Right at that mont, a system notification panel appeared in front of him.
[Ding! A new day has begun. Your current total EXP is: 11,440,000.]
[Ding! Today, you have used the Disguise Card. The items you currently possess include: Foresight Card (1 day), Assimilation thod – Lunar Petal – Rank B (Unlimited), Diamond Ring (Rank D).]
Lathel looked at the notification panel, his finger gently tapping the surface of the table as he ntally asked the System: "The protagonist... how will I know the perfect mont to kill the protagonist? And if I steal the protagonist’s fortuitous encounters, will it weaken his halo?"
[Ding! Please complete one of the three missions the System has provided. A new function of the system will help you resolve that issue.]
Lathel nodded lightly, thinking to himself: "Use the ’Foresight Card’ and purchase 5 more ’Disguise Cards’."
[Ding! Please wait a mont...]
[Ding! Successfully purchased 5 Disguise Cards. Remaining EXP: 1,440,000 EXP.]
[Ding! Activating ’Foresight Card’.]
Imdiately after, Lathel felt his consciousness being pulled into another dinsion.
After a while, he opened his eyes, a scornful smile spreading across his face. He muttered under his breath: "A flawless performance, Lucien... but, what a pity."
"Evelyn, show a bit of Dark Mist."
Hearing Lathel’s command, a stream of black mist erged from the bracelet he was wearing.
Lathel imdiately activated his innate talent, ’Space,’ isolating it within a spherical space field.
That black mist twisted like a snake, constantly searching for a way out of the space Lathel had created.
Unfortunately for it, no matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t escape his control.
Lathel smiled with sinister delight and asked, "Can you make this thing enter soone’s body?"
"Yes, but I can only control a small amount," Evelyn replied. "If there’s too much, I’m afraid the Dark Mist will escape... or even turn against us."
"A small amount, huh... that’s fine too." Lathel smiled, his grin cold as ice and so wicked that it sent a shiver down Evelyn’s spine.
He waved his hand, and the sphere imprisoning the black mist slowly floated toward him.
Lathel didn’t seem the least bit afraid of the Dark Mist, studying it as if he were admiring a piece of art. "Lucien, tomorrow will be... entertaining. I guarantee it."
...
The next morning.
Before the sun had even risen, Lucien was already soaking in a large wooden tub. Steam billowed from the hot water like a thick fog, and his body glowed red like burning embers.
His left arm, wrapped in white bandages, was greedily absorbing the dicinal power from the water like a ravenous beast.
White steam rose from the tub, swirling upward before condensing into a vortex that rged into Lucien’s body.
The muscles on his body gradually beca more refined and perfect. The energy radiating from him grew purer and far more powerful.
After a while, Lucien slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The Assimilation thod ’Chira’ gradually ca to a halt.
"Very good!" Lilith’s voice echoed in Lucien’s mind. "Keep this up, and your body will surpass that of any knight at the sa Rank."
"It’s fortunate that girl delivered those herbs. Thanks to her, you’ve reached Rank 1 – Late Stage. Otherwise, it would’ve taken you at least a month to get this far."
Lucien had been celebrating his advancent to Rank 1 – Late Stage when Lilith’s words suddenly felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head.
"Master, please don’t say that. I truly consider her a friend. Of course, the herbs she gave —I’ll make sure to repay her many tis over in the future."
"Ah!" Lilith sighed. "You’re truly foolish. But fine, this is acceptable. As long as you focus on becoming stronger, that’s all that matters. Everything else is irrelevant."
Lucien let out a long sigh and stepped out of the large tub. He raised his arm, still wrapped in white bandages, and examined it with a worried expression. "Master, the other Professors at the academy won’t discover this, will they?"
"Don’t worry..." Lilith reassured him. "As long as I’m here, you won’t get into any trouble. But it must be dealt with soon. If not, it will bring us serious complications in the future."
Lucien gave a small nod and began dressing. Just as his hand reached for the old greatsword with cracks running along its surface, Lilith’s voice rang out again.
"You no longer need to use that worthless sword."
"Heh?! What do you an..." Lucien asked in confusion.
At that mont, a stream of light appeared before Lucien, startling him.
The light gradually condensed into a massive black greatsword, looking imnsely heavy and grotesque.
Lucien frowned. "It... doesn’t even look like a sword."
"That’s right," Lilith replied. "It’s not an ordinary sword. It was forged from a stone."
"A stone?!" Lucien frowned deeper, confusion written all over his face.
Lilith continued, "It’s a special type of stone. If you wield this sword for long, the energy within your body will be suppressed by a certain unique power."
"But that won’t negatively affect you. On the contrary, it will help you learn to control your energy more efficiently."
"You can’t use magic like a Mage. That’s why you must train your physical strength and your body. This sword will be a great aid to you."
Lucien nodded lightly, reaching out to grasp the hilt of the sword.
BAM!
"Ack!" The mont his hand gripped the hilt, the sword imdiately dropped, its weight nearly sending Lucien tumbling to the ground.
The blade wasn’t sharp; on the contrary, it resembled a carefully hewn slab of stone.
The sword hit the floor, shattering the ground beneath it. Even with both hands, Lucien struggled to lift it.
"This... is way too heavy!"
"Very heavy, isn’t it?" Lilith said with a chuckle. "That’s the exact weight that matches your current strength. The stronger you grow, the heavier the sword becos."
Hearing that, Lucien realized this wasn’t an ordinary sword. However, he followed Lilith’s instruction and smiled. "I understand. From now on, I’ll use this sword."
"That’s right," Lilith replied. "Not only use it—you must carry it on your back at all tis. Even when you sleep, you must hold it."
Lucien didn’t seem worried by that and nodded calmly.
He took a deep breath, lifted the sword, and rested it on his shoulder. Even though his physical strength had greatly increased, he still found it difficult to move with the sword on his back.
Lucien opened the door, and the morning sunlight shone down upon him, allowing him to feel a fleeting warmth from the world.
He walked to the training stone he often used, its surface covered in countless marks from his old sword.
Gripping the new greatsword tightly with both hands—
He took a deep breath. ’Chira’ was activated. Streams of green energy circled around him, then gathered around the blade.
"Gah!"
Lucien shouted, swinging the sword in a perfect arc, slamming it down onto the large stone in front of him.
BAM!
A loud explosion rang out as chunks of stone flew in every direction.
Lucien stood stunned, staring at the massive crack the blade had carved into the rock.
"This thing... is terrifying."
He muttered in amazent while lifting the sword again. There wasn’t a single scratch or chip on its surface.
It remained just as before—perfect.
"Thank you, Master."
"Don’t thank . I had planned to give you that sword once you reached Rank 2. But today is the day you must show your potential, so..."
"I understand," Lucien nodded and replied.
He turned around, gazing at the small house where he had lived for many years, then back at the training stone where he had honed his skills.
Everywhere was filled with mories of his ti as a preparatory student. But after today, he likely wouldn’t return here again.
Lucien shook his head and sighed.
Then, he strapped the sword to his back, his eyes filled with determination as he stepped forward—leaving behind all retreat.
"Lathel..." Lucien narrowed his eyes, fire burning in his gaze. "I will tear off that mask of lies and rescue Selvia."
"I swear..."
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