Chapter 80: Finally, Rank E
Unedited*
"Before we get there, there’s something you need to know." The Eon suddenly came to a halt in midair.
In front of them lay a small hill. On the other side was a thick fog and, according to the Eon, a Medusa settlement.
"What is it?" Lucius asked.
"For days now, something very strange has been happening in these parts, due to the presence of some beasts coming from the Kalgarth Plains. These beasts are strange."
"Strange beasts?" Lucius had already noticed that something was wrong with this forest, and in the end, it was exactly what he had feared. "In what way are they strange?"
"They look like humans," the Eon replied immediately.
"Humans?" Lucius frowned. "Haven’t you been able to investigate them?"
The Eon shook his head from side to side. "I had those two beasts with me to protect me and help me escape, because those guys are barbarians. It seems like they don’t think. And if they do, their thoughts are completely crazy. I tried to get to the other side, but I ended up in a dead end. They almost caught me, but I managed to get away."
Lucius nodded and remained thoughtful for a moment.
"Let’s go, then," he replied.
He wanted to get away from here as soon as possible, but if he couldn’t, he would try to figure out what was going on.
For an Eon to mention some beasts that even he cannot recognize means that something very strange is happening. Although he wants to stay out of danger for now, his curiosity prevents him from doing nothing in this situation.
The Eon then began moving through the air again, guiding them to the other side of the small hill.
"This is normal fog," said Lucius.
"This is the coldest area. Those of you who can feel the cold should be careful," the Aeon reminded them, but seeing that they had no trouble as they went deeper in, he continued to lead them.
The fog here was so thick that it was difficult to see even a meter ahead.
There didn’t seem to be any beasts around, but at some point, Lucius stopped them.
"Quicksilver Medusa..." he whispered, sensing a change in the atmosphere.
The Aeon nodded. "I can tell you where she is. But you’ll have to kill her with a single blow—she’s pretty fast," said the Aeon.
Lucius nodded and drew his sword. "Whenever you say so."
The Aeon concentrated. He looked through the fog, his crystal-ball-like body glowing faintly. He seemed to have activated an ability and responded immediately.
"To your right, 3 meters above the ground, two meters below the top of your field of vision," he replied with great speed.
Lucius processed the information in an instant, and as if working from a map, he plotted a precise route in the blink of an eye.
His sword shot forward, cutting through the wind and parting the fog around it. There were no flashes of lightning, nor anything to stand in its way. There was only a strange scream that seemed to come from several mouths at once.
The sword continued straight toward one of the rocks on the hill and plunged firmly into the ground.
Lucius, Clara, and the Aeon ran toward it.
They found the sword half-embedded in the body of a lifeless Quicksilver Medusa. It had been struck exactly in the center of her body, leaving her with no chance of survival.
She was sentenced to certain death from a distance she herself could not comprehend.
Clara was surprised by this. It struck her as odd that it was so easy.
However, this is one of the benefits of having an Eon. They have an astonishing range of vision called the "Eon Field"; it allows them to pinpoint the exact location of anything on the ground and determine its precise coordinates, even if something is obscuring it.
It’s like a video game cheat code, but in real life.
"I’ll absorb it immediately," Lucius said as he sat down. "Help me find a Magnet Cockroach. If it’s from the Void, all the better," he told the Aeon, before closing his eyes and beginning to process the Mana Mark.
The Eon nodded and vanished into the mist to carry out his mission. Now that he had a contract with this boy, he couldn’t run away from him, so he had to help him grow stronger.
Clara took advantage of that moment to do the same with her own mana mark from that Goblin; she was finally going to complete the Set of 5 Mana Marks, so she was nervous.
Lucius took it in stride. He had previously completed all possible sets up to number 30; something like a 4th or 5th mark wouldn’t faze him in the least.
The process was smooth for him. Although it took about 20 minutes, that was because he took the opportunity to solidify the Echo mark, since he had been interrupted halfway through.
He stood up. Clara was still busy with her own things, so Lucius had some free time to check his status.
[The Link System: User Profile]
User: Lucius Asturias (reincarnated).
Status: Exiled from the Asturias Family / Student at the New Creation Academy.
Title: Rising Star.
Rank: E (Stable).
Local Ranking: #1,502 (Awaiting update...).
[]
[The System has detected an error.]
[Integrity Alert]
Anomaly Detected: Fractured Mana Core now stable.
Mana Dissipation Rate: You lose 98% per hour (cannot be repaired at this time).
Warning: Skill use is possible with limitations. Magic cannot be cast.
[Status: Unfit for Combat.]
’At least my rank is stable now, which means the initial life-threatening period is over. However, it’s normal that I can’t fix the dissipation rate. As long as the Core is fractured, it’s impossible to repair,’ he thought.
And it was certainly impossible to repair the Core, since that was where his ability lay; so he had no alternative. However, with the rank increase, he noticed some improvements.
It no longer hurt as much because the surrounding area had been specifically strengthened to support a broken Core. Also, the Core was now more controllable.
Although it was still cracked, it could be controlled.
He continued to look at the system.
[Core Status]
Core Synchronization: /Unmeasurable/
Core Stability: CRITICAL (Active cracks).
[Active Effect: Mana Contamination. Stable for now; danger when using magic.]
’I can’t measure the synchronization because I simply don’t have any. Before, when I died, it synchronized a little with my body, but now it just doesn’t exist.’ He assumed that was why the system had changed.
However, just as he’d suspected, the cracks would remain active forever, and the critical status meant that any mistake he made while using magic would cost him dearly.
’In this regard, Clara is really helpful. By freezing the entire core—without freezing the mana—she turns my core into the closest thing to a normal core.’ He began to appreciate her help even more, even though she herself didn’t know exactly what Lucius’s core looked like on the inside.
On the other hand, the mana marks were there. All four of them.
[Mana Marks]
Slot 1: Heavy-Lift Ant (F): Mana Overload (Active)]
Slot 2: Erratic-Flight Dragonfly (F): Acceleration Overload (Active)]
Slot 3: Echo-Locating Cricket (E): Mana Echo (Active)]
Slot 4: Quicksilver Medusa (E): Mist Field (Active)]
[]
[Abilities]
[Mana Symbiosis.]
| Type: Unique.
| Rank: Unknown.
| Description: Ability to fuse Mana Marks / Magical Concepts.
[Warning: Use not recommended.]
[Meteor Impact]
| Type: Created.
| Origin: Born from the fusion of [Mana Overload] and [Acceleration Overload] via [Mana Symbiosis]
| Grade: Unknown / High.
| Description: Drastically increases all your physical stats to a level unimaginable for your rank.
[Warning: Use not recommended. May kill you.]
-
[Unique Ability: [Mana Symbiosis] can create "abilities" by fusing Mana Marks. But be careful—their effects are often too powerful for your body to handle.]
[Recommendation: Prioritize Mana Marks with low power and high effectiveness.]
[]
Faced with the new descriptions, recommendations, and options, Lucius was amazed. This was much better than the previous version.
Furthermore, the boring, mythical gray color had changed to a color... even uglier. The characteristic brown of Rank E—undoubtedly the ugliest color in the system.
He could feel that his physical attributes had improved. He felt more muscular. He’d recently been exercising and eating well to get healthy, so in part it was normal, but with this rank upgrade, that muscle gain increased all at once.
Everything about him seemed to be working better. That was a good sign.
As he flexed, he noticed that his strength was greater. "Despite the poor condition of my body on the inside, I feel like I have more strength right now than I did when I was Rank E in my past life."
"And I remember that the previous combination was more powerful than this one," he thought.
It could only mean that these were the effects of his unique ability.
As he was lost in thought, he turned his attention away from his system and looked at Clara, who had stood up.
There was a colder energy surrounding her, though she was able to control it better.
"Looks like it went well," Lucius said with a congratulatory smile.
Clara looked up and nodded repeatedly. Without thinking, she jumped toward him to hug him. "Thank you, Lucius! I’ve got my Set of 5 now, and I’m in Rank E! In the next fight, I’ll make a huge jump in the rankings!"
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