Chapter 40 — To Keep Her From Crying

1

The reward.

It was a simple battle on the surface, but looking deeper, it was anything but-.

A mere student had withstood a battle against a master.

Of course, if Veronica had been an ordinary assassin, death would have been inevitable.

Manus slowly read through the messages.

There were quite a few interesting facts, as several important branches were included.

[S1 Cleared]

[Calculating score…]

[Veronica survived / Veronica disguised / 5th-Class magic used / Veronica’s real name confirmed]

[Overall: S+]

[Reward: Mana Crystal XXL]

[1 Skill Selection Acquisition Ticket (valid for 100 days)]

[The direction of the world line has changed.]

[More trials await you in the future. Strive towards your own ending.]

‘This is even better.’

Being able to choose and acquire a skill within 100 days.

And the Mana Crystal XXL.

Enough for one 6th-Class spell.

Or about 10 uses of 5th-Class spells.

If he absorbs that, he shouldn’t have to worry about not being able to use skills due to mana constraints.

That’s it.

The reason playable characters become overpowered in the extreme late game.

Just absorbing a few mana crystals allows them to spam game-breaking skills.

“What should I do now?”

“You should die.”

He answered without thinking.

A small smile appeared on Veronica’s face.

Yes, now Veronica dies.

And she will live again as Aden.

Veronica, no, Aden had decided so.

“I understand. Veronica will die, and I will be reborn as Aden.”

“I’m heading to the castle walls now.”

“I will-“

“Clean up and prepare your disguise. You can inform the Chairman.”

Aden bowed her head.

The sound of footsteps on grass faded away.

Manus headed towards the battlefield.

Having finished his own story, it was time to intervene in others’ stories.

He had made all the arrangements, but variables can arise anywhere.

The ability to block those variables was needed, and it was his turn to move for that purpose.

Many will die.

It’s enough for the blood spilled on the earth to be that of villains.

There’s no need for the blood of good people to be scattered.

And for that, overwhelming power was needed more than anything else.

‘I should use it right away.’

He brought up the skill list.

He filtered through and selected candidates.

What does he need right now?

He thought about the enemies he would face.

Countless dead souls.

Those who serve the God of Death.

Those who have made pacts with demons and the demons inhabiting the tower-.

[Will of the Apocalypse]

[Ah, so it was said.]

[On the day two gods clash, countless angels and demons will entangle in the sky.]

[The sound of celestial trumpets and hell’s hymns will ceaselessly spread through the heavens.]

[Five knights dispatched for each side’s will shall strike those on earth, making them their army, and all sinners shall turn to ash.]

[We must believe in this prophecy, and always uphold the will with devout faith.]

The Apocalypse.

The essence of the scripture read by priests who use holy magic, and a prophecy about the scene that will unfold when the end of this world comes someday.

There is a similar book on Earth, or rather, the source of this Apocalypse.

[The Book of Revelation]

The book contained in the Bible is a text whose authenticity cannot be known, but it’s different here.

Faith manifested as bright light, and the will of the Apocalypse became a skill that amplifies light attribute magic.

The effect was also simple.

[Light attribute magic attack power +30%]

There’s always a part Manus emphasizes.

A simple effect is often the most excellent effect. (TL Note: People who play ARPG know how devastating it is to stack multipliers)

Manus acquired the skill without hesitation.

[Will of the Apocalypse acquired]

[30% additional attack power to all light attribute magic]

[This effect stacks with other boost skills.]

This was also why many passive skills were needed.

Passives layered on top of each other could transform 1st-Class magic into 5th-Class magic.

‘But only certain characters can learn that.’

Only the protagonist.

Only the protagonist character could do all of that.

So he must nurture himself preciously.

Others may also have hidden potential he hasn’t seen yet.

‘As expected, I like this place.’

It was a somewhat twisted, yet upright desire.

2

The Night of the Dead.

For some, it was a night of terrible trauma, while for others, it was a wonderful training ground.

Mages stood atop the castle walls, pouring magic towards the undead slowly creeping up.

This was how it usually went.

The area near Mythos Academy was a conflict-free zone.

Because professors regularly went out to clean up monsters as well, there were no powerful beings.

Unless someone intervened to ruin things, it was just a good practice stage.

“Think about how to distribute your mana before casting!”

“It’s not just about casting powerful spells. Develop the ability to read the battle situation and choose the appropriate magic.”

The professors supervised the students, teaching them how to use magic and how to read the battle situation.

For students, real combat experience was very precious.

It wasn’t much different for knights and guardians who would work in the field.

“Move faster-! You’ll all starve to death with that kind of supply!”

“You think you can just swing your sword? What kind of sword can you swing with that mindset!”

“You need to cover so you don’t interfere with the mages! Adjust your shield angles!”

Loud voices echoed.

Students in armor and heavy armor ran around constantly.

Any projectiles that came flying were handled by the guardians.

That was what guardians were supposed to do.

Guardians, said to be modeled after bodyguards, boasted ironclad defense befitting their name.

Magic of various colors falling to the ground was truly a spectacular sight.

-Amidst that chaos, Alano shouted in a loud voice.

“Fire-!”

Boom boom boom-.

Undead.

Fire attribute magic, most effective against the dead, scorched the earth.

The place she was commanding was the northern gate.

It was a wasteland, and also where a huge forest used to be.

So far, things were progressing smoothly without any particular incidents.

‘It’ll be midnight soon.’

Manus had warned to be careful at midnight.

She looked up behind her with anxious eyes.

The towering spire.

When midnight comes, will something pour out from that tower?

Will death rain down on them from that high tower?

She had to try to calm her pounding heart.

“Senior. It’s almost-“

“I know. Everyone stay alert.”

She wondered.

What happened on the previous Corpus night?

They said the tower has existed for a very long time.

Then surely there must have been gaps between time and time before as well.

-If it were a normal situation, all of this should have stopped.

Manus only said to be careful at midnight, not that he would prevent everything.

After returning from the tower, she took out the watch she always carried.

-Now the world stops.

“Now-“

Click.

The watch stopped, and the world turned dark green.

The red moon was unusually bright tonight.

It was as if the God of Death had opened his eye to watch over the night when the dead rose.

“Everything has stopped.”

It stopped.

The army of the dead, the flowing wind, the smells.

Even the noisy sounds.

Everything stopped.

“…The erosion spread to the entire building?”

“Look here! This is just like-“

What they saw was a scene like a massive graveyard.

Bright red coffins stood in rows like a crimson cemetery.

As if souls had been placed inside the coffins.

It was an eerie sight just to look at.

“This… what happens if we die here?”

At someone’s words, a chilling and terrible imagination flashed through everyone’s minds.

“Let’s gather for now.”

The first-year juniors and Alano gathered.

Kael was still in the club room.

They looked at the soul coffins spread out on the castle walls.

Coffins lined up as if hundreds or thousands of Draculas were sleeping,

It wasn’t so bad looking at them one by one, but seeing them all at once filling their vision gave them an eerie feeling.

Pearson sighed deeply and said:

“Still, it’s fortunate we can catch our breath now. Ugh-. I didn’t know support magic would be this tiring.”

“Phew-. That’s true. Kael hasn’t arrived yet either… What did Senior Manus foresee?”

“I heard from the Chairman that the Caesar family foresaw something. So they specially modified the magic circle…”

Now that everything had stopped, it didn’t seem to matter much.

The first-years and Alano.

They looked at the tower.

Fortunately, the tower seemed quiet.

As curiosity subsided and relief and fatigue set in, they let their guard down.

They maintained a moderate tension, but it wasn’t enough to handle what was about to unfold.

The beginning of an incident always starts with a small moment of carelessness.

[Aaaaaaah-!]

The sound of the dead, which shouldn’t have been heard, rang out.

Everyone reflexively turned their heads.

And then-.

“What, what is that.”

“Dragon race… no, a Drake?”

Drake.

A being that ruled the Rox Continent for millions of years in the past, but was cursed.

It reigned as the strongest monster on land, and it was known that there were less than ten thousand of them across the entire continent.

But a Drake in such a clean area?

The group wanted to ask if the scene unfolding before their eyes was real.

Their thoughts stopped for a moment, unable to understand what was happening.

“-Snap out of it! It’s as powerful as a Drake. Lesser… probably a hatchling.”

“If it’s moving, could it be s-someone’s summon?”

Melanie asked with a frightened expression.

It was a plausible suggestion.

Moreover, only chosen ones like themselves could move in this stopped time.

Alano thought with her keen mind.

The situation fell into place.

Why Manus had warned them to be careful, and why he told Kael to learn holy magic.

-And even why he had guided her towards monsters weak to light attribute magic.

“For now, we’re the only ones who can stop it. The magic circle doesn’t seem to be working either.”

“Then, we have to stop that thing with our bare hands?! It’s a Drake! Even 4th-Class mages can’t handle that thing-!”

“Then, shall we run away and let the rest die?”

Alano’s eyes grew fierce.

Seeing eyes reminiscent of Manus when he was angry, Pearson shut his mouth tight.

She gritted her teeth as she looked at the numerous coffins.

She couldn’t let the terrible scenario she imagined become reality.

Anyway, they had to stop that thing.

That monster, as big as a siege engine, was charging straight towards them.

Boom-! Boom-!

On top of its overwhelming bulk, a figure in a robe could be seen.

All the mages used mana to clearly see the silhouette in the distance.

A gray robe.

They had an emblem symbolizing the God of Death engraved on it.

“Everyone, prepare for battle.”

“-Understood.”

They loaded their magic and took battle stances.

Rumble-.

The massive castle wall was sturdy enough that even a Drake couldn’t easily break through.

They believed they could stop it if they took advantage of the terrain.

Beyond believing, they had to make it happen.

The lives of many students and teachers were at stake.

This was no practice.

“Hello— everyone.”

The Drake stopped.

The figure on top of it spoke.

If it were Manus, he would have fired magic without even listening.

But these were still inexperienced students.

They watched for now, confused and preparing for any possibility.

The one on the Drake spoke nonchalantly.

“I am a servant of the God of Death. A traveler wandering a long way to find His sanctuary.”

“This isn’t such a place. More importantly… did you cause this erosion?”

He grinned and laughed without answering.

That was answer enough.

“Oh my, my, you don’t know yet. This place is the sanctuary I’ve been seeking for a long time.”

Can you see it-!

That towering spire!

That tower full of the energy of death-!

The robed figure shouted, laughing maniacally.

The madman they had imagined had actually appeared.

He spoke calmly again.

“So please step aside. I need to enter the sanctuary and confirm something.”

“Send that Drake back quietly and follow proper procedures, then we’ll let you in.”

It felt like if they let that person into the tower, a trial of a completely different dimension from before would befall them.

Alano’s intuition was quite accurate, and that intuition was lighting up warning lights very brightly.

The robed figure spoke again.

“Ha-. Not only have you occupied a holy place, but you’ll hinder my passage? No. No way. Absolutely not! You are heretics. I thought you were guardians, but that’s not the case.”

His eyes turned bloodshot, and an ominous mana surged.

Alano, who was knowledgeable, identified the type of mana emerging and said:

“-Black mage. Everyone get ready. The Drake’s weakness is light attribute magic and fire attribute magic.”

“Understood.”

“Such meager power can’t stop me. I’ll have to show you. The power of an Eresis believer-.”

Before he finished speaking, a beam of pure white light pierced down from the sky.

Boom-!

It was truly tremendous power.

Everyone’s gaze turned behind them.

“-I’m here.”

A figure enveloped in pure white mana climbed onto the castle wall.

One who hadn’t shown themselves until now.

-Truly a reliable reinforcement.

It was Kael, who had mastered 3rd-Class magic in just half a day.

–TL Notes–
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