Chapter 186 — No More Rest
1
By the end of the banquet, Manus stood before the Emperor.
To be precise, the Emperor had come to him.
He only hesitated for a moment before quickly paying his respects.
“I greet Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Seeing you up close, you truly shine. It’s good to meet you.”
The Emperor gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
Manus, while bowing, subtly furrowed his brow as he tried to gauge the Emperor’s intentions.
Why was the Emperor so interested in him?
Was this the moment the Emperor would reveal the reason?
‘Politics… how complicated.’
This was a battlefield where power was gained by leveraging the abilities of various individuals.
A place where people used the continent—no, the entire world—as their chessboard.
And the Emperor, Bradley, was at the very top of that game.
“I’ll protect what you’re doing as much as possible.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“When I say that, I don’t just mean your academy education. You need to become… much stronger.”
“May I ask why?”
Asking the Emperor a question was generally considered highly improper.
But Manus had already pushed that thought aside.
Becoming the Emperor meant ruling over various tribes and territories.
Without tolerance, one would surely be branded a tyrant somewhere.
There was no such thing as a beloved ruler by all.
In the original story, the Emperor had accepted this and tried to view the larger picture with the broadest possible perspective.
“A reason, you ask… You already know that strange things are happening on the continent.”
“Do you intend to raise warriors?”
“That’s right. But not just any warriors. I aim to cultivate the best protectors, the greatest mages, and the strongest fighters.”
Manus lowered his head, understanding the Emperor’s intent.
The Emperor must be aware of the Erosion Zones.
He also knew what kind of impact they could have on the continent.
Manus pondered.
How could he phrase his words to avoid displeasing the Emperor while still continuing the conversation?
How could he extract the information he needed from their dialogue?
“Do you believe there are other forces at work besides the cult?”
“You understand me well. You’re a sharp one. Yes, there are many enemies in the world. The palace keeps a close watch on all of them.”
“You plan to place talents where they’re most needed.”
The Emperor smiled softly.
Manus.
Though only a distant relative, the boy was both daring and intelligent.
If he had been his son, he would’ve made him crown prince without hesitation—such was his brilliance.
The Emperor gazed into Manus’s blue eyes.
Manus wasn’t the only one who had caught his attention.
Wherever light shines, small lights gather naturally.
The people gathering around the light that was Manus were also beginning to shine.
“You called it a club, didn’t you? It seems to be more influential than the student council. Am I right?”
“I didn’t intend for it to be that way, but it seems so.”
“Division is dangerous. Can you lead them well?”
Manus nodded quietly.
He understood the Emperor’s concern.
A strong, united force creates powerful synergy.
But if that force were to split, the situation would be very different.
There is nothing more dangerous than internal strife.
The real enemy always operates from within.
“I trust you. Take this.”
“This is…”
“That was an impressive magic you used. How did you learn it?”
“My father, the head of our house, told me stories about the House of Light.”
The Emperor’s eyes widened.
The House of Light.
A legendary family said to have perished long ago.
No one knew what had happened to them after the Empire was established.
They were only known for their extraordinary talent in magic.
Come to think of it, Labeth’s wife was a commoner.
The Emperor handed Manus a small amulet.
“I’ve been testing you all this time. With Aden… and Veronica, too. I’m sorry for that. Pass on my apologies to her as well.”
“I will.”
“However, my tests will continue. If you overcome the trials ahead, I will reward you accordingly.”
“And if I refuse these trials… may I ask what would happen?”
The Emperor chuckled heartily.
It had been a long time since someone had been this bold with him.
“In that case, I would stop. But you wouldn’t receive much help either. Do you want to refuse?”
“No, Your Majesty. I will always strive to become stronger.”
“Hahaha… Good. I trust you. Finish your business here. Next time, we’ll meet in the palace.”
Manus bowed his head in response, bidding the Emperor farewell.
The Emperor had been surprisingly forthcoming with his intentions.
He had even hinted that he was on Manus’s side.
‘If that’s the case…’
With one potential threat neutralized, it was time to accelerate his growth.
During the midterm period, even the most capable players had focused solely on their studies.
Manus had been well aware of that when planning his schedule.
‘The problem is the tower’s difficulty has increased…’
But that could be solved by compensating for his weaknesses.
From now on, he needed to grow stronger at an even faster pace to handle the challenges ahead.
In the distance, he could see the students chatting.
Rest time was over.
It was time to climb the tower again.
2
The day after the banquet ended, the professors were busy attending meetings to review the exam results over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the students had some time to relax.
But not all of them could enjoy this brief freedom.
A group of selected students had gathered at the Erosion Zone.
Everyone looked refreshed, having gotten a good night’s sleep.
With their grades guaranteed, their faces were brighter than ever.
“Oh? That’s a new amulet.”
“Yeah, who gave it to you? Was it Kael?”
“The Emperor gave it to me.”
“W-what?! The Emperor?!”
Nia exaggerated her reaction, staring at the amulet.
The Emperor had given him a gift? What on earth…
Manus decided to carry the amulet with him as a good luck charm.
[Amulet of the Emperor]
[+30% Mana]
[In an emergency, it sends a signal to the Emperor.]
The description was simple.
For Manus, who often found himself short on mana, it was a priceless artifact, so he put it on without hesitation.
He had checked to make sure there were no magical traps or devices embedded in it, and fortunately, there were none.
“He gave it to me because he was impressed.”
“I’m jealous.”
“By the way, Senior Nia, you disappeared suddenly yesterday. Where did you go?”
“Me? Oh, I just went to meet my family for a bit.”
Nia smiled awkwardly.
She quickly turned her head, subtly tightening her expression.
Manus noticed this but said nothing as he continued.
“How’s everyone feeling?”
“I’m good. It’s the weekend, so I could go all out for the next two days!”
“Same here.”
“I’m ready.”
Everyone in the party was determined to push themselves.
The current tower progression was stalled at the 30th floor.
The group had hit a wall where three sentinels appeared, and every party had reached its limit.
In other words, they were under-leveled.
Manus had a plan for that.
There was no need to rush to the higher floors.
It was time to go back and reinforce their foundations by absorbing as many mana stones as possible from the lower floors.
“We’ll spend one day reinforcing our base. Before the sentinels, we’ll run through the lower floors and absorb as many mana stones as possible.”
“Oh… it’s grind training.”
“Exactly. Then tomorrow, we’ll take on the sentinels. Since we can’t split into three parties, one group will have to face two sentinels.”
“Or… what if we rearranged the party members?”
It was Alano’s suggestion.
Rearranging the party members.
That would bring a new dynamic to the group that had been working together up to this point.
Manus nodded in agreement.
“That’s a good idea. We’ll assess the situation with the sentinels and adjust as needed.”
“Yeah, I like that plan.”
“Let’s continue with two teams for now.”
Everyone nodded.
Kael clenched her fists tightly.
She hadn’t forgotten.
The memory of that day when they fled in defeat still lingered fresh in her mind.
She hadn’t expected to be outnumbered and forced to retreat.
It wasn’t like Manus wasn’t there, but to feel overwhelmed like that…
Maybe that’s why she was even more determined now.
‘I should have come in for more training back then.’
Reflecting on her own complacency, Kael steeled her resolve.
Her current goal wasn’t to advance her class, but to master Cadenza fully.
To do that, she had to learn how to use mana more efficiently and cast Cadenza with minimal mana expenditure.
Everyone’s expressions had turned grim with determination.
Failure has that effect on people.
Like players who had lost in a game, their goal this time was to challenge the tower again and achieve success.
“By the way, wouldn’t it be better to have more frontline fighters? With so many mages, the balance feels off.”
Nia looked around the party as she voiced her thoughts.
Everyone agreed.
A party full of mages.
For the frontline, they only had Guillermo, Melanie, and Trace.
There wasn’t much else they could do since the tower only allowed selected individuals to enter. They couldn’t just recruit more front-liners at will.
“We all know that’s an issue, but there’s no real way to fix it.”
“Yeah. It’s not like we can just pull in whoever we want…”
“We’ll just have to do our best to cover for that imbalance.”
Everyone understood their situation.
Trace, observing the discussion, raised his hand.
An action that would normally be ignored, but here, everyone turned their attention to him.
“What if I try training as a frontline fighter?”
“You? Are you sure?”
“If it’s just as a support, I think I can manage.”
Alano gave him a concerned look.
Trace was small in stature.
Could he really withstand the brunt of heavy attacks?
“I can cast defensive spells. You don’t have to push yourself too hard.”
“No, I think I can do it. I’ve gotten stronger lately, you know.”
“You think you can handle it?”
Manus asked.
It wouldn’t be right to crush someone’s resolve.
Trace had always been the type to crave recognition.
In some way, he wanted to be useful.
Manus understood that desire.
“Yes. I want to help everyone.”
“Your chain-based mobility will be useful. We can develop that further.”
“Oh… okay, I’ll give it a try.”
[Interference has begun.]
Trace, having found a direction, nodded firmly.
Everyone steeled themselves as they looked toward the entrance.
It was time to prepare for their rematch.
“Let’s go.”
There was no more time for rest.
Their goal was the 29th floor.
They would work their way down from the highest floor.
As Manus walked toward the portal, he thought to himself.
‘What if I take on one of the sentinels myself?’
It was an extremely risky thought, but at the same time, a promise to push himself further.
With their limited manpower, he would have to become their Deus Ex Machina.
Now that he had mastered a new [Mindset], he felt more confident.
Just this once, he wanted to test his limits.
A smile spread across his face.
–TL Notes–
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