Chapter 92 — People Change After Experiencing Events
1
[Stage 4 Clear]
[Calculating your score…]
[Uncovered Lupera’s Intent / Identified the Culprit / Minimal Casualties / Killed Mia: Anabel / Emotional Shifts Among Allies]
[Overall Grade: S]
[Rewards: 3 XXL Mana Stone Crystals]
[One Skill Selection Ticket (within 5 years) / Albion’s Exclusive Skill Selection Ticket / Albion’s Special Elixir / -10% Skill Acquisition Time for All Skills]
[The direction of the world line is progressing steadily.]
[Greater trials will come your way. Strive toward your own conclusion.]
Manus lay down, reviewing his rewards.
Within 5 years…
And what was this “Albion’s Exclusive Skill Selection Ticket”?
Manus constantly felt the lack of mana.
It was like driving a top-tier supercar, but with only half the fuel tank full.
He knew a lot, but being unable to use it was extremely frustrating.
To others, it might seem greedy—how much more could one want?—but those who have always want more.
‘I’ll need to find a way to draw more mana. Or perhaps…’
Five years.
It was a pretty restrictive timeframe.
Most of the useful skills were ones that took decades to master.
He was puzzled.
This storyline had been the most challenging event he had encountered so far.
And yet, the rewards seemed rather underwhelming?
Or were some of the rewards more valuable than they appeared?
Manus decided to examine all his loot.
[Hoing?]
Albion sniffed around curiously at the special elixir.
No need to hesitate.
Manus immediately fed the elixir to Albion.
Gulp—.
With his mouth wide open, Albion swallowed the elixir.
[Hoing—!]
Then he went to a corner of the bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
It all happened in an instant.
Manus shrugged and decided to use the remaining rewards.
Absorbing the mana stones could be done overnight, so it was time to choose his skill.
‘First, I need to choose a skill for myself. Search for passive skills related to mana that can be learned within 5 years.’
[28 results found.]
[Mana Amplification (Small) — 30 days]
[Mana Reflux — 30 days]
…
The list of skills scrolled down.
Manus picked the one he liked and acquired it immediately.
The skill he chose was [Mana’s Glorious Blessing].
It was a conditional skill that increased the amount of mana recovered per turn by 50%.
Combined with [High Restio], it was one of the best recovery skills.
Given the 5-year limit, this was the best option, though it meant his goal of becoming a ‘battle mage’ was slightly delayed.
His thoughts had been leaning towards enhancing close combat, based on the foundation of ‘Martial Arts.’
‘I’ll need to visit the professor tomorrow.’
He still had more rewards left.
Albion’s Exclusive Skill Selection Ticket.
They even gave something like this.
Being able to quickly develop a familiar was a huge advantage.
Albion was already proving quite useful, and adding skills would greatly enhance his power.
Most importantly, it could perfectly compensate for Manus’ weakness of often having to operate alone.
He used the skill selection ticket.
“Huh—?”
[Albion’s Exclusive Skill: Light of Ruin]
[Phoenix’s Exclusive Skill: Hellfire]
[Azure Dragon’s Exclusive Skill: Heavenly Thunder]
[Black Tortoise’s Exclusive Skill: Tsunami]
…
“…Are they seriously giving me this already?”
The exclusive skills for each familiar were listed in a row.
These were a type of ultimate skill that only familiars could learn.
It was surprising that he could learn them already, and even more so that he could steal the ultimate skills of other familiars.
He quickly realized why his own rewards had seemed rather stingy.
They were practically pushing him to raise his familiar, so it made sense to comply with that demand.
As he scanned the list, Manus instantly made his decision upon seeing one skill.
[Yellow Dragon’s Ultimate Skill: Breath of Resurrection]
[Consumes half of your mana to resurrect a teammate. Can be used up to 5 times per battle.]
[The resurrected teammate recovers half of their maximum HP and half of their maximum mana.]
[This increases as the familiar’s level rises.]
“This is it.”
[Albion has learned Breath of Resurrection.]
[Albion’s mana is insufficient to use the skill.]
“That will be resolved with time.”
For now, he decided to give one of the mana stone crystals to Albion and consume the remaining two himself.
He swallowed the two large mana stones, feeling his mana capacity increase.
The mana gained from these two crystals was far greater than what he had acquired in the battle against Professor Mia.
Once he absorbed it all, he’d probably be able to use 4th-Class Cadenza spells two or three times without issue.
Manus cleared his mind of distractions and focused on absorbing the mana stones.
Anticipating the growth he would achieve, he stayed up all night.
#2
A sleepless night.
Listening to the soft breathing of her roommate, Kael was deep in thought.
What was everyone else doing?
Were they okay?
What would happen next?
In truth, this wasn’t her first time witnessing a murder scene.
In the past.
When she was in a place other than the academy, such things happened.
Death was closer than one might think.
‘Lately, I’ve been worried about Anais.’
Anais.
Kael had noticed that the once bold and cheerful friend’s personality was slowly changing.
Manus had said it too.
Not to let inferiority consume her—.
Anais had nodded, and it seemed the issue was resolved.
But thoughts and worries that have seeped in don’t disappear all at once.
How could she gradually help her friend untangle these complicated emotions?
Her sighs grew deeper and longer.
At the same time.
Anais was staring at a book, fighting off fatigue.
She was special.
She had lived longer than most and had unique experiences.
Yet, she was always a burden to her friends who climbed the tower with her.
She had stumbled clumsily while trying to take down the patrollers, and this time too…
As if unable to focus, she sighed repeatedly and closed the book.
“What are you doing, Anais—.”
A lament mixed with self-deprecation.
She quietly closed her eyes and tried to organize her thoughts.
She was already too awake to sleep.
She would just sleep well tomorrow—.
The storm of emotions in her chest made it too suffocating to sleep.
If she slept now, it felt like everything would move on without her.
She recalled Manus’ words.
[Don’t let inferiority consume you.]
Jealousy and inferiority.
Aspirations and impatience.
They were similar but entirely different words, and she was still too young to fully grasp the gap between them.
What was it—.
What kind of mindset was the senior trying to convey, the mindset of the Flois who shines as brilliantly as the sun…
Her worries deepened.
As time passed, she began to sink deeper into the quagmire of her thoughts.
Like sinking into water, the girl of the sun clung to the edge of her thoughts and drifted off into sleep.
#3
Training ground.
A boy stood under the soft light, embracing the night breeze.
The boy, on the cusp of becoming a young man, had an expression that carried many things.
The first bizarre phenomenon he had ever experienced.
The fact that he could enter the tower.
The knowledge that he was chosen by something unknown.
The powerful enemies, the countless real battles he had fought.
“Sis. I think I’ve finally found my path.”
He had always wished.
That his sister, who had lost her light because of him, would once again feel the warmth of the sun.
That he would become the pillar of his family and make it a great house.
To restore everything that had gone wrong back to its original state.
Manus, who once seemed like an enemy, had formally apologized.
Thanks to him, he had found a way to become stronger.
It was truly unfair.
In a time where others couldn’t walk, he could use special means to build mana and stamina.
‘Now, I can raise my family to new heights. And when that happens—.’
Even his father, who had fallen into despair because of the declining house, and his mother, who had single-handedly supported the family.
He would move forward to restore everything that had been twisted.
The Buckley family would enter its golden age because of him.
Even if they denied it, he would hold on until the end.
What he learned at the academy was not just martial strength.
Choices and connections.
He had learned the impact that words and actions could have.
Experience would become wisdom, and that wisdom would make his family prosperous.
Gaining knowledge of both battle and life.
When he left the academy and ventured into the world, no one would be able to ignore him.
[The answer lies in the tower.]
Yes, Manus was right.
He recalled the sayings passed down in his family.
[To grow, keep danger close at hand.]
[Never let your guard down, and never fully trust anyone.]
[Uphold your honor, but remember that they could leave at any moment.]
“A guardian must always have the mindset of protecting tomorrow’s enemy…”
They were pessimistic words, but they also served as a cold reminder of reality.
Guillermo revisited his family’s teachings and mentally replayed the day’s events.
He needed to address his weaknesses to be able to protect anyone, no matter how high he climbed.
He was a genius and a hard worker.
Rising higher wouldn’t be too difficult for him.
#4
Dawn broke.
A report reached Aden.
Something unusual was emanating from Manus’ room, making it impossible to enter.
Aden recalled what had happened the previous day.
He had seemed so bitter—could something have gone wrong overnight?
But thinking like that was pointless. Manus was absurdly strong.
And besides, wasn’t Albion, a divine beast, with him?
‘There’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed anything—.’
“I’ll go.”
“Thank you, Head Maid.”
“Everyone, please carry on as usual.”
The maids under her bowed their heads.
Aden quietly made her way to Manus’ room.
There, a swirling vortex of mana was blocking her path.
The bluish flow was mesmerizing, even for Aden.
What had happened overnight?
She reached out her hand.
‘There’s no one else around—.’
Swish—.
She slipped into the room through the shadows as if nothing had happened.
It was astonishing, but not beyond what she could handle.
Her skills were far more advanced than she had thought.
“My lord—oh?”
The owner of the vortex was, surprisingly, not Manus.
What she saw was a patch of white fur.
Wings sprouting from the back, a sleek, beautiful body.
A long tail and a head reminiscent of a fierce predator.
It was undoubtedly the form of a ‘dragon’ covered in white fur.
The creature was curled up, breathing evenly.
Since it held the same mana as Manus, she recognized it instantly.
“You’ve grown, Albion.”
From a fluffy puffball to a furred dragon.
A slightly odd evolutionary path, but it had grown nonetheless.
Aden, finding it cute, instinctively reached out but quickly pulled back.
It seemed like a very important moment, and she couldn’t afford to interrupt.
She slipped back out through the shadows.
She would have to tell the maids that it was nothing to worry about and to carry on as usual.
People grow through experiences and progress through choices.
Manus was no different.
She quietly smiled, looking forward to what the future held.
A great human.
And imagining the lord who would grow beyond that—.
–TL Notes–
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