Chapter 608 - Inseparable (Patreon)

I must admit, this floor is becoming increasingly intriguing. There is the missing thermonuclear warhead that I still have not located, the mystery of the Ruler Candidate, and now the Champion has died without even destroying the entire Academy or the continent in the process.

Just a few minutes ago, passing by one of the glass statues, I noticed my reflection in it, and my lips twisted into what almost looked like a wide grin. Someone else might not notice the change, but I see my, according to some, punchable, face often enough to recognize the difference.

A feeling of wanting to fight, to level up, and to battle monsters or people has been replaced by sheer curiosity and intrigue. Fuck the system and tutorial, but sometimes the floors are very interesting. It makes me wonder if this is all or if there will be more twists.

Even the thought of heading to Beyond leaves my mind, and I decide to pay my full attention to this floor.

As I make my rounds around the Academy, sneakily searching for the thermonuclear warhead, I observe an extremely erratic mood. It is something you can almost feel in the air and see in the movements of everyone. The Champion is dead. He was one of the nine Champions of this planet and likely one of the ten most powerful people on it.

Just like that, with no fanfare, only for his cold body to be found somewhere.

I still do not have any additional information. I am curious about his condition, what killed him, where he was found, and dozens of other questions. But the information has not been shared at all. It is impressive that news of his death leaked at all; I would have expected them to keep it secret. That's what I would do, as the consequences of his death will likely be huge.

One thing I know, and that surprises me, is that I would have expected them to lock down the Academy so no one could enter or exit. Instead, they have locked the entire region, dozens of square miles, and everyone inside it.

There is already a huge barrier set around the entire area, and it is said that two Champions are present outside of the barrier.

And despite all that, life in the Academy goes on. Visits to nearby cities or smaller villages are still allowed; they do not seem to care about that kind of movement at all.

I'm also surprised the Champions aren’t here, inside of the barrier, and searching for the killer. What could be the reason? Politics? Are they scared of whoever or whatever was capable of killing the Champion so easily?

What comes to mind is the rumored weapon the Absolute left behind, said to be capable of killing even a Champion. Could it be? If so, what kind of maniac is the Absolute to simply leave behind such a weapon for anyone to use?

This is way too much fun.

***

Heading back to my office, I meet an interesting man.

We have already collected information on some of the more famous professors, and the man I bump into is one of them. I have forgotten his name, but I remember his appearance for a simple reason: he is a demon, one of the very few demons in the Academy and the only demon professor.

His horns are black with that typical texture I have observed in Vega or Lioren. They are also curved backwards, but differently from Lioren’s.

He appears older, maybe around forty years old. He has the same white hair and red eyes that most demons have. His hair is shorter and carefully styled into what is probably a fashionable hairstyle. I am not an expert in that. Tess could probably tell with how often she likes to change her hairstyle.

Another detail that interests me, and why I remembered him, is that he is rumored to possess three primordial energies, with the void being confirmed and the other two only the subject of rumor. Even here, it is viewed as something exceedingly rare.

As I notice the beat of his heart, he becomes aware of mine, and we both stop, staring at each other. So void, and on top of that, definitely kinetic energy. I can tell right away from his pulse. I spent nearly a year with one of the best and coolest kinetic energy users to ever live. It would be weird for me not to notice.

But he likely can discern the same from mine. He is a demon, after all, and these guys are attuned to hearts to an unhealthy degree.

He keeps looking at me, and I keep looking at him, both of us grasping the other’s power just from these small signs, but not pushing further. For a moment, his red eyes seem to gain that shine, and I almost expect him to smile in that demonic, maniacal way and trash-talk my heart or try to get into a fight.

Instead, he nods just once and then continues on his way in a very undemonic display of behavior.

I place back the seal on Ignition Heart that I partially lifted, and also stop generating kinetic energy, something I had almost not realized I was doing.

***

Back in my office, I sit in the chair and put my legs up on the remaining box containing the thermonuclear warhead. Then I open my status and choose a three skills combination token.

I could probably be more patient, but after nine days here, I have already gathered bits of information, especially with the help of the others. Plus, I would do it my way anyway, so there is no need to wait any longer.

“I want to use a three skills combination token.”

You have used an active skill combination token. Please pick three from the following ones that you would like to combine.

Warning: Combining three skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.

Warning: A combination of incompatible skills can result in inferior skill.

Warning: After combining the skills, it will become extremely difficult to acquire the skills used for the combination.

Please select the main skill of the combination and two supportive skills.

List of available skills to combine:

Perception - Lvl 62

Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 61

Mana Crown - Lvl 55

Mana Manipulation - Lvl 67

Ley Line - Lvl 54

Knitting - Lvl 37

“[Ley Line] as main skill, and [Mana Manipulation] and [Mana Domain] as supportive.”

Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Ley Line], [Mana Domain], and [Mana Manipulation]! A new skill has been created.

You have acquired [Ur Line]

[Ur Line - Level 0 > Ur Line - Level 9]

The active skill affected by the effect of your subclass (Pride) has been removed. Please choose an active skill where to apply it.

“Apply it to [Eclipse],” I say, and the effect is applied.

Lately, [Mana Domain] and [Eclipse] felt similar to me, with the difference that [Eclipse] is clearly a higher tier skill, so I wanted to get rid of [Mana Domain] for a while. It will be more difficult to handle my mana without it, but it will be doable.

Before I examine my new skill, let’s try this. I create a single evil orb 3.0, inspired by Lissandra’s, and then modify it to the point where I begin practicing mana shaping, which even now gives me trouble.

Let’s see how long it will-

Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill!

[Mana Manipulation]

[Mana Manipulation – Level 0 > Mana Manipulation – Level 61]

Welcome back, baby. It seems like the two of us are inseparable. Nothing pleases me more than giving the middle finger to the system. Difficult to relearn? Yeah, no. I call bullshit.

Even now, I remain unstoppable! I have experience with the skill, and soon I will catch up and level it back up. I just need to prove my mastery to the system.

Impatiently, I use [Ur Line] for the first time, and the feeling is not dissimilar to [Ley Line]. Externally, I observe it slightly without digging too deep, but currently, it is hard even for me to perceive, and I am the one who created it.

It might be the effect of the skill, or it might still be low level, but it is my line, so it is there. Its color is not that pale blue shimmer as before, but something difficult to describe. I would not say it is colorless, but I also would not say it has any color I know. It seems to shift, while at the same time, it does not feel like it transitions through multiple colors.

Well, let’s examine this baby. I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris to the maximum and look into the area where I have created a short line.

Then I pass out.

***

I open my eyes, confused, staggered; it takes me a few seconds before I remember what happened.

What nonsense.

I activate my eyes to the maximum and raise the mana flowing through my body. I check just in case, and my passives are activated, all of them. Then I look at the same place.

The world turns black.

***

Once again, I open my eyes, staggered and surprised.

Right away, I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris, and a bit of my mana compresses and turns black, just enough to support my body and mind.

Then I look at the line. And it is beautiful: a short line barely as long as my arm waving in the air, unseen and undetectable to anyone without a high skill. Mana around it twists and weaves. Mana wavelengths and ambient mana react to it in such an erratic way that it seems impossible to understand or predict. The line itself feels unearthly. Colorless, yet beautifully enchanted. I am not a poet, so simply said, it is pretty and it looks cool.

Then I pass out again.

***

When I wake up this time, I keep my eyes deactivated and instead use only [Perception] to examine the line, and unsurprisingly, I do not pass out this time. My body does not shut down to protect me.

As expected, the problem is the Mana Wavelength Iris and the amount of information it has gathered, and my inability to process all of it. With my other weaker senses, it is fine.

The line is not as pretty, and I barely see the wavelengths. Seen this way, it looks almost like [Ley Line] to the point that it feels nearly the same.

Next follows testing. I stretch it over longer distances. I send mana through, teleport, and perform the basics I usually use it for. For now, I decide not to try materializing it. What I have seen with my trait suggests that it would be a very, very bad idea.

After a few hours, I also conclude that [Ur Line] handles anything I throw at it like a champ. Even this lower level version can transmit almost the same amount of mana as before.

It could probably be used to stun a perceptive type trying to observe me: just form it in front of me and then watch them overwhelm their senses. That could be fun.

I will also have to check it with Sophie and the twins to see how others can perceive it. It is more difficult even for me to notice, so it is likely better hidden than [Ley Line] – if I decide to keep it that way. I already know how to make lines more noticeable to others if I choose.

It seems like a straight upgrade of an already ridiculously powerful skill. There is also a feeling, and something else that the skill is hiding, but I am unable to perceive it without passing out.

Anyway, I will get to it later. But my idea of surrounding the entire Earth with permanent lines to create my personal teleportation network still stands.

***

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