Chapter 159 — An Abrupt Development

1

[S7 Clear]

[Calculating your score.]

[Failed to uncover the source of Black Rum / Captured Siren / Assistant Chesthip escaped / Concluded the disciplinary committee]

[Overall: B]

[Reward: L-Grade Mana Crystal x 10]

[Exclusive Player Panzer Awarded]

[All skills in the current skill slots acquired]

[The direction of the world line is changing.]

[More trials will come your way. Strive toward your own ending.]

What is this?

Manus was in the middle of a conversation with Invidea in a quiet place when suddenly a message window popped up, leaving him baffled.

Did it just clear so suddenly?

At that moment, a headache surged through him.

A sharp pain pierced his mind, forcing him to close his eyes.

He tried his best to hide his discomfort from his sister, Invidea, and suppressed a groan.

Finally, the skills that had been left unattended were absorbed.

The immense knowledge flooding in at once overloaded Manus’s brain.

“Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

The accumulation of knowledge happened in an instant.

[Whispers of the Spirits]

[Cloud of Oblivion]

And one more skill.

[Counter — Exigo]

He had acquired some truly powerful skills.

Manus heard faint whispers.

It was the sound of mana spirits murmuring.

Mysterious voices tickled his ears.

It felt as though the air itself was speaking directly to him.

“You… suddenly seem different?”

“It’s just your imagination. So… you’re planning to go after the Acre family?”

“I’ve heard the Emperor is lending his support. It seems he’s sending reinforcements.”

“Even so, it won’t be an easy battle.”

Invidea nodded.

A territorial war.

Two sons of the Caeser Dukedom had been attacked.

One of them was even the official heir of the Dukedom.

Naturally, the Caeser family couldn’t let this go unchallenged.

In the end, they declared a territorial war against the Acre County.

This was sanctioned by the Emperor, and with such overwhelming military power, the Dukedom would likely crush them.

But why?

“Something feels uneasy.”

“Is it because of the Order?”

Manus nodded.

The Dire Order.

Those moving in tandem with Eresis would certainly have something planned.

Their likely target…

“Father and his inner circle must be thoroughly protected.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. See you later. I’m tired and need some rest.”

“…Later?”

Weren’t you going back?

Manus, breaking his stoic expression, asked again.

Invidea answered with a bright smile.

As her voice faded, Manus felt a moment of bewilderment.

“I plan to stay here until Assistant Chesthip is captured.”

“…”

Manus blankly stared at his sister’s retreating figure.

Surely, she was swamped with matters involving the Dire Order and the Blue Lions, yet here she was, staying.

Many questions began to surface, but he let it go.

She was more experienced and stronger than he was, so she must know what she’s doing.

As a member of their family, and given her duties in the Magic Tower, she certainly had plenty to handle.

But something more important awaited him.

‘How much stronger have I become?’

[Cloud of Oblivion]—perfect for wiping out small fry.

[Whispers of the Spirits]—to erode a boss’s elemental resistances.

And finally, the ace up his sleeve: [Counter].

With these three skills, his power had significantly increased.

Perhaps he could now solo the first Warden?

The Garden was a place where demons using various status effects and powerful physical attacks appeared.

Especially status effects.

The Empress and the lover Arcania were particularly notorious for their status effect spamming.

‘Kael can use Flamma, so stability is somewhat secured…’

Should I attempt it alone?

Manus looked at Albion, who was wagging its tail beside him.

The skill learned at level 40 was the creature’s only utility skill.

It seemed the time for some serious grinding had arrived.

And then.

‘Search, Square Casting.’

[Search Result: 1 match]

[Square Casting: 1 year]

One year.

A period that could be considered long or short.

Manus pondered as he returned to the dormitory.

What skills should he learn?

What were his weaknesses, and what choices should he make to rise higher?

Square Casting.

The ability to cast four spells simultaneously, and a means to elevate the level of Cadenza.

With this level of firepower in just one year, he would be able to deal with upcoming dungeons and villains with ease.

But something about it didn’t sit right with him.

‘It’s a passive skill, but there are even better skills out there.’

Even though he could grow stronger by simply existing, he now knew how to work hard.

Having the capacity to ascend, he sought even more explosive growth.

It was quite ironic.

Though he could stand still and grow, he now felt compelled to move and push himself.

But he liked it.

He was able to break free from his meaningless past and finally live a proper life.

But he was also anxious.

He feared being cast out from this world full of fulfilling and abundant days.

He feared becoming a cog in the machine once again, unable to act of his own volition.

‘…I’ll set that aside for now.’

That’s why he wanted to rise on his own.

The great protagonist only mastered this magic in his third year.

Manus wanted to master it in one year—or less.

With a clear goal in mind, he was brimming with motivation.

To achieve this, he would need to further solidify his foundation.

It was still early in the game.

The time for proper conflict had yet to arrive.

So, there was still plenty of time to reinforce his foundations.

2

[Acre’s Mindset: 55 years]

[The Blue Lion guards the jungle, not the plains.]

[The silver plate armor reflecting the sunlight gleamed with a faint blue light.]

[Their swords, imbued with aura, were like the fangs of a blue lion, and their armor resembled the mane of a great lion.]

[Listen, those who protect the Empire’s borders with swords and rule the forest with blades.]

[You must raise your swords and defend the Empire and the forest. That is why the Blue Lion shines.]

[Physical Attack Power (including magic and ancient magic) +50%]

[Ignores 50% of enemy’s physical defense]

[Proficiency bonus when using bladed weapons]

[Do you want to register this in the skill slot?]

“Slot 1.”

In the dormitory bed.

Ironically, the skill Manus chose after much deliberation was the enemy’s skill.

The Acre family.

What caught his eye was the +50% Physical Attack Power.

It was a raw damage boost, pure and simple.

With the rewards he had accumulated, the skill that originally required over 100 years to learn had been reduced to 55 years.

A non-elemental attack skill that could be used with sheer brute force.

With the addition of skill slot enhancements, its power would be further amplified.

[Skill Enhancement is in progress.]

[Learning time reduced. 55 years → 44 years]

[Two skill slots remaining.]

[Select the skill you want to learn.]

For the second skill, he chose one that would increase his magic and stamina.

As an aspiring Elementalist, it was essential to strengthen elemental magic.

And if it could reduce mana consumption when using magic?

Using 6th-Class magic made him realize something.

He still needed more mana, as vast as the Pacific Ocean.

And considering the use of Cadenza with 6th-Class magic…

“Mana is king.”

He finally understood why mages scoured the world for rare potions and doped themselves to the point of war and slaughter to increase their mana.

Mages were beings capable of performing miraculous feats, but conversely, they were digging their own graves.

“Search, Rain of Elements.”

[Search Result: 1 match]

[Rain of Elements: 555 days]

[O elements that make up this world, descend like rain at my call.]

[Purify all unholy things and become one with me.]

[All elemental magic attack power +35%]

[Increased power when using Cadenza]

[Elemental magic mana consumption reduced by 20%]

“Slot 2.”

[Registered in Slot 2.]

[Skill acquisition is in progress.]

[One skill slot remaining.]

[Select the skill you want to learn.]

“Search, Cantati’s Library.”

[Search Result: 1 match]

[Cantati’s Library: 120 years]

The name of the third apostle: Cantati.

He chose Cantati’s passive skill, [Cantati’s Library].

The reason was simple.

The Memorize Ring, which had been so useful, was nearing its expiration date.

To put it simply, its utility was diminishing, and he needed to prepare for that.

[Cantati’s Library].

In Hell Mode, this skill alone had caused countless players to reset their games.

[Cantati’s Library]

[There is no knowledge that my library doesn’t possess.]

[The most useful aspect? Well, perhaps the ability to summon an infinite number of magical knowledge.]

[Once per turn, you can take an additional action.]

[You can take consecutive actions afterward.]

[Costs increase by 50% for each subsequent action.]

“Learn it.”

[Registered in Slot 3.]

[Skill acquisition is in progress.]

After selecting all the skills, the sun was already high in the sky.

What happened to Siren?

What might Aden be saying to her?

And where did Assistant Chesthip escape to?

There were too many unresolved issues.

A lingering sense of unease remained.

There had never been a time when things were resolved so cleanly, so the discomfort only grew.

Could this scenario really be considered resolved?

‘I’ll have to investigate further.’

Above all, there was lingering anxiety about Assistant Chesthip’s escape.

How did he manage to escape?

How could a mere assistant have gotten away?

That’s where I’ll need to start.

3

Aden and Siren were facing each other, deep in conversation.

It was already a foregone conclusion that Siren would be stripped of all her credentials and expelled from the Academy.

No matter how much Aden wanted to, there was no way to defend her.

Her face was still swollen from crying so much.

Her eyes were red, and tears continued to fall from them.

In a trembling voice, she spoke.

“…I’m so ashamed, Head Maid.”

“Why did you do it?”

“I just hated him so much. He treated the previous Head Maid terribly… even hit her. I despised those nobles.”

“I see. Do you regret it?”

Siren hesitated for a moment.

Do I regret what I did?

What was I thinking when I did it?

I…

As she pondered, she looked into Aden’s eyes.

Looking into those eyes reminded her of the previous Head Maid.

A pillar of support for the maids, who looked at her without any selfishness.

Regret…

To say there was none would be a lie.

“I’m not sure. But… if I could go back and someone offered me the same proposal, I think I’d refuse this time.”

“…I see. Take care of yourself.”

“Thank you.”

To prevent her from ever regaining power, the Academy would place a powerful restriction on her.

Additionally, they would brand her so that she could be tracked wherever she went.

Siren left with a broken expression.

As Aden watched her retreating figure, her eyes reddened for a moment.

But only for a moment, as she quickly rose to her feet and returned to her usual composed expression.

Or perhaps, it was even colder than before.

Aden was now wearing the face of an assassin, not a maid.

–TL Notes–
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