lived in a time where people were killed with words.

Hiding his true intentions was something he was quite familiar with.

In truth, he now wanted to live a life far removed from politics.

No matter how powerful he became, there would always be people trying to exploit him.

‘Maybe when the main storyline ends, I should find a quiet place, like my family estate or somewhere else, and live peacefully.’

Manus closed his eyes.

As sleep tugged him down into dreams, his consciousness grew hazy.

Even as he was falling asleep, he thought.

He needed to become strong enough that no one would dare to touch him.

3

Clatter.

The door swung open cheerfully.

With her red hair flowing, Anais walked in with a confident stride.

Just a day ago, she had been shuffling around like a zombie—.

Now, her skin glowed, radiating health.

The faintly glowing mana added to her grace.

Can a person really change so much in just one day?

“Hey, Anais.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Pearson called out to her cautiously.

A single word, ready to face a cold reaction or even being ignored.

But contrary to his expectations, what returned was a bright pair of eyes, a beautiful face, and the friend Pearson remembered.

“…Did something happen to you?”

“Something happen? I was just a bit tired yesterday.”

“I see—.”

“Oh, by the way, Senior Manus said he’d be waiting in the club room after today’s class.”

Leaving those words behind, Anais turned her head away.

Pearson nodded absentmindedly.

Feeling a gaze on him, he turned his head and noticed Kael hurriedly turning away.

Pearson sighed softly.

In any case, he was glad that Anais looked healthier than before.

He whispered, just loud enough for Anais to hear.

They were sitting right in front of each other.

“I was worried about you. Next time, let me know before you go anywhere.”

“…”

There was no reply.

But Pearson could still smile.

The swaying of her red hair served as a positive answer.

Anais nodded silently, bringing peace to Pearson’s heart.

Meanwhile, Kael, seeing the change in Anais, was suddenly gripped by anxiety.

Anais was a noble, a person who maintained her relationships with a bright personality.

Kael recalled the scenes of many people greeting Anais warmly as they walked through the academy together.

Her red hair was a symbol of her influential family.

‘No, Senior told me not to think like this.’

In fact, it might have been for the best.

Yesterday, when Anais had returned looking like a walking corpse, Kael couldn’t help but be worried.

Where had she gone?

What had happened?

“Hello, everyone. Let’s start the class.”

The professor’s voice cut into her thoughts.

He looked at Kael and Anais before speaking.

“Kael, Anais, you both applied for the student council president position, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Anais replied, and Kael nodded.

A subtle tension filled the air.

Seeing this, the professor smiled, as if finding it rather pleasant.

He spoke with a gentle expression, as if deciding to give some advice from an adult’s perspective.

The professor recalled the events of that morning.

His advice was, ‘When competing, friendships can be strained, so always be mindful.’

[Professor.]

[Hmm? Oh, it’s you…]

Someone had come to see him early that morning.

Someone who had always been cold and ruthless had personally sought him out to make that request.

Though he hadn’t lived long, he felt a sharp realization that one could never predict human nature.

“So, always keep this in mind. Mythos Academy is a place of competition, but it is also a place for cultivating your character.”

Both students nodded silently.

They wanted to look at each other, but both flinched, which didn’t escape the professor’s eyes.

That made him smile naturally.

What was I like at their age?

It was a thought he occasionally had while teaching students.

It was said that this year’s first-year students, like the second-years, were also composed of the best talents.

“Getting to know each other through competition is also a good method. Now, let’s take a look at today’s lesson—.”

The professor’s calm and steady words gently tapped on the hearts of the two tense students.

They couldn’t even begin to guess who was behind those words.

[Interference begins.]

The ‘someone’ who had spoken to the professor.

The message appearing before him reflected the feelings of both Kael and Anais.

–TL Notes–
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