Underground of the Crow Pay Guild Headquarters.
In a place where light couldn’t reach, there was a man with red hair.
Creek.
A moment later, a heavy iron door opened and a ray of light seeped into the room. The man muttered softly without even turning around.
“…Is it over?”
“Yeah.”
The woman who answered was Sara, the manager of Crow Pay.
Tick, tick.
She lit the end of a thin cigar with a magical item.
Chirp.
After taking a puff of smoke, she confirmed the man’s face.
Despite not having washed for a long time, he looked unexpectedly neat.
They say nobles have a kind of glow or elegance.
‘So there’s a reason he draws attention, huh?’
Huff.
With her sigh, thick smoke spread around.
Caeran Hiss.
The first action he took upon entering Crow Pay was to conduct a magical ritual established in the guild headquarters’ underground space.
Actually, Sara didn’t know the reason for that.
She just came to check on him from time to time since Rezilus had granted his permission.
Anyway, there was no time to waste.
Because today was the end.
“Put it on.”
Swish.
What she handed him was everyday clothes that fit his size.
And with a hint of concern, she added:
“I’ve roughly fitted them for you, so return to the academy in the second semester.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“…Remember that the guild has high expectations for you.”
“…”
Sara felt that the atmosphere around him was definitely different compared to when he was recruited.
He seemed full of himself back then, but now there was a blend of despair and self-loathing that seemed to have been accepted, as if he was rather calm.
Wait? It was almost as if he was hiding his emotions like a demon…
Huff.
Sara took another puff from her cigar.
The direction of Caeran’s emotional chasm was clear.
“…”
Edwin Gwynn.
His only crime was winning in a fair and square fight… probably just that.
He actually looked quite pitiful.
…
Swish.
Caeran began to put on the clothes that Sara brought him.
“Then, would you die for me…?”
“Wha, what do you mean…!”
That was the answer from Yellody Latashia.
And she made Caeran be reborn.
But, it’s already too late… The best we can do now is to preserve the abilities that currently exist…
But the unknown curse must have disappeared, right…?
Ma-ma-ma-maaa!!!
It doesn’t matter.
If whatever was stunting his growth has disappeared, that’s enough.
‘Just wait…’
It isn’t over yet.
If I just regain a bit of my sense in this state,
I might even kill someone like the inferior student, Edwin.
But then again, there’s something unsettling about it.
While reliving the pain of defeat like licking bile,
His increasingly calm mind began to brew new suspicions.
What he was thinking about now was the background and timing of the curse.
And in terms of timing, he fell victim to the curse after his duel with Lev Denec.
‘…’
Dressed properly, Caeran asked Sara.
“You.”
“…?”
“Do you know Lev Denec?”
“Uh… Lev Denec?”
At Caeran’s sudden question, Sara accidentally tightened her grip.
Crack.
Her cigar momentarily squashed into a V-shape.
Of course, Sara wouldn’t not know Lev Denec.
How much did she suffer because of that guy?
“I know. That guy, despite his low rank, rejected an offer from Crow Pay.”
“He rejected it?”
“Why? Do you have a grudge against him too?”
“…”
He seemed to show interest only in things other than himself.
Sara couldn’t help but smile secretly.
‘If I use this…?’
Maybe she could get revenge on that brat.
“Funny guy, huh? The girl from the Balantes family you recruited for your circle was trying to reach out to him too…”
“Aveline…?”
“Yeah. Well… since the academy just finished and the festival is about to start, it’s the perfect age for burning, right? The genders match perfectly.”
“…”
At Sara’s playful remarks, Caeran remained silent.
“Do well~.”
Rustle
She crushed the cigar stub before leaving leisurely.
And thus, the fire… has been set ablaze.
*
Claris Academy, Hall of Struggle.
During the vacation and exam periods, since the personal training room gets crowded, this place temporarily serves as a free training area for anyone who wants to interact and train freely.
And just after returning from Hwangdo, for several days, I have been receiving magic training from Yeriel.
“Lev… wasn’t yesterday the time to read Chapter 3 of the Circle Magic Theory?”
“Was it?”
“And yet you can already cast magic…?”
“Oh. It seems so.”
“…!”
Today, Yeriel with her hair tied up is alternating between looking at me and the magic book.
“Lev… amazing…”
If wizards from this world heard this, they would probably faint from disbelief, but thanks to the disappearance of my supporting role trait and the ‘Gamer’ trait being unleashed, I’ve been learning magic at an absurdly fast pace.
[Prerequisites Met]
[Would you like to acquire the information from the book?]
[Expected Fatigue: 68/100]
As long as I meet the stat requirements demanded by the theory book, simply reading it allows for simplified understanding and the truths of magic realized at that moment automatically become skills based on my standards.
After registering it in the skills window, I could use magic without needing to chant or concentrate.
Of course, this skills registration slot is limited, so I can’t use all magic, making me somewhat of a half-baked magician.
But, oh well, it doesn’t matter.
My main objective is just to increase my mana so I can maintain the two transformations together.
——————————————————
[3rd Circle Achievement Requirements]
▶[Obtain more than 10 2nd Circle skills] (Achieved)
▶[Magic Power Requirement: 3.0 or higher] (Achieved)
▶[Mana Requirement: 3.0 or higher] (Achieved)
——————————————————
So I just have to keep learning skills that match my rank and level up the circle.
Ding!
——————————————————
▶Status
[Strength]: 3.3
[Health]: 3.35
[Dexterity]: 3.3 (4.29)
[Magic Power]: 3.1 (3.41)
[Mana]: 3.4
[Mental Strength]: 2.6
[Empathy]: 2.3
[Luck]: 4.0
[Specialization]
Circle Magic (3)
Crossbow – Proficiency (7)
Curse Resistance (4)
Fire Resistance (3)
Physical Resistance (4)
——————————————————
Thanks to my luck stat, my magic power and mana accumulated over time, so meeting the conditions wasn’t difficult at all.
“Lev. You’re way too fast…”
Yeriel looked shocked at my growth speed, gazing at me with a hint of reverence.
That expression was so cute that I wanted to tease her.
“Yeriel.”
“Yeah?”
“Your hand is over here.”
I pointed to the back of my head with my finger.
She awkwardly placed her hand at a clumsy position just barely touching the end of my hair.
“…Wha, what’s this?!”
“Just wondering if you wouldn’t praise me today.”
“…Huh?”
“You said I was great and patted me during the written exam.”
“…Hehe!”
Pat Pat. At the mention of that phrase, Yeriel quickly pulled her hand back, looking around nervously.
“…Lev! Shh! And that time…!”
Her reaction was perfect.
Why does teasing her feel so good?
Her blush was working overtime today too.
“That was just involuntary…!”
In truth, after the misunderstanding from Hwangdo, she seemed a bit uncomfortable around me. From time to time, she would keep her gaze down or avoid physical contact.
“I just wanted to praise you somehow…! Of course, I really do think you’re amazing…!”
Perhaps it was a little more embarrassing than she expected to be teased back then.
“I know. Just kidding. I’d be nothing without my capable teacher.”
“…”
I packed my things and stood up.
“Tomorrow at the same time, right? No, was today the last one…?”
“Ah…”
Yeriel said I’d need at least over two weeks of training.
Well, I was ending things a bit earlier since I was acquiring things faster than expected.
“Wait…!”
Yeriel handed me a magic book.
“Make sure to come by tomorrow… Read this, and be at the same time, same place.”
“Aren’t you coming?”
“I’ll go first…”
“Alright, great job today.”
I left the Hall of Struggle while leaving behind the robotic-sounding Yeriel.
.
.
.
A day is short. There’s much to do.
My next destination is the Evolution Chamber.
The reason is…
‘Caeran…’
It’s already been two weeks since he secluded himself in Crow Pay.
At this point, I can roughly predict his movements.
In fact, the bug I utilized has a method for dispelling curses involving parasitism.
It is to use the technique I saw when I went to the Black House to rescue Yeriel, which is something an upper-level demon would possess.
Using the ‘Well of Souls.’
To activate the Well of Souls, one must first die.
In other words, death means returning to nothing.
Here is the reset.
After that, the cradle of demons prepared in Pandemonium will reconstruct the soul, considering the injected magic power and the caster’s qualities.
If successful in this reconstruction, the parasitic skill would probably not come back.
Since it was fundamentally a technique utilizing a bug.
So I’m keeping that point in mind.
Crow Pay is a large guild intertwined with demons, and it’s possible they might have adopted that method.
But I don’t really care.
Firstly, when confirmed through my mana perception, Caeran has already used up his copy skill, so he can’t be summoned back with the Well of Souls.
He has crossed the point of no return.
Secondly, using the Well of Souls means he has become either a demon or a demon creature.
This could simply be viewed through the lens of a shounen manga as “Power Up!” but,
The academy is naturally hostile towards demons, so he wouldn’t be able to use his powers fully, and even if the worst situation occurs, my trait ‘Recluse’ activates against demons, so it’s actually a blessing.
‘Next is… information, demonification, and dark angelification.’
Ding!
——————————————————
▶[Demonification][Lv.1] (Active) (Ultimate Skill)
: Control the power of a demon to merge into darkness for a limited time.
▶(Current Stat +0.5) x1.05 Status Bonus.
(Current mana capacity duration: 124.32 seconds)
Exp: (0/300)
Acquisition Difficulty: Extremely Difficult
——————————————————
Ding!
——————————————————
▶[Dark Angelification][No Level] (Active) (Ultimate Skill)
: Control the power of a dark angel to merge into darkness for a limited time.
All stats modestly increase. (*Increase varies based on necessity)
All other skills’ consumption while using ‘Dark Angelification’ are reduced.
[Passive – Necessity] – While using this skill, defeating demons permanently enhances ‘Dark Angelification.’
(Current mana capacity duration: 124.32 seconds)
Evil is met with evil.
– Tarchangel, Belial.
Exp: (None)
Acquisition Difficulty: Extremely Difficult
——————————————————
The duration of the two skills has increased.
And the mana consumption of the two techniques is the same.
In simple arithmetic, if I use both, I’d expect the duration to be halved, but most likely, using ‘Dark Angelification’ while it’s activated will reduce the consumption of skills, so the final duration would be a bit longer.
The most essential trick of these two skills is the black magic that spews out.
In the beginning, I couldn’t control it so it was meaningless…
But now, as my weapon, the Gray Ashen Bolt can utilize it as magic thanks to its erosion level accumulated.
In other words, at this strengthened point, it’s not impossible for me to challenge Trial 3.
In the chamber, I have to use the weapon provided by the academy, so I can’t use the Gray Ashen Bolt…
But I need Sinatis’s awakening stone from the Evolution Chamber to learn Wind Archery anyhow.
I can’t avoid it.
‘New skill please.’
After a long time, I knocked on the door to the chamber.
