Chapter 75 — Let’s Gather the Team Members

1

It was quite a perplexing proposal.

Alano blinked her large eyes and asked again.

What had Manus just said?

She wasn’t the only one surprised; everyone else remained silent.

Manus, who had made the proposal, maintained a calm gaze.

As if this were an everyday occurrence.

As if there was nothing special about it at all.

“Why? Is it too much?”

“It’s not that it’s too much… but are you serious?”

“Yes. It’ll be a good experience for you too.”

Manus’s proposal was simple.

To team up for the evaluation against the third-years.

He was proposing that Alano join as the second member in the three-person team evaluation.

Alano pondered for a moment.

Then she nodded her head.

The third-years were undoubtedly strong.

But they couldn’t remain at the second-year level forever.

“Alright. I’ll do it. But what about the third person?”

“I have someone in mind.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you. Can we dismiss now?”

Manus gave a faint smile.

Alano wondered what expression the other person would make when they heard the proposal.

She was very curious about who it might be, but she held her tongue.

Manus was one of the top students.

Even in his first year, he had acted like a tyrant to maintain overwhelming grades.

Someone like that wouldn’t propose this to just anyone.

“Why are you asking me that? Alano, you’re the club president.”

“Hehe, thanks. Let’s end it here for today. If you want to do well in the evaluation and climb the tower, let me know in advance.”

“Okay!”

The meeting was over.

Manus stood up from his seat.

These students would probably head to the tower to acquire artifacts.

In fact, this was the time when many players practically lived in the tower, trying to complete their equipment sets.

It seemed Kael had obtained a wand as well.

Manus suddenly wondered if he should also gather some equipment.

‘Well, not yet…’

He wasn’t sure if he really needed equipment at this point.

The only artifacts he had were a bracelet that could save him from death once, and Orca’s Necklace.

Once Orca’s Necklace was completed, he wouldn’t need any other artifacts anyway.

While equipment was important, it wasn’t quite appealing to him yet.

Deciding to put it off for now, he resolved to focus on what needed to be done.

He made his way towards where the aspiring Guardians were in the midst of their training.

2

“Haaah-!”

“Huaaah-!”

The sound of fierce battle cries and the clash of cold weapons.

An impressive sight of people drenched in sweat, exhaling rough breaths.

Once, he had pointed out the weaknesses of the Guardians here.

Manus slowly scanned the training grounds.

He was checking if the person he was looking for was training.

Fortunately, the blonde young nobleman wasn’t hard to find.

The sight of him swinging his shield while drenched in sweat.

‘No wonder he’s popular with the ladies.’

His illustrations were always drawn that way.

Although the game wasn’t originally designed for female players, it seemed they had created this character just in case there were any potential users.

A ‘truly handsome’ male character who exercised.

That was the motif for Buckley Guillermo.

How did he know?

The game company had openly stated it in an interview.

In fact, their idea had hit the mark, and Guillermo was incredibly popular.

“Huh?”

“Hey, isn’t that a mage?”

“Yeah, why would a mage be here… Gasp?”

“Hey, hey, it’s, it’s Caesar!”

As usual, his appearance alone caused a commotion.

The first-years completely stopped their training, and some of the second-years called out to Guillermo.

The occasional third-year merely frowned, showing no particular reaction.

Tap, tap.

The sound of Manus’s dress shoes, the only one in formal uniform, echoed widely.

His gaze was fixed precisely on Guillermo.

He walked in a way that made his intentions clear to anyone watching.

“Why has the mage lord come to this sweaty place?”

“Yeah. Are you here to train or something?”

One man.

One woman.

There were people blocking Manus’s path.

They seemed to be third-years, and the aura they emitted was not ordinary.

Manus simply gave a short answer.

He said he had business here.

This seemed to irritate them further, as they continued to block his path, refusing to move aside.

“How disrespectful to your seniors. You’re just a second-year, right?”

“That’s right. Maybe it’s different in the Snake House, but this is Eagle— Urk?”

Manus merely waved his hand once.

An overwhelming mana pulled at the third-years’ weak bodies.

Warriors and Guardians weren’t incapable of handling mana.

They too momentarily released their mana, but it was no match.

A skill level so overwhelming it could only induce trembling.

Control that could easily pull down students at the third-year level with just a wave of the hand.

All of this further cemented his image as a ‘tyrant’.

“How noisy. Know when to disappear when you’re being treated as seniors. Vermin.”

“You-“

“Shall I seal your mouths this time?”

Woong-.

Seeing a magic circle forming, they reflexively shut their mouths.

Tsk, Manus clicked his tongue once and brushed his chest with his hand, as if displeased.

Arrogant and insolent.

But that attitude was exactly what suited Caesar best.

Ignoring those sprawled on the ground, trembling with anger, he continued walking.

Guillermo, too, had long since stopped his training and was watching the sudden commotion.

‘Still a monstrous skill.’

Somehow, he seemed even more formidable than when they first met.

A second-year?

No, with that level of skill, he should be considered on par with fourth-years or even graduates.

Perhaps he had reached an even higher level.

Crunch.

His hand gripping the shield tightened.

He was often compared to Alano and the ace of the Eagle House.

But not once had anyone suggested he could be compared to Manus.

“Guillermo.”

“Why are you calling me?”

His low voice hinted at his displeasure.

Bright golden hair and deep black hair.

The mere sight of the two facing each other seemed to freeze the air around them.

They had been known as rivals from before.

“Don’t you want to climb higher?”

“What are you trying to say? Just get to the point.”

“Be on my team for this evaluation. I’ll give you a chance to fight the third-years.”

“What?”

Guillermo confirmed that ‘that rumor’ was true.

The rumor that the second-year tyrant had declared he would beat down the third-years to advance grades.

Although the content was completely different from the truth, it was true that he would be taking the evaluation with the third-years.

The third-years sneered.

Who would team up with a second-year like him?

No, even if they did team up, would it really work out?

As they advanced in grades, their skills improved by leaps and bounds.

Moreover, their pride grew as well.

“How long are you going to play with second-years?”

“…This is interesting.”

Guillermo thought positively.

His most notable characteristic was his strong desire for improvement.

Although this emotion was created because of him, nothing was more efficient than stimulating the desire for improvement.

Third-year.

Although it was just a one-year difference, to students, that year felt immense.

In a way, they were veterans of the Mythos Academy society.

Guillermo smirked.

“Alright. Who’s the third person?”

“Alano.”

“This might be worth a try.”

He grinned.

Manus held out a paper he had brought.

On it, Buckley Guillermo’s name was written in elegant handwriting.

The signature could be replaced with mana.

For a student of Mythos Academy, especially an exceptionally talented one, this much was child’s play.

Guillermo moved his hand.

Sizzle-.

Letters formed of mana were etched onto the thick parchment.

In front of the aspiring Guardians and Warriors, Guillermo had essentially made a declaration of war.

That a second-year would fight and defeat the third-years.

“Oh, and-“

Manus created a barrier of mana with a snap.

It was a technique that seemed to belong in a martial arts novel, but he could perform such skills with mere thought.

He raised one corner of his mouth and asked:

“Aren’t you curious about why we’ve become so strong?”

“…”

The blonde man said nothing.

Manus saw in the silent man.

An endless desire to become stronger.

A longing to rise high like Manus or Alano.

A desire to become the best Guardian, at least within this academy.

So he smiled.

Thinking that it might be easier than expected to draw this friend into the journey.

“Then come to our club. You want to protect, don’t you? That is the foundation of the Buckley family.”

Manus withdrew his mana and turned around.

Watching the parchment disappear into his pocket, Buckley Guillermo’s eyes shone.

Yes, he wanted to protect.

Once, he had resented himself.

‘Sister.’

This must be the devil’s whisper.

But to protect, he needed the power to fulfill the contract with the devil and shatter its schemes.

His mind was set straight.

At that moment, changes began for Manus as well.

[Interference confirmed.]

[Acquiring reward.]

[Obtaining Buckley’s mindset.]

It was an astonishing event.

Something even Manus hadn’t anticipated.

With each step he took on the ground, his heart stirred.

Buckley.

The spirit of the iron-willed family seeped into him.

The desire to protect even at the cost of one’s own body.

A sentiment that began with saving a small benefactor, soon became the identity of the family.

‘Interesting.’

Would this shake Caesar’s heart?

No, it didn’t seem likely.

He felt the foundation of the Buckley family coiling in a corner of his emotions.

This feeling would emerge when needed.

No branch could shake the root, and this would follow the same principle.

He thought it would take a long time.

The process of building a massive tower of time was fully transmitted to Manus.

‘I thought it wouldn’t be easy-‘

[1 skill slot remaining.]

[Please select a skill to learn.]

An ability that strengthens you as you live, forgetting about it.

But if you pay just a little attention, you become much stronger than others.

Ironically, isn’t that what makes life more interesting?

Manus moved on with a deep smile.

Full of variables.

Situations he couldn’t understand even a step ahead offered him new experiences.

He rolled his tongue and immediately input the next skill.

[Whisper of the Spirits]

[Time required: 35 years]

[Spirits have existed since the birth of humans and feed on their emotions.]

[Therefore, they are familiar with the attributes that humans can handle and are interpreted to form their foundation.]

[Listen to their whispers. The stories of the spirits will shatter the arrogance of enemies.]

[+50% attack power for all attributes except darkness, light, and physical]

[When magic hits, there’s a chance to nullify the enemy’s attribute defense / resistance]

[This ability’s probability increases with higher-class magic.]

“I’ll go with this.”

[Acquiring Whisper of the Spirits.]

Manus clutched the parchment and headed towards where Professor Trail was.

Yes, after this evaluation, he should deal with that villain.

It’s better for the environment to quickly burn useless trash, after all.

–TL Notes–
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